Dr. Jeric Lund
Tamara Loos Professor of History, Cornell University – Europa Campus
Co-Director, The Somnius Institute
Dr. Jeric Lund is the Tamara Loos Professor of History at Cornell’s Europa Campus, where he studies colonial systems, cultural memory, and the ethics of historical preservation in off-world societies. His research focuses on the dynamics of authority and resistance across planetary settlements.
After earning his Ph.D. in Historical Anthropology from the University of Edinburgh, Dr. Lund joined Cornell’s faculty and later helped establish its Europa outpost. As co-director of The Somnius Institute, he works at the intersection of history, neuroscience, and interstellar migration.
Quiet and thoughtful, Dr. Lund is known for his collaborative approach and deep passion for his field. He is widely respected for bridging academic disciplines and shaping how humanity reflects on its expanding legacy beyond Earth.
Dr. Lyra Abdi-Lund
Carl Sagan Professor of Exobiology, Cornell University – Europa Campus
Co-Director, The Somnius Institute
Dr. Lyra Abdi-Lund is the Carl Sagan Professor of Exobiology at Cornell University’s Europa Campus, where her research spans extremophile evolution, biosignature interpretation, and post-human philosophical ethics. A graduate of the University of Olympus Mons on Mars, she has built her career on bridging scientific inquiry with deep ethical reflection on humanity’s place in the cosmos.
A bold and outspoken figure in the field, Dr. Abdi-Lund is known for her humanist convictions, feminist advocacy, and provocative public lectures. Her work often challenges both scientific orthodoxy and cultural complacency, sparking conversation across academic and political spheres. She is widely regarded as one of the most influential voices in exobiological theory in the Outer Colonies.
Dr. Abdi-Lund serves as co-director of The Somnius Institute alongside her husband, historian Dr. Jeric Lund. Their traditional marital partnership is considered unconventional in the social climate of the New Enlightenment Period, but it reflects the couple’s shared belief in continuity, intellectual intimacy, and personal autonomy.
Dr. Lazlo Soros
Professor of Transhuman Linguistics and Philology, Oxford University (on sabbatical)
Linguistics Consultant, The Somnius Institute
Dr. Lazlo Soros is a leading scholar in the fields of transhuman linguistics and philology, known for his unconventional brilliance and pioneering research into language evolution among post-human and cybernetically augmented populations. Originally from the equatorial archipelago of Mars, he pursued graduate studies in Linguistics at Medusae University before joining the faculty at Oxford University on Earth, where he currently holds a tenured professorship.
Now on sabbatical, Dr. Soros serves as the resident linguistics expert at The Somnius Institute. His current work focuses on the semiotic structures of deep-time cognition, the linguistic drift in modified minds, and the preservation of emergent languages among post-biological cultures.
Renowned for both his eccentric style and his razor-sharp intellect, Dr. Soros brings a layered, cross-species perspective to the Institute’s efforts to decode the language of the Archive.
Dr. Kell Vek
Department of History, Io Polytechnica; Visiting Scholar, The Somnius Institute
Professor Kell Vek is a prominent scholar of post-human technological heritage at Io Polytechnica, currently serving as a visiting scholar at The Somnius Institute. His work centers on the transformative role of technology in post-human development, with particular emphasis on the innovations that enabled societal transition following the founding of the Solar Union.
Born in the Eastern Commonwealth of Venus, Professor Vek studied history and ancient philosophy at Collegia Aeolia before completing his postgraduate research at Luna University. His expertise lies in the cultural and philosophical implications of adaptive technologies across extreme environments.
Now on loan to The Somnius Institute, Professor Vek contributes critical historical insight into the First and Second Wave missions, helping to contextualize how the technological landscape of the era shaped their efforts and legacies.
Known for his clear analytical style and personal connection to engineered adaptation, Professor Vek bridges the technical and humanistic dimensions of post-human history with rare authority.
Auda Landro
Doctoral Candidate, Department of Exobiology, Cornell University – Europa Campus
Research Associate, The Somnius Institute
Auda Landro is a doctoral student in Exobiology at Cornell University’s Europa Campus, where she studies adaptive physiology and cognitive persistence across post-human lineages. Her academic interests intersect bioengineering, memory stability in aquatic transhumans, and the evolving ethics of identity in hybrid species.
Originally from Europa’s southern aquatic enclaves, Auda completed her undergraduate degree at Europa Planetary University with a dual concentration in post-human philosophy and bioengineering. Her early work drew attention for its integrative approach to biological modification and existential theory.
She joined The Somnius Institute as an intern under the mentorship of Dr. Lyra Abdi-Lund, contributing to archive material restoration and legacy system analysis. She is widely regarded by her peers as a rising voice in exobiological discourse on Europa.
Celesta
Public Relations Lead, The Somnius Institute
Affiliated Researcher, Cornell University – Europa Campus
Celesta serves as the Public Relations Lead at The Somnius Institute, where they oversee inter-institutional communications, archival transparency efforts, and cultural outreach throughout the Outer Colonies. Known for their clarity of voice and philosophical precision, Celesta bridges the gap between the Institute’s visionary research and the public imagination.
Born into one of the original families that established the Belt Colonies, they completed their undergraduate studies at the University of the Golden Band with a double major in Post-Enlightenment Poetry and Communications, where they cultivated an interest in the relationship between language, identity, and the evolution of post-human expression.
Celesta first joined The Somnius Institute as an intern during its public access campaign, quickly distinguishing themself through a unique blend of poetic insight and strategic discipline. Their work has been essential in shaping the Institute’s presence across human space, with a focus on inclusivity, historical resonance, and cross-disciplinary dialogue.
Jayce Chava
Intern, The Somnius Institute
Graduate Affiliate, Cornell University – Europa Campus
Jayce Chava is a graduate affiliate at Cornell University’s Europa Campus and a current intern at The Somnius Institute, where he specializes in data infrastructure, archival integrity, and cybernetic systems integration. His responsibilities span long-term data storage, real-time retrieval, secure access protocols, and advanced database architecture.
Born and raised among the Cíberos of the Phobos Ring of Mars, his formal training took place through an intensive apprenticeship in Advanced Data Logistics at Sistemas Cíberos, a path widely recognized within the Solar Union as equivalent to conventional graduate study.
Jayce brings to the Somnius Institute not only deep technical fluency but also the Cíbero ethos of adaptability, system continuity, and precision under pressure. His calm demeanor and refined sense of structural balance make him a natural fit for the Institute’s most sensitive archival operations.