Michael Lucey is the Sidney and Margaret Ancker Chair and Distinguished Professor of French and Comparative Literature at the University of California, Berkeley. His work bridges French literature from the 19th to 21st centuries with social theory, sexuality studies, and linguistic anthropology. He has authored the critically acclaimed What Proust Heard: Novels and the Ethnography of Talk (2022) and Thinking about Sexuality with Novels (forthcoming). As founding director of the Center for the Study of Sexual Culture , he has shaped interdisciplinary research in queer theory and gender studies. Current research focuses on novels as ethnographic tools Specializes in Proust, Balzac, Woolf, and contemporary French fiction Translation work includes Didier Eribon and Édouard Louis His recent articles explore phonetics in narrative, readability frameworks, and sociological implications of literary form. He actively engages with comparative methodologies and critical theory, while his teaching spans British and American literature’s intersections with French modernism. Lucey’s academic leadership includes directing Berkeley’s Center for the Study of Sexual Culture, which supports global discourse through fellowships and conferences. His office hours are held in Dwinelle Hall and via Zoom. Contact: mlucey@berkeley.edu
Joep Cornelissen holds a part-time Chair in Strategy and Organization at the University of Liverpool Management School and is a Professor of Corporate Communication and Management at Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University. His academic career spans strategic management, organizational theory, and corporate communication. His research interests center on processes of strategizing and organizational change, with a particular focus on innovation, entrepreneurship, and the development of scientific reasoning within management and organization theory. He actively collaborates with entrepreneurs and managers from diverse sectors, including regional development agencies, corporations, NGOs, and startups, to ensure the practical relevance of his work. Currently, he is leading a multi-year project on corporate purpose and sustainability, seeking partnerships in the Liverpool city region and beyond. Professor Cornelissen’s publications reflect a commitment to advancing theoretical and methodological rigor in management studies. Recent work explores the interplay between communication, strategy formulation, and organizational change, while also addressing critical methodological questions such as theoretical triangulation and causal mechanisms. His contributions span both empirical studies and methodological debates, emphasizing the practical implications of organizational research. While specific grants or advising students are not detailed here, Professor Cornelissen collaborates extensively with various organizations to enhance the applied relevance of his research, particularly in the realm of corporate sustainability and strategic change. He is affiliated with the Brett Centre for Entrepreneurship, contributing to research initiatives that bridge academic inquiry and practical business challenges.
Sebastian Thies is Professor and Chair for Ibero-American Literary and Cultural Studies at the University of Tübingen, where he has been employed since October 2012. He serves as Vice Director of the Interdisciplinary Centre for Global South Studies (ICGSS) and coordinates the BMBF/DAAD thematic network 'Futures under construction in the Global South'. His academic journey began with a PhD in Hispanic Studies from the University of Osnabrück in 2000, followed by positions at the University of Bielefeld where he progressed from Junior Professor for Hispanic Literary and Media Studies to Full Professor for Inter-American Studies. Thies' research focuses on Global South Studies, with particular emphasis on Latin American literature, film, and media. His work explores subjectivity formations, entangled temporalities, and political communication across borders. He has directed significant research initiatives including the doctoral studies program 'Entangled Temporalities in the Global South' and has co-edited major reference works such as The Routledge Handbook for Global South Studies on Subjectivities (2024). His extensive publication record demonstrates a consistent engagement with transnational cultural phenomena, particularly examining how Latin American cultural production intersects with global political and social dynamics. Thies frequently collaborates with international scholars, reflecting his commitment to transdisciplinary and transregional approaches to cultural analysis. Project Leader: Research Training Network 'Entangled Temporalities in the Global South' Vice Project Leader: Thematic network 'Literary Cultures of the Global South' Associated Investigator: BMBF-Area Studies Project 'The Americas as a Space of Entanglement' Project Leader: Research Group 'E Pluribus Unum? Ethnic Identies in Processes of Transnational Integration' Thies actively supervises doctoral students through the Interdisciplinary Centre for Global South Studies and has established collaborative networks across Latin America, particularly with institutions in Mexico and Colombia. His current research agenda focuses on 'Futures under construction in the Global South' and continues to explore the intersections of cultural production, political communication, and subjectivity formation in transnational contexts.
Pranav Anand is a Professor in the Department of Linguistics at the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC). He currently serves as the Faculty Director of the Humanities Institute at UCSC since July 2023. His research focuses on the interplay between context, interpretation, and grammatical perspective, particularly in areas like de re/de se contrasts, evaluative predication, and indexical shift. He has contributed to studies on narrative structures, evidential restrictions, and the syntax-semantics interface in sluicing. Dr. Anand has taught a variety of courses including Ling 119: Narratives , Ling 231: Semantics A , and special topics like Invented Languages: From Elvish to Esperanto . His work bridges theoretical linguistics with computational methods, evidenced by collaborations in projects such as the Santa Cruz sluicing dataset and analyses of political discourse in online commentary. His research has been published in journals like Linguistics and Philosophy , Language , and Discourse and Society , with a focus on semantics, pragmatics, and narrative linguistics. He has also contributed to computational linguistics initiatives, including the development of annotated corpora for sentiment analysis and argumentation studies. Dr. Anand's academic contributions span both theoretical exploration and applied computational linguistics, reflecting his interdisciplinary approach to understanding language structure and usage.
California Institute of Technology (Caltech)United States
Frederick Eberhardt is a Professor of Philosophy at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) since 2013. He holds a B.S. from the London School of Economics (2002), an M.S. from Carnegie Mellon University (2005), and a Ph.D. from Carnegie Mellon (2007). His research focuses on the intersection of philosophy of science, machine learning, and cognitive science, emphasizing causal discovery from data, experimental methods in causality, and foundational issues in probability and causality. He also explores computational models in psychology and historical work on Hans Reichenbach's philosophy. Recent publications span topics like causal emergence, Reichenbachian probability coordination, and causal mapping in neuroscience. His work bridges formal philosophy with empirical applications in cognitive science and computational methods. Education: B.S., London School of Economics, 2002 M.S., Carnegie Mellon University, 2005 Ph.D., Carnegie Mellon University, 2007 Research interests include formal philosophy of science, causal inference techniques, machine learning applications to causal discovery, and the philosophical underpinnings of probability. His work on causal abstraction and computational models in cognitive science highlights interdisciplinary approaches to understanding causal mechanisms. Recent publications emphasize integrating experimental and observational data for causal discovery, with applications in neuroscience and psychology. Publications reflect a focus on advancing causal reasoning methods, from theoretical frameworks to empirical validation. No scientific awards are explicitly listed in the provided text. Advising and grants details are not available here. Eberhardt is affiliated with Caltech’s Philosophy Department and contributes to theoretical and applied research in causality and its implications across disciplines.
Dr James Lamb is a Lecturer in Digital Education at the Moray House School of Education and Sport, University of Edinburgh, where he is affiliated with the Institute for Education, Community and Society (IECS) and Edinburgh Futures Institute. He teaches on the MSc in Digital Education and MSc in Education Futures programs, and serves as course organiser for several key courses including 'Learning Spaces and Digital Technologies', 'The Future of Learning Organisations', and 'Education and Digital Cultures'. As an active researcher, he contributes to the Centre for Research in Digital Education and leads the Hybrid Pioneers research group. Dr Lamb's educational background includes a PhD from the University of Edinburgh (funded by ESRC), an MSc with distinction from the University of Edinburgh, and a BA degree with distinction from Edinburgh Napier University. His doctoral research focused on 'Space, Sociomateriality, Sound: the Learning Spaces of Higher Education,' reflecting his longstanding interest in the relationship between physical environments and educational experiences. Dr Lamb's research primarily investigates the relationship between learning spaces and digital technologies, with particular attention to how sound features within educational contexts and how multimodal approaches can enhance teaching and assessment. His work bridges theoretical frameworks from postdigital studies, sociomaterial theory, and spatial analysis to examine how digital technologies transform physical and conceptual learning environments. He has developed innovative methodologies for studying learning spaces, including the use of 'digital multimodal postcards' that capture both visual and auditory dimensions of educational experiences. His research is characterized by a strong commitment to practical applications that can inform educational design and improve student learning experiences in both physical and digital settings. Dr Lamb's extensive publication record demonstrates a clear evolution toward increasingly sophisticated explorations of postdigital learning spaces. His recent work integrates concepts from architecture, music, and mobility studies to create a more holistic understanding of how learners inhabit and transform educational environments. A notable trend is his growing focus on sustainability, equity, and well-being within learning space design, reflecting broader shifts in educational priorities toward more humane and socially responsible approaches to technology integration. Dr Lamb actively supervises PhD students Edward Martin and Nick Hood, and is open to supervising projects related to learning spaces, sound in education, and multimodal teaching and assessment in higher education. His supervision approach emphasizes connecting theoretical frameworks with practical educational applications, encouraging students to develop innovative methodologies for investigating complex educational phenomena. Dr Lamb leads the Elektronisches Lernen Muzik project, which explores the relationship between music and learning, and is a co-author of the influential Manifesto for Teaching Online. He is also a key member of the Hybrid Pioneers research group, which investigates the challenges and opportunities of hybrid teaching and learning environments. These initiatives reflect his commitment to exploring the intersections between traditional educational practices and emerging digital possibilities.
Govind P. Agrawal is a Professor of Optics and Physics at the University of Rochester. He holds concurrent positions as a Fellow of the IEEE and the Optical Society of America (OSA). His research focuses on theoretical optics, nonlinear optics, laser physics, and semiconductor lasers, with notable contributions to fiber optics and optical communications. Education: Agrawal earned his MS (1971) and PhD (1974) from the Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi. He has held prior positions at École Polytechnique (Paris), City University of New York, and AT&T Bell Laboratories before joining the University of Rochester in 1989. Research Interests: Agrawal's work explores quantum electronics, soliton dynamics, Raman scattering, and temporal reflection phenomena. He has authored seminal books such as Nonlinear Fiber Optics and Semiconductor Lasers , and published over 300 journal articles. His recent studies emphasize spatiotemporal dispersion, multimode fiber optics, and integrated photonics systems. Editorial Roles: He served as Topical Editor for Journal of the Optical Society of America B (1993–1998) and currently contributes to editorial boards for optics journals and book series. Awards: Honored as a Fellow of the IEEE and OSA for his transformative contributions to optics and photonics. Key Contributions: Pioneered theories on graded-index fiber amplifiers, temporal reflection in nonlinear media, and soliton-based technologies. His research bridges fundamental optics with practical applications in telecommunications and photonics systems.
Cathryn Mitchell is a Professor of Radio Science and Royal Society Industry Fellow at the University of Bath, specializing in ionospheric physics, position, navigation, and timing (PNT). She leads research in the Space & Telecoms Research Group (STAR), focusing on radio propagation, data assimilation, and space weather impacts on communication systems. Her work bridges theoretical, computational, and experimental approaches, with applications in satellite navigation, climate monitoring, and defense sectors. Her research interests include ionospheric tomography, HF communications, and the development of robust PNT systems. Mitchell collaborates extensively with industry partners like Spirent Communications on future navigation technologies and space weather resilience. She has held roles such as Academic Director of the Doctoral College and contributes to interdisciplinary projects like the DRIIVE initiative exploring ionospheric variability with EISCAT-3D radar. Recent work emphasizes ionospheric effects during geomagnetic storms (e.g., the 2024 Gannon Storm) and cooperative autonomous systems under communication constraints. Her projects are funded by the Royal Society, Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), and ESA, addressing challenges in space weather forecasting and PNT system reliability. Awards: Royal Society Industry Fellow (2022–present) Key Projects: Royal Society Industry Fellowship on Future PNT Technologies DRIVERS (DRIIVE): Ionospheric Variability Studies EISCAT-3D FINESSE: Ionospheric Structuring Analysis Mitchell’s lab, STAR, integrates academic and industrial partnerships to advance space weather applications and sustainable navigation systems, contributing to UN Sustainable Development Goals related to climate action and innovation.
Dr. Philipp Porada is a Junior Professor of Ecological Modeling at the University of Hamburg, affiliated with the Department of Biology within the Faculty of Mathematics, Computer Science and Natural Sciences. He works at the Institute of Plant Sciences and Microbiology, specifically in the Applied Plant Ecology group, based at the Otto Warburg House. His research integrates process-based modeling with ecological field studies to investigate non-vascular vegetation, biogeochemical cycles, and climate-vegetation interactions across multiple temporal and spatial scales. Porada's research focuses primarily on non-vascular vegetation (bryophytes, lichens, and biocrusts), examining their role in global biogeochemical cycles, biodiversity-ecosystem functioning relationships, and paleoclimate dynamics. His work spans from contemporary ecosystem processes to geological time scales, with particular emphasis on the impacts of climate change on non-vascular communities. He has developed several process-based models including LiBry for lichen and bryophyte communities, LiDELS for soil-vegetation interactions, and LYCOm for early vascular plants. His research demonstrates how non-vascular vegetation influences carbon sequestration, water cycling, and soil processes across diverse ecosystems from urban forests to polar regions. Analysis of Porada's publication record reveals a strong interdisciplinary approach combining ecological theory, biogeochemistry, and computational modeling. His work spans multiple ecosystems including peatlands, drylands, urban forests, and coastal blue carbon systems. A consistent theme across his research is understanding how non-vascular vegetation mediates the relationship between environmental conditions and ecosystem functions. His most recent work increasingly focuses on climate change impacts and potential mitigation strategies through vegetation management. Porada leads two major research projects funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG): 'Effects of nutrient limitation on non-vascular vegetation under climate change' and 'The role of early plants for palaeoclimate dynamics'. These projects reflect his dual interest in contemporary environmental challenges and deep-time ecological processes. His collaborative work, evident in his extensive publication record with international researchers, demonstrates strong interdisciplinary connections across ecology, biogeochemistry, and climate science. Dr. Porada maintains an active research laboratory focused on ecological modeling, with particular expertise in non-vascular vegetation dynamics. His team develops and applies process-based models to address questions ranging from micro-scale lichen water relations to global biogeochemical cycles. The research group collaborates extensively with field ecologists, climate scientists, and biogeochemists to ground-truth model predictions and explore new ecological phenomena.
Patrick Sturt is a Reader in Psychology at the University of Edinburgh's School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences. His research focuses on syntactic processing in language comprehension, computational models of incremental parsing, anaphor resolution, and eye movements in reading. With over 100 publications and more than 3,300 citations, he is a recognized expert in psycholinguistics and language processing. Dr. Sturt's research interests span multiple areas of language processing. He investigates how humans comprehend sentences in real-time, with particular focus on syntactic structures, agreement phenomena, and anaphoric reference. His work often employs eye-tracking methodologies to examine the moment-by-moment processing of linguistic information. He has made significant contributions to understanding how readers handle syntactic ambiguities, garden-path sentences, and the role of prediction in language comprehension. His recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on cross-linguistic studies, particularly examining language processing in Mandarin Chinese and Korean. Many of his studies investigate how syntactic and semantic information interact during comprehension, and how linguistic structures like honorifics, classifiers, and non-canonical word orders are processed. His work bridges theoretical linguistics with experimental psycholinguistics, providing empirical evidence for models of sentence processing. Dr. Sturt actively supervises PhD students including Carine Abraham, Wenjia Cai, Chiuchou Hao, Ruomeng Zhu, and Christy Gu. He teaches Psychology of Language 1 and 2 at the MSc level, as well as Data Analysis for Psychology in R for first-year undergraduates. His teaching reflects his research expertise, providing students with both theoretical knowledge and practical analytical skills. Based in Room G29 of the Psychology Building at 7 George Square, Edinburgh, Dr. Sturt maintains regular office hours on Tuesdays from 3-4pm, providing accessibility to students and colleagues. His email address is patrick.sturt@ed.ac.uk.
Professor Dmitry Turaev is a Professor in Dynamical Systems at Imperial College London's Department of Mathematics within the Faculty of Natural Sciences. His primary role includes teaching courses such as Dynamical Systems and Bifurcation Theory. He is affiliated with the Applied Mathematics and Mathematical Physics groups and the Mathematics research and teaching staff. His research focuses on dynamical systems, chaos theory, bifurcation theory, and their applications in physics and engineering. Education: Ph.D. in Mathematics (details inferred from academic position). Research interests span applied and pure mathematics, with a strong emphasis on dynamical systems, including Hamiltonian systems, homoclinic tangencies, and chaotic behavior in reversible systems. Turaev's work explores complex phenomena such as the emergence of Lorenz-like attractors, Fermi acceleration, and the breakdown of symmetry in dynamical systems. His recent publications highlight studies on pseudohyperbolic attractors, chaotic dynamics in symmetric networks, and nonuniformly expanding random systems. Turaev advises numerous PhD students, reflecting his active role in nurturing the next generation of researchers in dynamical systems. He maintains a lab/working group within the Dynamical Systems group at Imperial College, collaborating with colleagues like Jeroen Lamb and Martin Rasmussen. His research often intersects with interdisciplinary topics like quantum physics and nonlinear optics.
Adam Brandenburger is a prominent academic holding the J.P. Valles Professorship at NYU Stern School of Business and a Distinguished Professorship at NYU Tandon School of Engineering. He also serves as Faculty Director of the NYU Shanghai Program on Creativity + Innovation and is a Global Network Professor. Previously, he was at Harvard Business School (1987–2002). He earned his B.A., M.Phil., and Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge. His research spans game theory, quantum mechanics, and business strategy. Notable contributions include co-authoring the best-selling book Co-opetition , which introduces the concept of co-opetition (cooperative competition). His work bridges theoretical frameworks like epistemic game theory with practical applications in strategy and decision-making. Recent research focuses on quantum systems' non-classical correlations, divisive normalization in neuroscience, and the implications of finite-order reasoning in games. He has collaborated with institutions like the Royal Society and journals such as Nature Communications and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences . Brandenburger’s academic career reflects interdisciplinary impact, combining economics, physics, and cognitive science. His courses include The Strategist and Creativity Considered , emphasizing strategic thinking and innovation.
Björn Ross is a Lecturer in Computational Social Science at the University of Edinburgh's School of Informatics, where he is affiliated with the Institute for Language, Cognition and Computation. He serves as Director of the SMASH research group and is part of the management team for the Centre for Doctoral Training in Natural Language Processing (CDT in NLP). His educational background includes: PhD (2019) from the University of Duisburg-Essen MSc in Computer Science (2016) from the University of Münster Exchange year (2014-2015) at the University of Strasbourg BSc in Information Systems (2013) from the University of Münster Ross's research focuses on computational social science, particularly using natural language processing, social network analysis, and agent-based modeling to study social media phenomena. His work examines misinformation, hate speech, bot activity, and the ethical implications of computational methods. He also investigates how social media can be leveraged for social good, especially in crisis communication contexts. A significant portion of his recent research addresses bias and fairness issues in AI systems, particularly regarding marginalized communities and LGBTQ+ identities. His work spans both technical development of computational methods and critical examination of their societal impacts. Analysis of his recent publications reveals a strong trend toward examining bias in AI systems, particularly regarding marginalized communities. His work spans multiple methodologies including computational analysis of social media data, development of NLP techniques, and critical examination of AI ethics. He frequently collaborates across disciplines, working with researchers in computer science, social sciences, and healthcare domains. His professional recognition includes: Best Paper Award at the Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS) in 2018 Associate Editor for Business & Information Systems Engineering Active membership in professional organizations including AIS, ACL, and ACM Ross currently supervises multiple PhD students including Agostina Calabrese, Eddie Ungless, Sandrine Chausson, Wendy Zheng, Seraphina Goldfarb-Tarrant, and Mahmoud Ibrahim. At the University of Edinburgh, he teaches courses such as 'Text Technologies for Data Science' and 'Evidence, Argument and Persuasion in a Digital Age,' reflecting his expertise at the intersection of computational methods and social implications.
Eliot R. Smith is a Professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Indiana University Bloomington's College of Arts and Sciences. With over 126 publications and an h-index of 50, he has established himself as a leading scholar in social psychology, particularly in the areas of intergroup emotions and social cognition. His Scopus profile shows 10,991 citations across 8,796 documents, reflecting significant impact in his field. Smith's research focuses on how group membership shapes emotional experiences and social judgments. His work has significantly contributed to Intergroup Emotions Theory, exploring how people experience emotions on behalf of their social groups and how these group-based emotions influence intergroup relations. Recent research examines gender bias in hiring decisions through a large meta-analysis spanning 44 years of field experiments, human-robot interaction through social psychological lenses, and the dynamics of group-based emotions over time. His research integrates theoretical advances in embodied cognition with social psychological phenomena, examining how physical and social contexts shape cognitive and emotional processes. Analysis of his recent publications (2019-2024) reveals three dominant research trajectories: 1) gender bias and discrimination in organizational contexts, 2) extension of social psychological theories to human-robot interaction, and 3) refinement of Intergroup Emotions Theory with attention to temporal dynamics and regulatory processes. His work increasingly incorporates methodological innovations including meta-analyses, multi-analyst approaches, and cross-cultural comparisons.
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.
