Nicholas Evans is Distinguished Professor of Linguistics and Director of the ARC Centre of Excellence for the Dynamics of Language (CoEDL) at the Australian National University’s School of Culture, History & Language. His work bridges fieldwork-based language documentation with theoretical questions in typology, cultural evolution, and social cognition. Focus on endangered Australian and Papuan languages Director of ARC Laureate Project on 'The Wellsprings of Linguistic Diversity' Co-leader of SCOPIC (Social Cognition Parallax Corpus) study Collaborator in global linguistic diversity initiatives His research explores how micro-level community multilingualism shapes macro-level linguistic diversity, with fieldwork spanning seven years in remote Indigenous communities. Recent projects include PARABANK (paradigm syncretism analysis) and Southern New Guinea language studies, particularly Nen and Yam family languages. Scientific recognition includes the Ken Hale Award (Linguistic Society of America), Anneliese Maier Forschungspreis, and fellowships in the Australian Academy of Humanities, Australian Social Sciences Academy, and the British Academy.
Marlyse Baptista is the President's Distinguished Professor of Linguistics at the University of Pennsylvania, Department of Linguistics. She is affiliated with the School of Arts & Sciences and MindCore initiative. Her research focuses on language contact, creolization processes, bilingualism, and experimental methods in creole studies. Baptista leads the Language Contact and Cognition Lab, previously known as the Cognition, Convergence and Language Emergence (CCLE) group at the University of Michigan. Education includes a PhD in Linguistics (Harvard, 1997), MA degrees from Harvard and the Université de Bordeaux III, and extensive training in multilingual education. Her work bridges generative syntax with experimental approaches, including artificial language learning to study language convergence. Key themes include the cognitive underpinnings of creole formation, bidirectional influences in Cape Verdean Creole, and the role of congruence in language acquisition. Research highlights include studies on Cape Verdean Creole's grammatical properties, genetic-linguistic admixture correlations, and pedagogical resources for creole language education. Recent projects explore experimental validation of creole genesis theories through multilingual acquisition studies. Scientific Awards: President's Distinguished Professorship (University of Pennsylvania) Labs/Teams: Language Contact and Cognition Lab, MindCore Grants/Projects: MULTI Project (creole language educational resources), NSF-funded studies on creole genesis mechanisms Baptista's work emphasizes interdisciplinary approaches, integrating syntax theory, psycholinguistics, and sociolinguistics to address foundational questions in contact linguistics and creolistics.
Jessica Straley is an Associate Professor in the Department of English at the University of Utah, where she has served since 2005 (Visiting Assistant Professor 2005-2007, Assistant Professor 2007-2016, Associate Professor 2016-present). She holds a PhD in English from Stanford University, an MA in Literature, Culture, and Modernity from Queen Mary and Westfield College, University of London, and a BA in English from Cornell University. Education: PhD, English - Stanford University MA, Literature, Culture, and Modernity - Queen Mary and Westfield College BA, English - Cornell University Her research focuses on intersections between Victorian literature, children's literature, animal studies, disability studies, and ecocriticism. She explores how literary imagination interacts with scientific and moral discourses, particularly in 19th-century contexts. Recent publications analyze feral child narratives, zoo representations, and evolutionary theory in children's texts. Her work bridges historical literary analysis with contemporary critical frameworks like disability rights and environmental ethics. Scientific Awards: Faculty Fellowship Award (University Research Council, 2017) Ramona W. Cannon Award for Teaching Excellence (2016) Tanner Humanities Center Fellowship (2016) University Research Committee Faculty Fellowship (2011) Newberry Library Short-Term Library Research Fellowship (2008) She teaches courses in 19th-Century British Literature, Intellectual Movements, and Honors Thesis/Project supervision. Her external grant (Animal Testing URC, 2017-2018) demonstrates institutional support for her interdisciplinary work.
Mark Post is a Senior Lecturer and Honours Coordinator in the Discipline of Linguistics at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, The University of Sydney. He also serves as Deputy Head of School (Humanities) and is affiliated with the China Studies Centre, Sydney Southeast Asia Centre, and The Vere Gordon Childe Centre. His educational background includes a BA Hons from Wesleyan University, an MA from the University of Oregon, and a PhD from La Trobe University. Dr. Post's research focuses on describing and explaining the typologies and relationships among Greater Mainland Southeast Asian and Himalayan languages. His descriptive work relies exclusively on primary field data, with interests in improving fieldwork methodologies. He approaches linguistic explanation from a functional-diachronic perspective, viewing language as a dynamic process whose structures emerge from patterns of discourse and interaction. His extensive publication record reveals a strong focus on Eastern Himalayan languages, particularly Tani languages, with research spanning linguistic typology, historical linguistics, and language documentation. Key themes include classifiers, deixis, applicatives, and the ethnolinguistic prehistory of the Eastern Himalaya across more than 50 publications since 2004. His notable recognition includes: 2011 Recipient of the Association for Linguistic Typology's Pāṇini Award Dr. Post has supervised research students including Chintan SHETH on ethno-linguistic prehistory in the Eastern Himalaya. His grant history includes significant projects such as 'Pseudo grains and adaptiveness in the Eastern Himalayas' (ARC, 2023), 'Center for Cultural Linguistic Diversity - Eastern Himalayas' (Firebird Foundation, 2022), and 'A Documentation of the Upper Belt variety of Minyong (Adi)' (Endangered Languages Documentation Programme). He is a life member of the Galo Language Development Committee (Arunachal Pradesh, India) and actively participates in the Association for Linguistic Typology, Australian Linguistic Society, and North East Indian Linguistics Society.
Katerina Fragkiadaki is the JPMorgan Chase Associate Professor of Computer Science in the Machine Learning Department at Carnegie Mellon University. She works at the intersection of Artificial Intelligence, Computer Vision, Machine Learning, Language Understanding, and Robotics. PhD from GRASP Lab, University of Pennsylvania Postdoctoral researcher at UC Berkeley (with Jitendra Malik) and Google Research Recipient of NSF CAREER, DARPA Young Investigator, Amazon, Google, Sony, UPMC, and AFOSR awards Organizer of CoRL 2023 Workshop on Generalist Robots ICLR 2024 Program Chair, multiple area chair roles Her research group focuses on developing machines that autonomously improve world models through human-environment interactions, with specific emphasis on: Representation learning and video understanding 2D/3D unified vision-language models Generative simulation and reinforcement learning Real2Sim/Sim2Real robot learning Continual learning and spatial common sense 3D scene reconstruction and dynamics Recent publications highlight advancements in: 3D mesh generation with compositional transformers Unified 2D/3D perception frameworks Physics-aware generative models Diffusion-based robotic manipulation policies Embodied agents with memory prompting Awards include: 2024: DARPA Young Investigator Award 2023: Amazon Faculty Award 2022: Sony Faculty Research Award 2021: UPMC Faculty Research Award 2020: NSF CAREER Award 2019: Google Faculty Award Key collaborations span institutions including UC Berkeley, Google Research, Stanford, MIT, and University of Tsukuba. Her work bridges theoretical innovation with practical applications in: Autonomous robot manipulation 4D world modeling Language-grounded perception Visual dynamics prediction Embodied program synthesis Physics-based simulation engines
Harris H. Wang is an Associate Professor in the Department of Systems Biology and Department of Pathology and Cell Biology at Columbia University's Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, where he also serves as Interim Chair of Systems Biology. He is affiliated with the Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics (C2B2) and the Integrated Program in Cellular, Molecular and Biomedical Studies (CMBS). B.S., Physics and Mathematics, MIT Ph.D., Biophysics, Harvard University Dr. Wang's research lies at the intersection of systems and synthetic biology, focusing on developing foundational technologies for genome engineering, microbiome manipulation, and synthetic genomics. His lab pioneers methods such as MAGE, MAGIC, CAST, and CAMII to enable high-throughput genetic manipulation, in situ microbiome engineering, and AI-driven microbial culturomics. Key research themes include understanding microbial community dynamics, engineering cellular memory systems, designing biocontained genetic circuits, and applying synthetic biology to human health challenges in personalized medicine and infectious disease. His recent publications reveal a strong trend in spatial and functional metagenomics, CRISPR-based microbiome editing, and synthetic biology tools for data storage and genetic stability. The articles span high-impact journals like Nature , Science , and Nature Biotechnology , reflecting his leadership in developing scalable, programmable biological systems. Scientific Awards: NIH Director’s Early Independence Award Forbes 30 Under 30 in Science Sloan Research Fellowship NSF CAREER Award ONR Young Investigator Award Burroughs Wellcome Fund PATH Award Schaefer Scholar Blavatnik National Award Vilcek Prize PECASE Dr. Wang has advised numerous PhD and postdoctoral researchers, many of whom have gone on to independent scientific careers. His lab is supported by major grants from NIH, NSF, DARPA, DOE, and foundations including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and CZ Biohub NY. He is actively involved in educational initiatives, including organizing Columbia’s iGEM team and the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Synthetic Biology course. The Wang Lab is based at the Columbia University Irving Medical Center and is part of national consortia such as the Engineering Biology Research Consortium (EBRC) and the Genome Project-Write (GP-Write) initiative. The lab develops and applies cutting-edge technologies in automation, machine learning, and synthetic biology to engineer microbiomes for applications in medicine, global health, and climate change.
Sham Kakade is the Rampell Family Professor of Computer Science and Professor of Statistics at Harvard University, co-director of the Kempner Institute. His research focuses on advancing artificial general intelligence through foundational work in reinforcement learning, large-scale learning systems, and autonomous agent architectures. He earned his PhD in 2003 from the Gatsby Computational Neuroscience Unit at University College London. His work emphasizes scalable optimization algorithms, distributed systems for foundation models, and understanding emergent capabilities in neural architectures. Research interests include full-stack training pipelines for foundation models, mathematical principles of large-scale learning systems, and bridging language models with embodied intelligence. He advises prospective students with backgrounds in applied deep learning or theoretical computer science, offering access to the Kempner Institute's computational resources. He serves on committees for the ACM Prize in Computing and Sloan Research Fellowships, co-organizes the Simons Symposium on Theoretical Machine Learning, and chaired COLT 2011. His lab works at the intersection of theory and practice, addressing challenges in AI's societal impact and technical scalability. Labs/Teams: Co-directs the Kempner Institute, fostering collaborations between AI researchers and social scientists. Active in Harvard's SEAS community.
California Institute of Technology (Caltech)United States
Richard M. Murray is the Thomas E. and Doris Everhart Professor of Control and Dynamical Systems and Bioengineering at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). He holds a B.S. from Caltech (1985), M.S. from UC Berkeley (1988), and Ph.D. from UC Berkeley (1990). He has served in academic roles from Assistant Professor (1991–1997) to his current endowed professorship. He chaired the Engineering and Applied Science division (2000–2005) and Biology and Biological Engineering (2020–2024). His research focuses on feedback control in biological and autonomous systems, synthetic cells, and networked control systems. Collaborators include experts in robotics, synthetic biology, and systems biology. Key awards include the IEEE Control Systems Award and election to the National Academy of Engineering. His educational contributions span courses on control systems, robotics, and bioengineering. Current research projects include the Developer Cell initiative (Sloan Foundation), layered testing for autonomous systems (AFOSR), and microbiome-based environmental solutions (CHARMME, ARO). He advises numerous graduate students and postdocs, with notable alumni in academia and industry. Labs include facilities in Keck and Steele laboratories at Caltech. His work bridges control theory, synthetic biology, and autonomous systems to address societal challenges like environmental monitoring and safe autonomy.
Nicolas Mathevon is a Professor at the University of Saint-Etienne and a Senior Member of the Institut universitaire de France (IUF). His research focuses on bioacoustics and animal communication, spanning from marine mammals to birds. He has held visiting positions at Hunter College (City University of New York) and the University of California, Berkeley. Education Habilitation à diriger les Recherches (2002, University of Saint-Etienne) PhD (1996, University of Lyon 1) Master's Degree (ranked 2nd, University of Lyon 1) Agrégation in Life and Earth Sciences (ranked 8th) Mathevon's research explores how animals use sound for social interactions, mate selection, and environmental adaptation. His work bridges bioacoustics, neuroethology, and behavioral ecology, with a focus on decoding vocal signals' complexity. His publications cover diverse topics including animal soundscapes, vocal memory in seals, and neural encoding of communication calls. The articles highlight interdisciplinary approaches combining neuroscience, behavioral studies, and acoustic signal analysis. Scientific Awards Prose Award for Excellence in Biological and Life Sciences, AAP (2024) Chevalier des Palmes Académiques (2017) IUF Senior Member (2015-present) IUF Junior Member (2005-2010) Mathevon has supervised 17 PhD students, 10 postdocs, and contributed to public outreach through media, documentaries, and public lectures. He leads the International Master of Bioacoustics program and serves as President of the International BioAcoustic Society.
Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding ResearchGermany
Adam Runions is a researcher in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Calgary, leading the MPG Partner Group in computational analysis of leaf development through collaborative work with Miltos Tsiantis. His group is embedded in the Graphics Cluster, focusing on interdisciplinary problems at the intersection of computer science and developmental biology. University of Calgary - Department of Computer Science MPG Partner Group (2022) Graphics Cluster affiliation His research explores computational modeling and analysis of plant form and development across multiple scales, integrating geometric modeling, physically-based simulation, and computer-aided design. Key themes include plant morphogenesis, self-organization of natural forms, and cross-disciplinary applications in computer graphics and animation. Recent publications emphasize plant development (leaf shape, bark patterning), mathematical modeling (auxin-driven patterning), and geometric techniques (subdivision surfaces, PUPs). Collaborations span institutions like the Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research. Scientific Awards Marie Sklodowska-Curie Fellowship Best Paper Award (International Conference on Cyberworlds 2015) Best Student Paper Award (Computer Graphics International 2011) The group actively recruits BSc, MSc, and PhD students with backgrounds in computer science and mathematics for projects on plant form simulation and digital content creation. Research integrates evolutionary biology, biomechanical modeling, and computational techniques.
Jiaxuan You is an Assistant Professor at the Siebel School of Computing and Data Science, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, leading the U Lab focused on achieving Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) in digital environments. His research spans graph neural networks (GNNs), relational data, foundation models, and machine learning systems. PhD and MS in Computer Science from Stanford University (2021) Developed GraphGym and PyTorch Geometric (PyG) for graph learning Core member at Kumo AI (2021-2023) His research explores: Graph-enhanced LLMs: Integrating relational structures into foundation models AGI Development: Self-optimizing AI agents and tool utilization ML Systems: Scalable architectures and redundancy-free computation Interdisciplinary Applications: Financial networks, crop yield prediction, and metro systems Recent publications focus on temporal reasoning, multi-agent dynamics, and hybrid architectures for LLMs. He actively develops open-source tools like DBGYM and GraphRouter. Scientific recognition includes: JPMC PhD Fellowship Baidu Scholarship Best Student Paper at AAAI 2017 World Bank Big Data Innovation Challenge winner He mentors PhD and intern students, emphasizing machine learning systems expertise. His lab collaborates on AGI workshops (e.g., ICLR 2024) and industry projects.
University of California , Santa Barbara (UCSB)United States
Megan Valentine is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), affiliated with the College of Engineering. She leads an interdisciplinary research group focused on biological and bioinspired materials, investigating how forces are generated and transmitted in living systems to design responsive synthetic materials. Her work bridges engineering, physics, chemistry, and biology. Education: PhD in Physics from Harvard University, MS in Physics from the University of Pennsylvania, and BS in Physics from Lehigh University. Affiliations include the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI), Materials Research Laboratory (MRL), Neuroscience Research Institute, and the Center for Stem Cell Biology and Engineering. Research interests span soft material mechanics, bioengineering, and systems biology, with applications in marine-inspired materials, mechanobiology, and soft robotics. Her lab employs advanced experimental techniques to study biophysical and biochemical mechanisms in living systems and translate them into engineered materials capable of self-healing, movement, and environmental responsiveness. Notable awards include the NSF Early CAREER Award, Fulbright Scholarship, and election as Fellow of the American Physical Society and American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering. Her contributions emphasize creativity, collaboration, and diversity, with a focus on addressing societal challenges through interdisciplinary innovation.
Osman Yağan is a Research Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), with affiliate faculty status in the School of Computer Science. He is also a core member of CyLab Security and Privacy Institute. Prior to joining CMU in 2013, he was a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at CyLab. He holds a Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Maryland (2011) and a B.S. from Middle East Technical University (2007). His research focuses on modeling, analysis, and optimization of computing systems, leveraging applied probability, network science, data science, and machine learning. Key areas include multi-armed bandits, resilient machine learning, contagion processes in networks, and cybersecurity. Research Interests include Machine Learning, Data Science, Network Science, Cybersecurity, and Robustness in Cyber-Physical Systems. He has advised numerous students, including current PhD candidates Yurun Tian, Orkun İrsoy, and Ishank Juneja, as well as notable alumni such as Mansi Sood (now at MIT) and Jun Zhao (Assistant Professor at Nanyang Technological University). Key Awards include the CIT Dean's Early Career Fellowship, IBM Academic Award, and Best Paper Awards at ICC 2021, IPSN 2022, and ASONAM 2023. His work spans theoretical contributions (e.g., contagion models in multi-layer networks) and applied research (e.g., mitigating cascading failures in power systems). He leads or co-leads grants from ONR, NSF, and ARO, focusing on resilient machine learning, network robustness, and pandemic modeling.
Kazuhiro Saitou is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Michigan, affiliated with the College of Engineering. His research focuses on computational design synthesis, topology optimization, and manufacturing process integration. He leads the Algorithmic Synthesis Laboratory (ASL), advancing algorithms for automated design and optimization of mechanical systems. Education: Ph.D. (1996), MIT; M.S. (1992), MIT; B.Eng. (1990), University of Tokyo. He has held tenured positions since 1997, including roles as Founding CEO of Comnext, Inc. (2007–2012) and visiting professorships at École Centrale Paris and Donghua University. Research interests include multi-material topology optimization (M^3 TO), AI-driven design, and sustainable manufacturing. Key projects address additive manufacturing, composite structures, and energy-efficient production systems. He has pioneered methods for manufacturability-driven design and assembly optimization. Notable awards include IEEE Fellow (2018), ASME Kos-Ishii Award (2015), and NSF CAREER Award (1999). He serves as Editor-in-Chief for IEEE Transactions on Automation Science and Engineering and holds leadership roles in ASME and IEEE societies. Teaching includes courses on design optimization, CAD, and global product development. His lab has advised over 30 students, with alumni in academia and industry. Current research explores biomechanical modeling, traffic flow optimization, and medical image registration algorithms.
Laurie Shannon is the Franklyn Bliss Snyder Professor of English at Northwestern University, with a J.D. from Harvard Law School and a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago. She studies English literature and culture in the long sixteenth century, focusing on the history of ideas in language, stakeholdership, embodiment, and cross-species relations. She serves as convener of The Anne Lister Society and is collaborating with Oxford University Press on a scholarly edition of Anne Lister’s Journal. Education: J.D., Harvard Law School; Ph.D., University of Chicago Shannon’s research explores the political imagination in early modern literature, particularly through friendship (Sovereign Amity: Figures of Friendship in Shakespearean Contexts) and animal studies (The Accommodated Animal: Cosmopolity in Shakespearean Locales). Her current monograph, 'Frailty’s Name: Shakespeare and the Natural History of Human Being,' examines human negative exceptionalism in Renaissance thought and its implications for climate crisis ethics. Her publications span Shakespeare studies, queer theory, environmental humanities, and textual editing. Notable awards include the Elizabeth Dietz Memorial Award, Robert B. Cox Teaching Award, and Dean’s Award for Graduate Mentoring. She has held NEH, ACLS, and Guggenheim fellowships. Scientific Awards: Elizabeth Dietz Memorial Award, Robert B. Cox Distinguished Undergraduate Teaching Award, Dean's Award for Graduate Mentoring, NEH Fellowship, ACLS Fellowship, Guggenheim Fellowship Shannon contributes to the Anne Lister Diary Transcription Project and has served as English Department Chair at Northwestern. Her recent articles focus on Shakespeare’s engagement with natural history, queer cosmology, and animal sovereignty, reflecting her interdisciplinary approach.
