Project Manager and Co-Editor: Maryanne Kowaleski (Joseph Fitzpatrick SJ Distinguished Professor of History and Medieval Studies) has designed the database structure, set the protocols for name linkage, done initial name linkage, written the descriptions of sources and other text on the site, and serves as the contact person with external collaborators. She is also Webmaster for the Center for Medieval Studies and has published research on medieval maritime history, towns, demography, gender, and the digital humanities.
Co-Editor and Digital Advisor: John A. McEwan (Post-doctoral Fellow, Walter J. Ong, S.J. Center for Digital Humanities at St Louis University) joined the project in summer 2019 and contributes extensive data from his previous research on twelfth- and thirteenth-century Londoners to MLD, supervises name-linkage efforts on the pre-1350 Londoners, and advises on digital matters, including plans for a mapping component. His publications include research on medieval seals, medieval urban communities, the history of information technology, and digital humanities.
Technical Director and Contributing Editor: Katherina Fostano, MLIS (Visual and Digital Resources Coordinator for the Art History and Music Department and for the Center of Medieval Studies at Fordham). She helps define the technological strategies for MLD in conjunction with the editors and Fordham IT. She oversees the technical design for the MLD database, the Omeka S theme and module, along with the development of the MLD RDF vocabulary and ontology for our Linked Open Data initiative. Katherina has a Masters in Information and Library Science, and in the History of Art and Design from Pratt.
Associate Editor, Data Developer and Analyst: Elizabeth Duchovni (M.A. student, Medieval Studies) heads our efforts to automate the conversion of html source material into database records within our Londoners schema. Using a variety of open source tools (primarily Perl and jq), she has helped create customized programs for data validation, extraction, and reformatting. In addition, she advises on issues of database content and name linkage. She has a Ph.D. in Mathematics and is writing a thesis on medieval English navigation between the years 1200 to 1500. Her interests also include medieval Icelandic literature, paleography, and the history of the English language.
Contributing Editor and Visual Design: David Howes (M.A. Medieval Studies, Fordham University) has taken the lead on the WordPress design of the website, entered information on civic officeholders into the database, worked on name linkage, and helped to correct data before upload to the Omeka database. He wrote his M.A. thesis on the development of the mayoralty in medieval England, including an analysis of the cursus honorem of the mayoralty in London and Exeter. His other interests include civic ceremonies, English-French relations from the twelfth to the thirteenth centuries, and urban culture.
Contributing Editor: Christie Olek (Ph.D. student, History) focuses her efforts on entering data from London guild records into MLD, particularly guild offices. Her doctoral research focuses on the trial of a female medical healer in medieval Paris. She wrote a prosopographical study of apothecaries in medieval London for her M.A. thesis in Medieval Studies at Fordham.
Contributing Editor: Rachel Podd (Ph.D. student, History, Fordham University) joined the project in spring 2019 and has concentrated on entering data and doing name linkage for medical practitioners in medieval London. Her doctoral dissertation is on “Health in Late Medieval England: The Impact of Age, Sex, and Income on the Lived Experience,” and she has an article on maternal mortality forthcoming in Continuity and Change.
Contributing Editor: Grace Campagna (M.A. student, Medieval Studies, Fordham University) joined the project in spring 2020 and has been entering data on members of the Merchant Taylors company into MLD. She wrote a Mannion Society History Honors thesis at Fordham University on the wives and widows of Merchant Taylors in 1450-1520 and is also researching the marriage patterns of daughters of Merchant Taylors.