Joel Andreas is a Professor of Sociology at Johns Hopkins University since 2003, serving as Program Director of the East Asian Studies Program. His research focuses on political contention, social inequality, and social change in contemporary China. He holds a PhD in Sociology from UCLA and teaches social theory, political sociology, and courses on Chinese society. He has held visiting positions at universities including the University of Sydney, Hong Kong University, and Ningxia University. His work examines labor movements, rural land policies, and class dynamics in China. Recent research includes analyses of staff-worker congresses, rural land dispossession, and the persistence of militarism in U.S. policy. He critiques market reforms and explores the legacy of the Cultural Revolution. Andreas has contributed to debates on China’s transition to capitalism and the decline of socialist systems. His publications span topics from urbanization to state coercion in rural development. He maintains an active role in academic exchanges and policy-relevant research on China’s socio-political landscape.
Alan Ritter is an Associate Professor at the School of Interactive Computing , Georgia Institute of Technology, with additional affiliation to the Machine Learning Center . His research focuses on Natural Language Processing , particularly robust models across domains/languages with fewer labels and efficient resource use, plus data-driven dialogue agents for open-topic conversations. Research Interests : Robust NLP models, cross-lingual transfer, resource-efficient learning, dialogue systems, cultural bias measurement, and privacy-aware language models Students : Mentors Ph.D. students in Georgia Tech's ML and CS programs, including Junmo Kang, Yang Chen, and Duong Minh Le. Alumni include Fan Bai (Ph.D. 2023), Yang Chen (Ph.D. 2024), and Andrew Li (M.S. 2024). Awards : NSF CAREER Award, Amazon Research Award, ACL 2024 Best Social Impact Paper, IUI 2009 Best Student Paper. Recent Work : Studies training budget allocation between supervised and preference-based finetuning, cross-lingual information extraction, cultural bias in LLMs, and privacy risk mitigation in social media disclosures. Service : Served as Program Chair for NAACL 2025, Area Chair for multiple top-tier conferences (COLM, EMNLP, ACL, EACL, AAAI). Email : alan.ritter@cc.gatech.edu
Erik Ketzan is a Lecturer in Digital Humanities and Cultural Computation at King's College London. He holds a PhD in English/Digital Humanities from Birkbeck, University of London, and has held postdoctoral roles at the University of Cologne and Trinity College Dublin, where he coordinated the MA in Digital Humanities and Culture. His research focuses on computational literary studies, legal/ethical issues in digital research, and corpus stylistics. He has published widely on topics such as Thomas Pynchon’s computational stylistics, legal frameworks for digital humanities research, and gender bias in historical texts. His work includes developing tools like Coleto for textual variant analysis and co-authoring the book *Thomas Pynchon and the Digital Humanities* (2022). Ketzan actively engages in policy advocacy, advising on copyright and data protection in DH, and has contributed to projects like CLARIN and the Leibniz Institute for the German Language. Education: PhD in English/Digital Humanities, Birkbeck, University of London Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Cologne (EncycNet Project) Postdoctoral Research and Teaching Fellow, Trinity College Dublin Research Interests: Computational approaches to literary analysis, legal challenges in data-driven research, corpus stylistics, and gender studies in historical corpora. Teaching: Courses include Python for the humanities, computational literary studies, and legal issues in digital humanities.
Oscar Westlund serves as Professor at the Department of Journalism and Media Studies within the Faculty of Social Sciences at Oslo Metropolitan University (OsloMet), where he co-leads the OsloMet Digital Journalism Research Group. He maintains a secondary appointment at the University of Gothenburg and acts as Editor-in-Chief of Digital Journalism . His research spans digital journalism, fact-checking, platform dynamics, media management, news consumption, and mobile media. Westlund's scholarly focus centers on journalism safety in digital environments, sociotechnical dimensions of misinformation combat, and platform-induced challenges for news organizations. His work examines professional fragilities of journalists, epistemological foundations of data journalism, and legitimacy paradoxes in public service media-platform relationships. Current projects address disinformation countermeasures through the SCAM initiative (Source Criticism And Mediated Disinformation). Analysis of his 2022-2024 publications reveals dominant themes: journalism safety frameworks (33%), platform-journalism tensions (27%), and fact-checking as sociotechnical practice (23%). Key methodological approaches include cross-national comparative studies, epistemological analysis, and practice theory applied to digital news production. Westlund actively contributes to academic discourse through editorial leadership at Digital Journalism and special issue guest editing. His research group coordinates interdisciplinary collaboration on digital journalism studies, while the SCAM project develops practical methodologies for disinformation detection in democratic contexts. Recent work demonstrates increasing emphasis on mobile news ecosystems and journalist safety cultures. He co-leads the OsloMet Digital Journalism Research Group, which investigates platform impacts on news production, mobile journalism evolution, and epistemological shifts in data-driven reporting. The group maintains strong international partnerships, particularly with Swedish institutions through his University of Gothenburg affiliation.
David A. Smith is an Associate Professor at the Khoury College of Computer Sciences, Northeastern University. His research focuses on Natural Language Processing (NLP) and computational linguistics, with applications in machine translation, information retrieval, digital humanities, and social sciences. He is a founding member of the NULab for Texts, Maps, and Networks, a research center focused on digital humanities and computational social sciences. Smith's work has been funded by grants from the Mellon Foundation, NEH, and IMLS, supporting projects such as the Viral Texts initiative analyzing 19th-century newspaper networks and the Oceanic Exchanges project tracking transnational information flows. He has contributed to advancements in OCR for historical texts, text reuse detection, and computational analysis of classical languages. He has advised numerous PhD students, including Shijia Liu, Si Wu, and Ryan Muther, and teaches courses like Natural Language Processing and Information Retrieval. His research has been featured in outlets like Wired and the Economist .
David Stillwell serves as Professor of Computational Social Science at Cambridge Judge Business School and Academic Director of The Psychometrics Centre, University of Cambridge. His research leverages big data to understand human psychology and behavior, with significant contributions in personality prediction from digital footprints and personalized advertising applications. His educational background includes: BSc in Psychology from the University of Nottingham (2007) MSc in Research Methods from the University of Nottingham (2008) PhD in Decision Making from the University of Nottingham (2012) Dr. Stillwell's research centers on computational social science and psychometrics, pioneering the myPersonality Facebook application that collected data from over 6 million users. His work demonstrates computers can predict personality as accurately as spouses, reveals psychological targeting's advertising effectiveness, and establishes links between personality-matched spending and life satisfaction. He also explores linguistic honesty markers through profanity analysis and personality-based dating patterns. His recent publications (2019-2025) reveal a strong trajectory toward AI evaluation using psychometric frameworks, particularly in medical and general-purpose AI assessment. Key themes include fairness metrics in language models, crisis emotional responses through social media, and computational personality recognition - demonstrating consistent innovation at the psychology-technology intersection. He has received significant recognition: Top 10 most influential papers of 2013 by Altmetric Nieman Journalism Lab highlight of 2013 Named in 'top 30 thinkers under 30' by Pacific Standard Magazine Dr. Stillwell maintains active industry engagement through consultancy with Barclays, Hilton, and Ubisoft on projects spanning computer-adaptive testing systems to interactive experiences like Predictive World for Watch Dogs 2. His policy impact is substantial, with citations by the European Data Protection Supervisor, World Bank, and multiple national governments, leading to speaking engagements at the European Parliament and Bank of England. As Academic Director of The Psychometrics Centre, he leads a global hub for advancing psychological assessment through innovative methods including Concerto open-source software, collaborating with organizations ranging from the European Commission to major corporations on psychometric applications in people analytics and digital behavior.
Karl Gustafsson is a Professor at Stockholm University within the Department of Economic History and International Relations. His work bridges security studies , collective memory , and digital research methods in international relations. Current Role: Professor of International Relations, Stockholm University Previous Positions: Post-Doc at Lund University, Researcher at Swedish Institute of International Affairs Visiting Appointments: University of Tokyo, Osaka University, Keio University, Academia Sinica, Nordic Institute of Asian Studies Research Focus: Karl specializes in memory politics , ontological security , and anxiety-driven international dynamics , particularly in Sino-Japanese relations and digital platforms . His studies explore how historical narratives and online memory construction influence state identity and policy. Awards & Grants: Recipient of the Wang Gungwu Prize (2014) and Stockholm University Association’s award (2011). Holds Swedish Research Council and Marianne & Marcus Wallenberg Foundation grants for projects on apologies in international politics and digital memory in East Asia . Publications: His work appears in journals such as International Studies Quarterly , European Journal of International Relations , and Memory Studies , addressing topics like narrative power in East Asia, anxiety’s role in policy change , and digital humanities applications in IR.
Charles M. Jones is a Professor of Finance at Columbia Business School, Columbia University, with an extensive publication record spanning several decades. His research focuses on market microstructure, high-frequency trading, short selling, retail investor behavior, and stock market liquidity. His work has appeared in top finance journals including the Journal of Finance, with his most recent publication "Nonstandard Errors" appearing in the June 2024 issue. Professor Jones's research interests center on understanding how financial markets function at a granular level. His work on market microstructure examines the mechanics of price formation, liquidity provision, and the impact of trading technologies on market quality. His research on short selling has been particularly influential, investigating when short sellers trade, what information they possess, and how regulatory interventions like short sale bans affect market functioning. His more recent work has explored the rise of retail trading through platforms like Reddit and its implications for price discovery, particularly during events like the GameStop phenomenon and the COVID-19 pandemic. Analysis of his publication trends reveals a consistent focus on market efficiency and price discovery mechanisms, with increasing attention to retail investor behavior in recent years. His work spans both theoretical modeling and empirical analysis of market data, often utilizing high-frequency datasets to examine intraday trading patterns. The interdisciplinary nature of his research bridges finance, economics, and information science, contributing to both academic understanding and practical market regulation. Professor Jones has collaborated extensively with researchers across the globe, as evidenced by his numerous co-authored papers with scholars from institutions worldwide. His work has significant implications for market regulators seeking to understand the impact of technological changes and regulatory interventions on market quality and efficiency.
Professor Lizelle Bisschoff is a Professor of Film Studies at the University of Glasgow’s School of Culture & Creative Arts. She specializes in African cinema with particular focus on gender representation, digital technologies, and film festival curation. Her research bridges academic scholarship and practical initiatives, such as co-founding the Africa in Motion Film Festival (AiM). She holds a PhD from the University of Stirling and has held prestigious fellowships including the Leverhulme Trust (2010-2012) and Lord Kelvin Adam Smith (2012-2015). Education: PhD in African Cinema (University of Stirling, 2009) MSc in Cultural Studies (University of Edinburgh, 2005) Research Interests: Gender dynamics in African filmmaking Emerging digital film industries across sub-Saharan Africa Postcolonial cinema and modernist aesthetics Her work emphasizes decolonizing film studies through projects like AiM Festival and edited volumes such as Women in African Cinema . Recent research explores African science fiction and feminist archives. She has secured £115k in grants for film restoration and educational outreach programs. Awards: Leverhulme Trust Postdoctoral Fellowship AHRC Follow-on Funding for Impact (£90k) British Federation of Women Graduates Scholarship Teaching: Convenes MSc Film Curation program Teaches Introduction to African Cinemas and Race on Screen Key Projects: Lead curator for Africa’s Lost Classics restoration initiative Organized international symposia on African art and activism
Janna Parker is a professor in the Department of Marketing at James Madison University, specializing in digital marketing, retailing, and nonprofit marketing. With a career transition from political campaigns, she focuses on social media's role in personal and professional branding. Her research examines work-personal social media boundaries, employer governance policies, and volunteerism in nonprofit contexts. Education: Bachelor's in History (California State University Sacramento), Master's (Cameron University), Doctorate (Louisiana Tech) Teaching Interests: Digital marketing education, social media strategy, nonprofit marketing Her scholarly work spans social media governance, volunteer engagement, and retail dynamics, with recent emphasis on digital marketing pedagogy and cancel culture implications. Parker has contributed to academic journals through empirical studies and conceptual commentaries. Key article trends include: Digital marketing education evolution (2024) Social media governance in corporate and nonprofit contexts (2024) Online teaching satisfaction in higher education (2022) Volunteer brand community dynamics (2020) Consumer behavior frameworks (2019) Her media appearances include expert commentary on holiday retail strategies and social media research, reflecting practical applications of her academic work.
Gareth Roberts is an Associate Professor in the Department of Linguistics at the University of Pennsylvania, where he serves as Graduate Chair. He is also a faculty member of the Psychology Graduate Group, founder and director of the Cultural Evolution of Language Lab, and co-director of the Social and Cultural Evolution Working Group at Penn. Roberts earned his PhD in Linguistics from the University of Edinburgh in 2010, following an MSc in Evolution of Language and Cognition (2006) and a BA in German and Russian (2003) from the University of Nottingham. His academic journey includes postdoctoral positions at Yeshiva University and the University of Stirling before joining Penn as an Assistant Professor in 2014, where he was promoted to Associate Professor in 2022. His research focuses on the role of social and communicative pressures in shaping language emergence and evolution. Roberts investigates fundamental questions about linguistic variant spread, phonological system structuring, and how communication shapes linguistic structure. His work bridges linguistics, cognitive science, and cultural evolution through innovative experimental approaches using artificial languages and laboratory simulations. Analysis of Roberts' recent publications reveals a consistent focus on experimental semiotics, with particular attention to social biases in language evolution, phonological organization, indexicality emergence, and the dynamics of linguistic variation. His work often combines computational modeling with human experiments to isolate specific mechanisms driving language change. Linguistic Society of America Cognitive Science Society Philological Society Cultural Evolution Society Roberts has successfully secured substantial research funding including an NSF PAC Grant ($102,648), Penn URF Research Grants ($12,155), MindCORE initiative grant ($600,000), and multiple smaller grants totaling over $20,000. His lab currently includes researchers investigating diverse topics from case and gender marking emergence to AI agent effects on group dynamics, linguistic and genetic data in British history, and phonological space organization. The Cultural Evolution of Language Lab, which Roberts founded and directs, conducts cutting-edge research using experimental semiotics methodologies. Current projects examine how social factors influence language change, the emergence of linguistic structure through communication, and the interaction between iconicity and combinatoriality in communication systems.
İbrahim Dağılma is a Lecturer in Zaza Language and Literature at Bingöl University's Faculty of Arts and Sciences since 2013. He holds a Master's (2017) and PhD (2021) in Zaza Language and Literature from Bingöl University's Living Languages Institute. He previously served as a Turkish Language teacher in the Ministry of National Education and authored/co-authored Zazaki textbooks for grades 5-8 published by MEB between 2018-2019. He currently chairs the Zaza Language and Literature department and teaches courses like Modern Zaza Literature and Comparative Literary Analysis. Education: Bachelor's in Turkish Education, Dicle University (1997) Uncompleted Journalism studies at Istanbul University (2010) Master's and PhD in Zaza Studies (2017-2021) Research focuses on Zaza language preservation, modern literary movements, folklore documentation, and comparative studies between Zaza and other languages. He has published 11 books including 'Edebiyato Modern ê Zazaki' and 'Süleyman Hilmi Tunahan', and frequently presents at international conferences on topics like Zaza cultural identity and migration narratives. His recent academic work explores linguistic comparisons between Zaza and Farsi, analysis of traditional Zaza texts, and the role of folklore in educational materials. He has advised 18 undergraduate theses and participated in numerous thesis juries. His research has been published in refereed journals like Bingöl Araştırmalar Dergisi and The Journal of Mesopotamian Studies.
Zoe Lee is a Reader (Associate Professor) in Marketing at Cardiff Business School, Cardiff University , and Programme Director for MSc Strategic & Digital Marketing. She serves as an Associate Editor for the Journal of Strategic Marketing and editorial board member for Journal of Business Research and Journal of Philanthropy & Marketing . Research Interests: Responsible Branding Brand Purpose & Activism Sustainability Communications in Fashion Nonprofit Marketing Strategy Digital Brand Management Recent Publications (2023-2025) examine brand activism in permacrisis, social media banter between brands, disability inclusion in luxury fashion, and sustainability communication strategies. Her work combines empirical studies with systematic literature reviews across Journal of Marketing Management , European Journal of Marketing , and Journal of Business Research . Scientific Awards: Outstanding Article in Nonprofit & Voluntary Sector Quarterly (2018) Nominated for ESLA Awards (2021-2025) for teaching excellence Dean's Award for Citizenship (2017) Supervision: Currently supervising PhD students in corporate brand purpose, sustainability, and brand activism. Actively engaged in grant-funded projects including British Council research on inclusive policies and Hodge Foundation public value internships.
John Gallagher is Associate Professor in English and Information Sciences at UIUC. His research examines how writers adapt to participatory audiences in digital environments, including social media interactions and AI writing tools. Using case studies and computational methods, he explores algorithmic audiences, ethical implications of AI, and technical communication in institutional contexts. He teaches courses in professional writing, digital rhetoric, and research methodologies. Recent projects analyze content creators' narratives about platform algorithms, inclusive emoji design, and academic integrity challenges posed by generative AI.
Benjamin Mako Hill is an Associate Professor in the University of Washington Department of Communication and an Adjunct Associate Professor in Human-Centered Design & Engineering , the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering , and the Information School at UW. He is a Faculty Associate at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University and a Fellow at the Center for Information Technology Policy at Princeton University during the 2023–2024 academic year. Educational Background : PhD in an interdepartmental program at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) , involving the MIT Sloan School of Management and the MIT Media Lab , advised by Eric von Hippel, Yochai Benkler, Tom Malone, and Mitch Resnick. MS in Media Arts and Sciences from MIT. B.A. in Technological and Legal History from Hampshire College . Research Interests span peer production, online communities, collective action, cooperation, learning, and computer-mediated communication. His work explores how communication and information technologies shape social outcomes in collaborative environments like Wikipedia and Linux, focusing on governance, moderation, anonymity, and educational platforms such as Scratch. Article Trends : His publications analyze peer production dynamics, privacy in open collaboration, and computational thinking in youth. Topics include underproduction in open source software, algorithmic fairness, taboo knowledge production, and legitimate peripheral participation in online communities. Methodologies combine big data, quasi-experimental, and comparative analyses. Scientific Awards : Dordick Award for Best Dissertation (2013). CHI '22 Best Paper Honorable Mention (2022). CSCW '18 Best Paper Honorable Mention (2018). CHI '17 Best Paper Honorable Mention (2017). CSCW '13 Best Paper Award (2013). CHI '11 Best Paper Honorable Mention (2011). Advising and Grants : He co-founded the Community Data Science Collective and collaborates with researchers like Aaron Shaw. Grants include multiple National Science Foundation awards for studies on digital knowledge commons, anonymous participation, and collaborative success, as well as a Sloan Foundation grant for modeling underproduction in peer production. Labs and Teams : He leads the Community Data Science Collective , an interdisciplinary research group studying online communities, and contributes to open-source projects like Debian and Ubuntu . He actively edits Wikimedia projects and participates in the Cascadia Wikimedians User Group .
