Dr Yasemin Acar is a Lecturer in Social Psychology at the University of St Andrews' School of Psychology and Neuroscience. Her research focuses on collective action, intergroup conflict, and identity politicization, with particular expertise in the Turkish-Kurdish conflict and peace processes. She holds a PhD from Claremont Graduate University (2015). Her work explores how identity shapes political engagement, the efficacy of protest tactics, and reconciliation mechanisms in divided societies. Key areas include the psychological dynamics of resistance movements such as the Gezi Park protests and the Saturday Mothers, as well as academic activism in authoritarian contexts. PhD: Claremont Graduate University (2015) Research Specializations: Identity & Collective Action Ethnic/National Conflict Peace Psychology Civil Society Mobilization Notable Projects: Meta-analytical review of Kurdish-Turkish identity dynamics Analysis of protest efficacy in Palestine solidarity movements Long-term study of Saturday Mothers' generational resistance Her recent work emphasizes participatory research methodologies and the ethical challenges of fieldwork in conflict zones. Supervised PhD student: Ala' Mustafa.
Dr. Judson Brewer is a Professor of Behavioral and Social Sciences and an Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at Brown University. He serves as Director of Research and Innovation at Brown University’s Mindfulness Center. His work focuses on habit formation, addiction, and behavior change science, integrating mindfulness with neuroscience to develop clinical tools and digital therapeutics. Education: B.A. in Chemistry from Princeton University M.D./Ph.D. from Washington University in St. Louis (thesis: molecular mechanisms of stress hormone regulation of the immune system) Psychiatry residency at Yale University Research Interests: Dr. Brewer’s research explores how mindfulness training disrupts addictive processes by targeting neural reward pathways. Key areas include anxiety management, emotional eating, and smoking cessation interventions. He employs EEG neurofeedback, fMRI, and experience sampling to bridge basic neuroscience with real-world applications, emphasizing mobile health (mHealth) solutions for scalable behavior change. Recent Articles Trends: His latest work focuses on app-based interventions for healthcare professional burnout, feasibility trials in vulnerable populations (e.g., low-income HIV patients), and socio-ecological barriers to dementia prevention. He also validates mindfulness teaching criteria and investigates wearable technology for real-time habit disruption. Scientific Awards: While no formal awards are listed, Dr. Brewer’s TED talk on habit change was the 4th most viewed in 2016 with over 20 million views. His work has been featured on 60 Minutes , The New York Times , and Forbes . Advising and Grants: Dr. Brewer’s clinical trials and programs suggest active grant-funded research, though specific grants or advisees are not listed. His interventions target smoking cessation, anxiety, and eating behaviors, often involving interdisciplinary teams at Brown’s Mindfulness Center. Labs and Teams: He leads the Mindfulness Center’s research team and collaborates globally through the ENIGMA-Meditation consortium. His lab develops app-based programs, such as Craving to Quit (C2Q), and employs innovative methods like sensor reduction in EEG devices to improve neurofeedback applications.
Judith K Morgan, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Psychology at the University of Pittsburgh, affiliated with the Dietrich School of Arts & Sciences and Department of Psychology. She directs the CARE Laboratory and holds adjunct appointments at Deakin University. Her research focuses on children at familial risk for depression, integrating developmental psychology and affective neuroscience methodologies. Key interests include behavior inhibition, neural reward processing in early childhood, and maternal-child affective synchrony. Her work employs functional MRI to examine how early experiences shape brain development and contribute to psychopathology. Morgan's publications frequently explore themes of intergenerational depression transmission, maternal socialization of emotion, and neurodevelopmental trajectories in high-risk populations. Her studies consistently bridge clinical observations with neurobiological mechanisms. Honors include the NARSAD Young Investigator Award and Klingenstein Third Generation Foundation Fellowship. She currently leads NIH-funded projects investigating mother-infant biobehavioral synchrony and postpartum depression interventions.
Volko Straub is an Associate Professor in the Biological Sciences Department at the University of Leicester, where he has been affiliated since 2005. Previously, he served as an RCUK Research Fellow (2005-2010) and held postdoctoral roles at the University of Sussex (1998-2005), where he also earned his PhD. His research focuses on neurophysiological mechanisms in invertebrate models, particularly the pond snail Lymnaea stagnalis and the tardigrade Hypsibius dujardini. Key interests include neuronal plasticity, synaptic remodeling, and the role of nitric oxide (NO) signaling in learning and memory. He also investigates central pattern generator (CPG) circuits, neuromodulation, and purinergic receptor function in molluscs and other invertebrates. Dr. Straub's work bridges experimental and computational neuroscience, with studies on molecular mechanisms of memory, neuronal network dynamics, and the impact of aging on sensory processing. He serves as a national coordinator for the British Neuroscience Association's local groups, contributing to broader scientific community engagement. His research employs techniques ranging from transcriptomics to electrophysiological recordings and pharmacological assays. Notable contributions include elucidating NO-cGMP pathways in memory formation, characterizing P2X receptors in invertebrates, and modeling CPG circuitry in feeding behaviors. His interdisciplinary approach integrates molecular, cellular, and systems-level analyses to understand fundamental principles of nervous system function and plasticity.
Colm Connaughton is a Professor and Director of the Centre for Complexity Science at the University of Warwick's Mathematics Institute. His research focuses on non-equilibrium statistical mechanics, fluid dynamics, turbulence, nonlinear waves, and complexity science. He has contributed to interdisciplinary studies ranging from wave turbulence theory to applications in traffic modeling and machine learning. Connaughton co-organized the Warwick EPSRC Mathematics Symposium and has led workshops on topics like complex networks and nonlinear science. His work bridges theoretical physics and applied mathematics, with recent projects addressing reinforcement learning in traffic control systems and the social complexity of fictional narratives. Connaughton's research often involves collaborations across disciplines, including contributions to understanding epidemic spreading dynamics and the statistical mechanics of cluster aggregation. Notable contributions include the study of Rossby wave turbulence models, the dynamics of energy condensation in two-dimensional turbulence, and the application of kinetic theory to aggregation processes. His work frequently emphasizes the interplay between mathematical rigor and real-world applications, such as optimizing traffic flow prediction and analyzing network-based disease spread. Connaughton maintains active engagement in academic service, including editorial roles and organizing international conferences. His research has been published in high-impact journals across physics, mathematics, and engineering disciplines.
Chase Cormier is a Lecturer of French in the Department of Global Cultures & Languages at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse (UWL), where he teaches French grammar, Francophone literature and culture, and professional communication. His academic and creative work centers on Louisiana’s Francophone heritage, particularly Louisiana literature and foodways. His educational background includes a Bachelor's degree in Creative Writing from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, where he was influenced by literary figures such as James Lee Burke and Ernest Gaines. His writing pedagogy emphasizes precision in verbs and coherence in paragraphs, applied across both creative and academic writing. Chase is currently writing a dissertation on the socio-cultural significance of Louisiana butchering and meat practices, reflecting his deep engagement with regional cultural studies. He is also actively involved in creative writing, composing poetry and prose in French, editing his first novel, and beginning a poetry collection. His work is driven by a sense of pride and urgency to preserve and expand French literature in Louisiana, where the language faced historical suppression. He contributes to the UWL Writing Center’s 'Write Here, Write Now' blog, sharing reflections on writing processes, emphasizing incremental progress, oral reading during editing, and creating conducive writing environments—often writing at home while listening to jazz, blues, or West African Kora music, with a candle lit and tea or coffee nearby. His interdisciplinary approach bridges creative expression with academic inquiry, and he encourages students to view academic writing as a challenging yet rewarding process that benefits from reflection and consistent practice.
David Rand is a Professor of Information Science and Marketing at Cornell University, directing the Human Cooperation Lab. His research focuses on human decision-making, leveraging computational social science to study AI-augmented belief correction, misinformation dynamics, political polarization, and cooperation mechanisms. He has published over 200 peer-reviewed articles in top journals including Nature, Science, and PNAS, and advises major tech companies like Google and Meta. His lab uses economic games, field experiments, and computational modeling to explore how social networks and cognitive processes shape behavior. Research interests span dialogues with AI models to address conspiracy theories, health misinformation, and political polarization. Collaborations include designing behavioral interventions for tech platforms to improve information quality. Current lab members include postdocs, PhD students, and affiliated researchers across disciplines. Key projects involve understanding why people share inaccurate information online and developing interventions to reduce such behaviors. Grants include partnerships with governments and nonprofits to apply cooperation theories to real-world challenges. Labs/Teams: Human Cooperation Lab at Cornell, collaborating with MIT's Applied Cooperation Initiative (ACI) on behavioral science applications.
Mads Lund Pedersen is a Researcher at the University of Oslo (UiO) and Norment, affiliated with the Department of Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience. His academic background includes a Dr.philos. (PhD) in Cognitive Neuroscience from UiO (2017) and a Master's in Cognitive Neuroscience (2012). He has held postdoctoral positions at UiO (2017–2020) and was a visiting scholar at Brown University’s Laboratory of Neural Computation and Cognition (2017–2019). His research focuses on computational modeling of decision-making processes in psychiatric and neurological disorders, particularly using reinforcement learning and drift-diffusion models. Key interests include understanding reward sensitivity in addiction, cognitive control mechanisms in adolescence, and the neural basis of psychiatric conditions like depression and psychosis. Collaborations include institutions such as Brown University, Washington University in St. Louis, Harvard Medical School, and the Central Institute of Mental Health in Mannheim. His work integrates neuroimaging, computational models, and genetic data to explore mental health biomarkers and comorbidity mechanisms. Recent projects include longitudinal studies of brain structure in psychosis, normative cognitive trajectories in youth, and the impact of interventions like attention bias modification. Pedersen’s contributions span over 30 peer-reviewed articles in journals like Biological Psychiatry , NeuroImage , and Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience .
Dale Tweedie is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Accounting and Corporate Governance at Macquarie Business School, Macquarie University. With a background spanning professional accounting practice at PricewaterhouseCoopers and academic research, he brings a distinctive interdisciplinary perspective to his work at the intersection of accounting, ethics, and organizational sociology. His current research focuses on social and environmental accountability, workplace ethics, and critical perspectives on management control systems. Dr. Tweedie's research interests center on how power dynamics and ethical considerations shape organizational practices, particularly in accounting and management contexts. His work employs qualitative methodologies to examine workplace surveillance, performance management systems, economic inequality, and professional ethics. He approaches these topics through theoretical frameworks including recognition theory, Aristotelian ethics, and critical sociology, creating a unique interdisciplinary lens that bridges accounting practice with philosophical inquiry. His publication record demonstrates consistent scholarly output across top-tier journals in accounting, management, and sociology, with a notable emphasis on how accounting practices intersect with broader social concerns. Recent research trends show increasing focus on digital workplace surveillance, remote work ethics, and the psychological impacts of performance management systems, reflecting contemporary workplace challenges. Among his notable recognitions are two Prof. Reg Mathews Memorial Prizes (2015 and 2020), highlighting the impact of his work in the field of integrated reporting. His editorial contributions include serving as Associate Editor of Critical Perspectives on Accounting and membership on several prestigious editorial boards. Dr. Tweedie has secured research funding from major professional bodies including Chartered Accountants Australia & New Zealand (CAANZ) and the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA), supporting projects on integrated reporting, performance management ethics, and non-profit governance. His media engagement demonstrates commitment to public scholarship, with frequent expert commentary on business ethics in major outlets including ABC television/radio and the Sydney Morning Herald . As an active member of Macquarie University's Human Research Ethics Committee for Human and Social Sciences, he contributes to institutional research governance while maintaining his scholarly focus on ethical organizational practices.
Robert Kirsch, PhD, is the Allen H. and Constance T. Ford Professor and Chair of Biomedical Engineering at Case Western Reserve University's Case School of Engineering. He also serves as Executive Director of the Cleveland Functional Electrical Stimulation Center and leads VA Rehabilitation Research's Functional Electrical Stimulation Center. His work focuses on restoring limb function using neural interfaces, functional electrical stimulation (FES), and brain-computer interfaces (BCIs), particularly for individuals with spinal cord injuries or neurological disorders. Education: BS in Electrical Engineering, University of Cincinnati (1982) MS and PhD in Biomedical Engineering, Northwestern University (1986) Postdoctoral research at McGill University Research Interests: Neural control of movement restoration BCI and FES integration for prosthetics Advanced feedback control algorithms Implantable medical devices for neural recording Awards: Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) Grants & Leadership: Principal Investigator of Case-Coulter Translational Research Partnership Director of NIBIB T32 Training Grant Chair of the National BME Council of Chairs (2017) Labs & Teams: Leads the Functional Electrical Stimulation Center and collaborates on NIH-, VA-, and foundation-funded projects.
Prof. Tobias Meggendorfer is an academic leader in formal methods and probabilistic systems verification. He currently holds an interim professorship at the Technical University Munich (TUM) within the Computational Mathematics department under the TUM School of Computation, Information and Technology. His career includes a postdoc at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (IST Austria) and a PhD at TUM under Prof. Jan Křetínský. His research focuses on formal verification techniques for probabilistic systems, including risk-aware verification frameworks, stochastic games, and integration of machine learning into verification processes. Notable contributions include the Owl tool library for ω-automata and LTL translations, and the PET partial exploration tool for probabilistic verification. Prof. Meggendorfer has published extensively on topics such as value iteration stopping criteria for stochastic games, entropic risk measures, and semantic learning in LTL synthesis. He actively serves on program committees for AAAI, CAV, and other top conferences, and has reviewed for journals like JACM and IEEE TSE. His work bridges theoretical foundations with practical tool development, evidenced by contributions to open-source projects like the JBDD library and DOMtutor educational framework. He has advised multiple MSc and BSc theses, translating research into impactful educational and industrial applications.
Dr. Pierre-Louis Bazin is a Researcher in the Department of Neurophysics at the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences. He holds a PhD from INRIA Rocquencourt (France) and conducted postdoctoral research at Brown University and Johns Hopkins University in the US. His work focuses on advanced neuroimaging techniques, including high-resolution MRI parcellation, quantitative MRI, and subcortical structure analysis. Key projects involve developing automated segmentation tools (e.g., Nighres), exploring cerebellar and subcortical anatomy, and investigating neurodegenerative markers using multi-modal approaches. Education 1995-1998: Electrical Engineering Diploma, SUPELEC (France) 1998-2001: PhD in Computer Vision & Graphics, INRIA Rocquencourt (France) 2001-2003: Postdoc in Computer Vision & Archaeology, Brown University (USA) 2003-2006: Postdoc in Neuroimaging, Johns Hopkins University (USA) Research Interests High-field MRI (7T+) applications in structural and functional brain mapping Development of neuroimaging software tools (e.g., Nighres) Subcortical and cerebellar morphometry in health and disease Quantitative MRI techniques for histology correlation Connectivity analysis in psychiatric disorders (e.g., schizophrenia) Awards Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) membership (2020, 2024) Grants & Labs : Directs the Neurophysics lab at MPI-CBS. Active in large-scale projects like the Amsterdam Ultra-high field adult lifespan database (AHEAD). Collaborates on tools like MP2RAGEME for multi-parametric MRI. Labs/Teams : Leads neuroimaging method development and clinical translation efforts in Leipzig, Germany.
Professor Agnieszka Tymula is a leading academic in behavioural economics , neuroeconomics , and experimental economics at the University of Sydney's School of Economics . She holds roles including Director of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Children and Families over the Life Course (University of Sydney node), Co-Director of the Neuroeconomics Summer School, and Editorial Board member of Experimental Economics . Her research integrates economics, psychology, and neuroscience to understand decision-making processes, with a focus on risk, ambiguity, and social influences. Education: PhD in Economics from Bocconi University, Italy. Research Interests: Key areas include decision-making under risk/ambiguity, neuroeconomic modeling of choice, age-related changes in preferences, and the impact of social observation. Her work has been funded by over $33 million in competitive grants, including ARC Centres of Excellence and Discovery Projects. Notable Achievements: 2017 Society for Neuroeconomics Early Career Award 2019 University of Sydney Supervisor of the Year Leading over 90 scientific presentations, including keynotes at international conferences Media collaborations with BBC, CNN, and Scientific American Grants & Labs: Director of the University of Sydney Experimental Economics Lab and Chief Investigator on major grants such as the ICRG Gambling Research Centre. Active in policy-related projects on gambling harms and public health. Collaborations: Affiliated with NYU’s Decision Making Institute and co-organizes the Neuroeconomics Summer School. Serves on the Executive Committee of the Economic Science Association and Society for Neuroeconomics.
UnivProf. Dr. Fabian Sinz is a Professor at the Institute of Computer Science, University of Göttingen, heading the Machine Learning group. His research focuses on interdisciplinary applications of machine learning in computational neuroscience, data science, and neuroscience. He teaches courses such as Data Science I and leads seminars on Machine Learning and Computational Neuroscience. His work bridges theoretical machine learning with empirical neuroscience, particularly in modeling neural activity and connectomics. Research interests include neural population coding, generative models for neural data, and applying machine learning to understand brain function. Notable contributions involve developing methods like TRACE and NEURD for analyzing neural datasets and predicting visual cortex responses. Recent publications emphasize foundational models for neural activity prediction and cross-modal learning. Dr. Sinz collaborates on large-scale projects like the Dynamic Sensorium Competition, advancing reproducibility in predictive modeling of brain activity. He has advised on machine learning applications in health informatics and biomechanical reconstruction. His lab’s work frequently intersects with computer vision, computational biology, and neuroimaging technologies.
Professor Adam Sobey holds the Chair of Data-Centric Engineering at the University of Southampton's Maritime Engineering Group. He is currently on an 80% secondment as Director of the Data-Centric Engineering Programme at The Alan Turing Institute, funded by Lloyd's Register Foundation. His research focuses on applying AI and Machine Learning to improve engineering safety, reduce emissions, and advance sustainable practices. He also serves as a Non-Executive Director of Theyr Ltd, a maritime software company. Education: MEng in Aerospace Engineering (2006), PhD in Maritime Engineering (2010). Professional milestones include the 2015 Royal Institute of Naval Architects Jeom Paik Award for structural safety research. Research Interests: Reinforcement Learning in continuous environments, Evolutionary Computation, AI in scenarios with incomplete physics understanding. Key projects include optimizing wind-assisted ship technologies and advancing offshore wind energy systems. Awards: Royal Institute of Naval Architects Jeom Paik Award (2015). Editorial Roles: Editor of Data-Centric Engineering and Associate Editor of Ship and Offshore Structures . Supervision: Advising nine PhD students across engineering and environmental themes. Active in training the next generation of engineers through interdisciplinary collaboration and policy influence.
