Dr. Philip Auslander is a Professor in the School of Literature, Media, and Communication at Georgia Institute of Technology since 1999. He holds a PhD in Theatre from Cornell University (1983) and specializes in Performance Studies, Popular Musicology, and their intersections with media and technology. His research focuses on gender identity performance, media-performance relationships, and performance documentation. He has authored ten books, including the seminal Liveness: Performance in a Mediatized Culture (2023, 3rd ed.), In Concert: Performing Musical Persona (2021), and Women Rock!: Portraits in Popular Music (2023). He received the Callaway Prize for Liveness (1999 edition). Dr. Auslander teaches courses on performance studies, film acting, and music culture. He produced and acted in Dr. Blues (2019), a short film exploring blues music and collaboration. His art criticism contributions include ArtForum International and museum catalog essays across Europe and the U.S. He edits The Art Section , a journal of art and cultural commentary. His work bridges academic and creative realms, addressing topics like robotic performance, mediatized culture, and gender in music. Recent projects explore digital liveness and the intersection of human/machine interaction in art.
Sarah L Higley is a Professor of English at the University of Rochester's School of Arts & Sciences, specializing in medieval literature and modern fantasy. She holds a PhD from the University of California, Berkeley. Her research focuses on medieval Northern European vernacular languages (Old English, Middle Welsh, and Middle French), the intersection of medieval and modern concepts of monstrosity, ecocriticism, and the study of artificial entities like robots and simulacra. She has published extensively on topics including Hildegard of Bingen's linguistics, werewolf lore, and medieval film adaptations. Recent projects include editing a Middle English translation of The Tale of Melusine and exploring digital remediations of medieval texts through machinima. Her teaching spans Old English literature, gender studies, and science fiction. She has produced digital media works such as The Lover's Confession , adapting John Gower's Confessio Amantis into real-time animation. Her interdisciplinary approach bridges medieval studies with modern media, emphasizing cultural and ecological connections across centuries. Research Highlights: Analysis of medieval artificial entities (robots, werewolves) and their modern parallels Ecocritical readings of medieval poetry and contemporary cinema Study of invented languages and medieval mysticism Cross-cultural comparisons of Welsh and Old English nature poetry Recent Projects: Editing the 15th-century Middle English translation of Coudrette’s Melusine Investigating medieval ecocriticism and concepts of Nature
Francesca Borgo is Lecturer in Art History at the University of St Andrews, specializing in early modern visual culture with particular expertise in Renaissance art and material studies. She holds a Ph.D. from Harvard University and has held fellowships at leading research institutes including Villa I Tatti and the Getty Research Institute. Borgo's research examines intersections between art, science, and material culture in fifteenth and sixteenth-century Europe. Her current projects investigate representations of war in Renaissance art and historical perceptions of fragile or decaying artworks. Recent publications analyze zoomorphic armor ornamentation, soundscapes in Leonardo's battle paintings, and waste reuse in artistic workshops. Her scholarly work demonstrates consistent engagement with Leonardo da Vinci's legacy, Vitruvian principles of scale, and material transformations in artistic production. Recent articles explore sensory dimensions of Renaissance art and theoretical challenges in representing human proportions. Borgo co-directs research projects on Renaissance embodiment theories and coordinates collaborative initiatives on material reuse in early modern practices. She contributes to digital art history through open-access publications and database development.
Peter Vuust is a Professor at the Center for Music in the Brain, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University. With over 397 publications and 22 ongoing or completed research projects, his work bridges neuroscience, music cognition, and clinical applications. His research spans multiple decades with significant publication output from 2000-2025, showing increasing productivity in recent years with 27 publications in 2024 and 19 in 2025. His research interests focus on music cognition and neuroscience, particularly examining how the brain processes musical elements like rhythm, harmony, and beauty. Vuust employs advanced neuroimaging techniques including fMRI, MEG, and EEG to investigate auditory processing, neural entrainment, and the relationship between music training and cognitive abilities. Key areas include mismatch negativity, auditory cortex function, brain networks, and functional connectivity during music perception. His work spans fundamental research on rhythm perception and musical beauty to clinical applications involving cochlear implants and music therapy. Vuust's recent publications (2023-2025) demonstrate a strong focus on the neural correlates of musical experience, with particular attention to rhythm perception, musical beauty, and the relationship between music training and sensory processing. His work often involves interdisciplinary collaborations and combines behavioral measures with neuroimaging to provide comprehensive insights into music cognition. Current research directions include studying rhythmic complexity, neural entrainment, music's therapeutic applications for sleep, and the development of music processing skills in cochlear implant users. Professor Vuust actively engages with the public through numerous presentations and media appearances, including recent talks at Roskilde Oplysningsforbund, Lægeforeningen, Folkekirkens Uddannelses- og Videnscenter, Djursland Jazzfestival, and HerningErMusik in 2024. His research is supported by various funding sources including Helsefonden (Danish Health Foundation), with multiple ongoing projects exploring musical rhythm, neural entrainment, developmental aspects of music processing, and music's therapeutic applications. At the Center for Music in the Brain, Vuust collaborates with researchers including Elvira Brattico, Simone Dalla Bella, Morten Kringelbach, and Bjorn Petersen. His interdisciplinary team spans neuroscience, musicology, and clinical medicine, working together to unravel the complex relationship between music and the brain through both basic and applied research.
Steven Gray is a full professor in the Department of Community Sustainability at Michigan State University (MSU). He holds additional appointments at the National Institute of Standards and Technology and is a fellow at the Collective Intelligence Unit at the IT University of Copenhagen. His research focuses on socio-environmental modeling, knowledge diversity, and collective intelligence for sustainability, with over 100 peer-reviewed publications and a leading role in editing Environmental Modeling with Stakeholders: Methods, Theories and Applications . Gray’s work is supported by grants from the National Science Foundation, NOAA, USDA, and international bodies like the Belmont Forum. His lab develops the Mental Modeler software, applied globally in environmental planning contexts such as marine spatial planning, citizen science projects, coastal hazard mitigation, and agricultural conservation. Key projects include Collaborative Modeling of Mangroves and Seawalls (NOAA, 2023–2025) and Integrating Perspective-taking and Systems Thinking (NSF, 2021–2024). Research interests emphasize participatory modeling, systems thinking, and leveraging stakeholder knowledge for environmental decision-making. Notable contributions include advancing frameworks for assessing cognitive diversity in stakeholder groups and analyzing the role of collective intelligence in conservation. Gray’s lab also addresses urban food systems, disaster resilience, and climate-smart agriculture through interdisciplinary collaborations. Academic achievements include being named a fellow at the Collective Intelligence Unit and leading MSU’s Human-Environment Interactions Lab. Current projects focus on coastal resilience, fisheries management, and participatory approaches to complex environmental challenges.
Fay Bound Alberti is a Professor of Modern History at King’s College London, where she directs the Interface project exploring facial transplantation and the Centre for Technology and the Body. She holds a UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship (2019–present) researching the ethics of face transplants. Her work bridges history, medicine, and emotion, with notable contributions to studies on loneliness, organ transplants, and the cultural history of the body. Education: PhD in History from the University of York (2000). Research Interests: Focuses on emotions, medical ethics, and the intersection of technology with embodiment. Explores topics like facial difference, organ transplantation narratives, and historical perceptions of health and identity. Public Engagement: TED speaker on loneliness, frequent media contributor (BBC, New York Times, The Guardian), and author of books including A Biography of Loneliness (2019) and Matters of the Heart (2016). Awards: UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship, recognition as a leading scholar in medical humanities.
Dr. Gregor Hochstetter serves as a Lecturer in Subject Didactics for Philosophy/Ethics at the University of Tübingen , within the Department of Philosophy under the Faculty of Humanities. His research focuses on moral psychology, philosophy education, digitalization in teaching, and sustainability in learning environments. He contributes to advancing pedagogical approaches in ethics and philosophy through innovative methodologies, including digital tools and sustainable architectural designs for educational spaces. Key publications include explorations of moral reasoning in education, creativity in philosophy teaching, and embodied cognition studies. Hochstetter has also reviewed significant works in philosophy of mind and cognitive science. His work bridges theoretical philosophy with practical educational challenges, emphasizing interdisciplinary approaches. While no specific grants or advising roles are detailed here, his academic output reflects a commitment to both scholarly research and impactful educational practices. The University of Tübingen’s Department of Philosophy provides a robust academic environment for his contributions to philosophical pedagogy and ethics.
Rick Grush is a Professor of Philosophy at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). His primary affiliation is with the Department of Philosophy, though his research intersects with cognitive science, neuroscience, and interdisciplinary studies. His research focuses on perception, temporal experience, representation theory, enactivism, and neurophilosophical questions. Notable themes include crossmodal perception, agency theory, and the philosophical analysis of sensory integration. He critiques and synthesizes theories from both analytic philosophy and cognitive science, often engaging with empirical research in neuroscience. Grush’s recent work explores the temporal structure of perceptual experience, agency’s role in perception, and the philosophical implications of enactivist frameworks. His publications consistently bridge gaps between abstract philosophical concepts and concrete scientific methodologies, emphasizing interdisciplinary dialogue. Though no academic awards or grants are explicitly noted in the provided materials, his prolific output from 2016 to 2023 demonstrates sustained engagement with cutting-edge debates in philosophy of mind and cognitive science.
Dr Alan McKenna is a Lecturer in Law at the University of Kent's Kent Law School. He holds a PhD from the University of Kent (2005) and a Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education (2011). He has served as a visiting lecturer at institutions including City University London and the University of Surrey. His research focuses on asbestos-related legal issues, Information and Communication Law, drone regulation, and privacy concerns. Dr McKenna has provided expert evidence to parliamentary committees and government bodies, influencing UK policies on drones and asbestos litigation. He has been frequently featured in BBC media discussing drone technology and privacy. Professional memberships include the European Communication Research and Education Association and the Society of Legal Scholars. He also sits on Kent Police’s Drone Development Board. Education PhD in Law, University of Kent (2005) Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education (2011) Research Interests Asbestos-related legal claims and corporate liability Drone regulation, privacy implications, and public policy Information privacy and data protection laws Emerging technologies' legal frameworks Key Contributions Authored over 20 articles and book chapters on drone law, asbestos litigation, and digital rights Testified before House of Lords and House of Commons committees on drone and asbestos policies Organized the first Action Mesothelioma Day in Kent (2017) Advising & Grants Reviewer for journals such as Journal of Personal Injury Law and Environmental Law Review Consultant for BBC News on drone-related stories Participant in government-led Drone Public Dialogue events Labs/Teams A member of Kent Police’s Drone Development Board, contributing to regional drone policy initiatives.
Associate Professor Kathy Smith is the Associate Dean (Partnerships) in RMIT University's School of Education (College of Design and Social Context). Her research focuses on primary education, science education, STEM, and teacher professional learning. With 35 years of experience spanning teaching, academia, and policy, she emphasizes elevating teacher expertise and fostering collaborative partnerships. Research Projects: Leading a large Australian Research Council (ARC) linkage project on problem-based learning in STEM. Contributed to initiatives like the 'STEM Monograph Series' and 'Renewal of Science Continuum Archive'. Coordinated projects with schools and organizations such as Catholic Education Melbourne and the Knox School. Achievements: Received prestigious awards including the Monash Vice Chancellor’s Early Career Research Award (2020) and the Jeff Northfield Memorial Award (2014). Secured over AUD 1.5 million in research funding for projects like 'Exploring Problem Based Learning in schools' (ARC Linkage, $422,092). Grants & Partnerships: Managed grants totaling over AUD 1 million, including collaborations with government and educational bodies. Advocated for teacher-driven research through projects like 'Leading School Based Change' (Knox School, $113,000). Labs/Teams: Leads interdisciplinary teams in STEM education innovation and teacher professional development. Collaborates with international partners on cross-cultural studies in education.
Marc Adams is an Assistant Dean and Professor at the School of Technology for Public Health, Arizona State University. His research focuses on physical activity promotion, built environment influences on health, and the design of behavioral interventions targeting obesity, nutrition, and cardiovascular health. He leads studies on mobile health technologies (e.g., smartphone apps) and community-based initiatives to improve health equity through environmental modifications. Key research areas include the efficacy of financial incentives in physical activity interventions, the role of neighborhood walkability in promoting health behaviors, and the intersection of crime perception and recreational walking. He collaborates internationally on projects analyzing urban design impacts on public health outcomes, such as the IPEN Adult Study and WalkIT Arizona trials. Adams has developed culturally tailored interventions like the Smart Walk program for African American women and contributed to evidence-based guidelines for school nutrition policies. His work emphasizes interdisciplinary approaches, integrating data science, environmental engineering, and behavioral economics to address complex health challenges.
Professor Lisa Methven is a faculty member at the University of Reading, specializing in sensory and consumer science, flavor chemistry, and food product development. She leads the Sensory Science Centre and serves as Programme Director for the BSc Food Science with Business. Her research focuses on improving food palatability for older adults, investigating causes of individual sensory differences, and enhancing vegetable consumer acceptability. She holds a BSc (Hons) and PhD in relevant fields. Key grants include a 2008-2012 Research into Ageing grant and a multisite New Dynamics of Ageing project. She is a Fellow of the Institute of Food Science and Technology and actively involved in the SCI Food Group. Her work spans food fortification strategies, aging nutrition, and sensory perception studies. Notable contributions include developing protein-fortified recipes for older adults and studying the impacts of physical activity on appetite. External Activities: Committee member of SCI Food Group, Professional Food Sensory Group (PFSG) member Labs/Teams: Sensory Science Centre, Food4Years Network (improving foods for aging populations) Grants: Over £1M in grants focused on aging nutrition and sensory science
Federico Faloppa is a Professor in the Department of Modern Languages and European Studies at the University of Reading, where he serves as REF Impact Lead for Modern Languages and Linguistics and Academic Co-coordinator of the University of Sanctuary initiative. He is on research leave during Semester 1 of 2024–2025, reflecting his active engagement in high-impact scholarly projects. Laurea (BA) in Letters and Philosophy, University of Turin (1997) PhD in Italian, University of London (2008) His research focuses on sociolinguistics, discourse analysis, migration, hate speech, and language policy , particularly the linguistic construction of otherness, intercultural communication, and migrant writings. He has authored six monographs, including Razzisti a parole , Sbiancare un etiope , and #Odio , which have received extensive media attention and are used in Italian universities. He is currently writing two new monographs on ecolinguistics and language and power, to be published by Einaudi and Bollati Boringhieri. His recent publications show a consistent trend in analyzing multilingual education, hate speech, borderscapes, and intercultural dynamics . He investigates how language shapes prejudice, migration narratives, and social inclusion, often in collaboration with international bodies like the Council of Europe and Horizon 2020 networks. His work bridges academic research with public policy and civil society engagement. His scientific contributions are recognized through leadership roles: Coordinator of the Italian National Network Against Hate Speech ( retecontrolodio.org ) Consultant to the Council of Europe Member of the board of directors of the global NGO Cospe Former member of the scientific board of Amnesty Italy (2018–2022) Appointed member of the Knowledge Committee for the European Commission’s Citizens’ Panel on Hatred in Society Faloppa supervises PhD students in Italian linguistics, migration, and discourse analysis, including Marina Kracht, Azizah Al Thenyan, and Surya Devkota. He has served as an external examiner at several UK universities. His research is funded by UKRI-GCRF, Erasmus+, Horizon 2020, and the Council of Europe, demonstrating strong international collaboration and impact. He has also been a visiting professor at the Universities of Turin, Catania, Palermo, and Università Cattolica di Milano. He leads and contributes to interdisciplinary research teams focused on hate speech, multilingualism, and migration, often working with institutions across Europe. His work is deeply embedded in both academic and activist networks, aiming to decolonize language and combat discrimination through research, policy, and public engagement.
Claire Somerville is a Lecturer in International Affairs and Executive Director of the Gender Centre at the Geneva Graduate Institute. She holds a PhD from the University of Cambridge and has held academic positions at institutions including the University of Newcastle (Australia), Queen Mary (London), and Trinity College Dublin. Her work critically examines intersections of gender, health, and digitalization, emphasizing policy-world linkages. Thematic expertise spans Gender & Public Policies, Global Health Diplomacy, Multilateral Diplomacy, Digital Technologies, and Decolonial Theory. Geographically, she focuses on Africa, South Asia, and Southern Europe. Recent research includes studies on NCDs in Mozambique, LGBTQ health needs, and digital gender gaps. She serves on the Royal Anthropology Institute’s Policy Committee and advises UN bodies on gender and health. Key research projects include the COHESION initiative addressing NCDs in LMICs and analyses of male partner involvement in HIV care programs in Malawi. Her writing critiques global health governance structures and advocates for gender-responsive policies. Claire’s academic contributions bridge anthropology, public health, and international relations, with a focus on decolonizing knowledge production and equitable global health systems.
Andrea Piovesan is a Lecturer in Psychology at Edge Hill University, UK. She holds a PhD in Psychology from Liverpool John Moores University (2019), with prior degrees from the University of Padova (BSc, MSc in Psychology). Her research focuses on neurocognitive processes, particularly time perception, typeface perception, and autism. She created Tipo , a platform analyzing Typeface perception, and collaborates on autism research with Plymouth University. Piovesan combines behavioral experiments with physiological measures like EDA, ECG, and EEG. Notable contributions include studies on chronic pain's impact on time perception and neurodivergent typeface perception. Her work appears in journals like Emotion , Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders , and Visible Language . Education: BSc (Padova, 2012), MSc (Padova, 2014), PhD (Liverpool John Moores, 2019) Research Platforms: Tipo (typeface dataset at tipotype.co.uk) Key Collaborations: Dr. Atherton & Dr. Cross (Autism studies) Her research explores typeface perception's role in design, time perception mechanisms, and autism's intersection with pain and sensory experiences. Recent work investigates neurodivergent typeface perception differences and chronic pain's temporal distortions.
