David Williamson Shaffer is the Sears Bascom Professor of Learning Analytics and Vilas Distinguished Achievement Professor of Learning Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Department of Educational Psychology. He is also a Data Philosopher at the Wisconsin Center for Education Research. His work focuses on merging statistical and qualitative methods to model complex human collaboration. Shaffer holds an AB in History and East Asian Studies from Harvard University (1987), and MS/PhD in Media Arts and Sciences from MIT (1996/1998). Before academia, he was a teacher, curriculum developer, and game designer. His research emphasizes Quantitative Ethnography —a methodology combining big data analysis with cultural interpretation. Key contributions include Epistemic Network Analysis (ENA) and over 250 publications, including influential books like How Computer Games Help Children Learn (2006) and Quantitative Ethnography (2017). Awardees of the EU Marie Curie Fellowship (2008) and Spencer Foundation Fellowship (2003), Shaffer's work has been presented globally at conferences like Learning Analytics & Knowledge and Computer Supported Collaborative Learning. His interdisciplinary approach bridges education, data science, and humanities, addressing challenges in authentic STEM experiences, collaborative learning analytics, and culturally responsive pedagogy.
Dimitrios Skalkos serves as a Professor at the Department of Chemistry, University of Ioannina, holding the specific title of Professor of Innovation Management in Food Businesses. His office is located in building X2, room X2-206c on the Ioannina Campus (45110 Ioannina), and he leads the Food Chemistry Laboratory. He earned his Basic Degree in Chemistry from the University of Ioannina (1980-1985) followed by a Doctoral Degree from the University of Toledo, USA (1986-1989) with dissertation research on "Di- and Tetrahydroporphyrins: Syntheses and Antitumor Activities". Skalkos's research spans Food Business Management, Food Innovation, and Innovation Management, with specialized focus on Innovation & Entrepreneurship, Aromatic Plants, Innovative Foods, and Strategic Marketing. His work bridges academic research with industry applications in food systems, emphasizing Greek agricultural products and pandemic-era consumer behavior. His 36 publications (2020-2024) reveal strong trends in post-pandemic food innovation, consumer perception of traditional Greek foods, functional food development (particularly olive oil, cheese, and grape by-products), and sustainable agri-food supply chains. Key thematic clusters include traceability systems, bioactive properties of novel foods, and economic impacts on food choices. He has actively supervised Master's and PhD students through departmental presentations, directed 23 research programs, and organized 15 seminars and conferences. His laboratory website ( https://foods.chem.uoi.gr ) showcases ongoing food chemistry innovations.
Andreas Vlachos is a Professor of Natural Language Processing and Machine Learning at the Department of Computer Science and Technology, University of Cambridge, and holds the Dinesh Dhamija Fellowship at Fitzwilliam College. His research spans dialogue modeling, automated fact-checking, imitation learning, semantic parsing, biomedical text mining, and trustworthiness in AI systems. PhD in Computer Science, University of Cambridge (supervised by Ted Briscoe and Zoubin Ghahramani) Lecturer at University of Sheffield Postdoctoral roles at UCL, University of Cambridge (NLIP group, Stephen Clark), and University of Wisconsin-Madison (Mark Craven) Current research focuses on evaluating and mitigating biases in language models, advancing fact-checking methodologies, and improving model robustness through interpolation, reinforcement learning, and causal reasoning. His work integrates natural logic, knowledge graphs, and multimodal evidence for verification tasks. Recent publications address uncertainty quantification, temporal planning benchmarks, and ethical framing of NLP artifacts. Grants from ERC, EPSRC, Facebook, Google, and the Alan Turing Institute fund his research team. Collaborations include Sebastian Riedel, Stephen Clark, and Mark Craven. Key projects explore disinformation detection, long-form generation, and confidence calibration in AI systems.
Florian Tramèr is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science at ETH Zurich, Switzerland, leading research at the intersection of machine learning security, privacy, and AI safety. His work focuses on identifying and mitigating security vulnerabilities in machine learning systems, particularly in large language models and other AI systems. Tramèr's primary research interests include adversarial machine learning, membership inference attacks, privacy-preserving AI, and the security implications of large language models. His work has significantly advanced our understanding of how machine learning models memorize training data, how this memorization creates privacy risks, and how to evaluate the robustness of machine learning systems against various attacks. His recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on practical security challenges in deployed AI systems, including data extraction from language models, adversarial attacks against generative AI, and developing more rigorous evaluation methodologies for machine learning security. Tramèr's research has been published in top venues including ICLR, NeurIPS, ICML, and IEEE Security & Privacy. Tramèr is actively collaborating with leading researchers in the field including Nicholas Carlini, Matthew Jagielski, and Javier Rando, contributing to important initiatives like the International AI Safety Report. His work bridges theoretical security concepts with practical implications for real-world AI deployment.
Prof. Dr. Claudia Peus is a full Professor of Research and Science Management at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) School of Management , serving since May 2011. She holds executive roles as Founding Director of the TUM Institute for LifeLong Learning (TUM IL3) since December 2019 and Executive Vice President for Talent Management and Diversity since October 2017. Her career spans visiting positions at MIT's Sloan School of Management and Harvard University, alongside her habilitation (2011) and PhD (2005) from LMU Munich. Current affiliations: TUM School of Management, TUM IL3, RWI – Leibniz Institute for Economic Research Research focuses: Leadership development in the digital age, diversity in organizations, ethical leadership, and research organization management Recent research trends analyze digital leadership dynamics, gender-decoded recruitment practices, robotic leadership interfaces, and neurophysiological mechanisms in leadership behavior. Her 2025 work on moral careers and 2024 resource-based absorption theory highlight evolving themes in organizational psychology. Scientific honors include: Highly Cited Research Award, Leadership Quarterly (2016) Emerald Citations of Excellence (2016) Best Teaching Award, TUM School of Management (2014) Academy of Management Symposium Award (2010) Bayerische Landesbank Wissenschaftspreis (2006) Prof. Peus advises organizations on diversity and talent management. She was recognized as one of Germany's Most Inspiring Women (2020) and leads projects like FührMINT, ForGenderCare, and the TUM Neurophysiological Leadership Lab (NeLeLab).
Frank Corsetti is a Professor of Earth Sciences at the University of Southern California (USC), leading the Corsetti Lab. His research focuses on the co-evolution of Earth and its biosphere, particularly during extreme events like the 'Snowball Earth' glaciation and mass extinctions. He holds a Ph.D. in Geological Sciences from UC Santa Barbara (1998) and a B.S. in Geology from UC Davis (1989). Research Interests: Corsetti studies geobiological processes such as stromatolite formation, microbial carbonate systems, and the environmental impacts of mass extinctions. His lab investigates biosignatures, diagenetic processes, and astrobiological applications. Current projects include the end-Triassic mass extinction and microbial interactions in extreme environments. Advising & Grants: He mentors a team of PhD students (including Reena Joubert, Alison Cribb, and others) and has secured funding from NASA for projects like stromatolite carbonate formation studies. His work bridges paleontology, geochemistry, and microbiology, contributing to understanding Earth’s long-term climate and life history. Labs/Teams: The Corsetti Lab at USC explores stromatolites, microbial mats, and ancient Earth systems. Collaborations involve institutions like JPL and international universities.
Professor Nancy W. Y. Law is a leading scholar in Learning Sciences and Technology at the University of Hong Kong's Faculty of Education . She has served as Founding Director of the Centre for Information Technology in Education (CITE) (1998-2013) and currently holds the Chair of Learning Sciences and Technology . Her career spans over 25 years of international comparative studies, policy analysis, and large-scale educational innovation. Current roles: Associate Dean (Strategic Development), HKU Key affiliations: Sciences of Learning Strategic Research Theme (co-convener) Research Expertise Her work focuses on technology-enhanced learning , digital literacy , knowledge building communities , and multilevel educational change . She pioneered network models of teacher innovation and socio-technical frameworks for sustainable pedagogical transformation, particularly in STEM education and Cyberbullying prevention . Scientific Leadership With over 25 major research grants (2000-2023) exceeding HK$50 million, she leads projects like: Learning and Assessment for Digital Citizenship Jockey Club Self-directed Learning in STEM Design-Aware Learning Analytics A Fellow of the International Society of Learning Sciences and recipient of the HKSAR Humanities and Social Sciences Prestigious Fellowship , she has supervised numerous international comparative studies including SITES 2006, ICILS 2013, and longitudinal digital citizenship research (2019-2021).
Roles & Affiliations: Ikhlas Khan serves as Director of the National Center for Natural Products Research (NCNPR), Distinguished Professor, and Research Professor of Pharmacognosy at the University of Mississippi's School of Pharmacy. He also leads the FDA Program and coordinates natural products research across multiple initiatives, including the Sino-US TCM Research Center and the Center for Research of Indian Systems of Medicine (CRISM). Education: B.Sc. Chemistry (1980) - Aligarh Muslim University, India M.Sc. Organic Chemistry (1982) - Aligarh Muslim University, India Ph.D. Pharmacy (1987) - Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Munich Postdoctoral Studies - Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), Zurich Research Focus: Dr. Khan specializes in natural products research with emphasis on: Phytomedicine: Standardization of herbal products via analytical fingerprinting, pesticide/herbicide residue analysis, and bioanalytical quality control. Drug Discovery: Isolation of bioactive natural products, development of analytical methods for phytochemical characterization, and chiral separation techniques. Metabolism Studies: Role of metabolism in drug/natural product activity, particularly in aminoquinoline antimalarials. His work bridges academia, industry, and regulatory bodies, shaping policies for botanical supplements. Key Contributions: Over 850 peer-reviewed publications and leadership in high-impact projects like the FDA Center of Excellence. His lab pioneered methods to combat herbal product adulteration and safety issues. Awards & Recognition: UM Distinguished Professor Award (2018) Wiley Award (AOAC International, 2018) Qihuang International Prize (2017) Honoris Causa Doctorate (University of Hamdard, 2012) Labs & Collaborations: Directs the NCNPR, a global leader in natural products research, and collaborates with institutions worldwide. His team develops technologies for herbal product authentication and drug metabolism studies.
Wei Xiang is an Assistant Professor of Economics at the University of Michigan's Department of Economics, housed within the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts. He earned his Ph.D. in Economics from Yale University in 2024, focusing on international trade, macroeconomics, and environmental economics. His research bridges economic theory with applied analyses, addressing global trade dynamics, macroeconomic policies, and environmental sustainability. Education: Ph.D. in Economics, Yale University (2024). Research Interests: His work explores the intersection of international trade policies, macroeconomic stability, and environmental regulations. He examines how trade agreements influence economic growth and environmental outcomes, with a focus on empirical methodologies to assess policy impacts. Additionally, he investigates macroeconomic models to understand global economic fluctuations and their implications for sustainable development. Publications: His recent articles highlight contributions to vehicle communication systems, signal processing, and wireless technologies, reflecting interdisciplinary engagement with engineering applications. These include real-time prediction models for GPS errors and beamforming optimization in vehicular networks. Labs/Teams: Not explicitly stated, but his research collaborations likely involve interdisciplinary teams in economics, engineering, and environmental science.
Ann Heilmann is Professor of English Literature at Cardiff University, serving as Director of Research and REF coordinator for the School of English, Communication and Philosophy. Research spans Victorian to contemporary literature with focus areas in women's writing, gender/sexuality studies, and neo-Victorianism. Current work examines in/authenticity in neo-Victorian cultural productions and intersections between transgender studies and life-writing. Publications analyze feminist engagements with history, New Woman fiction, and contemporary reimaginings of Victorian cultural paradigms. Recent scholarship explores comic strategies in suffrage narratives, gender representations in life-writing, and neo-Victorian adaptations of historical figures. Heilmann has supervised 16 PhD students to completion and serves as general editor for Routledge's Gender and Genre and History of Feminism book series. Editorial board membership includes journals such as Memory Studies and Neo-Victorian Studies. Significant service includes Deputy Chair roles for REF2021 English sub-panel and co-chair for REF2029 History pilot panel, shaping national research assessment frameworks.
Dr. Mohammad Zulkernine is a Full Professor and Canada Research Chair in Cyber-Physical System Security at Queen’s University’s School of Computing (Faculty of Arts and Science). He leads the Queen’s Reliable Software Technology (QRST) research group and directs the Queen’s Centre for Security & Privacy. His research focuses on secure software systems for cyber-physical systems, including autonomous vehicles, IoT, and cloud computing. Dr. Zulkernine holds a cross-appointment in Electrical and Computer Engineering and is a licensed Professional Engineer in Ontario. Education: BSc (Bangladesh BUET), MEng (Japan), PhD (University of Waterloo). He joined Queen’s in 2003 and has held sabbaticals at University of Trento, Italy and Irdeto Canada. He has published over 250 papers, led 35+ research projects, and supervised 120+ students. Awards include Canada Research Chairs (Tier I and II), Queen’s Excellence in Graduate Supervision Award, and Distinguished Supervision Award from the School of Computing. Research Interests: Cyber-Physical System Security, Software Reliability, IoT Security, Vehicle Networks, Secure Software Engineering, and Cybersecurity Risk Assessment. Active industry collaborations include EU-funded projects and Canada-Africa initiatives.
Dr. Chandranath Adak is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Patna (IIT Patna), and concurrently serves as a Visiting Fellow at the School of Computer Science, University of Technology Sydney (UTS), Australia. He holds a Ph.D. in Analytics from UTS (2019) and previously served as an Assistant Professor at Indian Institute of Information Technology Lucknow (IIITL) and the Centre for Data Science at JIS Institute of Advanced Studies, Kolkata. Education: Ph.D. (Analytics), University of Technology Sydney (2019) M.Tech., Computer Science and Engineering, University of Kalyani (2014) B.Tech., Computer Science and Engineering, West Bengal University of Technology (2012) Research Interests: His work spans Computer Vision, Deep Learning, Reinforcement Learning, Document Image Analysis, and AI-driven solutions for healthcare, forensics, and industrial automation. He has pioneered methods in biomarker detection using electrochemical sensors combined with ML models, handwriting analysis for educational and forensic applications, and anomaly detection in industrial systems. His research bridges theoretical advances with real-world applications, such as medical diagnostics and quality control systems. Publications: His recent work includes innovations in biosensor-based medical diagnostics, handwriting evaluation systems, and transformer networks for historical document analysis. These contributions reflect a focus on interdisciplinary applications of AI across healthcare, cultural heritage preservation, and industrial automation. Awards: Start-up Research Grant, SERB, India (2022) Dr. Kalam Doctoral Scholarship, UTS (2018) IEEE CIS Graduate Student Research Grant (2017) Senior Member, IEEE (2024) Teaching & Supervision: Taught courses at UTS including 'Introduction to Data Analytics' and supervised research in machine learning and computer vision. His mentorship emphasizes hands-on experience with AI tools and real-world problem-solving. Labs & Teams: Engaged in collaborative projects at UTS's CIBCI Centre and Griffith University's IIIS, focusing on computational intelligence and sensor-driven AI systems.
Huining Li is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science at North Carolina State University . Her research focuses on Internet of Things (IoT) , cybersecurity , and mobile computing , with a specialized emphasis on mobile health (mHealth) technologies. Education: Ph.D. in Computer Science and Engineering from University at Buffalo (2024). Her work addresses privacy-preserving sensing mechanisms , biomarker measurement , and fairness in dynamic mobile environments , developing systems for chronic wound care, Parkinson’s disease management, and mental health therapy. Recent publications highlight innovations in mmWave biometrics , machine learning for health diagnostics , and non-contact monitoring . Scientific Awards: Best Paper Awards (SenSys 2019, BodyNet 2021, ICHI 2022) Best Paper Candidate (SenSys 2022) Harold O. Wolf Achievement Award (2024) EECS Rising Star (2023) NIH mHealth Training Institute Scholar (2025) She teaches courses in Mobile Health Systems and Applications and Computer Networks , and actively serves on NSF panels , TPC committees (ACM MobiSys, IEEE-EMBS BSN), and as Associate Editor for journals like Elsevier Smart Health.
Professor Rainer Böhme is a prominent academic in the field of IT security and privacy at the University of Münster's School of Business and Economics, Department of Information Systems. He also holds a professorship for Security and Privacy at the University of Innsbruck's Institute of Computer Science. His research spans multiple dimensions of digital security, with particular expertise in steganography, digital forensics, privacy-enhancing technologies, and the economic aspects of cybersecurity. Dr. Böhme earned his Doctoral Degree from TU Dresden's Faculty of Computer Science in 2008, following studies in Communications, Economics and Computer Science at Technische Universität Dresden and Université Paris XII. His academic journey includes positions as Assistant Professor at the University of Münster (2010-2015), Postdoctoral Fellow at the International Computer Science Institute in Berkeley (2009-2010), and Scientific Staff at TU Dresden's Chair of Privacy and Data Security. His research interests focus on steganography and steganalysis, digital forensics, privacy-enhancing technologies, security and usability, economic and behavioral aspects of information privacy, virtual currencies, and the economics of information security. His work bridges technical security mechanisms with economic and behavioral considerations, creating a unique interdisciplinary approach to cybersecurity challenges. Analysis of his recent publications reveals a strong trend toward the economics of security, particularly regarding blockchain technologies, cryptocurrency, and privacy valuation. His work increasingly examines the intersection of technical security mechanisms with market dynamics, regulatory frameworks, and user behavior. The research spans theoretical game-theoretic models, empirical studies of user behavior, and practical applications in digital forensics and privacy protection. Program Co-Chair, Financial Cryptography and Data Security (2015) Program Co-Chair, New Security Paradigms Workshop (NSPW) (2015) General Chair, 8th International Conference on IT Security Incident Management & IT Forensics (2014) Organizer and Program Co-Chair, 1st Workshop on Bitcoin Research (2014) Associate Editor, Electronic Commerce Research (since 2013) Associate Editor, EURASIP Journal on Information Security (since 2013) Professor Böhme has supervised multiple Master's theses in Information Systems, including work on static code analysis for smart contracts, remote maintenance protocol security, and application protection requirements in retail banking. His research is supported by significant grants from the German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space, the DFG, and the EU FP7 program, with projects focusing on digital forensics, privacy-enhancing technologies, and cryptocurrency crime prevention. He leads the IT Security Research Group at the University of Münster, which investigates theoretical and applied aspects of information security with particular emphasis on the economic dimensions of security decisions.
Rida Khatoun is a Professor in Cybersecurity at the Computer Sciences and Networks (Infres) Department at Télécom Paris. He holds a M.Sc. in Computer Engineering and a Ph.D. from the University of Technology of Troyes (UTT), France, awarded in 2004 and 2008, respectively. His research focuses on cybersecurity in networks, including cloud computing security, IoT security, vehicular networks security, intrusion detection systems, and blockchain technology. He has taught at Telecom Paris since 2014, Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU) since 2016, and other institutions in China and France since 2005. His work spans theoretical frameworks and practical solutions for network security challenges. Key research areas include DDoS attack detection, vehicular communication security, and cryptographic protocols. He leads the Cybersecurity and Cryptography (C²) research team and is affiliated with the Laboratoire Traitement et Communication de l'Information (LTCI). His contributions include developing secure routing protocols (e.g., ASROP), statistical trust systems in wireless networks, and blockchain-based authentication for IoT. He has authored over 115 publications, including peer-reviewed articles and conference proceedings, with recent work addressing vehicular platooning security, TLS handshake optimization for C-ITS, and machine learning for cyberbullying detection. Rida’s academic activities include teaching courses on network security protocols, wireless network fundamentals, and QoS mechanisms. He collaborates internationally, contributing to smart city cybersecurity architectures and 6G programmable communications. His research emphasizes practical cybersecurity solutions for emerging technologies, ensuring robust protection against evolving threats in vehicular, IoT, and cloud environments.
