Zack Beer received a B.A. in Religious Studies from Stanford University (2004) and then spent ten years studying and teaching in Nepal, during which time he also completed an M.A. in Buddhist Studies from Kathmandu University (2010). His research interests center on the history and theory of Tibetan Buddhist ritual practice, particularly the origins of the tradition of three year meditation retreat.
Matteo De Micheli obtained a B.A. (2009) and an M.A. (2011) in Chinese Studies from Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, both of which were supplemented by language studies in China. He also earned an M.A. in Translation, Textual Interpretation, and Philology from Kathmandu University, Centre of Buddhist Studies at Rangjung Yeshe Institute (2022). His research interests primarily revolve around the intellectual history of Tibetan Buddhism, with a specific emphasis on exegetical works of tantric texts.
Fedde de Vries holds a B.A. in Religious Studies from Leiden University, the Netherlands, (2012) and an M.A. in Asian Studies from UC Berkeley (2015). After obtaining his M.A. he spent a year at Dharma Realm Buddhist University, Ukiah, California, as resident translator. His primary research interest is the thought of the prolific Huayan author Chengguan. Fedde endeavors to put this research in the context of the history of Buddhist thought and, where possible, modern philosophy.
Nir Feinberg received a B.A. in Philosophy and East Asian Studies from Tel Aviv University, and an M.A. in South Asian Studies from Tel Aviv University. He is primarily interested in Indian Buddhist philosophy and Sanskrit literature, particularly in the understanding of emotions, as presented in Buddhist scholastic, poetic, and disciplinary texts.
Weiyu received a B.A. in Spanish and French Literature from Trinity University in 2016 and an M.A. in Buddhist Studies from the University of British Columbia in 2021. During these degree programs, Weiyu also spent 2.5 years at various institutions in Spain and France, and more recently, a summer researching and cataloging manuscripts at the National Library of France. In his M.A., he honed his focus on Chinese Buddhist medieval exegesis, particularly Fazang’s commentary on the Avataṃsaka Sūtra. Upon moving to Berkeley,...
Jackson Macor received a B.A. in South Asian Languages and Civilizations (2017) and an M.A. in Divinity (2020) from the University of Chicago, both supplemented by language study in India and Japan. His research interests include doctrinal developments in Chinese Buddhism during the Sui and early Tang, in particular the writings of the Sanlun (Three Treatises) exegete Jizang.
Tanner McAlister received a B.A. in Religious Studies, and a B.A. in Economics (2019), at Utah State University and a MTS in Buddhist Studies at the Harvard Divinity School (2021). He also spent a year teaching Classical Tibetan translation for the Sarnath International Nyingma Institute. His research focuses on issues of legitimation and innovation in the Tibetan Treasure (gter ma) tradition, particularly in relation to biographies of Padmasambhava.
Robert Miller received a B.A. in History from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (1998). After learning Tibetan in India, he worked for several years as an interpreter, translator, and monastic administrator. His research interests include the use of narrative in Vinaya literature, translation in imperial-era Tibet, and the history of Buddhism in northwest India.
Howard Mu received a B.A. in Philosophy, and Government and Legal Studies from Bowdoin College (2018), and an M.A. in Asian Studies from UC Berkeley (2021). He is primarily interested in scholastic Buddhist thought in India and China, especially the Chinese Madhyamaka tradition. His research currently focuses on Jizang and his commentaries on Indian Madhyamaka treatises.
Monica Thunder received a BA in creative writing and anthropology from U.C. Santa Cruz in 2014, and later received an MA in Buddhist Studies from Kathmandu University in 2022. Her current research focuses on the history and development of various Buddhist deity practices as they unfolded in early tantric contexts.
Ryoze Wada received a B.A. in Buddhist Studies from Kyoto University (2016), an M.A. in Shin Buddhist Studies from Otani University (2018), and a second M.A. in Buddhist Studies from the Graduate Theological Union (2020) at Berkeley. His research interests include the origins and impact of Pure Land Buddhism in Japan, especially the significance of the medieval period in historical and doctrinal contexts.
Joseph Wood received a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Minnesota (1966), an M.A. in Buddhist Studies from the University of Wisconsin (1972), and a J.D. from the University of California-Berkeley (1981). His research interests include philosophical/legal principles underlying rules of monastic conduct, and causation theory as it relates to effect of vows, rituals, etc.
Chihying Wu received a B.A. in European Cultures and Languages (2014) and an M.A. in Religious Studies (2017) at National Chengchi University in Taiwan. Her research interests primarily lie in 2nd to 7th century Indian Buddhist epistemology, logic, and philosophy of mind, particularly the notion of conceptuality and the function of mental concomitance.
