Dr. Luisa Calè is a Professor of Romantic and Nineteenth-Century Literature & Visual Culture and Research Lead at Birkbeck, University of London. She holds degrees from the University of Rome 'La Sapienza' (1993), University of Genoa (1997), and the University of Oxford (M.St. 1998, D.Phil 2002). Her research explores the interplay between literature and visual/material culture, focusing on book history, intermediality, and practices of reading/collecting. Her Leverhulme Trust-funded project 'The Book Unbound' examines how works by Blake, Walpole, and Dickens subverted traditional book formats. Education: PhD in Literary Studies, University of Genoa (1997) D.Phil., University of Oxford (2002) M.St. in English, University of Oxford (1998) Letters Degree, University of Rome (1993) Her research interests include Romantic aesthetics, material texts, and critical disciplinarity. Notable publications include Fuseli’s Milton Gallery (2006) and co-edited volumes like Dante on View (2007). She edits Blake/An Illustrated Quarterly and serves on editorial boards for Word & Image and Romantic Circles Gallery . Recent awards include a Leverhulme Trust Research Fellowship (2019) and a Mercator Fellowship (2018-19). She supervises graduate students in Romantic literature, material culture, and book history.
Dr. Frances Smith is an Associate Professor in Film Studies at the University of Sussex's School of Media, Arts and Humanities. She holds a PhD in Film and Television Studies from the University of Warwick (2013), an MA in Management from Durham University (2008), and a Master of Modern Languages in French/Italian from Manchester University (2007). Her research focuses on teen cinema, female authorship, Hollywood and European cinema, and gender studies, with current work on Céline Sciamma's Girlhood. She authored Rethinking the Hollywood Teen Movie (2017) and co-edited Refocus: The Films of John Hughes (2021). Teaching includes convening Analysing Film, American Teen Cinema, and Working with Film modules. She has taught Gender and Representation, British Cinema, and Study Skills. Her awards include Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (2016). Active in PhD supervision focusing on teen cinema, female authorship, and gender in cinema. Publications span over 25 articles/chapters addressing topics like queer youth representation, transatlantic media comparisons, and directorial authorship in John Hughes and Amy Heckerling films. Research explores intersections of gender, space, and cultural identity in global popular cinema.
Zhi Da is the Howard J. and Geraldine F. Korth Chair in Finance and Professor of Finance at the University of Notre Dame , Mendoza College of Business, Department of Finance. He completed his Ph.D. in Finance at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management (2006), preceded by an M.Sc. in Financial Engineering from the National University of Singapore (2001) and a B.B.A. with First-Class Honors (1999) from the same institution. Holding editorial roles at Journal of Finance , Management Science , Review of Financial Studies and several other top journals, he is a leading voice in empirical finance research. Education Ph.D. in Finance, 2006 – Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University M.Sc. in Financial Engineering, 2001 – National University of Singapore B.B.A. (1st Class Honors), 1999 – National University of Singapore Research Interests Zhi Da’s scholarship sits at the intersection of asset pricing , behavioral finance , and market microstructure . He investigates how investor attention, institutional trading, liquidity frictions, and information flows jointly determine the cross-section of expected returns. His work delves into retail margin trading, the role of pension-fund flows in exchange-rate dynamics, the informational content of SEC filings, and the efficiency of short-selling mechanisms. By combining large-scale data analytics, textual analysis, and structural modeling, he uncovers novel predictors of returns ranging from presidential approval ratings to real-time attention measures. Recent projects explore fractional trading ’s impact on price efficiency, hedging demand as a driver of intraday momentum, and the hidden effort problem in delegated portfolio management. These themes collectively advance our understanding of limits to arbitrage and the formation of extrapolative beliefs. Publication Landscape Spanning 2025 back to 2009, his 15 most recent articles in Journal of Finance , Review of Financial Studies , Management Science , Journal of Financial Economics , and Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis converge on three broad motifs: (1) micro-level trading frictions—liquidity costs, margin requirements, and short-selling constraints; (2) macro-finance linkages—exchange rates, fiscal policy, and global capital flows; and (3) information economics—attention allocation, media analytics, and regulatory disclosures. The collective evidence demonstrates that seemingly small trading or informational frictions aggregate into large, persistent cross-sectional return predictability. Honors and Awards 2017 William F. Sharpe Award for Best Paper, Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis Lead-article distinctions in Journal of Finance , Review of Financial Studies , and Management Science Featured coverage in SmartMoney and CNBC Teaching & Mentorship At Notre Dame’s Mendoza College, Professor Da teaches Investments (undergraduate and MBA) and Fixed Income Securities , integrating cutting-edge research insights into the curriculum. While specific advisees are not listed, his extensive co-author network (22+ recurring collaborators) attests to a vibrant mentoring environment. Laboratory & Data Resources He publicly distributes the NAT (Net Arbitrage Trading) dataset, a stock-quarter panel of arbitrage positions used in Chen, Da & Huang (2019). This resource has become a standard tool for researchers studying arbitrage capital movements.
Lauren M.E. Goodlad is a Professor of English and Comparative Literature at Rutgers University, serving as Chair of Critical AI @ Rutgers and Editor of the journal Critical AI . She holds affiliations with the Center for Cultural Analysis (CCA), Rutgers British Studies Center, and Rutgers Center for Cognitive Science. Her research bridges 19th-century studies and critical AI, emphasizing 'critical AI literacies' and ethical AI development. Goodlad has held roles like Associate Chair of English and membership in Rutgers' AI Advisory Council and CASS (Cyberinfrastructure for Science, Engineering & Society). Her education includes a BSILR from Cornell University, MA in English from NYU, and PhD in English from Columbia University. Notable grants include NEH funding for global AI workshops ('Unboxing AI'), an NSF planning grant on teaching writing with AI, and an upcoming Global Humanities Institute on Design Justice AI. Research interests span Victorian literature, genre theory, television studies, and AI's sociocultural impacts. Awards include University of Illinois' Kathryn Paul Professorial Scholar and Provost Fellow for Undergraduate Education. Current projects include a book on 19th-century fiction's ontological influence and collaborations on AI ethics frameworks. Publications include The Victorian Geopolitical Aesthetic (Oxford, 2015), co-edited special issues on Mad Men and Victorian Internationalisms , and recent critical AI essays in Critical AI and New Literary History . She advocates for AI development aligned with public interest through pedagogical innovation and interdisciplinary collaboration.
Professor Fionnuala Dillane is a leading scholar in nineteenth-century British literature and culture, periodical studies, memory studies, and gender, based at the School of English, Drama and Film, University College Dublin. She holds the academic rank of Professor and is actively engaged in research, teaching, and academic leadership. She currently serves as Academic Director of the UCD Writing Centre and Chair of the UCD Press Editorial Board, and previously served as Associate Dean for Arts and Humanities (2017–2020). Her collaborative research spans institutions including Ghent University, Newcastle University, and the University of Iceland. Her research interests include: Nineteenth-century British literature and culture Periodical studies and media history George Eliot and Marian Evans Memory studies and trauma Gender and sexualities Contemporary crime fiction Her recent publications explore affect in periodical encounters, editorial identities, transnational periodical research, and the literary afterlives of George Eliot. The trends in her work reveal a sustained engagement with print culture, narrative form, emotional communities, and the politics of memory. She is currently editing the Handbook of Transnational Periodical Research (Brill, 2026). Her scientific awards include: University Award for Outstanding Contribution to Student Learning, UCD (2017) Shortlisted for European Award in Teaching Excellence (2017) College of Arts and Humanities Outstanding Contribution to Student Learning (2017) Dillane has secured significant research grants, including from the Irish Research Council for her project on George Eliot and the Periodical Press, 1846–60 , and on The Future of Data Humanities . She has supervised doctoral students such as David Mitchell and mentors emerging scholars in periodical studies and trauma fiction. She has pioneered innovative teaching initiatives, including the first internship programmes for UCD Arts and Humanities undergraduates and the development of the UCD Writing Centre, now permanently funded. She is also deeply involved in national and international advocacy for the humanities, serving on editorial and advisory boards such as the Journal of Victorian Culture , the Memory Studies Association, and the European Society for Periodical Research.
Eric Rentschler is the Arthur Kingsley Porter Professor of Germanic Languages and Literatures at Harvard University, affiliated with the Film and Visual Studies Program. He holds a PhD from the University of Washington with academic training in German literature, history, and European intellectual history across Stuttgart, Bonn, and Prague. A leading scholar in German cinema and cultural studies, his work spans from Weimar-era films to contemporary German cinema, focusing on historical memory, political representation, and transnational cultural exchanges. Director of Harvard’s annual Berlin Film Program (coordinated with Deutsche Film- und Fernsehakademie Berlin) Editor of New German Critique and co-director of the German Film Institute Recipient of major grants including Guggenheim, Humboldt, ACLS, DAAD, and Fulbright fellowships His research integrates film theory with historical analysis, examining cinematic representations of Nazism’s legacy, post-wall German society, and transnational art movements. Notable publications include The Ministry of Illusion: Nazi Cinema and Its Afterlife (Harvard UP, 1996) and The Use and Abuse of Cinema: German Legacies from the Weimar Era to the Present (Columbia UP, 2015). Current projects explore German cinema during Helmut Kohl’s chancellorship. Award-winning educator, Rentschler has received Harvard’s Levenson Teaching Prize (2001) and Cabot Fellowship (2003). He organizes the monthly Film and Visual Studies Colloquium, fostering interdisciplinary dialogue between scholars and filmmakers.
Dr. Amanda Keeler is an Associate Professor and Chair in the Department of Digital Media and Performing Arts, Journalism and Media Studies at Marquette University's Diederich College of Communication. She teaches courses on Media Aesthetics, Radio/TV History, Advanced Scriptwriting, and Crime and Storytelling. Her education includes a Ph.D. and B.A. from Indiana University and an M.A. from the University of Chicago. Her research focuses on media history, prestige television, true crime media, radio preservation, and cultural studies. Notable works include co-editing Prestige Television: Cultural and Artistic Value in 21st Century America (2022) and exploring topics like Star Trek 's utopian/dystopian spaces and the cultural impact of podcasts. Keeler has received multiple Dean's Recognition Awards for research, teaching, and advising. She serves on the Library of Congress Radio Preservation Task Force and the Society for Cinema and Media Studies. Her recent scholarship emphasizes sound history, true crime storytelling, and the intersection of media and cultural memory.
Dr Anthony Faramelli is a Lecturer in Visual Cultures at Goldsmiths, University of London, serving as Programme Leader for the BA in Fine Art and History of Art, and co-Leader of the PhD in Visual Cultures. He holds a PhD in Critical Humanities from The London Graduate School, Kingston University (2014). His research focuses on psychosocial studies, coloniality, institutional analysis, digital cultures, and psychotherapy aesthetics, with notable works including Resistance, Revolution and Fascism: Zapatismo and Assemblage Politics (2018) and The Mass Psychology of Fascism in the Age of Machines (forthcoming). He is affiliated with the Goldsmiths Centre for Migrant Futures and the Psychosocial Studies Association. Faramelli also consults for mental health and housing organizations, applying institutional psychotherapy principles in practice. Education: PhD in Critical Humanities (2014), The London Graduate School, Kingston University Research Interests: Coloniality, institutional psychotherapy, digital surveillance, micro-fascist movements, Fanon’s ethico-aesthetic paradigm, Zapatismo, and decolonial mental health practices. His work bridges psychoanalytic theory, political philosophy, and postcolonial critique. Recent Projects: Refugee Cartographies (mapping Latin American diaspora networks), and critical analyses of the Alt-Right and algorithmic fascism. He has presented at conferences such as the IV Jornadas Deleuze in Buenos Aires and the Université Le Havre-Normandie. Professional Roles: Editor of Deleuze and Guattari Studies , Executive Board member of the Psychosocial Studies Association, and consultant for Southwark Council’s Housing Solutions.
Dr. Sofia Bull is an Associate Professor in Film and Television Studies at the University of Southampton, affiliated with the Faculty of Arts and Humanities. She holds roles as Senior Tutor in Film, Research Integrity Champion of the Faculty, and Deputy Chair of the Faculty Research Ethics Committee. Her expertise bridges Film and Television Studies, with a focus on televisual discourses surrounding science, medicine, policing, and feminist film history. She earned a PhD in Cinema Studies from Stockholm University and has held positions at institutions including the University of Gothenburg and Columbia University. Her research includes a monograph on 'Television and the Genetic Imaginary' (2019), exploring DNA representation, and ongoing projects on viral disease representation in UK television. She supervises PhD students and teaches modules like Television Studies: Key Debates and Crime TV: Technologies of Detection. Dr. Bull’s research interests span feminist film history (e.g., pioneering Swedish title designer Alva Lundin) and crime television, including analyses of CSI and Sherlock . She has contributed to the Women Film Pioneers Project and published on medical reality TV, such as Scandinavian birthing shows. Her work examines how television shapes public understanding of scientific, medical, and cultural concepts through narrative and aesthetic forms.
Rita Finkbeiner is a Professor of German Linguistics at Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, where she has held a W3 professorship since April 2020 and served as managing director of the German Institute from 2022-2023. Previously, she was a W2 Professor at Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf (2018-2020) and has been affiliated with Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz since 2010. Her research focuses on the critical interface between grammatical structures and pragmatic functions in language use. Her academic background includes: Magistra Artium in German Linguistics and European Ethnology from Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (2000) Ph.D. in German Linguistics from Stockholm University (2009) Habilitation at Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz (2016) Professor Finkbeiner's research examines how linguistic constructions operate at the grammar-pragmatics interface, with particular attention to speech acts, implicit meaning, and expressivity in German. She investigates phenomena such as wh-headlines in newspapers, reduplicative constructions, expressive morphology, and the pragmatics of social media commenting. Her work bridges theoretical linguistics with practical applications in language teaching and media discourse, demonstrating how linguistic form and communicative function interact systematically. Analysis of her recent publications reveals a consistent focus on construction grammar and pragmatics, with increasing attention to digital communication patterns while maintaining strong theoretical foundations. Key trends include exploration of wh-headlines across discourse types, expressive morphology in German word formation, and the pragmatics of social media commenting, demonstrating both theoretical depth and practical relevance to contemporary communication contexts. Professor Finkbeiner actively supervises doctoral and master's students, with numerous successful completions including Julian Stawecki (2024) and Robert Külpmann (2019). She has led significant research projects including the DFG-funded "W-Überschriften im Deutschen" (2018-2022) on German wh-headlines, and is coordinating the development of a German linguistics textbook. She collaborates closely with researchers including Dr. Robert Külpmann, Dr. Paul Reszke, and Charlotte Eisenrauch. She leads a research team at Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz that investigates construction grammar and pragmatics across various discourse contexts, with particular attention to digital communication and educational applications. Her work environment provides a strong interdisciplinary context connecting theoretical linguistics with language education and media studies.
Christina Lee is an Associate Professor in English and Cultural Studies at Curtin University, affiliated with the School of Media, Creative Arts and Social Inquiry and the Faculty of Humanities. She earned her PhD in Communication Studies from Murdoch University. Her research focuses on cultural memory, screen tourism, spectral spaces, and representations of gender/race in popular culture. Current projects explore affective landscapes in screen tourism (e.g., Bridgerton , Harry Potter ), urban ghost cities, and nostalgia in youth cinema. She edits peer-reviewed books and contributes to The Conversation . Teaching: Leads undergraduate units like Engaging Narratives and supervises postgraduate students in cultural/media studies. Active in curriculum development and assessment reform. Research Interests: Combines cultural theory with film/media analysis, emphasizing how spaces and spectrality shape cultural narratives. Recent projects include Screen Tourism and Affective Landscapes (2023) and Haunted Futures (2023). Her work often bridges academic critique with creative practice, as seen in video-installation collaborations. Memberships: Association for Cultural Studies, Cultural Studies Association of Australasia, and Graduate Women Western Australia. Her work has been showcased at venues like the John Curtin Gallery and PICA (Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts). Grants/Labs: Leads Curtin University’s tourism futures research (e.g., 2032 Western Australia Vision). Collaborates with interdisciplinary teams on projects like sustainable mining paradoxes (2018) and Hong Kong’s educational reforms (2016).
Yashar Mohagheghi is a Researcher at the Department of German and General Literary Studies, RWTH Aachen University, where he has worked since 2018 under Prof. Dr. Caroline Torra-Mattenklott. His academic trajectory includes a postdoctoral fellowship at Bielefeld University's Graduate School of Linguistics and Literary Studies (2012–2017), a research stint at the Bibliothèque Nationale de France (2015), and a Junior Lecturer position at Johns Hopkins University (2011). His research interests span Literary Theory, Cultural History, and German Literature with specialized focus on Time Theory, Festival Culture, Material Philology, and Small Literary Forms. Mohagheghi's work bridges systematic analysis of concepts like Festkultur and Zeitlichkeit with historical investigations of Early Modern literature, Goethe-era writings, Aestheticism, and Modernism. His scholarship frequently examines intersections between material culture, sensory theory, and political communication across different historical periods. Mohagheghi's publications reveal a trajectory emphasizing temporal aesthetics in Hölderlin's work, material philology in 19th-century literature, and sociological analyses of Weimar Republic culture. His research demonstrates increasing engagement with ecological perspectives in literary studies, particularly regarding resource economies in book production and sustainability in literary materiality. Publikationspreis 2021 der Philosophischen Fakultät der RWTH Aachen Dissertationspreis 2018 der Kulturwissenschaftlichen Gesellschaft As an active academic organizer, Mohagheghi has co-chaired significant conferences including Wissenschaften des Konkreten (2023) and Ressource ‚Schriftträger‘ (2021), demonstrating leadership in contemporary literary theory discussions. His scholarly network extends across German, French, and American institutions, with particular strength in European literary theory and cultural history.
Ayendy Bonifacio is a Dominican American scholar, writer, and poet currently serving as Assistant Professor of English at the University of Toledo's College of Arts and Letters. Born in Santiago De Los Caballeros, Dominican Republic, and raised in East New York, Brooklyn, he earned his Ph.D. from Ohio State University and has established himself as a significant voice in American literature, Latine studies, and diaspora studies. His research focuses on the intersections of memory, migration, race, and colonial legacies in the Americas, with particular attention to nineteenth-century to contemporary print culture. Bonifacio's scholarly work bridges academic and public discourse, appearing in venues ranging from American Periodicals and ASAP/Journal to The New York Times and Slate . He explores how literary forms negotiate cultural identity across borders, with special emphasis on Dominican and Latinx experiences. Bonifacio's publications reveal a consistent trajectory examining transnational literary connections, particularly between Anglophone and Hispanophone traditions. His work frequently addresses anti-Blackness within Latinx communities, diasporic identity formation, and the material history of print culture. The 2024 monograph Paratextuality in Anglophone and Hispanophone Poems in the U.S. Press, 1855–1901 represents a significant contribution to understanding how multilingual poetry circulated in nineteenth-century American periodicals. Top ten best non-fiction books of 2017 (The Latino Author for Dique Dominican ) Bonifacio's writing has received support from prestigious organizations including the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), the Digital Media and Composition Institute (DMAC), the Ohio Arts Council, and the Society for Nineteenth-Century Americanists. His creative work spans multiple genres, including the memoir Dique Dominican (2017), poetry collection To the River, We Are Migrants (2020), and the forthcoming novel Bless Me, Papi (2025). He maintains an active presence in public intellectual discourse through contributions to major media outlets where he addresses contemporary issues of race, immigration, and academic labor.
Shane Denson serves as Professor of Film and Media Studies in the Department of Art & Art History at Stanford University's School of Humanities and Sciences. He also holds courtesy appointments in the Departments of German Studies and Communication. His academic profile spans multiple disciplines with a particular focus on the evolving relationship between media technologies and cultural forms across historical periods. Denson's research interests encompass a wide spectrum of media studies topics, with particular emphasis on phenomenological and media-philosophical approaches to film, digital media, comics, games, and serialized popular forms. His scholarly work investigates how media technologies shape human perception, embodiment, and cultural production, especially in the transition from cinematic to post-cinematic media environments. He has developed significant theoretical frameworks around concepts like discorrelation, post-cinema, and digital seriality that have influenced contemporary media studies discourse. An analysis of Denson's recent publications reveals consistent engagement with the philosophical implications of emerging media technologies, particularly artificial intelligence and digital platforms. His work demonstrates a distinctive trajectory from early research on Frankenstein adaptations and serial narratives toward contemporary examinations of AI aesthetics, desktop cinema, and the phenomenology of digital interfaces. Denson's scholarship bridges traditional academic writing with innovative digital and videographic forms, reflecting his commitment to multimodal scholarly expression. Denson has established himself as a leading voice in the study of digital seriality, with numerous publications exploring how serial forms evolve across media platforms. His research demonstrates how contemporary digital media environments transform traditional narrative structures while creating new forms of community and meaning-making through serialized content. This work intersects with his broader interests in media philosophy and the embodied experience of digital interfaces. Professor Denson maintains an active scholarly practice through his personal website (shanedenson.com) and ORCID profile, where he shares his publications, videographic essays, and experimental digital projects. His work with ROMhacking.net demonstrates his commitment to digital humanities methodologies that combine code analysis with cultural critique, particularly in examining how fan communities engage with and transform established media properties through modification and reinterpretation.
Mercè Oliva is an Associate Professor at the Department of Communication, Pompeu Fabra University (UPF), Barcelona. She serves as Director of the B.A. Programme in Audiovisual Communication and Coordinator of the MEDIUM Research Group. Her academic background includes a PhD in Social Communication (2010) and a Bachelor's in Audiovisual Communication (2002) from UPF. Research Focus: Television and Reality TV Celebrity and Media Culture Neoliberalism and Political Communication Video Games as Cultural Artifacts Her recent publications analyze: Visual motifs in political coverage (handshakes, hugs, kisses) Citizens' responses to neoliberal resilience narratives Celebrity tax evasion cases (e.g., Cristiano Ronaldo) Video game cover art as neoliberal propaganda Working-class stereotypes in Spanish media ('chonis', 'canis') Key collaborations include co-PI roles in projects like 'Heroes of the Crisis' (2015-2019) and 'Redistributive Imaginaries' (2022-2025), funded by Spain's Ministry of Economy and AEI/NextGenerationEU.
