About Us

Founded in 1971, Brandeis University Press is a nonprofit publisher dedicated to publishing innovative, high-quality scholarship that advances knowledge and promotes dialogue in the humanities, the arts, and the social sciences. In 2021, Brandeis University Press acquired and is now the sole owner of all titles and copyrights of the University Press of New England.

Mission

At Brandeis University Press, we are dedicated to publishing rigorously evaluated work that enriches conversations in the humanities, arts, social sciences, and natural sciences. We also strive to uphold the principles of social justice, wide cultural representation, and intellectual integrity in our practices and in the books we bring to our readers.

We support Brandeis University’s mission to uphold the highest standards of academic excellence, inclusivity, and diversity as we promote education, research, and civic engagement.

Who We Are

Sue Berger Ramin

Director
781-736-3870 | sueramin@brandeis.edu | Goldfarb 69-235

Sue Berger Ramin has worked in book publishing ever since she left university in the UK. Running the Film & TV Department at Penguin Books led her to open an office for Penguin in Los Angeles, where she spent sunny years publishing books, and co-producing two movies. She moved to Boston where she became Associate Publisher at independent David Godine, Publisher (publisher of two Nobel Prize-winners for Literature) before joining Brandeis University Press in 2019. She is excited to be at BUP at a time of expansion for the press, and looks forward to new initiatives, new subjects and, of course, many new books.

Sylvia Fuks Fried

Editorial Director
781-736-2127 | fuks@brandeis.edu | Lown 305

Sylvia Fuks Fried has played a role at Brandeis University Press since the mid-1980s. She now serves as editorial director with a special interest in Jewish Studies. She is also executive director of the Tauber Institute at Brandeis and serves as associate editor of the Tauber Institute Series and the Brandeis Library of Modern Jewish Thought.

Ashley Burns

Coordinator
781-736-4547 | ashleyburns@brandeis.edu | Goldfarb 69-235

Ashley Burns started at Brandeis University Press after receiving her masters in Publishing and Writing from Emerson University in 2023. As Press Coordinator, her responsibilities extend throughout the life cycle of a book, but especially in editorial and production. Having always had a passion for publishing, she’s proud to say she can be part of the process of making interesting and engaging books.

Maxine Rosenfeld

Marketing and Publicity Coordinator
781-736-4682 | maxinerosenfeld@brandeis.edu | Goldfarb 69-235

Maxine Rosenfeld is responsible for publicity and marketing. She graduated from Carleton College in 2023 with a B.A. in Religion and a minor in French. Originally from San Francisco, CA, she is excited to make the East Coast her home. She loves discovering new music, taking long walks, and luring her friends into conversations about books.

Marie Comuzzo

Web Design Manager & Publishing Associate
203-715-9818 | mariecomuzzo@brandeis.edu | Goldfarb 69-235

Marie Comuzzo is the Web Manager, Designer, and Publishing Associate at Brandeis University Press, where she has been working since 2021. Her responsibilities include redesigning and maintaining the website, acquiring in Environmental studies and Music, and designing promotional material. Concurrently, Marie pursues a PhD in Musicology at Brandeis University. Her research critically examines anthropocentrism, focusing on nonhuman musicalities, particularly the relationship between humans and whales as mediated through sound.

Elise Tillinghast

Editor-at-large for Nature and the Environment
ewtillinghast@gmail.com

Elise Tillinghast served for 12 years as executive director of the Center for Northern Woodlands Education, the nonprofit that publishes Northern Woodlands magazine. She guided the magazine through a period growth, including expansion of its readership and donor base, development of online series and special publications, acquisition of permanent headquarters, and an elevenfold increase in assets. She continues to contribute editorially to Northern Woodlands. A graduate of Harvard Law School, she’s fascinated by all things furry, feathered, floral and fungal, and spends a lot of time tromping around the Vermont woods. She’s excited to be part of Brandeis University Press and welcomes queries from authors.

Beth Fong

Senior Budget and HR Administrator
781-736-4030 | bfong@brandeis.edu

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Editorial Board

Omer Bartov
John P. Birkelund Distinguished Professor of European History
Department of History
Brown University

Jonathan Decter
Edmond J. Safra Professor of Sephardic Studies
Department of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies
Brandeis University

Phyllis Deutsch
Lecturer
Institute for Writing and Rhetoric
Dartmouth College

Robin Feuer Miller
Edytha Macy Gross Professor of Humanities
Chair, Department of German, Russian, and Asian Languages and Literature
Brandeis University

Derek Penslar
William Lee Frost Professor of Jewish History
Department of History
Harvard University

Matthew Sheehy
University Librarian
Brandeis University
Ex-Officio Board Member

Jeffrey Shoulson
Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences and Department of English
Brandeis University

Ramie Targoff
Jehuda Reinharz Professor of the Humanities
Professor of English
Co-chair, Italian Studies
Brandeis University

Cindy Parks Thomas
Professor and Associate Dean for Research
The Heller School for Social Policy and Management
Brandeis University

Advisory Board

Susan Barba
Senior Editor, New York Review of Books Publishers, Poet

Caroline Chauncey
Publishing Professional, Harvard Education Press, WGBH

George Gibson
Executive Editor, Grove Atlantic

Betsy Groban
Publishing Professional (WGBH, Houghton Mifflin, Mass Creative), Columnist, and Literary Critic

Tom Hallock
Publishing Professional (Beacon Press)

Christie Henry
Director, Princeton University Press

Jeffrey Mayersohn
Owner, The Harvard Bookstore

Matthew Sheehy
University Librarian, Brandeis University, Ex-Officio Board Member

Bill Smith
Director of Business Development and Trade Strategy, MIT Press