Contributors

Ross Homel

Professor of Criminology Griffith University

Professor of Criminology Griffith University

Rhys Sandow

Senior Research Associate, linguistics, University of Sussex

Senior Research Associate, linguistics, University of Sussex Rhys Sandow is a sociolinguist and corpus linguist based at Concept Analytics Lab, University of Sussex. He specialises in analysing language variation and change, with a particular focus on vocabulary and how it indexes social identities. He also works on analysing linguistic trends in big data, using computational linguistic and Natural Language Processing tools.

Rashid Seedat

Executive Director, Gauteng City-Region Observatory

Executive Director, Gauteng City-Region Observatory I have a long career in urban development and planning and currently serve as the executive director of the Gauteng City-Region Observatory (GCRO). My journey began at the University of the Witwatersrand, where I completed four qualifications, including a BA degree, a Higher Diploma in Development Planning, an MSc in Development Planning, and a Master of Management in Public and Development Management. I also have a qualification in metropolitan and municipal management from the University College London. My career has been marked by significant roles in both provincial and local government. For a decade, I held senior positions in the Gauteng Office of the Premier, where I led the Premier’s Delivery Support Unit and headed the Gauteng Planning Commission/Division. In the post-apartheid era, I served in various senior capacities at the City of Johannesburg, including heading the Central Strategy Unit in the Office of the Executive Mayor for over a decade. My work in this role was instrumental in shaping long-term strategy and integrated development planning. My contributions extend beyond his professional roles. I am a trustee of the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation, promoting non-racialism, constitutionalism, and researching the history of the struggle for freedom in South Africa. My intellectual interests lie in the history of minority communities’ struggles against apartheid and the social and spatial dimensions of their displacement and return in the democratic era. In summary, my career is characterised by my commitment to urban development and planning, leadership in government roles, and dedication to social justice.

Rick Visser

Profesor Titular de Universidad en el área de Fisiología Animal, Universidad de Málaga

Profesor Titular de Universidad en el área de Fisiología Animal, Universidad de Málaga Profesor titular de Universidad con docencia en Fisiología Animal e investigador en el campo de la ingeniería tisular.

Robert Tomczak

Post-doc in History, Adam Mickiewicz University

Post-doc in History, Adam Mickiewicz University I am a historian and a fellow researcher at the Institute of History of the Czech Academy of Sciences in Prague and Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań. I am a former recipient of the Swiss Government Excellence Scholarship (post-doc at Basel University 2019/2020). My research interests include Polish and Czech history; the history of universities; peregrinatio academica in early modern times; alba amicorum; the history of Polish-Irish relations, as well as biography, genealogy and heraldry. I specialise in the analysis of late medieval and early modern historical sources. I am the author of "Kontakty edukacyjne Polaków z uniwersytetami praskimi w XVI-XVIII wieku" [Early modern education of the Poles at universities in Prague] and co-author (with Adam A. Kucharski) of "East Central Europe and Ireland Political, Economic, and Social Interconnections, 1000–1850", Brepols 2024.

Rhys Thomas White

Scientist, Genomics and Bioinformatics, ESR

Scientist, Genomics and Bioinformatics, ESR I am a computational biologist specialising in microbial genomics, with a focus on pathogenic microorganisms. My research integrates genomics and evolutionary biology to explore pathogen evolution using advanced techniques like Illumina short-read and Oxford Nanopore long-read sequencing. I have made substantial contributions to the field of microbial genomics, with several publications focusing on the genomics of Chlamydia species, Escherichia coli, Clostridioides difficile, and Staphylococcus aureus. My work has advanced our understanding of pathogen genomics and has had a tangible impact on public health.