Monica Berlin was the Richard & Sophie D. Henke Distinguished Professor of English at Knox College, serving from 1998 until her passing in 2022. She held leadership roles as Chair of the Department of English and Associate Director of the Program in Creative Writing. Her academic background includes a B.A. in English Writing (1995, Knox College), M.A. in Literature and Composition (1998, Western Illinois University), and M.F.A. in Poetry (2002, Vermont College). Her research focuses on creative writing (poetry, nonfiction, fiction) and modern/contemporary American literature. She has published extensively in literary journals and anthologies, earning major awards like the Crab Orchard Poetry Series Open (2018) and New Measure Poetry Prize (2013). Her collaborative work with Beth Marzoni has been widely recognized in literary circles. Beyond academia, Berlin directed The Space (a literary center) and spearheaded digital archives like A Map of Voices: The Knox Writers' House . She contributed to campus governance as a member of the Faculty Personnel Committee and engaged with the community through roles at the Galesburg Public Library and literary festivals. Students praise her ability to guide them in refining their craft, emphasizing the 'elusive mechanics of writing.' Her legacy includes fostering literary innovation and accessibility in education and public spaces.
Justin Johnson is an Assistant Professor at the University of Michigan's College of Engineering, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, and a Research Scientist at Facebook AI Research (FAIR). His work bridges computer vision, machine learning, and deep learning, focusing on visual reasoning, vision-language tasks, image generation, and 3D reasoning using neural networks. PhD, Stanford University (advised by Fei-Fei Li) His research interests span visual reasoning , vision and language , 3D vision , and image generation , with a focus on innovative applications of deep neural networks. Recent publications highlight work on 3D consistency, self-supervised learning, and multimodal integration of vision and text. Notable contributions include PyTorch3D for 3D data processing, and foundational work in visual question answering , neural style transfer , and scene graph-based image generation . Publications span top conferences like ICCV, CVPR, and NeurIPS. He teaches courses including EECS 498/598: Deep Learning for Computer Vision and EECS 442: Computer Vision at University of Michigan, with prior involvement in Stanford's CS 231N in co-teaching roles. Software projects include open-source frameworks like fast-neural-style for real-time artistic style transfer, and PyTorch3D for efficient 3D deep learning. These tools demonstrate his commitment to practical implementations and community-driven research.
Dorothy Kim serves as Assistant Professor of English at Brandeis University with cross-appointments in the Department of Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies and the Women's Studies Research Center. Her innovative scholarship bridges medieval literary studies, digital humanities, and critical race theory, examining how medieval history is weaponized by contemporary white supremacist movements and advocating for antiracist frameworks in academia. She earned her Ph.D. and M.A. from the University of California, Los Angeles and her B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley. Her educational trajectory reflects deep engagement with interdisciplinary approaches to literature and cultural studies. Kim's research centers on exposing the racialized foundations of medieval studies, particularly through projects analyzing digital white supremacy and medievalism's role in alt-right ideology. She pioneers methodologies connecting medieval women's literary cultures with contemporary trans feminism while interrogating Jewish/Christian difference in manuscript studies. Her work consistently challenges the field's historical whiteness and develops decolonial digital humanities practices. Her publication trends reveal a decisive shift toward critical race interventions in premodern studies, with increasing focus on database methodologies, sonic histories, and the material politics of medieval manuscript transmission. Recent works demonstrate how digital tools can either reinforce or dismantle racial hierarchies in academic knowledge production. Her distinguished honors include: 2023 Medieval Academy of America Article Prize in Critical Race Studies American Studies Association Digital Humanities Book Prize (2021) Society for Medieval Feminist Scholarship's Best Feminist Article Award (2021) AAUW Postdoctoral Fellowship (2018-2019) Folger Shakespeare Library Long-Term Fellowship (2025-2026) SSHRC, Ford Foundation, Fulbright, and Mellon fellowships Kim directs major collaborative projects including the NEH-funded An Archive of Early Middle English (161-manuscript database) and co-leads the Global Middle Ages Project. As co-director of RaceB4Race and the Reckonings Institute, she creates platforms for community archiving and social justice praxis. Her mentorship focuses on training students in critical digital methodologies through Brandeis' DH Lab while developing antifascist frameworks for humanities education. She currently leads the Brandeis University DH Lab housing her NEH project, co-edits Literature Compass's pre-1800 section, and develops two major book projects: Race, the Crusades, and the Katherine Group (based on her AAUW fellowship) and Music, Multimodal Manuscripts, and Remediating the Medieval Lyric for ArcPress.
Takuya Ooura is an Assistant Professor at the Research Institute for Mathematical Sciences (RIMS) at Kyoto University, specializing in numerical analysis and mathematical software development. His work bridges theoretical mathematics with practical applications in scientific computing and software development. Dr. Ooura earned his educational credentials through a rigorous academic path: he graduated from Hokuriku High School in 1987; completed his undergraduate studies at Nagoya University's School of Science in 1992; earned his Master of Engineering from the Department of Applied Physics at the University of Tokyo in 1994; and completed his PhD (Engineering) from the same department in 1997. His academic journey continued with a Research Fellowship from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (1997) followed by a position as Research Associate at RIMS, Kyoto University (2000). Dr. Ooura's research focuses on numerical integration algorithms, particularly his groundbreaking double exponential formula for Fourier-type integrals, which has been incorporated into Mathematica's NIntegrate function. He has also developed a high-speed FFT library that's utilized in Google Chrome browser (visible in chrome://credits). His work on continuous Euler transformation for accelerating convergence of slowly decaying integrals represents significant innovation in numerical analysis. His research spans both theoretical development and practical implementation of mathematical algorithms with real-world applications. His publication record demonstrates consistent contributions to numerical analysis, with particular emphasis on quadrature methods, integral transforms, and high-precision computation. His work shows a clear progression from theoretical foundations to practical implementations, with several algorithms achieving widespread adoption in commercial and open-source software. Paper prize awarded by JSIAM (2000) for 'A continuous Euler transformation and its application to Fourier transforms of slowly decaying functions' Paper prize awarded by JSIAM (2001) for 'Improvement of the PI Calculation Algorithm and Implementation of Fast Multiple-Precision Computation' Paper prize awarded by JSIAM (2005) for 'An Improved Convergence Test for the Double Exponential Formula' Japan Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics 4th Achievement Award (2014) for 'Pioneering and practical development of the double exponential numerical integration method' Dr. Ooura has developed several widely used mathematical software packages including the double exponential integral formula, Clenshaw-Curtis numerical integration rule, and a general-purpose FFT library. His FFT package is particularly notable for its speed and accuracy, with benchmark tests showing superior performance compared to other implementations. His software has been incorporated into major projects including Google Chrome and SETI@home, demonstrating the practical impact of his theoretical work. His future research directions include further development of numerical computation libraries and applying his methods to various computational problems.
Professor Kathy Bowrey is a leading academic in Intellectual Property Law at UNSW Sydney's Faculty of Law. Her work explores laws shaping knowledge creation, technology, and culture, with expertise in IP, Indigenous rights, and open research advocacy. She holds a Doctor of Juridical Studies from the University of Sydney and a BA LLB from Macquarie University. Her research focuses on historical and contemporary IP frameworks, including their impact on creators, Indigenous communities, and global innovation systems. Notable projects include the ARC-funded 'Producing, Managing and Owning Knowledge in the 21st Century University' (2019–2022), which shaped Australia's open research policies. Awards include the 2022 ANZLHS Book Prize for *Copyright, Creativity, Big Media & Cultural Value* and fellowships at the State Library of NSW and Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences. She co-authored *Adventures in Childhood* (2023), examining IP in toy and media industries, and *David Unaipon* (2023), exploring Indigenous innovation. Professor Bowrey co-leads the International Society for the History and Theory of Intellectual Property (ISHTIP) and advises on national research policies. Her grants include ARC Discovery Projects on Australian copyright history and IP commercialization.
Jan Jokisch is a Researcher and PhD student at the Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, affiliated with the Heisenberg research group. His academic background includes a Master's in Comparative Literature from Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz and the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and a Bachelor's in Comparative Literature and Philosophy from Mainz. He has lectured in German language and literature at Argentine universities and served as a translator for the DEFA Film Library. His research focuses on drama history, quantitative and digital literary studies, and methodologies in the humanities, with current collaboration on the DFG-funded 'Forager Folklore Database (FFDB)' project. Education highlights include a thesis on 'Epistemological Horror in Literature' (2021) and a BA thesis reinterpreting Shklovsky's literary theory through Heidegger's phenomenology (2018). Jokisch has been recognized with DAAD scholarships (2019, 2021) and the Gutenberg Lehrkolleg Award (2018). He has authored and edited conference proceedings, including works on distant reading methodologies and interdisciplinary language studies. His academic work bridges computational analysis with traditional humanities, emphasizing the role of technology in literary research. Collaborations and editorial roles reflect his commitment to fostering international student scholarship and innovative research practices.
Johnny Golding is a Professor at the Royal College of Art (RCA), School of Arts & Humanities. His career spans roles such as Director of the Centre for Fine Art Research at Birmingham City University, Professor of Philosophy in the Visual Arts & Communication Technologies (2000–2012), and honorary Professorship in Philosophy and Imaging at Dundee School of Art (2009). Born in New York, he holds a PhD from the Universities of Toronto and Cambridge. Education : - PhD in Philosophy from the Universities of Toronto and Cambridge. - Earlier studies in Toronto and New York. Research Interests : Golding’s work explores post-Newtonian analytics, new materialisms, and the erotics of sense as 'radical matter.' His interdisciplinary approach bridges art, philosophy, and 'wild sciences' like AI, robotics, and quantum theory. Key themes include data proliferation's societal impact, emergent systems, and the interplay between art and technology. Recent Articles & Projects : Focus on Data Loam (2020), exploring future knowledge systems through art and science collaborations. Recent works address radical empathy, distributed intelligence, and the ethics of AI. His 2018 opera Entanglement: The Opera and installations like Of The Thick and the Raw exemplify his practice-led philosophy. Grants & Leadership : - Led the Data Loam project (FWF-PEEK funded), involving over 20 artists and scholars. - PI for AiDesign Labs on generative AI at RCA. Labs & Collaborations : - Radical Matter Lab (2017–2018), a pedagogical experiment at RCA. - Collaborations with institutions like the University of Applied Arts Vienna and the British Library.
David A. Hsieh is the Bank of America Professor of Finance at the Fuqua School of Business, Duke University, where he has been a faculty member since 1993. Previously, he served as Associate Professor and Assistant Professor at the University of Chicago's Graduate School of Business from 1981-1989. His extensive research has significantly contributed to the understanding of hedge funds, financial risk management, and nonlinear dynamics in financial markets. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Ph.D. in Economics, 1981 Yale University, B.S. in Economics and Mathematics, 1976 (Summa Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa) Phillips Academy, Andover, 1972 (Cum Laude) Dr. Hsieh's research primarily focuses on the dynamics of asset prices and their implications for financial risk management. He has made significant contributions to understanding risk and return characteristics in hedge funds and commodity funds, pioneering work on nonlinear dynamics applications to financial markets. His research has evolved from early work on exchange rates and volatility modeling to more recent comprehensive analyses of hedge fund strategies, performance measurement, and industry structure. Hsieh's publication history reveals a clear progression from foundational work on nonlinear dynamics in financial markets to increasingly sophisticated analyses of hedge fund strategies and risk characteristics. His recent work, often in collaboration with William Fung and other prominent finance researchers, has focused on mega hedge fund firms, franchise value in the industry, and the evolution of hedge fund strategies toward more index-like products. The research consistently combines rigorous theoretical frameworks with robust empirical analyses across diverse market conditions. CAIA Award for Excellence in Alternative Investment Research (2015) CFA Institute Graham and Dodd Award of Excellence (2004) Bank of America Faculty Award (2002) Duke Cross-Continent Executive MBA Teaching Excellence Award (2002) Fischer Black Memorial Foundation Robert J. Schwartz Memorial Prize (1999) Smith Breeden First Prize (1990) Yale Science and Engineering Association High Scholarship Award (1976) Russell Henry Chittenden Prize (1976) Dr. Hsieh has served as a consultant for the International Monetary Fund (2007-2016) and the Bank for International Settlements (1998), and as a Visiting Scholar at both the International Monetary Fund and the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. His editorial service includes Finance Editor for Management Science (2003-2009) and Associate Editor roles for several leading finance journals. He has developed extensive research resources including a Hedge Fund Data Library that has become widely used in academic and industry research.
Roswitha Skare is a Professor of Documentation Science at the Department of Language and Culture, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, within the Faculty of Humanities, Social Sciences and Teacher Education. She is actively engaged in research and teaching, focusing on documentation studies, public libraries, archives, museums (LAM sector), digitalization, and film history. Her research interests include: Documentation and document theory Paratext and digital documents Public libraries and their role in society Libraries and social media Migration and refugee services in libraries Film history, especially silent films and early documentaries Cultural memory and Sámi cultural resilience Institutional convergence in cultural policy Her recent publications (2019–2025) reveal a strong focus on public libraries during and after the Covid-19 pandemic, the role of libraries in supporting immigrants and refugees, theoretical developments in document studies, and historical film analysis—particularly Robert Flaherty’s Nanook of the North . She frequently collaborates with scholars such as Andreas Vårheim, Noah Lenstra, and Sigrid Stokstad. Her work appears in journals like Journal of Documentation , Library & Information Science Research , and Proceedings from the Document Academy . Roswitha Skare teaches courses such as: MDV-1001: Multimediale dokumenter: Historie, teori og analyse MDV-1203: Bibliotek og formidling MDV-1207: Dokumentinstitusjoner og digitalisering MDV-1206: Prosjektoppgave i bibliotek- og dokumentasjonsvitenskap She supervises bachelor’s, project, and master’s students in library and documentation science. She is a member of the research group Engaging Conflicts in a Digital Era (ENCODE) and participates in projects such as LAMCOM – Libraries, archives, and museums in the community and SAMCOM - Sámi cultural centers as community and cultural resilience infrastructure , which explore the societal roles of cultural institutions and Indigenous resilience. No scientific awards are listed in the provided text.
Dr Sean Fear is a Lecturer in International History at the School of History, University of Leeds , specializing in Vietnamese history, the Cold War, and U.S. foreign relations. He advises the Independence Palace Museum in Ho Chi Minh City on a landmark exhibition about South Vietnam's political and cultural history (1967–1975), a project funded by Leeds' Faculty of Arts and supported by design firm Thincdesign. Fear’s research focuses on domestic politics and foreign diplomacy during the Vietnam War, drawing on Vietnamese-language archives and oral histories. Education: PhD (Cornell University), BA (University of Toronto) Visiting Roles: Visiting Professor at Fulbright University (2022–23) Fellowships: Dartmouth College, NYU Cold War Center, McGill University His forthcoming book (Harvard UP) analyzes the collapse of South Vietnam’s legitimacy, leveraging underutilized Vietnamese sources. Fear collaborates internationally with institutions like the British Library and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. He supervises MA/PhD students on topics including decolonization, Cold War geopolitics, and post-war memory. Key Projects: Independence Palace Museum exhibit (since 2019) Research on Vietnamese state-building and U.S. influence Contributions to Cambridge History of the Vietnam War (AAP-award winning) Awards: His work earned two Association of American Publishers awards for the Cambridge History collaboration. Grants include Leeds' Research Innovation Service funding to finalize the museum exhibit’s physical design.
Michaela Bürger-Koftis serves as Associate Professor in the Department of Modern Languages and Cultures at the University of Genoa's School of Humanities. Her teaching portfolio includes advanced courses such as German Literature and Culture III , German Linguistics (LM) , and Cultures of German-speaking Countries across undergraduate and master's programs focused on teaching, publishing, and intercultural communication. Her research investigates polyphonic structures in multilingual literature, with emphasis on German-Russian linguistic intersections and autobiographical narratives. Key projects explore lyrical diary forms and creative writing through the lens of polyphony, examining how multilingual expression shapes narrative identity and literary innovation in contemporary works. Recent publications demonstrate consistent focus on the Polyphony research initiative, revealing evolving methodologies in multilingual creativity and writing. This work establishes frameworks for analyzing cross-linguistic literary production while documenting the project's development from 2018-2023. No scientific awards are documented in available sources. While specific student advisees remain unlisted, Bürger-Koftis contributes to academic governance as a member of the School of Humanities Library Board. Her collaborative research with institutions like Catania University demonstrates institutional partnership development within multilingual literary studies. The Polyphony project functions as an interdisciplinary research hub with dedicated web infrastructure, facilitating scholarly exchange on multilingual writing practices and serving as a model for digital humanities collaboration in literary studies.
Donald R. Davis, Jr. is Professor and Chair of the Department of Asian Studies at the University of Texas at Austin's College of Liberal Arts. With a PhD from the same institution, he has established himself as a leading scholar in Hindu law and Dharmaśāstra studies. His work bridges religious studies, legal history, and South Asian studies, making significant contributions to our understanding of law and religion in medieval India. Davis earned his PhD from the University of Texas at Austin, where he has built his academic career. His scholarly journey has been deeply rooted in the study of Sanskrit legal traditions and their intersection with religious practice. Professor Davis's primary research concerns the interaction of law and religion in medieval India. He examines both historical evidence for law and legal practice through inscriptions and regional language documents, as well as the Dharmaśāstra tradition as a system of religious law and jurisprudence. His work situates Sanskrit normative texts within historical contexts while exploring their conceptual frameworks. He maintains the Resource Library for Dharmaśāstra Studies and has published extensively on Hindu law, including books such as The Spirit of Hindu Law (2010) and The Dharma of Business (2017). Davis's recent publications demonstrate a continued focus on the intersection of law, religion, and ethics in Hindu tradition. His work explores caste, conservatism, marital ethics, and the historical development of legal thought in India. He frequently draws comparative connections between Hindu legal traditions and other religious legal systems, contributing to broader conversations in legal anthropology and comparative religious law. Professor Davis actively supervises graduate students interested in Dharmaśāstra traditions and their relevance to law, religion, history, politics, and economics in India. He encourages students with broader interests in comparative religious law (Jewish law, Islamic law, Roman law, etc.) and works with those studying various aspects of Hinduism and classical religions in India, particularly in normative and "mainstream" areas such as Vedānta, Pūrva-Mīmāṃsā, Epics, and Purāṇas.
Weiping Tang is a Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Chemistry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, holding the Janis Apinis Professorship in the School of Pharmacy and the Vilas Distinguished Achievement Professorship. He also serves as Director of the Medicinal Chemistry Center at the School of Pharmacy and maintains a faculty appointment with the Department of Chemistry in the College of Letters and Science. Janis Apinis Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences Vilas Distinguished Achievement Professor Director of Medicinal Chemistry Center Faculty Appointment with Department of Chemistry Dr. Tang received his B.S. in Chemistry from Peking University in 1997, M.S. in Chemistry from New York University in 1999, Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from Stanford University in 2005, and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in Medicinal Chemistry, Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery at Harvard University in 2007. Dr. Tang's research program focuses on drug discovery for cancer, infectious diseases, and neurodegenerative disorders through three interconnected areas: Organic Synthesis (advancing glycoscience through novel carbohydrate synthesis technologies), Medicinal Chemistry (developing small molecules that selectively remove disease-associated proteins), and Chemical Biology (dissecting biological pathways using novel small molecule probes). His group operates as an interdisciplinary team where chemists and biologists collaborate closely on drug discovery projects, with particular emphasis on developing novel degraders for disease-causing proteins. Analysis of Dr. Tang's publication record reveals a significant shift toward targeted protein degradation technologies, particularly PROTACs and molecular glues, while maintaining strong foundations in carbohydrate chemistry. His most impactful recent work includes developing degraders for extracellular and membrane proteins (previously considered 'undruggable'), creating rapid synthesis platforms like Rapid-TAC and Rapid-Glue, and advancing understanding of ternary complex formation for novel PROTAC design. His research spans both chemical methodology development and therapeutic applications across multiple disease areas. Vilas Distinguished Achievement Professorship Janis Apinis Professorship Numerous high-impact publications in leading chemistry and pharmacology journals Editor's pick and hot paper designations for significant contributions Dr. Tang mentors a diverse team of graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and staff scientists with expertise spanning synthetic chemistry, medicinal chemistry, carbohydrate chemistry, computational chemistry, biochemistry, and cell biology. His group has developed innovative platforms for the rapid synthesis of protein degraders and has made significant contributions to understanding the mechanisms of action for these novel therapeutics. Current research includes developing selective degraders for cancer targets like RIPK1, BRD4, and CARM1, as well as advancing delivery systems for clinical translation. The Tang Research Group maintains state-of-the-art facilities within the School of Pharmacy at UW-Madison, equipped for comprehensive chemical synthesis, compound characterization, and biological evaluation. The group actively collaborates with researchers across campus and with industry partners to advance discoveries toward clinical applications, with particular focus on cancer therapeutics and protein degradation technologies.
André Gagné is a Full Professor and Chair of the Department of Theological Studies at Concordia University, currently on research leave (July-December 2025). His work bridges theology, political science, and sociology with global recognition through 400+ media features in outlets like The New York Times, The Guardian, and Le Monde. Education: Conjoint PhD from Université catholique de Louvain and Université de Montréal M.A. from Université de Montréal B.Th. from Université de Montréal His research centers on Christian Political Thought (examining theology-state dynamics), Global Pentecostal and Charismatic movements (analyzing their sociopolitical impact worldwide), and Reception History of the Bible (tracing interpretive trajectories across cultures). This interdisciplinary approach integrates historical analysis with contemporary case studies, particularly focusing on evangelical movements in the Americas and Europe. His eight books and recent journal articles reveal consistent thematic focus: the weaponization of spiritual warfare rhetoric in politics, apocalyptic narratives in populist movements, and religious violence in Western traditions. The 2024 publications on Trump-era evangelicalism demonstrate methodological innovation through media discourse analysis combined with theological critique. Scientific awards: Newsmaker of the Week (4 times) Newsmaker of the Month (4 times) President's Opinion Leader of the Year (2016) Expert Communicator of the Year (2024) Dr. Gagné supervises MA students in Theological Studies and PhD candidates in Individualized Programs and Humanities. His policy impact is evidenced by service on Public Safety Canada's National Expert Committee on Countering Radicalization to Violence (2023-2025), where he contributed theological perspectives on religious extremism. His media engagement strategy represents a deliberate effort to translate academic research for public discourse. He co-directs the Spirit, State, and Society podcast and maintains affiliations with Concordia's Centre for the Study of Learning and Performance, Université de Sherbrooke's Centre de recherche Société, Droit et Religions, and the multi-university Political Theology Research Group (McGill, Concordia, UdeM, ULaval).
Itsik Pe'er is a Full Professor and Vice-Chair in the Department of Computer Science at Columbia University's Fu Foundation School of Engineering & Applied Science, and holds a joint appointment as Professor of Systems Biology at the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. His research focuses on computational methods in human genetics, including genetic variation analysis, disease association studies, and algorithm development for genomic data. He leads the Itsik Pe'er Lab of Computational Genomics, which develops tools like Xplorigin, Germline, and SEACells to address challenges in genomics and medical research. His work spans machine learning applications in healthcare, microbiome analysis, and cancer genomics. Notable contributions include studies on hypertensive disorders in pregnancy, bias correction in predictive models, and the development of non-Euclidean learning libraries like Manify. Pe'er has advised students including Vladimir Vacic, Anat Kreimer, and Arthi Ramachandran, and collaborates on grants addressing genetic epidemiology and computational biology. His lab's location is in the Computer Science Building at Columbia's Morningside Campus.
