Andrew Hunt is a Professor of Fine Art and Curating at Manchester Metropolitan University’s Manchester School of Art. He is a curator, writer, and educator with significant contributions to contemporary art institutions and curatorial practices. Hunt has directed galleries such as Focal Point Gallery and founded Reading International, focusing on expanding critically independent art spaces. His doctoral research addressed institutional growth post-financial crisis. He co-founded the Slimvolume publishing imprint and established Moon Grove, an independent gallery in Manchester. His research interests span curatorial strategies, contemporary art institutional development, and art publishing. Hunt contributes to journals like Artforum , frieze , and TATE ETC , and has curated exhibitions with renowned artists such as Mike Nelson and Louise Giovanelli. He served on the Turner Prize jury in 2012 and continues to produce impactful exhibitions and publications. Recent projects include curating Tris Vonna-Michell: Vonna-Michell's House (2024) and editing the Journal of Contemporary Painting ’s special issue on minor painting. His work emphasizes collaboration, institutional critique, and the intersection of art with broader cultural narratives.
Dr. Amna Qureshi is an Assistant Professor in Cybersecurity at the Department of Computer Science, University of Bradford. Previously, she served as a Senior Researcher at Universitat Oberta de Catalunya in Barcelona. Her research focuses on secure cryptographic protocols, distributed systems, IoT security, privacy preservation, and cyberbullying detection. She holds a Fellowship from the Higher Education Academy (FHEA) and received a 2018 grant from Spain’s INCIBE for cybersecurity research. Her teaching includes modules like Ethical Hacking (COS7029-B) and ISO27000 Framework (COS7030-B). Research highlights include over 25 peer-reviewed publications in systems security and privacy, with a focus on Zero Trust Architecture, blockchain integration in finance, and AI-driven cybersecurity solutions. She actively reviews for JCR-indexed journals and serves on conference program committees. Key contributions include frameworks for multi-layered DDoS defense in 5G networks, AI-based fake news detection, and Urdu-language cyberbullying identification. Her work bridges theoretical cryptography and practical applications in IoT, cloud computing, and financial systems. Grants: Advanced Cybersecurity Team Excellence Grant (INCIBE, 2018) Awards: FHEA Fellowship Her publications emphasize Zero Trust models, blockchain applications, and privacy-preserving techniques. Current research trends focus on integrating AI with cybersecurity to address emerging threats in distributed systems and social media.
Dr. Hany Elgala is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University at Albany, State University of New York, and Director of the Signals and Networks (SINE) Lab. Previously, he served as a Research Professor at Boston University, co-leading the Multimedia Communications Lab and acting as Communications Testbed leader at the NSF Smart Lighting ERC. His research focuses on telecommunications, digital signal processing, and embedded systems, with specialization in visible light communications (VLC), LiFi networks, IoT security, and AI-driven wireless solutions. He has coordinated industrial projects with Airbus and EADS on optical wireless networks in aircraft cabins. Elgala's work emphasizes heterogeneous wireless networks, backscatter communication, and security in IoT. He has authored/co-authored ~50 publications/patents, contributing to fields like spectral efficiency, energy optimization, and network coexistence. His leadership in the SINE Lab drives innovations in 6G networks, UAV-based systems, and hybrid LiFi-WiFi architectures. His research portfolio includes breakthroughs in VLC system design, machine learning applications for physical layer optimization, and jamming-resistant IoT networks. Recent efforts focus on indoor flying networks and low-complexity VLC frameworks leveraging multi-task learning and autoencoder-based modulation.
Dr. Agi Ryder is a Senior Lecturer in Transdisciplinary Practice at Middlesex University's Faculty of Business and Law, Department of Business School Research. She currently serves as Director of Studies for doctoral students and leads the Transdisciplinary Professional Doctorate (DProf TD) programme. Previously held roles include Programme Leader for Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education (PGCert HE) and Academic Professional Apprenticeship (APA) programmes, and E-Learning Advisor for Research and Innovation. Her research focuses on transdisciplinary practice, practitioner research methodologies, online learning technologies, applied linguistics, and EDI initiatives. She has extensive experience supervising doctoral, master's, and undergraduate research projects. Awards include Senior Fellow of the Advance HE. She is affiliated with the British Association of Applied Linguistics (BAAL). Dr. Ryder has supervised 10 current doctoral candidates across various disciplines including education and professional practice. Her teaching history spans advanced modules on higher education pedagogy, psychology of learning, and research methodologies. Active in educational innovation, she has developed inclusive multilingualism toolkits and pioneered audio feedback strategies for distance learners. Her work emphasizes practical applications of research in professional and academic settings.
Michael Neri is a Researcher in Audio Signal Processing at Tampere University and a Ph.D. student in Applied Electronics at Roma Tre University. His primary affiliation is with the Department of Signal Processing at Tampere University. He holds a B.Sc. in Information Engineering from the University of Padua (2019) and an M.Sc. in ICT for Internet & Multimedia from the University of Padova (2021). He was a visiting PhD student at Tampere University of Technology in 2023. His research focuses on Audio Processing, Computer Vision, and Deep Learning, with applications in safety and security. Key projects include RAILGAP (EU Horizon 2020), which uses GNSS for rail positioning, INSECTT (ECSEL EU Project) for secure IoT-AI systems, and ISEEYOO (University of Padova Grant) for anomaly detection in Cyber-Physical Systems. He has also contributed to the ESA-funded VOLIERA project on multi-sensor railway positioning. Neri's work spans environmental sound classification, speaker localization, and AI-driven multimedia quality assessments. His research is supported by grants from the European Union and ESA programs. He actively collaborates on projects addressing occupational safety through VR integration and anomaly detection in audio signals. Contact him via michael.neri@tuni.fi or his professional profiles on ResearchGate and GitLab .
Ramanathan Subramanian is an Associate Professor in the Department of Information Technology & Systems, AI and Robotics at the University of Canberra. His past affiliations include IIT Ropar and UIUC, Singapore. He has received notable awards including the IEEE Transactions on Affective Computing Best Paper Award (2019) and Multimedia Rising Star nomination (2015). His research focuses on Human-centered computing, AI systems leveraging non-verbal behavioral cues, and applications in health analytics and virtual reality. He actively supervises PhD and Master’s students in areas like Human-Computer Interaction, Data Science, and VR for healthy aging. Research interests: Human perception modeling, intelligent interfaces, health-focused VR, and applied machine learning Key projects: Driver sentiment prediction, distraction awareness campaigns, and robotics for waste management His work contributes to UN SDGs related to health and well-being, particularly through technologies improving aging care and mental health monitoring. Recent projects include developing explainable AI for emotion inference and multimodal data fusion systems. Awards: IEEE Best Paper Award, Multimedia Rising Star Grants: Lead or Co-Investigator on three major grants totaling over AUD 4M Labs/Teams: Collaborates extensively with the University's robotics and health tech groups, contributing to interdisciplinary projects in AI ethics and medical signal processing.
Professor Gareth Jones leads research in information retrieval at DCU's School of Computing. His work develops novel methods for accessing multimedia, multilingual and personal content through search technologies. Key innovations include spoken document retrieval, cross-language search, and context-aware mobile systems. Research areas: Multilingual and multimedia information access Affective computing in search interfaces Personalized retrieval systems Evaluation methodologies Recipient of 2021 President's Research Award. Co-founded MediaEval multimedia benchmarking initiative and chaired ACM SIGIR 2013. Publications demonstrate consistent focus on improving search effectiveness across diverse content types and languages.
David M. Secko is a Professor in the Department of Journalism at Concordia University, serving as MA Program Director for Digital Innovation in Journalism Studies. He leads the Concordia Science Journalism Project (CSJP) and the experiential summer school Projected Futures, focusing on the future of science journalism and democratic science-society engagement through experimental storytelling and public deliberation. His educational background includes: Postdoctoral Fellow, W. Maurice Young Centre for Applied Ethics, University of British Columbia PhD in Microbiology and Immunology, University of British Columbia MJ in Science Journalism, University of British Columbia BSc (Hons.) in Life Science, Queen’s University Dr. Secko's research pioneers experimental science journalism models that bridge journalism, science ethics, and public engagement. His work examines democratic governance of biotechnology through journalist-public-expert interactions, with emphasis on digital innovation in science storytelling, crisis communication (e.g., Ebola coverage), and deliberative democracy frameworks for emerging technologies. He investigates how journalism can hold science accountable while fostering inclusive societal debates. His 15 most recent publications reveal evolving trends: increasing focus on science journalism futures (2019-2022), crisis reporting ethics (Ebola), and public deliberation on biotechnology governance (2014-2017). Key thematic shifts include moving from molecular biology roots to science communication frameworks, with growing emphasis on digital innovation, educational models for science journalists, and cross-sectoral collaboration in health/environmental crises. Dr. Secko has received significant recognition for his contributions: University Research Award Dean’s Award for Excellence As an advisor, he mentors MA/PhD students through Concordia's MA program in Digital Innovation and Individualized PhD program, supervising research on science journalism futures and public engagement. His SSHRC-funded Communicating Synthetic Biology Project (2017-2021) supports trainee development in experimental science communication. He actively recruits research assistants at all academic levels, emphasizing hands-on experience in his Projected Futures summer school. The Concordia Science Journalism Project (CSJP), founded by Dr. Secko in 2008, operates as an integrated research-teaching platform including Projected Futures summer school and the Science Journalism Educator network. This ecosystem develops evidence-based tools for science journalists while testing innovative storytelling methods to strengthen public engagement with critical scientific debates.
Surendra N. Singh serves as the AT&T Foundation Professor in the Department of Marketing and Business Law at the School of Business, University of Kansas. His academic career spans over three decades with research focusing on advertising effectiveness, consumer cognition, and digital marketing interfaces. His educational background includes: Ph.D. in Business from the University of Wisconsin, Madison M.S. in Marketing from the University of Wisconsin, Madison B.S. from Benaras Hindu University, India Singh's research investigates how exposure, emotional states, and design elements influence consumer responses. Key areas include mere exposure effects in advertising, multimedia ad effectiveness, program-induced emotion impacts on memory, bilingual advertising, web usability, and employee affective displays in service settings. His work bridges psychological theory with practical marketing applications, particularly in digital environments. Analysis of his publication history reveals consistent contributions to top-tier journals like the Journal of Marketing and Journal of Marketing Research. Recent work (2024-2019) examines online rating systems, payment method psychology in charitable giving, and emotional color effects in advertising. Earlier research (2017-1996) established foundational insights into web perception, accent bias in service encounters, and memory mechanisms in advertising. His scholarship demonstrates sustained focus on consumer cognition across traditional and digital marketing contexts.
Simon S.Y. Shim is a Professor in the Computer Engineering Department at San Jose State University (SJSU). He holds a PhD in Computer Science from the University of Minnesota (1997). His research focuses on Internet Computing, Database Management, Machine Learning, and Information Retrieval. He has extensive industry experience as a Director at SAP Labs, working on in-memory database systems. Shim has served on the editorial board of IEEE Computer, including a 5-year tenure as Area Editor for Internet Computing. He has guest-edited special issues on High-Speed Security (2004), CAP Theorem (2012), and Next-Gen Memory (2013). He co-authored one technical book and holds multiple patents. His professional contributions include organizing IEEE Data Engineering workshops, IEEE Mobile Commerce, and IEEE Electronic Commerce events. Shim has published over 50 peer-reviewed articles and actively participates in academic service roles. His work emphasizes interdisciplinary applications of computer science in e-commerce, distributed systems, and multimedia technologies.
Dr. Maarouf Saad is a Lecturer in the Department of Electrical Engineering at École de Technologie Supérieure (ÉTS), Université du Québec. He holds a B.Sc.A. and M.Sc.A. from Polytechnique Montréal and a Ph.D. from McGill University. His research spans robotics, control systems, and sustainable energy applications, with a focus on nonlinear control, UAVs, exoskeleton rehabilitation systems, and smart grid technologies. Education: B.Sc.A., M.Sc.A. (Polytechnique Montréal), Ph.D. (McGill) Research Units: GREPCI (Power Electronics), SYNCHROMEDIA (Telepresence), INIT Robots (Haptic Interfaces) His work integrates adaptive control algorithms with artificial intelligence in robotics, particularly for rehabilitation and aerospace systems. He has pioneered fixed-time sliding mode controllers for quadrotors and developed impedance-based methods for distribution system monitoring. In smart grids, he focuses on voltage stability analysis and distributed generation optimization. Key research trends include nonlinear control of electrohydraulic systems, modeling of flexible manipulators, and cooperative control strategies for multi-agent systems. His publications emphasize practical implementations in real-world scenarios, from autonomous airships to exoskeletons for upper-limb rehabilitation. Dr. Saad supervises numerous graduate students across diverse projects, including UAV control, cable robot rehabilitation systems, and energy management in hybrid microgrids. His collaborations extend to institutions like CAE Inc. and laboratories in telepresence and robotics.
Eric Hanushek is the Paul and Jean Hanna Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University. He holds a courtesy Professor position in Education and is renowned for his economic analysis of educational issues, influencing policies in both developed and developing nations. His research spans topics like teacher effectiveness, school accountability, class size reduction, and the economic impact of education. Education: B.S. in Economics from U.S. Air Force Academy (1965), Ph.D. in Economics from MIT (1968) Key Contributions: Seminal work on value-added measures for teacher evaluation, author of 26 books and over 300 articles Research Interests focus on the intersection of education policy and economic growth, particularly how teacher quality, school resources, and cognitive skill retention affect long-term economic outcomes. Recent studies analyze pandemic learning losses, cross-national skill premiums, and age-related cognitive decline. Scientific Awards: Yidan Prize for Education Research (2021) Initiatives: Leads the Hoover Education Success Initiative (HESI) and co-founded the Global Education Analytics Institute (GEAI) to improve education systems in developing countries through research and training.
Kyle Steinfeld is an Associate Professor of Architecture and Director of the Master of Design program at the University of California, Berkeley, College of Environmental Design. His work bridges computational design methods and architectural practice, emphasizing critical engagement with software and data. He teaches design studios, visualization courses, and seminars in digital design theories. Master of Architecture, MIT (2004) Bachelor of Design in Architecture, University of Florida (1999) Steinfeld's research explores the intersection of architecture and computational design, focusing on bioclimatic information design, software development, and the social implications of digital tools. His creative work has been exhibited at NeurIPS workshops and published in Towards Data Science . He has received notable awards including the IDEA Studio Fellowship (2013), Hellman Fellowship (2012), and multiple research grants like the Faculty Research Grant for "Decod.es" (2013) and the Research Enabling Grant for "Dhour" (2011). Steinfeld has taught core architectural design courses and contributed to software development for design computation.
Marine Riguet is a Lecturer in French Literature (19th-21st centuries) and Digital Humanities at the University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne since 2020, affiliated with the Interdisciplinary Research Center on Aesthetic and Literary Models (CRIMEL). She holds a PhD from Sorbonne University (2018) and was a postdoctoral researcher at the Observatoire de la vie littéraire (OBVIL). Her work bridges literature, digital humanities, and interdisciplinary methods, focusing on semantic analysis, literary networks, and intermedial writing. She teaches multimedia writing at MMI - IUT of Troyes and collaborates with research units like COSTECH and CELLF. Her research explores how digital tools transform literary criticism and creative practices, including video poetry (LittéraTube) and transdisciplinary approaches. Recent projects analyze semantic shifts, discourse networks, and the influence of science on 19th-century literary criticism. She actively engages in public lectures, residencies, and workshops promoting digital creativity in literature. Key contributions include works on video poetry, the 'milieu' concept in discourse analysis, and collaborative projects like 'The Imaginaries of the Living.' Riguet advocates for integrating humanities perspectives into AI and digital initiatives, emphasizing critical engagement with technology.
Katerina Perdikaki is an Associate Teaching Fellow at the University of Surrey's Centre for Translation Studies, part of the School of English and Languages within the Faculty of Arts, Business and Social Sciences. She holds a PhD in Translation Studies (2016), an MA in Audiovisual Translation (2013), and a BA in English Language and Literature (2012). Her research focuses on audiovisual translation, semiotics, film adaptation, and the interplay between cultural transformation and creative translation. Notable works include studies on subtitling sensitive content, the emotional impact on subtitlers, and case analyses of film adaptations like Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby and Silver Linings Playbook . She teaches advanced modules in audiovisual translation and professional translation practice. Her empirical research bridges theoretical frameworks with practical challenges in translation, emphasizing interdisciplinary methodologies. Education: PhD: 'Adaptation as Translation: Examining Film Adaptation as a Recontextualised Act of Communication' (University of Surrey, 2016) MA: Audiovisual Translation (University of Surrey, 2013) BA: English Language and Literature (National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 2012) Research Interests: Audiovisual translation, intersemiotic translation models, film adaptation as cultural transformation, translation of humor, and the emotional dimensions of translation work. Future research includes exploring subtitlers’ psychological experiences with sensitive material. Teaching: Leads MA modules on Audiovisual Translation and Professional Translation Practice (Greek), and has taught undergraduate courses on translation and interpreting skills. Awards & Grants: None explicitly listed, but her extensive publication record reflects sustained academic engagement. Labs/Teams: Active in the Centre for Translation Studies, contributing to interdisciplinary research on translation in the creative industries.
