Dr. Rowena Santos Aquino is a Part-Time Lecturer in the Department of Cinematic Arts at California State University, Long Beach's College of the Arts. She holds a BA in English from Scripps College, MA and PhD in Cinema & Media Studies from UCLA, with additional training in photography from the Armory Center for the Arts. Specializes in documentary film theory and transnational cinema Research emphasizes docufiction forms, historiography in image-making, and cross-cultural encounters Teaches Film History, Documentary Film History & Theory, and international cinemas Her publications analyze intersections of memory, trauma, and performance in global documentary practices, with a focus on Asian and Middle Eastern contexts. She maintains active engagement with archival studies and experimental narrative forms. Contact: Rowena.Aquino@csulb.edu
Ken S. McAllister is a Professor in the Department of Public & Applied Humanities at the University of Arizona, where he also serves as Associate Dean for Research & Program Innovation in the College of Humanities. He co-directs the Learning Games Initiative Research Archive, focusing on game studies, digital humanities, and software preservation. His work bridges game culture, educational technology, and critical theory. Primary Affiliation: University of Arizona (College of Humanities, Public & Applied Humanities) Key Roles: Associate Dean, Professor, Co-Director His research explores game studies, digital preservation, and the intersection of technology with education and culture. He has contributed to understanding game industry labor, software sustainability, and the pedagogical applications of games and VR, often emphasizing critical approaches to digital media. Article trends show a focus on game preservation, critical analysis of game culture, educational applications of games/VR, and the materiality of digital technologies. He frequently examines the socio-political dimensions of gaming, including labor practices, ideological impacts, and historical contexts. McAllister co-directs the Learning Games Initiative Research Archive , a hub for preserving and studying gaming history, software, and related artifacts. His work emphasizes community-driven approaches to digital archiving and the entrepreneurial potential of humanities scholarship.
Dr. Alastair Stark serves as Associate Professor at the School of Political Science and International Studies, Faculty of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences at The University of Queensland (UQ). As Director of the Graduate Centre in Governance and International Affairs, he combines academic leadership with public policy scholarship. Current research focuses on institutional amnesia in governance, policy learning mechanisms, and deliberative democracy applications to environmental policy Recipient of Mayer Prize (Australian Journal of Political Science) and Lasswell Prize (Policy Sciences) Principal investigator for Australian Research Council Discovery projects (2021-2025, 2018-2022) Active supervisor with current PhD projects on disaster recovery, institutional memory, and rapid evidence application Research Interests His work addresses three core areas: institutional memory in governance, crisis management through public inquiries, and deliberative democratic practices in policy-making. Recent articles explore Australian royal commissions, policy inaction dynamics, and post-pandemic governance responses. Scientific Contributions Authored/edited 4 books including Risk and Crisis Management in the Public Sector (3rd ed, 2024) and Public Inquiries and Policy Design (2024) Published 27 journal articles across Public Administration , Policy Sciences , and Governance Developed analytical frameworks for policy adoption, crisis dramaturgy, and deliberative governance Awards & Grants 2021-2025: ARC Discovery Project - Institutional Memory and Policy Processes 2018-2022: ARC Discovery Grant - Public Inquiries Implementation 2016-2019: ARC Discovery Grant - Social-Urban Planning Integration 2015: UQ Early Career Researcher Grant - Post-Crisis Policy Learning Professional Involvement Contributes to multiple research centers including the Graduate Centre in Governance and International Affairs. Participates in the Visual Politics Research Program and Visiting Researcher Program. Maintains active roles in policy evaluation and crisis management analysis.
Prof. Dr. Julia Bernstein is a Professor of Discrimination and Inclusion in Immigration Society at Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences (since 2015), affiliated with the Department of Social Work and Health. Her academic background includes a B.A. in Sociology, Cultural Anthropology, and Art History (1992–1995), an M.A. in Sociology and Cultural Anthropology (1996–2000) from the University of Haifa, Israel, and a Ph.D. in Cultural Anthropology from Goethe University Frankfurt (2009). She leads the research area Social Legacy of National Socialism and coordinates international projects on antisemitism prevention. Bernstein's research examines discrimination through interdisciplinary lenses, focusing on: Antisemitism in institutional and everyday contexts Migration, identity, and transnationalism among Russian-speaking Jews Stereotyping mechanisms and racialization processes Holocaust memory and its societal repercussions Food sociology as a marker of cultural identity Her recent publications (2020–2022) demonstrate a strong focus on antisemitism in educational settings, analyzing victim perspectives, teacher training gaps, and pedagogical counter-strategies. She frequently addresses media representations of Jewish communities and the normalization of Israel-related antisemitism. Honors include the Barbara-und-Piergiuseppe-Scardigli-Preis for her dissertation (2011) and nomination for the WISAG-Preis (2010). Bernstein directs federally funded projects like Mach mal keine Judenaktion! (2017–2019) and collaborates with institutions including the German Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency, Anne Frank Educational Center, and Tel Aviv University's Kantor Center. At Frankfurt UAS, she teaches courses on antisemitism, social inequality, and Holocaust legacy in Bachelor of Social Work and Master of Diversity and Inclusion programs. She mentors emerging scholars through the Ernst Ludwig Ehrlich Studienwerk and co-leads the Frankfurt meets Haifa academic exchange initiative.
Kevin P. Coleman is an Associate Professor in the Department of Historical Studies at the University of Toronto Mississauga. His scholarship bridges the fields of modern Latin American history, visual culture, and the history of capitalism, with a focus on the intersections of photography, citizenship, and political violence. He is actively engaged in research, teaching, and public scholarship, currently on leave through December 31, 2025. PhD, Indiana University, Bloomington MA, University of Maryland, Baltimore County BA, Northern Arizona University His research explores how photography functions within capitalist systems, particularly in Latin America, and how visual archives preserve and challenge narratives of power, labor, and resistance. He is especially interested in the ways violence is recorded, remembered, and reinterpreted through images. His recent publications reflect a strong thematic focus on photography and extraction, Cold War interventions, labor movements, and decolonial memory. Coleman’s work demonstrates a consistent engagement with visual epistemology and the political potential of images to resist capitalist and imperial domination. American Historical Association Prize Canadian Historical Association Prize SSHRC Insight and Connection Grants Andrew W. Mellon / ACLS Fellowship Fulbright-Hayes Fellowship He has supervised graduate research and taught courses on Latin American history, religion, capitalism, and visual methodology. His documentary film Stolen Photo and digital project Visualizing the Americas exemplify his commitment to interdisciplinary and public-facing scholarship. He is also involved in community initiatives related to urban ecology and native plant restoration.
D. Fairchild Ruggles is a Presidential Humanities and Social Science Chair and Professor in the Department of Landscape Architecture at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. They hold concurrent appointments in the School of Architecture, Unit for Criticism and Interpretive Theory, Program in Medieval Studies, Center for the Study of Global Gender Equity, European Union Center, and Center for South Asian and Middle Eastern Studies. PhD, Columbia University Specializes in Islamic art and architecture Focus on gardens and landscapes as cultural expressions Leading scholar in gender and architectural patronage Their research explores Islamic gardens, medieval architectural patronage, and cultural landscapes across Spain, North Africa, and South Asia. Recent work examines water management systems, the intersection of scent/sound in garden design, and the legacy of female architectural patrons like Shajar al-Durr. Their 15 most recent publications focus on Islamic gardens, medieval architecture, and cultural landscapes. Key themes include environmental history, sensory experiences in historical spaces, and the political dimensions of landscape design. Ruggles has received 11 scientific honors and actively engages in public scholarship through documentary films and podcast interviews. Their work bridges academic research and public understanding, particularly in Islamic visual culture and landscape history.
Gary Gilbert is an Associate Professor in the Department of Religious Studies, with scholarly expertise in Ancient Jewish History, Jewish/Christian relations, Jewish art, synagogue studies, and the development of early Christianity. His academic work bridges historical, religious, and cultural analyses of Second Temple and early rabbinic Judaism, as well as the origins of Christianity within its Roman and Jewish contexts. B.A., Haverford College M.A., Columbia University Ph.D., Columbia University His research focuses on the intersection of Jewish life with broader civic and imperial structures in antiquity. Key interests include gentile participation in Jewish communities, the influence of Roman political ideology on early Christian texts, and the evolution of Jewish-Christian relations. He also investigates Jewish visual culture, particularly the symbolism of the menorah in ancient art. His publications reflect a strong engagement with textual and material evidence from the ancient Mediterranean world. Themes across his recent and forthcoming articles include Jewish urban life, the representation of Jewish identity in art and literature, and the theological and political dimensions of New Testament writings—especially the Acts of the Apostles. His scholarship often employs interdisciplinary methods combining history, archaeology, and literary analysis. Israel Institute, Course Development Grant (2023) Summer Fellow, Schusterman Center for Israel Studies (2019) Visiting Lecturer, University of Warsaw (2019) Visiting Scholar, Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies (2005–2006) Claremont Graduate University, Humanities Electronic Media Project (2000) Salo and Jeanette Baron Dissertation Prize nomination (1992) Gilbert has contributed significantly to pedagogical innovation, particularly through integrating technology into religious studies education. He has advised on digital humanities projects and developed curricula on Jewish and Christian origins. Though no formal advisees are listed, his academic mentorship extends through collaborative research, guest lectureships, and participation in scholarly centers. He has secured external funding for research and course development, demonstrating sustained scholarly productivity and institutional engagement. His affiliations with leading centers such as Oxford, the Schusterman Center, and the University of Warsaw highlight his international scholarly presence. He continues to publish in major academic venues and contribute to authoritative reference works like The Jewish Annotated New Testament .
Suzy Kim is an Associate Professor of Korean History in the Department of Asian Languages and Cultures at Rutgers University–New Brunswick, within the School of Arts and Sciences. Her research focuses on modern Korean history, particularly North Korea, with interdisciplinary engagement in gender studies, social and cultural history, oral history, and social theory. She is the author of two major books and serves as senior editor of positions: asia critique and on the editorial boards of Journal of Korean Studies and Yŏsŏng kwa yŏksa (Women and History). She is also an active public scholar and human rights advocate. Ph.D., University of Chicago M.A., University of Chicago B.A., University of California, Los Angeles Her research interests span modern Korean history, the global Cold War, transnational feminisms, gender and sexuality, comparative revolutions, visual cultures, and environmental humanities. She critically examines North Korean society through the lenses of everyday life, mass mobilization, and gendered subject formation. Her work bridges academic rigor with public advocacy, emphasizing social justice and peace in Korea. The 15 most recent publications reflect a sustained scholarly engagement with North Korea’s social and cultural history, particularly focusing on gender, revolution, memory, and transnational connections. Her articles appear in leading journals such as Gender & History , Comparative Studies in Society and History , and positions: asia critique . Thematically, her work explores the intersections of state ideology, personal agency, and global Cold War dynamics, often challenging dominant narratives about North Korea through nuanced historical analysis. Fulbright, 2020-2021 National Endowment for the Humanities, 2016 James B. Palais Book Prize, 2015 Kim has advised and mentored students in Korean studies, gender studies, and history, though specific names are not listed. She has received significant research funding, including from the Fulbright Program and NEH. She previously served as a visiting professor at Boston College and has worked with human rights organizations such as Amnesty International USA, Truth Foundation, and Women Cross DMZ. Her public scholarship emphasizes dialogue, peacebuilding, and ethical representation of North Korea. She is actively involved in academic communities, serving on professional boards including the American Historical Association, Association for Asian Studies, and National Women’s Studies Association. Her editorial leadership in positions: asia critique and other journals underscores her role in shaping critical discourse in Asian studies. She teaches courses such as Global East Asia, Gender and Social Change in Korea, and North Korea in the Socialist and Post-Socialist Worlds.
Allison Goodman serves as a Professor specializing in visual design disciplines with expertise spanning graphic and product design fields. Her research and teaching interests include: Graphic Design Product Design Information Design Communication Design Visual Thinking Narrative Design Professor Goodman teaches multiple sections of Communication Design courses focusing on information and context across different departments (GPRT, ILL, IXD), along with specialized courses in Information Design, Visual Thinking, and Narrative & Scale. Her course load demonstrates comprehensive coverage of design principles from foundational to advanced levels. She actively contributes to design education through courses including ID Graphics, Information Design, Visual Thinking 1, and advanced Communication Design sequences, indicating strong engagement with contemporary design methodologies and pedagogical approaches.
Jason Nelson is a Professor of Digital Culture in the Department of Linguistic, Literary and Aesthetic Studies at the University of Bergen, Norway. He is a creator of digital poems and fictions, builder of surrealist and politically focused art games and digital creatures. His work is exhibited widely in galleries and journals around the globe at FILE, ACM, LEA, ISEA, SIGGRAPH, ELO and numerous other venues. Nelson serves on organizational boards including the Australia Council Literature Board and the Electronic Literature Organization. Nelson's research focuses on the intersection of digital technology, creative writing, and artistic expression. He explores how AI and machine learning can be harnessed for creative purposes, developing new forms of digital literature and interactive art. His work often involves building expansive visual worlds through collaborative AI processes, creating interactive digital poetry, and developing novel approaches to digital narrative. Nelson's research spans digital humanities, electronic literature, AI-generated art, and interactive media, with particular emphasis on how these technologies transform creative processes and experiences. Over the past decade, Nelson's work has increasingly focused on the creative potential of AI technologies, especially in the areas of text-to-image generation and multimodal authorship. His projects often blend game engines with poetic expression, creating immersive experiences that challenge traditional boundaries between human and machine creativity. Recent works explore themes of multispecies futures, time perception, and the transformation of physical spaces through augmented reality. Nelson has received numerous scientific awards and fellowships including: Fulbright Fellowship at the University of Bergen Moore Fellowship at the National University of Ireland Winner of the Digital Writing Prize, Queensland Literary Awards (15,000 AUD) Winner of the Woollahra Library Digital Poetry Prize (5,000 AUD) Runner-Up Prize at the Videomedeja digital art exhibition Finalist for the Turn-on Literature Prize Finalist for the Queensland Literary Awards, Digital Writing Category Multiple finalist nominations for the New Media Writing Prize Nelson actively participates in academic advising and has secured significant research funding, including a 125,000 AUD grant from the Australia Council of the Arts, Literature Board for his project "Cube Cryptext and Nomencluster," which was recognized as the world's largest interactive art-game. His work "Nine Billion Branches" received multiple awards including the Digital Writing Prize from the Queensland Literary Awards. He has also received a 75,000 NOK grant for the "Flood Mosaic Artwork" project featured in the Floodlines Exhibition at the State Library of Queensland. Nelson is affiliated with the Center for Digital Narrative at the University of Bergen, where he collaborates with researchers like Scott Robert Rettberg and Alinta Krauth. Together they form EphemerLab, exploring new creative processes that move beyond simple "ask and generate" AI methods. Their work involves stitching together hundreds of individual image fragments and components into cohesive visual and narrative concepts, pushing the boundaries of what's possible with current AI technologies.
Jonathan Gratch is a Research Professor at the University of Southern California (USC) with joint appointments in Computer Science , Psychology , and Media Arts and Practice . He serves as Director for Virtual Human Research at USC's Institute for Creative Technologies and leads the USC Affective Computing Group . His work focuses on computational models of human cognitive and social processes, particularly emotions, and their applications to virtual environments. Education: Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (1995) Gratch's research spans Affective Computing , Cognitive Modeling , and Human-Computer Interaction , with a focus on creating emotionally intelligent virtual agents. His projects include the development of computational emotion models (e.g., EMA) and virtual human systems for training, healthcare, and social interaction studies. Key applications include the Mission Rehearsal Exercise and Stability and Support Operations prototypes. Recent publications (2023) highlight his exploration of LLM-based emotion modeling , social influence dynamics in human-agent interactions, and ethical implications of AI assistants . Earlier work (2014-2015) established foundational frameworks for automated negotiation and rapport-building virtual agents . His methodological contributions include parasocial consensus sampling and appraisal theory-based emotion architectures. Scientific honors include Fellowships from AAAI, AAAC, and the Cognitive Science Society, the SIGART Autonomous Agents Award , and Senior Membership in IEEE . As founding Editor-in-Chief of IEEE Transactions on Affective Computing , he has significantly shaped the field's academic discourse. Gratch's virtual humans leverage immersive audio-visual environments (8'x30' screens, 10.2-channel audio) to study socio-emotional dynamics. His team's work demonstrates that anthropomorphism in machines can enhance interaction but may produce unintended consequences, informing design principles for effective human-machine collaboration.
Prof. Dr. Gerd Bayer is a faculty member at the Department of English and American Studies, Friedrich-Alexander University of Erlangen-Nürnberg. He holds the academic rank of Professor and has been an Akademischer Direktor since 2016, with an außerplanmäßiger Professor title since 2017. His educational background includes an M.A. and 1. Staatsexamen in English and American Studies and Geography from FAU (1998), a Ph.D. (2003), and a Habilitation (2012). Current research focuses on Restoration prose fiction, Holocaust literature/film, postmodernism, and epistolary culture. Grants include the Thyssen-Foundation Grant (2018-2023) and DFG Grant (2009-2012). He has served on editorial boards for journals like The Journal of Popular Culture and Humanities (Switzerland) , and as Associate Editor for The Journal of Postcolonial Writing (2012-22). Peer review activities span 25+ journals and publishers, including Cambridge University Press and Routledge. His supervision includes Christof Beer (2021), Jaroslaw Jasenowski (2024), and others. He is currently on leave from April to September 2025 and will deliver a keynote on metal documentaries in Sevilla (June 2025).
Dr Tyson Mitman is a Senior Lecturer in Sociology and Criminology and the Course Lead for Postgraduate Studies at York St John University’s School of Humanities. His research focuses on graffiti culture, craft beer production, memes, and subcultural identity. He explores how spaces—both physical and digital—are contested, represented, and politicized. Research Interests: Graffiti as political discourse and cultural practice Craft beer’s market dynamics and authenticity Meme culture’s social and ideological roles Visual culture and morality Grants & Projects: Historic England Grant (2023): 'Ghost Signs of York' to preserve public memory through fading signage QR Funding: Examined craft beer markets in Northern England Awards: York St John Inspirational Teaching Award Nominee (2018) Outstanding Dissertation Award (2016) Teaching: Leads modules in spatial sociology, criminology theory, and research methods.
Angelica Fenner is a cross-appointed Associate Professor at the University of Toronto, holding roles in the Cinema Studies Institute and the Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures. She is affiliated with the Centre for European and Eurasian Studies. Her research focuses on women’s film authorship in German and European cinema, diaspora, feminist/queer theory, documentary media, and posthumanist ecologies. Education: PhD (University of Minnesota), MA (University of Massachusetts Amherst), BA (Oberlin College) Her work interrogates intersections of race, gender, and migration through cinematic and theoretical lenses. She has secured grants from SSHRC, DAAD, and the Connaught Fund for projects like the SSHRC-funded 'Rethinking Feminist Film History.' Recent publications include co-editing Feminist German Studies (2022) and contributing to Camera Obscura (2018). Her book Race Under Reconstruction in German Cinema (2011) explores postwar racial discourses. She regularly teaches graduate seminars on personal documentary and collaborates on interdisciplinary film studies projects.
Gloria Sutton is an Associate Professor of Contemporary Art History and New Media at Northeastern University, with an affiliation in the Art, Culture, and Technology Program at MIT. She holds a PhD from UCLA and has held fellowships at the Getty Research Institute and Whitney Museum. Her research focuses on durational media’s impact on visual art since the 1960s, with particular attention to expanded cinema, digital networks, and post-internet art. Primary affiliations: Northeastern University (main appointment), MIT (affiliate) Key roles: Carpenter Center Scholar-in-Residence (2017-2018), co-curator of How Many Billboards Education: Doctorate in Art History from UCLA (specific year not stated). Research interests include: Critical analysis of network culture in visual art Material histories of time-based media Intersection of art, architecture, and technology (e.g., Le Corbusier studies) Publications include The Experience Machine (MIT Press) and edited volumes on Sara VanDerBeek and Renée Green. Current projects explore immersive art critique and Shigeko Kubota’s work. Awards: Andy Warhol Foundation Arts Writers Grant (recent) Emily Hall Tremaine Award (2008) Grants and residencies: Carpenter Center residency (2017-2018) Whitney Museum Independent Study Program fellowship Lecturing and collaborations include engagements at SFMoMA, Walker Art Center, and Harvard’s Carpenter Center for Visual Arts.
