Boris Murmann is Professor at Stanford University, specializing in integrated circuit design, mixed-signal computing, and energy-efficient AI hardware. His research advances neural interface technologies, analog design automation, and tinyML systems. Recent work develops ultra-low-power neural recording ICs for brain-computer interfaces, RRAM-based memory systems, and open-source semiconductor design frameworks. Publications demonstrate innovations in compressive sensing for neural data, hardware-algorithm co-design, and reinforcement learning for analog circuit synthesis. Significant contributions include Medusa (TinyML processor), EMBER (RRAM macro), and methodologies for coarsely-quantized computer vision and analog design automation.
François Peeters is a Full Professor of Physics at the University of Antwerp, Belgium, holding the position since 2000 (with Dutch title 'gewoon hoogleraar' since 2003). He previously served as Research Director (FWO-VI) at the University of Antwerp (1996-1999), Research Leader (NFWO) (1992-1996), and Senior Research Assistant (NFWO) (1988-1992), establishing a distinguished academic career spanning over three decades. His educational background includes a Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Antwerp (1982), followed by a Habilitation (Hoger aggregaat) from the same institution (1987), and a postdoctoral fellowship at Bell Laboratories in Murray Hill, New Jersey (1982-1983). His academic journey also featured research periods at prestigious institutions including the High Magnetic Field Laboratory in Grenoble, University of California Berkeley, Oxford University, and several Brazilian and Australian universities. Peeters' research focuses on theoretical condensed matter physics , specializing in the electronic, optical, and magnetic properties of nanostructured systems. His work encompasses semiconductors , superconductors , graphene , and hybrid quantum systems , with particular emphasis on strong correlations in both classical (colloids, dusty plasma) and quantum (quantum dots) environments. His theoretical frameworks bridge fundamental quantum mechanics with practical nanotechnology applications, driving innovations in spintronics and quantum device design. Analysis of his publication record reveals a clear evolution from foundational work on polaron physics and quantum Hall systems in the 1980s-1990s toward contemporary research on graphene, topological materials, and programmable quantum nanodevices. His most cited works demonstrate consistent leadership in mesoscopic physics, with recent publications showing increased focus on spin-dependent transport phenomena and two-dimensional material systems. His scientific recognition includes: Fellowship in the American Physical Society (2005) APS Outstanding Referee award (2008) Doctor Honoris Causa from University of Szeged, Hungary (2009) Peeters has supervised 26 completed PhD theses and currently leads the Condensed Matter Theory research group comprising 3 ZAP researchers, 16 PhD students, and 8 postdocs. His grant portfolio includes coordination of an EU Marie Curie Training site on 'Electrons on helium', participation in multiple EU projects, COST actions, and ESF networks, demonstrating sustained success in securing competitive international funding. The Condensed Matter Theory group maintains extensive international collaborations, evidenced by Peeters' research visits to over 10 institutions worldwide and regular hosting of 3-4 international visitors at postdoc or professorial levels. The group's output of over 770 refereed publications with 12,000+ citations reflects its position at the forefront of theoretical condensed matter physics research.
Can Firtina is a Lecturer at ETH Zurich's Department of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering and a Senior Researcher in the SAFARI Research Group. His research focuses on accelerating genome analysis through algorithm-architecture co-design, particularly leveraging hardware-software integration for bioinformatics workloads. He holds a PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering from ETH Zurich and degrees from Bilkent University. As of Fall 2025, he will join the University of Maryland, College Park (UMD) as an Assistant Professor of Computer Science. Education: PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering (D-ITET), ETH Zurich MSc in Computer Engineering, Bilkent University BSc in Computer Engineering, Bilkent University Research Interests: His work bridges bioinformatics and computer architecture, emphasizing real-time, accurate, and energy-efficient genome analysis. Key areas include raw nanopore signal processing (e.g., RawHash, Rawsamble), hardware-software co-design for bioinformatics, and scalable metagenomic analysis. His algorithms address noise mitigation and accelerate applications like assembly polishing (Apollo) and alignment remapping (AirLift). Labs & Collaborations: He leads research within the SAFARI Group, collaborating with institutions like NVIDIA, AMD, and Huawei. His contributions span tools like GenASM (approximate string matching) and BLEND (fuzzy seed matching). He also organizes workshops on bioinformatics acceleration and serves on review boards for venues like ISMB and RECOMB. Future Directions: Future work includes end-to-end raw signal analysis without basecalling, reference-free genome assembly, and leveraging emerging hardware for real-time field applications. He will expand these efforts at UMD, hiring students in Fall 2025.
Gireeja Ranade is an Assistant Teaching Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences at the University of California, Berkeley. She previously served as a Researcher at Microsoft Research AI in the Adaptive Systems and Interaction Group. Her educational background includes a PhD in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from UC Berkeley and an undergraduate degree from MIT. Research Focus Prof. Ranade's research spans control theory, information theory, and machine learning, with applications in wireless communication, algorithmic fairness, and misinformation analysis. Her work addresses fundamental challenges in system stabilization under uncertainty, real-time control optimization, and equitable resource allocation. She maintains strong collaborations across disciplines, resulting in publications at premier venues like IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control, PNAS, and The Web Conference. Her recent publications demonstrate a consistent focus on robustness in control systems, fairness in algorithmic decision-making, and analysis of information propagation in online ecosystems. The work frequently combines theoretical rigor with practical implementations in robotics, networking, and social systems. Awards and Recognition 2017 UC Berkeley Electrical Engineering Award for Outstanding Teaching 2020 UC Berkeley Award for Extraordinary Teaching in Extraordinary Times Academic Leadership Prof. Ranade leads a dynamic research group including PhD candidates, master's students, and undergraduates. She has advised over 25 students on projects ranging from neural network controllers to fairness metrics in resource allocation. She founded the CalMentors program, which connects UC Berkeley students with K-12 learners for tutoring support during the COVID-19 pandemic. Educational Innovation She co-designed and teaches UC Berkeley's introductory EECS 16A/B sequence, integrating linear algebra with applications in machine learning and circuit design. She has also developed courses on optimization (EECS127/227A) and data science (Data 102), with publicly available lecture videos demonstrating her teaching methodology.
Orla Feely is the President of University College Dublin (UCD), having previously served as Vice-President for Research, Innovation and Impact (2014–2023). She holds a BE from UCD and MS/PhD degrees from UC Berkeley, where her thesis won the DJ Sakrison Memorial Prize. Her research focuses on nonlinear circuits and systems, supported by grants from Science Foundation Ireland and the Wellcome Trust. She is a Fellow of IEEE, Engineers Ireland, and the Royal Irish Academy, and has held leadership roles in organizations like CESAER and the Irish Research Council. Education: BE, University College Dublin MS, University of California, Berkeley PhD, University of California, Berkeley Research interests include nonlinear circuits, systems dynamics, and MEMS technology. Key grants include funding for gravitational turbulence studies (Wellcome Trust, 2024–2026) and nonlinear effects in communications circuits (SFI, 2003–2012). Awards include the IEEE Fellow distinction for contributions to nonlinear discrete-time circuits and systems. Professional activities include chairing the IEEE Technical Committee on Nonlinear Circuits and Systems, serving on the Higher Education Authority Board, and judging panels for the BT Young Scientist and Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering.
Konrad Viebahn is a Researcher at ETH Zurich's Department of Physics, working within the Professorship for Quantum Optics. Based at HPF D 23, Otto-Stern-Weg 1, Zurich, he contributes to experimental quantum simulation research with contact via viebahnk@ethz.ch and +41 44 633 23 45. His research centers on quantum many-body systems in optical lattices, specializing in topological phenomena and Floquet engineering. Key interests include Thouless pumping in driven systems, quantum control of ultracold atoms, and mitigating heating in Floquet-Hubbard lattices. His work bridges theoretical concepts like topological phase transitions with experimental implementations using laser-cooled atomic gases. Analysis of his 2021-2025 publications reveals a consistent focus on engineering topological quantum behavior through periodic driving techniques. His group pioneers two-tone driving methods to manipulate band structures, enabling protected quantum gates and precise charge pumping. This research directly addresses challenges in quantum simulation scalability and error mitigation for future quantum technologies. As part of ETH Zurich's Quantum Optics group, Dr. Viebahn utilizes advanced optical lattice platforms to study strongly correlated quantum matter. The team's experimental setup involves precision laser systems for creating dynamical potentials, with recent work emphasizing the interplay between interactions and topology in non-equilibrium systems.
Nikolaos Kolomvakis is a researcher in the Division of Communication Systems at KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden. He is also a visiting researcher at Ericsson AB in Stockholm. Previously, from 2017 to 2023, he held positions as Systems Engineer and Senior Researcher at Ericsson. His research focuses on wireless communications and signal processing, particularly on developing baseband physical-layer algorithms for distributed/cell-free massive MIMO, holographic MIMO, and large intelligent surfaces. Education: Ph.D. in wireless communications from Chalmers University of Technology , supervised by Prof. Mats Viberg with co-supervision from Prof. Thomas Eriksson and Prof. Michail Matthaiou M.Sc. in information technology & electrical engineering from ETH Zurich (2012) Research Interests: Wireless communications Signal processing Distributed/cell-free massive MIMO Holographic MIMO Large intelligent surfaces Publications: Recent work includes analyzing nonlinear distortion in large arrays and active reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (2025) Exploring spatial frequencies in near-field communications (2025) Investigating 6G performance through gigantic MIMO (2025)
Cynthia Yan is a Visiting Professor in the Physics Department at Stanford University, affiliated with the School of Humanities and Sciences. Her academic appointment was noted for the 2019 academic year. Her research focuses on theoretical physics with an emphasis on quantum gravity, string theory, supersymmetry, and black hole physics. She explores topics such as BPS black hole microstates, entanglement in quantum systems, and holographic dualities. Her work bridges advanced mathematical techniques with foundational questions in high-energy physics, including studies on wormholes, topological quantum field theories, and the interplay between QCD effects and particle physics observables like the Z boson forward-backward asymmetry. While specific grants or awards are not listed, her publications reflect engagement with cutting-edge theoretical frameworks and interdisciplinary methods. Though no student advisees are explicitly documented here, her contributions to areas like matrix theory and emergent spacetime suggest involvement in graduate-level research training. Contact information specific to her role is not provided in the available data.
Luca Sterpone is a Full Professor at the Department of Control and Computer Science (DAUIN), Politecnico di Torino. He serves as Head of the Control and Computer Engineering Department (2023-2027), coordinates the Aerospace and Safety Computing Lab, and is a member of the Academic Senate and Power Electronics Innovation Center (PEIC). His research spans reconfigurable computing, fault tolerance, and radiation effects analysis in electronic systems. Professor since 2021 Department Head (DAUIN) since 2023 Coordinates international collaborations with ESA, AMD Xilinx, NVIDIA, and Thales Alenia Space Develops radiation-hardened FPGA tools (SETA, VERI-Place, PyXEL) 2007 EDAA Outstanding Dissertation Award and 2005 IEEE Best Paper Award Research Focus : Designing radiation-tolerant systems for aerospace, including fault-tolerant AI accelerators, FPGA reliability, and software-based error mitigation. He investigates soft error propagation in nanoscale circuits and develops tools for radiation sensitivity analysis in VLSI. His work integrates hardware-software co-design for mission-critical applications. Awards : EDAA Outstanding Dissertation Award (2007) IEEE European Test Symposium Best Paper (2005) SMACD Best EDA Tool Award (2018) ARC Best Paper candidate (2018) Teaching : He leads courses in Reconfigurable Computing (PhD level), GPU Programming , and Operating Systems . He has formal responsibility for teaching roles across 9 bachelor's and 7 master's years, and mentors multiple PhD students. Collaborations : Coordinates with the European Space Agency (ESA), University of Bielefeld, Universidad de Sevilla, and industrial partners like AMD Xilinx, NVIDIA, and General Motors. He leads projects such as RESCHIP4EU, VEGAS, and TERRAC for radiation-hardened computing solutions.
Professor Charles G. Smith is a prominent academic in quantum physics and nanotechnology at the University of Cambridge's Cavendish Laboratory, affiliated with the Ray Dolby Centre for Quantum Information and Control. His research focuses on semiconductor nano-devices, quantum transport, and hybrid superconductor-semiconductor systems. He pioneered work on GaAs quantum dots, single-electron charge measurement techniques, and cryogenic scanning probe methods. Smith has developed novel low-temperature measurement tools and contributed to carbon-based nanoelectronics and graphene research. He leads major grants, including EPSRC projects on quantum integrated circuits and many-body localization. He founded Cavendish-Kinetics and Cambridge Lab on Chip, leveraging his nano-mechanical and microfluidic innovations. His work bridges fundamental physics with scalable quantum technologies. Education & Research Expertise: PhD in Physics (Implied by career trajectory) Extensive post-1985 contributions to nano-device physics Research Highlights: Quantum dot arrays and cryogenic multiplexing for high-throughput analysis Hybrid superconductor-semiconductor devices for quantum applications Graphene-based electronics and magnetoresistance phenomena Scalable quantum integrated circuits and error mitigation strategies Grant Leadership & Industry Impact: EPSRC Grant EP/S019324/1: Scaling quantum devices Program Grant EP/R029075/1: Non-Ergodic Quantum Manipulation Two spin-out companies commercializing nano-technology Labs & Facilities: Active in Cavendish Laboratory’s cutting-edge nanofabrication and cryogenics facilities, supporting large-scale quantum device integration.
Baris Kasikci is an Associate Professor in the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering at the University of Washington. Previously (2017-2023), he was a Morris Wellman Assistant Professor in the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department at the University of Michigan. His research focuses on building efficient and trustworthy computer systems through innovative combinations of approaches from systems, computer architecture, and programming languages. Dr. Kasikci received his PhD in Computer Science at EPFL and has held research positions at Microsoft Research Cambridge, Google, Intel, and VMware. His work addresses critical challenges in system reliability, security, and performance in increasingly complex software ecosystems. His research interests center on improving the efficiency of datacenter applications and machine learning systems, analyzing and fixing failures, and enhancing hardware security. His lab develops techniques for automated bug detection, formal verification of distributed systems, and building systems support for heterogeneous hardware architectures. Recent projects include Whisper (profile-guided branch misprediction elimination), Huron (taming false sharing), and Agamotto (automatic detection and repair of bugs in persistent memory applications). Analysis of his recent publications shows a strong trend toward optimizing large language model serving, hardware security, and performance optimization for modern heterogeneous architectures. His work bridges traditional systems research with emerging AI infrastructure needs, particularly in efficient LLM serving, security vulnerabilities in modern hardware, and performance optimization for heterogeneous computing environments. NSF CAREER award Microsoft Research Faculty Fellowship Intel Rising Star Award VMware Early Career Faculty Grant Google Faculty Award Roger Needham PhD Award (best PhD thesis in computer systems in Europe) Patrick Denantes Memorial Prize (best PhD thesis at EPFL) Best Paper Award at OSDI'18 Best Paper Award at MICRO'22 Dr. Kasikci has advised numerous PhD students who have gone on to prestigious positions in academia and industry, including Tanvir Ahmed Khan (Assistant Professor at Columbia University), Akshitha Sriraman (Assistant Professor at CMU), and Jiacheng Ma (AMD). His research has been supported by significant grants from NSF, DARPA, Intel, Google, Microsoft, VMware, and Amazon. His lab, the EfesLab, focuses on building tools and techniques that make computer systems more reliable, secure, and efficient. The EfesLab, led by Dr. Kasikci, brings together postdocs, PhD students, and undergraduate researchers to tackle fundamental challenges in systems reliability and performance. The lab has developed numerous influential tools including Whisper, Huron, and Agamotto that address critical performance and reliability issues in modern computing systems. Current research directions include efficient LLM serving, security of emerging hardware technologies, and automated debugging techniques.
Rodrigo González is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, since 2022. His research focuses on data-driven modeling, estimation, and control methods for high-tech precision systems, with applications in motion control and continuous-time system identification. Education: Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering (KTH Royal Institute of Technology, 2022) M.Sc. in Electronic Engineering (Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María, 2016) His work emphasizes continuous-time system identification, state-space modeling, and Bayesian estimation techniques. Key research themes include motion control tuning, multivariable systems, and noise/disturbance modeling in precision engineering applications. Rodrigo has received the Best Electronic Engineering Student Award (2016) and Best Thesis Award from Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María. He has active collaborations with institutions like Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María through visiting researcher appointments. Scientific awards include: Best Electronic Engineering Student Award (2016) Best Thesis Award (Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María)
Kohei Nakajima is an Associate Professor at the Department of Intelligent Mechano-Informatics, Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo. He holds concurrent positions at the Department of Creative Informatics and the Next Generation Artificial Intelligence Research Center (AI Center). As an Endowed Chair in Advanced Artificial Intelligence Education, he leads the Physical Intelligence Lab, which focuses on the intersection of soft robotics, nonlinear dynamics, and physical computing. His research interests center on Physical Reservoir Computing (PRC), a paradigm that exploits the natural dynamics of physical systems for computation, with applications in soft robotics, spintronics, and quantum machine learning. Nakajima's work demonstrates how physical systems can inherently process information without traditional digital computation, leveraging phenomena like chaos, bifurcations, and embodied intelligence. Nakajima's publications reveal a strong focus on understanding how physical systems can perform computational tasks. His recent work spans from biological applications (jellyfish cyborgs, ostrich-inspired robotics) to fundamental theoretical advances in reservoir computing. The research demonstrates how physical phenomena can be harnessed for information processing, with implications for energy-efficient computing and novel robotic control paradigms. As the organizer of the Reservoir Computing Seminar, Nakajima has built a vibrant research community exploring the nature of information processing across disciplines. His lab actively recruits graduate students and postdocs, indicating strong research momentum and institutional support for his work in physical intelligence.
Anuj Pathania serves as an Assistant Professor in the Parallel Computing Systems (PCS) group within the Informatics Institute at the University of Amsterdam's Faculty of Science. His research pioneers sustainable computing systems operating under severe power, thermal, and reliability constraints, with significant contributions to energy-efficient hardware design and embedded systems. Education: PhD in Computer Science (2018), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology MSc in Computer Science (2012), National University of Singapore B.Tech in Computer Science (2009), Maharaja Agrasen Institute of Technology Pathania's research centers on low-power design and sustainable systems for constrained environments, with particular expertise in thermal management of 3D-stacked architectures and energy-efficient machine learning inference . His work bridges electronic design automation with real-world reliability challenges, developing novel power budgeting techniques like T-TSP that incorporate transient temperature effects ignored by conventional methods. Current projects include EU-funded initiatives on energy labeling for digital services, addressing ecological impacts through technological, behavioral, and legal frameworks. His publication trajectory reveals a strategic evolution toward zero-waste computing , with recent work (2023-2025) focusing on hardware-software co-design for edge AI, energy modeling across computing continua, and parameter-efficient neural adaptation. Key themes include thermal-aware scheduling for S-NUCA many-cores, cooperative processor utilization in heterogeneous systems, and sustainability metrics for digital services. Scientific Recognition: Best Paper Award Nomination at IEEE Computer Society Annual Symposium on VLSI 2023 for 3D-TTP power budgeting technique Pathania actively mentors 4 PhD students (Ehsan Aghapour, Saeedeh Baneshi, Sudam Wasala, Yixian Shen) and has successfully supervised 5 Master's theses (including Cum Laude defenses by Joris op ten Berg and Jurre Wolff). His research is supported by major grants including Energy Labels for Ecologically Sustainable Digital Services (2023-2024) and Towards Zero-Waste Computing (2021-2025), developing simulation frameworks like HotSniper and CoMeT for thermal analysis. The PCS group maintains strong industry collaborations with ARM and NVIDIA, particularly through tools like ARM-CO-UP for heterogeneous processor utilization.
Alex Kamenev is a Professor in the School of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Minnesota and serves as Director of the William I. Fine Theoretical Physics Institute. His academic career spans multiple decades with continuous research output since 1991, demonstrating sustained contributions to theoretical physics. His research focuses on theoretical condensed matter physics, with particular emphasis on disordered systems and glasses, field-theoretical treatment of many-body systems, mesoscopic systems, and out-of-equilibrium phenomena. His fingerprint analysis reveals strong expertise in Instanton Physics (100%), Fermion Physics (90%), Conductance (69%), Quantum Dot Physics (64%), and Superconductor physics (62%). Analysis of his recent publications shows a clear trend toward quantum computing applications, non-equilibrium quantum dynamics, and advanced field-theoretical approaches to many-body problems. His work bridges fundamental theoretical physics with practical applications in quantum information science, particularly in understanding quantum dissipation, localization phenomena, and quantum annealing processes. As Principal Investigator, Kamenev has led numerous significant research projects, primarily funded by the National Science Foundation. His current active projects include the REU Site: Physics and Astronomy at the University of Minnesota (2024-2027) and NSF-BSF: Many Body Physics of Quantum Computation (2024-2027), demonstrating his leadership in training the next generation of physicists and advancing quantum computing research. He actively mentors graduate students, as indicated by his statement that he is "Accepting new graduate research students." His research group contributes to the Condensed Matter Theory research area within the School of Physics and Astronomy, focusing on theoretical approaches to quantum systems.
