Harold Cullinane serves as a Lecturer within the Language Center at Bocconi University, where he delivers specialized English language instruction for academic and professional development. His current teaching responsibilities for the 2025/2026 academic year include Professional English Seminars (course code 20637), English (First Language) (30301), and English Preparatory Course First Language (30653), targeting students' linguistic proficiency in high-stakes contexts. His expertise centers on English Language Teaching, with research interests extending to Linguistics and Language Education. His pedagogical approach emphasizes practical language acquisition for international business and academic environments, aligning with Bocconi University's global engagement mission. Through structured coursework, he addresses critical competencies such as technical writing, oral presentation, and cross-cultural communication essential for student success in multinational settings.
Tej Chajed is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he conducts research in formal verification of systems software. His work focuses on building and proving the correctness of critical systems, particularly file systems and concurrent software. Dr. Chajed earned his PhD from MIT in the PDOS group, followed by a one-year postdoc at VMware Research before joining UW-Madison. His academic journey reflects a strong commitment to bridging theoretical formal methods with practical systems implementation. Chajed's research centers on formal verification techniques for systems software, with particular emphasis on concurrent and crash-safe systems . His work aims to eliminate bugs in critical software through mathematical proofs of correctness. Key contributions include DaisyNFS (a verified concurrent file system), the Perennial framework for reasoning about crash safety, and Goose for connecting proofs to Go code. His research spans the intersection of programming languages, operating systems, and formal methods, developing practical tools that bring verification to real-world systems. His recent publications demonstrate a consistent trajectory toward more practical and scalable verification techniques for increasingly complex systems. The research shows progression from foundational verification frameworks to applied work on specific systems like file systems, journaling, and distributed protocols. A notable trend is the focus on making verification more accessible and practical for systems developers, bridging the gap between theoretical formal methods and real-world software engineering. Dr. Chajed serves on numerous program committees including OSDI 2025 PC, PLDI 2024 PC, SySDW 2023 PC, ECOOP 2023 ERC, CPP 2023 PC, POPL 2023 PC, PLDI 2022 PC, POPL 2022 AEC, EuroDW 2021 PC, POPL 2021 AEC, PLDI 2020 AEC, POPL 2020 AEC, and SOSP 2019 AEC, reflecting his standing in the systems and programming languages research community. In teaching, Chajed has developed and instructed courses on systems verification, operating systems, and protocol verification. He previously helped create MIT's 6.826 (Principles of Computer Systems) during his PhD. His passion for technical communication was cultivated during his time as a Communication Fellow in the EECS Communication Lab at MIT, where he continues to offer guidance to students on writing and presentation skills. His research group at UW-Madison focuses on advancing the state of the art in systems verification, with current projects centered around practical verification frameworks for concurrent and crash-safe systems.
Robert E. Cummings is a Professor of Writing and Rhetoric and Executive Director of Academic Innovation at the University of Mississippi. He directs the Interdisciplinary Minor in Digital Media Studies and leads the Academic Innovations Group (AIG) and Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL), focusing on evidence-based teaching strategies and professional development for faculty. His academic roles emphasize bridging technology and pedagogy, particularly in digital writing instruction. Education: B.A. in English, University of Tennessee-Knoxville (1990) M.A. and Ph.D. in English, University of Mississippi (1999, 2006) Research Interests: Cummings explores the intersection of digital tools and writing pedagogy, including generative AI’s impact on writing, Wikipedia’s role in education, and post-pandemic digital instruction. He collaborates with computer science researchers to study AI-human dynamics in writing processes. His work emphasizes open educational practices, resilience in teaching, and inclusive digital platforms. Publications Trends: His articles analyze AI writing tools, pandemic-era pedagogy shifts, and long-term trends in digital writing instruction. Recent work focuses on frameworks for integrating AI into first-year writing programs while addressing ethical and practical challenges. Awards: No scientific awards explicitly mentioned in the provided materials. Advising & Grants: No student advising records or grant details are listed. Current responsibilities include curriculum development and institutional innovation initiatives. Labs/Teams: Leads the Academic Innovations Group and collaborates with CETL to advance teaching strategies across the University of Mississippi campus.
Alissa Ruth is an educational anthropologist and faculty member at Arizona State University's School of Human Evolution and Social Change, serving as Director of Strategic Initiatives. She focuses on improving educational access, student success, and innovative pedagogies. Her work includes research on undocumented immigrant youth, undergraduate research experiences (UREs), and critical pedagogy. She leads the Innovations in Social Science Instruction and Training Lab and directs education for the NSF Cultural Anthropology Methods Program (CAMP). Ruth has over 22 years of experience in higher education, including teaching, curriculum design, and mentoring students and community members. She co-edited The Handbook of Teaching Qualitative and Mixed Methods (2023) and contributes to journals like Social Science & Medicine . Her research projects address higher education equity, methods training, and social entrepreneurship pathways for underserved students. Affiliations: Director of Strategic Initiatives, ASU; Institute for Social Science Research; NSF CAMP. Education: Ph.D. Anthropology (ASU), M.S. Justice Studies (ASU), B.A. Anthropology (University of Florida). Research Interests: Critical Issues in Higher Education, First-Generation Students, Ethnographic Methods, College Student Wellbeing, Immigration Policy, and Pedagogical Innovation. Publications: Over 20 peer-reviewed articles and edited volumes, emphasizing methods training, UREs, and marginalized student success. Awards: None explicitly listed, but recognized through editorial roles and program leadership. Teaching & Advising: Teaches courses on cultural anthropology, ethics, and global health. Advises students through honors programs and internships. Leads initiatives like the Global Ethnohydrology Study and Methods4all.
Dr. Olive Nabukeera is a Lecturer in English for Academic Purposes (EAP) at the Language Centre, Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures, University of Leeds, where she has been teaching since September 2023. Her teaching supports foundation year, pre-sessional, and in-sessional students, particularly in the School of Sociology and Social Policy, focusing on academic literacies and writing development. Her research lies at the intersection of race, language, and identity in English language teaching, with a focus on Blackness, critical literacies, and decolonial pedagogies. She critically examines the representation and positioning of Black educators in TESOL and ELT contexts, challenging systemic inequities and native speakerism. Her recent and forthcoming publications (2022–2025) explore themes such as the invisibility of Black educators, teaching while Black, and racial performativity. These works appear in respected outlets including the CATESOL Journal, Patterns of Practice, and a Bloomsbury-published volume on Language Teacher Agency. She is currently writing her first monograph, Race, English and Blackness , to be published by Palgrave Macmillan. Dr. Nabukeera holds a Doctorate in TESOL from Alliant International University (USA), a Master's in TESOL from the University of Bath, a Master's in International Educational Management from the University of Leeds, and a Bachelor's in Education, English & Literature from Makerere University, Uganda. She is an active member of key professional associations: TESOL International Association British Association of Lecturers in English for Academic Purposes (BALEAP) American Association of Applied Linguistics (AAAL) British Association of Applied Linguistics (BAAL) While no formal advisees or grant projects are mentioned, her scholarship demonstrates a strong commitment to equity, inclusion, and transformative pedagogy in language education.
Kristi Murray Costello is an Associate Professor in the Department of English at Old Dominion University (College of Arts & Letters). She serves as the Associate Chair of Writing Studies and English General Education, and as the Four-Year College Chair of Writing Across Virginia. Her academic leadership and research focus on emotional labor, writing program administration, and interdisciplinary writing pedagogy.
Dr. Nhlanhla Mpofu is an Associate Professor in TESOL and Literacy at Stellenbosch University's Faculty of Education, where she serves as Vice Dean for Teaching and Learning and Chair of the Department of Curriculum Studies. She also holds a Visiting Professor position at the University of Antwerp in Belgium. She obtained her PhD in Humanities Education from the University of Pretoria in 2016. Her research focuses on second-language learning in English-medium classrooms , developing culturally sustaining pedagogies that leverage learners' mother tongues, and re-orienting language education research in multilingual systems. She leads the NRF-funded project "Exploring the preparation and experiences of teachers using English across the curriculum: An interdisciplinary approach" and specializes in asset-based approaches that challenge deficit models in language education. Her publications demonstrate consistent focus on language policy implementation , teacher development , and multilingual pedagogies within African educational contexts, with recent work examining translanguaging strategies and disciplinary literacies. Awards & Honors: Fulbright Alumna Golden Key Honor Society Rated Researcher (South African National Research Foundation) Member of South African Young Academy of Science (SAYAS) Margaret McNamara Education Grantee COIL Fellow Grants: 2019: NRF-funded project on teacher preparation for English as Language of Learning and Teaching (Principal Investigator) She maintains professional memberships with the Southern African Linguistics and Applied Linguistics Society (SALALS) and South African Association for Language Teaching (SAALT), and serves on the South African Council on Higher Education Accreditation Committee.
Dr. Dana Ferris is a Professor in the University Writing Program at the University of California, Davis (UC Davis). She previously held leadership roles including Director of the UWP, Associate Director of English for Multilingual Students, and Associate Director of UWP 1. Her academic career spans over three decades, including 18 years at California State University, Sacramento, where she directed the TESOL MA program and ESL writing programs. She earned her B.A. from UC Davis, M.A. degrees from California State University, Sacramento and the University of Southern California (Linguistics), and a Ph.D. in Applied Linguistics from USC. Her research focuses on second language literacy, teacher preparation, and response strategies for student writing. She has authored nine books and over 60 scholarly works, including Teaching L2 Composition and Written Corrective Feedback in Second Language Acquisition and Writing . Ferris has served as co-editor of the Journal of Second Language Writing and founding editor of the Journal of Response to Writing , contributing significantly to academic discourse in her field. Ferris has received numerous awards, including the Best Article Award from the Journal of Second Language Writing and three-time finalist for the President's Award for Scholarly Achievement. She actively contributes to academic governance, serving on boards for CATESOL and TESOL. Beyond academia, she is an avid San Francisco Giants fan and writer for their fan blog under the pseudonym DrLefty. Key Roles: Professor, UWP Leadership, Journal Editorships Education: B.A. UC Davis (English/Creative Writing), M.A. Sacramento State (TESOL), M.A./Ph.D. USC (Linguistics/Applied Linguistics) Research Themes: Second Language Writing, Corrective Feedback, Multilingual Education Professional Activities: Board Member of CATESOL, TESOL Committees, and CCCC Standing Committee on Second Language Writing Her work bridges theory and practice, emphasizing evidence-based approaches to writing pedagogy while advocating for inclusive practices in multilingual education. Ferris's publications and editorial contributions have shaped curricula and teaching methodologies globally.
Ms. Eileen Espinoza is an Adjunct Professor of English at Shepherd University, teaching in the Department of English and Modern Languages since Fall 2023. She holds an M.F.A. in Nonfiction from the University of California, Riverside, and also teaches poetry in the M.F.A. program at Maharishi International University. Her academic roles include composition instruction in Shepherd's first-year writing program. Education: B.A. from Shepherd University (2015), M.F.A. in Nonfiction (UC Riverside) Research Interests: Creative writing (poetry/nonfiction), death studies, LGBTQ+ studies, spirituality, and publishing. Her work explores grief rituals, nature, and pop culture through lyrical nonfiction and poetry. Notable publications include works in the Los Angeles Review of Books , Bellvue Literary Review , and Joyland Magazine . She co-founded Boshemia , a feminist arts magazine, in 2016. Her 2024 book Carrying the Bones examines grief rituals in Western societies. Key Awards: 2021 McQuern Award in Nonfiction, finalist for Annie Dillard Award (2021), finalist for Marica and Jan Vilcek Poetry Prize (2020). Lives in Shepherdstown with her wife, poet Joshua Jennifer Espinoza, and frequently resides in the Mojave Desert. Active in interdisciplinary projects bridging literature and environmental/cultural studies.
Kenneth S. Abraham is a distinguished Professor at the University of Virginia School of Law, where he has established himself as one of the nation's leading scholars and teachers in the fields of torts and insurance law. With decades of academic excellence, Professor Abraham has shaped legal education and scholarship through his influential writings, teaching, and service to the legal profession. Professor Abraham's research focuses on the intricate relationship between tort law and insurance law, exploring how these two areas intersect to shape risk distribution, liability, and compensation systems. His scholarship spans historical analysis of legal developments, theoretical frameworks for understanding tort principles, and practical applications of insurance coverage doctrines. He has made significant contributions to understanding the evolution of tort liability, the role of insurance in shaping legal outcomes, and the theoretical underpinnings of modern tort doctrine. Professor Abraham's work often bridges historical perspective with contemporary legal challenges, revealing patterns and insights that inform current debates in tort and insurance law. His most recent scholarship demonstrates a continued focus on the theoretical foundations of tort law while addressing emerging challenges in areas such as cyber liability, police accountability, free speech implications for tort liability, and pandemic-related insurance claims. Abraham's articles frequently examine how historical developments have shaped current legal doctrines and identify conceptual gaps in existing tort theory, particularly regarding the underappreciated role of liability insurance in the tort system. William L. Prosser Award from the American Association of Law Schools (2024) Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Life Member of the American Law Institute All-University of Virginia Outstanding Teacher Award Distinguished Faculty Achievement Certificate from the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia American Bar Association's Robert B. McKay Law Professor Award First law professor elected as an honorary fellow of the American College of Coverage Counsel Professor Abraham has served on the ALI Council for 20 years and has been an adviser to the ALI's 'Restatement of Torts (Third)' and the senior adviser to the 'Restatement of the Law of Liability Insurance.' His expertise is frequently sought in major insurance coverage cases involving commercial general liability, directors and officers liability, environmental cleanup liability, toxic tort and products liability, and property insurance claims. He has also served as an arbitrator for the Dalkon Shield Claimants Trust, resolving over 100 claims by women seeking damages for injuries caused by the Dalkon Shield intrauterine device.
Shaun Spencer is the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at UMass School of Law , University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. He holds the academic rank of Professor and has contributed extensively to Privacy Law , Surveillance Jurisprudence , and Empirical Legal Writing . Contact: sspencer1@umassd.edu | 508-985-1192 Education: LLM, Harvard Law School Juris Doctor (JD), Boston College Law School BA, Boston College Research Interests focus on Privacy Law and Policy , particularly implications of Predictive Surveillance and Legal Writing Empiricism . His work bridges Fourth Amendment Jurisprudence , Social Media Regulation , and Digital Commerce . Publications include studies on First Amendment challenges in digital contexts, Consumer Privacy frameworks, and Legal Writing effectiveness. Articles like "Digital Disruption" and "Two First Amendment Futures" highlight his interdisciplinary approach. Awards Massachusetts Lawyer of the Year (2024) Professional Background spans academia and litigation: previously Lecturer at Harvard Law School, Adjunct Professor at Boston College Law School, and litigation associate at Bingham, Dana & Gould. He founded a firm specializing in Civil Appellate Practice and Employment Litigation .
Natasha Smith is a Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University of Virginia. She holds a Teaching Track position and serves as Director of Undergraduate Mechanical Engineering. Her research focuses on pedagogical strategies in engineering education, systems engineering design, reliability assessment using probabilistic methods, and material property analysis through statistical approaches. A registered professional engineer in Maine, she has 20 years of military service as a U.S. Navy Civil Engineer Corps officer (Seabees), including roles as a military instructor at the U.S. Naval Academy and Associate Professor at the University of Southern Indiana. Dr. Smith’s academic contributions include advancing hybrid course design, integrating industry partnerships into finite element education, and developing hands-on laboratory experiments. She has received the Hartfield Excellence in Teaching Award from The Jefferson Scholars Foundation for her impactful instruction. Her work highlights the intersection of military precision, engineering fundamentals, and innovative teaching methods. Current projects include a Jefferson Trust-funded Moon Base simulation lab for NASA competition training. Her military experience and engineering expertise inform her teaching philosophy, emphasizing practical problem-solving and technical communication. She actively collaborates with industry on experimental design and has published extensively on laboratory pedagogy, reliability analysis, and aerospace systems design since 2001.
Ruth Malone is a Professor at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) School of Nursing, renowned for her groundbreaking research on tobacco industry strategies and public health policy. As Principal Investigator on over 20 NIH-funded projects since 2001, she leads tobacco control research focusing on endgame strategies to eliminate cigarette sales, health disparities, and corporate accountability. She served as Editor-in-Chief of Tobacco Control , the field's leading journal, and has significantly influenced global advocacy through her publications and speeches. Education: A.S. in Nursing (Southern Oregon College), B.S.N. and M.S. in Community Health/Cross-Cultural Nursing, Ph.D. in Nursing (UCSF), Postdoctoral Fellow in Health Policy/Health Services Research (UCSF Institute for Health Policy Studies). Her research explores tobacco control policy implementation, corporate social responsibility, and intersections between public health and social action. She has pioneered endgame frameworks for tobacco eradication and examined industry targeting of marginalized groups. Key awards include the Sybil Jacobs Award for use of tobacco industry documents, Fulbright Distinguished Scholar Award, multiple teaching and mentoring accolades, and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Public Health Association. Her recent work advocates for phasing out cigarette sales, advancing people-first language in health communication, and addressing equity in tobacco policy. Scientific Awards: Sybil Jacobs Award (2006) Fulbright Distinguished Scholar (2007-08) Excellence in Teaching Award (2011) Harold Luft Mentoring Award (2012) Humprey Oei Distinguished Lecture (2013) Helen Nahm Research Award (2014) Nursing Alumni/Mary Harms Chair (2014) Lifetime Achievement Award (2019) Jane Norbeck Distinguished Alumna (2020) Mentor of the Year (2020) Malone's grants include NIH funding for projects on retail policy innovation, US military tobacco control, business initiatives, and policy implementation barriers. She has mentored numerous doctoral students and contributed to global tobacco control discourse through her editorship and keynote presentations.
Dr. Shannon Miller serves as Dean of the College of Humanities and the Arts and Professor of English and Comparative Literature at San José State University, an urban institution serving 33,000 students. She oversees 500 faculty/staff across 8 academic departments, 2 schools, 3 centers, and the Hammer Theatre Center, managing a $24M annual budget while sponsoring 500+ cultural/intellectual events yearly. Educational background: B.A. in English, Dartmouth College M.A. and Ph.D. (1991) in Renaissance Literature, UC Santa Barbara Her research interrogates Renaissance English literary production through gendered frameworks, specializing in John Milton's theological constructions and marginalized voices of seventeenth-century women writers. This work critically examines how gender ideologies shaped textual authority in early modern England, revealing intersections between literary canon formation and patriarchal power structures. Notable recognitions: Folger Shakespeare Library Fellowship Tanner Humanities Center Fellowship John Carter Brown Library Fellowship British Bibliographical Society Fellowship Administratively, Miller pioneered project-based curriculum reforms and implemented Stretch English in First-Year Writing. She secured $4.8M for the Martha Heasley Cox Center for Steinbeck Studies and leads SJSU's Hammer Theatre Center collaboration with San José. Her leadership emphasizes humanities as essential infrastructure for technological ethics and social mobility. The college's "Borderlands" and "Deep Humanities & Arts" initiatives under her direction integrate migration studies and digital ethics across disciplines, transforming classroom learning into community-engaged praxis through theater, philosophy, and visual arts.
Professor David Dwan is a Tutorial Fellow in English at Hertford College and Professor of English Literature and Intellectual History at the University of Oxford. His research focuses on the intersection of literature with moral and political philosophy in the 19th and 20th centuries, with particular emphasis on Irish writing and cultural nationalism. Current research on ethical significance of fiction and modernism's entanglements with philosophy Completed monographs on Edmund Burke, W.B. Yeats, and George Orwell Lectures in post-1900 literature and modernist philosophical elements His publications reveal a strong focus on: Literary-philosophical connections Irish intellectual history Modernist ethics and political ideology 20th-century British literature Critical editions and interdisciplinary analysis Scientific Awards: Leverhulme Trust sponsorship for Irish intellectuals study Teaching: First-year literature papers (1830-1910 and 1910-present), FHS Paper 5, MSt post-1900 literature courses.
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