Johnny Golding is a Professor at the Royal College of Art (RCA), School of Arts & Humanities. His career spans roles such as Director of the Centre for Fine Art Research at Birmingham City University, Professor of Philosophy in the Visual Arts & Communication Technologies (2000–2012), and honorary Professorship in Philosophy and Imaging at Dundee School of Art (2009). Born in New York, he holds a PhD from the Universities of Toronto and Cambridge. Education : - PhD in Philosophy from the Universities of Toronto and Cambridge. - Earlier studies in Toronto and New York. Research Interests : Golding’s work explores post-Newtonian analytics, new materialisms, and the erotics of sense as 'radical matter.' His interdisciplinary approach bridges art, philosophy, and 'wild sciences' like AI, robotics, and quantum theory. Key themes include data proliferation's societal impact, emergent systems, and the interplay between art and technology. Recent Articles & Projects : Focus on Data Loam (2020), exploring future knowledge systems through art and science collaborations. Recent works address radical empathy, distributed intelligence, and the ethics of AI. His 2018 opera Entanglement: The Opera and installations like Of The Thick and the Raw exemplify his practice-led philosophy. Grants & Leadership : - Led the Data Loam project (FWF-PEEK funded), involving over 20 artists and scholars. - PI for AiDesign Labs on generative AI at RCA. Labs & Collaborations : - Radical Matter Lab (2017–2018), a pedagogical experiment at RCA. - Collaborations with institutions like the University of Applied Arts Vienna and the British Library.
University of California , Santa Barbara (UCSB)United States
Christopher Bates is an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), with a joint appointment in the Division of Chemistry and Biochemistry (DCB). He leads the Bates Research Group, focusing on the design, synthesis, and application of soft materials. His lab develops advanced polymers and copolymers with tailored properties for applications in electronics, energy storage, and sustainable materials. Contact information includes cbates@ucsb.edu and an office in Engineering II Building. Research interests emphasize polymer architecture design, including block copolymers, bottlebrush networks, and degradable materials. Key areas include molecular cross-linking for photovoltaic stability, slide-ring gels for mechanical performance, and physics-informed machine learning for phase identification. The group also explores recyclable materials and sustainable synthesis methods. Recent work highlights advancements in α-lipoic acid-based materials, dynamic covalent networks, and electrochemical degradation strategies. The Bates Lab collaborates on projects such as tunable polyborosiloxane networks and self-healing elastomers. Advising includes Dr. Elizabeth Murphy (PhD 2025). No scientific awards are explicitly listed in the provided texts. The lab’s work is supported by grants such as the NSF CAREER award (2019) for block copolymer research. Labs and teams: The Bates Group operates within the UCSB Materials Department, leveraging interdisciplinary approaches to materials science challenges.
Zaheer Baber is a Professor at the University of Toronto Mississauga in the Department of Sociology . His research bridges social theory , science and technology studies , and comparative/historical sociology , with a focus on race and racial projects , visual sociology , and environmental sociology . He is affiliated with the Institute of Communication, Culture and Information Technology , Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy , and Centre for South Asian Civilizations . University of Toronto Mississauga : 2023–present National University of Singapore : 1994–2001 University of Tokyo : 1996 (Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Fellow) University of Saskatchewan : 2001–05 (Canada Research Chair) University of Victoria : 1993 His work critically examines the intersections of science , colonialism , and environmental crisis , exemplified by his SSHRC-funded project on botanical gardens and colonial botany . Recent publications analyze climate politics , racialization in Japan , and neoliberal urbanism , often through interdisciplinary and transnational lenses. He contributes to public sociology via essays in Nature , Times Literary Supplement , and Economic and Political Weekly , blending visual media with critical theory . His methodological approach spans historical analysis , ethnography , and photo-essays . Scientific Awards Canada Research Chair (2001–05) Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Fellow (1997) As an active supervisor, Baber mentors graduate students in critical sociology , science studies , and transnational social theory . His research emphasizes decolonizing knowledge and environmental justice across South Asian and global contexts.
Jorge Cañizares-Esguerra is a Professor and Alice Drysdale Sheffield Professor of History at the University of Texas at Austin's College of Liberal Arts. His work fundamentally recontextualizes Latin America's role in shaping Western modernity through historical analysis of science, abolitionism, and democratic thought. Education: PhD from University of Wisconsin His research interrogates historiographical categories like the Enlightenment, Scientific Revolution, and Atlantic Age of Revolutions that have obscured Latin America's contributions to modernity. He demonstrates how manuscript petitions, not print culture, drove knowledge production and how colonial scribal practices created alternative cosmopolitanisms. Recent publications include Categories as Prisons (University Pennsylvania Press) challenging Atlantic historiography, and The Radical Spanish Empire (Harvard University Press) co-authored with Adrian Masters, which reclaims Spanish America's role in anti-slavery movements and systematic skepticism. His work appears in Cambridge Companion to Latin American Independence and New World Objects of Knowledge series. Teaching includes courses on Colonial Latin America (LAS 366), Atlantic History (HIS 383M), and Urban Slavery (HIS 347N). He has extensive editorial experience co-editing Princeton Handbook of Atlantic History and Jesuit-Protestant Encounters series.
PD Dr. Tobias Delfs is a Visiting Professor at the Chair for Cultures and Societies of South Asia at Humboldt University during the 2024/25 winter semester . Previously, he was a Research Associate (2018-2024) in the DFG-funded Modern India in German Archives (MIDA) project and a Researcher (2015-2018) in the DFG project on Nathaniel Wallich's botanical network . He holds a habilitation (2023/24) on German botanists' role in 19th-century South Asian imperialism . Education: Studied Medieval/Modern History, Political Science, and Sociology at Kiel University; PhD (2017) on Deviance in the Halle Mission at the University of Zurich Research Stays: Serampore College (India), Archive of the Francke Foundations (Halle), and funded by Fritz Thyssen Fellowship Fields of Interest include imperial/global history , modern South Asian history , history of knowledge , environmental history , and colonial natural science . His 2022-2024 publications focus on German botanical imperialism , missionary knowledge transfer , and colonial alcohol debates . Scientific Awards: Fritz Thyssen Fellowship Collaborative Projects include co-editing Benjamin Schultze's Dialogue Book on Madras and South Asia Chronicle 12 . He contributes to postcolonial historiography , missionary deviance studies , and imperial scientific networks .
School of Advanced Study, University of LondonUnited Kingdom
Professor Rosemary Ashton is a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of English Studies and Honorary Fellow at University College London (UCL). Her work bridges English and German literature, focusing on 19th-century Anglo-German intellectual and cultural exchanges. She specializes in the works of authors like Coleridge, Carlyle, George Eliot, and Dickens, alongside Victorian radical publishing history and the integration of German exiles post-1848 revolutions. MA, PhD Honorary Fellow, UCL r.ashton@ucl.ac.uk Her research explores intersections between public/private 19th-century events, as seen in her book One Hot Summer (2017), which analyzes 1858's legislative and cultural turning points. She examines: Anglo-German literary/intellectual networks Victorian realism and Scenes of Clerical Life 's significance Sanitation reform and the Thames' 'Great Stink' Medical/Divorce Act implications Founding of progressive Bloomsbury institutions Atlantic cable's cultural impact As a prolific editor and critic, she has contributed to Times Literary Supplement and Literary Review , with expertise spanning: George Eliot's correspondence and novels John Chapman's radical publishing house Carlyle's intellectual biography Victorian periodicals and manuscript sources
Jih-Fei Cheng is Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Scripps College, where he teaches and researches at the intersection of science, media, surveillance, and social movements. He holds a PhD in American Studies and Ethnicity with an emphasis in Visual Studies from the University of Southern California, an MA in Asian American Studies from UCLA, and a BA in Communication from UC San Diego. His interdisciplinary scholarship engages feminist, queer, and decolonial theories to analyze the political economies of virology, global health, and racial capitalism. His research centers on the historical and transnational entanglements of science, empire, and social justice. Key areas include the institutionalization of queer politics, the geopolitics of HIV/AIDS, and the racialized foundations of virology. His co-edited volume AIDS and the Distribution of Crises (Duke UP, 2020) rethinks the pandemic as a network of overlapping crises shaped by colonialism and neoliberalism. He is currently working on a book project titled Materialist Virology , which historicizes virology within Euro-American empire. Cheng’s recent publications span journals such as History and Technology , Radical History Review , and GLQ , with 2025 articles on financial contagion and reservoirs signaling his continued engagement with interdisciplinary frameworks linking finance, disease, and history. His work often collaborates with artists and activists, exemplified by writings on Candice Lin’s art and co-organized dialogues on care and intravention during the pandemic. He has been recognized with multiple awards, including the Lavender Graduation Award (2023, 2016), Professional Development Grants (2019–2020, 2016–2017), and fellowships from USC and the American Antiquarian Society. His teaching and service reflect a deep commitment to LGBTQIA inclusion, racial justice, and community-based scholarship. Lavender Graduation Award for providing safe and inclusive spaces for LGBTQIA students, Queer Resource Center, The Claremont Colleges (2023) Professional Development Networks Grant at The Claremont Colleges (2019–2020) Diversity Teaching Award Nominee, The Claremont Colleges (2018) EnviroLab Asia Research and Conference Award (2017–2018) Lavender Graduation Award (2016) Professional Development Networks Grant (2016–2017) Research Fellow, Summer Institute for the Center for Historic American Visual Culture, American Antiquarian Society (2014) Visual Studies Summer Research Award, USC (2014) New Directions Fellow, USC Center for Feminist Research (2011–2012) Tritia Toyota Fellowship (2001–2002) Cheng has advised and collaborated with numerous scholars and activists, though no formal advisees are listed. His work is deeply rooted in community engagement, having previously worked in HIV/AIDS social services and served on the Board of Directors at the HIV League. He was managing editor of American Quarterly (2010–2013) and has taught at UCLA and Hunter College. His research is supported by interdisciplinary networks and collaborative projects, including digital humanities initiatives and art-theory praxis. He is involved in multiple collaborative research and publishing projects, often working with artists like Candice Lin and scholars such as Alexandra Juhasz and Nishant Shahani. His recent special issue on 'Reservoirs' brings together scholars from anthropology, media studies, and philosophy to rethink historical and ecological crises. His lab-like collaborative environments include feminist media praxis collectives and interdisciplinary workshops on crisis, care, and decolonial knowledge.
Prof. Ayhan Altıntaş is a Professor at Anadolu University's Faculty of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmacy Professional Sciences, where he has been serving since 2021. Previously, he held positions as Associate Professor (2012-2021), Assistant Professor (2008-2012), Lecturer (2003-2008), and Research Assistant (1993-2003) at the same institution. He also served as Assistant Director of Vocational School during multiple periods (2019-2021, 2014-2017, 2010-2011). His educational background includes: Doctorate in Pharmacognosy from Anadolu University's Institute of Health Sciences (1995-2003) Postgraduate degree in Pharmacognosy from Anadolu University's Institute of Health Sciences (1993-1995) Undergraduate degree in Pharmacy from Anadolu University's Faculty of Pharmacy (1988-1992) Prof. Altıntaş specializes in Pharmacognosy and Pharmacology, with extensive research on medicinal and aromatic plants. His work focuses on the chemical composition and biological activities of plant extracts, particularly essential oils. He has conducted significant research on Origanum onites , Lavandula stoechas , Centaurea species, and Lycium barbarum . His methodologies include GC/MS analysis, antioxidant activity testing, and evaluation of antimicrobial and anticancer properties of natural compounds. His research bridges traditional Turkish medicine with modern pharmacological approaches, examining how ethnobotanical knowledge can inform contemporary drug discovery. He has particularly investigated the therapeutic potential of Anatolian flora, documenting traditional uses while scientifically validating their efficacy. Prof. Altıntaş's publication record shows a consistent focus on natural products chemistry, with recent work expanding into cancer research (particularly breast and cervical cancer cell lines) and ethnobotanical studies of traditional Turkish remedies. His research demonstrates an evolution from basic phytochemical analysis toward more applied therapeutic investigations, while maintaining a strong foundation in pharmacognosy. He has advised 12 theses throughout his career and participated in numerous funded research projects, including: "Training Course on Process Technologies Quality Control and Utilization of Essential Oils" "Amatör Türk Halk Müziği Koro Çalışmalarındaki Koristlerin Somut Olmayan Kültürel Mirasın aktarımındaki aracılığının belirlenmesi" "Bazı Aromatik Bitkilerde Kolonize Endofitlerin Biyoaktif Metabolitleri" "Centaurea babylonica bitkisi üzerinde farmakognozik araştırmalar" Prof. Altıntaş has also contributed to educational materials, authoring chapters on aromatherapy, essential oil safety, and medicinal plant laboratory techniques. His work reflects a comprehensive approach to pharmacognosy that spans basic research, education, and practical applications in pharmaceutical sciences.
Rozailin Abdul Rahman is a Lecturer in Enterprise and Entrepreneurship at Coventry University's CBL International Centre for Transformational Entrepreneurship (ICTE). Her work focuses on interdisciplinary research spanning entrepreneurship, SME sustainability, Islamic management practices, and halal industry dynamics. She has contributed to understanding rural SME growth, employee retention strategies in Islamic institutions, and digital competency challenges faced by marginalized groups. Research interests include: Entrepreneurial ecosystems in developing economies Halal certification adoption and global market positioning Islamic perspectives in organizational behavior Biological studies related to natural product applications Her publications demonstrate a thematic shift from early biological research (e.g., plant cytotoxicity studies) to contemporary focus on enterprise development and human resource management issues. Notable contributions include frameworks for SME sustainability in Malaysia's sports-coaching sector and conceptual models for OIC countries' halal certification strategies. Awards information is currently unavailable. Advising and grant details are not explicitly mentioned in available sources. She is affiliated with Coventry University's ICTE center, contributing to transformational entrepreneurship initiatives.
Antonia Szabari is a Professor of French and Comparative Literature at the University of Southern California. Her academic roles include interim director of the Program in Comparative Studies in Literatures and Cultures and organizational leadership in conferences like 'Early Modern French Diplomacy and Theater.' Her research spans early modern French literature, ecocriticism, plant studies, and gender theory, with a focus on vegetal ontologies and interspecies ethics. Education: Ph.D. in French Literature, Johns Hopkins University (2005) Research Interests: Her work explores the intersection of literature and natural history, particularly how plants shape political and social thought. Key projects include *Less Rightly Said* (2010), analyzing satire in early modern France; *Radical Botany* (2019, with Natania Meeker), linking botany to queer theory; and *Agents without Empire* (2024), examining race-making in pre-colonial France. She has curated exhibitions like 'French Travelers to the East' (2012) at the Huntington Art Collections. Publications & Awards: Recipient of fellowships from Radcliffe Institute, Huntington Library, and USC. Author of three monographs and numerous articles on early modern literature, plant studies, and ecocriticism. Awarded the 2019 Science Fiction and Technoculture Studies Book Prize for *Radical Botany*. Grants & Service: USC Early Modern Studies Institute Fellowship for *Agents without Empire*. Service roles: MLA Executive Committee on 16th-Century French Literature, conference organizer, and professional memberships in Renaissance and Early Modern Studies societies. Labs/Teams: Collaborations include partnerships with Natania Meeker on botanical projects and interdisciplinary initiatives in environmental humanities and comparative literature.
Michael Jonik is a Professor of American Literature and Philosophy at the School of Media, Arts and Humanities , University of Sussex. His work bridges 18th- and 19th-century American/transatlantic literature, continental philosophy, and science history. He has authored monographs on Herman Melville and edited texts by Emerson, Thoreau, and Melville. Research interests include: Biopolitics and life philosophy Deleuze, Foucault, Derrida, Ranciere Transatlantic radicalism Vegetal intelligence in Thoreau Political theory in 19th-century fiction Philosophy of biology/psychology Recent grants : Thoreau's Radical Ecologies (British Academy, 2023-2024) Anarchists, Scientists, Lovers and Con-men (Leverhulme Trust, 2014-2016) Teaching includes modules like New Configurations in Critical Theory , Emerson and Thoreau , and Critical Theory in the Twenty-First Century , while supervising doctoral research on pre-1900 American literature, digital philosophy, and Native American culture.
Prof. Anely Nedelcheva holds a Professorship in Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry at Sofia University’s Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy, where she has served since 2018. Previously, she was an Associate Professor (2012–2018) and Assistant Professor (1997–2012) in Botany at the same institution. Her research focuses on ethnobotany, traditional herbal medicine, and pharmacognostic analysis of medicinal plants. She leads projects such as the 2017–2018 ethnobotanical study of Bulgaria’s North Black Sea coast and contributed to EU-funded initiatives like HEI-PLADI (2015–2018), developing e-learning resources on plant taxonomy. She chairs the Scientific Education Council of the Balkan Ecological Center and is active in editorial roles for journals like the EurAsian Journal of BioSciences . Her teaching spans master’s-level pharmacognosy courses and botanical electives. Education: PhD in Biological Sciences (1998), M.Sc. in Biology/Medicinal Plants (1989), both from Sofia University. She has authored/co-authored over 50 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters, including a 2014 Springer volume on Balkan medicinal ethnobotany. Her utility patents include compositions based on honey and herbal extracts. Research interests emphasize morphological/phytochemical plant identification, traditional knowledge preservation, and cross-cultural comparisons of herbal medicine practices. Professional Engagement: Member of AMAPSEEC (since 2000), the International Society of Ethnobiology (since 2010), and reviewer for numerous journals including Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine . She has published textbooks on plant taxonomy and biology education for Bulgarian schools, reflecting her commitment to science communication and pedagogy.
James T. Costa is a Professor and Executive Director of the Highlands Biological Station at Western Carolina University (WCU), where he has taught genetics, entomology, evolution, and biogeography since 1996. His research spans insect behavior, conservation biology, and the history of evolutionary thought , with a focus on Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace. Costa has authored 9 books, including Radical by Nature: The Revolutionary Life of Alfred Russel Wallace (2023) and Darwin and the Art of Botany (2023), and held fellowships at institutions like Harvard’s Radcliffe Institute and the New York Botanical Garden. Education: Ph.D. and M.A. in Entomology from the University of Georgia; B.S. in Biological Sciences from SUNY Buffalo. His teaching includes graduate Biogeography and courses on Darwin’s On the Origin of Species , alongside field programs in Ecuador and the Blue Ridge Mountains. Costa lectures extensively in the U.S. and Europe and has co-instructed Harvard’s Darwin summer program at Oxford. Awards include the Stephen Jay Gould Prize (2023) and Alfred Russel Wallace Medal (2017).
Anna-Sophie Springer is an Acting Professor of Transformation Design at the Braunschweig University of Fine Arts (HBK), where she explores how ecological, historical, and aesthetic methodologies inform art and design practices for socio-environmental change. She serves as Administrator of the Transportation Design Professorship and is affiliated with the Institute for Design Research. Her internationally recognized research has shaped the ecological turn in curatorial and artistic practice. Springer investigates how knowledge systems of natural history, science, and cultural institutions are embedded in colonial legacies and global resource economies through her long-term project Reassembling the Natural and pioneering work on the 'world as forest.' Drawing on Aby Warburg's concept of 'picture vehicles,' she examines how images, materials, and knowledge circulate across time and space. At HBK, her teaching and research interrogate connections among mobility, fossil fuel economies, technological systems, and the ecological crisis. Her current focus includes fieldwork on algae and seaweed as living agents of multiscalar coevolution, tracing their roles in oceanic thinking, economies of abundance, and planetary governance beyond the human. These investigations build on previous research into plantation ecologies and land governance in Southeast Asia. Springer's publications demonstrate a consistent trajectory toward examining the intersections of environmental humanities, cultural history, and artistic practice. Her work spans academic articles, edited volumes, and monographs that critically engage with colonial legacies, multispecies relations, and alternative knowledge systems. The recurring themes across her publications reveal a deep commitment to decolonial approaches, ecological thinking, and reimagining institutional frameworks. Deutscher Verlagspreis (German Publishing Prize) 2020 Deutscher Verlagspreis (German Publishing Prize) 2023 As founder of K. Verlag, a Berlin-based experimental press, Springer develops publishing as both artistic medium and epistemic practice. Her pedagogical approach fosters inquiry-led methodologies and interdisciplinary collaboration, mentoring students in developing practices that address complex environmental and societal challenges. Springer completed her PhD at the Center for Research Architecture at Goldsmiths, University of London, with her thesis 'Species of Accumulation and the Necromass of Natural History.'
Nathan Ellstrand is a postdoctoral DPAA Research Partner Fellow at San Diego State University's Department of History , supporting the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency. He holds a Ph.D. in History (2022) and a Certificate in Ignatian Pedagogy (2020) from Loyola University Chicago, along with an M.A. in Latin American Studies (2011) and B.A.s in History and Politics (2009) from UC Santa Cruz. Research Focus: U.S.-Latin American transnational history, Sinarquismo, sanctuary movements, digital humanities, and public history. Teaching: Over a decade of experience at UC Santa Cruz, UC San Diego, UC Davis, and Loyola, emphasizing Ignatian Pedagogy and student-driven learning. Key Publications: Peer-reviewed articles in Diplomatic History and Middle West Review , with forthcoming work on racialized policing (AHR) and Chicano faith politics (A Contracorriente). Awards: Recognized by San Diego State University (2024), IEHS (2020), UC Davis (2015), and the Fulbright Program (2012). His public humanities work includes co-founding the Historians of Catholic Mexico network, United Fronteras digital archive, and the Immigration Advocacy History Project . He advocates for accessible historical narratives and community-university partnerships.
