Surprise! And while on sabbatical! I have been named one of two Emerging Presidential Research Scholars at Ohio University for 2025-26! Here’s what the announcement reads:
Ohio University has named two faculty members as winners of the Emerging Presidential Research Scholar Award. This year’s winners are Assistant Professor of Psychology Jean Forney and Associate Professor of English Edmond Chang.
The Emerging Presidential Research Scholar Award recognizes outstanding, emerging tenure-track faculty who have demonstrated excellence in research, scholarship and creative activity.
Applications are submitted by the college of each nominee and reviewed by the Council for Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity and previous Presidential Research Schools.
I am super honored to be nominated for the award by my college and for the wonderful words that my chair said about my work:
“His contributions to the university and profession in that relatively short time have been exceptional. His research is a standout component of this overall excellence, helping to establish new subfields of study while expanding our recognition of how video games and speculative fiction recognize and obscure the identities of readers and players,” English Department Chair Dr. Beth Quitslund said.
External reviewers for Dr. Chang’s promotion have said that Chang “is a thought leader in the areas of contemporary game studies and digital humanities” and “a leading light at the intersection of many fields, particularly the digital creative arts. “His work “address[es] one of the most pressing problems of our current moment: the intersection between gaming as digital entertainment and narrative and its possibilities for both racial and gendered oppression and liberation.”
