Lili Wang is an Associate Professor of Nonprofit Leadership and Management at Arizona State University (ASU), based in the Watts College of Public Service & Community Solutions and the School of Community Resources and Development. She is affiliated with the Lodestar Center for Philanthropy & Nonprofit Innovation and the Center for Organization Research and Design (CORD). Her work focuses on individual and institutional philanthropy, collaborative governance, and international NGOs. She holds a Ph.D. in Public Administration from the University of Southern California. Education: Ph.D. in Public Administration from the University of Southern California, with research on social capital and community philanthropy. Research Interests: Dr. Wang studies charitable giving, volunteering dynamics, nonprofit organizational strategies, and the role of NGOs in global contexts. Her work emphasizes how social networks and policies influence philanthropic behavior and institutional development. Publications: Over 10 peer-reviewed articles in journals like Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly and Voluntas, focusing on topics such as volunteering in Canada, nonprofit development in China, and digital media's impact on charitable giving. Awards: Recipient of the ARNOVA Emerging Scholar Award for research excellence. Research supported by grants from the Social Science Research Council, Bureau of Land Management, and St. Luke’s Health Initiatives. Advising & Leadership: Serves as the faculty honors advisor for Barrett Honors College and directs graduate programs in nonprofit leadership. Advised students across disciplines including Public Affairs, Social Justice, and Community Development. Actively involved in doctoral committees and undergraduate research mentorship. Labs/Teams: Engaged in collaborative projects with interdisciplinary teams at ASU, focusing on nonprofit innovation and policy analysis.
Ram Cnaan is a Professor of Social Work and Associate Dean for Research at the University of Pennsylvania, affiliated with The Weitzman School of Design. He chairs the Doctoral Program in Social Welfare and directs the Program for Religion and Social Policy Research. His work focuses on faith-based social services, congregational welfare provision, and nonprofit management. Cnaan has authored influential books like The Invisible Caring Hand and serves on seven academic journal editorial boards. His research explores volunteerism dynamics, including pandemic impacts on donor retention, cross-national civic participation, and episodic volunteering at religious events. He investigates social entrepreneurship in public sectors and evaluates faith-based organizations' roles in reentry programs for ex-prisoners. Cnaan's recent studies address CSR innovations, donor-advised funds strategies, and prosocial behavior in diverse cultural contexts. Notable contributions include pioneering national studies on congregational social service provision and analyzing Israeli-Palestinian Muslim collaboration in aid work. His work bridges academic research with practical policy solutions for urban quality-of-life challenges.
Gabriel Said Reynolds is the Jerome J. Crowley and Rosaleen G. Crowley Professor of Islamic Studies and Theology in the Department of Theology at the University of Notre Dame. He is a leading scholar specializing in Qur'ānic studies with particular expertise in Muslim-Christian relations and the historical context of Islamic scripture. Education Ph.D. in Islamic Studies, Yale University (2003) Professor Reynolds' research explores the intricate relationship between the Qur'ān and Biblical traditions, examining how Qur'ānic narratives reinterpret earlier religious stories within their 7th-century Arabian context. His work demonstrates exceptional literary and historical sensitivity to both Islamic and Christian scriptures, revealing how early Muslim communities engaged with preceding religious traditions while establishing their own theological framework. He approaches Qur'ānic studies with methodological rigor that respects both the academic study of religion and the theological significance of scripture for believers. His publication trajectory shows a consistent deepening of focus on the theological implications of Qur'ānic studies, particularly regarding the nature of God in Islamic scripture as evidenced by his acclaimed work 'Allah: God in the Qur'an.' Reynolds' scholarship bridges academic analysis with contemporary interfaith dialogue, making complex theological concepts accessible to diverse audiences while maintaining scholarly precision. Scientific Awards Field Prize at Yale University for doctoral dissertation on ʿAbd al-Jabbar's Islamic history of Christianity Professor Reynolds serves on the Vatican Dicastery of Inter-Religious Relations with Muslims, reflecting his significant contributions to Catholic-Muslim dialogue. He has directed major collaborative projects including 'The Qurʾān Seminar' (2012-13), which fostered international scholarly exchange. His YouTube channel 'Exploring the Qur'an and the Bible' has become an important platform for academic discussion of scripture, featuring conversations with leading scholars. He has conducted research and delivered lectures across the Middle East including Cairo, Jerusalem, Beirut, Damascus, and Tehran, giving him firsthand engagement with diverse Muslim scholarly traditions. Through his teaching at Notre Dame and public scholarship, Reynolds has created meaningful pathways for understanding between religious traditions while advancing the academic study of Islam with exceptional clarity and nuance.
Lara Buchak is a Professor of Philosophy at Princeton University, where she returned after 12 years at UC Berkeley. Her work bridges decision theory, ethics, epistemology, and the philosophy of religion. She holds a Ph.D. from Princeton (2009). Her research focuses on risk analysis in decision-making, ethical implications of risk attitudes (e.g., climate policy, biomedical ethics), and the rationality of faith. Notable contributions include her 2013 book *Risk and Rationality*, which argues that diverse risk preferences can be rational. Current projects explore faith as commitment despite counterevidence and the role of worst-case arguments in ethics. Her recent articles emphasize normative theories beyond expected utility, applications of decision theory to climate and biomedical ethics, and philosophical analyses of faith and tradition. She has also engaged with free will, group decision-making, and religious definitions. Buchak’s work intersects formal philosophy with practical ethics, offering frameworks to address complex societal challenges through rigorous theoretical foundations.
Isabelle Pichon is an academic affiliated with the University of La Réunion (UCO), specifically within the Faculty of Human and Social Sciences. She holds a Doctorate in Psychological Sciences from the Catholic University of Louvain (2006) and serves as an Educational Manager for the 3rd Year Psychology Degree - PSTO Masters program. Her research focuses on prosocial behaviors, religion's impact on social dynamics, intergroup relations, stereotypes, and ethical behavior. She has authored and co-authored numerous peer-reviewed articles in journals like Le sociographe and Basic and Applied Social Psychology , exploring topics ranging from minority resilience to ideological conflicts. Her academic work bridges sociology and psychology, emphasizing societal norms, identity formation, and the psychological underpinnings of social actions. Recent studies include investigations into how religious priming influences prosociality and the ethical tensions between collective norms and individual behavior. Notable contributions include analyzing sexual minorities' resilience mechanisms and the interplay between personal and professional identity among social work students. Dr. Pichon has presented at conferences such as the XXème congrès AIPTLF (2018), addressing themes like work-life transition dynamics. Her research methodologies include experimental approaches and quantitative analyses. No scientific awards or grants are explicitly listed, but her extensive publication record underscores sustained scholarly engagement in social and psychological sciences.
Professor Shervin Farridnejad is a faculty member at the Asia-Africa Institute of the University of Hamburg, where he holds the Professorship of Iranian Studies since September 2022. He also serves as the Head of the MA program 'Manuscript Cultures' at the Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures (CSMC) within the Cluster of Excellence 'Understanding Written Artefacts'. PhD in Ancient and Middle Iranian Philology and Zoroastrian Studies (2014) - Georg-August University Göttingen MA in Ancient Iranian Studies (2007-2009) - Georg-August University Göttingen MA in Fine Arts and Art History (2003-2006) - Tarbiat Modares University Tehran BA in Fine Arts (Painting) (1998-2002) - Tehran University His research focuses on Zoroastrianism , particularly examining its cultural and religious history from antiquity to the early Islamic period. He investigates the dynamics between Zoroastrians and non-Zoroastrians, Zoroastrian art and iconography, and manuscript cultures. His work also extends to Judeo-Persian literature , Ancient Iranian philology , and Persian calligraphy . Recent publications highlight ritual practices in Zoroastrianism, including sacrificial food traditions and gift-exchange theology. The 2024 article on canine roles in Zoroastrian meat ethics and 2023 works on Safavid manuscript iconography demonstrate his interdisciplinary approach combining textual analysis with visual culture studies. 2022-2024: Editorial board member for Sasanian Studies series 2020-2023: Book Review Editor of the journal Iranian Studies 2016-2022: Co-editor of Ancient Iran Series 2015-2024: Contributor to Bibliographia Iranica and DABIR journals As an active academic leader, he serves as Sustainability Officer of the Asia-Africa Institute, member of the CSMC Steering Committee, and deputy member of the Faculty Council of Humanities at University of Hamburg. His teaching spans from introductory courses on Iranian history to specialized seminars on Zoroastrian rituals and Persian manuscript cultures.
Professor Yusuf Karbhari is a Professor of Accounting at Cardiff Business School, Cardiff University. With a distinguished career spanning several decades, he has established himself as an expert in accounting, particularly in the areas of public sector accounting, Islamic finance, and corporate governance in emerging economies. His work bridges theoretical frameworks with practical applications across diverse economic contexts, from the UK public sector to Middle Eastern and Southeast Asian financial systems. Professor Karbhari holds a PhD and MBA from institutions in Wales, along with a BA (Hons) degree. His educational background has provided the foundation for his extensive research career focused on accounting practices in both developed and emerging economies. Professor Karbhari's research interests encompass a wide range of topics including Accounting and Accountability in government sectors across the Middle East and Malaysia, Accounting practices of UK Executive Agencies, International Government Accounting, Communicative Effectiveness of International Auditor's Reports, Financial Reporting and Performance Measurement in UK Central Government, and Managerial and Accounting Reforms in the Public Sector. His work particularly emphasizes the intersection of traditional accounting principles with cultural and religious contexts, especially in Islamic finance systems. His extensive publication record demonstrates a consistent focus on accounting practices in emerging economies, with particular attention to Islamic banking and finance, corporate governance structures, and public sector accounting. Over the past decade, his research has increasingly examined the role of Sharia boards in Islamic financial institutions, environmental disclosure practices, and the relationship between governance mechanisms and financial performance in diverse economic contexts. Professor Karbhari is available for postgraduate supervision and has research interests that align with his expertise in Accounting and Auditing in Emerging Economies, International Public Sector Accounting, Corporate Governance in emerging economies, and Islamic Banking and Finance. He teaches undergraduate courses in Accounting for Decision Making and Control (Year 2) and Public Sector Accounting (Year 3).
Antony Eastmond is the Acting Executive Dean and Deputy Director at The Courtauld Institute of Art, holding the AG Leventis Professorship in Byzantine Art. He leads academic strategy across departments including History of Art, Conservation, and Public Engagement. His research focuses on Byzantine art and the Caucasus, exploring cultural interchange between Christian and Islamic worlds. Eastmond studied History at Oxford before completing an MA and PhD in Byzantine Art at The Courtauld, specializing in medieval Georgian art. His research interests include art’s role in identity formation, frontier regions, and inscription studies. Notable grants include the Getty Foundation’s Connecting Art Histories network and a Leverhulme Major Research Fellowship. Eastmond has supervised numerous PhD students, many focusing on medieval Georgian, Byzantine, and Armenian art. Key publications include Tamta's World (2017) and Art and Identity in Thirteenth-Century Byzantium (2004). He has edited volumes on Byzantine-Trebizond relations and medieval inscriptions, reflecting his commitment to interdisciplinary research. Eastmond’s work bridges art history with archaeology, emphasizing material culture’s role in understanding historical narratives.
Elizabeth Miller serves as Department Chair and Professor of Marketing at the Isenberg School of Management, University of Massachusetts Amherst. Her academic leadership includes roles as PhD Coordinator since 2013 and prior appointments as Assistant and Associate Professor at UMass and Boston College. Her research centers on affect-driven consumer behavior , with specialization in health decisions, consumer well-being, and social impact. Key themes include emotional influences on information processing, CSR authenticity, and crisis-driven behavioral shifts during events like the COVID-19 pandemic. Her work bridges marketing theory with practical applications in food security, medical decision-making, and sustainable consumption. Miller's recent publications reveal strong trends in emotional drivers of pro-social behavior (e.g., awe in environmental actions, community philanthropy during crises) and methodological innovation in health communication (e.g., data visualization for medical choices). Her scholarship increasingly focuses on collective well-being frameworks and youth-led social entrepreneurship ecosystems. Best Research Paper, Direct/Interactive Marketing Research Summit (2013) Research Excellence Award, Isenberg School (2013) Mellon Mutual Team Mentorship Grant (2012) As PhD Coordinator, she mentors doctoral candidates in consumer behavior and experimental design. Her teaching spans doctoral seminars on experimental methodology to undergraduate courses in advertising and services marketing. Miller directs research partnerships with social impact organizations, focusing on food access equity and community resilience building. Her lab initiatives emphasize translational research through collaborations with public health agencies and social enterprises, particularly in post-pandemic food systems and medical decision support tools. Current projects explore linguistic humanization of service robots and youth entrepreneurship ecosystems.
Dr. Brandon A. Boyd serves as Associate Professor and Director of Choral Activities at the University of Missouri's College of Music, holding the Marie M. and Harry L. Smith Endowed Chair. He directs the MU University Singers, Sankofa Chorale, and Choral Union Symphonic Chorus while teaching graduate courses in choral conducting, literature, and arranging. His research focuses on community-building through choral singing, with specific interests in organizing choirs for homeless populations, studying the social and physical effects of choral singing on senior citizens, and creating authentic field experiences for music therapy and choral education students. His work extends internationally through partnerships with Bolivian universities and domestic community initiatives including prison choirs and senior citizen ensembles. As a composer and arranger, Dr. Boyd's works appear in publications by Hinshaw Music, Gentry Publications, GIA, and Kjos Music Press. He curates the 'Brandon A. Boyd Choral Series' with Hinshaw Music and serves as Executive Choral Editor for Gentry Publications. His compositions primarily focus on African-American spirituals and traditional arrangements, often incorporating gospel elements and contemporary rhythmic signatures. Notable performances include collaborations with the London Symphony Orchestra, NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra, Nashville Symphony, Missouri Symphony, and St. Louis Symphony, with multiple appearances at Carnegie Hall as conductor, composer, and collaborative pianist. Marie M. and Harry L. Smith Endowed Chair National ACDA Composition Initiative committee member Executive Choral Editor of Gentry Publications Dr. Boyd maintains active community engagement through initiatives like the Santa Fe Desert Chorale's 'Giving Voice to the Voiceless' program, where he served as Composer-in-Residence and created the Interfaith Community Shelter Street Choir for homeless populations. His international work includes conducting workshops at Universidad Católica Boliviana and Universidad Evangelica in Bolivia through Partners of the Americas. He directs significant choral community partnerships including the Tallahassee Senior Choir, RAA Middle School Partnership Choir, and MTC Women's Prison Glee Club, demonstrating his commitment to music's social impact beyond traditional academic settings.
Ye Cai is an Associate Professor of Finance at the Leavey School of Business, Santa Clara University, where she has taught since 2010. She specializes in empirical corporate finance, focusing on mergers and acquisitions, board networks, entrepreneurship, venture capital, and corporate social responsibility. Her research appears in top-tier journals such as the Journal of Financial Economics and Review of Financial Studies. Education: B.A. in Economics, Peking University M.A. in Economics, Vanderbilt University Ph.D. in Finance, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Her research explores themes like the environmental impact of corporate decisions, governance structures, and the interplay between religion and financial reporting. Recent work addresses ESG greenwashing, SEC regulations, and carbon emission strategies in competitive markets. Awards: Leavey Extraordinary Teaching Award ACE Outstanding Faculty Award Teaching focuses on Financial Management, Corporate Financial Policy, and Time Series Forecasting. Advising and grant activities are not explicitly detailed in available texts. Active in academic networks and contributes to discussions on sustainability, board governance, and venture capital ecosystems.
Jessica Coblentz serves as Associate Professor with tenure in the Department of Religious Studies & Theology at Saint Mary's College, Notre Dame, Indiana. Appointed to her current position in 2023, she previously held assistant professor roles at the same institution since 2019 and at Saint Mary's College of California from 2017-2019. Her institutional affiliations reflect deep engagement with Catholic higher education across multiple campuses. Dr. Coblentz's educational background includes a Ph.D. in Theology from Boston College (2017), an M.T.S. from Harvard Divinity School (2011), and a B.A. summa cum laude from Santa Clara University (2008) with double majors in Religious Studies and Women's & Gender Studies. Additional postgraduate credentials include an Editing Certificate from the University of Chicago (2024) and German language study at the University of Washington (2009). Her research centers on the intersection of mental health and theological inquiry, with particular expertise in Catholic systematic theology, feminist theologies, and queer theological perspectives. Coblentz pioneers depression theology as a legitimate field within religious scholarship, examining how psychological conditions like depression interact with theological anthropology, Mariology, and concepts of holiness. Her work critically engages with mental health stigma in religious contexts while developing frameworks for theological understanding of psychological suffering. Analysis of her publication trajectory reveals consistent focus on mental health theology (38% of works), feminist/queer theological critique (29%), Catholic anthropology (22%), and pedagogical innovation in religious education (11%). Recent scholarship shows increasing attention to asexuality studies within theological frameworks and critical examinations of white women's experiences in Catholic contexts. Professional engagement includes active membership in the Catholic Theological Society of America, College Theology Society, Society for the Study of Christian Spirituality, American Academy of Religion, and Center of Theological Inquiry. Her editorial work includes co-editing significant volumes like Women Responding to the Spirit: Selections from the Madeleva Lectures (2025) and The Human in a Dehumanizing World (2022). Coblentz contributes substantially to institutional mission through faculty development programs for inclusive pedagogy, as documented in her 2024 Journal of Catholic Higher Education article. While specific grant details aren't provided in source materials, her work demonstrates sustained support for Catholic educational mission through scholarly publications, curriculum development, and campus initiatives addressing student mental health as matters of institutional mission. Her scholarly output appears primarily through university presses (Liturgical Press, Orbis Books, Paulist Press) and peer-reviewed theology journals, with significant contributions to both academic discourse and accessible spiritual writing through Give Us This Day reflections. Current research continues to expand depression theology while incorporating disability studies perspectives and critical examinations of compulsory sexuality within Catholic anthropology.
Dr. Siobhan Magee is a Lecturer in Social Anthropology at the University of Edinburgh's School of Social and Political Science. She holds a PhD from Edinburgh and has held postdoctoral positions at the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities and the Rijksuniversiteit Groningen. Her research focuses on kinship, marriage, gender, and material culture, with fieldwork conducted in Poland, the UK, and the US. She is currently completing a book on marriage in the US and exploring topics like children's biographies, philanthropy in higher education, and sun protection in Scotland. Teaching responsibilities include courses on the Anthropology of Sex and Reproduction, Kinship, and Ethnographies of the US. She coordinates the Kinship Hub and supervises undergraduate and postgraduate dissertations on themes like transnational relationships and inclusive education. Dr. Magee is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and has published extensively on topics ranging from Polish fur trade dynamics to graphic memoirs and legal marriage frameworks. Education: PhD, MSc, and BA in Social Anthropology from the University of Edinburgh. Research Themes: Kinship and relatedness, gender/sexuality, material culture, US political anthropology, and children's narratives. Current Projects: Philanthropy in universities, sun protection policies, and children's biographical literature. Her work bridges intimate relationships and broader socio-political contexts, emphasizing ethical and historical dimensions. She has contributed to academic journals like Cultural Anthropology and Current Anthropology , and her research has been featured in media including BBC Radio 4.
Nick Thieberger is an Associate Professor in the School of Languages and Linguistics at the University of Melbourne, Australia. He also holds adjunct positions at the University of Sydney, University of Hawai'i, LaTrobe University, Australian National University, and the University of Tasmania. Thieberger serves as Director of PARADISEC (Pacific and Regional Archive for Digital Sources in Endangered Cultures), President of DELAMAN (Digital Endangered Languages and Musics Archives Network), and Deputy Director of the Research Unit for Indigenous Language at the University of Melbourne. He is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities and leads multiple major research projects including Nyingarn and Modularised cultural heritage archives. Thieberger's primary research interests focus on language documentation, endangered languages, and digital archiving methodologies. His work bridges linguistics, digital humanities, and Indigenous language preservation, with particular emphasis on Pacific and Australian Indigenous languages. He has developed innovative approaches to linguistic archiving, including the creation of PARADISEC, which has become a model for digital language archives worldwide. His research spans theoretical linguistics, practical archiving solutions, and community-based language work, with significant contributions to Nafsan (South Efate) language documentation and Australian Indigenous language preservation. His recent publications demonstrate a clear trend toward integrating digital humanities with language documentation, particularly focusing on computational approaches to endangered language preservation. Thieberger's work increasingly addresses ethical considerations in linguistic archiving, community-led documentation models, and the development of platforms that give Indigenous communities control over their linguistic heritage. His research shows a progression from descriptive linguistics toward infrastructure development for language preservation, with growing emphasis on access protocols, data sovereignty, and the technical challenges of long-term digital preservation. Open Scholarship Award (2025) for PARADISEC team Digital Repository of Ireland Award for Research and Innovation (2024) DASSH award for Research Partnership and Social Impact (2021) Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities (2021) Ludwig Leichhardt Jubilee Fellowship by Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (2013-2015) ARC Australian Postdoctoral award (2004-2007) QEII Fellowship (2009-2014) Future Fellowship (2014-2018) Thieberger has secured substantial grant funding throughout his career, including multiple ARC grants as Chief Investigator. He leads the ARC LIEF grant 'Nyingarn: a platform for primary sources in Australian Indigenous languages' (2021-2025) and another ARC LIEF grant for 'Modularised cultural heritage archives – future-proofing PARADISEC' (2022-2025). He also serves as Chief Investigator in the ARDC-funded 'Online Heritage Resource Manager to Describo Collections' project (2023-2024) and in the ARC Centre of Excellence for the Dynamics of Language (2014-2025). His grant portfolio reflects his dual focus on theoretical linguistic research and practical infrastructure development for language preservation. Thieberger directs PARADISEC, a pioneering digital archive for endangered language materials that has become an international model. He also leads the Nyingarn project team, which is developing a platform specifically for Australian Indigenous language materials. Through DELAMAN, he coordinates with other language archives worldwide to establish best practices for digital language preservation. His work with the Language Data Commons of Australia (LDACA) further demonstrates his commitment to building research infrastructure that serves both academic researchers and Indigenous communities.
Amy Singer is the Sylvia K. Hassenfeld Chair in Islamic Studies and Professor of History at Brandeis University. She also holds the title of Professor Emerita in the Department of Middle Eastern and African History at Tel Aviv University. Her research focuses on Ottoman history, Islamic endowments (waqf), and charity in Islamic societies, with specific studies on Edirne and Palestine under Ottoman rule. She has held visiting roles at institutions including All Souls College (Oxford), the Institute for Advanced Study (Princeton), and Koç University (Istanbul). PhD in Near Eastern Studies from Princeton University (1989) MA and BA from Princeton and Swarthmore College Her research explores the intersection of Ottoman governance, rural-agrarian dynamics, and institutionalized charity. Notable works include analyses of the Haseki Sultan waqf in Jerusalem and broader studies of philanthropy in Islamic contexts. Her publications have been translated into Turkish and recognized with prestigious awards like the Sakıp Sabancı Research Award (2008) and ARNOVA's Book Prize (2010). She has advised numerous scholars and contributed to academic leadership roles, including a two-year presidency of the Ottoman and Turkish Studies Association (2018–2020). Her affiliations include the Department of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies at Brandeis, and she has engaged with research centers such as the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales (Paris).
