Janet B. Ruscher is Professor of Psychology at Tulane University's School of Science & Engineering. Her research examines stereotyping, prejudice in communication, and hate speech dynamics using experimental social psychology methods. Education includes Ph.D. from University of Massachusetts-Amherst (1991). Research investigates linguistic expressions of bias, metaphor effects on dehumanization, confrontation strategies for prejudice, and social-cognitive aspects of hate speech. Current work explores political communication biases and online hate speech moderation. Suzanne and Stephen Weiss Presidential Teaching Fellow Lavin-Bernick Faculty Grant Honor's Professor of the Year Distinguished Service Award Extensive graduate training experience with 25 chaired dissertations. Teaches courses in social cognition, prejudice, and research methods.
Gianvito Pio is an Associate Professor at the Department of Computer Science, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Italy. His research spans data mining, bioinformatics, social network analysis, multi-relational data mining, and big data analytics. He holds a PhD in Computer Science from the University of Bari (2015) and has taught courses such as Big Data Management and Analysis and Security in Blockchain Technology . As an expert in heterogeneous network analysis, he develops methods for anomaly detection in cryptocurrency trends, microbiome data interpretation, and legal judgment clustering. He leads the local research unit of the PRIN 2022 project COCOWEARS and contributes to journals like the Machine Learning Journal and Expert Systems with Applications as an associate editor. His recent work includes multi-view learning for risk identification in dynamic networks, spatially-aware models for energy forecasting, and biclustering algorithms for biological data. Collaborations with researchers such as Michelangelo Ceci and Antonio Pellicani highlight his interdisciplinary approach. Gianvito Pio also organizes academic events like the Discovery Science conference and contributes to open-source software tools including HOCCLUS2 and GENERE .
Ryan Thomson is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics & Rural Sociology at Auburn University's College of Agriculture. His research focuses on land ownership dynamics, environmental policy, and socio-economic disparities in rural communities. Key areas include heirs' property issues, climate resilience in agriculture, and spatial analysis of environmental injustices. Thomson's work integrates quantitative methods with interdisciplinary approaches, addressing topics such as wildlife trafficking networks, financialization of agriculture, and reparations frameworks tied to land rights. He has published extensively on legal, economic, and social dimensions of rural development, with a regional emphasis on the Southern U.S. and Appalachian regions. His articles analyze geospatial data to map environmental hazards and assess disaster vulnerabilities, while also critiquing colonial legacies in territorial island governance. Thomson collaborates with stakeholders to develop policies that promote equitable land access and climate adaptation strategies for agricultural communities.
Burt Kimmelman is a Distinguished Professor of Humanities & Social Sciences at New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), affiliated with the College of Science and Liberal Arts. His academic career spans over three decades, with a focus on interdisciplinary humanities, medieval literature, American poetry, and digital art. He holds a Ph.D. from the City University of New York (1991), an M.A. from Hunter College (1987), and a B.A. from SUNY Cortland (1983). Professor Kimmelman teaches courses on literature, science and technology studies (STS), and creative writing, including advanced seminars like STS SEM: Art, Aesthetics, and Modern Technology and Short Fiction Since Modernism . His research explores intersections between medieval poetics, contemporary digital art, and ethical dimensions of truth in literature and media. His work bridges historical and modern themes, analyzing figures like Geoffrey Chaucer and William Bronk while engaging with avant-garde movements. He has published extensively on topics ranging from the legacy of medieval judgment poetry to the role of code in digital art. His writings include literary critiques, poetry collections, and academic monographs. Kimmelman maintains an active online presence via his NJIT faculty webpage.
Raphael Ayambire is an Assistant Professor in the Department of City Planning at the University of Manitoba's Faculty of Architecture. He holds a PhD in Planning from the University of Waterloo and a BSc (Hons) in Development Planning from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi. His research focuses on environmental sustainability linked to social equity, addressing urbanization challenges through scenario planning, climate resilience, and governance frameworks in sub-Saharan Africa and Canada. Key research areas include integrating social equity into scenario planning, equitable climate mitigation strategies, and environmental governance in working landscapes. He has conducted extensive studies on urban sprawl containment in Ghana, neoliberal impacts on Accra's slums, and adaptive conservation management in Canadian biodiversity hotspots. Recent work explores sister city partnerships for sustainable development, street vending policy challenges, and decarbonization pathways in African cities. His publications span urban planning, environmental policy, and development studies, emphasizing participatory approaches and policy evaluation. Ayambire has contributed to case studies in Saskatchewan's working landscapes and Ghana's urban-agriculture land use dynamics. His research bridges theoretical frameworks with practical governance solutions, advocating for inclusive urban futures.
Dr. Hamid Alinejad-Rokny is a Scientia Senior Lecturer at UNSW Sydney and Adjunct Associate Professor at Concordia University. He leads the UNSW BioMedical Machine Learning (BML) Lab within the Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering. His research focuses on applying machine learning, bioinformatics, and statistical methods to understand genomic mechanisms underlying diseases like cancer and neurodevelopmental disorders. Dr. Rokny holds a PhD in Biostatistical Machine Learning from UNSW and has secured over $13M in grants as a principal or co-investigator. He has published 80+ papers, including 10 as first author and 45 as senior author. Education: Bachelor’s in Software Engineering (2004-2009), Master’s in Artificial Intelligence (2009-2012), PhD in BioMedical Machine Learning (UNSW, 2014-2018), Postdoc at Harry Perkins Institute (2017-2019). Research interests include medical AI, deep learning, genomic data analysis, and systems biology. He actively supervises 20+ PhD/Master’s students and collaborates with industry partners like CSIRO and 23Strands. Awards include the DECRA 2023, NHMRC MERIT, and International Autism Fellowships. He also serves as a keynote speaker at conferences like HUGO and an Honorary Lecturer at Macquarie University. Grants total $2.75M as lead investigator and $10.6M as co-investigator. Industry partnerships include PORSPA Advance ($4.7M) and Australian Digital Domains ($3.6M). His lab develops tools like MaxHiC and DeepGenePrior for genomic analysis. Labs/Teams: Director of UNSW BML Lab, Health Data Theme Leader at UNSW Data Science Hub. Active in mentoring 13 researchers globally and co-supervising international teams.
Laura Hakala is an Associate Professor in the English Department at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, serving as the Interim Writing Center Director and Sigma Tau Delta Sponsor. Her research focuses on 19th- and early 20th-century American children’s literature, with particular attention to historical contexts, gender studies, and Southern literature. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Southern Mississippi, an MA from Georgia Southern University, and a BA from Jacksonville University. Her expertise includes analyzing how historical and cultural frameworks shape literary narratives, especially those centered on girlhood, race, and regional identity. Recent research explores themes such as liminal spaces in youth literature, abolitionism in children’s fiction, and gender roles in Southern narratives. Her work has appeared in journals like Children’s Literature and The Lion and the Unicorn . No scientific awards are explicitly mentioned in the provided texts, but her contributions to scholarship on historical children’s literature are notable. She teaches courses in American literature, children’s literature, and composition, emphasizing connections between texts and their socio-historical milieus.
Dr. Alexandre Violle is a sociologist specializing in the intersections of science and technology studies, economic sociology, and political sociology. He is currently coordinating the "Mapping Controversies" course at Sciences Po's School of Management and Innovation and has a research affiliation with the Center for the Study of Social Movements at the School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences (EHESS). Previously, he completed his PhD at the Center for the Sociology of Innovation (CSI) of PSL-Mines Paris University and conducted postdoctoral research funded by the Institut Francilien Recherche Innovation Société (IFRIS). His academic journey includes: Doctorate in sociology of science and technology from École des Mines de Paris Postdoctoral research at Centre d'étude des mouvements sociaux of École des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales (2021-2023) PhD research at Center for the Sociology of Innovation (CSI) of PSL-Mines Paris University Dr. Violle's research examines how expertise drawing on economic or financial knowledge transforms public action in France and Europe across various sectors. His work spans the sociology of science and technology, economic sociology, and political sociology, with particular focus on: Social studies of science: knowledge production processes, controversies, science policy Political sociology of public action: instrumentation of public action, regulation, state and European action recomposition, energy and economic policies Economic/finance sociology: valuation, green finance, theories of money and currency, the role of economic expertise in shaping public action His current research focuses on the "Anticipation: the futures of French subsoil use" (ANTICIP) project, a five-year initiative examining how different actors conceptualize and plan for the future use of subsoil resources in France. This work builds on his previous research on the European Banking Union and climate stress testing in financial systems, revealing consistent patterns in how technical instruments shape governance approaches to complex societal challenges. Dr. Violle's scholarly contributions have been recognized through numerous publications in prestigious journals. His research has explored topics including: The political dimensions of financial supervision in the European context The material politics of climate stress tests in Europe The territorialization of industry during energy transitions Scaling imperatives in technological innovation Critical mineral supply chains and environmental governance As an educator, Dr. Violle has supervised numerous master's students through their thesis work and has been instrumental in developing innovative pedagogical approaches. He has coordinated the "Mapping Controversies" course at Sciences Po for several years, guiding students through complex analyses of science-society interactions. His teaching spans multiple institutions including École des Mines, IEP de Paris, and Sciences Po, demonstrating his commitment to bridging theoretical knowledge with practical application in understanding contemporary societal challenges. Dr. Violle is actively involved in collaborative research initiatives, currently working with teams from Ecole des Mines de Paris, IMT Mines Alès, and Bureau de Recherches Géologiques et Minières (BRGM) on the subsoil resources project. His interdisciplinary approach bridges sociology, political science, and economic analysis to address contemporary challenges in governance and public policy, with particular relevance to the energy transition and financial regulation in the European context.
Associate Professor Pedro Fidelman is an environmental policy scholar at The University of Queensland, affiliated with the Centre for Policy Futures and the Centre for Marine Science. He holds a PhD from the University of Wollongong and specializes in environmental governance, policy innovation, and institutional analysis. His work focuses on global environmental challenges, including climate change adaptation, marine conservation, and the governance of emerging technologies. Fidelman has contributed to major international initiatives such as the UN Global Environment Outlook and the Reef Restoration and Adaptation Program. Affiliations: Centre for Policy Futures (Principal Research Fellow), ARC Research Hub for Sustainable Crop Protection, Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation. Education: Doctor of Philosophy (University of Wollongong), MSc and BSc (Brazil). His research addresses governance of marine and coastal systems, policy implications of novel technologies, and institutional resilience to environmental change. He leads strategic projects in the Social and Environmental Sustainability theme at UQ, including contributions to the Blue Economy Cooperative Research Centre and the Reef Restoration Program. Fidelman has supervised over 10 PhD/Master’s students and teaches courses on public policy and sustainability. Recent articles highlight his work on blue economy policy networks, gene drive governance, and adaptive coastal management frameworks. He co-authored reports on regulatory challenges for coral reef interventions and policy solutions for migratory shorebird conservation. Fidelman’s work bridges academic research with practical policy outcomes, emphasizing stakeholder collaboration and systemic institutional innovation.
Associate Professor Jeffrey Neilson is affiliated with the School of Geosciences at the University of Sydney, where he contributes to the Sydney Southeast Asia Centre. His research focuses on economic geography, global value chains, and sustainability in agriculture, particularly in Indonesia's coffee and cocoa sectors. Key themes include smallholder livelihoods, institutional frameworks, and the political economy of development in Southeast Asia. Notable publications include Value Chain Struggles (2009) and Global Value Chains and Global Production Networks (2015). His work spans academic journals, policy reports, and media commentary on Indonesia's economic and environmental challenges. He has secured grants such as the 2024 Climate Change Mitigation in Agroforest Landscapes project and the 2023 High-value Horticulture initiative. His research emphasizes interdisciplinary collaboration, addressing topics like land rights, remittance impacts, and sustainability standards. Media engagements include op-eds in the Wall Street Journal and Canberra Times , discussing Indonesia's political economy and Australia-Indonesia relations. Current research students and collaborative projects reflect his commitment to bridging academic inquiry with policy relevance in agrarian and environmental studies.
Professor Helen J Swift is a Professor of Medieval French Literature at the University of Oxford's Faculty of Medieval and Modern Languages, affiliated with St Hilda's College. Her research bridges late medieval and early modern periods, focusing on vernacular literature (1330–1550), text-image relationships, and the transition from manuscript to print cultures. She employs theoretical frameworks to contextualize medieval texts for modern audiences, with a gendered lens examining narratives of identity and subjectivity. Key works include Representing the Dead: Epitaph Fictions in Late Medieval France (2016), which earned her the R. Gapper Prize. Current projects explore guidance in medieval didactic narratives and modern academia. She collaborates on initiatives like the MARGOT project (University of Waterloo) and co-leads the La Chastelaine de Vergi project. She co-convened interdisciplinary programs such as the MSt in Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and contributed to public engagement through events like the Oxford Lieder Festival and podcasts on death studies. Her teaching spans French language, medieval literature, and interdisciplinary topics like codicology and literature-visual arts intersections. She supervises doctoral research on medieval narratives, Ovid's reception, and text-image dynamics in Christine de Pizan’s works. Her grants include a British Academy Small Grant for the 'Voices in Medieval French Narrative' project and a John Fell Fund award. She remains active in academic committees, including the TORCH Medieval Studies program and the Women in Humanities initiative.
Antonio Marzal is a Professor of Law at the University of Glasgow's School of Law, joining in 2018. Previously, he held roles at Sorbonne Law School (2015-2018) and practiced as an associate lawyer in Paris (2012-2014). His research focuses on international investment law, EU constitutional law, comparative legal theory, and private international law. Education: LLB and Master's from ESADE Law School (Barcelona, 2007), Master's in Private International Law (Sorbonne, 2008), PhD from Sorbonne (2013). His work has earned multiple accolades, including the Leverhulme Research Fellowship (2022) and the John H. Jackson Prize (2024). Recent publications explore valuation in international economic law, EU spatial boundaries, and legal reasoning in arbitration. He supervises PhD students on topics like ISDS jurisdiction and arbitrator liability. Co-investigator in projects such as 'Exploring European Society' (2023-2025) and 'FOLIE' (2016-2018).
Ellen M. Bassett is the John Portman Chair and Dean of the Georgia Tech College of Design. Previously, she served as Professor and Chair of the Department of Urban and Environmental Planning at the University of Virginia’s School of Architecture, alongside roles as Associate Dean of Research and Director of the Real Estate + Design and Development program. She has held leadership positions including Chair of the UVA Faculty Senate and faculty representative to the Board of Visitors. Her academic background includes a Ph.D. in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, with minors in Environmental Studies and History. She also holds an M.A. in History, an M.S. in Urban Planning, and a B.A. in History and Political Science from the University of Michigan. Bassett’s research focuses on land use planning, climate change adaptation, health in urban settings, and international development, with a special emphasis on cities in the Global South. Her work bridges academic research and practical policy, including consulting for international development agencies in Sub-Saharan Africa. Key themes include land governance reforms, equitable urbanization, and sustainable community development. Her recent publications address land rights in Kenya, climate resilience in U.S. cities, and the governance of public spaces. She has pioneered studies on homelessness management in public infrastructure contexts and community land trusts in African urbanization contexts. Bassett’s leadership roles reflect her commitment to interdisciplinary academic programs and institutional governance. Her work integrates policy analysis, spatial planning, and socio-cultural dimensions of urban challenges.
Greg Ridgeway serves as the Rebecca W. Bushnell Professor of Criminology at the University of Pennsylvania's School of Arts and Sciences, with a dual appointment in the Department of Statistics and Data Science. He holds multiple leadership roles including Co-director of the Data Driven Discovery Initiative and Co-editor-in-chief of the Journal of Quantitative Criminology. His affiliations span the Quattrone Center for the Fair Administration of Justice, Penn Injury Science Center, Center for Causal Inference, and Population Studies Center. His educational background includes a Ph.D. in Statistics from the University of Washington (1999), where his dissertation focused on Bayesian inference for massive datasets under advisors David Madigan and Thomas Richardson. Additional degrees include an M.S. in Statistics (1997) and B.S. in Statistics (1995) from the University of Washington and California Polytechnic State University respectively. Ridgeway's research centers on statistical methods for crime analysis and justice system improvement, with major contributions in police use-of-force analysis, racial profiling detection, and justice system benchmarking. His work bridges criminology and data science through innovative applications of propensity scoring, causal inference, and predictive modeling to real-world criminal justice challenges. He has developed methods implemented by police departments in Cincinnati, Los Angeles, and New York City, as well as Federal Public Defender Organizations. His 15 most recent publications demonstrate consistent focus on police behavior analysis, sentencing disparities, and environmental crime prevention. Key trends include the development of conditional likelihood models for officer shooting analysis, benchmarking systems for judicial accountability, and rigorous evaluation of place-based interventions like vacant lot remediation. His methodological contributions span criminology, statistics, and public health with strong emphasis on practical policy applications. Fellow of the American Society of Criminology (2025) Fellow of the Academy of Experimental Criminology (2024) Fellow of the American Statistical Association (2013) ASA Outstanding Statistical Application Award (2007) RAND Gold Medal Award (2007) 8 granted US patents in medical treatment hypothesis testing and resource pre-fetching Ridgeway has secured over $20 million in research funding from entities including Arnold Ventures, National Institute of Justice, and Neubauer Family Foundation. His advisory work includes directing the Master of Science in Criminology program and mentoring students through Penn's Graduate Groups. As former Acting Director of the National Institute of Justice (2013-2014), he led an 80-person agency with a $250M budget, implementing reforms like a $75M school safety research program. Current service includes chairing the American Statistical Association's Committee on Law and Justice Statistics. His leadership extends to directing RAND's Safety and Justice Program and Center on Quality Policing, where he managed 50-person teams and $10M in annual research. Current institutional roles include Co-director of the Data Driven Discovery Initiative, which he launched to develop data science for social good programming, seed grants, and a data science minor.
Stuart Elden is a Professor of Political Theory and Geography at the University of Warwick's Politics and International Studies (PAIS) department. He previously held positions at Durham University and Monash University. His research focuses on the intersection of politics, philosophy, and geography, particularly the history of territory and 20th-century French thought. Elden is currently funded by a Leverhulme Major Research Fellowship for a project on Indo-European thought in 20th-century France. He has authored numerous books, including The Birth of Territory (2013) and Shakespearean Territories (2018), and edited works on Henri Lefebvre and Michel Foucault. Education: BSc (Hons) in Politics and Modern History (Brunel University, 1994); PhD in Political Theory (Brunel University, 1999). Honors: Fellow of the British Academy (2013), Fellow of the Royal Historical Society (2025), Meridian Book Award (2014). Research Interests: Foucault's intellectual history, Lefebvre's spatial theory, territoriality, geopolitical materialism, and Indo-European studies. Current projects include critical editions of Georges Dumézil and Foucault's works. Grants and Fellowships: Leverhulme Major Research Fellowship (2022–2025), British Academy/Leverhulme Grant (2013), Monash Warwick Professorship (2014–2019). Academic Networks: Affiliated with Warwick's Centre for Research in Post-Kantian Philosophy and the Warwick Political Geography group. Editorial roles include Environment and Planning D: Society and Space and Foucault Studies .
