Dominique Unruh is a Professor at RWTH Aachen University , leading the Chair for Quantum Information Systems . Additionally, they hold a Professorship in Cryptography at the Institute of Computer Science of the University of Tartu , Estonia. Their research spans quantum computing , quantum cryptography , post-quantum cryptography , and formal verification of cryptographic protocols and programs. Research Focus : Quantum programs, zero-knowledge proofs, lattice-based cryptography, and quantum random oracle model. Key Contributions : Advancements in NTRU encryption efficiency, quantum Hoare logic, and rewinding techniques for security proofs. Tools : Active development in the EasyCrypt framework for cryptographic verification. Email : unruh@cs.rwth-aachen.de
Michael Bronstein is a Professor at Università della Svizzera italiana (USI Lugano) in Switzerland and Imperial College London in the UK, where he holds the Chair in Machine Learning and Pattern Recognition. He serves as Head of Graph Learning Research at Twitter following the acquisition of his startup Fabula AI, and maintains a principal engineer position at Intel Perceptual Computing. His research focuses on the interplay between geometry, machine learning, and computer vision, with particular emphasis on non-Euclidean structured data. Professor Bronstein received his Ph.D. with distinction in Computer Science from the Technion in 2007. He has held visiting appointments at Stanford University, MIT, Harvard University (as a Radcliffe Fellow), and Tel Aviv University, and has been affiliated with multiple Institutes for Advanced Study including TUM-IAS where he was a Rudolf Diesel Industry Fellow (2017). He is a Fellow of IAPR, Senior Member of the IEEE, and a member of the Young Academy of Europe. His research program centers on theoretical and computational methods in spectral and metric geometry applied to computer vision, pattern recognition, and machine learning. He pioneered the field of geometric deep learning, developing novel neural network architectures that process non-Euclidean data structures like graphs and manifolds. His work spans from theoretical foundations to practical applications, with over 100 publications in top scientific journals and conferences, and has been featured in international media including CNN. Analysis of his recent publications reveals a strong trajectory in geometric deep learning with applications spanning computer vision, 3D shape analysis, social network analysis, and bioinformatics. His research consistently bridges theoretical innovation with real-world applications, developing novel neural architectures for processing complex data structures. The work demonstrates increasing interdisciplinary reach, connecting machine learning with fields from particle physics to molecular biology. Dalle Molle Prize (2018) Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award (2018) ERC Proof of Concept Grant (2018) Amazon AWS Machine Learning Research Award (2018) Fellow, International Association for Pattern Recognition (IAPR) Google Faculty Research Award (2017) Radcliffe fellowship, Harvard University (2017) Rudolf Diesel industrial fellowship, TU Munich (2017) ERC Consolidator Grant (2016) World Economic Forum Young Scientist (2014) Professor Bronstein has secured multiple ERC grants (Starting Grant 2012, Proof of Concept Grants 2016 and 2018, Consolidator Grant 2016) and has mentored numerous students who have contributed to over 30 granted patents. He has chaired more than a dozen conferences and workshops in his field and served as area chair at major computer vision conferences including ECCV 2016 and ICCV 2017. His research group at USI Lugano collaborates extensively with industry partners including Intel and Twitter. As a serial entrepreneur, Professor Bronstein co-founded Novafora (2005-2009) developing large-scale video analysis, Invision (2009-2012) which created low-cost 3D sensors and was acquired by Intel, and Fabula AI (2018-2019) focused on fake news detection which was acquired by Twitter. His work bridges theoretical research with commercial applications, with his technology contributing to Intel RealSense and Twitter's graph learning infrastructure.
Benjamin Lucien Kaminski is a Professor at Saarland University and a Lecturer at University College London . He specializes in quantitative aspects of formal program verification , with a focus on probabilistic and quantum programs , incorrectness logic , and non-classical computation models . His research includes semantics , probabilistic program verification , expected runtimes , and explainable verification . He leads the Examination Board for B.Sc. Computer Science (English) and actively mentors PhD, Master’s, and Bachelor’s students in logic and verification. 2025 : A Taxonomy of Hoare-Like Logics (POPL), Partial Incorrectness Logic (TPSA) 2024 : Quantitative Weakest Hyper Pre (OOPSLA), Caesar: A Verifier for Probabilistic Programs (Dafny), Hoare-Like Triples (Incorrectness-track) 2023 : A Deductive Verification Infrastructure (OOPSLA), Lower Bounds (OOPSLA), A Calculus for Amortized Expected Runtimes (POPL) He has received notable awards including the Ackermann Award (2020), Best Paper at LOPSTR 2020 , and EATCS Best Paper Award at ETAPS 2016 . He has also served on program committees for leading conferences like CAV , POPL , and LICS , and reviewed for prestigious journals such as Journal of the ACM and TOCL .
Professor Norbert Pohlmann serves as Professor of Cyber Security in the Department of Computer Science I at Westfälische Hochschule (Westphalian University of Applied Sciences) in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. He leads the Institute for Internet Security (if(is)) and serves as Data Security and Network Officer for the university. Pohlmann also coordinates the Master's Internet Security program and maintains significant leadership positions in national and international cybersecurity organizations including as Chairman of the Board of TeleTrusT (the German IT Security Association), Board Member of eco (the German Internet Industry Association), and member of the Advisory Group of the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA). His research focuses on Cyber Security, Internet Security, and IT Security with specializations in Trusted Computing, Mobile Security, Network Security, Data Protection, and AI Security. Pohlmann's work encompasses practical applications including Internet early warning systems, botnet detection, SmartCar/SmartGrid security, and firewall systems. He has developed trust-building mechanisms for digital environments and pioneered approaches to making cybersecurity solutions more trustworthy. Pohlmann's recent publications and presentations (2023-2025) demonstrate his leadership in emerging security challenges, particularly regarding AI security, digital trust frameworks, and gaming security. His work shows a consistent trend toward addressing the intersection of technological innovation and security requirements, with increasing emphasis on trustworthiness as a foundational element for digital transformation. Among his notable professional contributions are his leadership in developing the Cyber-Nation initiative, his work on EU AI Act compliance frameworks, and his research on security threats in gaming environments. His publications span both academic and practical domains, reflecting his commitment to bridging theoretical security concepts with real-world implementation. As an educator, Pohlmann teaches both Bachelor's and Master's level courses including Internet Protocols, IT Security Fundamentals, and specialized Internet Security courses. He has supervised numerous Master's theses and developed comprehensive curricula for cybersecurity education that emphasize both technical skills and strategic security thinking.
Raffi Khatchadourian is an Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Science at Hunter College and the Graduate Center of the City University of New York (CUNY). His research focuses on techniques for automated software evolution, particularly automated refactoring and source code recommendation systems, with the goal of easing the burden associated with evolving large and complex software through automated tools. He also conducts research on the automated analysis of Object-Oriented programs. Ph.D., Computer Science & Engineering, Ohio State University (2011) MS, Computer Science & Engineering, Ohio State University (2010) BS, Computer Science, Monmouth University (2004) Khatchadourian's research spans multiple areas of software engineering and programming languages, with particular emphasis on automated software evolution techniques. His work addresses critical challenges in refactoring legacy systems to modern language constructs, optimizing parallel processing in Java 8 streams, and addressing technical debt in machine learning systems. His recent research has expanded into deep learning program transformation, where he develops techniques to convert imperative deep learning code to more efficient graph execution models while ensuring safety. His approach combines static analysis, program transformation, and empirical validation to create practical tools that developers can integrate into their workflows. Analysis of Khatchadourian's recent publications reveals a strong focus on bridging the gap between theoretical program analysis and practical software engineering challenges. His work increasingly intersects with machine learning systems, examining both how to improve ML code through refactoring and how to ensure safety in deep learning frameworks. The research demonstrates consistent evolution from foundational work on Java language features toward more complex systems involving concurrency, deep learning, and automated program transformation. Distinguished Paper Award at SCAM '18 for work on Java 8 stream optimization EAPLS Best Paper Award at FASE '20 for study on Java 8 stream usage EAPLS Distinguished Paper Award at FASE '25 for Deep Learning refactoring work Best Paper Award nominee at IJCAI '24 for AI safety framework Khatchadourian actively mentors graduate and undergraduate students, with several advisees going on to successful academic and industry positions. His former Ph.D. student Tatiana Castro Vélez accepted a tenure-track Assistant Professor position at the University of Puerto Rico. He has supervised numerous master's theses and undergraduate research projects, often resulting in co-authored publications at top software engineering venues. His research has been supported by various grants, though specific funding details are not prominently featured in the available information. Through his work on tools like Fraglight for aspect-oriented programming and Hybridize Functions for deep learning refactoring, Khatchadourian has established a research group focused on practical program analysis and transformation. His lab develops Eclipse plugins and other IDE-integrated tools that help developers with automated refactoring, bug detection, and code optimization. The group maintains active collaborations with researchers at other institutions and contributes to open-source projects on GitHub.
Val Tannen is a Professor at the University of Pennsylvania, specializing in database systems, provenance analysis, and programming languages. His research focuses on data management, query languages, and systems like DBSP and ORCHESTRA. Collaborations include work with co-authors such as Zachary Ives, Susan Davidson, and Todd Green. Key research interests include provenance for databases, incremental view maintenance, and data integration. His work bridges theoretical foundations and practical applications in systems like DBSP for stream processing and ORCHESTRA for collaborative data sharing. Publications span provenance frameworks, query optimization, and distributed systems. While no awards are explicitly listed, his contributions to database theory and systems are widely recognized.
Professor J. Debus is a distinguished academic in Radiation Oncology at Heidelberg University's Medical Faculty, with extensive research focused on particle therapy, medical physics, and cancer treatment optimization. His work spans clinical trials, radiobiology, and technical innovations in radiation delivery systems. Primary Affiliation: German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg Research Focus: Particle therapy, radiation oncology, medical physics Key Collaborations: Mein S., Liew H., Tessonnier T., and other leading researchers in radiation oncology Professor Debus' research interests center on advancing particle therapy techniques including proton, carbon ion, and emerging modalities like helium and oxygen ion therapy. His work addresses critical challenges in radiation oncology such as normal tissue sparing, hypoxia-induced radioresistance, and precision treatment delivery. He has made significant contributions to understanding the biological effects of different radiation types and optimizing treatment protocols for various cancer types including head and neck cancers, brain metastases, and prostate cancer. His recent publications demonstrate leadership in clinical trials (GUARD, ESTRON, PROBASE) and technical innovations in radiation delivery systems, particularly in the emerging field of FLASH radiotherapy and ultra-high dose rate treatments. Professor Debus has published extensively on treatment planning optimization, radiation-induced biological effects, and imaging techniques for precise radiation delivery. Leading clinical trials in particle therapy Developing novel techniques for normal tissue protection Advancing understanding of radiation biology across different modalities Professor Debus has secured significant research funding for his work in radiation oncology and particle therapy. His research has contributed to clinical implementation of advanced treatment techniques at the Heidelberg Ion-Beam Therapy Center (HIT), one of the world's leading facilities for particle therapy. He supervises numerous doctoral students and postdoctoral researchers in the radiation oncology field. His laboratory and research team focus on translational research bridging basic radiobiology with clinical applications, with particular emphasis on optimizing treatment protocols for challenging tumor types and improving patient outcomes through precision radiation therapy.
Nele Mentens is a full professor at both KU Leuven and Leiden University, where she leads cutting-edge research in applied cryptography, hardware security, and secure embedded systems. At KU Leuven, she is affiliated with the Faculty of Engineering Technology and the Electrical Engineering Department (ESAT), leading the Emerging Technologies, Systems & Security (ES&S) research group at the Diepenbeek campus. Simultaneously, she holds a full professorship at Leiden University’s Leiden Institute of Advanced Computer Science (LIACS), focusing on applied cryptography and security. She has been instrumental in numerous national and international research initiatives, including Horizon Europe and NWO-funded projects. Full Professor, KU Leuven (since 2023) Full Professor, Leiden University (since 2020) Associate Professor, KU Leuven (2014–2023) Post-doctoral Researcher & Lecturer, KHLim / KU Leuven (2007–2014) Ph.D. in Engineering Science, KU Leuven (2007) M.Sc. in Electrical Engineering, KU Leuven (2003) Her research focuses on secure and efficient hardware design, particularly for cryptographic applications on FPGAs, reconfigurable architectures, IoT security, and neuromorphic computing. She explores physical attack resistance, side-channel analysis protection, and trusted computing architectures, with applications in healthcare, industrial monitoring, and endpoint AI. Her work bridges theoretical cryptography with practical hardware implementations, emphasizing energy efficiency and real-time performance. The 15 most recent publications reflect a strong trend toward secure, energy-efficient, and intelligent embedded systems. Topics include neuromorphic AI accelerators, trusted IoT architectures, dynamic reconfiguration for side-channel protection, and secure medical data processing. These works span disciplines such as computer architecture, cybersecurity, digital design, and embedded systems, with a focus on hardware-software co-design and real-world deployment. Nele Mentens has received recognition for her contributions, including: Best Paper Award, DATE'16 Best Paper Nomination, AsianHOST'17 Best Paper Award, CHES'19 She has supervised over 15 Ph.D. students and post-docs, both current and former, and has served as principal investigator in approximately 25 funded research projects. Her work has attracted significant grants from Horizon Europe, NWO, FWO, and national innovation programs. She actively contributes to the academic community through editorial roles in top journals and leadership in major conferences. Nele Mentens leads the ES&S research group at KU Leuven and collaborates closely with LIACS at Leiden University. Her team includes Ph.D. students, post-docs, and research experts working on projects like NimbleAI, NeuroSoC, and TrustedIoT. She has also established secure electronics labs through infrastructure grants and maintains strong international ties with institutions such as EPFL, Ruhr University Bochum, and ETH Zurich.
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Stefan Schulte is a Full Professor at Hamburg University of Technology, leading the Institute for Data Engineering and the Christian Doppler Laboratory Blockchain Technologies for the Internet of Things (CDL-BOT). He holds a diploma in Economics and a Bachelor's in Computer Science from the University of Oldenburg, followed by a Master's in Information Technology (with Merit) from the University of Newcastle. After completing his PhD at TU Darmstadt in 2010, he held roles as Postdoctoral Researcher at TU Wien, Assistant Professor (tenure-track), and eventually Associate Professor before joining TU Hamburg in 2021. His research focuses on data engineering, blockchain technologies applied to IoT, elastic computing, and quality-of-service (QoS) aspects in smart systems. Notable contributions include work on fog computing, federated learning, and cross-blockchain interoperability. He has published over 140 papers in top-tier venues like IEEE Transactions on Services Computing and ACM Computing Surveys. Key awards include Best Paper Awards at the IEEE International Conference on Blockchain (2020) and the European Conference on Service-Oriented and Cloud Computing (2023). Prof. Schulte chairs major conferences such as the IEEE International Conference on Fog and Edge Computing (ICFEC 2025) and serves on editorial boards for journals like IEEE Transactions on Services Computing. He leads CDL-BOT, a lab exploring blockchain applications in IoT and manufacturing. His industrial collaborations include projects like SIMPLI-CITY (smart mobility) and CREMA (cloud-based manufacturing). Current research emphasizes blockchain interoperability, federated learning frameworks, and edge-AI systems. He actively reviews proposals for the German Research Foundation, EU programs, and industry initiatives.
Jasmin Blanchette is a Professor of Theoretical Computer Science and Theorem Proving at the Institute for Informatics, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU), where he also serves as Dean of Studies for Computer Science since January 2024. He is additionally affiliated as a guest researcher with the VeriDis group at Loria in Nancy, France. His research lies at the intersection of automated and interactive theorem proving, with a focus on higher-order logic and proof automation. Key projects include the development of tools like Sledgehammer, Nitpick, and Zipperposition, and foundational work on (co)datatypes and higher-order superposition. His recent publications reflect a strong trend in formalizing and verifying automated reasoning techniques, especially in higher-order logic, with applications in proof automation, SMT solving, and logical verification. Articles frequently appear in top venues such as CADE, ITP, and the Journal of Automated Reasoning. CADE 2023 Best Paper Award for 'Verified given clause procedures' FroCoS 2023 Best Paper Award (with Visa Nummelin and Sander Dahmen) IPA Dissertation Award (awarded to his student Petar Vukmirović) Dutch 'cum laude' distinction (awarded to his student Anne Baanen) Dutch Prize for ICT Research 2022 Blanchette has advised numerous PhD and postdoctoral researchers, many of whom are now active contributors to the formal methods community. He has received significant research grants through projects like Matryoshka and Nekoka. He is also the editor-in-chief of the Journal of Automated Reasoning and plays a central role in organizing key conferences such as ITP, CADE, and CPP. He leads an active research group at LMU, consisting of postdocs and PhD students working on topics such as higher-order superposition, formalization of voting systems, categorical logic, and proof search heuristics. The team collaborates closely with international groups, including those at Inria and TU Wien.
Yue Li is an Associate Professor at the School of Computer Science, Nanjing University, where they co-run the PASCAL Research Group with Tian Tan. Their work focuses on static program analysis techniques and tools for programming languages, software engineering, security, and hardware verification. PhD in Computer Science from UNSW Sydney (2016) Postdoctoral research at Aarhus University (Denmark) and UNSW Sydney B.Eng and M.Eng from Northwestern Polytechnical University (2010, 2012) Research interests center on Program Analysis and Programming Languages , with a focus on: Pointer analysis for database-backed applications Context sensitivity optimization Reflection analysis in Java/Android Operational semantics for hardware languages Distributed dataflow analysis frameworks Developer-friendly static analysis tools Key publication trends (2016-2025) span static analysis , pointer precision , reflection handling , and tool frameworks across conferences like OOPSLA, PLDI, ICSE, ISSTA, and journals including TOPLAS and IEEE TSE. Notable artifacts include Tai-e and Chianina systems. 2025: ICSE Best Artifact & Distinguished Paper Awards 2024: IEEE TSE Publication on Generic Sensitivity 2023: OOPSLA Distinguished Artifact, SPLASH/ECOOP committees 2021: National Youth Talent Support Program, ZiJin Scholar 2016: ECOOP Distinguished Paper, CGO Best Paper As co-PI of PASCAL Research Group, they lead projects on precision-guided analysis, microservice systems, and cloud-based dataflow frameworks, with teaching awards for SICP and Software Analysis courses.
Olivier Bournez is a Professor of Computer Science at École Polytechnique, part of Institut Polytechnique de Paris (IP Paris), where he is affiliated with the Department of Computer Science (DIX) and the Computer Science Laboratory (LIX), a joint CNRS unit (UMR 7161). He previously served as Director of LIX from 2010 to 2015 and currently holds key leadership roles including Vice-head of the Computer Science, Data and Artificial Intelligence department at IP Paris, Head of the 'Proofs and Algorithms' pole, and Head of the 'Algorithms and Complexity' team at LIX. His research focuses on the theoretical foundations of computation, particularly continuous-time models such as analog computing and dynamical systems, computational complexity over real numbers, distributed computing models like population protocols, and the interplay between differential equations and computation. He explores the limits of computability and complexity in both discrete and continuous domains, with applications in verification, rewriting systems, and chemical computation models. The recent publications reflect a strong trend in characterizing computability and complexity using discrete and continuous ordinary differential equations, with significant contributions to the understanding of polynomial-time computation over real numbers and the Turing completeness of chemical reaction networks. His work bridges theoretical computer science, mathematics, and biological computation, often yielding foundational insights with broad implications. MFCS'2023 Best Paper Award (coauthored with Manon Blanc) MCU'2022 Student Best Paper Award (Manon Blanc) ICALP'2016 Best Paper Award (Track B) CIE'2016 Best Paper Award CMSB'2017 Best Paper Award Ackermann Award 2017 (Amaury Pouly, PhD co-supervised) Bournez has advised several successful students, including Amaury Pouly and Manon Blanc, and has secured research funding, notably the ANR project ∂IFFERENCE. He is actively involved in the academic community, managing the Computability in Europe (CIE) association membership and serving on the editorial board of the journal Computability . His work includes educational outreach through articles in La Recherche , Le Monde 's blog 'Binaire', and the co-authorship of a French computer science textbook. He leads the 'Algorithms and Complexity' research team at LIX and is central to the 'Proofs and Algorithms' pole, fostering collaborative research in foundational computer science.
L. Thomas van Binsbergen is a Professor in the Department of Computer Science & Computer Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, affiliated with the College of Science & Health. His work focuses on language design, formal methods, and policy-based systems. His research explores Executable formal specifications of programming languages Modular meta-language frameworks (e.g., iCoLa+, eFLINT) Data-dependent grammars for network protocols Purpose-based access control derived from GDPR Functional parsing algorithms (GLL, Happy-GLL) Policy enforcement in distributed systems Recent publications (2020-2025) demonstrate trends in language parametric design, security policy formalization, and exploratory programming environments. Notable collaborations include Damian Frölich, Tim Müller, and Tom M. van Engers. Van Binsbergen earned his PhD from Royal Holloway, University of London (2019) and contributes to conferences like GPCE, SLE, and workshops on programming language theory and data security.
Ben Rank is a Researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Software Systems (MPI-SWS), focusing on foundational aspects of computer science with a strong emphasis on theoretical rigor and practical applications. His work bridges multiple domains including algorithms, formal verification, and cyber-physical systems. Research interests include: Algorithmic methods in programming languages and verification Cyber-physical systems design and analysis Security and privacy in distributed systems Social and information systems integration Recent publications explore cutting-edge topics such as adaptive reinforcement learning in shifting environments and ethical considerations in AI systems. No scientific awards or grants are explicitly mentioned in the provided materials.
Alin Deutsch is a Professor of Computer Science at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), specializing in database systems, graph databases, and formal verification. He has contributed significantly to research areas including query optimization, data integration, and privacy-preserving systems. His work spans theoretical foundations and practical implementations, such as the Linked Data Benchmark Council (LDBC) and the TigerGraph database system. He co-authored over 100 papers and has been involved in major conferences like SIGMOD and VLDB. Research interests include graph query processing, parallel computing, data-centric business processes, and automated system verification. Recent work focuses on scalable hybrid analytics and graph databases. Deutsch is also active in database education, co-authoring a paper on UCSD's database curriculum. He has led projects in privacy-aware systems, such as policy-aware location-based services, and contributed to tools like CLIDE for interactive query formulation in service-oriented architectures. His collaborations involve industry partners like TigerGraph and academic institutions globally.
