Wei Xu is an Associate Professor at Georgia Institute of Technology's College of Computing and School of Interactive Computing, with affiliations to the Machine Learning Center. Their research bridges machine learning, natural language processing, and social media with focus areas in large language models, cultural bias mitigation, multilingual capabilities, and human-AI collaboration in text evaluation. NSF CAREER and Google Academic Research Award recipient Director of NLP X Lab PhD from New York University, BSMS from Tsinghua University Research interests span: Multilingual Multicultural LLMs addressing representational gaps and cultural adaptation in language models (NAACL 2025, ACL 2024); Robustness and Reasoning through dynamic AGI evaluations (ACL 2024, EMNLP 2024); Interdisciplinary NLP applications in security, healthcare, and law (EMNLP 2024, ACL 2024). Recent publications focus on multilingual alignment (NAACL 2025), privacy risk estimation (arXiv 2025), cultural bias analysis (ACL 2024), and medical text simplification (EMNLP 2024). Key themes include bias mitigation, multimodal processing, and practical LLM evaluation. Scientific Awards : NSF CAREER, Google/Sony/Criteo research awards, ACL'24 Best Social Impact Award, COLING'18 Best Paper Advising 15 PhD/MS/BSMS students including Yao Dou (human-centered LLM evaluation), Tarek Naous (multilingual LLMs), and alumni like Chao Jiang (Apple AI/ML) and Yang Chen (NVIDIA research scientist). Teaches graduate courses on NLP and LLMs.
Rachel Morley is an Associate Professor at the School of Slavonic and East European Studies (SSEES), University College London. She holds a BA in French Language and Literature from the University of Oxford (1992), followed by BA, MA, and PhD degrees from UCL (1999, 2001, 2011). Her roles include Academic Director of Education and Student Experience at SSEES (2022–2027) and Co-Convenor of the UCL SSEES Cinema Research Group. Dr. Morley's research focuses on Cinema studies Cultural studies Feminist and queer theory Literary studies with emphasis on Soviet/Russian cinema, gender representation, and film historiography. She held a Leverhulme Trust Research Fellowship (2020–2022) for her project on female subjectivity in contemporary Russian cinema. Her teaching spans Russian cinema, poetry, language, and translation. Past roles include Postgraduate Teaching Assistant at SSEES (1999–2009) and lecturer at the University of Cambridge (2006, 2008). She has also supported international students as SSEES International and Affiliate Tutor (2014–2018). Key Achievements: Leverhulme Trust Research Fellowship Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (2016) Her work bridges film, literature, and cultural history, emphasizing underrepresented narratives and feminist perspectives in Russian and Soviet cinema.
Anna Lukina is a Research Fellow in Law at the London School of Economics and Political Science and a PhD candidate at the University of Cambridge's Faculty of Law. Her research focuses on jurisprudence, legal history, and public law, with a specialization in Soviet legal systems, Nazi legal frameworks, and the philosophical underpinnings of 'evil law.' She holds a B.A. (Jurisprudence) and B.C.L. from the University of Oxford, and an LL.M. from Harvard Law School. Her doctoral work, Towards a Jurisprudence of Evil Law , examines the relationship between law and immorality in authoritarian regimes, funded by the Institute for Humane Studies, Modern Law Review, and Cambridge Law Journal. Key research areas include: Legal justifications for totalitarian regimes Resistance to morally corrupt legal systems Historical analysis of Soviet, Nazi, and antebellum U.S. legal structures Publications span legal-historical analyses of Soviet legal education, Schmittian dictatorship theory, and Kelsen's critiques of communist jurisprudence. She actively engages with legal theory through blogs like Legal Form and academic networks such as the Cambridge Legal Theory Discussion Group. Her work bridges theoretical jurisprudence and historical case studies, offering critical perspectives on law's role in enabling or resisting evil. Grants and fellowships support her exploration of legal systems' moral boundaries and their societal impacts.
Kyle Bellucci Johanson serves as a Visiting Critic in Cornell University's College of Architecture, Art, and Planning, Department of Art. Holding an MFA from California Institute of the Arts and a BA in Art and Reconciliation Studies from Bethel University, he merges artistic practice with critical theory through performance architecture and collaborative media. Whitney Independent Study Program (2022–23) Founding fellow at land's edge free school (Los Angeles) Teaching experience at SAIC, UIC, CUNY, and Cooper Union His research investigates: Power structures through spatial interventions Critical theory applications in art practice Post-capitalist imaginaries Hauntology and historical materialism Transdisciplinary approaches to social critique Project trends reveal: Reinterpretation of Soviet design principles Investigation of worker identity in post-industrial contexts Temporal and spatial dislocation in artistic practice Monument critique through performative methods Quantum theory-inspired architectural concepts Reimagining of common spaces as political sites Scientific awards include: Creative Research Grant (2025) Whitney ISP participation (2022–23) Automata Studio Residency (2022) Artists Run Chicago Grant (2021) BOLT Residency (2020–21) Through projects like KLUB WRKR —a nomadic workers' club reimagined for the gig economy—and table (2018–2022), a Chicago-based experimental space for artistic practice, he interrogates institutional frameworks while fostering community through discursive meals and collaborative exhibitions.
Philip M. Nichols is the Joseph Kolodny Professor of Social Responsibility in Business and Professor of Legal Studies and Business Ethics at The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. He holds a J.D. and LL.M. from Duke University and an A.B. from Harvard University. His scholarly and professional work centers on corruption control, institutional change in emerging economies, and ethical business practices. Research Interests: His research spans corruption as a global phenomenon, anti-bribery laws, shared value strategies, and the psychological and legal dimensions of bribery. He has conducted fieldwork in over twenty countries, especially in the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. His work integrates legal, ethical, economic, and sociological perspectives. Publication Trends: His recent publications focus on the United Nations Convention Against Corruption, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, and the moral and cognitive foundations of bribery. He frequently publishes in top law and ethics journals and contributes to authoritative commentaries. His interdisciplinary approach bridges law, psychology, and business ethics. Scientific Awards: Hoeber Award for best article in volume 48 of the American Business Law Journal (2011) Advising and Grants: While specific advisees are not listed, as a full professor and co-editor of major volumes, he likely mentors graduate students and junior scholars. He has served in leadership roles including President of the Academy of Legal Studies in Business and Co-Chair of UN/CEFACT LG, indicating grant and policy influence. His work has shaped discourse on transnational anti-corruption frameworks. Labs and Teams: He is affiliated with the Department of Legal Studies and Business Ethics at Wharton and is part of the core faculty of the Central Eurasian Studies Society at Penn. He co-chairs the Anti-Corruption Law Interest Group, reflecting active collaboration in scholarly networks.
Tomila Lankina is a Professor of Politics and International Relations at the London School of Economics (LSE), specializing in democratization, popular protest, and Russian and Eastern European politics. She holds a DPhil from the University of Oxford and has held research appointments at institutions such as Stanford University and Humboldt University in Berlin. Her work examines historical legacies of social structure and their implications for democracy, inequality, and political regimes. Her groundbreaking book The Estate Origins of Democracy in Russia (Cambridge University Press, 2022) explores how pre-communist social stratification in Russia shapes contemporary political outcomes. The book has received major accolades, including the 2023 J. David Greenstone Prize and Davis Center Book Prize. Lankina’s research also addresses modern issues like Russian media manipulation, post-communist social resilience, and the impact of historical institutions on modern governance. Active in supporting Ukrainian scholars during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Lankina co-founded an LSE Taskforce to assist displaced students and researchers. She has been recognized for her excellence in PhD supervision by LSE and has published widely in top journals like the American Political Science Review and World Politics . Her interdisciplinary approach combines historical analysis with contemporary political dynamics, emphasizing the persistence of social hierarchies and their role in shaping autocracy and democracy. Current projects include a book on Russian dissent history and comparative studies of post-colonial and post-communist societies.
Dr. Galina Miazhevich is a Senior Lecturer at the School of Journalism, Media and Culture (JOMEC) at Cardiff University, UK. Previously, she served as a lecturer at the University of Leicester's School of Media, Communication and Sociology (2013-2017) and as the Gorbachev Media Research Fellow at the University of Oxford (2008-2012). Her academic career focuses on media representations in post-communist contexts, with particular expertise in Russian and Eastern European media landscapes. Dr. Miazhevich earned her PhD from the University of Manchester, where she subsequently worked for two years as a Research Associate on an AHRC-funded project examining representations of Islam as a security threat. Her educational background has informed her research trajectory, which bridges media studies, political communication, and cultural analysis of post-Soviet societies. Dr. Miazhevich's research spans several interconnected domains: media representations of Islam and multiculturalism in Europe; media and democracy in post-communist Europe; gender, media, and emergent forms of post-Soviet identity; feminism; Eurovision and popular culture; and diaspora, transnationalism, and media. Her work consistently examines how media shapes and is shaped by political transitions, identity formation, and social movements in post-Soviet contexts, with particular attention to marginalized voices and resistance practices. Analysis of Dr. Miazhevich's recent publications reveals a consistent focus on resistance, identity, and power dynamics in post-Soviet media environments. Her work increasingly examines gender and sexuality as political categories, particularly through the lens of feminist and LGBTQ+ resistance to authoritarian regimes. The Eurovision Song Contest serves as a recurring analytical framework for understanding cultural diplomacy and nation-branding strategies. More recently, her research has pivoted toward documenting anti-war resistance following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, examining how celebrities and media figures navigate political dissent under authoritarian conditions. Dr. Miazhevich has received several notable recognitions for her scholarly contributions: AHRC Leadership grant 'A Quiet Revolution: Discursive Representations of Non-heteronormative Sexuality in Russia' (2018-2020, £250,960) Visiting Fellowship at the Davis Centre for Russian and Eurasian Studies, Harvard University (Fall 2023) Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA) Associate Editor for the Oxford Encyclopedia of Race, Ethnicity, and Communication (2024) Dr. Miazhevich actively mentors the next generation of scholars, currently co-supervising PhD students Diyana Dobreva (with Professor Martin Innes) and John Tasker (with Professor Paul Bowman). She welcomes PhD proposals in areas including digital culture and resistance, media management and misinformation, media and democracy, representation of minority groups, post-communist identity politics, gender and feminism, Eurovision and popular culture, and geopolitics and nation-branding. Her grant portfolio demonstrates sustained success in securing competitive research funding, including leadership of an AHRC grant and participation in the Academy of Finland project FEMCORUS (2021-2025). Dr. Miazhevich is deeply engaged with academic communities, serving as co-convenor of the (Digital) Media and Culture group at the British Association for Slavic and East European Studies (BASEES) since 2016 and as a member of the Advisory Board of the European Communication Research and Education Association (ECREA) since 2021. Her work extends beyond academia through public engagement, including invited talks at prestigious institutions like Harvard University and participation in policy-relevant events at Chatham House addressing LGBTQ+ politics in Russia.
Barbara Zanchetta is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of War Studies at King’s College London, affiliated with the Faculty of Social Science & Public Policy. She specializes in Cold War history, American foreign policy, and transatlantic relations. Her work examines US-Soviet détente, nuclear arms control, and the strategic implications of post-Cold War policies. She is the author of The Transformation of American International Power in the 1970's and co-author of Transatlantic Relations since 1945 . Currently, she is researching US policies toward the Persian Gulf and their role in the collapse of the Soviet Union. Her teaching includes courses on international history, US national security, and the War on Terror. She is affiliated with the Sir Michael Howard Centre for the History of War, the Latin American Security Research Group, and the Centre for Grand Strategy. Her research explores the intersections of diplomacy, conflict, and security policy, with a focus on Cold War legacies and modern geopolitical challenges. Zanchetta has organized international conferences, including a hybrid event in Paris on the consequences of the Cold War’s end. Her commentary on contemporary issues, such as NATO’s expansion and Russia’s aggression in Ukraine, reflects her expertise in historical and strategic analysis.
Stuart Croft is Vice-Chancellor & President of the University of Warwick and Professor of International Security in the Department of Politics and International Studies (PAIS). Since joining Warwick in 2007 he has served as Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research (Arts & Social Sciences), Provost, and since February 2016 as the University’s chief executive, leading 5,500 staff across all disciplines. Education & Career: 18 years at the University of Birmingham, latterly Professor of International Relations and Head of the School of Social Sciences. Appointed Professor of International Security, University of Warwick, January 2007. Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research (Arts & Social Sciences) 2011-2013. Provost 2013-2016. Vice-Chancellor & President from February 2016. Research Interests: Professor Croft’s scholarship lies at the intersection of security studies and political culture, using constructivist and narrative approaches to analyse how identities and discourses shape security policy. He has published extensively on the War on Terror, NATO transformation, European security governance, and the securitisation of Islam in Britain. His work combines large-scale funded empirical projects with theoretical innovation in International Relations. Publications & Grants Trend: Over the past two decades his output has clustered around three themes—cultural narratives of terrorism and counter-radicalisation, institutional governance of Euro-Atlantic security (NATO/EU), and arms-control regimes—moving from traditional strategic studies toward critical security approaches that foreground identity, discourse and governance. Scientific Awards & Fellowships: Academician, Academy of Social Sciences (2006) Fellow, Royal Society of Arts (2006) International Studies Association – International Security Section Book Award short-list 2007 Doctoral Supervision & Mentoring: He has successfully supervised 21 PhD students at Birmingham and Warwick, examined 25 UK PhDs as external examiner, and currently supervises 6 doctoral researchers. He has mentored 9 ESRC, EU and British Academy post-doctoral fellows. Editorial & Professional Leadership: Editor of the Palgrave ‘New Security Challenges’ book series since 2005; co-editor of Contemporary Security Policy 1989-2004; editorial board member of Critical Studies on Terrorism and Dynamics of Asymmetric Conflict . Chair (2009-2011) and President (2011-2013) of the British International Studies Association.
Louis A. Pérez, Jr. is the J. Carlyle Sitterson Professor of History at the University of North Carolina. His research focuses on 19th- and 20th-century Caribbean history, particularly Spanish-speaking Cuba, with emphasis on society, gender, and political economy. He holds offices in Hamilton Hall and teaches courses on Latin American and Caribbean history. Education: MA, University of Arizona, 1966 PhD, University of New Mexico, 1970 Research Interests: Pérez examines Cuban socio-cultural evolution through lenses of political economy, gender dynamics, and imperial discourse. His work analyzes colonial structures, national identity formation, and transnational relations. Publications: His seven major works span topics like Cuban food politics, civil-culture modernity, and revolutionary historiography. Recent publications emphasize economic structures and cultural narratives. Advising: Current advisees include Daniella McIvor and Anthony Rossodovito. He is not accepting new applicants for 2024-2025. Labs/Teams: No specific labs mentioned, but collaborates widely in Caribbean Studies networks.
Dr. Ivan Grigoriev is a Lecturer in Russian Politics at King’s Russia Institute, part of the School of Politics & Economics within the Faculty of Social Science & Public Policy at King’s College London. His research focuses on judicial politics, business-state relations in Russia, post-Soviet reforms, and constitutional dynamics. He teaches courses such as 7YYR0002, 6YYR0002, and 4YYR0001, and supervises PhD studies on Russian political topics like federalism, elections, and business-state interactions. Grigoriev’s research interests span constitutional courts under authoritarianism, the structure of Russian society, and international organizations’ roles in post-Soviet governance. His work appears in journals like Post-Soviet Affairs , Russian Politics , and Democratization . His recent publications analyze topics such as elite dynamics in color revolutions, EU leadership programs in Eurasia, and the role of law clerks in Russia’s Constitutional Court. While no specific awards are mentioned, his contributions were noted at King’s annual awards events in 2024. Grigoriev’s advising focuses on Russian political phenomena, including authoritarian modernization and labor reforms. His research often bridges theoretical frameworks with empirical analysis of institutional adaptations under autocracy.
Katarzyna Kaczmarska is a Senior Lecturer in Politics and International Relations at the School of Social and Political Science, University of Edinburgh. She joined the university in 2019, bringing expertise in the sociology of international relations knowledge, academic freedom, and post-Soviet politics. Her research focuses on knowledge construction among scholars and practitioners, with particular emphasis on Russia’s domestic and foreign policies. She actively contributes to academic freedom initiatives, including co-editing a 2022 special issue of the International Journal of Human Rights on academic freedom and internationalization. Education: PhD in International Studies, MSc in Development Studies (Central Asia focus), MA in International Relations. She has held fellowships at Aberystwyth University (Marie Skłodowska-Curie) and St Petersburg State University. Her teaching includes courses on Russian foreign policy and International Relations theory. Research interests encompass the sociology of IR knowledge, academic freedom challenges, and post-Soviet geopolitics. She supervises PhD projects in Global IR, academic freedom, and Russian studies. Her 2020 book, Making Global Knowledge in Local Contexts , explores how Russian scholars navigate international relations theory in policy advice. Key roles: Member of the ISA Academic Freedom Committee, University of Edinburgh Academic Freedom Working Group. Media commentary: Regular contributor to LBC News, TBS Radio South Korea, and The Conversation.
Jocelyn Alexander is Professor of Commonwealth Studies and Head of Department at the University of Oxford's Department of International Development (ODID). She teaches primarily on the MPhil in Development Studies and the DPhil in International Development, and serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Southern African Studies and the publications committee of the International Africa Institute. Her research interests include: Southern African social and political history Liberation movements and their legacies Violence and memory Political imprisonment Rural politics and state-making Political & International Dimensions of Development Sub-Saharan Africa Professor Alexander is currently working on a Leverhulme-funded collaborative research project titled 'Global Soldiers in the Cold War: Making southern Africa's liberation armies', and writing a history of political imprisonment in Zimbabwe. Her research uses qualitative methodologies, notably oral history and archival research, and she is interested in cross-disciplinary approaches combining history, anthropology, politics, and literature. Her recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on transnational histories of Southern African liberation movements, political imprisonment in Zimbabwe, and the legacies of violence in post-colonial states. She has made significant contributions to understanding the connections between liberation movements, the Cold War context, and the formation of post-colonial states in Southern Africa. Scientific awards: Leverhulme grant for project on Cold War-era 'global soldiers' (2019) Professor Alexander has supervised numerous doctoral students working on topics related to Southern African politics, history, and development. She has also co-authored important works including 'Violence and Memory: One Hundred Years in the 'Dark Forests' of Matabeleland' (2000) and authored 'The Unsettled Land: The Politics of Land and State-making in Zimbabwe, 1893-2003' (2006). She has taught at Sussex and Bristol Universities and has been a Research Associate at the University of Zimbabwe, bringing extensive regional experience to her academic work.
Ana Antic is a Professor in the Department of English, Germanic and Romance Studies at the University of Copenhagen, Faculty of Humanities. She is also affiliated with the Centre for Culture and the Mind, where she leads an ERC-funded project titled Decolonising madness: Transcultural psychiatry, international order and the birth of a ‘global psyche’ . Her academic journey includes a PhD in Modern European History from Columbia University (2012) and prior appointments at universities in the UK and US before joining the University of Copenhagen in August 2020. PhD in Modern European History, Columbia University (2012) Ana Antic’s research lies at the intersection of social and cultural history, focusing on the history of modern Europe, war and violence, and the 'psy' sciences—particularly psychiatry and psychoanalysis. Her work critically explores the decolonisation of psychiatric practices and concepts in the second half of the 20th century, examining how transcultural psychiatry emerged in the aftermath of WWII and during decolonisation. She investigates how Western and non-Western experts redefined the relationship between culture, race, and the individual psyche, and whether new frameworks succeeded in moving beyond colonial legacies. Her recent publications reflect a strong trend in global and transnational history, especially in the fields of transcultural psychiatry, Cold War science, and postcolonial mental health. The articles span interdisciplinary journals in history, global health, and medical humanities, often emphasizing decolonial critique and the politics of knowledge. A recurring theme is the role of experts from the Global South and Eastern Europe in shaping global psychiatric discourse. She has received multiple prestigious awards, including: Fraenkel Prize for Contemporary History (2016) British Academy Rising Star Engagement Award (2017) ERC Starting Grant (2019) Dan David Prize (March 2023) Ana Antic is actively involved in research leadership and academic collaboration. She currently heads the DNRF Centre for Culture and the Mind and leads a major ERC-funded project. She has organized international conferences and workshops, including the DECOLMAD Workshop and New Perspectives in Transcultural and Postcolonial Psychiatry . While no direct list of PhD students is provided, her leadership roles suggest active supervision and mentorship. Her work bridges history, psychiatry, and global health, contributing to a deeper understanding of the cultural and political dimensions of mental health. She is involved with the Centre for Culture and the Mind, a research environment that fosters interdisciplinary work on the intersections of culture, cognition, and history. Her project Decolonising madness brings together historians, anthropologists, and mental health professionals to re-examine the foundations of global psychiatric knowledge.
Professor Maia Chankseliani is Professor of Comparative and International Education at the University of Oxford and a Governing Body Fellow of St Edmund Hall. She serves as Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Educational Research and Chair of the Executive Committee of the Education and Development Forum (UKFIET), and is a Trustee of the University of Bahrain. She leads the International Mobility and World Development research project funded by the U.S. Department of State. Her educational background includes: BA and MA from Tbilisi State University MA from the University of Warwick EdM from Harvard University PhD from the University of Cambridge Professor Chankseliani's research explores the public role of tertiary education in diverse settings, examining how universities contribute to social, economic, and political development, and how international engagement shapes both institutions and societies. Her work spans international student mobility and its developmental impact, academic freedom, university contributions to sustainable development, and higher education in post-Soviet contexts. Her monograph What Happened to the Soviet University? (OUP, 2022) offers insights beyond the former Soviet context, addressing contemporary debates around academic freedom and institutional autonomy. Her major international study International Mobility and World Development represents the first global mixed-methods project examining how international education contributes to societal development. Her recent publications (2023-2025) demonstrate a consistent focus on the ripple effects of international student mobility, particularly examining poverty reduction mechanisms, intercultural competence development, and systemic impacts on home countries. Based on extensive qualitative data from over 700 interviews across 70 countries combined with quantitative analysis, her research reveals how internationally mobile individuals become agents of change through knowledge transfer, policy influence, and institutional reform. This body of work shows that returnees adapt, translate, and embed reform through multiple mechanisms far beyond simple skill transfer. Professor Chankseliani has secured significant research funding from diverse sources including the U.S. Department of State, UKRI/ESRC, British Council, World Bank, Qatar Foundation, and European Commission. Her research has informed policy dialogue in areas such as poverty reduction, education and health systems, gender equality, and civic life. She regularly engages with governments and international audiences, and her work is frequently featured in global media outlets including Nature and University World News. At Oxford, Professor Chankseliani convenes the Comparative and International Education Research Group and previously led the department's MSc in Comparative and International Education from 2017 to 2024. She supervises multiple doctoral students and has worked on numerous externally funded research projects involving UK government departments, international organizations, and academic institutions. Her current research portfolio includes examining how international education experiences translate into societal development outcomes, with particular emphasis on poverty reduction mechanisms and the long-term impacts of mobility on home countries.
