Graduate Students

Graduate Comparative Literature Students

Aimee Trivino

Aimee Trivino (she/they) is a first year master’s student at SUNY °®¶¹´«Ã½ in the Department of Comparative Literature. They were born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, and their ancestral homelands are in coastal Ecuador. Their studies mainly focus on Latin American studies, gender and sexuality studies, and migration studies.Their research is about Central American and coastal Ecuadorian communities, focusing on how current events and globalization shape these identities. They use music, written testimonies, pop culture, colonial era documents, and archeological records to track the histories of these communities. They also focus on community-engaged projects, bridging their work in immigration advocacy and housing organizing with community partners to address challenges facing Ecuadorian and Central American diasporic communities. 

Atousa Kaviani

Atousa Kaviani (She/Her) is a PhD student in the Comparative Literature department at SUNY °®¶¹´«Ã½. She joined the department with an M.A. and B.A. in French language and literature. Her main focus is film studies and digital humanities. Atousa is working on women’s representation in films and social media platforms. She also researches diaspora and displacement narratives and has been teaching courses on this area. Atousa teaches another course titled Superhero films & contemporary culture.

Research Interest:

  • Film & media studies
  • Gender & women’s studies
  • Diaspora and displacement narratives

Advisor:

Dr. Jeroen Gerrits

Conferences and Invited Talks:

  • 2025, Project Presentation: “Diversity in Literature Class: Personal Narratives Matter†at MLA Annual Convention, New Orleans.
  • 2024,“Scenes from the Inside: Iran through Farhadi's Camera†at 121th PAMLA Conference, Palm Springs.
  • 2024, “Reuniting Ethnic Communities and Recognizing their Identity Through #MahsaAmini Uprising in Iran†55Th North East Modern Languages Association, Boston.
  • 2023, “Iranian Women through Social Media and Iranian Cinema: A New Representation and Perspective†at the 120th PAMLA Conference, Portland.
  • 2023, “Women and Violence: The image of Feminine figure in Iranian Contemporary Cinema†NeMLA’s 54th convention, Niagara Falls.

Honors & Awards:

  • 2024, Received Research Grant Award, Association for the Studies of the Middle East & North Africa.                                                                                    
  • 2023, Received Graduate Student Research Fellowship Gregory Seferian Memorial, SUNY °®¶¹´«Ã½ Comparative  Literature Department.  
  • 2023, Received Modern Languages Association Certificate in Reading & Writing Pedagogy 

Education:

  • M.A. French Language and Literature, Chamran University of Ahvaz, Iran.
  • B.A. French Language and Literature, Chamran University of Ahvaz, Iran.

Elysa Kooijman

Elysa Kooijman (they/she) is a PhD student in Comparative Literature at °®¶¹´«Ã½ University (SUNY). They hold two MAs obtained in The Netherlands — one in film and photography, and one in philosophy.

Their research and artistic practice have an interdisciplinary and feminist approach to a ll that encroaches on, and destabilises, the subject — focussing on such concepts as the uncanny, the sublime, time, grief, and abjection. Elysa specifically “enjoys†analysing contemporary horror movies.

Their work has been seen in EYE Film Museum Amsterdam, CW*IP Antwerp, and V2 Rotterdam, among other places.

Research Interest:

  • Psychoanalysis
  • Phenomenology
  • 20th Century Continental Philosophy
  • Film and TV Studies

Art Publications:

  • “Tackling Inequality in the Rotterdam(se) Creative Sceneâ€, in KONTRA Labs at WORM Rotterdam (2021) 
  • “Dicht bij mij vandaan†in GUP New Photo Talent 2020 (2019)
  • “Dicht bij mij vandaan†(2019)
  • “When you feel like you might die, call me†(2018)
  • “PRJCT5†in Unicef Nederland (2017) 

Art Exhibitions:

  • “RIXT†at V2_ Lab for the Unstable Media, The Netherlands (2022)
  • “A Planck Star is Not Stable†at EYE Film Museum, The Netherlands (2021)
  • “A Planck Star is Not Stable†at WORM Rotterdam, The Netherlands (2021)
  • “Then I Started Looking Back†at EYE Film Museum, The Netherlands (2020)
  • “Dicht bit mij vandaan†at Westergasfabriek, The Netherlands (2019)

Conferences and Invited Talks:

  • “Destabilising Gazes: abjection and its connection to the gaze in horror cinema†at Conference Crossing the Boundaries, °®¶¹´«Ã½ (SUNY), USA (2025, March)

  • “The Double Bind of the Philosophical Canon†at Conference by Women* in Philosophy (CW*IP), Antwerp University, Belgium (2022, June)

  • “Visual Artist Elysa Kooijmanâ€, podcast at Ik zie, ik zie, Filosofie, Spotify (2022, December)

  • “Tackling Inequality in the Rotterdam(se) Creative Sceneâ€, panel discussion with KONTRA Labs at WORM Rotterdam, The Netherlands (2021, February)

Honors & Awards:

  • Provost’s Doctoral Summer Fellowship (2025-2029)

Education:

  • MA Philosophy at Tilburg University, The Netherlands
  • MA Fine Art and Design at Piet Zwart Institute, The Netherlands
  • BA Applied Photography & Image Communication at Nederlandse Academie voor Beeldcreatie, The Netherlands

Gray Huang

Gray Huang is a PhD candidate in Comparative Literature at °®¶¹´«Ã½. His research lies at the intersection of cinema/media studies and philosophy, with particular interests in film phenomenology, media aesthetics, and sound studies. He is also an interdisciplinary multilingual singer-songwriter (Cantonese, Mandarin, English, French), jazz vocalist, and TV talent show winner. His performances span across New York, Hong Kong, and mainland China.

Lisa R Timmermann

Lisa (she/her) is a PhD candidate in the Comparative Literature department at °®¶¹´«Ã½ University. Her research focuses on the role of dark humor in contemporary satirical fiction by global women writers. She holds a BA (Hons) in Film Studies with Modern Writing from the University of Gloucestershire, UK, an MA in Film Studies from Concordia University, Montreal, and an MA in Creative Writing from the University of Portsmouth, UK.

Research Interests:

  • Contemporary satire
  • Dark humor
  • Marxist feminism
  • Critical animal studies
  • Horror cinema

Advisor:

  • Dr. Jeffner Allen

Conferences and Invited Talks:

  • “From the Final Girl to the Single Woman: Female Vulnerability and Resilience in Recent Horror Films,†Paper, RMMLA, Denver, Colorado, October 2023 [Session Chair & Presenter, Film Panel]

  • “Funny, angry, female: Unruly Women and Dark Humor in Bridesmaids & Yellowjackets, Paper, NeMLA, Boston,Massachusetts, March 2024 [Seminar Chair & Presenter, “Unruly Women in Contemporary Pop Cultureâ€]

  • “Partner-free Protagonists: Single Women in Bridesmaids & Convenience Store Woman,†Paper, ACLA, Montreal, Canada, March 2024

  • “Severing the Self: Corporate Capitalism in Severance & The Factory,†Paper, COLI GSO, °®¶¹´«Ã½, April 2024

Honors and Awards

  • J.A. De Sève Entrance Fellowship, Concordia University, Montreal, Canada

  • Provost’s Doctoral Summer Fellowship, °®¶¹´«Ã½

  • Dissertation Year Fellowship, Comparative Literature, °®¶¹´«Ã½

Education:

  • BA (Hons) in Film Studies with Modern Writing, University of Gloucestershire, UK

  • MA in Film Studies, Concordia University, Montreal, Canada

  • MA in Creative Writing, University of Portsmouth, UK

Mohammadreza Touzideh

Mohammadreza Touzideh, a PhD student in Comparative Literature at °®¶¹´«Ã½ (SUNY), analyzes the intersections of continental philosophy, literature, and ethics in his research. His current interests focus on the ethical philosophy of Emmanuel Levinas, tracing its ethical implications and variants across literary fields. Mohammadreza delves into ethical criticism in world literature, Persian literature, and contemporary Iranian cinema, illuminating how this approach of reading profoundly transforms readers’ comprehension of these artistic contexts. More specifically, Mohammadreza is interested in examining the ways in which the critic’s and reader’s utilization of ethical language in engaging with artistic forms (re)constructs subjectivity and time.

Research Interests:

  • Continental philosophy
  • Ethical criticism
  • Persian classic poetry
  • Modern Iranian cinema

Publications

Touzideh, Mohammadreza, and Nowrouzi Roshnavand, Farshid. "Ethical Conversation with the Other in Conrad Aiken’s “Silent Snow, Secret Snowâ€: A Levinasian Reading," Journal of Applied Linguistics and Applied Literature: Dynamics and Advances, 10, 1, 2022, 155-167. doi: 10.22049/jalda.2022.27397.1347

Conferences and Invited Talks:

  • “Reconstitution of Subjectivity in The Idiotâ€, First International Conference on Issues in English Language Teaching and Literature (University of Mazandaran, Iran) – Oct. 2018

  • “Seeing Through Literature: The Ethical Impossibility of Killing the Other in Dostoevsky’s The Idiotâ€, PAMLA 121st Annual Conference (Palm Springs, CA) – Nov. 2024

Honors & Awards:

  • Distinguished Member of Student Scientific Society in Fifth Harekat Academic Festival, Mazandaran University, Babolsar, Iran, April 2012

Education:

  • B.A., English Language and Literature, Mazandaran University, Babolsar, Iran

  • M.A., English Language and Literature, Azarbaijan Shahid Madani University, Tabriz, Iran

Samantha Sharp

Samantha Sharp is a PhD candidate in the Department of Comparative Literature at °®¶¹´«Ã½ University. Her primary research interests include ecocriticism, semiotics, and the historical avant-garde, particularly in Eastern and Central Europe. In her dissertation project, she reimagines ecopoetics via the linguistic experiments of Polish, Russian, and Ukrainian modernists of the early-20th century. At °®¶¹´«Ã½, she has taught courses for both the Comparative Literature and Russian Departments. She also serves as Poetry Editor for the online literary magazine Midway Journal, and her own poetry can be found in journals like Cleaver Magazine, Dipity Lit Mag, EcoTheo Review, MAINTENANT 19, and NonBinary Review.

Research Interests:

  • Posthumanism
  • Political Ecology
  • (Bio)semiotics
  • Poetics
  • Modernist Literature

Advisor:

  • Dr. Kaitlyn Sorenson 

Conferences and Invited Talks:       

  • “Fricatives, Plosives, and Glides: Studying Poetry as a Body-Air Nexus,†The Association for the Study of Literature and Environment Biannual Conference (2025)
  • “Rhyming Rot: Composition and Decomposition in Bernard Kangro’s Early Poems,†American Association of Teachers of Slavic and East European Languages Annual Conference (2025)
  • “Ecocentric Love and Loss: More-than-Human Girlhood in The Tragic Menagerie,†American Comparative Literature Association Annual Conference (2024)
  • “Make Way for Wings, Roots, and Radicals,†Northeast Modern Language Association Annual Conference (2024)
  • “Defamiliarizing Semiosis: The Transcorporeal Poetics of Elena Guro,†American Association of Teachers of Slavic and East European Languages Annual Conference (2024)
  • “‘Whirlwinds of aggressive dust:’ F. T. Marinetti’s Ecstatic Ecofascism,†South Atlantic Modern Language Association Annual Conference (2023)
  • “Plant Pedagogies: Receptivity, Connection, and Growth,†Pedagogies of Hope Workshop at McMaster University (2023)
  • “The ‘Recombinant Energy’ of the Commons: Towards a Poetics of the Biotariat,†ASPECT Graduate Conference at Virginia Tech (2023)
  • “Inside the Exquisite Corpse: The Narrative Pulse of What We All Long For,†University of Idaho English Graduate Conference (2023)
  • “Transrational Ecologies: Velimir Khlebnikov & the Rhythms of the Volga,†The Association for the Study of Literature and Environment Watersheds Symposium (2022)

Honors & Awards:

  • Title VIII Fellowship, Hamilton Lugar School, Indiana University (2025)
  • Fulbright-Hays Group Projects Abroad Fellowship, American Councils for International Education (2024-25)
  • Gregory Missak Seferian Memorial Research Grant, Department of Comparative Literature, °®¶¹´«Ã½ (2024)
  • Fulbright-Hays Group Projects Abroad Fellowship, American Councils for International Education (2024)
  • Title VIII Fellowship, Hamilton Lugar School, Indiana University (2023)
  • Title VIII Fellowship, Hamilton Lugar School, Indiana University (2022)
  • Innovators Fellowship, Material+Visual Worlds Transdisciplinary Area of Excellence, °®¶¹´«Ã½ (2021-22)

Education:

  • BA in English & Secondary English Education, Flagler College (2018)
  • MA in English, Boston College (2021)

Sierra Rasmussen

Sierra Rasmussen (she/her) is a PhD student in the Comparative Literature Department at SUNY °®¶¹´«Ã½. She works with the ancient Greco-Roman world, modern popular culture, especially comic books and comic book media, gender and sexuality, including how the modern and ancient perceptions of it interact, and mythology. She is specifically interested in how the Greco-Roman world, be that mythological or historical figures, is presented in popular culture and how that can represent not just ancient mentalities but also modern ones.

Research Interests:

  • Ancient Greco-Roman world
  • Gender & Sexuality
  • Popular Culture
  • Mythology
  • Comics/Comic Book Media

Conferences and Invited Talks:

  • ‘We Make Sappho’ Presented at the Texas Tech WSG Annual Conference in April 2022
  • ‘The Art of Queer Coding: The Unintentional Queer Life of Jujutsu Kaisen’ Presented at the 12th Graduate Conference hosted by the Department of Comparative Literature, SUNY °®¶¹´«Ã½ in April 2024

Education:

  • B.A. Classics - University of Washington
  • M.A. Arts with a concentration in Classics - Texas Tech University

Zachary Wagner

Zach Wagner (He/Him) is a PhD candidate in Comparative Literature at °®¶¹´«Ã½. His research interests involve media archeological examinations of the links between information technology and neo-imperialism as well as applications of philosophies of continuous differentiation and the Black Radical Aesthetic which offer potential means of resistance to such phenomena. He has published in journals such as Literature Film Quarterly and Media Fields.

Research Interests:

  • Media Archeology and Cultural Techniques
  • Posthumanism
  • Black Feminist Theories of the Subject
  • Deleuzian Thought
  • Black Radical Aesthetic

Advisor:

  • Dr. Jeroen Gerrits

Publications: 

  • “Wikileaks, Qanon, and Death Drives in Digital Archives,†Media Fields (Forthcoming)

  • “Equiano’s Trace: Adapting Slave Narratives to Insta-Film,†Literature Film Quarterly (July 2024)

Conferences and Invited Talks:

Organized

  • “Stanley Cavell: Philosophical, Literary & Cinematic Skepticism,†(Assistant Organizer, 2023)
  • “What is the Human?†°®¶¹´«Ã½ Comparative Literature Graduate Conference (2020, Canceled due to Covid)

Presented

  • “Present When I'm Absent, Speaking When I'm Not There (Uh): The Surd and Immanent Expression in the Radical Black Aesthetic,†American Comparative Literature Association (Panel Organizer, 2025)
  •  â€œDigital Marketplaces and New Feudal Techniques,†Ashoka University (Guest Lecture, 2025)
  • “Maxwell's Demon and the Veil of Ignorance,†Northeast Modern Language Association (2025)
  • “Mahmoud Darwish’s Place Making Techne And Procopius’s Ekphrastic Gaza Clock,†Northeast Modern Language Association (2025)
  • “Digital Equiano,†Global Equiano (Invited Talk, 2024)
  • “Equiano’s Trace: Adapting Slave Narratives to Insta-Film,†Modern Language Association (2024)
  • “Entropic Decolonization: Multiplicitous Being in Resistance to the Smart City,†American Comparative Literature Association (2023)
  • “4 Months 3 Weeks and 2 Days: The Violent Orientations of Womanhood Under Anti-abortion Patriarchy,†Northeast Modern Language Association (2023)
  • “Interracial Loving in Particular: Benjamin Bagley's Misreading of Wuthering Heights,†Northeast Modern Language Association (2023)
  • “The Quasicrystal Image: Chaos in Deleuze's Time Crystal,†American Comparative Literature Association (2022)
  • “Witnessing Wikileaks: The Deaths of Iraqis, Drives of the US, & Film as a Model for Witnessing,†Northeast Modern Language Association (2022)
  • “Nick Land and the Master’s Broken Tools: On the Necessity  of Decolonial Methodologies in Poststructural Work,†American Comparative Literature Association (2021)

Honors & Awards:

  • °®¶¹´«Ã½ Comparative Literature Dissertation Year Fellowship (2025)

Education:

  • MA, Comparative Literature -  °®¶¹´«Ã½ (2021)