The Unlocking History Team

Unlocking History is the name for our group of conservators, paleographers, literary scholars, historians, publishers, book-artists, imaging experts, engineers, and scientists who are interested in the historical practice of letterlocking. We want to make sure letters are conserved properly so that they can be studied for the verifiable secrets they reveal. The material features of letters can speak to us about the past, but in order to hear them we have to learn their language.

**Jana Dambrogio,** **Orcid Bib**
Thomas F. Peterson (1957) Conservator, Wunsch Conservation Laboratory, MIT Libraries. Director and Founder of Unlocking History Research Group, General Editor of Letterlocking.org and Dictionary of Letterlocking (DoLL), and the Co-author of *Letterlocking: The Hidden History of the Letter.*

UH Team

**Dr Daniel Starza Smith**
Senior Lecturer in Early Modern English Literature (1500-1700), Department of English, King's College London, UK. Co-author of *Letterlocking: The Hidden History of the Letter and* co-founder of Unlocking History Research Group.

**Dr Athanasios Velios**
linked data Consultant for the Dictionary of Letterlocking. Reader in Documentation, University of the Arts London

Teresa Leone. Copy editor of the Dictionary of Letterlocking. Ohio — **Teresa Leone**
Copy editor of the Dictionary of Letterlocking. Ohio

Laura BergemannGraduate Student, New York University, Institute of Fine Arts, New York — **Laura Bergemann**
Graduate Student, New York University, Institute of Fine Arts, New York

Jennifer Pellecchia COPY EDITOR. Massachusetts — **Jennifer Pellecchia**
COPY EDITOR. Massachusetts

Amanda GhassaeiAlgorithm Engineer Lead, California — **Amanda Ghassaei**, **ORCID Bib**
Algorithm Engineer Lead, California

Holly JacksonAlgorithm Engineer, MIT Class of 2022. NASA Ames Research Center, Coded Structures Lab — **Holly Jackson**, **Orcid Bib**
Algorithm Engineer, MIT Class of 2022. NASA Ames Research Center, Coded Structures Lab

Martin DemaineAngelika and Barton Weller Artist-in-Residence in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Technical Instructor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Glass Lab, MIT — **Martin Demaine**
Angelika and Barton Weller Artist-in-Residence in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Technical Instructor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Glass Lab, MIT

Prof. Erik DemaineComputer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, MIT — **Prof.** **Erik Demaine**
Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, MIT

Dr Graham DavisQueen Mary, University of London, Institute of Dentistry — **Prof. Graham Davis**
Queen Mary, University of London, Institute of Dentistry

Dr David MillsQueen Mary, University of London, Institute of Dentistry — **Dr David Mills**
Queen Mary, University of London, Institute of Dentistry

Sheree Watson, MD. Copy editor. and Researcher, New York — **Sheree Watson, MD.**
Copy editor. and Researcher, New York

Tracy Chang, PAGUChef, Owner, Chief of Pugs. Massachusetts — **Tracy Chang, PAGU**
Chef, Owner, Chief of Pugs. Massachusetts

Dr Nadine AkkermanAssociate Professor in early modern English Literature, Leiden University — **Prof. Nadine Akkerman**
Professor in early modern English Literature, Leiden University

Mike TarkanianSenior Lecturer, Department of Material Science and Engineering, MIT — **Mike Tarkanian**
Senior Lecturer & Associate Director, Department of Material Science and Engineering, MIT

**Yasmeen Alfaqeeh**. LeAd Illustrator and Designer. California

**Dorian Aguilar** Copy Editor. California

Dr Ruben Verwaal-van der Linden2019 NWO Rubicon postdoctoral fellow, Durham University — **Dr Ruben Verwaal**
Curator, Erasmus University Medical Centre

Dr David Verwaal-van der LindenAssistant Professor in Early Modern History at Radboud University, Nijmegen — **Dr David van der Linden**
Assistant Professor in Early Modern History at University of Groningen

DR Rebekah ahrendtAssociate Professor, Department of Media and Cultural Studies, Utrecht University — **Dr Rebekah Ahrendt**
Associate Professor, Department of Media and Cultural Studies, Utrecht University

Dennis FlynnEditor — Dennis Flynn
Editor

Nicole Araya Lead Illustrator and Designer, California — **Nicole Araya**
Lead Illustrator and Designer, California

Kate ScottMIT Class of 2018. Department of Material Science and Engineering, MIT — **Kate Scott**
MIT Class of 2018. Department of Material Science and Engineering, MIT

Carla Shroer, Cultural Heritage ImagingFounder and Director. California — **Carla Shroer**
Founder and Director. California, **Cultural Heritage Imaging**

Prof. Neil GershenfeldDirector, The Center for Bits and Atoms — **Prof. Neil Gershenfeld**
Director, The Center for Bits and Atoms

Emily CohenRare Book and Manuscript Conservator, Associate Editor of Dictionary of Letterlocking (DoLL), 2016–2018. Massachusetts. — **Emily Cohen**
Rare Book and Manuscript Conservator, Team member and Research Assistant 2016–2018.
.

Ayako LetiziaRare Book and Manuscript Conservator and Conservation Associate, Wunsch Conservation Laboratory, MIT Libraries, Associate Editor of the Dictionary of Letterlocking (DoLL). — **Ayako Letizia**
2016–2020 Rare Book and Manuscript Conservator, Team member and Research Assistant.

Brien BeidlerBookBinder. Associate Editor of Dictionary of Letterlocking (DoLL), 2016–2018. Indiana — **Brien Beidler**
BookBinder. Team member and Research Assistant 2016–2018.

Mary UthuppuruArtist, SpringLeaf Press. Associate Editor of Dictionary of Letterlocking (DoLL), 2016–2017. indiana — **Mary Uthuppuru**
Artist, SpringLeaf Press. Team member and Research Assistant 2016–2018.

Annie DunnWeb designer, 2016–2018. MIT Class of 2017. Department of Material Science and Engineering, MIT. Massachusetts — **Annie Dunn**
Web designer, 2016–2018. MIT Class of 2017. Department of Material Science and Engineering, MIT. Massachusetts

Jordi RochaSocial Media Outreach Lead and Research Assistant, Finland — **Jordi Rocha**
2020–2021 Social Media Outreach Lead and Research Assistant, Finland

Rufeida alhatimy 2020 King’s Undergraduate research fellow (KURF), King’s College London, UK — **Rufeida alhatimy**
2020 King’s Undergraduate research fellow (KURF), King’s College London, UK

Camille DekeyserRare Book and Manuscript Conservator. England — **Camille Dekeyser**
Rare Book and Manuscript Conservator. England

Tomas Brown2018 King's Undergraduate Research Fellow (KURF), King's College London, UK — **Tomas Brown**
2018 King's Undergraduate Research Fellow (KURF), King's College London, UK

simon Kim2018 Wunsch Conservation Lab Student Worker, MIT — **simon Kim**
2018 Wunsch Conservation Lab Student Worker, MIT

Caitlin Jenkins2017 King's Undergraduate Research Fellow (KURF), King's College London, UK — **Caitlin Jenkins**
2017 King's Undergraduate Research Fellow (KURF), King's College London, UK

Koos Havelaar(retired), Curator for Postal History. Beeld en Geluid Den Haag — **Koos Havelaar**
(retired), Curator for Postal History. Beeld en Geluid Den Haag

Michael Christiansen, PH.DGraduate Student, 2017, Department of Material Science and Engineering, MIT — **Michael Christiansen, PH.D**
Graduate Student, 2017, Department of Material Science and Engineering, MIT

Zimin Cheng2017 King's Undergraduate Research Fellow (KURF), King's College London, UK — **Zimin Cheng**
2017 King's Undergraduate Research Fellow (KURF), King's College London, UK

Lucy Brown2014–2018 Wunsch Conservation Lab Student Worker, MIT — **Lucy Brown**
2014–2018 Wunsch Conservation Lab Student Worker, MIT

Udit Mahalingam2021 King's Undergraduate Research Fellow (KURF), King's College London, UK — **Udit Mahalingam**
2021 King's Undergraduate Research Fellow (KURF), King's College London, UK

Millie Sidebottom2021 King's Undergraduate Research Fellow (KURF), King's College London, UK — **Millie Sidebottom**
2021 King's Undergraduate Research Fellow (KURF), King's College London, UK

Alison Wiggins, PhD

Amanda Gittens

Andrea Clarke

Ariana Rutledge

Brian Chan

Caroline Chea

Dagmar Freist

Diana Henderson

Emilie Hardman

Heidi Kyle

Jacky Martin

Jessica Spring

Jonas Kantola

Justyna Wubs-Mrozewicz

Kate Cherian

Leslie Morris

Linnea Vegh

Lorraine Bigrigg

Lucas Haasis

Marc Hammonds

Mark Mudge

Marlin Lum

Matthew Li

Nicholas Sikellis

Patricia Merrikin

Stephen Skuce

Ulla Warchol

Vincent Thuet

Our team of letterlockers

Screen Shot 2021-03-02 at 12.41.59 AM.png

Our Partners

Early Modern Letters Online (EMLO)

Cultures of Knowledge, a collaboration between the Bodleian Library and the Humanities Division of the University of Oxford. EMLO is the first online platform to adopt our letterlocking format and category assignments for letters found in the Brienne Collection catalogue.

Team

The Unlocking History Team

UH Team

Our team of letterlockers

Our Partners

Early Modern Letters Online (EMLO)

The Feathers Project

The Prize Papers

Message in a Bottle Research Team

Ward 16 Project