Zuzana Šalamounová serves as Assistant Professor at the Institute of Educational Sciences within Masaryk University's Faculty of Arts, concurrently holding the leadership role of Vice-Dean for Teacher Training and Lifelong Learning. Her institutional responsibilities extend to the Dean's College, University Teaching Council, and Program Boards for Pedagogy degrees and the University of the Third Age, reflecting deep integration into academic governance. Her research centers on dialogic teaching methodologies and classroom discourse dynamics, with emphasis on equitable student participation and teacher development. She investigates how intervention programs transform teacher conceptualizations of students and foster inclusive dialogue through collective professional learning. Methodologically, she employs mixed approaches including social network analysis, action research, and ethnographic observation to capture classroom interaction complexities. Analysis of her 2022-2025 publications reveals consistent focus on practical applications of dialogic teaching in Czech educational settings. Key trends include longitudinal examination of student participation-achievement relationships, development of frameworks for identifying productive student discourse, and exploration of teacher mindset impacts on educational meaningfulness. Her work consistently bridges theoretical insights with classroom interventions through collaborations with Klára Šeďová, Martin Sedláček, and Roman Švaříček.
Jeanette Bresson Ladegaard Knox serves as an Associate Professor in the Department of Public Health at the University of Copenhagen's Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences. She also holds a Senior Researcher position within the Section of Health Services Research and is affiliated with the Centre for Medical Science and Technology Studies. Her work bridges philosophy, art, and medicine to explore humanistic, existential, and ethical dimensions of health and illness. Dr. Knox earned her academic background in Continental Philosophy from Copenhagen University, with additional degrees in Theater Studies and Religious Studies from the same institution. She also holds a Diploma in Philosophical Practice from the University of Oslo and is a certified Socratic dialogue facilitator through the Norwegian Society of Philosophical Practice. Prior to her current position, she taught at various departments and universities including the University of Copenhagen, DIS, St. Olaf College in the United States, and university colleges like SUND / Kleo UCC. Her research focuses on medical ethics, particularly clinical ethics and humanistic health research, with emphasis on narrative, philosophical, and aesthetic approaches to health practice. Theoretically grounded in existential phenomenology, hermeneutics, philosophy of existence, moral theories, ancient philosophy, and Stoicism, she develops methods to foster creative, critical, and dialogic environments within healthcare. Her work addresses concepts including death, mortality, selfhood, vulnerability, creativity, intersubjectivity, and the art of living. She conducts ethnographic research with participatory art and philosophy projects in pediatrics, disability, chronic disease rehabilitation, and personalized medicine. Her recent publications demonstrate a consistent focus on ethics laboratories as dialogical spaces for moral deliberation, narrative medicine applications, existential approaches to disability and chronic illness, and the philosophical dimensions of precision medicine. Her work shows strong interdisciplinary connections between healthcare practice, philosophical inquiry, and artistic methods, particularly in addressing existential suffering and promoting human flourishing among vulnerable populations. Dr. Knox actively contributes to clinical ethics practice through her membership on the Clinical Ethics Committee for Pediatrics at the Juliane Marie Center, University Hospital Copenhagen (since 2012), and the Board of the Danish Society for Clinical Ethics (2020-present, previously vice-chair 2014-2018). She coordinates research projects including MORPHEUS (2023-2028), DET: The Existential Theater (2024-2026), and serves as Research and Ethics Lab coordinator for MeInWe (2017-2024). She has received significant funding from sources including the Carlsberg Foundation's Semper Arden grant, Columbia University, and the Danish Cancer Society. Her research methodology combines theoretical philosophical work with empirical intervention studies, often involving participatory art and Socratic dialogue practices. She has developed the Ethics Laboratory model for moral learning across disciplines and the 4C model for ethical reflection in neonatal care. Current projects include exploring drama and music for children with cerebral palsy, investigating shared decision-making for venous blood clots, and examining existential approaches to disability through the DET project.
Alex Priou serves as Associate Professor of Political Theory at the University of Austin, where he contributes to the institution's mission of providing liberal education focused on critical thinking and intellectual inquiry. His academic journey reflects a deep commitment to classical philosophy and its relevance to contemporary political thought. Priou earned his Ph.D. and M.A. in Philosophy from Tulane University, followed by an M.A. in Liberal Arts from St. John's College, and completed his undergraduate studies with a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Connecticut. This diverse educational background has equipped him with a multifaceted perspective on political philosophy. His research focuses primarily on ancient Greek philosophy, particularly the works of Plato and their implications for political theory. Priou's scholarship explores how Socratic questioning and Platonic dialogues can illuminate contemporary political challenges. He examines the intersection of philosophical inquiry and political practice, with special attention to concepts of justice, governance, and the good life in both ancient and modern contexts. Analysis of Priou's publications reveals a consistent focus on Plato's dialogues as vehicles for political philosophical exploration. His work demonstrates how ancient texts can provide frameworks for addressing modern political dilemmas, particularly through the Socratic method of inquiry. The recurring themes across his scholarship include the relationship between philosophy and politics, the role of education in cultivating political virtue, and the enduring relevance of classical thought for contemporary governance. Author of three major books on Plato: 'Becoming Socrates: Political Philosophy in Plato's Parmenides' (2018), 'Defending Socrates: Political Philosophy Before the Tribunal of Science' (2023), and 'Musings on Plato's Symposium' (2023) Editor of 'Politics, Nature, and Piety: On the Natural Basis of Political Life' (2022), a collection of essays by his former teacher Laurence Berns Contributor to numerous academic journals including Philosophy and Literature, Arion, The Review of Metaphysics, and POLIS Priou actively engages in public scholarship through 'The New Thinkery,' a weekly podcast he co-hosts with Gregory McBrayer and David Bahr. This platform allows him to model accessible philosophical conversations for broader audiences while maintaining scholarly rigor. His current research includes a book project on Plato's Republic that examines its dramatic elements within the context of political events in ancient Athens, with implications for addressing contemporary political challenges.
