Prof. Dr. Ulrich Rosar has held the Chair of Sociology II at the Institute of Social Sciences, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf , since 2010. He served as Dean of the Faculty of Philosophy at HHU Düsseldorf (2015–2019) and was re-elected as Deputy Spokesperson of the Düsseldorf Institute for Internet and Democracy (DIID) in December 2023. His academic work bridges political sociology , sociological inequality analysis , and empirical social research methods . Research Focus: Political sociology (candidate attractiveness, voting behavior, media influence); inequality analysis (implicit biases in electoral outcomes, structural disparities); empirical methods (ALLBUS data, longitudinal studies). Publications: Recent work examines physical attractiveness in elections (2005–2021 German federal elections), digital campaigning trends , and social media’s impact on electoral success (2023–2025). Earlier studies include ALLBUS data analysis (2020) and historical political discourse (2018).
Ulrik Brandes serves as Full Professor and Head of the Department of Humanities, Social and Political Sciences at ETH Zurich, holding the Professorship for Social Networks. He actively teaches courses including Network Analysis and Applied Network Science: Sports Networks for Fall semester 2025, with office location at WEP J 14, Weinbergstr. 109, Zurich. His research spans Social Network Analysis, Graph Theory, and Network Science, with significant applications in sociology, sports analytics (particularly soccer and Australian Football League), and archaeological networks. As a longstanding member of the International Network for Social Network Analysis (since 2001) and the Academy of Sociology (since 2017), he bridges theoretical graph algorithms with practical interdisciplinary applications, recently expanding into sports analytics through the Football Scouting Association (2023). Analysis of his recent publications reveals strong thematic continuity in network centrality, temporal dynamics, and robustness, with increasing application diversity across sports analytics, archaeological trade networks, and decentralized social media platforms. His work consistently emphasizes efficient computational methods for real-world network problems. Honors: Simmel Award (2024) Prof. Brandes maintains active research leadership through departmental oversight and course development, though specific grant details and student advisement records are not publicly documented in available sources. His departmental role indicates substantial administrative responsibilities alongside research and teaching commitments.
Kate Bowers is a Professor of Security and Crime Science and Head of Department at University College London's Department of Security and Crime Science. She is also Director of the Jill Dando Institute of Security and Crime Science, with over 30 years of experience in crime science research. Education: Doctor of Philosophy, University of Liverpool (1999) Master of Arts, University of Liverpool (1994) Bachelor of Science, University of Durham (1993) Kate's research focuses on quantitative methods and data analytics in crime analysis and prevention, with special interests in predictive policing, big data approaches, evidence-based crime prevention, and innovative data utilization. Her work explores spatial, temporal and spatio-temporal crime patterns, crime radiation theory, and the relationships between crime and environmental context. Her research has been funded by organizations including the UK Government, US Department of Justice, Police, and UK research councils (EPSRC, ESRC, AHRC). She has contributed to three world-leading REF case studies and served as Editor-in-Chief of the Crime Science Journal. Teaching Contributions: Programme Convener for MSc in Crime Science (8 years) Co-developed many MSc modules including Preventing Crimes, Quantitative Methods and Crime Mapping, Spatial Analysis Involved in curriculum development and internal quality assurance External examiner and advisor at University of Leicester and Abertay University
Sible Andringa is Professor of Second Language Pedagogy at the University of Amsterdam's Faculty of Humanities, officially inaugurated on June 16, 2023. Dr. Andringa serves as Academic Director of the Institute for Dutch Language Education (INTT), Coordinator of the Language Learning, Literacy and Multilingualism research group, and Coordinator of the Master's program in Dutch as a Second Language and Multilingualism. Dr. Andringa's research focuses on second language acquisition and bilingualism, specifically investigating the added value of explicit instruction, how input distribution affects language learning outcomes, and the role of awareness in language learning trajectories. Key ongoing projects include the Meta-LLL project examining how literacy shapes language learning, the SLA4All initiative for reproducing SLA research with non-academic samples, and the OASIS project creating accessible research summaries for practitioners. Previously, Dr. Andringa led Project MIND studying bilingual daycare effects and contributed to the Stilis project on listening proficiency. As General Editor of the Dutch Journal of Applied Linguistics (DuJAL), Dr. Andringa promotes open science principles in language research. Recent publications demonstrate a focus on addressing sampling biases in SLA research, open access publishing ethics, and practical applications of language acquisition research for educational settings. Academic Director, Institute for Dutch Language Education (INTT) Coordinator, Language Learning, Literacy and Multilingualism research group Coordinator, Master's program Dutch as a Second Language and Multilingualism General Editor, Dutch Journal of Applied Linguistics (DuJAL) Member, Mastery Team for Modern Foreign Languages Member, OASIS project team Member, IRIS database advisory group Dr. Andringa supervises PhD candidates including Kyra Hanekamp and Darlene Keydeniers, particularly in research related to bilingual daycare environments and language development. The research program has received funding from the Dutch ministry of Social Affairs for Project MIND and continues to secure support for ongoing projects examining language learning mechanisms. Dr. Andringa leads the Language Learning, Literacy, and Multilingualism research group which investigates language and literacy acquisition across the lifespan, with emphasis on how language skills are learned, maintained, and used in educational contexts. The group meets weekly to discuss projects, plans, funding opportunities, and research topics while promoting collaboration, methodological innovation, and open science principles.
Rachel Midura is an Assistant Professor of Digital and Early Modern European History in the Department of History at Virginia Tech's College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences. Her research focuses on the intersection of digital methodologies and early modern European history, particularly examining how communication networks shaped political power and intelligence gathering during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Education: PhD in History from Stanford University (2014-2020) Rachel Midura specializes in digital history approaches to early modern Europe, with particular expertise in the history of information systems. Her work examines how the development of postal networks, print technology, and state intelligence operations created an 'information age' in the early modern period, long before the digital revolution of our own time. She integrates twenty-first century understanding of media and social networks with traditional historical approaches to develop new models for understanding historical communication. Her research often draws on extensive digitization projects to synthesize innovative historical perspectives on how information moved, was controlled, and shaped political power in early modern Europe. Midura's scholarly output demonstrates a consistent focus on the connections between physical travel routes, communication networks, and intelligence gathering in early modern Europe. Her work bridges traditional historical research with digital humanities methodologies, creating new pathways for understanding how information circulated in pre-modern societies. Through data-driven approaches to historical travel itineraries and postal networks, she reveals how early modern states developed sophisticated surveillance and intelligence systems that anticipated modern practices. Scientific Awards: Early Career Scholarly Impact Award (2025) Honorable Mention: Article Prize for Early Modern and Medieval History (2024) As an educator, Midura has developed innovative courses that integrate digital methodologies with historical content, including specialized offerings on espionage and surveillance in early modern Europe. Her teaching philosophy emphasizes the importance of making historical knowledge accessible through digital curation and annotation. She actively participates in professional development activities focused on inclusive teaching practices and has received funding for curriculum innovation in digital history education. Midura leads the Early Modern Digital Itineraries (EMDigIt) project, which transforms early printed itinerary books to support new data-driven approaches to the history of travel. This NEH-funded initiative represents a significant contribution to digital humanities methodology while advancing our understanding of historical mobility patterns and information networks.
Thad Starner is a Professor in the College of Computing at Georgia Institute of Technology and Technical Lead/Manager on Google's Glass. He directs the Contextual Computing Group (CCG), co-founded the Animal Computer Interaction Lab, and contributes to Georgia Tech's Ubicomp Group and Brainlab. A wearable computing pioneer since 1993, he has over 500 publications and 80 issued U.S. patents. Coined 'augmented reality' in 1990 Developed CopyCat for ASL learning in deaf children Invented Passive Haptic Learning for skill acquisition His research spans wearable interfaces for Deaf-hearing communication, dolphin interaction systems (CHAT), dog-handler communication (FIDO), and brain-computer interfaces for ALS patients. Current projects focus on optical aging simulation, XR input methods, and animal behavior telemetry. Recent publications (2023-2025) explore AR display ergonomics, AI-augmented reasoning, sign language recognition, and animal-computer interaction. His work has been featured in 60 Minutes, BBC, National Geographic, and Time Magazine. CHI Academy (2017) Lemelson-MIT Prize finalist White House Champions of Change finalist He advises graduate students in wearable systems and teaches AI and prototyping courses. His lab developed the Perceptive Workbench for gesture tracking and created early Eigenfaces research for face recognition.
Professor Hossein Rahmani serves at the School of Computing and Communications , Lancaster University , with a focus on Computer Vision and Machine Learning . His career spans institutions like the University of Western Australia (PhD), Shahid Beheshti University (MSc), and Isfahan University of Technology (BSc). Research Interests : Computer Vision, Machine Learning, Video Analysis, Action Recognition/Detection, Object/Human Pose Estimation, 3D Reconstruction, Diffusion Models, Human-Object Interaction Editorial Roles : Associate Editor for IEEE Transactions on Neural Networks and Learning Systems , Pattern Recognition , ACM Computing Surveys ; Area Chair for CVPR 2025, ICLR 2025, ECCV 2024, IJCAI 2024 His recent work leverages diffusion models for domain-generalized object pose estimation, 3D scene editing, and human mesh recovery, published in top venues like TPAMI , CVPR , ICCV , and ECCV . He received the Best Scientific Paper Award from the International Conference on Pattern Recognition and actively supervises 5 PhD students with interdisciplinary projects in digital health and data science.
Serge Belongie is a Professor at the Department of Computer Science (DIKU) at the University of Copenhagen, where he holds dual affiliations with the Pioneer AI research section and the Image Analysis, Computational Modelling, and Geometry section. His academic position places him at the forefront of interdisciplinary research connecting computer vision with language models, geospatial analysis, and cultural understanding. Professor Belongie's research program encompasses several critical domains in modern artificial intelligence: Advanced computer vision and image analysis techniques Vision-language model integration and multimodal systems 3D point cloud processing and semantic segmentation Geospatial representation learning for environmental applications Fine-grained object recognition and detection Cultural context understanding in AI systems His recent publication record reveals a sophisticated trajectory toward developing precise control mechanisms for vision-language models, with applications spanning forensic analysis, cultural heritage preservation, and social media understanding. The research demonstrates increasing sophistication in handling cultural context and enabling fine-grained manipulation of visual content through natural language interfaces. Professor Belongie maintains an active research group producing significant scholarly output, with over 280 research publications documented in his academic profile. His work is supported by research funding that enables cutting-edge exploration in multimodal AI systems with practical societal impact. He plays a key role in the Pioneer AI center at the University of Copenhagen, which focuses on advancing artificial intelligence through interdisciplinary collaboration and innovative research approaches that bridge theoretical computer science with real-world applications.
Teresa Hirzle is a Tenure Track Assistant Professor at the Department of Computer Science , University of Copenhagen , specializing in Human-Centred Computing . Her research focuses on Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) , Virtual Reality (VR) , Extended Reality (XR) , and Gaze-Based Interaction . Research Interests: Designing interaction techniques for immersive environments Eye movement analysis for educational applications Addressing digital eye strain in interactive systems Evaluating user experience in VR/AR Recent Research Trends: Her recent publications examine AI representation in VR co-creation, VR sickness in locomotion, eye strain in gaze-driven systems, and hybrid applications of comics/AR. She also explores pedagogical implications of eye tracking in remote learning. Contact: Email: tehi@di.ku.dk Office: Sigurdsgade 41, 2200 København N.
Benedikt Warth is a Full Professor for Food Chemistry and Exposome Research at the Department of Food Chemistry and Toxicology, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Vienna (since 2022). He coordinates the Austrian node of the ESFRI research infrastructure EIRENE and leads the 'Global Exposomics and Biomonitoring Laboratory' since 2017. His work bridges chemistry and toxicology, focusing on exposomics and metabolomics to assess chemical exposure and its health impacts. Education: PhD in Analytical Chemistry (2012), Master’s in Biotechnology (2009), Bachelor’s in Food Science and Biotechnology (2007) Research interests center on exposomics , metabolomics , and analytical chemistry , particularly for environmental and food-related toxicants. Recent articles highlight advancements in mass spectrometry for exposome-scale analysis, combining targeted and non-targeted approaches, and exploring chemical interactions (e.g., xenoestrogens, mycotoxins, flame retardants) in biological systems. Key trends in his publications include: Development of hybrid LC-MS methods (targeted/untargeted) for sensitive exposomics Integration of AI and cognitive computing for pathway analysis Global biomonitoring of mycotoxins and xenobiotics in vulnerable populations Standardization frameworks for non-targeted analysis (SRT) Notable awards include the 2025 Chemical Research in Toxicology Young Investigator Award , Brigitte Gedek-Science Award , and multiple grants (ERC Consolidator, Erwin-Schrödinger Fellowship). He has delivered over 20 invited talks on exposomics, including sessions at ACS Fall Meetings and international conferences. His laboratory's projects span: Breast cancer exposomics (linking environmental exposures to disease onset) High-throughput sample preparation for exposome-wide studies Systems toxicology of chemical mixtures (e.g., flame retardants, mycotoxins) Development of global metabolomic assays for toxicity prediction
Ben Marder is a Personal Chair in Digital Marketing and Consumer Behaviour at the University of Edinburgh School of Business , where he specializes in the unintended consequences of digital technologies on consumer behavior and service ecosystems. He serves as Director of Research Degrees and teaches Introduction to Business Research online. Education PhD in Marketing/Information Systems (2013), University of Bath MSc in Marketing (Distinction, 2008), University of Leicester BSc in Financial Economics (First Class, 2007), University of Leicester His research bridges social psychological theory with digital marketing, focusing on: Social media surveillance and self-presentation Instagrammability and visual culture AI ethics and human factors Influencer marketing dynamics Augmented/Virtual Reality applications Online reviews and service recovery His recent work explores vertical video formats (TikTok), emoji/GIF communication , and virtual item consumption in gaming/Metaverse environments. He advocates for student and academic wellbeing and has contributed to public discourse via LinkedIn and media outlets like BBC and The New York Times . Ben's 92+ research outputs emphasize mixed-method approaches, prioritizing quantitative experiments . Key trends include: Behavioral impacts of social media surveillance Psychological drivers of digital consumption Algorithmic trust and service innovation Scientific Awards Best Paper Prize (2018) Literati Prize - Commendable contribution (2018) Most Read Article (2025) Ben supervises quantitative research projects and collaborates on digital marketing trends with journals like Journal of Retailing and Journal of Service Research . He has led projects on social media's impact on service workers, consumer self-awareness, and Facebook post engagement metrics.
Naranker Dulay is a Professor in the Department of Computing at Imperial College London, part of the Faculty of Engineering. He holds affiliations with the Centre for Cryptocurrency Research and Engineering, Centre for Smart Connected Futures, and the Distributed Software Engineering group. His research focuses on Distributed Computing, Applied Economics, Policy and Administration Law, Computer Software, and Information Systems. His work explores blockchain technologies, smart contracts, consensus algorithms, and distributed systems. Recent research includes optimizing post-trade processing using distributed ledgers and developing adaptive protocols for dispute resolution in smart contracts. He is also involved in cybersecurity and privacy-preserving technologies for data management. Key contributions include frameworks like Chainlog for logic-based smart contracts and FADE for self-destructing data. His articles span over a decade, emphasizing blockchain scalability, energy-efficient neural networks, and decentralized macro-programming in wireless sensor networks. Dr. Dulay collaborates across interdisciplinary domains, blending technical innovation with socio-technical challenges. His affiliations reflect a commitment to advancing smart connected futures through cutting-edge research.
Maria Antoniak is a Visiting Professor in Computer Science at the University of Colorado Boulder, with an upcoming tenure-track appointment as Assistant Professor starting Fall 2025. She holds affiliations with both the Department of Computer Science and the Department of Information Science. Her research bridges Natural Language Processing (NLP), cultural analytics, and healthcare, emphasizing interdisciplinary collaboration with humanities and clinical fields. Education: PhD in Information Science from Cornell University (advisor: David Mimno), MA in Computational Linguistics from the University of Washington, and BA in Liberal Studies from the University of Notre Dame. She completed postdoctoral work at the Pioneer Centre for AI (Copenhagen) and was a Young Investigator at the Allen Institute for AI. Research focuses on narrative analysis (e.g., birth stories, online healthcare communities), NLP tool reliability, and ethical AI applications. Her work includes developing tools like Riveter for power dynamics analysis and Little Mallet Wrapper for topic modeling. Current projects explore cultural contexts in LLMs and maternal healthcare narratives. Teaching includes courses on NLP for Cultural Analytics and guest lectures globally. She organizes initiatives like the AI for Humanists workshop series and maintains resources for computational humanities. Maria advocates for inclusive academia through initiatives like Grads for Gender Inclusion in Computing and Ukrainian academic support efforts. Her upcoming roles include faculty appointments at CU Boulder and active participation in global conferences (e.g., ACL, COLING). Research spans computational humanities, healthcare informatics, and AI ethics, with a focus on societal impact and methodological rigor.
Jessica Roberts is an Assistant Professor in the School of Interactive Computing at Georgia Tech. She holds a PhD in the Learning Sciences and directs the Technology-Integrated Learning Environments (TILEs) Lab. Her work focuses on technology-mediated learning in informal environments like museums and citizen science projects, emphasizing geospatial analysis, data visualization, and accessibility. Prior to academia, she was a middle school teacher. Education: PhD in Learning Sciences (specific institution not listed) Postdoctoral research at Carnegie Mellon University's Human-Computer Interaction Institute Postdoctoral work at Northwestern University's Tidal Lab Research Interests: Dr. Roberts explores how interactive technologies can foster inclusive, socially meaningful learning experiences. Her projects include: Data sonification systems for visually impaired audiences AI literacy frameworks for K-12 classrooms Citizen science platforms that democratize environmental data exploration Embodied interaction designs to enhance public engagement with scientific data Article Trends: Recent work highlights innovations in AI education, climate data visualization, and accessibility technologies. Over half of her 2023-2025 publications address data sonification systems for marginalized audiences or AI literacy challenges in K-12 contexts. Awards: Brook Byers Institute for Sustainable Systems Faculty Fellow Advising & Grants: Leads the TILEs Lab, which collaborates with institutions like the Field Museum of Natural History. Projects have been exhibited at major science museums, indicating significant external partnerships. Labs/Teams: Director of the TILEs Lab, affiliated with GVU Center at Georgia Tech. Collaborates with interdisciplinary teams across education, computer science, and environmental science domains.
Claire Acevedo is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University of California San Diego (UCSD), affiliated with the Jacobs School of Engineering. Her lab, the Fracture and Fatigue of Skeletal Tissues Laboratory (F² Lab), focuses on understanding mechanisms of deformation, fracture, and biological responses in skeletal tissues and biomaterials across molecular to macro scales. She holds a Ph.D. from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) and completed postdoctoral research at UC San Francisco and UC Berkeley/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Dr. Acevedo’s research is funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the Advanced Light Source. Her work bridges biomechanics, materials science, and high-energy X-ray physics to address bone fragility in aging and diabetes. Key projects include investigating collagen cross-linking effects on bone mechanics and developing novel imaging techniques like deep learning-enhanced synchrotron micro-CT. Education: Ph.D., Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) Postdoctoral Research: UC San Francisco & UC Berkeley/Lawrence Berkeley National Lab Previous Faculty Position: University of Utah (Mechanical Engineering) Recent contributions include the NSF CAREER Award for studying fracture mechanisms in fragile bones and an NIH R21 grant to explore collagen-level diabetes impacts. Her lab collaborates with the University of Utah Tanner Dance Program to develop K-12 educational initiatives linking dance with biomechanics. Publications span topics like synchrotron imaging innovations, diabetes-induced bone fragility, and collagen nanomechanics. Students in her lab have contributed to advancements in fatigue testing, cross-link analysis, and imaging algorithms. Awards: NSF CAREER Award (2024) NIH R21 Grant (2023) Alice L. Jee Award (2022) Nikon Small World Image of Distinction (2024) The F² Lab hosts a dynamic team with ongoing projects on glycemic effects, synchrotron techniques, and biomaterial design. Future work emphasizes translating findings into clinical fracture prevention strategies and educational outreach.
