Current Ph.D. Students

Dana Post Adler received her BA in English with a minor in Spanish from Cornell University, an MBA in Marketing and Operations Management from the Stern School of Business at New York University, and most recently graduated from Columbia University with an MA in Human Rights Studies with a concentration in the Middle East. At Columbia, Dana wrote her thesis on the Changing Relationship between Young American Jews and Israel. Dana has just relocated to Delray Beach from Northern New Jersey where she was a volunteer and Jewish communal leader locally, nationally and internationally. She currently serves on the Board of Governors of the Jewish Agency for Israel and is on the Israel and Overseas Committee of the Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach. Dana is the Vice Chair of the Site Plan Review and Appearance Board of the City of Delray Beach. Dana sits on the Board of Myron/Adler Corporation, her family’s promotional products company. She is a wife and a proud mother of three, and a classically trained coloratura soprano, and has sung a capella, in rock bands, and anywhere she can.

Md Niamot Ali is a PhD student in the Department of Comparative Studies at Florida Atlantic University (FAU). Before beginning his doctoral studies, he attended the MA Sociology program at FAU. Prior to his education in the United States, he completed an MA in Sociology at South Asian University, New Delhi, India, and earned both a Bachelor of Social Sciences and a Master’s degree in Development Studies from the University of Dhaka, Bangladesh.

He has taught at the Department of Development Studies at Daffodil International University and Sociology at North South University, Bangladesh. Beyond academia, he has worked with different non-profit and voluntary organizations back in Bangladesh and received several awards. He has published numerous articles, book reviews, newspaper pieces, and conference proceedings in areas including economic sociology, development, globalization, political economy, social movements, and labor rights, reflecting his wide-ranging research interests.

Linkedin Facebook Website

Tal Granovsky Amit

Tal Granovsky Amit is on the Design, Aesthetics, and the Arts track of the Comparative Studies program.

OlaOmi Amoloku is fascinated by the ability of Black women storytellers to subvert the dominant narrative by resisting of the commodification of the Black female body. Her research is based in the study of Afrofuturism through a Black feminist lens with a foundation in West and Central African spirituality. She holds a B.A. in English from Fisk University and a M.A. in Literature from Middle Tennessee State University.

Angela Adee Andriesse is a PhD student in the Comparative Studies program at Florida Atlantic University (FAU), where her research focuses on the lived experiences of neurodivergent individuals, particularly those with Autism Spectrum Condition. Her work examines how themes of identity, gender, and disability manifest in life writing and narrative media, emphasizing the ways personal stories challenge societal perceptions of neurodiversity. With a commitment to social justice, Angela explores how narratives and self-expression—through writing, fashion, and other cultural forms—serve as powerful tools for advocacy and community-building among marginalized groups. Her scholarship delves into how neurodivergent identities reshape cultural narratives and foster inclusive understanding. Linkedin

Anna Arenas has a BA in Interdisciplinary Studies in Arts and Humanities from FAU and a Masters in Library and Information Science from USF. She is currently a Ph.D. student in the Comparative Studies Program in the Culture, Language, and Literature track.

Yente Austerlitz is on the Cultures, Languages, and Literatures track of the Comparative Studies program.

Alexander Banks is on the Cultures, Languages, and Literatures track of the Comparative Studies program.

Alejandra Gutierrez Barbón

Alejandra G. Barbón is a PhD student in Comparative Studies, with a concentration in Cultures, Languages, and Literatures. Her academic interests are interdisciplinary in nature, as is her academic and professional trajectory, centering on Cuban and Latin American literature and culture, particularly questions of cultural and historical memory, identity, archives, heritage, displacement, and material culture. She is also an Associate Professor and academic librarian specialized in the cataloging of rare and special materials. She holds a Master of Arts in Liberal Studies from the University of Miami (2026), a Master of Science in Library and Information Science from Kent State University (2015), and a Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies from Florida International University (2013). Her research brings these interests together through an integrative approach to literature, the arts, archives, and materiality, with particular attention to the ways cultural memory is preserved, transformed, and transmitted.

Rachel Benaim-Abudarham is an award-winning journalist, educator, and healing facilitator. She is currently working on her Ph.D. (in FAU's CSP track). Her research focuses on intergenerational Jewish trauma, and investigates how collective memory and inherited wounds shape identity and expression across diverse Jewish communities. Rachel’s dissertation contextualizes trauma beyond the Holocaust, examining its evolving impacts on both personal and communal levels within the Jewish diaspora and in Israel. She is also the Graduate Teaching Assistant for MediaLab@FAU, a new academic-local news partnership. Rachel holds an M.S. from Columbia University and a B.A. from Yeshiva University, with additional studies through the Paideia Institute in Stockholm and NYU’s Spiritual Resilience in a Fractured World program. Passionate about bridging knowledge and healing, Rachel integrates her expertise to create pathways of understanding and transformation across her professional work. A Boca Raton native, she returned to Florida with her husband and two children shortly before beginning the program. Website

Patrick Nartey Bio

Patrick Nartey Bio is a current student in the Comparative Studies program. He is originally from Ghana, West Africa, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in History and Geography from the University of Ghana, Legon. He later earned his master’s degree in History from Florida Atlantic University. His research interests focus on the Black Diaspora, Afro-xenophobia, and culture, with particular emphasis on how migration, identity, race, and cultural interactions shape the experiences of Black communities across Africa and the wider diaspora. He is especially interested in examining Afro-xenophobia as a complex social and political phenomenon, including how tensions between African communities may emerge as a result of migration, economic competition, nationalism, and perceptions of cultural and national identity. His research also examines how historical experiences of colonialism, displacement, and globalization continue to shape relationships, identities, and connections within Black communities. Through this work, he hopes to contribute to a broader understanding of the complexities of identity, belonging, and cultural interaction within the global Black experience.

Sophia Boules

Sophia Boules is on the Cultures, Languages, and Literatures track of the Comparative Studies program.

Alexander Bruno is on the Culture, Society, and Politics track of the Comparative Studies program.

Ana Calise is on the Design, Aesthetics and the Arts track of the Comparative Studies program.

Abel Caporaletti

Abel Caporaletti is on the Cultures, Languages, and Literatures track of the Comparative Studies program.

Priscilla Card-Fuller is on the Cultures, Languages, and Literatures track of the Comparative Studies program.

Anibal Rodriguez Chacon is a multidisciplinary researcher whose career bridges the health sciences and socio-political literary analysis. A graduate of the Central University of Venezuela (UCV) in Public Health and Epidemiology, he brings this analytical rigor to the humanities at Florida Atlantic University, where he earned an M.A. in Spanish Literature (2023) and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Comparative Studies. His doctoral research within the Latin American context focuses on biopolitics, state terrorism, counter-terrorism, and trauma in historical memory. As a creative writer, his book "El primer evangelio de un demonio" hybridizes various literary genres and subgenres to starkly depict organized crime, human decadence, and socio-political phenomena. Influenced by Horacio Quiroga and the raw intensity of Venezuelan rap, Rodríguez Chacón’s work establishes a critical link between social pathology and avant-garde narrative. 

LinkedIn

Christopher Chadarevian

Christopher Chadarevian is on the Culture, Society, and Politics track of the Comparative Studies program.

Jeanette Coleman is on the Cultures, Languages and Literatures track of the Comparative Studies program. She was born into a sharecropper’s family of eleven in Virgina and raised in Bronx, NY by a single mother. She retired from the Air Force after serving 22 years and has completed three Master degrees: Teaching and Learning (Kaplan University), in English (National University), and in Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies (Florida Atlantic University). She taught English Composition, African American Literature at Broward College. For Kaplan University (now Purdue Global) she taught Introduction to the Humanities. She also taught Introduction to Women’s Studies, Introduction to Gender and Sexuality, Gender and Sport, Women of Color in the US, and African American Women writers for Florida Atlantic University. She is currently authoring her dissertation to complete a Ph.D. in Comparative Studies, Cultures, Literatures, and Languages. She has one living daughter, three grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren, and currently lives in Boynton Beach, FL, with her Terrier-Chihuahua mix dog, Tyson.

Alyse Cooke earned her B.A. in Communication Studies, summa cum laude, with minors in English and Philosophy from Florida Atlantic University in 2016. She completed her M.A. in Philosophy at King’s College, London in 2017 and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in the Cultures, Languages, and Literatures (CLL) track of the Comparative Studies program. Her research focuses on the rhetorical, philosophical and political intersections of absurdity.  Linkedin

Jessica Dobbs is a Doctoral Candidate in the Cultures, Languages, and Literatures track, with a primary focus in Literature and a secondary focus in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, graduating in Fall 2026. She is a former high school English teacher of six years, who now teaches College Writing, Interpretation of Fiction, and Interpretation of Poetry here at FAU. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Literature with a Concentration in Secondary Education from Ramapo College in her native New Jersey, and her Master’s degree in English from Southern New Hampshire University. Her Master’s thesis highlighted the poet Amy Lowell, and her dissertation focuses on two other female poets from a similar period, Olive Custance and Renee Vivien. She has presented at several conferences, showcasing her work on women’s autonomy through writing. Her research interests are interdisciplinary, with a strong focus on balancing the literary canon.

Tugce Dogan is on the Culture, Society, and Politics track of the Comparative Studies program.

Valorie Ebert is currently an Assistant Professor of English at Broward College, and she is the First Vice President of the International Association for the Fantastic in the Arts. Her research focuses on the many intersections contained in science fiction and fantasy literature, and how, through interpellation, the ideas contained within these works may influence a reinforcement of less than ideal ideas instead of working to negate them.

Justin Eggen

Justin T. Eggen writes from the places most people look away from — the battlefield, rock bottom, and the long climb back. Born in Florida in 1989, Eggen served as a combat engineer with the 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, completing two combat deployments to Afghanistan’s Marjah and Sangin districts during some of the deadliest years of the war. What he brought home became Outside the Wire and War & Select Poems, alongside The Art of Warrior Poetry and The Sun Rises In Helmand — each a national award winner in consecutive years, putting readers inside the mind of a Marine at war, and the harder war that came after. His writing doesn’t stay in one lane. Teufelhunden: 1918 pulls readers into the trenches of Belleau Wood, while Adahy and The King’s Bane — the first of a planned 9-part saga — trades memoir for revolutionary-era espionage and adventure. Eggen holds a B.A. and M.A. in Political Science and is currently a Ph.D. candidate at Florida Atlantic University. He is also the founder of Pressure Plate Publishing House, a home for his own work and the stories of fellow veteran authors — uncovering explosive storytelling. He is a father, and the honesty in his work comes from having lived through the things he writes about.

Website

Grace Eid entered the Comparative Studies program in Fall 2022 and is on the Culture, Society and Politics track.

Cameron Esparza

Cameron Esparza is a Ph.D. student in Florida Atlantic University’s Comparative Studies program. Originally from a small town in Illinois, she moved to Florida and earned both her B.A. and M.A. in English from FAU. During her graduate studies, Cameron served as a Graduate Teaching Assistant, an experience that strengthened her commitment to teaching and higher education. Her research interests center on medieval literature, with particular attention to Middle English translation, adaptation, and reception. She is especially interested in examining medieval texts through feminist theoretical approaches and exploring how gender, authority, and interpretation shape medieval literary traditions. Cameron joined the Comparative Studies Ph.D. program to continue developing her research while pursuing her passion for teaching at the university level. Her academic work reflects an ongoing interest in the relationship between medieval literature, translation, and feminist scholarship, as well as the ways texts change across languages, audiences, historical contexts, and cultural traditions.

Amanda C. Estevez is on the Cultures, Languages and Literatures track of the Comparative Studies program.

Robert Feeney is on the Culture, Society, and Politics track of the Comparative Studies program.

Tahsina Ferdous

Tahsina Ferdous is on the Culture, Society, and Politics track of the Comparative Studies program.

Manuela Filomena's interest in cultures has brought her to study in different countries. She received a BA in Advertising Technique in Perugia and a scholarship at London Institute Diploma in TV and Video Production. She received her first MA in Art & Design in England. After her post-graduate studies, she has lived in Sweden sharing a project with directors Erik Gandini and Johan Soderbergh. In India, she developed a new respect for the arts, working on an ambitious project created by Chandra Prakash for Cocccon, a qualified ethical fashion designer on biological and non-cruel processes to grow and cultivate silkworms. During her second MA in Film at the University of Naples she released a short film "Goodbye Agnes". During that time, she worked in Rome for Indigo Film Production on the set of the Oscar-winning director Paolo Sorrentino. She also has a TEFL Certificate in English, which she completed in Boston.

Yanping Gao is on the Cultures, Languages and Literatures track of the Comparative Studies program.

Milad Gholamifard

Milad Gholamifard is on the Design, Aesthetics, and the Arts track of the Comparative Studies program.

Alessio Giovene is a Ph.D. student in Italian Studies and Comparative Literature at Florida Atlantic University, where he also teaches Italian Literature and Cinema. He studied at Università di Bologna, where he graduated with a thesis in 20th-century Italian Poetry about the influence of Bergson and Lacan on Ungaretti and Zanzotto. He is currently working on his dissertation in Animal Studies in Italian and American Literature. His main interests are contemporary Italian literature and cinema, mainly focusing on contemporary poets and postmodernist novels. He hybridizes his research with Ecocriticism, Animal Studies, Disability Studies, and Gender Studies, exploring modern classics from new perspectives. He presented his research at institutions such as Yale and Brown University and published articles on Italian and comparative literature in peer-reviewed journals such as Italian Studies and Steinbeck Review. Academia

Emily Glatt

Emily Glatt is on the Culture, Society, and Politics track of the Comparative Studies program.

Mark Gobeo is in the Comparative Studies program on the CSP track. He went to a Roman Catholic seminary for college and earned his BA in philosophy. After graduating with his bachelor's, he attended FAU, earning his Master's of Arts degree in Liberal Studies with a full concentration in Philosophy. He reentered the seminary to pursue graduate studies in theology. About a year and a half before ordination to the priesthood, he decided to leave the seminary and pursue an academic career. He has taught philosophy and world religion at the community college level for over ten years. He was recently hired as a full-time associate professor at Palm Beach State College. His focus in the Comparative Studies program is on understanding gender as a way of being in the world.

Website Linkedin

Avrum T. Goodblatt

is on the Design, Aesthetics and the Arts track of the Comparative Studies program

Athena Gounis

is on the Cultures, Languages and Literatures track of the Comparative Studies program

Lori Gross is a decorative arts historian and her research explores how decorative objects, textiles, jewelry, and ornamental design have served as vehicles for female agency and expressions of authority in history. Lori is a faculty associate at the Herberger Institute for Design & the Arts at Arizona State University. In addition to her master's degree from Parsons School of Design, she also holds a juris doctor in law.

Nahid Nicole Haghayegh is a Doctoral Student in the Comparative Studies Program with a focus on Culture, Society and Politics. Her majors are Sociology and Human Rights and her primary topics of interests are: power and society, social justice, identity and genocide studies. Nahid received her MS in International and Intercultural Education from Florida International University. She obtained a BS in Sociology with minors in International Relations and Anthropology from Florida State University. Prior to graduate school, Nahid lived in Czech Republic where she studied and collaborated with several non-profit organizations which pursued projects in anti-human trafficking, women empowerment, and educational development in Prague prison systems. She then moved to Chile in South America to work with the Chilean Ministry of Education. These two international expeditions significantly shaped her passion in sociology. Nahid’s objective is to deepen her understanding in societal dynamics and explore how we can make the world a better place. LinkedIn

Ellis Hall

Ellis Hall is a PhD student in the CSP track concentrating in History and Women, Gender & Sexuality Studies. Originally from Newcastle, UK, Ellis obtained her American Studies B.A. from Northumbria University in 2023, and then achieved an M.A. in History at FAU. Her M.A. thesis examined how “feminist” female religious leaders associated with the 1920 KKK leveraged their social, political and religious influence to promote a vision of “true Americanness” that was intertwined with racial and religious exclusion. Ellis plans to expand this to emphasize that “more progressive” women were not passive supporters but key architects of extremism in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Alongside her studies, she tutors at the UCEW and teaches, collaborating with students to challenge the perspective of History as a “boring” subject that students feel disconnected to, and instead navigate topics through everyday people's stories and popular culture to better understand the past and present.

Rachel Harrison

Rachel Harrison is on the Cultures, Languages, and Literatures track of the Comparative Studies program.

Jason Hawkins holds dual BA's in Latin and History from the University of Oregon, an MA in Spanish Literature from Florida Atlantic University, as well as graduate studies in Latin and Classics at the Universities of Georgia and Florida. During his doctoral studies, Jason has focused on early-modern Spanish manuscripts, archival research, and digital humanities. His specialties include piracy among Catholics and Protestants in the early-modern period, as well as technology focused on frequency/content analysis such as Corpus Linguistics and archival technology involving handwriting recognition.

Nailah I. Herbert is a PhD candidate in the Culture, Society, and Politics track of the Comparative Studies program. She holds a Master of Arts in sociology along with a certificate of Applied Social Research, and a Bachelor of Science in Anthropology with minors in both dance and Spanish. In 2019, her master’s thesis won the Tennessee Conference of Graduate School’s Student Master Thesis award. During her graduate career she has served undergraduate students in her roles as an adjunct professor, a graduate research assistant, a writing tutor, and a graduate teaching assistant. She has been a proponent of interdisciplinarity in the social sciences throughout her educational career. Her research combines this focus with an interest in equitable access in the arts and education. Her areas of focus in the current program are Sociology and Women and Gender studies. Her doctoral research focuses upon systemic issues affecting higher-ed dance education programs.

Elena Hollender

Elena Hollender is on the Cultures, Languages, and Literatures track of the Comparative Studies program.

Hirbod Human

Raiza M. Jimenez

Raiza M. Jimenez is on the Cultures, Languages, and Literatures track of the Comparative Studies program.

Elton Johnson Elton Johnson is a Fulbright scholar, currently completing his PhD in the Cultures, Languages and Literatures track of the Comparative Studies programme. His research largely focuses on Jamaican music and popular culture as a catalyst for social change. An experienced educator, Elton taught Literatures in English at The University of the West Indies, Mona in Jamaica with specific expertise in teaching Caribbean and American literature, film, creative writing and publishing. He is also a creative writer, with short fiction published in The Write Launch, Nabu Review of The Paragon Press, and The Cropper Foundation / Peekash Press anthology, Writing For Our Lives. He also describes himself as a scholar-advocate with extensive hands-on work experience in advocacy and development communication, specifically in the area of reducing discrimination based on gender identity and sexuality in Jamaica and the US. His academic work has most recently been published in the literary journal, Callaloo.

Linkedin

Daniel A. Jones

Daniel A. Jones is on the Cultures, Languages, and Literatures track of the Comparative Studies program.

Marie R. Junco is on the Cultures, Languages and Literatures track of the Comparative Studies program.

Smaro Katsangelou is a practicing architect and engineer from Greece (School of Architecture, Faculty of Engineering, AUTh, Class of ‘22 Valedictorian). Her practice focuses on exhibition and museum design as well as historic building and monument restoration. She has participated in research projects regarding History of Architecture, Urbanism, New technologies and Visual Arts for more than 7 years. Smaro’s work focuses on the intersection of new technologies and architectural heritage, researching ways to bridge collective human past with the digital heterotopia. She has published and presented her research in multiple countries, from the Netherlands (TU Delft) to Singapore (SUTD) to the US (GeorgiaTech). Smaro has been teaching 2nd and 4th year Design at Florida Atlantic University’s Department of Architecture for the past two years. She is also part of the Organizing Committee of DigitalFUTURES and has organized and participated in lectures, panels and conferences on AI and Architecture. She has completed her studies in the MSc. Program for Preservation, Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Monuments (AUTh) and is currently pursuing a PhD with a focus on architecture and artificial intelligence at Florida Atlantic University, USA.  Website

Rosie Kenna

Rosie Kenna is on the Cultures, Languages, and Literatures track of the Comparative Studies program.

Jordanne A. Kessel

Jordanne A. Kessel is on the Culture, Society, and Politics track of the Comparative Studies program.

Jessica Kreger

Jessica Kreger is a PhD student in the Comparative Studies program at Florida Atlantic University in the Design, Aesthetics, and the Arts track. She has extensive experience leading technical and marketing communications for diverse industries, spanning corporate and university roles. Additionally, she has taught in both university and college settings. Her education includes an M.A. in Professional Writing from Carnegie Mellon University and a B.A. in English from The Pennsylvania State University.

Alex Lawrynas holds a B.A. in Creative Writing from Flagler College and an M.A. in English from FAU. She is currently a PhD Student in the Cultures, Languages, and Literatures track at FAU as well as a Teaching Instructor. An avid reader and enjoyer of all things Fantasy, Alex concentrates her research in Fantasy and Science Fiction studies. Her research focuses on Celtic influences and adaptations within modern fantasy media.

When not drinking coffee or daydreaming about dragons, she is working on her Scottish Fantasy series inspired by the stories and histories of her Scottish family and heritage.

Oscar Leanza

Oscar Leanza is on the Cultures, Languages, and Literatures track of the Comparative Studies program.

Marilyn Litvak

Marilyn Litvak is on the Design, Aesthetics and the Arts track of the Comparative Studies program

Joana Kebbs de Macena

Joana Kebbs de Macena is on the Design, Aesthetics, and the Arts track of the Comparative Studies program.

Daniel Maciel is on the Design, Aesthetics, and the Arts track of the Comparative Studies program.

William MacManus is a Ph.D. student in Comparative Studies at Florida Atlantic University whose research interests center on consciousness, meaning, and the philosophy of mind. His work explores the relationship between subjective experience and meaning ascription, with particular attention to the ways conscious subjects construct meaning through their ongoing engagement with experience. His broader interests include theories of consciousness, subjectivity, the nature of experience, and the philosophical implications of artificial intelligence. His current research develops a framework he calls Logopsychism, which examines meaning as a fundamental feature of conscious experience and explores the recursive relationship between experience, meaning, and the developing self. His work seeks to contribute to contemporary debates about consciousness by examining questions of meaning and subjectivity that remain difficult to capture through traditional third-person approaches to the mind. At FAU, he hopes to pursue an interdisciplinary course of study drawing from philosophy, cognitive science, psychology, neuroscience, and related fields.

Website

Anna Maldonado holds a B.A. in International Relations with a minor in Latin American Studies from Rhodes College and a M.A. in Political Science from Florida Atlantic University. Currently, she is pursuing a Ph.D in the Comparative Studies Program with a concentration in Latin American Politics and Social Justice with research interests including migration, race/ethnicity, democratization, and environmental justice in Guatemala. She has additional experience as a graduate intern with the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation in supporting with investment projects in Central America and Mexico, has taught Government of the United States as an adjunct faculty member in the Political Science Department, and has served as Treasurer of the Feminist Graduate Student Association. You may also find her at the Career Center as a Career Coach and as a Career and Life Planning instructor.  LinkedIn

Amber Mandic is a first-generation educator, professional theatre practitioner, and doctoral student studying Design, Aesthetics, and the Arts. She is a graduate of Florida Atlantic University with both her Bachelor of Arts in Theatre and her Master of Education in Adult and Community Education. She currently serves as an Academic Advisor as well as a member of the artistic ensemble of New City Players, where she is also Resident Stage Manager. Her positionality in the Comparative Studies program sits at the intersection of theatre and English, with her centralized research interest being the utilization of the theatrical talkback as a vital part of new play production when used effectively.

Ingrid Erthal Martinez

Ingrid Erthal Martinez is on the Culture, Society, and Politics track of the Comparative Studies program.

Marnie L. Melzer is on the Design, Aesthetics and the Arts track of the Comparative Studies program.

Pattricia Mesa

Pattricia Mesa is on the Cultures, Languages, and Literatures track of the Comparative Studies program.

Md Rubel Mia is a PhD student in Comparative Studies at Florida Atlantic University, specializing in the Culture, Society, and Politics track. His primary discipline is Anthropology, with a secondary focus in Sociology. His research explores the socio-technical dimensions of Medical Anthropology, with a particular emphasis on Artificial Intelligence (AI) in healthcare and AI ethics. He investigates the complex interactions between humans and emerging technologies, focusing on AI and Human-Computer Interaction (HCI). Employing a rigorous mixed-methods approach, his work examines how automated systems shape healthcare practices and influence the delivery of care. He holds both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Anthropology from the University of Dhaka and previously served as a research professional at the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b). Building upon this foundation, Md Rubel Mia seeks to advance the ethical design, evaluation, and implementation of digital health systems.

Anne Molinas is a PhD candidate on the Culture, Literature, and Languages track in the Comparative Studies program at Florida Atlantic University. She is a scholar of literature and other forms of cultural production from Latin America—specifically the South American Southern Cone and Paraguay. Her interests include women’s cultural production and the intersection of genre and form with sociopolitical and historical contexts. As a translator, she has worked extensively with human rights and women’s rights organizations in Paraguay. Currently she is translating a Paraguayan novel by Josefina Plá that follows the return of a group of women to their rural home after the War of the Triple Alliance. The translation and novel will be the basis of her doctoral thesis. She also teaches classes in Spanish language and LAS 2000, Introduction to Latin American Studies.  Website  |  Linkedin

R.J. Mooney Jr. received their BA and MA in History at Florida Atlantic in '17 and '19. For his MA thesis, Mooney explored the relationship between the Restored Government of Virginia and the Federal Government during the American Civil War. Mooney entered the Comparative Studies Program Part-Time in the Fall of 2023. While somewhat undecided about long-term projects, Mooney is interested in studying First World War Literature, primarily works written by combatants. Outside of the Comparative Studies Program, Mooney serves as an Assistant Director with the Department of Housing and Residential Education at Florida Atlantic. Linkedin

Stephanie Nixdorf

Stephanie Nixdorf is on the Cultures, Languages, and Literatures track of the Comparative Studies program.

Jason O'Connor has a BA in Judaic Studies and Political Science from Florida Atlantic University, an MA in Near East and Judaic Studies from Brandeis University and an MA in Holocaust and Genocide Studies from Gratz College. His interests include post-Holocaust memory and commemoration in Eastern Europe and Post-Communist Polish Jewish relations.

Michael O'Neill is on the Culture, Society and Politics track of the Comparative Studies program.

Olawale Oladokun is on the Cultures, Languages, and Literatures track of the Comparative Studies program.

Richard Padgett

Richard Padgett is on the Culture, Society, and Politics track of the Comparative Studies program.

Danielle Parade is a Ph.D student in the Culture, Society, and Politics track of the Comparative Studies Program. Danielle holds a BA in Jewish Studies with a minor in Political Science from Florida Atlantic University. In 2022 Danielle earned a Masters in Political Science from FAU. Her areas of focus are intergenerational trauma and genocide studies.

Barbara Perez is a first year doctoral student in the Culture, Society, and Politics track of the Comparative Studies Program at FAU. Her areas of focus are environmental justice and women, gender, and sexuality studies. She is also interested in critical animal studies. Prior to coming to FAU, Barbara completed an MA program in Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies at San Diego State University. Her MA thesis was a feminist epistemological critique of comparative cognition research. Before that, Barbara worked for three years as the research coordinator of a comparative cognition lab in San Diego. Prior to that, Barbara earned her BA and BS degrees at the University of Florida in English and Psychology, respectively. During her undergraduate career, Barbara conducted behavioral research with cetaceans and canids.

Jacqueline C. Perez

is on the Culture, Society and Politics track of the Comparative Studies program.

Ashley Perry

Ashley Perry is a Ph.D. student in the Cultures, Languages, and Literatures track, with a primary focus in English and a secondary concentration in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. She is also a Presidential Fellow and English graduate teaching assistant. Ashley received her MA in English from FAU with a focus in science fiction and fantasy, and graduated from the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College with her BA in English Literature and minor in Women's Studies. Her research analyzes representations of girl power in popular culture, children's literature, and film. She received the Isabel Sparks President’s Award for her essay on Barbie (2023) at the 2024 Sigma Tau Delta Convention and has presented at the International Conference on the Fantastic in the Arts. Her work has been published in the Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts, Children’s Literature, Sigma Tau Delta Review, and Science Fiction Film and Television.

LinkedIn

Denise Pinnaro is a Ph.D student in the Comparative Studies program at Florida Atlantic University, and holds a B.A. in French and an M.A. in French Literature from the same institution. Her research interests include fantasy and speculative fiction in both the Francophone and Anglophone literary and filmic traditions, with a specific focus on how alternate history and uchronia narratives displace--or perhaps reinforce--notions of time, space, heritage, and nationalism. She is also interested in how these texts are representative of modern myth-making and its sociocultural impacts on ideologies and beliefs that originated with earlier myths and folklores. Denise currently teaches undergraduate courses for the Department of Languages, Linguistics, and Comparative Literature.  Academia.edu

Abolhassan Pishahang is on the Design, Aesthetics, and the Arts track of the Comparative Studies program.

Ali Qureshi

Ali Qureshi is on the Design, Aesthetics, and the Arts track of the Comparative Studies program.

Priscilla Renta is a dance and Latinx studies scholar whose recent work includes movement as a healing, transformational and spiritual practice. She is co-editor of the special issue Rhythm & Power: Performing Salsa in Puerto Rican and Latino Communities, published by the Centro Journal of Puerto Rican Studies in 2017. Her work on Afro-Latin dance has been published in the anthologies Salsa World (Temple University Press, 2013); Technofuturos: Critical Interventions in Latina/o Studies (Rowan & Littlefield, 2007), as well as in the Fall 2004 issue of the Centro Journal of Puerto Rican Studies. She has taught Caribbean dance and dance history in Chicago, New Jersey and New York.

Alián Martínez Rives received a Master of Fine Arts in Digital Imaging from the University of Miami in 2025 and a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Art and Technology from the New World School of the Arts and the University of Florida in 2021. Alian has been an adjunct instructor at the University of Miami, Miami Dade College, and United International College. He is in the Ph.D. Comparative Study program in Design, Aesthetics, and the Arts at Florida Atlantic University. Alian is investigating cultural transcoding, fictional archives, and speculative reconstructions in contemporary and new media art to reveal the ideological structures embedded within systems of classification, preservation, and representation.

Website

Dario Rincon is on the Cultures, Languages, and Literatures track of the Comparative Studies program.

Subata Zannat Riya is a Doctoral student in the Comparative Studies program (CSP Track) at Florida Atlantic University, specializing in gender studies with a secondary focus on anthropology. Her research focuses on fostering workplace diversity and advancing economic empowerment for transgender communities in Bangladesh. Subata earned her Master's and Bachelor's degrees in Women and Gender Studies from the University of Dhaka. In addition to her academic pursuits, Subata is an instructor at Florida Atlantic University, teaching the Women, Gender, and Power in the Global South course. Previously, she served as a Lecturer at Manarat International University, Bangladesh. Her teaching philosophy emphasizes interdisciplinary integration and fostering critical dialogue around issues of gender, power, and social justice. Subata's work reflects her commitment to addressing structural inequalities and contributing to a more equitable and inclusive global society.

Linkedin

Andrea Minlos Ruiz

Andrea Minlos Ruiz is on the Cultures, Languages, and Literatures track of the Comparative Studies program.

Christine Khouri Sader is on the Design, Aesthetics, and the Arts track of the Comparative Studies program.

Melissa Annette Santiago is a mother, teacher, and author who holds both an M.A. and B.A. in English Literature. Puerto Rican by descent, her graduate work thus far has centered on how discursive space delimits legibility for individuals in minority communities. Her areas of interest span such disciplines as American Literature, U.S. Multi-Ethnic Literature, Postcolonial Literature and Space and Place Studies. Her published works include a creative non-fiction essay entitled “Borne of Ghosts,” which was published in the Spring 2019 volume of Label Me Latina/o, as well as a critical article called “Approaching the ‘Realized:’ Time and the ‘Abject’ in Kiese Laymon’s Long Division” published in The Journal of the Future Humanities in 2018. She is currently a student in the Ph.D. in Comparative Studies Program at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Florida.

Mehrdad Sedaghat is an artist, designer, and educator whose work explores cultural identity, immigration, and the intersections of art, technology, and design. He is an Assistant Professor of Graphic Design in the Department of Visual Arts and Art History at Florida Atlantic University, where his teaching and research integrate experimental typography, design theory, and immersive installation practices. His projects often draw on Persian literary traditions and contemporary critical theory to create cross-cultural dialogues and foster empathy through visual communication. He has exhibited nationally and internationally, with recent projects addressing decolonizing AI in visual design, hybrid cultural aesthetics, and the lived experiences of migration.

He is currently a PhD student in the Comparative Studies program (Design, Aesthetics, and the Arts track) at Florida Atlantic University, where his research continues to expand on questions of identity, responsibility in technology, and the role of design in shaping cultural narratives.

Website Linkedin

Lystra Seenath is on the Culture, Society and Politics track of the Comparative Studies program.

Kristy Seidel

Kristy Seidel is on the Cultures, Languages and Literatures track of the Comparative Studies program

Paul Sekel is on the Culture, Society, and Politics track of the Comparative Studies program.

Kristin Shockley is on the Culture, Society, and Politics track of the Comparative Studies program.

Alicia Sowisdral is on the Design, Aesthetics, and the Arts track of the Comparative Studies program.

Jessica Spitalnic

Centering her studies around the Holocaust, the Nuremberg trials and the formation of the state of Israel, Jessica, who was also an ordained rabbi is studying ways to examine those periods in history and innovative ways. Her friendship with Nathan Hilu, a young Jewish American soldier who guarded the Nazis at the Nuremberg trials and became a prolific artist form the foundation for a new approach to Holocaust education for American audiences that starts with the Nuremberg Trials. Entree to teaching the holocaust through the lens of military, art, and history she studies how Nathan and several artists who were in proximity to the Nazis, but not victims of the Nazis tell the story of the holocaust through their art. In addition, she believes that Nathan experience as a young Jewish American soldier guarding Nazis after World War II can provide insight into Israeli soldiers who were in proximity to terrorist during the October 7 war.

Megan Spring is on the Cultures, Languages and Literatures track of the Comparative Studies program.

Seth P. Stein is on the Cultures, Languages and Literatures track of the Comparative Studies program.

James Stewart is currently an Assistant Professor at Broward College and will be starting the Comparative Studies Program concentrating on digital humanities and narratology in the Fall. He received a B.A. in English and a B.F.A. in Theatre from the University of Southern Mississippi. He also received an M.A. in English from the University of Alabama, Birmingham. For fun, he enjoys reading; binge-watching episodic television on Netflix; collecting records; playing guitar; and spending time with his wife, Adrienne, and his two-year-old son, Wallker.

Lilleth Trewick is on the Cultures, Languages and Literatures track of the Comparative Studies program.

Alexander Veal is on  the Comparative Studies: Culture, Society, and Politics track. He received his Bachelor’s in Political Science and History from the University of Florida in 2019 with undergraduate certificates in Public Affairs and International Relations. He then received his Master’s in Public Administration from Florida Atlantic University in 2021. He is a member of the Pi Alpha Alpha Honor Society, has published “The Five Faces of Oppression Personified as Horseman of the Apocalypse”, and was a finalist for the 2022 Local Government Management Fellowship. His research areas of interest include environmental humanities, urban planning, sustainability, community resiliency, and green policy and practice in the local governments of South Florida. As both a full-time employee with the State of Florida and full-time student, Zander wishes to continue promoting equitable policies and empowering communities through leadership, advocacy, and adaptability. Linkedin

Thomas H. Weidemeyer is on the Culture, Society, and Politics track of the Comparative Studies program.

Jamel T. West is a PhD student in the CLL track of the Comparative Studies program at Florida Atlantic University (FAU). He earned his BA in English (Literature) from Western Michigan University and his MA in English (Literature). His work brings together African-American literature and Ordinary language philosophy. His areas of interest include the Harlem Renaissance, Comparative Modernism(s), and Neo-Humanism(s). Concentrating on the Harlem Renaissance as his primary historical site, Jamel's research explores the way Zora Neale Hurston and Claude McKay re-imagine the category of the human in their novels, short-stories, narratives, dramas, and poems.

Samira S. Zahangir is on the Culture, Society and Politics track of the Comparative Studies program.

Adam Ziad is on the Cultures, Languages and Literatures track of the Comparative Studies program.

David Zierath

David Zierath is on the Culture, Society, and Politics track of the Comparative Studies program.