Marta Kwiatkowska is a Professor of Computing Systems at the University of Oxford and a Fellow of Trinity College. Her research focuses on probabilistic verification , quantitative model checking , and formal methods for complex systems including autonomous robots, medical devices, and biological systems. She leads the development of the PRISM and PRISM-games probabilistic model checkers. Key research areas: Probabilistic systems, formal verification, autonomous robotics, medical device analysis, systems biology Grants: ERC Advanced Grant VERIWARE, EPSRC Programme Grant Mobile Autonomy Awards: 2024 ETAPS Test-of-Time Tool Award for PRISM Students: Current and former advisees in topics spanning formal methods, robotics, and quantitative verification The PRISM-games extension enables verification of stochastic multi-player games with applications in network protocols, autonomous systems, and game theory. Her work bridges theory, algorithms, and practical implementation, with real-world applications in ubiquitous computing and nanotechnology.
Professor Peter Y. K. Cheung is a Professor of Digital Systems at Imperial College London, holding dual affiliations within the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering and the Dyson School of Design Engineering. His work focuses on reconfigurable systems, FPGA architectures, and high-level synthesis tools. He co-founded one of the UK's leading FPGA research groups with Professor Wayne Luk, addressing challenges in variability mitigation, reliability, and application-specific FPGA deployments. His research spans Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) Reconfigurable computing Neural network acceleration Cryptographic protocols Embedded systems He has pioneered techniques such as logic shrinkage for FPGA-based neural networks and developed frameworks like LUTNet for efficient inference. His contributions also include fault-tolerant FPGA designs and methodologies for distributed computation protocols. Key collaborations include work with the Department of Computing on FPGA-based AI acceleration and cybersecurity applications. His recent work explores edge computing, secure decentralized systems, and pandemic modeling using adaptive control strategies. Notable projects include the DSCS protocol for secure distributed computation, acceleration of gravitational wave detection algorithms, and energy-efficient CNN implementations. His research bridges hardware-software co-design with real-world applications in healthcare, finance, and aerospace.
Thomas Ouldridge is a Royal Society University Research Fellow and Reader in Biomolecular Systems at the Department of Bioengineering, Faculty of Engineering, Imperial College London. He leads the 'Principles of Biomolecular Systems' group, which focuses on theoretical and computational modeling of complex biochemical systems, particularly exploring the interplay between molecular details and emergent behaviors like sensing, replication, and self-assembly. His work integrates natural systems analysis with synthetic biology applications, aiming to engineer artificial analogs of biological processes. His research spans interdisciplinary areas including stochastic thermodynamics, DNA-based computation, and molecular reaction networks. Key affiliations include the Physics of Life, Synthetic Biology Hub, and the Leverhulme Centre for Cellular Bionics. He has contributed to over 60 peer-reviewed articles since 2009, with recent work emphasizing energy-efficient molecular information processing and thermodynamic limits of biochemical systems. Awards: Royal Society University Research Fellowship (current). Labs/Teams: Principles of Biomolecular Systems Group, collaborating with multiple centers including the Centre for Synthetic Biology and Institute of Chemical Biology. Grants/Positions: Maintains research funding through the Royal Society and UKRI grants, focusing on non-equilibrium biomolecular systems and synthetic biology tools. Recent publications highlight advances in DNA templating networks, stochastic thermodynamic modeling of computation, and optimal protocols for molecular copying systems. His work bridges foundational physics with applied biotechnology, aiming to push the boundaries of synthetic biological engineering.
Paolo Quattrone is a Professor of Accounting, Governance & Society at Alliance Manchester Business School, University of Manchester. He holds editorial leadership roles as co-Editor-in-Chief of Organization Studies and serves on advisory boards for the Financial Reporting Council and AICPA-CIMA. His research explores decision-making under uncertainty, data visualization in governance, and rethinking corporate reporting for societal value. Quattrone has held academic roles at Edinburgh Business School, IE Business School, and Saïd Business School (Oxford). He actively contributes to policy initiatives addressing major programme management in UK government sectors. His work has been recognized with awards including the 5th EIASM Interdisciplinary Leader Award (2022) and Fulbright New Century Scholar Award (2009). Education: Doctor of Philosophy in Management Control Theories (University of Catania, 1996), Chartered Public Accountant (Italy). Research Interests: Focuses on ambiguity in decision-making, historical accounting practices (e.g., Jesuit methods), and digital transformations in accounting. He emphasizes shifting reporting from shareholder value to societal 'common good.' Awards: Highlights include Excellence in Doctoral Supervision (Edinburgh, 2018), Messaggero della conoscenza (2013), and Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellowship (1998–2000). Advising & Impact: Supervises PhD students across Manchester and Edinburgh on topics like IFRS9, audit profession futures, and digital twins in major projects. Engages in policy work for UK Ministry of Defense, Home Office, and Infrastructure & Project Authority. Labs/Teams: Director of the Centre for the Analysis of Investment Risk (CAIR). Active in global leadership academies for major projects (UK Cabinet, Australia).
Dr. Siyuan Ji is a Reader in Model-based Systems Engineering (MBSE) at Loughborough University, serving as Deputy Head of the Manufacturing, Systems & Management Academic Community and Deputy Director of the Doctoral Training Centre in MBSE. He previously held a Senior Lecturer position in Systems Engineering at the University of York, where he led the MSc Programme in Safety-Critical Systems Engineering. His academic journey includes a PhD and MSc in Physics from the University of Nottingham, followed by research roles in model-based systems engineering at Loughborough University. His research focuses on advancing model-based techniques for systems engineering, particularly in safety-critical systems, formal methods, and complex system design. He has contributed to areas such as hazard management (e.g., BSafeML framework), response time analysis in real-time systems, and model synchronization for requirements engineering. His work bridges theoretical foundations with practical applications in automotive systems, embedded software, and educational technology. Dr. Ji holds the title of Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and has published extensively on topics ranging from quantum technology reporting to conversational tutoring systems. His research emphasizes interdisciplinary collaboration, evident in projects like the EPSRC-funded analysis of vehicles as complex systems. He actively contributes to both academic and industrial advancements in systems engineering methodologies and education innovation. His professional roles include managing doctoral training programs, overseeing academic communities, and advancing systems engineering education. Collaborations span industry partnerships and international academic networks, reflecting his commitment to impactful research and training the next generation of systems engineers.
Dr. Mingfeng Wang is a Senior Lecturer in Robotics and Autonomous Systems at Brunel University London, affiliated with the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering within the College of Engineering, Design and Physical Sciences. His research focuses on specialized robotic systems including continuum, legged, soft, precision farming, and miniaturized robots. Chartered Engineer (CEng) with Engineering Council UK Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA) Member of IEEE, IEEE-RAS, IMechE, and IFToMM Editorial roles: Associate Editor of International Journal of Advanced Robotic Systems (JCR-Q3); Associate Editor of Frontiers in Robotics and AI (JCR-Q2); Editor of Information Processing in Agriculture (JCR-Q1), Biomimetic Intelligence and Robotics (JCR-Q1), and STEM Education Research expertise includes: Continuum Robotics : Design of extra-slender continuum robots (diameter-to-length ratio Legged Robotics : Parallel mechanism-based biped and hexapod robots for extreme environments Miniaturized Robotics : Active locomotion and drug delivery in capsule endoscopes Soft Robotics : Compliant end-effectors and bio-inspired designs Precision Farming : Laser weeding systems and agricultural automation Key scientific awards: BRIEF award (2022) TAROS Best Paper Post Nomination (2022) IFToMM Asian-MMS Best Paper Award (2014) Recent publications focus on: Cochlear implant surgery robotics Passive compliance in train fluid servicing Snake-biomimetic sealing surfaces Parallel kinematic manipulators Capsule endoscope image enhancement Professional services include conference organization (TAROS 2023/2024 Steering Committee; TAROS 2024 Programme Chair) and journal refereeing for IEEE-ASME Transactions on Mechatronics and Scientific Reports.
Dr. Jiabin Luo is a Senior Lecturer in Business Analytics at Aston University's Aston Business School, within the College of Business and Social Sciences. She holds a PhD in Management Science from the University of Southampton and has held academic and research roles at institutions including Coventry University and De Montfort University. Her research focuses on optimization and decision-making in logistics, supply chain management, maritime shipping, and production planning. She is Programme Co-Director of the MSc Degree Apprenticeship in Digital & Technology Solutions Specialist. Education: PhD in Management Science, University of Southampton, UK MSc in Risk and Stochastics, London School of Economics and Political Science, UK MSc in Statistics, University of Nottingham, UK BSc in Mathematics, Zhongshan University, China PGCert in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education Research Interests: Transportation and logistics optimization Maritime shipping and port operations Production planning and inventory management Supply chain management and sustainability Fuzzy optimization and scenario-based modeling Recent Research Trends: Her work emphasizes optimization techniques in logistics systems, including automated container terminals, intermodal transport, and risk management. Recent articles explore machine learning for credit risk prediction and geospatial analysis of traffic datasets. Awards and Memberships: Fellow of The Higher Education Academy Member of The Operational Research Society Member of British Academy of Management Grants and Collaborations: Newton Researcher Links: Strategy & Policy Innovation in Supply Chain Management (2018) Newton Researcher Links: Emission Control in Green Port Development (2017) EPSRC Grant: Resilience of Manufacturing Supply Networks (2013–2016)
Cliff B Jones is Professor of Computing Science at Newcastle University, where he has been faculty since August 1999. His distinguished career spans academia and industry, including positions at Harlequin (1996-1999) as Technical Director, The University of Manchester (1981-1996) as Professor of Computing Science, and IBM (1965-1979) where he worked in Hursley (UK), Vienna and Brussels. Dr. Jones earned his DPhil from Oxford University in 1981 under the supervision of Tony Hoare at Wolfson College. His doctoral research laid the foundation for his lifelong work on formal methods for software development and verification. His fifteen years at IBM included the creation of VDM (Vienna Development Method) with colleagues in the Vienna Lab. Prof. Jones is best known for his research into formal methods for the design and verification of computer systems. His current research focuses on concurrency, support systems, and logics, with particular emphasis on applying formal methods to wider issues of dependability. He is a pioneer of Rely/Guarantee reasoning for concurrent systems, with his Oxford research showing how interference could be handled in specifications and design verification. His work bridges theoretical foundations with practical applications, informed by his extensive industry experience. Prof. Jones' recent publications demonstrate a continued focus on concurrency verification through Rely/Guarantee reasoning, with increasing attention to real-time and mixed-criticality systems. His work shows a strong historical perspective on formal methods while addressing current challenges in concurrent programming, dependable systems, and the integration of AI techniques for proof automation. The research spans theoretical foundations, practical applications, and historical analysis of the field. His scientific achievements have been widely recognized: Fellow of the ACM (elected 1995) Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering (FREng, elected 2003) Fellow of IET (was IEE) Fellow of BCS Chartered Engineer (CEng) Senior Fellowship from the research council (5-year) Visiting Fellowship at Gonville & Caius College Prof. Jones has supervised numerous PhD students who have made significant contributions to formal methods. His research has been supported by substantial grants including EPSRC-funded projects (AI4FM, Taming Concurrency), an ARC grant DP130102901, and the Platform Grant 'Trustworthy Ambient Systems' (TrAmS). He served as Project Director for the five-university Interdisciplinary Research Collaboration (IRC) on 'Dependability of Computer-Based Systems' (2000-2007) and coordinated methodology work packages in the DEPLOY project. Prof. Jones leads the AI4FM project team at Newcastle University, which focuses on developing systems that can learn strategic ideas from interactive proofs to increase automation of similar proofs. Earlier in his career, he built a world-class Formal Methods group at Manchester University that was the academic lead in the largest Software Engineering project funded by the Alvey programme (IPSE 2.5), which created the mural theorem proving assistant.
Professor David J. Pym holds the position of Professor of Information, Logic, and Security at University College London's Department of Computer Science. He is also an affiliated faculty member in the Department of Philosophy and serves as Head of the Programming Principles, Logic, and Verification Group. His roles include Director of UCL's Centre for Doctoral Training in Cybersecurity, and Honorary Research Fellow jointly directing the Centre for Logic, Language, and Information (CeLLi) at the Institute of Philosophy, School of Advanced Study, University of London. Education includes a ScD from the University of Cambridge and a PhD from the University of Edinburgh. His research spans proof-theoretic semantics, reductive logic, security economics, and systems modeling. He leads major grants such as the EPSRC-funded IRIS Programme and the Leverhulme Trust grant on proof-theoretic semantics. His awards include fellowships from the Royal Society of Arts and the Alan Turing Institute. Key publications include foundational work on reductive logic and proof-search, bunched logics, and cybersecurity modeling. He advises on policy matters for the UK government and contributes to interdisciplinary education initiatives in philosophy and computer science.
Professor Jixin Ma is Director of the PhD/MPhil Programme and Professor of Computer Science (Artificial Intelligence) at the University of Greenwich's School of Computing and Mathematical Sciences. He leads the Artificial Intelligence Research Group and has published over 200 research papers in top-tier journals and conferences. His research spans artificial intelligence, data science, temporal reasoning, information security, machine learning, and case-based reasoning. Research interests focus on: Temporal representation and reasoning Secure computation and encrypted search Machine learning applications in security Computer vision and pattern recognition He has received multiple awards including 6 Best Paper awards and has secured research grants exceeding £330,000.
Keivan Navaie is a Professor of Intelligent Networks at Lancaster University’s School of Computing and Communications. He serves as a member of the Independent Scientific Advisory Committee at the Alan Turing Institute, overseeing the £100 million BridgeAI programme, and previously as Principal AI Technology Advisor to the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). He is recognized with Fellowships from the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), Chartered Engineer status in the UK, Senior Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (HEA), and the IEEE Young Investigator Award. Research Focus: Wireless communications, mathematics, artificial intelligence, 6G networks, blockchain technology, edge computing, cognitive radio networks, and non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA). Supervision: Actively supervises PhD students in areas like wireless communications and mathematical modeling. Projects: Involved in distributed learning, blockchain integration, 6G research, and spectrum sharing systems. Awards: IEEE Young Investigator Award, Fellow of IET, Chartered Engineer, Senior Fellow of HEA.
Dr Antonios Gouglidis is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Computing and Communications at Lancaster University, specializing in theoretical and applied security. His research focuses on designing secure systems through the integration of theoretical informatics and practical industry experience. His research interests span several critical areas in cybersecurity including access control models and policies , Cloud security , Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) , and formal verification through model checking. His work bridges theoretical security concepts with practical implementation challenges. Analysis of his recent publications (2022-2025) reveals a strong focus on emerging security challenges in cloud environments, 5G networks, and operational technology. His research demonstrates particular expertise in multi-layer threat analysis, security-vs-QoS optimization, and formal verification techniques. He frequently applies game theory approaches to security problems and has increasingly incorporated AI/ML techniques into his security frameworks. Dr Gouglidis has supervised PhD students including Ovini Gunasekera and Igor Ivkic. His research has been supported by significant projects such as: SL:H2020 SANCUS (2020-2023) BEIS: Nuclear Research and Development Programme (2019-2022) Enable Ancillary Services bY Renewable Energy Sources (2018-2021) Towards Ultimate Convergence of All Networks (2017-present) Resilient communication services protecting end-user applications (2016-2020) His work has practical applications in critical infrastructure protection, particularly in energy sector systems and industrial control environments. Dr Gouglidis maintains an active research profile with consistent publication output across top security venues.
Professor Paul Smith holds a Chair in Networking at the Department of Computing and Communications , Lancaster University , and serves as Interim Head of Department . His research focuses on cybersecurity and resilience engineering for critical networked systems , particularly in digitalized nuclear infrastructure . His work explores risks of digital innovation in critical sectors, resilience frameworks , and cyber-attack mitigation . He leads national and international research projects , collaborating with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to enhance computer security programs in nuclear facilities. Current projects include DSI: DVAC (2025), JUNO Mini Project (2023-2024), and Resilience for Cyber-Physical Energy Systems (2022-2024). Prioritizing knowledge exchange , he contributes to cybersecurity education via cyber ranges and international workshops . His team, Security Lancaster , supports nuclear sector cybersecurity through practical tools like the Goosewolf intrusion detection system and PLCblockmon for industrial control systems .
Marco Pontin is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Soft Robotics Lab (SRL) within the Oxford Robotics Institute (ORI) at the University of Oxford. His research focuses on soft robotics, robotic resilience, and embodied intelligence. University of Oxford Soft Robotics Lab, Oxford Robotics Institute Prior to joining ORI in 2023, he earned his PhD at the Biomedical Robotics Lab, University of Sheffield, where he developed a multimodal soft valve for autonomous fault detection in soft pneumatic actuators. His work spans sensor design, fault tolerance, and adaptive robotics. Recent publications highlight advances in optical fiber bending sensors, bead jamming actuators, and textile tactile systems, demonstrating his expertise in resilient and self-regulating robotic mechanisms. Key subfields include programmable logic control, tissue growth simulation, and industrial exoskeletons.
Jan Hidders is a Lecturer in the School of Computing and Mathematical Sciences at Birkbeck, University of London. He joined Birkbeck in 2020 after holding academic positions at Vrije Universiteit Brussel (Associate Professor, 2016–2020), Delft University of Technology (Assistant Professor, 2008–2016), and the University of Antwerp (Postdoctoral Researcher, 2001–2008). He holds a PhD from Eindhoven University of Technology (2001) and has industry teaching experience at Avans Hogeschool (1996–2001). Research Focus Hidders' research centers on three interconnected domains: Graph Data Management : Design of graph query languages, schema definition systems (PG-Schema), and theoretical properties like expressive power and optimization. He contributes to ISO standardization for SQL/GQL graph extensions. Workflow Modelling : Hierarchical decomposition of Petri nets for workflow correctness verification and orchestration of multi-actor systems. Conceptual Data Models : Formal semantics of ORM2 and its relationship to graph data models, including ORM-native DBMS design. His recent publications emphasize graph database schemas , threshold query optimization , and scalable data processing , reflecting his involvement in LDBC benchmarks and ISO standards. No awards are documented. Academic Roles Programme Director for MSc Computer Science at Birkbeck. Researcher at Birkbeck Knowledge Lab and Birkbeck Institute for Data Analytics. ACM and IEEE member since 2003 and 2006, respectively. He teaches Software Engineering II and Computer Systems , with 1 recorded PhD supervision.
