Craig Buckley is an Associate Professor in the Department of the History of Art and affiliated with the Yale School of Architecture. His research bridges modern architecture with visual arts and media, focusing on techniques like montage, collage, and screen-based practices. Education: BA (Trent University), MA (University of Western Ontario), PhD (Princeton University) His work examines how media such as print, film, and digital screens shape architectural culture. Key themes include cinema architecture, media theory, and the intersection of design with socio-political movements like 1968 protests. His recent articles analyze topics such as colonial-era cinema architecture, media façades, and pneumatic structures. He teaches courses on architecture’s relationship with media and print culture, often utilizing Yale’s special collections.
Dr. Alicia Kulczynski is an Associate Professor of Marketing and Head of the Marketing, Tourism & Business Analytics Discipline at the University of Newcastle. She holds a PhD in Management (Marketing) and undergraduate degrees in Forensic Science and Communication Studies. Her research focuses on consumer behavior, branding, and advertising, with emphasis on spokesperson characteristics, psycholinguistics in branding, and music concert attendance. She has published in top-tier journals like the Journal of Marketing and European Journal of Marketing, and was recognized as Associate Editor of the Year (2024) for the Journal of Consumer Behaviour. Her work bridges academia and industry through collaborations with organizations such as the NSW Ombudsman and Ultra Music Festival. Education - PhD in Management (Marketing), University of Newcastle (2014) - Bachelor of Science (Forensic), University of Newcastle - Bachelor of Arts (Communication Studies), University of Newcastle Research Interests - Consumer behavior and decision-making - Branding and brand communication - Advertising strategies and spokesperson effectiveness - Psycholinguistics in brand naming and consumer priming - Music concert attendee behavior and motivations - Cause-related marketing and social impact initiatives Awards - Associate Editor of the Year (2024) - Multiple Best Paper Awards at ANZMAC (2015–2024) - Teaching Excellence Awards (2016–2024) - Industry Collaboration Recognition (e.g., Ultra Music Festival) Grants & Industry Work - Partnered with NSW Ombudsman to develop AI tools for complaint assistance. - Established an Industry Consultative Committee with Pacific Smiles, Newcastle Airport, and HMRI. - Collaborated on diabetes management system market research with a Swedish SME. Teaching & Mentorship - Teaches marketing research courses with industry-linked projects. - Supervised PhD students on topics like AI-driven pricing, post-purchase dissonance, and omnichannel consumer experiences. - Guided students to publish in top journals such as the Journal of Consumer Behaviour and European Journal of Marketing. Labs & Teams - Leads the Marketing, Tourism & Business Analytics Discipline. - Co-founded the Social Marketing Research Team for Youth (SMRTY) initiative.
Golan Levin is Professor of Electronic Art at Carnegie Mellon University's School of Art, with courtesy appointments in the School of Design, School of Architecture, School of Computer Science, and Entertainment Technology Center. From 2009 to 2022, he served as Director and Co-Director of CMU's Frank-Ratchye STUDIO for Creative Inquiry, a laboratory dedicated to supporting atypical, anti-disciplinary research at the intersection of arts, science, technology, and culture. Levin's research spans interactive art, digital fabrication, information visualization, and generative design. He explores the critical potential of visualization, generative computation for expressive form, and how abstraction connects to realities beyond language. His practice engages interactive gestural robotics, nonverbal interaction aesthetics, and tactical applications of personal digital fabrication through responsive artifacts and media provocations that highlight human-machine relationships. His publications reveal consistent innovation in real-time audiovisual systems, interactive fabrication interfaces, and pedagogic tools for artists. Key trends include slit-scan video techniques, tangible augmented-reality performance, and noise-based visualizations, demonstrating his commitment to expanding human action vocabulary through digital media while bridging artistic expression with computational systems. Levin's work has received significant recognition: Permanent collection inclusion at Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) Whitney Biennial exhibition "50 Designers Shaping the Future" by Fast Company (2012) Competitive grants from National Endowment for the Arts, National Endowment for the Humanities, Creative Capital, and Rockefeller MAP Fund As an educator, Levin teaches "studio courses in computer science" on interactive art, experimental capture, and generative design, emphasizing computation as a medium for critical inquiry. His research funding from major cultural institutions supports interdisciplinary exploration at the arts-technology nexus. The Frank-Ratchye STUDIO for Creative Inquiry, which he directed for 13 years, remains a vital hub for anti-disciplinary collaboration, continuing his legacy of fostering creative agency through technology-infused artistic practice.
David Salesin is an Affiliate Professor in the Department of Computer Science & Engineering at the University of Washington and a Principal Scientist/Director at Google Research since 2019. He has held academic roles at Cornell University (Visiting Assistant Professor, 1991-92) and guest professorships at Zhejiang University. His career spans academia and industry, including leadership at Adobe's Creative Technologies Lab (2005-17) and Microsoft Research (1999-2005). PhD, Stanford University (1991) Sc.B., Brown University (1983) His research focuses on computer graphics, particularly non-photorealistic rendering, digital typography, color science, and adaptive document layout. He pioneered techniques in image-based rendering, pen-and-ink illustration, and facial animation, with applications in multimedia and user interface design. Article Trends : His work bridges procedural content generation, 3D visualization, and artistic computing, emphasizing user-driven tools for creative industries. Key subfields include texture advection, multiresolution modeling, and real-time camera control for virtual cinematography. Scientific Awards : ACM Fellow (2002) ACM SIGGRAPH Achievement Award (2000) Carnegie Foundation Professor of the Year (1998) NSF Presidential Faculty Fellow (1995-98) Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship (1995-97) Numerous industry grants and lab donations He has advised over 30 PhD and Master's students, including leaders at Microsoft, Pixar, and Google. His labs at UW and Adobe focused on graphics, imaging, and creativity tools.
Sandro Zanetti, Full Professor of General and Comparative Literature at the University of Zurich's Faculty of Arts and Humanities, specializes in avant-garde research, artistic production processes, and poetics of (im)probability. He studied German, History, and Philosophy at Basel, Freiburg, and Tübingen (1993-1999), earned his PhD in 2005 at Basel's SNSF project, and held positions including Junior Professor at Hildesheim (2008-2011) and DFG network head (2010-2014). Since 2011 at UZH, he progressed from Assistant to Full Professor (2022) and serves as Co-Dean of Studies since 2021. Current affiliations: Department of General and Comparative Literature (UZH), Center for Arts and Cultural Theory (ZKK), Literary Radio Zurich Former roles: ZGW Center (2010-2022), SNF project leader (2015-2019), Co-editor of History of the Present (2016-present) His research explores: Avant-garde genealogies and postwar literary modernity Time perception and aesthetic temporality Writing as cultural technique Interdisciplinary intersections with philosophy, media studies, and art Publications reveal trends in: 2022-2024: Dada historiography, AI-generated literature, Paul Celan's late works 2019-2021: Aesthetic theory, transactuality, Barthesian concepts 2014-2017: Improvisation networks, multilingualism, collaborative writing He co-founded interdisciplinary platforms and maintains editorial roles across 15 anthologies since 2004.
Tom McDonough is a Professor of Art History at Binghamton University, specializing in modern and contemporary art with a focus on avant-garde movements, particularly the Situationist International. His research explores intersections between art, politics, and social movements in postwar Europe. He holds degrees from Rutgers University (BA), New York University’s Institute of Fine Arts (MA, PhD), and has taught at Harvard University and UC Berkeley. Education: Bachelor’s Degree: Rutgers University MA and PhD: Institute of Fine Arts, New York University His research interests include postwar European avant-gardes, postwar French architectural history, and contemporary Black American art. Key publications include "The Beautiful Language of My Century" and edited volumes on the Situationist International and urban theory. McDonough received the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Scholarship (2024) and has held fellowships at institutions such as the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities and the Académie de France à Rome/Villa Medici. Teaching focuses include 19th-century Parisian art, Black Monument sculptors, and film theory. His work bridges art criticism with broader socio-political analysis, emphasizing radical artistic movements’ societal impacts.
Brian Kwok is an Associate Professor at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University's School of Design, where he serves as Programme Leader of BA Communication Design and heads the Information Design Lab. His academic foundation includes an MA in Design from PolyU, complemented by an MA in Visual Culture Studies and MPhil in Communication from the Chinese University of Hong Kong. With over a decade of tenure at PolyU, Kwok co-founded the Information Design Lab in 2011 to advance research in practical design applications. Kwok's research explores the intersection of visual communication, cultural heritage, and urban environments. Primary domains include: Neon Signage Studies : Documentation and semiotic analysis of Hong Kong's vanishing neon landscapes Healthcare Communication : Typographic legibility for medication labeling targeting senior citizens Urban Ethnography : Spatial practices of street vendors and visual narratives in public spaces Cultural Preservation : Archival projects on Hong Kong's typographic heritage and vernacular design His publication corpus (2015-2023) demonstrates consistent focus on Hong Kong's visual culture evolution, with recurring themes: cultural identity in urban signage, typographic accessibility for vulnerable populations, and cinematic representations of urban change. Methodologically, he blends empirical studies (e.g., user testing of medicine labels) with visual semiotics and historical documentation. Awards recognize both scholarly and practical impact: GRF-funded research on neon sign preservation (2023) Arts Go Digital grant for cultural documentation (2021) HKDA Global Design Excellence Award (2017) Outstanding Paper Award for neon signage research (2017) As Lab Leader, Kwok oversees projects including medicine label optimization, wayfinding systems, and the Fading of HK Neon Visual Culture Project. He actively engages with public institutions through roles on the Public Libraries Advisory Committee and as external examiner for academic programs.
Miguel Nacenta is a Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Victoria (UVic), Canada, and a founding member of the Victoria Interactive eXperiences with Information (VIXI) research group. Previously affiliated with the University of St Andrews (UK), his work bridges Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Information Visualization, and Cognitive Science. He specializes in designing interactive systems that enhance human cognition, with a focus on Infotypography (using typography to encode data), collaborative problem-solving tools, and perceptual input/output devices. Research Interests: His key areas include cognitive augmentation, visualization techniques for complex tasks, multi-display environments, and tools for constraint problem-solving. Notable projects include the WriteReason tool for essay writing, InfoTypography studies on perceptual typographic parameters, and Solvi for visual constraint modeling. Grants & Collaborations: He collaborates internationally, including with the University of St Andrews on PhD scholarship programs. His work is supported by grants focusing on HCI innovations and accessibility. He actively mentors students (e.g., Adam Binks, Johannes Lang) and supervises postdoctoral researchers. Affiliations: Member of the VIXI group,他曾是St Andrews计算机科学学院的教授, 并参与多个学术服务活动, including conference program committees and journal reviews. Labs & Teams: Leads the VIXI lab at UVic, focusing on interactive technologies for cognitive tasks. Collaborates with industry partners on projects like TypoCartographer for infoTypographic maps and HaptiQ for accessible graph exploration.
Wang Jianmin serves as Professor and Doctoral Supervisor at Tongji University's School of Art and Media, concurrently holding the position of Vice Dean since 2014. With a computer science PhD from Sun Yat-sen University, he bridges engineering and media arts through pioneering research in intelligent communication systems and digital media interfaces. His work focuses on human-centered design for emerging technologies, particularly in automotive and virtual environments. His academic foundation includes: PhD in Engineering (Computer Software and Theory), Sun Yat-sen University (2003) Master's in Computational Mathematics, Sun Yat-sen University (1999) Bachelor's in Computational Mathematics, Nankai University (1996) Professor Wang's research centers on intelligent communication systems and digital media art, with significant contributions to automotive human-machine interfaces (HMI), virtual reality applications, and user experience methodologies. His investigations into driver-robot transparency, augmented reality navigation, and mixed-reality educational platforms demonstrate interdisciplinary innovation connecting computer science, cognitive psychology, and design theory. Current projects explore AI-driven media systems for urban environments and safety-critical interaction frameworks. Analysis of his recent publications reveals a cohesive research trajectory focusing on automotive HMI (40% of output), human-robot interaction (30%), and mixed reality applications (30%). His work consistently emphasizes experimental validation through driving simulators and user studies, yielding practical design guidelines for industry implementation. The interdisciplinary nature spans computer science, cognitive ergonomics, and media studies, with increasing emphasis on AI integration in communication systems. His scientific recognition includes national and provincial awards for innovation in human-computer interaction and educational technology: 2019 China Industry-University-Research Innovation Award for automotive HMI systems 2020 China User Experience Alliance Excellence Award 2012 Guangdong Dingying Science and Technology Award Multiple national/provincial science progress awards (2001-2009) 2020 Tongji University Teaching Achievement Award for curriculum development As an educator, Professor Wang mentors graduate students in national design competitions including the 'Core Cup' Future Automotive HMI Challenge and International User Experience Innovation Competition. His research program is supported by substantial funding from diverse sources: National Grants: National Natural Science Foundation projects on driver behavior modeling and cognitive testing Ministry of Education: 15+产学合作 projects for virtual simulation labs and curriculum development Shanghai Municipal: Publicity Department funding for smart city media research Industry Partnerships: Huawei (intelligent vehicle HMI), SAIC Motor (AR-HUD design), and automotive electronics firms He directs Tongji's Media Experiment and Practice Teaching Center and the All-Media Research Institute, leading teams developing virtual simulation platforms for emergency news reporting, intelligent vehicle interaction testing systems, and mixed reality educational tools. Current initiatives focus on AI-enhanced media art for urban applications and next-generation HMI frameworks for autonomous mobility solutions.
Andrea Wollensak is Professor of Art at Connecticut College, where she has taught since 1993. She is an interdisciplinary artist and designer whose work explores the convergence of place, identity, and history through site-based artworks that combine new media technology with traditional design and fabrication. Her educational background includes a B.F.A. from the University of Michigan and an M.F.A. from Yale University. She has held visiting faculty positions at numerous institutions including the University of Gothenburg, Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, Concordia University, Rhode Island School of Design, and the Estonian Academy of Arts. Wollensak's research focuses on social design and place-based storytelling, employing collaboration with community partners, computer scientists, musicians, poets, and scientists. Her work addresses themes of place-based narratives, environment, and memory through forms including audio/video, interactive installations, data visualization, artist books, and digitally fabricated works. She examines how design can be used as a tool for social impact and civic participation. Her most recent projects include Mapping Your Journey to School (2023), which engages Estonian and Ukrainian refugee students in creative writing workshops; Water Stories: Visual Poetics and Collective Voices (2022), a year-long artist residency at the Anchorage Museum; and Open Waters (2019-2020), an interactive installation examining Arctic environmental change. U.S. Fulbright Scholar in Estonia (2023) Artistic Excellence Award in Digital Art from Connecticut Office of the Arts Artist residency at Hafnarborg Contemporary Art Museum in Iceland (2011) Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism Grants in New Media (2010, 2006) IASPIS International Artist Studio Program in Sweden (2007) Rockefeller Study and Conference Center residency (2000) Wollensak has advised numerous students in design and new media projects, often collaborating with community partners. She served as Director of the Ammerman Center for Arts and Technology at Connecticut College from 2014-2020 and currently serves on the Advisory Council of the Winterhouse Institute and the Advisory Board for Digital Media Connecticut. Her teaching emphasizes design as an interdisciplinary practice that prepares students to be creative problem solvers who can use design to create positive social impact. Her work has been exhibited internationally at venues including the Göteborg International Contemporary Art Biennial, Nova Scotia Art Gallery, Brno Design Biennial Moravian Gallery, Center for Visual Art in Denver, Brown University's Granoff Center Gallery, and the Burchfield Penney Arts Center in Buffalo.
Dr. Rathna Ramanathan is a leading academic and practitioner in intercultural communication and alternative publishing. Currently serving as Provost of Central Saint Martins and UAL Executive Dean for Global Affairs , she has previously held deanships at Central Saint Martins and the Royal College of Art. Based in London but originally from Chennai, India, her work bridges South Asian and global design practices. University of Reading - PhD in Typography and Graphic Communication Central Saint Martins - MA in Communication Design University of Madras - BA Fine Art Her research focuses on intercultural communication and alternative publishing in the Global South, examining how marginalized voices can be amplified through design. She explores the tension between tangible/intangible heritages and contemporary design, and investigates how form, media, and content interact in addressing social/political issues. Recent publications highlight her design research trends in decolonial publishing, critical typography, and intercultural book design. As a design educator , she emphasizes listening, cross-cultural learning, and sustainable practices. Her supervision includes postgraduate research students working on topics like female printers in India, exhibition design, and architectural lettering. Key scientific collaborations include major projects with Tara Books (international design awards), British Council-funded initiatives (Crafting Futures, Going Global Partnership), and the Murty Classical Library of India (Harvard University Press partnership). She consults on Indic typeface design with Adobe and Monotype. Her design lab at Central Saint Martins (M9Design) works with international networks of editors, translators, and type designers. Current team projects focus on digital/print transitions, bilingual typography, and preserving endangered typographic practices through innovative publishing formats.
Cynthia Brewer is a Professor of Geography and Information Sciences and Technology at Pennsylvania State University. She currently serves as the Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs in the College of Information Sciences and Technology (IST), a position she began in August 2024. Previously, she was a faculty member in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences (EMS) where she served as head of the Department of Geography from 2014 to 2021. Dr. Brewer's research focuses on cartographic communication and visualization, map design, color theory, multi-scale mapping, atlas production, and topographic maps. She is especially well known for her ColorBrewer online tool for selecting map color schemes and her work on ScaleMaster for organizing multiscale mapping. Her research falls primarily within the Geospatial Big Data Analytics and Spatial Modeling and Remote Sensing research clusters at Penn State. Her publications include more than 30 peer-reviewed articles and 60 additional publications and cartographic design resources, generating over 7,000 citations. She has authored four books, including the popular 'Designing Better Maps' with the 3rd edition published by Esri Press in 2024. Carl Mannerfelt Gold Medal from the International Cartographic Association (ICA) in 2023 O. M. Miller Cartographic Medal from the American Geographical Society (AGS) in 2019 Henry Gannett Award for Exceptional Contributions to Topographic Mapping from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in 2013 EMS Wilson Award for Outstanding Service in 2014 As an administrator, Dr. Brewer has extensive experience in departmental leadership, having served as head of the Department of Geography for seven years. She has also served on numerous university committees, was elected to the University Faculty Senate, and served as an Administrative Fellow shadowing the Provost. She is not currently taking on graduate advisees due to her full-time administrative role in IST.
Markus Nornes is a Professor of Asian Cinema at the University of Michigan, affiliated with the School of Art & Design, Department of Film, Television and Media, and Department of Asian Languages and Cultures. His research focuses on Japanese and broader Asian cinema, documentary filmmaking, and film translation theory. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Southern California in 1996 and has taught at Michigan since then. His work explores the political and ethical dimensions of nonfiction film, particularly in Japan's documentary history from the Meiji era through Hiroshima, and the evolution of screen translation. He advocates for 'abusive translation' to challenge conventional subtitling norms. Current projects include a critical biography of Adachi Masao and a multi-volume Japanese film theory translation collection. Recent publications include Brushed in Light (2021) on calligraphy in East Asian cinema, Hallyu 2.0 (2015) analyzing Korean media's digital expansion, and Forest of Pressure (2007) on Ogawa Shinsuke's collective. His Google Scholar profile reflects a career bridging film history, translation ethics, and transnational media studies. Faculty Research Grant for Taiwan Studies, Ministry of Education, Taiwan (2011) Visiting Professorship at Fudan University (2010) Edwin O. Reischauer Visiting Professor at Harvard (2008-2009) Japan Foundation Research Fellow (2004-2005) Fulbright Research Fellow (1999-2000) As a filmmaker, Nornes co-directed The Big House (2018) and When We're Together (2020), often collaborating with students. He has curated major film retrospectives at Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival and University of Michigan, specializing in Japanese and Asian nonfiction cinema. His digital humanities projects, such as the Ozu and the Poetics of Cinema online reprint, showcase his commitment to accessible film scholarship.
Rita Finkbeiner is a Professor of German Linguistics at Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, where she has held a W3 professorship since April 2020 and served as managing director of the German Institute from 2022-2023. Previously, she was a W2 Professor at Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf (2018-2020) and has been affiliated with Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz since 2010. Her research focuses on the critical interface between grammatical structures and pragmatic functions in language use. Her academic background includes: Magistra Artium in German Linguistics and European Ethnology from Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (2000) Ph.D. in German Linguistics from Stockholm University (2009) Habilitation at Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz (2016) Professor Finkbeiner's research examines how linguistic constructions operate at the grammar-pragmatics interface, with particular attention to speech acts, implicit meaning, and expressivity in German. She investigates phenomena such as wh-headlines in newspapers, reduplicative constructions, expressive morphology, and the pragmatics of social media commenting. Her work bridges theoretical linguistics with practical applications in language teaching and media discourse, demonstrating how linguistic form and communicative function interact systematically. Analysis of her recent publications reveals a consistent focus on construction grammar and pragmatics, with increasing attention to digital communication patterns while maintaining strong theoretical foundations. Key trends include exploration of wh-headlines across discourse types, expressive morphology in German word formation, and the pragmatics of social media commenting, demonstrating both theoretical depth and practical relevance to contemporary communication contexts. Professor Finkbeiner actively supervises doctoral and master's students, with numerous successful completions including Julian Stawecki (2024) and Robert Külpmann (2019). She has led significant research projects including the DFG-funded "W-Überschriften im Deutschen" (2018-2022) on German wh-headlines, and is coordinating the development of a German linguistics textbook. She collaborates closely with researchers including Dr. Robert Külpmann, Dr. Paul Reszke, and Charlotte Eisenrauch. She leads a research team at Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz that investigates construction grammar and pragmatics across various discourse contexts, with particular attention to digital communication and educational applications. Her work environment provides a strong interdisciplinary context connecting theoretical linguistics with language education and media studies.
Jürgen Spitzmüller is a Professor and Deputy Head of the Department of Linguistics at the University of Vienna. His academic work focuses on sociolinguistics, metapragmatics, and language ideologies, with a particular emphasis on discursive practices in digital and institutional contexts. Current role: Deputy Head, Department of Linguistics Teaching: Applied Linguistics, Theory of Science, Yiddish Studies Email: juergen.spitzmueller@univie.ac.at His research explores the intersection of language ideologies, social positioning, and discursive practices. Key areas include typographic variation as a social phenomenon, the role of multimodal elements in communication, and the construction of public spheres in digital contexts. Recent publications highlight trends in analyzing graphic variation, the socio-political implications of text design, and the interplay between language and cultural identity. His work often bridges theoretical frameworks from sociolinguistics, discourse analysis, and media studies. Spitzmüller’s teaching includes courses such as Introduction to Applied Linguistics , Methods of Applied Linguistics , and specialized seminars on Yiddish and language ideologies. He has also contributed to academic discourse through editorial work and collaborative research projects.
