David A. Smith is an Associate Professor at the Khoury College of Computer Sciences, Northeastern University. His research focuses on Natural Language Processing (NLP) and computational linguistics, with applications in machine translation, information retrieval, digital humanities, and social sciences. He is a founding member of the NULab for Texts, Maps, and Networks, a research center focused on digital humanities and computational social sciences. Smith's work has been funded by grants from the Mellon Foundation, NEH, and IMLS, supporting projects such as the Viral Texts initiative analyzing 19th-century newspaper networks and the Oceanic Exchanges project tracking transnational information flows. He has contributed to advancements in OCR for historical texts, text reuse detection, and computational analysis of classical languages. He has advised numerous PhD students, including Shijia Liu, Si Wu, and Ryan Muther, and teaches courses like Natural Language Processing and Information Retrieval. His research has been featured in outlets like Wired and the Economist .
Maite Taboada is a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Linguistics at Simon Fraser University (SFU), directing the Discourse Processing Lab. She is also an Associate Member of the Cognitive Science Program and School of Computing Science, and affiliated with the Digital Democracies Institute and Visual and Interactive Computing Institute. Her research bridges discourse analysis and computational linguistics, focusing on mechanisms of coherence, discourse parsing, and sentiment analysis. Key projects include analyzing online news comments (SOCC corpus), detecting misinformation (MisInfoText), and monitoring gender representation in media (Gender Gap Tracker/Radar de Parité). Notable research interests span toxic language detection, constructive dialogue systems, and interdisciplinary work between social sciences and engineering. She has led projects funded by SFU and collaborated with organizations like Informed Opinion. Her awards include Fellowship in the Royal Society of Canada. Key contributions include developing the SFU Opinion and Comments Corpus, systems for comment moderation, and frameworks for gender bias analysis using topic modeling. Her work integrates theoretical discourse analysis with applied computational methods, addressing societal challenges like media bias and misinformation.
Baris Ata is the Sigmund E. Edelstone Distinguished Service Professor of Operations Management at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. His work bridges theoretical operations management with practical applications, focusing on dynamic decision-making under uncertainty. Research Interests Ata’s research spans stochastic networks, manufacturing/service operations, healthcare delivery, and social sector innovation. Recent projects address high-dimensional stochastic control, xenotransplantation candidate selection, criminal justice logistics, and last-mile delivery challenges in Africa. Scientific Awards Best Paper in Service Science Award, INFORMS (2009) William Pierskalla Best Paper Award, INFORMS (2015) Wickham Skinner Best Paper Award, POMS (2019) Manufacturing and Service Operations Management Young Scholar Prize, INFORMS (2015) Emory Williams MBA Teaching Award (2021) Recent Publications Ata’s recent work includes topics in dynamic pricing, stochastic control, and healthcare logistics. His papers examine congestion-based pricing strategies, equilibrium analysis in queues, and policy design for organ transplantation. Broad disciplines include operations management, stochastic modeling, and healthcare analytics.
James P. Bednarz is a Professor of English at Long Island University, affiliated with the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. He holds a B.A. from Columbia College and earned his M.A., M.Phil., and Ph.D. from the Columbia Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. A respected scholar of Shakespeare and the English Renaissance, Bednarz has made significant contributions to early modern literary studies through his publications, editorial work, and public engagement. His research focuses on Shakespeare and his contemporaries, including Christopher Marlowe, Ben Jonson, John Marston, and John Donne. He is the author of Shakespeare and the Poets’ War (2001), acclaimed as an 'International Book of the Year' by The Times Literary Supplement , and Shakespeare and the Truth of Love (2012), praised for transforming understanding of Shakespeare's work. His scholarship explores literary rivalry, intertextuality, authorship, and the political and religious contexts of Renaissance drama. His recent publications span topics such as Jonson’s satire of Shakespeare, the performance history of Volpone , the dating of Twelfth Night , and the cultural significance of quotation in early modern literature. These works reflect a deep engagement with textual analysis, historical context, and theatrical performance, particularly within the 'War of the Theaters' and Jacobean literary circles. Trustees’ Award for Excellence in Scholarship (LIU) Abraham Krasnoff Memorial Award for Excellence in Scholarship (LIU) David Newton Award for Excellence in Teaching (LIU) NEH Shakespeare Fellow Beverly Rogers Literary Award Essay (2020) Bednarz has advised university presses and journals, served on the PMLA advisory committee, and contributed to scholarly organizations such as the Shakespeare Association of America. He has also worked with theater groups like the Red Bull Theater and Theater for a New Audience to enhance public understanding of Shakespeare. Though no specific students are named, his mentorship extends to graduate education and teacher training programs. He has not received external grant funding mentioned in the text, but his fellowships from the Huntington Library underscore sustained research support. He is actively involved in academic and performance communities, serving as a consultant on Shakespearean productions and as a judge for the North Shore Student Shakespeare Festival. His work bridges the gap between scholarly research and public humanities, demonstrating a commitment to both rigorous criticism and accessible education.
Prof. Dr. Michael Schramm serves as an Extraordinary Professor of Classical Philology at the University of Göttingen's Faculty of Humanities. His academic journey spans prestigious institutions including Heidelberg, Jena, Leipzig, and Bielefeld, with doctoral and habilitation degrees establishing his expertise in ancient philosophical traditions. Research interests center on Neoplatonism, Greek tragedy reception, and Late Antique political-religious dynamics, particularly focusing on Julian the Apostate's theological works and Euripides' influence in imperial philosophy. His publications demonstrate rigorous engagement with textual criticism, philosophical exegesis, and intercultural dialogue between pagan and early Christian thought. Current research includes DFG-funded projects on Julian's religious philosophy (2015-2019) and Euripidean tragedy's relationship to providence (2020-2021), alongside a Gerda Henkel Foundation research fellowship (2020-2021). His editorial leadership in volumes like Euripides-Rezeption in Kaiserzeit und Spätantike (2020) shapes contemporary scholarship in classical reception studies. Advisory roles include postdoctoral mentoring through DFG research groups, with institutional service comprising temporary professorships at Bamberg, Bonn, Tübingen, and Jena since 2012. His methodological approach integrates philological precision with philosophical analysis across monographs, critical editions, and interdisciplinary handbooks.
Rita Finkbeiner is a Professor of German Linguistics at Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, where she has held a W3 professorship since April 2020 and served as managing director of the German Institute from 2022-2023. Previously, she was a W2 Professor at Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf (2018-2020) and has been affiliated with Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz since 2010. Her research focuses on the critical interface between grammatical structures and pragmatic functions in language use. Her academic background includes: Magistra Artium in German Linguistics and European Ethnology from Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (2000) Ph.D. in German Linguistics from Stockholm University (2009) Habilitation at Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz (2016) Professor Finkbeiner's research examines how linguistic constructions operate at the grammar-pragmatics interface, with particular attention to speech acts, implicit meaning, and expressivity in German. She investigates phenomena such as wh-headlines in newspapers, reduplicative constructions, expressive morphology, and the pragmatics of social media commenting. Her work bridges theoretical linguistics with practical applications in language teaching and media discourse, demonstrating how linguistic form and communicative function interact systematically. Analysis of her recent publications reveals a consistent focus on construction grammar and pragmatics, with increasing attention to digital communication patterns while maintaining strong theoretical foundations. Key trends include exploration of wh-headlines across discourse types, expressive morphology in German word formation, and the pragmatics of social media commenting, demonstrating both theoretical depth and practical relevance to contemporary communication contexts. Professor Finkbeiner actively supervises doctoral and master's students, with numerous successful completions including Julian Stawecki (2024) and Robert Külpmann (2019). She has led significant research projects including the DFG-funded "W-Überschriften im Deutschen" (2018-2022) on German wh-headlines, and is coordinating the development of a German linguistics textbook. She collaborates closely with researchers including Dr. Robert Külpmann, Dr. Paul Reszke, and Charlotte Eisenrauch. She leads a research team at Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz that investigates construction grammar and pragmatics across various discourse contexts, with particular attention to digital communication and educational applications. Her work environment provides a strong interdisciplinary context connecting theoretical linguistics with language education and media studies.
Małgorzata K. Citko-DuPlantis is an Assistant Professor of Japanese Literature and Culture at the University of Tennessee’s Department of World Languages and Cultures, within the College of Arts and Sciences. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, alongside M.A. and B.A. degrees from Polish institutions (Collegium Civitas and University of Warsaw). Her research interrogates the instability of premodern knowledge systems, focusing on the Man’yōshū’s evolving cultural significance across medieval and modern eras. She challenges the canonical fixation on a single manuscript of this foundational poetry collection, arguing its role as a malleable cultural construct. Her work spans interdisciplinary areas including digital humanities, medieval Japanese poetry reception, and contemporary pop-media depictions of premodern Japan. Citko-DuPlantis has authored/co-authored monographs and peer-reviewed articles in English, Polish, and Japanese, with notable works like Clashes of Dragons and Dragonflies (2012) and her forthcoming monograph Embracing Instability: Imagining “Man’yoshū” in Medieval and Modern Japan . She has been awarded grants from the Japan Foundation, Fulbright, and MEXT, and has presented at major conferences such as the Association for Asian Studies and MLA. Her research awards reflect sustained scholarly impact, complemented by multilingual competence in languages including Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish. Citko-DuPlantis actively engages with both academic and public spheres, bridging historical textual analysis with modern cultural phenomena.
Associate Professor Richard Burns is a Senior Fellow at the Australian National University's National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, working within the Department of Health Economics, Wellbeing and Society. With a distinguished academic career spanning epidemiology and population health, he contributes significantly to global health research initiatives including the Global Burden of Disease Study. BMus (ANU) BA (CSU) PGDE (UC) MSc (Manchester) MBiostats (USyd) PhD (USQ) Professor Burns' research focuses primarily on mental health, wellbeing, and the global disease burden, with particular expertise in life expectancy, psychological wellbeing, and dementia. His work bridges epidemiological methods with practical applications for population health improvement. His research fingerprint shows strong concentration in mental health (100%), wellbeing (49%), global disease burden (47%), and life expectancy (25%). His recent publication record demonstrates remarkable productivity, with 112 research outputs including 18 publications in 2024 alone. These works span high-impact journals including The Lancet, The Lancet Neurology, and Genes, focusing on global health metrics, mental health services, cognitive function, and healthy aging across diverse populations. His research shows a clear trend toward interdisciplinary approaches combining epidemiology, neuroscience, and public health policy. Professor Burns has successfully secured multiple research projects, including the Internal Validation of Defence Wellbeing Measure (2023-2025), Mental Health Analysis and Modelling, and the Request for Quotation application: Defence Wellbeing Research Framework. He collaborates extensively with researchers across Australia and internationally. As a registered supervisor, Professor Burns mentors students in epidemiology and population health research. His laboratory work focuses on the PATH through Life Project and other longitudinal studies examining mental health trajectories across the lifespan. His team employs advanced statistical modeling and neuroimaging techniques to understand the complex interplay between biological, psychological, and social determinants of health.
J. Albert Harrill is a Professor of History at The Ohio State University , where he has been affiliated with the Department of History since at least 2010. Holding a Ph.D. in New Testament and Early Christian Literature from the University of Chicago , Harrill specializes in the intersection of New Testament , early Christianity , and Roman social history , particularly focusing on ancient slaves and marginalized communities . Education: Ph.D., New Testament and Early Christian Literature, University of Chicago His research explores social and cultural dynamics in early Christian texts, with significant contributions to slavery studies through works like Slaves in the New Testament (2006) and The Manumission of Slaves in Early Christianity (1995). He also investigates ethnic fluidity in Ephesians, exegetical methodologies , and classical literary topoi in patristic writings. Recent Publications examine: Ephesians as a circular letter 1 Corinthians 7:21 and evolving scholarship on Pauline slavery Atheist catalogues in classical and Christian contexts Architectural ekphrasis in Roman culture Origen's exegetical techniques Scientific Awards: 2021 Sphinx and Mortar Board Outstanding Faculty 2019 Honors Faculty Service Award in Arts and Sciences 2017 Clio Award for Distinguished Teaching in History 2012 Distinguished Teaching Award in Religious Studies (Indiana University) With nearly 35 years of teaching experience , Harrill has received consistent recognition for courses on Paul's apostleship , historical Jesus , Greek/Roman slavery , and ancient Roman religion . He maintains active academic engagement through the Graduate Interdisciplinary Specialization in Religions of the Ancient Mediterranean World .
Eleni Palis is an Assistant Professor of English and Cinema Studies at the University of Tennessee. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania's Department of English, specializing in Cinema and Media Studies. Her research explores intersections of classical/post-classical American cinema, race/gender dynamics, adaptation studies, and videographic criticism. She is affiliated with the Cinema Studies department and contributes to interdisciplinary initiatives like the smART Lab. Key areas of expertise include film quotation theory, avant-garde traditions, and digital video essay practices. Her monograph Classical Projections examines how classical Hollywood fragments shape post-classical cinema's authorship. Her work appears in journals such as Screen and Cinema Journal . Palis' scholarly contributions bridge traditional film scholarship with digital media studies, emphasizing visual methodologies. She teaches in the Cinema Studies program and engages with contemporary debates on media historiography and cultural representation. Labs/Teams: Active in the smART Lab and collaborates with the Media Pool resource at the University of Tennessee.
Eetu Mäkelä is a Professor in Digital Humanities at the University of Helsinki, affiliated with the Helsinki Institute for Social Sciences and Humanities (HSSH). He holds a Doctor of Science in Computer Science and a Title of Docent in Computer Science. He supervises doctoral programs in History and Cultural Heritage, and Theology and Religious Studies. His research focuses on computational methods applied to humanities, including text reuse analysis, historical discourse studies, and digital cultural heritage. He leads the Helsinki Computational History Group (COMHIS) and participates in projects like CASCADE (computational semantic change analysis) and HPC-HD (high-performance computing for historical discourse analysis). Key research areas include computational analysis of historical texts, formulaic language in oral poetry, and linked open data applications in cultural heritage. Notable projects involve developing digital infrastructures for Finnic oral poetry and analyzing WWII data through linked open systems. Awards include the Best Paper Award at DHN 2020 and the Open Data Prize for the WarSampo system. Projects: CASCADE (EU Horizon Europe), HPC-HD (Academy of Finland), COMHIS (ongoing since 2018) Supervision: Doctoral programs in History, Cultural Heritage, and Theology Labs/Teams: Helsinki Computational History Group (COMHIS), leader of digital humanities initiatives
MUSTAFA KESKİN serves as an Associate Professor in the Department of Arabic Language and Rhetoric within the Faculty of Theology at Gaziantep University, Turkey. Appointed to this position in 2021 after serving as a Doctor Lecturer since 2013, his academic career is deeply rooted in Islamic theological studies with specialized expertise in Arabic linguistics and rhetoric. His institutional affiliation spans both the Department of Fundamental Islamic Sciences and the specialized Department of Arabic Language and Rhetoric, reflecting his dual focus on theological scholarship and linguistic analysis. His educational trajectory includes: Doctorate (2013-2017): Gaziantep University, Institute of Social Sciences, Department of Basic Islamic Sciences Master's (2011-2013): Harran University, Institute of Social Sciences, Tafsir (Thesis) Licence (2008-2010): Ankara University, Faculty of Theology, Theology Undergraduation Completion (Distance Education) Associate Degree (2006-2008): Anadolu University, Faculty of Open Education, Department of Theology Licence (1995-2002): Anadolu University, Faculty of Business Administration Professor Keskin's research centers on the intersection of Arabic linguistic structures and Islamic theological texts, with particular emphasis on rhetorical devices in the Quran and Hadith literature. His work explores how classical Arabic grammatical frameworks inform Quranic exegesis, analyzes historical linguistic schools like the Baghdad tradition, and investigates poetic devices in early Islamic literature. This scholarship bridges philological precision with theological interpretation, revealing how linguistic choices shape religious meaning in foundational Islamic texts. His publications consistently demonstrate methodological rigor in applying classical Arabic linguistic theories to theological source materials. Analysis of his 15 most recent publications (2018-2024) reveals three dominant scholarly trajectories: systematic examination of rhetorical devices in Quranic surahs (particularly tibāq and metaphor), critical engagement with classical Arabic grammatical treatises (including works by Müberred and al-Fārisī), and historical studies of Islamic scholarly networks connecting Anatolia and Syria. His work demonstrates growing international collaboration, with increasing co-authorship in Arabic-language publications alongside Turkish and English outputs. The research consistently applies linguistic analysis to theological questions, creating a distinctive niche in Quranic stylistics and classical Arabic rhetoric. No scientific awards were documented in the source materials. Professor Keskin has supervised 15 graduate students across doctoral and master's programs, with thesis topics reflecting his core research interests. Doctoral work includes semantic analysis of Quranic roots (e.g., 'krm') and classical rhetorical poetry, while master's research spans prophetic traditions in poetry, Quranic command structures, and human values in early Arabic poetry. His editorial work on 6 academic volumes complements this mentoring role, particularly in publishing classical Arabic texts with contemporary commentary. Conference presentations (9 international venues) demonstrate active scholarly engagement, though specific research grants were not documented in the source materials. No dedicated research laboratories or formal research teams were mentioned in the institutional documentation.
Dr. Mona Tokarek LaFosse serves as Assistant Professor of New Testament and Sacred Literature Studies (Teaching Stream) at the University of Toronto's Faculty of Divinity through a joint appointment at Emmanuel College and Victoria College. She teaches across undergraduate, basic-degree, and graduate programs at Victoria University, specializing in New Testament studies and early Christian history through interdisciplinary lenses. Her educational background includes a PhD from the University of Toronto's Department for the Study of Religion (2011), MA in Religion and Culture from Wilfrid Laurier University (2001), Honors BA in Anthropology from the University of Waterloo (1998), and Biblical Studies certificate from Columbia Bible College (1994). She previously taught at Martin Luther University College, Wilfrid Laurier University, Huron University College, and the University of Toronto. Dr. LaFosse approaches New Testament scholarship through cultural anthropology, storytelling theory, and age studies. Her research examines early Christian communities through the lens of age structure, intergenerational dynamics, and oral storytelling practices. She explores how life course stages shaped social relationships in the ancient Mediterranean, particularly focusing on 1 Timothy's treatment of age hierarchies. Her innovative teaching methodology emphasizes 'embodied story'—integrating performance and physical engagement with texts influenced by Indigenous storytelling traditions. Her recent publications reveal a strong focus on aging in early Christianity, with 2024 articles examining age demographics and comparative gerontology. She also maintains active scholarship in oral tradition studies, particularly regarding the Gospel of Mark and Shepherd of Hermas, while contributing to academic discourse through society leadership and book reviews. Dr. LaFosse holds significant leadership roles including current service on the Canadian Society for Patristic Studies Nominating Committee (2025–26) and co-chairing the Society of Biblical Literature's Social-Scientific Criticism of the New Testament section (2025–27). She actively participates in the Canadian Society of Biblical Studies, Society of Biblical Literature, and KW Biblical Colloquium. Her distinctive teaching portfolio includes innovative courses like 'Zombies, the Bible and the End of the World' and 'Gospel of Mark as Embodied Story,' reflecting her commitment to interdisciplinary engagement with biblical texts through contemporary cultural frameworks and physical performance.
Professor Cyrill P. Rigamonti is a Tenured Professor of Law at the University of Bern, where he teaches intellectual property law, antitrust/competition law, and media law. He serves as Director of the Institute for Economic Law and Chair of the Department for Economic Law, and is the founder of the Center for the Law of Innovation and Competition (CLIC). Professor Rigamonti is also an elected member of the Federal Arbitral Commission on Copyright and Neighboring Rights, serving as its President since 2024, having previously been Vice President since 2020. Professor Rigamonti holds a S.J.D. from Harvard Law School, an LL.M. from Georgetown University Law Center, and a J.D./Ph.D. from the University of Zurich. He also earned a habilitation from the University of Bern and is admitted to practice in New York and Zurich. His academic career includes a visiting position at the University of Oxford's Faculty of Law and Oxford Intellectual Property Research Centre in Spring 2024. Professor Rigamonti's research focuses on intellectual property law, particularly copyright, patent, and trademark law, as well as competition law. His work examines the intersection of intellectual property with fundamental rights, digital technologies, and international harmonization efforts. He has made significant contributions to understanding Swiss copyright law in comparative perspective, particularly regarding non-original photographs, parody exceptions, and internet service provider liability. His scholarly output shows consistent focus on the evolving relationship between copyright law and digital technologies, with particular attention to secondary liability, parody exceptions, and the protection of non-creative works. Professor Rigamonti's work bridges theoretical analysis with practical legal application, as evidenced by multiple citations of his scholarship in Swiss Federal Supreme Court decisions. Prix Jubilé from the Swiss Academy of Humanities and Social Sciences (first legal scholar to receive this award) Mancini and Addison Brown prizes from Harvard Law School Professor Rigamonti actively engages with the legal profession through his service on editorial boards including the leading Swiss intellectual property law journal (sic!), as a peer reviewer for the International Review of Intellectual Property and Competition Law (IIC), and as National Correspondent for the Journal of Intellectual Property, Information Technology and E-Commerce Law (JIPITEC). He also serves as Vice President of the Board of the Hans Sigrist Foundation at the University of Bern and on the list of arbitrators for the Swiss-U.S. Data Privacy Framework Binding Arbitration Program.
Edouard Marsoin is a Lecturer in American Literature at Paris Cité University since 2022. His research spans 19th Century American Literature , focusing on Pleasure and enjoyment in literature , Dietetics, literature and philosophy , and Sexuality, Gender and Literature . He has previously held roles as a PRAG (Professeur agrégé) at Paris Cité University (2016–2022) and a contractual doctoral student/ATER at Paris Diderot University (2011–2016). Marsoin’s scholarly work explores intersections of Affect Theory , Queer Studies , and Interdisciplinary Approaches to American and African American literature. His publications often analyze canonical and marginalized texts, including Melville’s works and antebellum slave narratives. His 2022–2018 publications reveal a thematic focus on pleasure economies , gendered ethics , and philosophical discourses in American literature. Notably, his 2020 article on Melville’s Typee and Omoo earned the Hennig Cohen Prize , recognizing excellence in Melville studies. Key awards : Hennig Cohen Prize 2020
