Sadahisa Watanabe

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Sadahisa Watanabe

PhD student in Comparative Literature
Graduate Certificate in Data Science in the Humanities
HASTAC fellow
BA: University of Tokyo
MA: University of Tokyo
research interests:
  • Digital Humanities
  • Computational Text Analysis
  • Comparative Literature
  • Americanization
  • Race
  • Gender
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contact info:

mailing address:

  • WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY
    MSC 1111-107-115
    ONE BROOKING DRIVE
    ST. LOUIS, MO 63130-4899

Ph.D. Candidate in Comparative Literature, Graduate Certificate in Data Science in the Humanities, HASTAC fellow

Sadahisa (also known as Sada) received his BA and MA in French Language and Literature from the University of Tokyo. He was also an exchange student at the University of Geneva, Switzerland, and interned at international organizations. As a HASTAC fellow at Washington University, Sada developed an autonomous system that uses large language models to transcribe 19th-century handwritten texts from the library archives. In 2023, he taught at Miami University, Ohio, as visiting faculty. For his current project, he focuses on the intersection between literature and information technology. He is interested in how to incorporate computational text analysis (natural language processing, machine learning, and AI) into research in comparative literature with a specific focus on modern Japanese, French, and English aesthetic literature.

Sada has published four peer-reviewed papers in international journals such as Contemporary French Civilization Intersections, Japanese Language and Literature, Japanese Studies, and Journal of Cultural Analytics


Sada is also a published author of two books in the mystery, thriller, and science fiction genres. Writing as Aiden Dufort, he published his first book, The Magic Tower (a mystery/thriller/SF short story collection), and his second book, The Deathly Network (a mystery/thriller novel), with Rogue Phoenix Press. His short stories have appeared in Mystery Tribune, Close To The Bone, and The Piker Press, among others.