Jeffrey A. Cooper is a Professor of Law at Quinnipiac University School of Law , where he teaches courses in estate planning, wills and trusts, and taxation. He previously served as Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Development and is currently faculty adviser to the Quinnipiac Probate Law Journal . Education: AB from Harvard University, JD from Yale University, LLM from New York University Research Interests: His work focuses on tax policy , estate and gift taxation , and the intersection of federal tax law with state probate systems . He specializes in trust enforceability , uniform trust code , and historical analysis of tax legislation. Publications: Recent articles address perpetual trusts , state death tax decline , and curriculum reforms in estate planning education. His scholarship is widely published in national law journals and cited in casebooks. Scientific Awards: Academic Fellow, American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC) Faculty Scholar, Quinnipiac University Professional Background: Before academia, Cooper practiced law for over a decade as a principal at Cummings & Lockwood, senior officer at United States Trust Company, and special counsel to Shipman & Goodwin. He also served as a senior adviser to Fiduciary Trust Company International.
Gül Şen is a Senior Lecturer and Privatdozentin at the Institute of Oriental and Asian Studies, University of Bonn, and also serves as a Lecturer at the University of Heidelberg. Her academic work focuses on premodern Ottoman history, historiography, and the dynamics of dependency, particularly in maritime contexts such as galley slavery and war captivity. She is actively involved in major research programs including the DFG-Priority Program 'Transottomanica' and the Bonn Center for Dependency and Slavery Studies. Her research areas include: Premodern Ottoman historiography and narrative strategies Legitimacy of rule and political transitions Maritime unfree labor and galley slavery War captivity and captivity narratives in the 18th century Dependency and asymmetrical power relations in the early modern Mediterranean Her recent publications reveal a strong thematic trend centered on the interplay between narrative construction and social power, particularly in contexts of slavery and captivity. She investigates how historical actors used storytelling to assert legitimacy, cope with crises, and negotiate identity. Her work bridges literary analysis with social history, offering nuanced understandings of agency within systems of dependency. She frequently collaborates with leading scholars like Stephan Conermann and contributes to major edited volumes and series in Ottoman studies. Her scientific awards include: DAAD Award for outstanding academic achievements (2012) Postdoctoral Scholarship from the Fritz Thyssen Foundation (2012–2013) Postdoctoral Fellowships at the Annemarie Schimmel Kolleg (2015–2016, 2018–2019) Postdoctoral Scholarship from the University of Bonn (2019–2020) She has supervised numerous B.A. and M.A. theses at the University of Bonn and Heidelberg and has secured third-party funding, including a DFG project (€192,000) from 2016–2018 and Fritz Thyssen Foundation grants. She is co-editor of the 'Ottoman Studies' and 'Otto Spies Memorial Series' book series, and holds leadership roles in the Society for Turkic, Ottoman and Turkish Studies (GTOT) and the International Association for Ottoman Social and Economic History (IAOSEH). Her academic activities are deeply embedded in collaborative and interdisciplinary research environments. She is affiliated with the Bonn Center for Dependency and Slavery Studies and contributes to the DFG-Priority Program 'Transottomanica,' where she examines mobility dynamics and captivity narratives. Her work is supported by a strong network of international collaborations and editorial engagements.
Sıtkı Egeli is an Associate Professor at the Department of Political Science and International Relations at İzmir University of Economics since 2015. With a PhD in International Relations from Bilkent University, an MA in Security Studies from University of Chicago, and a BA in Political Science from Boğaziçi University, he specializes in defense policy, security studies, and military technology. PhD: Bilkent University, International Relations (1993-1999) MA: University of Chicago, Security Studies (1988-1991) BA: Boğaziçi University, Political Science (1983-1988) His research focuses on weapons of mass destruction proliferation , air and missile defense , nuclear deterrence , space security , and disruptive military technologies . His publications analyze Turkish defense industrialization, Arctic geopolitics, and strategic stability in aerospace warfare contexts. Recent collaborative work (2017-2025) spans: • Balancing defense autarky (2025) • Arctic region involvement (2022) • Historical air power development (2021) • Military space operations (2021) • Turkish missile defense (2019) • Ballistic missile programs (2017)
Professor Maarten Prak is a distinguished scholar of Economic and Social History at Utrecht University, where he has been a faculty member since 1992. He is affiliated with the Faculty of Humanities and the Department of History and Art History. Prak serves on the governing board of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) and All European Academies (ALLEA), having previously chaired the Humanities Board of the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) from 2014-2016. Prak's research spans social history, urban history, guild systems, citizenship, global history, and early modern European history, with particular focus on the Dutch Golden Age. His scholarly trajectory evolved from local Dutch social history to national history, then to comparative European history, and finally to global historical perspectives. His work demonstrates how urban citizenship, guild structures, and social organization shaped political development across Europe. His publication record reveals consistent engagement with long-term historical processes, particularly examining how citizenship evolved from urban contexts to national frameworks. His research connects economic structures with political institutions, showing how guilds, urban governance, and social hierarchies influenced the development of modern political systems across Europe. Member Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (2008) Teacher of the Year, Universiteit Utrecht (2014) Winner of the 2015 book award of the American Ceramic Circle Winner of the 2019 Prix Dix-Septième Siècle Prak has maintained an active teaching career alongside his research, earning recognition as Teacher of the Year in 2014. His academic governance responsibilities have included serving as research director for his department and faculty, chairing the Humanities Board of NWO (2014-2016), and participating in the governing boards of KNAW and ALLEA. He has organized numerous international workshops and conferences and has been a visiting scholar at prestigious institutions including the University of Cambridge, London School of Economics, and École des Hautes Études in Paris.
Dr Rod Thornton is a Senior Lecturer in Russian Defence and Security Studies at King’s College London, affiliated with the Defence Studies Department and School of Security Studies. He specializes in the Russian military's kinetic and sub-threshold warfare, with a focus on cyber capabilities, space warfare, and UK homeland resilience. His research includes recent British Academy-funded work on UK civil defense capacity during the pandemic, advocating for dedicated civil defense organizations. He has published extensively on Russian military tactics in Ukraine, AI-cyber integration, and space-based deterrence. Russian military cyber operations Space warfare dynamics UK resilience capacity gaps Scientific awards include a British Academy grant (2020). His students focus on asymmetric warfare, AI, cyber, and regional security issues. He teaches at the UK Defence Academy and has collaborated with institutions in Finland, South Korea, and the Freeman Air and Space Institute.
Albrecht Fuess is a Professor of Islamic Studies at Philipps University of Marburg since 2010, specializing in Middle Eastern History (13th–17th centuries), Mamluk socio-cultural dynamics, and contemporary European Islamic discourses. His research spans historical continuity in Ottoman-Mamluk-Safavid interactions, Islamic youth cultures, and Mediterranean geopolitics. Research Focus: Medieval Islamic history, Transottomanica mobility studies, Islam in Europe, and cultural integration of Muslim migrants. Awards: Le Studium Fellowship (2007–2009) at Université de Tours. His publications emphasize military-economy interplay, legitimacy through religious narratives, and resource management in empires, with a focus on Mamluk and Ottoman transformations. He has advised on doctoral projects covering topics like Islamic welfare, Arabic ʾAmālī literature, and Cypriot-Ottoman relations. Leadership: Co-coordinator of Transottomanica (DFG-SPP 1981), member of ANR and DAAD committees, and liaison professor for the German National Academic Foundation. Editorial Roles: Co-editor of 'Transottomanica' and 'Muslim Worlds' series, and advisory board member for journals in Cairo, Paris, and Leuven.
Sakari Melander is a Professor at the Faculty of Law , University of Helsinki, specializing in Criminal Law , with a focus on constitutionalization, Europeanization, and sentencing policies. His work bridges theoretical criminal law with practical legislative and policy challenges. Key research areas include EU criminal law, constitutional constraints on criminal legislation, and general doctrines of criminal law. He has extensive experience in parliamentary legal consultation, providing expert opinions to Finland’s Legislative Committees (e.g., on immigration control, anti-corruption directives, and digital evidence handling). Recent publications address topics like EU corporate sanction policies, constitutionalization of criminal law, and reforms in Finnish sentencing systems. His 2025 article in the New Journal of European Criminal Law explores balancing administrative and criminal sanctions in the EU. Scientific awards include: Hilkka ja Otto Brusiin Foundation Thesis Prize (2001) Magister Bonus – Good Teacher Award (2014) Primustohtori Award (2010) Year’s Teacher (2010) Year’s Opponent (2008) He leads research projects such as Criminal Law Under Pressure: Differentiation and Harmonization (2012-2015) and Assessment of Human Trafficking Sanction Practices (2021-2022), and supervises doctoral theses on criminal law topics.
Dr. Herb Lin is the Hank J. Holland Fellow in Cyber Policy and Security at the Hoover Institution and Senior Research Scholar for Cyber Policy and Security at the Center for International Security and Cooperation (CISAC), both at Stanford University. He also serves as Chief Scientist, Emeritus for the Computer Science and Telecommunications Board of the National Academies, where he worked from 1990 to 2014, and as Adjunct Senior Research Scholar and Senior Fellow in Cybersecurity at Columbia University's Saltzman Institute for War and Peace Studies. Dr. Lin received his doctorate in physics from MIT, providing him with a strong technical foundation that informs his policy work at the intersection of technology and national security. His academic background bridges the gap between deep technical understanding and policy application in the cybersecurity domain. Dr. Lin's research focuses on the policy dimensions of cybersecurity and cyberspace, with particular emphasis on offensive cyber operations as instruments of national policy, information warfare, and influence operations affecting national security. His work addresses critical challenges at the intersection of emerging technologies like artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and their implications for nuclear security, election integrity, and democratic processes. He has been instrumental in analyzing how cyber capabilities are transforming traditional security paradigms and how policy frameworks must adapt to these changes. His extensive publication record reveals a consistent focus on the evolving relationship between cyber capabilities and national security strategy. Lin's work demonstrates increasing attention to the implications of artificial intelligence for warfare, the vulnerabilities created by quantum computing for current cryptographic systems, and the growing threat of cyber-enabled information warfare to democratic institutions. His research trajectory shows a progression from traditional cybersecurity issues toward the broader implications of digital technologies for national and international security. Member of Science and Security Board of Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists Served on President Obama's Commission on Enhancing National Cybersecurity (2016) Regular congressional testimony on cybersecurity matters Contributor to Stanford Emerging Technology Review As a mentor and collaborator, Dr. Lin works extensively with policymakers, military officials, and technology experts to translate complex cybersecurity concepts into actionable policy recommendations. His approach emphasizes practical solutions to emerging threats while recognizing the technical limitations and policy constraints that shape real-world security outcomes. Dr. Lin is associated with multiple research initiatives including Stanford's Center for International Security and Cooperation and the Stanford Emerging Technology Review, which aim to connect technological advances with policy considerations for national security decision-makers.
Purnima Dhavan is an Associate Professor of History at the University of Washington's College of Arts & Sciences, holding the Giovanni and Amne Costigan Endowed Professorship. She specializes in early modern South Asia (1500-1800), focusing on religious and cultural identity, Mughal institutions, and literary networks. Her research integrates interdisciplinary methods, with adjunct affiliations in Near Eastern Languages and the Jackson School's South Asia Center. Education: PhD in South Asian History from the University of Virginia (2003), MA (1998), and BA (1996) from the University of Michigan. She has taught at multiple institutions, including the College of St. Benedict/St. John’s University and Bowdoin College. Research Interests: Mughal literary culture, Sikh warrior traditions, gender in pre-colonial societies, and environmental history. Notable works include her book *When Sparrows Became Hawks* (2011) on Sikh militarization and a forthcoming project on literary associations in Mughal urban centers. Publications span peer-reviewed journals and edited volumes, emphasizing pre-colonial South Asia’s intellectual and socio-political dynamics. Awards include the Howard Keller Chair and NEH fellowships. Service: Extensive contributions to academic governance at UW, including roles in the Faculty Senate, departmental leadership, and national professional organizations like the American Historical Association and Association of Asian Studies. Languages: Native Hindi speaker, advanced Urdu/Persian/Punjabi, and proficient in Spanish.
Ruben Andersson is Professor of Social Anthropology at the University of Oxford’s Department of International Development, where he researches migration, borders, security, and conflict. His work spans the West African Sahel, southern Europe, and global security dynamics. Current Leverhulme Major Research Fellow (2023-26) for 'Apocalypse soon: Security, subversion and the struggle for a human future' Author of three major monographs: Wreckonomics (2023), No Go World (2019), and Illegality, Inc. (2014) Co-edits special issues on remoteness and risk in global governance His research focuses on the unintended consequences of security interventions, including: How fear maps global danger zones Counterproductive border control industries Postcolonial risk economies in Mali and Afghanistan Security-fueled displacement cycles Profits from migration control systems Anthropology of the bioeconomy Recent publications (2016-2024) analyze: Security as subversion Border wall paradoxes Bioeconomic border technologies Digital danger mapping Interventionist 'bunker politics' Time as a control mechanism Scientific recognition: Leverhulme Major Research Fellowship (2023) Co-published in The Cambridge Journal of Anthropology , Political Geography , and Security Dialogue Doctoral supervision includes: Chloe Marshall-Denton Maggie Neil His fieldwork in Mali, Senegal, and the Mediterranean has produced critical insights about: Security industry feedback loops Risk aversion in academic/interventionist practices Colonial cartographic legacies in modern geopolitics Profit motives behind 'failed' interventions
Sho Konishi serves as Director of the Nissan Institute of Japanese Studies and Associate Professor in Modern Japanese History at the University of Oxford, holding dual appointments in the Faculty of History and the Oxford School of Global and Area Studies. His interdisciplinary work bridges Japanese studies with transnational intellectual history, focusing on non-imperial connections between Japan, Russia, and global networks. Undergraduate studies completed as a U.S. military school cadet after extensive coursework in Russia Georgetown University: Philosophy and International Affairs University of Chicago: Ph.D. in History (Theology and History) Postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard University Konishi's research centers on intellectual and cultural history with emphases on transnational encounters, anarchist thought, and the history of science. He investigates non-imperial knowledge production across 19th-20th century Japan, Russia, and Eastern Europe, with particular focus on symbiosis theory, linguistic democracy, and the role of nonverbal communication in epistemology. His work challenges Western-centric modernity narratives through examinations of anarchist natural science and transnational emotional histories. His publications reveal consistent engagement with alternative epistemologies and cross-cultural exchanges, spanning transnational history, the history of science, and cultural studies. Key themes include Japan-Russia intellectual networks, anarchist cooperative movements, and non-imperial frameworks that reposition Japan within global knowledge systems rather than colonial paradigms. ICAS Book Prize 2023 – Humanities for Japan’s Russia: Challenging the East-West Paradigm Konishi contributes to international academic governance as Advisory Board Member for the Esperantic Studies Foundation, External Faculty at the University of Chicago Stevanovich Institute on the Formation of Knowledge, and International Advisory Board Member for Manchester University Press's Anarchist Studies Series. His cultural impact extends to architectural projects like the Venice Biennale's Philippine Pavilion through 'Symbiogenesis: The Art of Bayanihan Architecture'.
Marcela Echeverri Muñoz is an Associate Professor in the Department of History at Yale University, affiliated with the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. Her scholarship bridges history, anthropology, and political theory, with a focus on Latin America, the Atlantic World, and the Spanish Empire. She is recognized for her interdisciplinary approach to understanding political subjectivities, state formation, and social transformation during the Age of Revolutions. PhD in Latin American and Caribbean History, New York University, 2008 MA in History of the Hispanic World, Fundación MAPFRE-Tavera and CSIC, Madrid, 2006 MA in Social and Political Theory, The New School for Social Research, 2001 BA in Anthropology, Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá, 1997 Her research centers on the interplay of race, gender, law, and political theory in colonial and 19th-century Latin America. She investigates how enslaved and Indigenous peoples navigated imperial and republican transitions, particularly through royalist affiliations. Her work challenges peripheral narratives of Spanish America in Atlantic slavery studies, positioning the region as a central site of abolitionist and constitutional experimentation. The trends in her recent publications reveal a sustained focus on slavery, abolition, and political transformation in the Spanish American mainland. She analyzes how anti-slavery movements were intertwined with republicanism, citizenship, and state formation, especially in Gran Colombia. Her scholarship spans legal history, Atlantic processes, and transimperial dynamics, often highlighting marginalized voices in revolutionary contexts. She frequently contributes to major reference works and edited volumes on Atlantic revolutions and Latin American independence. Her scientific awards and fellowships reflect her standing in the field: James Alexander Robertson Prize Michael Jiménez Prize Bolton-Johnson Prize Honorable Mention Yale Heyman Prize for Outstanding Scholarly Publication Alexander von Humboldt Research Fellowship MacMillan Research Fellow, Yale Mellon Residential Fellow, CUNY NEH Summer Institute Participant, Johns Hopkins Fellowships from John Carter Brown Library, CSIC, Fundación Mapfre, and Instituto Colombiano de Antropología e Historia Echeverri has secured significant research grants from Harvard’s Atlantic History Seminar, CUNY Research Foundation, and Yale. She has co-edited special issues on Gran Colombian history and Spanish American abolition, and led key academic initiatives including the Race and Slavery in the Atlantic World Working Group and the Early Modern Empires Workshop at Yale. Though student advising is not explicitly detailed, her role as a senior scholar implies mentorship of graduate students. She is affiliated with several research networks and has been a visiting scholar at institutions such as Freie Universität Berlin. Her ongoing book project on Gran Colombian slavery underscores her commitment to redefining the hemispheric significance of Latin American abolition. She remains an active contributor to both scholarly and pedagogical conversations in Atlantic and Latin American history.
Dr. Marina Miron is a post-doctoral researcher at King’s College London’s Department of War Studies and Honorary Research Fellow at the Centre for Military Ethics. Her work focuses on military strategy, cybersecurity, and ethical education in conflict contexts. She holds a PhD from the University of New South Wales (Australian Defence Force Academy) and has taught at institutions like the NATO School and Colombian War College. Current projects include analyzing Russia/China’s information warfare strategies and developing country-specific military ethics programs for Colombia’s armed forces. She also advises on cyber defense, AI in military contexts, and drone technology impacts. Research interests span counterinsurgency, hybrid warfare, cyber operations, and ethical dilemmas in modern conflict. She co-leads a British Academy-funded project on Western countermeasures against information warfare and contributed to NATO’s counterterrorism training programs. Her work bridges technological advancements with ethical considerations, particularly in unmanned systems and medical ethics. Publications analyze Russian cyber capabilities, drone public perception, and historical conflict resolution cases like Peru. She frequently appears in media discussions on Ukraine and cybersecurity threats. Professional networks include King’s Cybersecurity Centre and Freeman Air & Space Institute.
Stephan Conermann serves as Professor of Islamic Studies and Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities at the University of Bonn, where he has held continuous academic appointments since 2003. His institutional leadership includes directorship of the Annemarie Schimmel Kolleg (2010-2022), Bonn Center for Transcultural Narratology, and significant administrative roles culminating in his current deanship since 2023. Academic Background: Doctorate in Oriental Philology/Islamic Studies (Kiel University, 1996, magna cum laude) Magisterstudium in Asian History, Oriental and Slavic Philology (Kiel University, 1992) Conermann's research examines pre-modern Islamic societies through narrative strategies in historiography, with specialized focus on Mamluk Sultanate governance (1250-1517), Delhi Sultanate/Mughal transitions, and Transottomanica mobility dynamics. His work uniquely connects asymmetrical dependencies (particularly slavery systems), power structures, and global entanglements across South Asia, Middle East, and Eastern Europe. His extensive publication portfolio shows consistent thematic evolution toward comparative frameworks analyzing slavery beyond Eurocentric models, narrative construction of power across cultures, and mobility as historical catalyst. Recent scholarship increasingly integrates transcultural methodology with digital humanities approaches. Academic Leadership: Supervised 290+ theses (59 PhD, 96 Magister, 47 Master, 88 Bachelor) Acquired ~9 million euros in third-party funding (DFG, BMBF, DAAD) Editor of 15+ publication series including Mamluk Studies and Dependency and Slavery Studies Conermann directs the Bonn Center for Transcultural Narratology and co-leads the EXC 2036 'Beyond Slavery and Freedom' cluster, fostering interdisciplinary research on pre-modern dependency systems through international collaborations across Europe, Asia, and the Americas.
Dr. Sara Caputo is a British Academy Postdoctoral Fellow at the Department of History and Philosophy of Science and an Affiliated Lecturer at the Faculty of History, University of Cambridge. She serves as Director of Studies in History, History and Politics, and History and Modern Languages at Magdalene College. Her research spans transnational maritime history, the history of medicine, cartography, and imperial history. Education: PhD in History from the University of Cambridge (Robinson College), MSc in History from the University of Edinburgh, BA (Hons) in History from Cardiff University. Career Highlights: Lumley Junior Research Fellow (2019–2022), Senior Research Fellow (2022–present) at Magdalene College, Scouloudi Fellow (2018–2019), Lewis-AHRC Scholarship (2015–2018), Honorary Vice-Chancellor’s Scholar (2015–2018). Research Focus: Dr. Caputo explores maritime mobilities, knowledge exchange, and the instability of national boundaries in the British and European navies. Her work integrates transnational perspectives into the study of a quintessentially national institution, challenging notions of Britishness and foreignness. She combines qualitative and quantitative methodologies to analyze legal, social, and cultural contexts of naval service and cartographic practices. Notable Articles: Recent publications include studies on British naval medicine, the evolution of ship tracks into surveillance tools, and the transnational dimensions of naval exploration. Her articles span journals like Past & Present , English Historical Review , and Social History of Medicine , with chapters in edited volumes on transport history and postwar naval recruitment. Scientific Awards: Royal Historical Society Whitfield Prize (2024) British Commission for Maritime History Boydell & Brewer Prize (2020) Fachverband Medizingeschichte wissenschaftlichen Förderpreis (2022) International Committee for History of Technology Maurice Daumas Prize (2021) Scottish History Society Rosebery Prize (2020) Teaching and Outreach: Dr. Caputo teaches courses on the Global Eighteenth Century, Union and Disunion in Britain, and Mediterranean history. She actively participates in outreach programs with the Cambridge University Admissions Office and The Brilliant Club, focusing on widening participation in history education.
