Professor Thomas Bein is affiliated with the Department of Chemistry at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU) , where he leads the Functional Nanosystems research group. His work focuses on synthesizing and characterizing nanostructured materials with applications in energy, catalysis, and biomedical delivery. Mesoporous nanoparticles for drug delivery Semiconductor nano-morphologies for photovoltaics Photoelectrochemical water splitting Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) Electroactive networks His research emphasizes atomic-scale control of material architectures using self-assembly, hydrogen bonding, and covalent interactions, enabling precise tuning of electronic, optical, and catalytic properties. A review of his recent publications reveals cutting-edge investigations into covalent organic frameworks (COFs), perovskite-inspired solar materials, and functional nanoparticle systems. Key trends include optimizing energy conversion efficiency, enhancing stability in optoelectronic devices, and exploring bio-compatible nanocarriers for targeted therapies. Professor Bein’s group actively contributes to interdisciplinary projects at the intersection of chemistry, physics, and biomedical engineering, with ongoing collaborations in solar energy, sustainable materials, and nanomedicine.
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.
Pieter d'Hoine serves as Professor and Vice Dean of Education at KU Leuven's Higher Institute for Philosophy. He is affiliated with the Wulf Mansion Centre for Ancient, Medieval and Renaissance Philosophy and LECTIO – KU Leuven Institute for the Study of Textual Transmission. Additional institutional roles include membership on the Board of the Institute for Living Languages, HIW Faculty Council, and Philosophy Program Oversight Committees. His research centers on Ancient Philosophy with emphasis on Neoplatonism, particularly Proclean metaphysics, logical structures in Platonic/Aristotelian commentaries, and mechanisms of philosophical canon formation. He investigates knowledge transmission from Greek-Roman antiquity through medieval and Renaissance scholarship, integrating digital humanities methodologies to analyze textual evolution and conceptual continuity across historical periods. Recent publications (2024) exhibit concentrated focus on Proclus' metaphysical frameworks, including predication theory, modes of being, and theological elements within Platonic exegesis. His work bridges textual criticism with systematic philosophy, examining how ancient commentators shaped enduring philosophical paradigms through citation practices and logical innovation in works like the Elements of Theology . No major scientific awards are documented in the provided materials. He actively supervises doctoral research, including G.J. Ruz Troncoso's analysis of Proclus' argumentative structures and S-H. Yang's study of Aristotelian metaphysics. Current funding supports eight major projects: "Een nieuw model voor de editie van antieke filosofische fragmenten" (2025-2031) as Co-promotor "De filosofische canon en de citaties van Plato en Aristoteles" (2024-2028) as Promotor "Rechtvaardigheid voor dieren" (Justice for Animals, 2024-2028) as Promotor "De mechanica van Canonvorming" (Canon Formation Mechanics, 2024-2028) as Promotor His research ecosystem operates through the Wulf Mansion Centre and LECTIO institute, which coordinate international collaborations on premodern textual transmission, utilizing digital tools to map philosophical concept evolution across millennia.
Erik Ketzan is a Lecturer in Digital Humanities and Cultural Computation at King's College London. He holds a PhD in English/Digital Humanities from Birkbeck, University of London, and has held postdoctoral roles at the University of Cologne and Trinity College Dublin, where he coordinated the MA in Digital Humanities and Culture. His research focuses on computational literary studies, legal/ethical issues in digital research, and corpus stylistics. He has published widely on topics such as Thomas Pynchon’s computational stylistics, legal frameworks for digital humanities research, and gender bias in historical texts. His work includes developing tools like Coleto for textual variant analysis and co-authoring the book *Thomas Pynchon and the Digital Humanities* (2022). Ketzan actively engages in policy advocacy, advising on copyright and data protection in DH, and has contributed to projects like CLARIN and the Leibniz Institute for the German Language. Education: PhD in English/Digital Humanities, Birkbeck, University of London Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Cologne (EncycNet Project) Postdoctoral Research and Teaching Fellow, Trinity College Dublin Research Interests: Computational approaches to literary analysis, legal challenges in data-driven research, corpus stylistics, and gender studies in historical corpora. Teaching: Courses include Python for the humanities, computational literary studies, and legal issues in digital humanities.
Bernard Comrie is a Research Professor Emeritus in Linguistics at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), affiliated with the College of Letters and Science. He previously served as Director of the Department of Linguistics at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig (1998–2015) and held a Distinguished Professorship at UCSB (2002–2021). His career includes teaching positions at the University of Cambridge, University of Southern California, and leadership roles in major research institutions. Comrie’s research focuses on Language universals and typology Historical linguistics Languages of the Caucasus, New Guinea, and Great Andamanese He emphasizes fieldwork-driven cross-linguistic analysis of topics like tense/aspect, transitivity, numeral systems, and prehistoric migration studies through collaborations with archaeologists and geneticists. His recent publications explore morphosyntactic variation (e.g., verb indexing in Asian languages, reflexivity in Tsez), language contact (Kanashi prehistory), and numeral system typology. Articles often bridge theoretical linguistics with empirical data from understudied languages. Notable contributions include the World Atlas of Language Structures and foundational work on Nakh-Daghestanian and Andamanese languages. He advocates for interdisciplinary approaches to reconstructing prehistoric human movements via linguistic evidence.
Anette Mikes is an Associate Professor of Accounting at the University of Oxford’s Saïd Business School and a Hertford College Fellow. She specializes in risk management, corporate governance, and sustainability, with a focus on the intersection of ethics and organizational control systems. Her research explores how risk frameworks shape corporate decision-making, particularly in climate change and decarbonization contexts. Education: PhD in Accounting from the London School of Economics (2005) Pre-doctoral work in the City of London (2006–2007) studying Chief Risk Officer roles Research Interests: Behavioral approaches to risk management Management control systems for sustainability Ethics in corporate governance Decarbonization strategies in heavy industries Her 2012 Harvard Business Review article (with Robert Kaplan) on risk frameworks remains influential, while her documentary on the Kursk submarine disaster highlights crisis management failures. Awards: 2025 Honorary Doctorate from Uppsala University 2017 ACA Prize for Risk Management Contributions 2014 Global Risk Forum Film Award Key Contributions: Co-developed Harvard’s Risk Management executive program Leads research on ‘Values at Risk’ and corporate purpose Published widely on climate risk governance and ethical leadership Her recent work emphasizes decarbonization strategies and moral accountability in business, bridging accounting practices with environmental and ethical imperatives.
Emily Hannum is a Professor of Sociology and Education at the University of Pennsylvania's College of Arts & Sciences, where she also serves as Associate Dean for Social Sciences. She is affiliated with the Population Studies Center, Center for the Study of Contemporary China, Graduate School of Education, and Penn Development Research Initiative. Education: PhD in Sociology from University of Michigan (1998) Research Focus: Poverty and child welfare, gender and ethnic stratification, sociology of education Projects: Gansu Survey of Children and Families, climate-environment-childhood inequalities in LMICs Workshops: Co-organizer of Penn Education and Inequality Workshop Her research explores childhood poverty in China, demographic impacts on education systems, and climate risks affecting children's welfare. She investigates environmental hazards, educational disparities, and family separation effects across China, India, and low/middle-income countries. Recent publications analyze educational expansion in East Asia, climate crisis impacts on child health, and gender disparities in Latin America. She directs longitudinal studies on rural poverty and collaborates on cross-national projects related to environmental and educational equity. Scientific awards include the Stanley I. Sheerr Term Professorship in Social Sciences.
K. Michael Hays is the Eliot Noyes Professor of Architectural Theory at Harvard University's Graduate School of Design (GSD) and Co-Director of the Master in Design Studies program. He has been a faculty member since 1988, specializing in architectural history and theory. His research focuses on European modernism, critical theory, and contemporary architectural practice, with notable contributions to the field through writings on figures like Mies van der Rohe and Peter Eisenman. Education: He holds a Bachelor of Architecture (1976) from Georgia Institute of Technology, a Master of Architecture in Advanced Studies (1979) from MIT, and a PhD in History, Theory, and Criticism of Architecture and Art (1990) from MIT. Research Interests: Hays is renowned for founding the journal Assemblage , a pivotal forum for architectural theory. His work bridges historical analysis and contemporary practice, emphasizing theoretical frameworks for understanding modernism and its evolution. He has curated exhibitions at institutions like the Whitney Museum of American Art (as its first Adjunct Curator from 2000–2009). Publications: His authored and edited works include Architecture's Desire , Inscriptions: Architecture Before Speech , and critical studies on architects such as Buckminster Fuller and Diller + Scofidio. These publications explore themes of representation, modernist aesthetics, and interdisciplinary design. Awards and Roles: While no specific awards are listed, his academic leadership roles include Chair of the GSD PhD Committee (1995–2005) and Director of Advanced Independent Study Programs. He has also served on editorial boards for journals like Assemblage and Thresholds . Labs and Collaborations: Hays collaborates with academic and institutional partners, notably through curatorial projects and his role in shaping the GSD's theoretical curriculum. His influence extends to both pedagogical innovation and scholarly discourse in architectural education.
Anca Dragan is an Associate Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences at the University of California, Berkeley, where she runs the InterACT Lab focused on algorithms for human-AI and human-robot interaction. Currently on leave from Berkeley, she leads AI Safety and Alignment at Google DeepMind, overseeing safety for Gemini models and preparing for future advancements. Dragan has been a co-PI of the Center for Human-Compatible AI and served on the steering committee for the Berkeley AI Research (BAIR) Lab. B.Sc. in Computer Science from Jacobs University Bremen, Germany Ph.D. from Carnegie Mellon University Dr. Dragan's research focuses on enabling AI agents to work effectively with, around, and in support of people. Her work bridges robotics, machine learning, and game theory to create systems that better understand human preferences and coordinate with users. Key areas include AI alignment (ensuring AI does what people actually want), learning reward functions from diverse human feedback forms, and developing algorithms for human-AI collaboration across domains like autonomous vehicles, brain-machine interfaces, and recommender systems. Her research emphasizes maintaining uncertainty about human preferences and accounting for the plurality of human values. Dr. Dragan's recent publications reveal a strong focus on addressing fundamental challenges in AI safety and alignment. Her work spans theoretical foundations of reward learning, practical implementations for human-AI coordination, and critical examinations of limitations in current approaches. There's a clear trajectory toward more robust, safe, and value-aligned AI systems that can handle complex human preferences while avoiding both present-day harms and potential catastrophic risks. IEEE RAS Early Academic Career Award in Robotics and Automation (2021) McEntyre Award for Excellence in Teaching (2020) PECASE (Presidential Early Career Award for Science and Engineering) (2019) Sloan Fellowship (2018) NSF CAREER Award (2017) Okawa Foundation Award (2017) MIT Tech Review 35 Innovators Under 35 (2017) Multiple best paper awards at top robotics and AI conferences Dr. Dragan has mentored numerous successful students who have gone on to faculty positions at MIT, Stanford, CMU, and Princeton, as well as industry roles at DeepMind, Waymo, and Meta. Her advising philosophy emphasizes both technical rigor and consideration of broader societal impacts. She has secured significant research funding including NSF CAREER, ONR Young Investigator, and Okawa Foundation awards, supporting work on human-AI interaction and alignment. Dragan has also consulted for Waymo for six years, helping develop roadmaps for deploying increasingly learning-based safety-critical systems. Dr. Dragan leads the InterACT Lab at UC Berkeley, which has produced influential work on Cooperative Inverse Reinforcement Learning, Inverse Reward Design, and other foundational concepts in human-AI interaction. The lab's research has significantly shaped the field of AI alignment, with applications spanning autonomous vehicles that coordinate with human drivers, brain-machine interfaces that adapt to user needs, and language models that better understand human preferences. Current work focuses on scaling safety approaches as AI capabilities advance, ensuring alignment keeps pace with technological progress.
Dr Kingsley Edney is an Associate Professor in International Relations of China at the University of Leeds' School of Politics and International Studies. He holds a PhD (International Relations) and MA (Political Science) from the University of Melbourne, along with a BA(Hons) in Politics and Anthropology from Victoria University of Wellington. Fluent in Chinese and with experience living in Shanghai and Beijing, his research focuses on China's non-material international security dynamics, including cultural diplomacy, propaganda, and ideological strategies to manage global information flows. His expertise includes Chinese soft power, the role of ideology in foreign policy, and the intersection of domestic political cohesion with international security objectives. He teaches undergraduate and master's courses on China's domestic and international politics. Current postgraduate researchers under his supervision are Jinru Huang, Yanyu Lu, and Hengfeng Zhao. Edney's research outputs span topics like public perceptions of China in the Anglosphere, Chinese youth nationalism, and environmental governance. His work often bridges theoretical frameworks with empirical analysis of China's evolving global engagement strategies. He maintains active academic engagement through platforms like Google Scholar and ORCID.
Oscar Westlund serves as Professor at the Department of Journalism and Media Studies within the Faculty of Social Sciences at Oslo Metropolitan University (OsloMet), where he co-leads the OsloMet Digital Journalism Research Group. He maintains a secondary appointment at the University of Gothenburg and acts as Editor-in-Chief of Digital Journalism . His research spans digital journalism, fact-checking, platform dynamics, media management, news consumption, and mobile media. Westlund's scholarly focus centers on journalism safety in digital environments, sociotechnical dimensions of misinformation combat, and platform-induced challenges for news organizations. His work examines professional fragilities of journalists, epistemological foundations of data journalism, and legitimacy paradoxes in public service media-platform relationships. Current projects address disinformation countermeasures through the SCAM initiative (Source Criticism And Mediated Disinformation). Analysis of his 2022-2024 publications reveals dominant themes: journalism safety frameworks (33%), platform-journalism tensions (27%), and fact-checking as sociotechnical practice (23%). Key methodological approaches include cross-national comparative studies, epistemological analysis, and practice theory applied to digital news production. Westlund actively contributes to academic discourse through editorial leadership at Digital Journalism and special issue guest editing. His research group coordinates interdisciplinary collaboration on digital journalism studies, while the SCAM project develops practical methodologies for disinformation detection in democratic contexts. Recent work demonstrates increasing emphasis on mobile news ecosystems and journalist safety cultures. He co-leads the OsloMet Digital Journalism Research Group, which investigates platform impacts on news production, mobile journalism evolution, and epistemological shifts in data-driven reporting. The group maintains strong international partnerships, particularly with Swedish institutions through his University of Gothenburg affiliation.
Kate Holland is an Associate Professor and Acting Associate Chair (Graduate) at the University of Toronto, specializing in 19th-century Russian literature and its cultural contexts. Her work focuses on the history of the novel, Russian literary theory, and the interplay between Russian and European literary traditions. She teaches courses such as 'The Golden Age of Russian Literature' and 'Dostoevsky in Literary Criticism and Theory.' Dr. Holland earned her PhD from Yale University (2004) and a BA/MA from the University of Cambridge (1998). Her research explores themes like genre evolution in Dostoevsky’s works, the publication culture of 19th-century Russian periodicals, and the theoretical frameworks of Historical Poetics. Her recent publications include A Dostoevskii Companion: Texts and Contexts (2018) and The Novel in the Age of Disintegration (2013), analyzing Dostoevsky’s engagement with genre and modernity. Her scholarship frequently examines narrative form, cultural history, and the intersection of literature with philosophical and religious thought.
Harsha Ram is an Associate Professor in the Department of Comparative Literature at the University of California, Berkeley. His research focuses on Russian and European Enlightenment, modernist literature, and the cultural histories of the Caucasus region. He holds dual B.A. Honors degrees in Italian and Russian from the University of Sydney and University of New South Wales, and a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from Yale University. His work bridges literary theory, post-colonial studies, and geopoetics, with a particular emphasis on Georgia's literary modernism and its intersections with Russian imperial culture. Key themes include spatial theory, peripheral modernisms, and the transnational dimensions of cultural production. Recent work examines the role of ritual feasts in Georgian national identity and the geopoetics of Eurasian avant-garde movements. Ram has published extensively on figures like Velimir Khlebnikov and Boris Pasternak, exploring their engagement with imperial legacies and revolutionary aesthetics. His book The Imperial Sublime: A Russian Poetics of Empire (2003) remains a seminal study of Russian imperial poetics. Current projects include studies on Georgian literary encounters with Russian culture and the symbolic dimensions of Caucasus representations. His scholarship frequently appears in leading journals such as Modernism/Modernity , Slavic Review , and Ab Imperio . He has held visiting positions at institutions globally and actively participates in interdisciplinary dialogues between literary studies, history, and cultural geography.
Prof. Dr. Alexander Stroh-Steckelberg is Professor of Political Science with a focus on African Politics & Development Policy at the University of Bayreuth since 2022. He serves as Deputy Head of the Bayreuth International Graduate School of African Studies (BIGSAS) until 2025 and has held prior roles as Junior Professor and Senior Fellow at BIGSAS (2015–2021). His academic career includes research associate positions at the GIGA German Institute of Global and Area Studies (2006–2015) and teaching roles at the Universities of Abomey-Calavi, Heidelberg, and Lüneburg. Stroh-Steckelberg’s research spans comparative democracy studies , judicial politics , electoral systems , political party dynamics , and development policy in Africa, with regional expertise in Francophone West Africa and Rwanda . His work emphasizes institutional diffusion, informal networks in courts, and the interplay between formal and informal governance structures. Recent publications reveal a focus on judicial appointment policies , electoral manipulation , and local governance challenges across Africa. He contributes to methodological advancements in comparative area studies and network analysis , particularly in non-Western democracies. Stroh-Steckelberg is actively involved in academic communities including the American Political Science Association , German Political Science Association , and Association for African Studies in Germany .
Celâl Sengör serves as Professor of Geology at Istanbul Technical University since 1992, following prior roles as Reader (1986-1992) and Lecturer (1981-1986) in the same department. His international experience includes Visiting Research Fellow at the University of Oxford's Department of Earth Sciences (1989), Visiting Scientist at the Lunar and Planetary Institute (1984-1985), and Research Assistant at the University of Houston (1975-1976). He earned all academic degrees from the State University of New York: Bachelor's (1978), Master's (1979), and PhD (1982). Professor Sengör's research centers on continental formation mechanisms , regional tectonics , seismotectonic processes , and Asian plate dynamics . His work integrates field geology with theoretical models to reconstruct Earth's crustal evolution, particularly focusing on the complex deformation history of Eurasia. This research has established fundamental frameworks for understanding mountain belt formation and continental collision zones. His exceptional contributions are recognized by numerous prestigious honors: Mary C. Rabbitt Award (Geological Society of America, 2017) Membership in Leopoldina National Academy of Sciences (2012) Gustav Steinmann Medal (Geological Union, 2010) Gordon W. Moore Distinguished Scholar at Caltech (2001-2002) Election to US National Academy of Sciences (2000) Bigsby Medal (Geological Society of London, 1999) Membership in Société Géologique de France (1994) Honorary membership in Austrian Geological Society (1990) Fellowship in Geological Society of America (1988) Honorary doctorate from Université de Neuchatel (1988) Foreign membership in American Philosophical Society, US National Academy of Sciences, and Russian Academy of Sciences Professor Sengör has held significant leadership roles including President of the Earth Sciences Society of Turkey (2005) and Chairman of the History of Geology Division at the Geological Society of America (2001-2002). While his academic supervision and grant activities aren't detailed in available records, his institutional leadership demonstrates substantial influence in global geological communities. His current research continues to advance tectonic theory through comparative analysis of continental collision zones worldwide.
