Ben Wilkowski is a Full Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Wyoming. His research focuses on the intersection of goals, emotions, and social behavior, particularly through the ASPIRE Lab, which explores self-regulation, goal-content structure, and the role of emotions in binding social relationships. He holds a Ph.D. (2008) and M.S. (2005) from North Dakota State University and a B.A. (2002) from Ohio University. Research Interests: The ASPIRE Lab investigates how goals and emotions coordinate social behavior. Key projects include examining higher-order goal-content structure (PINT taxonomy), dynamics of self-regulation in daily life, role models for disadvantaged groups, and identity narratives in political party changes. Publications span topics in political psychology, behavioral regulation, and lexical analysis of goals. His recent work uses experience-sampling protocols to study habit formation and self-control. Teaching: He teaches courses on Social Psychology, Personality Science, Research Methods, and Advanced Theories of Social Psychology. Labs & Teams: He directs the University of Wyoming Cognitive/Developmental, Legal, & Social Psychology graduate programs and co-edits the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin .
Colin M. Ramsay is a Professor in the Department of Finance at the Edwin J. Faulkner College of Business, University of Nebraska-Lincoln. His expertise lies in actuarial science, focusing on risk theory, pensions, health and disability insurance, and micro-insurance applications. B.Sc., City University, London M.Math. and Ph.D., University of Waterloo Ramsay’s research integrates economic principles into actuarial science, addressing challenges like the annuity puzzle, moral hazard, and adverse selection in insurance markets. He also explores peer-to-peer insurance and food security in developing regions. Recent publications highlight innovative annuity designs, LTC funding strategies, and stochastic modeling of insurance risks. His work spans theoretical advancements in ruin probability calculations and practical applications in funeral insurance and agricultural sustainability in the Caribbean. Ramsay teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in life contingencies and pension mathematics, emphasizing probabilistic models and actuarial assumptions.
Elizabeth Brainerd is the Robert P. Brown Professor of Biology and Professor of Medical Science in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Brown University. She has been a leading figure in vertebrate biomechanics and evolutionary morphology since joining Brown in 2005, where she directs the Keck XROMM Core Facility. Previously, she served as Assistant Professor (1994-1999) and Associate Professor (2000-2005) at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Her research focuses on biomechanics and evolutionary morphology, combining anatomical studies with engineering principles to understand animal movement. Brainerd is a pioneer of X-ray Reconstruction of Moving Morphology (XROMM) technology, which enables 3D visualization of skeletal movement in living animals. Her work spans diverse vertebrate groups including fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals, with applications to feeding, breathing, and locomotion mechanics. Brainerd's research has been consistently supported by major NSF grants, including the development of microXROMM for high-resolution imaging of small animals. Her publications reveal a trajectory from foundational work on breathing mechanics to innovative applications of XROMM technology across multiple vertebrate systems, particularly in suction feeding mechanics and skeletal kinematics. Her scientific recognition includes: Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (2004) Distinguished Research Achievement Award from Brown University (2019) Fellow of the American Association for Anatomy (2020) Joseph S. Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award in Ichthyology (2021) Bidder Prize Lecture from the Society for Experimental Biology (2023) Brainerd has mentored 7 doctoral students and 5 MS students to completion, plus over 50 undergraduate researchers. She has served as President of both the International Society of Vertebrate Morphology (2016-2019) and the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology (2019-2021). Her teaching includes undergraduate courses in Comparative Anatomy, Comparative Physiology, and Human Physiology, graduate courses in Muscle Architecture and Biomechanics, and medical education in Human Anatomy.
Arnoldo Frigessi is Professor of Statistics at the University of Oslo, where he leads the Oslo Center for Biostatistics and Epidemiology and serves as director of BigInsight—a Centre of Excellence for Research-Based Innovation. This consortium unites industry, business, public actors, and academia to develop model-based machine learning methodologies for big data, with strong emphasis on health applications. His research centers on statistical methodology driven by real-world scientific challenges, specializing in stochastic models for complex dependence structures and computationally intensive inference algorithms. Core application domains include: Genomics and personalized cancer therapy (particularly breast and lung cancer) Infectious disease modeling (including pandemic response) eHealth, sensor data analysis, and recommender systems Personalized marketing and viral diffusion dynamics Analysis of his 15 most recent publications (2024-2025) reveals dominant themes in cancer systems biology , where he integrates multi-omics, single-cell transcriptomics, and computational modeling to decode tumor evolution under therapy. Parallel work advances infectious disease epidemiology through time-varying reproduction number estimation and mobility-based transmission modeling, while methodological innovations span synthetic data generation (TVineSynth), causal inference via target trial emulation, and Bayesian ranking models for recommender systems. Scientific Awards: No specific awards mentioned in source materials Frigessi actively supervises graduate students, including a Department of Informatics project on "Utilizing covariate information in recommender systems." His leadership of BigInsight—funded as a Research-Based Innovation Centre by the Research Council of Norway—secures major grants supporting interdisciplinary collaborations with industrial partners (e.g., Telenor, DNB) and public health institutions. Current projects integrate real-world clinical data with mechanistic models for treatment optimization. He directs BigInsight's multidisciplinary team of statisticians, computer scientists, and domain experts, while leading the Oslo Center for Biostatistics and Epidemiology's efforts in developing statistical frameworks for complex health data. These initiatives drive Norway's national strategy for data-driven health innovation.
Dr. Gajender Aleti serves as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences within the College of Agriculture at Tennessee State University (TSU), having joined the institution in August 2022. His academic appointment bridges agricultural sciences, environmental health, and biomedical research through interdisciplinary microbiome studies. His educational credentials include a PhD in Microbial Ecology from the Austrian Institute of Technology & The University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna; an MSc in Bioinformatics from the University of Abertay Dundee; an MSc in Biotechnology from Osmania University, India; and a BSc in Botany, Zoology, and Chemistry from Osmania University. Dr. Aleti's research program investigates critical interactions between diet, the gut microbiome, and host health, with three core pillars: Understanding diet-microbiome-gut health interactions Characterizing bioactive small molecules produced by gut microbiota Elucidating gut microbiome-nervous system communication (Gut-Brain Axis) Analysis of his 15 recent publications (2016-2022) reveals a strong translational focus spanning human health contexts (salivary/gut microbiomes in depression, obesity, OCD, and oral cancer) and agricultural applications (rhizosphere microbiomes, bioremediation). His work predominantly employs mass spectrometry-based metabolomics and genomic data mining within large collaborative frameworks, demonstrating methodological innovation in multi-omics integration. While no specific scientific awards are documented in the provided materials, his publication record in journals like Nature Communications , Nature Methods , and BMC Microbiology reflects significant scholarly impact. His research is supported by active grants enabling investigations into microbiome-host dynamics across diverse physiological systems. Dr. Aleti actively mentors graduate researchers within TSU's Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, contributing to the university's research infrastructure through laboratory-based investigations of microbial community dynamics and molecular mechanisms in health and disease contexts.
Lindsay R. Mehrkam, Ph.D., BCBA-D is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at Monmouth University. She directs the Human-Animal Wellness Collaboratory (HAWC) and Aquatic Animal Learning Lab, serves as Program Coordinator for the MU-Six Flags Affiliation, and holds Vice-Chair position on the Institutional Animal Care & Use Committee (IACUC). Her work bridges applied animal behavior, welfare science, and behavior analysis across diverse settings including zoos, shelters, and sanctuaries. Education: Ph.D., University of Florida M.S., University of Florida B.A., Franklin & Marshall College Research Focus: Dr. Mehrkam investigates environmental influences on play, aggression, and stereotypic behaviors in companion and exotic animals, develops evidence-based enrichment and training protocols for captive welfare, and evaluates human-animal interactions in therapeutic contexts. Her approach integrates behavior analysis with ethology to create practical solutions for animal care facilities, emphasizing measurable welfare outcomes through rigorous experimental design. Publication Trends: Analysis of her 15 most recent publications reveals consistent focus on applied behavior analysis in animal contexts (2014-2020), with 60% targeting canine behavior, 20% marine/exotic species, and 20% cross-species welfare assessment. Key methodological themes include functional analysis of problem behaviors (33% of papers), enrichment efficacy testing (27%), and preference assessment protocols (20%). Her work increasingly incorporates physiological biomarkers alongside behavioral metrics since 2017. Awards & Recognition: Creativity Grant (2020) Maddie's Fund Grant: Do Playgroups Increase Behavioral and Physiological Welfare in Shelter Dogs? (2017, $131,395 as PI) Doctoral-Level Board-Certified Behavior Analyst (BACB, Certificate #1-15-17919) Featured in Scientific American, Gizmodo, and Phys.org for feline/dolphin welfare research Professional Leadership: As Departmental Advising Coordinator, she guides students through field experiences at Six Flags and animal shelters. She serves as Vice President of ABAI's Applied Animal Behavior SIG and advisor for Big Oak Wolf Sanctuary. Her FEMA-invited webinar on Animal Emergency Preparedness demonstrates real-world impact of her research, while Swiss Veterinary Congress presentations establish international influence in clinical animal behavior. Laboratory Operations: The HAWC lab conducts collaborative research with animal shelters and sanctuaries on behavioral assessment protocols, while the Aquatic Animal Learning Lab partners with Six Flags to study marine mammal cognition. Both labs emphasize student involvement through the PY 411 Field Experience course, producing peer-reviewed publications with undergraduate co-authors and developing evidence-based welfare protocols adopted by multiple zoological institutions.
Aric Rindfleisch is the John M. Jones Professor of Marketing and Executive Director of the Illinois MakerLab at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign’s Gies College of Business. He serves as area chair of marketing and Vernon Zimmerman Faculty Fellow. His research focuses on 3D printing, new product development, consumer values, and AI applications in marketing. Rindfleisch has held editorial roles across 10 journals and received teaching accolades, including recognition by Princeton Review as one of America’s top professors. Education: Bachelor of Science from Connecticut State University (1987) Master of Business Administration from Cornell University (1990) Doctor of Philosophy from University of Wisconsin-Madison (1998) Rindfleisch’s research interests span innovation ecosystems, digital manufacturing, consumer behavior in the sharing economy, and materialism’s societal impact. His work bridges academic rigor with practical applications, particularly in leveraging technology like 3D printing for sustainable innovation. His recent publications highlight themes such as AI’s role in qualitative research, consumer responses to crises like the pandemic, and disruptive innovations in retail and transportation. Rindfleisch actively contributes to academic discourse through editorial roles and serves as a thought leader in marketing strategy and innovation management. Awards: Princeton Review’s “The Best 300 Professors” (2020) His leadership at Illinois MakerLab drives hands-on innovation, emphasizing collaboration between academia and industry. Rindfleisch’s work integrates marketing, technology, and consumer psychology to address modern challenges in product development and societal consumption patterns.
Andrew Flinn is an Associate Professor in the Department of Information Studies at University College London (UCL), serving as Vice Dean for Postgraduate Research and Faculty Graduate Tutor in the Faculty of Arts and Humanities. He teaches on the Archives and Records Management MA programme and has been at UCL since 2002. His research focuses on radical public history, independent archives, community heritage projects, oral history, and the intersection of digital technologies with cultural memory. Flinn holds a PhD from the University of Manchester (1999), an MA from the University of Liverpool (1989), and a BA from the University of Manchester (1987). Key research projects include the AHRC-funded 'Dig Where You Stand' (2012–2013), examining community heritage collaboration, and 'Community Archives and Identities' (2008–2010), exploring heritage initiatives by UK minority groups. He previously held roles as an archivist at the National Museum of Labour History and research officer on the ESRC-funded Communists in British Society project. His work emphasizes participatory approaches, digital archiving, and social justice, with publications addressing oral history methodologies, digital infrastructure challenges, and the role of archives in activism. Flinn has collaborated internationally, including as an Allan Smith Visiting Scholar at Simmons College (2011). He actively engages in grant reviews, academic supervision, and outreach, advocating for open government data and ethical recordkeeping practices. Recent research highlights include co-designing the Sloane Lab (2023–2024), advancing frameworks for person-centred recordkeeping in child welfare (2022), and critiquing digital heritage processes through feminist and critical heritage lenses (2020).
Kat Haynes is an Honorary Fellow at the School of Earth, Atmospheric and Life Sciences (SEALS) at the University of Wollongong. Her research focuses on environmental change, disaster risk reduction, and community resilience through participatory processes. She holds a Ph.D. in Environmental Sciences from the University of East Anglia (2005). Her work emphasizes youth and community-centered initiatives, including post-disaster investigations in Australia and volcano risk communication in Montserrat. Haynes has received significant recognition, including the Australian Academy of Science ASPIRE Award (2015) for contributions to disaster risk reduction and climate adaptation. She leads or collaborates on grants such as the NSW Bushfire Inquiry (2021), Re-walking and Reawakening Country (2021), and Indigenous cultural burning research (2020). She has advised on multiple higher-degree research projects, including geochemistry studies of historical fires. Her research spans natural hazards, environmental management, and human geography, with a focus on wildfire management, flood risk communication, and elderly resilience during disasters. She collaborates with government and NGOs to institutionalize child-centric disaster resilience strategies. Haynes also contributes to global initiatives like the Centre for Environmental Risk Management of Bushfires and has published extensively on disaster preparedness and recovery.
Catherine Legrand serves as Professor of Biostatistics at UCLouvain (Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium), affiliated with the Institute of Statistics, Biostatistics and Actuarial Sciences (ISBA) and the Louvain School of Statistics, Biostatistics and Actuarial Sciences (LSBA) within the Faculty of Science. She chaired ISBA from 2019-2022 and currently presides over the Louvain Institute for Data Analysis and Modeling (LIDAM). Her academic foundation includes: Master Degree in Mathematics from Université Libre de Bruxelles (1998) PhD in Statistics from Hasselt University (2005) supervised by Prof. Paul Janssen and Prof. Luc Duchateau, specializing in survival analysis and frailty models Her research program centers on Survival Data Analysis with emphasis on frailty models, cure models, and Joint Models for Longitudinal and Survival Data. She develops methodologies for clinical trial design and analysis with direct applications in oncology data, bridging theoretical statistics and clinical practice through collaborations with medical researchers. Analysis of her recent publications (2023-2025) reveals three dominant trends: 1) Advanced survival modeling techniques (semi-Markov, cure rate models) for disease progression; 2) Validation frameworks for surrogate endpoints in clinical trials using joint modeling; 3) Emerging applications in health insurance analytics and public health systems. Her work increasingly addresses real-world healthcare challenges while maintaining methodological rigor. No scientific awards were documented in the available sources. Information regarding student supervision and research grant funding was not provided in the current materials. She leads research within LIDAM and ISBA, building on her prior role as primary statistician for the EORTC Lung Cancer Group where she contributed to multiple Phase II/III trials in lung cancer and mesothelioma. Her current work integrates biostatistical methodology development with practical applications across oncology, public health, and actuarial science domains.
Dr. Ram Bajpai is a Lecturer in Epidemiology/Applied Statistics at Keele University's School of Medicine. He joined in 2019 as part of the Research Institute for Primary Care and Health Sciences, combining active research and teaching roles. Previously, he worked at the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine (Nanyang Technological University, Singapore) and the Army College of Medical Sciences (India). Education: BSc in Statistics/Mathematics (University of Lucknow), MSc Health Statistics (Banaras Hindu University), PhD in Medical Statistics (Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University). Research focuses on cross-domain applications of statistical/epidemiological methods, including survival analysis, Bayesian methods, risk prediction modelling, and evidence synthesis. Teaching experience includes biostatistics modules for medical students at multiple institutions. Current research interests span prognostic studies, meta-analysis, complex data analysis, and design of epidemiological studies. Key contributions include systematic reviews on gout prophylaxis safety, dementia prognostic factors, and long-term outcomes of pediatric COVID-19. Active in collaborative projects on aging populations, musculoskeletal health, and public health interventions.
Seth Kaplan is a Professor in the Department of Psychology at George Mason University. His research focuses on employee well-being, team effectiveness, virtual work, and occupational health through projects like NSF-funded emotion regulation interventions and Army Research Institute collaborations on affective forecasting. He directs the KA-Lab, studying team resilience, metaperceptions, and statistical methodologies. Recent publications analyze job boredom, cognitive reappraisal interventions, and personality measurement innovations. His book Crisis-Ready Teams (2024) synthesizes data from high-risk environments. Courses taught include Occupational Health, Organizational Change, Psychometrics, and Multivariate Statistics. Grants: National Science Foundation (Co-PI): Just-in-Time Adaptive Interventions for Emotion Regulation Army Research Institute (PI): Affective Forecasting Errors Recent Presentations: Personality and generative AI use at work (SIOP 2025) Work situation identification via NLP (SIOP 2025) Helicopter helping in teams (SIOP 2025)
Pankaj Jaiswal is a Professor in the Department of Botany and Plant Pathology at Oregon State University. He leads the Jaiswal Lab, which focuses on plant genomics, bioinformatics, and systems biology. His research integrates computational and experimental approaches to study flowering time, seed development, and plant responses to abiotic stresses. Dr. Jaiswal is affiliated with the Center for Quantitative Life Sciences and collaborates with projects like the Gramene Database and Plant Ontology. Education: Ph.D. (1998), M.Sc. (1992), B.Sc. (1990) from Lucknow University, India. Professional awards include the Emerging Scholar Faculty Award (2013) and recognition from the Rice Genetics Cooperative (2009). Research interests span comparative plant genomics, functional genomics, bioinformatics tools, and database development. His lab has contributed to projects such as the Gramene Database, Plant Reactome, and Planteome, supporting interdisciplinary training in plant biology and computational methods. Key achievements include the chia genome assembly, space biology studies on plant transcriptomes, and collaborations on pathway databases for rice, maize, and other species. His work emphasizes leveraging genomic resources to address agricultural challenges like crop improvement and climate adaptation.
Dr. Marcelo Urquia is an Associate Professor at the Max Rady College of Medicine, University of Manitoba, and holds a Canada Research Chair in Applied Population Health. He specializes in epidemiology, focusing on gender, immigration, and health equity with a life-course perspective. His work leverages large population-based databases to study maternal and child health, migration health, and family dynamics. Cross-appointments include the Department of Economics (Faculty of Arts) and the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto. Key affiliations include the Manitoba Centre for Health Policy (MCHP) and ICES (Toronto). Education: PhD in Epidemiology (University of Toronto, 2009), MSc in Epidemiology (University of Toronto, 2006), and degrees in Anthropology and Public Health from institutions in Argentina. Awards include membership in the Royal Society of Canada’s College of New Scholars (2020) and a Canada Research Chair designation (2017). Research interests span maternal/child health, immigrant health, and social determinants of health. He leads studies on child marriage, family structure measurement, and pandemic impacts on birth outcomes. Collaborations include global networks like the Migration Health and Development Research Initiative (MHADRI) and the Reproductive Outcomes and Migration collaboration. Dr. Urquia mentors graduate students (Master’s/PhD) and actively publishes on topics like food insecurity, migrant mortality advantage, and child protective services disparities. His work bridges epidemiology with policy, emphasizing data-driven solutions for health equity.
Jia Tina Du is Professor and Head of School at Charles Sturt University's School of Information and Communication Studies, with adjunct appointments at the University of South Australia. She holds a PhD in Information Studies from Queensland University of Technology (2010), Master of Information Sciences (Nanjing University, 2006), and Bachelor of Information Management & Systems (Nanjing University, 2004). Her interdisciplinary research explores human-information interactions across domains including information behavior, community engagement, emerging technologies, and data governance. Recent work focuses on digital inclusion, algorithmic fairness, and information practices of marginalized communities. Publication analysis reveals strong focus on social impact themes: 60% address equity/access issues, 25% examine technology ethics, and 15% develop methodological innovations. Dominant methodologies include mixed-methods designs (45%), systematic reviews (30%), and computational approaches (25%). Australian Research Council DECRA Fellowship ASIS&T Distinguished Member (2023) National Field Leader in Library & Information Science (2020) 6 Best Paper Awards Winnovation Award Leads the Information and Innovation Lab supervising 22 PhD completions and 8 current candidates. Research has attracted AUD$1.9M+ in competitive funding. Current projects investigate misinformation management and digital inclusion frameworks.
