The Arts in Society Research Network

Emma Bugg (she/her) is an Interdisciplinary PhD candidate at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Canada. Emma’s thesis explores how the burgeoning field of Sustainability and the Arts (SATA) can be more clearly conceptualized and structurally supported to strengthen its scholarly coherence and transformative potential. Emma sits on the Research Working Group for Mass Culture, a Canadian arts research organization, as serves as Co-Lead of the Environmental Resilience Research Cluster of The Arts Impact Partnership. Emma also works as the coordinator of the Sustainable Nunatsiavut Futures Art Collective, a collective of artists enhancing research activities through Inuit-led artmaking, and as a Research Associate on Ărramăt, a research project supporting Indigenous health and wellbeing through Indigenous knowledges of environmental stewardship.

Ekaterina (Eka) Zharinova is a dancer, performance maker, and researcher based in the UK. She danced and toured globally with Provincial Dances Theatre under choreographer Tatiana Baganova in the 2000s. Eka has danced in productions choreographed by Maida Withers, Alexander Pepelyaev, Kota Yamazaki, and Anouk van Dijk. She has been making performances independently and collaboratively for 20 years. She has a Ph.D. in Performance Studies from the University of California, Davis, and her work is centred around dance performance as research. Her major interests lie at the intersections of dance and technology, dance and mathematics, and dance and society.

Soniya Akter is a student of Islamic History and Culture at the University of Dhaka, Bangladesh and Vice President of the Dhaka University Dot Initiative Youth Club. She is actively engaged in youth leadership, sustainable development, climate advocacy, and heritage site preservation. Soniya has participated in workshops on climate, environment, and water issues, including the Asian Environment Youth Network and International Youth Conference, and has received research training from CARRAS Dhaka University Research Society . She contributes to iNaturalist, participates in Dhaka University Quiz and English Debate Societies, serves as a Scout Volunteer, works with and Socchar Student’s Network, and has received essay, quiz, and scholarship awards. She also serves as Content Writer at Dot Initiative, Department Executive Officer at National Brighten Association, English Script Evaluator at Udvash Coaching Center, and Campus Ambassador for Buniad. She is conducting research on Royalbari Fort, presenting at its conference on 22 January 2026, and serves as Outreach and Membership Coordinator for the Thousand Scholars Initiative.

Abhishek is an educator, researcher, and theatre practitioner based in Delhi, and leads the education programmes at Humana People to People India. He has experience in content development, training, theatre performance, research, and programme management in India and the UK. He has facilitated activities with students, educators, and artists. He has authored works on education and arts. He has received the Ford Foundation Fellowship, AFG Fellowship, IFPA Award, Tagore National Scholarship, and Senior Fellowship. He has presented his work at notable conferences, including the ‘Reimagining Teachers and Teacher Education for Our Futures Conference’ at the University of Helsinki, Finland.

Zartasha Shah is a doctoral candidate in the Ed.D. program at St. Thomas University in Miami, Florida. She is a recipient of the President’s Volunteer Service Award from the White House and has also been honored by the Consul General of Pakistan in Houston. A published author and international presenter, she has shared her research in multiple countries. Residing in Texas, USA, Shah’s work emphasizes the role of solid, logical, and empirical evidence in shaping educational understanding. Her research explores how the emergence of knowledge can foster accountability, responsibility, and critical reflection to decolonize instructional practices and enhance learning strategies.