Loli Kim is a Lecturer on Modern Korea at the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Oxford, with a Leverhulme Postdoctoral Research Fellowship (2022–2025). She specializes in cross-cultural multimodal analysis of Asian communication systems, particularly Korean cinema, folklore, and representation in media. Education: DPhil in Asian and Middle Eastern Studies (2019–2022), University of Oxford Research Focus: Multimodal discourse analysis, foodscaping theory, haenyeo women’s communication Editorial Roles: Assistant Editor of European Journal of Korean Studies; General Editor of 'Foodscaping Asia' series Her work develops the Segmented Film Discourse Representation Structures (SFDRS) methodology for analyzing Korean films' narrative conventions, including violence in revenge cinema and socio-pragmatic dimensions of fashion. She collaborates globally as a visiting lecturer and conference organizer. Kimi’s recent publications examine multimodal translation gaps, cultural representation in children’s literature, and the sociocultural implications of foodscaping. She has delivered keynote talks at institutions including Edinburgh University and SOAS, and co-organizes the Translating Squid Game talks series.
Dylan Campbell is a Lecturer in Computing at the Australian National University (ANU), affiliated with the ANU College of Systems & Society. His research focuses on computer vision, optimization, and robotics, particularly in 3D vision and deep learning applications. He has held prior roles as a Research Fellow at the University of Oxford’s Visual Geometry Group and ANU’s Australian Centre for Robotic Vision. Campbell holds a PhD from ANU (2018) and a BE in Mechatronic Engineering from UNSW (2012). Research interests include geometric sensor alignment, neural radiance fields, and differentiable optimization layers. He actively supervises students (7 PhD/DPhil, 3 MEng, 9 honours) and teaches advanced courses in computer vision and robotics. Notable awards include the Marr Prize Honourable Mention (2017) and the IEEE Australia Council Postgraduate Student Paper Competition (2018). He has organized workshops at ECCV and CVPR, served as a reviewer for top conferences like CVPR/ICCV/ECCV, and contributed to datasets like SEED4D and RefRef. His work emphasizes efficient training of neural networks and leveraging symmetries in data for long-range connections.
Dr. Majdi Faleh is an Academic Fellow/Lecturer in Cultural Heritage at the School of Architecture Design and Built Environment, Nottingham Trent University. He focuses on architectural globalization, migration and heritage, Islamic architecture ethics, and social justice in cities. Previously, he held roles at the University of Bahrain, MIT’s Aga Khan Programme, and multiple Australian institutions. He coordinates the Tunisia ENGAGE Hub Network for Humanitarian Heritage and leads the ARC-funded 'Australian Mosque Today' project. Education: PhD in Architecture and Humanities (University of Western Australia), Master of Architecture (Ball State University). Affiliations: Registered Architect in Tunisia, member of AIA, ICOM, and multiple architectural networks. His research bridges marginalized communities’ heritage with global architectural trends, emphasizing ethical frameworks in design. Notable projects include studies on Tunisian medinas, Dubai’s urbanization, and Australian mosque architecture. His work has been supported by ARC grants, Fulbright, and other international bodies. He has authored/co-authored over 20 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters on topics like public housing challenges for refugees, Islamic architectural ethics, and cultural preservation. Awards include the MIT Aga Khan Fellowship and Fulbright grants. Grants & Projects: Led £400k ARC-funded mosque project, coordinated Tunisia-UK humanitarian heritage networks, and contributed to Melbourne’s African immigrant housing studies. He has taught at universities in Australia, China, and the Middle East, and his practice spans architecture in the US, Tunisia, and France. Fluent in five languages, he engages in international conferences and editorial roles for journals like Journal of Architecture .
Ilker Yildirim is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Yale University, where he leads the Cognitive and Neural Computation Lab (CNCL). He received his Ph.D. from the University of Rochester in 2014. His research focuses on understanding how perception transforms raw sensory signals into meaningful representations of objects and scenes through computational modeling approaches. His research interests include: Computational modeling of visual perception and cognition Intuitive physics and physical reasoning Bayesian inference and probabilistic models in cognition Integration of graphics and physics engines in cognitive modeling Neural mechanisms of object representation Attention and resource allocation in dynamic scenes Yildirim's lab develops computational frameworks that bridge cognitive processes with neural mechanisms, using tools including probabilistic models, simulation engines, and deep learning. His work often involves testing these models through behavioral and neural experiments to create unified accounts of perception and cognition. His recent publications reveal a strong focus on how humans perceive physical properties of objects, particularly soft materials and liquids, and how attention dynamically allocates resources during scene perception. Among his notable achievements is receiving an NSF CAREER award for his project "CAREER: CompCog: Reverse-engineering neural mechanisms of object cognition with multilevel computational modeling," which will run from 2025 to 2030. His Nature Human Behaviour paper by Qi Lin was featured on CBS News, Germany's NZZ, and Wired Italy. Yildirim mentors a diverse group of graduate students and postdocs working on various aspects of perception, cognition, and computational modeling. His students have received prestigious awards including the Jane Olejarczyk Award and the Leonard J. Savage Prize.
Andrew J Fleck is an Associate Professor in the English and Comparative Literature Department at San José State University, affiliated with the College of Humanities and the Arts. He has been teaching since 2001, specializing in Early Modern British Literature with a focus on Dutch-English cultural relations between 1588-1688. Fleck holds a PhD from Claremont Graduate University (2000). His research explores how Dutch figures influenced English literary and cultural imagination, including studies on John Donne, Thomas Nashe, and early modern drama. He has published widely in journals like Studies in Philology and Journal of British Studies , with a particular emphasis on textual analysis, historical narratives, and cross-cultural exchanges. Fleck’s work spans from examining the role of Dutch language performances in early modern theater to analyzing the representation of national identity in texts like The Shoemaker’s Holiday . His recent publications (2013) include studies on John Donne’s engagement with astronomical themes and global adaptations of Macbeth . He maintains an active presence in academic encyclopedias, contributing entries on Milton’s Dutch connections and Renaissance authors. His scholarship bridges literary analysis with historical context, often highlighting how literature reflects political, religious, and cultural tensions of the period. Fleck’s teaching and research reflect a commitment to interdisciplinary approaches, integrating historical, linguistic, and cultural methodologies.
Lisa L. Wynn is Professor in the School of Social Sciences (Discipline of Anthropology) at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia. She serves as Associate Editor of American Ethnologist (2022-2027) and previously held leadership positions including President of the Australian Anthropological Society (2020) and membership on the AAS Executive Committee (2018-2021). Wynn earned her PhD in 2003 from Princeton University's Anthropology Department, followed by postdoctoral positions at Princeton's Office of Population Research and Center for Health and Wellbeing. Her research program centers on gender, reproductive health technologies, sexuality, and religion, with continuous fieldwork in Egypt since 1998. More recently, she has expanded her work to examine ethics review bureaucracies, lay understandings of infectious disease, and young adult vaping behaviors in Australia. Her methodological approach combines deep ethnographic engagement with critical analysis of how power structures intersect with medical technologies and bodily experiences, particularly among marginalized communities. Analysis of her recent publications reveals an evolving trajectory that maintains her foundational interest in Middle Eastern contexts while increasingly addressing digital spaces (as seen in studies of online fatwas) and contemporary health crises (including pandemic responses and vaping culture), with consistent attention to bodily autonomy and reproductive justice. Her significant scholarly contributions have been recognized through multiple prestigious awards: Vice Chancellor's Teaching Excellence Award from Macquarie University (2009) Australian Award for Teaching Excellence (2012) OLT National Teaching Fellowship (2012-2014) Leeds Honor Prize from the Society for Urban, National, and Transnational/Global Anthropology (2008) Wynn actively mentors graduate researchers specializing in gender, sexuality, medicine and technology, with particular emphasis on sexual and reproductive health. Her research program has received substantial funding from the Social Science Research Council, Australian Research Council, Office of Learning and Teaching, and Hort Innovation. Notably, she co-led a major international project to develop multilingual sexual and reproductive health resources that have reached millions of users across 208 countries. She also created a free online ethics training program for humanities and social sciences researchers at Macquarie University. Through collaborations with Cambridge Reproductive Health Consultants and other partners, Wynn has successfully translated academic research into accessible public resources, including evidence-based information on medication abortion available in six languages (English, Spanish, French, Arabic, Turkish, and Farsi).
Lucia Binotti is a Professor of Spanish and Digital Humanities at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-CH), with dual affiliations in the Department of Romance Studies and interdisciplinary Digital Humanities initiatives. She serves as Graduate Advisor for Hispanic Linguistics and Director of the Honors Study Abroad Program in Rome. Her work bridges traditional philology with cutting-edge digital scholarship, emphasizing immersive learning experiences through virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technologies. Binotti holds a Ph.D. from UC Santa Barbara (1990), an MA (1985), and a BA (1984) in Romance Philology from the Università degli Studi di Pisa. Her research focuses on linguistic identity, cultural heritage preservation, and innovative educational platforms like Amirabilia—the world’s first experiential learning platform. Notable projects include nXimena (healthcare training for Latinx abuse survivors) and Entiendelo (a linguistic/cultural navigation app for Latinx communities). Her scholarly interests span Early Modern Spanish literature, digital humanities applications, and the intersection of technology with social justice. She has directed grants totaling over $500K for projects involving AR/VR integration in education, including collaborations with the UNC Health Science Library and NCSU’s DELTA initiative. Recent awards include the John K. Walsh Award (2010) and Digital Innovation Fellow status (2014). Grants & Leadership: CFE-Lenovo Technology Grants (2018–2019) for AR/VR expansion iLRN 2020 International Co-Chair XR Faculty Learning Community Leader (UNC) Teaching: Courses span from introductory Hispanic literature to advanced topics like medieval intellectual history and digital humanities methodologies. Binotti’s work emphasizes ‘place, presence, and perspective’ in Cyber-Humanities education, particularly addressing marginalized communities through technology-driven solutions.
Dr. Rajesh Sharma is an Associate Professor in the School of Global, Urban and Social Studies (GUSS) at RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia. He specializes in Dispute Resolution, Investment Arbitration, and International Trade Law. His research focuses on arbitration laws in Asia, WTO-related issues, and mediation innovations. He holds a PhD in Law from China's Chinese University of Political Science and Law, complemented by degrees from Monash University and the University of Delhi. Dr. Sharma has advised governments and transnational companies on trade policies and has conducted trainings in over 20 countries. He is a winner of the ADR Teacher Award 2022 in Australia. His professional roles include: Associate Editor of the Manchester Journal of International Economic Law Editorial Board member of China and WTO Review and Asia-Pacific Mediation Journal Member of ICC Australia National Committee and Singapore Convention preparation He has designed unique moot competitions, including the Asia-Pacific Vis Pre Moot, promoting disability inclusion in legal advocacy. His current projects include a book comparing China-India investment laws and commentary on the Singapore Convention. Dr. Sharma's service engagements include roles as Panel Arbitrator for the Shanghai Arbitration Commission and leadership in organizations like the Hong Kong Basic Law Education Association.
Mark Baker is a Professor of Linguistics and Cognitive Science at Rutgers University. His work focuses on comparative syntax, linguistic universals, semantic roles, and the study of Amerindian and African languages. He holds the title of Distinguished Professor and maintains an office in Scott Hall. As of 2021, his office hours were by appointment due to sabbatical leave. His research interests include syntactic diversity, its limits, and patterns across languages. Notable themes in his work involve logophoric pronouns, switch-reference mechanisms, and the relationship between case systems and agreement structures. He has contributed to discussions on language typology, formal syntax, and the cognitive foundations of linguistic structures. Baker teaches advanced syntax courses and has published extensively on topics ranging from Panoan languages to theoretical models in generative grammar. His recent articles explore syntactic variation, morphosyntactic alignment, and interdisciplinary connections between linguistics and cognitive science. He serves on editorial boards and has reviewed for journals such as Journal of East Asian Linguistics and Yearbook of Corpus Linguistics and Pragmatics . His work bridges formal linguistic theory with empirical cross-linguistic analysis, emphasizing the interplay between universal grammatical principles and lineage-specific traits.
Craig M. Koslofsky is a Professor of History at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, with additional affiliations in Germanic Languages and Literatures, the European Union Center, and the Program in Medieval Studies. His research focuses on early modern Europe, particularly the history of everyday life and human skin in the early modern era (1400–1800). He explores topics such as medical practices, slavery’s impact on indigenous populations, and supernatural beliefs in colonial contexts. His research interests span the Atlantic World, British Empire, and medieval Europe, reflecting interdisciplinary approaches to historical analysis. Recent publications address the intersection of skin studies and colonialism, the cultural history of ghosts in Enlightenment America, and the Reformation’s local manifestations. He has edited works on transatlantic slave trade surgeons and early modern religious debates. Koslofsky holds a Ph.D. and is based in Gregory Hall. His work bridges global and local histories, emphasizing the material and cultural dimensions of early modern life. He collaborates across disciplines, engaging with medical history, literary studies, and colonial studies.
Niels Henze is a Professor at the Chair of Media Informatics within the Faculty of Languages, Literature and Cultural Studies at the University of Regensburg, where he has been serving since May 2018. His research centers on human-computer interaction, with a strong focus on predictive models in interactive systems, mobile interaction, augmented and virtual reality, and attention-aware computing. His research interests include: Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) Predictive modeling for runtime adaptation Mobile and wearable interaction Augmented and Virtual Reality (AR/VR) Attention-aware and context-sensitive systems Sociocognitive aspects of interactive technologies The analysis of his recent publications reveals a consistent focus on leveraging user behavior and contextual cues to build intelligent, adaptive interfaces. His work integrates machine learning with interaction design, emphasizing real-time model updates, implicit feedback, and cognitive load awareness to improve usability and user experience across mobile and immersive platforms. Scientific awards: No awards mentioned in the provided text. Niels Henze leads research in adaptive interactive systems and advises students in the field of media informatics. He has previously held a junior professorship at the University of Stuttgart and completed his doctorate at the University of Oldenburg under Susanne Boll. He is actively involved in advancing the theoretical and practical foundations of predictive and attention-aware computing. Grants and funding sources are not specified in the text. He is associated with the Institute for Information and Media, Language and Culture (I:IMSK) at the University of Regensburg, contributing to a multidisciplinary environment that bridges informatics with cultural and linguistic studies.
Julie Orlemanski is an Associate Professor and Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of English Language and Literature at the University of Chicago. She holds a Ph.D. and MA from Harvard University (2010) and a BA from the University of Georgia (2004). Her scholarly work bridges late medieval literature with contemporary theoretical debates in literary criticism, the history of science, and the philosophy of fictionality. Harvard University - Ph.D. and MA (2010) University of Georgia - BA (2004) Her research focuses on medieval medical discourse, the poetics of literary personhood, and the historiography of fiction. She is currently completing Making Literary Persons: A Poetics of Voice in Chaucer , which explores Chaucerian narratology, and developing a book on Bernard of Clairvaux's Sermons on the Song of Songs , considering how medieval writing virtualized embodied speech. Her 2019 monograph Symptomatic Subjects examines medical causation in pre-modern literature. Julie serves as Book-Review Editor for Exemplaria: Medieval, Early Modern, Theory (2025–) and has edited special issues on trans-regional medieval studies. Her recent publications analyze medieval fictionality, personification, and the ethical stakes of literary voice. She has presented at the English Institute Annual Conference and organized graduate research symposia.
Professor Alberto Rigolio is a scholar of Classics and Ancient History at Durham University, specializing in the Eastern Mediterranean during the Roman and Late Antique periods. He focuses on Syriac literature, Greco-Roman intellectual traditions, and the reception of classical texts in early Christian and Islamic contexts. Rigolio holds a D.Phil. from Oxford University and has held prestigious fellowships at Harvard, Princeton, and All Souls College, Oxford. He serves as Chair of the Board of Examiners at Durham and is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. His research explores the transformation of classical dialogue forms in late antiquity, the transmission of Greek texts into Syriac and Arabic, and the cultural intersections between Greco-Roman, Christian, and Islamic traditions. Key works include Christians in Conversation (Oxford UP, 2019), which examines late antique dialogue literature, and a forthcoming book on the emergence of Syriac literature supported by British Academy and Princeton IAS fellowships. Education: BA/Milan, D.Phil./Oxford, Postdoctoral Fellowships at Harvard and Princeton Affiliations: Institute of Medieval and Early Modern Studies, Durham Rigolio's articles analyze Syriac translations of Aristotelian works, Plutarch, and Themistius, revealing how Greco-Roman thought was adapted to meet religious and cultural needs. His projects include studies on Syriac rhetoric, the Roman household in late antique conflicts, and para-biblical narratives. He supervises postdoctoral researchers and PhD students on topics ranging from Syriac literary culture to late antique religious identity. Awards: British Academy Mid-Career Fellowship (2024), All Souls College Visiting Fellowship (2024) Grants: Leverhulme Trust, British Academy, American Philosophical Society He directs research labs examining Syriac intellectual culture and co-ordinates interdisciplinary projects on late antique translation movements. Rigolio is actively involved in public outreach, offering talks on Roman religion, Palmyrene military identity, and the Graeco-Syro-Arabic textual tradition.
Georg Martius is a Full Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Tübingen's Faculty of Science and a Max Planck Research Group Leader at the MPI for Intelligent Systems. Since April 2023, he has been a core member of the DFG-funded Cluster of Excellence 'Machine Learning: New Perspectives for Science,' which received extended funding through 2032 for its mission to integrate machine learning into fundamental scientific discovery processes. His academic foundation includes a PhD from the University of Göttingen and Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience (2005), a Diploma in Computer Science from the University of Leipzig (2003), and a visiting research period at the University of Edinburgh's Division of Informatics. Postdoctoral positions followed at the Max Planck Institutes for Dynamics and Self-Organization (Göttingen, 2009), Mathematics in the Sciences (Leipzig, 2010), and IST Austria (2015). Professor Martius's research pioneers the intersection of reinforcement learning, robotics, and tactile sensing, with emphasis on developing autonomous systems capable of natural locomotion, dexterous manipulation, and physical-world understanding. His work bridges theoretical machine learning with practical hardware applications, particularly in creating differentiable simulators, superresolution tactile sensors, and biologically plausible learning frameworks for robotic control. Analysis of his 2024-2025 publications reveals dominant trends in offline reinforcement learning (especially goal-conditioned and diversity-maximization techniques), object-centric representation learning for video understanding, and tactile sensing innovations. A strong thread connects foundation models to world model construction, while his work on differentiable physics engines enables precise collision handling and contact dynamics for real-world robotic control. His leadership roles include directing the Distributed Intelligence research team at Tübingen and contributing to major collaborative initiatives like the Real Robot Challenge and Myochallenge 2022. The Cluster of Excellence appointment represents recognition of his contributions to transforming scientific methodology through machine learning, particularly in automating hypothesis generation and experimental design. Current projects focus on integrating large-scale machine learning with embodied intelligence, advancing tactile perception systems like the Minsight vision-based sensor, and developing neuroplasticity-inspired approaches for robust out-of-distribution detection. His work directly impacts fields requiring physical interaction intelligence, from autonomous navigation to medical robotics, with emphasis on sample-efficient learning from limited real-world data.
Dorothy Ko is a Professor of Chinese History at Columbia University’s Department of East Asian Languages & Cultures. Her research focuses on the intersection of gender, material culture, and cultural history in premodern China. She holds a PhD from Stanford University and has taught at Barnard College since 2001, previously at Rutgers University. Education: BA, MA, and PhD in History from Stanford University. Research emphasizes women’s roles in economic and cultural development, including domestic artisans, body practices, and Confucian cultures. Notable works include Cinderella Sisters (2005) and The Social Life of Inkstones (2017). Awards include the Joan Kelly Prize and fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and Institute for Advanced Study. Teaching includes courses on Chinese cultural history, gender studies, and food history. She has held visiting roles such as the Kluge Chair at the Library of Congress (2022). Research bridges anthropology, history, and women’s studies, highlighting marginalized voices in historical narratives.
