Nadia E. Brown is a Professor of Government and Director of the Women's and Gender Studies Program at Georgetown University's College of Arts and Sciences. She holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from Rutgers University and specializes in intersectional analyses of Black women’s politics, legislative studies, and identity politics. Her work emphasizes holistic approaches to understanding race, gender, and their intersections in political systems. Dr. Brown leads the #MeTooPoliSci Collective, focusing on eradicating sexual harassment in political science, and co-PIs a million-dollar NSF grant addressing systemic issues in the discipline. She is editor of Politics, Groups and Identities and contributes to The Monkey Cage blog. Her research spans Black women’s legislative representation, digital activism, and feminist methodologies, with award-winning books including Sisters in the Statehouse and Sister Style . Education: Ph.D. in Political Science, Rutgers University Key Affiliations: African American Studies Program, #MeTooPoliSci Collective Research Methods: Case studies, ethnography, interviews Her advocacy extends beyond academia, influencing public discourse on racial justice and gender equity through media engagement and policy-focused scholarship.
Jamella Gow is the Rasuli Lewis Assistant Professor of Sociology at Bowdoin College, where she teaches courses on race and ethnicity, Black culture and activism, migration, policing, borders, and globalization. She is affiliated with the Department of Sociology and actively contributes to interdisciplinary scholarship at the intersection of Black Studies and migration studies. Her research centers on how race, Blackness, and immigration intersect for Black Caribbean migrants in the United States, particularly Haitians, Jamaicans, and Afro-Cubans in South Florida. She investigates the dynamics of racial and ethnic identity, inclusion/exclusion, diasporic politics, and the criminalization of Black migrants under U.S. immigration policy. Her work critically engages anti-Blackness, differential Blackness, and transnational solidarity. Her recent publications include a co-edited volume titled Modern Migrations, Black Interrogations: Revisioning Migrants and Mobilities through the Critique of Anti-Blackness (Temple University Press, 2024), and journal articles in Sociology of Race and Ethnicity , Ethnic and Racial Studies , and Diaspora: A Journal of Transnational Studies . Her publications reflect a consistent focus on racialization, diaspora, and the socio-political marginalization of Black migrants. She frequently presents her research at major academic conferences such as the American Sociological Association and the Society for the Study of Social Problems. Jamella Gow has not been mentioned as receiving specific scientific awards in the provided text. However, her scholarly impact is evident through her publications and invited presentations. She advises and mentors students in sociology and related fields, though no named advisees are listed. Her research is collaborative, involving partnerships with scholars across institutions and community-based projects, such as her work with the Carrefour-Feuilles community in Haiti. She has also contributed to public scholarship through newsletters and book reviews. Her work is grounded in critical sociological theory and qualitative methods, and she is currently developing a book manuscript titled Black Migrants from Black Nations: Race, Blackness, and Immigrant Exclusion , which promises to make a significant contribution to the understanding of how racial, ethnic, and national statuses shape the lived experiences of Black immigrants.
University of Illinois Urbana-ChampaignUnited States
Dr. Damian Vergara Bracamontes is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Gender and Women's Studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His work bridges Latinx Studies, Critical Prison Studies, and Queer/Trans of Color Critique, focusing on migration, gendered violence, and resistance frameworks. Education: Ph.D. in American Studies, Yale University (2020) WGSS Certificate, Yale University (2017) M.A. in American Studies, Yale University (2017) B.A. in Ethnic Studies (Magna Cum Laude), University of California San Diego (2013) A.A. in Social and Behavioral Sciences, San Diego City College (2010) Vergara Bracamontes' research interrogates the intersections of Latinx migration, carceral systems, and queer/trans identities in the 20th-21st centuries. His publications and workshops address: Critical responses to immigration enforcement Queer kinship as resistance Decolonizing trans studies Community-based defense strategies Chicano movement historiography Scientific Awards: 2019 Public Scholar Award (Yale University) for societal impact of academic research As an educator, he has been recognized on the Teachers Ranked Excellent list since 2021, teaching courses on intersectional power structures, policing, and queer theories.
Dr. Shufang Sun is an Assistant Professor in the Departments of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Psychiatry and Human Behavior at Brown University’s School of Public Health, and Associate Director of the Mindfulness Center. Her work focuses on understanding how stress, trauma, and systemic inequities contribute to health disparities, particularly among marginalized populations like LGBTQ+ individuals, youth, and communities affected by HIV. She develops mindfulness-based, technology-mediated interventions to promote mental health and reduce stigma, with a global focus including China, the Philippines, and Ukraine. Education: PhD in Counseling Psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (2018). Research interests include mindfulness interventions, mHealth (mobile health), global mental health, HIV prevention, minority stress, and stigma reduction. Her work emphasizes community-engaged research and rigorous evidence synthesis through meta-analyses and systematic reviews. Current projects include interventions for displaced Ukrainians, suicide prevention in rural China, and HIV prevention among transgender women in the Philippines. Her interventions address topics like queer resilience, pandemic mental health, and health equity for vulnerable groups. Awards include the APA’s Barbara Smith Early Career Award and Brown University’s Early Career Research Achievement Award. Grants: Principal investigator on NIH-funded projects totaling over $7.5M, including a $3M R24 grant for mindfulness evidence synthesis and a $621K NIMH grant for school-based suicide prevention in China. Labs/Teams: Director of the Mindfulness for Health Equity Lab, collaborating with global researchers on stigma reduction and digital health innovations.
University of Illinois Urbana-ChampaignUnited States
Ghassan Moussawi is an Associate Professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign holding joint appointments across multiple departments. He serves as Director of Graduate Studies in Sociology while maintaining active roles in Gender and Women's Studies, Anthropology, Unit for Criticism and Interpretive Theory, and the Center for South Asian and Middle Eastern Studies. His interdisciplinary scholarship bridges critical social theory with empirical research on marginalized communities. Education: Ph.D., Rutgers University Moussawi's research program centers on transnational gender and sexualities, empire and coloniality, race and racism, queer of color critique, affect theory, and urban studies. His work critically examines how power structures intersect to shape lived experiences, with particular attention to marginalized communities and liberation movements. His theoretical contributions connect postcolonial studies with contemporary social justice frameworks, developing innovative approaches to understanding complex social phenomena through multi-scalar lenses. His recent publications demonstrate a consistent trajectory examining the intersections of race, gender, sexuality, and empire across multiple geographic contexts. Moussawi's scholarship often employs decolonial frameworks that challenge dominant narratives while centering marginalized perspectives. His work spans book-length projects, journal articles, and handbook chapters that collectively advance understanding of power dynamics in contemporary society. Scientific Awards: Social Problems Theory Division's Outstanding Article Award, Society for the Study of Social Problems, 2025 Conrad Humanities Scholar, University of Illinois (2024-29) Sociologists for Women in Society (SWS) Distinguished Feminist Lecturer Award, 2024 Helen Corley Petit Scholar, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Illinois, 2022-23 Sociology of Sexualities' Early Career Award, American Sociological Association, 2022 National Women's Studies Association's Gloria E. Anzaldúa Book Prize, 2021 Moussawi has received significant recognition for both his research and teaching excellence. His Multiracial Democracy Grant from the University of Illinois (2018) supported important work at the intersection of race and democracy. He has been repeatedly honored as an outstanding teacher, receiving multiple Teachers Ranked as Excellent and Outstanding awards across various semesters. His students benefit from his expertise in courses such as GWS 201: Race, Gender, Power; SOC 396: Sexuality and Society; and SOC 596/GWS 590: Power, Coloniality, Empire, where he integrates cutting-edge research with critical pedagogy. Moussawi maintains an active scholarly presence through his involvement with the Illinois Global Institute's Center for Global Studies and various research clusters within the university. His work connects with broader intellectual communities through his publications in leading journals, participation in interdisciplinary research initiatives, and engagement with multiple academic associations focused on social justice, gender studies, and critical race scholarship.
Dr. Anh Alan Nguyen is a Visiting Assistant Professor in the Department of Social Transformation Studies at Kansas State University, based in Leasure Hall 103C. His office hours are Tuesdays 1:00-2:00 PM and Wednesdays 11:00 AM-1:00 PM. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of New Mexico. His research explores critical frameworks for understanding identity and power, with specific focus on: Critical (inter)cultural communication and representational politics Intersectional rhetoric in media and communities Queer of color critique and diasporic identity formation He is currently developing a book project analyzing Vietnamese diasporic television in Orange County, California, challenging model minority narratives in Asian American communities. His recent publications consistently examine themes of identity negotiation, media representation, and decolonial approaches in transnational contexts, primarily within communication studies, cultural criticism, and ethnic studies. Awards & Recognition: 2024: NCA Ralph Cooley Top Paper Award & Top Four Paper Award 2023: WSCA Top Debut Paper Award 2022: NCA Ralph Cooley Top Paper Award 2021: UNM Glenda Lewis Critical Race Scholar Award 2020: CSCA Top Four Paper Award Teaching: AMETH 160 (Intro to American Ethnic Studies), AMETH 354 (Asian American Perspectives), and GWSS 325 (Queer Studies).
Natalia Villanueva-Nieves is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chicana and Chicano Studies at Sonoma State University. Her interdisciplinary scholarship bridges literary studies, affect theory, and digital humanities, with a focus on Latinx, Chicanx, Central American, and Caribbean expressive cultures. Her academic background includes a doctoral degree in Chicana and Chicano Studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and a master’s in Comparative Literary Studies from Utrecht University. Dr. Villanueva-Nieves' research explores Latinx emotional geographies, transnational feminisms, hemispheric race studies, and digital storytelling. She investigates how affect, space, and racialization intersect in Latina narratives, particularly through relational and hemispheric frameworks. Her work emphasizes collective archives of care and hope in Latinx testimonial writing. Her recent publications reflect a strong trend toward interdisciplinary and public-facing scholarship, combining literary analysis with digital tools and social justice engagement. The articles span themes such as affective spaces, digital archives, transnational feminisms, and geocritical approaches to Latinx literature. Her scholarly work has appeared in Chiricú Journal , Ex-Centric Narratives Journal , Zócalo Public Square , American National Biography , Aztlán: A Journal of Chicano Studies , and edited volumes from UNAM and the University of Alcalá de Henares. Dr. Villanueva-Nieves is currently developing a digital monograph that uses interactive maps and digital storytelling to present Latinx testimonial writing as living archives. She is also completing her book The True Colors of Feeling Brown: Affect and Space in Latina Narratives , under contract with Palgrave in the Geocriticism and Spatial Literary Studies series.
California State University San MarcosUnited States
Robert Gutierrez-Perez, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Critical/Cultural Studies in Communication at the Department of Communication and Media Studies, California State University, San Marcos (CSUSM). He earned his doctorate from the University of Denver in 2016 and specializes in examining intersectional power dynamics through performance studies approaches grounded in decolonial and indigenous theories. His research focuses on queer of color communication, Latina/o/x cultural studies, and Anzaldúan theory. Gutierrez-Perez centers subaltern and non-Western knowledge systems in his work, particularly exploring Jotería Communication Studies—the communicative practices of nonheteronormative mestizas/os. His scholarship employs cuentos, pláticas, chismé, testimonio, mitos, and consejos as decolonial methods for knowledge production. His recent publications reveal a strong focus on decolonial approaches to queer of color worldmaking, with particular attention to Anzaldúan theory and borderlands epistemology. His work bridges communication studies with Chicana feminist thought, creating innovative frameworks for understanding intersectional resistance and cultural survival. Award-winning editor of 'This Bridge We Call Communication: Anzaldúan Approaches to Theory, Method, and Praxis' Editor of the Performance & Pedagogy recurring series in 'Liminalities: A Journal of Performance Studies' Gutierrez-Perez's scholarly contributions include his book 'Jotería Communication Studies: Narrating Theories of Resistance,' which provides a cultural map highlighting reflexivity, cultural/queer nuances, and decolonial acts of resistance within Jotería communities. His work represents a significant contribution to queer of color critique and decolonial communication studies.
Nicole Files-Thompson is an Associate Professor in the Mass Communications Department at Lincoln University. Formerly a television producer and writer, she brings industry experience to academia. She earned her PhD in Mass Communications and Media Studies from Howard University, where she also obtained graduate certificates in Women’s Studies, Distance Learning, and Preparing Future Faculty. Her interdisciplinary research explores marginalized groups through the lenses of Communication Studies, Gender Studies, and Cultural Theory. Key areas include: Sexual identity formation and negotiation Intersectionality in media representations Queer theory applications in tourism spaces Critical pedagogy in digital environments Race/ethnicity dynamics in mass communication Her publications engage with popular media texts like Beyoncé’s Formation, Noah’s Arc, and Love & Hip-Hop. These works examine power dynamics, identity performance, and cultural critique through feminist and queer frameworks. Scientific achievements include: Outstanding Ph.D. Dissertation award (Fethiye, Turkey) Leadership roles in National Communications Association (NCA) and Eastern Communications Association (ECA) Pioneering curriculum development for students of color As an educator, she has developed 24 communications courses, mentored students through research initiatives, and implemented pathways to graduate school. Her professional engagement spans both academic leadership and intersectional analyses of media systems.
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.
Whitney (Whit) Pow is an Assistant Professor of Media, Culture, and Communication at the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, New York University. Their research focuses on transgender media studies, trans of color critique, queer theory, and the intersection of these fields with electronic art, video game history, and computer history. Pow’s current book project examines how trans programmers and game designers contested computational limitations to critique institutional systems. Their work analyzes how state surveillance and biopolitical processes—mediated through documents like birth certificates and diagnostic manuals—intersect with computational systems like AI and software. Research interests include: Reparative video game history Queer orientations in software interfaces Glitch studies as trans historiography Racialized surveillance in digital systems Recent articles highlight themes like computational metaphors’ entanglement with medical surveillance (Camera Obscura, 2024) and the necessity of software studies for critical game studies (Just Tech, 2024). Earlier work (Feminist Media Histories, 2021) explores glitches as trans resistance in digital art. A 2019 essay in ROMchip advocates for archival recovery of trans game designers like Dani Bunten Berry. No scientific awards listed. Research grants or advising roles are not detailed in available texts. Pow’s lab/team work centers reparative digital historiography and antiracist methodologies in media studies.
University of California, Los AngelesUnited States
Purnima Mankekar is a Professor in the Department of Gender Studies and Asian American Studies Department at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where her interdisciplinary work bridges cultural anthropology, media studies, and gender theory with critical focus on South Asia and diasporic communities. Trained as a cultural anthropologist, she examines television, digital media, and public cultures through the lens of affect politics and identity formation. Her educational background: Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of Washington (1993) Mankekar's research manifests in interconnected domains: Digital media, Big Data, and algorithmic social life Virtual anthropology and affect theory frameworks Film/television studies intersecting with nationalism Feminist and queer of color critique methodologies Postcolonial and South Asian American studies Current projects analyze affective labor in Bengaluru's BPO industry and sociopolitical dimensions of AI in India, reflecting her commitment to contemporary technocultural shifts. Her publications demonstrate sustained engagement with media-affect-transnationalism intersections, exploring television's role in nation-building, erotic dimensions of transnational media, and affective structures of caste/identity across South Asia and diaspora contexts. Major recognitions include: Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowship at Duke University (1997-1998) Bunting Fellowship at Harvard's Radcliffe Institute (2000-2001) Stanford Humanities Center fellowship (2005-2006) Asia Research Institute fellowship, National University of Singapore (2013) Fullbright Senior Faculty Research Award for Bangalore call center research (2008-2009) Stanford Asian American Studies Distinguished Faculty Award (2002) Professor Mankekar mentors graduate students in Gender and Asian American Studies while securing significant research funding including Fullbright and institutional fellowships that enable her ethnographic work on media, affect, and technology in India.
Keith Obadike is a Professor in the Department of Art at Cornell University's College of Architecture, Art, and Planning (AAP), where he also serves as Director of Undergraduate Studies. He is an acclaimed interdisciplinary artist and composer, known for his collaborative work with Mendi Obadike, which spans sound art, digital media, public installations, performance, and internet-based projects. His artistic and academic work critically engages with technology, race, history, and identity. Obadike earned a B.A. in Visual Art from North Carolina Central University and an M.F.A. in Sound Design from Yale University. Prior to joining Cornell, he taught at William Paterson University and held visiting positions at Princeton University, Columbia University, Northwestern University, and the Art Institute of Chicago. His research and creative practice focus on sound art, digital media, public art, performance, and collaborative practice , with strong interdisciplinary connections to Afrofuturism, data sonification, and social justice. He explores how sound and technology mediate racial identity, memory, and liberation, notably through the concept of acousmatic blackness , which he and Mendi developed to describe the racial perception of sound when its source is unseen. Obadike’s selected works include large-scale public sound installations such as Blues Speaker (for James Baldwin) , Free/Phase , Compass Song (Times Square Arts), and GuideStar (Space Needle, Seattle). His projects often use data sonification, archival research, and mythic storytelling, blending historical inquiry with futuristic vision. Notable series include the Opera-Masquerades , Americana Suites , and Numbers Station works, which transform databases of violence into sonic experiences. His honors include: Rockefeller New Media Arts Fellowship (2004) Louis Comfort Tiffany Biennial Award (2015) New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship in Fiction New Music USA Creator Development Fund (2022) Obadike has received commissions and support from institutions such as the Vera List Center, Harlem Stage, Times Square Arts, the American Composers Orchestra, and the Cornell Mui Ho Center for Cities. He has exhibited and performed at The New Museum, The Whitney Museum of American Art, MoMA, and The Studio Museum in Harlem. His writings and publications include contributions to Studies into Darkness (2022), and artist books such as Four Electric Ghosts and Big House / Disclosure (both 2014). He has also released albums like Crosstalk (2008) and created internet artworks such as Blackness for Sale (2001) and The Interaction of Coloreds (2002), which are foundational in new media and critical race art. While specific advisees are not listed, his role as Director of Undergraduate Studies and Professor indicates active mentorship. His work is deeply collaborative, often co-created with Mendi Obadike, and supported by interdisciplinary teams and institutions.
Stacy E. Wolf is Professor of Theater in the Lewis Center for the Arts and the Effron Center for the Study of America at Princeton University, where she also serves as Director of Fellowships and Founding Director of the Program in Music Theater. She will serve as Acting Chair of the Lewis Center for the Arts in fall 2025. Wolf is one of America's foremost scholars on musical theatre, with extensive publications exploring gender, sexuality, and American culture through the lens of musical performance. Wolf's educational background includes a B.A. in English from Yale University, an M.A. in Drama from the University of Virginia, and a Ph.D. in Theater from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her academic journey has positioned her at the forefront of musical theatre scholarship, where she has helped establish this field as a legitimate area of academic study. Her research interests focus on musical theatre as a cultural phenomenon , particularly examining gender and sexuality in the American musical , feminist approaches to performance , and the relationship between musical theatre and American history . Wolf investigates how musicals both shape and are shaped by larger cultural forces, challenging assumptions about musical theatre as merely entertainment rather than serious art. She explores the pleasure principle in musical theatre while analyzing its political and social dimensions, examining how this commercial art form can simultaneously be cutting-edge and culturally significant. Wolf's publications reveal a consistent focus on feminist perspectives in musical theatre history , with particular attention to how women and LGBTQ+ communities engage with and reinterpret musicals . Her work spans from historical analysis of Broadway classics to contemporary examinations of how musicals function in community settings beyond professional theatre. Recent scholarship increasingly addresses diversity and inclusion in musical theatre , examining how productions in educational settings can empower students of color and create pathways for greater representation on professional stages. Guggenheim Fellow (2017) President's Award for Distinguished Teaching (2017) 2024 Distinguished Scholar by the American Society for Theatre Research Two Bogliasco Fellowships As an educator, Wolf has mentored numerous students including Abigail Jean-Baptiste, with whom she collaborated on the course 'Sondheim's Musicals and the Making of America.' Her teaching philosophy emphasizes the integration of theory and practice, encouraging students to see no separation between art-making and scholarship. Wolf has received significant grant support for her research, including the prestigious Guggenheim Fellowship that enabled deep exploration of musical theatre's cultural impact across America. Wolf is actively involved in Princeton's artistic community as a faculty fellow at Wilson College and academic fellow for the women's basketball team. She regularly participates in student productions, attending rehearsals and leading talkbacks. Her current research includes a book on feminist approaches to musical theatre (co-written with Paige Allen) and an article examining composer Jeanine Tesori's contributions to the field.
Laura E. Pérez is a Professor in the Chicanx and Latinx Studies Program and Department of Ethnic Studies at the University of California, Berkeley. She serves as Chair of the Latinx Research Center and is a core faculty member in the doctoral program in Performance Studies and the Department of Women’s Studies. Ph.D. in Romance Languages & Literatures, Harvard University B.A./M.A. Joint Degree, Romance Languages & Literatures, University of Chicago Exchange Scholar, Stanford University Summer Courses, Universidad de Salamanca Her research intersects decolonial aesthetics, feminist and queer theory, and spiritualities within Chicanx/Latinx and Indigenous cultural practices. She has curated significant Latina/o performance art exhibitions and authored foundational texts in Chicana art criticism. Pérez’s recent work explores coalitions between U.S. women of color feminist thought and Latin American decolonial ethics. In 2023, she is co-curating a major retrospective of Amalia Mesa-Bains at the Berkeley Art Museum & Pacific Film Archive. Her 2020 publication Eros Ideologies received a National Association of Chicana and Chicano Studies Book Award Honorable Mention. College Art Association’s Wyeth Foundation for American Art Publishing Grant (2020) Hellman Faculty Fellows Award Mellon Fellowships Susan B. Anthony Post Doctoral Fellowship Pérez has mentored graduate students in Ethnic Studies and taught courses spanning decolonial theory, racialization, spirituality in the arts, and U.S. women of color feminist thought.
