Can ÖZCAN is an Assistant Professor and Head of the Industrial Design Department at İzmir University of Economics (IUE) since 2006. He holds a PhD in Semiotics from Dokuz Eylül University and is the Director of EKOTAM Design Research and Application Center. His academic career includes roles at Izmir Institute of Technology and Yeditepe University, where he contributed to department establishment and curriculum development. Education: B.ID (Middle East Technical University), MSc/PhD (Dokuz Eylül University, Semiotics) Research focuses on Design Project Management, History of Industrial Design, Design Education, and Semiotics. He explores design's role in crime prevention, cultural industries, and food packaging through projects like 'Secure Urban Environments by Design' and 'Menemen Pottery Development Model'. Administratively, he led EKOTAM (2011–present) and managed industry collaborations in product/service design, brand development, and franchising. His courses include advanced topics in design management, semiotics, and design history. Notable projects include EU-funded urban security frameworks and brand identity studies for Turkish agricultural products. He has advised over a dozen graduate theses on topics ranging from yacht design to sustainability in cities.
Thomas B. Gold is a Professor of Sociology at the University of California, Berkeley, and has held multiple leadership roles, including Executive Director of the Inter-University Program for Chinese Language Studies (IUP), a consortium managing advanced Chinese language programs at Tsinghua University. He has also served as Associate Dean of International and Area Studies, Founding Director of the Berkeley China Initiative, and Chair of the Center for Chinese Studies. Gold’s research examines the emergence of individual autonomy and civil society in East Asian contexts, particularly mainland China and Taiwan, focusing on topics like guanxi, entrepreneurship, popular culture, and non-governmental organizations. Gold earned his undergraduate degree in Sociology from Oberlin College, followed by a Master’s in Regional Studies-East Asia and a PhD in Sociology from Harvard University. His early academic work included being among the first American exchange students to study in China at Fudan University in Shanghai (1979-1980). He has taught courses on Development and Globalization, Contemporary Chinese Society, and special topics like North Korean Society and non-profits in education. His advocacy for public sociology led to roles on boards of organizations such as the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations and the East Bay College Fund, alongside editorial board positions in scholarly journals. Gold’s research trends emphasize civil society development, post-authoritarian societal change, and cross-strait dynamics between China and Taiwan. His work bridges traditional cultural frameworks with modern political and economic transformations, particularly in analyzing how individual agency evolves within authoritarian systems. Awards include the 2007 Distinguished Teaching Award and the 2010 Chancellor’s Award for Civic Engagement. As an advisor, he supports international student groups like Strait Talk and the East-West Coalition, and advises programs in Japan and Singapore. His civic engagement and academic leadership highlight a commitment to both scholarly rigor and practical societal impact. Labs/Teams: Gold is affiliated with the Institute of East Asian Studies (IUP program), the Center for Chinese Studies, and collaborates with academic consortia and civic organizations globally.
Vicki C. Jackson is the Laurence H. Tribe Professor of Constitutional Law at Harvard Law School, a leading scholar in U.S. and comparative constitutional law, and a prominent advocate for academic freedom and institutional integrity. Her research spans federalism, judicial independence, gender equality, and the interplay between constitutional law and international norms. Key Roles: Former Reporter for the ALI’s Project on Student Sexual Misconduct; served on leadership boards of AALS, International Association of Constitutional Law, and International Association of Women Judges. Practice Experience: Practiced law in the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Counsel and private practice. Research Focus: Explores the role of knowledge institutions in sustaining constitutional democracies, proportionality in judicial review, and threats to academic and press freedoms under authoritarian regimes. Her work addresses the erosion of legal norms during the Trump administration. Recent Publications highlight attacks on universities, the press, and civil service through executive actions, funding cuts, and ideological coercion. These studies emphasize the constitutional duty to protect truth-seeking institutions. Scientific Leadership: Serves on advisory boards for Federal Law Review and Global Constitutionalism , and has co-edited major volumes on constitutionalism, proportionality, and federalism.
Giuseppe Santucci is an Associate Professor at the Department of Computer, Control and Management Engineering Antonio Ruberti at Sapienza University of Rome. He teaches courses on Fundamentals of Computer Science, Software Engineering, and Visual Analytics. His office is located in Room B218 at Via Ariosto 25, Rome, and his contact email is santucci@diag.uniroma1.it. Dr. Santucci's research focuses on Visual Analytics, Information Visualization, Human-Computer Interaction, and Information Retrieval. His work spans theoretical aspects of visual query languages for semantic models to practical applications in visual analytics for cybersecurity, cryptocurrencies, and deep learning explainability. He has published over 130 articles in international journals and conferences, demonstrating his significant contributions to these fields. His recent publications show a strong trend toward applying visual analytics to increasingly complex domains including cybersecurity, cryptocurrencies, and explainable AI. The work demonstrates an evolution from theoretical foundations of visual query systems to practical applications that help users understand complex data and systems. His research bridges the gap between theoretical computer science and practical user-centered solutions. Dr. Santucci has received notable recognition including: IEEE VizSec 2018 Best Paper Award Human-Computer Interaction Cybersecurity Awards 2018 He actively mentors students through thesis projects focused on information visualization and visual analytics. His PROMISE project provides a framework for students to engage in cutting-edge research in information retrieval and visual analytics. He has supervised work on topics including visual evaluation techniques, visual mappings optimization, and user studies for Infovis systems. Dr. Santucci leads the A.WA.RE (Advanced Visualization & Visual Analytics REsearch) group at Sapienza University. This group conducts research on visual analytics tools for information retrieval evaluation, cybersecurity analysis, and deep learning explainability. Their work includes developing frameworks like CryptoComparator for cryptocurrency analysis and BUCEPHALUS for cybersecurity platform analysis.
Sebastian Heilpern serves as Acting Assistant Professor in Stanford University's Department of Earth System Science, transitioning to Assistant Professor in January 2026. An ecologist and sustainability scientist, he investigates biodiversity change in aquatic ecosystems—particularly the Amazon basin—and its implications for human well-being through food systems, renewable energy, and public health lenses. His research integrates fieldwork, data science, and synthesis across local to global scales. His educational background includes: PhD in Ecology, Evolution & Environmental Biology from Columbia University (2020) MS in Ecology & Evolution from the University of Chicago (2015) BS in Biological Sciences from Cornell University (2011) Heilpern's research centers on identifying synergies between biodiversity conservation and societal objectives. His work examines how aquatic biodiversity sustains nutritional security through fisheries, assesses hydropower's socio-ecological tradeoffs, and develops climate-smart planning frameworks. By connecting ecological processes to human outcomes, he advances sustainability science through interdisciplinary approaches that bridge environmental and social domains. His 2023-2025 publications reveal dominant themes in Amazonian freshwater systems, fisheries nutrition, and renewable energy planning. Key trends include quantifying biodiversity's role in dietary resilience, optimizing hydropower development to minimize ecological harm, and establishing mercury-nutrition linkages in fish consumption. His work consistently emphasizes win-win solutions that align conservation with food/energy security. Award highlights: Eric & Wendy Schmidt AI in Science Postdoctoral Fellowship at Cornell University As principal investigator of Stanford's Biodiversity Lab, Heilpern leads research reconciling conservation with food, energy, and water security. His team prioritizes equity in science practice while addressing historical inequities. Current projects focus on Amazonian freshwater systems, sustainable aquaculture siting, and climate-resilient energy planning, supported by interdisciplinary collaborations across ecology, data science, and policy domains. The Biodiversity Lab actively recruits researchers through structured opportunities emphasizing diversity and justice in sustainability science. Laboratory values explicitly center on correcting science's inequitable legacy while advancing stronger ecological understanding through inclusive practices.
Academic Overview: Todd Lewis is a Distinguished Professor of Arts and Humanities at the College of the Holy Cross, holding the Monsignor Edward G. Murray Professorship. He specializes in Newar Buddhism, Himalayan religions, and the intersections of ecology and religion. Lewis earned his Ph.D. in Religion from Columbia University and has conducted extensive fieldwork in Nepal. Education: Ph.D. in Religion, Columbia University Research Interests: Lewis focuses on Buddhist narratives, ritual practices, and the role of merchants in religious history. His work explores Newar Buddhism, Himalayan cultural history, and the application of religious frameworks to contemporary issues like ecology. Grants & Leadership: Lewis directed six NEH summer institutes for educators, emphasizing Himalayan studies and Buddhist traditions. He has received fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, National Endowment for the Humanities, and others. Labs/Teams: Active in Holy Cross' Asian Studies and Environmental Studies programs. Co-founded the Journal of the North American Japanese Garden Association and serves on editorial boards for Journal of Buddhist Ethics and Religions .
Yan Huang is an Associate Professor of Business Technologies at the Tepper School of Business, Carnegie Mellon University. She holds a Ph.D. in Information Systems and Management from Carnegie Mellon University (2013) and a B.Sc. (with honors) in Information Systems and Management from Tsinghua University, Beijing, China (2009). Prior to joining Carnegie Mellon University, she served as an Assistant Professor of Technology and Operations at the University of Michigan–Ann Arbor, Ross School of Business (2013-2018). Her educational background includes: B.Sc. (with honors) in Information Systems and Management, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China (2009) Ph.D. in Information Systems and Management, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, United States (2013) Dr. Huang's research examines the economic and social impacts of technologies and identifies effective designs and policies for technology-enabled markets and platforms. She employs economic theories, structural modeling, statistical modeling, machine learning methods, and an understanding of the underlying technologies in her research. Her recent work focuses on the economics of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), with particular attention to algorithmic fairness, transparency, and collusion. She is among the first to bring economic and social perspectives to research on fair ML. Additionally, she studies digital platforms and online markets, examining how firms can leverage data-driven strategies to optimize pricing, personalization, and user engagement. Her recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on the intersection of AI/ML with economic principles, particularly in areas like algorithmic bias, pricing strategies, and platform regulation. A significant portion of her work examines how machine learning algorithms impact financial lending decisions, housing markets, and content creation platforms. Her research methodology frequently combines structural econometric modeling with empirical analysis of real-world data, providing both theoretical insights and practical implications for platform design and policy. Dr. Huang has received several prestigious awards for her scholarly contributions: AIS Senior Scholar Best Publication of 2023 Award for "Algorithmic Transparency with Strategic Users" Runner Up, Best Paper Published in Information Systems Research for 2021 for "Crowds, Lending, Machine, and Bias" INFORMS Information Systems Society Sandy Slaughter Early Career Award Finalist, Best Student Paper Award, CIST 2021 for "Human-Algorithmic Bias: Source, Evolution, and Impact" Pounds Fellowship As an active member of the academic community, Dr. Huang serves on various committees at CMU including the MSBA Curriculum Review Committee and the Tepper School Strategic Plan Task Force. She has also held editorial positions for Management Science, Information Systems Research, and the International Conference on Information Systems. Her teaching portfolio includes courses on Human and Algorithmic Bias, Modern Data Management, and PhD-level instruction at the Tepper School.
Professor Catherine Easton serves as Professor in Information Technology and Intellectual Property Law at Lancaster University's School of Law, with additional affiliations at Security Lancaster and the Centre for Law and Society. Her work bridges legal scholarship with practical technology implementation, focusing on digital inclusion and governance frameworks. Her research centers on internet governance, domain name regulation, intellectual property law, and accessibility for disabled users. She examines how legal frameworks interact with human-computer interaction systems, particularly in crisis response scenarios and educational technology. Her scholarship consistently addresses the tension between regulatory compliance and genuine digital inclusion, with special attention to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Her recent publications reveal growing emphasis on autonomous systems regulation, particularly regarding disability access in driverless vehicles, and ethical frameworks for cloud-based disaster response. The scholarly trajectory shows evolution from foundational website accessibility analysis toward complex systems governance in emerging technologies. Higher Education Academy International Scholarship recipient MMU Promising Researcher Fellow (2011) Co-chair of UN Internet Governance Forum's Internet Rights and Principles Dynamic Coalition Treasurer of British and Irish Law, Education and Technology Association Guest editor for Web Journal of Current Legal Issues Disability Special Edition Professor Easton actively develops legal education technologies, having created interactive teaching resources for major textbooks and pioneered clicker technology applications in law classrooms. She leads initiatives like the National Law Student Forum and has presented extensively on MOOCs and legal pedagogy. Her Security Lancaster affiliation connects her work to broader research on information transparency and crisis response ethics, where she examines big data's implications for inclusion and human rights.
Michael Anshelevich is a Professor of Mathematics at Texas A&M University, affiliated with the College of Arts & Sciences. His research focuses on Functional Analysis, Operator Theory, and Free Probability, with contributions to non-commutative stochastic processes, orthogonal polynomials, and operator-valued distributions. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley (2000) and a B.S. from the California Institute of Technology (1994). His work bridges combinatorial methods with advanced probability theory, addressing topics like free Lévy processes and free convolution powers. Research interests span non-commutative probability frameworks, including free stochastic measures, Fock space representations, and applications of combinatorial structures to stochastic calculus. Recent articles explore exponential products in operator algebras, Hermite polynomials in Brownian motion contexts, and depth-two actions in Fock spaces. His contributions to free probability include extending classical limit theorems to non-commutative settings and analyzing multiplicative free convolutions. Publications highlight interdisciplinary connections between functional analysis and stochastic processes, with a focus on operator-valued distributions and Jacobi parameters. While no specific awards are listed, his extensive bibliography reflects sustained impact in mathematical physics and operator theory. Advising and grants sections remain unspecified, though his research often involves collaborative projects in stochastic analysis and free probability.
Laurie Mook is an Associate Professor and Associate Director in the School of Community Resources and Development (CRD) at Arizona State University (ASU). She is also affiliated with the Lodestar Center for Philanthropy & Nonprofit Innovation and the Center for Organization Research and Design (CORD). Her research focuses on the social economy, including nonprofits, cooperatives, social enterprises, volunteerism, and social accounting. She holds a Ph.D. in Adult Education and Community Development from the University of Toronto, along with an M.Ed. and B.A. from Canadian institutions. Dr. Mook’s academic contributions include co-authoring influential books such as Understanding the Social Economy: A Canadian Perspective (2018) and editing the Canadian Journal for Nonprofit and Social Economy Research . Her teaching spans courses like Social Marketing and Strategic HR Management, emphasizing online pedagogy and curriculum design. Her awards include the 2021 Distinguished Service Award from ANSER and multiple Outstanding Faculty Awards at ASU. She has been a leader in professional associations like ANSER and ARNOVA, contributing to conference organization, editorial roles, and policy discussions. Her work bridges academic research, nonprofit practice, and social innovation, addressing topics like volunteer management, impact measurement, and the role of technology in the social economy.
James F. English is the John Welsh Centennial Professor of English at the University of Pennsylvania and former Faculty Director of the Price Lab for Digital Humanities (2015-2024). He previously directed the Penn Humanities Forum (2011-2018), served as Chair of the English Department, and has held interim leadership roles including Director of Cinema Studies and Moderator of the University Council. Currently teaching courses in British Cinema and The Economics of Literature and Film in the 21st Century for Fall 2025, he remains an active scholar despite being on leave Spring 2025. English's research spans multiple interconnected fields including 20th and 21st century British and American literature, digital humanities, literary sociology, and the study of literary awards and prestige systems. His influential work examines how literary value circulates through institutional channels, with particular focus on globalization's impact on English studies. His approach combines historical analysis with contemporary cultural theory, examining how literature functions within broader economic and social systems. His publications reveal consistent engagement with questions of scale, value, and institutional structures in literary production. The articles demonstrate his evolution from studying literary prizes and cultural prestige to examining contemporary issues like digital reading practices, temporal dimensions of fiction, and interdisciplinary approaches to literary sociology. His work consistently bridges traditional literary scholarship with sociological and economic frameworks. 2025 Dennis M. DeTurck Award for Innovation in Teaching 2016 Ira Abrams Memorial Award for Distinguished Teaching 1995 Penn Mortar Board Alumni Association Award For Outstanding Teacher Professor English has directed 25 doctoral dissertations across diverse topics in contemporary literature, globalization, and literary theory, while serving on nearly 50 doctoral committees. His teaching grants have supported innovative approaches to literary studies, particularly in digital humanities and the study of literary markets. His leadership in establishing the Price Lab for Digital Humanities has created significant infrastructure for digital scholarship at Penn. As founder and former director of the Price Lab for Digital Humanities, English established one of the leading digital humanities centers in the country, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration across humanities disciplines. His work with the Wolf Humanities Center (formerly Penn Humanities Forum) further demonstrates his commitment to creating institutional frameworks that support innovative humanities research.
Sandra Fredman is Professor of the Laws of the British Commonwealth and the United States at the University of Oxford, with a professorial fellowship at Pembroke College. A leading scholar in equality and human rights law, she has authored seminal works including Human Rights Transformed and Discrimination Law . Her research focuses on comparative equality frameworks, socio-economic rights, and the intersection of gender with legal structures. Fredman holds degrees from the Universities of Witwatersrand and Oxford, and has advised governments globally on anti-discrimination legislation. She founded the Oxford Human Rights Hub in 2012, directing its interdisciplinary research on rights-based approaches to labor, education, and marginalized populations. Her academic contributions span 48 peer-reviewed articles addressing contemporary issues like gig economy labor rights, pandemic-era equality obligations, and platform work regulation. Fredman has received significant recognition including British Academy Fellowship (2005) and honorary QC status (2012). Her work emphasizes 'substantive equality' as a proactive duty, challenging traditional legal paradigms through intersectional analysis. Key research initiatives include the Oxford Martin Programme on Human Rights for Future Generations and the Fairwork Foundation, addressing modern work challenges. Fredman's scholarship bridges theory and practice, influencing global policy through engagement with UN agencies, the EU, and international NGOs. Her teaching encompasses human rights law, labor law, and equality jurisprudence.
Yuval Noah Harari is a historian, philosopher, and lecturer at the Department of History at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Born in Haifa, Israel in 1976, he received his PhD from the University of Oxford in 2002. He is best known as the author of the internationally acclaimed books Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind (2014), Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow (2016), 21 Lessons for the 21st Century (2018), Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to Artificial Intelligence , and the Unstoppable Us children's series. Harari's research focuses on macro-historical questions including the relationship between history and biology, the essential difference between Homo sapiens and other animals, justice in history, historical directionality, human happiness throughout history, and the ethical questions raised by science and technology in the 21st century. His work bridges history, biology, philosophy, and economics, taking both macro and micro perspectives to understand not only what happened and why, but also how it felt for individuals. His books have sold over 45 million copies in 65 languages, with Sapiens alone selling 25 million copies since its publication. He is considered one of the world's most influential public intellectuals today. Harari has given keynote speeches at major international forums including the World Economic Forum in Davos and has presented as a digital avatar in a TED talk. Sapiens spent 96 consecutive weeks in the top 3 of the Sunday Times bestseller list Co-founded Sapienship, an international social impact company focused on education and storytelling, with his husband Itzik Yahav Regularly speaks at major international events on topics of technology, history, and the future of humanity Harari's recent work focuses on the challenges of the information age, particularly the crisis of truth and trust in an era of disinformation and artificial intelligence. He explores how humans can navigate the complex ethical questions raised by emerging technologies while maintaining democratic values and human dignity.
Irina Rasmussen is an Associate Professor (Docent) at the Department of English , Stockholm University, specializing in modernist literature across British, American, Irish, and Russian traditions. Her research extends to the history of aesthetics , dialectical materialism , and world literature from the 19th to mid-20th century. As a member of Forum Modernism , she explores both mainstream and marginalized expressions of modernism while critically interrogating the concept itself. Primary research areas: British/American/Irish/Russian modernism, aesthetics history, dialectical materialism Current book project: "Vernacular Modernisms: Poetics of the World" Published in: James Joyce Quarterly , Modernism/modernity , James Joyce Broadsheet Her scholarship emphasizes: Form-sensitive readings of modernist texts Intersection of nationalism and internationalism in Joyce's work Political implications of archival practices (e.g., Gumby Collection analysis) Curatorial approaches in modernist documentation For thesis supervision in literary theory, postcolonial criticism, or world-literature frameworks, contact: irina.rasmussen@english.su.se
Dr. Laura Zizka is a Professor at the EHL Hospitality Business School, part of the HES-SO university network. She specializes in higher education strategies, crisis communication, and sustainability in hospitality and STEM sectors. Her research bridges academic theory with industry practice, focusing on organizational resilience during crises, digital education transformation post-pandemic, and embedding sustainability literacy in curricula. Education**: BSc HES-SO in Hospitality and Tourism Management Research Themes**: Crisis communication strategies in tourism and hospitality Digital transformation in higher education Pro-environmental behavior in hospitality operations Sustainability integration in STEM and business programs Her work emphasizes bridging educational practices with real-world challenges, such as pandemic communication, stakeholder engagement in sustainability, and employability skills for STEM graduates. Recent studies include analyzing Swiss hoteliers' pandemic communication evolution and exploring AI's role in academic writing through Microsoft Copilot case studies. Grants & Projects**: HES-SO Rectorate-funded project (2019–2020) on destination image and pictorial content impact (CHF 99,000) Longitudinal studies on student/faculty perceptions of digital education (2020–2023) Dr. Zizka collaborates with industry partners like KITRO (food waste tech) and actively contributes to conferences on topics ranging from trauma-informed pedagogy to blended learning models. She advocates for holistic sustainability education and has advised on CSR communication strategies for airlines and hospitality firms.
