Jinhan Kim is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Università della Svizzera italiana (USI) in the Faculty of Informatics, working in the TAU lab under Prof. Paolo Tonella. He earned his Ph.D. from KAIST under Prof. Shin Yoo, focusing on software engineering research in mutation testing, fault localization, and deep learning system testing. His work bridges traditional software engineering techniques with AI-driven methodologies, emphasizing AI4SE and SE4AI paradigms. Education: Ph.D. in Software Engineering, KAIST, 2023 Research Interests: Mutation Testing Deep Learning System Testing Autonomous Systems Testing Adversarial Attack Detection Empirical Software Engineering Service and Leadership: Organized SBFT 2026 and DeepTest 2026 (co-located with ICSE 2026) Program Committee Member for ASE, ISSTA, Mutation, and DeMeSSAI Board of Distinguished Reviewers for TOSEM (2024–2025) Labs and Teams: Active contributor to the TAU Lab at USI, focusing on advanced software testing and AI integration.
Curtis Franks is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Notre Dame, affiliated with the Department of Philosophy in the College of Arts and Letters since 2006. He holds a PhD in Logic and Philosophy of Science from the University of California, Irvine. His research focuses on the history and philosophy of logic, proof theory, and the philosophy of mathematics, emphasizing conceptual problems and the beauty of logical systems. He has advised numerous graduate students on topics ranging from model theory to climate science epistemology. Franks teaches advanced courses in formal logic, including proof theory, Gödel's theorems, and pragmatism. His work often bridges historical analysis and contemporary debates, as seen in publications like Wittgenstein's wayward student (2024) and Disjunctive syllogism (2025, forthcoming). He contributes to interdisciplinary initiatives like the ND Journal of Formal Logic and collaborates on projects such as the Midwest Workshop. His teaching philosophy prioritizes historical interpretation of philosophical texts and formal rigor in logic education. Franks has also engaged in public scholarship, including poetry and literary projects reflecting his philosophical interests. Despite no listed scientific awards, his extensive publications and academic leadership affirm his scholarly impact.
Zixiang Xiong is a Professor and Associate Department Head in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Texas A&M University, holding the Robert M. Kennedy '26 Endowed Professorship II. He earned his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1996. His career includes roles at Princeton University, University of Hawaii, and Texas A&M since 1999. Education: Ph.D., Electrical Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1996 Visiting Research Associate, Princeton University, 1995–1997 University of Hawaii, 1997–1999 Research Interests: Focuses on machine learning, image/video processing, federated learning, network information theory, biomedical engineering, and communications. His work spans distributed source coding, genomic signal processing, and energy-efficient systems. Publications & Awards: Over 200 publications, including seminal works on distributed video coding and network information theory. Notable awards include the NSF Career Award (1999), ONR Young Investigator Award (2001), IEEE Fellow (2006), and the ECE Outstanding Faculty Award (2024). His research has led to patents in video compression and multimedia systems. Grants & Advising: Active in NSF-funded projects on coding theory and energy-delay tradeoffs. Advises numerous PhD and MS students, with over 50 alumni in academia and industry. Collaborates on biomedical imaging, remote sensing, and federated learning initiatives. Labs & Teams: Leads a dynamic research group at Texas A&M, focusing on cutting-edge projects in signal processing and machine learning applications. Collaborates with industry and governmental agencies on applied research.
Chung-Lin Martin Yang is an Assistant Professor (Instructional Track) in the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences at the University of Rochester, School of Arts & Sciences. His research focuses on psycho- and neurolinguistics, speech perception/production, word recognition, word learning, evolution of human cognition, and second language acquisition. His work investigates how orthography influences second language phonological encoding, the role of Broca’s area in non-linguistic sequence learning, and neural correlates of emotional processing in early childhood. He has published extensively on topics such as bilingual phonological processing, individual differences in language learning, and the impact of orthographic depth on lexical representation. Notable research themes include the interplay between orthographic cues and phonological encoding in Mandarin and English, as well as neurodevelopmental aspects of emotional and linguistic processing in children. His contributions bridge cognitive neuroscience, psycholinguistics, and educational linguistics. Dr. Yang holds a PhD in Cognitive Science and teaches courses related to language acquisition and cognitive mechanisms. His lab explores experimental methods to understand how linguistic and cognitive systems interact during learning and perception.
Nikoletta Kanavou is an Associate Professor of Ancient Greek Literature at the University of Athens. She has taught at prestigious institutions including Oxford, Cyprus, Crete, Heidelberg, and the Cypriot/Hellenic Open Universities. Her research spans fictitious prose narratives, archaic poetry, comedy, literary theory, papyrology, epigraphy, and onomastics. BA, MSt, DPhil in Classics (Athens, Oxford) Recipient of IKY, Leventis, Voudouri, IPEP, Humboldt, and DFG fellowships Published 3 monographs, 2 co-authored books, and ~50 peer-reviewed articles Her work analyzes the intersection of Greek novel traditions, satirical elements, and legal narratives in antiquity. She explores intertextuality in Homeric adaptations and the evolution of comedic naming conventions. Scientific awards include: IKY scholarship A.G. Leventis foundation Lilian Voudouri foundation Humboldt fellowship DFG fellowship
Miguel Ángel Sotelo Vázquez is a full Professor at the University of Alcalá, leading the INVETT Research Group (Intelligent Vehicles and Traffic Technologies). He holds the Department of Automatic Control and specializes in autonomous systems, particularly in path planning, sensor fusion, and human-vehicle interaction. His research integrates machine learning, robotics, and control theory to address challenges in intelligent transportation systems. He earned his Ph.D. in 2001 with a thesis on autonomous vehicle navigation in partially known environments. His work emphasizes real-world deployment, explainable AI, and safety-critical systems. Recent projects focus on lane change prediction, pedestrian behavior modeling, and cybersecurity for autonomous systems. Key contributions include neuro-symbolic frameworks for decision-making, real-time multi-physics field reconstruction, and cross-cultural studies of pedestrian interactions. He collaborates internationally on urban mobility resilience and hydrogen refueling infrastructure. Research Highlights : Development of knowledge graph-based prediction architectures Experimental validation of human-vehicle interaction in VR environments Creation of the SCOUT trajectory prediction framework
Dr. Silvana Deilen is a Researcher at the Institute for Translation Studies & Technical Communication within the Faculty of Language and Information Sciences at the University of Hildesheim. She joined the university in 2023 after working as a Research Associate at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz from 2018-2024. Her primary research focus centers on accessible communication, particularly in the areas of Easy Language and Plain Language translation, with special emphasis on cognitive aspects of translation processes and AI-assisted translation technologies. Dr. Deilen earned her B.A. in Multilingual Communication from Cologne University of Applied Sciences (2012-2015), followed by an M.A. in Specialized Translation from the same institution (2015-2018). She completed her doctoral studies (Dr. phil.) in Translation Studies at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (2018-2021) with summa cum laude distinction, supervised by Prof. Dr. Silvia Hansen-Schirra and Prof. Dr. Arne Nagels. Her research interests span multiple interconnected domains within translation and communication accessibility. A significant portion of her work examines the cognitive processing of compound words in Easy Language, utilizing eye-tracking methodologies to investigate how visual segmentation affects reading behavior and cognitive load. She has pioneered research on AI-assisted translation for health communication, particularly focusing on how large language models can support the creation of accessible health information. Her work bridges theoretical translation studies with practical applications in healthcare, government communication, and digital accessibility. Dr. Deilen's publication record reveals a clear trajectory toward increasingly sophisticated integration of technology and accessibility. Her recent work shows strong emphasis on evaluating AI systems like ChatGPT for translation tasks, developing editorial workflows for AI-assisted translation of health information, and investigating cognitive aspects of compound translation. The interdisciplinary nature of her research connects linguistics, cognitive science, health communication, and artificial intelligence, demonstrating how translation studies can address real-world accessibility challenges. 2014 & 2016: PROMOS Scholarships 2018-2021: Doctoral Scholarship from Gutenberg Young Researchers College 2020: Best Student Paper Award at Swiss Conference on Barrier-free Communication 2023: Award for Outstanding Dissertation from Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz 2023: Multiple research grants from University of Hildesheim, Wort & Bild Verlag, and Niedersachsen Zukunftsdiskurse 2025: DAAD Postdoctoral Research Grant Dr. Deilen actively collaborates on significant research projects including the KI-GesKom project (AI-Supported Health Communication in Plain Language), which receives funding from the state of Niedersachsen. She works closely with Prof. Dr. Ekaterina Lapshinova-Koltunski, Prof. Dr. Christiane Maaß, and Sergio Hernández Garrido as part of the Research Center for Easy Language. Her work with the Apotheken Umschau demonstrates practical application of research, translating health information into accessible formats for people with communication limitations. Dr. Deilen also contributes to the academic community as a program chair and scientific committee member for international conferences including UCCTS 2025 and Translation in Transition 2024.
Peng Zhou is an Assistant Professor at the School of Advanced Engineering, The Great Bay University , and the Principal Investigator of the Embodied Manipulation Intelligence (EMAIL) Robotics Lab . His research integrates robotics, machine learning, and computer vision, with a strong focus on deformable object manipulation, robot perception, and task-motion planning. Education: Ph.D. in Robotics, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (Supervised by Dr. David Navarro-Alarcon) Postdoctoral Research Fellow, The University of Hong Kong (Advised by Dr. Pan Jia) Exchange Ph.D. Student, KTH Royal Institute of Technology (Supervised by Prof. Danica Kragic) Research Interests: Dr. Zhou's work spans robotics , machine learning , and computer vision , with specialized expertise in deformable object manipulation , robot perception and learning , and task and motion planning . His lab, EMAIL, pioneers solutions for robotic manipulation of soft and deformable materials. Scientific Awards & Honors: 2024 : Track 3 Champion, Zhuhai International Dexterous Manipulation Challenge 2023 : IEEE R10 Outstanding Volunteer Award 2022 : Outstanding Young Researcher Award, National Engineering Research Center 2022 : Best AI Implementation Award, Hong Kong AI Open Competition 2022 : IEEE MGA Young Professional Achievement Award Editorial & Leadership Roles: Dr. Zhou serves as an Associate Editor for IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters and has organized key workshops like the IROS 2025 Workshop on Contact and Impact-aware Manipulation . He is also a Guest Editor for special issues in Electronics and Frontiers in Robotics and AI .
Prof. Dr. Ulrich Frank is a full Professor of Business Information Systems and Enterprise Modeling at the University of Duisburg-Essen, Faculty of Computer Science. He serves as Director of IS:link, an international student exchange network he founded. His academic career spans multiple prestigious institutions including University of Mannheim, GMD, IBM Almaden Research Center, University of Koblenz-Landau, and University of Duisburg-Essen since 2004. His educational background includes: Business Administration studies (minor in Applied Computer Science) at University of Cologne Doctorate in Political Science from University of Mannheim (1986) Habilitation at University of Marburg (1993) Prof. Frank's research focuses on multi-perspective enterprise modeling, with particular emphasis on object-oriented and multi-level modeling approaches. His work bridges business administration and computer science, exploring conceptual modeling, knowledge management systems, business process reorganization, and the theoretical foundations of business informatics. He has made significant contributions to modeling languages like FMMLx and XModelerML, advancing multi-level modeling techniques for enterprise information systems. His recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on multi-level modeling languages, with particular attention to UML extensions, language engineering, and the application of large language models in systems engineering. The research trajectory shows consistent development of modeling frameworks that support enterprise architecture, business process modeling, and domain-specific language design, with increasing attention to AI-assisted modeling approaches in recent years. Prof. Frank has received significant recognition through editorial positions at leading journals: Co-Editor of Enterprise Modelling and Information Systems Architectures Co-Editor of Business & Information Systems Engineering Co-Editor of Information Systems and E-Business Management Co-Editor of Software and Systems Modeling Member of the Standing Committee of the European Conference on Information Systems (ECIS) Prof. Frank has served in numerous academic leadership roles including as Chairman of the Examination Board for Business Information Systems, member of the Research Commission at University of Duisburg-Essen, and Appointment Commissioner (2021-2023). He has reviewed for major funding organizations including the German Research Foundation, Federal Ministry of Education and Research, and Swiss National Science Foundation. As founder and senior consultant of IS:link, Prof. Frank leads an international student exchange network connecting universities worldwide. His research group focuses on multi-perspective enterprise modeling (MEMO), developing frameworks and tools for business information systems design and implementation.
Hazel Doughty is an Assistant Professor at Leiden University in the Leiden Institute for Advanced Computer Science (LIACS) . Previously, she was a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Amsterdam and completed her PhD at the University of Bristol under the supervision of Prof. Dima Damen and Prof. Walterio Mayol-Cuevas. Research Interests: Video Understanding, Skill Determination, Self-Supervised Learning, Temporal Attention, and Adverb Recognition in Instructional Videos. Grants: Co-Applicant for DUAL-IMPACT (NWO High Tech Systems and Materials, €1.25M); Main Applicant for NWO Veni grant ( From What to How: Perceiving Subtle Differences in Videos , €280K). Scientific Recognition: Veni Grant (2023) ELLIS Member (2022) Outstanding Reviewer for CVPR, NeurIPS, ECCV, and ACCV Academic Service: Organizer of workshops at CVPR 2024, BMVC 2023, NCCV 2024, and NeurIPS'21. Area Chair for CVPR, ICCV, NeurIPS, AAAI. Teaching: Courses on Computer Vision (BSc) and Advances in Deep Learning (MSc) at Leiden University. Her work focuses on fine-grained video understanding with weak or incomplete supervision , including adverb analysis, self-supervised learning, and egocentric vision datasets. Her recent publications analyze benchmark sensitivity, motion-focused video-language models, and generalized category discovery. Collaborations include the HAVA lab at the University of Amsterdam and the EPIC-Kitchens-100 project. She leads the DUAL-IMPACT initiative on high-tech systems and co-organized workshops at CVPR, ICCV, and NeurIPS. Her students include PhD candidates Luc Sträter and Kaiting Liu , and former advisees like Fida Mohammad Thoker (now postdoc at KAUST) and Piyush Bagad (now PhD at Oxford).
Anna Theakston is a Professor of Developmental Psychology at the University of Manchester where she holds the position of Head of Division for the Division of Psychology Communication and Human Neuroscience. She is also Co-director of the ESRC International Centre for Language and Communicative Development (LuCiD), a major research initiative focused on language development in children. Dr. Theakston completed her undergraduate degree in Psychology at the University of Nottingham and earned her PhD through research at the University of Manchester on early language development in children aged 2-3 years. She subsequently coordinated the Manchester-based Max Planck Child Study Centre before being appointed to her current professorship. Her research focuses on children's early language and communicative development during preschool and early school years, situated within a usage-based framework that emphasizes child-environment interactions and caregiver input. Her work spans multiple areas including early gestural communication, caregiver-child interactions, grammatical construction acquisition, grammatical error origins, inflectional morphology, and syntax-semantics-pragmatics interfaces in complex language development. She frequently conducts crosslinguistic comparisons and employs diverse methodologies from corpus analysis to behavioral experiments, often collaborating with computational modelers. Analysis of her recent publications reveals strong emphasis on children's comprehension and production of complex sentence structures, particularly adverbial and complement clauses, with investigations into how information structure, iconicity, and pragmatic factors influence language development. Her work increasingly examines applications in real-world contexts including schools, nurseries, and cultural institutions, with growing attention to supporting deaf children's communication development and multilingual education. Co-Director, ESRC International Centre for Language and Communicative Development (LuCiD) Active researcher with 111 research outputs including articles, datasets, and book chapters Recipient of research funding from ESRC and Max Planck Institute Professor Theakston supervises numerous PhD students investigating various aspects of language development, with recent projects examining tag questions, cultural institutions' role in language learning for minority populations, science interventions for deaf children, and Modern Foreign Language teaching in multilingual classrooms. Her research has practical impact through tools like the Teacher Toolkit for Teaching Primary MFL in Multilingual Key Stage 2 Classrooms and initiatives supporting deaf children's social communication skills. She maintains active collaborations with researchers across multiple disciplines and institutions, as evidenced by her extensive co-authorship network. Her work contributes to UN Sustainable Development Goals related to quality education and reduced inequalities.
Olli Seppänen serves as Associate Professor in Civil Engineering at Aalto University's School of Engineering, specializing in operations management for construction productivity improvement. He coordinates the Vision 2030 consortium—comprising 13 Finnish construction and design firms—to develop industrialized building methods for 2030, while leading multiple Business Finland-funded research initiatives focused on digital construction workflows and real-time monitoring. His research centers on lean construction principles, location-based management systems, and digital transformation through IoT, AI, and robotic vision. Key focus areas include prefabrication optimization, construction logistics, and shifting work off-site to industrialize processes. He aims to solve industry-wide productivity challenges by creating real-time situational awareness and implementing takt production systems for workflow stability. Recent publications (2024-2025) reveal strong emphasis on digital twin frameworks, semantic modeling for quality assurance, and AI applications in risk management. His work bridges theoretical lean construction concepts with practical implementations, particularly in real-time resource tracking, waste reduction in MEP work, and cross-sector learning from high-performing teams. Seppänen has received significant recognition including: School of Engineering doctoral dissertation award (2024) Best paper at IEEE Wireless Sensors Conference (2019) Nordic Conference best paper award for PhD research (2019) DSc dissertation award (2010) As principal investigator, he manages: Vision 2030 consortium projects (2-3 annually; PI for two current projects) iCONS: Real-time resource flow monitoring via indoor positioning RECAP: Deep learning analysis of progress/quality from images/point clouds DiCtion: Integrated data systems for real-time stakeholder situation pictures He actively contributes to the "Performance in Building Design and Construction" research group and leverages the Vision 2030 consortium as a collaborative platform for industry transformation, driving adoption of digitalized, industrialized construction methods through academic-industry partnerships.
Zenun Kastrati is an Associate Professor at the Department of Informatics, Linnaeus University. His research focuses on Artificial Intelligence, Natural Language Processing, Machine Learning, Semantic Web, Sentiment Analysis, and Learning Technologies. He contributes to the Data-driven Business Innovation (DBI) and Interaction Design Research Groups, leading projects like Forest 4.0, RAPID, and IGNITE. His recent work involves Explainable AI, medical imaging, and multilingual NLP. Ph.D. in Computer Science (NTNU, 2018) Master's in Computer Science (EU TEMPUS Programme) Previous Lecturer/Researcher at University of Prishtina His research spans AI applications in medical diagnostics , NLP , sentiment analysis , and semantic technologies . Key projects include Forest 4.0 (environment monitoring) and RAPID (online education in Pakistan). Publications highlight his expertise in deep learning , transformer models , and context-aware systems . Recent publications demonstrate trends in Explainable AI (XAI) for healthcare, medical imaging techniques, and multilingual NLP frameworks. Other work explores social media analytics , student feedback analysis , and pedagogical document classification . Zenun's teaching includes Fundamentals of Programming , Object-Oriented Programming , Web Applications , Data Analytics , and Adaptive Web courses at BSc and MSc levels.
Professor Richard North (University College London, Department of English Language and Literature) is a leading expert in Anglo-Saxon and Old Norse studies. His career spans teaching and research in Old English, Middle English, and Old Icelandic literatures, with particular focus on Beowulf , medieval sensory perception , and pre-Christian Germanic religions . Affiliated with UCL since 1989, he was promoted to Reader in 1999 and Professor in 2007. Research interests include: Anglo-Saxon paganism and Christian syncretism Old Norse mythological analysis (Freyr, Loki, Baldr) Viking Age cultural exchange between England and Scandinavia Historical linguistics across Germanic languages Medieval manuscript studies His publications demonstrate interdisciplinary approaches combining literary analysis with archaeology, agronomy, and sensory studies. Recent works explore Cnut's political ideology , Old English poetic meter , and medieval animal symbolism .
Siew, Shu Qin Cynthia is an Assistant Professor at the National University of Singapore, specializing in psycholinguistics and cognitive science. She holds a Ph.D. and M.A. from Kansas University (KU) and a B.Soc.Sci. (Hons.) from NUS. Her research focuses on applying network analysis to study cognitive structures like the mental lexicon and semantic memory. Education: Ph.D. in Psychology, KU M.A. in Psychology, KU B.Soc.Sci. (Hons.) in Linguistics, NUS Her work integrates cognitive psychology experiments, computational modeling, and linguistic corpora to explore two core themes: (1) How lexicon structure influences processing (e.g., phonological/orthographic similarity affecting word recognition), and (2) How lexicon structure evolves over time (e.g., language acquisition across monolinguals and bilinguals). Recent publications highlight her innovative use of network science to model phonological and semantic networks and software tools like spreadr for simulating spreading activation. This work bridges computational methods with empirical studies on lexical retrieval and memory organization.
