Matthew Schantz’s research focuses on the practice and imaginary of science in the early Soviet Union. In his dissertation, he traces fantastika’s decline in the late 1920s to its partial rehabilitation following Stalin’s death. Paying particular attention to popular scientific narratives about human evolution, the environment, and materialism, he explores how anthropocentrism became a central pillar of Soviet science and a weight on fantastika. His additional interests include Socialist Realism, posthumanism, utopianism in Russian thought, 20th century Czech literature, and the grotesque. Matthew has worked as a teaching fellow for Russian language courses as well as courses in Russian and comparative literature. He received his B.A. in Slavic Language and Literatures from Columbia University.