Dr. Jeewanie Jayasinghe Arachchige is a Lecturer in the Department of Computer Science at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Faculty of Science. She teaches undergraduate courses including Bachelor Project Computer Science, Professional Development, and Software Engineering Processes for the academic year 2024–2025. Her research focuses on process mining , healthcare informatics , and data security . She applies process mining to analyze healthcare pathways and subpopulation treatment variations, develops explainable AI frameworks for predictive analytics, and examines data governance in emerging architectures like Data Lakehouses. Her work intersects legal informatics, particularly formalizing Sri Lankan civil court processes using ontology engineering. Recent publications highlight trends in balancing simplicity and complexity in process modeling, Industry 4.0 healthcare applications, and cybersecurity in model-driven web development. She has contributed to over 20 peer-reviewed articles since 2006, spanning topics from service-oriented architectures to value network analysis. Her teaching and research emphasize practical applications of IT in healthcare, legal systems, and enterprise environments. No ancillary activities are currently recorded.
Prof. Dr. Pinar Yolum Birbil is a leading researcher in Responsible AI at the Faculty of Science , Utrecht University . Her work bridges Artificial Intelligence , Privacy and Data Protection , and Software Agents , focusing on Human-Centered AI and Trustworthy Systems . She is part of the AI & Data Science and Responsible AI research groups. PhD in Computer Science, North Carolina State University (2003) MS in Computer Science, North Carolina State University (2000) BSc in Computer Engineering, Marmara University (1998) Her research explores Privacy Preservation in collaborative systems, Computational Theory of Mind for human-agent coordination, and Norm-Based AI Systems . Recent projects include the Hybrid Intelligence Center and tools like PANOLA for privacy support. She investigates how AI can balance user autonomy , ethical norms , and societal values in applications ranging from urban planning to healthcare. Her scientific publications (2023-2025) span topics like Explainable Privacy , Trust in Hybrid Teams , and AI for Diabetes Management , appearing in venues such as JAIR , AAMAS , and ACM TOIT . She emphasizes collaborative AI , with contributions to multiagent simulations and privacy-preserving mechanisms . Scientific Awards : NC State University Alumni Hall of Fame (2017) Woman Entrepreneur of the Year (Microsoft Turkey & KAGIDER, 2017) Bogazici University Academic Encouragement Award (multiple years) Best Paper Award at ESAW 2009 She supervises a dynamic research group with PhD students working on Hybrid Intelligence , Computational Ethics , and Privacy Modeling . Her projects often involve interdisciplinary collaboration with institutions like TNO and the Transforming Cities Hub .
Thomas Bäck is a Professor at the Leiden Institute of Advanced Computer Science (LIACS) , Leiden University , Netherlands, and a member of the interdisciplinary programme Society, Artificial Intelligence and Life Sciences (SAILS) . His academic career spans roles at Leiden University (1996–present) and leadership positions at the Center for Applied Systems Analysis in Dortmund (1994–2000). Education : Diplom-Informatiker (Computer Science), Technische Universität Dortmund (1990) Dr. rer. nat. (Computer Science), Technische Universität Dortmund (1994) Research Interests : Dr. Bäck specializes in evolutionary computation , machine learning , and their applications in sustainable smart industry and healthcare . Recent work focuses on integrating large language models (LLMs) and quantum computing into optimization frameworks, with projects like CIMPLO (predictive maintenance), ECOLE (experience-based optimization), and SAPPAO (airline operations optimization). Scientific Contributions : His 526+ publications cover evolutionary algorithms, quantum optimization, and LLM-driven design, with recent trends including: Quantum computing (e.g., quantum approximate optimization, quantum advantage challenges) LLM integration (e.g., hyperparameter tuning, mutation control, code evolution graphs) Healthcare and industry (e.g., predictive maintenance, anomaly detection, melt quality prediction) Algorithm benchmarking (e.g., IOHprofiler, MA-BBOB, explainable benchmarking) Scientific Awards : IEEE Fellow (2022) Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) member (2021) Academia Europaea member (2022) IEEE Computational Intelligence Society Evolutionary Computation Pioneer Award (2015) Fellow, International Society of Genetic and Evolutionary Computation (2003) Best Ph.D. thesis award, German Society of Computer Science (GI) (1995) Advising and Grants : He supervises Ph.D. candidates in evolutionary computation and machine learning and has secured 7 major grants from organizations like the Dutch Research Council , European Commission , and The Research Council of Norway . His editorial roles include Editor-in-Chief of the Evolutionary Computation Journal and associate editorships in leading AI journals.
Mannes Poel is a researcher specializing in Datamanagement & Biometrics with a focus on applied machine learning. His work spans healthcare analytics, sensor technology optimization, and meta-learning frameworks for missing data. ORCID: 0000-0002-3813-9732 Active Domains : Artificial Intelligence, Medical Predictive Modeling, Industrial Sensor Analytics Collaboration Network : Interdisciplinary work with institutions in healthcare (e.g., Diagnostics journal) and engineering (e.g., IEEE MEMS conference) Scientific Achievements : Best paper award at Intetain 2107 (2017) Research Trends : His recent publications (2024-2025) emphasize explainable AI for missing data in clinical contexts and machine learning-enhanced sensor systems for industrial fluid dynamics. These works combine traditional ML with real-time data processing and cross-domain model adaptation.
Professor Vedran Dunjko is a faculty member at the Leiden Institute of Advanced Computer Science (LIACS), Leiden University, with affiliations to the Leiden Institute of Physics (LION). He leads the Applied Quantum Algorithms group and co-founded the Quantum@LIACS initiative, focusing on the intersection of quantum computing, machine learning, and artificial intelligence. His research interests include quantum machine learning, quantum-enhanced reinforcement learning, quantum heuristics, and the application of AI to quantum computing challenges. Dunjko's work bridges theoretical foundations with experimental implementations on near-term quantum devices, exploring both quantum advantages in learning and the use of classical AI for quantum system design. The recent publications show a strong trend toward proving quantum advantages in learning tasks, optimization, and topological data analysis, with publications in Nature , Nature Communications , and NeurIPS . Key themes include quantum policy gradients, quantum TDA, and reinforcement learning for quantum circuit optimization. ERC Consolidator Grant (2024) PNAS Cozzarelli Prize (2018) Editor’s Suggestion in Physical Review Letters (2014, 2018) Featured in Physics (American Physical Society) (2014, 2018) Dunjko advises several PhD candidates and postdocs, including Rahul Bandyopadhyay, Sofiene Jerbi, and Lea Trenkwalder. He has received competitive grants, most notably the ERC Consolidator Grant in 2024. His group fosters international collaborations with institutions across Europe and industry partners. The Applied Quantum Algorithms group and the Quantum@LIACS team combine theoretical investigations with practical implementations on quantum hardware, focusing on scalable quantum algorithms and AI-driven quantum discovery.
Nezihe Merve Gürel is an Assistant Professor in Computer Science at Delft University of Technology (TU Delft), affiliated with the Pattern Recognition & Bioinformatics Group within the Intelligent Systems Department of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science. Her research focuses on developing robust, reliable, and efficient machine learning methods with enhanced reasoning capabilities, bridging theoretical rigor and practical applications. She emphasizes data-centric approaches to improve ML systems. Education: PhD in Computer Science from ETH Zurich, MSc from EPFL (Switzerland). Research Interests: ML robustness, reliability, reasoning, data-centric ML, federated learning, and explainable AI. Her recent work includes certified robustness for retrieval-augmented models and time-efficient learning algorithms. She has contributed to the Journal of Data-centric Machine Learning Research as an executive editor and served as a reviewer for top ML conferences (NeurIPS, ICML, ICLR). She previously held roles at IBM Research, Stanford University's Human-Centered AI Lab, and Westlake Institute for Advanced Study. Her awards include the Generation Google Scholarship and Cisco Research Funding . Scientific Awards : Generation Google Scholarship (2021) Cisco Research Center University Funding Labs & Teams : She leads research in the Pattern Recognition Laboratory at TU Delft and collaborates with international institutions like Stanford and Westlake Institute for Advanced Study.
Anna Dawid-Lekowska is an Assistant Professor at the Leiden Institute of Advanced Computer Science (LIACS) and affiliated with the Leiden Institute of Physics (LION) at Leiden University, Netherlands. She leads a research group within the aQa group, focusing on the intersection of machine learning and quantum physics. Previously, she was a Research Fellow at the Center for Computational Quantum Physics, Flatiron Institute, New York. PhD in Physics and Photonics (joint, cotutelle), University of Warsaw & ICFO, Spain MSc in Quantum Chemistry, University of Warsaw BSc in Biotechnology, University of Warsaw Anna's research centers on interpretable machine learning for scientific discovery, particularly in quantum systems. She investigates how overparametrized models generalize, the role of loss landscape flatness, and double descent phenomena. Her work bridges deep learning with quantum simulations, aiming to detect quantum phase transitions and extract physical insights from trained models. She also explores ultracold molecules and novel quantum phases using simulation platforms. Her recent publications demonstrate a strong trend in applying machine learning to automate and interpret quantum experiments, such as detecting laser cooling schemes and understanding neural network initialization. The work emphasizes interpretability, aiming to make AI a transparent scientific tool rather than a black box. Anna has received significant recognition, including: 2022 FNP START laureate Participant in the 2024 Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting She is actively mentoring and expanding her group, currently recruiting PhD students and postdoctoral researchers. Her work is supported by institutional affiliations with leading research centers and collaborations across Europe and the US. Anna also engages in science communication and education, having lectured at the Nordita Winter School on Machine Learning and Physics. She is involved in the aQa research group, which focuses on quantum algorithms and AI, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration between computer science and physics. Her lab integrates theoretical modeling, algorithm development, and applications to quantum experiments.
George Vosselman is a Full Professor at the University of Twente, Faculty of Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation (ITC), specializing in Geo-Information Extraction with Sensor Systems. Educated with honours at Delft University of Technology (1986) and PhD in Photogrammetry from Rheinische Friedrich Wilhelms University of Bonn (1991), he has held academic roles at the University of Stuttgart, University of Washington, and Delft University of Technology (1993–2004). Since 2004, he has been a key figure at ITC, serving as department head (2012–2018, 2023–). Education: Delft University of Technology (BSc with honours, 1986), Rheinische Friedrich Wilhelms University of Bonn (PhD with honours, 1991) His research focuses on leveraging sensor technology advancements for large-scale geo-information production. Key expertise includes quality analysis of laser altimetry data, point cloud segmentation/classification, 3D building/road modeling, and model-driven imagery analysis. He has published over 220 papers and co-edited the textbook Airborne and Terrestrial Laser Scanning (2010). Recent work integrates deep learning with geospatial data, addressing semantic segmentation, visual question answering, and drone-based mapping. Recent publications (2025–2023) highlight trends in deep learning for remote sensing , including multimodal question answering benchmarks (HRVQA), vectorized building extraction (RoIPoly), latent diffusion for road modeling (LDPoly), and drone obstacle avoidance systems. His work bridges photogrammetry , computer vision , and robotic mapping , with applications in urban planning, disaster management, and informal settlement monitoring. Scientific Awards : Hansa Luftbild (1993), ISPRS Otto von Gruber (2000), Schwidefsky Medal (2012), Karl Kraus Medal (2012), ASPRS Fairchild Award (2015), ISPRS Fellow (2020) As an educator, Vosselman has taught photogrammetry, remote sensing, and laser scanning at Delft University of Technology and globally. He chaired the ITC Examination Board (2015–2023) and modernized geo-information education in Asia/Africa. His software for point cloud processing is commercialized in Europe, and he currently leads ISPRS working groups on point cloud methodologies. Labs/teams include the Earth Observation Science Chair Group at ITC, collaborating on UAV-based datasets (UAVid, UAVPal) and indoor laser scanning systems. Recent activities (2025) involve invited talks on pulse matching limitations in laser scanning and deep learning for point cloud classification.
Anna Vilanova is a Full Professor in Visual Analytics at the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e), and is associated with the Electrical Engineering department's Signal Processing Systems. Previously, she served as Associate Professor at TU Delft (2013-2019) and Assistant Professor at TU/e (2002-2013). Her research focuses on Visual Analytics for high-dimensional data , explainable AI , and biomedical applications including Diffusion Weighted Imaging, 4D Flow, and Pangenomics. Education: Doctorate in Computer Graphics & Visualization (2001) Master in Computer Science (1997), Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya Research Highlights: Vilanova leads work on Visual Analytics systems for biomedical data, with recent publications in Diffusion MRI modeling , Tractography visualization , Explainable AI frameworks , and Pangenomic variant analysis . Her work bridges dimensionality reduction , uncertainty visualization , and medical imaging applications. Scientific Contributions: NWO-Veni grant (2005): "Visualization of global tensor information for diffusion tensor imaging" NWO-Aspasia grant (2013) Best Poster Award EuroVis (2025) Best Demo/Poster Awards (2022) Leadership & Service: Vilanova serves on the IEEE VIS Steering Committee , was EUROGRAPHICS President (2019-2022), and contributes to conferences like IEEE Visualization and EG-EuroVis . She co-founded the EAISI Health research initiative at TU/e.
Maarten de Rijke is a Professor at the University of Amsterdam's Informatics Institute, leading the Information Retrieval Lab (IRLab). He specializes in information retrieval, machine learning, and recommendation systems, focusing on neural ranking models, fairness, and conversational search. His work bridges theory and practice, addressing challenges in reproducibility, robustness, and ethical AI. He supervises numerous PhD students and postdocs, including recent defenses by Barrie Kersbergen, Antonis Krasakis, and Vera Provatorova. His lab collaborates internationally, organizing events like SIGIR workshops and the Search Engines Amsterdam (SEA) meetup. Key awards include the Best Reproducibility Paper Award (2025) and Best Paper at WSDM 2021. Research interests span generative retrieval, adversarial robustness, and fairness in ranking. Notable projects include the FULTR dataset, FairDiverse toolkit, and studies on empathetic conversational systems. He actively promotes open science through reproducible methodologies and community-driven benchmarks.
Remco M. Dijkman serves as Full Professor in Information Systems at Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e), chairing the Information Systems group within the Industrial Engineering and Innovation Sciences school. He additionally holds a Full Professor position at EAISI High Tech Systems and acts as research director for high-tech supply chains at the European Supply Chain Forum—a network of over 50 multinational companies. His research centers on Business Process Management with emphasis on data-driven optimization of business processes. His academic background includes both PhD and Master's degrees in Computer Science from the University of Twente. Publications span Information Systems, Computers in Industry, and Transactions on Software Engineering and Methodology, with over 100 papers and service on the editorial board of Information Systems. He has held visiting positions at New York University, Hasso Plattner Institute, IBM Zurich Research Lab, Humboldt-University Berlin, and Queensland University of Technology. Dijkman's research interests focus on detecting, diagnosing, and predicting optimal execution scenarios in business processes, developing mathematical models for quantitative process analysis , and resource assignment optimization . These are primarily applied in transportation logistics and high-tech supply chains, where he investigates data-driven predictions for transport order assignment and supply chain planning. His work bridges artificial intelligence with practical business applications. Recent publications (2024-2025) reveal concentrated efforts in deep reinforcement learning for resource allocation, process pattern discovery, and software library development (GymPN, SimPN). Key trends include predictive process monitoring for healthcare applications, event data enrichment frameworks, and uncertainty handling in logistics planning—demonstrating strong interdisciplinary integration. Scientific recognition includes: Best Demo Award (2019) Best Reviewer Award (2016) Test of Time Award (2019) He has supervised 150 students, including Lotte Vugs who received the Dow Chemical Best OML Master Thesis Award in 2020. Grant leadership spans eight projects: NXTGEN Smart Industry (2023-2030), CollChain (2023-2029), CERTIF-AI (2020-2025), FENIX (2019-2023), and DynaPlex (2021-2024), focusing on digital twins, federated networks, and AI-driven supply chain solutions. Dijkman directs the Information Systems group at TU/e and leads the European Supply Chain Forum's high-tech supply chain research. His work integrates with semiconductor manufacturing and transportation logistics through collaborations with industry partners, while his 2023 invited talks at Technical University of Munich and Humboldt University Berlin highlight his international engagement.
Gonzalo Nápoles is an Assistant Professor at Tilburg University's School of Humanities and Digital Sciences, Department of Cognitive Science and AI. He holds a Doctoral Degree in Computer Science from Rough Cognitive Networks (2014–2017). His research focuses on AI applications in cognitive modeling, pattern classification, and neural networks with interdisciplinary applications in healthcare, finance, and social sciences. Key research areas include Fuzzy Cognitive Maps, data augmentation techniques for neuroimaging, and interpretable machine learning systems. He actively contributes to UN Sustainable Development Goals related to education and innovation. Recent work explores AI ethics, financial risk assessment using dynamic networks, and sensory processing disorder analysis through neural networks. Education: Doctoral Degree in Computer Science, 2017 (Thesis: Rough Cognitive Networks) Prize-winning research includes Best Paper Awards at CIARP 2021 and IWAIPR 2023. He collaborates internationally, hosting academic visitors and serving on multiple PhD committees. Current projects involve stock prediction using graph neural networks and fMRI data augmentation methodologies. Awards: Best Paper Award - CIARP 2021 Best Paper Award - IWAIPR 2023 Nápoles advises on PhD theses in cognitive science and AI applications. His work bridges theoretical advancements with practical implementations in healthcare, finance, and urban systems.
Dr. Hamidreza Mohades Kasaei is an Associate Professor in the Department of Artificial Intelligence at the University of Groningen, Netherlands. He holds positions in both the Faculty of Science and Engineering and the Faculty of Medical Sciences/UMCG, focusing on Robotics and image-guided minimally-invasive surgery. His work bridges theoretical advances in machine learning with practical robotic applications. Dr. Kasaei's research focuses on developing algorithms for adaptive perception systems through interactive environment exploration and open-ended learning. His specific interests include 3D object perception, grasp affordance detection, object manipulation, and active perception. He has evaluated his research on various robotic platforms including PR2, UR5e, Kinova, Franka robotic arms, and humanoid robots. His work enables robots to learn from past experiences and intelligently interact with non-expert human users using data-efficient techniques. Analysis of his recent publications reveals strong trends toward increasingly sophisticated manipulation capabilities, particularly in dual-arm coordination and handling dense clutter. There's a clear progression toward integrating language models with robotic control systems, as seen in works like 'Lifelong Robot Library Learning' and 'Towards Open-World Grasping with Large Vision-Language Models.' His research consistently addresses real-world challenges in agricultural robotics, assistive technologies, and service robotics applications. Gratama Science Award (2022) Google Research Scholar Award in Machine Learning (2023) Outstanding Associate Editor for IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters (2023) Dr. Kasaei has successfully supervised multiple PhD students including Zhenxing Zhang (thesis on 'Generative Adversarial Networks for Diverse and Explainable Text-to-Image Generation') and Hamed Ayoobi (thesis on 'Explain What You See: Argumentation-Based Learning and Robotic Vision'). His research is supported by significant grants including the Google Research Scholar Award for 'Continual Robot Learning in Human-centered Environments' and various conference organization roles including workshops at RSS 2023 and NeurIPS 2022. He leads the Lifelong Interactive Robot Learning Lab (IRL-Lab), which focuses on six key research directions: Perception and Perceptual Learning, Object Grasping and Manipulation, Lifelong Interactive Robot Learning, Dual-Arm Manipulation, Dynamic Robot Motion Planning, and Exploiting Multimodality. The lab develops cutting-edge approaches for robots to learn in open-ended fashion through interaction with non-expert human users, with applications in assistive robotics for people with disabilities.
Anna Wilbik is a Professor in Data Fusion and Intelligent Interaction at the Department of Advanced Computing Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Maastricht University (The Netherlands). Her research bridges data understanding and human-machine synergy in complex systems, focusing on multi-criteria decision making, explainable AI, and data fusion techniques. PhD in Computer Science (with honors), Systems Research Institute, Polish Academy of Science (2010) Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Missouri (2011) Stanford University TOP500 Innovators Program Alumnus Research Pillars: Intelligent human-machine interaction for joint decision making Data fusion methods for heterogeneous data integration Contextualized multi-criteria decision frameworks Fuzzy logic and linguistic summaries for explainability Federated learning systems Article Trends: Recent work focuses on intuitionistic fuzzy sets for knowledge-intensive processes, federated learning with uncertainty handling, and linguistic summarization techniques for interpretable AI. She actively explores explainability , collaborative business models , and driver behavior analysis through attention-based models. Professional Leadership: Vice-chair of IEEE Fuzzy Systems Technical Committee Organizer of IEEE World Congress on Computational Intelligence (2024)
Rianne de Heide is an Assistant Professor in the Statistics group (STAT) within the Department of Applied Mathematics at the University of Twente's Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science. She maintains collaborative arrangements with LUXs Data Science in Leiden, CWI, and VU Mathematics in Amsterdam as a guest researcher while working partly remotely during her family's relocation. Her academic journey includes a previous position as Assistant Professor at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. PhD Dissertation: 'Bayesian Learning: Challenges, Limitations and Pragmatics' (2020) MSc Thesis: 'The Safe-Bayesian Lasso' (2016) De Heide's research spans multiple interconnected domains within statistics and machine learning, with particular emphasis on developing mathematically rigorous frameworks that remain accessible to diverse audiences. Her work bridges theoretical foundations with practical applications, focusing on hypothesis testing with e-values, Bayesian learning methodologies, and best-arm identification problems in multi-armed bandit settings. She demonstrates exceptional interdisciplinary range, connecting statistical theory with philosophical inquiry and even theological discussions as evidenced by her publications on biblical authorship verification and mathematical beauty. Analysis of her publication trajectory reveals a clear evolution toward developing anytime-valid statistical methods, particularly through e-values and e-processes for multiple testing scenarios. Her recent work shows increasing focus on foundational questions in statistical inference while maintaining strong connections to practical machine learning applications. The 2024 'Safe Testing' paper in the Journal of the Royal Statistical Society represents a significant contribution that generated a formal discussion meeting. VENI project 'E-values for Multiple Testing' NWO M2 grant of €742,708 with Jelle Goeman (funding 2 PhD students and a scientific programmer) 2025 Bernoulli Society New Researcher Award De Heide actively supervises research through her VENI project and the NWO M2 grant, while also contributing to broader academic service through the 'Kindness and Excellence in Academia' initiative she co-founded. This initiative addresses critical cultural issues in academic environments through opinion pieces, resources, and community building around compassionate academic practices. She has organized specialized events like the E-Day meet-up for e-value researchers at CWI in Amsterdam, demonstrating leadership in her niche research community. Her research activities are centered around the Statistics group at the University of Twente, with significant external collaborations through the E-mailing list for e-value researchers and partnerships with institutions including CWI, VU Amsterdam, and Leiden's LUXs Data Science. The interdisciplinary nature of her work creates connections across mathematics, computer science, philosophy, and even religious studies.
