Laurie Shannon is the Franklyn Bliss Snyder Professor of English at Northwestern University, with a J.D. from Harvard Law School and a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago. She studies English literature and culture in the long sixteenth century, focusing on the history of ideas in language, stakeholdership, embodiment, and cross-species relations. She serves as convener of The Anne Lister Society and is collaborating with Oxford University Press on a scholarly edition of Anne Lister’s Journal. Education: J.D., Harvard Law School; Ph.D., University of Chicago Shannon’s research explores the political imagination in early modern literature, particularly through friendship (Sovereign Amity: Figures of Friendship in Shakespearean Contexts) and animal studies (The Accommodated Animal: Cosmopolity in Shakespearean Locales). Her current monograph, 'Frailty’s Name: Shakespeare and the Natural History of Human Being,' examines human negative exceptionalism in Renaissance thought and its implications for climate crisis ethics. Her publications span Shakespeare studies, queer theory, environmental humanities, and textual editing. Notable awards include the Elizabeth Dietz Memorial Award, Robert B. Cox Teaching Award, and Dean’s Award for Graduate Mentoring. She has held NEH, ACLS, and Guggenheim fellowships. Scientific Awards: Elizabeth Dietz Memorial Award, Robert B. Cox Distinguished Undergraduate Teaching Award, Dean's Award for Graduate Mentoring, NEH Fellowship, ACLS Fellowship, Guggenheim Fellowship Shannon contributes to the Anne Lister Diary Transcription Project and has served as English Department Chair at Northwestern. Her recent articles focus on Shakespeare’s engagement with natural history, queer cosmology, and animal sovereignty, reflecting her interdisciplinary approach.
Prof. Dr. Sebastian Conrad holds the Chair of Modern History at Freie Universität Berlin , specializing in Global History , (Post-)colonial History , and Intellectual History . He joined the faculty in 2010 after teaching at European University Institute in Florence and serving as visiting scholar at institutions including NYU Abu Dhabi and The New School, New York. Director of MA "Global History" (FU Berlin/Humboldt University joint program) Director of Graduate School "Global Intellectual History" Principal Investigator, Cluster of Excellence "Temporal Communities" (2024) Research Interests focus on transnational historical frameworks , globalization of historical narratives , and postcolonial historiography . His latest book Die Königin: Nofretetes globale Karriere (2024) analyzes cultural globalization through Nefertiti's iconography, while his current project explores global history of bodily aesthetics and identity formation since the 19th century. Recent Publications include: 2022: "Empire and Nationalism" (American Historical Review) 2021: "Globalizing the Beautiful Body" (Journal of World History) 2020: "Greek in Their Own Way" (American Historical Review) Scientific Honors : Elected member, Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities (2024) Elected member, Academia Europaea (2024) Finalist, German/NDR non-fiction book awards (2024) for Nefertiti study Academic Leadership includes editorial roles at Geschichte und Gesellschaft , Past & Present , and Globalgeschichte book series (Campus Verlag). His work bridges historical analysis with contemporary debates on memory, identity, and global cultural dynamics.
Dr. Laura McMahon is an Associate Professor in Film and Screen Studies at the Faculty of Modern and Medieval Languages and Linguistics , University of Cambridge. She is currently on sabbatical leave and will return in Easter Term 2024. Her research explores intersections between film and philosophy , with a focus on French and Francophone cinema , decolonial approaches , feminist theory , and ecocritical perspectives . Dr. McMahon’s work examines how contemporary feminist filmmakers like Onyeka Igwe and Khady Sylla engage with archives to reframe history through speculative reimagining . She also investigates ecological themes in Claire Denis’s films and the ethics of animality in global art cinema. Her monograph Animal Worlds: Film, Philosophy and Time (2019) and edited collections like Animal Life and the Moving Image (2015) highlight her contributions to debates on nonhuman representation and deconstructive aesthetics . Her recent publications analyze documentary practices , postcolonial archives , and critical repurposing in moving image work. She welcomes inquiries from MPhil and PhD students working on related topics. Her teaching and research are affiliated with the Cambridge Film and Screen initiative and the Cambridge Italian Research Network (CIRN).
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.
Professor Adam Yuet Chau is a Fellow and Director of Studies at St John's College and holds the Professor of the Anthropology of China position at the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Cambridge . His academic journey includes training at Stanford University (PhD in Anthropology, 2001) and teaching roles at Oxford and SOAS before joining Cambridge in 2008. Focus on Chinese religions and their social dimensions Specializes in ritual theory and cultural transformations Develops comparative frameworks for understanding religious practices His research spans religion under socialism , hosting in political/religious contexts , and ritual polytropy . Recent projects include editing Chinese Religious Culture in 100 Objects and analyzing 'spheres' (界) in Chinese society . Publications like Miraculous Response (2006) and Religion in Contemporary China (2011) establish him as a key figure in religious anthropology. Current and past PhD/MPhil students explore topics from temple festivals in Taiwan to religious subjectification . He actively reviews for leading presses (Cambridge, Oxford, Harvard) and journals ( Ethnos , Modern China ), and participates in international academic workshops.
Barbara Gail Montero is the Rev. John A. O’Brien Professor of Philosophy at the University of Notre Dame, where she holds a faculty position in the Department of Philosophy within the College of Arts and Letters. She earned her BA from the University of California, Berkeley, and her PhD from the University of Chicago. Her research focuses on two core areas: the metaphysical relationship between mind and body, and the role of consciousness in expert action. Notably, she explores how physicalism interacts with abstract entities and how athletes defy skill plateaus through orthogonal models of attention and automaticity. Her key publications include Continuous Improvement: Intertwining Mind and Body in Athletic Expertise (2022, co-authored), A Very Short Introduction: Philosophy of Mind (2021), and Thought in Action: Expertise and the Conscious Mind (2016). She has also published influential papers on pain memory gaps, expertise-induced amnesia, and critiques of flow-state theories. Montero’s interdisciplinary work bridges philosophy with dance performance, as seen in collaborations like Curved Spacetimes: Where Friedrich Nietzsche Meets Virginia Woolf . Her teaching spans philosophy of mind, logic, and science, emphasizing neural plasticity and conscious engagement in expertise.
Hélène Charlery is a Lecturer in Anglophone Studies at the Université Toulouse - Jean Jaurès, affiliated with the Center for Anglophone Studies (CAS). She has held this academic position since 2008 and is actively engaged in research and scholarly activities. Her primary research interests center on intersectionality in American cinema and series , with a specific focus on Black American female directors and the representation of African American women in film and media. Her work critically examines the intersections of race, gender, and sexuality in visual narratives. Her recent publications, including the 2024 journal issue Mainstreaming Intersectionality in Contemporary Cinema and Television which she co-edited, and articles on films by Dee Rees, Ava DuVernay, and Jordan Peele, demonstrate a consistent and evolving scholarly trajectory. Her research analyzes how contemporary films and television series negotiate complex social identities and political themes, particularly through the lens of Black feminism. Scientific Responsibilities Co-Secretary of the Society for the History of Women in the Americas (SHAW) Thesis Supervision Co-supervised the doctoral thesis of Mikael Toulza on Voodoo in North American audiovisual fiction. She has presented her research at numerous international conferences, contributing to academic discourse on gender, race, and representation in the English-speaking world.
Martha Easton is an Associate Professor of Art History and Program Director of Museum Studies at Saint Joseph's University. She specializes in medieval art and architecture, with a focus on illuminated manuscripts, gender and hagiography, feminist theory, and medieval collecting practices. Easton is a founding member of the Material Collective, a collaborative dedicated to innovative approaches to visual culture, and has lectured extensively at institutions like the Met Cloisters. Education : PhD in Fine Arts (Institute of Fine Arts, New York University) with major fields in Early Christian and Medieval Art; minor in Japanese Art Certificate of Curatorial Studies (Institute of Fine Arts/The Metropolitan Museum of Art) MA in Fine Arts (Institute of Fine Arts, New York University) BA in History (Carleton College) Her research explores intersections of gender, medievalism, and the afterlife of medieval art in modern collections. She is currently writing a book on John Hays Hammond Jr., a scientist-collector who built Hammond Castle, and has published widely on feminist art history, medieval eroticism, and the Material Collective’s collaborative scholarship. Scientific Awards : Michael J. Morris Grant for Scholarly Research (2020-21) Teaching Innovation Grant (2020) Senior Research Fellowship, Center for the History of Collecting (The Frick Collection, 2015) Samuel H. Kress Foundation Travel Grant (1998) Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Fellowship (1996-97) Easton has taught at institutions including Seton Hall University, Bryn Mawr College, and New York University, and her work bridges medieval scholarship with modern curatorial practices and feminist reinterpretation of historical narratives.
Dr. Julieta Chaparro-Buitrago is a Wellcome Trust Early Career Fellow in the Department of Sociology at the University of Cambridge, specializing in decolonial approaches to reproductive justice across Latin America. Her work bridges anthropology, gender studies, and environmental sociology through critical examinations of colonial power structures. Her educational foundation includes a PhD from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where she received the Oriol Pi-Sunyer Dissertation Prize and multiple research awards recognizing her groundbreaking work on forced sterilization in Peru. Chaparro-Buitrago's research centers on how colonial legacies and extractive industries shape reproductive experiences of indigenous and peasant women. She develops innovative frameworks like Reproductive Extractivism to analyze connections between land exploitation, environmental contamination, and bodily sovereignty, challenging Western-centric reproductive rights paradigms through decolonial feminist methodologies. Her publication trajectory reveals expanding scope from Peru-focused ethnography to transnational comparisons (US, China) and environmental dimensions, consistently centering peasant epistemologies while critiquing state violence and repro-normative hierarchies. Her scientific recognition includes: Wellcome Trust Early Career Award (2022) Oriol Pi-Sunyer Dissertation Prize (2021) Armelagos-Swedlund Graduate Research Award (2018) Richard B. Woodbury Award (2015) Pre-Dissertation Research Award (2013) Her Wellcome-funded project on reproduction in Peru's extractive zones drives interdisciplinary collaboration with Cambridge Reproduction and the Cambridge Lactation Network, generating policy interventions for environmental reproductive justice amid climate crisis. She actively shapes discourse through the Cambridge Reproduction Forum and Reading Group, fostering cross-departmental dialogue on decolonizing reproduction research while mentoring emerging scholars in critical feminist methodologies.
Dr. Emily Cuming is a Senior Lecturer in the Humanities and Social Science school at Liverpool John Moores University , specializing in British literature, culture, and social history from the 19th century to the present. Her research focuses on maritime relations, working-class girlhood, life writing, and representations of domestic spaces including council estates, slums, and bedsits. PhD, MA, BA in English & Russian from University of Manchester (2006, 2002, 2001) Editor of Key Words: A Journal of Cultural Materialism Co-leader of the Home and Domestic Cultures research network Committee member of the Research Institute for Literature and Cultural History Board member of the Centre for Port and Maritime History Her research combines literary analysis with historical and cultural studies, emphasizing material culture, port cities, and marginalized voices. Recent publications include Maritime Relations: Life, Labour and Literature at the Water’s Edge, 1830-1914 (Cambridge University Press, forthcoming 2025) and Housing, Class and Gender in Modern British Writing, 1880-2012 (CUP, 2016). She has received multiple research grants including AHRC Connected Communities funding and Liverpool John Moores University QR awards. Dr. Cuming teaches undergraduate modules on Life Stories , Representing Domestic Space , and Waterscapes , as well as MA courses on Place: Imagining Place in Modern Times . She supervises three PhD projects and welcomes new supervisees in her research areas. 2025: Enhancing Research Cultures funding for 'The Sinking of the Lancastria' 2024: Editorial board member of Journal of Victorian Culture 2023: NCCPE Engage Prize for 'Around the Toilet' project 2022: Caird Short-term Research Fellowship 2016: NCCPE Engage Prize winner
Maksymilian Del Mar is Professor of Legal Theory and Legal Humanities in the Department of Law at Queen Mary University of London's School of Law. He has held this position since joining Queen Mary in 2011, contributing significantly to legal scholarship and education. His academic journey spans multiple disciplines and institutions, reflecting his interdisciplinary approach to legal studies. Professor Del Mar received his BA Hons/LLB Hons in philosophy, literature, and law from the University of Queensland, Australia (1999-2004), with an Honours dissertation in philosophy and literature on Italo Calvino. He then completed a Doctorate in Philosophy (PhD) at the University of Edinburgh (2006-2009), followed by a Doctorate in the Social Sciences (DSS) at the University of Lausanne (2009-2012). Prior to academia, he qualified as a lawyer in Brisbane, Australia, and worked as a Judge's Associate in the Supreme Court of Queensland. Professor Del Mar's research interests span the intersection of legal theory and legal humanities. His work explores the relations between legal theory and legal history, the history and historiography of politics and philosophy, and the theory and history of imagination, emotion, and related language arts. He has a particular focus on Scottish philosophers and jurists from the 18th to 20th centuries, including David Hume, Adam Smith, and Neil MacCormick. His current research projects examine the relations between character sketching and legal reasoning, and the imagination in eighteenth century Scotland. His scholarship reflects a commitment to building bridges across disciplines and articulating the essential role of arts and humanities in legal pedagogy and scholarship. His recent publications demonstrate a consistent focus on cognitive legal humanities, imagination in law, and the historical dimensions of legal reasoning. There is a clear trend toward interdisciplinary approaches that integrate insights from literature, rhetoric, cognitive science, and history into legal analysis. His work increasingly explores the embodied and affective dimensions of legal reasoning, moving beyond purely textual analysis to consider kinesic intelligence, emotional dimensions, and the materiality of legal practice. Professor Del Mar has received recognition for his work, including the IVR's Commendation for Excellence for 'Artefacts of Legal Inquiry'. Professor Del Mar actively supervises doctoral students working in legal theory and legal humanities, with a focus on the theory and history of common law reasoning, relations between law and cultural theory and history, the history and historiography of legal philosophy, law in a global context, and Scottish jurisprudence. His current and recent students include Isa Bellati, Luiza Tavares da Motta, Gabrielle Schwarzmann, and Adela Halo. His editorial work demonstrates significant scholarly activity, including editing the Law in Context series at Cambridge University Press, the Cambridge Elements in Legal Humanities, and the Encounters with Books from Other Disciplines series for the International Journal of Law in Context. He serves on the Editorial Board of Law & Literature. Professor Del Mar convenes the interdisciplinary research network on 'Imagination' at the Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences at Queen Mary University of London. He previously founded and convened the Cotterrell Lectures in Sociological Jurisprudence (2015-2025) and the Centre for Law and Society in a Global Context (2013-18). He is also Co-Convenor of the Research Seminar series of the Queen Mary Centre for Eighteenth Century Studies and a Member of the Advisory Committee of the Centre for the History of Political Thought at Queen Mary.
Lesley A Sharp is the Barbara Chamberlain & Helen Chamberlain Josefsberg ’30 Professor of Anthropology at Barnard College. She holds a joint appointment as Senior Research Scientist in Sociomedical Sciences at the Mailman School of Public Health (Columbia University) and is a Fellow of the Center for Animals and Public Policy at Tufts University's Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine. Her research spans medical anthropology, bioethics, and human-animal relations, with fieldwork in the U.S., Anglophone countries, and Madagascar. Education : Joint Ph.D. from UC Berkeley/UCSF, M.A. from UC Berkeley, B.A. from Brandeis University Sharp's academic focus encompasses the symbolics of the human body, youth and identity politics in postcolonial Africa, organ transplantation ethics, and the moral consequences of experimental science. Her recent work examines human-animal interactions in laboratory research and carceral healthcare settings. Her publications bridge Medical Anthropology , Science and Technology Studies , and Animal Ethics . Key themes include the commodification of bodily materials, ethical dilemmas in transplantation, and interspecies responsibility in biomedical innovation. Scientific Awards : Guggenheim Fellowship (2020), Wellcome Medal (2019), Leah M. Ashe Prize (2022), New Millennium Book Award (2008), MASA Mentor Award (2019) Sharp has received external grants from the Wenner-Gren Foundation and Barnard College, with research exploring the moral economies of biotechnology , postcolonial African identity , and bioethical frontiers . Her academic leadership includes teaching awards and endowed chair positions.
Barbara Penner is Professor of Architectural Humanities at University College London's Bartlett School of Architecture, where she serves as Co-Director of the MA Architectural History program and supervises PhD students. Her academic appointments include Senior Lecturer positions at UCL since 2000 and previous roles at University of East London, Middlesex University, and Chelsea College of Art. Her educational background comprises a PhD from Birkbeck College (2003), MSc from University College London (1996), and BA from McGill University (1994). Penner's research focuses on the social and cultural dimensions of everyday spaces, examining how domestic environments, urban infrastructure, and commercial architecture shape social identities. Her interdisciplinary approach integrates architectural history with anthropology, literary theory, and cultural studies, particularly exploring gender dynamics in spaces like bathrooms, kitchens, hotels, and housing. Her publications reveal consistent engagement with themes of gender, domesticity, and infrastructure across historical periods. Key works include Bathroom (2013), Newlyweds on Tour (2009), and co-edited volumes on public toilets and gender. Recent scholarship examines social scientific research in home design, urine diversion systems, and historical housing models. RIBA President’s Award for Outstanding University-Located Research (2014) Leverhulme Major Fellowship (2021-2023) Provost Teaching Award, UCL (2013) Council of Editors of Learned Journals Best New Journal Award (2009) Penner actively supervises doctoral research on topics including Billy Butlin’s holiday camps and Gulf female shoppers' impact on London retail. She has completed twelve PhD supervisions and examined nearly thirty theses internationally. Her professional activities include serving on the Architectural Association Publications Committee, as North American Editor for Architectural History, and as External Examiner at University College Dublin. She participates in the 'Insurgent Domesticities' research group at Columbia University and contributes to Places Journal as a contributing editor.
Irina Rasmussen is an Associate Professor (Docent) at the Department of English , Stockholm University, specializing in modernist literature across British, American, Irish, and Russian traditions. Her research extends to the history of aesthetics , dialectical materialism , and world literature from the 19th to mid-20th century. As a member of Forum Modernism , she explores both mainstream and marginalized expressions of modernism while critically interrogating the concept itself. Primary research areas: British/American/Irish/Russian modernism, aesthetics history, dialectical materialism Current book project: "Vernacular Modernisms: Poetics of the World" Published in: James Joyce Quarterly , Modernism/modernity , James Joyce Broadsheet Her scholarship emphasizes: Form-sensitive readings of modernist texts Intersection of nationalism and internationalism in Joyce's work Political implications of archival practices (e.g., Gumby Collection analysis) Curatorial approaches in modernist documentation For thesis supervision in literary theory, postcolonial criticism, or world-literature frameworks, contact: irina.rasmussen@english.su.se
Regina Fabry is a Lecturer in the Department of Philosophy at Macquarie University, Australia, affiliated with the School of Humanities Ethics and Agency Research Centre. Previously, she held positions at Ruhr University Bochum (Lecturer, 2018–2021) and Justus Liebig University Giessen (Postdoctoral Researcher, 2016–2018). Her research focuses on situated cognition, affectivity, and the socio-cultural influences on self-narration and grief, particularly in the context of emerging technologies like deathbots. She holds a PhD in Philosophy (summa cum laude) from Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (2015), awarded the Barbara Wengeler Prize for her work on enculturated predictive processing. Fabry’s research is funded by grants including an ARC DECRA (2021–2024) and explores interdisciplinary themes in AI ethics, cognitive science, and literary studies. **Education**: PhD in Philosophy, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (2012–2015) MA in Comparative Literary Studies, Philosophy, and Theatre Studies, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (2007–2012) **Research Interests**: Combines empirical cognitive science with feminist theory to study narrative practices, grief, and AI ethics. Current projects include analyzing deathbots’ impact on grief dynamics and the socio-cultural situatedness of self-narration as tools of oppression or resistance. Her work bridges philosophy, psychology, and technology studies. **Articles Trends**: Recent publications address grief in digital contexts (deathbots), narrative ethics (e.g., gaslighting), and cognitive frameworks like predictive processing. Her work frequently intersects with technology’s role in shaping human experiences. **Awards**: Barbara Wengeler Prize 2016 for doctoral dissertation on enculturated cognition. **Teaching & Grants**: Teaches courses on AI ethics, including PHIL8400 (Rights, Responsibilities, and AI). Supervises postgraduate research in philosophy of mind and AI. Leads projects like “Living to tell, telling to live” (2021–present) and co-leads “A lone or lonely life?” (2025–2028) on autism and loneliness. **Labs/Teams**: Engaged in interdisciplinary collaborations on grief, narrative theory, and AI ethics, leveraging her background in philosophy, psychology, and literary studies.
