Prof. Anke Hagemann holds a guest professorship at TU Berlin's Habitat Unit since 2021, focusing on urban-rural transformations and global production networks. She earned a doctoral degree (summa cum laude) from HafenCity University Hamburg in 2023, exploring Istanbul's clothing industry networks. Her academic journey includes interim professorships at BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg and teaching roles at ETH Zurich, TU Stuttgart, and HafenCity University. Her research spans global commodity production, urban mega-events, and holiday architectures. Notable projects include the DFG-funded 'Transnational Production Spaces' (2016–2019) and BMBF-funded 'Urban Rural Assembly' in China. She has published widely on spatial constellations of global production, including works on Bulgarian post-socialist tourism and Ethiopia's garment industry. Awards include her thesis distinction and grants like the DFG scientific network on global production spaces. Her teaching spans urban design studios and seminars on topics like 'Feeding the City' and 'Global City Local Spaces.' She co-curated exhibitions like 'Shrinking Cities' and contributed to initiatives like the 'Urban Rural Assembly' to address sustainability challenges.
Dr. Thomas Parkinson is a Lecturer at The University of Sydney and Deputy Director of the IEQ Lab within the School of Architecture, Design and Planning. His research focuses on high-performance buildings, indoor environmental quality (IEQ), and human thermal physiology. He holds a PhD in Architectural Science from The University of Sydney and has led technical development of the SAMBA IEQ Monitoring System. He previously worked at the Center for the Built Environment at UC Berkeley. Education: BEnvMgt, BSc(Hons1), PhD in Architectural Science (University of Sydney). Research interests include thermal comfort dynamics, sensor technology for built environments, and adaptive comfort models. Key contributions include the ASHRAE Global Thermal Comfort Database II and studies on workplace dissatisfaction in 600 office buildings. Awards: 2022 Ralph G. Nevins Award (ASHRAE) for thermal comfort research, 2018 Best Paper Award (Building and Environment). He reviews for journals like Building and Environment and serves on ASHRAE Technical Committees. Teaching: Courses include BADP1001 Empirical Thinking and DESC9067 Mechanical Services. Current advisee: Sepideh Borghei (PhD project on indoor greenery's impact). Affiliations: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, UC Berkeley's Center for the Built Environment. Active in ASHRAE committees and professional networks.
Linda Ryan Bengtsson is an Associate Professor in the Department of Geography, Media and Communication at Karlstad University. She holds roles as a research advisor and collaborates with public/private entities, including Hagfors municipality, Visit Värmland, and Uddeholm. Her work focuses on geomedia studies, exploring the interplay between place, media practices, and digital culture within cultural industries and tourism. Education: She completed her doctoral dissertation on public art installations and interactive experience in 2012. Teaching includes undergraduate and advanced courses in visual culture, digital design, and design methodology. Research Interests: Her interdisciplinary research combines human geography, tourism studies, and business administration. Key projects include the 'Bruksort 2.0' ecosystem initiative (2024-2025) and the 'Music Ecosystems' EU project (2018-2021). She co-edits the book Geomedia Studies: Spaces and Mobilities in Mediatized Worlds (2017/2018). Collaborations: She serves on boards for the Baltic Sea Foundation and Visit Värmland, emphasizing strategic research environments and funding. Recent articles (2024) address geomedia futures in tourism, pandemic impacts on music industries, and virtual reality immersion. Awards: No specific prizes mentioned, though her work receives grants from Vinnova, EU, and regional agencies. Her research environment development focuses on co-creation with industry partners. Advising/Grants: As a research advisor, she strengthens funding opportunities and national/international collaborations. Projects like 'Experience Industry: Geomedia Technologies for Live Performance' highlight her focus on applied research. Labs/Teams: Central to the Geomedia Studies Research Group, she leads projects like 'Digital Place-Based Experiences' and 'Crisis Communication' initiatives in rural tourism sectors.
Dr. Kenneth MacKendrick serves as Professor and Department Head in the Department of Religion at the University of Manitoba's Faculty of Arts, where his work bridges critical social theory, the study of evil across religious traditions, and the psychological dimensions of religious imagination including imaginary companions and fantasy gaming practices like LARPing. His academic credentials include: PhD in Critical Theory, Ethics, Hermeneutics, and Psychoanalysis (University of Toronto, 2005) MA in Critical Theory and Religion with Feminist Ethics focus (University of Toronto, 1996) BA in Religious Studies (University of Windsor, 1994) MacKendrick's research interrogates how humans inhabit imagined realities through religious frameworks, examining phenomena from Dungeons & Dragons world-building to theological conceptualizations of evil. His scholarship consistently applies Habermasian critical theory to deconstruct metaphysical assumptions in religious discourse while exploring the cognitive foundations of religious experience. His publication trajectory reveals persistent engagement with interdisciplinary methodologies, evolving from early analyses of Habermas's critical theory (2008) toward contemporary investigations of fan cultures and imaginary world-building (2018-2023). The thematic through-line connects theoretical rigor with practical religious phenomena, particularly through his seminal work on evil and its manifestations across global traditions. Actively mentoring graduate students in Master's and PhD programs, MacKendrick maintains robust scholarly productivity as evidenced by his ongoing publications and departmental leadership, though specific research grants remain undocumented in available materials.
Alan Bairner is a Professor of Sport and Social Theory at Loughborough University, where he has been since 2013. Previously, he held the same title at the University of Ulster for 25 years. His expertise spans sport nationalism, globalization, and social theory. He leads modules including PSB015 and PSC023, focusing on ideologies, celebrity, and place in sport. Education: MA (Hons) in Politics from the University of Edinburgh, PGCE in History/Modern Studies from Moray House College, and a PhD from the University of Hull. Academic Roles: Past President of Loughborough UCU branch; co-author of seminal works like Sport, Sectarianism and Society in a Divided Ireland and editor of Routledge Handbook of Sport and Politics . His research explores sport in divided societies, nationalism, and cultural identity. Notable studies include Chinese football fandom, global wushu strategies, and the role of sport in postcolonial contexts. He is affiliated with the Edinburgh Critical Studies of Sport group and has contributed to policy debates on sport governance and anti-doping compliance. Bairner’s work critically examines sport’s intersections with politics, identity, and globalization, emphasizing its role in shaping and reflecting societal structures.
Christoph Breuer is a Professor at the Institute of Sport Economics and Sport Management at the Deutsche Sporthochschule Köln. His work focuses on sports economics, club management, and policy analysis. He leads research initiatives examining sports integrity, club ownership dynamics, and volunteer engagement. Breuer is actively involved in editorial roles for journals such as the Journal of Global Sport Management and Sport Management Review. His research spans over 800 publications, including studies on pandemic impacts on athletes and clubs, sponsorship strategies, and logistics in sports organizations. He has received the SMAANZ Best Conference Paper Award 2024. Key projects include analyzing multi-club ownerships and evaluating prevention measures against sports match-fixing. He advises PhD students like Thomas Breuer and Christoph Pott. His grants include projects funded by third parties, such as the 'Sportentwicklungsbericht' series and investigations into sports integrity. Breuer collaborates internationally, addressing topics like equipment logistics and athlete well-being. His work bridges academic research with practical applications for sports policy and management. Editorial roles: Journal of Global Sport Management, Sport Management Review Key projects: Sport Development Report (SEB 3.0), UEFA EURO 2024 evaluation Media engagements: Over 100 press contributions on topics like sports economics and club financing
Zhenzhen Fan is an Assistant Professor of Finance at the Lang School of Business and Economics, University of Guelph (Guelph, Canada). She holds a PhD from the University of Amsterdam and previously served as an Assistant Professor at the University of Manitoba (Winnipeg, Canada). Her research focuses on theoretical/empirical asset pricing, financial derivatives, international finance, and textual analysis in finance. Education: PhD in Finance, University of Amsterdam (Netherlands) Her work explores topics such as currency risk premiums, macroeconomic announcement returns, and post-crisis financial market dynamics. She is affiliated with the FIRM lab and teaches courses like FIN 3100 Corporate Finance and FIN 3000 Investments. Funding: SSHRC Insight Development Grant (2023-current) Canadian Derivatives Institute Grant (2018-2020) Upcoming research includes examining market disagreement effects on macroeconomic announcement returns, to be presented at the Eastern Finance Association conference (Philadelphia, April 2024).
J.C. Bradbury is a Professor of Economics at Kennesaw State University , affiliated with the Department of Economics, Finance, & Quantitative Analysis. He maintains active research profiles on Google Scholar and SSRN , with a personal website at jcbradbury.com . Education : Ph.D. and M.A. in Economics from George Mason University; B.A. in Economics and Philosophy from Wofford College. His research focuses on Sports Economics , Stadium Subsidies , and Local Economic Development . Key contributions include analyzing the economic impacts of sports stadiums, film tax incentives, and labor dynamics in professional sports leagues. His work frequently appears in journals like Economic Inquiry , Journal of Sports Economics , and Public Finance Review . Recent publications examine fiscal impacts of stadium projects, attendance determinants in MLS, and policy critiques of government film industry support. He has served as a consulting expert on Economic Development , Athlete Valuation , and Sports Labor Issues , with references available upon request. He maintains active social media presence at Bluesky (9.2K posts) and Twitter, frequently commenting on sports policy, economic development, and local governance issues. His consulting work spans performance analysis, athlete valuation, and public policy evaluation.
Giancarlo Lombardi is a Professor in the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures at the College of Staten Island (CSI), part of the City University of New York (CUNY) system. Since 2002, he has also been a faculty member in the PhD/MA Program in Comparative Literature at the CUNY Graduate Center, where he has served as Executive Officer (Chair) since 2014. His academic career spans teaching and research in Italian, French, English, and American literature, film studies, cultural studies, and television drama. Education: Laurea, Università di Roma "La Sapienza" MA, Cornell University PhD, Cornell University (Romance Studies) His research interests include Comparative Literature, Italian and American Television Seriality, Film Studies, Gender Studies, and Feminist Fiction . He has published extensively on contemporary European women writers, Italian cinema, and political violence in film. In recent years, his scholarship has focused on television drama, particularly Italian and American serials such as Lost and The Sopranos , with a growing emphasis on global and comparative frameworks. The most recent publications reflect a trajectory from feminist literary studies to media and television analysis, culminating in two ongoing book projects: Belfagor e dintorni on classic Italian television and Television without Borders on transnational serial narratives. These works highlight his interdisciplinary approach and evolving focus on media globalization. Scientific Contributions: Rooms With a View: Feminist Diary Fiction (2002) Co-editor, Terrorism Italian Style (2011) Co-editor, Remembering Aldo Moro (2012) Co-editor, Nuovo cinema politico (2016) Lombardi has played a significant role in academic leadership, directing the Italian program at CSI and currently leading the Comparative Literature program at the Graduate Center. He has not received any explicitly mentioned scientific awards, but his editorial and book projects indicate recognition in his field. He teaches courses on Italian cinema, women writers, the Decadent Movement, and gender studies, contributing to interdisciplinary programs including American Studies, Women’s Studies, and Science, Letters and Society. He is actively engaged in research and has no indication of affiliation with labs or research teams, though his work is deeply embedded in cultural and media studies scholarship. His current projects suggest a continued scholarly trajectory toward comparative media analysis and global television studies.
Dr. Fan Xia is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) School of Medicine. She earned her PhD in Biostatistics from the University of Washington, Seattle in June 2020. Dr. Xia's research focuses on methodological developments in causal inference, particularly causal mediation analysis, and she has made significant contributions to the field with numerous publications in high-impact statistical and medical journals. PhD in Biostatistics, University of Washington, Seattle (June 2020) Dr. Xia's research is primarily oriented around causal mediation analysis. Her work provides comprehensive guidance for applied statisticians and epidemiologists navigating the philosophical subtleties and abundant methodology in causal inference. She develops methodologies for complex causal mediation structures, including mediation analysis with treatment-induced confounding, mediation analysis with multiple mediation pathways, and mediation analysis for longitudinal data, using rigorous statistical theories for semiparametric inference. Additionally, her research involves causal discovery and cluster randomized trials with stepped wedge designs, which are related to model-based causal inference with longitudinal data. Dr. Xia has demonstrated a steady publication record with increasing productivity since completing her PhD. Her publications span from 2017 to 2025, with a notable increase in output from 2021 onward. Her work appears in top statistical journals like Biometrika, Journal of the American Statistical Association, and Biometrics, as well as medical journals including JAMA Network Open and Clinical Infectious Diseases. The publications reflect her dual focus on methodological advancements in statistics and applications to important health issues, particularly in HIV research, clinical trials methodology, and chronic disease epidemiology. No specific awards mentioned in the provided information Dr. Xia appears to be actively involved in collaborative research across multiple domains. Her publications indicate collaborations with researchers in epidemiology, medicine, and public health. While specific grant information is not provided, her research on stepped wedge cluster randomized trials suggests involvement in methodological grant-funded research. She has served as a co-investigator on studies related to HIV, hypertension, tobacco use, and chronic kidney disease, demonstrating the breadth of her research impact. Dr. Xia appears to be part of the broader biostatistics and epidemiology research community at UCSF. Her publications indicate collaborations with researchers across different departments and institutions. While specific lab information is not provided, her work on stepped wedge designs suggests she may be part of or collaborate with teams focused on clinical trial methodology. Her research on HIV and women's health also suggests connections with relevant research groups at UCSF, contributing to the university's mission of advancing health worldwide.
Ntzoufras Ioannis is a Professor in the Department of Statistics at the Athens University of Economics and Business (AUEB), School of Information Sciences and Technology, where he has served continuously since 2004 (promoted to Professor in 2015). Previously, he held teaching positions at the University of the Aegean (2000-2004) and completed military service (1999-2000). Education B.Sc. in Statistics and Insurance Science (1994) M.Sc. in Statistics with Application in Medicine, University of Southampton (1995, with distinction) Ph.D. in Statistics, Athens University of Economics and Business (1999) Research Focus His work centers on Bayesian and computational statistics , specializing in categorical data analysis, statistical modeling, and variable selection methodology. He develops sophisticated models for applications in medical research (clinical trials, risk estimation), psychometrics (latent variable models), and sports analytics (football/basketball modeling), with emphasis on computational efficiency and real-world implementation. Publication Trends Recent publications (2023-2025) reveal three dominant trends: (1) Advanced Bayesian variable selection methods for high-dimensional data, (2) Sports analytics applications in football (goal modeling, competitive balance) and basketball (in-play performance), and (3) Development of specialized R packages (ssifs, PEPBVS) for statistical computation. His work consistently bridges theoretical innovation with practical domain applications. Scientific Awards Lefkopouleion Prize for Greece's best statistics thesis (1999-2000) PROSE Award Honorable Mention for 'Bayesian Modeling Using WinBUGS' (2010) Academic Leadership He has supervised graduate students across AUEB's Statistics, Business Analytics, and Data Science programs, and taught postgraduate courses at the University of Athens (Biostatistics), University of the Aegean (Business Administration), and Italian institutions (University of Pavia, Universita Cattolica, University of Bicocca-Milan). As General Secretary of the Greek Statistical Institute (2006-2007), he advanced national statistical initiatives. Research Community He founded and maintains grstats (http://grstats.forumotion.net/), Greece's primary online statistics community, facilitating collaboration among 1,200+ statisticians and data scientists through forums, workshops, and resource sharing.
Brooke Foucault Welles is a Professor in the College of Arts, Media and Design at Northeastern University, where she also serves as Interim Dean and Director of the Network Science PhD program. Her research focuses on how social networks and communication technologies shape power dynamics, particularly in contexts of marginalization and social justice. PhD in Media, Technology and Society from Northwestern University MS and BS in Communication from Cornell University Her research spans multiple domains including: Network science of AI and social systems Digital activism and social movement dynamics Health information and (mis)information flows Open source community structures Race/ethnicity in digital contexts Computational social science methodologies Recent publications focus on attention dynamics in social networks, hate speech protection mechanisms, and open-source software sustainability. Her work has been supported by grants from the NSF, NULab, and Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. Awards include: McGannon Book Award (2021) for #HashtagActivism Best Paper Honorable Mention at CSCW 2019 She leads the Communication Media and Marginalization Lab (CoMM Lab) which includes PhD students and postdocs from diverse disciplines. Her advising approach emphasizes interdisciplinary collaboration and methodological training in both quantitative and qualitative approaches.
Nicholas Sammond is a Professor at Innis College, University of Toronto, with a cross-appointment at the Centre for the Study of the United States. He is a leading scholar in media and cultural studies, focusing on animation, race, childhood, and the political economy of popular media. His research integrates historical analysis with critical theory, and he is actively involved in digital humanities initiatives. Education: PhD, University of California, San Diego MPhil, University of California, San Diego BA, Wesleyan University Professor Sammond's research centers on the cultural history of American animation, particularly its entanglement with racial formations such as blackface minstrelsy, as explored in his acclaimed book Birth of an Industry . He also investigates media constructions of childhood, humor, and Cold War-era abjection in comics and animation. His work bridges film studies, cultural theory, and public engagement through digital archives. His publications reveal a consistent focus on how media shapes identity, ideology, and cultural memory. Themes across his articles include racial representation in cartoons, the politics of collecting comix, media pedagogy, and the spatial rhetoric of animation. His research often intersects with feminist media history, disability studies, and neoliberal critique. Scientific Awards: 2017 Katherine Singer Kovács Book Award of Distinction, Society for Cinema and Media Studies 2015 Richard Wall Memorial Award Finalist, Theatre Library Association 2006 Katherine Singer Kovács Book Award, Society for Cinema and Media Studies Professor Sammond has supervised graduate students and taught courses in film and media history, animation, media theory, and cultural studies at both undergraduate and graduate levels. He has received research support through academic appointments and institutional affiliations. He created the Early Animation Wiki in collaboration with ASIFA Hollywood and established an animation research station at Innis College Library, enhancing access to rare animation materials. He is currently on leave from July 2024 to September 2025. His upcoming research explores fluid abjection in Cold War comic books and animation, continuing his interdisciplinary approach to media history.
Dr. Alice Butler serves as the 2021/2022 Centre for American Art Terra Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow at The Courtauld Institute of Art, where she operates as an interdisciplinary scholar and art writer specializing in feminist art and writing through intersectional feminist and queer perspectives. Her work critically examines intersections of sickness, sexuality, and gender via experimental archive and autotheory methodologies. Butler develops feminist, affective practice-based research grounded in creative writing experiments to engage 'with' artists and artworks, rather than merely studying them. Her current project centers on correspondence in feminist contexts, exemplified by the events series 'What a hazard a letter is,' which investigates letters as both physical artifacts and methodological frameworks. She is concurrently advancing book projects on Kathy Acker/Cookie Mueller's epistolary art, feminist gesture practices, and textiles/sickness/perversion dynamics in feminist art. Her scholarly contributions intersect feminist theory with material practices, emphasizing affective and embodied research approaches. Recent publications analyze literary triangles, fan cultures, and textile metaphors within feminist frameworks, demonstrating consistent engagement with marginalized voices and experimental forms. Dr. Butler has been awarded significant research fellowships: Terra Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship Paul Mellon Centre Fellowship Freud Museum London Fellowship AHRC Fellowship As both a theorist and practicing art critic, she bridges academic scholarship with contemporary art discourse through writing that challenges conventional boundaries between criticism and creative practice.
Professor Joseph Wood is a Professor of Visual Analytics at City St George's, University of London, where he serves as a founding member of the giCentre. His academic career spans over three decades, with continuous contributions to Geographic Information Science and visualization since 1990. He previously served as Head of Department for Computer Science at City University between 2014 and 2017. Professor Wood's educational background includes a PhD in Geographical Information Science from the University of Leicester (1996), an MSc in the same field from the University of Leicester (1990), and a BSc in Physical Geography & Geology from the University of Sheffield (1989). His academic progression shows steady advancement from Research Scholar at the University of Leicester (1990-1992) through various lecturer and senior positions to his current professorship. His research interests center on visual analytics and data visualization, with particular expertise in geographic information science and terrain analysis. Professor Wood has developed innovative methods bridging GI Science, Data Visualization, and education domains. His specific interests include narrative of visual analytic design, computational thinking in pedagogy, and novel visualization design for geographic data. His work demonstrates a consistent focus on making complex spatial data understandable through innovative visualization techniques. Analysis of Professor Wood's recent publications reveals a strong emphasis on practical applications of visualization techniques across diverse domains including transportation, epidemiology, sports analytics, and historical migration patterns. His work shows an evolution from foundational geographic information science toward broader applications in visual analytics, with increasing focus on narrative structures, responsive design, and accessibility considerations in visualization. The interdisciplinary nature of his research is evident in collaborations spanning computer science, geography, urban planning, and public health domains. Professor Wood has been actively involved in the academic community, serving on organizing and program committees for major international conferences including IEEE Infovis and VAST, Eurovis, GIScience, Spatial Accuracy, and Geomorphometry. His contributions to the field have been recognized through invitations to deliver keynote talks at prestigious venues ranging from GeoComputation to TEDx, where he presented on topics such as visualizing movement behavior of cyclists. As an advisor, Professor Wood has supervised numerous PhD and Master's students, with current supervision of Julia Crossley (Student conceptualisation of abstraction in computer science) and Jude Nzemeke (Understanding student misconception in recursive algorithmic thinking). His extensive supervision history includes completed PhDs on topics ranging from cycling behavior to spatio-social relations in photographic archives. His academic leadership extends to software development, with contributions to tools like litvis, elm-vega/el-vegalite, giCentre Utils, handy, and LandSerf GIS. Professor Wood is an active member of professional organizations including IEEE (2007-present), Association of Computing Machinery (ACM) (2007-present), and Association of Geographic Information (AGI) (1997-present), demonstrating his commitment to interdisciplinary collaboration across computer science and geographic information domains.
