Lillie Padilla is an Assistant Professor of Spanish Linguistics at Sam Houston State University's Department of World Languages and Cultures. Holding a Ph.D. and M.A. in Spanish Linguistics from Arizona State University alongside a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Ghana, her research explores interdisciplinary connections between: Afro-Latinx representation in educational materials Discourse analysis and language ideologies Sociolinguistic studies in Equatorial Guinea Critical race theory applications in language teaching Her work focuses on Spanish subject pronoun expression patterns in multilingual contexts and curriculum development for inclusive pedagogy. Recent publications examine: Representation gaps in Spanish language textbooks Methodological challenges in Equatorial Guinea research Critical discourse analysis of Netflix's Elite series Intersectional representation of Afro-Latinx women Scientific achievements include: Finalist for American Association of Linguistics 2025 award for co-edited volume Representation, Inclusion and Social Justice in World Language Teaching Padilla's research continues to shape conversations about linguistic diversity and marginalized voices in language education through both empirical studies and theoretical frameworks.
Sigrid Schmalzer is a Professor of History at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, specializing in the history of science and modern China. She holds a Ph.D. in History and Science Studies from the University of California, San Diego (2004). Her research bridges the social, cultural, and political dimensions of science in China, with a focus on the intersections of agriculture, activism, and revolutionary movements. Schmalzer is the author of *Red Revolution, Green Revolution: Scientific Farming in Socialist China* (2016), winner of the Joseph Levenson Book Prize, and *The People's Peking Man: Popular Science and Human Identity in Twentieth-Century China* (2008), recipient of the Allan Sharlin Award. Her current projects include a book on agricultural heritage in the People’s Republic of China and leadership roles in organizations like the Critical China Scholars and Science for the People. She co-edits the *Activist Studies of Science and Technology* series for UMass Press, emphasizing socially engaged scholarship. Schmalzer also serves as Co-President of the MSP faculty union at UMass Amherst. Research interests span the history of science activism, transnational movements, and the legacy of Maoist science. Notable awards include the Freeman Book Award (2018) for her children’s book *Moth and Wasp, Soil and Ocean*, which integrates science education with historical narratives. Her work often critiques capitalist and authoritarian structures while advocating for science as a tool for justice and sustainability. Recent publications explore themes like agroecology, science policy, and the global dimensions of China’s scientific history. She teaches courses on modern China, science in society, and radical science movements, blending interdisciplinary approaches to engage students in critical analysis of historical and contemporary issues.
Christopher Rea is a Professor of Modern Chinese Literature in the Department of Asian Studies at the University of British Columbia's Faculty of Arts. He serves as a faculty member and former Associate Head of the Department of Asian Studies, former Director of the Centre for Chinese Research, an associate of the Hong Kong Studies Initiative, and a Faculty Fellow of St. John's College. His academic journey includes a Ph.D. from Columbia University (2008) and a B.A. from Dartmouth College (1999). Rea's research focuses on the modern Chinese-speaking world, with particular expertise in Chinese literature, cinema, print culture, translation, and the cultural history of humor and deception. His scholarly approach bridges literary analysis, cultural history, and film studies, creating a distinctive interdisciplinary perspective on modern Chinese cultural production. He is particularly known for his work on Republican-era China (1912-1949), exploring how cultural forms evolved during this transformative period. His major publications reveal a trajectory from studies of humor and laughter in modern China ( The Age of Irreverence , 2015) to literary hoaxes and deception ( The Book of Swindles , 2017), Chinese cinema ( Chinese Film Classics , 2021), and research methodology ( Where Research Begins , 2022). His current projects include China on the Make: Stories of Chinese Deception and The Unfinished Comedy , a sequel to The Age of Irreverence . National Endowment for the Arts Translation Fellowship (2024) UBC Dean of Arts Mentorship Award (2024) UBC Killam Research Prize (2022) Joseph Levenson Book Prize (2017) Rea actively supervises graduate students and has developed significant digital resources, including the Chinese Film Classics project (chinesefilmclassics.org) featuring 40+ subtitled Chinese films and 22 video lectures, and a YouTube channel with over 250 videos on Chinese cinema and culture. His teaching extends to free online courses on The Modern Chinese Novel and early Chinese cinema, demonstrating his commitment to making scholarly resources accessible beyond traditional academic boundaries.
Professor David A Palmer is a distinguished academic jointly appointed by the Hong Kong Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences and the Department of Sociology at the University of Hong Kong, where he has been teaching since 2008. His interdisciplinary work bridges anthropology, sociology, religious studies, and Sinology, establishing him as a leading scholar in Chinese religious studies and transnational religious movements. Palmer's educational background includes a PhD in Anthropology of Religion from Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes (Sorbonne, Paris), an MPhil in Clinical Psychology/Medical Anthropology from University of Paris-VIII, and a BA in Anthropology and East Asian Studies from McGill University. His scholarly contributions span multiple disciplines with particular emphasis on Chinese religious traditions and their global manifestations. His research interests focus on the anthropology and sociology of spirituality and religion, especially Daoism and Chinese religion; religion in modern and contemporary China; inter-Asian and transnational religious circulations; Baháʼí Faith; civil society, volunteering, philanthropy, community engagement; and cultural and religious interactions on the Belt and Road. His work examines how religious traditions navigate modernity, state power, and globalization, with particular attention to the Belt and Road Initiative's cultural dimensions. Palmer's publications reveal a consistent focus on understanding Chinese religious traditions within broader theoretical frameworks of social theory, civil society, and transnational religious networks. His articles demonstrate how Chinese religious practices and institutions both adapt to and shape contemporary social and political contexts, with particular attention to the intersections of spirituality, modernity, and state-society relations. Joseph Levenson Award of the Association for Asian Studies PROSE award of the American Publishers' Association Francis L.K. Hsu Award of the Society for East Asian Anthropology Edward Bruner Prize for the best book in Anthropology of Tourism HK Research Grants Council RGC Research Fellowship (2021-2025) HK Research Grants Council Humanities and Social Sciences Prestigious Fellowship (2019) Palmer currently leads multiple significant research projects including 'Global China, Local Cultures: Chinese Modernity and Soft Power on the Belt and Road' (RGC Research Fellowship, 2021-2025), 'Infrastructures of Faith: Religious Mobilities on the Belt and Road' (CRF, 2019-2023), 'Rituals and Manuscripts of the Lanten Yao (Laos)' (GRF, 2021-2024), and 'Religious Cosmopolitanism in China, 1895-1927' (GRF, 2021-2024). He leads the 'Asian Religious Connections' research cluster at HKIHSS, co-convenes the 'Culture, Community and Social Equity' research cluster in the HKU Faculty of Social Sciences, and serves as co-convenor of the HKU Anthropology Research Network. As President of the East Asian Society for the Scientific Study of Religion, he plays a key role in advancing scholarly understanding of religion in the region.
Crystal S. Rudds is an Assistant Professor of African American literature and culture in the Department of English at the University of Utah, specializing in twentieth-century American and African American fiction, urban life narratives, Black Feminisms, and black geography/ecology. She earned her PhD in English from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (2016) and MFA in Creative Writing from Indiana University-Bloomington (2004). Her research explores intersections between literary analysis and community engagement, focusing on urban spatiality, public housing representation, and black interiority. She has published works analyzing Frank London Brown and Jasmon Drain's housing narratives, digital archiving practices, and pedagogical identity evolution. Key grant activities include: Gathering, Sewing, Giving: Chronopolitics and Black Women's Quilting (TRIC/Mellon Foundation, 2023) Utah Presidential Leadership Fellowship (2023) Recognitions: David D. Anderson Award for Midwestern Literary Studies (2023) Mary Blinn Poetry Prize (2022) University of Utah Fellowships (2022) Teaching activities feature: Experiential learning with archival documents Historic site visits Performance-based literary analysis Community-focused pedagogy
Sharese King is the Neubauer Family Assistant Professor of Linguistics at the University of Chicago, where she has taught since 2018. She earned her Ph.D. and Master's in Linguistics from Stanford University, focusing on language variation across African American communities. Her research bridges sociolinguistics, critical race theory, and phonetics to examine how African American speech is constructed, racialized, and socially evaluated. Education: Ph.D., Linguistics, Stanford University (2018) M.A., Linguistics, Stanford University Research Interests: Sociolinguistics Language Variation & Change African American Language Critical Race Theory Phonetic and experimental analysis Dialect and judicial systems Notable Contributions: Interdisciplinary studies on raciolinguistics and courtroom bias Analysis of /s/ articulation in intersectional contexts Reconceptualization of AAVE as AAL to emphasize linguistic diversity Fieldwork in Bakersfield, Rochester, and Chicago Publications in American Speech , Journal of Sociolinguistics , Language , and Nature Scientific Awards: Provost's Postdoctoral Fellowship Neubauer Family Assistant Professorship Labs & Projects: Co-founder of the Chicagoland Language Project
Felicity Meakins is a Professor of Linguistics at the University of Queensland, affiliated with the School of Languages and Cultures. She specializes in documenting First Nations languages in northern Australia, focusing on language contact processes, revitalization, and the impact of English on Indigenous languages. Her work bridges academic research and community engagement, including consulting on Native Title claims and language revitalization programs. Education: She studied at the University of Queensland between 1995–2001, completing her PhD in 2008. Prior to her academic career, she worked as a community linguist with Diwurruwurru-jaru Aboriginal Corporation (2001–2004) and as a PhD researcher with the Aboriginal Child Language Project (2004–2008). Research Interests: Meakins explores language contact, mixed languages, and Indigenous knowledge systems. Her projects include the 'Dingo Lingo' study tracing canine terminology across Australia and co-authored works like Tamarra: A Story of Termites on Gurindji Country (2023) and Understanding Linguistic Fieldwork (2018). She has compiled dictionaries and grammars for languages such as Gurindji, Bilinarra, and Mudburra. Grants & Recognition: Recipient of the Eureka Award (2021), LSA’s Hale Award (2021), and a Fellow of FASSA/FAHA. She led the UQ node of the ARC Centre of Excellence for the Dynamics of Language (2022). Labs/Teams: Collaborates with the Language Data Commons of Australia (LDaCA) and Indigenous communities in Northern Territory projects like the Wave Hill Walk-Off documentation.
Esther Duflo is the Abdul Latif Jameel Professor of Poverty Alleviation and Development Economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where she is affiliated with the Department of Economics within the School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences. She co-founded and co-directs the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) and holds the position of Chaire, Pauvreté et politiques publiques at the Collège de France. Duflo also serves as President of the Paris School of Economics, demonstrating her significant international influence in economic policy and research. Her educational background includes first degrees in history and economics from Ecole Normale Superieure, Paris, followed by a Ph.D. in Economics from MIT in 1999. This strong foundation has enabled her to become one of the most influential economists of her generation. Duflo's research focuses on understanding the economic lives of people living in poverty, with the explicit aim of informing effective social policy design and evaluation. Her work spans critical areas including health, education, financial inclusion, environmental sustainability, and governance. What distinguishes her approach is the rigorous application of randomized controlled trials to evaluate development interventions, bringing scientific precision to poverty alleviation efforts. Her research methodology has revolutionized how economists approach development questions, moving beyond theoretical models to evidence-based policy recommendations. Her scholarly output demonstrates remarkable breadth and impact, with publications spanning from technical academic papers to influential books for general audiences. Duflo's work consistently bridges the gap between academic research and practical policy applications, with recent publications addressing contemporary challenges including climate change adaptation, pandemic response, and economic policy for hard times. Her research trends reveal a deepening commitment to translating complex economic concepts for broader audiences while maintaining scholarly rigor. Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel (2019, with Abhijit Banerjee and Michael Kremer) Princess of Asturias Award for Social Sciences (2015) A.SK Social Science Award (2015) Infosys Prize (2014) John Bates Clark Medal (2010) MacArthur 'Genius Grant' Fellowship (2009) Member of the National Academy of Sciences (2017) Duflo has supervised numerous graduate students and collaborated extensively with researchers worldwide through J-PAL, which has grown into a global network conducting field experiments across multiple continents. Her grant portfolio includes substantial funding from major foundations and government agencies supporting large-scale development research. Beyond traditional academic advising, Duflo has mentored a generation of development economists through J-PAL's training programs and field research opportunities. Her primary institutional home is the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL), which she co-founded at MIT. J-PAL has grown into a major research center with offices worldwide, connecting academic researchers with policymakers to ensure that program evaluations inform real-world decisions. Duflo also leads research teams at the Collège de France and the Paris School of Economics, creating a transatlantic network focused on evidence-based poverty reduction strategies.
Esther Duflo is the Abdul Latif Jameel Professor of Poverty Alleviation and Development Economics in the Department of Economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). She is also co-founder and co-director of the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL), holds the Chaire, Pauvreté et politiques publiques at the Collège de France, and serves as President of the Paris School of Economics. Her research focuses on understanding the economic lives of people living in poverty to help design and evaluate social policies. Her work spans multiple domains including: Development Economics Poverty Alleviation strategies Health interventions Educational programs Financial inclusion initiatives Environmental policy Governance improvements Duflo revolutionized developmental economics by pioneering the use of randomized controlled trials to test poverty reduction measures. Her empirical approach has challenged conventional opinions about development and has helped improve the efficient use of resources in poverty alleviation programs worldwide. She co-authored the influential books "Poor Economics" and "Good Economics for Hard Times" with Abhijit Banerjee, demonstrating through field experiments how specific interventions (like providing lentils to mothers for child immunization) can dramatically improve social outcomes. Her notable scientific achievements include: Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel (2019) Princess of Asturias Award for Social Sciences (2015) Infosys Prize (2014) John Bates Clark Medal (2010) MacArthur "Genius Grant" Fellowship (2009) A.SK Social Science Award (2015) Duflo has established J-PAL as a global network of over a hundred affiliated professors who use scientific evidence to inform policy decisions in the fight against poverty. J-PAL has offices across Africa, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, North America, and South and Southeast Asia. Her work has demonstrated the crucial importance of information in policymaking, with numerous field experiments showing how carefully designed interventions can have significant impacts on social outcomes across multiple domains including health, education, and economic opportunity.
Andrea Arpaci-Dusseau is the Susan Beth Horwitz WARF Professor of Computer Sciences and Catherine A. Erickson Professor in the School of Computer, Data & Information Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She has been a professor at UW-Madison since January 2000 and currently serves as Graduate Advising Chair for the Computer Sciences Department. Her research focuses on computer systems with primary emphasis on file and storage systems, but also making significant contributions in distributed systems, virtualization, and scheduling. According to csrankings.org, she has published the fourth-most papers in premier systems conferences (SOSP and OSDI) and the most at the top file and storage conference (FAST). Professor Arpaci-Dusseau's recent publications demonstrate continued leadership in storage systems research, with increasing focus on cloud architectures, persistent memory technologies, and system reliability. Her work bridges theoretical foundations with practical implementations, consistently addressing real-world challenges in modern computing environments. ACM SIGOPS Mark Weiser Award 2018 (highest honor in systems field) UW-Madison Van Hise Outreach Teaching Award 2017 Multiple Best Paper awards at FAST, SOSP, OSDI, and EuroSys conferences Carolyn Rosner Award for Excellence in Teaching (2010, 2017) Co-chaired major conferences including USENIX ATC '04, FAST '07, OSDI'18, and SOSP'24 Professor Arpaci-Dusseau has co-advised 28 Ph.D. students and is deeply committed to educational outreach through the CaTaPuLT project, which connects UW-Madison students with K-12 schools to teach computational thinking using Scratch. This initiative has reached hundreds of students across Madison and earned her significant recognition for teaching excellence. She leads the Arpaci-Dusseau Systems Lab (ADSL) and is involved with the Wisconsin Institute on Software-defined Datacenters in Madison (WISDoM), where her research group continues to advance state-of-the-art solutions in computer systems.
Gierad Laput is a Senior Engineering Manager at Apple, leading the Perception and Interaction Engineering organization under Machine Intelligence Neural Design (MIND) at Apple AI/ML (AIML). He is also an Adjunct Professor at Carnegie Mellon University's School of Computer Science and Human-Computer Interaction Institute. His research sits at the intersection of sensing systems, interactive technologies, and machine learning, with applications in ambient intelligence, wearables, and AI-driven interactive experiences. Ph.D. in Computer Science from Carnegie Mellon University Founding member of CMU's Future Interfaces Group Former Google Ph.D. Fellow, Disney Imagineer, and recipient of 10 Best Paper Awards/Nominations His research agenda at Apple leverages cutting-edge hardware to develop multimodal ML systems for vision, audio, and motion sensors, enabling features like head gesture detection for AirPods, Apple Intelligence integrations, and health monitoring tools. Recent collaborative projects include Vision Pro hand interaction systems and WatchOS updates for cycling/fall detection. Key research areas include human-computer interaction , machine learning for sensor fusion , and smart environment sensing . Over 35 publications cover transformative technologies like ViBand (bio-acoustic sensing), EM-Sense (touch recognition), SkinTrack (arm as touchpad), and ElectroDermis (stretchable electronics). Scientific honors include: Fast Company Innovation by Design Award (2017) Google PhD Fellowship (2018) Swartz Entrepreneurial Fellowship (2018) Best Paper Awards at ACM UIST (2016) and ACM CHI (2015) As an educator, he has taught courses at CMU and the University of Michigan on on-device machine learning , signal processing , and human-centered design . His lab has mentored numerous researchers now pursuing PhDs at MIT, UW, CMU, and Northwestern.
Mark Y. Liberman is the Christopher H. Browne Distinguished Professor of Linguistics and Trustee Professor at the University of Pennsylvania. He holds a joint appointment in the Department of Linguistics and the Department of Computer and Information Science. His roles include Director of the Linguistic Data Consortium (LDC), Faculty Director of Ware College House, and former Director of the Institute for Research in Cognitive Science. Education: A.B. in Linguistics and Applied Mathematics from Harvard University (1965–1969), M.S. (1972) and Ph.D. (1975) in Linguistics from MIT. Research focuses on corpus-based phonetics, clinical linguistics applications, tonal phonology, formal models for linguistic annotation, and computational linguistics. He explores speech production, prosody, and interdisciplinary topics like language evolution and neurobiology of speech. Recent articles highlight advancements in speech biomarkers for neurodegenerative diseases, autism analysis, and computational linguistics. Awards include Fellowships from the AAAS and Linguistic Society of America. He advises graduate students and leads large-scale language resource initiatives like LDC, contributing to open-access linguistic datasets. Labs/Teams: Linguistic Data Consortium (LDC), Institute for Research in Cognitive Science (IRCS), and collaborations in computational linguistics and neuroscience.
Dr. Luisa Calè is a Professor of Romantic and Nineteenth-Century Literature & Visual Culture and Research Lead at Birkbeck, University of London. She holds degrees from the University of Rome 'La Sapienza' (1993), University of Genoa (1997), and the University of Oxford (M.St. 1998, D.Phil 2002). Her research explores the interplay between literature and visual/material culture, focusing on book history, intermediality, and practices of reading/collecting. Her Leverhulme Trust-funded project 'The Book Unbound' examines how works by Blake, Walpole, and Dickens subverted traditional book formats. Education: PhD in Literary Studies, University of Genoa (1997) D.Phil., University of Oxford (2002) M.St. in English, University of Oxford (1998) Letters Degree, University of Rome (1993) Her research interests include Romantic aesthetics, material texts, and critical disciplinarity. Notable publications include Fuseli’s Milton Gallery (2006) and co-edited volumes like Dante on View (2007). She edits Blake/An Illustrated Quarterly and serves on editorial boards for Word & Image and Romantic Circles Gallery . Recent awards include a Leverhulme Trust Research Fellowship (2019) and a Mercator Fellowship (2018-19). She supervises graduate students in Romantic literature, material culture, and book history.
Andrew Lynch serves as Professor and Associate Dean for Program Development in the Department of Modern Languages & Literatures within the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Miami. His academic leadership extends beyond teaching responsibilities to include significant administrative contributions to program development across the institution. Lynch's research interests center on sociolinguistics with particular focus on Spanish language dynamics in Miami, heritage language socialization, bilingualism, and language ideology. His work examines how language functions within specific social contexts, especially in workplace environments where Spanish heritage speakers navigate linguistic demands. He investigates the complex interplay between language, identity, and social structures in postmodern urban settings, with special attention to the Cuban diaspora experience in South Florida. His publication record reveals consistent scholarly engagement with heritage language education, Spanish language variation, and the sociolinguistic landscape of global cities. Lynch's research demonstrates how language practices in Miami reflect broader patterns of linguistic adaptation and resistance within diasporic communities. His work often addresses the tension between linguistic heritage and social integration, examining how language ideologies shape educational practices and community identity. Lynch's scholarly contributions span multiple formats, including single-authored books, co-authored publications, handbook chapters, and journal articles in both English and Spanish. His work frequently appears in high-impact sociolinguistics and language education journals, reflecting his interdisciplinary approach that bridges theoretical linguistics with practical educational implications.
Dr. Corey T. Callaghan is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation at the University of Florida . Based at the Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center , his research focuses on global change ecology using big data from citizen science platforms like eBird and iNaturalist, combined with geospatial analyses and macroecological theory . Ph.D. (2019) from UNSW Sydney M.S. (2015) from Florida Atlantic University B.S. + B.S. (2013) from Canisius College His work examines urban ecology , including how species traits influence urban tolerance across birds, amphibians, and butterflies. He develops adaptive sampling frameworks to optimize citizen science data collection while addressing biases. Current projects analyze human-nature interactions through citizen science participation, secondary data in photographs, and machine learning for biodiversity monitoring. He actively contributes to conservation strategies for urban biodiversity and data-driven restoration efforts . Recent publications highlight his expertise in cross-taxa comparisons , continental-scale analyses , and ecosystem service quantification . He leads the Global Ecology Research Group at the University of Florida, emphasizing collaborative science and open-source methodologies .
