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Johanna HeitzerView profile

Professor

• Mathematics Education
• Teacher Training and Professional Development
• Curriculum Development
• +7 more

Prof. Dr. Johanna Heitzer is a University Professor for Mathematics Education at RWTH Aachen University since 2011. She leads the Teaching and Research Area of Mathematics Education within the university's mathematics department. Her office is located in Room 352 of the Kreuzherrenstraße 2 building in Aachen. She serves as co-editor of the journal 'mathematik lehren,' co-author of the 'Mathematics - New Ways' textbook series, and holds numerous committee positions including membership in the Faculty Advisory Board and Structural Commission of the Center Council. 1989: High school diploma 1989-1994: Mathematics and Physics Teacher Training at RWTH Aachen 1994-1996: Traineeship at Aachen Teacher Training College 1997: Research assistant at University of Münster 1998-2007: Mathematics and Physics teacher at Korschenbroich Gymnasium 2007-2010: Scientific assistant and doctorate at RWTH Aachen 2011-present: University Professor at RWTH Aachen Professor Heitzer's research focuses on the training and further education of mathematics teachers, development of contemporary teaching materials, applied and interdisciplinary mathematics, and the transition from school to university. Her work emphasizes concept formation, linguistic communication in mathematics, and the historical development of mathematical ideas as teaching resources. She investigates mathematics-specific learning and cognitive processes through multiple research projects including the Aachen school-university project iMPACt. Her recent scholarly output demonstrates a strong trend toward integrating digital technologies in mathematics education, particularly 3D printing and e-learning tools. She has increasingly focused on the social relevance of mathematics, exploring concepts of fairness, sustainability, and citizen empowerment through mathematical modeling. Her work bridges theoretical mathematics education with practical classroom applications, maintaining a strong connection to both historical perspectives and contemporary educational challenges. Special prize from Sparkasse Bad Hersfeld-Rotenburg for best mathematics Abitur (1989) Borchers Plaque for doctoral examinations passed with distinction (2011) DMV honor as Mathemaker of the Month (2013) Brigitte Gilles Prize 2013 for the MINT-L4 Center Professor Heitzer has supervised numerous doctoral students, serving as primary or secondary advisor for at least nine PhD dissertations between 2016-2021. Her research projects include the School-University Project MathePlus Aachen (iMPACt), e-Learning 'Mathematics for Civil Engineers,' and the development of mathematics items for StudiChecks NRW. She has secured funding through the Quality Initiative for Teacher Education (both phases) and participates in the ComeIn project focused on digitalization in teacher training. Her grants consistently emphasize practical applications of mathematics education research with direct impact on classroom practice. As a founding member of the MINT-L4@RWTH center and initiator of the working group Mathematical Education for Sustainable Development, Professor Heitzer has established significant collaborative structures. She participates in the Subject Didactics Forum at the Teacher Training Center of RWTH Aachen and has served in leadership roles including Chair of the Center Council (2014-2016) and Board member of the Teacher Training Center (2014-2017). Her work connects with national and international networks through her membership in the Society for Mathematics Education (GDM), the German Association for Mathematics and Science Education (MNU), and the German Mathematical Society (DMV).

• Neuromorphic Computing
• Organic Electronics
• Bioelectronics
• +3 more

Paschalis Gkoupidenis is an Associate Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at North Carolina State University (since August 2024) and a Group Leader at the Department of Molecular Electronics at the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research. His research focuses on developing organic neuromorphic devices for neuro-inspired information processing, learning, sensing, and bio-interfacing. Research Interests Dr. Gkoupidenis specializes in hardware-based implementation of neuromorphic architectures, which offer efficient ways of data manipulation and processing, especially in data-intensive applications. His work explores how organic materials and devices can be used for neuro-inspired devices and bioelectronics, leveraging their attractive characteristics such as ability to operate in electrolytes, spatiotemporal response, analogue memory phenomena, tunability via chemical synthesis, low-cost fabrication processes, and biocompatibility. His research group investigates various concepts for inducing neuroplasticity, learning forms, and spatiotemporal information processing functions at a single-device level, as well as new paradigms of neuromorphic architectures at circuit level. These neuro-inspired functions are essential for trainable/adaptable circuits in energy-restricted environments and for local signal processing in bioelectronics. Scientific Contributions Development of organic neuromorphic devices for neuro-inspired information processing Research on synaptic plasticity functions in organic electrochemical transistors Exploration of neuromorphic device architectures with global connectivity through electrolyte gating Investigation of functional connectivity of organic neuromorphic devices by global voltage oscillations Advancement of organic neuromorphic devices for adaptive sensing and novel computing paradigms in bioelectronics Affiliations Associate Professor, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, North Carolina State University (since August 2024) Group Leader, Organic Neuromorphic Electronics, Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research (since 2017) Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of Bioelectronics, EMSE, France (2015-2017)

Dana SchmalzView profile

Research Fellow

• international refugee law
• European refugee law
• fundamental rights
• +7 more

Dana Schmalz is a Senior Research Fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law in Heidelberg, Germany, and currently serves as a visiting scholar at Columbia Law School and a fellow at the Columbia Center for Contemporary Critical Thought in New York. Funded by an Alexander von Humboldt Foundation fellowship, she pursues a two-year research project examining critical dimensions of international refugee law and migration governance. Her academic profile combines rigorous legal scholarship with theoretical engagement across international law, political philosophy, and migration studies. Dr. Schmalz earned her doctorate from the University of Frankfurt in 2017 with a dissertation on democratic theoretical issues in refugee law, followed by an LL.M. in Comparative Legal Thought from Cardozo Law School, New York, in the same year. She serves as an editor for the journal Kritische Justiz (KJ), contributing to critical legal scholarship in German-speaking academic circles. Her research centers on the intersection of refugee law and democratic theory, examining how political rights are secured for those without voice in democratic processes. She critically investigates population discourse and its relationship to migration governance, exploring how demographic projections shape perceptions of 'too many' migrants. Her scholarship analyzes the language and power structures of international law, examining how legal frameworks construct hierarchies and influence global governance. She has published extensively on European border policies, refugee protection mechanisms, and the theoretical foundations of international legal order. Dr. Schmalz's recent publications reveal a sophisticated analysis of migration governance that connects historical developments with contemporary challenges. She examines how legal concepts like responsibility-sharing function in practice, investigating the role of geopolitical proximity in determining state obligations toward refugees. Her work consistently combines rigorous legal analysis with critical theoretical perspectives, often challenging conventional understandings of migration governance. She explores the internalization of borders in demographic thinking and the ways legal frameworks contribute to perceptions of migration as 'excess.' Alexander von Humboldt Foundation fellowship supporting current research As an active contributor to Völkerrechtsblog, Dr. Schmalz helps shape digital infrastructure for global legal scholarship. Her work connects with broader academic communities through collaborations with scholars across international law and refugee studies. While specific grant details beyond the Humboldt fellowship aren't provided in the source material, her extensive publication record indicates sustained research activity across multiple funding cycles. She engages with practical policy challenges through her analysis of European migration governance and refugee protection mechanisms. Dr. Schmalz's research connects with multiple academic networks through her work at the Max Planck Institute, Columbia University, and her editorial role at Kritische Justiz. Her scholarship bridges German and Anglo-American academic traditions, contributing to transnational legal discourse on migration and refugee protection. She participates in interdisciplinary conversations that connect legal scholarship with political theory, philosophy, and migration studies.

Mona MensmannView profile

Associate Professor

• Organizational Design & Behavior
• Entrepreneurial Mindset
• Entrepreneurship in Low- and Middle-Income Countries
• +2 more

Mona Mensmann is an Associate Professor of Innovation Management and Entrepreneurship at the University of Cologne's Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences (WiSo-Fakultät), Department of Corporate Development. She has been a Cluster member of ECONtribute: Markets & Public Policy since 2021, which is Germany's first Cluster of Excellence in economics, jointly funded by the University of Bonn and the University of Cologne. Her educational background includes a PhD from Leuphana University of Lüneburg (2013-2017), a Master of Science in Psychology from the University of Heidelberg (2011-2013), and a Bachelor of Science in Business Psychology from the University of Lüneburg (2007-2011). Professor Mensmann's research focuses on the psychology of entrepreneurship, entrepreneurial mindset, and entrepreneurship training. Her work primarily uses RCT-based methodologies to investigate how people can be helped to think and act in more entrepreneurial ways. Her main research topics include entrepreneurial mindset, entrepreneurship in low- and middle-income countries, and gender and entrepreneurship. Her research often examines how personal initiative training impacts entrepreneurial success, particularly in developing contexts. Her publications reveal a strong trend toward interdisciplinary research combining psychology, economics, and entrepreneurship. Many studies employ randomized controlled trials to assess the effectiveness of entrepreneurial training interventions, particularly in developing countries. Her work spans cognitive psychology aspects (examining how need for cognition affects entrepreneurial persistence), educational interventions (studying remote learning during the pandemic), and development economics (analyzing entrepreneurship training in West Africa). Professor Mensmann has contributed to high-impact journals including Science, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice. Her work has received media attention from major outlets such as The Wall Street Journal, The Economist, and Wirtschaftswoche. Before joining the University of Cologne in July 2021, she served as an Associate Professor at Warwick Business School in the UK (2020-2021) and as an Assistant Professor there (2018-2020). She previously worked as a Research Associate at Leuphana University of Lüneburg and as a Consultant for Innovations for Poverty Action. As a member of the ECONtribute Cluster of Excellence, she contributes to research at the intersection of business, politics, and society, focusing on how markets function within broader societal contexts and how policy interventions can address challenges like economic inequality and political polarization.

• History of Medicine
• African American History
• Indigenous Epistemologies
• +7 more

Helen A. Gibson is a Visiting Assistant Professor at the John F. Kennedy Institute, Department of History, Freie Universität Berlin. She is actively engaged in interdisciplinary research at the intersection of history, spirituality, and material culture, with a focus on African American and Indigenous epistemologies. Gibson also serves as the editor for history, political science, and international relations at the European Journal of American Studies . Research Interests: Her work explores the significance of mattering beyond empiricism, particularly through practices of sacred reciprocity. She investigates how plants like dogwood function as both medicine and spiritual boundary markers within the tradition of grand midwifery, drawing on WPA interviews with formerly enslaved people. Her scholarship bridges historical analysis with decolonial theory, emphasizing relationality, kinship, and the transmission of ancestral knowledge. Publication Trends: Her recent work centers on the entanglement of material objects and spiritual meaning in African American cultural memory. By analyzing oral histories and plant-based practices, she contributes to emerging fields in critical race theory, medical humanities, and the history of science, emphasizing non-dualistic ontologies and Indigenous ways of knowing. Scientific Awards: No awards listed in the provided text. Advising and Grants: While no formal advisees or grant funding are mentioned in the text, her role as a visiting professor and journal editor suggests active participation in academic mentorship and scholarly networks. Her prior research fellowship at the University of Erfurt indicates competitive postdoctoral support. Labs and Research Teams: Helen Gibson is affiliated with the research colloquium and PhD projects at the Department of History, Freie Universität Berlin. She contributes to the 'CIH VII: Uncertain Boundaries' program, which explores ambiguity in international history, suggesting collaboration within an interdisciplinary research group focused on liminality and boundary-making in historical contexts.

Jiadong LiView profile

Research Fellow

• Stellar Physics
• Binary Stars
• Galactic Evolution
• +3 more

Jiadong Li is a Research Fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy (MPIA) in Heidelberg, Germany. He previously completed his PhD at the National Astronomical Observatories of China (NAOC) under Professor Liu Chao and was a visiting researcher at the Flatiron Institute in New York. His academic foundation was laid at Beijing Normal University (BNU) , where he studied astronomy. Li's research focuses on stellar physics and binary star systems , statistical analysis of stellar initial mass function (IMF) variations, and differentiable stellar atmosphere modeling using machine learning frameworks. His work leverages data from Gaia , LAMOST , SDSS-V/APOGEE , and the upcoming CSST to unravel the assembly history of the Milky Way and metallicity-dependent star formation mechanisms. Recent publications highlight his contributions to identifying millions of binary stars via Gaia spectra, developing physics-informed neural networks for stellar atmosphere emulation, and creating AspGap , a dataset for 37 million red giant stars . He actively builds open-source tools like Kurucz-a1 (stellar atmosphere emulator) and AspGap (stellar parameter augmentation), reflecting his commitment to computational astrophysics and data-driven research .

Yakir HadadView profile

Senior Lecturer

• Electrodynamics
• Wave Theory
• Metamaterials
• +9 more

Yakir Hadad is a Senior Lecturer (equivalent to Assistant Professor) at Tel Aviv University's School of Electrical Engineering, Department of Physical Electronics. He holds a B.Sc. and M.Sc. from Ben-Gurion University (2006, 2008) and a Ph.D. from Tel Aviv University (2014), followed by postdoctoral research at the University of Texas at Austin (2014-2016). His research focuses on fundamental wave phenomena in complex systems, with expertise spanning: Analytical methods in electrodynamics and acoustics Physical bounds in wave engineering Time-variant and nonlinear wave systems Metamaterials for RF/optical applications Plasmonics and nanophotonics Hybrid-physics wave interactions Publication analysis reveals consistent focus on wave manipulation through spatiotemporal modulation, non-reciprocal systems, and topological phenomena, with recent expansion into machine learning applications for electromagnetic field transformation. His work bridges theoretical foundations with practical devices like antennas, waveguides, and frequency converters. Major Scientific Awards: Krill Prize for Excellence in Research (2020) Alon Fellowship for Outstanding Young Researchers (2017-2020) Leopold B. Felsen Award for Excellence in Electrodynamics (2016) TAU Rector's 100 Best Teachers List (2019) Leads an active research group with 3 PhD candidates, 1 MSc student, and 3 undergraduate researchers. Current projects include time-varying metamaterials, acoustic wave guiding, and nonlinear device synthesis. Research is supported by: ISF Grant 1353/19 (2019-2023) MAFAT research grant Alon Fellowship (2017-2020) TAU Rector Startup Fund (2017-2020)

• Algorithms
• Computational Geometry
• Discrete Mathematics
• +8 more

Mordecai J Golin is a Professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), School of Engineering. His research lies at the intersection of theoretical computer science, algorithms, and discrete mathematics, with strong applications in information theory and computational geometry. His research interests include algorithms , computational geometry , data structures , dynamic programming , coding theory , and combinatorics . He has made significant contributions to the design and analysis of optimal search trees, prefix-free coding, and minmax regret optimization in dynamic flow networks. His work often combines probabilistic analysis with algorithmic efficiency. The recent publications highlight a sustained focus on optimization problems in graphs and trees, particularly in dynamic flow networks for applications like evacuation modeling, and in data compression via advanced Huffman and AIFV coding techniques. The research spans from theoretical foundations to algorithmic innovation, with recurring themes of efficiency, robustness, and structural analysis. Scientific Awards No specific awards mentioned in the provided text. Advising and Grants : While specific students and grants are not listed, Dr. Golin has an extensive record of collaborative research with colleagues at HKUST and internationally, suggesting active supervision and project leadership. His frequent publications in top-tier venues indicate sustained funding and research activity. Labs and Teams : Though not explicitly named, his work is likely conducted within theoretical computer science or algorithms research groups at HKUST, possibly associated with centers focusing on discrete mathematics or information sciences.

Michel BesserveView profile

Researcher

• Causal Machine Learning
• Complex Systems
• Neuroscience
• +4 more

Michel Besserve is a Senior Research Scientist in the Empirical Inference department at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Tübingen, Germany. His research bridges machine learning theory with applications in neuroscience and complex systems analysis. He leads a research group focused on developing causal machine learning tools to uncover the internal structure and transformations of complex artificial, physical, and socioeconomic systems. Dr. Besserve's primary research interests center on causal machine learning and its applications to understanding complex systems. His work investigates how causality can provide principled ways to study and improve AI algorithms, particularly focusing on the identifiability of causal models and the principle of Independence of Causal Mechanisms (ICM). He develops theoretical frameworks and practical tools for causal inference in complex equilibrium systems, neural circuits, and socioeconomic contexts. His research has significant implications for building trustworthy and interpretable AI systems that can reliably handle real-world complexity. Analysis of Dr. Besserve's recent publications reveals a strong focus on causal representation learning, with significant contributions to independent mechanism analysis and the identifiability of nonlinear generative models. His work spans both theoretical foundations and practical applications, connecting machine learning with neuroscience to understand brain function through causal inference. The interdisciplinary nature of his research is evident in publications spanning top machine learning conferences (NeurIPS, ICML, ICLR) and leading neuroscience journals (Nature, PLOS Biology). Dr. Besserve has established productive collaborations across multiple institutions, particularly with researchers at the Max Planck Institute and ETH Zurich. His work demonstrates how integrating causal principles with machine learning can address fundamental challenges in AI robustness and interpretability, with applications ranging from brain network analysis to economic modeling. His research group focuses on developing the Causal Computational Model (CCM) framework, which aims to create digital representations of real-world systems that integrate data, domain knowledge, and interpretable causal structure. This work has potential applications in climate modeling, industrial digital twins, and economic simulation.

• Metaphysics
• Epistemology
• Philosophy of Mind
• +5 more

Keya Maitra is the Lenney Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at the University of Hawai'i Mānoa. Previously, she served as a professor and the Thomas Howerton Distinguished Professor of Humanities at the University of North Carolina Asheville, where she also directed the Humanities Program from 2018-2022. Her academic journey spans continents, with educational roots in both India and the United States. Dr. Maitra holds two Ph.D.s—one in Philosophy of Language from the University of Hyderabad and another in Philosophy of Mind from the University of Connecticut. This dual training has positioned her at the intersection of Eastern and Western philosophical traditions, enabling her to bridge cultural and disciplinary divides in innovative ways. Her research spans multiple areas of philosophy with a distinctive focus on cross-cultural dialogue. Maitra's work in feminist philosophy of mind explores how socio-cultural factors shape mental content and consciousness. She has made significant contributions to the interpretation of Indian philosophical texts, particularly the Bhagavad Gita, examining its relevance to contemporary philosophical issues in consciousness, ethics, and epistemology. Her scholarship in comparative ethics brings together Western and non-Western ethical frameworks, with special attention to decolonizing moral landscapes through the inclusion of Buddhist, Hindu, feminist care ethics, and indigenous perspectives. Maitra's recent work on governance ethics develops a "toolbox" of ethical frameworks for policy decision-making that acknowledges the complexity of moral dilemmas in public administration. Maitra's publications reveal consistent engagement with bridging philosophical traditions. Her recent articles demonstrate a trajectory from examining specific concepts in Indian philosophy (like attention in the Bhagavad Gita) to developing broader applications in contemporary ethical and political contexts. A unifying thread is her commitment to creating philosophical frameworks that respect cultural specificity while addressing universal human concerns. Her work increasingly focuses on practical applications of philosophical insights to real-world governance challenges. Lenney Distinguished Professor at University of Hawai'i Mānoa Thomas Howerton Distinguished Professor of Humanities at University of North Carolina Asheville (2018-2022) While specific details about her advising are not provided in the available text, Maitra's collaborative work on edited volumes like "Feminist Philosophy of Mind" and "The Ethics of Governance" suggests active mentorship of junior scholars. Her research on governance ethics appears to have practical applications that may connect with policy-making communities.

Jacky Wai KeungView profile

Associate Professor

• Software Engineering
• Empirical Studies
• Machine Learning
• +7 more

Jacky Wai Keung is an Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Science at City University of Hong Kong with extensive industry connections across the Asia Pacific region. He leads the Artificial Intelligence and Software Engineering Research Group (AiSE) and serves as Chairman of IEEE Computer Society Hong Kong Chapter and Vice-President of Hong Kong STEM Education Alliance. Prof. Keung received his B.Sc.(Hons) in Computer Science from the University of Sydney and Ph.D. in Software Engineering from the University of New South Wales, Australia, before working as a Research Scientist at NICTA (now DATA61, CSIRO) in Sydney. His research spans software engineering, data science, AI, FinTech, machine learning, blockchain systems, and large language models for code generation and analysis. His recent work focuses on applying large language models to software engineering challenges, with publications examining code translation, anomaly detection, and autonomous driving system testing. The research shows a strong trend toward practical applications of AI in software development processes, particularly in FinTech and autonomous systems domains. Among his numerous accolades, Prof. Keung has been named in Stanford's top 2% most highly cited scientists for both 2022 and 2023, received the President's Teaching Excellence Award in 2020, and earned multiple IEEE best paper awards. His editorial service includes roles as Area Editor for Journal of Systems and Software since 2017 and Associate Editor for Information and Software Technology since 2020. Prof. Keung has successfully secured over HK$20 million in research funding through GRF, ITF, and TDG grants, including major projects like 'Smart Intelligent Process Automation for the Mortgage Lending Industry' (HK$2.62 million) and 'Software Data Analytics and Blockchain Technological Advancements' (HK$6 million). His industry collaborations have significantly enhanced student opportunities, with CS student starting salaries increasing by over 15% year-on-year for the past three years. He currently leads multiple research initiatives including RealisticCodeBench for evaluating LLMs in code generation and FedLAD for federated log anomaly detection, with several active projects focused on AI-enhanced InsurTech systems and deep probabilistic reasoning using deep learning.

• Programming Languages
• Compilers
• Formal Verification
• +7 more

Clément Pit-Claudel is an assistant professor at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), where he heads the SYSTEMF lab in the School of Computer and Communication Sciences. His research focuses on programming languages, compilers, and formal verification, with broader interests spanning systems engineering, hardware design languages, security, performance engineering, and type theory. Education: Undergraduate studies at École Polytechnique PhD at MIT with Adam Chlipala, specializing in proof-producing compilers Pit-Claudel's research program is organized around three main axes: extensible compilation (teaching compilers domain-specific optimization tricks), hardware design languages and verification (creating ways to describe and verify hardware), and tooling for proof assistants (to support verification efforts and lower entry barriers). His work bridges theoretical foundations with practical applications, as evidenced by algorithms from his Elk project being merged into V8 (and hence Chrome and Node.js). Scientific Awards: Distinguished artifact, Untangling Mechanized Proofs, ACM SIGPLAN International Conference on Software Language Engineering (2020) William A. Martin Memorial Thesis Award for Outstanding Thesis in CS, MIT (2016) Frederick C. Hennie III Teaching Award in Recognition of Outstanding Contributions to Departmental Teaching, MIT (2016) Pit-Claudel has extensive experience mentoring students through MIT's Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program and currently teaches Software Construction to approximately 400 undergraduate students and Interactive Theorem Proving at the graduate level. He's deeply committed to educational excellence, having developed innovative teaching methods including continuous assessment through oral examinations and designing assignments that lead students to build concrete artifacts they can be proud of. The SYSTEMF lab, created in January 2023, focuses on building "small, fast, and completely verified components for critical systems, at reasonable cost." The lab's philosophy of "full assurance, without compromise" combines machine-checked proofs of correctness, hardware-software co-design, low-level compiler engineering, and new tools for interactive theorem proving.

Sabine HossenfelderView profile

Researcher

• Quantum Foundations
• Quantum Mechanics
• Dark Matter
• +3 more

Dr. Sabine Hossenfelder is a Researcher at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU), where she explores foundational questions in physics. She holds a PhD in Physics from the University of Frankfurt (2003) and has conducted research across particle physics, quantum gravity, dark matter, and quantum foundations. Her current work focuses on superdeterminism and locality in quantum mechanics, challenging conventional assumptions about Bell’s theorem and finetuning. Dr. Hossenfelder is also a prominent science communicator, hosting the YouTube channel “Science without the Gobbledygook” and authoring books like *Lost in Math* (2018) and *Existential Physics* (2022), which critique biases in theoretical physics and explore the philosophical dimensions of science. Her research interests include the mathematical and philosophical underpinnings of quantum mechanics, with recent emphasis on experimental tests of superdeterminism and its implications for locality. She has also contributed to astrophysics studies, such as analyzing dark matter profiles in galaxies using superfluid models. Through her writing and media work, she advocates for scientific rigor and skepticism of unfalsifiable theories.

Werner SobekView profile

Professor

• Lightweight Structures
• Structural Engineering
• Sustainable Architecture
• +4 more

Werner Sobek is a renowned Professor at the University of Stuttgart since 1994, serving as Principal Investigator at the Institute of Lightweight Structures and Conceptual Design (ILEK) and affiliated with the Cluster of Excellence IntCDC. With a career spanning over four decades, he combines structural engineering, architecture, and sustainability in groundbreaking ways, holding licenses in Germany, the U.S., and China. Research interests span lightweight structures, functionally graded concrete systems, cyber-physical fabrication, and adaptive building skins. His work emphasizes sustainability, as evidenced by projects like Functionally Graded Concrete Building System and the founding of the non nobis Foundation in 2020. Scientific awards and honors include: 2025 Fellow of the Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE) 2023 Emil Mörsch Award and Immobilienmanager Lifetime Award 2022 Federal Cross of Merit on Ribbon 2015 Fritz Leonhardt Award Honorary PhDs from Technical University Graz (2013) and Dresden (2009) His leadership roles include Chairman of DFG Collaborative Research Centre SFB 1244 (2017-2020), President of the Stuttgart Institute of Sustainability (SIS), and board memberships at DGNB and Federal Foundation for Building Design. He has held visiting professorships at Harvard University, National University of Singapore, and Illinois Institute of Technology.

Prem DevanbuView profile

Research Professor

• Empirical Software Engineering
• Naturalness of Software
• Software Engineering education
• +3 more

Prem Devanbu is a Research Professor of Computer Science at the University of California, Davis, where he has been a faculty member since transitioning from his industrial R&D position at Bell Labs in New Jersey. He holds a distinguished position in the Department of Computer Science within the College of Engineering, focusing on cutting-edge research at the intersection of software engineering and artificial intelligence. Dr. Devanbu earned his B.Tech from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras and completed his Ph.D at Rutgers University under the supervision of Alex Borgida. His career path from industry to academia has shaped his practical yet research-oriented approach to software engineering problems. Devanbu's research primarily centers on Empirical Software Engineering , the Naturalness of Software , and Software Engineering education . His groundbreaking work on the naturalness hypothesis—that software exhibits statistical properties similar to natural language—has profoundly influenced the field. This research has expanded to explore bimodality in software (its dual nature as both machine-executable code and human-readable text), opening new avenues for analysis and tool development. His recent work heavily focuses on the application of Large Language Models to software engineering tasks, particularly in code summarization, program repair, and type inference. Analysis of Dr. Devanbu's recent publications reveals a clear trend toward leveraging Large Language Models for software engineering tasks. His research demonstrates how statistical properties of code can be exploited to improve software development processes, with particular emphasis on program understanding, documentation generation, and automated repair. The work bridges theoretical insights about code naturalness with practical applications that address real-world software maintenance challenges. Dr. Devanbu has received numerous prestigious awards recognizing his contributions to the field: ACM SIGSOFT Outstanding Research Award (2021) - "for profoundly changing the way researchers think about software by exploring connections between source code and natural language" Alexander von Humboldt Research Award (2022) IEEE Computer Society Harlan Mills Award (2024) ACM Fellow Six "test-of-time" or "10 year most influential paper" awards (MSR 2006, MSR 2009, ESEC/FSE 2008, ESEC/FSE 2009, ESEC/FSE 2011, ICSE 2012) Throughout his career, Dr. Devanbu has been actively involved in mentoring the next generation of software engineering researchers, serving on doctoral committees, and participating in New Faculty Symposia to support early-career academics. His research has been supported by significant grants that have enabled his team to explore innovative approaches at the intersection of empirical methods and software tool development. At UC Davis, he has contributed to building a strong software engineering research group that bridges theoretical insights with practical applications. Dr. Devanbu leads research efforts focused on understanding the statistical properties of software and leveraging these insights to build practical tools. His work on the naturalness and bimodality of code has established a framework that continues to influence how researchers approach program analysis and software development. His current team is at the forefront of exploring how Large Language Models can be effectively applied to software engineering tasks while accounting for the unique characteristics of code as a specialized form of human communication.