Find Academic Supervisors

Emily C. Bartels is a Professor of English at Rutgers University specializing in early modern literature and culture, with particular expertise in Shakespearean and non-Shakespearean drama. She has served as director, and is now dean, of the Middlebury Bread Loaf School of English since 2010, a summer Master's program designed for K-12 English teachers. Professor Bartels received her BA from Yale University and both her MA and PhD from Harvard University. Her academic background positioned her to become a leading scholar in Renaissance literature studies. Her research examines questions of race, cross-cultural relations, gender, genre, and performance in early modern English drama. Professor Bartels is renowned for her groundbreaking work on Shakespeare's Othello and Christopher Marlowe's plays, analyzing how these texts represent cultural and racial difference. She has significantly contributed to postcolonial approaches to early modern literature, revealing how English drama engaged with global encounters and representations of the 'other' during the Renaissance period. Her scholarship demonstrates how early modern writers both reflected and shaped contemporary attitudes toward difference, particularly regarding race, religion, and national identity. Professor Bartels' publications reveal a consistent scholarly trajectory examining racial and cultural representation in early modern England. Her work spans from detailed analyses of specific plays like Hamlet and Julius Caesar to broader studies of how England conceptualized Africa and non-Christian cultures during the Renaissance. A recurring theme throughout her career is the analysis of how early English drama both reflected and shaped contemporary attitudes toward difference, particularly regarding race, religion, and national identity. Roma Gill Prize for Best Work on Christopher Marlowe (1993-94) for Spectacles of Strangeness: Imperialism, Alienation, and Marlowe Board of Trustees Fellowship for Scholarly Excellence (1993) School of Arts and Sciences Award for Distinguished Contributors to Undergraduate Education (2008 & 1993) Warren I. Susman Award for Excellence in Teaching (2008) Solmsen Fellowship at the Institute of Research in the Humanities, University of Wisconsin (1995) Black Atlantic Project fellowship from the Rutgers Center for Historical Analysis Professor Bartels has demonstrated exceptional commitment to both research and teaching excellence. She has developed innovative courses exploring the intersections of literature, history, and cultural studies, including undergraduate seminars on Othello and Hamlet, and graduate courses on Shakespeare Page and Stage. Her administrative role as dean of the Middlebury Bread Loaf School of English demonstrates her commitment to education beyond traditional university settings. Her fellowships from prestigious institutions indicate successful grant acquisition throughout her distinguished career. Professor Bartels has been actively involved with the Shakespeare Association of America and has collaborated with international scholars like Emma Smith of the University of Oxford. Her work has positioned her at the forefront of conversations about early modern literature, race studies, and postcolonial approaches to Renaissance drama, influencing how scholars understand the intersections of literature, race, and cultural identity in the early modern period.

• Early Modern Literature
• Shakespeare Studies
• Christopher Marlowe Studies
• +3 more

Bernard (Ben) Arps is Professor of Indonesian and Javanese Language and Culture at Leiden University's Institute for Area Studies within the Faculty of Humanities. His research focuses on the interface of humanities and humanistic social sciences, particularly examining how language, performance, texts, and media contribute to 'worldmaking' - the processes through which people and institutions shape realities for themselves and others. Geographically centered on Southeast Asia with a core focus on Indonesia and the Malay world, Arps specializes in Java and its diasporas. His scholarly interests include religious encounters (particularly between Islam and local vernacular traditions), philological theory as applied to performance and new media, narrativity in song and audio media, and the theoretical foundations of area studies. Arps has conducted extensive fieldwork in Indonesia since 1979, totaling over four years, primarily in Central and Eastern Java regions including Surakarta, Yogyakarta, Banyuwangi, and Cilacap. His current book projects explore the Quest narrative pattern across religious traditions (focusing on Dewa Ruci), the sociopolitical formation of languages through media and performance (using Osing in Banyuwangi as a case study), and the Asian Muslim epic of Amir Hamza. Arps teaches primarily in Leiden's BA programme in South and Southeast Asian Studies, BA in International Studies, and MA programme in Asian Studies. Former chair of the Department of Languages and Cultures of Southeast Asia and Oceania (1995, 1999/2000, 2003-2006, 2008) Previously taught at School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London (1988-1993) Held visiting positions at NIAS (2001/02), ANU (2005), University of Michigan (2006/07), NUS/ARI (2011/12), UNS (2017), and IIAS (2018/19) Arps has supervised doctoral, Master's, and Bachelor's dissertations across Indonesian, Malay, Singapore, Cambodian, and Thai studies, with particular expertise in Javanese, Sundanese, Betawi, Balinese, Sasak, Mentawai, and Minangkabau cultures and languages. His work spans religion, performance, media, literature, sociolinguistics, lexicography, and education.

• Southeast Asian Studies
• Indonesian Language and Culture
• Javanese Language and Culture
• +9 more

Dr. Laura McMahon is an Associate Professor in Film and Screen Studies at the Faculty of Modern and Medieval Languages and Linguistics , University of Cambridge. She is currently on sabbatical leave and will return in Easter Term 2024. Her research explores intersections between film and philosophy , with a focus on French and Francophone cinema , decolonial approaches , feminist theory , and ecocritical perspectives . Dr. McMahon’s work examines how contemporary feminist filmmakers like Onyeka Igwe and Khady Sylla engage with archives to reframe history through speculative reimagining . She also investigates ecological themes in Claire Denis’s films and the ethics of animality in global art cinema. Her monograph Animal Worlds: Film, Philosophy and Time (2019) and edited collections like Animal Life and the Moving Image (2015) highlight her contributions to debates on nonhuman representation and deconstructive aesthetics . Her recent publications analyze documentary practices , postcolonial archives , and critical repurposing in moving image work. She welcomes inquiries from MPhil and PhD students working on related topics. Her teaching and research are affiliated with the Cambridge Film and Screen initiative and the Cambridge Italian Research Network (CIRN).

• Film and Philosophy
• Decolonial Studies
• Feminist Theory
• +6 more

Elisabeth Jean Wood is a Professor of Political Science at Yale University and holds a concurrent professorship at the Santa Fe Institute. Her research focuses on political violence, particularly sexual violence during war, civil war dynamics, and social movements. She is renowned for her work on insurgent transitions in South Africa and El Salvador, as well as her analysis of variation in wartime sexual violence. Wood has authored influential books including Forging Democracy from Below (2000) and Insurgent Collective Action and Civil War in El Salvador (2003). Her recent work examines the Myanmar military's sexual violence against the Rohingya, emphasizing ideological motivations and institutional frameworks. Wood teaches courses on comparative politics, political violence, and qualitative research methods at Yale. She serves on editorial boards for Politics and Society , American Political Science Review , and the Contentious Politics series. Her research emphasizes ethical fieldwork practices and transparency in qualitative studies, addressing challenges in conflict zones. Her work bridges theoretical contributions with policy implications for understanding and preventing conflict-related atrocities.

• Political Science
• Conflict Studies
• Political Violence
• +4 more

Ali Karjoo-Ravary is the Richard W. Bulliet Assistant Professor of Islamic History at Columbia University, specializing in the intellectual, social, and visual histories of premodern Islam through Arabic, Persian, and Turkic sources. His research intersects historical writing, cosmology, Sufism, and multilingual poetry in the Islamic East (Mashriq). Education: Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania (2018) M.A., University of Pennsylvania (2016) B.A., SUNY Stony Brook (2011) His current book project, Muhammad’s Song: Politics, Performance, and Cosmology in the Fourteenth Century , examines post-Mongol Islamic monarchy through Kadi Burhaneddin's life and rule. He also explores Sufi visual iconography, science fiction's relationship to religion, and architecture's role in evolving Islamic discourses. Scientific Awards and Fellowships: Bard Graduate Center Visiting Fellow (Fall 2020) Wolf Humanities Center Graduate Research Fellow (2016-2017)

• Islamic History
• Intellectual History
• Social History
• +8 more

Charles Athanasopoulos is an Assistant Professor of African American and African Studies & English at The Ohio State University. His research focuses on intersections of Black rhetorics, media, and culture, with expertise in The Black Radical Tradition, Rhetorical Theory, and Cultural Critique. He earned his Ph.D. in Rhetoric & Communication from the University of Pittsburgh. His work analyzes racial progress, public symbols, and post/Ferguson America through lenses of iconoclasm and critical race theory. Education: Ph.D., Rhetoric & Communication, University of Pittsburgh. Research interests span Black American and Diasporic Cinema, Afro-Caribbean and Greek-Roma identity critiques. He has published in venues like Lateral: The Journal of the Cultural Studies Association and Western Journal of Communication. His 2024 book Black Iconoclasm explores dismantling racial symbols in public discourse. Recent articles address Fanonian thought, anti-racist campus rhetoric, and transnational Blackness studies. His publications critically engage with visual activism, film analysis, and decolonial theories. Current projects include studies on sonic rhetorics in Black women’s music and global race discourses in Mediterranean contexts.

• The Black Radical Tradition
• Rhetorical Theory
• Cultural Critique
• +3 more

Martin Kern is the Joanna and Greg Zeluck ’84 P13 P18 Professor in Asian Studies at Princeton University. He specializes in ancient Chinese literature, philology, and textual studies, with a focus on poetry, ritual, and cultural memory. Kern co-edits T'oung Pao and directs the "International Center for the Study of Ancient Text Cultures" at Renmin University, Beijing. Education: Ph.D. in Sinology, Cologne University M.A. in Sinology, Cologne University His research spans early Chinese rhetoric, authorship debates, manuscript analysis, and the intersection of writing/orality. He has led Princeton's "Comparative Antiquity" initiative (2018–2022) and co-directs the Princeton-Venice Summer School in Classical Chinese. Recent publications include studies on the Classic of Poetry , Chuci , and Zuozhuan , emphasizing newly discovered manuscripts and their impact on understanding ancient Chinese textuality. His work often bridges philological rigor with comparative theoretical frameworks. Scientific Awards: Member of the American Philosophical Society President of the American Oriental Society (2023–2024) Kern's editorial roles include co-editing the monograph series Studies in the History of Chinese Texts and the Handbook of Oriental Studies: Section 4 China . He has held leadership positions in major academic initiatives on ancient China.

• Ancient Chinese Literature
• Philology
• Early Chinese Poetry
• +7 more

Ann D. Braude is a Senior Lecturer on American Religious History and Director of the Women's Studies in Religion Program at Harvard Divinity School (HDS), affiliated with Harvard University. She joined HDS in 1998 after roles at Carleton College and Macalester College. Her work emphasizes inclusive religious narratives, particularly exploring intersections of gender, spirituality, and social movements. Key research areas include 19th-century Spiritualism, Indigenous religious perspectives, and modern abstract art's relationship to spirituality. Braude holds an AB from Vassar College, MA from the University of Chicago, and PhD from Yale University. Her research has produced influential works like Radical Spirits (2008) and Sisters and Saints (2007), which examine women's roles in shaping religious history. She organized pivotal conferences such as the 2005 celebration of women at HDS and curated the bicentennial exhibition Faces of Divinity (2016). Her current projects include studying gender dynamics in abstract painting and Native American religious frameworks through a biennial speakers series. Braude’s courses focus on American religious history, feminist theology, and Indigenous religious studies. Her articles and public engagement reflect a commitment to bridging academic research with broader societal conversations about religion, gender, and culture. She maintains active roles in both Harvard Divinity School and the broader academic community, contributing to interdisciplinary dialogues on pluralism and religious diversity.

• American Religious History
• Women's Studies in Religion
• Spiritualism and Women's Rights
• +3 more

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.

• Asian/Pacific/American literature and culture
• war, militarism, and imperialism in Asia and the Pacific
• Cold War and mid-century culture
• +14 more

André Gagné is a Full Professor and Chair of the Department of Theological Studies at Concordia University, currently on research leave (July-December 2025). His work bridges theology, political science, and sociology with global recognition through 400+ media features in outlets like The New York Times, The Guardian, and Le Monde. Education: Conjoint PhD from Université catholique de Louvain and Université de Montréal M.A. from Université de Montréal B.Th. from Université de Montréal His research centers on Christian Political Thought (examining theology-state dynamics), Global Pentecostal and Charismatic movements (analyzing their sociopolitical impact worldwide), and Reception History of the Bible (tracing interpretive trajectories across cultures). This interdisciplinary approach integrates historical analysis with contemporary case studies, particularly focusing on evangelical movements in the Americas and Europe. His eight books and recent journal articles reveal consistent thematic focus: the weaponization of spiritual warfare rhetoric in politics, apocalyptic narratives in populist movements, and religious violence in Western traditions. The 2024 publications on Trump-era evangelicalism demonstrate methodological innovation through media discourse analysis combined with theological critique. Scientific awards: Newsmaker of the Week (4 times) Newsmaker of the Month (4 times) President's Opinion Leader of the Year (2016) Expert Communicator of the Year (2024) Dr. Gagné supervises MA students in Theological Studies and PhD candidates in Individualized Programs and Humanities. His policy impact is evidenced by service on Public Safety Canada's National Expert Committee on Countering Radicalization to Violence (2023-2025), where he contributed theological perspectives on religious extremism. His media engagement strategy represents a deliberate effort to translate academic research for public discourse. He co-directs the Spirit, State, and Society podcast and maintains affiliations with Concordia's Centre for the Study of Learning and Performance, Université de Sherbrooke's Centre de recherche Société, Droit et Religions, and the multi-university Political Theology Research Group (McGill, Concordia, UdeM, ULaval).

• Christian Political Thought
• Global Pentecostal and Charismatic movements
• Reception of the Bible

Benjamin Arold is a University Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Economics, University of Cambridge. His academic career spans theoretical and applied research in labor economics, education economics, and AI-driven policy analysis. Previously, he held postdoctoral positions at ETH Zurich and visiting roles at Harvard University and Princeton University. Education: Ph.D. in Economics, LMU Munich His research bridges economic theory with empirical applications, focusing on: Long-term impacts of school curricula on student outcomes AI and NLP applications in labor economics Economics of religion and its societal implications Recent Article Trends: His work highlights intersections between education policy and technological innovation, including meta-analyses of private schooling effects, charter school performance evaluations, and computational methods for analyzing educational interventions. Scientific Awards: Prize for Best Dissertation (2021/2022) - German Economic Association Fürther Ludwig Erhard Prize (2023) Teaching: He teaches advanced courses on NLP in economics at Princeton University and Basel University, with a focus on computational methods for non-standard data.

• Labor Economics
• Education Economics
• Public Economics
• +7 more

Reyhan Durmaz is an Associate Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Pennsylvania, affiliated with the School of Arts & Sciences and multiple interdisciplinary programs. Her research focuses on Syriac Christianity, medieval religious dynamics, and the intersection of Christianity and Islam in late antiquity. She holds a Ph.D. from Brown University (2019) and has received prestigious fellowships such as the Dumbarton Oaks Junior Fellowship and the Charlotte Newcombe Dissertation Fellowship. Her seminal book Stories between Christianity and Islam (2022) examines the transmission of saints' stories between religious traditions, earning Honorable Mention from the Middle East Medievalists. Current projects include a study of rural Christianity in the medieval Middle East through soldier-monk narratives and an analysis of the 19th-century Arabic newspaper Kawkab America . She co-leads the Digital Photograph Archive project Visualizing Countryside , documenting medieval religious sites. Dr. Durmaz teaches courses on global Christianity, material culture, and late antiquity, and serves as co-chair of the Philadelphia Seminar on Christian Origins. Her work bridges historical analysis, textual scholarship, and digital humanities, addressing themes of religious identity, cultural exchange, and marginalized communities.

• Syriac Christianity
• Medieval Studies
• Byzantine Studies
• +7 more

Dale Shuger is a Professor of Spanish & Portuguese in the School of Liberal Arts at Tulane University. His academic career includes roles as Visiting Assistant Professor (2012-2013), Assistant Professor (2013-2023), and Associate Professor (2018-2023) before his current position since 2023. He holds a Ph.D. from New York University (2008) and a B.A. from Harvard University (2001). Shuger’s research focuses on early modern Spanish literature, heterodox religions, and popular culture in Spain and colonial Latin America. His work bridges literary analysis with cultural history, exploring topics such as mysticism, the Inquisition, and symbolic practices in early modern texts. His publications include God Made Word: An Archaeology of Mystic Discourse in Early Modern Spain (2021) and articles on Cervantes, puppetry, and religious symbolism. His research has been supported by grants like the COR International Travel Fund and the Lurcy Award. Shuger has led Tulane’s Program in Medieval and Early Modern Studies (2014-2017) and currently serves on the School of Liberal Arts Curriculum Committee. He advises Spanish majors and has supervised one thesis in the past five years.

• Early Modern Spanish Literature
• Heterodox Religions
• Popular Culture in Spain
• +3 more

Professor Masooda Bano serves as William Golding Senior Research Fellow at Brasenose College and Professor of Development Studies at the University of Oxford's Department of International Development. She leads the five-year ERC-funded Changing Structures of Islamic Authority (CSIA) project examining Islamic scholarly debates and their societal impacts. Her academic credentials include an MPhil in Development Studies from Cambridge and a DPhil from Oxford. These qualifications underpin her expertise in development theory and field research methodologies. Bano's research centers on the interplay between ideas, beliefs, and material incentives in development processes . She investigates how psycho-social factors shape individual choices and collective outcomes, with particular focus on Islamic authority structures, female education movements, and aid effectiveness. Her work combines large-scale comparative studies using ethnographic and survey data across Muslim-majority contexts. Recent publications reveal a concentrated focus on education policy in developing nations , especially Pakistan, Nigeria, and Indonesia. Key themes include decentralized education planning, low-fee private tuition markets, community participation models, and Islamic education systems. The research consistently examines religion-development intersections and institutional responses to social change. Her scientific recognition includes: Two competitive ESRC Fellowships A 1.4 million euro ERC Starting Grant for the CSIA project ESRC Best Social Science Impact award for Nigeria education interventions Bano supervises MPhil/DPhil theses at Oxford and has advised major development agencies, notably designing DfID's education reforms in northern Nigeria. Her CSIA project coordinates a multinational team conducting textual analysis, surveys, and ethnographic fieldwork to map evolving Islamic authority structures.

• International Development
• Islamic Studies
• Gender and Development
• +5 more

Andrew R. Meyer is an Associate Professor in the Department of Health, Human Performance, and Recreation at Baylor University, where he teaches courses in Sport Psychology and Religion and Sport. His academic work bridges the fields of sport sociology, cultural studies, and theology, with a particular focus on the enduring influence of muscular Christianity in American sports. His research interests include: Contemporary American Sport Culture and Religion Muscular Christianity and its modern manifestations Hero-celebrity athletes in popular culture Character development through sport and education Traditional and contemporary Indigenous sport cultures Sport's cultural impact on communities The themes across his publications reveal a consistent exploration of the moral, spiritual, and cultural dimensions of sport. His work analyzes how religious values, particularly those rooted in Christian traditions, shape athlete identity, media narratives, and public perception of sports figures. He has developed the Contemporary Muscular Christian Instrument (2017, 2020) to measure these values across global sport contexts. His articles appear in interdisciplinary journals spanning religion, sociology, public health, and cultural studies, reflecting the broad relevance of his research. Scientific awards and recognitions include: Baylor Teaching Fellow (2017) Dr. Meyer has been active in academic and public discourse, serving as a keynote speaker at international conferences on sport and Christianity and being featured on media outlets such as NPR and the Sport, Faith, Life podcast. His teaching emphasizes character formation in the classroom, aligning with his research on moral development through sport. While specific grant funding is not mentioned, his extensive publication record in peer-reviewed journals and edited volumes indicates sustained scholarly productivity. He has contributed to discussions on mega-sport events, cycling culture, and the redemption narratives of fallen athletes like Lance Armstrong. He is affiliated with the College of Health, Human Performance, and Recreation at Baylor University, contributing to both graduate and undergraduate education in sport studies.

• Sport Psychology
• Religion and Sport
• Cultural Sport Studies
• +7 more