Pierre Vandergheynst is a Full Professor at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) in the Department of Electrical Engineering, with a courtesy appointment in Computer and Communication Sciences. He serves as EPFL’s Vice-Provost for Education since 2015 and leads the Signal Processing Laboratory 2 (LTS2). His research spans harmonic analysis, sparse approximations, mathematical data processing, and applications in signal/image processing, computer vision, machine learning, and graph-based data analysis. PhD in Mathematical Physics (1998), Université catholique de Louvain Postdoctoral Researcher at EPFL (1998-2001) Assistant Professor at EPFL (2002-2007) His research explores geometry/symmetry in high-dimensional data, redundant dictionaries for dimensionality reduction, and computational harmonic analysis on manifolds. Recent work focuses on protein structure modeling, geometric deep learning, and graph-based signal processing. Key article trends include graph neural networks for protein analysis, geometric deep learning in neuroscience, and structured knowledge priors in neural models. His 2023-2025 publications emphasize interpretable AI, long-range dependencies in graphs, and molecular representation learning. Scientific Awards: IEEE Signal Processing Magazine Best Paper Award (2023) Signal Processing Society Best Paper Award (2022) Apple ARTS Award (2007) De Boelpaepe Prize, Royal Academy of Sciences of Belgium (2009-2010) He has supervised over 30 PhD theses and contributed to foundational work in graph signal processing, compressive sensing, and geometric deep learning. His lab develops tools for data science on non-Euclidean structures, with applications in medicine, astronomy, and wireless systems.
Michael McAlpine is a Professor in the Mechanical Engineering department at the University of Minnesota . He also holds affiliations with the Biomedical Engineering and Electrical and Computer Engineering departments. His research focuses on 3D printing functional materials & devices , Nanoscale inks , Biomedical devices , Bioelectronics , and Flexible Microsystems . Research Interests : 3D Printing, Biomedical Engineering, Nanotechnology, Flexible Electronics, Microfluidics Labs : ME 361/363 Contact : mcalpine@umn.edu , (612) 626-3303, ME 117 Recent Research Trends include 3D Printed Biomedical Devices , Flexible Electronics , and Bioprinting Applications . His work spans from Spinal Organoid Formation to Programmable Drug Release Capsules . Scientific Award : Circulation Research 2020 Best Manuscript Award
Martin Jakobsson is a Professor of Marine Geology and Geophysics at Stockholm University's Department of Geological Sciences. His career spans international research expeditions and leadership roles, including Dean of Earth Science (2021) and Head of Department (2012-2018). A key member of the Marine Geology group, he studies Arctic and Antarctic glacial history through sediment analysis and seafloor mapping. PhD from Stockholm University (2000) Academy Fellow, Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences (2004-2009) Professor II position at University Centre of Svalbard (2011-) His research focuses on marine geological archives to reconstruct glacial cycles, ice-ocean interactions, and bathymetric mapping. As GEBCO Vice-Chair (2013-2020), he led initiatives for global seabed mapping through the Seabed 2030 project. Recent publications reveal expertise in: Arctic Ocean paleocirculation Methane release from thawing permafrost Ice sheet sensitivity to oceanic warming High-resolution bathymetric analysis Scientific recognition includes: Election to Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences (2012) 1st Vice President, Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences (2016-2019) Membership in Norwegian Scientific Academy for Polar Research (2016) He leads international collaborations on polar research vessels, with over a year of cumulative ship time and multiple Co-Chief Scientist roles on Arctic expeditions.
Professor Isabella Alexander is a distinguished legal historian and intellectual property scholar at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), Faculty of Law. She specializes in copyright law with a particular focus on its historical dimensions and application to cartography and visual works. As a leading researcher in her field, she holds significant research grants including ARC Discovery projects on copyright law in the 21st century and copyright in cartography. Her educational background includes: PhD from the University of Cambridge LLB (Hons) from the Australian National University BA (Hons) from the Australian National University Professor Alexander's research explores how laws inform and regulate the creation, circulation and reception of knowledge and culture from a historical perspective. Her work bridges legal history with contemporary intellectual property challenges, particularly in areas of copyright for visual works, cartography, and digital creativity. She has made significant contributions to understanding the historical development of copyright principles and their application to modern technological contexts. An analysis of her recent publications reveals a strong focus on the intersection of copyright law with visual culture, cartography, and emerging digital challenges including AI-generated content and memes. Her work demonstrates a clear trajectory toward interdisciplinary approaches that connect historical legal frameworks with contemporary technological and cultural phenomena, showing increasing engagement with how historical understanding can inform solutions to modern intellectual property challenges. Her notable scientific achievements include: 2023 LSAANZ Award for published scholarly book/monograph for "Copyright and Cartography: History, Law, and the Circulation of Geographical Knowledge" Professor Alexander has secured significant research funding as Lead Chief Investigator on the ARC Discovery grant "Hacking Copyright Law in the 21st Century: Art, Law, History and Technology" and as sole Chief Investigator on "Copyright and Cartography: Understanding the past, shaping the future." She has actively contributed to policy development through submissions to the Australian Productivity Commission's Inquiry into IP Arrangements and on addressing copyright infringement online through secondary liability and website blocking mechanisms. She currently serves as President of the Australian and New Zealand Law and History Society and is a member of the Governing Board of the International Society for the History and Theory of Intellectual Property, demonstrating her leadership and influence in both national and international academic communities.
Sanjay Subrahmanyam is Distinguished Professor of History and Irving & Jean Stone Endowed Chair in Social Sciences at UCLA's Department of History. A globally recognized historian of the early modern period (15th-18th centuries), he previously held prestigious positions at the Collège de France (2013-2021), University of Oxford (2002-2004), and Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales in Paris (1995-2002). He founded UCLA's Center for India and South Asia (2005-2011) and maintains significant academic engagement in France through media appearances and lectures. His educational background includes: M.A. in Economics (First Rank with Gold Medal), Delhi School of Economics (1982) Ph.D. in Economic History, Delhi School of Economics (1987) Honorary D.Litt., University of Calcutta (2015) Doctorat honoris causa, Université catholique de Louvain (2017) Subrahmanyam's research revolutionized global historical methodology through his pioneering concept of 'connected histories,' which challenges Eurocentric periodization and emphasizes horizontal connections across regions. His work spans South Asian political culture, Indian Ocean trade networks, Iberian imperial systems, and Mughal court dynamics, consistently integrating multilingual archives and visual sources. He demonstrates exceptional mastery in synthesizing Portuguese, Spanish, Persian, Tamil, and Sanskrit materials to reconstruct non-Western perspectives on early modern globalization. His recent publications reveal intensified focus on transcultural encounters, maritime archaeology, and the material dimensions of empire. Works like Across the Green Sea (2024) and Mirrors of Empire (2026) showcase his shift toward analyzing ego-documents and visual culture to explore identity formation in frontier zones. The consistent thread remains his critique of civilizational boundaries and emphasis on fluid cultural exchanges across the Indian Ocean world. His scientific recognition includes: Infosys Humanities Prize (2012) Dan David Prize for History (2019) Prix International de l'Histoire (2020) Fellowship in American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2009) Corresponding Fellowship in British Academy (2016) Guggenheim Fellowship (2011-12) Subrahmanyam has mentored nine doctoral students to completion, maintaining active collaborations with Muzaffar Alam (University of Chicago), Velcheru Narayana Rao (University of Wisconsin), and David Shulman (Hebrew University). His editorial leadership includes co-editing The Cambridge World History (2015) and serving over a decade as Joint Managing Editor of the Indian Economic and Social History Review . He currently directs major international projects on Indo-Persian travel writing and Mughal intellectual networks. Though not leading a traditional laboratory, he coordinates the 'Connected Histories' research initiative across UCLA, Collège de France, and University of Chicago, fostering interdisciplinary teams examining early modern knowledge circulation. His public engagement includes regular contributions to French media (France 24, France Info) and curated exhibitions like the Codex Casanatense project.
Stephan Conermann serves as Professor of Islamic Studies and Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities at the University of Bonn, where he has held continuous academic appointments since 2003. His institutional leadership includes directorship of the Annemarie Schimmel Kolleg (2010-2022), Bonn Center for Transcultural Narratology, and significant administrative roles culminating in his current deanship since 2023. Academic Background: Doctorate in Oriental Philology/Islamic Studies (Kiel University, 1996, magna cum laude) Magisterstudium in Asian History, Oriental and Slavic Philology (Kiel University, 1992) Conermann's research examines pre-modern Islamic societies through narrative strategies in historiography, with specialized focus on Mamluk Sultanate governance (1250-1517), Delhi Sultanate/Mughal transitions, and Transottomanica mobility dynamics. His work uniquely connects asymmetrical dependencies (particularly slavery systems), power structures, and global entanglements across South Asia, Middle East, and Eastern Europe. His extensive publication portfolio shows consistent thematic evolution toward comparative frameworks analyzing slavery beyond Eurocentric models, narrative construction of power across cultures, and mobility as historical catalyst. Recent scholarship increasingly integrates transcultural methodology with digital humanities approaches. Academic Leadership: Supervised 290+ theses (59 PhD, 96 Magister, 47 Master, 88 Bachelor) Acquired ~9 million euros in third-party funding (DFG, BMBF, DAAD) Editor of 15+ publication series including Mamluk Studies and Dependency and Slavery Studies Conermann directs the Bonn Center for Transcultural Narratology and co-leads the EXC 2036 'Beyond Slavery and Freedom' cluster, fostering interdisciplinary research on pre-modern dependency systems through international collaborations across Europe, Asia, and the Americas.
Clare Harris serves as Professor of Visual Anthropology and Head of the School of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography at the University of Oxford, concurrently holding curatorship of Asian Collections at the Pitt Rivers Museum and a Fellowship at Magdalen College. Her academic leadership spans institutional administration, museum curation, and doctoral supervision within Oxford's anthropological ecosystem. Her educational foundation includes a BA from the University of Cambridge and MA/doctorate from SOAS, University of London. Early career roles comprised Lecturer in Anthropology of Art at the University of East Anglia (1994-1998) before her Oxford appointment. Harris pioneers research at the intersection of visual anthropology, Tibetan studies, and museum decolonization. Her work critically examines Himalayan visual culture, colonial/post-colonial photography, and museum representation politics, evolving toward digital repatriation and community-centered curation. She integrates anthropological fieldwork (conducted in Tibetan diaspora communities since the 1990s) with art historical analysis and archival research. Her 13 recent publications (2004-2022) reveal a progressive trajectory from Tibetan art history toward urgent museum decolonization debates, with consistent focus on photographic practices and cross-cultural representation. Key thematic developments include the shift from historical analysis to active digital repatriation projects and increased engagement with contemporary artists. Harris's accolades include: Fellowship of the British Academy (2019) E. Gene Smith Prize for The Museum on the Roof of the World (2014) Visual Anthropology Prize for In the Image of Tibet (2000) She currently supervises five DPhil students while examining over 25 completed doctorates globally. Research funding spans British Academy personal grants, Leverhulme Trust support, and major collaborative projects including AHRC, Wenner-Gren Foundation, and EU grants—most notably the current AHRC-funded Decolonising the Museum: Digital Repatriation of the Gaidinliu Collection . At the Pitt Rivers Museum, Harris leads high-impact curatorial initiatives including the Abramović collaboration ( Gates and Portals ), Nyema Droma's Performing Tibetan Identities , and community projects like My Tibet Museum , establishing innovative frameworks for museum-public engagement.
Asma Sayeed is an Associate Professor and Program Director of Islamic Studies at UCLA's Near Eastern Languages and Cultures department, part of the UCLA College. She holds a PhD in Near Eastern Studies from Princeton University (2005) and previously served as an Assistant Professor at Lafayette College. Her research focuses on early Muslim social history, Muslim education, gender studies, and hadith transmission by women. She has authored Women and the Transmission of Religious Knowledge in Islam (2013) and contributed to numerous journals and encyclopedias. Sayeed received a Fulbright Fellowship (2010) for archival research on Muslim women’s education in Syria. She teaches courses such as 'Introduction to Islam' and graduate seminars on research methodologies. Her current work examines textual practices in Muslim education across historical contexts. Education: PhD, Near Eastern Studies, Princeton University (2005) MA, History, Binghamton University (1994) BA, Politics, Princeton University (1991) Certificate in Near Eastern Studies, Princeton University (1991) Research Interests: Her scholarship emphasizes women’s roles in religious knowledge transmission, legal and social history intersections, and medieval Muslim educational systems. She frequently addresses how gender shaped access to religious authority and spaces. Awards: Fulbright Fellowship (2010) Teaching and Professional Engagement: Sayeed’s courses cover Quranic studies, Islam in the West, and methodological frameworks in Islamic studies. She actively participates in academic conferences and initiatives, including keynote lectures on women’s intellectual engagement in classical Islam and digital humanities projects mapping women’s educational histories.
Noah D. Gardiner serves as Associate Professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of South Carolina's College of Arts and Sciences. His academic journey includes a Ph.D. in Near Eastern Studies from the University of Michigan (2014), followed by positions as Lecturer in Islamic Studies at Michigan and a postdoctoral fellowship at Annemarie Schimmel Kolleg, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms Universität Bonn. Gardiner's scholarly focus centers on Islamic thought and culture with particular emphasis on Sufism, esotericism, occult sciences, and manuscript culture in the 12th-15th century Arabic-speaking Mediterranean. His research explores the 'science of letters and names' (ʿilm al-huruf wa-al-asmaʾ), religious cosmology, and apocalypticism, examining how mystical ideas move between religious margins and centers. His work reveals significant connections between Islamic occult traditions and other esoteric systems like Jewish Kabbalah. His extensive publication record includes the monograph Ibn Khaldūn versus the Occultists at Barqūq's Court (2020), co-editing the special issue Islamicate Occultism: New Perspectives (2017), and numerous articles in leading journals. His current research focuses on the 13th-century Sufi occultist Aḥmad al-Būnī and the broader occult renaissance in 14th-15th century Cairo. Gardiner actively contributes to the scholarly community through his role as co-organizer of the international online workshop 'Islamic Occult Studies on the Rise' and administrator of the scholarly resource site islamicoccult.org, which showcases emerging scholarship in Islamic esotericism. He teaches courses spanning foundational religion studies to specialized topics including Islam, Qur'an, Hadith, Islamic Theology, Sufism, and Religion and the Fantastic.
Andrew Ollett is an Associate Professor and Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of South Asian Languages and Civilizations at the University of Chicago , where he has taught since 2019. His research focuses on the literary and intellectual traditions of South and Southeast Asia, particularly through works in Sanskrit, Prakrit, Apabhramsha, and Kannada from the first millennium CE. Co-founder and editor of NESAR (New Explorations in South Asia Research) Director of NEH-funded edition/translation of the Kavirājamārga (earliest Kannada literary manual) Expert in Prakrit and Kannada literary traditions His work explores the 'question of language'—examining how language choice shaped cultural production and change in premodern India. Current projects include a monograph on context-sensitivity in Indian language theories and a study of manuscript technology's impact on early South Asian knowledge communities. He has authored The Mirror of Ornaments (Naples: Unior Press, 2025) and Language of the Snakes (UC Press, 2017), and co-authored Lilavai (Harvard, 2021). Recent publications include interdisciplinary studies on: Sanskrit-Prakrit campū genre reevaluation Pragmatics in Mīmāṁsā interpretive concepts Manuscript literacy's influence on literary forms Historical linguistics of Middle Indic syllable reduction Philosophy of language in Śālikanātha and Kumārila Bhaṭṭa Awarded the NEH 'Scholarly Editions and Translations' grant , he teaches classical South Asian literature courses covering Sanskrit, Prakrit, and Tamil traditions. He maintains digital resources including a Prakrit Digital Texts Project and Mīmāṁsādigdarśinī digital text repository, and actively contributes to open-access scholarship.
Angela Reyes is Professor in the Department of English at Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY), and Doctoral Faculty in Anthropology at the CUNY Graduate Center. She teaches courses on English linguistic structures, discourse theory, and linguistic anthropology, while serving on advisory boards for Hunter College's Asian American Studies Program and Mellon-Mays Undergraduate Fellowship Program. Education: PhD, University of Pennsylvania (2003) Her research focuses on semiotics, racialization, and coloniality, particularly examining language-personhood relationships in the U.S. and Philippines through three major ethnographic studies: Southeast Asian American youth videomaking (Philadelphia), Korean American fifth graders in a "cram school" (NYC), and Filipino college communities (Manila). She analyzes how elite linguistic registers and mixed-race discourses reflect colonial anxieties and modern aspirations. Key publications include Discourse Analysis Beyond the Speech Event (2021, awarded Edward Sapir Book Prize) and work in The Oxford Handbook of Language and Race (2020). Awards include Advanced Research Collaborative Distinguished Fellowship (2016), Spencer Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship (2009-2010), Woodrow Wilson Career Enhancement Fellowship (2006-2007), and Ford Foundation Dissertation Fellowship (2002-2003). Scientific Awards: Advanced Research Collaborative Distinguished Fellowship (2016) Spencer Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship (2009-2010) Woodrow Wilson Career Enhancement Fellowship (2006-2007) Ford Foundation Dissertation Fellowship (2002-2003) Edward Sapir Book Prize (2016) Her work bridges linguistic anthropology with English studies, focusing on how language mediates colonial histories, social media dynamics, and academic institutions. She employs ethnographic, archival, and new media methodologies to trace discursive patterns across time and space.
Dinah Ribard is a Director of Studies at the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales (EHESS), working within the Centre de Recherches Historiques (CRH). She serves as Center Director for the GRIHL (Groupe de recherche interdisciplinaire sur l'histoire du libéralisme) research group. Her academic career has been dedicated to the historical study of work, intellectual practices, and cultural production from the early modern period through the 19th century. Ribard completed her thesis in December 2000 at the University of Paris III - Sorbonne Nouvelle under the direction of Alain Viala, entitled "Live Tell Think. Research on the literary status of the philosopher: the Lives of philosophers in France 1650-1766." She was formerly a student at the École Normale Supérieure (Ulm) and holds a degree in Modern Literature. Prior to her position at EHESS, she served as an ATER (Attaché Temporaire d'Enseignement et de Recherche) at Paris III University from 1999 to 2001 and taught at Lycée Jacques-Feyder in Epinay sur Seine from 2001 to 2003. Ribard's research focuses on the history of work from multiple perspectives - examining both intellectual work (1600-1900) and material labor. She investigates how work has been conceptualized, narrated, and institutionalized throughout history. Her work explores the relationship between knowledge production and labor, analyzing how different professions and social statuses have shaped intellectual and cultural practices. She examines the historical construction of disciplines, professions, and social classifications, with particular attention to how writing practices intersect with work identities. Her recent publications reveal a consistent focus on the relationship between writing, work, and social identity across the early modern and modern periods. Ribard's scholarship demonstrates how textual practices were embedded in specific work contexts, from artisanal workshops to academic institutions. Her work shows how literary forms were used to construct professional identities and how writing practices served as forms of political action. She has made significant contributions to understanding the historical relationship between intellectual labor and material production. Ribard has published extensively, including the notable 2023 book "Le Menuisier de Nevers. Poésie ouvrière, fait littéraire et classes sociales (XVIIe-XIXe siècle)" which examines how working-class poetry was historically constructed and marginalized. Her scholarship challenges traditional literary classifications and reveals how social categories have been historically produced through cultural practices. As Director of Studies at EHESS, Ribard supervises doctoral students and contributes to the academic training of historians. She co-responsible for the Grihl seminar and teaches courses at EHESS on topics including "Writings of the Past. Literature and History: Methods, Theories, Fields" and "History and stories of work." Her teaching reflects her research interests in the intersection of literary practices, historical methodology, and social analysis. Within the CRH, Ribard is affiliated with the GRIHL research group, which focuses on the interdisciplinary history of liberalism. Her work bridges historical, literary, and sociological approaches to understanding the development of social and intellectual categories. Through her research, teaching, and institutional leadership, Ribard has made significant contributions to the historical understanding of work, knowledge production, and cultural classification.
Durba Mitra is the Richard B. Wolf Associate Professor in the Department of Studies of Women, Gender, and Sexuality at Harvard University's Faculty of Arts and Sciences. She is a leading scholar at the intersection of feminist and queer studies, global intellectual history, and the history of sexuality in the colonial and postcolonial world, particularly South Asia. Education: PhD, Emory University Research Interests: Her work critically examines how sexuality, gender, and racial difference have shaped modern social thought. She is especially known for her intellectual history of deviant female sexuality in colonial India and its foundational role in social sciences. Her research spans feminist theory, queer studies, histories of science and epistemology, and transnational feminist networks in the Global South. Recent Publications Trends: Her recent articles reflect a deep engagement with Third World feminism, feminist rage, decolonial knowledge production, and the politics of sexuality. She frequently publishes in top journals such as Signs , GLQ , and South Atlantic Quarterly , often in collaborative or roundtable formats, highlighting her role in shaping feminist intellectual discourse. Scientific Awards: Bernard S. Cohn Book Prize Walter Channing Cabot Fellow Award (Harvard) Roslyn Abramson Award for Teaching Excellence Star Family Prize for Faculty Advising Multiple 'Favorite Professor' honors from Harvard undergraduates Fulbright-Nehru and Mellon fellowships Advising and Grants: Mitra has received numerous research grants from Harvard, the Weatherhead Center, and external foundations. She has been recognized for excellence in faculty advising and undergraduate teaching. She has served as Acting Faculty Director of the Schlesinger Library and is active on editorial boards, indicating strong institutional and scholarly leadership. Labs and Teams: She is a faculty associate of the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, a member of the Asia Center Council, and part of the Mittal South Asia Institute at Harvard. She curated the multimedia exhibit 'Solidarity! Transnational Feminisms Then and Now,' demonstrating her commitment to public scholarship and collaborative knowledge creation.
Marion Schulze is an Assistant Professor of Gender Studies and Cultural Anthropology at the University of Basel, serving as Co-Chair of the Center for Gender Studies. Her academic journey includes a joint professorship with Prof. Alain Müller and prior roles as Senior Lecturer at the University of Neuchâtel and doctoral researcher at the University of Basel. She holds a PhD in Sociology from Basel and a degree in Arts and English from the University of Osnabrück, Germany. Her research intersects feminist epistemology, sociology of social worlds, and knowledge materialities. Key projects include studying verbs-as-concepts in feminist theory (earning an SNSF Spark Grant), analyzing hardcore-punk's gender knowledge systems, and investigating digital infrastructures through K-Drama viewer studies. She also explores analog design practices and non-human entities in social world ecologies. Notable achievements include founding a EU-COFUND graduate school at the Swiss School of Public Health, authoring the monograph Hardcore & Gender , and curating an 1980s hardcore graphic design blog series. Her work bridges theory and practice through participatory ethnography and innovative archival methods. Key Research Themes: Feminist material theory, social world ecologies, hyphenation in feminist texts, multi-reality frameworks Methodological Innovations: Figure-ground archiving, organo-graphic approaches, translocal ethnography Prior professional milestones include building interdisciplinary academic programs and advancing queer methodologies in subcultural studies. Her current projects explore the intersection of plants and social worlds through material feminist frameworks.
Professor Mary Augusta Brazelton is a Professor at the University of Cambridge's Department of History and Philosophy of Science and a Fellow of Jesus College. She serves as Director of Studies in Natural Sciences (History and Philosophy of Science) at Jesus College (on leave 2024-2025). Her academic work focuses on the history of science and medicine in modern China, with particular attention to global health, transportation technologies, and the intersection of science and state power. Education: BA (Harvard), MPhil and PhD (Yale). Awards include the 2020 Student-led Teaching Award and the 2019 Zhu Kezhen Senior Award. She is also a Trustee and Research Fellow of the Needham Research Institute and a Council member of the American Association for the History of Medicine. Her research explores topics such as mass vaccination policies in 20th-century China, Sino-French scientific collaborations, and the history of penicillin development. Current projects include studies on the Sino-French Institute in Lyon and transnational histories of civil aviation. Publications include Mass Vaccination: Citizens' Bodies and State Power in Modern China (2019) and China in Global Health: Past and Present (2023). She actively contributes to academic discussions through media engagements and international conferences.
