Dr. Lauren Ferro is a Lecturer in Digital Design (UX/UI) at the School of Design, RMIT University. Her research focuses on Human-Centred Design, User Experience, Interaction Design, Extended Reality (XR), and Cybersecurity Human Factors. She employs interdisciplinary methods blending psychology, technology, and interaction science to enhance system usability and security. Her work explores themes such as player/user experience, behavioral design, and adaptive systems. She is available for co-supervision of PhD students and has contributed to research on serious games, cybersecurity education, and gamification frameworks. Her publications span conferences like CHI and journals in entertainment computing and educational technology.
Iván García Daza is a Professor at the Department of Automática, University of Alcalá, Spain. He leads research in Intelligent Vehicles and Traffic Technologies (INVETT group), focusing on autonomous systems, digital twins, and ADAS technologies. His work integrates computer vision, deep learning, and human-vehicle interaction analysis. Education: PhD in Systems Engineering from University of Alcalá (2011), with a thesis on "Driver Fatigue Detection via ADAS Fusion" supervised by Rafael Barea Navarro and Luis Miguel Bergasa Pascual. Research interests include autonomous vehicle algorithms, real-time sensor fusion, virtual reality simulations for human-factor testing, and ecological conservation projects. His recent work emphasizes digital twin technology to bridge simulation-to-reality gaps in autonomous systems. Publications span autonomous driving validation frameworks, LiDAR-based navigation, and ecological studies. Notable contributions include VR-based human-vehicle interaction testing and synthetic data generation for ADAS systems. Labs/Teams: Director of the INVETT lab at the University of Alcalá, collaborating on EU-funded projects involving automotive industries and environmental agencies.
Kathryn Daltorio is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Case Western Reserve University's Case School of Engineering. Her research focuses on developing biologically-inspired robots that navigate complex environments, drawing insights from animal behaviors such as earthworm locomotion and cockroach decision-making. She leads the Biologically-Inspired Robotic Lab, where her team designs robots using advanced materials like soft polymers, shape-memory alloys, and gecko-inspired adhesives. Education: PhD in Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering (Case Western Reserve University, 2013) MS in Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering (Case Western Reserve University, 2007) BS in Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering (Case Western Reserve University, 2005) Research Interests: Robotics inspired by animal locomotion (e.g., worms, crabs, insects) Neurobiologically-inspired control systems Soft robotics and compliant materials Adaptive legged systems for amphibious environments Publications highlight advancements in peristaltic robots, heteroclinic channel-based control, and crab-inspired leg designs. Recent work emphasizes energy-efficient traversal in unstructured terrain and multimodal locomotion enabled by metamaterials. Awards include the NSF CAREER Award (2021) and ONR YIP Award (2019). She is a member of ASME and IEEE, contributing to both academic and industry-oriented robotics projects. Labs/Teams: Biologically-Inspired Robotic Lab (BIRL) focuses on prototyping robots that integrate biological principles with cutting-edge engineering to solve real-world challenges in search-and-rescue, environmental monitoring, and disaster response.
Craig A. Shue is a Professor and Department Head of Computer Science at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI). He holds affiliations with the Cyber Security department and leads initiatives such as the NSF Scholarship for Service and Department of Defense Cyber Scholarship Program. His expertise spans network security, applied system building, and empirical analysis of security tools. Shue’s research focuses on securing enterprise and residential networks using SDN, NFV, and system instrumentation. He has advised the WPI Cyber Security Club and the Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition Team. His work addresses vulnerabilities in multi-factor authentication, IoT device security, and zero-trust architectures. Education: BS (Ohio University, 2004), MS (Indiana University, 2006), PhD (Indiana University, 2009). Research Interests: Network security, software-defined networking, IoT device protection, edge computing, zero-trust models, and system-level security solutions. His recent projects include user-action linked network profiling, containerized attack mitigation, and smartphone-based traffic inspection. Media Contributions: Provided analysis on the July 2024 CrowdStrike outage for NPR and Boston Globe. His insights address cloud vulnerability, incident response, and cybersecurity provider reliance. Scientific Awards: 2017 NSF CAREER Award, 2016 NSF Transition to Practice Grant, 2014 DHS Young Faculty Award, and Best Paper Awards at IEEE Network of the Future (2022) and LCN (2020). Grants & Programs: Directs WPI’s NSF Scholarship for Service and DoD Cyber Scholarship Program. Active in curriculum design for cybersecurity education aligning with UN SDGs like Quality Education (SDG 4) and Gender Equality (SDG 5). Labs/Teams: Leads research on network profiling, SDN-based security, and IoT resilience. Collaborates with students on projects documented in Digital WPI and his personal website.
Isma Farah Siddiqui is a Lecturer in the Department of Software Systems & Cybersecurity at Monash University. She is actively involved in research on IoT, cybersecurity, machine learning, and smart grid technologies, contributing to UN Sustainable Development Goals related to Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure (SDG 9) and Good Health and Well-being (SDG 3). Her recent project, 'Integrating Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) into ICT Education: A GenAI-Powered Approach to Curriculum Development' (2025), highlights her commitment to advancing inclusive education in ICT. She serves as an Associate Editor for the Journal of Circuits, Systems and Computers and has hosted academic visitors, including Muhammad Shahzad Sarfaraz. Her research spans IoT security frameworks, AI-driven anomaly detection, and sustainable cloud computing. Over 55 publications since 2014 showcase her work in distributed systems, healthcare data analytics, and edge computing. Notable contributions include optimizing resource allocation in 5G networks and developing transfer learning models for medical image analysis. Her activities include mentoring internships, such as 'Decoding User Feedback: Sentiment Analysis for Enhancing Smart Home Device Performance,' demonstrating her engagement in applied research and industry collaboration.
Prof. Dr. Andreas Mauthe is a Professor at the University of Koblenz, affiliated with Department 4 (IT and Data Security). He leads research in cybersecurity, network resilience, and multimedia systems. His work spans cyber-physical systems, adaptive streaming, and smart grid technologies. He has advised numerous research assistants and contributes to projects like Fogbanks and Tectons. Research interests focus on IT security , data privacy , and resilient network design . Recent work addresses challenges in adaptive content delivery, malware detection in cloud environments, and quality-of-experience (QoE) optimization in multimedia systems. Key contributions include frameworks for security cost modeling in cyber-physical systems and novel approaches to decentralized anomaly detection. He collaborates on interdisciplinary projects involving IoT, P2P systems, and emergency communication networks. Publications emphasize empirical studies and system prototyping, such as the Juno middleware for adaptive streaming and the PReSET toolset for network resilience evaluation.
Professor m.c. Schraefel is a prominent academic at the University of Southampton's Electronics and Computer Science Department within the Faculty of Engineering and the Environment. With a focus on Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and Health Informatics , their work integrates technology design with human resilience and well-being. Key projects include makeNormalBetter (health resilience tech) and Elder Athletes (aging and technology). They lead interdisciplinary teams and collaborate with organizations like EPSRC and the Royal Academy of Engineering. Research interests span Wearable Technologies , Sustainable Design , and Privacy in IoT . Notable external roles include speaking engagements on creativity as a health right and inbodied interaction principles . Supervising PhD students in areas like computer science and health, Schraefel's teaching and research emphasize technology's societal impact , including post-pandemic work futures and ethical design. Active Projects: makeNormalBetter, Elder Athletes, Privacy in IoT of Vehicles Completed Projects: ReFresh (sustainable building design), MyTea (health tech), MusicSpace (arts-tech fusion) Awards: Royal Academy of Engineering grants, EPSRC funding Labs/Teams: Part of the Agents, Interaction, and Complexity research group and the Institute for Life Sciences . Their work bridges engineering, health, and social sciences to address real-world challenges like aging populations and urban sustainability.
Ziho Kang is an Associate Professor in the Department of Industrial & Systems Engineering at the University of Oklahoma. His research focuses on human factors, human-systems engineering, and human-computer interaction, with applications in aerospace, healthcare, and education. He holds a Ph.D., M.S., and B.S. in Industrial Engineering from Purdue University and Korea University, respectively. Dr. Kang's work emphasizes developing algorithms to analyze complex biometric data such as eye movements and haptic interactions. His research domains include eye tracking, biometric analytics, virtual reality, and training methodologies. Key application areas include air traffic control, offshore energy operations, and educational technologies. His recent articles explore virtual reality learning systems, eye tracking frameworks for safety improvement, and multimodal analysis of human performance in dynamic environments. These studies reflect his focus on integrating human factors into technology design to enhance safety, efficiency, and learning outcomes. Awards: NSF CAREER Award, Hutchinson Medal, IEEE Andrew P. Sage Best Paper Award Experience: Postdoctoral training at University of Virginia and Drexel University; industry roles at Korea Stocks & Futures Exchange and Samsung Data Systems Labs: Directs a research lab focused on human factors and biometric analytics
Dr. Kyle Johnsen is a Professor in the College of Engineering at the University of Georgia, where he has been since 2008. He holds a PhD in Computer Engineering from the University of Florida. His research focuses on human-computer interaction technologies applied to health, education, and environmental fields. He leads the Georgia Informatics Institutes, advancing interdisciplinary solutions through virtual and augmented reality systems. His expertise spans virtual reality (VR), mixed reality (MR), and robotics, with a particular interest in collaborative environments, educational tools, and precision health interventions. Recent work includes developing VR-based training systems for engineering education, robotics for agricultural phenotyping, and mixed-reality systems to enhance physical activity in children. Dr. Johnsen has published extensively on topics such as VR locomotion techniques, sensor-based health monitoring, and interactive virtual agents. His research often bridges computer science with practical applications in healthcare, education, and environmental monitoring. He emphasizes accessible technologies, including low-cost VR setups and mobile tracked displays to democratize immersive learning experiences. Notable projects include the Virtual Fitness Buddy Ecosystem, which uses avatars to motivate children's physical activity, and systems for peanut sorting and grading using computer vision. He also explores the diagnostic potential of extended reality devices in technical education and medical training scenarios.
Ben Volmer is a Lecturer in the UniSA STEM unit at the University of South Australia. His research focuses on the intersection of augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and neuroscience, particularly examining how these technologies affect cognitive processes and human performance. He investigates EEG responses to incongruent sensory information in AR environments, spatial AR predictive cues' impact on mental effort, and VR applications for remapping motor control in prosthetic systems. Key research areas include: EEG-based analysis of cognitive load in AR/VR contexts Optimizing AR interfaces for procedural task guidance Neural adaptation in extended reality environments His recent work explores: Real-time neural decoding of incongruent stimuli (2024) Effects of predictive cues on sleep-deprived users (2022) Third-arm remapping in VR (2019) Ben has conducted studies on: Storyline visualization for wargame analysis (2024) Multi-level AR precues for workspace navigation (2023) No scientific awards or major grants were explicitly mentioned in the provided information.
Professor Lorenzo Sommaruga holds the position of Professor in Semantic and Multimedia Systems at the Department of Innovative Technologies (DTI) , University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland (SUPSI). He is affiliated with the Institute of Information Systems and Networking (ISIN). With a background in Computer Science (University of Milan, 1989) and a PhD in Psychology focusing on Distributed Artificial Intelligence from Nottingham University (1993), he has extensive academic and professional experience. Prof. Sommaruga's professional roles include leadership of the Semantic and Multimedia Lab , coordination of the Master's program in Mobile Internet Applications (2009–2012), and responsibility for numerous EU and national research projects. His expertise spans XML technologies , Linked Open Data , e-learning systems , ambient intelligence , and mixed reality . Research Highlights: Key projects include the GIOCOnDa LOD platform for smart regions, the SEE A Game entrepreneurship initiative, and the RiParTI 2.0 smart home charging system. His work emphasizes usability and accessibility in semantic web applications, with frameworks like Semantic DB , IRCS Water , and AWI . Teaching: He leads courses such as Web Applications and Applicazioni web , focusing on practical, industry-relevant skills. His pedagogical contributions extend to adult educator training via initiatives like ICT per Educatori di Adulti . Grants & Projects: Over 49 funded projects, including EU programs on entrepreneurship, smart cities, and digital factories. His work bridges theoretical research with applied solutions in domains like water management and industrial automation. Labs & Teams: Active in the Semantic and Multimedia Lab , fostering interdisciplinary collaboration between computer science, psychology, and education.
Sharad Sharma is the Associate Dean of Research and a Professor in the Department of Data Science at the University of North Texas (UNT)'s College of Information. He leads the DVXR Lab and DSII Center, focusing on VR/AR applications for emergency response, evacuation simulations, and data visualization. His research integrates data science with virtual reality to address challenges in healthcare, education, and disaster management. Education: Ph.D. in Computer Engineering (Wayne State University), M.S. (University of Michigan), B.Arch (Birla Institute of Technology, India). His research interests span Data Science, AI, Software Engineering, and Human Behavior Modeling in emergency scenarios. He has pioneered multi-agent systems for active shooter response training and VR-based evacuation drills in subway, airplane, and university settings. Awards: Outstanding Mentor Award (2023, 2024) 2018 USM Board of Regents Faculty Award Presidential Achievement Award (BSU, 2022) Outstanding Researcher Awards (2013, 2011) Grants and Leadership: Secured funding from DoD, DHS, NSF, and ARL. Directed BSU's Virtual Reality Lab and chaired conferences like SEDE 2017-2019 and ERVR-2025. His work emphasizes socio-cultural aspects of emergency response in dense urban environments. Labs & Teams: Data Visualization and Extreme Reality (DVXR) Lab Data Science & Industry Innovation (DSII) Center
Professor Xiaosong Yang serves as Professor and Deputy Head of Department at the National Centre for Computer Animation, Bournemouth University. With over 30 years of experience in research, education, and professional practice, he leads the MSc AIM program and has established himself as a prominent figure in computer animation and AI applications. His work bridges academic research with industry applications through collaborations with organizations including Disney Research and Double Negative. Professor Yang's research spans computer animation, machine learning, data mining, digital health, virtual reality, augmented reality, medical visualization, and surgery simulation. His innovative work in muscle-based animation has received international recognition from prestigious outlets such as NewScientist and MIT Technology Review. He has developed novel techniques that have been successfully integrated into animation production pipelines, demonstrating practical applications of his research. His publication record includes over 140 peer-reviewed papers in prestigious journals and conferences, with recent work focusing on AI-driven animation techniques, medical visualization, and human-computer interaction. The research trends show a consistent progression from foundational computer animation techniques toward increasingly sophisticated AI applications in both entertainment and healthcare domains. Recognized Research Supervisor from UK Council for Graduate Education Professor Yang has supervised over 30 PhD students and numerous postdocs, research assistants, and international visiting scholars. His research impact is further evidenced by securing over 35 research grants from major funding bodies including the European Commission, Arts and Humanities Research Council, British Academy, Leverhulme, British Council, Newton Fund, Innovate UK, Wessex AHSN, and Higher Education Innovation Fund. He serves on the Peer Review College of the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) UK and the Computer Science Evaluation Group of the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC). He actively contributes to the academic community as a program committee member for international conferences (SIGGRAPH Asia, CGI, CASA), conference program chair (CGI2012, CASA2020/2022), and reviewer for top journals (TVCG, ACM ToG, C&G) and conferences (SIGGRAPH, Eurographics, ISMAR).
Di Wu is an Associate Professor at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) , affiliated with the Department of ICT and Natural Sciences and the Department of Language and Literature. Located at the Ålesund campus, Wu's academic work bridges computational methods with environmental and linguistic applications. Research interests include: AI-driven solutions for urban water supply systems Marine environmental monitoring through citizen science platforms Fluid simulation techniques Deep learning architectures Epidemiological modeling Financial data analysis Recent publications demonstrate expertise in computer vision, multi-source remote sensing analysis, and multimodal sentiment processing. Wu's work spans applications in medical diagnostics, environmental science, and industrial automation. Key projects include: PlastOPol marine litter monitoring system COSE ocean simulation environment Computational risk modeling for sustainable urban water supply
Dr. Alan Davy is Head of Department at the Walton Institute for Information and Communications Systems Science, within the Department of Computing and Mathematics at South East Technological University (SETU), Ireland. He is an active faculty member and currently accepting PhD students, indicating ongoing academic leadership and research supervision. His research expertise lies at the intersection of advanced networking and artificial intelligence. Key interests include Network Function Virtualization (NFV) , 6G Terahertz Communications , Digital Twin technologies , and Quality of Service (QoS) management in latency-sensitive environments. He also explores applications of deep learning and LSTM models for Service-Level Agreement (SLA) prediction and violation prevention. The most recent publications demonstrate a strong trend in applying machine learning to network automation and performance optimization, particularly in next-generation wireless systems. His work bridges theoretical modeling with practical implementation in software-defined and virtualized network architectures. Dr. Davy has contributed to editorial leadership, including a special section in IEEE Access on Software-Defined Networks for Smart Grids. His research has resulted in over 68 publications and significant citation impact, with work referenced in patents, highlighting real-world relevance. He supervises postgraduate research, with a record of five supervised works, though specific student names are not listed. His research is conducted within the Walton Institute, a center focused on information and communications systems science, suggesting collaborative team-based projects in next-generation networking technologies.
