Iona Murphy is a Lecturer in Humanities at the University of Huddersfield, affiliated with the School of Arts and Humanities and the Department of Media, Humanities and the Arts. Her research focuses on disability studies, twentieth-century poetry, Plath studies, and Queer studies. Her recent publications explore intersections of intellectual disability and creative health, auditory experiences in poetry, normalization of queer identities in education, and ableist psychiatric frameworks in Sylvia Plath’s work. Notable trends include interdisciplinary approaches to literary analysis and advocacy for inclusive pedagogical practices. She has presented at academic events, including a 2024 oral presentation on reading Taylor Swift’s lyrics as poetry at Birmingham University. Media coverage highlights her role as a Taylor Swift advisor and public engagement activities through the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Dr Stella Bolaki is Reader in American Literature and Medical Humanities at the School of English, University of Kent, and Co-Director of the Centre for Health and Medical Humanities. She has been a faculty member since 2011, after holding positions at the University of Glasgow and the University of Edinburgh, where she also held a postdoctoral fellowship at the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities (IASH). Her educational background includes a BA from Athens and an MSc and PhD from the University of Edinburgh. BA, Athens MSc, University of Edinburgh PhD, University of Edinburgh Stella’s research spans interdisciplinary fields including contemporary American literature, medical humanities, disability studies, and Black feminist theory. Her work critically examines narratives of illness, chronic conditions, self-care, and the intersection of art and health. She has pioneered research on artists’ books as tools for wellbeing, testimony, and community engagement, particularly in contexts of trauma and social injustice. Her recent publications and projects reveal a consistent focus on expanding narrative forms in medical humanities—moving beyond traditional literary modes to include photography, performance, film, and digital storytelling. Themes of inequality, mental health, climate anxiety, and embodiment recur across her work, especially in her ongoing monograph on self-care. Fellow of the Higher Education Academy Wellcome Trust funding recipient British Academy funding recipient Research England grant awardee Kent’s AHRC Impact Acceleration Account funding Stella supervises doctoral research across a wide range of interdisciplinary topics and has co-supervised a CHASE-funded project on health zines. She contributes to teaching in American literature and medical humanities at the Kent and Medway Medical School. Her professional service includes editorial roles for Contemporary Cultural Studies in Illness, Health and Medicine and the Journal of Literary & Cultural Disability Studies , and leadership in the Eastern Arc Medical and Health Humanities Network and the Kent Medical Humanities Network. She leads public-facing research through creative workshops, exhibitions, and events such as ‘Artists’ Books and the Medical Humanities’ and ‘Mending the Psyche: Art as Reparation’, often in collaboration with NHS partners and community organizations.
Dr. Anna Bobak is a Senior Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Stirling, UK. She holds a PhD from Bournemouth University (2016) and joined Stirling as a Research Assistant on an EPSRC project under Peter Hancock before transitioning to her current role. Her primary research focuses on individual differences in unfamiliar face recognition, particularly developmental prosopagnosia, and the reliability of face-processing assessments. She also investigates neurodiversity in women, emphasizing lived experiences of autism and ADHD, including camouflaging behaviors and societal awareness. Research Interests: Face Recognition: Examines perceptual strategies, diagnostic criteria (e.g., Balanced Integration Score), and technological applications in forensic contexts. Neurodiversity: Explores gender-specific manifestations of autism and ADHD, societal perceptions, and support mechanisms. Cognitive Methodology: Advances psychometric rigor in face-processing studies and critiques measurement validity. Her work bridges theoretical research and real-world applications, such as evaluating automated face recognition technology’s biases and collaborating on initiatives like #ScienceForUkraine to aid displaced academics. She is affiliated with the Cognition in Complex Environments research group and contributes to global security and resilience themes at Stirling.
Aafke Fraaije is a postdoctoral researcher at the Section Ethics & Philosophy of Technology , Faculty of Technology, Policy and Management , Delft University of Technology. Her work bridges art, ethics, and technology through interdisciplinary approaches to citizen engagement and responsible innovation. Institution: Delft University of Technology School: Faculty of Technology, Policy and Management Department: Section Ethics & Philosophy of Technology Academic Rank: Research Fellow Research Interests : Ethics of human-nature-technology relationships Art-based methods for public engagement with technology Participatory futuring in smart city development Inclusive approaches to technology governance Communication frameworks in clinical and engineering contexts Critical analysis of responsible research and innovation (RRI) Recent Research Trends : Her publications focus on using artistic practices (dance, theatre) to explore ethical implications of smart city technologies, developing frameworks for responsible innovation, and analyzing communication dynamics in high-stakes environments like surgery and robotics. Key themes include citizen participation in technological development, interdisciplinary methodologies, and ethical accountability across sectors.
Anna Villarroya Planas is a Professor at the Universitat de Barcelona, serving as Director of the Research Center for Information, Communication and Culture. She holds a law degree and economics degree from the Universitat de Barcelona, and a PhD in Public Sector Economics from the same institution. Affiliated with both the Faculty of Information and Audiovisual Media and the Department of Economics, she has been teaching courses related to cultural economics and cultural policies since 1993. Her research focuses on digital culture and content, with special emphasis on open access to science and economic studies on culture, particularly examining gender perspectives in cultural sectors. She serves as President of the European Association of Cultural Researchers and coordinates the Interuniversity Doctoral Program in Gender Studies: Cultures, Societies and Policies. Analysis of her recent publications (2022-2024) reveals a strong focus on gender equality in cultural sectors, particularly examining gender discrimination in the performing arts, LGBTQ perspectives in information studies, and cultural policies with gender perspectives. Her work spans multiple disciplines including cultural economics, gender studies, library science, and policy analysis, demonstrating interdisciplinary approaches to understanding cultural production, consumption, and policy implementation. She has participated in numerous research projects funded by public entities including the World Bank, Council of Europe, ERICarts, Organization of Ibero-American States, Spanish Ministry of Culture, Catalan Department of Culture, and Barcelona Provincial Council, as well as private foundations like "la Caixa" Banking Foundation, Carulla Foundation, and Alternativas Foundation. Since 2006, she has authored the report on cultural policy in Spain included in the Compendium of Cultural Policies and Trends, and since 2017 has been a member of the Council of the Association of the Compendium of Cultural Policies and Trends. Her leadership extends to directing research projects focused on gender perspectives in information and media studies, including the GEMPIMS (Gender Perspective Mentoring Program in Information & Media Studies) initiative at the University of Barcelona.
Laura Wernick is an Associate Professor at Fordham University's Graduate School of Social Service. Her academic background includes a PhD and MA from the University of Michigan, an MSW and MPA from Columbia University, and a BA from UC Berkeley. Dr. Wernick specializes in transformative community organizing models addressing intersectional power dynamics, with a focus on LGBTQ+ youth, domestic worker movements, and disability justice. She employs participatory action research methods to co-create solutions with marginalized communities. Her research explores how organizing models combat ableism, white supremacy in academia, and systemic oppression. Notable areas include youth-led advocacy, wealth mobilization for social justice, and employer-employee dynamics among domestic workers. Dr. Wernick's work bridges theory and practice through youth-adult partnerships and institutional reform initiatives. She maintains an active blog and public scholarship presence at www.laurawernick.com . Recent scholarship highlights include dismantling ableism in social work education and analyzing pandemic-related stigma. Her 2024 publications emphasize disability justice pedagogy and intersectional approaches to youth organizing. Methodologically, she advocates for participatory action research that disrupts traditional academic hierarchies. Leveraging over 20 years of practice experience, Dr. Wernick collaborates with community organizations to design interventions that foster healing and systemic change. Her current projects address racial disparities in school discipline and the mental health benefits of youth activism. She teaches courses on community organizing, social justice pedagogy, and marginalized populations.
Scott MacKenzie is an Associate Professor at the Lassonde School of Engineering, York University, where he leads research in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI). He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Toronto (1992) and specializes in interaction devices, mobile computing, and human performance modeling. His work emphasizes accessibility, text entry systems, and assistive technologies. He maintains an active research group focused on advancing HCI through empirical studies and innovative design. Education: Ph.D. in Computer Science, University of Toronto, 1992 Dr. MacKenzie’s research explores how interaction techniques can enhance user performance and accessibility. Key areas include touch-based interfaces, gestural input, and systems for users with disabilities. His recent work investigates eye-tracking for wheelchair control, mid-air gesture interaction, and text entry methods for VR environments. His publications reflect a focus on practical applications of HCI principles, such as improving mobile device usability and evaluating novel input methods. Notable contributions include studies on soft keyboards, tilt-based interaction, and accessibility solutions for motor-impaired users. Labs/Teams: Affiliated with the Lassonde School of Engineering’s research initiatives in interactive systems and human-centered computing.
Aimée Morrison is an Associate Professor at the University of Waterloo. She holds a PhD from the University of Alberta, an MA from the University of Guelph, and a BA from York University. Her research focuses on the intersection of technology, social media, and identity, particularly examining how individuals construct and negotiate self-representation in digital spaces. Education: PhD (Alberta), MA (Guelph), BA (York) Her work explores topics like neurodivergence in academic accommodations, hashtag activism, selfie culture, and the rhetorical affordances of social media platforms. She has conducted research in digital humanities labs across multiple universities and maintains an active public scholarship presence. Current projects include a book on 1980s personal computers and a critical analysis of selfies as modern communication tools. Recent scholarship emphasizes viral communication, digital identity politics, and the ethical dimensions of technology mediation. Her grants include a 2019 Trudeau Fellowship and SSHRC funding for studies on selfie rhetoric and digital life writing. Awards: 2020 Waterloo Teaching Excellence Award, 2019 Trudeau Fellowship Supervises graduate work in New Media Studies, Photography Studies, and intersectional critical studies (race/gender/disability). Active in rethinking public scholarship paradigms through digital platforms.
Prof. Dr. Janick Edinger is a Professor of Distributed Operating Systems at the Department of Informatics, Faculty of Mathematics, Informatics and Natural Sciences, University of Hamburg, Germany. He leads a research group focused on distributed, context-aware, and adaptive computing systems, with a strong emphasis on edge computing, computation offloading, and assistive technologies. Education: PhD in Computer Science, University of Mannheim Studies at National Taiwan University Studies at University of Alberta, Canada Research stays at University of British Columbia, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, and Georgia State University, USA His research explores how edge computing and computation offloading can enable efficient, privacy-preserving processing of sensor and video data close to their sources, particularly in dynamic environments. He investigates the integration of autonomous and heterogeneous systems—such as drone fleets and mobile devices—into scalable middleware platforms for real-time monitoring and decision-making in logistics and industrial operations. His work also emphasizes societal impact, contributing to accessible routing, adaptive interfaces, and crowd-sourced mapping. The recent publications reflect a strong trend in edge computing, federated learning, privacy-preserving analytics, and assistive technologies. Topics include WebAssembly-based offloading, emotion prediction via eye tracking, real-time traffic detection, and predictive maintenance in Industry 4.0, showcasing a blend of foundational systems research and applied human-centered computing. Scientific Awards: PerCom 2021 Mark Weiser Best Paper Award Best Paper Award at IEEE PerCom 2021 for 'Voltaire: Precise Energy-Aware Code Offloading Decisions with Machine Learning' Prof. Edinger actively advises students and leads research projects involving grants and collaborations. His team includes PhD candidates and researchers working on middleware, edge systems, and context-aware applications. He has served on conference program committees, such as shadow PC member for EuroSys 2021, and publishes in top venues including IPDPS, PerCom, CHIIR, and COMPSAC. Labs and Teams: He leads the Distributed Operating Systems research group at the University of Hamburg, where he mentors students and collaborates on projects involving edge computing, IoT, and adaptive systems.
Rasha Baruni is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Manitoba's Faculty of Arts. She teaches courses including Seminar in Behaviour Modification (PSYC 4540/8240) and Seminar in Basic Operant Research (PSYC 4540/8270). Her academic background includes a PhD in Applied Behaviour Analysis from the University of South Florida (2023), an MS in Applied Behaviour Analysis from St. Cloud State University (2012), and a BA Honours in Psychology from York University (2007). PhD (Applied Behaviour Analysis), University of South Florida, 2023 MS (Applied Behaviour Analysis), St. Cloud State University, 2012 BA Honours (Psychology), York University, 2007 Baruni's research focuses on applied behavior analysis for child safety , particularly in digital environments. She develops and evaluates behavioral skills training (BST) and conjugate reinforcement schedules to address physical and digital safety threats (e.g., firearms, social media risks). Her work extends to staff training methodologies and procedural fidelity in intervention implementation. Recent publications analyze conjugate reinforcement dynamics, remote safety training efficacy, and BST adaptations. Research trends show emphasis on digital safety threats , cross-cultural interventions , and technology-assisted training for both children and practitioners. She actively explores ways to improve stakeholder accessibility to safety programs. Currently accepting Master’s and PhD students, Baruni collaborates with international institutions on behavioral safety initiatives and maintains active research connections through platforms like Google Scholar and ResearchGate.
Teresa Faucon is an Associate Professor and HDR researcher at Sorbonne Nouvelle University (Paris 3), affiliated with the IRCAV research institute. She specializes in cinema and audiovisual aesthetics, montage theory, and postcolonial film studies. Her roles include director of the Cinema and Audiovisual Master's program (2021–2023), and leadership in disability and professional training initiatives. She co-founded key research groups like Indian Cinemas (2012), CREAViS (2015), and Exotismes en champ-contrechamp (2018), focusing on decolonial cinema and exoticism analysis. Her work bridges academic research with creative projects, including the interactive Maps of Film Analysis platform. Research interests span Indian and Southeast Asian cinemas, dance-cinema interactions, and experimental film forms. She has organized 7 international conferences and co-edited major texts like Chorégraphier le film (2019). Recent publications include studies on exoticism's sonic dimensions and non-European cinema. Her digital platform Les cartes de l'analyse de film innovates in nonlinear film analysis through heuristic maps. She co-directs the Formes filmiques and Cinémas en champ-contrechamp book series, promoting global cinema scholarship.
Dr. Jose Pino Ortega is an Associate Professor in the Department of Physical Activity and Sport at University of Murcia's Faculty of Sports Sciences. As Research Director of the Chair of Education, Activity and Cancer, he specializes in sports performance analysis and applied sports technology. His research focuses on developing and validating tracking systems for athlete monitoring across various sports. Recent publications examine performance indicators in paralympic football, wearable sensor validation for beach volleyball, and physiological demands in extreme sports.
Marie-Eve Carrier-Moisan holds the Joint Chair in Women’s Studies at Carleton University and the University of Ottawa (2023-2025). She is a faculty member in Carleton's Department of Sociology and Anthropology and cross-appointed with the Feminist Institute for Social Transformation and the Institute for Political Economy. Her work bridges feminist anthropology, visual ethnography, and critical studies of institutional power. Her research investigates institutional abandonment in Québec school systems for autistic students, analyzing transportation access crises through material ethnography of policies and lived experiences. Concurrently, she examines sex tourism in Brazil, particularly during the 2014 World Cup, revealing how anti-trafficking campaigns perpetuate urban exclusion. Carrier-Moisan pioneers multimodal knowledge translation, notably through the graphic novel Gringo Love: Stories of Sex Tourism in Brazil developed with illustrator Débora Santos. She supervises graduate students across anthropology, sociology, and political economy on topics including carceral harm reduction, Indigenous women's rights, and gender fluidity. Funded by SSHRC, her current work collaborates with Autisme-Québec and the Comité pour le droit à la scolarisation to address school exclusion. Key collaborators include Dr. Laurence Simard-Gagnon and narrative cartography initiatives exploring alternative research dissemination.
Emiliya Lazarova is a Professor of Economics and Head of the School of Economics at the University of East Anglia (UEA). She chairs the Royal Economics Society’s Conference of Heads of Departments of Economics. Her research focuses on coalition formation, matching theory, and applied economics, with recent projects analyzing technological innovation via patent data, biodiversity market measurements, and international environmental agreements. She has held academic roles at the University of Birmingham and Queen’s University Belfast, teaching quantitative courses like Applied Econometrics and topics in applied microeconomics. Her research interests include coalition dynamics, social housing allocation, and the political economy of environmental policies. Current projects with Dr. Yuan Gao include developing an ex-ante novelty index for inventions and studying biodiversity valuation mechanisms. Lazarova has secured grants from the Royal Economic Society and British Academy, focusing on property rights and economic development in emerging economies. Her work bridges theoretical models and empirical applications, addressing issues like firm behavior under political pressure, patent innovation cycles, and disability discrimination impacts. Collaborations span institutions globally, reflecting her interdisciplinary approach to economic challenges. Advisory roles include supervising PhD students on topics such as status-seeking in matching markets and conflict resolution via coalition theory. Her teaching expertise complements her research, emphasizing quantitative methods and policy analysis.
Maria C.W. Peeters serves as a Full Professor at Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) within the Department of Industrial Engineering and Innovation Sciences, specifically the Human Performance Management Group. She concurrently holds an Associate Professor position at Utrecht University in the Department of Social, Health and Organizational Psychology, reflecting her dual institutional engagement in Work and Organizational Psychology. Her educational background includes: MSc in Health Sciences from Maastricht University PhD from Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen (dissertation: effect of social support on work stress) Peeters' research investigates sustainable workforce performance through the critical lens of worker diversity in high-tech environments. She specializes in worker (ill)health and well-being, work engagement, sustainable employability, job crafting interventions, work-life balance dynamics, and tailored technological innovation implementation. Her work emphasizes adapting technologies to accommodate older workers, those with lower educational levels, and disabilities to extend labor market participation. Recent publications (2025) analyze psychosocial safety climate and the DISC model for office workers, while earlier studies (2018-2015) focused on job crafting transmission and intervention efficacy. Her research consistently employs quantitative methodologies like regression analysis within the Job Demands-Resources framework, addressing sustainable performance threats from rapid technological implementation. No specific scientific awards or prizes are documented in the provided text. Peeters has published over 100 national and international articles and book chapters, with 75 research outputs listed in TU/e's repository. She co-edited the textbook "An Introduction to Contemporary Work Psychology" (Wiley Blackwell, 2014) and serves on editorial boards for Work & Stress and Gedrag en Organisatie (Dutch Journal of Behaviour in Organizations). Her academic leadership includes presidency of the Dutch Association of Work & Organizational Psychology since 2018. She operates within the Human Performance Management Group at TU/e, which studies workforce optimization through health, engagement, and sustainable employability metrics in digitized workplaces.
