Susan Fino is a Professor at the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Wayne State University. Her research focuses on public law, American constitutional law, administrative law, and the role of state supreme courts. She holds a B.A. from Johns Hopkins University, an M.A. and Ph.D. from Rutgers University. She has received the President's Award for Excellence in Teaching. Her courses include American Government (PS1010) and Constitutional Law (PS5110/PS5120), taught across multiple terms from 2023 to 2025. Dr. Fino's research explores judicial federalism, state constitutional frameworks, and legal interpretations of rights. Her work analyzes topics like church-state relations, taxation provisions in state constitutions, and assisted suicide debates. She has written extensively on state supreme court dynamics, including landmark cases and institutional performance metrics. Her scholarship bridges legal theory with practical governance challenges at both state and federal levels. Her publications span over three decades, addressing evolving legal landscapes such as the Rehnquist Court’s federalism approach and technological impacts on criminal sentencing. She consistently engages with issues at the intersection of law, politics, and societal values.
Sakari Melander is a Professor at the Faculty of Law , University of Helsinki, specializing in Criminal Law , with a focus on constitutionalization, Europeanization, and sentencing policies. His work bridges theoretical criminal law with practical legislative and policy challenges. Key research areas include EU criminal law, constitutional constraints on criminal legislation, and general doctrines of criminal law. He has extensive experience in parliamentary legal consultation, providing expert opinions to Finland’s Legislative Committees (e.g., on immigration control, anti-corruption directives, and digital evidence handling). Recent publications address topics like EU corporate sanction policies, constitutionalization of criminal law, and reforms in Finnish sentencing systems. His 2025 article in the New Journal of European Criminal Law explores balancing administrative and criminal sanctions in the EU. Scientific awards include: Hilkka ja Otto Brusiin Foundation Thesis Prize (2001) Magister Bonus – Good Teacher Award (2014) Primustohtori Award (2010) Year’s Teacher (2010) Year’s Opponent (2008) He leads research projects such as Criminal Law Under Pressure: Differentiation and Harmonization (2012-2015) and Assessment of Human Trafficking Sanction Practices (2021-2022), and supervises doctoral theses on criminal law topics.
Catherine Anne Brown is a Professor at the Faculty of Law, University of Calgary with extensive international experience, having held visiting professorships at Stanford University (as a Fulbright Fellow), University of Toronto, UCLA, McGeorge School of Law, and Whittier Law School. Her expertise spans taxation, international trade law, and estate planning across multiple jurisdictions. Her research focuses on the critical intersection of tax and trade agreements, particularly how non-discrimination principles operate within services trade frameworks. Current work examines tax treaty mechanisms for addressing discriminatory practices in cross-border commerce, building on her 2017 monograph "Tax Discrimination and Trade in Services". She actively explores evolving regulatory challenges in digital services taxation and international compliance. Professor Brown's scholarship demonstrates consistent engagement with practical legal applications, bridging academic theory and professional practice through textbooks, treatises, and policy-oriented analyses. Her publications reveal progressive specialization in tax-trade interfaces while maintaining foundational contributions to estate planning education. Her distinguished career has been recognized through: Lifetime Achievement Award (Canadian Tax Foundation, 2017) Doug Sherbaniuk Award for Distinguished Writing (Canadian Tax Foundation, 2014) Award for Distinguished Service in Legal Scholarship (Law Society of Alberta/Canadian Bar Association, 2011) Widdifield Award for estate planning scholarship (2006, 2012) Induction into the International Academy of Estate and Trust Law (2012) As an educator, she directed the Business Clinical program until 2014, providing practical training in business law applications. She maintains active professional engagement through appointments to the NAFTA Chapter 19 roster (2018), STEP Canada's Public Policy Committee (2016), and the Canada Revenue Agency's Offshore Compliance Advisory Committee (2016), while serving on the Legal Education Society of Alberta's Board of Directors.
Dr. Rajesh Sharma is an Associate Professor in the School of Global, Urban and Social Studies (GUSS) at RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia. He specializes in Dispute Resolution, Investment Arbitration, and International Trade Law. His research focuses on arbitration laws in Asia, WTO-related issues, and mediation innovations. He holds a PhD in Law from China's Chinese University of Political Science and Law, complemented by degrees from Monash University and the University of Delhi. Dr. Sharma has advised governments and transnational companies on trade policies and has conducted trainings in over 20 countries. He is a winner of the ADR Teacher Award 2022 in Australia. His professional roles include: Associate Editor of the Manchester Journal of International Economic Law Editorial Board member of China and WTO Review and Asia-Pacific Mediation Journal Member of ICC Australia National Committee and Singapore Convention preparation He has designed unique moot competitions, including the Asia-Pacific Vis Pre Moot, promoting disability inclusion in legal advocacy. His current projects include a book comparing China-India investment laws and commentary on the Singapore Convention. Dr. Sharma's service engagements include roles as Panel Arbitrator for the Shanghai Arbitration Commission and leadership in organizations like the Hong Kong Basic Law Education Association.
Sarah Shirazyan is a Lecturer in Law at Stanford Law School , where she designed the Interpol-Stanford Policy Lab. She also serves as Director and Head of Meta's GenAI Product Policy work, overseeing responsible AI development across Meta's platforms. Doctor of Juridical Sciences (J.S.D.) from Stanford Law School LL.M. from SOAS/UCL, University of London Her research focuses on the intersection of national security , public policy , and international law , particularly examining: Effectiveness of UN Security Council responses to WMD terrorism Framework for regional organization collaboration in WMD prevention Platform content policy development and misinformation governance Responsible AI implementation under legal frameworks Key publication themes include: Platform algorithmic accountability Media capture in digital domains Content policy development during crises UN Security Council institutional limitations Regional organization synergies in security Recipient of Gerald J. Lieberman Award for research, teaching, and community service Professional affiliations: Stanford Law School Stanford Center for International Security and Cooperation (CISAC) INTERPOL European Court of Human Rights Council of Europe United Nations
Ardalan Vahidi is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Clemson University, joining in 2005 after receiving his Ph.D. from the University of Michigan. His research focuses on optimal control, energy-efficient mobility, connected and automated vehicles, and human bioenergetics during exercise. Education: Ph.D. Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, 2005 M.Sc. Transportation Safety, George Washington University, 2001 M.Sc. Structural Engineering, Sharif University of Technology, 1998 B.Sc. Civil Engineering, Sharif University of Technology, 1996 Research Interests: His work integrates control theory with transportation systems to reduce energy use and emissions. He explores eco-driving algorithms, vehicle connectivity, and human factors in cycling performance, leveraging both modeling and extensive vehicle-in-the-loop experimentation. Publications Trend: Recent articles emphasize validated experiments on energy-efficient automated driving, cyclist fatigue modeling, and cooperative control strategies, demonstrating a shift toward cyber-physical validation and interdisciplinary sports science applications. Scientific Awards: Best Paper Award, Road User Measurement and Evaluation Committee, TRB 2024 2nd Best Paper Award, IEEE International Automated Vehicle Validation Conference 2023 ASME Automotive and Transportation Systems Best Paper Award 2020 & 2018 IFAC Young Author Award 2019 Advising & Grants: He mentors numerous graduate researchers and postdocs; prospective students are directed to an online form for open positions. His research has been supported by NSF, DOE, DOT, and industry partners, although specific grant details are not listed here. Labs & Teams: He leads the Clemson Vehicle & Energy Systems Laboratory, conducting vehicle-in-the-loop experiments and collaborating with interdisciplinary teams across mechanical engineering, transportation, and sports science.
Bruce Schneier is a Lecturer in Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School and a Fellow at the Berkman-Klein Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University. His work focuses on cybersecurity, privacy, and the societal implications of technology. Schneier holds adjunct roles at Inrupt, Inc., and serves on the boards of the Electronic Frontier Foundation and AccessNow. He is a leading voice on AI ethics, data protection, and government surveillance. Education and professional background are not explicitly detailed in the text, though his academic and industry roles indicate extensive expertise in security and public policy. Research interests include the balance between security and privacy, AI governance, and the impact of technology on democracy. His influential writings, including 14 books and hundreds of articles, explore topics like encryption, AI risks, and cyber threats. Recent work emphasizes AI’s societal challenges, such as job displacement, legislative drafting, and election integrity. He has testified before Congress and advised on federal cybersecurity policies. Awards include his fellowship at the Berkman-Klein Center. Schneier collaborates frequently with Nathan Sanders and others on AI-related projects, advocating for transparent and accountable technological development. His advocacy spans academic, corporate, and governmental sectors, emphasizing the need for ethical frameworks in emerging technologies.
Glenn Tiffert is a Distinguished Research Fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution, specializing in modern Chinese history and contemporary US-China relations. He co-chairs Hoover's program on the US, China, and the World and leads Stanford's participation in the NSF SECURE program, a $67 million initiative authorized by the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022. Tiffert is a historian of modern China with expertise in the political and legal history of the People's Republic of China. His research focuses on the construction of China's court system and judiciary, the drafting of the 1954 PRC Constitution, and the suppressed genealogy of the rule of law in China. He has pioneered the integration of computational methods into Chinese historical studies and is currently completing the first archival study in any language of the takeover and reconstitution of a Chinese state organ (the courts) by the Chinese Communist Party. His recent publications reveal a strong trend toward analyzing China's global influence operations, research security challenges, and technological competition between the US and China. Tiffert's work increasingly addresses how authoritarian regimes exploit vulnerabilities in open knowledge ecosystems, particularly examining China's 'sharp power' projection and efforts to reshape global narratives. Co-chairs the Hoover project on China's Global Sharp Power Executive committee member of the Academic Security and Counter-Exploitation Program Participant in multiple Hoover research teams including Taiwan in the Indo-Pacific Region and Semiconductors security working group Testified before the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence on Chinese malign influence operations Tiffert collaborates extensively with government and civil society partners worldwide to document and build resilience against authoritarian interference with democratic institutions. His work spans academic research, policy development, and public education on the security and integrity of knowledge ecosystems, particularly academic, corporate, and government research.
Pamela Ferguson is a Professor at Dundee Law School, University of Dundee, United Kingdom. She holds the Chair in Scots Law since 2000, with prior roles as Senior Lecturer (1995-1999) and Lecturer (1989-1995). Her career began in the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (1986-1989), followed by roles as an examiner and committee member for the Law Society of Scotland. Education: Doctor of Laws (PhD) from University of Dundee (1994), LLB with First Class Honours from University of Glasgow (1985). Her research focuses on Criminal Law , Criminal Procedure , and Healthcare Law , with notable work on medical liability, clinical trials ethics, and Scots criminal justice reforms. She authored the Draft Criminal Code for Scotland with Commentary (2003) and co-authored Scots Criminal Law: A Critical Analysis (2014). Recent publications highlight trends in Scottish criminal procedure , eyewitness identification , and medical injury compensation . Her scientific awards include the 2023 Chancellor’s Award for Teaching and the 1985 Dr John MacCormick Prize. Scientific Awards: Chancellor’s Award for Outstanding Contributions to Teaching (2023) Joint winner of the Dr John MacCormick Prize (1985) Professor Ferguson supervises PhD and Masters students in criminal justice , healthcare law , and comparative criminal law. She has served as an external examiner at multiple UK universities and contributed to law reform committees.
Autumn M. Womack is an Associate Professor in the Department of African American Studies and the Department of English at Princeton University. Her work bridges literary scholarship, archival research, and curatorial practice, with a focus on 19th- and 20th-century African American literary culture. She teaches courses on African American literature, race and media, and Toni Morrison’s creative process, often incorporating the Toni Morrison Papers housed at Princeton University Library. Her research centers on the intersections of literature, visual technologies, and archival practice. She is particularly interested in how material evidence—such as photographs, letters, and manuscript drafts—reveals new dimensions of black life and aesthetic production. Her pedagogy emphasizes critical engagement with primary sources, encouraging students to let archival objects guide their inquiry rather than imposing preconceived theses. Womack’s recent publications and projects reflect a strong focus on African American literary history, data and racial representation, and the creative process of major writers like Toni Morrison and Charles Chesnutt. Her work spans archival exhibitions, scholarly monographs, critical editions, and public-facing essays in venues like The Paris Review , Los Angeles Review of Books , and The Times Literary Supplement . Modern Language Association’s William Sanders Scarborough Prize (2022) Shortlisted for the Modernist Studies Association’s First Book Prize She has advised numerous students through her courses and research supervision, though specific names are not listed. Her curatorial leadership of the exhibition Toni Morrison: Sites of Memory exemplifies her commitment to public scholarship and interdisciplinary collaboration. She is currently working on a book titled The Wanderer , exploring Morrison’s creative process, and co-editing a volume on Morrison and Black archival practice with Kinohi Nishikawa. Womack’s lab or research team includes graduate students and collaborators engaged in archival research, literary analysis, and curatorial projects centered on the Toni Morrison Papers. Her future work continues to expand the understanding of black literary life through material culture and narrative innovation.
Özlem Gürses is Professor of Commercial Law at The Dickson Poon School of Law, King's College London. She previously taught at Norwich and Southampton Law Schools and holds law degrees from the University of Istanbul, an LLM in Maritime Law (with distinction) from the University of Southampton, and a PhD in Law from the same institution. She is a leading scholar in insurance and reinsurance law, with a focus on marine, compulsory, and emerging risk insurance. Her research interests include: Insurance and reinsurance law Marine and non-marine insurance Compulsory motor vehicle insurance Insurance of offshore installations and commercial risks Artificial intelligence in insurance contracts Her recent publications analyze business interruption insurance during the pandemic, public-private partnerships in reinsurance, subrogation immunity, and the legal treatment of emerging risks. She is the sole author of key texts such as The Law of Compulsory Motor Vehicle Insurance (2019), Marine Insurance Law (3rd ed, 2023), and Reinsuring Clauses (2nd ed, 2025), and has edited major reference works including the Edward Elgar Research Handbook on Marine Insurance Law (2024). She is actively involved in the legal academic community: Member of the Presidential Council, International Insurance Law Association (AIDA) Chair, Reinsurance Working Party of AIDA Vice-Chair, British Insurance Law Association Committee Professor Gürses teaches insurance law at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels and currently supervises four PhD students. She also lectures internationally in Germany, Singapore, China, Greece, and Italy. She has organized academic conferences and participates in research on the intersection of law, technology, and sustainability.
Chinasa T. Okolo is a Research Fellow in the Governance Studies program and Center for Technology Innovation (CTI) at the Brookings Institution. A recent computer science PhD graduate from Cornell University, she focuses on AI governance, data policy, and equity issues in artificial intelligence, particularly as they relate to the Global Majority and Africa. B.A. in Computer Science from Pomona College M.S. in Computer Science from Cornell University Ph.D. in Computer Science from Cornell University Dr. Okolo's research critically examines global equity in AI, with a focus on how African governments can develop robust AI and data governance frameworks. She investigates the geopolitical impacts of AI in the Majority World and analyzes datafication and algorithmic marginalization in Africa. Her work incorporates ethnographic methods to understand how frontline health care workers in rural settings perceive and value AI, with particular emphasis on explainability in AI-enabled technologies deployed throughout the Majority World. She has conducted significant research on the effective adoption of AI in Africa, COVID-19 misinformation spread on social networks within African communities, and the impact of generative AI within Africa. Her recent publications explore cultural encoding of gender bias in language models for African languages, AI safety governance approaches in Southeast Asia, and the impacts of generative AI within Africa. Her work spans the intersection of artificial intelligence, international development, and social justice, with publications at top-tier venues including ACM's CHI, CSCW, COMPASS, EAAMO, and FAccT conferences. Scientific Awards Named one of TIME's top 100 most influential people in AI of 2024 Honored in the inaugural Forbes '30 Under 30' AI list Recognized as one of 100 Brilliant Women in AI Ethics™ Dr. Okolo has received research funding from the Social Science Research Council, MacArthur Foundation, McGovern Foundation, Kapor Center, National GEM Consortium, Oracle Corporation, North American Network Operators' Group (NANOG), National Science Foundation (NSF), and Google. She serves as editor-in-chief of ACM SIGCAS Computers and Society, is a Scientific Advisory Committee member of the Global Index on Responsible AI, and an inaugural member of the Partnership on AI's SAIGE Council. She has contributed to global AI governance efforts including serving as a consulting expert on the African Union AU-AI Continental Strategy, an expert contributing writer to the International AI Safety Report, and a drafting member of the Nigerian Federal Government's National AI Strategy. She also participates in the IEEE Standards Association working group on algorithmic bias and is a member of the ACM US Technology Policy Committee. As founder of Technēculturǎ, Dr. Okolo leads initiatives focused on critically examining global equity in AI. She recently launched the 'AI Safety and the Global Majority' series at Brookings, convening experts from Africa, the Caribbean, Latin America, Oceania, and Southeast Asia to counter Western-centric assumptions in AI safety. She is actively engaged in current policy discussions, with her most recent work including 'AI Safety Governance, The Southeast Asian Way' report and upcoming participation in the AI Safety Asia launch event on August 28, 2025.
Parminder Jeet Singh is a Lecturer and serves as Executive Director of IT for Change, an organization focusing on digital equity and policy. His work bridges technology and societal development in areas like internet governance, e-governance, and the digital economy. Global roles: Special Advisor to the UN's Internet Governance Forum (IGF) and UN Global Alliance for ICTD. Contributions: Co-coordinated the Internet Governance Caucus, a key civil society group, and participated in UN working groups on IGF improvements and internet policy cooperation. Advocacy: Founded the Just Net Coalition and Internet Rights and Principles Coalition, and contributed to drafting India’s e-commerce policy. No formal academic publications or awards are explicitly listed in the provided text.
David Hoffman is the William A. Schnader Professor of Law at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School. His research focuses on contract law, combining interdisciplinary approaches with empirical evidence. He previously taught at Temple Law School (2005–2017) and practiced at Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP. Hoffman holds a JD from Harvard Law School and a BA in Archaeology and History from Yale University. Education: JD, Harvard Law School BA in Archaeology and History, Yale University Research Interests: Hoffman explores form contracts, blockchain transactions, AI applications in legal interpretation, and the societal impacts of contractual practices. His work on residential leases led to the Philadelphia Fair Lease Project with students. Recent projects include analyzing non-disclosure clauses and the effects of evictions linked to court delays. Key Contributions: Model lease development for Philadelphia Studies on form contracts' societal costs Analysis of arbitration clauses in consumer agreements Blockchain transactional frameworks Awards: Harvey Levin Teaching Award (2018) Temple Law Outstanding Professor Award (2013) Advising & Grants: Advised on NFL concussion litigation (MDL-2323) and National Opioid Settlements. Collaborates frequently with students on empirical legal projects. Active in public commentary on contract law via media and Twitter. Labs/Teams: Leads interdisciplinary research teams at Penn Carey Law, focusing on contract law reform and technology integration.
Judith Fauth is a researcher at the Technical University of Munich's Chair of Computing in Civil and Building Engineering, where she pioneers digital transformation in building permit processes through Building Information Modeling (BIM) and digital twin technologies. Her work bridges civil engineering, computer science, and public policy to streamline regulatory compliance across international contexts. Her research expertise spans Building Permit Processes , Digital Building Permits , Ontology Engineering , and Process Modeling , with emphasis on developing standardized frameworks for global permit system benchmarking. She investigates how semantic technologies and digital twins can automate regulatory compliance while accommodating regional variations in construction law and administrative practices. Analysis of her 2023-2025 publications reveals three dominant trends: (1) integration of digital building permits with digital building logbooks for lifecycle data management, (2) development of ontologies like OBPA for automated permit reviews, and (3) creation of taxonomies and process models (e.g., PACE-BP framework) enabling cross-national comparisons of permit systems. This work increasingly incorporates sustainability metrics and stakeholder-specific KPIs. Within TUM's research infrastructure, Dr. Fauth contributes to the BIM Lab and Digital Twinning research groups, collaborating on projects involving Gaia-X-based data frameworks and semantic modeling of the built environment. She teaches practical software development skills through the SoftwareLab course, preparing engineering students for digital construction workflows.
