Alessandro Bausi is a Full Professor of Ethiopian Studies at Sapienza University of Rome since November 2023, where he focuses on Ethiopic language, literature, and manuscript cultures. Prior to this, he served as a Professor for Ethiopian Studies at the University of Hamburg (2009–2023) and held academic roles at the University of Naples 'L’Orientale' and Addis Ababa University. MA (1988, University of Florence) PhD (1992, Naples Oriental Institute) His research spans Ethiopian textual and manuscript cultures, Aksumite history, textual criticism, hagiography, and Semitic studies. He has led major projects like TraCES and Beta maṣāḥǝft , emphasizing linguistic evolution and manuscript digitization. He is a member of prestigious academies including the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei (foreign member since 2023), Academia Europaea, and the Ethiopian Academy of Sciences. His editorial roles include editing Aethiopica and the Encyclopaedia Aethiopica .
Brendan Dooley is a Professor of Renaissance Studies at University College Cork (UCC), Ireland. He holds additional roles, including Adjunct Professor of History at Jacobs University Bremen and served as Distinguished Visiting Professor of Italian at the University of Virginia. His academic journey includes positions at Harvard University, Notre Dame, and the Medici Archive Project in Florence. He earned his PhD in History from the University of Chicago in 1986. Education: PhD in History, University of Chicago, 1986 Research Interests: Dooley specializes in Renaissance Studies, with a focus on cultural history, knowledge transmission, digital humanities, and media history. His work explores topics such as book history, the history of education, and the intersections of science, religion, and politics in early modern Europe. Awards and Grants: 2019 Irish Research Council Advanced Laureate Award (EUR 1 million) 2010 PRTLI Grant (EUR 1.6 million) 2009 Distinguished Visiting Professorship, University of Virginia 1994 Rome Prize, American Academy in Rome Extensive fellowships from institutions including the Institute for Advanced Study (Princeton) and the Fulbright Commission Grants and Projects: He leads the EURONEWS project on early modern newsletters and co-founded UCC’s Digital Arts and Humanities program. His research spans the history of communication, cultural transitions, and interdisciplinary digital humanities. Labs/Teams: Active in the Digital Arts and Humanities program at UCC, fostering transdisciplinary collaboration and innovation in humanities research.
John Tolan is a Professor of Medieval History at the Université de Nantes since 2002, specializing in Islamic-European cultural relations and religious minorities. He has held leadership roles at the Maison des Sciences de l'Homme Ange Guépin and the RELMIN research project. His work spans comparative religious studies, legal history, and interfaith dynamics. PhD in History, University of Chicago (1990) Habilitation, École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales (2001) His research focuses on Medieval Mediterranean societies, examining legal frameworks for dhimmis , Crusades , and Quranic translations . Recent projects include the European Qur’an initiative and analysis of St. Francis-Sultan encounters. Publications since 2013 include comparative studies on Abrahamic historiographies , expulsion histories , and religious cohabitation in medieval towns. His work bridges academic research with public discourse through Radio France appearances and 20+ edited volumes . Académie Europæa member Reial Acadèmia de Bones Lletres de Barcelona fellow Professional activities include editorial board memberships for Medieval Encounters and Medieval Voyaging , alongside 80+ international conference participations. Current affiliations: Academia.edu profile .
Greg Walker is Regius Professor of Rhetoric and English Literature at the University of Edinburgh , specializing in Medieval and Early-Modern drama, literature, and history. He previously held the Masson Professorship at Edinburgh and was Professor of Early-Modern Literature and Culture at the University of Leicester, where he founded the Medieval Research Centre. Ph.D. in early-Tudor literature and politics, University of Southampton BA in English and History (First Class), University of Southampton His research focuses on Tudor and Scottish Renaissance drama , the Henrician Reformation , and the cultural consequences of political and religious shifts . He explores the intersection of textual scholarship and performance, particularly in reconstructing historical theatrical practices. Greg has received prestigious fellowships including Leverhulme Trust Major Research Fellowships and been elected to multiple national academies. His recent publications analyze the afterlife of early British drama and the unpopular aspects of Tudor literature . He actively supervises graduate students across medieval and Renaissance topics. Fellow, Royal Society of Edinburgh Fellow, Agder Vitenskapsakademi (Norway) Fellow, Society of Antiquaries of London Sir David Lyndsay Society President’s Award He has led AHRC-funded projects like Staging and Representing the Scottish Renaissance Court and served on REF sub-panels and the AHRC Council. Greg also co-edits the Oxford Textual Perspectives monograph series.
Felicitas Schmieder is a Full Professor of History and Presence of Pre-modern Europe at FernUniversität in Hagen. She holds a PhD (1991) and Habilitation (2000) from Goethe University Frankfurt. Her research focuses on medieval cultural contacts, Mongol-European interactions, urban history, and cartography. She has held prestigious positions, including Visiting Humboldt Professor at Stockholm University (2018/19) and Fellowships at institutions like the Collegium Budapest (2008/09). Awards include the Humboldt Professorship and election to Academia Europaea (2024). Her work explores medieval Europe’s engagement with cultural diversity, including Mongol perceptions, urban legal frameworks (e.g., Magdeburg Law), and apocalyptic thought. She has authored monographs and edited volumes on medieval history, prophecy, and maps. Active in academic governance, she chairs the board for the distance learning course 'Historische Stadt' and serves on editorial boards like Die Stadt . Education: Studied History and Latin at Goethe University Frankfurt (State Exam 1986, PhD 1991, Habilitation 2000). Research Interests: Medieval cross-cultural interactions, prophecy, German urban history, and medieval cartography. Awards: Humboldt Professor (2018/19), Member of Academia Europaea (2024). Her articles analyze medieval maps, urban legal systems, and Mongol-European relations. She contributes to global medieval studies, emphasizing interconnectedness and cultural exchange. Ongoing projects include 'Reading Medieval Maps' and 'Chorography in Westphalia.'
Alessandro Bausi is a Full Professor of Ethiopian Studies at Sapienza University of Rome, Faculty of Humanities, since November 2023. Previously, he held the position of Full Professor (W3) at the University of Hamburg’s Asien-Afrika-Institut (2009–2023) and served as Director of the Hiob Ludolf Center for Ethiopian Studies. He has extensive academic leadership roles, including editorships of Aethiopica journal and series like Aethiopistische Forschungen . His research focuses on Ethiopian and Eritrean textual traditions, ancient scribal practices, and manuscript cultures, with notable projects like the ERC-funded 'TraCES' and Hamburg’s 'Beta maṣāḥǝft.' Education: MA (1988, University of Florence), PhD (1992, Naples Oriental Institute). He has held academic appointments since 1995, progressing from Assistant to Full Professor roles in Naples, Hamburg, and now Rome. His research interests span Aksumite history, Ethiopic philology, apocryphal texts, and medieval manuscript studies. He has secured major grants and is a member of prestigious academies, including the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei and Academia Europaea. Notable awards include the ERC Advanced Grant (2013) and the Giorgio Maria Sangiorgi Prize (2005). He leads interdisciplinary projects on Christian Ethiopian/Eritrean scribal culture and serves as a consultant for international scholarly series. Professional roles include Co-Spokesperson of the Hamburg Cluster of Excellence on Manuscript Cultures (2019–2023) and editorial roles in major journals. His work bridges textual criticism, epigraphy, and digital humanities in African studies.
Gabriel Byng is a researcher at the University of Vienna's Institute of Art History within the Faculty of History and Cultural Studies, with additional affiliation to the History Department at University of Cambridge. His office is located at Garnisongasse 13, University Campus Hof 9, 1090 Vienna, where he can be reached at +43-1-4277-41484. Dr. Byng holds degrees including BA and MA from Cambridge (Cantab) plus another MA. Dr. Byng's research spans multiple interconnected fields in medieval studies with particular focus on architecture's relationship to economic structures, political theory, material culture, and religious experience. His work examines how spatial organization in churches reflected and shaped social hierarchies, how building practices connected to broader economic patterns, and how material objects mediated religious experiences. His Digital Pilgrim II project represents his commitment to applying digital methodologies to traditional art historical questions, particularly regarding medieval pilgrimage practices and iconography. An analysis of Dr. Byng's recent publications reveals a consistent scholarly trajectory exploring the intersection of architecture, social organization, and religious practice in medieval Europe. His work demonstrates particular expertise in English parish church architecture while increasingly incorporating Viennese contexts, as seen in his 2023 article on St. Stephen's Cathedral during the 1408 political crisis. Methodologically, he bridges traditional archival research with theoretical frameworks from practice theory, phenomenology, and material culture studies. Reginald Taylor and Lord Fletcher Essay Prize (for 'The Function and Iconography of the Minstrels' Gallery at Exeter Cathedral') Dr. Byng's scholarly contributions extend beyond traditional academic publishing through his involvement with projects like Digital Pilgrim II, which examines medieval pilgrimage practices through digital mapping of badge distributions. His policy paper submission to the Culture, Media and Sport Committee's inquiry into tourism demonstrates engagement with contemporary heritage management issues. His work with the Churches Conservation Trust and the Cathedral and Church Buildings Division shows practical application of his research to current preservation challenges. Dr. Byng actively participates in academic discourse through numerous conference papers, seminars, and public talks on topics ranging from medieval synagogues to parish church guides. His research on the 'iconographic communities' formed through shared visual culture in late-medieval Europe represents an innovative approach to understanding medieval social networks through material evidence.
Christophe Erismann, Associate Professor at the University of Vienna's Department of Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies, specializes in Byzantine intellectual history and medieval philosophical logic. His roles include Vice-Director of Studies in Antiquity Sciences and Head of Studies in the Byzantine and Modern Greek Department. "The beginnings of Byzantine intellectual history" (2025W) "The Imperial Image in the Age of Iconoclasm" (2025W) "Michael Psellos, Byzantine consul of the philosophers" (2025W) His research bridges theological debates with Aristotelian logic, focusing on Byzantine interpretations of porphyrian trees, universals, and the filioque controversy. Recent publications examine medieval Armenian-Byzantine intellectual networks and the application of syllogisms in theological disputes. Key article trends include Byzantine logical applications to theology, cross-cultural philosophical exchange between Greek and Latin traditions, and numismatic-symbolic representations of imperial power. His work spans from Late Antiquity to the early Middle Ages, emphasizing continuity and discontinuity in philosophical traditions. Contact: christophe.erismann@univie.ac.at
Katja Weidner is Assistant Professor (Tenure Track) for Middle and Late Latin Philology at the University of Vienna, Faculty of Philology and Cultural Studies. Since 2021 she has led the FWF project Retexte en Page: the Latin Alexander Romance and in 2025 completed her habilitation with the monograph The Material Poetics of the Cambridge Songs . Education: 2018 Dr. phil. summa cum laude (LMU Munich) – Medieval Latin & German Philology 2014 M.A. with distinction (LMU Munich) – Latin Philology, Philosophy, Classical Archaeology Research focus: Her work explores visionary and after-life narratives in late-antique and medieval Latin texts, the materiality of manuscript culture, retextualisation, and sensory imagery—especially olfactory motifs—combining approaches from comparative medieval studies, material philology, cultural studies and historical narratology. Grants & awards: FWF stand-alone project grant (2025-29) Fritz Thyssen Stiftung project funding (2022-24) University of Chicago Mobility Fellowship (2023) VG Wort full publication grant (2019-21) Doctoral scholarship of the German Academic Scholarship Foundation (2009-14) Supervision & teaching: She currently supervises one doctoral and six ongoing MA projects, and offers courses ranging from manuscript reading to seminars on 12th-century love poetry and literary theory. Consultations are held online via Calendly. Team & lab: Her Vienna-based project team comprises a post-doc (Dr Monika Isépy), one pre-doc researcher, and two student assistants; she also co-edits the forthcoming volume Common Grounds: Towards a Medieval Comparative Literature with JProf. Carlotta Posth.
Danuta Shanzer is a Professor at the University of Vienna , affiliated with the Department of Classical Philology, Medieval and Neolatin Studies. Her research and teaching focus on Late Antique and medieval Latin literature, philology, and Neolatin Studies, with a particular emphasis on spätlateinische Texte (Late Latin texts). Her recent teaching schedule includes courses such as: 2025W - VO Introduction to Culture, Literature and Society of the Late Antique 2025S - UE Lateinische Lektüre II (Spätlateinische Texte) 2024W - VO Survey of Latin Literature of the Late Antique
Danuta Shanzer is a University Professor of Late and Medieval Latin Philology at the University of Vienna since 2011. Previously, she served as Professor of Classics and Medieval Studies at Cornell University (1989-2003) and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (2003-2011), and as Assistant/Associate Professor at UC Berkeley (1981-1990). Her career spans four decades of research and teaching across Classics, Religious Studies, and Medieval Studies. Education Bryn Mawr College (BA in Ancient Greek and Latin, 1977) University of Oxford (D.Phil in Humanities, 1981) Shanzer specializes in classical and medieval Latin philology, with focus on Late Roman and Early Medieval history, Christian Latin literature, textual criticism, and the reception of classical texts in medieval Europe. Her work bridges literary analysis, religious transformation, and cultural continuity during the Roman-Germanic transition. Her publications include studies on Augustine’s writings, Gregory of Tours’ miracle books, and the Dating of Clovis’ Baptism . She has held editorial leadership roles for the Dumbarton Oaks Medieval Library series and journals like Early Medieval Europe and Wiener Studien . Scientific Awards Fellow of the Medieval Academy of America (2008) Full member, Austrian Academy of Sciences (2014) Socia Ordinaria, Società Italiana per lo Studio del Medioevo Latino (2015) Shanzer has also served as editor for multiple academic series and journals, including co-editing Society, Culture, and Text in Late Antiquity and leading editorial work for the Corpus Scriptorum Ecclesiasticorum Latinorum . Her research illuminates the intersection of literary traditions, religious identity, and societal change in late antiquity and early medieval Europe.
Mario De Nonno (Membership No. 3425) is an Ordinary Professor of Latin Literature at Università Roma Tre , elected to the Academy in 2012. His research focuses on classical philology, textual criticism, and ancient scholarship.
Anne Duprat is a Professor of Comparative Literature at Université de Picardie-Jules Verne and a Senior Fellow of Institut Universitaire de France. Her research focuses on the theory of fiction, European literatures from the Renaissance to the Enlightenment, and cultural exchanges between the Ottoman Empire and Christian Europe. She has directed the CERCLL Research Center (EA 4283) since 2015 and led the ANR CORSO project (2008-2011) on Mediterranean religious and cultural dynamics. Her recent work includes the ALEA project (2017-2023) on chance representations in European art and the IUF project Discordances of Time (2023-2028). She is a member of Academia Europaea since 2020 and has held leadership roles such as president of the Société française de Littérature générale et comparée (2015-2019). Scientific Awards: Senior Fellow of Institut Universitaire de France (2018-2023) Prime d’Excellence Scientifique (2009-2022) Chevalier de l’ordre des Palmes Académiques (2018) Member of Academia Europaea (since 2020)
Zudrell Lena is a Lecturer at the Department of German Studies within the Faculty of Cultural Studies at the University of Salzburg. Her research focuses on historical German language and literature, particularly the Arthurian epic, courtly poetry and epic of the High and Late Middle Ages, and historical narratology. She explores literary figures, conceptions of everyday life, and realism in medieval literature through her work. Research Interests : Arthurian epic, courtly poetry, historical narratology, literary figures, medieval realism. Contact : Lena.Zudrell@plus.ac.at
Gerhard Katschnig is a Lecturer at the Institut für Kulturanalyse (Department of Empirical Cultural Studies/Cultural Anthropology) at Alpen-Adria-Universität Klagenfurt. His research spans cultural history, theory, and anthropology, focusing on Enlightenment intellectual history, historical mentalities, and the Alps-Adriatic region's transnational dynamics. Research Interests : Cultural History (18th-21st centuries) Cultural Theory (interdisciplinary approaches) History of Mentalities (Enlightenment, World Wars) Translation Studies (medieval knowledge transfer) German as Academic Language (Habsburg universities) Selected Research Trends : Analysis of ethnographic works and nationalization in Habsburg Empire Enlightenment responses to cultural melancholy and ruins Historical debates on vampirism and medical rationality Intersections of bourgeois cosmopolitanism and nationalism in Trieste Translation networks and Islamic-Latin knowledge exchange Grants : Austrian Science Fund (FWF) and Slovenian ARIS for 'Discourses of the In-Between' project (2024) Teaching : Offers courses on cultural history and theory at AAU Klagenfurt Examination organization and community-focused instruction Labs/Teams : Collaborates with international scholars (e.g., Ute Holfelder, Walter Iber) Engaged in Austrian-Slovenian transnational research
