Michael Lucey is the Sidney and Margaret Ancker Chair and Distinguished Professor of French and Comparative Literature at the University of California, Berkeley. His work bridges French literature from the 19th to 21st centuries with social theory, sexuality studies, and linguistic anthropology. He has authored the critically acclaimed What Proust Heard: Novels and the Ethnography of Talk (2022) and Thinking about Sexuality with Novels (forthcoming). As founding director of the Center for the Study of Sexual Culture , he has shaped interdisciplinary research in queer theory and gender studies. Current research focuses on novels as ethnographic tools Specializes in Proust, Balzac, Woolf, and contemporary French fiction Translation work includes Didier Eribon and Édouard Louis His recent articles explore phonetics in narrative, readability frameworks, and sociological implications of literary form. He actively engages with comparative methodologies and critical theory, while his teaching spans British and American literature’s intersections with French modernism. Lucey’s academic leadership includes directing Berkeley’s Center for the Study of Sexual Culture, which supports global discourse through fellowships and conferences. His office hours are held in Dwinelle Hall and via Zoom. Contact: mlucey@berkeley.edu
Ryan Heuser is an Assistant Professor in Digital Humanities at the University of Cambridge, specializing in computational approaches to literary and intellectual history, prosody, and artificial intelligence's impact on language. His work bridges data science, machine learning, and literary studies through digital methodologies. Doctoral training in Eighteenth-Century British Literature, Stanford University (2019) Founding member & Associate Research Director, Stanford Literary Lab Junior Research Fellow, King’s College Cambridge (2019-2022) Research interests span computational modeling of semantic revolutions, large-scale literary field analysis, and the intersection of digital methods with historical and intellectual studies. His book Explorations in the Digital History of Ideas (2023) co-edited with Peter de Bolla exemplifies this approach. Recent publications focus on historical semantics, metrical analysis, and digital mapping of emotions in literature, reflecting his interdisciplinary expertise in natural language processing, network theory, and literary data visualization. Currently leads teaching initiatives at Cambridge Digital Humanities and contributes to computational projects exploring textual rhythms and large language models.
Jan Alber is a Professor of Modern English and American Literature at the Department of English and American Literature and Culture, Justus Liebig University Giessen . He previously held positions at RWTH Aachen, Aarhus University, TU Darmstadt, and the University of Freiburg. His work bridges narrative theory, cognitive studies, and postcolonial literature, with a focus on unnatural narratives and empirical approaches to literary analysis. Fields of Interest: Unnatural Narratology, Cognitive Literary Studies, Climate Fiction, Postcolonial Literature Key Themes: Storyworlds, Ideology, Empirical Methods, Narrative Beginnings Alber's recent publications explore narrative theory's intersections with cognition and ideology, including analyses of digital post-postmodernist novels and climate change narratives. His empirical studies examine how readers process experimental narratives, particularly unnatural narrators and metaleptic structures. He has received prestigious awards such as the Habilitation Prize from the German Association of Anglists (2013) and the FRIAS junior group competition (2008). His research is funded by the AHRC, DFG, and Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, notably supporting interdisciplinary work on post-truth political narratives and Ukrainian scholars. Alber co-founded the Aachen Center for Cognitive and Empirical Literary Studies and serves as President of the International Society for the Study of Narrative. He organizes international workshops on cognitive narratology and teaches courses spanning literary history, theory, and postmodern fiction.
Beth Piatote is an Associate Professor of English and Comparative Literature at the University of California, Berkeley. She holds a PhD in Modern Thought and Literature from Stanford University and is an enrolled member of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation (Nez Perce). Her work bridges scholarly and creative realms, focusing on Indigenous literature, law, language revitalization, and cultural studies. Education: PhD in Modern Thought and Literature (Stanford University). Research interests include Native American legal systems, Nez Perce language preservation, global Indigenous literatures, and creative writing. She co-founded and chairs Berkeley’s Designated Emphasis in Indigenous Language Revitalization and directs the Arts Research Center, where she leads the Indigenous Poetics Lab. Her publications include Domestic Subjects: Gender, Citizenship, and Law in Native American Literature (2013) and the short story collection The Beadworkers (2019), which received multiple literary recognitions. Her plays Antíkoni and Tricksters, Unite! explore Indigenous narratives through performance. Awards include MLA honorable mentions, PEN/Bingham Prize longlistings, and a 2020 Playwrights Retreat win. Current projects involve a scholarly monograph on sensory representations of Indigenous law and creative works in poetry and essays.
Ramsey McGlazer is an Associate Professor specializing in twentieth-century European and Latin American literature, film, and critical theory. His research engages with poetry, politics-aesthetics intersections, critical carceral studies, and feminist/queer/psychoanalytic frameworks. He holds a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature and Critical Theory from UC Berkeley (2015) and previously taught at the University of St Andrews and Brown University’s Pembroke Center. McGlazer’s work interrogates modernist critiques of progress, radical psychiatry movements, and the interplay between aesthetic practices and institutional critique. His acclaimed monograph Old Schools: Modernism, Education, and the Critique of Progress (2020) won the American Association for Italian Studies First Book Prize. Current projects include The Clinic and its Double , exploring mid-century radical psychiatry and avant-garde art. He serves as Senior Editor of Critical Times and Coeditor of Italian Culture , and has translated key works like Rita Segato’s The War Against Women . McGlazer’s writing appears in venues such as Los Angeles Review of Books and n+1 . Research interests span Surrealist provocations, Brazilian artist Lygia Clark’s propositions, and transnational feminist solidarities. His scholarship bridges literary analysis with critical engagements in carceral studies, postcolonial theory, and decolonial thought.
Prof. Dr. Claudine Moulin is a Full Professor of Historical Linguistics at the Department of German Studies, University of Trier. She co-directs the Trier Center for Digital Humanities and serves as Vertrauensdozentin der Deutschen Forschungsgemeinschaft. With academic roots in Brussels and Bamberg, she completed her PhD in 1990 and Habilitation in 1999 at the University of Bamberg. Her research spans medieval and early modern languages, manuscript studies, digital humanities, and Luxembourgish linguistics. As a leading scholar in historical linguistics, Moulin's work explores urban language history, phraseology, and cultural knowledge transmission through manuscripts. She has directed major digital humanities projects like LexicoLux and Cartul@rium, while pioneering digital codicology methods for medieval texts. Her research combines traditional philology with computational approaches. Her academic accolades include the Akademiepreis Rheinland-Pfalz (2010), Landesverdienstorden (2014), and the Verdienstkreuz am Bande (2025). She has held visiting professorships at Sorbonne, EHESS Paris, and EPHE, and received fellowships from the Humboldt Foundation and European Science Foundation. Notable Academic Roles: Co-founder and Chair of DHd (Digital Humanities in German-speaking countries) Founding member of Trier Center for Language and Communication Member of German Historical Institute Paris scientific board Advisory positions at Austrian Center for Digital Humanities and Herzog August Bibliothek Her editorial leadership includes chief editorship of Sprachwissenschaft journal and co-editorship of Germanistische Bibliothek monograph series. She has mentored over 40 graduate students in topics ranging from medieval marginalia to urban language studies.
Kate Holland is an Associate Professor and Acting Associate Chair (Graduate) at the University of Toronto, specializing in 19th-century Russian literature and its cultural contexts. Her work focuses on the history of the novel, Russian literary theory, and the interplay between Russian and European literary traditions. She teaches courses such as 'The Golden Age of Russian Literature' and 'Dostoevsky in Literary Criticism and Theory.' Dr. Holland earned her PhD from Yale University (2004) and a BA/MA from the University of Cambridge (1998). Her research explores themes like genre evolution in Dostoevsky’s works, the publication culture of 19th-century Russian periodicals, and the theoretical frameworks of Historical Poetics. Her recent publications include A Dostoevskii Companion: Texts and Contexts (2018) and The Novel in the Age of Disintegration (2013), analyzing Dostoevsky’s engagement with genre and modernity. Her scholarship frequently examines narrative form, cultural history, and the intersection of literature with philosophical and religious thought.
Andrea Selleri is an Assistant Professor in the Department of English Literature at Bilkent University, where he joined in September 2020. He holds a BA and MA from the University of Trieste and a PhD from the University of Warwick. His research focuses on the intersections between British literature, criticism, and philosophy in the long nineteenth century, with particular attention to authorship, aesthetics, and interdisciplinary approaches. Dr. Selleri has published extensively on Victorian literature and its philosophical contexts, including a monograph exploring the evolution of authorship concepts and co-editing Literary Studies and the Philosophy of Literature (Palgrave, 2016). His recent work includes a three-volume critical edition, Literature and Philosophy in Nineteenth-Century British Culture (Routledge, 2024), which compiles annotated primary sources. At Bilkent, he teaches courses such as ELIT 246 (Drama and Performance) , ELIT 366 (Victorian Literature) , and ELIT 458 (Literature and Philosophy in Nineteenth-Century British Culture) . He coordinates the Philosophy and Literature Colloquia series and serves as a review editor for the Journal of Victorian Culture . His research interests span literary history, modern literatures in English, French, Spanish, and Italian, and the philosophy of literature. Current projects include studies on free will in Victorian fiction and the legacy of Romantic authorship in formalist aesthetics.
Blair Hoxby is Professor of English at Stanford University's School of Humanities and Sciences, where he has taught since 2007. Previously, he served as Associate Professor of History and Literature at Harvard University (2005-2007) and Associate Professor of English at Yale University (2003-2005), where he began as Assistant Professor in 1998. His academic journey includes a Ph.D. in English from Yale University (1998), an M.Phil. in English Studies from the University of Oxford (1990), and an A.B. in English and American Literature and Language from Harvard University (1988). Hoxby's research focuses on literature and culture from 1500 to 1800, with particular emphasis on tragedy theory, Milton studies, and the intersection of literature and economics. His notable works include What Was Tragedy? Theory and the Early Modern Canon (2015) and Mammon's Music: Literature and Economics in the Age of Milton (2002). He argues that early modern tragedy differed significantly from contemporary understandings of the genre, with passions rather than deeds or character serving as the keys to early modern tragic performance. Hoxby's recent scholarly output reveals a consistent engagement with early modern theatrical practices, particularly tragedy and opera. His work demonstrates sophisticated interdisciplinary approaches, connecting literary analysis with historical context, economic theory, and performance studies. He has made significant contributions to understanding how commercial culture shaped literary production and how theatrical conventions evolved across national boundaries in Europe. Scientific Awards and Honors Internal Fellow, Stanford Humanities Center (2009-2010) Morse Fellowship, Juilliard School (2001-2002) Samuel and Ronnie Heyman Prize, Yale University (2001) John Addison Porter Prize, Yale University (1999) Rhodes Scholarship, University of Oxford (1988-1990) Hoxby has supervised numerous doctoral students and served in various administrative roles at Stanford, including Director of Undergraduate Studies (2011-2014) and Director of Graduate Admissions (2008-2011). His teaching portfolio includes courses on English poetry from the Renaissance to Romanticism, tragedy and tragic theory from Aristotle to the present, theater history, and performance theory. Currently, he teaches courses such as Court Theater from Shakespeare to Mozart and Introduction to English II: From Milton to the Romantics . Hoxby maintains active scholarly engagement through committee memberships, including the Executive Committee of the Milton Society of America (2009-2013) and service as a referee for major academic presses including Oxford University Press and the University of Pennsylvania Press.
José Angel Araguz is an Assistant Professor of English at Suffolk University, specializing in creative writing and literary studies. His research focuses on Latinx poetics, poetic forms, and experimental literary genres. He holds a PhD from the University of Cincinnati, an MFA from New York University, and a BA from the College of Santa Fe. Dr. Araguz is deeply involved in literary publishing, serving as Editor-in-Chief of Salamander , a member of The Cincinnati Review’s Strategic Board, and an advisory board member for SWING literary journal. He also leads editorial roles at Airlie Press and Right Hand Pointing. His creative work spans poetry, nonfiction, and hybrid genres, with a focus on Latino/a identity, speculative elements, and formal innovation. Major publications include Ruin and Want (2023), La esperanza espera (2023), and Rotura (2022). His research explores blackout poetry, microcuentos, and the intersection of creative writing with cultural critique. He teaches courses like Latinx Literature, Creative Writing, and Poetry Workshops. Office hours are Fridays 10:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m. or by Zoom appointment.
Max Cavitch is an Associate Professor of English at the University of Pennsylvania's School of Arts & Sciences, specializing in American literature, psychoanalytic studies, and cinema. He joined Penn in 1999 after earning his B.A. from Yale and Ph.D. from Rutgers. His research spans 19th- and 20th-century literature, African American studies, and interdisciplinary fields like animal studies and gender theory. Cavitch has authored influential works such as *American Elegy* (2007) and co-edited volumes on Whitman and early American studies. He directs Penn's Psychoanalytic Studies program and edits the blog *Psyche on Campus*, honored with the 2022 American Psychoanalytic Association's Excellence in Journalism Award. His teaching includes courses on psychoanalysis, autobiography, and American poetry. Cavitch has held fellowships from the Fulbright Foundation, Newcombe Foundation, and others. His recent projects explore world autobiography, psychoanalysis in academia, and the history of 'ashes' as a conceptual and material symbol. Award-winning scholar and educator, Cavitch's work bridges literary criticism with clinical theory, media studies, and transnational frameworks. He advises doctoral students in American literature and affiliated programs, maintaining active collaborations with institutions like the McNeil Center for Early American Studies and the Psychoanalytic Center of Philadelphia.
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.
Dr Borge Bakken is a Researcher affiliated with the ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences at The Australian National University. His work focuses on Chinese governance, criminology, and socio-legal systems with particular emphasis on corruption dynamics, criminal justice reforms, and socio-political structures in modern China. He has conducted extensive research on topics including wrongful convictions, rural criminal networks, and institutional corruption mechanisms. Research Interests: Dr Bakken's expertise spans Chinese legal frameworks, socio-political governance, and criminological studies. His work critically examines how social norms intersect with punitive measures in contemporary China, particularly in areas like anti-corruption policies and judicial transparency. Recent studies include analyses of 'criminal villages' and evolving corruption forms within state-owned enterprises. Publications: His 2021 article on corruption in China explores land management and state asset misappropriation. Earlier works address wrongful convictions and the socio-legal challenges in rural crime networks. His research demonstrates a focus on institutional accountability and systemic governance issues. Labs/Teams: Not explicitly mentioned, but his collaborative work with co-author Wang, J. (2021) suggests interdisciplinary engagements within ANU's China studies networks.
İbrahim Dağılma is a Lecturer in Zaza Language and Literature at Bingöl University's Faculty of Arts and Sciences since 2013. He holds a Master's (2017) and PhD (2021) in Zaza Language and Literature from Bingöl University's Living Languages Institute. He previously served as a Turkish Language teacher in the Ministry of National Education and authored/co-authored Zazaki textbooks for grades 5-8 published by MEB between 2018-2019. He currently chairs the Zaza Language and Literature department and teaches courses like Modern Zaza Literature and Comparative Literary Analysis. Education: Bachelor's in Turkish Education, Dicle University (1997) Uncompleted Journalism studies at Istanbul University (2010) Master's and PhD in Zaza Studies (2017-2021) Research focuses on Zaza language preservation, modern literary movements, folklore documentation, and comparative studies between Zaza and other languages. He has published 11 books including 'Edebiyato Modern ê Zazaki' and 'Süleyman Hilmi Tunahan', and frequently presents at international conferences on topics like Zaza cultural identity and migration narratives. His recent academic work explores linguistic comparisons between Zaza and Farsi, analysis of traditional Zaza texts, and the role of folklore in educational materials. He has advised 18 undergraduate theses and participated in numerous thesis juries. His research has been published in refereed journals like Bingöl Araştırmalar Dergisi and The Journal of Mesopotamian Studies.
Dr. Heather Inwood serves as University Associate Professor in Modern Chinese Literature and Culture within the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Cambridge. She is also a Fellow and Director of Studies at Trinity Hall, maintaining dual institutional affiliations that support her teaching and research activities across undergraduate and postgraduate programs. Her educational background includes a BA in Chinese Studies from the University of Cambridge (Trinity Hall), followed by advanced studies at Tsinghua University and Peking University, culminating in a PhD in modern Chinese literature from SOAS, University of London in 2008. Prior academic appointments include Assistant Professor at The Ohio State University (2008-2013) and Lecturer in Chinese Cultural Studies at the University of Manchester before returning to Cambridge in 2016. Professor Inwood's research program investigates the dynamic interactions between digital media and literary production in contemporary China, with particular focus on poetry communities, genre fiction, and transmedia storytelling. Her work bridges traditional literary analysis with digital humanities approaches, examining how online platforms transform authorship, reception, and cultural value. She has pioneered scholarship on internet poetry scenes, demonstrating their vitality despite public perceptions of poetry's decline in modern China. Her publication trajectory reveals a clear evolution from early work on poetry communities ( Verse Going Viral: China's New Media Scenes , 2014) toward broader investigations of digital narrative forms, game studies, and Sinophone cyberspace. Recent publications increasingly engage with science fiction, transmedia storytelling, and the algorithmic structures shaping literary production, reflecting both the changing digital landscape and her expanding methodological toolkit. Professor Inwood actively supervises five PhD students working on diverse projects spanning Misty poetry, queer narratives, gender studies, and poetic animality, demonstrating her commitment to nurturing next-generation scholarship in Chinese literary studies. Her research has been supported by British Academy Small Grants and similar funding mechanisms that enable sustained fieldwork and publication. Her teaching responsibilities include undergraduate courses on East Asian media and popular culture, Modern Chinese texts, and Modern Chinese literature, connecting classroom instruction directly to her research expertise. She also maintains public engagement through Chinese-language columns for BBC China and other media outlets, bridging academic and public discourse on contemporary Chinese culture.
