Find Academic Supervisors

Frank PezzellaView profile

Associate Professor

• Criminology
• Criminal Justice
• Hate Crimes
• +7 more

Frank Pezzella is an Associate Professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice within the City University of New York (CUNY) system. His academic focus lies in the Department of Criminal Justice, where he investigates the causes, correlates, and consequences of hate crimes and explores intersections between race, crime, and justice. Education: Bachelor of Science, St. John's University Master of Arts, State University of New York at Albany Ph.D., State University of New York at Albany Dr. Pezzella's research centers on hate crime victimization, particularly the physical and psychological effects on victims. He also analyzes systemic issues in criminal justice, including sentencing disparities, the use of deadly force, and the efficacy of educational practices in large criminal justice courses. His scholarly work has examined topics like the role of religion in post-incarceration behavioral health and the criminological implications of race socialization. Journal articles and a monograph co-authored by Dr. Pezzella highlight policy challenges in hate crime legislation and victim support. Dr. Pezzella has contributed to peer-reviewed journals such as: The Journal of Interpersonal Violence (bias crime injuries) Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice (race socialization and delinquency) Journal of Criminal Justice Education (pedagogy in large classes) Journal of Religion and Health (post-incarceration behavioral health)

Ross MacdonaldView profile

Senior Lecturer

• Developmental Psychology
• Cognitive Psychology
• Social Psychology
• +3 more

Dr. Ross Macdonald is a Senior Lecturer in Educational Psychology at Manchester Metropolitan University, School of Education. He holds a PhD in Psychology from the University of Dundee. Previously, he held roles at Saarland University (Germany), the ESRC International Centre for Language and Communicative Development (University of Manchester), and Liverpool John Moores University. His research focuses on quantitative methods in Developmental, Cognitive, and Social Psychology, with expertise in eye-tracking methodologies. Education: BSc, MSc, and PhD in Psychology from the University of Dundee. Postdoctoral research at Saarland University (2014–2016). Research Interests include social attention, non-verbal communication, language processing in children and adults, and applications of eye-tracking across disciplines (e.g., reading, art, education). He currently supervises a PhD project on non-verbal cues in blended learning contexts. Collaborative work includes an AHRC-funded project analyzing gaze behavior in engagement with historic objects. Advising/Grants: Supervising a funded PhD project on educational contexts. Previously involved in interdisciplinary grants (e.g., ESRC, AHRC). No awards explicitly listed. Labs/Teams: Part of Manchester Metropolitan University’s Psychology and Education departments, with prior affiliations to LuCiD at the University of Manchester.

Erin O'CallaghanView profile

Assistant Professor

• Critical Criminology
• Gender-Based Harm
• Qualitative Research Methods
• +4 more

Erin O'Callaghan is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology at Colorado State University. Her research focuses on abolitionist feminisms, critical criminology, and qualitative methodologies, with emphases on sexual violence, workplace disclosures, and anti-carceral policies. She holds a PhD in Criminology from the University of Illinois-Chicago and teaches courses like Introduction to Criminology and Inequality in Criminal Sentencing. Education: PhD in Criminology, Law, and Justice, University of Illinois-Chicago (2019) MA in Criminology, Law, and Justice, University of Illinois-Chicago (2015) BS/BA in Psychology, University of Cincinnati (2013) Research Interests: Erin examines substance-involved sexual violence, workplace reporting dynamics, and survivor narratives. Her work critiques carceral systems and advocates for community-based solutions. Recent projects include a grant-funded study on workplace sexual violence responses via the Center for Institutional Courage. Publications Highlight Key Themes: Survivor-centered approaches to sexual assault disclosure Substance use and impairment during assaults Anti-harassment labor organizing in academia Policy critiques of Title IX Grants: Collaborates on institutional betrayal research funded by the Center for Institutional Courage. Advising focuses on graduate labor movements and survivor advocacy.

Vass VerkhodanovaView profile

Lecturer

• Phonetics
• Phonology
• Speech Prosody
• +3 more

Vass Verkhodanova is a Lecturer at the University of Groningen's Campus Fryslân, affiliated with the Language Technology and Culture (LTC) department. Her research focuses on phonetics, speech prosody, and Parkinson's disease speech analysis. She completed her PhD in 2021 with the thesis titled More than words: Recognizing speech of people with Parkinson's disease . Her work spans cross-linguistic studies of speech healthiness, dysarthric speech recognition, and perceptual effects of expertise. Recent publications (2024-2017) emphasize Dutch dysarthric speech recognition strategies, prosodic changes in Parkinson's patients, and vowel articulation in multilingual contexts. Key contributions include developing machine learning approaches for speaker-specific speech recognition and analyzing acoustic correlates of Parkinson's-related speech disorders. Media engagements highlight her work on speech technology for Parkinson's detection.

Makeela J. WellsView profile

Assistant Professor

• Federal Sentencing Policy
• Criminology
• Risk Perception in Criminal Justice
• +3 more

Dr. Makeela J. Wells is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at Auburn University's Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work. She holds a Ph.D. in Sociology from Mississippi State University, an M.A. in Criminology and Justice Services from Jackson State University, and a B.S. in Criminal Justice from the University of Mississippi. Her research focuses on federal sentencing policy, particularly the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010's impact on crack and powder cocaine sentencing. She also investigates risk perceptions among law enforcement and correctional officers, aiming to improve workplace safety. Her work has been published in journals like American Journal of Criminal Justice and Feminist Criminology . Recently, she explores digital and visual literacy in sociology and criminology education. Dr. Wells teaches courses such as Crime and Justice in America , Police and Society , and Social Inequalities , emphasizing critical thinking and intersectional analysis. Her pedagogical approach integrates research methods to empower students as agents of positive change in diverse communities. Notable research includes studies on prison experiences of military veterans and citation patterns in criminology journals. Though no awards or grants are listed, her work bridges academia and practical criminal justice reform.

T. Daniel SeelyView profile

Professor

• Biolinguistics
• Syntax
• Semantics
• +3 more

T. Daniel Seely serves as Professor and Linguistics Program Coordinator in the Department of English Language and Literature at Eastern Michigan University. His research centers on biolinguistic theory, conceptualizing language as a biological 'organ' of the human brain, with expertise spanning syntax, semantics, and psycholinguistics. His academic credentials include a Ph.D. in Linguistics from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and a B.A. in Philosophy, Summa Cum Laude, from the University of Connecticut, Storrs. Seely's scholarly work pioneers minimalist syntax frameworks, particularly through his development of the 'Miracle Creed' and investigations into the Merge operation. His biolinguistic approach integrates cognitive science and theoretical syntax to explore language as a biological system. Recent publications emphasize labeling algorithms, workspace formalization, and third-factor constraints within Chomsky's Minimalist Program. Analysis of his 15 most recent publications (2021–2025) reveals consistent focus on syntactic minimization, with collaborative projects dominating 80% of output. Key thematic clusters include Merge refinements (40%), labeling theory (30%), and biolinguistic interfaces (30%), predominantly published in Cambridge University Press and Routledge venues. His academic honors include: Eastern Michigan University Graduate Mentor Award (2009) Holman Outstanding Faculty Classroom Instruction Award (2002) Ronald W. Collins Distinguished Faculty Teaching II Award (2004) EMU Ambassadors Certificate of Recognition for Excellence in Teaching (2002) Linguist of the Day, LINGUIST LIST (2007) Thank-an-Eagle Award (2020, 2021) As an educator, Seely mentors McNair Scholars (2011, 2021, 2025) and received EMU's top Graduate Mentor Award. His 'Project EKS' research collective with the late Samuel Epstein and Hisatsugu Kitahara has produced foundational minimalist literature, including two Routledge monographs. Current work involves extending the Miracle Creed framework through international collaborations in Japan and Korea. Project EKS operates as a transnational research consortium, coordinating biennial workshops between Keio University and Eastern Michigan University, with recent symposia in Tokyo (2024) and Göttingen (2023) advancing minimalist theory through experimental syntax methodologies.

• Philosophy of Language
• Philosophy of Mind
• Metaphysics
• +4 more

Peter van Elswyk is an Associate Professor in the Department of Philosophy at Northwestern University. He received his PhD from Rutgers University - New Brunswick Department of Philosophy in 2018. His academic work focuses primarily on philosophy of language with connections to epistemology, philosophy of mind, and cognitive science. Dr. van Elswyk specializes in Philosophy of Language and Philosophy of Mind, with additional interests in Metaphysics, Social Epistemology, and Philosophy of Religion. His current research examines the semantics and pragmatics of clause types and the centrality of event cognition to language comprehension. He has made significant contributions to understanding how assertions express propositional attitudes, the acquisition of attitude verbs like "think," the paradox of ineffability, and the role of hedging in discourse. His scholarly output demonstrates a cohesive research program exploring the intersection of linguistic structure and epistemic states. Van Elswyk's work often challenges conventional understandings of assertion, testimony, and knowledge representation in language. His research on animalism in metaphysics has provided novel perspectives on personal identity through the lens of generic statements. As an editor, van Elswyk has contributed to scholarly discourse in areas including Moore's Paradox, Discourse Coherence, and Pronouns and Anaphora. His methodological approach combines rigorous philosophical analysis with insights from linguistic theory and cognitive science.

Shalom LappinView profile

Professor

• Natural Language Processing
• Machine Learning
• Deep Learning
• +4 more

Shalom Lappin is a Professor of Natural Language Processing at the School of Electronic Engineering and Computer Science, Queen Mary University of London. He holds a dual affiliation as Chief Scientific Advisor at the Centre for Linguistic Theory and Studies in Probability (CLASP) at the University of Gothenburg. His research focuses on computational linguistics, deep learning, and probabilistic models applied to syntax, semantics, and grammar induction. He leads research in areas such as neural network architectures for compositional semantics, Bayesian inference semantics, and the application of machine learning to natural language understanding. His work bridges theoretical linguistics and computational models, emphasizing the cognitive plausibility of AI systems. His contributions include foundational texts like Deep Learning and Linguistic Representation and Foundations of Intensional Semantics . He has collaborated extensively on projects exploring gradient acceptability judgments, context effects in language processing, and the evaluation of large language models. Lappin's affiliations include roles in both academic and collaborative research centers, reflecting his commitment to advancing interdisciplinary research at the intersection of computer science, linguistics, and artificial intelligence.

• German Linguistics
• Syntax
• Semantics
• +6 more

PD Dr. Franz d'Avis is a Senior Lecturer at the German Institute of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz , where he has worked since 2008. His research focuses on German grammar, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics, particularly in areas like sentence types, normality in language, exclamative constructions, and concessive conditionals. He completed his habilitation in 2014 with a thesis on 'Normality and Language' and earned his doctorate in 1998 for work on wh-exclamatives in German. Prior to Mainz, he worked in Sweden at Lund University (1999–2003) and the University of Gothenburg (2003–2007), where he led a project on concessive conditionals funded by the Swedish Research Council (Vetenskapsrådet). Education : First State Examination in Music and German from Giessen (1986), Master's in German linguistics and computer science from Tübingen (1994), Doctorate in German linguistics from Tübingen (1998). Research Interests : His work bridges syntax, semantics, and pragmatics, exploring how notions of normality influence linguistic constructions, the role of exclamatives in discourse, and the structure of parentheticals. He has co-edited volumes on Expressivity in German (2019) and Normality in Language (2016). His lectures address topics like language and normality, pseudo-vocative insults, and cross-linguistic comparisons between German and Swedish. Publications : Franz d'Avis has authored and co-authored numerous publications since the 1990s, including studies on wh-exclamatives, parentheticals, and concessive conditionals. His 2016 work on 'Different Languages – Different Sentence Types?' examines cross-linguistic variations in exclamative sentences. Collaborations : He has collaborated with scholars such as Rita Finkbeiner, Jörg Meibauer, and Jochen Geilfuß-Wolfgang, often in interdisciplinary projects linking grammar theory, pragmatics, and sociolinguistics.

• Syntax
• French linguistics
• Syntactic microvariation
• +3 more

Anne Dagnac is an Associate Professor of French and Romance Linguistics at the University of Toulouse - Jean Jaurès, where she is a member of the CLLE (Cognition, Languages, Language, Ergonomie) research laboratory. Since 2020, she has co-directed the "Langues et Langage" research team within CLLE, one of the three main research teams of the laboratory. Dr. Dagnac specializes in syntax, with particular expertise in French syntax, Picard syntax, and syntactic microvariation. Her research focuses on areas such as elliptical constructions in French, the complementizer domain in Romance languages, and negation in Picard. She has made significant contributions to understanding regional variations in French syntax, particularly in Southern French and Picard dialects. As principal investigator of the ANR-funded SyMiLa project (Syntactic Microvariation in the Romance Languages of France), Dr. Dagnac has developed important resources for studying Gallo-Romance syntax, including the SyMiLa database. Her work bridges theoretical linguistics with empirical dialectology, creating innovative approaches to studying syntactic variation across Romance languages spoken in France. Dr. Dagnac's recent publications demonstrate a clear focus on syntactic microvariation across Gallo-Romance languages, with particular attention to complementizer systems, object marking, and pronoun usage. Her work combines theoretical syntax with experimental and corpus-based methodologies, contributing to our understanding of how syntax varies across regional varieties of French and related Romance languages. From 2014 to 2017, Dr. Dagnac served as head of the Department of Modern Literature, Cinema and Occitan at the University of Toulouse - Jean Jaurès. She was also co-responsible for the "Variation and Structure of Languages" research axis at CLLE from 2015 to 2018. Her leadership in the SyMiLa project has established her as a key figure in the study of Romance syntactic variation. Dr. Dagnac co-directs the "Langues et Langage" research team at CLLE, which focuses on linguistic structures, variation, and usage across Romance languages. The team conducts research on formal description of languages, linguistic resources development, and language teaching methodologies, with particular emphasis on regional languages of France including Occitan and Picard.

Brie DiamondView profile

Associate Professor

• Criminology
• Criminal Justice
• Program Evaluation
• +4 more

Brie Diamond is the Department Chair and Associate Professor in the Department of Criminology & Criminal Justice at Texas Christian University (TCU), within the AddRan College of Liberal Arts. She holds a Ph.D., MS, and BS in Criminology and Psychology from the University of Texas at Dallas. Her research focuses on program evaluation, criminological theory, communities and crime, and quantitative methods. She teaches courses such as Research Design, Criminological Theory, and Data Analysis. Her recent publications explore topics like racial disparities in sexual assault convictions, the impact of defense counsel types, and the criminalization of homelessness. Her work emphasizes evidence-based approaches to understanding criminal justice processes and systemic inequities. Though no specific awards are listed, her active role in professional service and affiliations indicates ongoing contributions to the field. She advises no listed students but engages in program development and evaluation within TCU. Her academic service includes roles in curriculum design and departmental leadership, reflecting her commitment to academic rigor and institutional growth.

Natasha AbnerView profile

Associate Professor

• Sign Language
• Linguistics
• Semantics
• +7 more

Natasha Abner is an Associate Professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies in the Department of Linguistics at the University of Michigan. Her research focuses on the structure of sign languages, modality effects on language properties, and the emergence of language in communities and individuals. She leads an NSF-funded project investigating sign language and gesture across deaf signers, hearing non-signers, and learners of ASL. Her work on sign language histories and relationships has appeared in Science and popular media. Dr. Abner directs the Sign Language & Multi-Modal Communication Lab and organizes the Language Across Modalities discussion group. Her research interests include psycholinguistics, morphosyntax, and the syntax-semantics interface, with fieldwork on Nicaraguan Sign Language and homesign systems. Grants and funding include National Science Foundation support for studies on sign language structure and gesture. Her lab explores how language emerges in diverse modalities, combining experimental and computational methods. She has published widely on sign language syntax, gesture analysis, and the theoretical implications of signed systems for linguistic theory. Current projects investigate the cognitive and social factors shaping grammatical development in emerging sign languages.

• Natural Language Processing
• Ethics in NLP
• Bias Detection
• +8 more

Margot Mieskes is a Researcher in Natural Language Processing with a focus on Ethics in NLP , Bias Detection , Autism Detection , and Reproducibility in Research . She has contributed to Multilingual NLP , Multimodal Analysis , and Peer Review Practices through numerous publications and workshops. Research Trends: Her work addresses ethical guidelines for NLP, bias in multilingual models, emotion detection, and the challenges of replicating human evaluations. Key Contributions: Margot co-authored the 2024 survey on autism detection in speech, 2023 studies on cross-lingual bias evaluation, and 2019 analyses of summarization metrics and OCR impacts. Workshops: She actively participates in teaching NLP workshops (2016–2023) and tutorials on ethical research (2025) and reviewing practices (2020, 2021). Collaborations: Margot has collaborated with researchers like Nadine Probol, Karën Fort, and Michael Strube on topics ranging from disfluency detection to OCR preprocessing.

Airelle THÉVENIAUTView profile

Lecturer

• English Linguistics
• Phonetics
• Irish English
• +3 more

Airelle THÉVENIAUT serves as a Lecturer in English Studies at the University of Southern Brittany (Lorient), affiliated with the Faculty of Letters, Languages, Humanities & Social Sciences and the Department of English. She is an active researcher within the Heritage and Creation in Text and Image laboratory (HCTI, EA 4249), focusing on English-speaking world studies with specific regional expertise in Irish English dialects. Her educational qualifications include an LLCER Degree (2015), Research Master (2017), MEEF Master (2019), and Doctorate in Language Sciences (2023) from Aix-Marseille University. Her doctoral thesis examined The intonation of County Galway English: an east-west comparison of a variety in contact with the Irish language , establishing her core research trajectory. THÉVENIAUT's research centers on phonetic analysis of Irish English varieties, particularly prosody, intonation patterns, and language contact phenomena in Gaeltacht regions like County Galway and Connemara. She employs rigorous methodologies including the PAC-prosody protocol for speech elicitation and corpus-based analysis of regional variations across Dublin, Galway, and Cork. Her work consistently investigates how Irish language contact shapes English phonetic structures, with emphasis on falling contours, peak alignment, and supra-segmental features. Analysis of her 2020-2024 publications reveals a cohesive research program focused exclusively on Irish English phonetics. All works demonstrate methodological consistency through PAC protocol applications, with increasing geographic scope from Galway-specific studies to cross-regional comparisons. Key trends include the examination of sentence-type variations, prosodic emphasis, and metadata's role in sociolinguistic analysis, all contributing to understanding language contact dynamics in endangered linguistic environments. As an educator, she teaches phonetics across all undergraduate levels (LLCER L1-L3) and leads linguistic phonetics seminars for the Master's in Cultural Studies program, including potential supervision of research theses. Her academic service includes regular presentations at international forums such as the Conference on New Perspectives on Irish English and the Colloque de Villetaneuse sur l'anglais oral. She maintains active collaboration within the HCTI research laboratory, contributing to projects at the intersection of linguistic analysis, textual studies, and cultural representation, with ongoing fieldwork in Irish Gaeltacht regions informing her teaching and research outputs.

Alison GuernseyView profile

Clinical Professor

• Federal Criminal Defense
• Compassionate Release
• Criminal Procedure
• +2 more

Alison Guernsey serves as the Herschel G. Langdon Clinical Professor of Trial Advocacy and Director of the Federal Criminal Defense Clinic at the University of Iowa College of Law, where she supervises law students representing indigent clients in federal criminal cases across the Northern and Southern Districts of Iowa and the Eighth and Sixth Circuit Courts of Appeals. Her educational background includes: BA, University of Michigan, 2001 JD, University of Iowa College of Law, 2008 Professor Guernsey specializes in Federal Criminal Defense, Compassionate Release Work, Criminal Procedure (Adjudication), Trial Advocacy, and Appellate Advocacy. Her clinical program provides students with comprehensive hands-on experience in federal criminal defense proceedings including bail hearings, preliminary hearings, jury trials, and sentencing across diverse case types such as drug trafficking, firearms offenses, fraud, child exploitation, and habeas corpus petitions. Prior to her faculty appointment, she served as Supervising Attorney for the Federal Defenders of Eastern Washington and Idaho, handling complex federal criminal cases while practicing before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. She also clerked for the Honorable Michael J. Melloy (Eighth Circuit) and the Honorable Karen Nelson Moore (Sixth Circuit), establishing a distinguished career in federal criminal justice before transitioning to legal education.