Our people

My research focuses on Semitic Languages, Linguistics, Sociolinguistics, Arabic, Hebrew, Judaeo-Arabic, Judaeo-Arabic Manuscripts, Islamic Medicine, Jewish Medicine, Judaeo-Arabic Philosophy, Literature, Knowledge Transmission, Medieval and Early Modern Jewish History.

Dr Ani Avetisyan is a Rothschild Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Cambridge, FAMES and a Research Affiliate at the Woolf Institute. Her PhD research focused on Judaeo-Arabic manuscripts from 'Matenadaran', with a forthcoming monograph to be published by Brill. Ani holds degrees in Arabic Studies from Yerevan State University and Jewish Civilizations from Paideia – The European Institute for Jewish Studies in Stockholm, and Heidelberg University. She played a pivotal role in establishing the Centre for Hebrew Language and Culture at Brusov State University and taught Hebrew during her PhD studies. Ani serves as the co-chair of the division on Culture and Academia at the newly established Armenian Jewish Friendship Council. She is also a Board Member of the Yesai and Maria Mazmanian Foundation, overseeing outreach, development, and partnerships. Additionally, Ani is engaged in a project with Dr Aviad Moreno at MALI Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, exploring Armenian-Jewish repatriation dynamics in Egypt.

Beyond her academic pursuits, Ani is training to become a qualified Pilates instructor, blending her passion for fitness with her scholarly work. She also enjoys exploring new destinations, travelling almost every month, which fuels her enthusiasm for cultural and academic exchanges. Ani is dedicated to passing on her knowledge and experience to future scholars and generations, firmly believing that such exchanges are the cornerstone of transformative progress and meaningful development.

Academic Profile

My research holistically looks at modular and interoperable information architectures in complex networked systems, especially in industrial ecosystems.

Anand is a Senior Research Associate at the Institute for Manufacturing (IfM), University of Cambridge, a Senior Member of IEEE, and a Fellow of the Royal Statistical Society. His research focuses on modular and interoperable information architectures in complex networked systems. With over 13 years of R&D experience in IoT and automation, his expertise includes digital twins, IoT architectures, UAV networks, eHealth, and digital transformation. He serves as Vice Chair of IEEE P1954 Standards Committee, Area Expert in IEEE ComSoc SIG on IoT for e-Health, Editor for IET Digital Twins and Applications, and Associate Editor for Springer Nature PPNA. His accolades include the IEEE e-Health TC Best Paper Award (2022), Gandhian Young Technological Innovation Award (2018), and top-cited papers in IEEE Transactions. He is the author of two textbooks and over 70 scientific publications. Frequently delivering keynotes globally, he was listed among Elsevier's Top 2% Scientists in 2024.

Academic Profile

My research interests include transport resilience, transport reliability, transport robustness, transport management and optimization.

Dr Liu is a Marie Sklodowska-Curie Future Roads Fellow at the University of Cambridge. He earned his Ph.D. from Southwest Jiaotong University and was a Ph.D. visiting student at the University of Maryland. Prior to his research at the University of Cambridge, he served as an associate professor at Kunming University of Science and Technology. His project is aimed at evaluating the impacts of climate change on transport performance and developing effective models and methods to mitigate the negative impacts of various climatic events. He is involved as an investigator in several projects centered around transport resilience and reliability. He is the first or corresponding author of 25 peer-reviewed journal papers and 16 conference papers, with several selected as "Editor’s Choice" and best papers. He also serves as a reviewer for 13 international journals and is a member of the editorial board for two journals.

Academic Profile

Publications

• Liu J, Schonfeld P M, Peng Q, et al. Measures of travel reliability on an urban rail transit network[J]. Journal of Transportation Engineering, Part A: Systems, 2020, 146(6): 04020037.
• Liu J, He M, Schonfeld P M, et al. Measures of accessibility incorporating time reliability for an urban rail transit network: A case study in Wuhan, China[J]. Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, 2022, 165: 471-489.
• Liu J, Schonfeld P M, Zhan S, et al. The economic value of reserve capacity considering the reliability and robustness of a rail transit network[J]. Journal of Transportation Engineering, Part A: Systems, 2023, 149(6): 04023046.
• Liu J, Schonfeld P M, Zhan S, et al. Measuring and enhancing the connectivity reliability of a rail transit network[J]. Transportmetrica A: Transport Science, 2022, 18(3): 1699-1733.

I lecture and publish in the areas of Christian moral and political theologies, interfaith relations, and conflict transformation. I have oversight of the Woolf Institute's teaching in the Cambridge Theological Federation as well as the Institute's public engagement programmes.

Dr Phillips has been at the Woolf Institute since 2022. Previously she was Lecturer in Christian Ethics and Director of Studies at Westcott House, as well as Research Fellow with the Margaret Beaufort Institute of Theology. She was a Visiting Scholar with the Institute for Criminology 2018-2019 and from 2016-2019 she co-convened and ethnographically researched a course on 'The Good Life and the Good Society' inside a high security prison. At Margaret Beaufort she completed Flourishing Inside, a project researching the intersections of Catholic social thought and prison chaplaincy. She is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

Academic Profile

Publications

• Elizabeth Phillips, Apocalyptic Theopolitics: Essays and Sermons on Eschatology, Ethics, and Politics (Cascade, 2022).
• Elizabeth Phillips, Anna Rowlands and Amy Daughton (eds), T&T Clark Reader in Political Theology ( T&T Clark, 2021).
• Craig Hovey and Elizabeth Phillips (eds), The Cambridge Companion to Political Theology (Cambridge University Press, 2015).
• Elizabeth Phillips, Political Theology: A Guide for the Perplexed (Continuum, 2012).
• Elizabeth Phillips and Ferdia Stone-Davis (eds), Catholic Social Thought and Prison Ministry (2024).

The underlying theme of my research is to bridge the gap between engineering and healthcare, focusing on translational aspects of engineering applications. My work involves using computational tools to model cardiovascular diseases and their treatment.

The overarching aim of Dr Sengupta's research is to carry out computational investigations of cardiovascular flow and to improve understanding of cardiac disease and its response to treatment. He aims to improve clinical outcomes by employing bioengineering principles using computational tools. His areas of expertise include fluid dynamics, structural mechanics, cardiovascular mechanics, and computational modelling. He has previously worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Manchester, having obtained his undergraduate degree from Queen Mary, University of London, and postgraduate degree and PhD from Imperial College London. He is also an Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (AFHEA).

Academic Profile

Publications

• Sengupta, S., Yuan, X., Maga, L., Pirola, S., Nienaber, C. A., & Xu, X. Y. (2023). Aortic haemodynamics and wall stress analysis following arch aneurysm repair using a single-branched endograft. Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine, 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcvm.2023.1125110
• Sengupta S, Zhu Y, Hamady M, Yun Xu X. Evaluating the Haemodynamic Performance of Endografts for Complex Aortic Arch Repair. Bioengineering 2022, 9(10), 573. doi:10.3390/bioengineering9100573
• Sengupta S, Hamady M, Xu XY. Haemodynamic Analysis of Branched Endografts for Complex Aortic Arch Repair. Bioengineering. 2022;9(2). doi:10.3390/bioengineering9020045
• Bhute VJ, Sengupta S, Campbell J, Shah U v., Heng JYY, Brechtelsbauer C. Effectiveness of a large-scale implementation of hybrid labs for experiential learning at Imperial College London. Education for Chemical Engineers. 2022;39:58-66. doi:10.1016/J.ECE.2022.03.001

My research interest focuses on optical sensors and sensing systems for non-destructive testing and structural health monitoring. I'm a a Marie Curie Fellow at the Future Roads Programme and my research topic is AI-assisted vehicle-mounted sensors based road surface condition monitoring system.

Dr Xiang Wang is a Marie Curie Fellow in the Automation and Robotics Group at the Future Roads project at the Department of Engineering at the University of Cambridge. His research interest lies in the field of advanced sensing and sensing systems for non-destructive testing and structural health monitoring, investigating the development and application of sensing and optical metrology systems for versatile monitoring purposes.

Academic Profile

My research focuses on astrophysics, with a particular interest in planet formation. I am currently a Postdoctoral Associate at the Institute of Astronomy, and my work combines theoretical modelling, numerical simulations, and data analysis to explore the processes driving planet formation.

Dr. Cristiano Longarini is a postdoctoral associate at the Institute of Astronomy, specialising in planet formation and protoplanetary disc dynamics. His research explores the role of gravitational instabilities in shaping planetary systems, combining theoretical modelling, numerical simulations, and observational data analysis. He has contributed to large observational programs, and has expertise in interpreting high-resolution data from ALMA telescope.

I study probability theory and geometry. My work often entails following random walks around and seeing what can be learned from their trajectories. I also study interactions between discrete and analytic problems, i.e. how discrete results carry over to and influence the continuous, and vice-versa.

Renan's research focuses on the intersection of probability, functional analysis, and discrete mathematics. In particular, he is interested in stochastic processes and their capacity to sample, distinguish between geometric structures, and prove and isoperimetric concentration inequalities. He is also interested in random geometric and combinatorial structures.

Academic Profile

My research focuses on the application of large-scale statistical models to understand the causes and consequences of biodiversity change. My current role is as Leverhulme Early Career Fellow at Cambridge, focusing on the role of novel AI and economic mechanisms in solving biodiversity change.

Dr Millard is currently a Leverhulme Early Career Fellow in the Department of Zoology at the University of Cambridge. He has published across a number of areas of the biodiversity sciences and the application and ethics of AI in research. In particular, he led in developing the largest models of future global crop pollination risk resulting from human land-use and climate change, and led in developing the first real-time index of human interest in biodiversity. For such work Dr Millard was nominated twice by the Royal Society as an outstanding early career researcher. Specifically, he was selected to talk at the Royal Society at an event commemorating Prof Dame Georgina Mace, and to attend the 2025 Royal Society UK-China Early Career meeting in Beijing on biodiversity and the climate.

Dr Millard has provided scientific advice to the government at a high level, including contributing to a No. 10 SAGE (Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies) Cabinet Briefing on the reintroduction of COVID-19 restrictions, advising Sir Patrick Vallance on the biodiversity modelling work of the Natural History Museum, contributing towards a trade data guide for the Ecuadorian government, and writing 12 species trade reviews for the European Commission. Dr Millard has also been an expert reviewer for Conservation Letters, Ecosystem Services, Ecography, Scientific Reports, Global Ecology and Biogeography, Communications Earth & Environment, PLOS ONE, Conservation Biology, Nature Ecology and Evolution, and the UK research council BBSRC.

Prior to his current role, Dr Millard was a postdoctoral researcher at the Natural History Museum in London, an honorary non-stipendiary research fellow of Nuffield College, an associate member of the Department of Sociology at the University of Oxford, and an employee of the Nature Publishing Group and UNEP-WCMC (UN Environment World Conservation Monitoring Centre). He completed his PhD in Ecology jointly between University College London, the RSPB, and the Zoological Society of London, and a BSc (Zoology) and MSc (Biodiversity and Conservation) at the University of Leeds.

Academic Profile

My research focuses on the history of Israel-Palestine, particularly on the pre-state period of British rule between 1918-1948. I also have an interest in how events in the Middle East impact communities in the UK, and how issues 'over there' effect us here and how these issues are played out.

James completed his DPhil in history at Merton College, University of Oxford, and his undergraduate and master's degrees in Near and Middle Eastern Studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in London. His doctoral thesis focussed on (often violent) interactions between the Jewish Yishuv (community) and the British during the period of the British Mandate for Palestine (1917-1948). He also examined continued interactions between the Yishuv and Palestinian Arab community during the latter stages of the Mandate when clear Nationalist camps were crystalising and interaction became more difficult.

James has also previously engaged in teaching for the University of Oxford and for the University of Georgia on a range of topics including Modern Middle Eastern history and politics, the Israel-Palestine conflict, religion, society and politics in Victorian England, and IR approaches to terrorism and insurgencies. He also lectured at Brunel University in 2023, delivering classes on the Arab-Israeli conflict.

Academic Profile

Publications

• Book chapter entitled Whispers of Lives: Jewish Women and Sex Work in Mandatory Palestine 1918-1948, in 'Sex Work and Jewish History,' ed. Stefanie Fischer, Elisabeth Janik-Freis, Daniel Lee, and Paola Zichi [forthcoming]

My career is centred on technological innovation for social impact, with an increasing focus on geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) and open-source investigations for human security, conflict and emergency preparedness & response. I currently conduct systemic risks analysis for business resilience.

Dr. Fernanda Lammoglia is a Mexican engineer with international experience in the USA, Canada, Mexico, Germany, Italy and the UK. After completing her B.Sc. (Hons.) in biotechnology engineering and Ph.D. in gene & cellular therapies, she transitioned to a career in technology for social impact. She worked as a project manager in social innovation at Atlantis Innovation and consultant in disaster & emergency management at Prepared International. She is now a research associate in systemic risks at the Cambridge Centre for Risks Studies, developing tools to help businesses navigate the climate transition. Fernanda also volunteers with the University of Cambridge & Amnesty International’s Digital Verification Corps and URISA’s GISCorps PhotoMappers, using open-source tools for human rights and emergency response projects.

Maria is also a traditional fencer and a martial artist.

Academic Profile

Publications

• Cambridge Centre for Risk Studies, Optimizing Disaster Resilience, 2024
• Gerbitz et al., Prevention of CMV/EBV reactivation by double-specific T [...], 2023, Front. Immunol.
• Welters et al., Immune Phenotypes and Target Antigens of Clonally [...], 2022, Cancer Immunol Res.
• Lammoglia et al., Rapid single cell identification of Epstein-Barr virus [...], 2022, Cytotherapy
• Lammoglia et al., Reconstitution of EBV-directed T cell immunity by adoptive, 2022, PLoS Pathogens

Awards & Recognitions

• CONACYT and Ruth Jeschke doctoral studentships
• European Group for Blood and Marrow Transplantation Meeting: Best young poster abstracts award
• Mitacs Globalink Award
• COMEXUS Proyecta 100,000 Award
• B.Sc. Excellence Scholarship

I am Madden-Hennebry Professor at the University of Notre Dame. I am a historian, trained as an early Americanist and specializing in the Atlantic world. My work ranges from the seventeenth to the nineteenth century. It brings together American, British, and Irish history.

Patrick Griffin's work explores the intersection of colonial and early national American and early modern Irish and British history. As such, it focuses on Atlantic-wide themes and dynamics. He has published work on the movement of peoples and cultures across the Atlantic Ocean, as well as the process of adaptation. He also examines the ways in which Ireland, Britain, and America were linked—and differed—during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. He has looked at revolution and rebellion, movement and migration, and colonization and violence in each society in comparative perspective. Much of what he does explores these themes in the context of empire. In his most recent books, he studied how empire gave way to revolution, both in America and the wider Atlantic. His latest work on the period just after the Age of Revolution has taken a global turn, charting the plight of common men and women in a modernizing world.

Publications

• The Age of Atlantic Revolution: The Fall and Rise of a Connected World (Yale, 2023).
• The Townshend Moment: The Making of Empire and Revolution in the Eighteenth Century (Yale, 2017).
• America’s Revolution (Oxford, 2012).
• American Leviathan: Empire, Nation, and Revolutionary Frontier (Hill & Wang, 2007).
• The People with No Name: Ireland’s Ulster Scots, America’s Scots Irish . . . (Princeton, 2001).

Awards & Recognitions

• Harold Vyvyan Harmsworth Professor of American History, University of Oxford, 2021-22.
• Honorary Professor, School of History, Classics, and Archaeology, University of Edinburgh, 2018-21.
• Distinguished Fellow, Rothermere American Institute, University of Oxford
• Honorary Member, Royal Irish Academy
• Member, American Antiquarian Society