Matthew Potolsky is Professor of English at the University of Utah, specializing in nineteenth-century literature and literary theory. His career spans from 1998 Lecturer at Harvard University to current University Professorship. He earned a BA in Comparative Literature and Philosophy (1990), followed by MA and PhD in Comparative Literature (1992, 1997) from UC Irvine. Chair of English Department (2013-2016) University Professor (2014-2016) Research focuses on Decadence , Mimesis , Finance-Aesthetics intersections , and Government Secrecy . His work traces connections between financialization and decadent aesthetics, revealing how economic cycles influence artistic production. Key themes include: Decadent anti-realist literary movements Finance capital's cultural impact Decadent counterpublic formations Victorian aesthetic education debates Sublime aesthetics in national security Cosmopolitanism in literary communities Recent publications analyze: Decadent style as financialization rhetoric Reintroduction of verisimilitude theory Decadent responses to financial crises Mimetic labor in artistic production Decadent cosmopolitan counterpublics Historical parallels between financialization and literary decadence
Annette Schellenberg-Lagler serves as Professor of Old Testament Studies at the University of Vienna's Faculty of Protestant Theology, where she concurrently holds leadership roles as Vice Dean, Director of Studies, and Deputy Head of the Institute for Old Testament Studies and Biblical Archaeology. Her academic career spans over two decades with significant contributions to biblical scholarship since joining Vienna in 2015 after positions at the University of Zurich and San Francisco Theological Seminary. Her educational foundation includes Protestant Theology studies at the University of Zurich (1991-1998), followed by doctoral completion in 2002 and habilitation in 2011 at the same institution. Key developmental phases include Swiss National Science Foundation research in Los Angeles (2003-2005) and tenure-track professorship in California (2007-2015). Schellenberg-Lagler's research centers on Prehistory (Genesis 1-11), Priestly literature, Wisdom literature, and the Song of Songs, with specialized focus on Old Testament Anthropology and theological controversies within ancient Near Eastern contexts. Her work consistently bridges textual analysis with anthropological and epistemological frameworks, particularly examining human cognition in wisdom texts and sensory dimensions in biblical poetry. Current projects include a Song of Songs commentary for Eerdmans' Illuminations series. Recent publications reveal evolving scholarly trajectories toward negative theology in Hebrew Bible studies and interdisciplinary epistemology, while maintaining deep engagement with Wisdom literature. Her editorial leadership as Editor-in-Chief of Vetus Testamentum since 2020 significantly shapes contemporary Old Testament scholarship. She actively mentors students through STEOP-Mentoring programs and doctoral seminars, building on early-career support from Swiss National Science Foundation and Zurich Young Talents scholarships. Her academic service extends to steering committees for the Society of Biblical Literature's 'Wisdom in Israelite Traditions' group and the Working Group on Old Testament Reception (AKRAT). As a core member of Vienna's Research Center 'Religion and Transformation in Contemporary Society' (RaT), she collaborates across multiple networks including the 'Epistemology in ancient Israel' consortium. Her institutional leadership drives curriculum development for Evangelical Theology programs while maintaining active participation in European scholarly societies like EABS and SBL.
Timothy Bewes is the Owen F. Walker Professor of Humanities and Professor of English at Brown University , where he has taught since 2004. His research bridges contemporary fiction , poststructuralist theory , Marxist literary analysis , and postcolonial studies , with a focus on the politics and ethics of literary form . He has held fellowships at the Pembroke Center and Cogut Institute for the Humanities , and co-edits the Film-Thinking series. Education : DPhil and MA from University of Sussex , BA from University of North London . Bewes' scholarship interrogates the ontological status of fiction and the materiality of literary works , as seen in his National Book Critics Circle Award-winning book Free Indirect: The Novel in a Postfictional Age (2022). His recent articles explore intersections between novel theory , Black studies , and Deleuzean philosophy , emphasizing repetition , dialogicality , and anti-representational frameworks . Notable awards include the L. S. Dembo Prize (2015) and Chesler-Mallow Senior Faculty Research Fellowship (2012-13). He teaches courses such as The Terrible Century , Capitalism & its Metamorphoses , and Bakhtin and the Political Present .
Professor Kathryn Murphy is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of English Language & Literature at the University of Oxford and a Fellow and Tutor at Oriel College. Her research focuses on seventeenth-century literary and intellectual culture, blending literature, philosophy, theology, and art. She explores the interplay between form (poetic, rhetorical, and artistic) and thought, with a particular interest in essays, still-life painting, and the relationship between form and idea. Her recent projects include a biography of Robert Burton (author of The Anatomy of Melancholy ) and a study of metaphysical prose in the seventeenth century. She has also edited On Essays: Montaigne to the Present and writes essays on art, including analyses of still-life painting and devotional imagery. Her work frequently bridges literary studies and medical humanities, collaborating with the Oxford Health Biomedical Research Centre and the TORCH Medical Humanities Hub. She has curated exhibitions such as Melancholy: A New Anatomy (2021) and is preparing a 2026 exhibition on natural history. Murphy is a series editor for Edinburgh Critical Studies in Renaissance Culture and serves on the editorial boards of Cambridge Quarterly and Edinburgh Critical Studies . She contributes art criticism to Apollo and reviews Czech literature for the Times Literary Supplement . Her research emphasizes interdisciplinary exploration, examining how form—from sentences to paintings—serves as an instrument of thought. Current projects include a book on still-life painting and the immanence of meaning in objects, alongside ongoing studies of attention, distraction, and decision-making in early modern texts.
Nancy Levene is a Professor of Religious Studies at Yale University, specializing in Religion and Modernity. Her work intersects philosophy, literature, theology, and political thought, focusing on foundational concepts like history, reason, and critique. She has authored two influential books: Spinoza’s Revelation: Religion, Democracy, and Reason (2004) and Powers of Distinction: On Religion and Modernity (2017). Previously teaching at Williams College and Indiana University, she co-curated forums for The Immanent Frame and co-founded a doctoral field in Religion and Modernity at Yale to foster interdisciplinary humanities research. Current projects explore the freedom of interpretation. Her research emphasizes critical engagement with modernity’s intellectual landscapes, bridging historical analysis with contemporary debates. Collaborative initiatives include editorial work and curricular innovations to advance scholarship in religious studies.
Professor Daniel Katz is a faculty member at the University of Warwick's Faculty of Arts, affiliated with the English and Comparative Literary Studies program. His research focuses on modernism and its aftermath, with a special interest in poetry and poetics. BA (Reed College) PhD (Stanford University) His work spans psychoanalysis, critical theory, transatlantic literary studies, and multilingualism. He has published extensively on Jack Spicer, Samuel Beckett, and Ezra Pound, including the edited volume Be Brave to Things: The Uncollected Poetry and Plays of Jack Spicer (2021). Current projects include a monograph The Big Lie of the Personal: Poetry, Politics, and the Lyric Subject (Oxford UP, forthcoming). Recent publications analyze subjects such as sublimation in psychoanalysis, materialist poetics, and the politics of avant-garde movements. He is a founding editor of the Bloomsbury Studies in Critical Poetics series and co-directed Warwick's Centre for Research in Philosophy, Literature and the Arts. He supervises doctoral research in modernism (especially Beckett and Pound), American poetry, and critical theory, including psychoanalysis and post-Derridean thought. Teaching includes undergraduate modules like US Writing and Culture, Modern American Poetry, and Twentieth-Century Avant-Gardes, as well as MA options in American Poetry and Modernist Psychoanalysis. Office hours: Monday 14.30-15.30, Tuesday 13.00-14.00, and by appointment.
Professor Philip Armstrong is a distinguished academic and poet at the University of Canterbury, where he has served in the English Department within the Faculty of Arts since February 1998. His work bridges scholarly research and creative practice, establishing him as a significant voice in contemporary literary studies and poetry. PhD in Critical and Cultural Theory, University of Wales (1992-1995) MA(Hons), University of Auckland (1990-1991) Armstrong's research centers on literary representations of the natural world, with particular expertise in human-animal studies, Shakespearean scholarship, and environmental humanities. His interdisciplinary approach connects literary theory with ecological concerns, examining how cultural narratives shape our relationship with non-human entities. His scholarly publications span from analyses of Shakespeare to contemporary explorations of human-animal relations, including his acclaimed book Sheep (2016) and the forthcoming Disturbing Nature in Narrative Literature (2025). As a creative writer, Armstrong has published two award-winning poetry collections: Sinking Lessons (2020), which won the Kathleen Grattan Award for Poetry, and Touch Screen (2025). His poetry often explores the intersection of human experience with natural and technological environments, demonstrating his consistent thematic concern with boundaries between human and non-human worlds. Kathleen Grattan Award for Poetry (2019) Landfall Essay Prize (2011) Caselberg Trust International Poetry Prize (runner-up) Armstrong actively supervises graduate students in both scholarly and creative writing projects, mentoring the next generation of literary scholars and poets. His teaching encompasses literary studies, with a focus on Shakespeare, and graduate-level creative writing. He has also contributed significantly to public discourse through essays, interviews, and literary criticism published in major journals and media outlets across New Zealand, Australia, the UK, and the USA. His creative and scholarly work frequently appears in prominent literary journals including Landfall , Sport , PN Review , and JAAM , reflecting his standing in the international literary community. Living in Lyttelton, New Zealand, Armstrong's work remains deeply engaged with both local and global literary traditions.
Matthew Escobar is an Associate Professor of French and Spanish at Seton Hall University, serving as Director of Prestigious Fellowships. He holds a Ph.D. in Romance Languages from Princeton University, with undergraduate degrees from Purchase College (Political Science and French) and Université Paris III (Comparative Literature). His research focuses on 20th-century narrative, cinema, and comparative literature across French, Spanish, and Latin American contexts, emphasizing themes of personal identity, trauma, and posthumanism. Escobar has lived in Paris, Madrid, Berlin, and New York, enriching his interdisciplinary perspective. Notable courses include 'Franco-American Exchanges,' 'French Diplomacy and Foreign Policy,' and 'The Eye of the Other: Body, Identity and Alterity in French Writing and Film.' His work bridges literary analysis with philosophical inquiry, particularly in exploring consciousness, temporality, and ethical alterity. He was awarded a Fulbright Senior Scholar grant in Madrid (2022) and has published widely on topics like narrative identity, trauma studies, and posthumanism. His research often intersects film and literature, examining how texts and visual media represent existential and bodily themes. Escobar actively mentors students through prestigious fellowship programs, enhancing academic and professional opportunities for undergraduates.
Pascal Boyer is Professor of Sociocultural Anthropology and Psychology at Washington University in St. Louis, where he also holds the Henry Luce Professorship of Collective and Individual Memory. He is jointly affiliated with the Department of Anthropology and the Department of Psychology, reflecting his interdisciplinary research at the intersection of cognitive science, evolutionary psychology, and cultural anthropology. PhD, Université de Paris-Nanterre Graduate work with Jack Goody, University of Cambridge Fieldwork in Cameroon on Fang oral epics and traditional religion Former teaching positions at Cambridge, San Diego, Lyon, and Santa Barbara Boyer’s research investigates the cognitive foundations of cultural transmission, particularly focusing on religion, memory, and the evolution of human social cognition. He proposes that religious ideas and cultural norms are shaped by universal properties of the human mind, making certain concepts more cognitively 'natural' and thus more easily transmitted across generations. His work integrates experimental psychology, developmental studies, and ethnographic research to explore how brains evolved to process cultural information. His publications span cognitive development, agency detection, autobiographical memory, and the neural underpinnings of cultural concepts. Notable books include The Naturalness of Religious Ideas (1994), Religion Explained (2001), and Memory in Mind and Culture (2009). His most recent work, Minds Make Societies (2018), synthesizes insights from evolutionary biology, psychology, and economics to model the formation of human societies. The body of his work shows a consistent trend toward interdisciplinary integration, using cognitive science to explain cultural universals. Henry Luce Professor of Collective and Individual Memory Editor of Memory in Mind and Culture (2009) Contributor to major cognitive science and anthropology journals Boyer has mentored numerous students and collaborators, though specific names are not listed in the provided texts. He has secured significant academic recognition through his publications and endowed professorship, indicating sustained research funding and academic leadership. He is actively involved in both experimental and theoretical research, leading projects on early cognitive development and mathematical reasoning. His lab combines cognitive psychology paradigms with anthropological field methods, fostering a unique interdisciplinary team. Boyer continues to publish and contribute to the advancement of cognitive anthropology as a rigorous scientific discipline.
Carsten Strathausen is a Professor of German and English at the University of Missouri's College of Arts and Science. He holds appointments in both the Departments of German and English, bridging interdisciplinary research and teaching. His work spans literary theory, visual culture, digital humanities, and bioaesthetics, with a focus on Kafka adaptations and evolutionary theory's influence on aesthetics. Research Interests: Dr. Strathausen’s interdisciplinary research explores the interplay of science, art, and media. Central themes include the word-image relationship in literature, posthumanism, and the digital humanities. His current projects include a global database analyzing Kafka adaptations (Adapting Kafka) and a monograph on Kafka’s adaptations through evolutionary and media frameworks. Earlier works like Bioaesthetics and The Look of Things established his reputation in interdisciplinary cultural studies. Teaching: In German studies, he teaches graduate seminars on 20th-century literature and Kafka. In English, he offers courses on contemporary literary theory, posthumanism, and digital humanities. He also mentors undergraduate and graduate students in digital humanities research. Collaborations: Collaborations include work with Dr. Verena Kick on the Adapting Kafka project. His research often intersects with film, visual arts, and science studies, reflecting his commitment to cross-disciplinary inquiry.
Mark B.N. Hansen is the James B. Duke Distinguished Professor of Literature at Duke University, affiliated with the Trinity College of Arts & Sciences. He holds roles such as Director of the Literature Program and previously served as Director of Graduate Studies and Undergraduate Studies in Literature. His academic journey includes a Ph.D. from the University of California, Irvine (1994), an M.A. (1989), and a B.A. from New York University (1987). Hansen’s research explores the intersection of technology, human agency, and social life, spanning literary studies, media theory, phenomenology, and cognitive neuroscience. He emphasizes the role of technological exteriorization in defining human experience, with notable contributions to digital media aesthetics, media ontology, and the environmental turn in media studies. His publications reflect a focus on 21st-century media’s impact on perception, temporality, and embodiment. Recent works include analyses of deepfake technology, feed-forward agency, and technical feeling. Hansen’s teaching spans special topics in literature, visual studies, and computational media, reflecting his interdisciplinary approach. Recipient of prestigious awards like the National Humanities Center Fellowship (2014) and a Fulbright Senior Specialist designation (2012), Hansen also serves on editorial boards and professional organizations. His research has been supported by grants such as Duke’s Global Humanities Seed Grant (2022).
Rebecca Schneider is a Professor of Modern Culture and Media at Brown University, specializing in performance studies, decolonial methods, and interdisciplinary art practices. Her work interrogates intersections of media, theatre, and Black feminist thought, with a focus on historical reenactment, gesture ethics, and postcolonial critique. Her research interests span decolonial methodologies, liveness in performance, and the prehistories of screen media. Key projects include *This Shoal Which is Not One* (2020), exploring African diasporic narratives, and *Slough Media* (2018), which examines media's materiality. She has been awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship (2021) and the Notable Book Award (2011). Schneider has contributed to journals like TDR, edited special issues on precarity and new materialisms, and collaborated with global institutions including the British Museum and Guggenheim. Her current projects include a digital book on gesture and a work on dance in post-slavery capitalism.
Dr. Michaela Ott is a retired Professor of Aesthetic Theories at the Hamburg University of Fine Arts (HFBK Hamburg). Her research interests span poststructuralist philosophy, aesthetics and politics, film theory, spatial theories, affect theory, and postcolonial studies. She has held teaching positions at the University of La Jolla, California, and the Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK). Ott is the author of influential monographs such as Which Outside of Thinking? (2018) and Dividuations (2018), exploring themes like participatory practices and collective subjectivity. Her edited volumes, including Timing of Affect (2014), address epistemologies of emotion and transcultural migration. Ott’s work bridges philosophy, art, and cultural critique, with notable contributions to Deleuze studies and the aesthetics of film. Her publications span decades, from early works on Deleuze’s literary readings ( From Mime to Nomad , 1998) to analyses of Hollywood’s symbolic order ( Hollywood: Phantasma , 2005). Her 2004 article on 'Space' in aesthetic concepts remains a foundational text. Ott’s interdisciplinary approach has shaped debates on art knowledge, biennial research, and postcolonial visual culture. She has curated and participated in symposia, including discussions on counter-monuments and para-monuments in public space. Despite her retirement, her intellectual legacy continues to influence aesthetic theory and contemporary art discourse.
Dr. Paul Jeff is a Lecturer in Photography at the School of the Arts, York St John University. He holds a PhD from the University of Wales (2008) and has over 20 years of experience as an experimental photographer and performer. His career includes collaborations with institutions like Brith Gof and Pearson/Brookes, and his work focuses on 'performed photography' and interdisciplinary art practices. Jeff co-founded IPCRES, an artistic research unit exploring performative photography and non-decisional aesthetics. His research spans performance art, philosophy of art, and photography theory, with a emphasis on Deleuzean concepts. He has supervised 16 postgraduate students, examining topics like Fine Art, New Media, and Collaborative Practices. Jeff has been an external examiner for multiple universities and has curated exhibitions globally, including in Brazil, Australia, and Wales. Recent work includes the AHRC-funded 'The Buzzing Machine' (2017) and a keynote on 'The Art of Information' (2017). His forthcoming book, 'Six Memos for Future Photographers,' rethinks photographic communication through Blanchotian philosophy.
Dr Nathalie Wourm is a Lecturer in Contemporary French Literature and Director of the Centre for French, Francophone and Comparative Studies (CFFCS) at Birkbeck, University of London. Her research focuses on 21st-century French poetic practices and poststructuralist thought, particularly Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari. Her career began in 1989 as a teaching assistant, later completing a D.Phil. at Oxford while working at Birkbeck. She has published a book, Poètes français du 21e siècle: entretiens (2017), and numerous articles exploring intersections between poetry, politics, and philosophy. Supervised PhD theses on rhizomatic poetry and feminist schizo-narratives Convenes BA modules on contemporary French literature, women's writing, and comparative studies Active in research clusters like CRIP (Centre de recherche internationale de poésie) and Society for French Studies
