Professor of History; Director of the Havighurst Center for Russian and Post-Soviet Studies, Miami University My work studies nationalism and propaganda in the Russian Empire and Soviet Union during the 19th and 20th centuries. My current research project is entitled Communism's Cartoonist: The Extraordinary Lives and Deaths of Boris Efimov. Efimov (1900-2008) was the most significant political caricaturist in Soviet history. His career began in Civil War Ukraine when he was just a teenager before he moved to Moscow in 1922 and worked as a cartoonist for major Soviet publications such as Izvestiia and Krokodil. He continued to draw caricatures for them until the collapse of the USSR in 1991. Efimov, as my biography explains, lived at least four lives and suffered at least three deaths during his 108 years. It is also a biography of the Soviet experiment as well as a history of modern propaganda. Making use of Efimov’s personal archives in Prague and Moscow, I hope to rethink the conventions of the biographical genre and tell a story of not just one person, but an entire century. In addition to this biography, I am also the co-lead scholar on an NEH-funded project, “Postcards of the Siege.” Using an unparalleled collection of postcards produced during the Siege of Leningrad (1941-44) and held at the Blavatnik Archive in New York City, this project will result in the creation of an immersive website and in-depth look at how propaganda, art, and communication fused together during a time of total war. Finally, I continue to collaborate on a project entitled “Creative Horizons: Art in the Post-Soviet Era.” Working with colleagues from the Melikian Center at Arizona State University and the Institute for Russian, European, and Eurasian Studies at the University of South Florida, “Creative Horizons” spotlights the work of artists in the former Soviet world. The Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 has led us to focus on Ukrainian artistic resistance. You can find all the videos produced in the series on the Melikian Center’s website. As part of this project, I have also produced two short videos in collaboration with videographer Ari Gajraj on the Ukrainian author Yevgenia Belorusets and the Ukrainian filmmaker Sergei Loznitsa.
Research Scientist, CSIRO Brisbane-based research scientist passionate about involving end-users in the design of decision support technology in agriculture and energy efficiency. Think UX design meets social science with a side of responsible innovation. Research Scientist, CSIRO.
Senior Research Fellow in Public Health, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Samantha is a senior research fellow in the Department of General Practice and Primary Care and has been a faculty member within the School of Population Health since 2016. Samantha's research focusses primarily on the health and well-being of children and adolescents, including topics around sleep, social media use, play, and immunisation.
Professor of Early Prehistory, University of Reading Steven Mithen has a BA (hons) in Prehistory & Archaeology from Sheffield University, an MSc in Biological Computation from York University, and a PhD in Archaeology from Cambridge University. Between 1987 and 1992, he was a Research Fellow at Trinity Hall and then Lecturer in Archaeology at Cambridge. After moving to the University of Reading, he was promoted to Senior Lecturer (1996), Reader (1998) and then Professor of Early Prehistory (2000). In August 2002, he was appointed as the first Head of the School of Human & Environmental Sciences, formed by the Departments of Archaeology, Geography, Soil Science and the Postgraduate Institute of Sedimentology, a post he held until August 2008 when he became Dean of the Faculty of Science. In 2010, he was appointed a Pro Vice Chancellor for Internationalisation, a position he held for four years during which he developed a series of research and teaching partnerships for Reading, notably the Reading-NUIST Academy in China. In 2014 he was appointed Pro Vice Chancellor for Research, during which he undertook a major reshaping or research leadership, management and organisation at the University. Between 2014 and 2018, Steven also held the post of Deputy Vice Chancellor. In 2018 Steven completed his management roles at the University and returned to the Department of Archaeology as Professor Early Prehistory. He was elected as a Fellow of the British Academy in 2004.
Professor, Entrepreneurship , University of Johannesburg Shepherd Dhliwayo is a professor at the University of Johannesburg. He researches in the field of strategy, entrepreneurship, and small business development.
Master's Student in Civil Engineering, Iowa State University Sarah is an MS student in Civil Engineering at Iowa State and a student operator at the City of Ames Water Plant.
