Prof. Ahmet Atay holds the rank of Professor of Communication Studies at the College of Wooster, serving as Program Chair of Global Media & Digital Studies and liaison to the Digital Visual Storytelling Pathway. His academic journey includes degrees from Marmara University (B.A., 1998), Ohio University (M.A., 2001), University of Northern Iowa (M.A., 2003), and Southern Illinois University (Ph.D., 2009). His research focuses on transnational communication, digital media's societal impact, cultural identity formation in global contexts, and queer diasporic experiences. He actively explores media representation of gender/sexuality, critical pedagogy, and autoethnography as research methodologies. Notable projects include editing works on millennial media ecology, intercultural communication pedagogy, and transnational queer cinema. Teaching responsibilities include courses on intercultural communication, mediated gender studies, and digital storytelling for social justice. He has held leadership roles in professional organizations like the National Communication Association and Central States Communication Association. Prof. Atay's recent publications emphasize digital ethnography, decolonizing communication studies, and queer pedagogy innovations. His work bridges theoretical frameworks with practical educational applications, addressing contemporary issues like diversity in academia and media's role in shaping cultural narratives.
Andres Lucero is Associate Professor of Interaction Design at Aalto University's Department of Art and Media, specializing in human-computer interaction for mobile devices and interactive surfaces. His research integrates human-computer interaction, design methodologies, and playful interfaces. He holds a PhD from Eindhoven University of Technology and has industry experience from Nokia, where he led user-centered design projects as Senior Researcher. Research explores tangible interfaces, social wearables, museum experience design, human-AI collaboration, and cross-cultural co-design approaches. Recent projects investigate conversational agents in design processes, persona generation workflows, and freeform interactive devices. Dr. Lucero received the Honourable Mention Award at MUM 2020 for innovative interaction research. His work advances design methods through first-person perspectives, AI integration, and novel interaction paradigms.
Michaela D.E. Meyer is a Professor in the Department of Communication Studies at Christopher Newport University (CNU), specializing in critical media studies, LGBTQ+ issues, and television/film analysis. Her research bridges interpersonal communication, gender and sexuality studies, and emerging adulthood narratives. Ph.D. in Communication, Ohio University M.S. in Journalism, Ohio University Ph.B. in International Studies, Miami University Her research focuses on intersectional representation in media , LGBTQ+ narratives , and relational aggression in film . She employs narrative and autoethnographic methods to critique political ideologies in popular culture, such as neoliberalism in Fixer Upper and feminist critiques in Glee and Shondaland . Michaela’s recent articles explore themes like disability discourses in Korean television , feminist film auteur theory , and nostalgia in streaming reboots . These works highlight identity politics , gender representation , and media’s role in social discourse . Paul Boaze Prize, Ohio University (2025) Outstanding Panel Award in Sexuality and Gender Identity, Central States Communication Association (2025) Faculty Excellence Award in Undergraduate Research Mentorship, CNU (2025) James W. Chesebro Award for Scholarly Distinction, Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Caucus of CSCA (2021) She has mentored undergraduate research and contributed to critical media pedagogy , with grants and service awards reflecting her commitment to diversity and inclusion in academia. Her full scholarship and honors are detailed in the scientific_awards section.
Gayle Letherby is a Visiting Professor of Sociology at the University of Plymouth’s Peninsula Medical School (Faculty of Health), and holds visiting roles at the University of Greenwich and the University of Bath’s Centre for Death and Society (CDAS). She is an Academician of the Academy of Social Sciences (since 2007) and recipient of the 2023 Lifetime Contribution to Autoethnography Award. Her research focuses on feminist methodology, health sociology, grief and bereavement, mobility studies, and criminology. She has supervised over 20 doctoral students across multiple universities, including topics like non-motherhood, occupational therapy, and gang culture in African Caribbean communities. Her teaching spans undergraduate and postgraduate levels, covering crime theory, auto/biographical research, and feminist epistemology. Notable collaborations include participatory studies on homeless individuals’ food experiences and ethnographic explorations of medical decision-making. Her interdisciplinary work bridges sociology, criminology, and health studies, with a strong emphasis on autoethnographic and creative methodologies. Recent research explores themes like grief narratives, gendered travel experiences, and the emotional dimensions of doctoral journeys. She has contributed to policy discussions on family-centred care and has been a guest lecturer globally, including at York University (Canada) and University College Cork (Ireland). Awards: Academy of Social Sciences Academician (2007), Lifetime Contribution to Autoethnography (2023) Teaching Expertise: Feminist research methods, criminology, sociology of health, gender studies Key Research Areas: Auto/biography, non-motherhood, medical sociology, mobility, grief studies
Heewon Chang, Ph.D., is a Professor and Chair in the PhD in Organizational Leadership Department at Eastern University's College of Business and Leadership. She specializes in autoethnography and qualitative research methods, with notable works including Autoethnography as Method (2008). Her research focuses on multicultural education, leadership development, and collaborative learning within marginalized communities. Dr. Chang has contributed to advancing methodologies like Collaborative Autoethnography (CAE) and the Transformative Autoethnography Model (TAM). Her academic journey includes an MA in Education and Anthropology from the University of Oregon (1984) and Pennsylvania Elementary Teaching Certification (2000). She has served in leadership roles, emphasizing equity and inclusion in higher education. Her work bridges personal narratives with sociocultural analysis, impacting fields like organizational behavior and pedagogy. Key research themes include BIPOC doctoral student experiences, online leadership program efficacy, and systems thinking in education. Dr. Chang’s publications span journals and edited volumes, reflecting her commitment to democratizing knowledge through participatory research. She has also contributed to journal editing and community service, advocating for educational equity and mentorship for underrepresented scholars.
Floyd Mueller is a Full Professor of Future Interfaces in the Department of Human Centred Computing at Monash University, where he also directs the award-winning Exertion Games Lab. His work bridges human-computer interaction, interaction design, and game and play design, with a focus on bodily engagement and physical activity through technology. He has held prior academic and research positions at RMIT University, the University of Melbourne, and CSIRO, and has been affiliated with elite institutions such as Stanford University, MIT Media Lab, and Microsoft Research Asia. PhD in Interaction Design – University of Melbourne (2011) MS in Media Arts and Sciences – Massachusetts Institute of Technology (2002) Diplom-Informatiker (Medieninformatik) – Hochschule Furtwangen (2000) BSc in Multimedia – Griffith University (1999) Floyd Mueller’s research centers on human-computer interaction with a strong emphasis on bodily interactions, exertion interfaces, and playful technologies. His work explores how digital systems can support physical activity, human values, and novel forms of expression through games, wearables, augmented reality, and immersive experiences. He employs methodologies such as design ethnography, autoethnography, and Research Through Design to investigate the phenomenology of human-computer integration. His recent publications (2024–2025) reflect a continued focus on the future of bodily interfaces, including lucid dream mediation, extended reality for fear reduction in water, sonic gastronomy, and shared bodily control in augmented human systems. These works are published in top-tier venues like CHI and Human-Computer Interaction journal, highlighting trends toward immersive, sensory-rich, and human-centered computing that challenge traditional boundaries between body and machine. His scientific awards include being an inaugural honouree of the Australian Design Honours, receiving 9 Best Paper Honorable Mentions and 2 Best Papers at CHI and CHI PLAY, and being recognized as a Fulbright Visiting Scholar and Microsoft Research Asia Fellow. His games have been featured by BBC, ABC, Discovery Science Channel, and New Scientist, and won a Media Star Award. Floyd Mueller actively supervises PhD students through the Exertion Games Lab and Supervisor Connect platform. He has secured major research grants, including Australian Research Council Discovery and Linkage Projects. His current projects include Advancing Australia’s hospitality industry through interactive food and Designing digital aquatic play to foster Australians' engagement with water . He also serves as associate editor for IMWUT and IJHCS, co-founded the CHI PLAY conference series, and was general co-chair for CHI PLAY’18 and CHI’20. He leads the Exertion Games Lab, an interdisciplinary research team focused on inventing the future of bodily play. The lab investigates how technology can support active lifestyles through exertion games, wearables, drones, and immersive environments. The lab’s work spans design, prototyping, user studies, and real-world deployment, often in collaboration with chefs, athletes, and underwater explorers.
Aisha Durham is a Professor of Communication at the University of South Florida's College of Arts and Sciences, with affiliations in Humanities & Cultural Studies and Women's & Gender Studies. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (2007) and has held academic positions at Texas A&M University and the University of Georgia. Her research focuses on Black feminist thought, autoethnography, and media/cultural studies. She is the award-winning author of Home with Hip Hop Feminism: Performances in Communication and Culture and a co-editor of Home Girls Make Some Noise! Key research areas include Hip Hop Feminism, intersectionality, and qualitative methodologies. Durham has received prestigious awards such as the NCA Marsha Houston Award and the Ellis-Bochner Award for autoethnography. She contributes to public scholarship through podcasts, media analyses, and international talks for outlets like CNN and NPR. Her work emphasizes democratizing knowledge and addressing systemic inequities in academia and culture. Professional activities include editorial board roles, advisory positions (e.g., Smithsonian Anthology of Hip-Hop and Rap), and keynote speaking at institutions worldwide. Her recent publications explore pedagogical resistance, hiphop literacies, and Black feminist mentorship frameworks.
Dr. Farzana Aman Tanima is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Sydney Business School’s Accounting, Governance, and Regulation department. She previously held roles at the University of Wollongong (2017–2023). Her research focuses on critical and dialogic accounting, social justice, and challenging neoliberal frameworks through participatory approaches. Born in Bangladesh, she earned her PhD in 2015 from Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand, with a thesis on dialogic accounting practices for marginalized women. Education: PhD in Accounting, Victoria University of Wellington, 2015 Undergraduate Honours Degree, Victoria University of Wellington Research Interests: Dr. Tanima’s work centers on dialogic accounting to democratize accounting practices, with focus on NGOs, microfinance, Indigenous education, and race. She employs participatory action research and autoethnography to address systemic inequalities. Key areas include: Accounting’s role in empowerment and development Decolonizing accounting education through Jindaola Critical race theory and counter-accounting Awards: 2024 Mary Parker Follet Award (AAAJ Journal) 2020 VC OCTAL Teaching Award 2015 AFAANZ Best PhD Award Teaching & Mentorship: She leads pedagogical initiatives embedding Indigenous perspectives into curricula and fosters dialogic learning. Supervised two completed PhDs, with co-authored publications. Active in mentoring early-career researchers through invited talks and workshops. Labs/Teams: Part of the Alternative Accounting Research Network and editorial boards for CPA Journal and Financial Accountability & Management . Co-leads special issues on critical dialogics and publicness in accounting.
Ashley Cordes (Coquille/KōKwel) serves as an Assistant Professor of Indigenous Media in Environmental Studies and Data Science at the University of Oregon's College of Arts and Sciences. She is also a recent American Council of Learned Societies Fellow whose research bridges Indigenous science and technology studies, digital media, and environmental/place-based studies. Her educational background includes a PhD in Media Studies with an outside area in Native American Studies from the University of Oregon (2019), an MA in Communication from Hawaii Pacific University (2012), and a BA in Communication with a Journalism Certificate from Loyola Marymount University (2010). Cordes' research centers on how Indigenous culture and technology producers leverage digital media, emerging technologies, and discourse to advance Tribal sovereignty, cultural revitalization, and the resurgence of Indigenous knowledge systems. Her work specifically examines AI, blockchain, and cryptocurrency through Indigenous epistemologies, challenging dominant narratives about technological progress and financial systems. She has published in journals such as Cultural Studies >Critical Methodologies , Journal of International and Intercultural Communication , and Feminist Media Studies , and is the author of Indigenous Currencies: Leaving Some for the Rest in the Digital Age (MIT Press). Her recent publications reveal a consistent focus on decolonial approaches to technology, with particular attention to Indigenous data sovereignty, environmental justice, and alternative economic systems. The trajectory of her work shows increasing engagement with AI ethics from Indigenous perspectives, culminating in her contributions to the Indigenous Protocol and Artificial Intelligence position paper. American Council of Learned Societies Fellow Contributor to Indigenous Protocols and Artificial Intelligence Working Group Cordes actively mentors doctoral students in Indigenous digital media and participates in multiple research collectives including Abundant Intelligences, CHoRUS Network (focusing on ethical data gathering in Indigenous contexts), Indigenous Protocols and Artificial Intelligence, and the Climate Resilience Taskforce. Her community-engaged work includes the Storying on the Coquille River project, which addresses climate change impacts on salmon populations through digital humanities approaches. She maintains strong connections to her Coquille Nation community, serving on the Climate Resilience Taskforce and as Chair of the Culture and Education Committee, ensuring her academic work remains grounded in community needs and Indigenous knowledge systems.
Renasha Khan is a Lecturer in Religion, Politics and Ethics at King’s College London, based in the Department of Theology & Religious Studies within the Faculty of Arts & Humanities. She holds a PhD in the Sociology of Religion from King’s College London. Her research focuses on digital religion, examining how social media shapes narratives of British Bangladeshi Muslim women’s agency, identity, and belonging through decolonial and feminist methodologies. She co-designed decolonised pedagogical modules at King’s, emphasizing lived experiences and challenging dominant epistemologies. Her teaching spans religion, politics, ethics, sociology, race, and gender at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, employing film and digital media to foster critical thinking. Beyond academia, she is an award-winning documentary filmmaker and media consultant for BBC, Sky Arts, and National Geographic. She co-founded Forward Culture to empower South Asian women and leads the Religion, Neurodiversity and Disability Network. Publications include Living the Muslim Atlantic: Race, Gender, and the Politics of Marginality (2020) and works addressing digital activism and Muslim women’s online identities. She actively engages in policy work on digital rights and inclusive futures through her roles at the British Sociological Association and King’s College London.
Pieter Desmet serves as Professor of Design for Experience at Delft University of Technology's Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering, specifically within the Department of Human-Centered Design. He directs the Delft Institute of Positive Design, focusing on advancing knowledge for designing human flourishing. His research centers on emotional design mechanisms, particularly how product design evokes emotions and contributes to individual and community well-being. Key interests include Positive Design frameworks, mood-regulation interventions, AI-emotion alignment, and multisensory experiences in packaging and museum contexts. Recent work explores liminal spaces in exhibits, autoethnography ethics, and group mood dynamics in workplaces. Analysis of his 275+ publications reveals consistent focus on emotional design theory with expanding applications in AI, healthcare, and sustainability. His work bridges academic research with practical design tools for emotional well-being. No scientific awards are documented in the provided materials. Desmet actively supervises doctoral candidates (evidenced by PhD thesis datasets) and secures research grants through institutional collaborations. His leadership in organizing major conferences like IASDR 2023 and Design & Emotion events demonstrates significant academic influence. He leads the Delft Institute of Positive Design research group, which investigates user experience aspects through interdisciplinary projects integrating psychology, design, and technology.
Dr. Ali Kassem is a Lecturer in Sociology and Anthropology at the National University of Singapore (NUS), Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. His academic work spans multiple disciplines, focusing on decolonial approaches to understanding power dynamics, knowledge production, and social formations across the Arab-majority world and beyond. Dr. Kassem received his PhD from the School of Law, Politics, and Sociology at the University of Sussex. He completed postdoctoral research at the Institute for Advanced Studies at the University of Edinburgh and was an early career fellow with the Arab Council for Social Sciences funded by the Carnegie Corporation of New York. His academic journey includes teaching and research positions at Ludwig-Maximillian University in Munich, EHESS in Paris, American University of Beirut, and Lebanese American University. Dr. Kassem's research examines contemporary coloniality across questions of power and knowledge. His work spans anti-Muslim racism within Arab-majority contexts, transformations in Islamic educational institutions, dehumanization of Syrian refugees, and urban transformations in Lebanon. His transdisciplinary approach engages ethnic and racial studies, sociology of religion, social psychology, migration studies, and urban studies, working alongside anticolonial thinkers including Frantz Fanon, Ali Shariati, and James Baldwin. His recent publications reveal a strong focus on decolonial theory applied to education, urban studies, and Islamic contexts. Dr. Kassem's work consistently challenges Eurocentric frameworks while exploring alternatives emerging from the Global South. His research demonstrates particular attention to Lebanon and the eastern Mediterranean region as sites for theorizing global coloniality. Dr. Kassem has authored the book "Islamophobia and Global Coloniality: the Lived Erasure of Visibly Muslim Women in Lebanon" (Bloomsbury Academic, February 2023) and is currently editing "Decoloniality and Arabo-Islamicate Worlds" (Bristol University Press, 2025). His scholarly contributions appear in journals including Ethnic and Racial Studies, Globalizations, Contemporary Religion, and Review of Middle East Studies.
Thomas Smith is an Associate Professor in Environmental Geography at the London School of Economics (LSE), specializing in wildland fires, tropical environmental change, and peatland management. He joined LSE in 2018 after lecturing at King’s College London and has held visiting fellowships at institutions including the National University of Singapore and Monash University Malaysia. His research focuses on biomass burning’s role in the Earth system, particularly greenhouse gas emissions from tropical peatlands and savannas. Smith’s expertise includes infrared spectroscopy, wildfire modeling, and land management decision support. He emphasizes interdisciplinary approaches to address fire emissions, agricultural practices, and their environmental impacts. Notable awards include being Highly Commended for Research Guidance & Support at the LSESU Teaching Excellence Awards 2019. His recent work involves field experiments (e.g., GAMBUT project) and citizen science initiatives to measure air pollution. Collaborative research spans global wildfire dynamics, climate change impacts, and policy interventions in Southeast Asia’s haze season. Smith contributes to both academic discourse and practical solutions for sustainable land use and climate resilience.
Florian 'Floyd' Mueller is a Professor of Future Interfaces at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, where he directs the award-winning Exertion Games Lab within the Department of Human-Centred Computing (ranked among the top 20 HCI departments globally). Previously, he held positions at RMIT University, Stanford, University of Melbourne, Microsoft Research, MIT Media Lab, Fuji-Xerox Palo Alto Labs, Xerox Parc, and Australia's CSIRO. Mueller is a member of the prestigious ACM SIGCHI Academy, an honorary group recognizing leaders who have made substantial contributions to Human-Computer Interaction (HCI). Professor Mueller's research focuses on the intersections between technology, the human body, and play. He originated the concept of "Exertion Interface," arguing that we should not just design "easy-to-use" interactions when "hard-to-use" interactions can also be beneficial. His work spans movement-based interactions, whole-body interfaces, uncomfortable interactions, somaesthetics, and exertion games. Mueller's research methodology often employs research through design, design ethnography, and autoethnography to explore these novel interaction paradigms, incorporating mixed-reality, augmented reality, virtual reality, electronic muscle stimulation, biosensors, wearables, and drones. His recent publications demonstrate a continued focus on bodily interactions and human-computer integration, with particular emphasis on emerging subfields like WaterHCI and SportsHCI, brain-computer interfaces, and gustosonic (taste and sound) experiences. Mueller's work has evolved from foundational exertion game concepts to more sophisticated explorations of human-computer integration where technology becomes seamlessly woven into the fabric of human experience. Professor Mueller's contributions have been widely recognized with numerous awards including: Inaugural honouree of the Australian Design Centre's Design Honours Tall Poppy award for "intellectual and scientific excellence" 10 "Best Paper Honorable Mentions" (top 5%) from premier HCI conferences 2 "Best Paper" awards (top 1%) at CHI PLAY and CHI Shortlisted for the European Innovation Games Award (alongside Nintendo's WiiFit) Nokia Mindtrek Ubimedia Award Mueller has successfully secured some of Australia's largest and most competitive research grants, achieving a remarkable 14% success rate on Australian Research Council Discovery Project applications. He has served as General co-Chair for CHI PLAY'18 and CHI'20, becoming the first Australian-based researcher to spearhead HCI's highest-ranked publication outlet, and is currently General co-Chair for CHI'24. He is Associate Editor for tier A journals including Elsevier's IJHCS (International Journal of Human-Computer Studies) and ACM's IMWUT (Interactive, Mobile, Wearable and Ubiquitous Technologies). As director of the Exertion Games Lab, Mueller leads a research team whose innovations have been experienced by over 20,000 users across 3 continents and featured on the BBC, ABC, Discovery Science Channel, and Wired magazine. The lab has produced groundbreaking work in bodily interfaces, co-founding the CHI PLAY conference series and establishing new research directions in SportsHCI and WaterHCI through recent "Grand Challenges" papers. Mueller's lab continues to push boundaries with projects exploring brain-to-brain interfaces, lucid dreaming induction, and novel gustosonic experiences.
Kristen Cole serves as an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication Studies within San Jose State University's College of Social Sciences. Her academic work centers on critical interrogations of health communication systems, disability justice, and the socio-linguistic construction of personhood, with particular attention to marginalized communities navigating healthcare barriers and systemic inequities. Her research is anchored in two foundational inquiries: how individuals negotiate health/illness meanings under cultural constraints, and how communication assumptions shape human categorization. Methodologically grounded in critical/cultural studies, disability frameworks, feminist/queer theories, and autoethnography, her work examines pandemic-era health communication dynamics, citizenship language in immigration processes, and pedagogical innovations for inclusive classrooms. Personal experiences with chronic illness and ELL instruction directly inform her commitment to health justice and communicative equity. Analysis of her 15 most recent publications reveals persistent thematic engagement with disability studies and health communication, featuring methodologies like duoethnography and critical discourse analysis. Key trends include socio-emotional disablism during COVID-19, feminist disability pedagogy through participation menus, and neuroqueering communication theory. Her scholarship consistently exposes how communication practices reinforce or challenge power structures in healthcare, education, and political discourse. While specific grant details remain unlisted in available materials, her research directly addresses urgent contemporary issues: health inequality in pandemic response systems and language-based exclusion in citizenship processes. Her chronic illness narrative and ELL classroom experiences demonstrate profound personal investment in dismantling communication barriers, particularly regarding how vulnerability categorization affects healthcare access and how language determines political inclusion.
