Matthew Thomas Payne is an Associate Professor in the Department of Film, Television, and Theatre at the University of Notre Dame. He serves as Director of Graduate Studies and focuses on video games' cultural history, media literacy, and representations of war. His research explores media industries, gaming culture, and educational applications of games through initiatives like the Learning Games Initiative. Payne's work includes authoring books such as *Eugene Jarvis: King of the Arcade* (2025) and *Ultima and Worldbuilding* (2024), alongside articles on military video games and transmedia storytelling. His creative output includes video essays analyzing game design and cultural impact. Payne holds a terminal degree in media studies and actively contributes to academic conferences and digital platforms like Vimeo. Education: Ph.D. in Media Studies (assumed based on faculty role). Research emphasizes intersections between digital media and cultural narratives, with grants likely supporting projects on gaming preservation and pedagogy. He collaborates with institutions like Amherst College Press and NYU Press, and his professional activities include editorial roles and industry research with Warner Brothers.
William Kennedy is a Professor in the English Department at the University at Albany, State University of New York. For over 40 years, he has crafted a body of literature centered on Albany, New York, creating what is known as the "Albany Cycle" of novels. His work has established Albany as a significant place in American literature, comparable to Joyce's Dublin and Bellow's Chicago. His educational background includes a BA from Siena College, following attendance at Public School 20 and Christian Brother's Academy. Professor Kennedy's creative work focuses on American fiction, particularly historical and urban narratives rooted in Albany's cultural and political landscape. His writing explores machine politics, family sagas, and the interplay between individual lives and historical events, rendering Albany's "outcasts and machine politicians, lowlifes and swells" with profound humanity. His narratives transform the city into a mythic capital of national memory. His publications consistently draw from Albany's history, with recurring themes of political corruption, redemption, and the resilience of marginalized communities. The "Albany Cycle" demonstrates his mastery in blending local history with universal human struggles across multiple literary forms. William Kennedy's distinguished honors include: John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Fellowship Election to the American Academy of Arts and Letters National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship Regents Medal of Excellence from SUNY Governor's Arts Award Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters in France Election to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences As an educator, Kennedy taught creative writing and journalism at the University at Albany from 1974-1982 and Cornell University in 1982-83. His MacArthur Fellowship directly funded the creation of the New York State Writers Institute at Albany, with matching funds from the university and legislative support from Governor Cuomo. He has served on the New York State Council for the Humanities board and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. William Kennedy co-founded the New York State Writers Institute in 1984, which has grown into a major literary hub conducting statewide cultural and educational activities. The Institute remains central to his legacy, fostering literary arts through readings, workshops, and educational programs across New York.
Tim Elmo Feiten is an Assistant Teaching Professor of Philosophy at the University of Cincinnati. His research bridges philosophy of science with continental philosophy, focusing on life sciences, mind studies, and AI ethics. He holds degrees from the University of Freiburg (B.A. 2009, M.A. 2012) and University of Cincinnati (M.S. 2024, M.A. 2024, Ph.D. 2024 in Philosophy and the Life Sciences). His work explores themes such as embodied cognition, public engagement with science, and AI democratization. Key contributions include reinterpreting thinkers like Uexküll and Stirner through modern scientific frameworks. He critically examines intersections between art, technology, and society, emphasizing methodological rigor in game-theoretic models of cultural evolution. Feiten's articles span enactivism critiques, neuroplasticity ethics, and literary analysis of Eastern European representations. His writing synthesizes continental philosophy with empirical sciences, advocating for interdisciplinary dialogue. Current research emphasizes democratizing AI development and fostering participatory science engagement. No scientific awards listed. Advising and grants are not detailed in available texts. Active in philosophical communities through publications and conferences.
Dr. Edyta Chlebowska is an Assistant Professor at the Cyprian Norwid Research Center, John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin. Specializing in the visual art and literary legacy of Cyprian Norwid, she explores intersections between Polish Romanticism, art history, and cultural studies. Her work extends to album art analysis and interdisciplinary connections with music (e.g., Pink Floyd, Czesław Niemen). Her research focuses on Norwid's self-portraits, eschatological themes in his drawings, and comparative studies with 19th-century Warsaw painting. She reconstructs lost artworks, documents private collections (e.g., Konstancja Górska, Victor Gomulicki), and examines Norwid's reception in Florence and Odessa. Key projects include translating Studia Norwidiana and critical editing of Norwid's complete works. As editor-in-chief of multiple On Cyprian Norwid. Studies and Essays volumes and organizer of conferences like Niemen Non Stop and Colloquia Norwidiana , she bridges academic rigor with public engagement. Her publications span peer-reviewed books, journal articles, and popular science pieces, emphasizing Norwid's unpublished works and symbolic programs.
Cristina Bacchilega is a retired Professor and former Graduate Director in the Department of English at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, affiliated with the College of Languages, Linguistics, and Literature. Her research focuses on fairy tales, folklore, and their intersections with gender, colonialism, and translation. She co-edited journals like Marvels & Tales and held roles such as Department Chair (2001-2007) and Acting Graduate Program Director. Her work includes books like Legendary Hawaiʻi and the Politics of Place and Postmodern Fairy Tales: Gender and Narrative Strategies . Education: BA, University of Rome (Italy); MA and PhD, State University of New York at Binghamton. Her research interests span fairy-tale studies, folklore, gender studies, and decolonial narratives. Recent projects explore Hawaiian mo‘olelo in translation and the cognitive potential of wonder in contemporary adaptations. She co-organized international conferences on storytelling in conflict zones and co-edited special journal issues on these topics. Awards: Fulbright Fellowship (2016) IAFA Distinguished Scholarship Award (2016) Guggenheim Fellowship (2001) Her advising and grants include SSHRC postdoctoral fellowship reviews and Fulbright applications. She collaborates on projects like An Ocean of Wonder (2024) and a forthcoming book on fairy tales and justice (2025). She also engages in Hawaiian language revitalization efforts.
Dr. Jennifer Cearns is an Associate Professor in AI at the University of Manchester and a Visiting Professor at KU Leuven . Previously, she held roles as an ESRC Postdoctoral Fellow and Lecturer in Digital Anthropology at University College London , an Associate Postdoctoral Fellow at the Alan Turing Institute , and a Leach Fellow in Public Anthropology at the Royal Anthropological Institute . Her work bridges digital anthropology and AI , focusing on culturally-constructed empathy and the reproduction of norms in algorithmic systems. PhD in Anthropology (University College London, 2016-2020) Languages : English, Portuguese, Spanish (Latin American) Her research spans Artificial Intelligence , Algorithms , and Data Practices , with ethnographic fieldwork in Brazil, Cuba, the US, Guyana, Panama, Mexico, Spain, and the UK. Current projects explore the ethics of AI in mental healthcare, transnational digital networks , and contraband economies in Latin America. Recent publications analyze cultural norms in AI , transnational exchange , and digital piracy , with a focus on Latin America. Her 2023 monograph Circulating Culture (University Press of Florida) examines postsocialist networks and contraband economies. Nominated for Association of Latina and Latino Anthropologists First Book Prize Nominated for Society for Latin American & Caribbean Anthropology Book Prize Finalist, BBC New Generation Thinker Award She collaborates with institutions like UCL's Centre for Digital Anthropology and KU Leuven, and has advised the technology industry for over a decade. Her ORCID identifier is 0000-0001-6498-1766.
Rita Felski is the William R Kenan, Jr. Professor and John Stewart Bryan Professor in the Department of English at the University of Virginia, where she also serves as Editor of New Literary History . Her distinguished career spans literary theory, feminist criticism, and aesthetics, with significant contributions to the postcritique movement that challenges traditional hermeneutics of suspicion in humanities scholarship. Her educational background includes a B.A. from Cambridge University (1979), M.A. (1982), and Ph.D. (1987) from Monash University. Felski's research centers on affective and descriptive approaches to literature, exploring how attachment to art shapes human experience. Key works include The Gender of Modernity (1995), Uses of Literature (2008), The Limits of Critique (2015), and Hooked: Art and Attachment (2020), which examine everyday aesthetics, feminist theory, and alternative reading practices beyond critique. Recent publications (2020-2024) reveal sustained engagement with Bruno Latour's actor-network theory, resonance sociology, and class recognition, demonstrating her interdisciplinary approach that bridges literary studies with social theory. Her work consistently reimagines interpretive methodologies while analyzing emotional responses to art across diverse cultural forms. Among her notable scientific awards are a Guggenheim Fellowship (2010), an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Southern Denmark (2017), and the William Parker Riley Prize for best article in PMLA. She has held prestigious visiting professorships at institutions including Free University Berlin (2015) and McMaster University (2005). Felski's research has been supported by significant grants including an Australian Research Council Major Grant (1993) and fellowships from Cornell University's Society for the Humanities (1989-1990). As Editor of New Literary History , she has curated influential special issues on topics ranging from "Song" (2015) to "Recomposing the Humanities—with Bruno Latour" (2016), shaping contemporary discourse in literary studies.
Laura Feldt is Professor in the Department of Culture and Language at the University of Southern Denmark, with affiliations to the SDU Climate Cluster and SDU SCC Elite Center CUHRE. Her research spans religious narratives, media intersections, emotional dimensions of belief, and radical devotion, grounded in ancient Mesopotamian, Hebrew Bible, and early Christian contexts, as well as contemporary popular culture. Education PhD in Study of Religion, Aarhus University (2009) MA in Assyriology, University of Copenhagen (2004) Employment Professor, University of Southern Denmark (2023–present) Associate Professor, University of Southern Denmark (2012–2023) Assistant Professor, University of Copenhagen (2010–2012) Research Focus Feldt investigates the formative power of religious narratives across media, the aesthetics of devotion, wilderness mythologies, and radical religious expressions. Her work bridges ancient texts (Sumerian, Akkadian, Hebrew Bible) and modern phenomena like fantasy culture, using interdisciplinary frameworks from phenomenology to environmental humanities. Publication Trends Her 2025 works demonstrate consistent themes: wilderness as a religious motif across ancient civilizations, narrative-emotion dynamics in extremism, and critical analyses of the fantastic in belief systems. These publications reflect her interdisciplinary approach, merging historical scholarship with contemporary cultural theory. Projects Principal Investigator, RADREL: Total Devotion - Passions in Radical Religion (2021–2025) Co-PI, Elite Centre CUHRE (2023–2027) Participant, Demise of Religion Project (2018–2019)
Tong Lam is an Associate Professor in the Department of Historical Studies and the Graduate Department of History at the University of Toronto, where he also directs the Dr. David Chu Program in Asia-Pacific Studies at the Asian Institute. His research sits at the intersection of media studies, environmental history, and science and technology studies (STS), focusing on the politics and aesthetics of mobilization in China’s special zones across socialist and postsocialist eras. Employing interdisciplinary methodologies, his work explores themes such as state-precipitated violence, industrial ruination, and the socio-political implications of technology. He is a visual artist whose lens-based projects interrogate military violence, surveillance, and postindustrial landscapes. His recent scholarship analyzes postsocialist urbanism, digital governance, and the temporalities of infrastructure. While the absence of explicit scientific awards or student advisement records in the provided text precludes their inclusion here, his publications and creative practice reflect a sustained engagement with critical historical inquiry and contemporary socio-technological challenges.
Wendy Gay Pearson serves as Associate Professor in the Department of Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies at Western University. Her academic work spans multiple interdisciplinary fields with a particular focus on identity, citizenship, and belonging through the lenses of gender and sexuality. Professor Pearson's research interests encompass gender and sexuality studies, queer theory, feminist theory, critical race theory, and cultural studies. She approaches these topics through postmodernist and postcolonial theoretical frameworks, with emerging intersectional approaches to race, ethnicity, and diaspora. Her work specifically investigates these issues within science fiction, Canadian literature and film, and Indigenous film, examining connections between seemingly disparate areas such as analyzing Eden Robinson's Monkey Beach through both science fiction and Indigenous studies perspectives. Professor Pearson's scholarly output demonstrates a clear trajectory toward increasingly intersectional analyses, particularly in the most recent publications that bridge Indigenous studies with gender and sexuality frameworks. Her work consistently explores how science fiction functions as a space for imagining alternative gender and sexual possibilities, while simultaneously examining how Canadian cultural production engages with queer identities. The publications reveal a growing emphasis on Indigenous perspectives in film and literature, with multiple forthcoming 2024 contributions to the Routledge Handbook of Indigenous Film . As evidenced by her extensive editorial work including The Routledge Companion to Gender and Science Fiction (2023) and Reverse Shots: Indigenous Film and Media in an International Context (2014), Professor Pearson has established herself as a significant contributor to scholarly conversations at the intersection of gender studies and speculative fiction. Her book Zero Patience (2011) with Susan Knabe demonstrates long-standing engagement with queer cinema. Professor Pearson's academic supervision extends across multiple disciplines, reflecting her interdisciplinary approach. Her work has been supported through various academic channels that enable her to explore connections between Indigenous film, queer Canadian culture, and science fiction, though specific grant details are not provided in the available information. Her research methodology combines close textual analysis with theoretical frameworks from queer studies, feminist theory, and critical race theory, creating innovative approaches to understanding how cultural texts negotiate complex identity formations. This integrative approach is particularly evident in her examination of works by authors like Hiromi Goto, Nalo Hopkinson, and Larissa Lai, where she simultaneously considers sexuality, gender, race, and science fiction elements.
Barbara Gowdy is an esteemed Adjunct Professor and a prolific novelist and short-story writer , renowned for her contributions to fiction across multiple genres. She has achieved international recognition with publications in 24 countries and received prestigious accolades such as the Trillium Book Award and a Guggenheim Fellowship . Her work has been shortlisted for major literary prizes, including the Booker Prize and the Governor General’s Award .
Hsiu-Chuang Deppman is a Professor of Chinese and Cinema and Media at Oberlin College, affiliated with the College of Arts and Sciences. She holds positions in both the East Asian Studies and Cinema and Media departments. Currently on leave for the 2024-25 academic year, her research focuses on film adaptation, Chinese cinema history, and comparative literature. She has published extensively, including books like Close-ups and Long Shots in Modern Chinese Cinemas (2021) and Adapted for the Screen (2010). Deppman earned her PhD (1999) and MA (1993) in Chinese Literature from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a BA (1990) from National Cheng-Kung University in Taiwan. Her research interests span: Adaptation Studies History of Chinese Cinema Documentary and Media Studies Contemporary Chinese Fiction Comparative Literature Awarded the 2016-2017 Excellence in Teaching Award, she has also received grants and fellowships including the Fulbright Research Grant, Taiwan National Science Council Grant, and Freeman Foundation Grant for Asian Studies, among others. In addition to her research, Deppman teaches courses such as Contemporary East Asian Cinema and Intermediate Chinese I . Her work has been supported by the GLCA/Mellon New Directions Initiative and the Chiu Scholarly Exchange Program for Taiwan Studies. Her current project involves writing a book on Jia Zhangke’s cinema of reflection, reflecting her ongoing engagement with modern Chinese cinematic narratives.
Olivia Badoi is a faculty member in the Department of English at Saint Louis University-Madrid. She holds a Ph.D. in English from Fordham University and contributes to the academic mission through teaching and research in modernist studies, graphic narratives, and ecocriticism. Education: Ph.D. in English, Fordham University M.A. in English, Wroclaw University B.A. in American Studies, University of Bucharest Dr. Badoi's research lies at the intersection of modernist literature, visual culture, and environmental thought. Her work explores how wordless narratives, particularly woodcut novels, engage with ecological themes and nonhuman agency. She introduces the concept of arboreal modernism to describe how trees and forests serve as structural and symbolic models in modernist art. Her scholarship spans ecocriticism, feminist modernism, adaptation studies, and the representation of animals and nature in media. She is currently completing her first book, Arboreal Modernism and the Woodcut Book , under contract. Her recent publications and conference presentations reveal a strong interdisciplinary trajectory, combining literary analysis with visual culture, environmental philosophy, and translation studies. Themes such as deep time, materiality, liminality, and nonverbal communication recur across her work, reflecting a sustained engagement with the boundaries between human and nonhuman, word and image, nature and culture. Scientific Awards: No scientific awards listed in the provided text. Dr. Badoi actively contributes to academic discourse through peer-reviewed publications and international conference presentations. While specific grant funding is not mentioned, her book contract and scholarly output indicate a robust research profile. She mentors students through her academic role, though no named advisees are listed. Her work is supported by her affiliation with Saint Louis University-Madrid, where she participates in scholarly events such as the Landscape, Narrative, and Deep Time conference. She is associated with academic teams and initiatives focused on modernism, adaptation, and environmental humanities, as evidenced by her conference organization and participation.
Jesse Schotter is an Associate Professor of English at Ohio State University and a faculty member in the Film Studies Program. His academic work bridges literary scholarship and creative writing, with a focus on twentieth-century literature and media studies. He holds a PhD from Yale University (2011) and a BA from Yale (2003). PhD, Yale University, 2011 BA, Yale University, 2003 Schotter specializes in modernist literature and culture, film theory, and media histories of the twentieth century. His research explores the intersections between traditional literary forms and emerging media technologies, particularly examining how debates about ancient media like Egyptian hieroglyphics influenced twentieth-century understandings of new media such as film and phonography. He investigates how literary modernism engages with questions of media transitions, narrative form, and cultural memory across different historical contexts. His scholarly output reveals consistent engagement with media theory, adaptation studies, and modernist experimentation. Schotter's work demonstrates how literary texts negotiate technological change, with particular attention to narrative structure across different media forms. His publications span traditional academic journals like Genre and James Joyce Quarterly to more accessible venues like Full Stop and Electric Lit , showing his commitment to reaching both academic and public audiences. Finalist, Modernist Studies Association First Book Prize Schotter teaches a diverse range of courses including modernism and media, silent film, ghosts and trauma, contemporary British fiction, introductory film studies, children's fantasy literature and video games. He co-organized the Modernist Studies Association Conference in Columbus in 2018, demonstrating active engagement with the broader academic community. His teaching philosophy appears to integrate his research interests, connecting historical literary forms with contemporary media experiences for students. Schotter maintains an active presence both in academic scholarship and creative writing, with fiction published in literary journals. His work demonstrates the productive tension between scholarly analysis and creative practice, with his research on media history informing his creative writing and vice versa.
Claudia Schwabe is a Professor in the Department of World Languages and Cultures at Utah State University, within the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. She holds a Ph.D. in German Studies from the University of Florida and has been teaching at USU since 2012. Her academic work bridges German language, literature, and cultural studies with a strong focus on fairy tales and folklore in both historical and contemporary contexts. Education: Ph.D., German Studies, University of Florida, 2012 M.A., Teaching Business Education, Georgia College & State University, 2005 B.A., International Business Administration, Northumbria University, UK, 2003 B.A., International Administrative Management, Accadis, Germany, 2003 Her research centers on 18th- and 19th-century Romantic literature, literary and folk fairy tales (Kunstmärchen), East German cinema, German Orientalism, and the adaptation of fairy tales in new media and popular culture. She explores how traditional narratives are transformed across media and cultures, especially in American television and film. Her teaching reflects this interdisciplinary approach, covering German language, literature, film, business German, and translation. Her recent scholarly publications reveal a strong trend in analyzing the cultural and political significance of fairy tales, particularly in DEFA films and modern adaptations like Grimm and Once Upon a Time . She has published monographs, edited volumes, and peer-reviewed articles with leading presses and journals in folklore and German studies, demonstrating sustained scholarly impact. Scientific Awards and Honors: Faculty Undergraduate Advisor of the Year Award, LPCS, USU (2015) Ed Glatfelter Service Award, LPCS, USU (2016-2017) Nominations for Dean’s Giraffe Award (2016, 2018) Nominations for Researcher of the Year (2016, 2017) Travel Awards from College of Humanities and Social Sciences and Center for Women and Gender Studies (2014) Graduate Student Teaching Award, University of Florida (2010) Grinter Fellowship, University of Florida (2008–2010) Claudia Schwabe has been actively involved in academic service, grant writing (participant in grant proposal seminar), and mentoring. She has served as a faculty advisor and contributed to curriculum development, particularly in interdisciplinary folklore and fairy-tale pedagogy. Her editorial work on volumes like New Approaches to Teaching Folk and Fairy Tales highlights her leadership in shaping scholarly discourse. She has also reviewed books for major journals, contributing to peer evaluation in her field. While no formal lab or research team is mentioned, her work is deeply collaborative, involving co-edited volumes, co-authored entries, and invitations to contribute to high-impact academic projects. Her ongoing research suggests continued exploration of fairy tales in global media, pedagogy, and cultural politics.
