Martial Hebert serves as the Dean of the School of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University, a position he assumed in August 2019. He is the sixth dean to lead the school since its inception in 1988 and holds the title of University Professor of Robotics. Professor Hebert is an active participant in global AI discussions, with an upcoming speaking engagement at the AI and Planet session on May 30, 2024, where he will address "Generative AI and regulation: From local implementations to global standards." Professor Hebert is a leading researcher in the fields of computer vision and robotics. His work has contributed significantly to advancing these disciplines, which are critical components of modern artificial intelligence and autonomous systems. His expertise spans theoretical foundations and practical applications of vision systems and robotic technologies, positioning him as a key figure at the intersection of academic research and real-world AI implementation. As Dean of one of the world's most renowned computer science schools, Hebert oversees a diverse academic community dedicated to innovation and excellence in computing education and research. Under his leadership, the School of Computer Science continues to maintain its position at the forefront of technological advancement and academic achievement in the computing field, while also engaging with critical issues around AI governance and regulation.
Dr. Juan Manuel Berbel Pineda is a full Professor at the Department of Business Organization and Marketing at Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Spain. His academic work focuses on tourism economics, sustainable tourism practices, and international business strategies, particularly within the hotel industry and textile sector. Key research areas: Tourism Economics, Sustainable Tourism, International Business Strategy Affiliated with IMEGS (Innovation and Marketing for a Sustainable Global Environment) research group Doctoral Programs: Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Family Business His research explores tourism competitiveness and internationalization patterns through empirical studies on hotel chains in Latin America, fair trade impacts in emerging economies, and post-COVID-19 rural tourism development. Analysis of 15 recent publications reveals strong emphasis on structural equation modeling, cross-cultural comparisons, and market segmentation strategies. Current academic activity includes international collaborations with institutions like Massey University, Varna University of Management, and University of Mauritius. His 2020 work on Ecuadorian chia seed exports demonstrates methodology for EU market selection using 7-dimensional indicators, while his sustainable tourism studies provide frameworks for pandemic-era tourism revival through non-overcrowding strategies.
Antonio González is a full Professor at the Barcelona School of Informatics (FIB), Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC), where he is affiliated with the Department of Computer Architecture. He leads the Microarchitecture and Compilers (ARCO) research group, focusing on robust and energy-efficient computing systems, including general-purpose processors, GPUs, and cognitive computing architectures. His research spans computer architecture, microarchitecture, compilers, GPU design, and deep learning acceleration, with a strong emphasis on energy efficiency and memory optimization. His work integrates hardware and compiler techniques to enhance performance in modern computing systems. The recent publications highlight a strong trend in energy-efficient DNN acceleration, GPU microarchitecture, memory systems, and near-data processing. His team explores novel quantization methods, adaptive caching, and architectural extensions for vision and AI workloads, published in top-tier venues such as MICRO, ISCA, and IEEE/ACM journals. ACM Fellow (2020) ICREA Academia Award (2014, 2019, 2024) UPC Duran Farell Award (2008) HiPEAC 2024 Paper Award (twice) González has supervised several PhD students and leads competitive R&D+i projects, including those funded by ICREA and the European Research Council. His research group collaborates extensively within UPC and with international institutions. He is actively involved in advancing computer architecture through innovation in simulation, hardware design, and AI acceleration. He is a member of IEEE and ACM, and his work continues to influence both academic and industrial developments in high-performance and energy-efficient computing.
Jose Luis Belmonte Postigo is an active researcher and faculty member at the University of Seville, specifically in the Department of American History within the Faculty of Philosophy, Arts and Humanities. His academic career spans over a decade, with research activity documented from 2010 to the present. He earned his doctorate from the Pablo de Olavide University with a thesis on slavery in Santiago de Cuba (1780-1803), supervised by Dr. Juan Marchena Fernández. Belmonte Postigo's research focuses on the history of slavery in the Spanish Caribbean and Latin America, with particular attention to Cuba, Puerto Rico, Peru, and the broader Atlantic World. His work examines the social, economic, and cultural dimensions of slavery, including enslaved people's resistance strategies, social mobility, and the complex relationships between masters and slaves. He has conducted extensive research on how enslaved individuals navigated systems of power, sought freedom, and maintained cultural practices across the colonial period. His publications reveal a strong interest in the microhistories of enslaved individuals and communities, analyzing how they negotiated their circumstances within rigid colonial structures. Belmonte Postigo has made significant contributions to understanding the regional variations of slavery across the Spanish Empire, particularly examining how local contexts shaped slave societies in different parts of the Caribbean and Latin America. Belmonte Postigo has received recognition for his scholarly work, with a substantial following on academic platforms like Academia.edu where he has 938 followers. He collaborates with scholars across Latin America and Spain, contributing to edited volumes and participating in international research projects focused on slavery and colonial history. In addition to his research, Belmonte Postigo has demonstrated commitment to academic service through peer reviewing and contributing to scholarly journals. His expertise in colonial slavery has positioned him as a key contributor to ongoing scholarly conversations about the legacy of slavery in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Miguel Ángel Bernal Merino serves as a Part-Time Lecturer in the Department of Modern Philology, Translation and Interpretation at the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. Concurrently, he acts as convener of the MA in Translation at the University of Roehampton in London, managing its Specialised Translation, Audiovisual Translation, and Intercultural Communication pathways since 2005. His academic profile bridges theoretical research and industry application in localization disciplines. PhD in The Localisation of Video Games, Imperial College London MSc in The Localisation of Multimedia Interactive Entertainment Software, Imperial College London Certificate in Software Localisation, University of Limerick CELTA, University of Cambridge MPhil in Lip-Synched Dubbing, Universidad de Alicante MA in Hispanic Literature, University of Rhode Island BA in English & Spanish Linguistics, Universidad de Alicante Bernal Merino's research pioneers the expansion of Translation Studies into interactive media domains. His work on video game localization examines interactivity, cultural adaptation, glocalisation, and playability, while his audiovisual translation research investigates creativity in lip-synched dubbing, subtitling, and audiodescription. He extends these frameworks into gaming-based language learning through haptic environments and multisensory reinforcement, exploring physiological aspects of multilingual cognition and polysemiotic neural networks. This multidisciplinary approach fundamentally challenges traditional boundaries in translation theory. His publication trajectory reveals evolving industry-academia integration, shifting from foundational game localization frameworks (2008-2015) toward user-centered research and educational applications (2018-2024). Recent work emphasizes measurable business impacts through quality localization, regional market adaptations, and crowd-sourced methodologies, demonstrating consistent influence on professional standards across gaming and translation sectors. Fellow of the Higher Education Academy Bernal Merino supervises doctoral research on mobile game localization, transmedia fan experiences, and historical game content translation while developing industry-academia pipelines through projects like AHRC's Media Across Borders. His funded initiatives—including Maximising ROI through Quality Game Localisation and Video Games for Language Learning—bridge theoretical innovation with commercial implementation, focusing on glocalisation strategies, interactivity metrics, and playability optimization. These collaborations connect European universities, gaming studios, and localization service providers. As chair of the IGDA Localization SIG and member of GIR Discourse, Communication and Society, he directs international forums for game localization discourse. His work with Routes into Languages promotes audiovisual media in language education, while REF-readiness collaborations enhance research excellence across European institutions through his professional network spanning industry conferences like GDC Summit and Game Global.
Alicia Orea Giner is a Professor at the Faculty of Economics and Business Sciences of Rey Juan Carlos University, specializing in sustainable tourism and social justice. Her research focuses on Generation Z's sustainable consumption practices in food tourism, AI integration in hospitality, and ethical dimensions of tourism. She co-authored the award-winning article The way we live, the way we travel: generation Z and sustainable consumption in food tourism experiences , recognized with the 2024 Emerald Literati Outstanding Paper Award. Her work bridges sustainability, technology, and cultural studies. Key themes include feminist methodologies in tourism research, transformative travel through ecofeminism, and post-pandemic food tourism trends. She explores AI applications in service robots, wellness tourism's mental health connections, and marginalized communities' roles in culinary tourism. Recent studies address LGBTQ+ tourism challenges, stakeholder participation in World Heritage sites, and ghost tours' cultural narratives. Awards highlight her contributions to sustainability and social justice in tourism. Awards: 2024 Emerald Literati Outstanding Paper Award Research Foci: Food Tourism, AI Ethics, Feminist Tourism Studies, Cultural Heritage Management Labs/Teams: No specific lab mentioned; collaborates across interdisciplinary tourism research networks.
Bryon Aragam is an Associate Professor of Econometrics and Statistics and Robert H. Topel Faculty Scholar at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. His research focuses on the intersection of causality, statistical machine learning, and probabilistic modeling, with particular emphasis on applications to artificial intelligence systems including large language models like ChatGPT and generative models like DALL-E. Dr. Aragam completed his PhD in Statistics and a Masters in Applied Mathematics at UCLA, where he was an NSF graduate research fellow. Prior to joining the University of Chicago, he was a project scientist and postdoctoral researcher in the Machine Learning Department at Carnegie Mellon University. Research Focus: Causal structure learning in probabilistic generative models Key Areas: Causal machine learning, deep generative models, latent variable models, statistical learning theory Applications: AI interpretability, ethics, and fairness in artificial intelligence systems Teaching: Business Statistics, Econometrics and Statistics Colloquium His recent publications demonstrate a strong theoretical foundation combined with practical applications, particularly in understanding and improving AI systems. His work spans causal discovery, graphical models, deep learning, and latent variable modeling, with particular attention to the theoretical properties of these methods and their applications to real-world AI challenges. The research shows a progression toward increasingly complex problems in causal representation learning and AI interpretability. Scientific Awards: Robert H. Topel Faculty Scholar NSF Graduate Research Fellow Dr. Aragam's work has been published in top statistics and machine learning venues including the Annals of Statistics, Neural Information Processing Systems (NeurIPS), the International Conference on Machine Learning (ICML), and the Journal of Machine Learning Research (JMLR). His research group publishes broadly across both statistical and machine learning communities, demonstrating the interdisciplinary nature of his work at the intersection of statistics, machine learning, and causal inference. As a data science consultant for technology and marketing firms, Dr. Aragam has applied his expertise to problems in survey design, customer retention, logistics, and ranking, bridging the gap between theoretical research and practical applications.
Prof. Maciej Lewenstein is a Group Leader and ICREA Professor at the Institute of Photonic Sciences (ICFO), Spain. He leads the Quantum Optics Theory group, focusing on theoretical and computational studies of quantum many-body systems, topological phases, and nonlinear optics. He holds a Dr.rer.nat. in Physics from the University of Essen, Germany. His research interests include quantum simulations, high-harmonic generation, Bose-Einstein condensation, and quantum information processing. He has pioneered work on topological quantum thermometry and ultrafast phase transitions in materials like vanadium dioxide. His group actively explores the intersection of quantum optics with condensed matter physics and quantum computing. Recent articles highlight advancements in tensor network approaches for topological phases, quantum algorithms for many-body systems, and the application of sonification to quantum entanglement dynamics. He has received a prestigious ERC Advanced Grant and the ICREA Professorship, recognizing his contributions to quantum science. Prof. Lewenstein advises over a dozen PhD students and postdoctoral researchers, fostering a dynamic research environment at ICFO. His grants include ERC and ICREA funding, supporting projects on quantum simulations and nonlinear optical phenomena. The Quantum Optics Theory group collaborates internationally, with expertise in light-matter interactions, quantum resource theory, and quantum many-body localization. Their lab develops novel methods for probing quantum systems using high-harmonic spectroscopy and quantum trajectory simulations.
Danfeng Zhang is a faculty member at Duke University whose research sits at the intersection of programming languages and security. Active across the premier PL conferences since 2015, Zhang has served on more than two-dozen program committees and currently co-chairs the POPL Student Research Competition. Education & Affiliation: Home page: users.cs.duke.edu/~dz132 Affiliation: Duke University, United States Research Interests: Zhang’s work spans programming-language design, static and dynamic analysis, formal verification, and security. A recurring theme is developing language-based techniques that guarantee strong security and privacy properties—ranging from side-channel resistance and constant-time execution to differential-privacy proofs—while preserving performance and usability. His recent projects combine type systems, program logics, and automated reasoning to build practical verification tools for concurrent, speculative, and approximate software. Publication Trends: Across nine representative papers (2015-2024) Zhang has advanced static detection of cache side channels, automated proofs of differential privacy, and relaxed concurrency models. The trajectory shows deepening integration of security concerns into language infrastructure, with tool-building (CtChecker, SpecSafe, LightDP) that bridge formal guarantees and real-world systems. Service & Leadership: 2024 POPL Student Research Competition Co-Chair 2025 POPL Program Committee member Repeated reviewer/PC member: PLDI, SPLASH/OOPSLA, ISSTA, ECOOP, APLAS, PriSC, PASS Zhang regularly mentors student researchers through SRC sessions and workshop panels, fostering diversity and early-career participation in the programming-languages community.
Baris Ata is the Sigmund E. Edelstone Distinguished Service Professor of Operations Management at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. His work bridges theoretical operations management with practical applications, focusing on dynamic decision-making under uncertainty. Research Interests Ata’s research spans stochastic networks, manufacturing/service operations, healthcare delivery, and social sector innovation. Recent projects address high-dimensional stochastic control, xenotransplantation candidate selection, criminal justice logistics, and last-mile delivery challenges in Africa. Scientific Awards Best Paper in Service Science Award, INFORMS (2009) William Pierskalla Best Paper Award, INFORMS (2015) Wickham Skinner Best Paper Award, POMS (2019) Manufacturing and Service Operations Management Young Scholar Prize, INFORMS (2015) Emory Williams MBA Teaching Award (2021) Recent Publications Ata’s recent work includes topics in dynamic pricing, stochastic control, and healthcare logistics. His papers examine congestion-based pricing strategies, equilibrium analysis in queues, and policy design for organ transplantation. Broad disciplines include operations management, stochastic modeling, and healthcare analytics.
Antonia Agulló Agüero is a distinguished Professor at Pompeu Fabra University specializing in Financial and Tax Law. With a scholarly career spanning over four decades from 1980 to 2025, she has established herself as a leading authority in Spanish tax law with growing expertise in EU tax frameworks and public finance systems. Her academic contributions include 26 journal articles, 27 collaborative works, 15 books, and direction of 20 doctoral theses. Her research interests focus on Tax Law , Financial Law , and Public Finance , with particular expertise in EU Taxation, Local Government Finance, Constitutional Tax Law, and International Taxation. Her scholarly work demonstrates a clear evolution from foundational tax principles to complex contemporary issues including healthcare financing, cross-border taxation, and fiscal policy responses to economic crises. Analysis of her most recent publications (2016-2020) reveals increasing attention to healthcare financing mechanisms, EU tax harmonization challenges, and the constitutional dimensions of public spending. Her work bridges theoretical legal scholarship with practical policy applications, particularly in regional tax autonomy and fiscal federalism within Spain's autonomous communities framework. As a dedicated academic mentor, she has supervised 20 doctoral students whose research spans diverse tax law topics including international double taxation, public debt concepts, soft law in international taxation, and environmental taxation. Her students have gone on to contribute significantly to academic and professional tax discourse in Spain. Her scholarly infrastructure includes leadership in academic publications, participation in professional tax councils (notably the Barcelona Tax Council), and contributions to major tax law reforms including Spain's General Tax Law and Personal Income Tax legislation. Her work continues to influence tax policy development in Spain and EU member states.
Karina Gibert is a Full Professor at Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC), specifically at the Faculty of Computer Science of Barcelona (FIB) in the Department of Statistics and Operations Research. With a permanent teaching position since 1990, she contributes to research and education with a focus on Data Science, Artificial Intelligence, Explainable AI, and Ethics in AI. Full Professor, UPC (since 1990) PhD in Informatics Engineering Postgraduate in Higher Education Teaching Director and co-founder of IDEAI research center Dean of the Official Professional College on Informatics Engineering of Catalonia Active in bridging the gender gap in STEAM through multiple initiatives Her research focuses on extracting strategic knowledge from data and intelligent systems with ethical and explainable perspectives. She has led various projects including Diet4You for personalized diets, INSESS-COVID19 for social vulnerability analysis, Top Rosies Talent for female AI development, and ciutadanIA for AI culture promotion. Her work spans health, environment, sustainability, tourism, and social technology applications. As an editor of Environmental Modeling and Software journal and active academic, she contributes to international conferences, working groups, and research collaborations. Her service includes membership on various ethics and AI strategy committees and advisory boards. Women Tech Award 2023 National Informatics Engineering Award in Digital Dissemination 2022 Ada Byron Award 2022 Honorific Mention of Creu Casas award 2021 donaTIC 2018 Award Finalist at AMETIC Awards 2021 Finalist of European Social Services Awards 2021
Isabel Gemma Fajardo García is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mercantile Law at the Faculty of Law, University of Valencia, Spain. She is affiliated with the Institut d'Investigació en Economia Social, Cooperativisme i Empresa (IUDESCOOP), where she conducts research on cooperative law, social economy, and related legal frameworks. Research Interests: Her work focuses on Commercial Law, Cooperative Law, Social Economy, Credit Cooperatives, Mutual Societies, and the legal regulation of solidarity-based enterprises. She explores both national and European dimensions, with comparative studies including Greece’s solidarity economy legislation. Her recent publications reflect a strong trend in analyzing the legal and institutional evolution of social economy actors across Europe, particularly in Spain and Greece. She has contributed extensively to journals such as CIRIEC España and REVESCO , and has co-authored books on worker-managed enterprises and social economy manuals. Her research emphasizes democratic governance, self-management, and the balance between economic viability and social objectives in cooperatives. Scientific Contributions: Author of numerous scholarly articles on cooperative banking, agri-food cooperatives, and legal frameworks for social economy. Co-author of the book Empresas Gestionadas por sus trabajadores and editor of Manual de economía social . Contributor to international academic networks, such as RULEESCOOP, fostering Europe-Latin America research collaboration. She advises on legal and policy aspects of cooperatives and social enterprises, though specific advisees are not listed. Her work is supported through institutional research frameworks and academic publishing. She is actively engaged in shaping legal discourse around cooperative models and social economy development. She leads and participates in research initiatives within IUDESCOOP, focusing on legal scenarios for social economy actors in the EU and member states, and exploring new perspectives for housing cooperatives and mutualist entities.
Yolanda Vidal Segui is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mathematics at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC), affiliated with the Escola d'Enginyeria de Barcelona Est (EEBE). Her research focuses on wind energy systems, predictive maintenance, and structural health monitoring of wind turbines. She leads projects in the CoDAlab and WinTurCoM research groups, specializing in data-driven models, condition monitoring, and failure prognosis. Her work integrates machine learning, mathematical modeling, and sensor technology to enhance turbine reliability and energy efficiency. Dr. Vidal holds a PhD in Applied Mathematics and has authored over 350 publications. Her contributions include advancements in SCADA data analysis, vibration-based diagnostics, and AI-driven condition monitoring systems. She has received several accolades, including the WindEurope Technology Workshop recognition and the IFIT Distinction in Mechanism and Machine Science. Her research bridges academia and industry, addressing challenges in offshore wind turbine integrity and maintenance strategies. Active in professional service, she serves on conference committees and editorial boards (e.g., Mechanical Systems and Signal Processing, Wind Energy). Her work emphasizes sustainable energy solutions and has been applied in real-world scenarios like the Alpha Ventus wind farm. She also contributes to educational initiatives, developing innovative teaching materials for engineering students.
Elsa Prada Nuñez is a Senior Researcher at the Institute of Materials Science of Madrid (ICMM) under the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) . She leads the Quantum Dynamics of Materials (QUDYMA) group and currently serves as Head of the Theory Department. Her academic career spans multiple institutions, including the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM), Karlsruhe University, and Lancaster University, with a focus on condensed matter theory and quantum materials. PhD in Physics from UAM (2006) Tenured Scientist at ICMM-CSIC (2020-2025) Senior Researcher at ICMM-CSIC (2025-present) Her research explores quantum phenomena in low-dimensional materials and nanostructures, particularly topological insulators, Majorana zero modes in hybrid nanowires, graphene and 2D crystals, disorder effects, magnetotransport, spintronics, quantum pumping, straintronics, and exciton dynamics. She has directed over 20 students across PhD, Master's, and undergraduate levels, including notable projects on full-shell hybrid nanowires and twisted bilayer graphene. Recent publications highlight advancements in Josephson junctions, Majorana detection, and topological superconductivity in full-shell nanowires. Awards include the Young Female Scientist 2021 from the Royal Academy of Sciences of Spain and Mastercard, and the 2022 Certamen Universitario 'Arquímedes' First Award as a tutor. She has secured significant grants from the Spanish government and European collaborations for projects on quantum materials and topological superconductivity. Principal Investigator for €139,150 Spanish government grant (PID2021-125343NB-I00) Lead on €5,000 ICMM-CSIC grant (2020-2021) Participant in €3.48M EU AndQC project (2019-2023)
