Sarah Hartman is a Lecturer in the Department of English and Media Studies at Bentley University. She specializes in interdisciplinary research at the intersection of media studies, folklore, and digital humanities, focusing on narrative design and visual storytelling. Her scholarly work includes the upcoming exhibition Folktale Fiasco (2025), which explores cultural representation through interactive media. Contact: Office: Lewis Hall - 203 Phone: (781) 891-2797 Email: shartman@bentley.edu
Andrea Wollensak is Professor of Art at Connecticut College, where she has taught since 1993. She is an interdisciplinary artist and designer whose work explores the convergence of place, identity, and history through site-based artworks that combine new media technology with traditional design and fabrication. Her educational background includes a B.F.A. from the University of Michigan and an M.F.A. from Yale University. She has held visiting faculty positions at numerous institutions including the University of Gothenburg, Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, Concordia University, Rhode Island School of Design, and the Estonian Academy of Arts. Wollensak's research focuses on social design and place-based storytelling, employing collaboration with community partners, computer scientists, musicians, poets, and scientists. Her work addresses themes of place-based narratives, environment, and memory through forms including audio/video, interactive installations, data visualization, artist books, and digitally fabricated works. She examines how design can be used as a tool for social impact and civic participation. Her most recent projects include Mapping Your Journey to School (2023), which engages Estonian and Ukrainian refugee students in creative writing workshops; Water Stories: Visual Poetics and Collective Voices (2022), a year-long artist residency at the Anchorage Museum; and Open Waters (2019-2020), an interactive installation examining Arctic environmental change. U.S. Fulbright Scholar in Estonia (2023) Artistic Excellence Award in Digital Art from Connecticut Office of the Arts Artist residency at Hafnarborg Contemporary Art Museum in Iceland (2011) Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism Grants in New Media (2010, 2006) IASPIS International Artist Studio Program in Sweden (2007) Rockefeller Study and Conference Center residency (2000) Wollensak has advised numerous students in design and new media projects, often collaborating with community partners. She served as Director of the Ammerman Center for Arts and Technology at Connecticut College from 2014-2020 and currently serves on the Advisory Council of the Winterhouse Institute and the Advisory Board for Digital Media Connecticut. Her teaching emphasizes design as an interdisciplinary practice that prepares students to be creative problem solvers who can use design to create positive social impact. Her work has been exhibited internationally at venues including the Göteborg International Contemporary Art Biennial, Nova Scotia Art Gallery, Brno Design Biennial Moravian Gallery, Center for Visual Art in Denver, Brown University's Granoff Center Gallery, and the Burchfield Penney Arts Center in Buffalo.
Dr Harrison Smith is a Lecturer in Digital Media & Society at the University of Sheffield's School of Sociological Studies, Politics and International Relations. He holds a PhD from the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Information, alongside MA and BA degrees in Sociology from Queen’s University, Canada. His research focuses on the political economy of data analytics, particularly in smart cities and consumer surveillance contexts. Education: PhD in Information Studies, University of Toronto (Canada) MA in Sociology, Queen’s University (Canada) BA (Hons) in Sociology, Queen’s University (Canada) Smith’s research examines how data infrastructures shape socio-economic inequality through processes like surveillance, classification, and market segmentation. Key areas include location-based marketing, 5G data infrastructures, and industry consolidation in data analytics. His work critiques how digital technologies reconfigure urban spaces and labor markets, particularly in 'smart city' contexts. Recent publications explore the metaverse's industrial implications, blockchain’s role in dispute resolution, and surveillance practices at music festivals. His teaching includes leading the module SCS2016: The Sociology of the Media. Smith’s expertise bridges media theory, urban informatics, and critical data studies, emphasizing ethical and political dimensions of digital technologies in everyday life.
James F. English is the John Welsh Centennial Professor of English at the University of Pennsylvania and former Faculty Director of the Price Lab for Digital Humanities (2015-2024). He previously directed the Penn Humanities Forum (2011-2018), served as Chair of the English Department, and has held interim leadership roles including Director of Cinema Studies and Moderator of the University Council. Currently teaching courses in British Cinema and The Economics of Literature and Film in the 21st Century for Fall 2025, he remains an active scholar despite being on leave Spring 2025. English's research spans multiple interconnected fields including 20th and 21st century British and American literature, digital humanities, literary sociology, and the study of literary awards and prestige systems. His influential work examines how literary value circulates through institutional channels, with particular focus on globalization's impact on English studies. His approach combines historical analysis with contemporary cultural theory, examining how literature functions within broader economic and social systems. His publications reveal consistent engagement with questions of scale, value, and institutional structures in literary production. The articles demonstrate his evolution from studying literary prizes and cultural prestige to examining contemporary issues like digital reading practices, temporal dimensions of fiction, and interdisciplinary approaches to literary sociology. His work consistently bridges traditional literary scholarship with sociological and economic frameworks. 2025 Dennis M. DeTurck Award for Innovation in Teaching 2016 Ira Abrams Memorial Award for Distinguished Teaching 1995 Penn Mortar Board Alumni Association Award For Outstanding Teacher Professor English has directed 25 doctoral dissertations across diverse topics in contemporary literature, globalization, and literary theory, while serving on nearly 50 doctoral committees. His teaching grants have supported innovative approaches to literary studies, particularly in digital humanities and the study of literary markets. His leadership in establishing the Price Lab for Digital Humanities has created significant infrastructure for digital scholarship at Penn. As founder and former director of the Price Lab for Digital Humanities, English established one of the leading digital humanities centers in the country, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration across humanities disciplines. His work with the Wolf Humanities Center (formerly Penn Humanities Forum) further demonstrates his commitment to creating institutional frameworks that support innovative humanities research.
Steven Devleminck is an Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Science at KU Leuven's Faculty of Engineering Technology, concurrently serving as coordinator of the School of Arts (Associated Faculty) in Brussels. His dual appointment bridges engineering and arts through the Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) group at Group T Leuven Campus and Unit Art & Technology in Brussels, with active membership in DigiSoc – KU Leuven Digital Society Institute. His research centers on human-centered computing and speculative design methodologies , with core expertise in tangible interaction for emotion regulation and multispecies futures. Key themes include biofuturing as co-creative response to climate crises, squeeze-based interfaces for workplace stress, and artistic AI collaborations. His work uniquely integrates computer science with choreography, film studies, and anthropology through projects like “Youth TikTok production as public pedagogy” and “Imagining the Post-Anthropocene in BioFutures Living Lab”. Analysis of recent publications reveals three dominant trajectories: (1) Advancement of squeeze interaction techniques for affective computing, (2) Development of biofuturing frameworks for multispecies speculation, and (3) Critical examinations of AI's role in artistic mediumship. Cross-cutting themes include post-anthropocentric design, climate-responsive technologies, and decolonial approaches to digital pedagogy. Devleminck actively mentors doctoral candidates including Ula Sickle (choreographic exhibitions) and J. Verbesselt (cinema studies), while leading major funded projects such as: Living Corpora (2025-2029): Pioneering human-AI collaboration in digital humanities as Co-promotor Experiential Futuring (2022-2026): Co-creative methodology for social media outage response as Co-promotor Deradicalizing the City (2021-2025): Urban intervention research as Promotor He serves on the Computer Science Department Council and Doctoral Committee for the Associated Faculty of Arts. His laboratory ecosystem spans the HCI Group T Leuven Campus for technical development, Brussels-based Unit Art & Technology for artistic integration, and BioFutures Living Lab for participatory multispecies experimentation. This tripartite structure enables transdisciplinary work connecting squeeze sensor engineering with climate futures speculation and museum interface design.
Sami Kajalo is a Senior University Lecturer at the Department of Marketing, Aalto University School of Business, and an Adjunct Professor of Marketing at the University of Helsinki. His research focuses on corporate social responsibility (CSR), brand loyalty, marketing strategy, retailing, and digital marketing, with a methodological emphasis on structural equation modeling (SEM). He has contributed over 117 publications, including works on consumer motivations in collaborative consumption, the strategic role of market orientation, and the impact of ethical leadership in retail environments. Kajalo teaches at both Aalto University’s Business School and its Executive Education DBA program. His academic journey includes a doctoral degree from the Helsinki School of Economics (2002), a licentiate (1993), and a master’s degree (1990) in Business and Economics. Research Interests: Kajalo’s work explores the intersection of psychological traits and CSR perceptions, particularly how these influence brand loyalty. He investigates arts marketing, digital transformation in retail, and the integration of CSR into strategic frameworks. His research methodologies prioritize empirical analysis to advance theoretical contributions in marketing disciplines. Article Trends: Recent publications highlight themes such as ethical dimensions in online retailing, market orientation as a competitive tool, and consumer behavior in sharing economies. His work often bridges theoretical frameworks with practical implications for retail strategy and organizational performance. Academic Engagement: Kajalo has collaborated internationally, including visiting researcher roles at Hokkaido University and hosting academic visitors. His expertise contributes to sustainable development goals related to responsible consumption and production (SDG 12) and quality education (SDG 4).
Dr. Laura Zizka is a Professor at the EHL Hospitality Business School, part of the HES-SO university network. She specializes in higher education strategies, crisis communication, and sustainability in hospitality and STEM sectors. Her research bridges academic theory with industry practice, focusing on organizational resilience during crises, digital education transformation post-pandemic, and embedding sustainability literacy in curricula. Education**: BSc HES-SO in Hospitality and Tourism Management Research Themes**: Crisis communication strategies in tourism and hospitality Digital transformation in higher education Pro-environmental behavior in hospitality operations Sustainability integration in STEM and business programs Her work emphasizes bridging educational practices with real-world challenges, such as pandemic communication, stakeholder engagement in sustainability, and employability skills for STEM graduates. Recent studies include analyzing Swiss hoteliers' pandemic communication evolution and exploring AI's role in academic writing through Microsoft Copilot case studies. Grants & Projects**: HES-SO Rectorate-funded project (2019–2020) on destination image and pictorial content impact (CHF 99,000) Longitudinal studies on student/faculty perceptions of digital education (2020–2023) Dr. Zizka collaborates with industry partners like KITRO (food waste tech) and actively contributes to conferences on topics ranging from trauma-informed pedagogy to blended learning models. She advocates for holistic sustainability education and has advised on CSR communication strategies for airlines and hospitality firms.
Brian Larkin is Professor of Anthropology at Barnard College, Columbia University, and Codirector of Columbia's Center for Comparative Media. He holds a PhD from NYU (1998) and studies media technologies through anthropological frameworks. Research examines media infrastructures in Nigeria: Religious media in Islamic and Christian contexts Nigerian film (Nollywood) circulation Urban soundscapes and loudspeaker culture Infrastructure politics and colonial legacies Authored Signal and Noise: Media, Infrastructure, and Urban Culture in Nigeria (Duke, 2008) and co-edited Media Worlds: Anthropology on New Terrain (California, 2002). Current work explores the relationship between media forms, religious transformations, and urban experience in postcolonial contexts.
Tom Boellstorff is a Professor of Anthropology at the University of California, Irvine. He holds a Ph.D. from Stanford University (2000). His research focuses on digital anthropology, virtual worlds, queer theory, and the intersection of technology with cultural practices. Boellstorff is known for pioneering ethnographic studies in virtual environments like Second Life and has explored topics such as Indonesian LGBTQ+ communities, disability in digital spaces, and the cultural history of early video games like Intellivision. His work spans theoretical frameworks for understanding digital cultures, methodological innovations in virtual ethnography, and critical analyses of technology’s role in shaping identity, politics, and social structures. Boellstorff’s interdisciplinary approach integrates cultural theory, media studies, and queer studies to examine how digital platforms mediate human experience. Recent publications emphasize the anthropology of emerging technologies (e.g., metaverse studies), historical analyses of video game platforms, and the sociopolitical implications of digital exclusion. His documentary work, including Virtual Cultures in Pandemic Times , extends his ethnographic focus into visual media.
Dimitris Samaras is a SUNY Empire Innovation Professor in the Department of Computer Science at Stony Brook University, affiliated with the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences. He leads the Computer Vision Lab and holds adjunct roles in Biomedical Informatics and Radiology. His research focuses on computer vision, machine learning, medical imaging, and computational behavioral sciences, with interdisciplinary collaborations in psychology and neuroscience. Education: Ph.D. in Computer Science (University of Pennsylvania, 2001), M.S. in Computer Science (Northeastern University, 1994), Diploma in Computer Engineering (University of Patras, Greece, 1992). Research Interests: Modeling 3D shape and illumination interactions, facial expression analysis, medical image analysis, and applying machine learning to brain imaging. Current funded projects include NIH/NIDA grants, NSF initiatives, and collaborations with institutions like Brookhaven National Lab and Adobe. Publications: Over 150 peer-reviewed papers in top venues like ICCV, CVPR, and MICCAI, with impactful work on shadow removal, face relighting, and digital pathology. Recent trends emphasize medical AI, generative models, and multimodal interactions. Awards: SUNY Chancellor’s Award (2018), Dean’s Millionaire’s Club (2016), and multiple NIH/NSF grants. Recognized for contributions to scholarship and creative activities in academia. Grants & Teams: Leads over $10M in active grants, including projects on AI for penguin population tracking, histopathology image analysis, and robotic assistance. Collaborates with interdisciplinary teams in medicine, engineering, and cognitive science. Labs & Initiatives: Directs the Computer Vision Lab, contributes to the ColdSteel/NSF CVDI-NY SPIR consortium, and co-leads the Sensor and Transportation Security Center with Farmingdale State College.
Professor Qing Cao is Professor, Director of Studies, and Director of the Centre for Comparative Modernities at Durham University's School of Modern Languages and Cultures. His research examines Chinese media, communication, and modern intellectual history through three interconnected strands: the role of media in China's modernization, the impact of media language on social perceptions, and mutual China-West representations shaping identity politics. His research interests encompass China's modern intellectual history, Chinese politics, mass media dynamics, Western reporting on China, Chinese linguistics, and translation studies. Current projects include a book on Chinese state media's construction of alternative modernity and editorial work for the Routledge Research Encyclopaedia on Chinese Studies. Previously funded by AHRC and British Academy, his work explores the discursive transformation of Chinese society. Professor Cao's publications demonstrate sustained focus on discursive constructions of modernity and identity across historical periods, with recent work examining late Qing intellectual transformations through linguistic analysis. His supervision includes PhD students researching Western media representations of China, diplomatic language, and gender discourses in Chinese newspapers.
Mark D. Gross is a Professor of Computer Science and Director of the ATLAS Institute at the University of Colorado Boulder, where he leads an interdisciplinary hub for creativity and invention. His academic journey began at MIT with BS and PhD degrees, followed by faculty roles at Carnegie Mellon University (2004-2013), University of Washington Seattle (1999-2004), and CU-Boulder (1990-1999, 2014-present). As co-founder of Modular Robotics Incorporated and Blank Slate Systems LLC, he bridges academia and entrepreneurship. Education: BS and PhD in Computer Science from MIT Gross’ research spans design methods, modular robotics, computational design tools, and tangible interaction. He pioneered sketch recognition software like 'The Electronic Cocktail Napkin' and explores physical computing through projects such as shape-changing interfaces, interactive construction kits, and augmented reality systems. His work integrates IoT, digital fabrication, and educational technology. Recent publications highlight innovations in AR/VR collaboration, shape-changing robotics, and interactive fabrication. Key themes include climate communication through data physicalization, AI-driven creative systems, and soft robotics for dynamic interfaces. Despite no explicit awards listed, his career demonstrates sustained impact through ACM conference leadership (Creativity and Cognition 2009, TEI 2011) and industry partnerships. Gross’ prior industry experience includes positions at Atari Cambridge Research and Logo Computer Systems. His lab at ATLAS fosters radical creativity through projects like PaperMech, DynaBlock, and WearAir, emphasizing hands-on learning and cross-disciplinary experimentation.
Meeyoung Cha is a Professor at KAIST and Scientific Director of the Max Planck Institute for Security and Privacy (MPI-SP) in Bochum, Germany. Her research focuses on Data Science for Humanity, encompassing computational social science, misinformation dynamics, and human-machine interaction. She holds a PhD in Computer Science from KAIST (2008) and previously served as Chief Investigator at the Institute for Basic Science and Visiting Professor at Facebook. Her work addresses societal challenges such as poverty mapping, fraud detection, and AI ethics. Key achievements include best paper awards and recognition like the Hong Jin-Ki Creator Award (2024) and Test-of-Time Awards (ACM IMC 2022, AAAI ICWSM 2020). Research interests span AI ethics, social media analysis, and interdisciplinary applications of machine learning. Notable projects include modeling climate risks via satellite imagery and analyzing chatbot interactions' societal impacts. She leads the MPI-SP's Data Science for Humanity Group, mentoring over 20 students across PhD and postdoc programs. Education: PhD in Computer Science (KAIST, 2008) Affiliations: MPI-SP (Germany), KAIST Key Awards: Hong Jin-Ki Creator Award, Korean Young Information Scientist Award, Test-of-Time Awards Her publications bridge computational methods with societal issues, including climate modeling, protein engineering, and algorithmic fairness. Current projects explore geospatial AI for economic development and ethical AI design frameworks.
Dr. Jeffrey Morgan is a Researcher at Cardiff University's School of Social Sciences, specializing in multidisciplinary research at the intersection of computer science, social science, and geography. His work emphasizes human-computer interaction, visualization, and big data analytics. He holds a Research Software Engineer role, combining technical expertise with academic inquiry. Key research interests include AI-driven patent analysis, IoT applications in rural citizen science, and geospatial Twitter demographics. He has contributed to studies on Hadoop infrastructure optimization and social media conflict detection, often collaborating with institutions like Xiamen University and the University of Bremen. His publications span topics like energy-efficient big data processing, digital geography of Welsh identity, and scalable social media analysis frameworks. Notable projects include COSMOS (a cloud-based social media analysis platform) and studies on post-devolution cultural narratives in Wales. Award-winning work includes computational Twitter analysis for detecting online community tensions and geotagging behavior patterns. His research often bridges technical innovation with societal impact, addressing challenges in rural technology deployment and digital sociology.
Rita Finkbeiner is a Professor of German Linguistics at Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, where she has held a W3 professorship since April 2020 and served as managing director of the German Institute from 2022-2023. Previously, she was a W2 Professor at Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf (2018-2020) and has been affiliated with Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz since 2010. Her research focuses on the critical interface between grammatical structures and pragmatic functions in language use. Her academic background includes: Magistra Artium in German Linguistics and European Ethnology from Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (2000) Ph.D. in German Linguistics from Stockholm University (2009) Habilitation at Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz (2016) Professor Finkbeiner's research examines how linguistic constructions operate at the grammar-pragmatics interface, with particular attention to speech acts, implicit meaning, and expressivity in German. She investigates phenomena such as wh-headlines in newspapers, reduplicative constructions, expressive morphology, and the pragmatics of social media commenting. Her work bridges theoretical linguistics with practical applications in language teaching and media discourse, demonstrating how linguistic form and communicative function interact systematically. Analysis of her recent publications reveals a consistent focus on construction grammar and pragmatics, with increasing attention to digital communication patterns while maintaining strong theoretical foundations. Key trends include exploration of wh-headlines across discourse types, expressive morphology in German word formation, and the pragmatics of social media commenting, demonstrating both theoretical depth and practical relevance to contemporary communication contexts. Professor Finkbeiner actively supervises doctoral and master's students, with numerous successful completions including Julian Stawecki (2024) and Robert Külpmann (2019). She has led significant research projects including the DFG-funded "W-Überschriften im Deutschen" (2018-2022) on German wh-headlines, and is coordinating the development of a German linguistics textbook. She collaborates closely with researchers including Dr. Robert Külpmann, Dr. Paul Reszke, and Charlotte Eisenrauch. She leads a research team at Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz that investigates construction grammar and pragmatics across various discourse contexts, with particular attention to digital communication and educational applications. Her work environment provides a strong interdisciplinary context connecting theoretical linguistics with language education and media studies.
