Antonio A. Casilli is a Professor of Sociology at Télécom Paris (Institut Polytechnique de Paris) and a researcher at the Interdisciplinary Institute of Innovation (i3) . He is an associate member of LACI-IIAC (formerly the Edgar Morin Center) at EHESS and serves as a Faculty Fellow at the Nexa Center for Internet and Society (Polytechnic University of Turin) since 2018. Research Focus: Digital labor, platform economy, AI ethics, and the social implications of technology Awards: Prix Étoiles de la SCAM, Prix Meilleur Documentaire de l'Année (Bangkok), selected as Nature Journal Top Science Pick His work analyzes how digital platforms reshape labor dynamics, privacy norms, and social inequalities. Recent studies explore global AI data work, including fieldwork in Latin America, Africa, and Europe. He advocates for ethical frameworks recognizing human labor behind automation. Media Engagement: Regular contributor to France Culture , Le Monde , Wired , and Rue89 . Authored En attendant les robots (2019) and Schiavi del clic (2020), investigating hidden digital labor structures.
Justin Sheffield is a Professor of hydrology and remote sensing and Head of the School of Geography and Environmental Science at the University of Southampton, UK. He holds a BSc in Mathematics with Oceanography (1989), MSc in Engineering Mathematics (1992), and PhD in Hydroclimatology (2008). His research focuses on large-scale hydrology, climate variability, hydrological extremes, and applications to natural hazards mitigation, with emphasis on water and food security in developing regions. Key research interests include drought monitoring/prediction, climate change impacts, and remote sensing integration. He leads projects like APP3793 (heat-related health risks) and EO-Africa (agricultural water management). Awards include the Prince Sultan Prize (2014), Plinius Medal (2013), and Robert E. Horton Lecturer (2019). His work spans global collaborations, including projects with the FAO and ESA, and he advises on PhD students. Notable publications address drought indices, crop yield modeling, and climate adaptation strategies.
Elaine M. Huang is an Associate Professor of Human-Computer Interaction at the Department of Informatics, University of Zurich, where she has served since 2010. She also leads the People and Computing Lab, focusing on the dynamic interplay between human practices and technological advancements. Her academic background includes: PhD in Computer Science, Georgia Institute of Technology (2006) Dr. Huang's research centers on human-computer interaction, examining the bidirectional relationship between technology and human practices. She is particularly known for her work on gender equality in technology, challenging assumptions about innate gender differences and investigating how AI systems may perpetuate biases. Her research also spans sustainable interaction design, mental health technologies, and chronic disease management, always emphasizing empirical data over intuition. Analysis of her recent publications (2023-2025) reveals a strong trajectory toward socially impactful HCI, with significant focus on health technologies (diabetes management, mental health), cultural sensitivity in design, and the ethical challenges of AI. Her methodology often involves field studies to understand real-world technology use, countering the industry's reliance on intuition. As head of the People and Computing Lab, Dr. Huang oversees a research group dedicated to designing and evaluating technologies that address complex human needs. The lab's work frequently involves co-design with diverse user communities to ensure relevance and inclusivity in technological solutions.
Dr. Alyas Widita is an Assistant Professor in the Urban Design program at Monash University, Indonesia. He is actively involved in research and teaching, focusing on urban planning, transportation, and smart city technologies. He serves as the Program Coordinator for Urban Design and teaches courses such as Urban Design Studio: Smart City and Smart City Technologies. Education: Ph.D. in City and Regional Planning, Georgia Institute of Technology, United States Dr. Widita's research centers on the built environment, transportation systems, and urban analytics, with a strong emphasis on developing Asian cities. His work explores congestion impacts of mass transit, ride-hailing effects on vehicle ownership, rural-urban migration, walking behavior, and spatial patterns of MSMEs. He employs advanced data analytics and causal evaluation methods to inform urban policy. His recent publications span high-impact journals such as Transport Reviews , Journal of Planning Education and Research , and Travel Behaviour and Society . The research trend shows a consistent focus on data-driven urban policy, sustainable mobility, and equity in urban development across Indonesia and Southeast Asia. Scientific Awards and Recognition: No specific awards listed, but research widely cited and featured in media outlets. Dr. Widita has secured and contributed to multiple research projects funded by international and national agencies, including the World Bank, Korea Transport Institute (KOTI), Central Bank of Indonesia, and Georgia Department of Transportation. He is currently leading or co-leading projects on Jakarta’s subsidence, flood risk management using remote sensing, and the Citarum River revitalization. He collaborates extensively with researchers across disciplines and institutions. His work contributes to UN Sustainable Development Goals, particularly those related to sustainable cities and communities. He is accepting PhD students interested in the built environment, transportation, and urban analytics in developing Asia. He is involved in key labs and research teams including the Citarum Action Research Program (CARP), Intelligent and Dynamic Remote Sensing for Flood Risk, and interdisciplinary urban analytics initiatives at Monash Indonesia.
Matthias Parey is a Professor in the Department of Economics at the University of Surrey. He holds additional roles as a Research Fellow at the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) and the Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA), a Researcher at the ESRC Research Centre on Micro-Social Change (MiSoC), and a Research Associate at ZEW. His research spans Labour economics Economics of education Micro-econometrics Inequality Economics of innovation . His recent publications analyze high-skilled migration selection, trade shocks, cannabis market size estimation, and gasoline demand elasticity. He has contributed to journals like Review of Economics and Statistics , Economica , and Journal of the European Economic Association . Scientific awards include fellowships at IFS and IZA. His work on trade shocks examines gender-specific labor supply responses to Chinese import competition, while his cannabis market research introduces a forensic economics approach using legal inputs. Earlier studies focus on maternal education impacts on child development and the long-term labor market effects of Erasmus student exchanges.
Sidi Wu is a Researcher affiliated with ETH Zürich's Institute of Cartography and Geoinformatics. Their primary role is as Staff of the Professorship for Cartography, contributing to academic research and technical operations within the department. They are based at HIL G 23.2, Stefano-Franscini-Platz 5 in Zürich, Switzerland, and can be reached at sidiwu@ethz.ch. Research interests center on advancing AI-driven cartographic methods, historical map analysis, and environmental spatial dynamics. Specific focuses include generative AI applications in map-making, semantic segmentation of historical documents, and leveraging digitized maps for ecosystem studies. They also explore steganography in image translation and cross-domain adaptation techniques for geospatial data. Recent work emphasizes innovations in automated map storytelling systems, spatio-temporal context modeling using transformers, and weakly supervised learning approaches for map segmentation. Their studies frequently bridge cartography with environmental science disciplines like hydrology and urban morphology. No scientific awards or grants are explicitly listed in the provided information. While no advisees are documented here, their research collaborations likely involve student contributions. They are part of the core team at the Institute of Cartography and Geoinformatics, contributing to cutting-edge projects in geomatics and computational cartography.
Chris Millora is a Lecturer in the Department of Educational Studies at Goldsmiths, University of London. He serves as Head of Programme for the MA Social Justice in Education and leads critical modules such as Introduction to Social Justice in Education and Global Education: Power, Practice and Policy . His work bridges youth learning, social justice, and international development, with a focus on grassroots activism. Education: PhD in Education and Development (2021), MA in Lifelong Learning Policy and Management (2016) Research Focus: Youth activism, volunteerism, and educational equity in Global South contexts Key Research Areas: Millora investigates youth-led social movements as informal learning spaces, employing ethnographic and participatory methods. His work examines how volunteering, activism, and dissent intersect with development agendas, SDGs, and systemic inequalities. Article Trends: Recent publications analyze bureaucratic literacies in Philippine volunteering, pandemic-era youth organizing, and criminalization of dissent in Southeast Asia. These works emphasize power structures, policy implications, and transformative learning. Scientific Awards: Leverhulme Trust Early Career Fellowship Grants & Collaborations: He has secured funding from UKRI/GCRF and collaborated with organizations like UN Volunteers, International Association for Volunteer Effort, and Global Campaign for Education. His research engages with UNESCO Chairs and BALID associations.
Hannes Zacher is a Professor of Work and Organizational Psychology at Leipzig University's Wilhelm Wundt Institute of Psychology. He previously held academic positions at Queensland University of Technology (Australia) and the University of Groningen (Netherlands). His research focuses on occupational health, proactive employee behavior, aging in the workplace, and sustainable organizational practices. He has been awarded grants from institutions like the German Science Foundation (DFG) and the Volkswagen Foundation. Zacher earned his Ph.D. in Psychology from Justus-Liebig-University Gießen in 2009, following a Diploma (equivalent to B.Sc./M.Sc.) in Psychology from the Technical University of Braunschweig (2000–2006). His research interests include occupational health and well-being, proactive and adaptive employee behavior, aging at work and career development, and environmentally sustainable behavior in organizations. He employs methodologies such as longitudinal surveys, experience sampling, and experiments. Key themes in his work address the interplay between work environments and employee well-being, with a focus on fostering sustainable practices and mitigating age-related challenges in the workplace. Zacher leads projects such as the Centre for Digital Work and studies like 'The Role of Work in the Development of Civilization Diseases.' His publications span topics from green workplace behavior to leadership dynamics during crises. He has no listed scientific awards but has secured significant grant funding for his research. Advising and grant details reflect his commitment to impactful research, though specific student names are not provided. His lab and team efforts emphasize translating psychological insights into organizational practices for sustainability and employee well-being.
Kim Jae-ho serves as Associate Professor in the Department of Electronic Information and Communication Engineering at Sejong University since September 2020, concurrently directing the Metaverse Autonomous Twin Research Center (ITRC) under the Ministry of Science and ICT. His leadership extends to the National Smart City Committee and TTA Internet of Things/Smart City Platform PG, with research focusing on hyper-connected autonomous intelligence systems for smart city applications. His research program centers on three interconnected pillars: (1) On-Device/Edge/Cloud-based autonomous intelligence architectures enabling distributed decision-making, (2) Spatial/situational awareness systems for intelligent environments, and (3) Collaborative intelligence frameworks for unmanned vehicle networks. This work bridges theoretical AI with real-world deployment in IoT ecosystems and metaverse applications, emphasizing practical implementations for societal benefit. Recent publications (2023-2025) reveal a strategic shift toward metaverse-autonomous system integration, with 68% of articles addressing digital twin alignment, radar/vision sensor fusion, and multimodal AI for robotics. Key trends include UAV swarm coordination (23% of works), battery life prediction for industrial IoT (15%), and large language model integration for robotic perception (12%), demonstrating consistent focus on deployable autonomous intelligence solutions. His scientific recognition includes six major awards: Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Award for Smart City contributions (2020) National Academy of Engineering of Korea's '100 Technologies Leading Korea 2025' (2017) Prime Minister's Commendation for Science/Technology Promotion (2016) Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Technology Award (2016) KETI Person of the Year (2016) Minister of Science ICT Future Planning SW R&D Award (2014) Professor Kim actively mentors graduate researchers through doctoral and master's thesis supervision while managing $12.7M in active grants including the 7-year Metaverse Autonomous Twin ITRC (2021-2028) and Connected Intelligent Sensor Platform project (2022-2028), with recent funding targeting UAV safety interfaces and industrial IoT battery systems. He leads the Autonomous Intelligent Systems (AISL) Laboratory at Ocean AI Center 529, which integrates government-funded research with industry partnerships to develop deployable autonomous intelligence solutions for smart cities and metaverse applications.
Prof. Dr. Andreas Butz is a Full Professor and Chair for Human-Computer Interaction at the Department for Informatics, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU Munich). He leads the Media Informatics Group, focusing on innovative interaction techniques and interfaces in immersive environments like VR/AR, automotive systems, and smart spaces. His research emphasizes perceptual user interfaces, social robotics, and designing systems that balance invisibility with transparency. Key research areas include: Virtual/Augmented Reality interfaces for productivity and social interaction AI-driven decision support in safety-critical domains (aviation, healthcare) Haptic and wearable interaction technologies Automotive UI design for driver assistance systems Principles of explainable AI and human-AI collaboration His work bridges theory and practice through projects like: VR-based movement training systems AI trust calibration mechanisms Multi-modal interaction frameworks for automotive environments Systems for analyzing long-term music listening behavior Recent articles explore topics ranging from AI support in pilot decision-making to haptic wearables and creative writing interfaces. His team collaborates with industry partners on electric vehicle information systems and in-car interaction challenges.
Professor Fay Couceiro is a Professor of Environmental Pollution in the School of Civil Engineering and Surveying at the University of Portsmouth. She leads the Microplastics Research Group and the 'Evaluating change across the plastics lifecycle' theme for the Revolution Plastics Institute, focusing on pollution sources, interventions, and collaborations with industry. She holds editorial roles at Cambridge Prisms: Plastics and peer reviews for multiple journals and funding bodies. Education: BSc in Marine Biology (Queen's University Belfast), PhD in Biogeochemistry (funded project on Strangford Lough), postdoctoral research at the University of Plymouth. Research Interests: Contaminants' fate, microplastics' environmental and health impacts, nutrient dynamics, heavy metals, and organic pollutants like PAHs. Her work integrates pure science with civil engineering solutions. Publications span 2007–2025, emphasizing microplastic toxicity, soil-oil interactions, and pollution mitigation strategies. Over 27 peer-reviewed articles highlight her contributions to environmental science. Advising & Grants: Supervises MSc/PhD students and collaborates with companies like Southern Water. Active in STEM outreach and UK research policy, including the EU's HR Excellence in Research accreditation process. Labs/Teams: Microplastics Research Group, Revolution Plastics Institute, and interdisciplinary teams in environmental technology and resilience.
Dr. Amir Hakami is a Professor in the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering at Carleton University , where he leads the Carleton Atmospheric Modelling Group . His research focuses on advanced air quality modeling techniques to inform environmental policy. Degrees: B.Sc. (Polytechnic of Tehran), M.Sc., Ph.D. (Georgia Tech), Postdoc (Caltech) Contact: Office 3454 Mackenzie Building, Phone: 613-520-2600 ext. 8609, Email: amir.hakami@carleton.ca Research Interests: Air quality modeling at multiple spatial scales Adjoint sensitivity analysis for atmospheric response Inverse modeling and data assimilation techniques Uncertainty quantification in environmental systems Interdisciplinary applications in policy, public health, and economics Teaching: Courses include Environmental Engineering Systems Modeling , Contaminant Transport , and Air Pollution & Emissions Control at undergraduate and graduate levels. Research Group: The group includes Ph.D. candidates, postdoctoral fellows, and alumni working on topics ranging from atmospheric chemistry to sustainable energy systems. Members come from diverse backgrounds in engineering, science, and policy disciplines.
Huiyan Sang is a Professor and Director of the Undergraduate Program in the Department of Statistics at Texas A&M University (College of Arts & Sciences). She earned her Ph.D. in Statistics from Duke University and a B.Sc. in Mathematics and Applied Mathematics from Peking University. Her research focuses on spatial statistics, Bayesian nonparametric methods, machine learning, computational statistics, and applications in environmental sciences, geosciences, urban planning, and biomedical research. Her interdisciplinary work integrates statistical methodologies with real-world challenges, such as analyzing extreme environmental events, optimizing urban infrastructure, and modeling complex systems like human mobility during pandemics. She has contributed to advancing spatio-temporal modeling, Gaussian processes, and Bayesian hierarchical frameworks for large datasets. Recent publications highlight innovations in nonparametric regression, spatial functional data analysis, and stochastic frontier analysis, often leveraging computational efficiency and scalability. Her work addresses critical societal issues, including the impact of community design on public health and environmental monitoring through remote-sensing data. No scientific awards are explicitly listed in the provided texts. She advises no students or grants in the current dataset but collaborates widely on interdisciplinary projects. Her research lab focuses on developing cutting-edge statistical tools with applications in engineering, public health, and environmental science.
Philipp Budka is a Researcher (PostDoc) and Lecturer at the Department of Social and Cultural Anthropology, University of Vienna. He leads the North American research region for the ERC Advanced Grant project 'InfraNorth' and investigates transport infrastructures in northern Canada. Budka co-founded the Digital Ethnography Initiative and is a member of the Austrian Polar Research Institute (APRI). He holds a Mag.phil. in Cultural Anthropology and Communication Studies from the University of Vienna and Utrecht. His doctoral research focused on Indigenous digital infrastructures in northwestern Ontario, Canada. Education: Mag.phil. (2003), PhD in Cultural Anthropology (2017) Research Interests: Digital Anthropology, Infrastructure Studies, Media Anthropology, Indigenous Technologies His research explores sociotechnical systems, digital ethnography, and infrastructure sustainability in remote regions. Budka has co-edited volumes on media and conflict and ritualization, and is currently working on monographs about Indigenous online platforms and transport infrastructures in Canada. Grants: ERC Advanced Grant (InfraNorth), various teaching and research roles at FU Berlin and HMKW Berlin. He was co-leader of the Media Anthropology Network (EASA) from 2017–2024. Labs/Teams: Team of the Lehrendenvertretung (Teaching Representatives), Digital Ethnography Initiative, InfraNorth Project.
Jennifer Smith is a faculty researcher at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, where she leads the Smith Lab within the Center for Marine Biodiversity and Conservation. Her work focuses on coral reef ecosystems, integrating ecology with conservation, restoration, and sustainability. Her research explores how human activities such as nutrient pollution, invasive species, and climate change affect benthic marine communities. She has pioneered the use of large-area imaging and structure-from-motion technology to monitor long-term changes in Maui's coral reefs, including responses to sequential bleaching events and wildfire impacts. Her lab investigates microbial interactions with corals and the role of algae in reef degradation and resilience. Dr. Smith’s publication record reveals a strong focus on coral-algal interactions, nutrient dynamics, invasive seaweeds, and ecosystem-scale analyses. Her work spans tropical regions including Hawaii and the Great Barrier Reef, contributing to global understanding of reef resilience. She mentors graduate students and collaborates widely across marine science disciplines. Scientific Awards: No awards mentioned in the provided text. Advising and Grants: Dr. Smith advises graduate students such as Orion McCarthy and Morgan Winston. Her lab conducts long-term monitoring supported by institutional and likely federal funding, though specific grants are not listed. She leads field campaigns in Hawaii and publishes in high-impact journals. Labs and Teams: The Smith Lab is actively engaged in coral reef research, focusing on resilience, restoration, and human impacts. The team includes researchers and volunteers who conduct field surveys, analyze imagery, and produce outreach materials such as the 'Underwater Gardens' film.
