Professor Mounim A. El Yacoubi holds positions at Institut Polytechnique de Paris, Institut Mines-Télécom, and Telecom SudParis. His research focuses on AI, machine learning, and deep learning applied to e-Health (neurodegenerative disease detection, diabetes management), biometrics (gait, vein, and handwriting recognition), and smart systems (agriculture, surveillance, robotics). He leads the SAMOVAR CNRS Lab and has supervised 17 PhDs and 30+ master's students. Education: PhD (1996, Université de Rennes 1), HDR (2014, Paris-Saclay University). Experience: Senior Researcher at Parascript (2001–2008), Visiting Scientist at CENPARMI (1997–1998), Associate Professor at PUCPR (1998–2001). Research Interests: AI applications in healthcare, biometrics, pattern recognition, and smart technologies. Recent work includes Alzheimer’s detection via handwriting analysis, diabetes prediction using PPG signals, and palm/vein recognition systems. Grants & Leadership: Program Chair of ICPRAI 2022, ICCPRA 2024. Editor of IEEE Access and journals on cyber-physical intelligence. Authored books on Pattern Recognition and AI.
Prof. Jose Such is a Professor of Computer Science at King's College London (KCL), affiliated with the KCL Cybersecurity Centre and the Informatics Security Hub. His research focuses on cybersecurity, AI ethics, privacy engineering, and conversational systems. He leads major projects such as REPHRAIN (Phase I & II) and SAIS, funded by EPSRC, addressing privacy, adversarial influence, and secure AI assistants. His work contributes to UN Sustainable Development Goals related to privacy and digital security. Key research areas include large language models (LLMs), smart home security, multi-user privacy conflicts, and ethical AI governance. Prof. Such has published over 80 peer-reviewed papers, with recent emphasis on mitigating privacy risks in conversational AI and developing safety benchmarks for LLMs. He oversees research projects involving multi-disciplinary teams, integrating technical solutions with legal and ethical frameworks. Notable outputs include the MalProtect malware defense system and the CASE-Bench evaluation framework for AI safety. His datasets and tools, such as SkillVet and ELVIRA, address privacy risks in voice assistants and cloud services. Prof. Such collaborates globally, with recent work exploring cross-cultural privacy practices in smart homes and the security challenges faced by marginalized groups. His research bridges technical innovation with societal impact, advocating for transparent and accountable AI systems.
Dr. Ameer Abdelhadi is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at McMaster University. His research focuses on application-specific custom-tailored computer architectures, hardware-efficient deep learning, neurotechnology, and reconfigurable computing. He holds a PhD from the University of British Columbia and has held academic positions at the University of Toronto, Imperial College London, and Simon Fraser University, alongside industry experience in semiconductor design. Education: PhD in Computer Engineering (University of British Columbia, 2016). Research Interests: Hardware acceleration for machine learning and neurotechnology Reconfigurable computing and FPGAs/ASICs Asynchronous circuits and synchronization protocols VLSI physical design and CAD algorithms Publications span high-impact venues such as IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits, IEEE Hot Chips, and IEEE Micro. Notable achievements include the 2017 Best Paper Award at ASYNC for work on synchronization FIFOs. Teaching includes COMPENG 4DV4 (VLSI System Design) and ELECENG 4OI6B (Engineering Design). His lab focuses on advancing hardware systems for next-generation applications in AI and biomedical engineering.
Saurabh Bagchi is a Professor at Purdue University, West Lafayette, USA. He holds a PhD in Computer Science from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (2001). His research focuses on distributed systems security, networking, and embedded systems. Key areas include IoT security, cyber-physical systems resilience, and machine learning applications in edge computing. Bagchi's work spans theoretical and applied domains, addressing challenges in distributed algorithms, fault tolerance, and secure communication protocols. His contributions to firmware analysis, serverless computing optimization, and anomaly detection in industrial IoT systems have been widely recognized. He has published over 300 papers in top-tier conferences and journals such as IEEE Transactions on Dependable and Secure Computing, ACM Transactions on Sensor Networks, and CVPR. He collaborates with researchers in academia and industry to advance resilient networked systems, including projects funded by NSF and industrial partnerships. His lab explores cutting-edge topics like federated learning security, edge computing architectures, and game-theoretic approaches to cyber defense.
Dr. Shahab Mehraeen is a Professor and holder of the Newton B Thomas Professorship in the Division of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Louisiana State University's College of Engineering. He directs the Renewable Energy and Smart Grid Laboratory, focusing on power systems stability, renewable energies integration, smart grid technologies, energy conversion, and nonlinear/adaptive/decentralized control systems. His research explores innovative solutions for modern power grids, including hybrid AC-DC systems, microgrid stability, and advanced protection mechanisms. He has developed experimental testbeds like the IEEE 14-bus power system and DC microgrid setups for validating control algorithms. Dr. Mehraeen's publications demonstrate consistent focus on renewable integration, grid protection, and smart grid innovations with recent emphasis on DC circuit breakers and co-simulation techniques. His work integrates theoretical development with practical implementation. Research Areas Power systems stability and control Renewable energy grid integration Smart grid technologies Microgrid design and optimization Advanced circuit protection systems Awards and Recognition National Science Foundation CAREER Award recipient Holder of a US patent for infrastructure inspection and rehabilitation Research Team Leads a team of 11 graduate students working on projects related to power systems, renewable energy integration, and smart grid technologies.
Hasan Davulcu is a Professor in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence at Arizona State University (ASU). He holds a B.S. in Mathematics from Middle East Technical University (Turkey) and M.S./Ph.D. in Computer Science from Stony Brook University (NY). His research focuses on sociocultural modeling, AI, machine learning, and behavioral analytics for fraud detection. He leads the CIPS-AI Lab, developing data mining tools for semantic information extraction from social media and web data. Affiliations: Senior Global Futures Scientist (Global Futures Scientists and Scholars Program), Co-founder & CIO of ARTIS MAGI (AI-driven behavioral analysis startup). Education: Ph.D. Computer Science (Stony Brook, 2002), M.S. Computer Science (Stony Brook, 1995), B.S. Mathematics (METU, 1993). Research interests include: Sociocultural modeling and persuasive AI. Web/social media mining, information extraction, and database systems. Behavioral analytics for fraud detection and countering extremist influence. Key achievements: 2011 HSCB Focus Exceptional Scientific Achievement Award for work on sociocultural modeling in the DOD Minerva project. Principal Investigator on NSF and DoD grants, including behavioral analytics for financial fraud and social influence analysis of extremist groups. Grants & Projects: NSF PFI:BIC Grant (2014-2019): Behavioral analytics for fraud detection via visual analytics infrastructure. DoD Minerva (2015-2019): Measuring social influence of extremist groups. ONR Projects (2018-2021): Modeling polarization, adversarial framing, and disinformation tracking. Labs/Teams: Cognitive Information Processing Systems (CIPS-AI) Lab, which pioneers data mining techniques for unstructured social media data and semantic representation systems.
Dr. Anna Bobak is a Senior Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Stirling, UK. She holds a PhD from Bournemouth University (2016) and joined Stirling as a Research Assistant on an EPSRC project under Peter Hancock before transitioning to her current role. Her primary research focuses on individual differences in unfamiliar face recognition, particularly developmental prosopagnosia, and the reliability of face-processing assessments. She also investigates neurodiversity in women, emphasizing lived experiences of autism and ADHD, including camouflaging behaviors and societal awareness. Research Interests: Face Recognition: Examines perceptual strategies, diagnostic criteria (e.g., Balanced Integration Score), and technological applications in forensic contexts. Neurodiversity: Explores gender-specific manifestations of autism and ADHD, societal perceptions, and support mechanisms. Cognitive Methodology: Advances psychometric rigor in face-processing studies and critiques measurement validity. Her work bridges theoretical research and real-world applications, such as evaluating automated face recognition technology’s biases and collaborating on initiatives like #ScienceForUkraine to aid displaced academics. She is affiliated with the Cognition in Complex Environments research group and contributes to global security and resilience themes at Stirling.
Jason Dahlstrom is an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Engineering at Dartmouth College's Thayer School of Engineering and Owner of Web Sensing LLC. His research focuses on embedded systems security, computer architecture optimization, and engineering education innovations. He holds a BS in computer engineering (University of New Hampshire, 2006), MS in biomedical engineering (Dartmouth, 2008), and PhD in embedded system security (Dartmouth, 2015). His work emphasizes cybersecurity for critical infrastructure, particularly in vehicle systems and military communication networks. Key contributions include real-time binary analysis frameworks, FPGA-integrated security monitors, and tactical network interface controllers. He has authored patents related to data security appliances and distributed sensing systems. Recent publications explore vehicle system hardening, cross-domain container security, and hardware-assisted monitoring. His research bridges theoretical computer architecture with practical embedded system implementations, addressing modern threats in connected devices and defense applications.
Professor He Bingsheng is a faculty member at the Department of Computer Science, School of Computing, National University of Singapore (NUS), where he also serves as Vice-Dean, Research. He holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the Hong Kong University of Science & Technology (2008) and dual bachelor’s degrees in Computer Science & Engineering and Business Administration from Shanghai Jiao Tong University (2003). Education: Ph.D. (HKUST, 2008), B.E./B.B.A. (SJTU, 2003) Prior roles: Microsoft Research Asia (2008-2010), Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore His research focuses on Big Data management systems , particularly on cloud computing and emerging hardware architectures (GPU, FPGA, NVM). He has led projects like ThunderGP, a novel FPGA-accelerated graph processing framework achieving 419x speedup for Covid-19 prevalence estimation. His work spans parallel/distributed systems and graph algorithms , with publications in ACM SIGMOD, VLDB, SC, and IEEE Transactions. The selected articles highlight his contributions to GPU/FPGA optimization , LLM applications , and graph analytics . He has received multiple best paper/demo awards, including IEEE/ACM ICCAD (2017), IEEE IC2E (2016), and ACM SIGMOD (2008). As a PC chair and editorial board member for journals like IEEE TPDS and TCC, he actively shapes academic discourse. PhD Students: Chen Xinyu, Tan Hongshi Courses Taught: CS4225/5425 Big Data Systems for Data Science
Natacha Crooks Dr. Natacha Crooks is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) at UC Berkeley. Her research focuses on distributed systems, databases, and security, with a particular emphasis on consistency models, BFT protocols, and cloud computing. She is a founding member of the SkyLab and a core contributor to the Data Systems and Foundations Group at Berkeley. She holds a Ph.D. in Distributed Systems from the University of Texas at Austin (2019) and a BA in Computer Science and Law from the University of Cambridge (2012). Affiliations & Roles: Assistant Professor, UC Berkeley EECS Visiting Researcher at Azure Research, Security & Privacy Founding Member of SkyLab Member of Berkeley Center for Decentralized Intelligence Former Scientific Advisor at Improbable and Astronomer Research Interests: Her work bridges distributed systems and database research, addressing challenges in transactional consistency, fault-tolerant protocols, and cloud resource optimization. Key themes include: Designing scalable BFT consensus algorithms Secure multi-cloud storage solutions Optimizing distributed transaction processing Privacy-preserving distributed systems Awards & Recognition: Sloan Research Fellow (2025) NSF CAREER Award ACM SIGOPS Dennis M. Ritchie Doctoral Dissertation Award (2020) IEEE CS TCDE Early Career Award (2024) Teaching: Fall 2025: CS 294-282 (Research Culture and Community Norms), Wheeler 130. Industrial Collaboration: Prior roles include visiting researcher at Cornell University, Microsoft Research (DMX group), and Imperial College London. Industrial partnerships include work with Materialize, Astronomer, and Improbable.
Ruben Portugues is a Professor of Brain Circuit Function and Dysfunction at the Institute of Neuroscience, Technical University of Munich (TUM). He is a full member of the Graduate School of Systemic Neurosciences (GSN), an associate and advisory board member of the Munich Center for Neurosciences (MCN), and leads a research group focused on understanding the neural basis of behavior. His lab uses larval zebrafish as a model organism to investigate sensorimotor control, decision-making, and motor learning through whole-brain imaging and circuit analysis. His research interests lie at the intersection of systems neuroscience and behavior. He investigates how brain circuits process sensory information, integrate it with motor output, and enable adaptive and flexible behavior. Key areas include the function of the cerebellum, heading direction networks, sensorimotor transformations, and the neural mechanisms of decision-making. His lab employs cutting-edge techniques including custom-built microscopes, behavioral assays, and computational analysis. The recent publications and preprints from his lab demonstrate a strong trend in decoding distributed neural circuits underlying navigation and decision-making in zebrafish. There is a clear focus on identifying specific brain regions (e.g., interpeduncular nucleus, cerebellum) and cell types involved in processing visual, motor, and spatial information. The work increasingly emphasizes whole-brain functional imaging and the emergence of cognitive-like representations such as allocentric heading direction. FENS-Kavli Network of Excellence (FKNE) PhD Thesis Prize (awarded to student Luigi Petrucco) Ruben Portugues actively mentors PhD students, including current advisees Luigi Petrucco, Ot Prat, and Shuhong Huang, and has successfully graduated Dr. Elena Dragomir and Dr. Vilim Štih. His lab engages in extensive collaborations, hosts visiting researchers, participates in teaching (e.g., CSHL Imaging Course, Cajal Course), and secures resources for advanced research. The lab is known for building its own microscopes and software, fostering technical innovation. The Portugues Lab operates as a dynamic, interdisciplinary team that combines experimental neuroscience with computational and engineering approaches. They regularly hold retreats, participate in scientific events, and contribute to community initiatives like the Munich Brain Day. The lab is preparing to relocate to the Department of Neurobiology and Behavior at Cornell University, marking a new phase in its research trajectory.
Veysel Murat İstemihan Genç is a Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering at Istanbul Technical University (ITU), College of Engineering. His research is centered on modern power systems, with a focus on transient stability, cybersecurity, and integration of renewable energy sources. He actively leads multiple research projects and supervises graduate students in advanced power system technologies. Research Interests: His work spans key areas including transient stability assessment, machine learning applications in power systems, cyber-attack detection in AGC systems, and dynamic security evaluation under high renewable penetration. He employs cutting-edge techniques such as ensemble learning, deep neural networks, and hybrid optimization algorithms. Publication Trends: Recent publications (2023–2025) highlight a strong trend toward integrating AI and machine learning for real-time transient stability prediction, cybersecurity in distributed energy systems, and performance optimization of solar and wind-integrated grids. His work frequently addresses challenges in low-inertia systems and false data injection attacks. Scientific Projects: Strengthened Machine Learning-Based Dynamic Security Evaluation for Transient Stability under False Data Injection Attacks (BAP, 2025) Analysis and Control Methods for Stability of Large-Scale Low-Inertia Power Systems (BAP, 2023–2024) Dynamics Security Evaluation of Renewable-Rich and Cyber-Attacked Power Systems (BAP, 2022–2024) Risk-Based Stability Assessment and Corrective Control Methods in Power Systems (BAP, 2019–2022) Wide-Area Monitoring Protection and Control System Design Using Advanced Signal Processing and Machine Learning (TÜBİTAK, 2018–2020) Advising and Grants: He is the principal investigator (PI) on multiple funded research projects from BAP and TÜBİTAK, indicating strong grant acquisition and leadership. His supervision of 27 ongoing theses reflects an active role in mentoring graduate students in electrical engineering and power systems. Labs and Teams: While specific lab names are not mentioned, his projects suggest leadership in a research group focused on smart grid technologies, AI-enabled power system security, and renewable integration at Istanbul Technical University.
Abdallah Houcheimi is a researcher at Åbo Akademi University's School of Business and Economics within the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. His work focuses on critical e-commerce mechanisms and emerging market digitalization challenges. His research expertise centers on online retailing ecosystems , with particular emphasis on: Secure payment system design and consumer trust dynamics Product information architecture for conversion optimization E-commerce adaptation in developing economies like Lebanon His work directly contributes to UN Sustainable Development Goals related to industry innovation and infrastructure. Analysis of his recent publications reveals an evolving research trajectory from context-specific market studies (Lebanon 2022) toward fundamental e-tailing mechanics (global payment systems and product information 2024). This progression demonstrates increasing focus on universal digital commerce frameworks applicable across diverse regulatory and cultural environments. Houcheimi actively publishes in peer-reviewed venues including the Journal of Organizational Computing and Electronic Commerce and WorldCIST proceedings, with multiple open-access publications showing significant download metrics (70+ for payment systems paper). His collaborative work with J. Mezei indicates established research partnerships in information systems.
Jordi Perelló Muntan is an Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Architecture at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC), Barcelona, Spain, where he is also affiliated with the Escola Tècnica Superior d'Enginyeria de Telecomunicació de Barcelona (ETSETB). He is a member of the Broadband Communications Systems and Architectures (CBA) and IDEAI-UPC research groups, focusing on advanced optical and future internet networking technologies. Research Interests: His research spans telecommunications networks, optical fiber and optical networking, resource optimization, network architectures, and the Future Internet. He investigates performance optimization in 5G transport networks, Spatial Division Multiplexing (SDM), Recursive Inter-Network Architecture (RINA), elastic optical networks, and cognitive networking. His work integrates SDN, network virtualization, and green networking principles for scalable and efficient infrastructures. Publication Trends: His recent publications focus on probabilistic constellation shaping in multicore fiber networks, cognitive strategies for optical margin reduction, RINA-based QoS assurance, and migration planning toward spectrally-spatially flexible optical networks. These reflect a strong trend toward intelligent, adaptive, and energy-efficient network design for future communication systems. Scientific Awards: Co-recipient of the 2020 Fabio Neri Best Paper Award Runner-up (Elsevier Journal of Optical Switching and Networking) Co-recipient of the ONDM 2021 Best Paper Award Co-recipient of the 2019 IEEE Communications Society Charles Kao Award Co-recipient of the ONDM 2012 Best Student Paper Award Advising and Grants: He has advised multiple PhD students on topics including RINA, optical network planning, and virtual provisioning. He has led or participated in major European (H2020, FP7) and national (PID, TEC) research projects such as SLICENET, PRISTINE, TRAINER, and ALLIANCE, focusing on 5G, RINA, and sustainable network infrastructures. Labs and Teams: He is an active member of the CBA research group at UPC, contributing to experimental and theoretical advancements in optical and programmable networks. His team collaborates internationally on testbed development and standardization efforts in next-generation networking.
Suyi Li is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Virginia Tech's College of Engineering, where he leads the Dynamic and Architected Robot and structurE (DARE) Lab. Previously, he served as an Assistant Professor at Clemson University from 2016-2022 after completing postdoctoral research at the University of Michigan. Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (2014) M.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University (2008) B.S. Summa Cum Laude in Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (2006) Dr. Li's research focuses on pioneering new paradigms of intelligent robots and functional structures by exploiting the interplay between geometry, mechanics, actuation, and computation. His work spans origami-inspired morphing structures, physically computing materials that perform machine learning tasks without traditional electronics, and soft/reconfigurable robots that can move like animals or grow like plants. His innovative approach combines mechanical engineering principles with computational thinking to create systems with 'mechano-intelligence'. Analysis of Dr. Li's recent publications reveals a strong trajectory toward embodied intelligence and mechanical computing, where physical structures themselves perform computational tasks. His work increasingly integrates origami/kirigami principles with advanced materials to create systems that can sense, process information, and actuate without conventional electronics. The research shows progression from fundamental mechanics of adaptive structures to sophisticated applications in robotics and computing. Dean's Awards of Excellence – Faculty Fellow, Virginia Tech (2024) C.D. Mote Jr Early Career Award, ASME Design Engineering Division (2022) Gary Anderson Early Achievement Award, ASME Aerospace Division (2021) Junior Researcher of the Year Award, College of Engineering, Clemson University (2020) CECAS Dean's Faculty Fellow, Clemson University (2018) CAREER Award, National Science Foundation (2018) ASME Freudenstein Young Investigator Award Dr. Li has secured nearly two million dollars in research funding, including the prestigious NSF CAREER award and an NSF EFRI project to build mechano-bio hybrid reservoir computers. He advises multiple Ph.D. and Master's students in the DARE Lab, with recent successes including Vishrut Deshpande's Ph.D. defense. His research has generated close to 80 journal and conference papers, demonstrating significant impact in the fields of adaptive structures and materials systems. Dr. Li also serves on editorial boards for several prominent journals including Journal of Intelligent Material Systems and Structures and Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A. The DARE Lab at Virginia Tech comprises a multidisciplinary team of researchers working on origami-inspired meta-structures, physically computing materials, and soft robotics. Current projects include developing electronics-free crawling robots with mechanical central pattern generators, creating kirigami-based wearable medical devices, and engineering metamaterials with programmable mechanical properties. The lab actively collaborates with institutions across the country and has received recognition for its innovative approaches to combining mechanical design with computational capabilities.
