Signy Lynch is an Assistant Professor in English and Drama at the University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM) and a graduate faculty member at the Centre for Drama, Theatre and Performance Studies. Her research focuses on contemporary intercultural/diasporic performance, Black theatre, participatory performance, audience research, and critical theatre criticism in Canada. Education : PhD and MA from York University, Hon. BA from Queen’s University Her work explores the intersections of digital media and intercultural performance, including immersive theatre practices and audience dynamics in pandemic-era performances. She co-edits Canadian Theatre Review and investigates epistemic violence in traditional criticism frameworks. In the 15 most recent publications , Lynch examines topics like racial dynamics in theatre criticism, intermedial performance technologies, audience complicity in Indigenous storytelling, and pandemic-era performance adaptations. Her articles appear in Theatre Research in Canada , Contemporary Theatre Review , and New Theatre Quarterly . Awards : Barbara Godard Prize (2021), Governor General’s Gold Medal (2022), CTCA Outstanding Critical Essay runner-up (2022) Lynch co-directs the Centre for Spectatorship and Audience Research and serves on Cahoots Theatre’s board. Her SSHRC-funded research addresses hiring equity in Canadian theatre academia and reimagines critical dramaturgy for digital futures.
Edward K. CHAN is Professor of American Studies in Waseda University's School of Culture, Media and Society and Department of Transcultural Studies, where he has served since 2018 after holding academic positions at Aichi University, Nagoya University, and Kennesaw State University. His career demonstrates sustained transnational engagement with American cultural production through Japanese institutional frameworks. His educational trajectory includes a PhD in English from the University of Rochester (2004), MA in English from California State University, Fullerton (1993), and BA in English from the University of California, Riverside (1989). CHAN's research interrogates the racialized foundations of utopian thought, particularly examining how white nationalist movements construct utopian visions through neoliberal frameworks. His scholarship spans American literature, film studies, and transnational cultural consumption, with special focus on science fiction, dystopian narratives, and the intersection of race with family ideology. This work reveals consistent patterns in how racial hierarchies are naturalized through cultural production across historical periods. His publication trajectory demonstrates deepening engagement with white power ideology, evolving from foundational work on 1970s utopian subjectivity to contemporary analyses of neoliberal whiteness. The 2023 monograph 'White Power and American Neoliberal Culture' represents a culmination of this research arc, systematically documenting the convergence of economic restructuring and racialized utopianism in 21st-century America. His scientific recognition includes: University College Distinguished Research & Creative Activity Award (2010, Kennesaw State University) Eugenio Battisti Award for Best Article in Utopian Studies for 2006 (2007, Society for Utopian Studies) As President of the Society for Utopian Studies (2024-present), he mentors emerging scholars through international symposia like the 2024 'Utopia/Dystopia, Race, Nation' event funded by Waseda University grants. His teaching portfolio encompasses comprehensive undergraduate and graduate instruction in American literature, film studies, and postcolonial theory, with 2025 syllabi showing active course development. He currently leads the 'Racial Utopianism and Cultural Representation' research project, fostering international collaborations between Japanese and global scholars while supervising graduate research in transcultural studies through Waseda's Department of Transcultural Studies.
Amanda Konkle serves as Associate Professor in the Department of English at Georgia Southern University and holds an affiliate appointment in the Women's, Gender & Sexuality Studies Program. Her academic profile spans film history, stardom studies, and gender/sexuality research with particular focus on Hollywood's Production Code era and contemporary media representations. Her educational credentials include: Ph.D. in English, University of Kentucky (2016) M.A. in English Literature, Miami University (2008) B.A. in English, Hanover College (2004) Graduate Certificate in Gender and Women's Studies, University of Kentucky (2010) Professor Konkle's research critically examines stardom construction (especially Marilyn Monroe's persona), gender performance in Westerns and comedies, censorship frameworks in Hollywood, and postfeminist television . Her work interrogates how domesticity narratives, racial dynamics, and method acting techniques shape cultural memory through film and media artifacts, with strong connections to UN Sustainable Development Goals regarding gender equality. Analysis of her 2021-2025 publications reveals concentrated exploration of Marilyn Monroe's cinematic legacy (including three Blonde adaptations), Production Code-era subversion strategies, and critical reevaluations of 1990s television reboots through intersectional feminist lenses. Recent scholarship increasingly addresses pedagogical innovation in composition instruction alongside media studies. As an active mentor, Professor Konkle currently accepts PhD students and maintains research collaborations examining precarious whiteness in television and adaptation theory across biographical media.
Cassidy Ellis is an Assistant Professor at the University of Cincinnati, specializing in critical cultural communication, media studies, and rhetorical criticism. Her academic work intersects with grassroots activism in reproductive justice, particularly in the Deep South, West, and Southwest regions of the U.S. PhD in Cultural Studies, Media Studies, Rhetorical Criticism (University of New Mexico, 2023) M.A. in Communication - Identity & Difference (University of Alabama, 2016) B.A. in History (University of Alabama, 2013) Her research focuses on unpacking ideologies in social debates, settler colonialism, and the material histories shaping contemporary discourses. She critically examines anti-abortion rhetorics, particularly how race and personhood are discursively constructed within the social imaginary. Her methodological approach includes autoethnography, qualitative research, and intersectional frameworks. Her recent publications in journals like The Journal of Autoethnography and Fat Studies Journal , as well as chapters in edited collections, emphasize praxis-based scholarship, queer futurities, and critical resistance to colonial narratives. Her work bridges academic inquiry with community organizing, informed by her co-founding of the Yellowhammer Fund and other reproductive justice initiatives. Graduate Student Activist Award, NCA Activism and Social Justice Division Top Student Paper, Southern States Communication Association Gender Studies Division Doctoral Fellowship for Inclusive Engagement, University of Denver Ellis has served editorial and professional roles, including peer reviewing for international journals and organizing within the Southern States Communication Association. Her community service spans abortion funds, doula projects, and patient advocacy, reflecting her commitment to material change.
Lukas Engelmann is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Edinburgh , specifically within the Science, Technology and Innovation Studies department under the School of Social and Political Science . His research focuses on the history and sociology of biomedicine , with particular interest in epidemiological reasoning , visual cultures of disease , digital epidemiology , and decolonial approaches to medical history . The Epidemy Lab , which he founded, explores the historical development of epidemiology and its contemporary influence on data-driven public health and pandemic policy-making . Engelmann's work has been funded by prestigious grants including an ERC Starting Grant (2021-2025) for his research on the history of epidemiological reasoning, and support from the Wellcome Trust for projects examining the social dimensions of digital health . His book 'Mapping AIDS' (2018) established him as a leading scholar in medical visualization , while 'Sulphuric Utopias' (2020) with Christos Lynteris explores the technological history of maritime sanitation and its political implications. Recent publications emphasize the visual and data practices that have shaped epidemiology, including works on epidemic modeling during the COVID-19 pandemic , the history of plague mapping , and the ethical implications of digital phenotyping . He has also contributed to interdisciplinary discussions on syndemics , co-infection epistemology , and the commercialization of bacteriology in the early 20th century. His scientific contributions have earned recognition through editorial roles in journals like Big Data and Society , and collaborative projects such as 'Working with Diagrams' (2022) which investigates the epistemological role of visual tools in medical knowledge production. Scientific Awards and Funding: ERC Starting Grant (2021-2025) Wellcome Trust Institutional Support Fund British Academy/Leverhulme Small Research Grant Chancellor's Fellowship (University of Edinburgh) 'Sulphuric Utopias' listed in The Guardian's 30 Books to Understand the World (2020)
Keith Obadike is a Professor in the Department of Art at Cornell University's College of Architecture, Art, and Planning (AAP), where he also serves as Director of Undergraduate Studies. He is an acclaimed interdisciplinary artist and composer, known for his collaborative work with Mendi Obadike, which spans sound art, digital media, public installations, performance, and internet-based projects. His artistic and academic work critically engages with technology, race, history, and identity. Obadike earned a B.A. in Visual Art from North Carolina Central University and an M.F.A. in Sound Design from Yale University. Prior to joining Cornell, he taught at William Paterson University and held visiting positions at Princeton University, Columbia University, Northwestern University, and the Art Institute of Chicago. His research and creative practice focus on sound art, digital media, public art, performance, and collaborative practice , with strong interdisciplinary connections to Afrofuturism, data sonification, and social justice. He explores how sound and technology mediate racial identity, memory, and liberation, notably through the concept of acousmatic blackness , which he and Mendi developed to describe the racial perception of sound when its source is unseen. Obadike’s selected works include large-scale public sound installations such as Blues Speaker (for James Baldwin) , Free/Phase , Compass Song (Times Square Arts), and GuideStar (Space Needle, Seattle). His projects often use data sonification, archival research, and mythic storytelling, blending historical inquiry with futuristic vision. Notable series include the Opera-Masquerades , Americana Suites , and Numbers Station works, which transform databases of violence into sonic experiences. His honors include: Rockefeller New Media Arts Fellowship (2004) Louis Comfort Tiffany Biennial Award (2015) New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship in Fiction New Music USA Creator Development Fund (2022) Obadike has received commissions and support from institutions such as the Vera List Center, Harlem Stage, Times Square Arts, the American Composers Orchestra, and the Cornell Mui Ho Center for Cities. He has exhibited and performed at The New Museum, The Whitney Museum of American Art, MoMA, and The Studio Museum in Harlem. His writings and publications include contributions to Studies into Darkness (2022), and artist books such as Four Electric Ghosts and Big House / Disclosure (both 2014). He has also released albums like Crosstalk (2008) and created internet artworks such as Blackness for Sale (2001) and The Interaction of Coloreds (2002), which are foundational in new media and critical race art. While specific advisees are not listed, his role as Director of Undergraduate Studies and Professor indicates active mentorship. His work is deeply collaborative, often co-created with Mendi Obadike, and supported by interdisciplinary teams and institutions.
Natalie Aikens serves as a Visiting Assistant Professor in the Department of Social Transformation Studies at Kansas State University. Her academic foundation stems from English Departments, complemented by five years of teaching Latinx Studies. Her research critically engages with plantation systems, racial formations, and Global South epistemologies. Key contributions include co-editing the 2023 special issue of The Global South journal titled 'The Plantationocene and/in the Global South,' and editing the forthcoming SUNY Press collection Marking the Plantationcene in the Americas: New Directions in the Critical Thought . This work intersects Critical Race Theory, decolonial studies, and environmental humanities to examine historical and contemporary power structures. Outside academia, she maintains active personal interests including canine companionship, long-distance running, piano performance, and spectating tennis and football.
Patrick J. Vernon is a Lecturer in Gender and War Studies at King's College London's Department of War Studies. Their research specializes in queer and feminist approaches to international relations, with a focus on the intersection of coloniality, political violence, and identity politics. Employing critical theoretical frameworks Analysing humanitarian intervention through queer/decolonial lenses Contributing to debates on post-truth politics and bordering processes Key research areas include the racialized and gendered dimensions of colonial violence, LGBTQ+ inclusion in security studies, and the epistemicide of marginalized knowledge systems in global politics. Their 2024 monograph The Coloniality of Humanitarian Intervention examines how colonial temporalities shape contemporary interventionist practices through heteronormative and racist epistemologies. Recent publications demonstrate thematic clusters in: (1) queer critiques of sovereignty and security frameworks; (2) decolonial analysis of humanitarian intervention; (3) post-truth politics as discursive violence; (4) civilizational discourse in international events; and (5) LGBTQ+ inclusion in UN peacebuilding initiatives. This work consistently challenges Western-centric narratives in international relations while centering trans*, indigenous, and Palestinian lived experiences. As co-curator of The Healing Gardens of Bab and producer of community engagement projects like immersion: a celebration of community and belonging , Vernon bridges academic research with creative activism focused on minoritized communities. Their interdisciplinary methodology combines discourse analysis with queer phenomenology to interrogate the violent reproduction of international hierarchies.
Professor Sos Eltis is a Fellow and Tutorial Fellow in English at Brasenose College, University of Oxford. He has held significant academic roles, including English Faculty Chair (2007–2010, 2014–2015) and Academic Co-ordinator for the Humanitas Professorship of Drama. His teaching focuses on Victorian, modern, and contemporary literature, with a special interest in drama and performance studies. Education: M.A., M.Phil., D.Phil. (Oxford). Research Interests: Victorian and Edwardian performance, Oscar Wilde, gender and sexuality in theatre, women’s suffrage, and the intersection of theatre with politics and social movements. His current project, Ingenious Theatres , explores Victorian performance through the lens of contemporary theatre scholarship, examining themes like democracy, technology, labour, and gender binaries. Professional Affiliations: Member of Oxford University Dramatic Society, Oxford Playhouse Board, and convenor of the Drama in Performance seminar series. Publications: Author of Revising Wilde (1996), Acts of Desire (2013), and editor of George Bernard Shaw’s works (2021). Recent articles span topics like suffrage writing, decadence in theatre, and Beckett’s direction. His work bridges historical analysis with contemporary critical frameworks.
Kate Palmer Albers serves as Associate Professor of Art History in the Department of Art & Visual Studies at Whittier College, where she teaches courses on photography history, visual culture, new media, and contemporary art. Her academic work centers on the dynamic relationship between emerging technologies and visual representation within networked societies. Her educational foundation includes a B.A. from Colorado College, M.A. from the University of California, Riverside, and Ph.D. from Boston University. Professor Albers' research investigates contemporary visual culture through multiple interconnected lenses: the ephemerality of digital photography, visual activism in social media ecosystems, gender and racial representation in institutional spaces, and the politics of public monuments. She examines how algorithmic systems reshape personal archives, collective memory, and artistic practice while maintaining critical focus on accessibility and equity in cultural representation. Her scholarship bridges historical photographic practices with cutting-edge digital phenomena including multi-gigapixel imaging, virtual reality, and data visualization. Her recent publications reveal consistent thematic threads exploring photography's transformation in the digital age, particularly how networked technologies create new forms of visibility and erasure. These works examine algorithmic vision systems, archival preservation challenges, and the circulation of images across physical and digital realms, often highlighting tensions between democratic access and technological control. Her notable recognition includes: Arts Writers Grant (2015) from Creative Capital/Warhol Foundation supporting her digital project Circulation/Exchange: Moving Images in Contemporary Art Professor Albers actively mentors students through course instruction while developing innovative public scholarship. Her current research portfolio includes a fictional adaptation of The Night Albums , analytical essays on challenging image circulation, and pioneering work documenting transgender representations in photographic history. She maintains active engagement with digital humanities methodologies and public-facing academic writing.
Cherise Smith is the Joseph D. Jamail Chair in African American Studies and a Professor in the Department of African and African Diaspora Studies at the University of Texas at Austin, with affiliations in the Art History department. She serves as Executive Director of the Art Galleries at Black Studies and is a renowned scholar in African American art, performance studies, and critical race theory. Education: Ph.D. in Art History, Stanford University (advised by Drs. Wanda Corn and Pamela Lee). Her research examines African American art, the history of photography, and how performance art interrogates racial, gender, and class identities. At UT Austin, she leads the Art and Archive Initiative, expanding collections and exhibition spaces for art by Black creators. Recent publications include Michael Ray Charles: Studies in Blackness (2020), which won the Charles C. Eldredge Prize, and Enacting Others (2011), analyzing identity negotiation in performance art by Eleanor Antin, Nikki S. Lee, Adrian Piper, and Anna Deavere Smith. Smith’s work has been funded by the Getty Foundation, Ford Foundation, and Harvard’s W.E.B. Du Bois Institute. She has held curatorial roles at major institutions, including the Art Institute of Chicago and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She serves on editorial boards for American Art and Art Journal , and the Archives of American Art Journal’s Advisory Board.
Dr. Talley Murphy is an Assistant Professor at Rutgers University, specializing in Critical Theory, Theater and Performance, Media Studies, and Modern Drama. Their research explores the politics of embodiment, carcerality, and surveillance through a lens of theatrical and performative analysis. They hold a PhD in Theatre and Performance Studies from Brown University, where they held a Deans’ Faculty Fellowship prior to joining Rutgers. Education: PhD in Theatre and Performance Studies (Brown University). Research focuses on the interplay between embodiment, power structures, and media, particularly in 20th-century and contemporary contexts. Current projects include a book on how gestures reproduce systems of control in the U.S. through theatrical analysis. They also engage in interdisciplinary stage direction and experimental video work, collaborating on new performance pieces. No published articles are listed here, but their work intersects with critical theory, performance studies, and cultural politics. Awards and grants are not explicitly mentioned in the provided text. Advising and grants: No formal advisees or grant details listed. Collaborations include interdisciplinary performance devising and institutional dramaturgy roles. They maintain an active creative practice alongside scholarly work. Labs/Teams: Engages in new work devising through collaborations highlighted at talleymurphy.com, blending scholarly and artistic directions.
Chuck Jackson is a Professor of English and Coordinator of the B.A. in English program at the University of Houston-Downtown, overseeing concentrations in creative writing, education, and film studies. He earned his Ph.D. in U.S. Literature, Film, and Culture from Rice University. His research focuses on nontheatrical film studies, archival film preservation, independent Black cinema, and the intersection of prison abolition with literary and cultural studies. Jackson has received significant grants including the Mellon Foundation Black Studies Course Development Grant (2025) and a National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) award (2024). He teaches courses like Film Theory, Cultural Criticism, and Literature and Culture, emphasizing critical pedagogy and interdisciplinary approaches. His scholarship bridges cinematic horror analysis with historical contexts, particularly exploring petroleum culture in 1960s-70s horror films and the work of Black cinematographers like James E. Hinton. Recent publications include 'Small Collection, Enormous Power' (2025) examining archival film curation and 'Texas/Chain Saw/Atmospheres' (2024) analyzing regional identity in horror cinema. Jackson has secured multiple Organized Research Grants (2023, 2021) and focuses on educational justice through pedagogical innovations. His work frequently intersects with social justice themes, linking literary analysis to contemporary debates about incarceration and systemic racism.
Dr. Niall Richardson is an Associate Professor (Media and Film) at the University of Sussex, part of the School of Media, Arts and Humanities. He previously taught at the University of Sunderland before joining Sussex in 2007. His academic roles include convening the MA Gender and Media program. Richardson's research focuses on minority group representations in film and media, particularly intersections with gender and sexuality. Key themes include LGBTQ+ representation, disability, transgender identifications, and ageing femininity in cinema. Education: He holds an M.A. from the University of St. Andrews, a P.G.C.E. from Queen's University Belfast, and two M.A. and a PhD from the University of Ulster. His scholarly contributions include monographs like Transgressive Bodies: Representations in Film and Popular Culture (2010) and Trans Representation in Contemporary Popular Cinema (2022), as well as edited collections such as Cross Generational Relationships and Cinema (2020). He has authored textbooks on gender, sexuality, and body studies. Research Interests: Richardson’s work critically examines queer cinema, trans representation, ageing in media, and cross-generational relationships. His analyses often address cultural stereotypes and the politics of identity in film and popular culture. Recent projects include studies on Disney’s The Little Mermaid (2023) and representations of Muslim-drag in documentaries. Teaching: He teaches undergraduate courses on Cinema and Sexualities, Film Musicals, and MA modules like Gender and Representation and Cinematic Bodies. His pedagogical focus aligns with his research, emphasizing critical media analysis and intersectional frameworks. Labs/Teams: While no specific lab is noted, his collaborative work includes co-editing volumes and co-authoring studies with scholars like F. Smith and J. Gwynne.
Brandon J. Manning, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor in the Department of English at Texas Christian University's AddRan College of Liberal Arts . His work critically examines intersections of African American literature, gender and sexuality studies, and popular culture through the lens of satire and humor analysis.
