Find Academic Supervisors

Sigrid SchmalzerView profile

Professor

• History of Modern China
• History of Science
• Science Activism
• +3 more

Sigrid Schmalzer is a Professor of History at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, specializing in the history of science and modern China. She holds a Ph.D. in History and Science Studies from the University of California, San Diego (2004). Her research bridges the social, cultural, and political dimensions of science in China, with a focus on the intersections of agriculture, activism, and revolutionary movements. Schmalzer is the author of *Red Revolution, Green Revolution: Scientific Farming in Socialist China* (2016), winner of the Joseph Levenson Book Prize, and *The People's Peking Man: Popular Science and Human Identity in Twentieth-Century China* (2008), recipient of the Allan Sharlin Award. Her current projects include a book on agricultural heritage in the People’s Republic of China and leadership roles in organizations like the Critical China Scholars and Science for the People. She co-edits the *Activist Studies of Science and Technology* series for UMass Press, emphasizing socially engaged scholarship. Schmalzer also serves as Co-President of the MSP faculty union at UMass Amherst. Research interests span the history of science activism, transnational movements, and the legacy of Maoist science. Notable awards include the Freeman Book Award (2018) for her children’s book *Moth and Wasp, Soil and Ocean*, which integrates science education with historical narratives. Her work often critiques capitalist and authoritarian structures while advocating for science as a tool for justice and sustainability. Recent publications explore themes like agroecology, science policy, and the global dimensions of China’s scientific history. She teaches courses on modern China, science in society, and radical science movements, blending interdisciplinary approaches to engage students in critical analysis of historical and contemporary issues.

Ruben AnderssonView profile

Professor

• Migration
• Borders
• Security
• +4 more

Ruben Andersson is Professor of Social Anthropology at the University of Oxford’s Department of International Development, where he researches migration, borders, security, and conflict. His work spans the West African Sahel, southern Europe, and global security dynamics. Current Leverhulme Major Research Fellow (2023-26) for 'Apocalypse soon: Security, subversion and the struggle for a human future' Author of three major monographs: Wreckonomics (2023), No Go World (2019), and Illegality, Inc. (2014) Co-edits special issues on remoteness and risk in global governance His research focuses on the unintended consequences of security interventions, including: How fear maps global danger zones Counterproductive border control industries Postcolonial risk economies in Mali and Afghanistan Security-fueled displacement cycles Profits from migration control systems Anthropology of the bioeconomy Recent publications (2016-2024) analyze: Security as subversion Border wall paradoxes Bioeconomic border technologies Digital danger mapping Interventionist 'bunker politics' Time as a control mechanism Scientific recognition: Leverhulme Major Research Fellowship (2023) Co-published in The Cambridge Journal of Anthropology , Political Geography , and Security Dialogue Doctoral supervision includes: Chloe Marshall-Denton Maggie Neil His fieldwork in Mali, Senegal, and the Mediterranean has produced critical insights about: Security industry feedback loops Risk aversion in academic/interventionist practices Colonial cartographic legacies in modern geopolitics Profit motives behind 'failed' interventions

James MalazitaView profile

Associate Professor

• Game Studies
• Platform Studies
• Feminist Technoscience
• +7 more

James Malazita is Associate Professor of Science & Technology Studies and Associate Director of the Games and Simulation Arts and Sciences (GSAS) program at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI). He is affiliated with the Department of Science and Technology Studies in the School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences, and contributes to the GEM (Games and Experiential Media) research group. Education: Ph.D. in Communication, Culture, and Media, Drexel University (2014) BS/MS in Digital Media, Drexel University (2009) Malazita's research lies at the intersection of game studies, platform studies, feminist technoscience, and social justice in computing. He critically investigates how game engines like Unreal shape technological and cultural infrastructures, particularly through the lenses of gender, race, and power. His forthcoming book, Enacting Platforms: Feminist Technoscience and the Unreal Engine (MIT Press, July 2024), offers a groundbreaking feminist and critical analysis of one of the most influential game development platforms. His work also extends to digital humanities, critical design, and the politics of computer science education. His recent publications reveal a strong thematic focus on the co-production of technology and society, with recurring interests in epistemic cultures, disciplinary formation, localization, and critical pedagogy. These works span journals in game studies, design, digital humanities, and STS, reflecting an interdisciplinary approach that bridges technical systems and humanistic critique. Scientific Support and Affiliations: Supported by NEH Office of Digital Humanities Supported by NEH Division of Educational Programs Supported by Popular Culture Association Supported by New Jersey Historical Commission Supported by Red Hat Inc. Supported by Rensselaer’s Teaching and Learning Collaboratory Member of GEM (Games and Experiential Media) ORCID: 0000-0003-3206-3682 Malazita advises graduate students in STS and Games, with former advisees placed at Yale, NYU, and UT Austin. He teaches courses in game studies, human-centered design, interpretive methods, and critical technology studies. His current course includes STSO 2610: DSIS Studio II (Spring 2024). His research raises fundamental questions about the material and cultural limits of platforms, the analyst-platform relationship, and the future of the web as shaped by game technologies.

Lilly IraniView profile

Associate Professor

• Science and Technology Studies
• Human-Computer Interaction
• South Asia Studies
• +7 more

Lilly Irani is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication at the University of California, San Diego. She holds multiple interdisciplinary affiliations including Science Studies, the Design Lab, the Institute for Practical Ethics, and Critical Gender Studies. As Faculty Director of the UC San Diego Labor Center and co-director of the Just Transitions Initiative, she plays a significant role in shaping labor and technology policy discussions at the university and beyond. Dr. Irani's educational background includes a Ph.D. in Informatics (with Feminist Emphasis) from UC Irvine, and both an M.S. and B.S. in Computer Science from Stanford University, with a focus on Human-Computer Interaction. Her unique combination of technical training and social science expertise informs her research approach, bridging practical design work with critical analysis of technology systems. Her research investigates the cultural politics of high-tech work practices with a focus on how actors produce "innovation" cultures. She specializes in the cultural politics of high-tech work in the context of South Asian development and global AI economies. As an ethnographer of work, she analyzes interactional, organizational, and cultural dynamics as mediated by technology. Her work draws on and contributes to Science and Technology Studies, Human-Computer Interaction, and South Asia studies, with particular attention to how technological systems create and reinforce hierarchies of value, gender, race, and cultural positioning. Dr. Irani's publications reveal consistent engagement with issues of digital labor, platform economies, and the politics of innovation. Her work shows a trajectory from examining specific platforms like Amazon Mechanical Turk to broader critiques of innovation culture and entrepreneurial citizenship, with recurring themes of worker power, surveillance, and democratic control of technology. 2020 International Communication Association Outstanding Book Award 2019 Diana Forsythe Prize Honorable mention at CHI 2019 Dr. Irani has received research funding from prestigious organizations including the Ford Foundation, Fulbright-Nehru Doctoral Fellowship, Open Society Foundation, National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, and NSF Virtual Organizations as Sociotechnical Systems Program. She serves on the editorial advisory boards of Design and Culture, New Technology, Work, and Employment, and Catalyst: Feminism, Theory, Technoscience, and is part of the editorial collective of Public Culture. Collaboratively, she has designed software tools like Turkopticon and Dynamo that intervene in and demonstrate alternatives to existing platforms, with Turkopticon evolving into a worker-run advocacy organization. Her research group and collaborations span multiple disciplines, working closely with scholars in Science and Technology Studies, Human-Computer Interaction, and labor studies. The Just Transitions Initiative she co-directs represents a significant ongoing project focused on democratic control of technology and worker power in the digital economy.

Projit MukharjiView profile

Associate Professor

• Postcolonial Technoscience
• Colonial Medicine
• Indigenous Medical Traditions
• +7 more

Projit Bihari Mukharji is an Associate Professor of History and Sociology of Science at the University of Pennsylvania's School of Arts & Sciences. His research focuses on postcolonial technoscience, colonial medicine, and the intersections of race, genetics, and indigenous medical traditions. He holds a PhD from the School of Oriental & African Studies (SOAS), University of London, and advanced degrees from Jawaharlal Nehru University and Presidency College, Calcutta. Dr. Mukharji's work bridges the histories of science, medicine, and colonialism, with a particular emphasis on South Asia. His books include Doctoring Traditions: Ayurveda, Small Technologies, and Braided Sciences (2016) and Brown Skins, White Coats: Race Science in India, 1920-66 (2022). His research explores topics like the modernization of Ayurveda, race science in colonial contexts, and the entanglements of science with marginalized knowledges. He teaches courses on comparative medicine, forensic science, and the history of chemistry in colonial Bengal. His recent projects investigate the history of race science in 20th-century India and the interplay between science and the supernatural. He is affiliated with the Departments of Religious Studies and South Asian Studies at UPenn.

Sabine MaasenView profile

Professor

• Sociology of Science
• Neuroscience Sociology
• Technoscience
• +3 more

Prof. Dr. Sabine Maasen is a Professor of Sociology of Science at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and serves as Director of the Munich Center for Technology in Society (MCTS). She is affiliated with the TUM School of Governance and contributes to the Wissenschaftlicher Rat (Scientific Council) of the German Science Council and the Scientific Commission of Lower Saxony. Education: Studied Sociology, Linguistics, and Psychology at Bielefeld University PhD in Sociology (1996) Habilitation (2001) Her research focuses on the sociology of science, with a specific emphasis on neuroscience sociology, technoscience, and the societal implications of digital technologies. She explores how neurotechnologies (e.g., neuroprosthetics, neurofeedback) and digital platforms (e.g., Web 2.0) reshape subjectivity and social norms. Recent publications highlight ethical challenges in large-scale projects like the Human Brain Project, the recontextualization of oxytocin as a "social hormone," and the interplay between technosocial systems and autonomy. Her work bridges neuroscience, sociology, and digital ethics. Labs/Teams: Director, Munich Center for Technology in Society (MCTS) Active in interdisciplinary collaborations at TUM School of Governance

Matt RattoView profile

Professor

• Artificial Intelligence
• Human-Computer Interaction
• Critical Making
• +7 more

Matt Ratto is a full Professor in the Faculty of Information at the University of Toronto , where he also serves as Associate Dean, Research . He is a faculty affiliate of the Climate Positive Energy Institute , the Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society , and an SDG Fellow with the Sustainable Development Goals Institute . His work bridges critical theory and digital innovation , focusing on the social production of knowledge through emerging technologies. His research explores critical making and socio-technical systems , with applications in 3D-printed prosthetics (deployed in Cambodia, Tanzania, and Uganda), AI-driven healthcare solutions , and climate justice in computing . He has received over $6 million in funding, including two Canada Grand Challenge grants , and founded organizations advancing equitable technology access. Ontario Minister of College and Universities’ Award of Excellence (2020) Bell Canada Usability Labs Chair in Human-Computer Interaction (2018–2023) He supervises students such as Olivia Doggett and Sarah Gram , with past advisees including Brian Sutherland and Dan Southwick . His Critical Making Lab fosters interdisciplinary collaboration, and he teaches courses like INF2241: Critical Making and INF351: Information Design Studio .

Anya BernsteinView profile

Professor

• Speculative Futures
• Science and Technology Studies
• Religion and Secularism
• +5 more

Anya Bernstein is a Professor of Anthropology at Harvard University, affiliated with the Committee on the Study of Religion and the Department of Anthropology. Her research focuses on speculative futures, science/technology interfaces, religion, and death/immortality studies. She holds a BS in Linguistics (Georgetown), MA in Visual Anthropology (University of Manchester), and PhD in Anthropology (NYU). Currently on leave during AY 2025-26, she leads the Human Futures project funded by the Research Council of Norway. Key research themes include transhumanist immortality movements in Russia, Buryat Buddhist revitalization, and Pleistocene Park's ecological engineering. Her books Religious Bodies Politic (2013) and The Future of Immortality (2019) received major academic awards. Notable projects include ethnographic films like In Pursuit of the Siberian Shaman and ongoing work on Arctic ecosystem restoration. Grants include National Science Foundation, Fulbright, and Mellon Fellowships. Her work bridges anthropology of religion, sci-tech studies, and environmental humanities, with 30+ peer-reviewed articles in top journals like American Ethnologist and Cultural Anthropology .

Zaheer BaberView profile

Professor

• Social Theory
• Science, Technology and Society
• Comparative and Historical Sociology
• +7 more

Zaheer Baber is a Professor at the University of Toronto Mississauga in the Department of Sociology . His research bridges social theory , science and technology studies , and comparative/historical sociology , with a focus on race and racial projects , visual sociology , and environmental sociology . He is affiliated with the Institute of Communication, Culture and Information Technology , Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy , and Centre for South Asian Civilizations . University of Toronto Mississauga : 2023–present National University of Singapore : 1994–2001 University of Tokyo : 1996 (Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Fellow) University of Saskatchewan : 2001–05 (Canada Research Chair) University of Victoria : 1993 His work critically examines the intersections of science , colonialism , and environmental crisis , exemplified by his SSHRC-funded project on botanical gardens and colonial botany . Recent publications analyze climate politics , racialization in Japan , and neoliberal urbanism , often through interdisciplinary and transnational lenses. He contributes to public sociology via essays in Nature , Times Literary Supplement , and Economic and Political Weekly , blending visual media with critical theory . His methodological approach spans historical analysis , ethnography , and photo-essays . Scientific Awards Canada Research Chair (2001–05) Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Fellow (1997) As an active supervisor, Baber mentors graduate students in critical sociology , science studies , and transnational social theory . His research emphasizes decolonizing knowledge and environmental justice across South Asian and global contexts.

• Relational Architectural Ecologies
• Bioprotopia
• Planetary Poetics
• +8 more

Peg Rawes is Professor of Architecture and Philosophy at University College London's Bartlett School of Architecture , where she directs research and leads the MA Architectural History program. Her work bridges architectural theory with philosophy, focusing on relational architectural ecologies through three intersecting areas: human/nonhuman life practices, planetary poetics, and housing ecologies. Director of Research, UCL Bartlett School of Architecture (2023-present) REF2029 Lead for Bartlett School EDICPI for EU TACK project (2020) BAUHOW5 PI for European architecture schools partnership (2016-20) Research explores biophilic design , decolonial architecture , and feminist spatial practices across three streams: Architectural ecologies : Human/nonhuman relations in 'Bioprotopia' (2023), vulnerability visualization (2021) Planetary poetics : Climate emergency dialogues (2021), Irigarayan aesthetics (2020) Housing biopolitics : Care frameworks (2017), Spinozist ethical ratios (2015) Key funded collaborations include EU TACK's Communities of Tacit Knowledge (2020) and AHRC's Equal by Design (2016). She contributes to architectural peer review for journals and international research councils while maintaining global partnerships with institutions like Cornell , ETH Zurich , and University of Minnesota .

• Urban anthropology
• Visual anthropology
• Anthropology of children and youth
• +4 more

Filip De Boeck is a full professor in Social and Cultural Anthropology at KU Leuven’s Faculty of Social Sciences. He is a member of the LUSI - KU Leuven Urban Studies Institute and serves on the Council of the Faculty of Social Sciences. His research focuses on urban anthropology, visual anthropology, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, particularly Kinshasa. He leads projects such as ‘Colonial Graverobbing’ and ‘Dakar-Bamako: Waiting for a train ride back to the future.’ De Boeck’s work bridges ethnography and art, collaborating with visual artist Sammy Baloji on projects like Suturing the City . His recent publications include studies on Kinshasa’s urban futures, infrastructure politics, and decolonial knowledge frameworks. He has supervised PhD candidates such as Charlotte Veithen and Niels Van Doninck. His research highlights themes like urban marginality, postcolonial urbanism, and the interplay between art and anthropology. Key projects include the Frontier Files book and exhibition exploring Congo-Angola border dynamics. De Boeck’s work is supported by grants including KU Leuven’s Sabbatical Program and the Bijzonder Onderzoeksfonds. He actively engages with global academic networks, presenting at institutions like the British Academy and University of Lisbon. His teaching includes courses on urban anthropology, power dynamics, and decolonizing anthropology. Current projects address infrastructure politics in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, and the socio-spatial transformations of Kinshasa’s Malebo Pool wetlands.

Lena SpringerView profile

Academic

• History and Philosophy of Science
• Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)
• Ethnography of Medical Practices
• +4 more

Lena Springer is a Research Associate in the History and Philosophy of Science at King’s College London, affiliated with the Department of Theology & Religious Studies and the Lau China Institute. Her work focuses on traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), indigenous botanical knowledge, and the intersection of environmental cosmology with healing practices. She leads the ERC-funded Cosmological Visionaries project exploring climate change responses in China-Russia border regions. Education: D.Phil. in Sinology from the University of Vienna (focus: transmission of scientific heritage in China). Research includes ethnographic fieldwork across China’s ethnic regions, examining multi-ethnic folk medicines and materia medica histories. She has held roles as Senior Research Fellow at Sichuan University and Affiliate of the Austrian Academy of Sciences' Institute for Social Anthropology. Research interests include biosocial interactions in indigenous sciences, the preservation of traditional medical landscapes, and academic migration dynamics. Her forthcoming book Arztgeschichten adopts a biographical approach to 20th-century TCM evolution, while her database work bridges historical pharma-recipes with modern drug development. Funding comes from the Wellcome Trust, EU Synergy Grants, and institutions in China/Taiwan. Teaching includes Sinology, pharmacognosy, and narrative-biographical methods. Public engagement includes media commentary on TCM innovations and heritage preservation projects.

Krista LynesView profile

Professor

• Feminist Media Studies
• Queer Theory
• Migration Studies
• +3 more

Krista Lynes is a Professor of Communication Studies at Concordia University, holding the Canada Research Chair in Feminist Media Studies and directing the Feminist Media Studio. Their research focuses on intersectional frameworks addressing feminist media studies, queer theory, migration studies, critical race studies, environmental humanities, and infrastructure studies. Lynes employs research-creation methodologies to interrogate systems of power and mobility. Thesis supervision: Media Studies (MA), Communication (PhD), Humanities (PhD) Labs/Teams: Director of the Feminist Media Studio, a space for interdisciplinary art and activism Recent work examines vital energy in greenhouse infrastructures, queer migrant activisms, and decolonizing corporeal representations in art. Their scholarship bridges media theory with global social justice concerns, emphasizing transnational circuits and planetary aesthetics.

Duana FullwileyView profile

Professor

• Anthropology of Science and Medicine
• Genetics and Identity
• Global Health Politics
• +4 more

Duana Fullwiley is a Professor of Anthropology at Stanford University, specializing in the intersection of social identities, health outcomes, and scientific narratives. Her work spans postcolonial genetic science, environmental resource scarcity, and migration studies. Research Areas: Genetics and Identity, Global Health Politics, Environmental Conflict, Race, Migration, and Creative Writing. Affiliation: Department of Anthropology, Stanford University. Research Interests focus on how genetic technologies shape understandings of race and ethnicity, the political economy of health, and the role of environmental scarcity in migration. She has conducted extensive fieldwork in Senegal, France, Spain, the U.S., and across the Atlantic and Mediterranean regions. Key Awards : 2024 Diana Forsythe Prize (American Anthropological Association) 2024 C. Wright Mills Award (Society for the Study of Social Problems) 2011 Amaury Talbot Prize (Royal Anthropological Institute) 2014 Robert B. Textor Prize (American Anthropological Association) Funding from the National Science Foundation, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Social Science Research Council, and other prestigious institutions supported her work.

Lauren WilcoxView profile

Research Fellow

• International Relations
• Feminist Theory
• Political Theory
• +4 more

Dr. Lauren Wilcox is a Deputy Director at the University of Cambridge Centre for Gender Studies and a Fellow at Selwyn College. Her research intersects international relations, feminist theory, and political theory, focusing on the role of bodies and embodiment in political violence, drone warfare, and security practices. She has authored the award-winning monograph Bodies of Violence: Theorizing Embodied Subjects in International Relations (OUP, 2015) and contributes to interdisciplinary debates on posthumanism, race, and queer theory. PhD in Political Science, University of Minnesota MSc in International Relations, London School of Economics BA in International Studies and Political Science, Macalester College Her recent work explores posthuman warfare, algorithmic violence, and carceral states. Articles like "Embodying Algorithmic War" (2017) and "No Humans in the Loop" (2023) analyze how gender, race, and technology reshape security. She supervises PhD students in feminist IR, queer theory, and embodiment studies. Wilcox received the Cynthia Enloe Award Honorable Mention and ISA Best Book Awards. She coordinates the MPhil in Multi-disciplinary Gender Studies and co-founded the Q+ initiative, promoting queer and trans research at Cambridge. "Bodies of Violence" (2015) - Best Book Awards (ISA Theory & Feminist Sections) Cynthia Enloe Award Honorable Mention (2013)