Side Emre, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor of Near Eastern History and Islamic World at Texas A&M University, Department of History. Her research agenda focuses on the investigation of early modern Islamic empires of the Middle East—the Ottoman Empire—and the socio-political and cultural impact of Islamic mysticism (Sufism), mystics (Sufis), and mystical orders on the relations between state and society. Her book Ibrahim-i Gulshani and the Khalwati-Gulshani Order: Power Brokers in Ottoman Egypt (Leiden, Boston: Brill, 2017) won the 2018 Fuad Koprulu Honorable Mention Book Award. She has authored numerous peer-reviewed articles and book chapters. Her current book project is on mystical cosmographies written by 16^th century Ottoman Sufi authors.

Katherine Fiedler is a junior Economics major with minors in Religious Studies and Sociology. She works as a Community of Respect facilitator for the Department of Multicultural Services, and is a member of Aggies2Aggies Peer Diversity Educators and Alpha Epsilon Phi sorority. Around campus, Katherine is passionate about building support networks for underrepresented students and is currently working with university leadership to develop a college-based mentorship program for LGBTQ freshmen. Through the Glasscock Summer Scholars program, Katherine intends to explore the influence of the Torah and Jewish thought on environmental policy and actions during the foundation of the modern state of Israel. She intends to pursue a PhD in economic sociology to apply economic models of human behavior to social movements. When not working, Katherine enjoys baking, learning Arabic, and spending time at Chabad.