Dr. Yanqiu Rachel Zhou is a Professor at the Department of Health, Aging & Society at McMaster University, with a joint appointment at the Institute on Globalization and the Human Condition. She earned her M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Toronto. Her research focuses on globalization’s impact on immigration, health, aging, and public policy, with recent work exploring pandemic politics and global youth movements. She has led major projects funded by SSHRC and CIHR, including studies on transnational care, HIV vulnerability among immigrants, and temporalities of globalization. Her research interests span globalization, transnationalism, global health, aging and pensions, public policy, gender/sexuality studies, time/temporalities, and nostalgia. Key publications include Sexualities, Transnationalism, and Globalization (Routledge, 2021) and articles in journals like Globalization and Health and Culture, Health & Sexuality . Dr. Zhou teaches courses on global health crises, migration, and aging, reflecting her interdisciplinary approach to societal challenges.
Aida Geraldina Polanco Sorto is an Associate Professor in the Department of Labour Studies at McMaster University's Faculty of Social Sciences. Her academic work critically examines the intersection of migration, labor, and globalization, with particular focus on temporary foreign worker programs and their implications for workers' rights and social citizenship in contemporary labor markets. Dr. Polanco Sorto's educational background reflects strong foundations in sociological theory and research: Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Sociology (First Class) from the University of British Columbia, Vancouver Master of Arts in Sociology from Concordia University, Montreal PhD in Sociology from the University of British Columbia, Vancouver Her research program spans multiple interconnected fields including Migration Studies, Temporary Foreign Worker Programs, Labour Relations, Sociology of Work, Cultural Studies, Gender and Sexuality, and Globalization. Dr. Polanco Sorto's scholarship reveals how national governments actively produce 'culturally tailored' migrant workers for specific labor markets, creating systems of labor unfreedom that challenge traditional notions of citizenship. Her work particularly examines service sectors like fast food where temporary foreign workers are increasingly prevalent, analyzing the mechanisms of labor control and the production of precarious work conditions within immigration regimes. Dr. Polanco Sorto's scholarly output demonstrates consistent engagement with pressing issues in migration and labor studies over the past two decades. Her publications reveal an evolving trajectory from early work on religious institutions and worker rights to sophisticated analyses of contemporary migration regimes. A clear pattern emerges across her research showing how states actively brand national workforces, how language policies regulate migrant mobility, and how citizenship aspirations are leveraged to maintain labor control within precarious immigration schemes. Dr. Polanco Sorto maintains an active teaching schedule with courses spanning both undergraduate and graduate levels. Her course offerings include Methods (LABRST 715), Sociology of Immigration (SOCIOL 728), Labour and Globalization (WORKLABR 2G03), On the Move: Workers in a Global World (WORKLABR 3K03), and Work in Flux: The Gig Economy, the Corporate Ladder, and Changing Labour Markets (SOCIOL 4V03), with teaching activities documented through 2025. Her curriculum reflects direct connections between her research expertise and pedagogical approach, preparing students to critically analyze the complex dynamics of contemporary labor markets in an increasingly globalized world.
Professor Penny Tinkler is a Professor of Sociology at The University of Manchester. Her research focuses on gender history, girlhood, visual culture, and ageing, with a particular emphasis on the intersection of youth experiences and later-life identity. She holds a PhD from Lancaster University and has been affiliated with Manchester since 1993. Her key projects include the ESRC-funded 'Transitions and Mobilities: Girls growing up in Britain 1954-76,' exploring the impact of post-war social changes on women's later lives. She co-edited Women in Fifties Britain: A New Look and authored Constructing Girlhood , analyzing mid-20th-century girls' magazines. Tinkler is a member of the British Sociological Association, Women’s History Network, and Manchester Institute for Collaborative Research on Ageing. Her teaching includes 'Visualizing Society and Social Life' and 'Research Design' at postgraduate levels. Media engagements include BBC Radio and TV appearances discussing historical gender and youth culture.
Amber Moore is Assistant Professor of Teaching in Library, Literacy, and Teacher Education at the University of British Columbia's Faculty of Education. Her research examines adolescent literacies, feminist pedagogies, and representations of sexual violence in young adult literature and popular culture. Moore investigates how trauma literature, particularly sexual assault narratives, is taught in English education and teacher preparation programs. Her scholarship employs arts-based methodologies including poetic inquiry to explore teacher candidates' responses to difficult content and fanfiction as a form of critical engagement. Research emphases include rape culture in educational contexts, feminist media analysis of Riverdale and Hallmark narratives, and pedagogical approaches to trauma literature. Recent publications explore allyship in fanfiction communities, epistolary education, and affective responses to YA sexual assault narratives.
Maylei Blackwell is an Associate Professor at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), jointly appointed in the César E. Chávez Department of Chicana/o Studies and the Women’s Studies Department. She is affiliated with the American Indian Studies and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies programs. Her scholarship bridges U.S. and Mexican feminist movements, emphasizing intersections of race, indigeneity, class, sexuality, and citizenship. PhD, History of Consciousness (Women’s Studies), UC Santa Cruz (2000) MA, History of Consciousness, UC Santa Cruz (1996) BA, History and Interdisciplinary Studies of Race and Gender, CSU Long Beach (1993) Blackwell’s research focuses on women of color feminism, transnational organizing, and indigenous women’s movements in Latin America. She employs collaborative and oral history methodologies to analyze grassroots activism, migrant organizing, and queer of color genealogies. Her work has been translated into Portuguese and Spanish, reflecting its transnational impact. Her publications include the 2011 monograph ¡Chicana Power! and articles spanning topics such as cultural citizenship, feminist historiography, and cross-border activism. Key works examine Chicana print culture (2003), transnational feminist practices (2002), and grassroots transnationalism among farm worker women (2006).
Associate Professor Sharad Chari Sharad Chari is an Associate Professor of Geography at the University of California, Berkeley, and co-director of the Program in Critical Theory. His research intersects Marxist critique, racial capitalism, oceanic studies, and the Black radical tradition. He holds a Ph.D. in Geography from UC Berkeley (2000) and has held fellowships at the University of Michigan (2000-03) and Stellenbosch Institute of Advanced Studies (2023). Previously, he taught at the London School of Economics (2004-12) and the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa (2013-16), where he remains affiliated with the Wits Institute for Social and Economic Research (WiSER). Research & Publications Apartheid Remains (2024): Explores spatial legacies of apartheid in Durban through photography and political struggle. Gramsci at Sea (2023): Reinterprets Gramsci through oceanic critiques of imperialism and racial capitalism. Co-edited volumes include Keywords in Radical Geography (2019) and Other Geographies (2017). Teaching Teaches courses on globalization, colonialism, political economies, and oceanic geographies. Recent courses include Ocean Worlds and Capitalism and Sexuality . Key Themes Focuses on: Geographies of labor and agrarian studies Racial and environmental justice Marxist critiques of global capitalism Indian Ocean and Black Atlantic intellectual currents His work bridges spatial theory with anticolonial and abolitionist frameworks, emphasizing interdisciplinary methods and radical thought.
Patrice Rankine is a Professor in the Department of Classics and The College at the University of Chicago. He holds a Ph.D. from Yale University (1998) and a BA from Brooklyn College (magna cum laude). His research explores the intersection of classical antiquity with race, performance, and modern literature, particularly in African American contexts. He has held administrative roles, including Dean of the School of Arts & Sciences at the University of Richmond, and received the Excellence in Teaching Award at Purdue University. His work bridges ancient and modern, examining how classical texts shape contemporary racial discourse and theatrical performance. Key projects include Theater and Crisis: Myth, Memory, and Racial Reckoning in America (2024) and Aristotle and Black Drama (2013). He co-edited The Oxford Handbook of Greek Drama in the Americas (2015) and leads research on slavery’s global legacy, including organizing an international symposium on 'Transhistorical and Interdisciplinary Approaches to Slavery.' Education: Ph.D. in Classical Languages, Yale University (1998) B.A. in Ancient Greek, Brooklyn College (magna cum laude) Research Interests: Classical reception, race and performance, African American literature, theater studies, slavery studies. Rankine’s recent articles analyze classical themes in modern theater, Black poetry, and posthuman perspectives on Roman texts. He advocates for diversity in classical education and has contributed to grants like the Enhancing Research collaboration at Purdue University. His future projects include Slavery and the Book (Harvard UP), exploring slavery’s cultural imprint through literature. Awards: Excellence in Teaching Award, Purdue University (School of Languages and Cultures) Grants & Leadership: Led an international symposium on slavery research; contributed to NEH initiatives. His work emphasizes public scholarship, connecting classical studies to contemporary social issues. Labs/Teams: Collaborates on interdisciplinary projects like the Classical Reception and Modern World Poetry volume and the Critical Ancient World Studies initiative.
Professor Morton Weinfeld holds a PhD from Harvard University (1977) and has been a Sociology Professor at McGill since 1977. His research focuses on ethnicity, immigration, Canadian Jewish communities, and public policy. He is a recipient of the 2013 Marshall Sklare Prize for contributions to Jewish studies. His work includes influential books such as Like Everyone Else but Different (2001) and Old Wounds: Jews, Ukrainians and the Hunt for Nazi War Criminals in Canada (1988). He has supervised doctoral students researching diaspora loyalty conflicts, queer Jewish identity, and immigrant integration. Teaching includes courses on Jewish North America, suspect minorities, and Canadian ethnic studies. Professional activities include roles with the Canadian Ethnic Studies Association and Statistics Canada’s Immigration Advisory Committee. His research grants include a FRSQ-funded mental health study and a Chair in Canadian Ethnic Studies stipend.
Maria Micaela Sviatschi is an Assistant Professor of Economics and Public Affairs at Princeton University, affiliated with the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs. She holds affiliations with CESifo Research Network, NBER Development and Political Economy groups, BREAD, African School of Economics, and the International Crisis Group. Her research focuses on two primary strands: the dynamics of children entering criminal careers in drug trafficking and gangs, examining consequences for economic development and state capacity in Peru and El Salvador; and the role of norms and policing in reducing gender-based violence through randomized control trials in Peru, India, and Mozambique. She collaborates with governments to design public policies for narcotrafficking and gang-controlled areas using large administrative datasets. Additional projects span multiple countries including the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Venezuela, Colombia, Bihar, Bangladesh, and the US.
Julia Cassaniti is a Professor in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Virginia, part of the College of Arts & Sciences. Her research focuses on the intersections of mind, culture, and religion in transnational Asian contexts, particularly Theravāda Buddhist practices in Northern Thailand. She examines how embodiment, gender, sexuality, and cultural ideologies shape health, well-being, and perceptions of reality. Her notable works include Remembering the Present: Mindfulness in Buddhist Asia (2018), Universalism Without Uniformity: Explorations in Mind and Culture (2017), and Living Buddhism: Mind, Self, and Emotion in a Thai Community (2016), which received the Stirling Prize. Current research explores temporality, attention, and perception’s impact on mental health and daily life in Thailand, Japan, and globally. Her publications frequently analyze Buddhist frameworks for understanding social and personal challenges, such as environmental crises, pandemic responses, and economic shifts. She critiques secular mindfulness movements while advocating for culturally grounded interpretations of spiritual practices. Awards: Stirling Prize (2016), Richard G. Condon Prize (2006) Labs/Teams: Active in UVA’s Religious Studies research network and international collaborations on Southeast Asian studies
Honor Young (she/her) is a Senior Lecturer at Cardiff University's School of Social Sciences and a key member of the Centre for the Development, Evaluation, Complexity and Implementation in Public Health Improvement (DECIPHer) . She co-leads DECIPHer's 'Improving Population Health' Programme and serves as Deputy Director for the Welsh Government-funded School Health Research Network (SHRN) . As co-Principal Investigator for the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) Study in Wales, she collaborates with the World Health Organization (WHO). Her research focuses on health psychology and public health, particularly the social determinants of young people's sexual health, relationships, and violence prevention. Chartered Psychologist (BPS) Registered Practitioner Psychologist (HCPC) Co-investigator on grants exceeding £10M, including the Wolfson Centre for Young People's Mental Health and DECIPHer Centre Sustainability Funding Research Interests: Honor Young specializes in school-based interventions to improve sexual health, prevent dating/relationship violence, and address gender-based violence, especially among sexual/gender minority youth. Her work emphasizes youth participation in research design and implementation. Recent projects include the SaFE intervention for Further Education settings and the Positive Choices trial. She also explores digital transformation of sexual health services and equity in intervention effectiveness. Scientific Awards: Nominated for Personal Tutor of the Year (2025) Nominated for Exceptional Enhancement of the Student Experience Award (2018) Advising: Currently supervises PhD students including Kara Smythe and has guided undergraduate/postgraduate dissertations. She integrates student voices into intervention development through projects like CUROP. Grants: Secured major funding (e.g., £3M for WAVU, £2.8M for DECIPHer, £1.4M for SHRN infrastructure) and smaller grants for civic engagement, digital health, and international collaboration in Namibia.
Ning Hsieh is an Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology at Michigan State University, affiliated with the College of Social Science. Their research focuses on health equity, stress processes, and social connections across intersections of sexuality, gender, race/ethnicity, and aging. Current work examines healthcare inequities in vulnerable populations, including sexual/gender minorities and older adults. Education: PhD in Demography and Sociology from the University of Pennsylvania (2014). Previously held a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Chicago. Research Interests: Health disparities, intersectionality, stigma and discrimination, aging populations, LGBTQ+ health, and cultural competency in healthcare. Recent work explores how social relationships buffer against dementia risks and how race/ethnicity-sexuality-gender intersections affect healthcare access and outcomes. Key Publications: Over 20 peer-reviewed articles in leading journals such as Demography , Journal of Health and Social Behavior , and Health Affairs . Recent topics include flu vaccination inequities, cognitive impairment risk among sexual minorities, and disparities in primary care access. Awards: Recognitions from ASA, SSSP, IPUMS, and MSU. Funded by National Institute on Aging and Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Associated Programs: Asian Pacific American Studies Program and Center for Gender in Global Context at MSU. Active in collaborative research on aging and health equity.
Jefersson Alex dos Santos is an Assistant Professor (Lecturer) in Computer Vision at the University of Sheffield, UK. Previously, he served as an Associate Professor at Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Brazil (2013–2022). He holds a PhD in Computer Science from the University of Campinas (Unicamp) and the University of Cergy-Pontoise, France (2013). His research focuses on remote sensing image processing, computer vision, and machine learning, with applications in geospatial data analysis and medical imaging. He is an IEEE Senior Member and serves as an Associate Editor for IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Letters and Co-Chair of the ISPRS Working Group for AI/ML in Geospatial Data. Education: PhD in Computer Science: University of Campinas (Unicamp) & University of Cergy-Pontoise, 2013 Master's in Computer Science: Unicamp, 2009 Bachelor's in Computer Science: University of Mato Grosso do Sul (UEMS), 2006 Research Interests: Remote sensing image processing, computer vision, machine learning, and geospatial data analysis. His work emphasizes interdisciplinary research, including applications in environmental monitoring, medical imaging, and digital forensics. Grants & Awards: CNPq Productivity Research Scholarship (2016–2022) Serrapilheira Institute Research Grant (2021) Labs & Teams: Founder of the Laboratory of Pattern Recognition and Earth Observation (PATREO) at UFMG's Department of Computer Science.
Frank Nilsen is a Professor at the University of Bergen's Department of Biological Sciences (BIO), specializing in marine parasitology with a focus on the salmon louse (Lepeophtheirus salmonis). His research addresses parasite adaptation, genomics, and environmental interactions, particularly in aquaculture contexts. He leads the Fish Disease Research Group (FDRG) and collaborates with institutions like the Institute of Marine Research. Research interests include parasite resistance mechanisms, molecular biology of reproduction and development, and the impact of environmental factors like salinity on parasite survival. Key contributions include studies on transcriptomic responses to low salinity, genetic basis of pyrethroid resistance, and chitin synthesis pathways in salmon lice. Recent work (2025) explores transcriptomic adaptations in sea lice, while earlier publications (2023–2018) address topics ranging from aquaculture-driven evolution of mtDNA to molecular components of egg strings. His research often involves genomic analysis, functional gene studies, and collaborations with industry stakeholders such as the Research Council of Norway and Bergen Research Foundation.
Ashley K. Randall is a Professor at Arizona State University (ASU), affiliated with multiple departments including the School of Counseling and Counseling Psychology (part of the College of Integrative Sciences and Arts, CISA), the Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions, and the Sustainability Initiative. Her research focuses on emotional coregulation, stress and coping mechanisms in couples, particularly among sexual minorities and individuals facing global stressors like the COVID-19 pandemic. She leads the Couples Coping with Stress Lab, emphasizing interdisciplinary, strength-based approaches to address relational stress. Research Interests: Couples' interpersonal emotions, dyadic coping, LGBTQ+ relationships, and global mental health resilience. Grants & Projects: Includes NSF-funded ASU ADVANCE initiatives, MRI grants for studies on Asian American families and sexual minority stress, and global projects on pandemic impacts. Awards: Recipient of the 2007 Fulbright Fellowship for family research in Switzerland. Professional Affiliations: Member of the National Council on Family Relations, International Association for Relationship Research, and American Psychological Association. Her work bridges clinical practice and global social justice, with a focus on culturally inclusive interventions. Notable contributions include the Couples Coping Enhancement Training–SMS program and cross-cultural studies on relationship satisfaction during crises.
