Raúl Álvarez Moreno is an Associate Professor at the University of British Columbia, affiliated with the Faculty of Arts and the Department of French, Hispanic & Italian Studies. He has taught Medieval and Early Modern Spanish literature, culture, and language since joining UBC in 2009, with expertise in historical Spanish linguistics and business Spanish. His academic work bridges literary analysis with economic thought, focusing on Iberian cultural history. Education : Ph.D. from Michigan State University, B.A./R.S. from Universidad Complutense de Madrid. Research interests center on intersections of literature and economic theory in medieval Spain, language-ideology dynamics, visual culture, and travel literature. His work reinterprets scholastic economic frameworks through texts like Celestina and Cervantes, while examining how medieval spatial practices inform modern cultural studies. Recent publications highlight trends in economic discourse, intertextuality (e.g., Aesop-Cervantes connections), and the re-functionalization of medieval motifs in Latin American contexts. His scholarship spans annotated editions, specialized journal articles, and collaborations with editorial boards like Celestinesca and Revista Canadiense de Estudios Hispánicos , where he serves as Book Review Editor. Current projects include a monograph on Spanish scholastic economic thought and co-editing a special issue on literature-economy interplay (2023). He actively supervises graduate students in Hispanic Studies, emphasizing rigorous engagement with primary sources and interdisciplinary methodologies.
Daniel Stein is a full Professor of North American Literary and Cultural Studies at the University of Siegen and currently serves as Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities . He co-edits the Anglia: Journal of English Philology , the oldest English philology journal globally, and leads the SIEGN book series on graphic narratives. As part of the DFG Research Unit Popular Seriality and the Collaborative Research Center 1472 , he explores digital transformations of serial popular culture. PhD from Georg-August-University Göttingen Master's in American Studies from Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz Former lecturer at University of Michigan His research spans superhero comics , science fiction serials , and 19th-century city mystery novels , focusing on how serial forms shape cultural memory and identity. Recent work examines digital fan forums as epitexts and transnational adaptations like Spider-Man manga. He has published extensively on paratextual negotiations in popular media and race representation in graphic narratives. Key editorial roles include: Co-editor of The Cambridge Companion to the American Graphic Novel (2023) Editor of Comics and Videogames (2021) Founding member of the African Atlantic Research Group Active in meme studies and digital humanities , his work traces the evolution of popular culture from print to digital platforms, emphasizing participatory canon formation and identity politics in fan communities.
Erik Mueggler is the Katherine Verdery Collegiate Professor of Anthropology at the University of Michigan, affiliated with the Center for Chinese Studies and the Interdepartmental Doctoral Program in Anthropology and History. His work focuses on cultural anthropology in China, particularly among minority groups like the Yi and Naxi nationalities, exploring themes such as death rituals, botanical exploration, and socialist histories. He holds a PhD from The Johns Hopkins University and has been recognized with prestigious awards including the MacArthur Foundation Fellowship and the Julian Steward Award. Education includes a BA from Cornell University, MA and PhD from Johns Hopkins, and additional studies in Chinese, Yi dialects, and Tibetan. His research spans over two decades in Yunnan and Sichuan provinces, examining topics like the ritualization of death, botanical expeditions, and the intersection of state policies with indigenous practices. His key publications include The Paper Road (2011) on botanical exploration and The Age of Wild Ghosts (2001) on Yi community history. Recent research explores textuality, kinship, and the natural history of ice in Southwest China. He has held fellowships at Stanford’s Center for Advanced Study and the British Academy. Grants & Awards: Over 20 fellowships including National Science Foundation support for documenting endangered languages, and multiple University of Michigan grants. Service: Served on editorial boards (e.g., Comparative Studies in Society and History ), university committees, and external evaluations (e.g., UNESCO heritage projects). Labs/Teams: Engaged in fieldwork collaborations with communities in Yunnan/Sichuan and archival research in Edinburgh/Kew.
John Bresland is an Associate Professor of Instruction in the Department of English at Northwestern University's Weinberg College of Arts & Sciences. He specializes in Digital Media & Media Theory and Creative Writing Nonfiction, blending traditional essay formats with multimedia platforms. His work includes video essays like Mangoes (exhibited at the Pulitzer Arts Foundation) and Peyton Place: A Haiku Soap Opera , which reimagines Grace Metalious's controversial novel through layered audiovisual storytelling. His research explores intersections of media theory, cultural critique, and creative nonfiction. Teaching focuses on creative writing and media arts, emphasizing interdisciplinary approaches to narrative. Though no formal academic awards are noted, his innovative projects have been featured in prominent anthologies like Essayists on the Essay: Montaigne to Our Time and The Fourth Genre . Bresland's video essays critically analyze cultural phenomena, such as the legacy of Peyton Place's scandalous TV adaptation and the formal possibilities of haiku in media. His work challenges traditional boundaries between text, image, and sound, reflecting a commitment to evolving creative practices in the digital age.
Simon Partner is a Professor of History at Duke University specializing in late 19th- and 20th-century Japanese history. His research focuses on consumer markets, technology’s role in social change, and Japanese rural society. He holds degrees from Columbia University (Ph.D. 1997), the University of Cambridge (B.A. 1980, M.A. 1985), and the University of Manchester (M.B.A. 1984). He has authored multiple acclaimed books, including *Koume’s World* (2024) and *The Merchant’s Tale* (2017). Partner has received prestigious awards like the Humboldt Research Award (2015). His recent publications analyze samurai women’s lives, Meiji-era social dynamics, and the cultural impact of technological adoption. He teaches courses on modern Japanese history, global rural life, and pedagogy. Partner’s work bridges historical analysis with interdisciplinary methods, emphasizing archival research and comparative frameworks.
Dr. Kris Paulsen is an Associate Professor in the Department of History of Art and Film Studies Program at The Ohio State University. She serves as Chair of Undergraduate Studies and specializes in contemporary art, with a focus on time-based and computational media. Her research explores intersections of art and technology, including telepresence, AI, and networked art. Dr. Paulsen holds a Ph.D. in Rhetoric from UC Berkeley and has taught at Ohio State since 2009. Education: Ph.D., Department of Rhetoric, UC Berkeley (2009), Designated Emphasis in New Media M.A., Department of Rhetoric, UC Berkeley (2003) B.A. with honors, Brown University (2000), History of Art & Architecture and Art-Semiotics Research Interests: Paulsen’s work bridges art history and media theory, examining themes like telepresence, algorithmic systems, and curatorial practices. Her book Here/There: Telepresence, Touch, and Art at the Interface (2017) won the 2018 Anne Friedberg Award. Current projects address artists’ use of emerging technologies to critique capitalist and technological utopianism. Awards & Teaching: Ronald and Deborah Ratner Distinguished Teaching Award (2017-2018) Rodica C. Botoman Award for Distinguished Teaching and Mentoring (2015-2016) Pioneered Ohio State’s Contemporary Art and Curatorial Practice program Publications: Recent essays include explorations of AI in art, 1990s net art, and experimental television. Her writing appears in Media-N , Representations , and exhibition catalogs. She has curated projects with the Columbus Museum of Art, including a 2023 exhibition with student collaborators. Labs & Collaborations: Past director of The Center for Ongoing Research & Projects (2012–2016), a Columbus-based experimental art space. Active in curatorial education and public art initiatives.
Terry Harpold is an Associate Professor of English at the University of Florida, affiliated with the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. He holds a PhD in Comparative Literature and Literary Theory from the University of Pennsylvania. His work bridges environmental humanities, science fiction studies, and posthumanism, focusing on climate justice, interspecies ethics, and the intersection of literature with environmental transformation. He directs UF’s Imagining Climate Change initiative and serves as Assistant Director for Humanities Research at the Astraeus Space Institute. His editorial roles include membership on the boards of ImageTexT , Journal of Posthumanism , and Postmodern Culture , as well as founding roles in Jules Verne-focused scholarly networks. Notable awards include the CLAS Teacher of the Year (2008, 2020) and multiple teaching nominations. His research spans Verne scholarship, ecocritical analysis, and speculative fiction, with recent publications in Science Fiction Studies , Verniana , and edited volumes on climate justice pedagogy. Current projects include Plant Life: Exploring Vegetal Worlds in the Harn Museum Collection (co-edited), Latin America Writes Back (co-edited), and a monograph on unquiet matter in environmental narratives. He also leads initiatives like the Walter James Miller Memorial Award for student scholarship in the fantastic genres.
Reto Geiser is an Associate Professor and Associate Dean for Research and Academic Affairs at Rice University’s School of Architecture. His work bridges architectural design, pedagogy, and media, focusing on modern architecture’s intersections with education and exhibition practices. He holds a Dr. Sc. and M.Arch. from ETH Zurich, where his early studies shaped his interdisciplinary approach. Academic Roles: Academic Leadership, Architecture Curriculum Development, and Studio Teaching Key Projects: Rice Architecture Summer Immersion Program (underserved high school students), Mellon-funded 'Reverse Ruins' photography project, and research on Miami-based firm Arquitectonica His research explores architectural exhibitions’ role in knowledge dissemination through works like Futures of the Architectural Exhibition , which analyzes contemporary curation practices. Geiser’s award-winning books include Archetypes (on Johnston Marklee) and Giedion and America , repositioning modernist historiography. Publications span Harvard Design Magazine , Future Anterior , and exhibition catalogues, reflecting his dual focus on scholarly writing and spatial practice. Recent curatorial work includes Switzerland’s 11th Venice Architecture Biennale contribution Explorations: Teaching Design Research and the 2017 Chicago Architecture Biennial’s Rooms for Books . Awards: George R. Brown Award (2021), Charles Duncan Award (2020), Scientia Institute Membership (2020) Teaching: Currently instructs ARCH 225/525: Introduction to Architectural Thinking and ARCH 550: Out of This World , emphasizing speculative design and spatial reasoning.
Laura Moss is a Professor in the Department of English Language and Literatures at the University of British Columbia's Faculty of Arts. She currently serves as Joint Faculty Representative on the UBC Senate (2024-) and previously held the position of Associate Dean, Students in the Faculty of Arts (2020-2023). Her scholarship focuses on Canadian and postcolonial literatures, with particular expertise in African literatures and environmental humanities. Education: BA from the University of Toronto MA from the University of Guelph PhD from Queen's University Professor Moss's research spans Critical Race Studies, Environmental Humanities, Gender and Sexuality Studies, Indigenous Literary Studies, Poetry and Poetics, and Post/Anti/Decolonial Studies. Her current project, "Climate Warnings: The Power of Canadian Environmental Art, Literature, and Creative Activism," examines how Canadian artists and writers engage with environmental crises. Her scholarly work demonstrates a consistent commitment to interrogating the intersections of literature, politics, and identity formation across national contexts, with particular attention to Canadian and African literary traditions. Professor Moss has received significant recognition for her scholarly contributions, including: UBC Killam Teaching Prize (2013) Prize for the Best Edited Collection in Canadian Studies by the Canadian Studies Network (2021) Scholarly and Research Communication Journal Innovation Award (2019) Moss has supervised numerous graduate students working on diverse topics including Post-multiculturalism, the Newfoundland diaspora, South Asian Canadian Literature, South African Protest Writing, Nineteenth-century Women's Nature Writing, and Urban Writing in Vancouver. She has served in significant editorial roles including Editor-in-Chief of Canadian Literature (2015-2020) and as a contributing editor to Canlitguides.ca for nine years. Her leadership extends to academic governance as she served as Academic Convenor of Congress 2019 (with over 10,000 attendees) and Chair of the UBC Canadian Studies Program (2008-2011). She also held the Brenda and David McLean Chair in Canadian Studies at UBC (2019-2021).
Marcy L. North is an Associate Professor of English at Pennsylvania State University and serves as the institution’s Representative to the Folger Shakespeare Library. Her research and teaching focus on book history, manuscript culture, Renaissance literature, and early women's literature. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan and a B.A. from Wesleyan University. Her research explores authorship, anonymity, and material culture in early modern England, with particular attention to manuscript miscellanies, scribal practices, and the intersection of visual culture with textual studies. She is a leading scholar in digital manuscript studies, advocating for the digitization and accessibility of archival materials. North’s recent publications investigate topics such as the role of household scribes in literary production, the ambiguities of female authorship, and the conventions of manuscript miscellanies. Her work bridges traditional textual analysis with digital methodologies, offering new frameworks for understanding early modern literary practices. Her book The Anonymous Renaissance: Cultures of Discretion in Tudor-Stuart England (2003) remains a cornerstone in studies of anonymity and authorship. North collaborates with institutions like the Folger Shakespeare Library to advance manuscript digitization and accessibility initiatives.
Ourida Mostefai is a Professor of Comparative Literature and French & Francophone Studies at Brown University. She holds a joint appointment between the Departments of Comparative Literature and French & Francophone Studies. PhD and MA from New York University BA and Licence de Lettres from Université Paris III-Sorbonne Nouvelle Her research focuses on Enlightenment literature and philosophy, with particular expertise in Rousseau studies, early-modern polemics, religious toleration, and migration narratives from the French Revolution to the 21st century. She works at the intersection of political philosophy, cultural identity, and digital humanities. Recent publications include the 2024 critical edition of Rousseau's Lettre à d'Alembert and articles in Lumieres , Philosophie Magazine , and Studies in Eighteenth-Century Culture . Her work examines Rousseau's theories of trust, toleration, and citizenship through contemporary lenses like exile, orientalism, and media dynamics. Officier de l'Ordre des Palmes Académiques (2017) Chevalier de l'Ordre des Palmes Académiques (2008) Past President of Rousseau Association and SECFS Editorial board member for several academic journals She teaches courses on the Algerian War in literature, European novel, Enlightenment politics, and theories of orientalism. Current affiliations include ASECS, MLA, ENCCRE, and Société française d'étude du dix-huitième siècle.
Jacob Justice is an Assistant Professor of Speech Communication and Director of Forensics in the Department of Writing & Rhetoric at the University of Mississippi. He holds a Ph.D. in Communication Studies from the University of Kansas and a B.A. in Political Science from Wayne State University. His research focuses on political communication, argumentation theory, and rhetorical analysis, with particular attention to: Presidential and campaign rhetoric (Trump era) Political apologia and scandal responses Visual argumentation in public health campaigns Misinformation and conspiracy theories Publications frequently analyze crisis communication, populist discourse, and media framing of elections. Recent work examines the rhetoric of political rallies, defenses of controversial figures (Kavanaugh, Roy Moore), and strategies for combating health misinformation. Dr. Justice directs the Warren Debate Union and teaches courses in argumentation and political communication.
Yu Lun Eve Lin is a Fashion Lecturer and Year 2 Leader in the BA Fashion Design and Development program at the London College of Fashion (LCF), part of the Decolonising Arts Institute. She is concurrently completing a PhD at the Royal College of Arts (RCA) on power dynamics in international fashion design pedagogies, focusing on symbolic violence within education-industry interactions. Her educational background includes BA and MA Fashion Womenswear from Central Saint Martins (2004–2009). As a former fashion entrepreneur, she was selected as a Taiwan NewGen Designer (2011–2014) and received Red Dot Awards for her illustration work (2014, 2018). She has taught in London, Taipei, New York, and China, and authored Practice of Fashion Drawing , a nationally adopted textbook in Taiwanese vocational schools. Her research explores cross-cultural pedagogy, as seen in her 2019 presentation on Chinese international student engagement and her 2017 Research_Alive symposium collaboration on playful learning methodologies. She contributes to CACAO art magazine as a columnist and maintains a creative portfolio at thisisevelin.co.uk .
Dr. Mary O'Neill serves as Associate Head (Education) and Programme Leader for Fine Art at De Montfort University's School of Arts, Design and Architecture within the Faculty of Arts, Design and Humanities. Holding an AHRC-funded PhD in Ephemeral Art: Mourning and Loss from Loughborough University (2007), she is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy with extensive leadership in art education and research. Her academic journey includes significant professional development through prestigious awards including the AHRC Doctoral Award (2003) and Higher Education Academy Teaching Fellowship (2008). Her educational background culminated in a PhD focused on the intersection of ephemeral art and concepts of mortality, establishing the foundation for her ongoing research trajectory. Dr. O'Neill's research is fundamentally interdisciplinary, exploring how contemporary artworks engage with significant cultural issues. Initially focused on ephemeral art and concepts of mortality and immortality, her work has evolved to investigate intangible culture, particularly the lost skills embodied in museum objects. Her current project, 'Re-creative Practice: Learning from the Past,' examines how historical objects can inform contemporary artistic practice. She identifies key research areas including Ephemeral Practice, Collaborative Practice, Art and Society, Art Activism, Science Art, and Re-creative Practice. Her work bridges theoretical and practical approaches, connecting art practice with broader social, ethical, and cultural concerns through both academic texts and creative fiction. Analysis of her publication record reveals consistent engagement with themes of memory, loss, and artistic practice, with recent work showing increasing focus on art education methodologies, collaborative approaches, and the application of historical craft knowledge to contemporary practice. She has produced significant interdisciplinary work connecting art with healthcare, social policy, and cultural heritage, demonstrating the expanding scope of her research interests. Dr. O'Neill has received numerous awards and recognitions throughout her distinguished career: 2023 HEIF Award for the Artefacts Live project 2022 Academic Innovation Project Award 2015 Writer in Residence at Centre for Contemporary Art (CCA), Glasgow 2014 and 2012 Artist in Residence positions at Gray Zone and Grace Exhibition Center 2008 Higher Education Academy Teaching Fellowship 2003 AHRC Doctoral Award Her career has been marked by prestigious international residencies including at Banff Centre for Media and Visual Arts (1997), Frans Masereel Centrum, Belgium (1990), and House of Creativity, Chelyuskinskii, Moscow (1989). As an educator and mentor, Dr. O'Neill supervises PhD students including Rebecca Walker (researching 'Henry Moore: The Shape of Trauma') and Talvir Kaur. She has presented on collaborative teaching approaches internationally, notably 'A year of living dangerously: Collaborating with undergraduate students' at Temasek Polytechnic, Singapore (2010). Her leadership extends to directing the 'Artefacts Live' project (2022-2023), a HEIF-funded collaboration between DMU and The Museum of Leathercraft, Northampton, which resulted in the documentary 'The Museum of Leathercraft – Ordinary Objects: Extraordinary Stories' produced with filmmaker Nik Trzcinowicz. Dr. O'Neill leads the Practice Based Research group within the Institute of Art and Design. She actively contributes to academic discourse through international conference presentations, recently speaking at 'Psychogeography, How did we get here?' panel at Leicester Gallery (2024) and 'Flotsam, Jetsam, Lagan, Derelict. The Things We Have Lost' at the Narratives of Water conference in Torino (2024). Her teaching encompasses Fine Art Studio Practice, Critical Theory, Art History, and Professional Practice across multiple undergraduate and postgraduate courses.
Dr. Einat Rashal is a Lecturer in Psychology at Keele University, specializing in visual perception and attention with a focus on low-level and mid-level processes. She holds a BA in Psychology and Music, MA in Cognitive Psychology and Human Factors, and a PhD in Psychology from the University of Haifa. Her research examines perceptual organization in contexts like depth perception and visual illusions, utilizing EEG methods to study attention-control and visuomotor integration. She won a Marie-Skłodowska-Curie Fellowship at EPFL and serves as an expert evaluator for the European Commission. With ten years of teaching experience, she has developed courses in: Introduction to Psychology Research Methods and Statistics EEG lab practicals Academic writing She has supervised undergraduate/postgraduate projects and MSc theses. Her publication trends focus on attention mechanisms, EEG methodologies, perceptual organization, and statistical learning, demonstrating consistent innovation in cognitive neuroscience paradigms. Awards include the Marie-Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowship for her postdoctoral work at EPFL.
