Ian Duncan is the Florence Green Bixby Professor of English at the University of California, Berkeley, where he specializes in Scottish literature, British Romanticism, and the evolution of the novel. He holds a BA from King's College, Cambridge (1977) and a PhD from Yale University (1989), with prior faculty positions at Yale and the University of Oregon before joining Berkeley in 2001. His research bridges literature, natural sciences, and media studies, focusing on the novel's development alongside evolutionary theory, Scottish cultural identity, and Romantic-era transformations. Key interests include the interplay of biological concepts with narrative form, the historical novel's political dimensions, and literature's relationship to opera and film. Duncan has authored seminal works such as Scott’s Shadow (2007) and Human Forms (2019), exploring how the novel shaped understandings of human nature during scientific revolutions. He edits major projects including The Cambridge History of Scottish Literature and is writing Scotland and Romanticism . Honors include: Corresponding Fellow, Royal Society of Edinburgh Honorary Fellow, Association for Scottish Literature Berkeley Distinguished Teaching Award (2017) Saltire Society Research Book of the Year (2008) He directs critical editions of James Hogg and Walter Scott, co-edits the Edinburgh Critical Studies in Romanticism series, and has held visiting positions at Princeton, LMU Munich, and Aix-Marseille University.
David Armitage is the Lloyd C. Blankfein Professor of History at Harvard University, where he serves as Chair of the Committee on Degrees in Social Studies and teaches intellectual history and international history. He also holds affiliations with the Harvard Department of Government, Harvard Law School, and is an Honorary Professor at the University of Sydney and Queen's University Belfast. Previously, he chaired Harvard's Department of History (2012-14, 2015-16) and taught at Columbia University for eleven years before joining Harvard in 2004. Armitage was born in Britain and educated at the University of Cambridge and Princeton University. His academic journey includes: Undergraduate studies at University of Cambridge PhD at Princeton University Teaching position at Columbia University (1993-2004) Professorship at Harvard University (2004-present) Honorary positions at University of Sydney, Queen's University Belfast, and St Catharine's College, Cambridge Professor Armitage specializes in intellectual history, international history, and global history, with particular expertise in the history of political thought, empires, and international law. His scholarly approach emphasizes the longue durée perspective, seeking to understand historical phenomena across extended time periods rather than narrow chronological frames. He has been a leading voice in advocating for historians to engage with "big history" that spans centuries, arguing that contemporary challenges like climate change and economic inequality require historical understanding that transcends the short-term thinking prevalent in modern politics and policy. His extensive publication record demonstrates consistent engagement with foundational texts and concepts in political theory, declarations of independence, civil wars, and oceanic history. Armitage's work shows a clear trajectory toward increasingly global and interdisciplinary approaches, connecting intellectual history with legal, political, and environmental frameworks. His scholarship bridges early modern and contemporary history, examining how historical concepts continue to shape modern international relations and political thought. Armitage's significant contributions to historical scholarship have been recognized with prestigious awards: Caird Medal from the National Maritime Museum (2006) for "conspicuously important work ... of a nature that involves communicating with the public" Walter Channing Cabot Fellow from Harvard (2008) for "achievements and scholarly eminence in the fields of literature, history or art" LittD from Cambridge University (2015), the university's highest degree, for "distinction by some original contribution to the advancement of science or of learning" As an advisor and mentor, Armitage has guided numerous graduate students through doctoral programs at Harvard and previously at Columbia. His scholarly leadership extends to co-editing two major book series with Cambridge University Press ( Ideas in Context and Cambridge Oceanic Histories ), serving on the Steering Committee of the Center for Early Modern Political Thought at the Folger Shakespeare Library, and contributing to various academic organizations. His work has attracted significant research funding supporting his global historical investigations. Professor Armitage is deeply involved in collaborative scholarly initiatives, particularly through his work with the Harvard Academy for International and Area Studies, where he serves as a Senior Scholar. His research often involves interdisciplinary teams examining oceanic histories, international law, and global political thought. He has been instrumental in developing the "Cambridge Oceanic Histories" series, which brings together scholars from multiple disciplines to explore the historical significance of oceans as connective spaces rather than barriers.
Morna O'Neill is a Professor and Department Chair at Wake Forest University, specializing in Eighteenth- and Nineteenth-Century European Art, with a focus on the intersection of art, design, and politics in Britain. Her research redefines traditional hierarchies between fine and decorative arts through a political lens. Research Interests: Art History, British Art, Arts and Crafts Movement, Political Art, Colonial Art, Domestic Interiors, Museum Studies. Key Publications include monographs on Walter Crane and Hugh Lane, and articles exploring topics such as socialist symbolism in decorative arts, imperial narratives in Victorian print culture, and the role of domestic spaces in art history. Her work has been recognized with the Historians of British Art Book Prize. Projects: Co-founder of the digital humanities initiative Home Subjects , which investigates the domestic display of art in Britain (1715–1914), supported by a National Endowment for the Humanities grant. She co-chaired the 2015 College Art Association conference session on private art display. Scientific Awards: Historians of British Art Book Prize for Best Book before 1900 (2011).
Ryan Patrick Hanley is the J. Joseph Moakley Professor of Political Science and courtesy Professor of Philosophy at Boston College. He previously held the Mellon Distinguished Professorship at Marquette University and has held visiting roles at Yale, Harvard, and the University of Chicago. His research focuses on Enlightenment political philosophy, particularly the works of Adam Smith, Rousseau, and Montesquieu, with a special emphasis on ethical theory and the intersections of religion and politics. He earned a B.A. (Honors) from the University of Pennsylvania, M.Phil from the University of Cambridge, and Ph.D. from the University of Chicago. His teaching includes courses on Enlightenment political theory, the political philosophy of 1776, capitalism vs. socialism, and the Catholic tradition in political thought. His research explores themes like virtue ethics in Adam Smith, the rethinking of charity in modernity, and the political philosophy of Fénelon. Recent work emphasizes the evolution of love in social progress and the ethical frameworks of Enlightenment thinkers. His book Love's Enlightenment (2017) reinterprets charitable concepts, while Our Great Purpose (2019) examines Smith’s vision of human flourishing. His articles analyze topics ranging from Montesquieu’s Persian Letters as political education to Rousseau’s revolutionary thought and Hume’s theories of passion. He frequently engages with cross-disciplinary debates about the Enlightenment’s legacy in modern political economy and moral philosophy. His academic contributions span edited volumes on Adam Smith’s legacy, histories of love concepts, and translations of Fénelon’s moral writings. He collaborates with interdisciplinary teams exploring the intersections of philosophy, economics, and religious studies in historical contexts.
James Mulholland is a Professor of English and Associate Dean of Academic and Student Affairs in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at North Carolina State University. He oversees academic and student affairs for a college serving 3,900 undergraduates and 800 graduate students. His research focuses on the global eighteenth century and world anglophone literature, particularly works from British Asia before 1820. His book Before the Raj: Writing Early Anglophone India (2021) explores literary history in colonial India and has received multiple academic accolades. He holds a Ph.D. in English from Rutgers University (2005) and a B.A. from the University of Virginia (1997). His work has been supported by grants from ACLS, the Fox Center for Humanistic Inquiry, and the Whiting Foundation. A Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, Mulholland also writes about higher education issues, including humanities advocacy and academic career development. His research publications span literary analysis and professional advice, with notable contributions to PMLA , Literature Compass , and Journal of Scholarly Publishing . He has been featured in The Guardian and Chronicle of Higher Education for essays on public engagement and academic publishing. Mulholland’s recent work includes studies on translocalism in anglophone literature, queer historical poetics, and the cultural dynamics of British imperial expansion. His interdisciplinary approach bridges literary studies with historical and global perspectives.
Robert Kaplan is an Advanced Senior Lecturer and Associate Director at Stony Brook University’s Program in Writing & Rhetoric, affiliated with the College of Arts and Sciences and Department of English. His work bridges academic writing pedagogy, writing transfer studies, and interdisciplinary research in Euro-American intellectual history, early American literature, queer theory, and poetry. Fields of Interest: Writing in the disciplines, writing transfer, eighteenth-century rhetoric, queer theory, HIV-related public health research. Research & Grants: Co-PI for the Writing Research Lab (2017–present), focusing on writing skills for non-native English speakers and cross-curricular transfer. Collaborated on NIH-funded workshops (D43TW000233) in Kyiv, Ukraine (2013). Scientific Awards: New York State English Council Mini-Grant (2017–18) Presidential Mini-Grant for Diversity Initiative (2016) FAHSS Interdisciplinary Award (2014) Presentations & Contributions: Active in conferences on writing pedagogy, including the Conference on College Composition and Communication, and interdisciplinary studies of moral philosophy and early American literature.
Jonathan Allison is a Professor of English at the University of Kentucky, specializing in 19th and 20th-century British and Irish literature, modernism, and textual studies. He holds a BA/PGCE from Queen's University Belfast, and MA/PhD from the University of Michigan. His research focuses on W.B. Yeats, Louis MacNeice, and Irish literature post-1945. He has edited major works including Letters of Louis MacNeice (2010, TLS 'Book of the Year') and contributed to essay collections like Yeats's Political Identities (1996). Dr. Allison has taught at University College London and the University of Michigan. Notable roles include Director of the W.B. Yeats International Summer School and Fellow at the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities (Edinburgh). He co-curated prominent exhibitions at UK Libraries, including All the Olympians: Modern Irish Manuscripts (2017) and Four Nobel Laureates: Yeats, Shaw, Beckett, Heaney (2006). His publications span Yeats's political engagement, modernist poetry, and Irish literary history. He has received recognition for his annotated editions and critical essays, appearing in journals like Sewanee Review and Yearbook of English Studies . His teaching covers modernism, British literature surveys, and specialized seminars on Yeats and Heaney.
Jenny Davidson is a Professor of English and Comparative Literature at Columbia University, where she maintains an active teaching schedule with office hours listed for Spring 2025. Her academic home is in the Department of English and Comparative Literature, where she contributes to both undergraduate and graduate programs with regular office hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4:00-5:00pm. Professor Davidson's research spans multiple domains of literary studies, with a primary focus on eighteenth-century British literature and culture. Her intellectual interests extend to cultural and intellectual history, the history of science, and the contemporary novel in English. She approaches literary analysis through multiple lenses, examining prose fiction, the history of the novel, and British literary traditions with equal rigor. Her work bridges historical scholarship with contemporary literary practice. Davidson's scholarly output reveals a consistent trajectory from historical literary criticism toward more personal and stylistic explorations. While her early work focused on eighteenth-century manners and breeding practices, she has increasingly turned her attention to the mechanics of reading and writing, culminating in works that examine Jane Austen's legacy and the power of individual sentences. Her creative writing complements her scholarly work, with novels that often incorporate historical elements while exploring contemporary concerns. Her distinguished career has been recognized with numerous awards: Lenfest Distinguished Teaching Award (2005) Guggenheim Fellowship (2005-2006) Mark Van Doren Teaching Award (2010) Fellowship at Columbia's Institute for Ideas and Imagination in Paris (2018-2019) Professor Davidson has mentored numerous students through her academic career, though specific advisees are not listed in available materials. Her research has been supported by prestigious fellowships including the Guggenheim, which enabled significant progress on her scholarly work. While her Spring 2025 office hours indicate ongoing teaching responsibilities, specific grant information beyond her fellowships is not detailed in the provided materials. Though not explicitly mentioned in the available materials, Professor Davidson's fellowship at Columbia's Institute for Ideas and Imagination in Paris suggests participation in international academic collaborations. Her dual focus on scholarly criticism and creative writing places her at an interesting intersection of academic and literary communities, contributing to both theoretical discourse and literary production.
David Walsh is Associate Professor and Director of Opera Theatre at the University of Minnesota School of Music. With extensive international opera experience, he has served as Production Stage Manager for the Canadian Opera Company and Scottish Opera, Assistant Artistic Director for Vancouver Opera, and Head of Production for Scottish Opera. His directing credits span Europe and North America, including productions at Paris Opera, English National Opera, Bad Hersfeld Festival, and the first Wagner opera production in China. Notable collaborations include work with Nikolaus Lehnhoff, Seiji Ozawa, and Sir Simon Rattle. His specialties include opera history, contemporary operatic literature, and production management.
Morna E. O'Neill is a Professor in the Department of Art at Wake Forest University, specializing in Eighteenth and Nineteenth Century European Art. Her academic profile indicates she is actively engaged in teaching courses such as ART 103 (A History of Western Art), ART 273 (Eighteenth-Century European Art), ART 281 (Nineteenth-Century European Art), and several specialized courses on photography, gender in art, and art museum histories. Professor O'Neill's research focuses on the intersection of art, design, and politics in Britain during the long nineteenth century. She has established herself as a leading scholar on Walter Crane and the Arts and Crafts Movement, as well as Hugh Lane and the development of the modern art market. Her work explores how domestic interiors functioned as significant spaces for art display, challenging the traditional narrative that British art developed primarily through public institutions. Her research spans British art history, museum studies, decorative arts, and the political dimensions of artistic production. O'Neill's scholarly output reveals consistent thematic development across her career, with early work focusing on Walter Crane's political dimensions within the Arts and Crafts Movement, evolving toward broader investigations of the art market, museum formation, and the global circulation of art. Her more recent work examines illustrated print culture, the intersection of monarchy and empire in visual representation, and the relationship between industrialization and artistic production. A throughline in her scholarship is the examination of how art objects function within social and political contexts. Historians of British Art Book Prize for Best Book before 1900 (for Walter Crane: The Arts and Crafts, Painting, and Politics ) Professor O'Neill co-founded and co-edits 'Home Subjects,' a digital humanities working group dedicated to studying the display of art in private interiors in Britain from approximately 1715-1914. This initiative, supported by the Wake Forest University Humanities Institute with funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities, has organized conference sessions including at the College Art Association. 'Home Subjects' represents a significant scholarly collaboration that challenges conventional art historical narratives by emphasizing the importance of domestic spaces for art display and experience. The project maintains an active blog and has fostered international scholarly dialogue about the relationship between domesticity, display, and modernity.
Lee Manion is an Associate Professor in the English Department at the University of Missouri, specializing in medieval and Renaissance literature and culture. His research explores intersections of narrative, political thought, and sovereignty through genres like romance, drama, and epic, with particular focus on English and Scottish traditions. Education: Ph.D. from the University of Virginia B.A. from Duke University Manion’s research includes works on crusading literature, sovereignty recognition scenes in medieval texts, and transformative romance traditions. He has authored Narrating the Crusades (Cambridge UP, 2014) and is completing The Recognition of Sovereignty (Cambridge UP, 2025). His upcoming project Transformative Romance examines premodern romance’s intertextual evolution. He has received prestigious awards including the Van Courtlandt Elliott Prize (2012), NEH Fellowship (2013-14), and William T. Kemper Award for Teaching Excellence. He contributes to the Cambridge Edition of the Complete Works of Geoffrey Chaucer and teaches courses on Chaucer, Shakespeare, Arthurian legends, and premodern political thought.
Robert M. Frazier is a Professor in the Philosophy and Biblical Studies department at Geneva College. He has been actively involved in research, teaching, and community engagement since joining the faculty. His academic work bridges philosophical inquiry with theological reflection, focusing on areas such as epistemology, ethics, and political philosophy. Ph.D. in Philosophy, State University of New York at Buffalo (1993) M.A. in Theological Studies in Old Testament Literature, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (1981) B.A. in Biblical Studies, Gordon College (1978) Dr. Frazier teaches courses spanning classical philosophy and biblical studies, including Aristotle, Plato, Augustine, Kierkegaard, and topics like epistemology, political philosophy, and ethics. His research explores the intersection of faith and reason, with a particular focus on Augustinian thought, noetic effects of sin, and the moral obligations of belief formation. His publications highlight themes in ancient and modern philosophical theology, political ethics, and cultural analysis. Recent projects include manuscripts on Augustine's political philosophy and the noetic effects of sin. Dr. Frazier also serves as a chaplain for Geneva College's Men's Basketball Team, demonstrating his commitment to student engagement beyond the classroom.
Dr. Elodie Tantet is an Instructional Assistant Professor of French in the Department of Modern Languages at the University of Mississippi and serves as Director of the Basic French Program. She holds a Ph.D. in French from Washington University in St. Louis (2023), an M.A. in French from the University of Memphis, and dual degrees (B.A. in Linguistics, M.A. in French as a Foreign/Second Language) from Université Lumière II in Lyon, France. Research Focus Her scholarship bridges literary analysis, pedagogical theory, and historical inquiry, with emphasis on: Enlightenment Studies : 18th-century French literature, Franco-Scottish intellectual networks, and esoterism Linguistic Applications : Second language acquisition methodologies and French linguistics Performance Theory : Spatial dynamics in socio-cultural expressions Awards and Honors Isom Fellowship (2025-2027) for gender studies research Dean's Award for Teaching Excellence (2022) Elizabeth Schreiber Teaching Award (2020) Educational Leadership She teaches courses spanning elementary French to graduate linguistics, including FR 111 (Intensive Elementary French), FR 303/304 (Conversation/Composition), and FR 575 (Applied Linguistics). She integrates mental health advocacy into pedagogy, certified as a Mental Health First Aider since 2022.
University of North Carolina at Chapel HillUnited States
Danielle Charette James is an Assistant Professor at the School of Civic Life and Leadership, University of North Carolina. Her research focuses on the Scottish Enlightenment, American intellectual history, and the political philosophy of David Hume, particularly the interplay between political economy and representative institutions. She holds a BA from Swarthmore College (2014) and a PhD from the University of Chicago (2021). Her work has been published in journals like American Political Science Review , Political Studies , and History of Political Thought . She currently serves as the book review editor for American Political Thought . Previously, she taught at the University of Virginia’s Politics Department and served as associate director of the Program on Constitutionalism and Democracy. Her research explores themes such as Hume’s political economy, the legacy of slavery in political thought, and the intersection of literature and political theory. She collaborates with scholars like Will Selinger and Max Skjönsberg on interdisciplinary projects.
Dmitry Korkin is a Professor of Computer Science at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) and holds the prestigious Harold L. Jurist '61 and Heather E. Jurist Dean's Professor title. He maintains strong interdisciplinary connections across campus, with formal affiliations in Bioinformatics & Computational Biology, Data Science, Biology & Biotechnology, and Mathematical Sciences departments. His educational background includes: Postdoctoral training in Bioinformatics & Computational Biology at the University of California, San Francisco (2007) PhD in Computer Science from the University of New Brunswick, Canada (2003) MS in Applied Mathematics from Moscow State University, Russia with High Distinction (1999) Professor Korkin leads an interdisciplinary research program at the intersection of computer science and biology. His lab specializes in applying machine learning, data mining, and massive data analytics to investigate molecular mechanisms underlying complex diseases including cancer, diabetes, and autism, as well as deadly infections like pandemic flu. The research integrates multi-omic, systems, and structural biology data to develop comprehensive models of disease mechanisms. A distinctive aspect of his work involves developing hardware-optimized algorithms for large-scale genome evolution analysis, enabling studies of animal and plant genomes at unprecedented scale. The lab maintains strong collaborative ties with experimental biologists to validate computational predictions through wet-lab experiments. His publication record demonstrates a clear evolution from foundational work in protein structure analysis toward increasingly complex systems biology applications. Early research focused on protein binding sites and structural classification, while more recent work addresses host-pathogen interactions and pandemic virus structure. The lab's work on SARS-CoV-2 represents a significant pivot toward immediate public health applications, developing what has been described as a 'periodic table' of structural elements for the virus. Key recognition: Harold L. Jurist '61 and Heather E. Jurist Dean's Professor Professor Korkin has secured multiple research grants including WPI President's Research Catalyst Grants and seed funding for early-stage projects. His work on SARS-CoV-2 structure was published in Viruses and featured in Nature Neuroscience. He maintains active collaborations both nationally and internationally, with research findings covered by major media outlets including Spectrum News 1, Phys.org, and Nautilus magazine. Notably, his lab's structural analysis of the COVID-19 virus led to a unique collaboration with Scottish artist Angela Palmer, resulting in a sculptural model displayed at the Oxford Museum of Natural History. He directs the Korkin Lab (korkinlab.org), which maintains a strong focus on computational approaches to biological problems. Beyond research, Professor Korkin has demonstrated significant humanitarian engagement, opening his home to the family of Ukrainian professor Vitaly Yurkiv amid the Russian invasion and working to help find academic positions for displaced Ukrainian scholars in the United States. His office is located in Unity Hall, Room UH460, and he can be reached at dkorkin@wpi.edu.
