Prof. Silvia Vignolini is a leading researcher in sustainable and bio-inspired materials. Since January 2023, she has served as Director at the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces , where she leads the department of Sustainable and Bio-inspired Materials . Her academic career includes a Lecturer in Physics at University College London (2013-2017) and a Professor of Biomaterials and Sustainability at the University of Cambridge (2020-2022). Education: University of Florence (Physics, PhD) Postdoctoral Research: University of Florence , University of Cambridge Her research bridges chemistry , soft matter physics , optics , and biology , focusing on the self-assembly of natural materials into functional architectures. She pioneered work on cellulose-based photonic materials with applications in displays, pigments, and radiative cooling. The selected articles highlight her work on cellulose nanocrystals , structural coloration , and sustainable fabrication techniques . Key trends include mechanochromic hydroxypropyl cellulose systems, bio-inspired light management, and applications in microalgae growth and bacterial symbiosis. Scientific Awards : Philip Leverhululme Prize (2019) ACS Lectureship in Sustainable Chemistry (2018) Ipazia Prize for Women in Science (2012) PhD Thesis Award (University of Florence, 2009) At the Max Planck Institute, her interdisciplinary research group explores bio-inspired design principles for sustainable materials, combining experimental and computational approaches to create functional materials from natural resources.
Dr. Philippa Carter is University Assistant Professor in the History of Medicine and Health before 1800 at the University of Cambridge's Department of History and Philosophy of Science. She serves as an Affiliated Lecturer in the Faculty of History and is a Fellow and Director of Studies at Sidney Sussex College. Additionally, she manages the MPhil in Health, Medicine and Society program. Her educational background focuses on early modern European history with specialization in medical and intellectual history. Her research spans a wide range of interests including: Early understandings of mental and physical illness Bodies and embodiment in historical contexts Mind/body relations in premodern thought Disability and visible difference Disease categorization and diagnosis across historical periods Boundaries between natural philosophy, magic, and religion Sciences of the psyche Dr. Carter's scholarly work examines premodern Aristotelian understandings of 'nature,' particularly in the processes of 'generation' and 'corruption.' Her research bridges cultural history, medical history, gender studies, and the history of science, with particular attention to how historical societies conceptualized bodily experience and mental states. She has published significant work on childbirth and madness, gender and witchcraft, and is currently completing a monograph on madness, brain disease, and the soul in early modern England. Her recent publications demonstrate a consistent focus on the intersection of gender, medicine, and social history in early modern contexts. The articles reveal trends toward examining marginalized historical experiences, particularly women's health and mental states, while connecting historical medical concepts to contemporary understandings. Among her notable scholarly contributions: 'Childbirth, "Madness", and Bodies in History' (History Workshop Journal, 2021) 'Work, Gender and Witchcraft in Early Modern England' (Gender & History, 2023) "Madness Embodied" (forthcoming in The Bloomsbury Cultural History of Madness) Dr. Carter teaches on Early Science and Medicine at the Department of HPS, Part I History Tripos Outline Paper 4 ('Early Modern Britain'), and Part II, Paper 11 ('Early Medicine'). She serves as Associate Editor for the digital humanities project 'Reading Early Medicine' and is actively involved with Cambridge Reproduction research initiatives. Her work contributes significantly to interdisciplinary approaches to historical medical understanding, connecting past and present perspectives on reproductive health, mental illness, and bodily experience.
Saurabh Amin is a Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he also serves as the Edmund K. Turner Professor and Undergraduate Officer. He is a Principal Investigator at the Laboratory of Information and Decision Systems and holds affiliations with the Operations Research Center and the Center for Computational Science and Engineering. His educational background includes: B.Tech. 2002, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee M.S. 2004, University of Texas (UT) Austin Ph.D. 2011, University of California (UC) Berkeley Saurabh Amin's research focuses on the design and control of infrastructure systems using game theory and optimization in networks. His work spans three main areas: resilient network control, information systems and incentive design, and optimal resource allocation in large-scale infrastructure systems. By concentrating on critical infrastructure domains including highway transportation, electric power distribution, and urban water networks, his research develops innovative theory and tools to enhance system performance against both stochastic and adversarial disruptions. His approach involves modeling cyber-physical interactions in infrastructures to assess vulnerabilities, developing detection and response tools for failures at various scales, and designing economic incentive schemes that improve aggregate public good while accounting for dependencies and private information among strategic entities. Amin's work bridges mathematical systems theory with practical civil engineering applications, creating a rigorous theoretical foundation for infrastructure resilience that addresses diverse failure mechanisms from natural disasters to deliberate malicious actions. His recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on decarbonization of energy systems, resilient infrastructure planning under climate uncertainty, optimization methods for complex networked systems, and game-theoretic approaches to sustainable infrastructure management. His work increasingly integrates artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques with traditional control theory to address contemporary challenges in infrastructure resilience and sustainability. The research shows a clear trajectory toward addressing climate change impacts on infrastructure systems while maintaining economic efficiency and operational reliability. Professor Amin has received numerous prestigious awards and honors: Common Ground Excellence in Teaching Award, 2025 HSCC Test-of-Time Award, 2024 MIT CEE, Distinguished Service and Leadership Award, 2023 Samuel M. Seegal Prize (SoE) – inspiring students in pursuing and achieving excellence, 2022 Earll M. Murman for Excellence in Undergraduate Advising, 2022 C3.ai Digital Transformation Institute Research Award, 2020 MIT, Ole Madsen Mentoring Award, 2020 MIT, Energy Initiative Research Award, 2020 National Academy of Engineering, China-America Frontiers of Engineering Symposium speaker, 2019 MIT, Robert N. Noyce Career Development Professor, 2015-2018 Google Faculty Research Award, 2015 National Science Foundation CAREER Award, 2015 Siebel Energy Institute Research Award, 2015 MIT, Solomon Buchsbaum AT&T Research Fund Award, 2012 Professor Amin has been actively involved in significant research projects including the C3.ai DTI project on Causal Reasoning for Real-Time Attack Identification in Cyber-Physical Systems and another on Learning in Routing Games for Sustainable Electromobility. He serves as the chief scientist on multi-institutional NSF grants, including the $9 million Foundations of Resilient Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) project. His teaching portfolio includes courses such as 1.008 Engineering for a Sustainable World, 1.104 Sensing and Intelligent Systems, 1.020 Engineering Sustainability: Analysis and Design, and 1.208 Resilient Networks. As Undergraduate Officer, he plays a key role in shaping the educational experience for civil and environmental engineering students at MIT. Professor Amin leads the Resilient Infrastructure Networks Lab at MIT, where his team develops theoretical foundations and practical tools for infrastructure resilience. The lab focuses on the intersection of control theory, game theory, and optimization applied to cyber-physical infrastructure systems. Current research directions include pandemic-resilient urban mobility and hurricane-resilient smart grid operations, reflecting the lab's commitment to addressing pressing societal challenges through rigorous systems engineering approaches.
Sarah Shirazyan is a Lecturer in Law at Stanford Law School , where she designed the Interpol-Stanford Policy Lab. She also serves as Director and Head of Meta's GenAI Product Policy work, overseeing responsible AI development across Meta's platforms. Doctor of Juridical Sciences (J.S.D.) from Stanford Law School LL.M. from SOAS/UCL, University of London Her research focuses on the intersection of national security , public policy , and international law , particularly examining: Effectiveness of UN Security Council responses to WMD terrorism Framework for regional organization collaboration in WMD prevention Platform content policy development and misinformation governance Responsible AI implementation under legal frameworks Key publication themes include: Platform algorithmic accountability Media capture in digital domains Content policy development during crises UN Security Council institutional limitations Regional organization synergies in security Recipient of Gerald J. Lieberman Award for research, teaching, and community service Professional affiliations: Stanford Law School Stanford Center for International Security and Cooperation (CISAC) INTERPOL European Court of Human Rights Council of Europe United Nations
Vanya Darakchieva is a Professor in Solid State Physics at Lund University's Faculty of Engineering (LTH), serving as Principal Investigator at NanoLund: Centre for Nanoscience and Director of C3NiT: Centre for III Nitride technology. She is a core member of Lund's profile areas in Nanoscience and Semiconductor Technology, Light and Materials, and The Energy Transition, reflecting her interdisciplinary impact. Her research centers on wide bandgap semiconductors, particularly gallium nitride (GaN) and gallium oxide (Ga 2 O 3 ), with emphasis on defect engineering, electron transport, and advanced characterization techniques. She pioneers terahertz spectroscopy and electron paramagnetic resonance methods to analyze material properties critical for quantum technologies and energy-efficient electronics. Her work bridges fundamental physics with industrial applications in high-frequency devices and green semiconductor technology. Recent publications reveal a sharp focus on structural optimization of GaN crystals, doping mechanisms, and contact engineering—key bottlenecks in next-generation power electronics. Trends show increasing collaboration with international teams on epitaxial growth techniques and defect-driven property control. No scientific awards were documented in the provided text. She actively supervises PhD candidates including Logotheti, A. and Rindert, V., guiding dissertation projects within major grants. Darakchieva leads nine research projects with 150+ million SEK in funding, including two flagship Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation initiatives (2025–2030) on quantum-ready semiconductors and ceramic-to-semiconductor transformation, plus Swedish Research Council and Vinnova grants targeting terahertz characterization and III-nitride technology. Her work is anchored in NanoLund and C3NiT infrastructure, fostering cross-departmental teams for nanofabrication and device prototyping. Current efforts integrate magnetron sputtering, MOCVD growth, and in-situ characterization to solve industry challenges in thermal management and electron mobility for 6G communications and renewable energy systems.
Alexandra Papoutsaki is an Associate Professor of Computer Science at Pomona College since 2017. Her research focuses on Human-Computer Interaction , particularly in webcam-based eye tracking and shared gaze for remote collaboration . Ph.D. in Computer Science from Brown University M.Sc. in Computer Science from Brown University B.Sc. in Computer Science from Athens University of Economics and Business Her work spans personal informatics , crowdsourcing methodologies , and remote usability testing , with recent projects examining collaborative drawing interfaces, baby tracking reflection, and digital health communities. Earlier contributions include computational biology research in genome-wide survival analysis and pan-cancer mutation networks. Key trends in her publications include: Remote collaboration tools enhanced by eye tracking Personal data systems for health and creative domains Foundational work in crowdsourcing quality control Interdisciplinary approaches combining computer science with psychology and medicine Scientific recognition includes: NSF CRII Grant (2020-2022) Wig Distinguished Professor Award (2020) Best Paper at RECOMB (2013) She has developed multiple open-source platforms including WebGazer for scalable eye tracking and Remotion for mobile usability testing. Her research team has published extensively in top venues like CHI, IMWUT, and IJCAI.
Juha Järvelä is a Staff Scientist at the Department of Built Environment , Aalto University, and a member of the Aalto Environmental Hydraulics Lab . His research focuses on environmental hydraulics, particularly on Hydraulics of environmental channels Modeling of vegetated flows Environmentally sound hydraulic engineering Järvelä's research spans fluid dynamics in river systems, with an emphasis on vegetation-flow-sediment interactions. Key areas include flow resistance in flexible and rigid vegetation, hydrodynamic modeling of floodplains, and nature-based solutions for water management. His recent publications investigate Blockage effects of woody vegetation Longitudinal dispersion in patchy vegetation Two-stage channel performance in agricultural settings Hydrodynamic characterization of natural-like plants Järvelä has received notable scientific recognition, including 2014 : Outstanding Reviewer Award from the American Geophysical Union for Water Resources Research 2005 : Doctoral Dissertation Award from the Oskari Vilamo Foundation Contact: juha.jarvela@aalto.fi | Phone: +358505626727 | Postal: Tietotie 1 E, 02150 Espoo, Finland
Dr. Claudia Fernandez Martin is a Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor) in Chemical Engineering at the University of Aberdeen, School of Engineering. She is actively involved in research and teaching, with a focus on carbon capture technologies and sustainable materials. She serves as Coordinator of Level 5 and Coordinator of the Environmental & Biodiversity Theme in the School of Engineering, and as Champion of the Circular Economy Theme at the Centre for Energy Transition. Dr. Fernandez Martin's educational background includes: PhD in "Microporous adsorbents from organic polymers. Application in precombustion CO 2 capture processes" (2011) from the University of Oviedo, Spain (Summa Cum Laude) MSc in Research in Technology, Diversification, Quality and Energy Saving (2009) from the University of Oviedo, Spain MEng in Environmental Sciences, 1st Class (2000-2005) from the University of Granada, Spain Her research interests focus on materials and gas separation processes for carbon capture, including the synthesis of advanced materials for CO 2 capture, characterization of adsorbents, enhancement of CO 2 recovery through novel regeneration technologies, and recycling of polymeric waste. She has developed expertise in microwave-assisted technologies for carbon capture intensification and plastic waste conversion into valuable materials. Dr. Fernandez Martin's recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on sustainable solutions for carbon capture and waste valorization. Her work spans from developing novel adsorbents from waste materials to exploring microwave-assisted processes for more energy-efficient carbon capture. She has made significant contributions to understanding transfer hydrogenation of CO 2 and the conversion of plastic waste into functional materials for environmental applications. Her scientific achievements have been recognized through several awards: Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (Advance HE) - 2020 Santander Mobility Award - 2017 ETP-PECRE Award - 2017 Santander Mobility Award - 2016 PhD Scholarship 'JAE-PreDoc' funded by the Spanish Research Council (CSIC) - 2007-2011 As an educator, Dr. Fernandez Martin teaches courses including Environmental Engineering (EA4027), Air & Water Pollution Control (EX501U), and supervises individual and group design projects at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. She is also the General Secretary of AMPERE (Association for Microwave Power in Europe for Research and Education), highlighting her leadership in microwave research applications. She actively supervises PhD students and welcomes new PhD candidates interested in her research areas, particularly in engineering with a focus on carbon capture, sustainable materials, and waste valorization technologies.
Karl Henrik Johansson is a Professor at the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden, where he also serves as the Founding Director of Digital Futures. He is a Fellow of both IEEE and the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences, and has held leadership positions including Immediate Past President of the European Control Association and IEEE Control Systems Society Vice President Diversity, Outreach & Development. Dr. Johansson earned his MSc in Electrical Engineering and PhD in Automatic Control from Lund University. His academic journey includes visiting positions at prestigious institutions such as UC Berkeley, Caltech, and NTU. His research focuses on networked control systems and cyber-physical systems with applications in transportation, energy, and automation networks. His work investigates fundamental challenges in connecting physical world systems through communication networks, exploring how wireless communication and sensor technology can enhance system robustness, reliability, energy efficiency, and safety. Current research directions include security of cyber-physical systems, distributed optimization, multi-agent systems, and applications to intelligent transportation and energy networks. Analysis of his recent publications reveals a strong focus on distributed optimization algorithms, secure networked control, multi-agent systems, and applications to transportation and energy networks. His work increasingly integrates machine learning techniques with traditional control theory, addressing challenges in privacy-preserving distributed computation, resilient state estimation, and resource allocation in complex networked systems. IEEE Control Systems Society Hendrik W. Bode Lecture Prize (2024) Swedish Research Council Distinguished Professor (2018-2027) Wallenberg Scholar (2009-2026) IFAC Young Author Prize IEEE CSS Distinguished Lecturer (2017-2019) IFAC Outstanding Service Award IEEE Fellow Dr. Johansson has supervised over 100 postdocs and PhD students, with many now holding prominent positions at institutions worldwide. His research has been supported by significant grants including the Swedish Research Council Distinguished Professor Grant (2018-2027), multiple Wallenberg Foundation grants, and numerous EU and national research projects. He has directed major research centers including ACCESS Linnaeus Centre (2009-2016) and Strategic Research Area ICT TNG (2013-2020). His research group operates within the Digital Futures initiative and maintains strong connections with industry partners through projects like the Integrated Transport Research Lab (supported by Scania and Ericsson) and Smart Mobility Lab. The group actively collaborates with international institutions and participates in major EU-funded projects addressing challenges in cyber-physical systems, transportation, and energy networks.
Christine Clark, MD, MSc is an attending laryngologist at Weill Cornell Medicine’s Sean Parker Institute for the Voice and Assistant Professor in the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at Weill Cornell Medical College. She earned her B.A. from the University of Pittsburgh (2011) and her M.D. from Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine (2017), followed by residency at Georgetown University Medical Center and a fellowship in Laryngology at Weill Cornell, where she also obtained a master’s degree in Clinical and Translational Science. B.A. - University of Pittsburgh (2011) M.D. - Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine (2017) Residency - Georgetown University Medical Center Fellowship - Sean Parker Institute for the Voice (Laryngology) Master’s - Clinical and Translational Science at Weill Cornell Dr. Clark specializes in evaluating and treating swallowing, voice, and airway disorders. Her research focuses on chronic cough, laryngeal hypersensitivity, and benign phonotraumatic vocal fold lesions. She has developed clinical tools like the 3D-printed injection laryngoplasty simulator and quality improvement initiatives for surgical airway management. Her clinical work and research span topics such as vocal fold hemorrhage management, pharyngeal residue quantification in dysphagia, and granuloma as markers of malignancy. Recent publications emphasize global otolaryngology capacity building and performer-specific voice injury care. Scientific awards include: Teaching awards for excellence in medical student education during residency Dr. Clark is affiliated with the Sean Parker Institute for the Voice at Weill Cornell Medicine and serves as an Assistant Professor of Otolaryngology.
Bekir Unlu, MD is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB). His clinical and research activities focus on surgical interventions in obstetrics and gynecology, particularly robotic-assisted procedures and postoperative care optimization. Education: MD from Hacettepe University School of Medicine, Turkey (1999). His research explores pelvic floor disorders , urinary incontinence , and cesarean delivery outcomes , with a strong emphasis on robotic surgery and minimally invasive techniques . Recent studies include comparative analyses of surgical methods for pelvic organ prolapse and stress urinary incontinence , as well as randomized trials on post-cesarean care. Key trends in his publications since 2011 highlight collaborations in urogynecology , robotic-assisted surgeries , and multicenter clinical trials . Notable co-authors include G. S. Kilic, M. Borahay, and F. Dursun.
Jiaxin Lin is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Cornell University , affiliated with the Computer Systems Laboratory . She earned her Ph.D. in Computer Science from UT Austin (2025) , preceded by an M.S. from University of Wisconsin-Madison and a B.S. from ShenYuan Honors College at Beihang University. Her research focuses on co-designing software and hardware systems to enable high-performance data center communication, particularly through: Programmable network interface controllers (SmartNICs) Terabit network system stacks Cache/memory interconnects Compilers for in-network computing Chip-to-chip interconnects Her work addresses challenges in portability across heterogeneous SmartNICs, demonstrated through the development of the Alkali compiler framework (NSDI '25). Key themes include hardware abstraction, data center scalability, and network-compute co-design. Scientific Awards: Google Junior Faculty Award (2025) MIT EECS Rising Star (2024) Google Ph.D. Fellowship (2021) Meta Ph.D. Fellowship (2021)
Ali Lazrak is an Associate Professor at the Sauder School of Business , University of British Columbia , specializing in Finance . He holds the Peter Lusztig Professorship in Finance and teaches courses such as International Financial Markets and Institutions and Theory of Finance (2024-2025). His research bridges Political Economy , Asset Pricing , and Behavioral Finance , with a focus on ESG concerns , Voting Theory , and Time Inconsistency . Education: ENSAE (B.Sc.), Sorbonne (M.Sc.), Toulouse (Ph.D.) Contact: Henry Angus Building (HA 872), +1 604.822.9481, ali.lazrak@sauder.ubc.ca His work explores group decision-making in corporate investment, green finance (e.g., the green premium in ESG markets), and time-inconsistent preferences in continuous games. Recent publications highlight how responsible consumption and demand elasticity shape asset prices, and how institutional divestiture impacts harmful asset stranding through informational and economic channels. Scientific accolades include the Jacob Gold & Associates Best Paper Prize (2019), Best Paper Awards at HEC-McGill, UBC, Luxembourg, and Stanford conferences, and the Peter Lusztig Professorship . His methodological expertise spans stochastic control , recursive utility , and dynamic equilibrium analysis .
Professor Sir Nigel Shadbolt is Principal of Jesus College Oxford and Professor of Computing Science at the University of Oxford. He is Chairman and Co-founder of the Open Data Institute which he established with Sir Tim Berners-Lee. His career spans multiple prestigious institutions including the University of Southampton and University of Nottingham, where he held leadership roles in AI research. He has served in significant government advisory positions including as Information Advisor to the UK Prime Minister and member of the Public Sector Transparency Board. Nigel Shadbolt earned his undergraduate degree in Philosophy and Psychology from the University of Newcastle (1st Class Honours, 1978) followed by a PhD in Artificial Intelligence from the University of Edinburgh. His academic journey includes positions as the Allan Standen Professor of Intelligent Systems at Nottingham and leadership of the Web and Internet Science Group at Southampton before joining Oxford. Shadbolt's research spans the interdisciplinary field of Web Science, which he helped originate, focusing on human-centered AI, social machines, open data, and ethical considerations in technology. His work examines how humans and computers integrate at web scale to create novel applications, with recent emphasis on children's digital autonomy and privacy. He has published over 500 articles exploring topics from cognitive psychology to computational neuroscience, Artificial Intelligence to the Semantic Web. His notable contributions include the development of data.gov.uk and leadership in establishing Oxford's Institute of Ethics in AI. His 2018 book 'The Digital Ape: how to live (in peace) with smart machines' has been described as a 'landmark book' in the field. Knighted in 2013 for services to science and engineering Fellow of The Royal Society (FRS) Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering (FREng) Fellow of the British Computer Society (FBCS) Technology Pioneer status by the Davos World Economic Forum UK national BT Flagship IT Award As an advisor, Shadbolt has supervised numerous PhD students who have gone on to positions at Google DeepMind, the World Bank, and other prestigious institutions. His research has been supported by multiple grants including SOCIAM, KOALA, and ReTiPS projects. He co-founded Garlik Ltd, which was acquired by Experian, demonstrating his commitment to translating research into practical applications that benefit society. Shadbolt leads the Web and Internet Science research group at Oxford, focusing on social machines - applications that succeed at web scale by integrating humans and computers in novel ways. His work on the KOALA Hero Toolkit and CHAITok system addresses critical challenges in children's data autonomy on social media platforms, reflecting his commitment to ethical technology design.
Nenad Miljkovic is the Founder Professor in the Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), with concurrent appointments in Electrical and Computer Engineering and the Materials Research Laboratory. He directs the Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Center (ACRC) and is affiliated with the International Institute for Carbon Neutral Energy Research (Kyushu University). His research spans thermo-fluid sciences, interfacial phenomena, and renewable energy, focusing on enhancing efficiency in power generation, electronics cooling, and thermal management via micro/nanostructured surfaces. Miljkovic holds a BASc in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Waterloo (2009) and an M.S. (2011) and Ph.D. (2013) from MIT. Prior to UIUC, he was a Postdoctoral Associate at MIT and an Adjunct Assistant Professor at UIUC. His research integrates fundamental studies of phase change and electrokinetics with applied device development, including solar thermal conversion and atmospheric energy harvesting. Recent work explores frost dynamics, battery thermal management, and scalable anti-corrosion coatings. Miljkovic's publications emphasize heat transfer enhancement, droplet dynamics, and sustainable energy systems. His articles frequently address thermal management challenges in electronics and renewable energy applications, leveraging nanostructured surfaces and phase change materials. Honors include: ASME Fellow (2022) Founder Professorship, Grainger College of Engineering (2023) ASME Bergles-Rohsenow Young Investigator Award (2021) ONR Young Investigator Award (2017) NSF CAREER Award (2016) He leads the Energy Transport Research Laboratory, advising graduate students and collaborating with industry on thermal systems. Grants support work on electronics cooling, battery safety, and renewable energy integration.
