Ann Swidler is a Professor of the Graduate School at the University of California, Berkeley. Her research intersects sociology, anthropology, and development studies, focusing on the interplay between culture and institutions, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Education: PhD from UC Berkeley, BA from Harvard. Teaching: Sociology of culture, religion, and theory. Research Interests include: Cultural repertoires and institutionalization Religion and collective action in African contexts Responses to HIV/AIDS in Malawi Chieftaincy and local governance Global-local interactions in development Recent publications (2020–2024) explore institutional innovation in Africa, spirituality in rural Malawi, and cultural strategies amid HIV/AIDS. Her work often bridges sociological theory with ethnographic fieldwork. Selected Contributions: A Fraught Embrace: The Romance and Reality of AIDS Altruism in Africa (2017, co-authored with Susan Watkins) Talk of Love: How Culture Matters (2001) Habits of the Heart (1985, co-authored)
Prof. Hens Runhaar is a Full Professor of Sustainable Food System Governance at Utrecht University's Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development. His research focuses on reconciling food production with biodiversity recovery, environmental sustainability, and health through innovative governance frameworks. He emphasizes connectivity issues in food systems, such as disconnects between production and environmental conditions, and advocates for transformative practices like agroecology and nature-inclusive agriculture. Key roles include chairing the Board of Examiners for Sustainable Development and membership in Future Food Utrecht. His projects include NWO-funded initiatives like COMBINED (grassland biodiversity) and REWIRE (circular agricultural missions). He actively engages in policy dialogues, such as advising BirdLife Netherlands and contributing to the Dutch Biodiversity Council. Research highlights systemic barriers to sustainability transitions in agriculture, with recent work analyzing dairy farming and farmer collectives. His outreach includes media appearances on nitrogen policy, nature restoration, and sustainable food systems. Professional memberships span international networks like Earth System Governance and the Wageningen School of Social Sciences.
John Gallemore is an Associate Professor of Accounting at the University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler Business School, where he focuses on how corporate tax policy and enforcement shape financial reporting behaviors. His research, published in top journals like the Journal of Accounting & Economics and Contemporary Accounting Research , explores tax policy, regulatory impacts, and banking sector dynamics. He teaches courses such as Strategic Cost Analysis and Performance Evaluation in the MBA program and has been recognized for teaching excellence, including the Emory Williams Award and being named one of Poets & Quants’ 'Best 40 Under 40' professors. Gallemore holds a PhD, MBA, and BSBA from UNC Chapel Hill. His career includes roles at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business before joining UNC in 2021. Awards include the Deloitte Foundation Doctoral Fellowship and FASB Doctoral Consortium Fellowships. His research has been featured in media outlets like the Washington Post and Bloomberg. Key research interests include corporate taxation, regulatory spillovers, AI’s impact on white-collar work, and tax avoidance strategies. His recent articles analyze tax policy expectations, bank regulatory oversight effects, and anti-tax avoidance regulation’s role in market concentration.
Jennifer Smith is a faculty researcher at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, where she leads the Smith Lab within the Center for Marine Biodiversity and Conservation. Her work focuses on coral reef ecosystems, integrating ecology with conservation, restoration, and sustainability. Her research explores how human activities such as nutrient pollution, invasive species, and climate change affect benthic marine communities. She has pioneered the use of large-area imaging and structure-from-motion technology to monitor long-term changes in Maui's coral reefs, including responses to sequential bleaching events and wildfire impacts. Her lab investigates microbial interactions with corals and the role of algae in reef degradation and resilience. Dr. Smith’s publication record reveals a strong focus on coral-algal interactions, nutrient dynamics, invasive seaweeds, and ecosystem-scale analyses. Her work spans tropical regions including Hawaii and the Great Barrier Reef, contributing to global understanding of reef resilience. She mentors graduate students and collaborates widely across marine science disciplines. Scientific Awards: No awards mentioned in the provided text. Advising and Grants: Dr. Smith advises graduate students such as Orion McCarthy and Morgan Winston. Her lab conducts long-term monitoring supported by institutional and likely federal funding, though specific grants are not listed. She leads field campaigns in Hawaii and publishes in high-impact journals. Labs and Teams: The Smith Lab is actively engaged in coral reef research, focusing on resilience, restoration, and human impacts. The team includes researchers and volunteers who conduct field surveys, analyze imagery, and produce outreach materials such as the 'Underwater Gardens' film.
Alessandro Monsutti is a Professor of Anthropology and Sociology at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva. He holds additional roles as Faculty Associate at the Centre on Conflict, Development and Peacebuilding, Global Migration Centre, and Albert Hirschman Centre on Democracy. His research focuses on transnational networks, forced migration, and conflict dynamics in Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, and Europe. Education: PhD in Social Anthropology from the University of Neuchâtel (2002). Prior roles include Research Fellowships at Yale University (2008–2010) and the School of Oriental and African Studies (1999–2000), and Visiting Professorships at the University of Vienna and Arizona State University. Research Interests: Migration studies, border studies, political economy of post-conflict reconstruction, diaspora dynamics, and the intersection of globalization with local practices. His fieldwork spans Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, and Western countries, emphasizing the agency of displaced populations and the socio-economic strategies they employ. Scientific Contributions: Over 30 peer-reviewed articles and authored/edited books including Homo itinerans: Towards a Global Ethnography of Afghanistan (2021) and War and Migration (2005). His work bridges ethnographic rigor with policy relevance, addressing themes like refugee integration, urban migration, and global governance. Grants & Awards: MacArthur Foundation Grantee (2004–2006), Swiss National Science Foundation grants for projects on urban cohabitation and Afghan crisis analysis. Co-led initiatives on adolescent migration and border policy in South Asia. Labs/Teams: Collaborates with the Refugee Studies Centre (Oxford), Global Migration Centre (Geneva), and international NGOs like UNHCR. Active in editorial boards of journals like Tsantsa and ethnographiques.org .
Peter Van Puyvelde is a Full Professor at KU Leuven's Faculty of Engineering Sciences, where he leads research at the Soft Matter, Rheology and Technology (SMaRT) unit within the Department of Chemical Engineering. He is an active member of the Applied Rheology and Plastics Processing Division and the Leuven.AM Institute for Additive Manufacturing. His academic responsibilities include membership in the Faculty Council of Engineering Sciences and departmental committees. His core research focuses on: Polymer processing and complex fluid dynamics In-situ characterization of flow-microstructure relationships Flow-induced crystallization phenomena Development of sustainable polymer materials Additive manufacturing technologies Professor Van Puyvelde's recent publications (2023-2025) demonstrate strong emphasis on sustainable polymer systems including lignin-based materials, humins valorization, bioplastics, and green additives. His work frequently employs advanced characterization techniques like fast-scanning calorimetry and synchrotron X-ray scattering to study crystallization kinetics and microstructure development in complex polymer systems. He currently supervises PhD students working on nanofiltration membranes and reinforced polymer parts. His extensive research portfolio includes leadership roles in multiple ongoing projects: Polylactic acid bioplastics development (Co-promoter) Lignin-based flame retardants (Co-promoter) Humins valorization for functional polymers (Co-promoter) Ionic liquids for enhanced oil recovery (Promoter) Competition between crystallization and crosslinking (Promoter) Additive manufacturing of polymer composites (Co-promoter)
Dr. Sarah F. Anzia is the Chancellor's Professor of Public Policy and Political Science at the University of California, Berkeley, with a joint affiliation at the Goldman School of Public Policy. She is also a Senior Fellow at the Niskanen Center and a Senior Fellow (adjunct) at the Hoover Institution. Her research bridges American politics, public policy, and subnational governance. Her work focuses on state and local government election timing and voter turnout interest group influence public-sector labor dynamics gender in electoral politics pension policy The 15 most recent publications highlight her expertise in historical labor movements policy feedback theory local taxation public-sector pension economics gender dynamics in electoral outcomes subnational institutional analysis Her studies often employ quantitative datasets spanning multiple decades of local government financial records and electoral patterns. Scientific recognition includes National Research Data Access via Goldman School working papers Senior Fellowships at Niskanen Center and Hoover Institution Endowed Chancellor's Professorship at UC Berkeley Key research contributions examine the interplay between business groups and labor unions in local governance structural determinants of senior citizen policy influence pension fund governance mechanisms historical development of local electoral institutions She received her PhD in political science from Stanford University and holds an MPP from the Harris School at the University of Chicago.
Mikaela Iacobelli is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mathematics at ETH Zürich. During the 2024-25 academic year, she was a von Neumann Fellow at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton. Previously, she held faculty positions at Durham University and a research fellowship at the University of Cambridge. Her educational background includes: PhD in Mathematics from Sapienza University of Rome and École Polytechnique in Paris (2015) Master's degree from Sapienza University of Rome (2012) Bachelor's degree from Sapienza University of Rome (2009) Mikaela's research lies at the interface of analysis, kinetic theory, and statistical mechanics. She studies partial differential equations that model the collective behavior of many-particle systems, with a focus on Vlasov-type plasmas and gravitational dynamics. Her current projects range from quasineutral and singular-limit problems for Vlasov-type systems to quantization of measures, ultrafast diffusion, and gradient-flow structures that link microscopic particle models to macroscopic fluid descriptions. She makes extensive use of PDEs techniques, optimal transport, probability, calculus of variations, and Riemannian geometry in her work. Her recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on Vlasov-type equations, particularly examining quasineutral limits, stability properties, and connections to other physical systems like Euler equations and magnetohydrodynamics. She has made significant contributions to understanding Landau damping, quantization problems on manifolds, and the mathematical foundations of plasma physics. Her notable scientific awards include: SNSF Starting Grant (Swiss ERC) Challenges and Breakthroughs in the Mathematics of Plasmas (2025-2030) von Neumann Fellow at the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton (2024-2025) Invited speaker at the International Congress of Mathematical Physics (2021) CO-PI of the Germaine de Staël Funding Program for French-Swiss cooperation (2021-2023) L'Oréal prize for Women in Science (2015) Mikaela actively mentors postdocs, PhD, Master's, and Bachelor's students. Her current mentees include postdocs Dennis Chemnitz, Rishabh Gvalani, Stefano Rossi, and Simon Becker, as well as PhD students Thérèse Moerschell, Ata Deniz Aydin, and Antoine Gagnebin. She has served as PI for the Starting Research Grant from the University of Rome Sapienza and is currently the PI for the SNSF Starting Grant. She co-organizes several academic seminars including the Zurich Colloquium in Mathematics, the PDE and Mathematical Physics seminar at ETH Zürich and UZH, and the Analysis Seminar. She also serves on various committees including as Chair of the European Mathematical Society Committee for Women in Mathematics.
Mark de Rond is Professor of Organisational Ethnography at Cambridge Judge Business School and Fellow of Darwin College, University of Cambridge. His work focuses on immersive ethnographic studies of human behavior in extreme contexts including war zones, high-stakes sports, and controversial social movements, revealing how individuals navigate challenging circumstances through compromise and sensemaking. His educational background includes a DPhil from the University of Oxford alongside advanced degrees in management and economics, photojournalism, documentary photography, biography, creative nonfiction, and prose fiction. This multidisciplinary training informs his unconventional methodological approach. De Rond's research centers on extreme context ethnography, examining how pressure-cooker environments expose fundamental organizational dynamics. His work spans military medicine (Camp Bastion fieldwork), elite sports (Cambridge Boat Race), Amazon river expeditions, and controversial practices like paedophile hunting. Key contributions explore negotiation, conflict resolution, serendipity, institutional persistence, and the emotional toll of fieldwork, often employing innovative methods like enactive ethnography and linguistic analysis of digital communities. His recent publications reveal a growing focus on digital vigilantism and the societal implications of extreme practices, with increasing interdisciplinary reach across organizational studies, criminology, medical anthropology, and sociology. The work demonstrates methodological creativity through linguistic analysis of Facebook groups, embodiment studies in extreme environments, and dream-based reflexive techniques. Scientific recognition includes: BEST ARTICLE AWARD FOR 2016 Favorite MBA Professor honors from Poets & Quants (2021, 2022) Guinness World Record for first unsupported Amazon row De Rond advises MBA students and delivers executive education to top law firms (Slaughter and May, Allen & Overy), professional services (McKinsey, KPMG), corporations (Sky, BT, Diageo), and NGOs (UNICEF, NHS). His negotiation training from Harvard Law School informs both academic work and university mediation practice. Current research involves collaborative teams studying paedophile hunting (featured in Sundance-nominated documentary Predators ) and high-performance sports organizations, with fieldwork requiring deep immersion in challenging environments. His research methodology involves embedded collaboration with diverse teams including medical personnel in conflict zones, elite rowers, and controversial activist groups, often pushing methodological boundaries through photojournalism and creative nonfiction approaches.
Jose Luis Belmonte Postigo is an active researcher and faculty member at the University of Seville, specifically in the Department of American History within the Faculty of Philosophy, Arts and Humanities. His academic career spans over a decade, with research activity documented from 2010 to the present. He earned his doctorate from the Pablo de Olavide University with a thesis on slavery in Santiago de Cuba (1780-1803), supervised by Dr. Juan Marchena Fernández. Belmonte Postigo's research focuses on the history of slavery in the Spanish Caribbean and Latin America, with particular attention to Cuba, Puerto Rico, Peru, and the broader Atlantic World. His work examines the social, economic, and cultural dimensions of slavery, including enslaved people's resistance strategies, social mobility, and the complex relationships between masters and slaves. He has conducted extensive research on how enslaved individuals navigated systems of power, sought freedom, and maintained cultural practices across the colonial period. His publications reveal a strong interest in the microhistories of enslaved individuals and communities, analyzing how they negotiated their circumstances within rigid colonial structures. Belmonte Postigo has made significant contributions to understanding the regional variations of slavery across the Spanish Empire, particularly examining how local contexts shaped slave societies in different parts of the Caribbean and Latin America. Belmonte Postigo has received recognition for his scholarly work, with a substantial following on academic platforms like Academia.edu where he has 938 followers. He collaborates with scholars across Latin America and Spain, contributing to edited volumes and participating in international research projects focused on slavery and colonial history. In addition to his research, Belmonte Postigo has demonstrated commitment to academic service through peer reviewing and contributing to scholarly journals. His expertise in colonial slavery has positioned him as a key contributor to ongoing scholarly conversations about the legacy of slavery in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Jiang Wang is the Mizuho Financial Group Professor at the MIT Sloan School of Management, where he has been a faculty member since 1990, progressing from Assistant Professor to his current named professorship. He holds appointments in the Finance department and maintains an active research program in financial economics. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management (2005-present) MIT Sloan School of Management: Assistant Professor (1990-1994), Associate Professor (1994-1998), Professor (1998-1999), NTU Professor (1999-2005) Wang's research focuses on financial economics, asset pricing, market liquidity, trading volume, and financial market microstructure , with significant contributions to understanding information dynamics in markets. His work bridges theoretical models with empirical analysis, particularly in Chinese capital markets. Wang has developed influential theories on liquidity, trading volume, and market efficiency that have shaped modern financial economics. His recent publications demonstrate continued scholarly productivity, with research spanning market uncertainty, circuit breakers, repo markets, and Chinese financial markets. Wang's work integrates theoretical modeling with empirical validation, maintaining relevance to both academic discourse and practical market concerns. China Economics Prizes (2018) Smith Breeden Prize (2007, 2006) New York Stock Exchange Award FAME Research Prize (2004) Trefftz Award, Western Finance Association (1990) Wang has advised numerous doctoral students and supervised significant research projects, though specific student names aren't listed in the available materials. His extensive grant history includes multiple NSF awards and industry-sponsored research. Wang has held leadership positions including President of the Western Finance Association (2017-2018) and Director of the China Center for Financial Research at Tsinghua University (2002-2014). His academic service includes editorial roles for major finance journals and advisory positions with institutions including the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Nasdaq Stock Market, and China Securities Regulatory Commission.
Professor Guy Williams is a leading academic at the University of Cambridge with a focus on imaging science and clinical neurosciences, affiliated with Downing College and the Wolfson Brain Imaging Centre . Holding a PhD in Physics from his initial Natural Sciences degree, he specializes in nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and MRI techniques for brain imaging. Education: BA, PhD in Physics His research centers on non-invasive imaging of brain structure and function, particularly in traumatic brain injury (TBI) and dementia. His work involves developing novel MRI pulse sequences and advanced data analysis algorithms, including AI-based diagnostic tools. He leads studies on white matter integrity post-trauma, longitudinal dementia assessment, and applications of MRI in disorders of consciousness and addiction. Recent publications highlight collaborations in traumatic brain injury outcomes, AI-guided dementia prediction, and neuroimaging of post-COVID cognitive deficits. His team's work on ultra-high field laminar fMRI and distortion correction methods has advanced clinical neuroscience applications. Key techniques include diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), 7 Tesla MRI, and positron emission tomography (PET/MR). His research spans from basic NMR physics to clinical translation, with a strong emphasis on multi-site studies and real-world diagnostic implementation.
Dr. Beibei Ren is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Texas Tech University. She earned her Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the National University of Singapore (NUS) in 2010, followed by postdoctoral work at UCSD and a research fellowship at NUS. Education: Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering (NUS, 2010) Previous Positions: Postdoctoral Scholar (UCSD, 2010-2013), Research Fellow (NUS, 2009-2010) Her research focuses on dynamic systems and control with applications in renewable energy integration, microgrids, UAVs, MEMS, marine systems, and manufacturing. At Texas Tech, she directs the Dynamic Intelligent Systems, Control and Optimization (DISCO) Group , emphasizing robust control strategies for uncertain systems. The 15 most recent publications highlight her expertise in uncertainty and disturbance estimator (UDE)-based control , with applications in smart grid technologies, wind and solar energy systems, quadrotor robotics, and power electronics. Her work bridges theoretical control theory with practical implementations in renewable energy and autonomous systems. STEM Outreach: Actively promotes diversity in engineering through Texas Tech's STEM CORE programs.
Dr. Julia Costa López is an Assistant Professor (tenured) in History and Theory of International Relations at the Department of International Relations and International Organisation, Faculty of Arts, University of Groningen. Her work bridges international relations, history, and political thought, focusing on how historical frameworks shape modern disciplinary concepts. PhD from University of Oxford Lecturer at St Hilda's College Fulbright scholar at University of Denver's Josef Korbel School Graduate studies at University of Cambridge Research spans medieval political authority, sovereignty emergence, racialized medievalisms in extremism, and translation politics in global scholarship. Key projects include Routledge Handbook of Historical International Relations (2021) and the Oxford Handbook of History and International Relations (2023). Publications address Eurocentrism, conspiratorial ideology, and ritual's role in authority production. Scientific contributions appear in Cambridge Review of International Affairs , International Organization , and European Journal of International Law . Awards include the Fulbright scholarship. Recent work explores terraqueous relations and premodern world conceptualizations, challenging simplistic land-sea dichotomies in IR.
Associate Professor Wenhua Zhao is a globally recognized expert in offshore hydrodynamics and renewable energy technologies at The University of Queensland , School of Civil Engineering. With over 110 publications and 30 million AUD in secured research funding, his work bridges theoretical and practical advancements in marine engineering. Research focuses on Clean Energy , Artificial Intelligence , and Climate Change , specifically floating wind energy, floating solar, offshore aquaculture, and green hydrogen production. His 15 most recent articles (2024-2025) emphasize wave-structure interactions, gap resonance dynamics, and AI-driven wave prediction, published in top journals like Journal of Fluid Mechanics and Ocean Engineering . Scientific awards include the prestigious ARC Future Fellowship (2024-2028) and DECRA Fellowship (2019-2022) , recognizing his contributions to academia and industry. He teaches the 'Design of Offshore Energy Systems' course , training hundreds of students in coastal and ocean engineering, and serves as Deputy Editor for Ocean Engineering and Associate Editor for ASME's Journal of OMAE . Available for research supervision, Zhao actively collaborates with editorial boards of Applied Ocean Research and other Q1 journals.
