Anne Viguier is a Lecturer at the National Institute of Oriental Languages and Civilizations within the Indian, South Asian and Tibetan Studies department. She serves as Head of the Department from 2022 to 2025, while also leading Civilization Courses and the Civilization Diploma in her field. Research Affiliation: CESSMA research team Her research focuses on the cultural and political history of South India , urban history of contemporary India , federalism and regional identities in India (1920-1967) , and historiography of South Asia and non-European worlds . Publications address themes like Madurai's transformation, Tamil literary corpus appropriation, and colonial-era territorial practices. Key academic contributions include the 2024 book History of India and several edited volumes on South Indian historiography. Current projects examine connected histories and international relations through interdisciplinary approaches.
Annetta Alexandridis is an Associate Professor in the Department of History of Art and Visual Studies at Cornell University, affiliated with the College of Arts and Sciences and the Institute for European Studies. She earned her Ph.D. from Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich, where her dissertation won the Munich University Association's Förderpreis and a German Archaeological Institute travel scholarship. Her research spans Roman sculpture, Greek mythological iconography, and intersections of gender/animal studies with archaeology. She examines how media like plaster casts and photographs shape archaeological knowledge, particularly through colonialist and Enlightenment discourses. Her current work investigates human-animal boundaries in antiquity and co-directs the Harvard-Cornell Sardis excavation funerary culture survey. Key publications include Destroy the Copy – Plaster Cast Collections in the 19th and 20th Centuries (2022) Mensch und Tier in der Antike (2008) Archäologie der Photographie (2004) Die Frauen des römischen Kaiserhauses (2004) Scientific honors include: 2015–16 Cornell Society for the Humanities Fellow 2005–06 Harvard Center for Hellenic Studies Junior Fellow 1997–98 German Archaeological Institute travel scholarship Munich University Association Förderpreis for dissertation She co-curates Cornell's plaster cast collection with Verity Platt, advises cross-departmental dissertations, and co-ordinates graduate exchange with Freiburg University. Her teaching integrates material analysis with theoretical approaches to antiquity.
Dr. Jennifer Cearns is a Lecturer in AI Trust and Security and Social Anthropology at The University of Manchester, and a Visiting Professor at Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in Belgium. Her research bridges digital anthropology with investigations into AI's societal impacts, including intimacy, trust, grief, and kinship in human-AI relationships. She has conducted ethnographic fieldwork across Latin America, the Caribbean, and the US, with a focus on Cuba's socio-economic dynamics and digital-material exchanges. Cearns holds a PhD from UCL (2020), an MSc and BA from Oxford University, and has consulted in the technology industry for over a decade. Her research explores themes like AI in dementia care, embryo selection ethics, and the privatization of Cuban housing. She has published extensively, including her monograph Circulating Culture (2023), which examines cross-border exchanges between Cuba and the US. Awards include the Arthur Maurice Hocart Prize (2019) and Roseberry Nash Award (2020). Cearns actively engages in public discourse through media appearances and academic conferences, addressing topics like AI’s emotional dimensions and digital surveillance. She supervises PhD students in areas such as AI ethics, kinship studies, and Latin American socio-political issues. Current projects include a book on Cuba’s evolving values and collaborations on AI’s epistemological challenges. Cearns’ work contributes to UN SDGs related to education and sustainable development through her research on technology’s societal impacts.
Zeynep Devrim Gürsel is an Associate Professor and Graduate Director in the Department of Anthropology at Rutgers University, School of Arts and Sciences. Her research bridges media anthropology, visual culture, and historical studies, focusing on photography’s role in governance, migration, and news production. She holds a PhD in Anthropology (2007) from UC Berkeley, with a Designated Emphasis in Film Studies. Her work includes the book Image Brokers: Visualizing World News in the Age of Digital Circulation (2016) and the award-winning film Coffee Futures , exploring Turkish politics through coffee fortune-telling. Current projects examine Ottoman Armenian emigration photographs and late Ottoman medical imagery. She was a NOMIS Fellow (2018-2019) at eikones Center in Basel. Education: B.A. (magna cum laude), Yale University, 1995 M.A., University of California, Berkeley, 2001 PhD, University of California, Berkeley, 2007 Research Interests: Media anthropology, visual ethnography, Ottoman history, migration studies, photography’s role in statecraft, and the anthropology of imagination. Her work analyzes how visual practices shape citizenship, knowledge production, and political subjectivity across historical and transnational contexts. Publications: Over 15 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters on photojournalism, Ottoman bureaucracy, and digital media. Her scholarship appears in Cultural Anthropology , American Ethnologist , and Grey Room . Awards & Fellowships: NOMIS Fellowship, eikones Center, 2018–2019 Award-winning ethnographic film Coffee Futures Labs/Teams: Affiliated with the eikones Center for Theory and History of the Image (Basel) and ongoing collaborations with the Başbakanlık Osmanlı Arşivleri (Istanbul).
Dr. Gan Sheuo Hui serves as Lecturer in Animation at LASALLE College of the Arts, Singapore, with extensive international engagement through visiting positions at National University of Singapore (NUS), Kyoto Seika University, and the Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures. Her academic profile bridges Japanese animation scholarship with Southeast Asian cultural contexts through fieldwork-driven research. Her educational qualifications include: PhD in Human and Environmental Studies from Kyoto University, Japan Master of Communication (Screen Studies) from University of Science Malaysia Bachelor of Communication (Film Studies) from University of Science Malaysia Dr. Gan's research examines Japanese anime, manga, and popular culture through lenses of authorship, censorship, and cultural hybridity, with particular focus on transnational adaptations in Southeast Asia. She integrates theoretical frameworks with empirical fieldwork involving creators, curators, and fans across Asia and the West, emphasizing practical production aspects alongside critical analysis. Her interdisciplinary approach connects film studies, media theory, and cultural anthropology. Her scholarly trajectory reveals consistent exploration of animation aesthetics (especially limited/selective animation), historical evolution of Japanese animation, and hybrid cultural forms in Southeast Asia. Key thematic threads include re-evaluating animation techniques beyond Western paradigms, analyzing global anime circulation, and documenting local adaptations of manga in Malaysia. This body of work demonstrates strong methodological integration of archival research, industry analysis, and ethnographic observation. Scientific recognition includes: Two-year Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) Grant for postdoctoral research on Japanese anime history Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures Fellowship Dr. Gan has secured competitive research funding including the JSPS grant, and maintains active international collaboration through invited lectures at institutions like Sorbonne, Tokyo University, and Keio University across 20+ countries. Her teaching innovations include NUS modules incorporating Japan-based field studies, reflecting her commitment to experiential learning in Japanese visual culture. While specific student advising isn't detailed, her pedagogy emphasizes creator-fan industry ecosystems. Her research network spans the Archive Center for Anime Studies (Niigata University), Kyoto Seika University's Manga Department, and global symposia, facilitating cross-institutional knowledge exchange on animation history and contemporary media practices.
Jo Hsu (they/them) is an associate professor of Rhetoric and Writing and Women's, Gender, & Sexuality Studies at the University of Texas at Austin, where they also serve as Associate Chair of Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. They are core faculty for the Center for Asian American Studies and have made significant contributions to trans and queer studies, disability studies, and Asian American rhetoric. Education and Background Ph.D., M.F.A. from Pennsylvania State University Research Interests Jo Hsu's research examines how stories shape policy and culture, with a focus on trans and queer narratives, disability justice, and Asian American rhetoric. Their work bridges academic scholarship with public engagement, exploring how storytelling functions as political strategy and community-building practice. They investigate how narratives of health, identity, and belonging circulate across medical, legal, and cultural contexts, particularly focusing on marginalized communities. Their current projects include examining far-right rhetorical strategies for disguising seemingly neutral beliefs and policies, and taking a narrative approach to health injustice, considering how stories infiltrate settings of health care practice and research. Awards and Recognition 2024 Book Award from the Rhetoric Society of America for "Constellating Home: Trans and Queer Asian American Rhetorics" 2023 Diamond Anniversary Book Award from the National Communication Association 2023 Innovations in Community Writing Book Award from the Conference on Community Writing Winifred Bryan Horner Outstanding Book Award from the Coalition of Feminist Scholars in the History of Rhetoric & Composition 2023 Rhetoric Society of America Fellows Early Career Award 2023 Leadership Award for People with Disabilities from the National Council of Teachers of English Public Engagement Jo Hsu is an active public intellectual whose work appears in major news outlets including the Huffington Post, the Hill, and the Boston Globe. They are committed to making academic knowledge accessible and relevant to broader publics, particularly in discussions about trans rights, disability justice, and racial equity. Their creative writing has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize, reflecting their commitment to both scholarly and artistic forms of expression. Laboratory and Community Work While not leading a traditional laboratory, Hsu's scholarly work functions as a form of community-based research that centers QTPOC (Queer and Trans People of Color) experiences and knowledge production. They are actively involved with organizations supporting trans folks in Texas, including Black Trans Leadership of Austin, Transgender Education Network of Texas, and Equality Texas. Their work emphasizes relationality and community accountability as central to knowledge creation.
Eleonora Cappuccilli is a Researcher at the Department of Philosophy, History of Ideas and Art, and Classical Languages at the University of Oslo . Her academic interests focus on English political thought in the early modern period, particularly women's political discourse based on the public sphere , constitutional history , prophecy as a concept , and early modern European political theology . She also explores current feminist theory . Education: PhD in Politics, Institutions and History (2016) from the University of Bologna, MA in International Relations (2012), and BA in International Studies (2009). Experience: Post-doctoral fellow at I Tatti (2022-2023), University of Oslo (2018-2021), Edith Saurer Foundation (2018), and Filippo Burzio Foundation (2018). Her research examines prophetic women in early modern Europe, analyzing their roles in religious reform and political theology . She investigates gender and authority through case studies like Mary Ward, Domenica da Paradiso, and Caterina da Racconigi. Her recent works explore cross-confessional practices , spiritual discipline , and transnational prophetic networks . Her publications span topics from 16th-century prophetic encounters to 17th-century gender conflicts , with a focus on Italian and English Renaissance contexts . She collaborates with scholars like Roberta Ferrari on intersections of feminist theory and Marxist critique , particularly concerning patriarchal structures and social movements . Projects include “Women's prophecy in early modern European religion” , analyzing the subversive expressions of female prophets. Her work appears in journals like Renaissance Studies and edited volumes from Amsterdam University Press and Brill .
Amy Scott Metcalfe is a Professor in the Department of Educational Studies at the University of British Columbia (UBC), affiliated with the Faculty of Education. She holds dual appointments with the Institute for Gender, Race, Sexuality and Social Justice, emphasizing interdisciplinary approaches to higher education studies. Her research focuses on international comparative higher education systems, academic governance, and sociological analysis of university policies. She critiques managerialism trends and explores gender disparities in academic productivity. Metcalfe employs visual methodologies, including photo-ethnography and extended photo essays to document institutional change. Teaching responsibilities are managed through the Department of Educational Studies, with course details available via UBC’s official portal. Her scholarship spans Canadian and global contexts, addressing issues like faculty internationalization, research ethics frameworks, and the impact of pandemic disruptions on academic collaboration. Key contributions include longitudinal studies on Canadian professors’ perceptions of work-life balance, comparative analyses of gender gaps in research output across North America, and critical examinations of university-industry-government networks. She advocates for equity-centered pedagogies and anti-colonial approaches in higher education policy.
Daniel Pettersson is a Professor at University of Gävle specializing in educational science with a particular focus on international knowledge measurements, comparative education, and curriculum studies. His work critically examines the hegemony of comparisons in education, particularly through large-scale assessments like PISA, and explores how these influence educational policy and practice. Professor Pettersson's research spans several interconnected domains within educational science. He investigates how international comparisons shape educational discourse and policy, examining the historical development of assessment practices and their impact on national education systems. His work frequently analyzes the production of educational knowledge through data visualization and quantification, revealing how numbers become authoritative in educational decision-making. A significant portion of his research focuses on Swedish education within international contexts, exploring how global educational trends are adopted, adapted, and contested in national settings. His extensive publication record reveals several key trends in his scholarly work. Over the past two decades, Pettersson has traced the evolution of international large-scale assessments from marginal research tools to central policy instruments. His recent work increasingly examines data visualization techniques in educational research and the historical construction of educational knowledge through quantification. He also explores the intersection of teacher education with international assessment frameworks, revealing tensions between global educational discourses and local teaching practices. Professor Pettersson has made significant contributions to understanding how educational policy is shaped by international comparisons. His research demonstrates how assessment data becomes transformed into policy narratives that influence educational reform. He has documented the historical trajectory of international assessment research, showing how it evolved from marginal academic interest to central policy instrument. His collaborative work with scholars like Sverker Lindblad, Thomas Popkewitz, and Tatiana Mikhaylova has been particularly influential in critically examining the political dimensions of educational measurement. His research activities include extensive work with international research teams, participation in major conferences including the Nordic Education Research Association (NERA) and the International Standing Conference for the History of Education (ISCHE), and contributions to systematic reviews of international comparative research. Professor Pettersson's work bridges historical analysis, policy studies, and critical examination of educational measurement practices, providing valuable insights into how global educational knowledge is produced and circulated.
Dalpat Rajpurohit is an Assistant Professor at the University of Texas at Austin's College of Liberal Arts, specializing in Hindi language and literature within the College's Asian Studies department. Holding a PhD from Presidency University, Kolkata, he teaches courses exploring South Asian history, religions, and literary traditions through Sanskrit and Hindi texts. Education: PhD in Hindi Literature, Presidency University Affiliations: University of Texas at Austin, Asian Studies, College of Liberal Arts Research: Focuses on pre-modern Hindi/Braj literary intersections with Bhakti, Vedanta, Riti, and colonial language shifts His work challenges simplistic binaries in Hindi literary historiography, demonstrating how early modern Indian poet-saints like Sundardas blended devotional and courtly traditions under Mughal-Rajput multiculturalism. He analyzes how Dādūpanthi saints navigated Jain merchant networks and Mughal imperial policies like sulḥ-i kull while advancing non-dualist Vedanta in Braj poetry. Rajpurohit's research has been recognized with the 30th Devishankar Awasthi Samman and Amar Ujala Best Book Award (2023) . He supervises graduate students in pre-modern Hindi archives, early modern literary networks, and topics like caste, gender, and multilingualism in South Asian literature.
Rachel Midura is an Assistant Professor of Digital and Early Modern European History in the Department of History at Virginia Tech's College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences. Her research focuses on the intersection of digital methodologies and early modern European history, particularly examining how communication networks shaped political power and intelligence gathering during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Education: PhD in History from Stanford University (2014-2020) Rachel Midura specializes in digital history approaches to early modern Europe, with particular expertise in the history of information systems. Her work examines how the development of postal networks, print technology, and state intelligence operations created an 'information age' in the early modern period, long before the digital revolution of our own time. She integrates twenty-first century understanding of media and social networks with traditional historical approaches to develop new models for understanding historical communication. Her research often draws on extensive digitization projects to synthesize innovative historical perspectives on how information moved, was controlled, and shaped political power in early modern Europe. Midura's scholarly output demonstrates a consistent focus on the connections between physical travel routes, communication networks, and intelligence gathering in early modern Europe. Her work bridges traditional historical research with digital humanities methodologies, creating new pathways for understanding how information circulated in pre-modern societies. Through data-driven approaches to historical travel itineraries and postal networks, she reveals how early modern states developed sophisticated surveillance and intelligence systems that anticipated modern practices. Scientific Awards: Early Career Scholarly Impact Award (2025) Honorable Mention: Article Prize for Early Modern and Medieval History (2024) As an educator, Midura has developed innovative courses that integrate digital methodologies with historical content, including specialized offerings on espionage and surveillance in early modern Europe. Her teaching philosophy emphasizes the importance of making historical knowledge accessible through digital curation and annotation. She actively participates in professional development activities focused on inclusive teaching practices and has received funding for curriculum innovation in digital history education. Midura leads the Early Modern Digital Itineraries (EMDigIt) project, which transforms early printed itinerary books to support new data-driven approaches to the history of travel. This NEH-funded initiative represents a significant contribution to digital humanities methodology while advancing our understanding of historical mobility patterns and information networks.
Jenny Huangfu Day, a Professor of History and the Francis Young Tang '61 Chair in China Studies at Skidmore College, specializes in the intellectual, diplomatic, and legal history of late imperial and modern China. She earned a PhD from the University of California San Diego (2012) and a BA from the University of Washington (2007). Education: PhD in History, University of California San Diego (2012) BA in History, University of Washington (2007) Research Interests: Her work bridges intellectual history , legal history , and diplomacy to examine how China negotiated sovereignty and political legitimacy from the Qing Dynasty to the Republican era. Current projects analyze the politicization of historical education and transnational legal negotiations . Her publications include monographs on Qing diplomatic missions and extradition law , alongside peer-reviewed articles in Law and History Review , Modern Asian Studies , and 中华文史论丛 . She has also contributed to digital humanities projects like Visualising China and public intellectual forums such as 澎湃新闻 . Scientific Awards: Outstanding Academic Title of 2019 by ACRL Choice for *Qing Travelers to the Far West* Academic Leadership: As Interim Chair of the History Department at Skidmore College (Fall 2025), she oversees curriculum development and faculty mentorship, with a focus on integrating interdisciplinary methodologies into China studies.
Rich Shivener is an Associate Professor in the Writing Department at York University's Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies (LA&PS). He holds a PhD from the University of Cincinnati and an MA from Northern Kentucky University. His research focuses on digital media composing practices, emotions in rhetoric, and the intersections of technology and communication. He has served as a section editor for Kairos: A Journal of Rhetoric, Technology, and Pedagogy from 2016 to 2024. Before academia, he worked in journalism and technical writing, contributing to local newspapers, national magazines, and software documentation. Shivener's recent work explores virtual reality (VR) writing, remote collaboration in game development, and environmental rhetoric in digital infrastructure. His articles analyze topics such as affective labor in online spaces, infrastructural storytelling for environmental justice, and pandemic-era remote work adaptations. He teaches in the digital authoring stream, emphasizing multimodal and hybrid approaches to writing. His research trends highlight a focus on emerging technologies’ impact on communication practices, with particular attention to equity, emotion, and sustainability. He has contributed to discussions about digital authorship, technical communication ethics, and the rhetorical dimensions of webcomics and gaming communities. Shivener’s career reflects a commitment to bridging academic and applied contexts, leveraging his industry experience to inform teaching and research. He remains active in methodological innovations, such as discourse-based interviews and infrastructural narrative analysis, to explore tacit knowledge and systemic inequities in technical fields.
Prof. Dr. Bianca Burgfeld-Meise is a faculty member at the Department of Education and Social Sciences at South Westphalia University of Applied Sciences (FH-SWF). Her research focuses on media education, digitalization, and media socialization with a particular emphasis on media literacy, digital humanities, and social network sites. Key collaborations include TU Dresden (Digital@Humanities), HfM Detmold (digital music editions), and nationwide initiatives like Keine Bildung ohne Medien e.V. Research funded by DFG, BMBF, and institutional grants for projects on digital learning processes, MINT promotion, and digital edition methodologies. Her recent publications analyze lifelogging practices, digital memory, and interdisciplinary software development in educational contexts. She contributes to theoretical frameworks in media pedagogy and digital culture. She currently serves in the national steering committee of Keine Bildung ohne Medien e.V., advocating for systematic integration of media education across societal domains through workshops and policy discussions.
Lars Boje Mortensen is a Professor at the Department of Culture and Language, University of Southern Denmark. His work spans Latin literature, Nordic medieval studies, and the history of textual heritage, with a particular focus on classical reception in medieval Europe and the transformation of cultural knowledge through manuscript studies. Key Research Areas: Latin literature; Nordic medieval literature; Cultural heritage; Manuscript transmission; Historical periodization; Digital humanities applications Awards: Recipient of Dronning Margrethes Romerske Pris (2016), Fyns Stifttidendes Forskerpris (2014), Jarl Gallén Prize (2013), and Københavns Universitets guldmedalje (1985) His recent publications emphasize book historical perspectives, comparative analysis of medieval literatures, and the materiality of textual traditions. He co-edited A Companion to Saxo Grammaticus (2024), exploring Denmark's national epic through cross-cultural lenses. Active in public humanities, Mortensen contributes to the Mægtige Middelalder podcast, challenging traditional period labels like 'Middle Ages' in episodes such as Hvornår er middelalderen? (2025). His projects include CODICUM (2025-2031), examining medieval book networks, and AntCom (2023-2026), bridging classical heritage with modern citizen humanities.
