2026 Affiliated Faculty Professional Development Fund Recipients
The Office of Research and Creative Scholarship congratulates this year’s recipients of Affiliated Faculty Professional Development Fund grants. The Affiliated Faculty Professional Development Fund (AFDF) supports the scholarly and creative activities of the affiliated faculty members of Emerson College. Applications are reviewed by Affiliated Faculty Professional Development Fund (AFDF) Committee.
Brian Truglio, School of Film, Television and Media Arts: Ghosts of The Gulf: a documentary film about the decline of lobster fishing in the Gulf of Maine.
Becca Finney, Department of Performing Arts: Attending “Introduction to Performance and Motion Capture Acting” at Mocap Vaults: Performance & Motion Capture Training
Nerissa Williams, Department of Marketing Communication: Echoes of Liberty, a multidisciplinary public art and performance project that illuminates the contributions of African Americans to the American Revolution in Massachusetts.
Neha Dhawan, Marlboro Institute: Attending the 2026 American Psychology Association (APA) Conference.
Michelle Hacunda, Department of Communication Studies: AI-Driven Content Strategy and Curriculum Development: updating curriculum for Online Content Strategy (CC 308) and Cross-Platform Audience Strategy & Message Design (DC 609).
Qianzhi Jiang, Marlboro Institute: Attendance at the Food & Nutrition Conference & Expo (FNCE) to integrate real-world examples into
teaching, and expose students to diverse career pathways, and better align course content with
current professional competencies in nutrition and dietetics.
Kimberly Lorusso, Department of Marketing Communication: American Marketing Association: Attending the 2027 AMA International Collegiate Conference Conference: Advancing Pedagogy & Building Emerson’s Competition Framework
Patrick Marshall, School of Film, Television and Media Arts: A Tidal Island of the Mind, a 16mm narrative feature film about climate despair.
Joshua Truelove, Marlboro Institute: Presentation for American Society for Legal History (ASLH) Conference: “We Used the Law to Kill Him:” Lenny Bruce, Obscenity Law, and Anticommunism in the Cold War United States
Luis Arnias, School of Film, Television and Media Arts: Tonada Menguante, a 16mm non-fiction feature experimental film that examines Venezuela’s humanitarian crisis and the mass displacement that has driven millions into exile since 2014.
Ryan Banfi, School of Film, Television and Media Arts: Material Play and Narrative Design: Archival Research with Chris Ware for Book Completion and Curriculum Development at Emerson College.
Fin Leary, Department of Writing, Literature and Publishing: SON OF A BOOK BAN, a contemporary young adult novel about gender identity.