CV — Lindsey DeWitt Prat, PhD

CURRENT POSITIONS

2022– Director of Research, Bold Insight, Chicago, USA (based in Paris, France). Design and lead global research and strategy programs at the intersection of AI and global languages and cultures. 70+ researchers, Fortune 10 clients.

2014– Translator (Japanese–English), Self-employed, Paris, France. Selected clients: Mori Building Co., Ltd, Wakuden Group, Toyota, Osaka World Expo 2025 (NTT), Muji; Government of Japan.

PEER-REVIEWED PUBLICATIONS

Peer-Reviewed Articles, Chapters & Proceedings

(under review) DeWitt Prat, Lindsey; Hall, Siobhan MacKenzie; Heldreth, Courtney; Wornyo, Edem; Martin Jr., Donald; Denton, Remi. “Understanding AI Data Production & Community Impacts Worldwide: A Multivocal Literature Review.” ACM Journal on Responsible Computing.

(in press) DeWitt Prat, Lindsey; Turki, Aymen. “Beyond Access: The ‘Scale Wall’ and the Exhaustion of the Fintech Advantage for Women Leaders in the Global Majority” [working title]. In Financial Inclusion in the Digital Age: Navigating Innovation and Inequality in the Global South, ed. Shame Mugova, Simeon Babatunde, and Adeola Oyebowale. Sustainable Finance Book Series, Springer Nature.

(in press) “Sacred Battlegrounds: Manufacturing Tradition and Gender Exclusion in Japanese Sumo.” Japanese Journal of Religious Studies.

2025 “A New Framework for Studying Non-Deterministic LLM Interactions.” Ethnographic Praxis in Industry Conference Proceedings, 2025.

2025 “Confraternities.” In The New Nanzan Guide to Japanese Religions, ed. Jolyon B. Thomas and Matthew D. McMullen. Nanzan Library of Asian Religion and Culture; University of Hawai’i Press.

2024 “Decolonizing LLMs: An Ethnographic Framework for AI in African Contexts.” Ethnographic Praxis in Industry Conference Proceedings. Winner, UXalliance Most Impactful Project Award (2025); featured at the AI for Developing Countries Forum 2025 Winter Summit at the United Nations in Geneva.

2021 “Japan’s Sacred Sumo and the Exclusion of Women: The Olympic Male Sumo Wrestler (Part 1).” Religions 12/9, 749.

2021 “Cultural Heritage.” In The Bloomsbury Handbook of Japanese Religions, ed. Erica Baffelli, Andrea Castiglioni, and Fabio Rambelli, 19–25. Bloomsbury Academic.

2020 “World Cultural Heritage and Women’s Exclusion from Sacred Sites in Japan.” In Sacred Heritage in Japan, ed. Aike P. Rots and Mark Teeuwen, 65–86. Routledge.

2019 “Mountain Buddhism in East Asia.” Oxford Bibliographies in “Buddhism,” ed. Richard K. Payne. Oxford University Press. January 15.

2018 “Island of Many Names, Island of No Name: Taboo and the Mysteries of Okinoshima." In The Sea and the Sacred in Japan: Aspects of Maritime Religion, ed. Fabio Rambelli, 39–50. Bloomsbury Academic.

2018 “Report on the 2017 Inscription of ‘Sacred Island of Okinoshima and Associated Sites in the Munakata Region’ as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.” Journal of Asian Humanities at Kyushu University (JAH-Q) 3: 135–140.

2017 “Mountain Mandalas: Shugendo in Kyushu.” Japanese Journal of Religious Studies 42/2: 309–316.

2016 “Envisioning and Observing Women’s Exclusion from Sacred Mountains in Japan.” Journal of Asian Humanities at Kyushu University (JAH-Q) 1: 19–28.

2013 “Review of Passing the Light: The Incense Light Community and Buddhist Nuns in Contemporary Taiwan by Chün-Fang Yü.” The Eastern Buddhist 44/2: 145–150.

Monographs

2026 Aike P., Florence Durney, Lindsey DeWitt Prat, and Sonja Åman, eds. Water Powers: Sacred Aquatic Animals of the Asia-Pacific. University of Hawaii Press.

Translations (Japanese to English)

(translation in progress) Miyake Yōichirō, “Chapter 2,” from Jinkō chinō no tame no tetsugakujuku: Tōyō tetsugaku hen 人工知能のための哲学塾東洋哲学篇 [Philosophy School for Artificial Intelligence: Eastern Philosophy Edition]. BNN, 2018. Collaborative translation with the author.

2022 Andō Reiji, “Reading D. T. Suzuki Anew.” The Eastern Buddhist 2/1: 17–34.

2020 Niki Natsumi, “The Description of Mountains in the Minoodera engi.” In Defining Shugendō: Critical Studies on Japanese Mountain Religion, ed. Andrea Castiglioni, Fabio Rambelli, and Carina Roth, 145–153. Bloomsbury Academic. With Carina Roth.

2019 Igata Susumu, “Demon Roof Tiles: A Study of the Dazaifu Type Onigawara Style I-A.” Journal of Asian Humanities at Kyushu University (JAH-Q) 4: 109–125. Adapted translation with Cynthea J. Bogel.

2018 Satō Masato, “The Sea and Food Offerings for the Kami (shinsen).” In The Sea and the Sacred in Japan: Aspects of Maritime Religiosity, ed. Fabio Rambelli, 15–22. Bloomsbury Academic.

2018 Kadoya Atsushi, “On a Kami Image in the Reikiki ‘Shintaizu’ Section.” Japanese Religions 42/1–2 (special issue “Facets of ‘Shinto’ in the Muromachi Period,” guest editor Fabio Rambelli): 69–86.

2018 Itō Satoshi, “‘Shintō’ in the Muromachi Period.” Japanese Religions 42/1–2: 9–24.

2018 Uejima Susumu, “Kami and Buddhism in the Nō Miwa: Rethinking the Study of the Amalgamation of Kami and Buddhas (shinbutsu shūgō).” Japanese Religions 42/1–2: 25–38.

OTHER PUBLICATIONS

2026 “Winning the Game of Broken Telephone: A Blueprint for Evaluating AI Across the Research Pipeline.” The ResearchOps Review, May 6.

2026 “What Are You Reading? Lindsey DeWitt Prat.” Interactions 33(3): 14–15.

2026 “The Goldilocks Kōan: Why There Are No ‘Just Right’ Names for AI.” Substack, January 25.

2026 “The Research Risk Cascade: Why Even '90% Accurate' AI Tools Break Pipelines.” Substack, January 2.

2025 “Interactive AI and Cultural Complexity” (with Anna Metsäranta). Salon Report, Ethnographic Praxis in Industry Conference Proceedings, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1111/epic.70011

2025 “Word Processing vs. World Processing: The Cultural Work AI Can’t Do.” Bold Insight Blog.

2025 “Mind the AI Gap: The UX Researcher’s Role in Navigating the AI Divide.” Bold Insight Blog.

2024 “Global AI Study: Embracing AI Tools in UX Research.” White Paper, Bold Insight. (With webinar)

2023 “Context, Accents, and Privacy: Overcoming Hurdles of AI Translation Tools in Global UX Research.” Bold Insight Blog.

2023 “The Role and Challenges of Speech Technology in Global UX Research.” Bold Insight Blog.

2023 “Not Sure How to Use AI Tools in UX Research? Consider Making It Your Sparring Partner.” Bold Insight Blog.

2017 “Okinoshima, Japan’s Newly Minted UNESCO World Heritage Site.” #AsiaNow, blog of the Association for Asian Studies. September 26.

2017 “Wasurerareta takaramono: Okinoshima kara no messēji” [Forgotten Treasures: The Message from Okinoshima]. FBS Fukuoka Broadcasting. Full-length television documentary (concept, design, research, presenter). Premiered August 12. Official selection, Agency for Cultural Affairs, Government of Japan’s 72nd Japan Media Arts Festival (文化庁芸術祭).

2013 “Lifting the Barrier: Women’s Access to Sacred Mountains in Japan.” Kyoto Journal 78: 34–37.

2007 “Perspectives on Religion and Gender in International Education.” 59th Japan-America Student Conference, Kyoto International Community House. August 17.

AWARDS & HONORS

2025 Most Impactful Project Award, UXalliance 20-Year Awards, for “Decolonizing LLMs: An Ethnographic Framework for AI in African Contexts.” Project lead on collaboration between Bold Insight, Google, Accenture, and Mantaray Africa.

2014 Outstanding Essay Award, International Young Scholars Forum on Buddhism and East Asian Cultures, The Buddhist Academy of China

RESEARCH LEADERSHIP & AFFILIATIONS

2025– Program Faculty, Innovation Policy Ignition Programme (IPIP), Hughes Hall, University of Cambridge. Cohort mentor and strategic input and guidance on program development for regional innovation ecosystems.

2025– Adjunct Senior Research Fellow, The Language Lab, Department of Linguistics, University of Western Australia. Research collaboration on linguistic diversity, translation, language policy, and cross-cultural communication in technology contexts.

2026– Fellow, Inclusive AI Lab, Utrecht University.

2025– Board Member, EPIC People. Appointed to EPIC’s governing board representing 13,000+ research practitioners using social science and humanities expertise to create value for people and business.

2026– Co-Chair, Global Networks, Languages & Cultures Committee, IEEE Global AIS Flourishing Initiative, IEEE Standards Association.

2026– Senior Fellow, Vietnam International Financial Center (VIFC-DN) Policy Lab.

2025– Senior Fellow / Speakers’ Excellence Committee, AI for Developing Countries Forum (AIFOD). Invitation-only fellowship at one of the world’s largest AI organizations (8,000+ members, 150+ countries) in partnership with the United Nations. Vice Chair of Working Group III on Cultural Integration and Local Innovation.

2025– Associate Member, Sociotechnical Innovation and User Experience (STEIN-UX), School of Computing and Engineering, University of West London. Interdisciplinary research group examining human-centered, ethical, and globally relevant digital futures.

CONFERENCES AND SYMPOSIA ORGANIZED

2026 EPIC Learning & Networking Week 2026, May 4–7. Chair. Curated four-day program structured across three thematic arcs (The Ground, The Emergent, The Work) — 14 sessions, 30+ speakers spanning industry (Google, Meta Reality Labs, Spotify, Canva, Intel, Yahoo), Indigenous language technology (Peter-Lucas Jones, Te Hiku Media; TIME AI100), civil rights and policy (Michael Akinwumi, National Fair Housing Alliance), and academic research (Anna Ivanova, Georgia Tech; Jake Grumbach, UC Berkeley; Amanda Stockwell, Duke; Eryk Salvaggio, Cambridge).

2026 EPIC2026 Kickoff. Chair and Co-host (with Abbas Jaffer, Visa). Theme: “Context is the central challenge of 2026.” Lightning talks from Tey Bannerman (Independent Advisor, Human-Centered AI); Ricardo Baeza-Yates (KTH Royal Institute of Technology); Maryam Mustafa (Lahore University of Management Sciences); Jacki O’Neill (Microsoft Research Africa); Simon Roberts (Stripe Partners; President, EPIC Board); Janet Vertesi (Princeton University).

2025 International conference: “The Human Factor of AI Implementation.” SBS Swiss Business School and the International School of Zug and Luzern. Co-organizer with Michael Gerlich and Partha Gopalakrishnan.

2023 International symposium: “International Perspectives on Buddhism in East Asia: A Symposium in Honor of William Bodiford.” University of California, Los Angeles. June 23–24. Organizing Committee, Morning Welcome, and Closing Reflection Panel.

2022 International workshop: “Connecting Asian Buddhism(s) Past, Present, and Future.” Strategic Institutional Partnership between Ghent University, Harvard University, and Munich University. Ghent, Belgium. May 4–6. Co-organizer with Mick Deneckere, Anna Andreeva, Ann Heirman, Mathieu Torck.

2022 International conference: “Aquatic Powers: Divine Animals of the Asia-Pacific.” University of Oslo, Department of Culture Studies and Oriental Languages. Co-organizer with Aike Rots (PI) and Florence Durney.

2016 International workshop: “The Creation of a National Culture in Japan’s Modern Period: Architecture, Art, and Place.” Three-day workshop sponsored by Kyushu University’s World Premier International Researcher Invitation Program (“Progress 100”). December 12–15.

2016 International symposium and field studies: “Third IMAP in Japanese Humanities Symposium on Pre-Modern Japanese Culture.” Faculty of Humanities, Kyushu University. January 21–24.

2008 Symposium Organizer: “Buddhism & Buddhist Visual Culture in Ancient Japan.” University of Washington, Seattle. Speakers: Donald McCallum (UCLA) and Lori Meeks (USC). May 6.

SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS

2026

Jul 2026 Vietnam High-Level Policy Dialogue, Da Nang Economics–Finance–Technology Week 2026. Distinguished Speaker: “New Growth Model – Innovation – Global City Vision.” Three panels, including the closing plenary with Nobel laureate Paul Romer. Furama Resort Da Nang, Vietnam. July 7–8.

Jun 2026 Human Work Interaction Design 2026 (HWID 2026). Panelist, The Future of Work (session by Matias Duarte, with Walter Werzowa and José Abdelnour-Nocera). June 17–18.

Jun 2026 Data Care Festival. Provocateur, Crafting AI: Cultural Representation and Fairness for Globally-Informed Creative Practices. June 9–12.

Jun 2026 “Futureproofing Anthropology: What the World Needs from Us.” Panelist. Ethnographic Insights Lab, UCL East, University College London (UCL bicentenary event). June 5.

May 2026 EPIC Learning & Networking Week 2026. Speaker, “It’s Not One Shot — Automation and Craftwork in Creative Production” (with Bhautik Joshi and Karl Mendonca). May 4–7.

May 2026 AI for Developing Countries Forum / AIFOD AI Weekly Review. Panelist: “Why Are Larger Models Becoming Less Transparent?” (with Fabrizio Degni, Christian Corredoira, and Georg Zangl). May 2.

Mar 2026 “Evaluating AI Across the Research Pipeline: Decoding the Risk Cascade (& What to Do About It).” Webinar, User Interviews. 850+ registered. March 31, 2026.

Mar 2026 “Thinking Language, Fast and Slow: Speed, Data, and Decolonial Inquiry.” Webinar, BCS Sociotechnical SG. March 24.

Mar 2026 “Innovation Ecosystems, Fast and Slow.” Keynote, Innovation Policy Ignition Programme (IPIP) Residential Visit, Hughes Hall, University of Cambridge. March 2, 2026.

Feb 2026 “Thinking Language, Fast and Slow: Speed, Data, and Decolonial Inquiry.” Conference “Decolonial Perspectives Across Disciplines: Data, Research and Teaching,” All Souls College, University of Oxford. February 26.

Jan 2026 EPIC2026 Kickoff. Chair and Co-host (with Abbas Jaffer, Visa). Theme: “Context is the central challenge of 2026.”

2025

Dec 2025 AI for Developing Countries Forum. Panelist: “The Marketization Trap of Financial Inclusion.” Forum report

Nov 2025 The Future of Being Human: HCI Symposium 2025, MBZUAI, Abu Dhabi, UAE. Panelist: Data’s Many Lives.

Nov 2025 The Human Factor of AI Implementation, Zurich, Switzerland. Co-organizer and Panel Moderator: Belonging or Breaking Apart.

Nov 2025 IBM TechXchange Dev Day – Open Source in Data and AI, Lausanne, Switzerland. Panelist and Speaker.

Oct 2025 “Mind the AI Gaps in UX Research.” 22nd UX Masterclass, Bangalore, India.

Sep 2025 “Interactive AI & Cultural Complexity” (salon co-host). 21st EPIC Conference, Helsinki, Finland.

Sep 2025 AI for Developing Countries Forum. Panelist: “The Certification Gold Rush: Global AI Standards and Certification Frameworks.”

Jun 2025 “Build for Everyone with a Multidimensional Mindset” (keynote). GUACfest—Google UX for All Conference (virtual, 300+ attendees).

Jun 2025 EPIC Tutorial: “Your Tech Stack Needs a Thinking Stack: Building a High-Value Ethnographic Practice in the AI Era.” Event page

May 2025 EPIC2025 Learning Week. Discussant: “Generative AI, Cognitive Offloading, and the Future of Critical Thinking in Research and Society.” Event page

Apr 2025 “Lost in Translation: AI, Language Gaps, and UX Research.” UXinsight Festival, Leiden, Netherlands.

Apr 2025 AI for Developing Countries Forum. Moderator: “Small Language Models at the Edge: A Path to Technological Autonomy for Developing Nations.” Forum report

Apr 2025 Singapore Internet Governance Forum / United Nations IGF. Panelist: “AI-First Nation to AI-First World.” Event page

Apr 2025 AI-driven Design Leaders Masterclass (Symetria, Warsaw). Featured Guest Speaker: “Mind the Gap: Building Influence Through Global AI/UX Expertise.” Event page

Jan 2025 AI for Developing Countries Forum, UN Geneva, Switzerland. Panel Moderator: Data Rights, Reconstruction, and Distribution.

Jan 2025 EPIC2025 Kickoff. Featured Speaker: “Intelligences in Translation” (with Ishtiaque Ahmed, University of Toronto). Event page

2024

Nov 2024 The Research Thing, EPIC Redux: “AI Meets Human – Who’s Really in Charge?” Speaker and Panelist: “Decolonizing LLMs: An Ethnographic Framework for AI Alignment.” Event page

Aug 2024 EPIC2024 Conference, Los Angeles, USA. Paper presentation: “Decolonizing LLMs: An Ethnographic Framework for AI in African Contexts” (with Olivia Nercy Lucas, Christopher Golias, Mia Lewis). Paper

2023

Sep 2023 UXMasterclass 2023 (UXalliance), Zaragoza, Spain. Speaker: “The Future of AI in UX: Insights from the Global Frontline” (with Bob Schumacher). UXalliance

EDUCATION

2015 PhD, Asian Languages & Cultures / Japanese Buddhism, UCLA, USA

2008 MA, International Studies / Comparative Religion, University of Washington, USA

2004 BA, Political Science / Asian Studies, Colorado State University, USA

ACADEMIC APPOINTMENTS

2018–22 Lecturer & Flanders Research Foundation (FWO) Postdoctoral Fellow, Japanology and Ghent Centre for Buddhist Studies, Department of Languages and Cultures, Ghent University, Belgium

2018–19 Visiting Lecturer, International Master’s Program (IMAP) in Japanese Humanities, Faculty of Humanities, Kyushu University, Japan

2016–18 Visiting Researcher (Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Postdoctoral Fellow), IMAP in Japanese Humanities, Faculty of Humanities, Kyushu University, Japan

2015–16 Assistant Professor of Japanese Religions and Buddhist Studies (One-year Special Project Professor), IMAP in Japanese Humanities, Faculty of Humanities, Kyushu University, Japan

2013–14 Visiting Researcher, Otani University/Kyoto Women’s University, Japan

2010 Visiting Lecturer/Assistant Director, Japanese Art History and Pilgrimage Exploration Seminar, University of Washington, Seattle, USA

INVITED LECTURES

2022 “The Dharma of Sumo: Religion, Tradition, and the Female Taboo.” Ghent University. March 14.

2021 “Japan’s Sacred Sumo and the Exclusion of Women.” University of Oslo, Department of Culture Studies and Oriental Languages. October 20.

2019 “On Lore, Lived Religion, and the Allure of World Heritage at Japan’s Male-Only Sacred Sites.” UCLA Center for Buddhist Studies. May 29.

2017 “Religion, Gender, and World Heritage in Japan.” Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology. Halle, Germany. November 23.

2017 “Crafting the Sacred: Envisioning and Observing Mt. Ōmine, Japan.” Columbia University, Donald Keene Center of Japanese Culture and the Center for Buddhism and East Asian Religions. January 27.

2016 “Ancient Visions and Modern Realities at Mt. Ōmine, Japan.” Northwestern University, Department of Religious Studies. February 10.

2010 “Forever Banished? Restrictions Regarding Women at Mount Kōya.” University of Washington, Division of Art History. April 9.

INVITED WORKSHOPS, SEMINARS, FORUMS, ROUNDTABLES

2022 “Lore, Lived Religion, and the Allure of World Heritage at Japan’s Male-Only Sacred Sites.” Workshop “Religious Transformations in Reiwa-period Japan,” organized by Erica Baffelli and Chiara Ghidini. Napoli L’Orientale University, Italy. May 15–17.

2021 “Okinoshima.” Roundtable discussion “Local Traditions, Heritage-Making, and the Nation-State: Whales of Power.” ASIANET 2021. MF Norwegian School of Theology, Religion and Society, in collaboration with the Norwegian Network for Asian Studies. October 21.

2021 “Cult as Heritage and the Cult of Heritage: Reflections on Two Japanese World Heritage Sites (Okinoshima and Mt. Ōmine).” 8th International Research Workshop “Mutual Images”: “Japanese Pilgrimages.” Ryukoku University, Kyoto. January 22 (virtual).

2018 “Nihon ni okeru Sekai Isan to jendā” 日本における世界遺産とジェンダーについて [On World Heritage and Gender in Japan]. 3rd Nanzan Seminar for the Study of Religion and Culture. Nanzan University Institute for the Study of Religion and Culture, in collaboration with Nagoya University. January 8.

2017 “Excluded and Erased: Women and World Heritage in Japan.” Workshop “Sacred World Heritage: The heritagization of religious sites and practices in Japan.” University of Oslo. November 30.

2017 “Constructing Cultural Heritage at Mt. Ōmine.” “Forum Ostasiatische Kunstgeschichte, Museum für Asiatische Kunst.” Freie Universität Berlin, Germany. June 17.

2016 “An Island of Many Names, an Island of No Name: Taboo and the Mysteries of Okinoshima.” Conference “Sea Religion in Japan.” University of California, Santa Barbara. June 13.

2016 “Explaining Meiji Edict 98: Opening the Mountains to Women.” 4th Annual Kyushu University International Workshop. December 14.

2016 “Okinoshima, Ōshima, and Munakata Shrine.” 4th Annual Kyushu University International Workshop. December 7.

2016 Roundtable: “The Munakata Shrine, Ōshima and Okinoshima” (with Brian Ruppert, Fabio Rambelli, Max Moerman). International conference “Fourth IMAP in Japanese Humanities Symposium: Religion and Imagination in Japanese Contexts.” Kyushu University. December 7.

2016 “Lore and Lived Realities at Futagoji, Kunisaki Peninsula.” 3rd Annual Kyushu University International Workshop. January 22.

2014 “Buddhism, Mountains, and the Exclusion of Women in Premodern Japan.” 2nd Annual Kyushu University International Workshop. January 5.

2014 “Time, Place, and Gendered Space at Japan’s Sacred Mount Ōmine.” International Winter Program of Seminars and Fieldwork on Buddhism and East Asian Cultures. Mt. Emei, Sichuan, China. December 12.

2014 “Constructing a History of Women’s Access to Sacred Mountains in Japan.” International Workshop “The Making of Religions and Religious Representations in Pre-Modern Japan: Imported, Native, and Modified Forms.” Kyushu University. January 13.

PANELS AND ROUNDTABLES ORGANIZED

2021 Panel: “Inclusion and Exclusion in (the Study of) Japanese Religions.” European Association for Japanese Studies (EAJS). University of Ghent. Co-organized with Aike Rots. August 26 (digital format).

2018 Panel: “Creating and Contesting Sacred Heritage in Asia.” “New Terrains in Asian Humanities” (Ajia ni okeru hito no idō to jinbungakuteki hen’yō アジアにおける人の移動と人文学的変容). International three-day conference, Kyushu University’s World Premier International Researcher Invitation Program (“Progress 100”). September 21–23.

2017 Panel: "‘According to Tradition’: (Re)Imagining Religion in Modern Japan." Annual meeting of the Association for Asian Studies (AAS). Toronto, Canada. March 14. Co-organized with Ellen Van Goethem.

2016 Roundtable: “The Munakata Shrine, Ōshima and Okinoshima” (with Brian Ruppert, Fabio Rambelli, D. Max Moerman). International conference “Fourth IMAP Symposium: Religion and Imagination in Japanese Contexts.” Kyushu University. December 7.

REFEREED CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS (Selected)

2021 “Religion, Women’s Exclusion, and National Self-Image(s) in Modern Japan.” American Academy of Religion (AAR). San Antonio, TX. November 23 (digital format).

2021 “The Double Identity of Women’s Exclusion (Nyonin kinsei) in Modern Japan.” European Association of Japanese Studies (EAJS). University of Ghent. August 26 (digital format).

2018 “Excluded and Erased: Women and World Heritage in Japan.” International conference “Ajia ni okeru hito no idō to jinbungakuteki hen’yō” [New Terrains in Asian Humanities]. Kyushu University. September 21–23 (presented in absentia during maternity leave).

2017 “Women’s Exclusion and World Heritage in Modern Japan.” Conference “Problems and Perspectives for Japan in a Changing World: Thirty Years of Japanese Studies in Poznan.” Adam Mickiewicz University. December 8.

2017 “Rethinking the Religious Landscape of ‘No-Women-Allowed’ Mt. Ōmine, Japan.” Annual meeting of the American Academy of Religion (AAR). Boston, MA. November 18.

2017 “Recrafting the Past: The Modern Miare Festival of Munakata Grand Shrine.” Annual meeting of the Association for Asian Studies (AAS). Toronto, Canada. March 17.

2016 “‘Nyonin kinsei’ Ōminesan ni okeru shūkyō tekina fūkei saikō” 「女人禁制」大峰山における宗教的な風景再考. 6th Annual meeting of the Western Japan Association for Religious Studies 西日本宗教学会. March 27.

2015 “Changing Traditions on the Mountain: Women’s Exclusions at Mt. Ōmine Japan.” Annual meeting of the Association for Asian Studies (AAS). Chicago. March 27.

2013 “Lifting the Barrier: Women’s Restrictions from Sacred Mountains in Early Modern & Modern Japan.” 22nd Annual Columbia Graduate Student Conference on East Asia, Columbia University. February.

2010 “Transgressive Idealizations: The History of Women’s Restrictions at Mt. Kōya.” Conference “The Banality of Religion: Close Readings of the Everyday.” Stanford University. May 21.

Discussant

2017 Respondent: “Aspects of the Effect of Kami-Buddha Separation (Shinbutsu bunri) at Dewa Sanzan: Iconography, Liturgy and the Reconstruction of Popular Faith.” European Association for Japanese Studies (EAJS) panel. Lisbon, Portugal. September 1.

ACADEMIC OUTREACH PRESENTATIONS (Selected)

2017 “Okinoshima and Munakata Shrine: A Story of ‘Outstanding Universal Value’.” Kyushu University, Faculty of Humanities. October 4. Filmed by Fukuoka Broadcasting Corporation (FBS).

2017 “Ōminesan to Okinoshima de no sekai isan to nyonin kinsei ni tsuite” 大峰山と沖ノ島での世界遺産と女人禁制について [On Women’s Exclusion and World Heritage at Ōminesan and Okinoshima]. 64th Annual Conference on Religion and Modern Society (Korumosu kenkyūkai コルモス研究会, CORMOS). Kyoto. December 27.

2017 “Shima tadayō” 嶋漂 [Island Drifting]. Transpacific Crossing (Taiheiyō no naka no fūkei 太平洋のなかの風景) art exhibition by James Jack, special event “Drifting Texts” (Hyōryū tekisuto 漂流するテキスト). Original text and poetry, read in absentia by Tomotari Mikako (Kyushu University). June 2.

2015 “Japanese Mountains in Religion, Literature, and History.” Inaugural Endowed Wellington and Virginia Yee Family Lecture Series. Druk Foundation for Art Preservation. Thimphu, Bhutan. November 13.

2008 “Feminism, Religion, and Nation-Building in Japan.” Public conference “Feminisms & Religions: Countering mutual silence.” Seattle Pacific University, Washington. April 14.

2007 “Perspectives on Religion and Gender in International Education.” 59th Japan-America Student Conference (Nichibei Gakusei Kaigi 日米学生会議). Final Forum, Kyoto International Community House. August 17.

TEACHING

Ghent University

Spring 2022 Cultural Heritage in Japan. Department of Art History, Musicology and Theatre Studies (guest lecturer)

Fall 2020 Cultural Heritage in Japan. Department of Art History, Musicology and Theatre Studies (guest lecturer)

Spring 2020 East Asian Ideologies. Department of Languages & Cultures (instructor of record, co-designed and co-taught)

The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Spring 2021 Religion, Pilgrimage, and Gender in Japan. Department of Asian Studies (guest lecturer, digital format)

Freie Universität Berlin

Fall 2017 Entering the Peaks: The Visual Culture of Shugendō. Division of East Asian Art History, Art History Institute, Department of History and Cultural Studies (guest lecturer)

University of Tokyo

Spring 2017 Mt. Fuji, Sacred Space, Pilgrimage, Gender. “Rediscovery of Japan: The Nature, Culture, and History of Mt. Fuji” thematic course for “Global Praxis” UTokyo/ANU exchange (instructor of record, self-designed)

Spring 2016 Mt. Fuji, Pilgrimage, Gender. "Rediscovery of Japan: The Nature, Culture, and History of Mt. Fuji" thematic course for “Global Praxis” UTokyo/ANU exchange (instructor of record, self-designed)

Kyushu University (IMAP in Japanese Humanities)

Fall 2018 Sacred Heritage in Japan and Beyond (instructor of record, self-designed)

Fall 2017 Material Culture of Okinoshima and the Munakata Shrine and Relationship to East Asia, 4th to 9th century (guest lecturer)

Fall 2017 Readings, Research, and Methods in Japanese Humanities (instructor of record, co-designed and co-taught)

Spring 2016 History and Visual Culture Fieldwork: Kyoto and Nara (instructor of record, co-designed and co-taught)

Spring 2016 Space, Place, and Practice in East Asian Buddhism (instructor of record, self-designed)

Fall 2016 Readings, Research, and Methods in Japanese Humanities (instructor of record, co-designed and co-taught)

Fall 2015 Experiencing Kyushu Culture and History in Situ (instructor of record, co-designed and co-taught)

Fall 2015 Japanese Buddhism (instructor of record, self-designed)

Fall 2015 Readings, Research, and Methods in Japanese Humanities (instructor of record, co-designed and co-taught)

Fall 2015 Religious Thought & Practice in Early Japan: Hōryūji and Tōdaiji (instructor of record, co-designed and co-taught)

Spring 2015 Experiencing Kyushu Culture and History in Situ (instructor of record, co-designed and co-taught)

Spring 2015 Buddhism in Asia: Cultures, Borders, Traditions (instructor of record, self-designed)

Spring 2015 Buddhism & Local Cults: Conversations Between Buddhas and Gods (instructor of record, self-designed)

Fall 2014 Culture of the Mountains: Yoshino and Ōminesan (guest lecturer and guide for two-day field study, self-designed)

UCLA

Spring 2013 Japanese Religions (substitute lecturer)

Spring 2013 Introduction to Buddhism (teaching assistant)

Spring 2012 Religious Life in Modern Japan (teaching assistant)

Winter 2012 Introduction to Buddhism (teaching assistant)

Fall 2012 Introduction to Buddhism (teaching assistant)

Fall 2011 Japanese Religions (teaching assistant)

Fall 2010 Introduction to Buddhism (teaching assistant)

University of Washington

Summer 2010 Gods and Mountains: Icons, Temples, and Pilgrimage in Japan (instructor of record, co-designed and self-taught)

Summer 2009 Buddhist Temples in Japan, Past and Present (graduate student assistant)

Fall 2007 Introduction to World Religions: Eastern Traditions (senior teaching assistant)

Spring 2007 Introduction to World Religions: Eastern Traditions (teaching assistant)

Spring 2006 Eastern Religions (teaching assistant)

Spring 2005 Eastern Religions (Center for Learning and Undergraduate Enrichment tutor/instructor)

2004–2006 Anthropology of Death and Dying (reader)

MA & BA RESEARCH MENTORED

2021 Kim Moyaert. MA thesis: Women’s agency in postwar Japan. Department of Languages & Cultures, Ghent University, Belgium.

2021 Maxence Algoet. MA thesis: Hell, hot springs, and tourism in modern Japan. Department of Languages & Cultures, Ghent University, Belgium.

2020 Lucca Vrielynck. MA thesis: Buddhism and Shrine Priestesses (Miko) in Japan. Department of Languages & Cultures, Ghent University, Belgium.

2020 Maxence Algoet. BA thesis: Ritual and hot springs bathing in Japan. Department of Languages & Cultures, Ghent University, Belgium.

2018 Jemma Gallagher. MA thesis: “Japanese Modern Mindfulness: An Evolving History.” IMAP, Kyushu University.

2017 Minori Egashira. MA thesis: “The Life and Legacy of Takenouchi Hisakazu (1853–1916): Changing Assessments of Japanese Sculpture in Modern Japan.” IMAP, Kyushu University.

2017 Sierra Skye Gysler. MA thesis: “Howl as a Tengu in Miyazaki Hayao’s Howl’s Moving Castle.” IMAP, Kyushu University.

2017 Catherine Otachime. MA thesis: “Visualizing the Sounds of Eternal Bliss: Representation of the Celestial Music of Amida’s Descent in a Twelfth-Century Raigō Painting.” IMAP, Kyushu University.

2016 Steven Apotheker. MA thesis: “The Promotion of a National Museum in Kyushu: Local Support and Key Turning Points.” IMAP, Kyushu University.

2015 Lisa Kochinski. MA thesis: “Kyushu, Kami, Court: The 749 Transfer of Hachiman from Usa Shrine to Tōdaiji Temple.” IMAP, Kyushu University.

2015 Kurtis Hanlon. MA thesis: “The 913 Teijiin Utaawase: A History, Translation, and Fresh Look at an Early Japanese Poetry Competition.” IMAP, Kyushu University.

2015 Caroline Oakley (Ross). MA thesis: “Nihonga Now: Continuity and Innovation in Contemporary Japanese-Style Painting.” IMAP, Kyushu University.

OTHER MENTORING

2020– UCLA Alumni Mentor Program. Volunteer mentoring first-generation college students in the humanities.

2005–8 Japan-in-a-Suitcase (JiS) Program Volunteer, Japan-America Society of the State of Washington

SERVICE TO PROFESSION

Peer Review

Journals: Interacting with Computers, Religion Compass, Religions, Journal of Asian Humanities at Kyushu University (JAH-Q), Hualin International Journal of Buddhist Studies

Editorial

Journal of Asian Humanities at Kyushu University (JAH-Q), Japanese Journal of Religious Studies, Routledge

Translation Review

Journal of Religion in Japan, Japanese Religions, Japan Review, Bloomsbury Academic

SCHOLARSHIPS & FELLOWSHIPS

2018–22 Research Foundation Flanders (FWO) Postdoctoral Fellowship

2016–18 Social Science Research Council–Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Long-Term Postdoctoral Fellowship

2016–17 Robert and Lisa Sainsbury Fellowship, Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures, UK (declined)

2013–14 Japanese Studies Doctoral Fellowship, Japan Foundation

2013–14 SSRC–JSPS Short-Term Postdoctoral Fellowship (declined)

2011–12 Terasaki Graduate Student Fellowship, UCLA (declined)

2011 Sheng-Yen Lu Foundation and True Buddha Foundation Lotus Scholarship

2010–11 Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Academic Year Fellowship (Chinese)

2010 Sasakawa Research Fellowship, UCLA Center for Japanese Studies

2010 Graduate Summer Research Mentorship, UCLA Graduate Division (with Herman Ooms)

2009–10 Graduate Research Mentorship, UCLA Graduate Division (with William Bodiford)

2009 Sasakawa Research Fellowship, UCLA Center for Japanese Studies

2009 Graduate Summer Research Mentorship, UCLA Graduate Division (with William Bodiford)

2008 Sasakawa Language Fellowship, UCLA Center for Japanese Studies

2008 Henry S. Tatsumi Scholarship for Excellence in the Study of Japanese, Department of Asian Languages & Literature, University of Washington

2008 Eugene and Marilyn D. Webb Scholarship in Comparative Religion, University of Washington

2007–8 Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Academic Year Fellowship (Japanese)

2007 Eleanor M. Hadley Scholarship, Jackson School of International Studies, University of Washington

GRANTS

2021 Ghent–Harvard–München Strategic Institutional Partnership (SIP) Grant, Co-Investigator. Three-day workshop “Connecting Asian Buddhism(s): Past, Present, Future” with James Robson (Harvard) and Jens-Uwe Hartmann (Munich). May 4–6, 2022.

2020 Research Foundation Flanders (FWO) Grant for Short Study Visit Abroad, Principal Investigator (cancelled due to COVID-19)

2016–18 Grant-in-Aid, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Principal Investigator. “Okinoshima, World Heritage, and the Prohibition of Women in Modern Japan” (沖ノ島と世界遺産―現代日本での女人禁制を中心に). Grant no. 16F16768 (¥1.1 million)

2015–16 Research Activity Start-up Grant, Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research, JSPS, Principal Investigator. “Japanese Mountain Religion and the Prohibition of Women” (日本山岳宗教と女人禁制). Grant no. 15H06460 (¥1.5 million)

2015–16 Kyushu University Interdisciplinary Programs in Education and Projects in Research Development Grant, Principal Investigator. “Women and Religion at Japan’s Sacred Mountains” (日本の霊山における宗教と女性). Grant no. 27301 (¥1.35 million)

2015–16 Kyushu University Interdisciplinary Programs Grant, Co-Investigator. “Ancient Borders and Crossroads: Transmission, Traces, and Omissions.” Grant no. 27501 (¥1.2 million)

2015 Kyushu University Short-term International Research Exchange Program, Second Round, Principal Investigator. Druk Foundation for Art Preservation and The Royal University of Bhutan (¥0.5 million)

SELECTED PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE AND TRAINING

2021 “Inclusive Online Teaching Teach-Out,” course specialization by Johns Hopkins University on Coursera. Completed December 2021.

2021 “New Learning: Principles and Patterns of Pedagogy,” course specialization by University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign on Coursera. Completed September 2021.

2021 “e-Learning Ecologies: Innovative Approaches to Teaching and Learning for the Digital Age,” course specialization by University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign on Coursera. Completed August 2021.

2020–21 Disciplinary Representative: Water Webinar Series, collaborative project between UC Berkeley, The University of Queensland, and Ghent University.

2018–22 Ghent Centre for Buddhist Studies: web design, social media management, editorial guidance.

2017 The 5th International Ganhwa Seon Conference, Meditation Retreat & Pilgrimage to Seon Monasteries. Institute for the Study of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, Dongguk University Korea. June 27–July 5.

2016 International Program of Lecture Series, Conference/Forum, and Fieldwork on Buddhism and East Asian Cultures. Mount Wutai and Datong, China. FROGBEAR. July 15–25.

2016 The 4th International Ganhwa Seon Conference, Meditation Retreat & Pilgrimage to Seon Monasteries. Institute for the Study of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, Dongguk University Korea. June 23–30.

2015 Consultant, Nara Prefecture NaraKiKiManyo project 2012–2020.

2014 International Winter Program of Seminars and Fieldwork on Buddhism and East Asian Cultures. Mount Emei, China. December 11–22.

2012–13 Teaching Apprentice Practicum, UCLA. 16 credits (=160 class hours). Apprenticeship under active guidance and supervision of regular faculty member.

2010 Teaching Asian Languages at College Level, UCLA. 4 credits (=40 class hours). Lectures, peer observation and review, mock microteaching sessions, self-assessment based on video footage, and workshops on equity, inclusivity, and preparedness.

2012–13 Graduate Student Coordinator, UCLA Center for Buddhist Studies. Supervised and led graduate seminar on current issues in Buddhist studies; coordinated launch of new lecture series.

2008 Inter-University Center for Japanese Language Studies Summer Program, Yokohama, Japan.

2007 Delegate, 59th Japan-America Student Conference (JASC; Nichibei Gakusei Kaigi 日米学生会議). Theme: “Advocating Japan-America Participation in Global Change” 太平洋から世界へ～グローバルパートナーシップの探究と次代の創造～. Roundtable: Creating Global Citizens: Education Focused on International Concerns 教育：次代を担う市民の育成. July 26–August 20. Tokyo, Akita, Hiroshima, Kyoto.

2005–7 Program Assistant, East Asia Center, University of Washington. Coordinated visiting speakers, conferences, community outreach events; assisted grant writing; designed newsletter, event flyers, brochures.

2005–6 Library Assistant, East Asia Library, University of Washington. Co-created annotated bibliography of East Asian Religions.

2004–5 Research Associate, Department of Asian Languages & Literature, University of Washington. Transcription of interviews by Dr. Amy Snyder-Ohta on Japanese-English bilingualism and the role of Japanese language and culture in homes with both Japanese and American parents.

IN THE MEDIA

2018 “Fuhen-teki kachi to ha: Nyonin kinsei o giron” 普遍的価値とはー女人禁制を議論. Chūgai nippō 中外日報. January 22.

2017 “‘Kabe’ o tēma ni Korumosu Kaigi” 「壁」をテーマにコルモス会議. RELNET. December 27.

2017 “A sacred Japanese island juggles secrecy and survival.” Jonathan Kaiman, Los Angeles Times. December 8.

2017 “UNESCO: Putting religious privilege above gender equality.” Megan Manson, National Secular Society. October 11.

2017 “Wasurerareta takaramono: Okinoshima kara no messēji” 忘れられた宝物～沖ノ島からのメッセージ～. FBS 福岡放送. Full-length television documentary (concept, research, host). Premiered August 12.

2017 “Araundo Kyūshū Okinoshima Seikai Isan rensai” 「アラウンド九州・沖ノ島世界遺産連載」. Yomiuri shinbun 読売新聞. August 22.

2017 “Okinoshima no nazo ni semaru dokyumentarī bangumi ‘Wasurerareta takaramono’” 「沖ノ島の謎に迫るドキュメンタリー番組『忘れられた宝物』」. Nishi Nippon shinbun 西日本新聞. August 10.

2017 “‘Marugoto tōroku’ jimoto kanki | Hakkutsu (horu) bai Kyūshū kodai heritēji” 「丸ごと登録」地元歓喜｜発掘(ほる)ばい九州古代ヘリテージ. Nishi Nippon shinbun 西日本新聞. July 10.

2017 “Okinoshima no nyonin kinsei saguru: Beikoku shusshin josei; Nakama to kenkyūkai, bokoku de no shinpo mezasu” 「沖ノ島の女人禁制探る　米国出身女性　仲間と研究会、母国でのシンポ目指す」. Nishi Nippon shinbun 西日本新聞. June 18.

2017 “Tokubetsuten ‘Munakata Okinoshima to Yamato chōtei’” 特別展「宗像・沖ノ島と大和朝廷」. Asahi shinbun 朝日新聞. February 19.

2008 Fantastic Festivals of the World: Summer Sacred Festivals Japan. Discovery HD documentary. Research, photography, talent. Premiered September 30.

LANGUAGES

English: native

Japanese: modern reading fluency and advanced speaking skills; reading proficiency in classical (bungo) and kanbun

French: reading proficiency and colloquial speaking ability

Chinese: proficiency in classical; basic reading and speaking ability in modern Mandarin, very partial

German: basic reading and speaking ability, very partial

Dutch: basic reading and speaking ability, very partial

Korean: some reading and speaking ability, very partial

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS

Association for Computing Machinery Special Interest Group on Computer-Human Interaction (ACM SIGCHI)

European Association for Japanese Studies (EAJS)

Association for Japanese Literary Studies (AJLS)

Association for Asian Studies (AAS)

Center for the Study of Women, Buddhism, and Cultural History (Kyoto, Japan)

American Academy of Religion (AAR)

Japan Art History Forum (JAHF)

Women in the Study of Asian Religions (WISAR)

Society for the Study of Japanese Religions (SSJR)

Inter-Asia Cultural Studies Society (IACS)