Distinguished Faculty Researchers

Professor in the School of Literature, Media, and Communication and Faculty Coordinator for SciFi@Tech

An internationally recognized expert in cultural studies of science, technology, and science fiction, Lisa Yaszek’s research is driven by the premise that science fiction functions as a global language enabling people to communicate their experiences of science, technology, and society across centuries, continents, and cultures. She is particularly interested in issues of gender, race, and science and technology in science fiction, the recovery of lost voices and new voices in the genre. She is the author of Lisa’s books are highly successful. Among her books is the award-winning Sisters of Tomorrow: The First Women of Science Fiction (Wesleyan 2016) authored with Patrick Sharp.

Professor and Director of Graduate Studies in Digital Media, Director of the Expressive Machinery Lab

Brian Magerko’s research explores the intersection of creativity, cognition, and computing. His work encompasses creativity and human cognition, building artificial intelligence systems that can creatively collaborate with human users, and exploring the use of human creativity as a gateway to better understanding how to effectively teach computing skills. His work results in cutting edge digital media experiences in interactive installation, interactive narrative, and educational media. He has authored over 100 peer reviewed articles and has received more than $13 million dollars in federally-funded research, much of that for the STEAM-based learning environment for computer science called EarSketch that is use worldwide and that won recognition from the Obama White House.

Professor and ADVANCE Professor in the School of Public Policy. Co-director of the Center for the Study of Women, Science, and Technology at Georgia Institute of Technology

A pioneer in the study of gender in science, Mary Frank Fox’s publications have appeared in more than 60 different scholarly and scientific journals, books, and collections. Her research focuses on gender, science, and academia — the study of women and men in academic and scientific organizations and occupations, with significant implications for science and technology policy. Her research has introduced and established the ways in which scientists' participation and performance reflect, and are affected by, the social and organizational settings in which they are educated and work.

Professor in the School of Literature, Media, and Communication

A specialist in film history and genres, Jay P. Telotte has authored 10 books, edited four others, published more than 150 scholarly articles, and presented numerous conference papers. Among his recent books are Science Fiction Television (Routledge, 2014); and an examination of the "ecology" of the robot image in film and popular culture, Robot Ecology and the Science Fiction Film (Routledge, 2016). He is co-editor of the film journal Post Script and serves as editorial board member and reviewer for a number of other film and genre-related journals.

Professor and director of the Center for European and Transatlantic Studies, a Jean Monnet Center of Excellence, Sam Nunn School of International Affairs

Alasdair Young is an expert in international trade. He held a Jean Monnet Chair from 2012-15 and is chair of the European Union Studies Association (USA). He has written three books including Parochial Global Europe: 21st Century Trade Politics with John Peterson (Edinburgh) (Oxford University Press, 2014). He has edited eight other volumes and a special issue of the Journal of European Public Policyon the European Union as a global regulator (Vol. 22/9). He has published more than a dozen articles and written more than 30 book chapters.

Professor and director of the China Research Center, School of History and Sociology

A specialist in modern East Asian history, Hanchao Lu has published widely in leading journals in both English and Chinese. He is the author of three award-winning books including The Birth of A Republic: Francis Stafford’s Photographs of China’s 1911 Revolution and Beyond (University of Washington, 2010). His works have been translated into Chinese, Korean, Japanese, and Spanish. Lu is the editor-in-chief of the peer-reviewed journal, Chinese Historical Review, and the editor of a sixteen-volume series, The Culture and Customs of Asia (ABC-Clio). Lu brought the China Research Center to Georgia Tech in 2017.