Dr. hab. Piotr Łukomski is an Associate Professor at the Department of Political Theory, Institute of Political Science, University of Wrocław. His academic career focuses on the intersection of political theory, philosophy, and cultural analysis, with notable contributions to Hannah Arendt's philosophy, game theory applications in politics, and the role of imagination in political thought. Department: Political Theory Email: piotr.lukomski@uwr.edu.pl ORCID: 0000-0002-5307-616X Research Interests: His work spans conceptual metaphors in political theory, decision-making under hazardous conditions, cultural evolution of tyranny, and the aestheticization of politics. He examines how digital technologies (like VR) reshape political identity and how Arendtian frameworks apply to modern governance. Teaching: Coordinates social consulting labs and teaches decision-making processes in political contexts, with a focus on practical applications in hazardous conditions. Publications: Recent articles analyze VR-era political identity, Hannah Arendt's relevance to modern democracy, and the integration of problem-solving strategies in political thought.
Florian Lionnet is an Associate Professor of Linguistics in Princeton University's Council of the Humanities and Director of Undergraduate Studies. He holds a Ph.D. from UC Berkeley (2016) and joined Princeton in 2017. His research focuses on phonetics/phonology, typology, areal and historical linguistics, and language documentation, with a focus on African and Oceanic languages. Current projects include endangered languages in Chad and New Caledonia, involving annual fieldwork collaborations with anthropologists, ethnomusicologists, and archaeologists. Research interests emphasize tonal systems, phonological representation, and language contact, particularly in Laal (an isolate language), Fanya (Bua), and Khoisan languages. His work bridges theory and practice, contributing to both linguistic theory and endangered language preservation. Articles explore tone phonology, areal patterns, and subphonemic effects, with recent emphasis on Kalahari Basin and Oceanic languages. Teaching responsibilities include directing undergraduate studies in Linguistics. No awards or grants are explicitly listed, though his fieldwork suggests active research funding. His office is located at 1-S-18 Green Hall, Princeton University.
Adrienne Raphel is a Lecturer in the Department of English at Baruch College, part of the Weissman School of Arts and Sciences at The City University of New York (CUNY). She holds a Ph.D. in English Literature from Harvard University, an M.F.A. in Creative Writing (Poetry) from the University of Iowa, and a B.A. in English Literature and Creative Writing from Princeton University. Her research and creative work intersect contemporary culture, poetry, and the history of wordplay. She explores modernist literature, dark academia, and the evolution of puzzles like crosswords and board games as cultural artifacts. Raphel's recent publications highlight crosswords, poetry, and literary criticism, reflecting her interests in generational trends, linguistic innovation, and urban themes. Her articles analyze cultural phenomena through the lens of games, literature, and media. She has received prestigious awards, including: Visiting Fellowship at the American Library in Paris (2023) James Merrill Writer in Residence (2023) Writer in Residence at The Mastheads (2018) Raphel serves on the Awards and Honors Committee and teaches courses such as Writing II and Great Works of Literature I. She has contributed to media outlets like The New Yorker , The New York Times , and The Paris Review .
Erkut Erdem is a Professor in the Department of Computer Engineering at Hacettepe University, where he leads the Computer Vision Laboratory (HUCVL). His research focuses on computer vision and machine learning, particularly on incorporating different kinds of context (spatial, temporal and cross-modal) into visual processing across all levels from low to high-level vision. He received his Ph.D. (2008), M.Sc. (2003), and B.Sc. (2001) from Middle East Technical University. Prior to joining Hacettepe University in 2010, he completed a post-doctoral fellowship at Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Télécommunications (2009-2010) and held visiting researcher positions at UCLA (2007) and Virginia Tech (2004). His current research interests include Visual Saliency Prediction, Automatic Image Description, Video/Photoset Summarization, Image Filtering, and Image Editing. Recent work has focused on multimodal learning with video-language models, diffusion-based image editing, and event-based vision for low-light conditions. His research has been published in top venues including NeurIPS, ICLR, ICCV, SIGGRAPH, and ACL. He has received significant recognition including The Young Researcher Award from Turkish Academy of Sciences and being named a 2022 Outstanding Associate Editor of IEEE Transactions on Multimedia. He has secured multiple research projects funded by TUBITAK and received gift funds from Adobe Research for text-guided image synthesis work. Current Teaching: BBM202: Algorithms, AIN434/BBM444: Fundamentals of Computational Photography Graduate Supervision: 6 current Ph.D. students, numerous recent graduates including Burak Ercan (2024) and Aysun Kocak (2023) Professional Affiliations: Co-affiliated with Koç University and İş Bank AI Center (KUIS AI)
University of California, Los AngelesUnited States
Elisa Kreiss is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication at UCLA, affiliated with the College of Letters & Science. She leads the Coalas Lab (Computation and Language for Society Lab), focusing on advancing understanding of how communicative context shapes language use through natural language processing, psycholinguistics, and human-computer interaction. Her work addresses challenges in image accessibility for visually impaired users, supported by grants from Google, NSF, and Stanford initiatives. Education: Ph.D. in Linguistics, Stanford University (advised by Christopher Potts) Research Interests: Her research bridges AI ethics, image accessibility, and human-centered evaluation of machine learning systems. Key themes include: Generating context-aware image descriptions for accessibility Ethical implications of vision-language models Interpretable AI through causal reasoning Awards: Google Research Awards National Science Foundation Grant Stanford Human-Centered AI Initiative Support Stanford Community Impact Award (2022) Lab & Advocacy: Directs the Coalas Lab, emphasizing inclusive research environments. Advocates for diversity in STEM and accessible technology design.
Shannon Barrios is an Associate Professor in the Department of Linguistics at the University of Utah, where she has served since 2022. She co-directs the Speech Acquisition Lab and specializes in second language acquisition, phonetics/phonology, and psycholinguistics. Her research explores how adult learners develop perceptual and lexical representations of novel phonological contrasts, with a focus on cross-language speech perception, orthographic effects, and social factors in input processing. BA, Spanish (SUNY Geneseo, 2004) MA, Linguistics (Syracuse University, 2007) PhD, Linguistics (University of Maryland, 2013) Her research interests span adult second language acquisition , phonolexical development , and accent bias . She investigates how learners process phonological contrasts, the role of orthography in speech perception, and the influence of social roles (e.g., teachers vs. peers) on language learning. Her work combines behavioral experiments, ERP/MEG neuroimaging, and computational modeling. Barrios’ recent publications (2024–2020) focus on representational fuzziness , talker variability , and lexical contrast mechanisms . Her 2024 Languages paper proposes a factorial typology for evaluating auditory word recognition scenarios, while her 2024 JASA Express study highlights individual listener variation in cross-language speech perception. Earlier works examine allophone acquisition, orthographic input effects, and neural correlates of phonological mapping. She has received two teaching awards from the University of Maryland (2013). Her teaching portfolio includes undergraduate and graduate courses in phonetics , psycholinguistics , and second language acquisition theory . She also leads workshops on research ethics, mentee development, and academic literacies.
Professor Muhammad A S Abdel Haleem, OBE, is the King Fahd Professor of Islamic Studies at SOAS University of London, within the School of Languages, Cultures and Linguistics. He holds a BA from Cairo University and a PhD from the University of Cambridge (Cantab), with additional qualifications including FCIL (London). His research focuses on Quranic language, style, and translations, alongside Islamic family law and Arab society. Key interests include Qur’anic exegesis, comparative religious studies, and the intersection of scripture with contemporary issues like disability ethics and interfaith relations. Professor Haleem has supervised numerous PhD candidates exploring topics such as divine states in Sufism, gender relations in the Quran, and charitable work in multicultural societies. He has authored over 60 works, including translations of the Quran and influential studies on Quranic structure and theology. Awards: Order of the British Empire (OBE) Publications: Over 60 books and articles, including Understanding the Qur'an: Themes and Style and translations of the Quran. His work bridges academic theology with practical ethics, emphasizing contextual interpretation and intercultural dialogue. Current research continues to explore Quranic coherence, legal hermeneutics, and the Quran’s role in modern society.
Javier Franco Aixelá **Roles and Affiliations**: Full Professor of Translation and Interpreting at the University of Alicante, Director of the Department of Translation and Interpretation (2017–2021). Coordinates the Master's in Institutional Translation (Legal and Economic). Active in teaching Translation Theory, Professional Ethics, and Advanced Literary Translation. **Education**: PhD in English Philology (University of Alicante, 1996), Licenciatura in English Philology (Complutense University of Madrid, 1986), Expert in Translation (Complutense University of Madrid, 1991). **Research**: Specializes in translation theory, cultural aspects of translation, and bibliometrics. Founded the BITRA database (70,000 entries by 2017), a comprehensive online bibliography on translation and interpreting. Recent focus on bibliometric analysis of translation studies, including advertising translation, open access in academia, and cognitive approaches. **Teaching**: Taught courses like Professional Ethics, Advanced Literary Translation, and Translation of Research Genres. Supervised over 125 theses in the last five years, including high-impact works on medical neologisms (Habiba Chbab El Fakhi) and gender-neutral translation (María López Medel). **Awards**: Coordinator of the University of Alicante's Translation Doctoral Program, which received a quality distinction from the Ministry of Education. His theses have been awarded "Excellent Cum Laude" by the university. **Projects**: Led competitive research projects such as the 2021–2025 bibliometric study on economic translation and the BITRA database expansion (2007–2010). Collaborated on international initiatives like the 5th ICEBFIT Conference (2023). **Publications**: Authored 40+ books (e.g., *La traducción condicionada de los nombres propios*), co-edited *ENTI: Encyclopedia of Translation and Interpreting*, and published widely in journals like *META* and *Translation & Interpreting*.
Professor Ben Outhwaite serves as Head of the Taylor-Schechter Genizah Research Unit at Cambridge University Library, a position he has held since 2006 following seven years as a Genizah researcher. His academic career is centered on the linguistic and historical analysis of Hebrew manuscripts from the Cairo Genizah collection. His educational background includes a B.A. in Hebrew Studies, M.Phil. in Medieval Hebrew literature, and Ph.D. from Christ's College, Cambridge. Supervised by Professor Geoffrey Khan, his doctoral thesis examined the grammatical description of Hebrew letters in the Genizah. Professor Outhwaite's research focuses on Hebrew language transmission during the Middle Ages, encompassing Biblical Hebrew vocalization traditions, medieval Hebrew as a communication medium, the form and function of medieval Hebrew Bibles, and the documentary history of communities depositing manuscripts into the Cairo Genizah. His work bridges linguistic analysis with historical context to illuminate Jewish life under Islamic rule. His publication trends reveal consistent contributions to Genizah scholarship, with recent work emphasizing economic history (Nile water pricing), religious polemics, manuscript transmission, and cross-cultural Jewish communities. The articles demonstrate deep engagement with documentary fragments while expanding into broader historical and linguistic contexts. Research funding has been secured from prestigious institutions including the AHRC, British Academy, Wellcome Foundation, and Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. He serves as series editor for Brill’s ‘Cambridge Genizah Studies’ and has contributed to major exhibitions like ‘Discarded History: the Genizah of Medieval Cairo’. The Taylor-Schechter Genizah Research Unit operates within Cambridge University Library, maintaining one of the world's most significant collections of Hebrew and Jewish manuscripts. The unit collaborates internationally on digitization projects and hosts the annual Genizah Lecture, Fragment of the Month features, and scholarly symposia.
Professor Katrin Tent is a distinguished mathematician specializing in mathematical logic at the University of Münster, where she holds a professorship in the Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science within the Institute for Mathematical Logic and Foundations Research. She is an active researcher in Mathematics Münster, an investigator in CRC 1442 Geometry: Deformations and Rigidity, and contributes to multiple research projects including Topics in Mathematics Münster T3: Models and universes, T4: Groups and actions, and T8: Random discrete structures and their limits. PhD in Linguistics, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel (1988) Diplom in Mathematics, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel (1989) PhD in Mathematics, University of Notre Dame (1994) Habilitation, "Model theory of groups and BN-pairs" (2000) Professor Tent's research bridges model theory, group theory, and geometry, with particular focus on finite Morley rank structures, BN-pairs, and sharply multiply transitive groups. Her work often combines methods from these areas to prove unexpected results, either constructing groups or incidence geometries with surprising model theoretic properties or using model theory to construct new and interesting geometries or groups. Her recent publications reveal a consistent trajectory connecting model theory with group-theoretic structures. She has made significant contributions to understanding sharply 2- and 3-transitive groups, finite Morley rank geometries, and the model theory of generalized polygons. Her work demonstrates how model-theoretic techniques can solve deep problems in group theory and geometry, particularly through the study of BN-pairs and incidence structures. DFG Research Fellowship (1996-1998) Bayerischer Habilitationsförderpreis (1998-2001) Heisenberg-Stipendium (2001-2004) ERC Consolidator Grants expert panel (2016, 2018) Elected to DFG Senate (2019) Professor Tent leads an active research group with current members including Marco Amelio, Dr. Benjamin Brück, Anna Cascioli, Lukas Jonuska, Silke Meissner, Zahra Mohammadi Khangheshlaghi, and Dr. Sam Shepherd. Her former research group members include Dr. Simon Andre, Dr. Isabel Müller, and Dr. Tim Clausen, among others. Her supervisory work spans both theoretical foundations and specific applications in geometric group theory and model theory. Her research group operates within the Institute for Mathematical Logic and Foundations Research at the University of Münster, collaborating closely with other researchers in the Mathematics Münster cluster. The group participates in various projects including CRC 1442 - C04: Group theoretic aspects of negative curvature, contributing to the vibrant mathematical research environment at one of Germany's leading mathematics institutions.
Gheorghe Paun is a Senior Researcher at the Institute of Mathematics of the Romanian Academy (1994–present) and a Visiting Researcher at the University of Sevilla (2009–present). He earned his Ph.D. in Mathematics from the University of Bucharest (1977), supervised by Solomon Marcus. His research spans Automata and Language Theory (descriptional complexity, regulated rewriting), Natural Computing (DNA computing, membrane computing), and he is the initiator of membrane computing . Education : M.Sc. in Mathematics (1974), University of Bucharest (specialization: computer science) Ph.D. in Mathematics (1977), University of Bucharest His work includes foundational contributions to DNA computing (book DNA Computing. New Computing Paradigms , 1998) and membrane computing (book Membrane Computing. An Introduction , 2002). He has collaborated with over 100 researchers globally and advised multiple Ph.D. students, including Victor Mitrana and Gianina Georgescu. His scientific awards include the Gheorghe Lazar award (1981), Corresponding Member of the Romanian Academy (1997), Doctor Honoris Causa from Silesian University of Opava (2007), and recognition as an ISI Highly Cited Scientist (2007). He also holds honorary citizenships in Curtea de Arges (1998), Arges County (2007), and Cicanesti village (2009). Paun has served on editorial boards for journals like Theoretical Computer Science. Natural Computing Series and Natural Computing , and organized major workshops in membrane computing. His academic contributions include over 150 publications and editorial roles in 20+ journals.
Dr Rebecca Mitchell is an Affiliated Lecturer in the French Section of the Faculty of Modern and Medieval Languages and Linguistics at the University of Cambridge, based at the Raised Faculty Building on Sidgwick Avenue. Her academic journey includes undergraduate studies in Modern and Medieval Languages at Cambridge, an MA in Translation and Interpreting from the University of Kent, and a PhD from Cambridge focused on syntactic variation in Gabonese French. Her educational background comprises: PhD in Linguistics (University of Cambridge) MA in Translation and Interpreting (University of Kent) Undergraduate degree in Modern and Medieval Languages (University of Cambridge) Dr Mitchell's research centers on the sociolinguistics of sub-Saharan Africa, examining language attitudes, endangerment, policy, planning, and healthcare communication. She also investigates traditional belief systems through Sub-Saharan African anthropology, emphasizing the intersection of language, culture, and power structures in Central and West African contexts. Her work consistently addresses decolonization themes and linguistic justice. Analysis of her publications reveals a dual trajectory: recent works (2023-2025) prioritize public engagement through initiatives like National Linguistics Day and educational advocacy, while earlier research (2004-2019) establishes foundational contributions to African linguistics, particularly Gabonese French syntax, language policy, and endangerment in Central Africa. No scientific awards are documented in the provided materials. She has supervised undergraduate courses since 2012 including Fr1 (Introduction to French Literature, Linguistics, Film and Thought), Fr2 (Structures and Varieties of French), Li14 (History of the French Language), and Li12 (History of Ideas about Language). Dr Mitchell currently cannot accept new doctoral students but maintains active engagement through curriculum development and public lectures. Her public engagement initiatives, notably National Linguistics Day launched in 2024, constitute a significant platform for promoting linguistic science through school talks, Civil Service workshops, and national events like the Language Show, positioning her as a key bridge between academic linguistics and public understanding.
Jørgen Bakke is an Associate Professor in History of Art at the Department of Linguistic, Literary and Aesthetic Studies, University of Bergen. His academic work spans classical archaeology, Byzantine studies, and visual culture with a particular focus on ancient Greek art, landscape archaeology, and the cultural history of the Mediterranean region. Bakke has been actively involved in archaeological research in Greece, particularly in the Tegea region of Arcadia. His research interests encompass a broad range of topics in art history and classical studies. Bakke specializes in visual culture of ancient Greece, Byzantine garden traditions, landscape archaeology, and the intersection of art with memory and knowledge representation. His work often bridges disciplines, connecting classical literature with visual analysis and exploring how ancient visual culture functioned within historical and religious contexts. Bakke's research demonstrates particular expertise in the interpretation of ancient texts related to art (ekphrasis), the visual poetics of ancient Greek culture, and the reception of classical themes in later periods. Bakke's scholarly output reveals a consistent focus on Mediterranean cultural landscapes, particularly examining the Tegea region through multiple historical periods from classical antiquity through the Byzantine era and into the Ottoman period. His work shows a progression from early studies on ancient Greek visual culture toward more specialized research on Byzantine visual traditions and garden culture. A notable thread throughout his publications is the examination of how visual culture functions within religious and devotional contexts across different historical periods. His recent work increasingly engages with digital humanities approaches to art historical analysis. Bakke is actively involved in multiple research groups at the University of Bergen, including the Images of Knowledge Research Group, the Antiquity and the Classical Tradition Research Group, and the Literature & Religion Research Group. These affiliations reflect the interdisciplinary nature of his work, which bridges art history, classical studies, religious studies, and literary analysis. His research demonstrates how visual culture serves as a critical lens for understanding historical, religious, and philosophical developments across different eras.
Dr. Grzegorz Kotłowski serves as an Assistant Professor at the University of Gdańsk's Faculty of Languages within the Institute of Classical and Slavonic Studies, Division of Classical Philology. He concurrently holds the significant administrative position of Deputy Dean for Students Affairs at the Faculty of Languages, demonstrating dual expertise in academic scholarship and institutional leadership. His research centers on Classical Philology with intense specialization in Latin epigraphy, particularly the documentation and analysis of Neo-Latin inscriptions in historical churches of Gdańsk (notably St. Mary's Church) and Warmia (Frombork Cathedral). Dr. Kotłowski's work bridges philological rigor with historical contextualization, examining epitaphs, sepulchral plates, and commemorative texts from the early modern period to reconstruct social hierarchies, religious practices, and cultural identities within Gdańsk's multicultural urban landscape. His methodological contributions extend to digital approaches in Neo-Latin studies, addressing data acquisition and dataset creation challenges. Recent publications (2020-2022) reveal a highly focused epigraphic output, with over twenty articles detailing specific monuments while collectively forming a comprehensive corpus of Gdańsk's Latin funerary heritage. His collaborative multi-volume series with Elżbieta Starek— Łacińskie inskrypcje w kościołach Gdańska (covering Mariacka Basilica, Śródmieście, and Oliwa) and Łacińskie inskrypcje w kościołach Warmii (Frombork)—establishes foundational references for regional epigraphic studies. No scientific awards are documented in available sources. Administrative responsibilities as Deputy Dean for Students Affairs indicate active engagement in academic governance, though specific advising roles or grant funding remain unreported in current materials. The absence of laboratory or team descriptions suggests individual or small-collaboration research models centered on archival and field-based epigraphy.
Daniel Klein is a Professor in the Computer Science Division at the University of California at Berkeley , affiliated with the Berkeley Artificial Intelligence Research Lab (BAIR) and the Berkeley Natural Language Processing Group . His research focuses on statistical natural language processing, including unsupervised learning, syntactic parsing, information extraction, and machine translation, with applications in historical linguistics and AI.
