Valerie Hansen is the Stanley Woodward Professor of History at Yale University's Department of History. She specializes in Chinese history to 1600, the Silk Road, and global medieval connectivity. Her research bridges legal, religious, and economic dimensions of pre-modern societies. Hansen’s work includes groundbreaking books such as The Year 1000 (2020), redefining globalization’s origins, and The Silk Road: A New History (2012), integrating archaeological and textual sources. She led the Luce Foundation-funded Silk Road Project (1995–1998), unifying Turfan artifacts. Her articles span legal pluralism in Silk Road cities, Liao dynasty material culture, and Viking exploration’s global impacts. Awards include American Academy of Arts and Sciences Fellowship (2021) and Collège de France lectureship (2019). Hansen collaborates internationally, editing volumes on textiles as money and Song-Yuan studies. Her research emphasizes interdisciplinary methods, blending history with archaeology and art.
Thomas Smith is an Associate Professor in Environmental Geography at the London School of Economics (LSE), specializing in wildland fires, tropical environmental change, and peatland management. He joined LSE in 2018 after lecturing at King’s College London and has held visiting fellowships at institutions including the National University of Singapore and Monash University Malaysia. His research focuses on biomass burning’s role in the Earth system, particularly greenhouse gas emissions from tropical peatlands and savannas. Smith’s expertise includes infrared spectroscopy, wildfire modeling, and land management decision support. He emphasizes interdisciplinary approaches to address fire emissions, agricultural practices, and their environmental impacts. Notable awards include being Highly Commended for Research Guidance & Support at the LSESU Teaching Excellence Awards 2019. His recent work involves field experiments (e.g., GAMBUT project) and citizen science initiatives to measure air pollution. Collaborative research spans global wildfire dynamics, climate change impacts, and policy interventions in Southeast Asia’s haze season. Smith contributes to both academic discourse and practical solutions for sustainable land use and climate resilience.
Sara McLaughlin Mitchell is Professor of Political Science and courtesy Professor at the College of Law at the University of Iowa, where she holds the Collegiate Fellow honor. Her interdisciplinary work bridges international relations, political methodology, and gender dynamics in academia. Her educational background: PhD in Political Science, Michigan State University, 1997 BS in Economics and Political Science, Iowa State University, 1991 Professor Mitchell's research centers on international conflict with deep expertise in maritime disputes, identity claims, and climate-conflict linkages. She pioneers political methodology through large-scale datasets like the Issue Correlates of War (ICOW) project, while her groundbreaking work on gender in academia examines citation patterns and career advancement barriers for women scholars. Her analytical rigor spans quantitative conflict modeling and qualitative institutional analysis. Recent publications reveal three dominant trajectories: environmental security (climate volatility impacts on human rights and disasters), geopolitical conflict (Russia-Ukraine War analysis, maritime/river disputes), and gender equity (academic networks, citation practices). She consistently integrates methodological innovation with real-world policy relevance, particularly in disaster response and international adjudication. Her major scientific awards include: Collegiate Fellow, University of Iowa Quincy Wright Distinguished Scholar Award (2015) Foreign Policy Analysis Distinguished Scholar Award (2023) Conflict Processes Lifetime Achievement Award (2023) Distinguished alumni award from Iowa State University A dedicated mentor, Mitchell co-founded the Journeys in World Politics workshop for junior women in international relations, earning university mentoring awards. Her research program is sustained by substantial grants from: Department of Defense National Science Foundation United States Agency for International Development She leads the Issue Correlates of War project and collaborates extensively through the Peace Science Society (where she served as President), driving interdisciplinary research on conflict management regimes and gender equity initiatives across academic networks.
Leysia Palen is a Distinguished Professor of Computer Science and Information Science at the University of Colorado Boulder. She was the founding chair of the Department of Information Science, which launched in 2015, and maintains appointments in both the Department of Information Science and Computer Science. Palen is also a faculty fellow with the Institute of Cognitive Science and ATLAS Institute. She received her PhD from the University of California, Irvine in Information and Computer Science in 1998 and has been a faculty member at CU Boulder ever since. Her educational background includes: BS in Cognitive Science from University of California, San Diego MS and PhD in Information and Computer Science from University of California, Irvine Palen is a leader in crisis informatics, an area she forged with her graduate students and colleagues. Her research integrates human-computer interaction (HCI), computer-supported cooperative work, and social computing to address socio-technical issues of societal importance. She conducts empirical research in the interpretivist tradition while adapting quantitative techniques for analyzing large-scale online interactions during crisis events. Her work has earned her the ACM Computer Human Interaction Social Impact Award in 2015, and she was elected to the ACM CHI Academy in 2016. Palen's research examines how people use technology to communicate during emergencies and disasters. Her work spans hurricane response, earthquake recovery, terrorist attacks, and pandemic situations, analyzing social media usage, risk communication patterns, and emergent information infrastructures. She directs Project EPIC (Empowering the Public with Information during Crisis) and co-directs the Center for Software & Society at CU Boulder. Her publication record demonstrates consistent contributions to understanding human-technology interaction in critical situations, with over 90 articles spanning two decades. Palen has secured approximately $5 million in research funding as Principal Investigator from the National Science Foundation, including an NSF CAREER award in 2006. She serves as an Associate Editor for both the Human Computer Interaction Journal (Taylor and Francis) and the Computer-Supported Cooperative Work Journal (Springer), reflecting her leadership in these academic communities. Palen has held positions at Xerox PARC, Boeing Commercial, USWEST Advanced Technologies, and Microsoft Commercial, and has been a faculty member at the University of Aarhus in Denmark and University of Agder in Norway.
Helen Quirk is a Research Fellow at the University of Sheffield's School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR), funded by the NIHR School for Public Health Research (SPHR) as a Post-Doctoral Launching Fellow from April 2020 to August 2023. Her work focuses on understanding and promoting physical activity while addressing health inequalities, particularly among vulnerable populations. Her research interests center on physical activity promotion, health inequalities, community-based physical activity initiatives, mental health and physical activity connections, and qualitative research methods. She has developed expertise in understanding the barriers and benefits of physical activity, especially for populations facing significant challenges to maintaining active lifestyles. Analysis of her recent publications reveals a strong focus on community-based physical activity initiatives, particularly parkrun, as a vehicle for addressing health inequalities. Her work examines how these initiatives impact mental wellbeing, social inclusion, and physical health outcomes, with special attention to underrepresented groups including people with mental health conditions and those living in socioeconomically deprived areas. Scientific Awards: NIHR School for Public Health Research (SPHR) Post Doctoral Launching Fellowship (2020-2023) Helen's research is characterized by strong partnerships with community organizations like parkrun, allowing for real-world application of findings. She has been involved in numerous large-scale surveys and qualitative studies that have informed both academic understanding and practical implementation of physical activity initiatives. Her approach emphasizes understanding people's lived experiences through qualitative methods while also engaging with quantitative data to capture broader trends. Her work extends beyond traditional academic outputs, with active engagement in knowledge mobilization through blogs, webinars, and community presentations. She serves as Vice Chair of the parkrun Research Board, demonstrating her commitment to bridging research and practice in community physical activity initiatives.
Markus Grillitsch is Professor in the Department of Human Geography at Lund University and Director of CIRCLE (Centre for Innovation, Research and Competence in the Learning Economy). His work spans EU member states, transition economies, and developing countries with focus on spatial transformation processes. His research interests include: Economic Geography and Innovation Studies Regional Development and Knowledge Institutions Place-Based Leadership and Institutional Entrepreneurship Network Analysis and Policy Implementation Recent publications demonstrate strong focus on energy justice transitions, innovation policy limitations, and multi-scale inequality analysis. His work connects theoretical frameworks with empirical studies of regional diversification and agency-structure dynamics. Key recurring themes include sustainable development pathways, capabilities approaches, and institutional transformation processes across diverse geographical contexts. Current research projects include: Multi-level learning journeys for green and just regional transformations (Vinnova-funded) Economic resilience through Swedish hidden champions study Circular value chains and policy dynamics research Klimatneutrala städer 2030 urban climate initiative Grillitsch's work actively contributes to UN Sustainable Development Goals through research on economic growth, reduced inequalities, sustainable cities, and climate action. His fingerprint analysis shows strongest connections to Innovation (100%), Knowledge (93%), and Regional Development (66%) research domains.
Shashi Shekhar is a Professor at the University of Minnesota, holding the distinguished titles of McKnight Distinguished University Professor and Distinguished University Teaching Professor. He serves as the ADC/CSE Chair and Director of the AI-LEAF Institute within the Department of Computer Science at the College of Science and Engineering. His research interests span multiple areas of spatial computing including spatial data science, spatial data mining, spatial databases, Geo-AI, and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). His work has focused on developing scalable algorithms for eco-routing, evacuation route planning, and spatial pattern mining. He has made significant contributions to the field through his Spatial Databases textbook, the Encyclopedia of GIS which has seen over 192,918 downloads in 2017, and a spatial computing book for professionals. His research group has produced numerous PhD graduates dating back to 1993 through 2023. Analysis of his recent publications reveals a strong focus on applying spatial computing to critical societal challenges including climate change mitigation through the AI-LEAF Institute, pandemic response through mobility data analysis, and sustainable transportation through eco-routing algorithms. His work bridges theoretical advances in spatial data science with practical applications in urban planning, emergency management, and environmental sustainability. Distinguished McKnight University Professor Distinguished University Teaching Professor UCGIS Education Award (2015) Graduate Education Award (2015) President of University Consortium for GIS (2017-2018) Computing Research Association Board Member (2016-2019) Professor Shekhar has advised over 30 PhD students since 1993, with his most recent graduate in 2023. He has secured significant research funding including a $20 million AI Institute grant focused on climate-smart agriculture and forestry. His Spatial Computing Research Group maintains active collaborations with government agencies and industry partners. The group has developed practical applications featured in media outlets including FoxTV coverage of evacuation route planning algorithms. Current research directions include applying AI techniques to address climate challenges through the AI-LEAF Institute and advancing spatial data science for polar regions through NSF-funded initiatives.
Agnieszka Leszczynski is an Associate Professor in the Department of Geography and Environment at Western University. Her research focuses on digital geographies, platform urbanism, and the intersections of technology with urban development. She leads a SSHRC-funded project examining the visual aesthetics of urban platformization across Canada, Poland, and South Africa. Additional projects include studying digital experimentation in small Canadian cities and analyzing spatial relationships between urban platforms and gentrification. She teaches courses on GIScience, digital technology, and spatial research methods. Leszczynski actively supervises graduate students exploring topics like smart cities, platform urbanism, and spatial equity. Her work bridges theoretical and applied GIScience with critical urban studies. Education details are not explicitly listed in the provided text, but her academic contributions include over two decades of research output, including co-editing Digital Geographies (SAGE, 2019) and publishing widely in leading journals. She collaborates internationally on projects like the Esri Canada GIS Centre of Excellence and engages with equity, diversity, and decolonization initiatives in academia. Her research methodologies emphasize digital-visual approaches, glitch studies, and critical analyses of spatial technologies. Recent work explores how cities use digital aesthetics to achieve 'world-class' status, while other projects assess micromobility equity and conservation mapping in Patagonia. Leszczynski’s teaching portfolio includes graduate supervision on topics such as dockless micromobility systems and smart home analysis. Key funding sources include SSHRC grants supporting comparative urban studies and technology experimentation. She mentors students through Western’s Geography People’s Society and collaborates with interdisciplinary teams on spatial equity and platform urbanism challenges.
Iain Stewart is Professor of Geoscience Communication at the University of Plymouth, holding the UNESCO Chair in Geoscience and Society. He directs research at the Sustainable Earth Institute and serves as Communications Lead for the UKRI Tomorrow's Cities initiative targeting disaster risk reduction in urban environments. His research bridges Earth science and societal concerns through three key areas: 1) Geoscience communication strategies for complex issues like climate change and energy, 2) Cultural responses to geohazards using film and gaming technologies, and 3) Public perceptions of geological resources and subsurface environments. His work applies cognitive and social science frameworks to geoscience communication challenges. Stewart maintains an extensive public engagement profile through BBC television documentaries including 'Earth: The Power of the Planet' and as science consultant for 'Seven Worlds, One Planet'. He serves as President of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society and Devon Wildlife Trust while advocating for geoscience education globally. His research has been recognized with numerous international awards including an MBE and honors from the Geological Society of America and American Geophysical Union.
Adriana I. Kovashka is an Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Pittsburgh's School of Computing and Information. She serves as Chair of the Department of Computer Science. Her research focuses on computer vision, machine learning, and their intersections with human-machine communication and visual rhetoric analysis. Kovashka earned her BA in Computer Science and Media Studies from Pomona College (2008) and her PhD in Computer Science from the University of Texas at Austin (2014). She joined Pitt in 2015. Her work emphasizes improving image retrieval systems through semantic attributes, human-in-the-loop feedback, and crowd-sourced data. Notable projects include analyzing advertisements' persuasive strategies, developing object detection models resilient to domain shifts, and exploring multimodal learning with linguistic and visual inputs. She has secured significant grants, including NSF awards for geographic diversity in object detection (2023), CAREER funding for weak supervision methods (2021), and multiple Google Faculty Research Awards. Kovashka advises PhD students on topics ranging from multimodal intent modeling to domain generalization. She has organized workshops on advertising understanding and subjective attributes in vision conferences. Her lab's datasets, such as the 64,832-image ad repository and video ad collections, are widely used in vision research. Recent efforts include quantifying perceptual diversity in multilingual systems and mitigating bias in CNNs through shape regularization. Awards and recognitions include the NSF CAREER Award, Pitt's CRDF grants, and leadership roles in CVPR and WACV conferences. Her research bridges technical innovation with societal impact, addressing challenges in visual communication, ethical AI, and educational robotics.
Dr. Enrico Lucca serves as a Research Fellow at the Dubnow Institute, where he has held the position of Research Associate since January 2018. He concurrently coordinates the Research Unit 'Knowledge', the Institute's Forum, and oversees peer reviewing for the Dubnow Institute Yearbook. His academic work centers on twentieth-century European-Jewish history and thought, with specialized focus on knowledge transfer between Europe and Israel/Palestine, intellectual history, and institutional history within Jewish contexts. Lucca completed his Master's degree in Philosophy at the University of Milan in 2007, followed by doctoral studies (2009-2012) at the same institution, culminating in a dissertation titled 'A Dialectic Vision of Jewish History. Gershom Scholem and the Legacy of Messianism.' His academic training includes post-graduate specialization in Cultural Studies at Scuola Alti Studi in Modena (2009) and visiting research periods at the University of Chicago Divinity School (2009-2010) and Hebrew University of Jerusalem (2011). His research traverses European-Jewish intellectual history, Jewish cultural studies, and philosophy of religion, with particular emphasis on messianic thought, Kabbalah studies, and Hebrew literature. Lucca's scholarship frequently examines biographical and institutional frameworks that shaped Jewish thought in the twentieth century, especially through figures like Gershom Scholem, Franz Rosenzweig, and Hugo Bergmann. His methodological approach integrates cultural history with philosophical analysis to explore knowledge transmission across geographical and temporal boundaries. Analysis of his 15 most recent publications reveals consistent engagement with Central European Jewish intellectual migration to Palestine/Israel, institutional history of the Hebrew University, and critical reinterpretations of Scholem's legacy. His work demonstrates interdisciplinary breadth across history, philosophy, and literary studies, with recurring themes of linguistic identity, cultural transfer, and the interplay between mysticism and modernity in Jewish thought. No scientific awards are documented in the provided materials. While no formal students are listed, Lucca has secured significant research funding including a Gerda Henkel Foundation fellowship (2016-2017) for 'German-Jewish Knowledge and Cultural Transfer 1918–1948' and currently serves as Principal Investigator for the German Research Foundation-funded International Research Training Group 'Belongings: Jewish Material Culture in Twentieth-Century Europe and Beyond' (since 2024). Lucca actively leads the Research Unit 'Knowledge' and co-directs the International Research Training Group 'Belongings'—a tripartite collaboration between the Dubnow Institute, Leipzig University, and Hebrew University of Jerusalem—focusing on material culture approaches to Jewish history through comparative, transnational frameworks.
Mykola Oleksiyovych Zhuravel serves as a Senior Lecturer at Zaporizhia Polytechnic National University within the Department of Occupational Safety and Environmental Protection, part of the Faculty of Construction, Architecture and Design. With over 37 years of service since 1987, he has established himself as a dedicated educator and researcher in occupational safety, civil defense, and environmental protection fields. His research interests span occupational safety, civil defense, environmental safety, life safety, industrial safety, ergonomics, and risk management. Zhuravel's scholarly work consistently addresses practical safety concerns in Ukrainian industrial and educational settings, with a particular focus on regional environmental challenges in Zaporizhzhia. His publications demonstrate a progression from foundational safety principles to contemporary concerns like ecological energy security and digital workplace safety. Analysis of his 15 most recent publications reveals a strong emphasis on practical applications of safety science, with recurring themes in environmental protection, workplace hazard mitigation, and emergency preparedness. His work bridges theoretical safety frameworks with practical implementation strategies, particularly relevant to Ukrainian industrial contexts. Zhuravel maintains active professional development, with numerous certifications through 2024 in occupational safety, civil defense, and academic integrity. He is an associated member of the European Community for Occupational Safety and Health (EUOP register number 13823000211, registered June 12, 2023). As an educator, he teaches multiple safety-related disciplines including Safety of Life of a Specialist with Basics of Labor Protection, Protection of Human Living Environment and Occupational Safety, and Civil Protection and Occupational Safety in Industry. His teaching approach integrates theoretical knowledge with practical safety applications relevant to Ukrainian industrial contexts.
Bruno Takahashi is the Brandt Endowed Professor of Environmental Communication at Michigan State University, holding a joint appointment in the School of Journalism and AgBioResearch. He serves as Research Director of the Knight Center for Environmental Journalism and maintains affiliations with the Health and Risk Communication Center, the Environmental Science and Policy Program, and the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies at MSU. Born and raised in Lima, Peru, Dr. Takahashi earned his bachelor's degree in communication from Universidad de Lima, followed by M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Environmental Science from SUNY ESF. Bachelor's in Communication, Universidad de Lima, Peru M.S. in Environmental Science, SUNY ESF Ph.D. in Environmental Science (specializing in environmental communication and participatory processes), SUNY ESF Dr. Takahashi's research program focuses on news coverage of environmental issues, environmental journalism practices in Latin America and U.S. Latino media, and identity in science communication. His work emphasizes counter-hegemonic environmental discourses in Latin American contexts, examining complex networks of actors, media, and communication processes embedded in post-colonial and social and environmental justice dynamics. He has conducted extensive field research in Peru, Bolivia, and Puerto Rico, with particular attention to environmental communication during disasters and in Indigenous communities. His recent scholarly output reveals a strong trend toward examining climate change communication through diverse cultural lenses, with significant attention to Latin American perspectives, immigrant experiences in the United States, and identity factors in science communication. His publications frequently address decolonial approaches to environmental communication and the need for more inclusive international scholarship that centers Global South perspectives. Scientific awards and recognitions include: 2024 AEJMC First Place in Latin American Communication Research 2021 Fellow of the Institute for Diverse Leadership, AEJMC 2019 Knudson Latin America Book Prize Multiple top paper awards from ICA and AEJMC conferences Dr. Takahashi actively mentors a diverse research team of Ph.D. students, post-doctoral associates, and MA students, with former students now holding positions at universities including University of Nevada, University of Minnesota, and Emory University. His research is supported by significant grants including a $2.8 million NSF grant for the SciComm Identities Project, funding from the Climate and Land Use Alliance, and multiple State Department and Embassy grants for environmental journalism training in Latin America. He has developed and led education abroad programs to Peru (2018, 2024) and the Netherlands/Belgium (2022), providing experiential learning opportunities for students in environmental communication. As Research Director of the Knight Center for Environmental Journalism, Dr. Takahashi leads initiatives supporting environmental journalists globally. His current projects include examining environmental discourses in the Peruvian Amazon related to oil spills affecting Indigenous communities, studying decolonial environmental journalism practices in Bolivia and Peru, and co-leading Working Group 5 on Public Engagement and Governance for The Lancet Countdown Latin America, which has generated significant media coverage in outlets like CNN and El País.
Yves-Alexandre de Montjoye is an Associate Professor of Applied Mathematics and Computer Science at Imperial College London, where he leads the Computational Privacy Group. He holds a joint affiliation between the Department of Computing and the Data Science Institute. His roles include serving as a Special Adviser on AI and Data Protection to the EC Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders, a Parliament-appointed Commissioner for the Belgian Data Protection Agency, and a Special Adviser to EC Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager, co-authoring the 'Competition Policy for the Digital Era' report. He earned his PhD from MIT in 2015 under Alex 'Sandy' Pentland. His master's degrees include an M.Sc. in Applied Mathematics from UCLouvain, an M.Sc. (Centralien) from École Centrale Paris, and an M.Sc. in Mathematical Engineering from KU Leuven. He also holds a B.Sc. in Engineering from UCLouvain. His research interests focus on computational privacy, anonymization techniques, AI safety, and machine learning attacks. He develops methods to 'red team' AI systems and create privacy-preserving mechanisms. His work addresses vulnerabilities such as membership inference, attribute inference, and re-identification risks in datasets, with applications to location tracking, synthetic data, and LLMs. His articles analyze adversarial attacks against privacy systems, emphasizing robustness and practical guarantees. He advocates for privacy-by-design approaches in big data analytics and has explored ethical AI, competition policy in digital markets, and humanitarian uses of mobile data. While no scientific awards are explicitly listed, his contributions have been widely covered in media. He is currently recruiting motivated PhD students for his group at Imperial College. His advising and grants narrative includes work on privacy-preserving technologies and policy implications of AI, with collaborations across academia and public institutions. He is affiliated with the Computational Privacy Group and contributes to platforms like OPAL for privacy analytics. His office is in the ACE Extension building (ACEX 259), accessible via Exhibition Road.
Jocelyn Davies is a University Fellow at the Faculty of Arts and Society, Northern Institute, Charles Darwin University. She lives and works in Alice Springs and has specialized in arid rangeland environments. As a geographer and predominantly qualitative researcher, she is skilled in participatory action research methods with extensive experience in Aboriginal land management initiatives across Australia. Her research profile demonstrates significant engagement with: Climate change adaptation in arid environments (70% research focus) Land management practices (66% research focus) Protected area management (61% research focus) Rangeland systems (59% research focus) Dr. Davies' scholarly work shows a strong international dimension, with research conducted in sub-Saharan Africa, Vietnam, and Inner Mongolia. Her fingerprint analysis reveals significant contributions to Environmental Impact Assessment (52%) and Ecosystem Function studies (52%). Her publications demonstrate consistent scholarly output with significant impact, particularly her 2020 article on Indigenous adaptation pathways which has received 117 Scopus citations and influenced policy development. Her research has been widely disseminated through platforms like Mendeley with hundreds of readers across multiple publications. Dr. Davies' work contributes substantially to UN Sustainable Development Goals related to climate action, life on land, and reduced inequalities through her focus on indigenous knowledge systems and sustainable land management practices. She maintains active research collaborations across multiple countries and has documented 16 research outputs with significant policy engagement, including references in multiple policy documents and news outlets. Her current work focuses on documenting the 50-year history of the Central Australian Aboriginal Congress through participatory methods.
