Contributors

Di Rao

PhD Student, Political Science, University of Waterloo

PhD Student, Political Science, University of Waterloo Di is a PhD Student at the University of Waterloo. She/her has previously completed an Honours Bachelor of Arts and Masters of Arts in Political Science at the University of Toronto. Her research work focuses on the intersection of Charter rights, public administration, and race.

Dr Fiorentina Sterkaj

Director of the Department of Psychological Sciences, School of Psychology, University of East London

Director of the Department of Psychological Sciences, School of Psychology, University of East London I am a senior academic with over 17 years’ experience across 3 higher education institutions. I hold a Doctorate and a BSc Honours in Psychology and a Postgraduate Certificate of Teaching in Higher Education. I am a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and a Chartered Psychologist with the British Psychological Society. I have extensive training and experience in managing and leading change and have won several awards for student experience and leadership. Areas of interest: Pedagogical research with a focus on making a difference to student learning and improving student experience in HE Problem-based learning and student engagement Improving mood and student wellbeing and reducing study-related stress Mental Health and Well-being, Mindfulness, Memory and Forgetting with a particular focus on Retrieval Induced Forgetting and Mood. Cognitive neuropsychology and psychopharmacology of memory in clinical populations: executive functioning, cognitive deficits associated with depression and schizophrenia.

Dania Albini

Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Aquatic Ecology, University of Exeter

Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Aquatic Ecology, University of Exeter I am an aquatic ecologist interested in understanding the ecological effects of global change and other stressors, and their interaction, on aquatic ecosystems. I use a combination of field research, mesocosms and controlled experiments to test how communities respond to stressors. I am particularly interested in plankton communities. At the University of Exeter I am a Postdoctoral Research Fellow on the NERC grant QUAMTUM, where I aim to quantify livestock impacts on freshwaters. Previously, I have worked at the University of Oxford investigating the effects of sewage pollution, warming, chemicals (e.g., pyrene and microplastics) on freshwater and marine communities.

Dan Kennedy

Professor of Journalism, Northeastern University

Professor of Journalism, Northeastern University Dan Kennedy is a professor of journalism in the College of Arts, Media and Design at Northeastern University and a nationally known media commentator. He teaches news reporting, opinion writing, media ethics, and other journalism courses with an emphasis on how technology is changing the business of news. He has also been published in The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, Nieman Lab, Nieman Reports, Poynter Online, and other venues. Kennedy also writes about developments in community journalism and co-hosts the School of Journalism podcast, "What Works," with his research partner, Ellen Clegg. It features interviews with leaders in the reinvention of community journalism. Their book, “What Works in Community News: Media Startups, News Deserts, and the Future of the Fourth Estate,” was published by Beacon Press in January 2024.

Dr Yukteshwar Kumar

Course Director, Department of Politics, Languages & International Studies, University of Bath

Course Director, Department of Politics, Languages & International Studies, University of Bath Dr. Yukteshwar Kumar, a distinguished sinologist and Senior Academic, currently serves as the Course Director of the Chinese stream at the University of Bath. Beyond his academic contributions, Dr. Kumar has made history as the first Asian Deputy Mayor of Bath, showcasing his dedication to bringing about meaningful change. Additionally, he holds the distinction of being the first individual of Indian heritage elected as a councillor in the city of Bath, UK. With over 31 years of experience in the Higher Education field, including at Tianjin, Beijing, Changsha, Santiniketan, Delhi University, and JNU in India, Dr. Kumar is a recognized expert on China affairs. He has been a Nehru Fellow at Peking University and has received numerous awards, scholarships, and honors. Fluent in Chinese, English, Hindi, and Bengali, he recently translated a book from Chinese into English, Hindi, and Bengali. Dr. Kumar has actively contributed to electronic and print media, authoring numerous articles, book chapters, and research papers. In recognition of his influential contributions, Dr. Yukteshwar Kumar was chosen as the most influential person in the city by the Bath Chronicle in 2020. His impact extends to philanthropy, as evidenced by the establishment of a library in his name in Bihar in November 2023.

Dan Murphy

Executive Director of the Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government, Harvard Kennedy School

Executive Director of the Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government, Harvard Kennedy School Dan Murphy is executive director of the Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government (M-RCBG) at the Harvard Kennedy School where he works in support of the Center’s mission “to advance the state of knowledge and policy analysis concerning some of society’s most challenging problems at the interface of the public and private sectors.” Before joining M-RCBG, Dan served for nearly five years as executive director of the Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies and Harvard China Fund, which together are world-leading research centers for the study of China. During his tenure Dan broadened awareness of the Fairbank Center and China Fund both within Harvard and beyond; reinvigorated programming and engagement with stakeholders; and played an important role in fundraising efforts which left both units in solid financial standing. In 2019, he was a key member of the team that traveled with Larry Bacow to Greater China for meetings with academic partners and government officials. Before coming to Harvard Dan served as the inaugural program director for Yale Center Beijing. In that role, he worked in partnership with deans, faculty, and contacts in China to produce programming at Yale’s facility in Beijing. From 2008-14 Dan was at the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations, finishing as director of special initiatives. At the National Committee, he grew the Public Intellectuals Program, which connects America’s next generation of leading scholars with policymakers and the media. He also led delegations of senior American Congressional staff on study visits to China, directed a range of other programming, and led successful grant initiatives that were funded by the State Department and private foundations. Dan received a full scholarship to pursue graduate studies at the Johns Hopkins University-Nanjing University Center for Chinese and American Studies, where he studied politics. He also holds an M.A. in Chinese Studies from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and a B.A. in English and Chinese Language and Literature from Connecticut College. In 2001, Dan was a Thomas J. Watson Fellow. Dan is a member of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations and serves on the advisory board of SupChina. He speaks fluent Mandarin.