Michael Lucey is the Sidney and Margaret Ancker Chair and Distinguished Professor of French and Comparative Literature at the University of California, Berkeley. His work bridges French literature from the 19th to 21st centuries with social theory, sexuality studies, and linguistic anthropology. He has authored the critically acclaimed What Proust Heard: Novels and the Ethnography of Talk (2022) and Thinking about Sexuality with Novels (forthcoming). As founding director of the Center for the Study of Sexual Culture , he has shaped interdisciplinary research in queer theory and gender studies. Current research focuses on novels as ethnographic tools Specializes in Proust, Balzac, Woolf, and contemporary French fiction Translation work includes Didier Eribon and Édouard Louis His recent articles explore phonetics in narrative, readability frameworks, and sociological implications of literary form. He actively engages with comparative methodologies and critical theory, while his teaching spans British and American literature’s intersections with French modernism. Lucey’s academic leadership includes directing Berkeley’s Center for the Study of Sexual Culture, which supports global discourse through fellowships and conferences. His office hours are held in Dwinelle Hall and via Zoom. Contact: mlucey@berkeley.edu
Beth Piatote is an Associate Professor of English and Comparative Literature at the University of California, Berkeley. She holds a PhD in Modern Thought and Literature from Stanford University and is an enrolled member of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation (Nez Perce). Her work bridges scholarly and creative realms, focusing on Indigenous literature, law, language revitalization, and cultural studies. Education: PhD in Modern Thought and Literature (Stanford University). Research interests include Native American legal systems, Nez Perce language preservation, global Indigenous literatures, and creative writing. She co-founded and chairs Berkeley’s Designated Emphasis in Indigenous Language Revitalization and directs the Arts Research Center, where she leads the Indigenous Poetics Lab. Her publications include Domestic Subjects: Gender, Citizenship, and Law in Native American Literature (2013) and the short story collection The Beadworkers (2019), which received multiple literary recognitions. Her plays Antíkoni and Tricksters, Unite! explore Indigenous narratives through performance. Awards include MLA honorable mentions, PEN/Bingham Prize longlistings, and a 2020 Playwrights Retreat win. Current projects involve a scholarly monograph on sensory representations of Indigenous law and creative works in poetry and essays.
Kenji Kawaguchi is the Presidential Young Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the National University of Singapore (NUS), where he leads the Deep Learning Lab and is a faculty affiliate at the NUS Institute of Data Science. His research bridges theoretical and applied machine learning, focusing on deep learning, large language models, and physics-informed neural networks. His educational background includes a Ph.D. and S.M. in Computer Science and Electrical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), advised by Leslie Pack Kaelbling, and a postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard University’s Center of Mathematical Sciences and Applications. Dr. Kawaguchi’s research interests center on the theoretical foundations of deep learning, optimization, generalization, and applications in areas such as molecular modeling, AI safety, and efficient training of large models. He has made significant contributions to understanding in-context learning, diffusion models, and neural operators for partial differential equations. His recent publications (2023–2025) reflect a strong trend toward improving the efficiency, robustness, and interpretability of large-scale models, particularly in language and scientific domains. Key themes include LLM alignment and safety, diffusion model optimization, and physics-informed learning for high-dimensional problems. Presidential Young Professor He has served as Area Chair and PC Member for top-tier conferences including NeurIPS, ICML, ICLR, AAAI, and UAI, and as reviewer for journals such as JMLR and Annals of Statistics. He has delivered invited talks at Harvard, MIT, Stanford, CMU, Brown, and Google Research, reflecting his international recognition. He actively mentors students and welcomes PhD candidates and postdocs to join his research group.
Prof. Rob Timmermans is a Professor of Theoretical Physics and Vice-Dean for Education at the University of Groningen (UG). He is affiliated with the Faculty of Science and Engineering and the Precision Frontier — Van Swinderen Institute for Particle Physics and Gravity. His research focuses on theoretical particle physics, quantum mechanics, and precision measurements, particularly in electric dipole moment (EDM) searches using molecules like BaF. His work includes developing methods for molecular beam manipulation, phase-space analysis, and symmetry violation studies. He has contributed to collaborations such as NL-eEDM, advancing techniques for EDM detection and precision physics. Prof. Timmermans has received nominations for teaching awards, reflecting his commitment to education. Research highlights include studies on nucleon decay, antinucleon-nucleon interactions, and chiral effective field theory. His lab activities involve collaborations on laser-cooled molecules and trapping techniques. Prof. Timmermans’ articles often address fundamental physics questions, such as Lorentz violation in beta decay and parity violation in molecular systems. Awards: Nominated for Faculty Teaching Award 2014, Teacher of the Year 2014-15. Grants/Advising: Leads projects on EDM searches and particle physics, with active roles in international collaborations. Labs/Teams: Van Swinderen Institute, Precision Frontier group.
Elaine Francis is a Professor of English and Linguistics at Purdue University's College of Liberal Arts, where she serves as Associate Head of the Department of English and directs the Experimental Linguistics Lab. She holds additional affiliations as an Affiliate Faculty Member in the Department of Linguistics and a Courtesy Faculty Member in the Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences. Ph.D. in Linguistics, University of Chicago (1999) B.A. in Linguistics, College of William and Mary (1993) MA in Linguistics, University of Chicago (1995) Former Assistant Professor at the University of Hong Kong (1999-2002) Professor Francis's research focuses on syntax and its interfaces with semantics, discourse information structure, and language processing in production and comprehension. She employs experimental methods to investigate syntactic, semantic, discourse-pragmatic, and cognitive factors underlying complex sentence structures. Her primary research areas include word order alternations, filler-gap dependencies, resumptive pronouns, and grammatical acceptability. She examines how various factors contribute to grammatical alternations in language use and explores how processing pressures in production and comprehension contribute to grammatical conventions. Her recent publication record shows consistent output across multiple linguistic subfields, with a strong emphasis on experimental syntax and psycholinguistics. Her 2022 book, Gradient Acceptability and Linguistic Theory , represents a significant contribution to understanding acceptability judgment tasks in relation to syntactic theory. Her work spans theoretical syntax, experimental linguistics, second language acquisition, and cross-linguistic comparison, often bridging the gap between theoretical frameworks and empirical evidence. Regularly teaches short courses at Linguistic Society of America Linguistic Institutes Member of Linguistic Society of America Ethics Committee Editorial board member of Glossa Psycholinguistics Co-editor of Polymorphous Linguistics: Jim McCawley's Legacy (2005) Co-editor of Mismatch: Form-Function Incongruity and the Architecture of Grammar (2003) Professor Francis actively supervises graduate students in linguistics, though she has indicated she will be unable to take on new graduate students for the 2025-2026 academic year. She has received research support for her experimental work, particularly for investigating syntactic phenomena through controlled experiments and corpus analysis. Her collaborative work extends across multiple institutions and disciplines, including collaborations with researchers in computational linguistics, cognitive science, and clinical linguistics. She directs the Experimental Linguistics Lab at Purdue University, which conducts research on syntactic processing using various experimental methodologies. The lab investigates how speakers produce and comprehend complex sentence structures, with particular attention to how grammatical knowledge interacts with processing constraints. Current projects include research on relative clauses, syntactic islands, and acceptability gradient phenomena across multiple languages.
Paulina Łęska-Bayraktar is an Assistant Professor in the Department of English-Polish Comparative Linguistics at the Faculty of English, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, where she conducts research and teaches in formal syntax and comparative linguistics. Her academic foundation is deeply rooted in the same institution, reflecting a sustained commitment to linguistic scholarship in Poland. Her educational background includes: B.A. in English Linguistics, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań (2012) M.A. in English Linguistics, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań (2014) Ph.D. in English Linguistics, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań (2019) Her research interests lie at the intersection of syntax, semantics, and cognitive grammar, with a strong focus on generative approaches to Slavic languages—particularly Polish. She investigates complex syntactic phenomena such as binding theory, pronoun distribution, quantifier scope, agreement, and the structure of relative and nominal clauses. Her work combines formal theoretical analysis with empirical data, often drawing on acceptability judgments and psycholinguistic methodologies. The trends in her recent publications reveal a sustained engagement with the syntax of Polish, especially in non-canonical constructions involving dative arguments, experiencers, and pronominal clusters. Her work contributes significantly to the understanding of how universal syntactic principles manifest in Slavic morphosyntax, and she frequently collaborates with leading scholars like Prof. Jacek Witkoś. She has received research funding from the Polish National Science Center through multiple grants, including OPUS, Beethoven, and Miniatura projects, which have supported her investigations into nominal expressions, pronouns, and anaphora in Polish. These grants underscore the national recognition of her research contributions. Paulina Łęska-Bayraktar actively participates in the international linguistics community, presenting her work at major conferences such as Formal Approaches to Slavic Linguistics (FASL), Formal Description of Slavic Languages (FDSL), and the Poznań Linguistic Meeting. She is also involved in collaborative research teams and has co-authored works with scholars from Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and other institutions. Her academic presence is further strengthened by her profiles on ORCID and ResearchGate.
Paulami Mitra is an Assistant Professor and Academic Director of the Strategy and Sustainability track at IÉSEG School of Management in Lille, France, with prior academic experience as a Visiting Professor at the University of Southern California (2017-2018) and Teaching and Research Assistant at IÉSEG (2012-2019). Her doctoral training in Economics and Management Sciences from Université Catholique de Louvain-Mons underpins her interdisciplinary approach to business education and research. Her educational qualifications include: 2019: Ph.D. in Economics and Management Sciences, Université Catholique de Louvain-Mons, Belgium 2009: Masters in Management, Lancaster University, United Kingdom 2008: B.Tech in Information Technology (Engineering), Institute of Technology and Marine Engineering, India Dr. Mitra's research centers on entrepreneurship-sustainability intersections, with particular expertise in eco-entrepreneurship, crowdfunding dynamics for social ventures, and hybrid organizational models. Her work examines how prosocial motivations drive crowdfunding participation, the strategic advantages of hybrid structures in social enterprises, and pedagogical innovations for sustainability-focused business education. She investigates critical gaps in climate-responsive entrepreneurial frameworks and sustainable financing mechanisms. Analysis of her publication trajectory reveals a concentrated focus on social entrepreneurship evolution since 2017, with increasing emphasis on sustainability-crowdfunding synergies and educational applications. Her 2022-2024 output demonstrates methodological diversity across case studies, survey research, and conceptual frameworks, consistently targeting high-impact journals in entrepreneurship and sustainability fields. No scientific awards are documented in the provided materials. Professional activities indicate active curriculum development and executive education leadership, though specific student advisement or grant-funded research projects are not referenced in the source text. The available information does not specify laboratory affiliations, research teams, or collaborative infrastructure supporting her scholarly work.
Professor Asmita Mukherjee is a faculty member in the Department of Physics at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT Bombay), where she holds the position of Professor. She is actively engaged in theoretical particle physics research with a focus on Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) and related phenomena. Professor Mukherjee's research interests primarily include Theoretical Particle Physics, Quantum Chromodynamics, QCD spin physics, Light-cone wave functions, and collider phenomenology. She teaches several advanced courses including Elementary Particle Physics (PH540), Mathematical Physics-I (PH407), Mathematical Physics-II (PH408), Quantum Physics and Applications (PH107), and various Quantum Mechanics courses (PH422, PH423, PH105). Her publication record shows a strong focus on gravitational form factors, transverse momentum dependent distributions, angular momentum structure of hadrons, and electron-ion collider physics. Recent work has explored gluon contributions to proton structure, dressed quark states, and azimuthal asymmetries in various production processes. Her research demonstrates expertise in light-front quantization techniques and their application to fundamental questions in hadron physics. Professor Mukherjee has received recognition for her work in High Energy Theory, with numerous publications in prestigious journals addressing fundamental questions in hadron structure and QCD dynamics. Her work provides crucial theoretical foundations for upcoming experiments at the Electron Ion Collider. Current PhD students: Sudeep Saha, Amol Pawar Graduated PhD students: Ravi Manohar, Sreeraj Nair, Vikash K. Ojha, Sangem Rajesh, Raj Kishore Postdoctoral researchers: Shaik Khatiza Banu (CFNS), Jai More, Tanmay Maji, Mariyah Siddiqah Research projects: BRNS project with Ravi Singh as Junior Research Fellow Her research group at IIT Bombay continues to explore fundamental questions in hadron physics, with ongoing projects examining the mechanical properties of protons, the decomposition of angular momentum in QCD, and the development of theoretical tools for interpreting data from next-generation colliders.
April Yi Wang is a tenure-track Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science at ETH Zürich, where she directs the Programming, Education, and Computer-Human Interaction Lab (PEACH Lab). She is a core faculty member at the Institute for Intelligent Interactive Systems and associated with the ETH AI Center. Wang is also an active member of ETH HCI and Swiss CHI communities, contributing significantly to human-computer interaction and educational technology research. Dr. Wang's educational background includes: Ph.D. in Information Science from University of Michigan (2023), advised by Steve Oney and Christopher Brooks M.Sc. in Computer Science from Simon Fraser University (2018), advised by Parmit Chilana B.Eng in Computer Science from Zhejiang University (2016) Dr. Wang's research focuses on human-centered approaches to programming and data science. Her work reimagines programming as a form of literature that communicates with both machines and people, exploring creative representations like text, shapes, animations, and everyday objects. She investigates how to make programming more natural and intuitive through literate programming environments, with applications in professional and educational contexts. Her research spans human-computer interaction, educational technology, and AI-assisted programming tools. Analysis of Dr. Wang's recent publications reveals a strong focus on AI-enhanced educational tools, particularly for programming and data literacy. Her work increasingly integrates large language models to scaffold learning while maintaining user agency. There's a clear trajectory toward developing situated learning approaches that connect abstract concepts to real-world contexts through augmented reality and tangible interfaces. Her research bridges HCI, education, and AI to create more accessible and engaging technical learning experiences. Dr. Wang has received numerous prestigious awards including: 2023 Gary M. Olson Award and Honourable Mention Award at ACM CHI 2022 Rising Stars in EECS and Heidelberg Laureate Forum Young Researcher 2020 Best Short Paper Award at IEEE VL/HCC and Honourable Mention at ACM CHI 2019 Best Paper Award at ACM CSCW Dr. Wang actively mentors students through thesis projects at ETH Zürich, supervising numerous bachelor's and master's students on topics ranging from AI-assisted programming to data literacy tools. Her lab, PEACH Lab, has secured funding including the recent innovedum funding for the Coducate project. She serves on program committees for major conferences including CHI and UIST, and regularly reviews for top HCI and education journals. The PEACH Lab, directed by Dr. Wang, focuses on creating expressive, intelligent, and human-centered systems that make technical topics more accessible. The lab explores textual, visual, and embodied representations for programming, with emphasis on enhancing communication, collaboration, and learning. Current research directions include balancing automation with user agency, supporting diverse learning needs, and developing tools for interdisciplinary technical communication.
Andreas Vlachos is a Professor of Natural Language Processing and Machine Learning at the Department of Computer Science and Technology, University of Cambridge, and holds the Dinesh Dhamija Fellowship at Fitzwilliam College. His research spans dialogue modeling, automated fact-checking, imitation learning, semantic parsing, biomedical text mining, and trustworthiness in AI systems. PhD in Computer Science, University of Cambridge (supervised by Ted Briscoe and Zoubin Ghahramani) Lecturer at University of Sheffield Postdoctoral roles at UCL, University of Cambridge (NLIP group, Stephen Clark), and University of Wisconsin-Madison (Mark Craven) Current research focuses on evaluating and mitigating biases in language models, advancing fact-checking methodologies, and improving model robustness through interpolation, reinforcement learning, and causal reasoning. His work integrates natural logic, knowledge graphs, and multimodal evidence for verification tasks. Recent publications address uncertainty quantification, temporal planning benchmarks, and ethical framing of NLP artifacts. Grants from ERC, EPSRC, Facebook, Google, and the Alan Turing Institute fund his research team. Collaborations include Sebastian Riedel, Stephen Clark, and Mark Craven. Key projects explore disinformation detection, long-form generation, and confidence calibration in AI systems.
Stephen S. Kudla is a Professor in the Department of Mathematics at the University of Toronto, located in the Bahen Centre for Information Technology. He holds the prestigious distinction of being a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada (FRSC), reflecting his significant contributions to mathematical research. Professor Kudla's research focuses on the deep connections between number theory and geometry, with particular expertise in automorphic forms, arithmetic geometry, and theta functions. His work bridges abstract mathematical theory with concrete geometric structures, exploring how modular forms can encode arithmetic information about algebraic varieties. Analysis of Kudla's publication record reveals a sustained research program centered on the relationship between derivatives of Eisenstein series and arithmetic geometry. His work consistently explores how modular and automorphic forms can be used to study arithmetic cycles on Shimura varieties. A notable pattern in his research is the interplay between analytic objects (like Eisenstein series) and geometric structures (such as arithmetic cycles), with applications to understanding heights, intersection theory, and special values of L-functions. Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada (FRSC) While specific details about Kudla's advising activities aren't provided in the available materials, his extensive publication record with prominent collaborators like Michael Rapoport and Tonghai Yang suggests he has likely mentored numerous graduate students and postdoctoral researchers throughout his career. His participation in major mathematical conferences including the International Congress of Mathematicians (ICM) indicates recognition by the broader mathematical community. Kudla's research has clearly been supported by significant funding, as evidenced by his ability to maintain a sustained publication record in top mathematical journals.
Blair Hoxby is Professor of English at Stanford University's School of Humanities and Sciences, where he has taught since 2007. Previously, he served as Associate Professor of History and Literature at Harvard University (2005-2007) and Associate Professor of English at Yale University (2003-2005), where he began as Assistant Professor in 1998. His academic journey includes a Ph.D. in English from Yale University (1998), an M.Phil. in English Studies from the University of Oxford (1990), and an A.B. in English and American Literature and Language from Harvard University (1988). Hoxby's research focuses on literature and culture from 1500 to 1800, with particular emphasis on tragedy theory, Milton studies, and the intersection of literature and economics. His notable works include What Was Tragedy? Theory and the Early Modern Canon (2015) and Mammon's Music: Literature and Economics in the Age of Milton (2002). He argues that early modern tragedy differed significantly from contemporary understandings of the genre, with passions rather than deeds or character serving as the keys to early modern tragic performance. Hoxby's recent scholarly output reveals a consistent engagement with early modern theatrical practices, particularly tragedy and opera. His work demonstrates sophisticated interdisciplinary approaches, connecting literary analysis with historical context, economic theory, and performance studies. He has made significant contributions to understanding how commercial culture shaped literary production and how theatrical conventions evolved across national boundaries in Europe. Scientific Awards and Honors Internal Fellow, Stanford Humanities Center (2009-2010) Morse Fellowship, Juilliard School (2001-2002) Samuel and Ronnie Heyman Prize, Yale University (2001) John Addison Porter Prize, Yale University (1999) Rhodes Scholarship, University of Oxford (1988-1990) Hoxby has supervised numerous doctoral students and served in various administrative roles at Stanford, including Director of Undergraduate Studies (2011-2014) and Director of Graduate Admissions (2008-2011). His teaching portfolio includes courses on English poetry from the Renaissance to Romanticism, tragedy and tragic theory from Aristotle to the present, theater history, and performance theory. Currently, he teaches courses such as Court Theater from Shakespeare to Mozart and Introduction to English II: From Milton to the Romantics . Hoxby maintains active scholarly engagement through committee memberships, including the Executive Committee of the Milton Society of America (2009-2013) and service as a referee for major academic presses including Oxford University Press and the University of Pennsylvania Press.
Lukas Brantner is a Royal Society University Research Fellow at the Mathematical Institute of the University of Oxford. His research focuses on geometry, topology, and derived algebraic structures, with a particular emphasis on partition Lie algebras, deformation theory, and higher algebraic frameworks. His recent work spans topics such as derived foliations, Poincaré-Birkhoff-Witt theorems, and the complexity of geometric objects like Calabi-Yau varieties in characteristic p. This reflects a deep interplay between algebraic topology, homotopy theory, and modern algebraic geometry. Major Themes: Derived Algebraic Geometry, Homotopy Theory, Deformation Theory, Galois Theory Collaborators: Magidson, Nuiten, Antolín-Camarena, Heuts, Taelman, Campos, Waldron, Hahn, Knudsen, Mathew, Arone, Manners Scientific Awards & Honors: Royal Society University Research Fellow Brantner actively contributes to foundational research in algebraic topology and derived structures, often bridging pure algebra with topological phenomena. His publications highlight the evolution of partition Lie algebras, configuration spaces, and Goodwillie calculus in modern mathematics.
Anna Berge is a Professor of Linguistics at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, directing the Alaska Native Language Archive. She holds a PhD from the University of California, Berkeley (1997), specializing in the documentation, description, and historical analysis of Eskimo-Aleut languages, particularly Unangam Tunuu (Aleut). Her research integrates linguistics with archaeology, genetics, and environmental studies to explore prehistoric language contact and divergence patterns along the North Pacific Coast. Her work focuses on morphosyntax, discourse analysis, and language revitalization for highly endangered languages. She teaches courses in Morphology, Field Methods, Community Language Documentation, and Eskimo-Aleut Linguistics, emphasizing practical skills for language preservation. Berge's multidisciplinary approach addresses Aleut language divergence from Eskimoan branches, leveraging data from multiple disciplines to reconstruct linguistic prehistory. She actively collaborates with Indigenous communities in Russia, Alaska, Canada, and Greenland to archive linguistic materials and support language maintenance initiatives.
Shauna Brail is Professor and Director at the Institute for Management & Innovation, University of Toronto Mississauga, with cross-appointments at the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy. As an economic geographer and urban planner, her research examines urban transformation through economic, social, and technological change, particularly focusing on platform economy impacts, mobility innovation, and governance shifts in 21st-century cities. Education: PhD in Geography (University of Toronto), MA in Urban Planning (University of British Columbia), BA in Urban Studies/Geography (University of Toronto). Leadership Roles: Former Associate Director of Mobility Network, Director of Urban Studies Program, Associate Director of Partnerships & Outreach at School of Cities, and Interim Director of Master of Urban Innovation. Her work appears in top journals across geography, urban planning, and urban studies . Recent publications analyze pandemic impacts on cities, platform economy regulation, public housing finance models, and autonomous vehicle governance. She advises governments and civic organizations on housing, transportation, and digital platform policy while serving on editorial boards for Applied Geography , Progress in Economic Geography , and Canadian Geographies . Academic partnerships include collaborations with researchers like Tara Vinodrai, Ben Donald, and international scholars. Her current projects examine post-pandemic urban recovery, mobility-as-a-service business models, and equitable transportation technology implementation across Canadian cities.
