Kinohi Nishikawa is an Associate Professor jointly appointed in the Department of African American Studies and the Department of English at Princeton University. His scholarly work bridges literary criticism, book history, and African American cultural studies, with a strong emphasis on the material forms of literature. A.B., Dartmouth College (summa cum laude, High Honors in English) M.A., Literature, Duke University Ph.D., Literature, Duke University His research focuses on 20th- and 21st-century African American literature, particularly the roles of book design, publishing practices, and paratextual elements in shaping literary reception. He explores how print culture, independent presses, and visual aesthetics contribute to Black literary expression and archival formation. His work intersects with Black aesthetic theory, humor, and popular culture. His recent publications reveal a consistent thematic thread: the materiality of African American texts. Across journals like PMLA , American Literary History , and Papers of the Bibliographical Society of America , he investigates how design, format, and publishing context influence meaning-making in works by authors such as Ralph Ellison, Gwendolyn Brooks, Ishmael Reed, and Percival Everett. Nishikawa is actively involved in public scholarship, curating the Black Independent Film series at the Princeton Garden Theatre and advising on the Sites of Memory exhibition of the Toni Morrison Papers. He is co-authoring a book with Professor Autumn Womack on Morrison’s archiving practices. Curator, Black Independent Film series, Princeton Garden Theatre Advisor, Sites of Memory exhibition, Toni Morrison Papers Collaborator on Morrison archiving project with Autumn Womack
Birgit Öhlinger is a Research Associate and Co-Excavation Director of the Monte Iato Project at the Leopold Franzens University of Innsbruck . Her work focuses on the archaeology of the ancient Mediterranean, particularly social transformation processes in cultural contact zones and identity formation through material culture, with a regional emphasis on Sicily. Education: Doctoral studies in Classical and Provincial Roman Archaeology (2010–2014), University of Innsbruck Master’s in Ancient History and Classical Studies (2005–2009), University of Innsbruck Master’s in Classical and Provincial Roman Archaeology (2002–2008), University of Innsbruck Research Interests: Öhlinger specializes in the archaeology of cultural contact zones, ritual and religious practices, and ceramic studies in the Archaic Mediterranean. Her methodological expertise includes digital excavation documentation, experimental archaeology, and material culture analysis, particularly focusing on Monte Iato in Western Sicily. Recent Publications: Her work examines technological choices in local ceramic production, neutron activation analysis applications in Mediterranean archaeology, and ritual consumption practices. She has contributed to debates on cultural hybridity, social identity, and the role of sanctuaries in elite formation. Awards: Anniversary Prize of Böhlau Verlag Vienna (2015) Prize of the Principality of Liechtenstein (2015) Merit Scholarship (2003–2007), University of Innsbruck Doctoral Scholarship (2013–2014), University of Innsbruck Professional Activities: Öhlinger leads projects like "Monte Iato Pots - Experimental Study on Organic Residue Analysis" and "Crime Scene Monte Iato around 500 BC: Microbiological Forensics" . She organizes international conferences and contributes to public outreach through media appearances and exhibitions.
Sebastian Gottschalk is a researcher at Paderborn University, Germany, specializing in business model development within software ecosystems, virtual reality applications, and model-driven software engineering. His research focuses on creating situation-specific approaches to business model development, with particular emphasis on tool support, method composition, and knowledge provision. His research interests span business model innovation, virtual reality applications for education and collaboration, model-driven development, and end-user programming. He has made significant contributions to understanding how business models can be developed in context-aware ways within software ecosystems, with practical applications in tool development and method engineering. His publication record shows a clear progression from foundational work on business model development to innovative applications in virtual reality and gamification. Recent work demonstrates increasing focus on practical implementations, particularly in educational contexts using VR technology to teach UML and software modeling concepts. Gottschalk has collaborated extensively with Gregor Engels (27 publications together), Enes Yigitbas (20 publications), and Alexander Nowosad (7 publications), indicating strong research partnerships that have driven much of his recent work in business model development and virtual reality applications.
David A. Egolf is an Associate Professor in the Department of Physics at Georgetown University, specializing in computational physics with a focus on systems maintained far-from-equilibrium. His research spans fluid dynamics, granular materials, biophysics, and statistical mechanics, employing nonlinear dynamics and large-scale computation to understand complex phenomena. His educational background includes undergraduate and doctoral studies at Duke University, where he earned his PhD in Physics with a thesis on Characterizations of Extensively Chaotic States and Transitions . Prior to Georgetown, he held postdoctoral positions at Cornell University's Cornell Theory Center and Los Alamos National Laboratory's Center for Nonlinear Studies. Egolf's research interests center on spatiotemporal chaos and nonequilibrium systems. He investigates how localized events determine the evolution of complex systems, with applications ranging from fluid convection to fibrillating heart tissue. His work reveals that seemingly chaotic systems often contain predictable elements around specific critical events, providing pathways to develop a statistical mechanics for nonequilibrium phenomena. His publication record shows consistent contributions to understanding dynamical systems, with recent work focusing on granular jamming transitions, biopolymer networks, and QCD calculations. The research demonstrates recurring themes of identifying fundamental building blocks within chaotic systems and establishing connections between nonequilibrium behavior and equilibrium statistical mechanics. Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellow Software of the Year Award (1984) for AtariLab Science Series Egolf has successfully mentored numerous undergraduate researchers at Georgetown, supervising over a dozen senior theses with several students receiving departmental awards and honors. His research has been supported by major funding agencies including the National Science Foundation, Research Corporation, NASA, and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. He maintains an active collaboration with experimental physicist Jeffrey Urbach, combining theoretical and experimental approaches to study driven granular systems and biophysics. His laboratory work focuses on computational modeling of nonequilibrium systems, utilizing large computer clusters to simulate complex phenomena across multiple scales. Current projects include studying granular systems driven by both shaking and shearing to introduce multiple time-scales, and investigating biopolymer networks relevant to cellular mechanisms.
Professor Scott Palmer is a distinguished academic at the University of Leeds, serving as Professor of Light and Performance within the School of Performance and Cultural Industries (Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures). With over 30 years of teaching and management experience in Higher Education, he was a founder member of the School in 2001 and has held numerous senior management roles including Interim Head of School, Director of Student Education (2019-2022), Director of Enterprise and Knowledge Transfer, and Programme Manager for BA (Hons) Performance Design for over a decade. In 2017-18, he was appointed to an Excellence and Innovation Fellowship at the Leeds Institute for Teaching Excellence & Innovation. PhD (Leeds) - Light, Scenography and the Choreography of Space Cert. Education (Manchester) BA Hons. Drama (Wales) Professor Palmer is a leading international advocate for scenography as an intellectual discipline. His research focuses on light, darkness and atmosphere in performance, designing for audience experience, and since 2017, the field of XR (Extended Reality). His influential monograph Light: Readings in Theatre Practice (Palgrave Macmillan, 2013) significantly contributed to establishing scenography as a scholarly field, exploring how light has influenced staging practices throughout history. He has co-edited major works including Scenography Expanded (Bloomsbury 2017) and the groundbreaking Contemporary Performance Lighting (2023), the first critical anthology focused specifically on performance lighting. His recent publications reveal evolving research trends from historical analyses of light in theatre to contemporary explorations of XR, immersive environments, and audience experience. Keywords across his work consistently emphasize scenography, audience experience, light design, and the integration of digital technologies in performance. His sub-field specializations span historical lighting techniques, immersive theatre practices, site-specific performance, 360-degree environments, and the theoretical frameworks connecting technological innovation with theatrical expression. Excellence and Innovation Fellowship at the Leeds Institute for Teaching Excellence & Innovation (2017-18) Research impact highlighted by AHRC as an exemplar case study Contributions to BBC Radio 3's Illuminating the Stage (broadcast December 25, 2017) Professor Palmer has supervised numerous PhD candidates and led collaborative student projects resulting in public performances including Pandora's Box (2009), Dream/Play (2010), Just Before Dawn (2011), Into the Dark (2012), Blood Wedding (2013), The Dreaming (2015), The Waiting Room (2017), and Within This House (2018). His research has been supported by significant grants including the AHRC-funded Projecting Performance (2006-08), UKRI-funded Surround Stories (XR Stories), and AHRC-funded Bridging the Gaps exploring Mixed Reality Performance of Chinese Opera. He plays an active role in international scholarly communities as co-convenor of the IFTR Scenography Working Group (2013-16), inaugural member of the TaPRA Scenography Working Group, and contributor to OISTAT Education and History and Theory Commissions. Professor Palmer is a member of the PLACE, Practice as Research, and Participation Research Groups at Leeds, and was co-instigator of the Leeds-based Performing Light Network. His SignalSpace web resource, developed with colleague Maria Kapsali, explores digital creativity and mobile phone applications in performance contexts. He regularly presents research outcomes at international conferences including IFTR, TaPRA, ICIDS, and ZipScene, demonstrating his commitment to advancing both theoretical understanding and practical applications of performance design.
Mingwei Song is the Mayling Soong Professor of Chinese Studies and Professor of Chinese at Wellesley College, with a Ph.D. from Columbia University and postdoctoral fellowships from Harvard and Princeton. His research spans modern Chinese literature , science fiction , posthuman theories , and Neo-Baroque aesthetics , focusing on how literary forms engage with technology, ethics, and cultural modernity. Education: B.A., Shandong University M.A., Fudan University Ph.D., Columbia University Research Themes include the posthuman in Sinophone fiction, contemporary science fiction as world literature, and the Bildungsroman in late Qing and Republican China. He pioneered studies on the "new wave" of Chinese science fiction since 2008, emphasizing authors like Liu Cixin and Han Song, and co-edited The Reincarnated Giant (2018) and Fear of Seeing (2023). Academic Impact is marked by grants from the An Wang Postdoctoral Fellowship , Chiang Ching-kuo Foundation , and Dilworth Fellowship . His edited volumes and translations have expanded global access to Chinese science fiction, while his poetic works (e.g., White Horse and Black Camel , 2022) reflect his dual identity as scholar-poet. Song also mentors doctoral students at Harvard and Uppsala, bridging academic and creative practices.
Christopher Bishop is a Microsoft Technical Fellow and Director of Microsoft Research AI for Science, concurrently serving as Honorary Professor of Computer Science at the University of Edinburgh and Fellow of Darwin College, Cambridge. His distinguished career spans theoretical physics, neural computing, and leadership in AI research. Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering (2004) Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (2007) Fellow of the Royal Society (2017) Founding member of UK AI Council Member of Prime Minister's Council for Science and Technology (2019) Delivered Royal Institution Christmas Lectures (2008) His research focuses on probabilistic models and machine learning, with significant contributions to AI for scientific discovery. Bishop pioneered the concept of the fifth paradigm of scientific discovery , where AI transforms traditional research methodologies across natural sciences. His work bridges theoretical computer science with practical applications in fusion energy, materials science, and computational biology. Analysis of his recent publications reveals a strategic shift toward AI-driven scientific infrastructure , with emphasis on machine learning foundations that endure technological evolution. His 2024 textbook became Springer Nature's top-selling publication, demonstrating exceptional impact in both academic and industrial contexts. Deep Learning: Foundations and Concepts (2024) Pattern Recognition and Machine Learning (2006) Neural Networks for Pattern Recognition (1995) Bishop leads Microsoft's global AI for Science initiative, establishing research teams in Berlin and coordinating interdisciplinary projects that apply machine learning to climate science, fusion energy, and molecular biology. His leadership in the Prime Minister's Council shapes national AI strategy while maintaining active engagement in public science communication through lectures and media appearances.
Professor Christopher Howe is a Professor of Plant and Microbial Biochemistry at the Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge . He has been a Fellow of the College since 1983 and currently serves as its President . He directs studies in Preclinical Medicine , teaching Biochemistry to first-year medical students. Research Interests : Photosynthesis biochemistry and evolution Biotechnological applications of photosynthetic organisms (e.g., algae for electricity production) Plasmodium's photosynthetic ancestry and remnant chloroplast Evolutionary analysis of non-biological systems like manuscripts Coral bleaching and dinoflagellate-coral symbiosis Article Trends : Focus on cyanobacteria, dinoflagellates, and Plasmodium Biophotovoltaic systems and sustainable energy Phylogenetic methods in biological and cultural evolution Scientific Awards : Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology (2017) Advising and Collaborations : Supervises graduate students in the Howe Group Collaborates with academic and commercial partners (Anaero Technology, LEITAT, Spireat) Labs & Teams : Leads the Howe Group at the Department of Biochemistry Co-leads the BEST Project for biophotovoltaic systems Works with 3D organotypic cultures and biophotoelectrochemistry
David Fletcher Wright is an Assistant Professor of Paleobiology in the School of Geosciences at the University of Oklahoma and Assistant Curator of Invertebrate Paleontology at the Sam Noble Museum of Natural History. He also holds research associate appointments at the National Museum of Natural History and the American Museum of Natural History. Wright combines specimen-based fossil data with statistical phylogenetics to study biological diversity through Earth's history, focusing on echinoderms and their evolutionary radiations. Ph.D., The Ohio State University (2016) M.S., Ohio University (2012) B.S., University of Kansas (2010) His research intersects macroevolution , phylogenetic comparative methods , and the evolutionary history of marine invertebrates , particularly crinoids (sea lilies, feather stars). He applies Bayesian techniques to fossil phylogeny reconstruction and investigates how ecological vs. geological changes drive diversification and mass extinctions. His work often leverages the ~500-million-year echinoderm fossil record as a natural experiment for testing evolutionary theories. Wright's 15 most recent publications span topics like crinoid systematics, Jurassic sea star origins, and the impact of seawater chemistry on echinoderm evolution. Common themes include phylogenetic uncertainty, character evolution modeling, and integrating fossil data with molecular phylogenies. Notable journals include Nature Communications Biology , Papers in Palaeontology , and Biological Reviews . 2025 Junior Faculty Fellowship, University of Oklahoma 2024 NSF grant ($1.17M) for Late Ordovician extinction research 2018–2020 Gerstner Scholar & Lerner-Gray Fellow, American Museum of Natural History 2017–2018 Peter Buck Postdoctoral Fellow, National Museum of Natural History 2016 Presidential Fellow, The Ohio State University Wright advises students in phylogenetic paleobiology, including Phifer, E.J. His lab collaborates globally on projects like the Anticosti Island biodiversity initiative and systematic revisions of Paleozoic echinoderms. He has authored or co-authored 35 peer-reviewed publications, describing 26 new species and 20 higher taxa, with over 878 citations and an h-index of 17.
Jason P. Breves is a Professor of Biology at Skidmore College , where he investigates the endocrine mechanisms enabling vertebrates to adapt to dynamic environments. His work focuses on pituitary hormones like prolactin and growth hormone in Mozambique tilapia , Atlantic salmon , and other euryhaline fish models to understand how hormonal systems regulate osmoregulation, growth, and stress responses. Education: B.S. in Marine Biology (Roger Williams University), M.S. in Oceanography (University of Rhode Island), Ph.D. in Molecular Biosciences and Bioengineering (University of Hawaii), and Postdoctoral Studies at University of Massachusetts Amherst. Research Interests: The lab explores three major themes: (1) Prolactin signaling in gill, kidney, and gastrointestinal tract; (2) Osmoreception and prolactin gene regulation; and (3) Somatotropic axis modulation by stressors, nutrition, and xenobiotics. His team uses molecular, cellular, and organismal approaches to dissect hormone-gene interactions and their ecological implications. Recent Publications highlight his work on salinity-dependent gene regulation, cortisol's impact on growth hormone pathways, and thermosensitive prolactin cells. Key subfields include ion transporter dynamics , transcriptomic responses to environmental stress , and hormonal crosstalk in osmoregulation . Collaborators span institutions like University of Hawaii, USGS Conte Anadromous Fish Research Center, and University of Gothenburg. Scientific Awards: Grace Evelyn Pickford Medal (2025), New Investigator Award (2019), Gorbman-Bern Award (2019), and multiple Scholander Awards. Students: Mentored over 30 undergraduate researchers, including recipients of conference awards and presentations at Experimental Biology and International Biology of Fish Congress. Funding includes NSF grants (IOS-1755131, DBI-2018952) for molecular targets and advanced instrumentation. His lab serves as a nexus for comparative endocrinology and aquatic physiology research.
Klaus Richter is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Chemistry, University of Vienna, affiliated with the Department of Functional Materials and Catalysis. His research spans materials science, catalysis, and thermodynamics. Academic Rank: Associate Professor (ao. Univ.-Prof.) Research Focus: Phase diagrams, intermetallic compounds, vapour-solid synthesis, and catalytic applications for hydrogen production Projects: Notable work on Al-Cu-X (X=Si, Zn) phase diagrams and intermetallic nanoparticle synthesis Richter’s publications emphasize sustainable energy solutions through intermetallic catalysts, with recent studies on Ni-Te and Pt-Zn nanoparticles for green hydrogen production. His work integrates computational modeling (CALPHAD) with experimental phase analysis. Key scientific awards include the APDIC Best Paper Award (2014) and JPED Editors Choice Award (2018). He actively contributes to conferences and collaborative research in intermetallic systems.
Erik Weerts is a Clinician and Veterinary Pathologist (diplomate of the European College of Veterinary Pathologists) at Utrecht University's Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Biomolecular Health Sciences, Division of Pathology. He holds a PhD in Veterinary Medicine awarded in June 2023 for his thesis 'Coronaviruses in poultry: an ongoing pandemic?' Dr. Weerts' research focuses primarily on veterinary pathology with special emphasis on avian coronaviruses, particularly infectious bronchitis virus in poultry. His work spans comparative pathology, dual infection models, and molecular mechanisms of viral pathogenesis. He has published extensively on coronavirus-related topics, examining viral transmission, tissue tropism, host-pathogen interactions, and vaccine development. Analysis of his recent publications reveals a strong concentration on poultry diseases, particularly viral respiratory infections in chickens and turkeys. His research often examines the interplay between viral and bacterial pathogens, with significant work on infectious bronchitis virus pathogenesis and immune responses. Weerts frequently collaborates with researchers across multiple institutions, demonstrating a network spanning veterinary virology, immunology, and pathology. Diplomate of the European College of Veterinary Pathologists (February 2014) PhD in Veterinary Medicine (June 2023) Dr. Weerts performs diagnostic research including necropsies on domestic, exotic and wild animals, and biopsy examination. He has significant teaching responsibilities within the veterinary medicine program and participates in research collaborations both within and outside the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, including heat stress in pigs and poultry studies with the Poultry Science Division and Population Health Sciences Department.
Alison M. Ferris is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Princeton University conducting experimental research at the intersection of chemical kinetics, optical diagnostics, and sustainable fuel development using shock wave methodologies. Her educational background includes: Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University (2021) M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (2014) B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Columbia University (2012) Dr. Ferris's research focuses on high-temperature reaction chemistry for sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs), combining shock tube experiments with laser-based diagnostics to measure key reaction rates and develop predictive models. Current projects investigate the link between aviation particulates and contrail formation, low-carbon fuel kinetics, and data-driven approaches for accelerating SAF development through machine learning and optical sensing techniques. Analysis of her 15 most recent publications (2019-2024) reveals dominant themes in sustainable aviation fuels, ammonia combustion for zero-carbon propulsion, and advanced diagnostic development. Her work consistently employs shock tube platforms for high-temperature flame speed measurements while increasingly integrating machine learning for fuel property prediction, demonstrating evolution from fundamental kinetics toward applied sustainable fuel solutions. Scientific awards: No awards were documented in the provided information. Dr. Ferris leads the Ferris Lab where she advises graduate researchers in combustion science, though specific student names and grant details were not provided in the source material. The Ferris Lab (D324 Engineering Quadrangle) maintains three core research thrusts: Sustainable Fuels development using machine learning, Chemical Kinetics investigations of reaction pathways, and Flame Dynamics studies of alternative fuels at extreme conditions through shock wave methodologies.
Adam T Rabinowitz is an Associate Professor in the Department of Classics and Assistant Director of the Institute of Classical Archaeology at The University of Texas at Austin, where he teaches courses on classical archaeology, digital approaches to antiquity, and ancient Greek culture. His academic journey began with a PhD from the University of Michigan in 2004, where he completed a dissertation on communal wine-drinking in the colonial Greek world. Rabinowitz's research interests span multiple domains of classical scholarship, with particular focus on Greek colonization, cultural interaction, ancient food and drink practices, the archaeology of daily life, and innovative digital approaches to archaeological documentation and publication. His fieldwork experience spans 25 years across Greek, Roman, and Byzantine sites in Italy, England, Israel, Tunisia, and Ukraine, with significant work at the Chersonesos site in Crimea. His scholarly output reveals a clear trajectory from traditional archaeological research toward digital humanities applications, with recent publications emphasizing digital data preservation, spatial visualization of archaeological information, and the challenges of maintaining scholarly authority in digital publishing environments. This evolution reflects his growing investment in developing sustainable digital infrastructure for archaeological research. Fellow of the American Academy in Rome (2002) Rabinowitz has developed several significant digital humanities projects including Pleiades (a spatial gazetteer of ancient places), GeoDia (an interactive spatial timeline of Mediterranean archaeology), Hestia2 (a narrative time-map of Herodotus's Histories), and PeriodO (a gazetteer of scholarly period definitions). His collaborative work with the Texas Advanced Computing Center has focused on developing strategies for the long-term preservation of digital archaeological data, creating a reflexive system that tracks the entire research lifecycle from primary data collection through interpretation. His fieldwork at Chersonesos has particularly informed his interest in sustainable, locally-directed heritage documentation, exemplified by his work implementing Reflectance Transformation Imaging with staff at the National Preserve of Tauric Chersonesos in Ukraine.
Dr. Joel P. Johnson is an Associate Professor in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at The University of Texas at Austin's Jackson School of Geosciences. His research focuses on quantifying active surface processes, including geomorphic feedbacks, landscape evolution, and sediment transport dynamics. He explores topics like lithologic controls on topography, tsunami deposit analysis, and morphodynamics in mountain rivers. His work integrates field studies, laboratory experiments, and numerical modeling. Education: BS in Earth Sciences, PhD from MIT, postdoc at USGS. He teaches courses like Earth Wind and Fire, Geomorphology, and Professional Ethics in Geosciences. He co-leads the Jackson Scholars program, fostering student engagement and professional development. Research Themes: (1) Climatic and lithologic influences on landscape evolution, (2) Mountain river morphodynamics using smartrocks and flume experiments, (3) Tsunami and storm surge deposit analysis for hazard assessments. Key projects include Guadalupe Mountains lithology studies, Martian canyon comparisons, and Hawaii climate-erosion feedbacks. Advising: Supervises PhD/Master’s students and undergrad researchers (e.g., Grace Guryan, Morgan Carrington). Collaborates with institutions like Tulane University and Durham University. Publications span 20+ peer-reviewed articles since 2003, focusing on fluvial processes, sediment transport, and geomorphic modeling. Labs/Teams: Active in experimental flume research at UT, smartrock tracer technology development, and comparative planetology studies. His group emphasizes interdisciplinary approaches to address Earth system challenges.
