Mascha C. van der Voort is a Full Professor at the University of Twente's Faculty of Engineering Technology, Department of Human Centered Design. Her work focuses on transdisciplinary design methodologies, inclusive technology, and sustainability. She has contributed over 180 research outputs since 1996, with notable contributions to empathy-driven design for neurodiverse populations and climate-resilient infrastructure solutions. Expertise includes: Design Theory, User-Centered Design, Automation in Design, and Sustainability. Recipient of the Best Paper Award at the 10th International Conference on Design, User Experience and Usability (2021). Active in academic governance, serving as Chair of the Faculty of Engineering Technology Board since 2021. Her research integrates transdisciplinary collaboration, with recent work exploring futures studies and co-speculation methodologies. She has supervised 18 graduate students and contributed to datasets addressing river research communication and autistic lifeworld-informed technology design.
Mark de Rond is Professor of Organisational Ethnography at Cambridge Judge Business School and Fellow of Darwin College, University of Cambridge. His work focuses on immersive ethnographic studies of human behavior in extreme contexts including war zones, high-stakes sports, and controversial social movements, revealing how individuals navigate challenging circumstances through compromise and sensemaking. His educational background includes a DPhil from the University of Oxford alongside advanced degrees in management and economics, photojournalism, documentary photography, biography, creative nonfiction, and prose fiction. This multidisciplinary training informs his unconventional methodological approach. De Rond's research centers on extreme context ethnography, examining how pressure-cooker environments expose fundamental organizational dynamics. His work spans military medicine (Camp Bastion fieldwork), elite sports (Cambridge Boat Race), Amazon river expeditions, and controversial practices like paedophile hunting. Key contributions explore negotiation, conflict resolution, serendipity, institutional persistence, and the emotional toll of fieldwork, often employing innovative methods like enactive ethnography and linguistic analysis of digital communities. His recent publications reveal a growing focus on digital vigilantism and the societal implications of extreme practices, with increasing interdisciplinary reach across organizational studies, criminology, medical anthropology, and sociology. The work demonstrates methodological creativity through linguistic analysis of Facebook groups, embodiment studies in extreme environments, and dream-based reflexive techniques. Scientific recognition includes: BEST ARTICLE AWARD FOR 2016 Favorite MBA Professor honors from Poets & Quants (2021, 2022) Guinness World Record for first unsupported Amazon row De Rond advises MBA students and delivers executive education to top law firms (Slaughter and May, Allen & Overy), professional services (McKinsey, KPMG), corporations (Sky, BT, Diageo), and NGOs (UNICEF, NHS). His negotiation training from Harvard Law School informs both academic work and university mediation practice. Current research involves collaborative teams studying paedophile hunting (featured in Sundance-nominated documentary Predators ) and high-performance sports organizations, with fieldwork requiring deep immersion in challenging environments. His research methodology involves embedded collaboration with diverse teams including medical personnel in conflict zones, elite rowers, and controversial activist groups, often pushing methodological boundaries through photojournalism and creative nonfiction approaches.
James Malazita is Associate Professor of Science & Technology Studies and Associate Director of the Games and Simulation Arts and Sciences (GSAS) program at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI). He is affiliated with the Department of Science and Technology Studies in the School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences, and contributes to the GEM (Games and Experiential Media) research group. Education: Ph.D. in Communication, Culture, and Media, Drexel University (2014) BS/MS in Digital Media, Drexel University (2009) Malazita's research lies at the intersection of game studies, platform studies, feminist technoscience, and social justice in computing. He critically investigates how game engines like Unreal shape technological and cultural infrastructures, particularly through the lenses of gender, race, and power. His forthcoming book, Enacting Platforms: Feminist Technoscience and the Unreal Engine (MIT Press, July 2024), offers a groundbreaking feminist and critical analysis of one of the most influential game development platforms. His work also extends to digital humanities, critical design, and the politics of computer science education. His recent publications reveal a strong thematic focus on the co-production of technology and society, with recurring interests in epistemic cultures, disciplinary formation, localization, and critical pedagogy. These works span journals in game studies, design, digital humanities, and STS, reflecting an interdisciplinary approach that bridges technical systems and humanistic critique. Scientific Support and Affiliations: Supported by NEH Office of Digital Humanities Supported by NEH Division of Educational Programs Supported by Popular Culture Association Supported by New Jersey Historical Commission Supported by Red Hat Inc. Supported by Rensselaer’s Teaching and Learning Collaboratory Member of GEM (Games and Experiential Media) ORCID: 0000-0003-3206-3682 Malazita advises graduate students in STS and Games, with former advisees placed at Yale, NYU, and UT Austin. He teaches courses in game studies, human-centered design, interpretive methods, and critical technology studies. His current course includes STSO 2610: DSIS Studio II (Spring 2024). His research raises fundamental questions about the material and cultural limits of platforms, the analyst-platform relationship, and the future of the web as shaped by game technologies.
Nazli Cila is a researcher at the Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering (IDE) at Delft University of Technology, specializing in Human-Centered Design and Human-Technology Relations. Her work lies at the intersection of design, artificial intelligence, and robotics, with a strong emphasis on ethical and human-centered approaches. Her research focuses on Human-AI collaboration , Responsible AI , and More-than-human design , exploring how intelligent systems can be designed to align with human values and lived experiences. She investigates design methods for AI and robotics, particularly in contexts such as mental health, smart homes, and agricultural automation. Nazli Cila’s recent publications reveal a strong trend toward integrating ethical considerations and aesthetic experience into AI systems, especially in diagnostic tools and human-robot ecologies. Her work often employs speculative and participatory methods to uncover value conflicts and envision alternative futures for technology. Involved in research projects: AI DeMoS Lab, DCODE Network Teaches course: Research to/for/through… She actively contributes to the academic community through publications and interdisciplinary collaborations, advancing the field of human-centered design in the age of AI.
Randall D. Beer is a Provost Professor at Indiana University with affiliations across multiple departments and centers, including the Cognitive Science Program , Program in Neuroscience , School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering , and the Center for Complex Networks and Systems Research . His research focuses on understanding how organisms function as integrated wholes, emphasizing the interplay between brains, bodies, and environments. He develops computational models of neuromechanical systems, biologically-inspired robotics, and dynamical systems approaches to cognition. Education: While formal educational details are not explicitly listed, Beer's academic trajectory is reflected in his extensive publications and roles in interdisciplinary research programs. Research Interests: Beer investigates: - Embodied cognition and enaction frameworks - Neurodynamics and central pattern generators - Evolution of behavior in artificial agents - Metabolic and developmental systems biology - Dynamical systems theory - Computational modeling of C. elegans locomotion Software Contributions: Beer has developed tools like Dynamica (for dynamical systems analysis), CTRNN (neural network simulation), and Evolutionary Agents (robotics control frameworks). These tools are widely used in computational neuroscience and robotics research. Advising and Teams: He supervises a large group of graduate students and postdocs, contributing to projects such as neuromechanical modeling and evolutionary robotics. His work is supported through grants focusing on embodied cognition and systems biology. Labs and Collaborations: Active in the Center for Complex Networks and Systems Research and collaborates with interdisciplinary teams exploring topics like autopoiesis, viability theory, and robotic embodiment.
Prof. Dr. Sabine C. Koch is a Professor of Dance and Movement Therapy at Alanus Hochschule Alfter and Head of the Research Institute for Creative Arts Therapies (RIArT). She holds a habilitation and multiple professorships, including at SRH Hochschule Heidelberg (2012–present) and has led the Alanus Research Institute since 2015. Her work focuses on embodiment theory, applying it to creative arts therapies such as dance, theater, and art to address mental and physical health challenges. Her education includes a Diplom in Psychology from Heidelberg University (1999) and a PhD (2003) and Habilitation (2009) from Heidelberg. She has led major projects like the BMBF-funded 'Körpersprache' (2009–2011), the EU TESIS project (2011–2015), and the Heidelberg Center for Motion Research (2016–2022). Awards include ADTA Research Awards (2007, 2013, 2014, 2023) and a Fulbright Scholarship (1996). Research interests span embodiment theory, enaction, systems theory, and their application in therapies. Her work emphasizes the role of movement in mental health, including studies on autism, schizophrenia, oncology, and refugee trauma. She collaborates internationally, including with institutions in Chile, Slovenia, and France. Her recent articles explore drama therapy for flood-affected children, dance therapy for dementia patients, and embodied approaches to experience studies. Grants and networks include the DFG-funded EmbodiNet (2024–2026) and a PhD program in Creative Arts Therapies with Witten/Herdecke University. Koch’s labs and teams focus on interdisciplinary motion research and clinical applications of movement therapies. She has advised numerous studies on therapeutic efficacy and co-authored over 200 peer-reviewed articles and books, including 'The Routledge International Handbook of Embodied Perspectives in Psychotherapy' (2019).
Anna Danielsson is a Professor of Science Education at Stockholm University's Department of Teaching and Learning, where she also serves as head of the science education section. Her academic career spans prestigious institutions including Uppsala University, King's College London, and the University of Cambridge, with her current research focusing on equity and inclusion in science education contexts. Professor Danielsson earned her PhD in physics education research from Uppsala University in 2009. Her educational journey includes a two-year postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Cambridge's Faculty of Education, followed by positions as senior lecturer at Uppsala University and Reader in Science Education at King's College London during 2016/17. She was promoted to Professor in Curriculum Studies at Uppsala University in January 2018 before joining Stockholm University. Her research program centers on critical examinations of gender, identity, and power dynamics in science and technology education. As leader of the Science Education Equity research group, she investigates inclusion-exclusion patterns and participation barriers for minoritized learners in science, with particular emphasis on physical sciences. Her work employs innovative narrative and discourse methodologies to explore how students construct identities within science learning contexts. Analysis of her recent publications reveals a sustained focus on identity construction in physics education, particularly examining how underrepresented students navigate disciplinary spaces. Her scholarship bridges theoretical frameworks from post-structuralism, cultural studies, and critical discourse analysis with empirical research in both formal and informal learning environments. A notable trend is her increasing attention to mathematics education and cross-disciplinary identity formation, as evidenced by her 2025 work on mathematics capital. Principal Investigator for 'In(ex)clusion in higher education mathematics and physics: Identity enactment in educational trajectories and scientific practices' Lead researcher on 'The unlikely scientists: Exploring what has enabled students from under-represented groups to continue to higher education science studies' (Swedish Research Council, 2019-2023) Collaborator on multiple Swedish Research Council-funded projects examining identity, gender, and equity in STEM pathways Professor Danielsson directs the Science Education Equity research group, which creates interdisciplinary spaces for examining how marginalized learners engage with science education. The group's work combines theoretical innovation with practical implications for creating more inclusive science classrooms and curricula, particularly focusing on how physical sciences can become more accessible to diverse student populations.
Regina Fabry is a Lecturer in the Department of Philosophy at Macquarie University, Australia, affiliated with the School of Humanities Ethics and Agency Research Centre. Previously, she held positions at Ruhr University Bochum (Lecturer, 2018–2021) and Justus Liebig University Giessen (Postdoctoral Researcher, 2016–2018). Her research focuses on situated cognition, affectivity, and the socio-cultural influences on self-narration and grief, particularly in the context of emerging technologies like deathbots. She holds a PhD in Philosophy (summa cum laude) from Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (2015), awarded the Barbara Wengeler Prize for her work on enculturated predictive processing. Fabry’s research is funded by grants including an ARC DECRA (2021–2024) and explores interdisciplinary themes in AI ethics, cognitive science, and literary studies. **Education**: PhD in Philosophy, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (2012–2015) MA in Comparative Literary Studies, Philosophy, and Theatre Studies, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (2007–2012) **Research Interests**: Combines empirical cognitive science with feminist theory to study narrative practices, grief, and AI ethics. Current projects include analyzing deathbots’ impact on grief dynamics and the socio-cultural situatedness of self-narration as tools of oppression or resistance. Her work bridges philosophy, psychology, and technology studies. **Articles Trends**: Recent publications address grief in digital contexts (deathbots), narrative ethics (e.g., gaslighting), and cognitive frameworks like predictive processing. Her work frequently intersects with technology’s role in shaping human experiences. **Awards**: Barbara Wengeler Prize 2016 for doctoral dissertation on enculturated cognition. **Teaching & Grants**: Teaches courses on AI ethics, including PHIL8400 (Rights, Responsibilities, and AI). Supervises postgraduate research in philosophy of mind and AI. Leads projects like “Living to tell, telling to live” (2021–present) and co-leads “A lone or lonely life?” (2025–2028) on autism and loneliness. **Labs/Teams**: Engaged in interdisciplinary collaborations on grief, narrative theory, and AI ethics, leveraging her background in philosophy, psychology, and literary studies.
Nanette Nielsen is a Professor at the Department of Musicology, University of Oslo (UiO), and a core member of the RITMO Center for Interdisciplinary Research on Rhythm, Time, and Movement. She has been affiliated with UiO since 2015, following academic roles at the University of Nottingham (2009–2015) and the University of East Anglia (2005–2009). Education: BA in Musicology and Philosophy, University of Copenhagen MMUS and PhD, Royal Holloway, University of London Her research bridges music and philosophy, focusing on ethics, aesthetics, and phenomenology in 20th- and 21st-century contexts. She explores film music, rhythm and temporality in musical experience, popular music, Scandinavian music, and opera/music criticism during the Weimar Republic. Recent publications reflect an interdisciplinary lens combining 4E/4A cognition (Embodied, Embedded, Enacted, Extended + Affect, Agency, Affordance, Autonomy) with music phenomenology. Key themes include audience engagement, dynamic listening, and music as a cognitive scaffold. Scientific Awards: 2014 Jerome Roche Prize for her article on Ernst Krenek's Jonny spielt auf She leads research projects such as Bodies in Concert and contributes to groups like Engagement and Absorption and Nordic Sounds: Critical Music Research Group .
Maria Mäkelä is a Senior Lecturer in Comparative Literature and Head of the Literary Studies Degree Programme at Tampere University's Faculty of Social Sciences. She holds a PhD and is a Docent in Narrative Theory. Her research focuses on narrative theory, digital media storytelling, and the interplay between personal experience and collective narratives in social media environments. She leads the Authors of the Story Economy consortium (2024–2028), funded by the Research Council of Finland. Her expertise includes comparative literature, narratology, and the analysis of viral storytelling dynamics. She co-founded the Narrare Centre for Interdisciplinary Narrative Studies and has published widely on topics like climate change narratives, political storytelling, and the ethics of personal experience sharing. Key projects include the Dangers of Narrative initiative, which critiques the risks of instrumental storytelling in public discourse. Mäkelä's work bridges literary theory with social science, emphasizing the societal impact of narrative forms. Her articles explore how social media transforms storytelling into a didactic force, often distorting intended ethical and political messages. She also investigates medieval exempla in contrast to modern digital narratives, highlighting enduring patterns of narrative authorization. Grants and leadership roles include the Research Council of Finland’s 2024–2028 consortium, academic board memberships, and editorial roles in journals like Style and Partial Answers . Her interdisciplinary approach has influenced fields from information systems to welfare studies, emphasizing narrative’s role in shaping collective understanding. Lab/Team affiliations include the Narrare Centre and collaborations with institutions like the University of Turku and IULM University. Her research underscores the need for story-critical approaches to address narrative pitfalls in contemporary media environments.
Professor Tim Jones is a Professor of Sustainable Urban Mobility at the School of the Built Environment, Oxford Brookes University. His research focuses on how urban environments can be configured to support sustainable and healthy mobility, particularly walking, cycling, and electrically assisted mobility. His work aligns with UN Sustainable Development Goals 3 (Good health and wellbeing), 10 (Reduced inequalities), and 11 (Sustainable cities and communities). Dr. Jones' research interests center on sustainable urban mobility, with particular emphasis on walking, cycling, and electric micromobility. He investigates how urban environments can be designed to promote healthy, sustainable travel that minimizes environmental impact while improving health and wellbeing and providing equal access to opportunities. His work employs novel mixed-method approaches to understand the physical, social, and cultural factors that influence everyday travel decisions. His research spans contexts from the UK to Brazil, examining issues like mobility justice, 15-minute cities, and low traffic neighborhoods. His recent publications reveal a strong focus on the health impacts of active travel, particularly examining how walking and cycling affect mental health, wellbeing, and quality of life. His work increasingly addresses electric micromobility, including e-bikes and e-scooters, with several 2024-2025 publications on the HELMET project. He frequently collaborates with international researchers, particularly in Brazil, on comparative urban mobility studies. Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) Award for Research Excellence 2017 (Academic Award) for the project cycle BOOM Professor Jones has supervised numerous PhD students including Catherine Ross (current), Oscar Natividad Puig (current), Aline Moreira Fernandes Barata (completed 2023), and Daniela Wollrab (completed 2023), among others. He has secured significant research funding including the NIHR-funded HELMET project (2025-2026), the EU-funded ENACT 15mC project (2023-2026), and the Rees Jeffreys Road Fund's UMALTraN project (2023-2024). His current research portfolio demonstrates strong engagement with contemporary urban mobility challenges, particularly post-pandemic transport issues and the integration of new mobility technologies. Professor Jones is actively involved in multiple research networks including the Planning Policy and Government Group, the Sustainable and Resilient Futures Network, the Healthy Ageing and Care Network, and the Children and Young People Network at Oxford Brookes University. He serves as a Research Ethics Officer and contributes to professional organizations including the European Partnerships Driving Urban Transitions Programme.
Prof. Piotr Lorens is a distinguished academic at Gdańsk University of Technology, where he serves as Professor and Head of the Department of Urban and Regional Planning within the Faculty of Architecture. With extensive expertise in urban planning and spatial development, he leads significant research projects including ENACT 15mC focused on the 15-minute city concept and community co-creation. His academic credentials include: dr hab. inż. arch. (2007) from the Faculty of Architecture of Warsaw University of Technology dr inż. arch. (2001) from the Faculty of Architecture Prof. Lorens specializes in urban and spatial planning , with particular focus on urban regeneration and public space design . His research addresses critical issues in post-socialist urban development, waterfront regeneration, and the evolving concept of the 15-minute city. He has made significant contributions to understanding how historical contexts shape contemporary urban planning approaches in Central and Eastern Europe. His recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on urban identity, planning instruments for the 15-minute city concept, and post-war reconstruction of Polish cities. His work often bridges theoretical urban planning concepts with practical case studies from Gdańsk and other post-socialist cities, examining how political, economic, and environmental factors influence urban development trajectories. Prof. Lorens leads the ENACT 15mC project focused on shaping neighborhoods and co-creating thriving local communities in the context of the 15-minute city concept, funded by the Driving Urban Transitions Partnership. He has also contributed to the TELOS project on sustainable urban development and led initiatives to develop new educational offerings in spatial management at the Faculty of Architecture.
Lauren Sarah Hayes is an Associate Professor of Sound Studies within the School of Arts, Media and Engineering at Arizona State University. She founded the research group Practice and Research in Enactive Sonic Arts (PARIESA) and holds degrees in Mathematics and Philosophy (MA), Digital Composition and Performance (MSc, dist.), and Creative Music Practice (PhD), all from the University of Edinburgh, UK. Dr. Hayes' research centers around embodied and enactive music cognition, enactive approaches to digital instrument design, and haptic technologies. Her scholarly work has been published in major journals including Contemporary Music Review, Organised Sound, and Computer Music Journal. As a performer and improviser, she explores new strategies for live electronic performance by investigating the performer's physical relationship with the digital realm, with music lying between free improv, experimental pop, techno, and noise. Her research on embodied music education won Best Paper Award at the International Computer Music Conference in 2016, and her work addressing political and epistemological themes won Best Paper Award at New Interfaces for Musical Expression (NIME) in 2020. Dr. Hayes composes haptic music experienced as vibration throughout the body and has developed bespoke haptic technologies for people with sensory impairment, learning difficulties, and autism. She has performed internationally at major festivals including Moogfest (USA), Tectonics (Scotland), and Norberg (Sweden), and represented the USA at the ISCM World New Music Days festival in the Faroe Islands in 2024. Best Paper Award, International Computer Music Conference (2016) Best Paper Award, New Interfaces for Musical Expression (NIME) (2020) Dr. Hayes serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Music, Technology & Education and has held leadership roles including Paper Chair for Tangible, Embedded, and Embodied Interaction (TEI) in 2019, associate of the New BBC Radiophonic Workshop, and Director-At-Large of the International Computer Music Association (ICMA). She founded the AME Listening Group at ASU, which hosts listening, workshop, and performance opportunities for students.
Mehdi Khamassi is a Research Director at the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS), assigned to the Institute of Intelligent Systems and Robotics (ISIR) at Sorbonne University in Paris, France. He holds an engineering background in computer science (specializing in AI and statistical modeling) from the National School of Computer Science for Industry and Business (2003), a Cogmaster in cognitive science from Pierre and Marie Curie University (2003), and a PhD in cognitive neuroscience from UPMC/Collège de France (2007). Recruited by CNRS in 2010, he co-organizes the Symposium of Biology of Decision-Making (SBDM) and co-directs the modeling major for the Cogmaster program. His research integrates computational modeling , neuroscience experiments , and robotic systems to study decision-making and learning mechanisms. Key interests include: Reinforcement learning in biological and artificial systems Role of social/non-social rewards in adaptive behavior Ethical implications of autonomous decision-making in AI Neuro-robotic models of hippocampal-prefrontal interactions Recent publications (2023-2025) demonstrate strong focus on reinforcement learning paradigms, AI alignment with human values, neurorobotics, and computational neuroscience. Work frequently bridges machine learning theory with empirical validation in biological systems or robotic platforms. He leads research within the ACIDE team at ISIR, exploring adaptive coordination of learning strategies in brains and robots. Current collaborations include NTUA (Greece), University of Oxford, and University of Trento.
Vitor Lima serves as Assistant Professor of Marketing at ESCP Business School's Madrid campus. His academic journey includes a Postdoctoral Fellowship at Schulich School of Business/York University, establishing his international research profile. PhD in Business Administration (Marketing) from IAG/PUC-Rio and Schulich School of Business/York University MSc in Business Administration from FGV/EBAPE MBA in Marketing from FGV BA in Advertising with Branding extension from ESPM Digital Marketing Strategy Executive Certificate from Harvard University Professor Lima's research explores the intersection of emerging technologies and consumer behavior through critical theoretical lenses. His work examines how biohacking, transhumanism, and AI reshape human identity and consumption practices. He investigates consumer experiences with cyborg technologies, self-tracking devices, and human enhancement, often employing enactive and posthumanist frameworks to analyze these phenomena. His research methodology frequently incorporates arts-based and speculative approaches to examine technological futures. His recent publications reveal a strong focus on posthuman consumer identities, with significant contributions to understanding biohacking cultures, NFT implications, and human-robot interactions. The interdisciplinary nature of his work bridges marketing, philosophy of technology, and medical humanities, creating novel theoretical syntheses for analyzing technologically mediated consumption. AMS Mary Kay Doctoral Dissertation Award AMS Review - Sheth Foundation Doctoral Competition for Conceptual Articles (ADCCA) ACR Best Working Paper Award Professor Lima actively engages with media outlets including the BBC, translating complex academic concepts for broader public discourse. His collaborations extend beyond academia into practical applications of marketing theory, particularly regarding digital transformation and emerging technology adoption. His research on biohacking and human enhancement technologies has generated significant cross-disciplinary interest, influencing both academic and industry discussions about the future of consumer experiences.
