University of California, Los AngelesUnited States
Yunxiang Yan is a Professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). His work focuses on China and Cultural Anthropology , with specific expertise in Economic Anthropology , Family and Kinship , and Individualization . Education: Ph.D. in Social Anthropology from Harvard University (1993). Yan’s research explores the intersection of social change , moral theory , and family dynamics in modern China. His ethnographic studies in rural villages provide foundational insights into exchange theory and cultural globalization . Recent publications analyze food safety , medical ethics , and moral crises in China, reflecting his interdisciplinary approach combining anthropology, sociology, and philosophy. Articles span themes like intergenerational intimacy , political oppression , and networked social structures . Scientific Awards: Guggenheim Fellowship Levenson Prize-winning Research Yan’s work bridges local Chinese studies with global anthropological discourse. He has held positions at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Johns Hopkins University, and UCLA since 1996. His career reflects a commitment to documenting the lives of ordinary people, rooted in his early experiences as an expelled villager during Maoist China. Contact: yan@anthro.ucla.edu
Haiyan Lee serves as the Walter A. Haas Professor of the Humanities and Professor of East Asian Languages and Cultures and of Comparative Literature at Stanford University. She has held these positions since joining Stanford in 2009, and currently serves as Chair of the East Asian Languages and Cultures department (2020-present). Her academic journey includes previous teaching appointments at the University of Colorado at Boulder and the University of Hong Kong, along with post-doctoral fellowships at Cornell University and Harvard University. Lee's research spans multiple interdisciplinary fields with particular focus on modern Chinese literature and cultural production. Her work bridges literary studies with law, philosophy, cognitive science, affect theory, gender studies, and environmental humanities. She has developed influential theoretical frameworks including the concept of "high justice" and "low justice" in Chinese legal imagination. Her current research explores animism, cognition, and the Chinese environmental imagination, extending her longstanding interest in human-animal relations. Lee's publications reveal a consistent trajectory examining Chinese cultural production through innovative theoretical lenses. Her recent work shows increasing engagement with legal theory, environmental humanities, and cognitive approaches to literature. She has produced significant scholarship on Chinese concepts of justice, love, and the stranger, moving across historical periods from early 20th century to contemporary China. Biennial Book Prize, Honorable Mention, International Society for Chinese Law and History (ISCLH) (2024) Humanities Seed Grant, Stanford School of Humanities and Sciences (2023-2025) Bass Fellowship in Undergraduate Education, Stanford University (2022-2027) Joseph Levenson Book Prize, The Association for Asian Studies (2009) Professor Lee actively mentors doctoral students across multiple disciplines, serving as dissertation advisor, co-advisor, and committee member for students working at the intersection of Chinese studies, law, literature, and cultural theory. Her teaching includes courses across East Asian humanities, comparative literature, and interdisciplinary environmental studies. She has received significant research support including the Frederick Burkhardt Residential Fellowship from the American Council of Learned Societies and a residency at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences.
Lindsay Turner is an Associate Professor in the Department of English at Case Western Reserve University. A poet, critic, and translator, her work bridges creative writing, translation theory, and interdisciplinary research. Her prior role as Assistant Professor at the University of Denver’s Department of English and Literary Arts underscores her commitment to literary education. AB in English, Harvard College Masters in cinema studies, Université Paris III Sorbonne-Nouvelle MFA in poetry, New York University PhD in English, University of Virginia Turner’s research spans creative writing , transnational poetry , and gender studies , with a focus on the intersections of literature and labor. Her recent work examines gendered domestic and reproductive labor through poetic forms. Key trends in her publications include experimental translation , queer theory , and postcolonial philosophy . National Translation Awards Best Translated Book Awards French American Foundation recognition She has received grants such as the WPR Creative Grant from Harvard’s Woodberry Poetry Room and multiple French Voices Grants . Her translations have been praised by The New Yorker and The New York Times for their intellectual rigor and stylistic innovation.
Laurie Shannon is the Franklyn Bliss Snyder Professor of English at Northwestern University, with a J.D. from Harvard Law School and a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago. She studies English literature and culture in the long sixteenth century, focusing on the history of ideas in language, stakeholdership, embodiment, and cross-species relations. She serves as convener of The Anne Lister Society and is collaborating with Oxford University Press on a scholarly edition of Anne Lister’s Journal. Education: J.D., Harvard Law School; Ph.D., University of Chicago Shannon’s research explores the political imagination in early modern literature, particularly through friendship (Sovereign Amity: Figures of Friendship in Shakespearean Contexts) and animal studies (The Accommodated Animal: Cosmopolity in Shakespearean Locales). Her current monograph, 'Frailty’s Name: Shakespeare and the Natural History of Human Being,' examines human negative exceptionalism in Renaissance thought and its implications for climate crisis ethics. Her publications span Shakespeare studies, queer theory, environmental humanities, and textual editing. Notable awards include the Elizabeth Dietz Memorial Award, Robert B. Cox Teaching Award, and Dean’s Award for Graduate Mentoring. She has held NEH, ACLS, and Guggenheim fellowships. Scientific Awards: Elizabeth Dietz Memorial Award, Robert B. Cox Distinguished Undergraduate Teaching Award, Dean's Award for Graduate Mentoring, NEH Fellowship, ACLS Fellowship, Guggenheim Fellowship Shannon contributes to the Anne Lister Diary Transcription Project and has served as English Department Chair at Northwestern. Her recent articles focus on Shakespeare’s engagement with natural history, queer cosmology, and animal sovereignty, reflecting her interdisciplinary approach.
David Means is a Visiting Associate Professor of English at Vassar College, where he has taught since 2001. He holds a BA from The College of Wooster and an MFA in poetry from Columbia University. His academic work centers on creative writing, modern and contemporary fiction and poetry, and American culture. Education: BA, The College of Wooster MFA, Columbia University in the City of New York Means is a celebrated author of short fiction and novels, known for his lyrical prose, experimental narrative structures, and deep exploration of trauma, memory, and redemption. His work frequently appears in The New Yorker , Harper’s , The Paris Review , and other prestigious literary journals. His writing often returns to themes of violence, loss, and the quiet grace that emerges in their aftermath, drawing comparisons to Flannery O’Connor and Denis Johnson. His stories are marked by a nonlinear sense of time and a profound empathy for marginalized or broken characters. His recent publications include the story collection Instructions for a Funeral (2019) and Two Nurses, Smoking , with his novel Hystopia longlisted for the Man Booker Prize. His forthcoming non-fiction book, Pivot: Ruminations in the Shadow of Death , reflects on mortality and personal reflection. Selected Awards and Honors: Guggenheim Fellowship (2013) Three O. Henry Prizes Three Pushcart Prizes Los Angeles Book Prize for Fiction Finalist, National Book Critics Circle Award Finalist, Frank O’Connor International Short Story Prize Longlisted, Man Booker Prize Means has advised and influenced many emerging writers through his teaching and public readings. While specific students are not named in the sources, his role as a mentor is evident in his sustained presence in creative writing programs. He has no known research grants or lab affiliations, as his work is primarily literary and individual. He continues to publish and engage in public discourse on the nature of storytelling, including critiques of AI-generated fiction.
Sunny Xiang is an Associate Professor of English at Yale University, where she teaches and conducts research at the intersection of literature, race, war, and empire. Her work critically examines U.S. military empire in Asia and the Pacific, particularly through aesthetic, cultural, and documentary forms from the mid-twentieth century. She is affiliated with the Department of English in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Yale. Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley B.A., Northwestern University Her research focuses on the cultural genealogies of American empire, with an emphasis on how war and militarism shape perception, knowledge, and everyday life. Key areas include Cold War aesthetics, Asian American studies, Pacific studies, critical militarization studies, and feminist science studies. She is particularly interested in how literary and cultural forms reveal the intimate, quotidian, and often invisible operations of empire. Her publications span journals such as ASAP/Journal , Radical History Review , PMLA , and Public Books . Her first book, Tonal Intelligence: The Aesthetics of Asian Inscrutability During the Long Cold War (Columbia University Press, 2020), explores the visual and narrative trope of Oriental inscrutability in relation to U.S. intelligence operations. Her current project, Chemical Apophenia: Air Conspiracies and Skin Connections in the Toxic Tropics , investigates how WWII military science in the Pacific generated new paradigms for detecting toxicity. The articles reflect a consistent engagement with themes of militarized domesticity, aesthetic excess, diasporic memory, and the entanglement of fashion, food, and war in imperial contexts. Mundane Militarisms: War, Archives, and Everyday Life (2024) Militarized Comfort: How to Feel Naked While Wearing Clothes (2023) Bikinis and Other Atomic Incidents: The Synthetic Life of the Nuclear Pacific (2022) Wars of Contemporary Life (2020) Global China as Genre (2019) Sunny Xiang has not been mentioned in relation to any scientific awards or fellowships in the provided text. She teaches courses such as War and Everyday Life, Readings in Comparative World English Literatures, and The Teaching of English. While her advisees or research teams are not listed, her scholarship demonstrates deep engagement with interdisciplinary methodologies and collaborative work, such as with the Mundane Militarisms Collective. She has not indicated any lab affiliations, but her research involves critical archival work and analysis of visual, literary, and cultural materials.
Elizabeth Bernstein is a Professor of Women's, Gender & Sexuality Studies and Professor of Sociology at Barnard College, Columbia University, where she has been a faculty member since September 2002. Her work bridges sociological theory with feminist analysis, focusing on the intersections of gender, sexuality, and political economy. Bernstein directs significant research initiatives including the Gender Justice and Neoliberal Transformations Working Group, a transnational collaboration among thirteen scholars examining gender justice in contemporary global contexts. She is currently developing a new book project titled "Imagining Immunity: Precarious Bodies and the Governance of Gendered Dis-ease," which explores immunological metaphors in understanding bodily risk and suffering. B.A., University of California, Berkeley M.A., University of California, Berkeley Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley Professor Bernstein's research focuses on the political economy of the body, gender, and sexuality, with particular attention to sexual commerce, sex trafficking, and neoliberal governance. Her work employs ethnographic methods to examine how intimate relations become sites of economic exchange and political regulation. She investigates how concepts of authenticity, freedom, and rights are mobilized in debates about sexual commerce and trafficking. Bernstein's scholarship critically engages with feminist theory, carceral politics, and transnational governance frameworks, challenging conventional approaches to sex work and trafficking that often reinforce punitive systems rather than advancing gender justice. Analysis of Bernstein's scholarly output reveals a consistent trajectory examining the intersections of gender, sexuality, and political economy within neoliberal frameworks. Her work demonstrates increasing attention to transnational governance mechanisms and their impact on intimate relations and bodily autonomy. A notable trend is her critical examination of how anti-trafficking campaigns often employ carceral logic that undermines feminist goals of gender justice. Her scholarship consistently challenges binary frameworks that position sex work solely as exploitation or liberation, instead analyzing the complex economic, political, and social dynamics that shape sexual commerce globally. Bernstein's research has received significant recognition through prestigious awards including: Distinguished Book Award, American Sociological Association, Sociology of Sexualities Section (2020) for "Brokered Subjects" Honorable Mention, Society for the Study of Social Problems Global Division Book Award (2019) Norbert Elias Prize, Norbert Elias Foundation (2009) Distinguished Book Award, American Sociological Association, Sex and Gender Section (2009) Her work has also been supported by major funding organizations including the Institute for Advanced Study, National Science Foundation, Social Science Research Council, AAUW, and Mellon Foundation. As a principal investigator along with Janet Jakobsen for the Gender Justice and Neoliberal Transformations Working Group, Bernstein leads a significant collaborative research initiative sponsored by the Barnard Center for Research on Women. Her grant portfolio demonstrates sustained support from major research institutions, reflecting the significance of her work in gender studies and sociology. While specific student advisees aren't listed in the available materials, her role as a full professor at Barnard College indicates extensive mentorship of undergraduate and likely graduate students in Women's, Gender & Sexuality Studies and Sociology. Bernstein co-leads the Gender Justice and Neoliberal Transformations Working Group, a collaboration among thirteen scholars working transnationally on questions of gender justice. This initiative represents a significant research collective examining how neoliberal policies reshape gender relations globally. Her work with the Barnard Center for Research on Women provides institutional support for this transnational feminist research network, facilitating scholarly exchange and collaborative publication projects that advance critical perspectives on gender, sexuality, and political economy.
Kyle Bellucci Johanson serves as a Visiting Critic in Cornell University's College of Architecture, Art, and Planning, Department of Art. Holding an MFA from California Institute of the Arts and a BA in Art and Reconciliation Studies from Bethel University, he merges artistic practice with critical theory through performance architecture and collaborative media. Whitney Independent Study Program (2022–23) Founding fellow at land's edge free school (Los Angeles) Teaching experience at SAIC, UIC, CUNY, and Cooper Union His research investigates: Power structures through spatial interventions Critical theory applications in art practice Post-capitalist imaginaries Hauntology and historical materialism Transdisciplinary approaches to social critique Project trends reveal: Reinterpretation of Soviet design principles Investigation of worker identity in post-industrial contexts Temporal and spatial dislocation in artistic practice Monument critique through performative methods Quantum theory-inspired architectural concepts Reimagining of common spaces as political sites Scientific awards include: Creative Research Grant (2025) Whitney ISP participation (2022–23) Automata Studio Residency (2022) Artists Run Chicago Grant (2021) BOLT Residency (2020–21) Through projects like KLUB WRKR —a nomadic workers' club reimagined for the gig economy—and table (2018–2022), a Chicago-based experimental space for artistic practice, he interrogates institutional frameworks while fostering community through discursive meals and collaborative exhibitions.
Karen Prager is a Professor of Psychology and Gender Studies at the University of Texas at Dallas within the School of Interdisciplinary Studies, where she has taught for over 30 years. A Board-certified couple and family psychologist, she specializes in romantic relationship dynamics with expertise in intimacy, conflict management, and emotional recovery. Dr. Prager earned her PhD in Counseling Psychology and an M.A. in Measurement and Evaluation from The University of Texas at Austin. Her academic foundation supports her dual focus on clinical practice and scholarly research. Her research investigates how couples reconcile after conflicts and restore intimate bonds, emphasizing emotional recovery processes, differentiation of self, and attachment security. The Couples Daily Lives Lab conducts real-time studies on post-conflict behavior in day-to-day relationships, revealing how reconciliation efforts impact long-term relationship health. Analysis of her publication record shows sustained focus on intimacy restoration mechanisms across 30 years, utilizing daily diary methods and experimental designs to map conflict-recovery pathways. Her work bridges theoretical frameworks with practical therapeutic applications for couples navigating relationship challenges. She holds Board Certification in Couple and Family Psychology from the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP), reflecting clinical excellence in the field. Dr. Prager mentors undergraduate students through the Couples Daily Lives Lab, providing hands-on research experience in relationship science. Her studies are supported by research grants though specific funding sources aren't detailed in available materials. The Couples Daily Lives Lab currently executes two major projects: one examining partner behavior during and after conflict to understand emotional recovery patterns, and another developing a classification system for reconciliation efforts to determine their effectiveness in restoring intimacy.
Jonathan Santo is a Professor of Psychology at the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO), where he serves as Director of the Graduate Developmental Psychology Program and as a faculty member in the Office of Latino/Latin-American Studies. His research explores peer relations, cultural differences in self-esteem, and classroom-level influences on child and adolescent development, with a focus on improving school environments and fostering positive social interactions. ORCA Faculty Fellow His research spans broad areas including Developmental Psychology , Social Support Systems , and Cross-Cultural Peer Dynamics , with specific attention to peer victimization , self-continuity , school climate , and developmental trajectories in Brazilian and Colombian youth . Recent publications analyze topics like hikikomori experiences , friendship security , and HPA axis dysregulation in adolescents. Scientific awards include the ORCA Faculty Fellow recognition. His work often involves longitudinal assessments of peer relationships cross-cultural comparisons (Brazil, Colombia, China, Nigeria, Singapore, U.S.) policy-focused blog posts on family separations and school interventions
Jisoo M. Kim is the Korea Foundation Associate Professor of History, International Affairs, and East Asian Languages and Literatures at George Washington University. She holds leadership roles as Founding Director of the GW Institute for Korean Studies (2017–present) and Founding Co-Director of the East Asia National Resource Center (2018–present). She also serves as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Korean Studies . Her work focuses on gender, sexuality, law, emotions, and affect in Korean history, with expertise in legal culture, forensic medicine, and rights-claiming in East Asia. Dr. Kim earned her M.A., M.Phil., and Ph.D. in East Asian Languages and Cultures from Columbia University. She teaches courses such as Gender, Power, and Sexuality in East Asia and History of Korea , emphasizing intersectional approaches to Asian studies. Her research explores legal performance, emotional dimensions of justice, and the role of women’s voices in historical legal contexts. Notable works include The Emotions of Justice: Gender, Status, and Legal Performance in Chosŏn Korea (2016), awarded the 2017 James B. Palais Prize, and co-edited volumes like The Great East Asian War and the Birth of the Korean Nation (2016). Her publications span legal history, comparative frameworks between Korea and Europe, and the evolution of legal systems under colonialism. Current projects include Criminalizing Intimacy: Marriage, Concubinage, and Adultery Law in Korea, 1469–2015 . Kim’s academic contributions bridge historical analysis with contemporary debates on law, gender, and identity, supported by leadership in interdisciplinary research centers and scholarly journals.
Serra Hakyemez is Assistant Professor of Anthropology and Global Studies at the University of Minnesota, currently on leave until January 2023. Her research examines the intersection of counterinsurgency warfare and judicial violence in Turkey's Kurdish regions, focusing on prison solidarity networks and decolonial resistance. She employs interdisciplinary methods combining political anthropology, legal studies, and ethnography to analyze state violence and resistance movements. Education includes: Ph.D. in Cultural Anthropology, Johns Hopkins University, 2016 M.A. in Sociology and Anthropology, Central European University, 2008 M.Sc. in Social Policy, London School of Economics, 2006 B.A. in Political Science & Business Administration, Bogazici University, 2005 Her research investigates the juridical and visual economies of counterinsurgent violence, with ongoing work on prison-based solidarity and insurgent justice frameworks in Kurdistan. Publications explore themes including feminist resistance in conflict zones, archival politics of state violence, and the anthropology of dissent. Awards include: ACLS Fellowship Wenner-Gren-Hunt Fellowship
Tarryn Chun is an Associate Professor in the Department of Film, Television, and Theatre at the University of Notre Dame, with a concurrent appointment in the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures. She is also a Faculty Fellow at the Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies. Her research focuses on modern and contemporary Chinese theatre, with an emphasis on intersections between performance, technology, and media. She holds a Ph.D. from Harvard University and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Michigan’s Lieberthal-Rogel Center for Chinese Studies. Her work explores topics such as technological modernization in Chinese theatre, intercultural performance, and the role of digital media in contemporary performance. Key publications include Revolutionary Stagecraft: Theatre, Technology, and Politics in Modern China (2024) and articles on topics like digitally enhanced Chinese performance and Mao-era theatrical practices. She serves on the boards of the Association for Asian Performance and the Association for Chinese and Comparative Literature, and is the Online Editor for Theatre Journal . Her research has been supported by awards such as the 2021 National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship. She teaches courses on global theatre history, Asian theatre, and intercultural performance.
Dan McAdams is a distinguished Professor of Psychology and Human Development and Social Policy at Northwestern University . As the director of the Study of Lives Research Group , he leads interdisciplinary research on personality development and biographical analysis across the lifespan. Research Interests : McAdams specializes in narrative psychology , focusing on the life-story model of human identity , generativity , and the redemptive self . His work explores how themes of power, intimacy, and redemption shape personal narratives, particularly in political and cultural contexts. He investigates the interplay between autobiographical memory , psychological biography , and personality development . Selected Publications : Recent works include analyses of Joe Biden's leadership narratives , a comprehensive handbook of personality development , and studies on acceptance narratives in late life . His research bridges political psychology with developmental frameworks , examining how sociocultural forces shape individual identities. Scientific Awards : Charles Deering McCormick Professor of Teaching Excellence Leadership Roles : Director of Study of Lives Research Group Advising : Mentors doctoral candidates across multiple programs, including Personality, Development, and Health Psychology , Clinical Psychology , and Human Development and Social Policy . His research group also includes affiliates from institutions like Tufts University , Williams College , and Bilkent University .
University of California, Los AngelesUnited States
Zeynep K. Korkman is an Associate Professor in the Department of Gender Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), with a research focus on gendered intersections of affect, labor, religion, and feminist politics in Turkey and the Muslim Middle East. Her forthcoming book Gendered Fortunes: Divination, Precarity, and Affect in Postsecular Turkey (Duke University Press, 2023) examines fortunetelling economies as windows into neoliberal and authoritarian contradictions. Her educational background includes: Ph.D. in Sociology, University of California, Santa Barbara, 2011 B.A. in Sociology, Bosphorus University, Istanbul, Turkey, 2000 Dr. Korkman's research centers on Transnational feminisms , gender-labor-affect dynamics , religion/secularism in public spheres , and Turkey/Middle Eastern studies . She investigates how women and LGBTIQ individuals navigate heteropatriarchy, neoliberal capitalism, and anti-Muslim racism through affective labor and political resistance, critically engaging postsecular complexities in millennial Turkey. Her 14 recent publications (2014-2023) reveal consistent thematic evolution: early work analyzed commodified intimacy and divination in Turkey's political economy, while recent scholarship critically examines anti-Muslim racism, transnational feminist solidarities, and secularism's gendered politics. Methodologically grounded in ethnography and cultural analysis, her work bridges Gender Studies, Sociology, and Middle Eastern Studies with urgent interventions in global feminist discourse. Her awards include: Postdoctoral Research Leave Fellowship, American Association of University Women (2019) Hellman Fellows Award, UCLA (2019) Research Fellowship, NEH/American Research Institute in Turkey (2016) Faculty Career Development Award, UCLA (2017) Research Professorship, University of Arizona (2015) Dr. Korkman's grant portfolio demonstrates sustained support for transnational feminist research, including National Endowment for the Humanities funding and multi-institutional fellowships. Her editorial leadership in Meridians journal's special issue on anti-Muslim racism reflects active mentorship in emerging scholarly conversations, though specific student advising details remain undisclosed in available materials.
