Winnie Wong is a Professor of Rhetoric at the University of California, Berkeley. Her research focuses on art history, particularly exploring themes of fakes, forgeries, and authorship through interdisciplinary approaches. She examines the global artistic networks of Hong Kong, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen, challenging Western narratives of Chinese artistic practices. Wong holds a PhD from MIT's History, Theory + Criticism program and was a Harvard Society of Fellows Junior Fellow. Her major works include Van Gogh on Demand: China and the Readymade (2014, Joseph Levenson Prize winner), Learning from Shenzhen (2017), and a forthcoming book on Canton trade portraitists. She teaches courses like Theory of the Copy and Rhetoric of the Image , mentoring undergraduates through the Undergraduate Research Apprentices program and advising PhD students in art history and visual studies. Wong's research has been supported by grants from Mellon Foundation, ACLS, SSRC, and others. Her work has been translated into multiple languages and appears in journals like Current Anthropology and Law & Literature . She frequently discusses her work on podcasts and collaborates with museums including M+ and the Asian Art Museum.
Matthew Potolsky is Professor of English at the University of Utah, specializing in nineteenth-century literature and literary theory. His career spans from 1998 Lecturer at Harvard University to current University Professorship. He earned a BA in Comparative Literature and Philosophy (1990), followed by MA and PhD in Comparative Literature (1992, 1997) from UC Irvine. Chair of English Department (2013-2016) University Professor (2014-2016) Research focuses on Decadence , Mimesis , Finance-Aesthetics intersections , and Government Secrecy . His work traces connections between financialization and decadent aesthetics, revealing how economic cycles influence artistic production. Key themes include: Decadent anti-realist literary movements Finance capital's cultural impact Decadent counterpublic formations Victorian aesthetic education debates Sublime aesthetics in national security Cosmopolitanism in literary communities Recent publications analyze: Decadent style as financialization rhetoric Reintroduction of verisimilitude theory Decadent responses to financial crises Mimetic labor in artistic production Decadent cosmopolitan counterpublics Historical parallels between financialization and literary decadence
Dimiter Angelov serves as the Dumbarton Oaks Professor of Byzantine History at Harvard University, holding a faculty position in the Department of History within the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. He chairs Harvard's Ph.D. Program in Byzantine Studies and teaches graduate and undergraduate courses spanning Byzantine, medieval eastern Mediterranean, and medieval Balkan history. His academic credentials include: Ph.D., Harvard University Professor Angelov specializes in the intellectual and political history of the Byzantine Empire after the tenth century, with focused interests in empire and imperialism, political thought and rhetoric, biography, geographical imagination, and the Fourth Crusade's impact. Current research encompasses a comprehensive history of Byzantine political thought examining virtue and tyranny from the fifth to fifteenth centuries, alongside collaborative analysis of Eustathios of Thessaloniki's twelfth-century geographical anthology. His scholarly output features three major monographs exploring Byzantine political ideology, court ceremonies, and imperial biography. These works demonstrate consistent engagement with thirteenth and fourteenth century institutional transformations, particularly how Byzantine elites navigated governance challenges through classical intellectual traditions in the post-Crusade era. No scientific awards are documented in the provided materials. He actively supervises graduate students pursuing research in Byzantine and medieval Balkan/eastern Mediterranean history. The source texts do not reference specific grants, funding sources, laboratory facilities, or research teams.
Rebecca Herissone is Professor of Musicology at the University of Manchester and a leading scholar in early modern English music. She co-edits the peer-reviewed journal Music & Letters and serves on editorial boards for the Purcell Society, Musica Britannica, and the Complete Works of John Eccles. Her research focuses on seventeenth-century creativity, material culture, and the ontological dimensions of music notation. Key research areas: Early Modern Music, Creativity, Source Study, Notation, Reception Major awards: Diana McVeagh Prize (2015), Westrup Prize (2007) Her recent work includes digital humanities projects on music preservation and critical editions of Purcell's operas. She has pioneered interdisciplinary approaches connecting musicology with drama, art, and literature, and currently leads research on Purcell's posthumous reception in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Her teaching spans music historiography, performance practices, and advanced source analysis.
Prof. Dr. Ahmet Taşağıl is a prominent historian specializing in Turkic studies, Eurasian history, and pre-Islamic cultures. He holds the rank of Professor at Yeditepe University's Faculty of Arts and Sciences, History Department, since 2015, and previously served at Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University. His academic journey includes a PhD from Istanbul University (1989-1991) and extensive research on ancient Turkic empires like the Gokturks and Huns. Education: PhD in General Turkish History (Istanbul University), MSc in Medieval History (Istanbul University), BA in History (Istanbul University). Affiliations: Currently at Yeditepe University; previously at Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University and Kirgizistan-Türkiye Manas Üniversitesi. Research Interests : Focuses on early Turkic states (Gokturks, Huns, Uyghurs), cross-cultural relations between Turkic and Chinese empires, shamanism, and pre-Islamic Turkic societies. His work bridges archaeology, ethnohistory, and political analysis, with a particular emphasis on primary sources like Chinese records and Orkhon inscriptions. Publications : Over 50 books and articles, including seminal works like Kök Tengri’nin Çocukları , Avrasya'nın Sekiz Asrı Çengizoğulları , and İslamiyet Öncesi Türkler . His research often examines the socio-political structures of nomadic empires and their legacy in Eurasian history. Awards : Recipient of the Moğalistan Devlet Onur Madalyası, Muğla Sıtkı Koçman Tarih Ödülü, and numerous academic honors. His contributions to Turkic cultural heritage are widely recognized internationally. Grants & Projects : Led projects on Central Asian archaeology, cultural atlas of the Turkic world, and historical studies of Siberian tribes. Collaborated with institutions in Kazakhstan, Russia, and Turkey. Teaching : Offers courses on pre-Islamic Turkic history, Eurasian empires, and historical methodology in Turkish and English.
Laurie Shannon is the Franklyn Bliss Snyder Professor of English at Northwestern University, with a J.D. from Harvard Law School and a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago. She studies English literature and culture in the long sixteenth century, focusing on the history of ideas in language, stakeholdership, embodiment, and cross-species relations. She serves as convener of The Anne Lister Society and is collaborating with Oxford University Press on a scholarly edition of Anne Lister’s Journal. Education: J.D., Harvard Law School; Ph.D., University of Chicago Shannon’s research explores the political imagination in early modern literature, particularly through friendship (Sovereign Amity: Figures of Friendship in Shakespearean Contexts) and animal studies (The Accommodated Animal: Cosmopolity in Shakespearean Locales). Her current monograph, 'Frailty’s Name: Shakespeare and the Natural History of Human Being,' examines human negative exceptionalism in Renaissance thought and its implications for climate crisis ethics. Her publications span Shakespeare studies, queer theory, environmental humanities, and textual editing. Notable awards include the Elizabeth Dietz Memorial Award, Robert B. Cox Teaching Award, and Dean’s Award for Graduate Mentoring. She has held NEH, ACLS, and Guggenheim fellowships. Scientific Awards: Elizabeth Dietz Memorial Award, Robert B. Cox Distinguished Undergraduate Teaching Award, Dean's Award for Graduate Mentoring, NEH Fellowship, ACLS Fellowship, Guggenheim Fellowship Shannon contributes to the Anne Lister Diary Transcription Project and has served as English Department Chair at Northwestern. Her recent articles focus on Shakespeare’s engagement with natural history, queer cosmology, and animal sovereignty, reflecting her interdisciplinary approach.
Anna Lukina is a Research Fellow in Law at the London School of Economics and Political Science and a PhD candidate at the University of Cambridge's Faculty of Law. Her research focuses on jurisprudence, legal history, and public law, with a specialization in Soviet legal systems, Nazi legal frameworks, and the philosophical underpinnings of 'evil law.' She holds a B.A. (Jurisprudence) and B.C.L. from the University of Oxford, and an LL.M. from Harvard Law School. Her doctoral work, Towards a Jurisprudence of Evil Law , examines the relationship between law and immorality in authoritarian regimes, funded by the Institute for Humane Studies, Modern Law Review, and Cambridge Law Journal. Key research areas include: Legal justifications for totalitarian regimes Resistance to morally corrupt legal systems Historical analysis of Soviet, Nazi, and antebellum U.S. legal structures Publications span legal-historical analyses of Soviet legal education, Schmittian dictatorship theory, and Kelsen's critiques of communist jurisprudence. She actively engages with legal theory through blogs like Legal Form and academic networks such as the Cambridge Legal Theory Discussion Group. Her work bridges theoretical jurisprudence and historical case studies, offering critical perspectives on law's role in enabling or resisting evil. Grants and fellowships support her exploration of legal systems' moral boundaries and their societal impacts.
Dr Helen Gittos is a Senior Lecturer and Fellow in Medieval History at Balliol College and Brasenose College, University of Oxford. She holds a PhD in early medieval history from Oxford, following an undergraduate degree in English Literature at Newcastle University. Her research focuses on medieval church history, liturgy, and the role of language in religious practices, with expertise in archaeological evidence and textual analysis. She teaches British and European medieval history at both undergraduate and graduate levels, including the MSt and MPhil programs in Medieval History. Her major publications include Liturgy, Architecture and Sacred Places in Anglo-Saxon England (2013) and co-edited volumes on medieval liturgy. Current projects explore the use of English in medieval liturgy and collaborative research on Cerne Abbas’s early medieval history with archaeologists. She leads the Oxford Centre for Early Medieval Britain and Ireland and participates in interdisciplinary initiatives like the Worked in Stone project. Dr Gittos actively supervises DPhil students in areas related to her research, with recent advisees focusing on topics like shrines, liturgical charms, and Anglo-Saxon burial practices. She is also a media commentator, appearing in BBC News and podcasts discussing Anglo-Saxon history and archaeological discoveries.
Megan Callow serves as an Associate Teaching Professor in the Department of English at the University of Washington, Seattle, and holds the position of Director of Writing for the campus. Since 2019, she has directed the Program for Writing Across Campus (PWAC), advancing writing instruction across academic disciplines. Her educational background includes: Bachelor of Arts in English from University of California, Berkeley (2003) Master of Arts in Liberal Arts from St. John's College (2006) Doctor of Philosophy in English Education from University of Maryland (2015) Dr. Callow specializes in Writing in the Disciplines (WID) and science writing, with deep expertise in rhetoric and composition, writing pedagogy, and faculty development for writing instruction. Her research examines how writing is taught and learned across scientific and technical fields, develops cross-disciplinary writing curricula, and explores online learning environments for writing education. She investigates genre theory, interdisciplinary writing practices, and science/technology writing integration. No scientific awards were documented in the source material. Information regarding graduate student advising or research grants was not provided in the available text. No dedicated research labs or collaborative teams were mentioned in the source documentation.
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.
Alenda Y. Chang serves as an Assistant Professor in Film and Media Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara. With a multidisciplinary background spanning biology, literature, and film, she integrates ecocritical theory with contemporary media analysis. Her scholarly work appears in journals including Interdisciplinary Studies in Literature and Environment , Qui Parle , and electronic book review , focusing on sustainable media practices and ecological frameworks for digital engagement. Her educational background includes: M.A. and Ph.D. in Rhetoric from the University of California, Berkeley M.A. in English Language and Literature from the University of Maryland Chang specializes in environmental media and game studies, developing theoretical frameworks for ecological game design. Her research examines how digital games model environmental systems and foster player engagement with climate change through concepts like "slow violence" and "rambunctious play." She advocates for sustainable design patterns that address gaming's carbon footprint while creating immersive ecological narratives. Analysis of her 15 most recent publications reveals a consistent trajectory from foundational ecological game theory (2013-2018) to current work on thermal contexts of play and sustainable infrastructure (2022-2024). Her scholarship increasingly bridges data-driven activism with critical game design, emphasizing multispecies entanglements and infrastructural play as tools for environmental awareness. As co-founder of Wireframe—a collaborative media studio at UCSB—Chang cultivates critical game design practices through initiatives like growinggames.net . The studio supports data-driven global media art, environmental activism, and experimental pedagogy, serving as a hub for translating ecological theory into tangible digital interventions that challenge anthropocentric perspectives in gaming.
Martin Kern is the Joanna and Greg Zeluck ’84 P13 P18 Professor in Asian Studies at Princeton University. He specializes in ancient Chinese literature, philology, and textual studies, with a focus on poetry, ritual, and cultural memory. Kern co-edits T'oung Pao and directs the "International Center for the Study of Ancient Text Cultures" at Renmin University, Beijing. Education: Ph.D. in Sinology, Cologne University M.A. in Sinology, Cologne University His research spans early Chinese rhetoric, authorship debates, manuscript analysis, and the intersection of writing/orality. He has led Princeton's "Comparative Antiquity" initiative (2018–2022) and co-directs the Princeton-Venice Summer School in Classical Chinese. Recent publications include studies on the Classic of Poetry , Chuci , and Zuozhuan , emphasizing newly discovered manuscripts and their impact on understanding ancient Chinese textuality. His work often bridges philological rigor with comparative theoretical frameworks. Scientific Awards: Member of the American Philosophical Society President of the American Oriental Society (2023–2024) Kern's editorial roles include co-editing the monograph series Studies in the History of Chinese Texts and the Handbook of Oriental Studies: Section 4 China . He has held leadership positions in major academic initiatives on ancient China.
Dr. Damien Charrieras is an Associate Professor at the School of Creative Media , City University of Hong Kong, where he serves as Program Leader for the Master of Art in Creative Media and deputy program leader for the PhD in Creative Media. His work bridges cultural studies, new media theory, and the intersection of financial technologies with artistic practices through the ACIM Laboratory for Interventions in Speculative Finance . Doctoral research on digital artists' trajectories in Montreal FRQSC Postdoctoral Fellowship at McGill University Research spans game engine design , datafication of creativity , blockchain in art , and post-anthropocentric creative processes . With over HK$3.14M in grants as Principal Investigator, he explores situated digital creativity in urban contexts, critical worldbuilding pedagogy , and the mediation of technical systems in cultural production. His publications in Cities , Organized Sound , and Human Relations analyze the reconfiguration of artistic practices through software infrastructures and automation paradigms. Scientific awards include: FRQSC Postdoctoral Fellowship
Dr Ann Lewis is Senior Lecturer in French Studies at Birkbeck, University of London, within the School of Creative Arts, Culture and Communication . Since her appointment in 2008 she has held numerous leadership roles, including Subject Lead for Languages and Linguistics and programme director for several BA and MA programmes. Education: BA Joint Honours in History and French, New College, University of Oxford M.St. in European Literature, University of Oxford PhD in French Literature, Queen Mary, University of London PGC-HE (with distinction), Fellow of the Higher Education Academy Research Interests: Dr Lewis’s scholarship is situated at the intersection of eighteenth-century French literature and visual culture. Her work pursues two complementary strands: the first investigates text–image relations , exploring how eighteenth-century French novels were illustrated, re-imagined and circulated beyond the book through almanacs, extra-illustrated editions and domestic display. The second strand interrogates the representation of prostitution in eighteenth-century France, combining literary analysis with cultural history to illuminate questions of gender, commerce and morality. Both research lines deploy interdisciplinary methodologies that draw on illustration studies, adaptation theory and material bibliography. Publications profile: Across more than two decades, Dr Lewis has produced a monograph, three major edited collections and a series of peer-reviewed articles and book chapters (2004-2021). Her output charts an evolving focus from close readings of illustrated novels toward broader questions of intermediality, adaptation and the social lives of images, culminating in recent work on Rousseau’s Julie as material artefact. Honours & Awards: Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship, Leverhulme Trust (2009) Ronald Tress Prize, Birkbeck, University of London (2012) Haydn Mason Lecture, British Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies (2012) Nominated for Aurora Women into Leadership programme, Advance HE (2016) Doctoral supervision & grants: Dr Lewis welcomes proposals in eighteenth-century French literature and culture. She currently co-supervises two doctoral researchers: Miki Jablkowska – “The Reception and Cultural Adaptation of Voltaire in Eighteenth-Century Poland” Kirsten Tambling – “Watteau and Hogarth: Seduction, Space and Time” (awarded 2019) Laboratories, networks & teams: She is Co-founder and Co-convenor of the Birkbeck Eighteenth-Century Research Group , an interdisciplinary forum spanning French, English, History of Art and Comparative Literature. She additionally serves on the steering group of the Illustr4tio international research network devoted to illustration studies and is a member of the executive committee of AUPHF+ (Association of University Professors and Heads of French +).
Professor Roel Sterckx is the Joseph Needham Professor of Chinese History, Science, and Civilization at the University of Cambridge, affiliated with Clare College. He specializes in pre-imperial and early imperial Chinese thought, classical Chinese language, and natural history. His research bridges anthropology and the history of science, focusing on topics like ritual, economic thought, and animal studies. He has authored influential books including Food, Sacrifice, and Sagehood in Early China and Animals through Chinese History . Sterckx is a Fellow of the British Academy (since 2013) and holds leadership roles at the Needham Research Institute. He supervises PhD students on subjects ranging from Warring States rhetoric to Han Dynasty apocrypha. Education: BA/PGCE in Sinology and History, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven Masters in Classical Chinese and Philosophy, National Taiwan University PhD in Chinese History, University of Cambridge Research Interests: Early Chinese cultural ecology, ritual economy, and the interplay of moral and material values. His work analyzes texts like the Rites of Zhou , Mozi , and Huainanzi , emphasizing agricultural thought and animal symbolism. Awards: British Academy Fellowship (2013) Grants and Labs: Directs the Cambridge-based Needham Research Institute, focusing on East Asian science and technology history. Current projects include studies on Han perceptions of southern regions and the economics of ritual in early China.
