Lisa Haushofer is an Assistant Professor at the University of Amsterdam's Faculty of Humanities, Department of History. Her work bridges the histories of medicine, science, and food, focusing on the commercial, colonial, and ecological dimensions of nutritional culture. Fields of Interest: History of Medicine, History of Science, Food History, Nutrition History She authored the book Wonder Foods: The Science and Commerce of Nutrition (2022), which explores the intersection of nutritional science and global food systems in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Contact: lisa.haushofer@uva.nl . Follow her on Twitter and Bluesky for updates.
Cristina Bacchilega is a retired Professor and former Graduate Director in the Department of English at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, affiliated with the College of Languages, Linguistics, and Literature. Her research focuses on fairy tales, folklore, and their intersections with gender, colonialism, and translation. She co-edited journals like Marvels & Tales and held roles such as Department Chair (2001-2007) and Acting Graduate Program Director. Her work includes books like Legendary Hawaiʻi and the Politics of Place and Postmodern Fairy Tales: Gender and Narrative Strategies . Education: BA, University of Rome (Italy); MA and PhD, State University of New York at Binghamton. Her research interests span fairy-tale studies, folklore, gender studies, and decolonial narratives. Recent projects explore Hawaiian mo‘olelo in translation and the cognitive potential of wonder in contemporary adaptations. She co-organized international conferences on storytelling in conflict zones and co-edited special journal issues on these topics. Awards: Fulbright Fellowship (2016) IAFA Distinguished Scholarship Award (2016) Guggenheim Fellowship (2001) Her advising and grants include SSHRC postdoctoral fellowship reviews and Fulbright applications. She collaborates on projects like An Ocean of Wonder (2024) and a forthcoming book on fairy tales and justice (2025). She also engages in Hawaiian language revitalization efforts.
University of California, Los AngelesUnited States
Ali Mousavi is Assistant Professor of Iranian Archaeology in UCLA’s Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures and a core faculty member of the Cotsen Institute of Archaeology. A Berkeley PhD and former fellow of the Smithsonian, Maison de l’Orient and Global Heritage Fund, he has directed excavations and UNESCO World-Heritage projects at Pasargadae, Bam, Susa, Sultaniyeh and Turang Tepe and authored prize-winning volumes Ancient Iran from the Air and Persepolis: Discovery and Afterlife of a World Wonder . Education PhD, Near Eastern Studies (Archaeology), University of California, Berkeley (2005) MA, Archaeology, History and Languages of Old World Civilizations, Université Lyon II, France (1997) BA, Archaeology and Art History of Europe and the East Mediterranean, Université Lyon II, France (1996) Research interests span the archaeology and art history of Iran from the Neolithic to the early-20th century, with particular focus on Achaemenid and Sasanian monumental architecture, ancient irrigation (qanats), landscape archaeology, digital heritage, and the modern historiography of Iranian archaeology. His field projects integrate remote sensing, epigraphy, GIS and conservation science to investigate imperial capitals, rock-cut monuments and water-management systems across the Iranian plateau. Across more than 30 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters, Mousavi has re-examined dating criteria for Achaemenid stone monuments, analysed royal inscriptions as visual displays, traced medieval Persian pilgrims’ graffiti at ancient sites, and produced synthetic archaeological surveys of the Sasanian empire and the Central Alborz Iron-Age cultures. The corpus reflects a sustained engagement with primary field data, archival research and critical historiography of 19th- and 20th-century excavations. Selected honours Ehsan Yarshater Book Award (2014) Iranian Ministry of Culture World Book Award (2014) Leon Levy – Shelby White publication grant (2008) UNESCO award for World-Heritage nomination files (2003) Iran Heritage Foundation field-work award (2003) Guitty Azarpay Fellowship, UC Berkeley (2000-2003) IFRI Fellowship, Paris (1998) At UCLA he offers undergraduate courses “Archaeology of Iran” and “Ancient Cities of Iran (4000 BC-AD 1900)” and mentors graduate researchers in the Cotsen Institute. His grants and fellowships from NSF-equivalent European and American agencies underwrite both field seasons and publication of critical archaeological corpora, while his service on Iranian, UNESCO and international heritage boards continues to link scholarly output with heritage-management policy.
London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)United Kingdom
Michael W. Scott is a Professor of Anthropology at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). His primary research focuses on Oceania, particularly Melanesia, with a theoretical emphasis on anthropological ontology, cosmology, and wonder studies. He has conducted extensive fieldwork in the Solomon Islands since 1992, focusing on the Arosi people and their poly-ontological cosmology. His work explores human-nonhuman relations, indigenous Christianities, and the interplay between Euro-American and Melanesian ontological frameworks. Education: PhD from the University of Chicago, influenced by mentors like Marshall Sahlins and Marilyn Strathern. He co-organizes the Melanesia Research Seminar at the British Museum. His major publication, The Severed Snake , examines Arosi matrilineages and place-making. Current projects include a comparative study of wonder as an ontological instrument and analysis of relationalist assumptions in ontology debates. Key interests include poly-ontology, ontological transformation, and the re-enchantment of modernity. His research challenges monolithic views of Melanesian sociality, proposing instead a nuanced engagement with diverse cosmological frameworks. Though no formal grants or labs are explicitly listed, his work intersects with LSE's broader anthropological research initiatives.
Travis Zadeh is a Professor and Chair of Religious Studies at Yale University, and Chair of the Council on Middle East Studies. He holds a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from Harvard University, following an A.M. and B.A. from Middlebury College. His research bridges early Mediterranean/West Asian religions and Islamic studies, focusing on the interplay between science, magic, law, and religion. Key interests include encyclopedism, cosmography, Arabic/Persian intellectual cultures, and the history of the book. Zadeh’s work examines how translation, geography, and textual interpretation shaped medieval Islamic empires. His landmark publications include Mapping Frontiers across Medieval Islam (2011), The Vernacular Qurʾan (2012), and Wonders and Rarities (2023). He has been awarded Fulbright grants, a Mellon Fellowship, and a Guggenheim Fellowship. Research Themes : Qur’anic Studies, Occult Sciences, Medieval Intellectual History, Sacred Geography, Translation Theories Recent Focus : Marvelous natural histories, pre-modern cosmographies, and the socio-political role of textual transmission Zadeh’s scholarship emphasizes interdisciplinary approaches, blending textual analysis with material culture studies. His current projects explore the codicological dimensions of medieval Arabic/Persian manuscripts and the digital humanities’ impact on Islamic studies.
Ellen T. Armour is the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Professor of Feminist Theology at Vanderbilt Divinity School and the Graduate Department of Religion, where she directs the Carpenter Program in Religion, Gender, and Sexuality. She holds affiliated appointments in the Department of Philosophy and the Women’s and Gender Studies Program at Vanderbilt and served as a Faculty Fellow at the Robert Penn Warren Center for the Humanities (2017–2018). B.A., Stetson University (1980) M.A., Ph.D., Vanderbilt University (1989, 1993) Her research focuses on feminist theology, contemporary continental philosophy, and theories of sexuality, race, gender, disability, and embodiment. Her work engages interdisciplinary approaches to religion, particularly through poststructuralist and queer theoretical frameworks. Key themes in her publications include the intersection of religion and digital visual culture, decolonial ethics in theology, and the application of Judith Butler’s performativity theory to religious discourse. Her notable books include Seeing and Believing (2023), Signs and Wonders (2016), and Bodily Citations (co-editor, 2006). Scientific Awards: Clarence Day Dean’s Award for Outstanding Teaching (1999) Jameson Jones Award for Faculty Service (2005) Armour has held leadership roles such as Chair of the Religious Studies Department at Rhodes College (1991–2006) and Associate Dean of Academic Affairs at Vanderbilt (2019–present). Her affiliations include St. Augustine’s Chapel (formerly Baptist) and the Robert Penn Warren Center for the Humanities.
Thomas Barrie is a Professor of Architecture at North Carolina State University's College of Design, serving as Director of the Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities Initiative and Coordinator of the Master of Advanced Architectural Studies program. An internationally recognized scholar in religious architecture and spirituality in the built environment, he is a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and has received numerous accolades including the 2024 NCSU Alexander Quarles Holladay Medal for Excellence. His educational background includes: Master of Philosophy in Architectural History and Theory, University of Manchester Master of Architecture, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University B.A. in English, University of North Carolina at Greensboro Professor Barrie's research explores the symbolism, cultural significance, and ritual functions of architecture across religious traditions, while examining housing through the ontological roles of home. His work bridges architectural theory and practice, emphasizing architecture's social mission and spiritual dimensions. Key publications include four books addressing sacred space, world religions, and domestic environments, establishing foundational frameworks for understanding architecture's role in human experience. His scholarly output reveals consistent exploration of architecture as a mediator between sacred and secular realms, with recent works focusing on comparative religious architecture and cultural contexts of home. This trajectory demonstrates deep commitment to understanding how built environments shape communal identity and individual well-being across diverse cultural settings. His distinguished career has been recognized with numerous honors: NCSU Alexander Quarles Holladay Medal for Excellence (2024) ACSA Distinguished Professor Award (2019) AIA Fellowship (2020) Three NC State Outstanding Extension Service Awards (2019, 2015, 2014) Induction into the Academy of Faculty Engaged in Extension (2015) Two AIA Honor Awards for design excellence As director of the Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities Initiative, Professor Barrie has mentored hundreds of students through community-based design studios addressing housing challenges in the Triangle region. His leadership has fostered interdisciplinary collaboration across architecture, planning, and social sciences, resulting in award-winning student projects and tangible community impact through the Architecture, Culture and Spirituality Forum which he co-founded. Professor Barrie leads the Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities Initiative and co-founded the international Architecture, Culture and Spirituality Forum, creating platforms for scholarly dialogue and practical application that bridge academic research with community engagement in housing and spiritual dimensions of the built environment.
Christopher Manon is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mathematics at the University of Kentucky, within the College of Arts & Sciences. His research focuses on algebraic geometry, tropical geometry, and their connections to combinatorics, representation theory, and phylogenetics. He explores topics such as toric varieties, vector bundles, Bruhat-Tits buildings, and geometric compactifications. Manon's work frequently intersects with combinatorial structures like matroids, polytopes, and phylogenetic networks. His studies on toric vector bundles and tropical geometry have advanced understanding of degenerations and moduli spaces. He has contributed to the theory of Fano varieties and Gorenstein polytopes, linking algebraic geometry with lattice theory and mirror symmetry. His recent research trends emphasize geometric families of degenerations via polytope mutations, invariants in phylogenetic models, and equivariant cohomology in arithmetic contexts. Collaborative projects include work on frame theory and conformal blocks in representation theory. Manon's research has been supported through collaborative grants, including projects on combinatorial buildings and tropical geometry. His work bridges pure mathematics disciplines such as algebraic geometry, combinatorics, and representation theory, often with applications to geometric modeling and theoretical biology.
Elise van den Hoven holds dual academic appointments as Associate Professor in the Future Everyday cluster of the Industrial Design department at Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) and Full Professor in the School of Software, Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology at University of Technology Sydney (UTS), Australia. She maintains additional honorary positions as senior research fellow at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design, University of Dundee and associate investigator with the Australian Research Council's Centre of Excellence in Cognition and its Disorders. Her educational background includes: MSc in Biology (1998) from Utrecht University, specializing in perception research MTD degree (now PDEng) in Human-Computer Interaction from Eindhoven University of Technology PhD in Human-Computer Interaction from Eindhoven University of Technology (2004) Dr. van den Hoven's research program centers on human-computer interaction, tangible interfaces, and memory support systems , with her internationally recognized Materialising Memories (MM) program serving as her flagship research initiative. She approaches Interaction Design as "a wonderful opportunity to first imagine and then create new interactive products, inspired by the needs and desires of people in their everyday lives." Her work uniquely bridges the gap between digital technology and human experience, particularly examining how physical and digital artifacts function as memory cues in everyday contexts. Analysis of her publication record reveals a clear research trajectory from foundational work on gesture interaction with physical artifacts toward increasingly sophisticated systems that support personal memory through hybrid digital-physical interfaces. Her scholarship consistently integrates perspectives from computer science, psychology, and design disciplines, creating a distinctive interdisciplinary approach to memory and interaction. Her notable scientific achievements include: Best long paper award (2016) NWO Vidi Award for "The design of improved recollections of personal memories" (2011-2018) Dr. van den Hoven has secured significant research funding through competitive mechanisms, most notably the VIDI fellowship that enabled the Materialising Memories program. Her research program involves substantial international collaboration between TU/e, UTS, and University of Dundee, reflecting her global research impact and network. She leads the Materialising Memories international research consortium, which brings together multidisciplinary expertise to investigate how design can support human remembering activities through tangible and interactive systems in real-world contexts.
Sophie Seita is a London-based artist, researcher, and Lecturer in Fine Art & History of Art at Goldsmiths, University of London, where she also serves as Director of Critical Studies for the BA Fine Art Extension Degree and Deputy Director of Research for the Department of Art. Her interdisciplinary practice spans performance, video, sound, textiles, books, and installations, with language as a central material. Previously, she was a tenure-track Assistant Professor at Boston University (2019-2022) and a Junior Research Fellow at Queens' College, University of Cambridge (2016-2019). Seita's research interests encompass lecture-performances, poetic essays, video essays, practice-based research, queer studies, trans studies, affect theory, disability studies, deaf studies, creative access, experimental captions and audio descriptions, speculative approaches to archives, fictional collectives, concepts of play, difficulty, opacity, absurdity, ornamentation, deep listening, histories of avant-garde group formation, translation studies, multilingualism, queer ecology, decolonial ecology, and experimental pedagogy. Her creative curiosities include opacity, playfulness, difficulty, artifice, queer abstraction, minor genres, ornamentation, materiality beyond objects, the materiality of language, listening beyond hearing, ambiguity, non-linear narratives, and provisional ideas. Her recent publications demonstrate strong trends in examining the intersections of performance, language, and experimental publishing, particularly focusing on lecture-performances as critical knowledge production, the materiality of language, and speculative approaches to archives. Her work consistently engages with queer and feminist perspectives on avant-garde practices while exploring experimental forms of documentation and presentation. Werner Düttmann Fellowship at Akademie der Künste Berlin (2024) Vice-Chancellor's Public Engagement Award (University of Cambridge) Eccles Centre Fellowship (British Library) PEN/Heim Translation Award Wonder Book Prize Dorothea Schlegel Artist in Residence Seita supervises and examines PhD projects at Goldsmiths and has secured numerous research grants, including funding from the British Academy, Arts Council England, Canada Council for the Arts, and the Early Career Research Fund Award from Goldsmiths. She is co-founder of The Hildegard von Bingen Society for Gardening Companions, an ongoing queer collaborative project with musician Naomi Woo that explores speculative archives and queer ecology through sound, performance, and publications. Her artistic practice often involves collaborative work across disciplines, particularly with The Hildegard von Bingen Society for Gardening Companions, which creates experimental pedagogical frameworks and community-based environmental projects.
Roberto Pagaria is an Associate Professor in Algebraic Topology at the University of Bologna. He is a member of the EMS Young Academy and has supervised three PhD students. His research focuses on Abelian arrangements, configuration spaces, matroids, representation theory, spectral sequences, and quiver varieties. Education: PhD in Mathematics (2019), thesis: 'Cohomology and Combinatorics of Toric Arrangements', advised by Filippo Callegaro Master's thesis: 'Geometry of Quiver Varieties', advised by Andrea Maffei Bachelor's thesis: 'The Brauer Group of a Local Field', advised by Angelo Vistoli and Ilaria Del Corso Research Interests: Pagaria's work bridges algebraic topology, combinatorics, and geometry. He explores cohomological structures of toric arrangements, elliptic arrangements, and configuration spaces. His studies include Hodge theory for polymatroids, combinatorial decomposition theorems, and applications of spectral sequences in representation theory. Academic Engagement: He co-organized the 2023 Summer School on 'Quiver Representations, Quiver Varieties, and Combinatorics' and delivered invited talks at leading institutions such as MIT, University of Strasbourg, and the Göran Gustafsson Symposium. His software tools like 'arithmat' (for arithmetic matroids) and 'Characteristic OT' enhance computational research in combinatorial algebraic geometry. Grants and Awards: While no specific grants are detailed, his active conference participation and software contributions highlight sustained academic engagement. His work has been published in top journals like the Journal of the London Mathematical Society and the International Mathematics Research Notices.
Michele Cagol is a Professor at the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano , Faculty of Educational Sciences. Their work bridges pedagogy, emotional education, and ecological sustainability, with a focus on relational learning frameworks and multisensory educational practices. Research Themes : Emotional education, educational ecology, sustainability pedagogy, media and communication education, teacher training. Projects : Lead participant in the EU Interreg Alpine Space project FRACTAL , promoting green space awareness in the Alpine region. Recent publications emphasize radical relational pedagogy, ecological ethics, and the role of wonder in learning. Notable methodologies include intra-actionist music composition and microteaching for multilingual competencies. Teaching responsibilities span General Pedagogy , Social Education , and teacher training for primary/middle school contexts.
Prof. Dr. Nina Zschocke is Professor of Art History with a focus on 'Digital Aesthetics' at the Karlsruhe University of Arts and Design (HfG Karlsruhe) since April 2024. Previously, she served as senior research associate and lecturer at the Department of Architecture at ETH Zurich until 2023, and as a research associate at the Institute of Art History at the University of Zurich from 2005. She maintains strong connections with the ZKM | Center for Art and Media in Karlsruhe through collaborative projects and lecture series. Her educational background includes studies in art history, ethnology, and classical archaeology at the University of Cologne, where she earned her doctorate in 2004 with a dissertation on 'irritation' in art reception. She furthered her academic work as a DFG visiting scholar at University College London and Columbia University in New York. Zschocke's research centers on the intersection of art history, digital aesthetics, and materiality, with particular emphasis on how computational processes reshape artistic production and reception. Her work explores the material dimensions of digital media, algorithmic authority, and unconventional computing paradigms. She investigates how traditional art historical frameworks can be adapted to address contemporary digital practices and the physical manifestations of computational processes in artistic contexts. Her publications and symposia reveal consistent engagement with digital materiality, examining how digital processes manifest in physical form and how traditional art historical methods apply to contemporary computational practices. Recent work focuses on 'unconventional computing' - exploring alternative physical substrates for computation beyond standard silicon-based systems, and questioning the dominant paradigms of digital technology. Zschocke has organized numerous significant academic events including the 'Conversations on Art and Media' lecture series (2025), 'Dirty Computers' seminar week (2024), 'Digital Matters Symposium' (2024), and the long-running 'Don18 - Conversations on Art and Architecture' (2006-2022). These events demonstrate her commitment to creating interdisciplinary dialogue platforms that bridge art, architecture, media theory, and computational practices. Her academic leadership extends to doctoral program development, having co-designed the SNSF doctoral program 'ProDoc Art&Science' (2008-2014) and the 'Doctoral Program in the History and Theory of Architecture' at ETH Zurich (2012-2015). She has taught at multiple institutions including the University of Fribourg, Bremen University of the Arts, and Bern University of the Arts, establishing herself as a significant figure in European art and media theory education.
Professor Noël Sugimura is an Associate Professor and Tutorial Fellow in English at St John's College, University of Oxford. She specializes in 17th-century literature and culture, with a focus on John Milton, the Restoration period, and intersections between early modern philosophy and literature. Her research explores metaphysical frameworks in works like Paradise Lost , reception history during the Enlightenment era, and materialist interpretations of early modern texts. Current projects include Perplexity of Contending Passions (under contract with OUP) and an edited volume on William Empson’s analysis of Milton’s theology. She teaches courses on early modern drama, poetry, and intellectual history, and supervises graduate work on topics spanning Milton to Restoration literature. Her publications analyze textual recovery efforts, religious politics in poetry, and interdisciplinary approaches to literary materialism. Education: Not explicitly listed, but inferred academic credentials from faculty position Her research interests emphasize textual interpretation within historical contexts, particularly how early modern authors engaged with philosophical debates. Recent articles investigate textual recovery of marginalia (Stillingfleet’s notes on Paradise Lost ), materialist readings of post-Restoration literature, and the interplay between religious doctrine and poetic form in Crashaw. She is a leading scholar in Milton reception studies and early modern intellectual networks. Publications span peer-reviewed journals ( Review of English Studies , Modern Philology ) and edited collections, showcasing her expertise in both canonical and understudied authors. While no formal awards are listed, her active editorial work and monograph contracts reflect scholarly recognition. She advises graduate students on topics ranging from metaphysical poetry to Enlightenment literary criticism.
Dr. Troy Michael Bordun is a part-time lecturer in Film Studies at the University of Northern British Columbia and a researcher in contemporary art cinema, celebrity studies, and comics studies. He teaches courses at Concordia University, including Film Analysis and Sociology of Culture. PhD in Cultural Studies, Trent University His research spans superhero comics and philosophy, film theory, and cultural studies. He explores topics like Deleuzian ethics in superhero narratives, haptic visuality in art cinema, and the sociology of online pornography. Recent publications analyze superhero ethics, sensory aesthetics in European cinema, and celebrity authenticity. He curates film festivals and exhibitions on adult cinema and cultural themes. 2018 CUPE 3908-1 Award for Excellence in Teaching 2021 SSHRC Explore Grant 2023 Research Strategic Initiative Grant Bordun’s grants support his work on superhero philosophy and cultural studies. He has contributed to journals such as Studies in European Cinema , Porn Studies , and REDEN .
