Professor Francis Butler is a Full Professor at University College Dublin's School of Biosystems and Food Engineering, where he has been since 1990. His academic roles include research leadership in food safety, food chain integrity, and microbial risk assessment. He leads the UCD Institute for Food and Health and the UCD Centre for Food Safety as a Principal Investigator. Education: BE, Grad Dip University Teaching & Learning, MBA, and PhD from University College Dublin. Research Focus: His work centers on food safety hazards, quantitative risk assessment, and next-generation sequencing for pathogen identification. Recent projects include Listeria monocytogenes growth modeling, norovirus in oysters, and hepatitis E in pork products. He has secured over €6 million in research grants, including EU-funded projects like FOODINTEGRITY and SIGMACHAIN. Awards & Recognition: European Food Safety Authority Fellowship, Marie Sklodowska-Curie Fellowship, and UCD Teaching Grant. He coordinates international educational programs, including the UCD MSC Food Safety and Risk Analysis. Professional Activities: Member of EFSA advisory committees, editorial boards (e.g., Microbial Risk Analysis ), and international conference chairs. His work bridges academia, industry, and policy to enhance food safety standards globally.
Conor Ryan is a Professor in the Department of Computer Science & Information Systems at the University of Limerick. He is a Science Foundation Ireland-funded Investigator since 2002 and a member of multiple research centres including Lero – the Irish Software Research Centre and the Limerick Digital Cancer Research Centre. His research focuses on Genetic Programming, Grammatical Evolution, and their applications in domains like healthcare analytics, digital circuit design, and financial modeling. He has authored over 250 publications, with recent work emphasizing automated feature selection in medical diagnostics, neural architecture search, and blockchain ecosystems. Teaching includes courses on Foundations of Computer Science and Computer Games Programming. Research interests span evolutionary computation, machine learning, and interdisciplinary applications. Collaborations involve global institutions, reflecting his work's impact across computer science, engineering, and healthcare. His research has addressed challenges in breast cancer diagnosis via genetic algorithms, cryptocurrency volatility prediction using random forests, and automated generation of digital circuits. Ongoing projects explore interpretability in AI, energy-efficient computing, and sustainable transport systems through predictive analytics. Professional memberships include roles in the Centre for Research Training in Foundations of Data Science and the Data-Driven Computer Engineering Research Centre, underscoring his commitment to interdisciplinary innovation.
Dr. Jon Gruda is an Assistant Professor and Lecturer in Organisational Behaviour at Maynooth University's School of Business. He holds a PhD in Management from emlyon Business School (France) and a joint Dr. rer. nat. in Psychology from Goethe University Frankfurt. His research focuses on relational leadership, dark leadership traits, anxiety in the workplace, and personality psychology, with a strong emphasis on integrating machine learning and AI methodologies. Gruda has been recognized with prestigious awards, including selection for the Lindau Nobel Laureates Meeting in Economic Sciences (2020). His interdisciplinary work includes predicting anxiety and personality traits via social media data analysis. He serves as an Associate Editor for journals like Personality and Individual Differences and Frontiers in Psychology . Education PhD in Management, emlyon Business School (2012–2017) Dr. rer. nat. in Psychology, Goethe University Frankfurt (2012–2017) MSc in Affective Neuroscience, Maastricht University (2018) MSc in Management Research, emlyon Business School (2012–2014) Triple MSc in Management, City University London/ESCP Europe (2010–2012) BSc in International Business & Management, University of Groningen (2007–2010) Research Interests Gruda’s work bridges leadership studies, personality psychology, and data science. Key areas include: Dark leadership traits (e.g., narcissism, Machiavellianism) and their organizational impacts Machine learning applications for detecting anxiety and personality traits via social media Cross-cultural studies on leadership perceptions and attachment orientations Impact of physiological/psychosocial factors on leadership effectiveness Publications & Projects Recent projects include predicting state-level health outcomes linked to narcissism and developing algorithms to track anxiety using Twitter data. Over 20 peer-reviewed articles since 2017 highlight his contributions to organizational behavior and computational social science. Awards 7th Lindau Nobel Laureates Meeting on Economic Sciences (2020) Benedictine University Award (Academy of Management, 2020) Wharton Global Faculty Development Program (2020) Grants & Collaborations Gruda leads projects on pro-environmental behavior and collaborates with the National Care Experience Programme on healthcare feedback analysis. Seed funding includes €301,930 for computational text analytics in healthcare. Labs & Teams Interdisciplinary research collaborations span psychology, data science, and public health, with a focus on applying machine learning to organizational challenges.
Zohreh Pourzolfaghar is an Assistant Professor in Management Information Systems (MIS) at the School of Business, Maynooth University (MU). She serves as Director of the IT-Enable Innovation Programme and cluster lead for the Digital Construction cluster at the Innovation Value Institute (IVI). She is also a member of Lero, the SFI Research Centre for Software. Education: PhD in Project Management (University Putra Malaysia, 2011); MSc in Management Systems and Productivity; BSc in Software Engineering. Research Interests : Focuses on digital transformation for SMEs, information management in construction, and smart city architectures. Leads EU-funded projects like EnTrust (agri-data governance), DIGI+ (sustainable digital transformation), and DigiFABs (food & beverage SMEs). Co-PI for projects such as GDI-IE (genomic data infrastructure) and PERFORM (digital retail innovation). Grants & Awards : Secured funding from SFI, Enterprise Ireland, and EU. Notable awards include the BIM Hero Award (2022) and Research Engaged Award (2022). Teaching : Courses include Digital Business, Digital Technology Governance, and Enterprise Architecture. Advises PhD students in MIS and digital transformation. Industry Collaboration : Works with firms like ArcDox and Corballis Technologies on BIM standards and data governance. Active in national and EU policy networks, including NSAI committees.
Aura Istrate is a Lecturer/Assistant Professor in Urban Planning & Sustainable Urbanism at the School of Architecture, Planning and Environmental Policy at University College Dublin (UCD). With an international background spanning multiple continents, she conducts interdisciplinary research on sustainable urban development, focusing on active mobility, nature-based solutions, and climate-neutral cities. She teaches GIS and urban planning modules while coordinating several significant research projects across European and Asian contexts. University College Dublin, School of Architecture, Planning and Environmental Policy Primary Coordinator of C-NEWTRAL (Horizon MSCA-DN 2024-2028) Co-Leader of REALLOCATE (Horizon Europe project 2023-2027) Principal Investigator for BIODIVERSA+ projects (NatureScape and NBS4AQUAMISSION) Educated at the University of Architecture and Urban Planning 'Ion Mincu' in Bucharest (BA and MA) and the University of Liverpool (PhD), Dr. Istrate further enhanced her teaching credentials with a Professional Certificate in University Teaching & Learning from UCD. Her academic journey reflects a strong foundation in architectural and urban planning principles combined with specialized expertise in sustainable urbanism. Dr. Istrate's research focuses on smart and sustainable urbanism, particularly examining active mobility, livable streets, green public spaces, and nature-based solutions in urban planning. Her work employs participatory, geospatial, and mixed methods to inform smart communities and the transition to climate-neutral cities. She has practical international experience in urban design and planning, with ongoing collaborations spanning European and Asian countries, currently teaching and researching across cultures in UCD and UCD's International Colleges (CDIC). Her recent publications reveal a strong focus on street vitality, urban heat adaptation, and nature-based solutions. The research demonstrates methodological diversity combining quantitative spatial analysis with qualitative community engagement approaches. Her work spans multiple geographic contexts, with particular expertise in Chinese urban environments and European cities, showing how urban planning concepts need to be contextualized for different cultural settings. The articles consistently address climate adaptation challenges through innovative approaches like urban nature games and fine-grained street classification systems. Dr. Istrate serves as a PhD thesis supervisor and is actively involved in major research initiatives including C-NEWTRAL (as Primary Coordinator), REALLOCATE (as Co-Leader), and BIODIVERSA+ projects (as PI for NatureScape and NBS4AQUAMISSION). Her grant portfolio includes Horizon Europe projects and other significant funding that supports interdisciplinary research on climate-neutral urban development. She has coordinated multiple teaching modules including Planning Design & Development, GIS & Planning, Intro to Spatial Planning, and Local Planning Studio. She leads international research collaborations and maintains active partnerships across various European and Asian countries. Her work bridges academic research with practical urban planning applications, particularly through her focus on research-by-design approaches and participatory methods that engage communities in the planning process. She has served as a lecturer, tutor, or teaching assistant across departments of Architecture, Planning, Environmental Studies, Global Studies, and Human Geography in Ireland, the UK, Czechia, Sweden, China, and Romania since 2010.
Dr. Andrew Hines is a Researcher at the School of Computer Science, University College Dublin, specializing in machine learning applications for signal processing in speech, audio, and video domains. His work focuses on Quality of Experience (QoE) modeling, speech quality assessment, and immersive media analysis. He has held leadership roles in European COST Actions like Qualinet and CryptoAction, and previously worked in industry as a Director of Engineering. University: University College Dublin Role: Director of Research, Innovation and Impact Key Collaborations: IEEE (Senior Member), Audio Engineering Society (Ireland) Research interests center on machine learning for QoE optimization, audio-visual integration, and healthcare applications like heart sound classification and stroke rehabilitation. His recent publications explore self-supervised learning, neural speech codecs, and contextual factors in speech/audio quality assessment. Scientific contributions include awards like IEEE Senior Membership, and his work spans both academic research and industrial engineering in finance and aviation sectors. He leads the QxLab research team at UCD and develops open-source platforms such as WARP-Q and AQP for quality metrics.
Dr. Shirley Coyle is an Assistant Professor in the School of Electronic Engineering at Dublin City University (DCU) and Programme Chair for the BSc Global Challenges. She holds a BEng in Electronic Engineering from DCU (2000) and a PhD in Biomedical Engineering from NUI Maynooth (2005). Her career includes roles as a Telecoms Engineer at Siemens, Research Fellow at the National Centre for Sensor Research, and Team Leader of Wearable Sensors in the INSIGHT Centre for Data Analytics. She also studied part-time at the Grafton Academy for Fashion Design and later founded a consultancy in wearable technologies. Her research focuses on smart garments, wearable sensors, and sustainable textiles, with applications in healthcare, sports performance, and S.T.E.A.M. integration. Key interests include developing wearable chemical sensors, energy-autonomous sensing systems, and IoT-enabled rehabilitation devices. She has pioneered work on wearable sensors for monitoring chronic diseases, athlete training, and home rehabilitation using VR. Dr. Coyle’s work spans interdisciplinary collaboration, combining biomedical engineering with textile design. Her contributions include innovations in electrospun textiles, self-powered sensors, and sensor integration with microfluidics. She has held leadership roles in DCU’s Governing Authority and promotes STEM education through design-focused initiatives.
Dr. Selja Seppälä is a Lecturer in Business Analytics within the Department of Business Information Systems at Cork University Business School, University College Cork. She specializes in Natural Language Processing, applied ontology, terminology, and corpus studies with applications across multiple domains including linguistics, legal informatics, biomedical informatics, and education. Her research focuses on developing AI technologies that combine Large Language Models and other NLP techniques with curated ontologies to enhance data quality, transparency and trustworthiness in information systems. Dr. Seppälä currently leads the AI-LIEN project, which uses AI-powered technologies for learning analytics, and collaborates on projects investigating the impact of AI on organizations and legislative review. Natural Language Processing (NLP) Applied Ontology and Terminology Corpus Studies AI Technologies for Information Systems Large Language Models integration Legal Informatics applications Dr. Seppälä's scholarly contributions include 43 publications in international outlets and 27 open-source research artifacts. Her work has secured approximately €500,000 through competitive research grants, demonstrating significant impact in her field. Marie Skłodowska-Curie Career-FIT Fellow (2019-2022) Dr. Seppälä serves on the editorial board of Applied Ontology (IOS Press) and as Communication Co-officer and Substitute Auditor for the International Association for Ontology and its Applications (IAOA). She actively contributes to academic service as a reviewer for journals including the European Journal of Information Systems and Terminology, and regularly participates in program committees for international conferences focused on computational linguistics, natural language processing, applied ontology, and financial technology applications. At UCC, she contributes through the development of the CUBS Canvas Template and membership in the CUBS Digital Learning & Teaching Committee.
Michela Bertolotto is a Professor in the School of Computer Science at University College Dublin (UCD). Her research focuses on spatio-temporal data modeling, GIScience, and applications of geospatial technologies in fields like urban planning and health informatics. She leads a research group and has supervised 19 PhD and 8 MSc students. Her work includes innovations in LiDAR-based flood risk visualization, semantic web quality assurance, and open-source spatial data analysis. Bertolotto has held roles including College Lecturer at UCD (2000–2006) and postdoctoral research positions at the University of Maine and University of Genoa. Education: BSc and PhD in Computer Science from the University of Genoa (1993, 1998). Professional achievements include over 100 publications, 24 grants (e.g., Science Foundation Ireland-funded Urban ARK project), and editorial roles at journals like the International Journal of Geographical Information Science. Awards include the UCD President's Research Award (2001) and NATO Postdoc Fellowship (1998–1999). Research interests span map personalization, volunteered geographic information (VGI), and geospatial data quality. Her lab develops tools like the LAMSkyCam (low-cost sky imaging system) and dynamic flood risk viewers. She chairs international conferences and serves on program committees for GIScience events.
Dr. Lucy Hederman is an Associate Professor in Computer Science at Trinity College Dublin (TCD), affiliated with the O'Reilly Institute. Her research focuses on leveraging data and documents to support clinical decision-making, particularly in healthcare knowledge work. She has led interdisciplinary projects addressing data integration for rare diseases (e.g., ANCA-vasculitis, MND) and socio-technical challenges in adopting patient-generated health data (PGHD) into clinical practice. Dr. Hederman has secured over €xxxk in research funding and leads the Heterogeneity and Interoperability (H&I) challenge in the SFI-funded ADAPT 2 Centre. Her educational background includes advanced studies in computer science and healthcare informatics, though specific degree details are not explicitly stated in the text. She has supervised 4 PhDs, 2 research MScs, and co-supervised 6 PhDs, while currently mentoring 8 graduate students. Her career includes founding TCD spinouts PBOC and BIOLOGIT, which align with her research in health informatics and technology. Key research interests include: Interdisciplinary collaboration between clinicians, researchers, and technologists Data harmonization for multi-national clinical studies (e.g., FAIRVASC, Precision-ALS) Development of clinical decision support systems (CDSS) Design of mobile health (mHealth) tools for underserved populations Recent work emphasizes FAIR principles for healthcare data and socio-technical factors influencing PGHD adoption. She has contributed to over 70 peer-reviewed publications and actively participates in initiatives like the EU-funded TRANSFORM project and HRB Primary Care Research Centre. Dr. Hederman’s professional memberships include the Irish Computer Society, ACM, and Healthcare Informatics Society of Ireland. Her research has impacted healthcare practices in Ireland, with many MSc student projects influencing local health services.
Arash Joorabchi is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Limerick, Ireland. His research focuses on the intersection of machine learning, educational technology, and digital library systems, with particular emphasis on automated assessment, text mining, and knowledge organization techniques. Research Trends: Analysis of his publications reveals sustained contributions to automated short-answer grading, Arabic text classification, and semantic integration of Wikipedia with academic resources. Key methodologies include sentence transformers, hybrid text representation models, and citation-based indexing techniques. Technical Domains: His work spans natural language processing, educational data mining, metadata management, and semantic web technologies. Specific applications include Q&A platform analysis, library resource discovery, and curriculum development systems.
Dr. Dongyun Nie is an Assistant Professor at Dublin City University's School of Computing. She holds a PhD in Computer Science with a specialization in Customer Relationship Management. Her core research explores customer lifetime value, forecasting, data mining, and record linkage. Her recent publications demonstrate interdisciplinary work spanning health informatics, sports analytics, and environmental data engineering. Research predominantly focuses on machine learning applications for real-world data challenges including eye-tracking systems, lifelog analytics, and public health data infrastructure. Teaching responsibilities include modules on Machine Learning (CA4109), Enterprise Systems Configuration (CA2049), and Web Design (CA106), integrating research expertise into computing education.
Catherine Mooney is a Professor in the School of Computer Science at University College Dublin (UCD), leading the Life Science Data Analytics Group (LiSDA). Her research focuses on applying machine learning to healthcare challenges, including biomarker development, clinical decision support systems, and addressing ethical and technical barriers in healthcare AI. Education: BSc in [field unspecified] from Trinity College Dublin PhD in Computer Science from UCD Prof Dip University Teaching & Learning from UCD Research Interests: Machine Learning applications in healthcare Biomarker discovery for neurological and metabolic conditions Explainable AI for clinical decision support Promoting diversity and inclusion in STEM education Her work bridges computational methods with medical challenges, emphasizing ethical AI and translational research. Notable Awards: Best Paper Award in Applied Biosciences (2023) UCD Long-Service Award (2022) Best Poster Award at ITiCSE ’20 (2020) Her research has led to impactful tools like LiSDA’s clinical decision support systems for epilepsy and pregnancy care. She also advocates for gender diversity in computing, serving in leadership roles like Vice Principal for EDI in UCD’s College of Science (2022–2024).
Prof. Zena Moore is a renowned academic and clinician serving as Professor and Head of the School of Nursing & Midwifery at RCSI, University of Medicine and Health Sciences. She holds adjunct professorships at Curtin University (Australia), Griffith University (Australia), Cardiff University (UK), Ghent University (Belgium), and Fakeeh College for Medical Sciences (Saudi Arabia). Her research focuses on wound healing, pressure ulcer prevention, and nursing education, with over 300 publications. She leads the Skin Wounds and Trauma (SWaT) Research Centre and chairs multiple international bodies including the European Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel. Education: PhD in Wound Healing (RCSI), MSc in Leadership in Health Education (RCSI), MSc in Wound Healing (University of Wales), FFNMRCSI, and Diplomas in Management and Nursing. Research Interests: Wound pathophysiology, pressure ulcer risk assessment, technologies for early detection, and healthcare equity. Awards: 2022 Lifetime Achievement Award from World Union of Wound Healing Societies. Her work spans over 50 funded projects, including grants from Science Foundation Ireland and the National Health and Medical Research Council. She has supervised numerous research projects on topics like pressure ulcer prevention algorithms and eHealth interventions.
Upaka Rathnayake is a Professor of Civil Engineering and Principal Investigator at the Mathematical Modelling and Intelligent Systems for Health and Environment (MISHE) research unit at Atlantic Technological University Sligo, Ireland. He has held academic and research roles globally, including in Sri Lanka, Japan, the UK, New Zealand, Australia, and Fiji. His research focuses on water resources management, hydrological modeling, climate analysis, and AI-driven solutions for environmental challenges. He holds a PhD from the University of Strathclyde and advanced certifications from Hokkaido University. Education: PhD in Optimal Management of Urban Sewer Systems (University of Strathclyde, 2013) Professional Memberships: Institution of Engineers Sri Lanka, Engineers New Zealand, International Association of Hydrological Sciences Research interests include: Hydrological modeling and climate change adaptation Multi-objective optimization and soft computing techniques Explainable AI applications in environmental systems Remote sensing and GIS for water resource management Recent articles highlight AI-driven solutions for air quality prediction, soil nutrient analysis, and flood risk assessment. Awards include the 2023 Presidential Award for Scientific Publications and multiple university excellence awards. He actively advises PhD students on projects like urban water systems optimization and climatic trends analysis. Rathnayake is an editorial board member of journals like Scientific Reports and PLoS ONE , contributing to peer review and policy-oriented research. His work bridges data-driven methods with traditional hydrological practices to address global environmental challenges.
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