Michael Lepech is a Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Senior Fellow at the Woods Institute for the Environment at Stanford University. His research focuses on integrating sustainability into civil engineering through quantitative assessment and multi-scale modeling, particularly via the Sustainable Integrated Materials, Structures, Systems (SIMSS) framework. He also leads the Stanford Center at the Incheon Global Campus (SCIGC) in South Korea, exploring smart city technologies for urban sustainability. Education : PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering (2006), MBA in Finance and Strategy (2008) from the University of Michigan. Research Areas : Sustainable infrastructure design, biopolymer composites, life cycle assessment, digital twinning, smart city technologies, and multi-physics deterioration modeling. Leadership : Director of SCIGC, advancing research on smart and sustainable urban environments in Songdo, South Korea. His recent publications focus on biopolymer-bound composites, traffic signal optimization, and life cycle sustainability analysis. He has received recognition as a Senior Fellow at Stanford’s Woods Institute for environmental research.
Hamsa Bastani is an Associate Professor of Operations, Information and Decisions at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, with a secondary appointment in Statistics and Data Science. She co-directs the Wharton Healthcare Analytics Lab and serves as an Associate Editor for Operations Research, M&SOM and OR Letters. Her academic journey began with summa cum laude graduation from Harvard in 2012 with an A.M. in physics and A.B. in physics and mathematics. She completed her PhD in Stanford's Electrical Engineering department under Mohsen Bayati, followed by a Herman Goldstine postdoctoral fellowship at IBM Research. Professor Bastani's research focuses on developing novel machine learning algorithms for data-driven decision-making, with applications spanning healthcare operations, social good, and revenue management. Her work demonstrates particular expertise in sequential decision-making (bandits, reinforcement learning), learning from auxiliary data sources (transfer learning, meta-learning), and designing effective human-AI interfaces (interpretability, fairness). She has made significant contributions to understanding how AI systems affect and augment human behavior, with the goal of designing AI tools that help humans thrive. Her publications reveal a strong trend toward high-impact applications of machine learning in critical societal domains. A significant portion of her recent work focuses on healthcare applications, including optimizing health supply chains in low- and middle-income countries, designing clinical trial protocols, and creating targeted public health interventions. Another major theme examines the complex relationship between humans and AI systems, particularly how AI affects learning outcomes and decision-making processes. Her work frequently bridges theoretical advances with practical implementation, as evidenced by country-scale deployments in Greece and Sierra Leone. Wagner Prize for Excellence in Operations Research Practice (2021) Pierskalla Award for Best Paper in Healthcare (2021, 2019, 2016) Behavioral OM Best Paper Award (2021) Public Sector in OR Best Paper Award (2024) INFORMS Data Mining Best Paper Award (2022) Wharton Teaching Excellence Award (2019, 2020, 2021) Professor Bastani has advised numerous PhD students who have gone on to prominent positions, including Pia Ramchandani (Director of Responsible AI at PwC), Arielle Anderer (Assistant Professor at Cornell Johnson), and Kan Xu (Assistant Professor at ASU Carey). Her research has been supported by collaborations with national governments, including the Greek government where she co-designed Eva, the national-scale reinforcement learning system for targeted COVID-19 testing, and the Government of Sierra Leone where she improved patient access to essential medicines by nearly 20% via decision-aware learning. She has also conducted the first large field study deploying generative AI tutors in high school math classes. She leads the Wharton Healthcare Analytics Lab and serves on the Steering Committee for the Penn Center for Health Incentives and Behavioral Economics and on the statistics advisory committee for the AHA Food is Medicine Initiative. Outside academia, she serves on the Workday AI Advisory Board, demonstrating her commitment to translating academic research into practical applications.
Professor Dinusha Mendis is a leading academic in Intellectual Property and Innovation Law at Bournemouth University, where she serves as Director of the Centre for Intellectual Property Policy and Management (CIPPM). Her expertise bridges copyright law with emerging technologies like 3D printing, AI, blockchain, and the Metaverse, informed by extensive research and consultation with entities such as the European Parliament, UKIPO, and corporations like HP and Chanel. She holds a PhD from Edinburgh University and has authored seminal works on the intersection of technology and IP. BSc in Law from Aberdeen University LLM and PhD from Edinburgh University Called to the Bar of England and Wales Her research focuses on copyright challenges in immersive environments , AI-generated content regulation , and blockchain/NFTs . She led major studies for the European Commission and UKIPO , including the first peer-reviewed work on 3D printing and IP. Her 2019 co-edited book with Stanford and QUT scholars established foundational frameworks for additive manufacturing legal analysis. Recent publications highlight AI copyright disputes (2024 The Conversation ), NFT legal ambiguities (2022), and pandemic-era 3D printing (2020). Trends show increasing emphasis on decentralized IP systems and machine learning's impact on creative industries . Scientific Awards & Grants JSPS Visiting Professorship (2023) Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation Grant (2024) EU Commission Research Funding (2020) AHRC Grant for 3D Jewellery Study (2017) As a PhD supervisor, she mentors researchers on AI copyright (Benjamin White), crypto-art (Bahar Dagli), and music creation law (Elizabeth Bailey). She contributes to global IP policy through the World Economic Forum's Metaverse Governance Team and EU IPR Enforcement Projects .
Jon M. Peha is a Full Professor in the Department of Engineering and Public Policy and the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University's College of Engineering. He serves as Founder and Director of the Center for Executive Education in Technology Policy (CEE-TP) and maintains affiliations with the CyLab Security and Privacy Institute and the Information Networking Institute. His career uniquely bridges government service (as FCC Chief Technologist, White House OSTP Assistant Director, and congressional advisor), industry leadership (as CTO for three tech startups), and academic research. Education: Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, Stanford University (1991) M.S. in Electrical Engineering, Stanford University (1986) B.S. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Brown University (1984) Peha's research spans the technical and policy dimensions of information networks, with particular focus on spectrum management, broadband Internet architecture, wireless communications, cybersecurity, and communications for emergency response. His work integrates engineering principles with economic and regulatory analysis to address real-world challenges in telecommunications infrastructure. Current projects examine connected vehicle communications, spectrum sharing models, and consumer-centric broadband labeling systems that emerged from his large-scale user studies. His research publications demonstrate consistent leadership in both technical innovation and policy analysis, with recent work addressing satellite interference mitigation, V2X communications, and pandemic-era internet performance. The breadth of his scholarship reflects his unique position at the intersection of engineering practice and policy formulation. Scientific Awards: IEEE Fellow AAAS Fellow FCC Excellence in Engineering Award IEEE Communications Society TCCN Publication Award Brown Engineering Medal AAAS Featured Science and Technology Policy Fellow (40@40) Peha actively engages with policymakers through congressional testimony, FCC consultation, and White House advisory roles. His government service has directly informed his academic work on spectrum policy, network neutrality, and public safety communications. He has supervised numerous graduate students across EPP, ECE, and INI programs, with research spanning vehicular networks, spectrum sharing, and emergency communications systems. As Director of CEE-TP, he leads executive education initiatives that bridge technical expertise and policy decision-making. His work with CyLab focuses on cybersecurity and privacy challenges in broadband systems and connected vehicles. Current projects include developing cost-effective spectrum sharing models for intelligent transportation systems and analyzing the economic implications of multi-network access architectures in 5G networks.
Ashley Cordes (Coquille/KōKwel) serves as an Assistant Professor of Indigenous Media in Environmental Studies and Data Science at the University of Oregon's College of Arts and Sciences. She is also a recent American Council of Learned Societies Fellow whose research bridges Indigenous science and technology studies, digital media, and environmental/place-based studies. Her educational background includes a PhD in Media Studies with an outside area in Native American Studies from the University of Oregon (2019), an MA in Communication from Hawaii Pacific University (2012), and a BA in Communication with a Journalism Certificate from Loyola Marymount University (2010). Cordes' research centers on how Indigenous culture and technology producers leverage digital media, emerging technologies, and discourse to advance Tribal sovereignty, cultural revitalization, and the resurgence of Indigenous knowledge systems. Her work specifically examines AI, blockchain, and cryptocurrency through Indigenous epistemologies, challenging dominant narratives about technological progress and financial systems. She has published in journals such as Cultural Studies >Critical Methodologies , Journal of International and Intercultural Communication , and Feminist Media Studies , and is the author of Indigenous Currencies: Leaving Some for the Rest in the Digital Age (MIT Press). Her recent publications reveal a consistent focus on decolonial approaches to technology, with particular attention to Indigenous data sovereignty, environmental justice, and alternative economic systems. The trajectory of her work shows increasing engagement with AI ethics from Indigenous perspectives, culminating in her contributions to the Indigenous Protocol and Artificial Intelligence position paper. American Council of Learned Societies Fellow Contributor to Indigenous Protocols and Artificial Intelligence Working Group Cordes actively mentors doctoral students in Indigenous digital media and participates in multiple research collectives including Abundant Intelligences, CHoRUS Network (focusing on ethical data gathering in Indigenous contexts), Indigenous Protocols and Artificial Intelligence, and the Climate Resilience Taskforce. Her community-engaged work includes the Storying on the Coquille River project, which addresses climate change impacts on salmon populations through digital humanities approaches. She maintains strong connections to her Coquille Nation community, serving on the Climate Resilience Taskforce and as Chair of the Culture and Education Committee, ensuring her academic work remains grounded in community needs and Indigenous knowledge systems.
Magnus Liebherr is a Professor at the University of Duisburg-Essen , focusing on Technology Acceptance , Artificial Intelligence , and Sustainable Transportation . His work bridges Business Administration with Human-Computer Interaction , exploring how users adapt to emerging technologies like autonomous vehicles and AI systems. Key research areas include: Acceptance of AI applications in mobility Business model development for climate-neutral transportation Cognitive and psychological factors in technology interaction Digital media effects on adolescent well-being Trust calibration in automated systems His recent publications examine Large Language Model dependency , gamified language learning , and mental workload metrics for autonomous vehicles. While no formal awards are listed, his interdisciplinary work spans psychology , engineering , and business strategy .
Prof. Dr. Rudi Zagst is a Professor of Mathematical Finance at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), where he serves as Head of the Department of Mathematical Finance within the TUM School of Computation, Information and Technology. He has held this position since 2001 and is actively involved in teaching, research, and academic leadership. In 2003, he was appointed as a second member of the Faculty of Economics, and since 2004, he has served as Deputy Chairman of the joint elite degree program 'Finance & Information Management' of the University of Augsburg and TUM. Prof. Zagst earned his doctorate in business mathematics from the University of Ulm, where he later completed his habilitation in 2000. His academic journey began with a professional career at HypoVereinsbank AG, where he served as Head of Product Development in Institutional Investment Management before becoming Managing Director of RiskLab GmbH in 1997. His research focuses primarily on financial engineering, risk management, and asset management, with particular emphasis on portfolio optimization, mathematical finance, and quantitative risk management. His work bridges theoretical finance with practical applications, often incorporating advanced mathematical techniques to solve complex financial problems. Recent publications demonstrate his continued interest in GARCH models, portfolio optimization under various constraints, and the application of machine learning techniques to financial problems. Analysis of his recent publications (2024-2025) reveals a strong focus on portfolio optimization under complex market conditions, particularly using GARCH models to capture volatility dynamics. His work increasingly incorporates machine learning techniques (as seen in the credit spread analysis paper) while maintaining rigorous mathematical foundations. Many papers explore the intersection of theoretical finance with practical investment strategies, reflecting his commitment to bridging academic research with real-world financial applications. Professor of the Year 2007 (awarded by Unicum Profession magazine) Prof. Zagst has supervised numerous bachelor's, master's, and doctoral theses through TUM's Finance and Actuarial Science research group. His collaborative work with industry partners through the TUM CAIR Labs and RiskFactory demonstrates strong connections between academic research and practical financial applications. He has received research funding through various industry partnerships with major financial institutions including Allianz, Munich Re, and ERGO Group AG. Prof. Zagst leads the Research Group Finance and Actuarial Science at TUM, which includes Professors Matthias Scherer, Aleksey Min, and Christoph Knochenhauer. The group maintains strong industry connections through the TUM CAIR Labs initiative, collaborating with over 25 financial institutions including Allianz, Munich Re, Deloitte, PwC, and KPMG. Their RiskFactory laboratory serves as a bridge between academic research and practical financial risk management applications in the industry.
Prof. Dr. ir. BJ (Jeroen) de Kloet is a Professor of Globalisation Studies and Director of the Amsterdam Centre for Globalisation Studies (ACGS) at the University of Amsterdam 's Faculty of Humanities, Department of Media Studies. He has held visiting positions at institutions including Hong Kong Baptist University and has been actively involved in international academic collaborations across Asia and Europe. Key Research Areas: Globalization, Chinese cinema, urban studies, postcolonial theory, cultural politics Awards: Member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) in Social Sciences and Humanities (2023) Teaching: Engages in critical reflection on academic labor through seminars like 'How to survive the university?' His recent publications explore topics such as platformization, digital intimacies, and the politics of heritage-making. He has presented at major conferences in Venice, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Taipei, focusing on the intersection of creativity, control, and urban transformation.
Susan Powers is a Professor of Civil & Environmental Engineering at Clarkson University, where she also serves as the Spence Professor of Sustainable Environmental Systems, Director of the Institute for a Sustainable Environment, and Associate Director of Sustainability. She earned her Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering from the University of Michigan in 1992. Research Interests: Dr. Powers specializes in lifecycle assessment and environmental impact metrics for energy systems, with recent interdisciplinary work on anaerobic digestion for food waste management and smart housing to encourage energy conservation. Her educational research integrates project-based learning to enhance energy and climate change literacy across K-12 and college levels. Scientific Awards: AEESP Distinguished Service Award (2019) AEESP Fellow (2019) Spirit of Entrepreneurship Award (2012) Premier Curriculum Award for K-12 Engineering (2009) NSF Directors Award – Distinguished Teaching Scholar (2004) Grants & Educational Leadership: Dr. Powers has led multiple education-oriented grants, including the NSF Distinguished Teaching Scholars award, to develop project-based modules for sustainability education. She actively incorporates campus sustainability initiatives into student projects to teach real-world environmental problem-solving.
Nancy E. Glass, PhD, MPH, MS, RN, FAAN, is a Professor and Associate Director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Global Health, while holding the Independence Chair in Nursing Education at the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing. She specializes in clinical and community-based intervention research targeting gender-based violence (GBV) and health equity globally. Global Health Expertise: Focuses on improving safety and economic security for women in humanitarian settings, particularly addressing GBV in Somalia, South Sudan, and Kenya. Technological Innovation: Develops mHealth tools like the MyPlan app for abuse intervention and collaborates on ASIST-GBV screening methods. Research Focus: Dr. Glass leads federally funded projects (NICHD, NIMHD, CDC, etc.) to challenge social norms sustaining violence against women and enhance healthcare systems' responses to GBV through partnerships and mHealth technologies. Scientific Awards: 2017 Independence Chair in Nursing Education 2015 Edith Moore Copeland Award 2014 PathPaver Award 2009 Fellow, American Academy of Nursing 2007 Linda Saltzman New Investigator Award Dr. Glass mentors colleagues and students globally, partnering with community organizations and experts to address health, safety, and economic disparities for women and families.
Nicolò Cesa-Bianchi is a Professor of Computer Science at the University of Milan, where he serves as head of the Computer Science programs. He is also associated with the Department of Electronics, Information and Bioengineering (DEIB) at Politecnico di Milano. Cesa-Bianchi holds significant leadership roles including Board member, Fellow and co-director of the Milan unit of the European Laboratory for Learning and Intelligent Systems (ELLIS), and membership in the prestigious Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei. He is also involved with The European Lighthouse on Secure and Safe AI (ELSA), The European Lighthouse of AI for Sustainability (ELIAS), and The FAIR foundation. Professor Cesa-Bianchi's research focuses on the theoretical foundations of machine learning, with special emphasis on sequential decision making and online learning algorithms. His work spans multiple areas including multi-armed bandit problems, regret analysis, prediction with expert advice, and learning on graphs. He has made significant contributions to understanding the theoretical limits of learning algorithms and developing efficient methods for various learning scenarios. His research has important applications in online markets, social networks, and bioinformatics. His monographs 'Prediction, Learning, and Games' and 'Regret Analysis of Stochastic and Nonstochastic Multi-armed Bandit Problems' are considered seminal works in the field. His recent publications demonstrate continued leadership in advancing the theoretical understanding of machine learning, with 2024-2025 papers covering cooperative online learning, multitask learning, fair trade mechanisms, and refined analyses of bandit algorithms. The research shows increasing focus on practical economic applications while maintaining strong theoretical foundations. Google Research Award Xerox Foundation UAC Award Member of the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei ELLIS Fellow Cesa-Bianchi has been deeply involved in academic service, having served as action editor for the Machine Learning Journal, IEEE Transactions on Information Theory, and the Journal of Machine Learning Research. He currently serves as associate editor for the Journal of Information and Inference and TheoretiCS. He has held leadership positions including President of the Association for Computational Learning and member of the steering committee for the EC-funded Network of Excellence PASCAL2. He was program chair of the 13th Annual Conference on Computational Learning Theory and the 13th International Conference on Algorithmic Learning Theory. He leads the Laboratory for AI and Learning Algorithms (ALGA) at the University of Milan, which focuses on theoretical and applied research in machine learning. His international collaborations are extensive, with visiting positions at UC Santa Cruz, Graz Technical University, Ecole Normale Supérieure in Paris, Google, and Microsoft Research. As an educator, he teaches advanced courses including Reinforcement Learning and Statistical Methods for Machine Learning, and has supervised numerous students through the years.
Andrew Green serves as Professor and Metcalf Chair in Environmental Law at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law, where he teaches environmental law, climate change law, administrative law, natural resources law, judicial decision-making, and international trade. His scholarly contributions span multiple legal domains with particular emphasis on the intersection of environmental regulation and administrative governance. Green's research interests encompass Environmental Law , Administrative Law , Climate Change Policy , Judicial Decision-Making , and International Trade Law . His empirical approach to legal scholarship has produced significant insights into how judges make decisions, particularly in administrative contexts, and how trade rules interact with domestic environmental regulations. His work often bridges theoretical legal analysis with practical policy implications. His recent publications reveal a strong focus on Canadian climate policy implementation, judicial behavior in high courts, and the evolving standards of review in administrative law. The research demonstrates increasing interdisciplinary integration, incorporating machine learning approaches to analyze judicial decisions and examining the systemic challenges in environmental governance. His scholarship consistently addresses the tension between regulatory effectiveness and legal accountability. Metcalf Chair in Environmental Law Past co-President of the Society for Empirical Legal Studies Past President of the Canadian Law and Economics Association Former Associate Dean at the Faculty of Law Chair of the University of Toronto Academic Appeals Committee (2009-2018) Before joining the Faculty of Law, Green practiced environmental law in Toronto for six years, handling both litigation (including prosecutions, administrative appeals, and civil actions) and transactional work. His practical experience informs his scholarly work on regulatory design and implementation. His research has influenced policy discussions on climate change, securities regulation, and administrative law reform in Canada.
Anthony Niblett is a Professor and Canada Research Chair in Law, Economics, & Innovation at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law. He is an Affiliate Researcher with the Vector Institute for Artificial Intelligence and co-founder of Blue J, a startup leveraging AI for tax and legal professionals. Education: Ph.D. in Economics, Harvard University (2009) M.A. in Economics, Harvard University (2006) LL.B. (Honours), University of Melbourne (2003) B.Com. (Honours in Economics), University of Melbourne (2003) Bigelow Fellow, University of Chicago His research bridges artificial intelligence , innovation , and legal theory , with a focus on contract law , competition policy , and judicial behavior . He explores how machine learning transforms legal practice, regulatory frameworks, and judicial decisions. His work includes self-driving contracts , computational antitrust , and the personalization of law . Recent publications analyze AI’s role in legal disagreement , gender gaps in employment law , and computational merger reviews . His articles emphasize the intersection of technology , economics , and legal reform . Scientific Awards: Canada Research Chair in Law, Economics, & Innovation Bigelow Fellow, University of Chicago He serves as an Academic Advisor at the Future of Law Lab and contributes to Blue J , advancing AI applications in legal domains. His teaching includes Contract Law , Torts , and Economic Analysis of Law .
Dr. Zhifu Mi is a Professor of Climate Change Economics at the Bartlett School of Sustainable Construction , University College London. His research focuses on carbon footprint analysis, climate change economics, air pollution and health, sharing economy sustainability, and input-output modeling. He has published extensively in top journals like Nature Sustainability , Lancet , and Science Advances . Co-Editor-in-Chief, Structural Change and Economic Dynamics (2020–present) Executive Editor, Journal of Cleaner Production (2019–present) President, Chinese Economic Association (UK/Europe) Council Member, International Input-Output Association Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society His research explores: Carbon Footprints: Economic development and emission convergence in Chinese households Climate-Health Linkages: Air pollution impacts, ultra-low emission policies Sharing Economy: Sustainable societies through shared micro-mobility Policy Analysis: Synergies between environmental regulations Recent publications analyze decarbonization employment gaps, polycentric urban structures, and health-environment policy intersections. Awards include the World Sustainability Award (2018), multiple Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher honors, and UCL's Outstanding Research Supervision Award (2022). He teaches modules on construction economics and input-output analysis.
Stephan Schmidt is an Associate Professor at Cornell University's College of Architecture, Art and Planning, affiliated with the Department of City and Regional Planning. His research bridges urban spatial patterns, planning institutions, and sustainability outcomes across Europe, sub-Saharan Africa, and China. Education: PhD in Urban Planning from Rutgers University MS in Landscape Architecture from the University of Washington His work examines: land-use policy evolution in Europe; urbanization dynamics in African cities; and polycentricity trends in Chinese metropolises. Recent studies focus on climate risk mitigation through urban form, including urban heat island effects and air pollution in German regions. Key trends in his 2024-2022 publications: comparative analysis of polycentric urban systems; GIS-based spatial pattern evaluation; and institutional impacts on sustainable development. Awards include Cornell's Global Strategic Collaboration Award and German Academic Exchange Service grants. Scientific Awards: Cornell Global Strategic Collaboration Award (2024) Cornell Center for Social Sciences Accelerated Research Grant (2024) German Academic Exchange Service (2019) Advising includes mentoring graduate students like Juan Fernandez, Justin Peng, and Hassan Yakubu on projects analyzing urban morphology. His lab investigates intersections between spatial patterns and environmental outcomes, including climate change adaptation in Tanzanian cities and park fragmentation in German metropolises.
