Masato Fukushima (University of Tokyo)

Masato Fukushima is a researcher at the University of Tokyo. He employs an anthropological and sociological approach to science and technology studies (STS) and social anthropology, focusing on contemporary institutions such as laboratories, hospitals, and organizations. His recent research centers on the social formation among diverse actors including laboratories, scientific communities, policymakers, and the state, particularly in the context of post-genomic biology. He is also interested in the intersection between the design process and social formation, exploring issues related to design and architectural technologies and ideologies. Fukushima’s past research spans emergency medical centers, risk management in nuclear safety, and organizational practices in mental institutions, addressing the themes of risk, safety, and cognitive and learning processes in various socio-cultural contexts. His recent work on Asian biotechnology and society has reignited his interest in Southeast Asian religion and politics, examining the complex interactions among science, politics, religion, and art in Asian countries.  

Mumtaz Mokhtar (UiTM Selangor, Malaysia)

Mumtaz Mokhtar is an associate professor in Universiti Teknologi Mara. Now, she is the Head of Fine Art Studies, Creative Arts College, Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) Selangor, Malaysia.

Martin Rendel (Cologne University)

Prof. h.c. cn Martin Rendel is a cultural manager and university professor, as well as managing director of MRCM and ambassador of “Germany – Land of Ideas”. His main focus is the creative and cultural exchange between China and Germany. Besides that he has continuously published books – in cooperation with sociologists, ethnologists, city developers, journalists, artists etc. – on various subjects.

Yasraf Amir Piliang (FSRD ITB)

Prof. Dr. Yasraf Amir Piliang, M.A. is an esteemed Indonesian philosopher, cultural thinker, academic, and social observer. He founded the Yasraf Amir Piliang Institute, dedicated to the study of contemporary culture. Yasraf earned his bachelor’s degree from the Faculty of Fine Arts and Design at the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), followed by a Master of Art (MA) from Central Saint Martins College of Arts and Design in London, England. He then returned to ITB to obtain his doctoral degree from the Faculty of Fine Arts and Design.

Natalya Lusty (University of Melbourne)

Natalya Lusty is Professor of Cultural Studies at the University of Melbourne and an Australian Research Council Future Fellow (2018-2024). She works in the fields of cultural studies, feminist media and visual studies, and critical fashion studies and is particularly interested in the connections between modernist cultural and political formations and contemporary aesthetic and vernacular practices. Natalya has authored multiple books, including Surrealism, Feminism, Psychoanalysis (Routledge, 2017), Dreams and Modernity: A Cultural History, co-authored with Helen Groth (Routledge, 2013) and the edited volume, Cambridge Critical Concepts: Surrealism (Cambridge University Press, 2021), which won best anthology in the Association of Australia and New Zealand Art Writing and Publishing Awards. She is a co-founding member of the Critical Fashion Studies Research Group.