Dr. Nikolas Roberts is an Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice at Pennsylvania Western University , located on the California campus. He holds a PhD from Saybrook University and multiple degrees from PennWest and Indiana University of Pennsylvania. His work focuses on corrections policy reform, criminological theory, and conflict resolution. Dr. Roberts has served in key university roles including Co-Chair of the University-wide Tenure Committee (2024–present) and Title IX Advisor (2023–2024). He is also an AccessData-certified digital forensics investigator and authored/co-edited major publications including The Law Behind the Wall (2024) and an upcoming methods textbook. Education: B.A., B.S., M.S. - Pennsylvania Western University M.A. - Indiana University of Pennsylvania Ph.D. - Saybrook University Research Interests : Dr. Roberts specializes in systemic corrections reform, particularly inmate education and solitary confinement policy. He bridges theoretical criminology with practical policy through courses like 'Problems in Policing' and 'Violence and Media'. His digital forensics expertise enhances his analysis of modern justice challenges. Service & Impact : Over 15 years of committee leadership includes policy development for student identity verification, curriculum design for conflict resolution programs, and advising on 10 doctoral committees. His community work includes prison monitoring with the Pennsylvania Prison Society since 2003 and historical preservation projects like the Donora Smog Museum. Labs/Teams : Co-developed the Veterans Oral Histories Project digital archive and led Library of Congress teacher training initiatives. Currently oversees undergraduate criminal justice program assessments and co-chairs major university governance committees.
Thomas Byrne is a University Teacher in Operational Research at the School of Mathematics, University of Edinburgh. He holds a PhD in Optimisation and Operational Research from the University of Edinburgh following an MSc in Statistics and Operational Research (2015). His research focuses on prescriptive analytics for optimal facility location, addressing critical applications in healthcare, supply chains, 5G infrastructure, and pandemic response. Byrne has taught courses including Fundamentals of Operational Research and Topics in Applied OR, incorporating cutting-edge research into his lectures. Education: PhD in Optimisation/OR, University of Edinburgh MSc in Statistics/OR, University of Edinburgh BA/MMath Mathematics, University of Cambridge Research Interests: Byrne's work addresses facility location problems across domains like emergency services, healthcare systems, and logistics. Recent applications include optimizing fire station locations, hospital placement during pandemics, and 5G mast deployment. His approach combines mathematical rigor with real-world impact, emphasizing solutions that improve efficiency and save lives. Teaching Initiatives: Co-created OR Base, a drop-in session for MSc students to discuss academic and personal challenges. This initiative fostered global community-building during lockdowns, supporting isolated students through online interactions. Labs/Teams: Active within the School of Mathematics' Operational Research group, collaborating on interdisciplinary projects at the intersection of mathematics, computer science, and public policy.
Akshay Gupte is a Professor in the School of Mathematics at the University of Edinburgh, specializing in Optimization and Operational Research. His research focuses on mathematical and algorithmic aspects of discrete and non-convex optimization, with applications in engineering, finance, and decision-making systems. He holds a PhD in Operational Research from Georgia Tech and teaches advanced courses such as Optimization Methods in Finance for MSc students. Education: BEng in Industrial Engineering from the University of Bombay MSc in Operational Research from the University of Arizona PhD in Operational Research from Georgia Tech Research Interests: Optimization problems involving discrete choices and non-convexity, with a focus on algorithm design and computational strategies. His work bridges applied mathematics, computer science, and engineering, addressing challenges in logistics, finance, and large-scale decision systems. Articles Trends: Recent publications emphasize algorithmic advancements in non-convex optimization (e.g., spatial branch-and-bound, semidefinite programming), multi-objective decision-making (e.g., biobjective programming), and stochastic frameworks for real-world problems like facility location and home service scheduling. Awards & Grants: No specific awards listed, but his research has been supported by collaborative grants in mixed-integer programming and optimization algorithms. He advises students through his teaching and research collaborations within the Optimization Group at the University of Edinburgh.
Roles & Affiliations Dr. Yunjie Yang is a Senior Lecturer (equivalent to Associate Professor) at the School of Engineering , University of Edinburgh. He is affiliated with the Edinburgh Futures Institute (EFI), Edinburgh Generative AI Laboratory (GAIL), and Edinburgh Centre for Robotics. He previously held the Chancellor’s Fellow in Data Driven Innovation (2018–2023) and Bayes Innovation Fellow (2023–2024). Education PhD in Engineering Electronics (2018), University of Edinburgh MSc in Control Science & Engineering (2013), Tsinghua University BEng in Measurement & Control Engineering (2010), Anhui University Research Interests His research focuses on AI-driven sensing and imaging, machine learning, digital twins, and soft robotics. Specific areas include: Electrical impedance tomography (EIT) for medical imaging Soft robotic perception and tactile sensing Medical devices and wearable technologies Data-driven inverse problems and reconstruction algorithms Awards & Fellowships 2024 IEEE J. Barry Oakes Advancement Award ERC Starting Grant Fellowships: Young Academy of Europe (FYAE), International Society for Industrial Process Tomography (FISIPT), and Higher Education Academy (FHEA) 2015 IEEE I&M Society Graduate Fellowship Award Advising & Grants Dr. Yang supervises PhD students in robotics, sensing, and medical imaging (e.g., Huazhi Dong). He leads projects such as the SELECT project on soft robot perception and Real-time Bedside Medical Imaging. His research is funded by grants from the ERC, Medical Research Council, and the European Commission. Research Group He heads the SMART Group , focusing on Sensing, Machine Learning, and Robotics. The group develops technologies like modular soft wearable gloves and digital twin frameworks for multiphase flow imaging.
Margarida Carvalho is an Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Science and Operations Research at Université de Montréal, where she holds the FRQ-IVADO Research Chair in Data Science for Combinatorial Game Theory. She is also an Associate Academic Member at Mila (Quebec AI Institute), contributing to their research in AI for Humanity. Her academic journey spans from Portugal to Canada, where she has established herself as a leading researcher at the intersection of operations research and game theory. Carvalho earned her bachelor's and master's degrees in mathematics from the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto (FCUP), followed by a PhD in Computer Science from the same institution in 2016. Her doctoral work, which focused on game theory applications for kidney exchange programs, earned her the prestigious 2018 EURO Doctoral Dissertation Award, making her the first Portuguese woman to receive this honor. After completing her PhD, she worked as an IVADO Postdoctoral Fellow at Polytechnique Montréal before joining Université de Montréal as an Assistant Professor in 2018. Her research focuses on combinatorial optimization and algorithmic game theory, with applications spanning healthcare (kidney exchange programs, hospital operations), sustainable development (electric vehicle infrastructure, urban planning), and education (school choice systems). She develops novel mathematical programming approaches to model and solve problems involving multiple decision-makers with potentially conflicting objectives. Her work bridges theoretical advances in optimization with practical implementations that address real-world challenges in resource allocation and decision-making under uncertainty. Notably, her research on fairness in kidney exchange programs has contributed to more equitable organ allocation policies. Her 15 most recent publications reveal a strong trend toward integrating game-theoretic concepts with practical optimization challenges, particularly in healthcare and sustainable infrastructure. She has pioneered approaches that balance utilitarian objectives with fairness considerations, developed novel formulations for bilevel and multilevel optimization problems, and created learning-based frameworks for complex decision environments. Her work consistently demonstrates how mathematical rigor can inform practical policy decisions in critical domains. 2018 EURO Doctoral Dissertation Award for her PhD thesis on game theory applications for kidney exchange programs Mathematical Programming 2024 Meritorious Service Award Teaching Excellence Award from Université de Montréal Supervised student Maria Bazotte receiving the Dupačová-Prékopa Best Student Paper Prize in Stochastic Programming Carvalho actively advises graduate students, with Marylou Fauchard (Master's) and William St-Arnaud (PhD) among her current advisees. Her research is supported by grants from Hydro-Québec, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (Discovery grant 2017-06054 and Collaborative Research and Development Grant CRDPJ 536757–19), and FRQ-IVADO. She serves as an associate editor for INFORMS Journal on Computing, OR Spectrum, and Dynamic Games and Applications, and is a founding board member and treasurer of the Bilevel Optimization Society. She teaches courses in Mathematical Programming, Operational Research Models, and Discrete Mathematics at Université de Montréal. Carvalho is affiliated with Mila (Quebec AI Institute), where she contributes to research initiatives focused on AI for Humanity, particularly in the areas of algorithmic fairness and sustainable development. Her FRQ-IVADO Research Chair supports her work on combinatorial game theory applications, and she collaborates with researchers across disciplines through the IVADO research community. She has been instrumental in establishing the Bilevel Optimization Society, creating a dedicated forum for researchers working on hierarchical decision-making problems.
Professor Mark Birkin is a Professor of Spatial Analysis and Policy at the School of Geography, University of Leeds . He is also the Director of the Consumer Data Research Centre (CDRC) and co-editor of the Applied Spatial Analysis and Policy journal. His work focuses on simulating social and demographic changes in urban and regional contexts and assessing their impacts on infrastructure and public services. His research spans the application of microsimulation , agent-based modeling , and Geographical Information Systems (GIS) to analyze urban dynamics. He has served on editorial boards of journals like GeoInformatics and GeoStatistics , and participated in program committees for European Social Simulation Association and GeoComputation . PhD , School of Geography, University of Leeds (1986) BA (Hons) , School of Geography, University of Leeds (1981) Research interests include modeling societies and their behavior, developing Geographical Information Systems (GIS) for human and environmental analysis, and leveraging information and communication technologies in public, industrial, and commercial sectors. His work often integrates microsimulation and agent-based modeling to address complex urban and regional problems, such as housing market dynamics, retail location analysis, and healthcare planning. Recent publications highlight his leadership in urban simulation and e-Research infrastructure , with a focus on projects like Moses (Modeling, Simulation for e-Social Science) and Hydra (Grid-based decision support systems). His work has been presented at international conferences including Association of American Geographers , European Social Simulation Association , and World Regional Science Association . Research projects led or co-led include Moses , SECSE , and GENeSIS , funded by organizations like ESRC , EPSRC , and JISC . He has secured over £4 million in research funding, with projects such as the Northern Ireland Longitudinal Survey Research Support Unit (2012–2017) and Hydra II (2003–2004). Labs and teams include the Consumer Data Research Centre (CDRC) and the Institute for Spatial Data Science . He collaborates with institutions like the University of Manchester and University of California, San Diego through visiting fellowships.
Jordi Domingo-Pascual is a Full Professor at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya - BarcelonaTech (UPC), affiliated with the Department of Computer Architecture within the Faculty of Informatics of Barcelona (FIB). He is a member of the UPC CBA - Broadband Communications Systems and the IDEAI-UPC - Intelligent Data Science and Artificial Intelligence Research Group. His research spans networking, telecommunications, and ethical aspects of technology design. Research Interests: His primary areas of expertise include 5G network architectures, software-defined networking (SDN), Locator/Identifier Separation Protocol (LISP), traffic engineering, quality of service (QoS), network monitoring, and ethics in engineering education. He investigates both technical and societal dimensions of emerging network technologies. Publication Trends: His recent scholarly output (2020–2022) emphasizes SDN controller placement optimization, open-source traffic engineering tools, and the integration of ethical considerations in engineering curricula—particularly in the context of AI and pandemic-era digital tracing applications. Earlier works focus on ATM multicasting, QoS, and broadband network characterization. Scientific Awards: Premi o reconeixement Advising and Grants: While specific advisees are not listed, his extensive research activity—including participation in European projects—suggests involvement in supervising students and securing competitive R&D funding. His work on traffic engineering, SDN, and LISP indicates leadership in national and international collaborative grants. Labs and Research Groups: He is actively involved in the UPC CBA research group focused on broadband and communication systems and the IDEAI-UPC group advancing data science and AI. These affiliations reflect a strong interdisciplinary research profile bridging networking and intelligent systems.
Ching-yu Huang is an Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Science and Technology at Kean University within the College of Science, Mathematics and Technology. With a Ph.D. in Computer and Information Sciences from NJIT, he bridges industry experience in Finance, Telecommunications, and Biotechnology with academic roles, focusing on data mining, image processing, and educational technology. Education : Ph.D. (NJIT, 1998), M.S. (NJIT, 1993), B.Eng. (Tamkang University, 1990) Research Interests span bioinformatics (SNP genotype calling), data mining, image processing, GIS, and cyber-learning. His work integrates machine learning with practical applications in medical imaging, social media analysis, and educational tools. Publication Trends show expertise in data analytics for public health, geospatial systems, and educational technologies, with recent studies on pandemic impacts, blockchain, and AI-driven visualization tools. Collaborations with students highlight real-world problem-solving. Scientific Awards : NSF Grant Co-PI (2025-2029) Kean Presidential Excellence in Teaching (2023) NSF DUE Grant Co-PI (2021-2026) Multiple SpF and STEMPact Awards (2017-2023) Teaching & Grants : Courses include Data Mining, Database Systems, and Unix Programming. He has secured significant NSF funding for cybersecurity and data science education, mentoring over 20 students in research initiatives. Labs & Teams : Faculty advisor for Code Samurai peer-tutoring Collaborator in NIH UMDNJ research Co-PI in NSF grants for educational innovation
Giovanna Guerrini is an Associate Professor in the Department of Informatics, Bioengineering, Robotics, and Systems Engineering (DIBRIS) at the University of Genoa, Italy. She is actively involved in research, teaching, and academic service, with leadership roles in major conferences such as EDBT (Executive Board Member and Treasurer), SOFSEM (Track Chair), and UMAP (Workshop Chair). Her research interests include: Data Management Large Scale and Semantic Data Management Approximate and Adaptive Query Processing Linked Data and Ontology Matching Graph Matching and Geospatial Ontologies Spatio-Temporal Data and Location Inference Computer Science Education and Computational Thinking Her recent publications show a growing focus on computer science education, particularly in using gamified and extended reality environments, Sonic Pi for teaching concurrency, and AI-driven tools for enhancing computational thinking. This reflects a shift toward pedagogical innovation and student-centered learning methodologies. She has been recognized through active participation in top-tier program committees (SIGMOD, ISWC, ICDE) and organizing key workshops and schools (EDBT School 2017, APCSE at UMAP). No formal scientific awards are listed in the provided text. She advises multiple PhD students, both current and past, and contributes to academic grants and collaborative projects, particularly in database education and data science initiatives. She is affiliated with research groups including the DaMA Research Group, Data Science and Engineering Research Program, Big Data Interest Group UniGe, and CINI Big Data Research Lab.
Mahdi Bashiri is an Associate Professor in the Department of Analytics, Technology and Operations at Leeds University Business School, University of Leeds. He is also affiliated with the Centre for Decision Research (CDR). Previously, he held leadership roles at Coventry University, including Co-lead of the Sustainable Operations and Consumption research cluster and Associate Head of School in Research. Education: Details not explicitly provided in the text. His research spans Supply Chain Analytics, Operations Research, Stochastic Programming, Matheuristics, Home Healthcare Planning, and Wildfire Risk Management . He develops mathematical models and algorithms to solve complex decision-making problems in both public and private sectors. His work enables policymakers and business leaders to make data-driven, impactful decisions. He teaches modules in operations management, supply chain management, and business analytics at undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral levels. The recent articles reflect a strong trend in applying stochastic programming and matheuristic algorithms to real-world challenges such as wildfire risk management, home healthcare planning, sustainable logistics, and automated delivery systems . His publications appear in elite journals like European Journal of Operational Research and Transportation Research Part E , indicating consistent high-impact contributions to operations research and supply chain management. Scientific Awards: Exceptional Performance Award, Coventry University, 2021 Young National Top Scientist Award, Academy of Sciences of the Islamic Republic of Iran, 2013 Mahdi has secured multiple research grants, including from the British Academy and USAID, focusing on humanitarian logistics and environmental resilience. He has successfully supervised over 10 PhD students and welcomes new PhD candidates and visiting researchers. He is an active reviewer and serves on the editorial advisory board of Transportation Research Part E . He is a member of the Operational Research Society. Labs and Research Groups: Centre for Decision Research (CDR), University of Leeds Formerly Co-lead, Sustainable Operations and Consumption Research Cluster, Coventry University
Jeffrey Chan is a Professor and Associate Dean of Data Science & Artificial Intelligence at RMIT University's School of Computing Technologies. His research focuses on machine learning, recommender systems, responsible AI, and interdisciplinary applications in sustainability, healthcare, and transportation. He has held roles such as Assistant Associate Dean and led projects on fairness-aware systems, energy-efficient recommendations, and AI-driven circular economies. His work bridges theory and practice, collaborating with industry and non-profits. He teaches courses in algorithms, network analytics, and machine learning, and actively supervises PhD and Honours students. Notable contributions include grants from the Australian Research Council and a Best Paper Award at ACM International Conference on Web Science 2011. His research also addresses ethical challenges in AI, such as fairness and transparency, and explores mobility solutions like e-scooter dynamics and parking optimization. Research Interests: Machine Learning, Recommender Systems, Data-Driven Optimization, Social Network Analysis, Responsible AI, Cloud Security, and Sustainability. Awards: Best Paper Award at ACM International Conference on Web Science 2011 Grants: Australian Research Council Discovery Project (2017–2019), Early Career Researcher Grant (2015), and EU FP7 ROBUST project (2011–2013). Labs/Teams: Leads initiatives in AI ethics, mobility systems, and interdisciplinary data science collaborations.
Piret Upser is a Research Fellow in Linguistic Anthropology at the Institute of Cultural Research, Faculty of Arts and Humanities, University of Tartu. She holds a Doctor's Degree in Linguistics (2025) and a Master's Degree in Estonian and Finno-Ugric Linguistics (2020), both from the University of Tartu. Her academic work focuses on spoken interaction, particularly in emergency and institutional contexts. Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), University of Tartu, 2025 Master of Arts (MA), University of Tartu, cum laude, 2020 Bachelor of Arts (BA), University of Tartu, 2018 Her research centers on linguistic anthropology, pragmatics, and conversation analysis, with a strong emphasis on Estonian emergency calls. She investigates interactional problems, politeness and impoliteness, response particles, and spatial referencing in high-stakes communication. Her work bridges theoretical linguistics with practical applications in emergency response training and language policy. The 15 most recent publications reflect a consistent focus on emergency communication, multimodal interaction, and discourse in institutional settings. Her articles appear in journals and conference proceedings related to applied linguistics, pragmatics, and Estonian language studies, demonstrating expertise in both qualitative discourse analysis and real-world language use. Voldemar Siimon's Prize (2023) II prize of the National Student Research Competition (2020) Ants and Maria Silvere and Sigfried Pants Memorial Fund's Prize (2019) Piret Upser has contributed to significant research projects such as "ARS MORIENDI ESTONIA 2030" and "Language in the digital age: spoken interaction and instant messaging." She is actively involved in academic service as a member of the Mother Tongue Society, the International Pragmatics Association, and the Estonian Copy Editors' Association. Her work includes advising on training programs for emergency response personnel and contributing to linguistic tools for crisis communication. She has no formal advisees listed but collaborates extensively with senior researchers in her field. She is part of research teams analyzing spoken interaction in digital and institutional environments, with a focus on improving communication practices in emergency services and end-of-life care contexts.
Prof. Margaretha Gansterer is a full professor and Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Law at Alpen-Adria-Universität Klagenfurt. She leads the Institute for Production, Energy and Environmental Management and the Department of Production Management and Logistics. Her work focuses on production economics, logistics optimization, and collaborative transportation systems. Key research areas include supply chain resilience, vehicle routing problems, and disaster response logistics. Her research addresses challenges such as decentralized production planning, automated parcel locker networks, and emergency resource allocation during crises. Notable contributions include methodologies for demand uncertainty mitigation, horizontal collaboration in transportation, and optimization of multi-agent systems. Prof. Gansterer's recent publications (2023–2025) emphasize pandemic-related logistics, such as SARS-CoV-2 testing strategies in healthcare settings and contingency planning for driver absenteeism. She also explores innovative applications of combinatorial auctions and artificial intelligence in logistics decision-making. Research Priorities: Business Administration, Logistics, Production Management Leadership Roles: Senate Dean, Institute Head, Department Head Key Facilities: Production Management and Logistics Department (Campus South Wing East) Her work integrates simulation-based optimization with real-world supply chain modeling, contributing to both academic and practical advancements in operational efficiency and sustainability.
Daniel Gartner is a Professor of Operational Research at Cardiff University's School of Mathematics. His research focuses on mathematical programming, optimization, and machine learning applied to healthcare operations and service industry problems. He collaborates extensively with the NHS, producing impactful mathematical models that lead to significant cost savings and carbon footprint reductions in healthcare delivery. Gartner is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and serves as an Area Editor for several international journals including INFORMS Journal on Data Science, Operations Research for Healthcare, and Health Systems. His educational background includes: PhD in Operations Management (Technische Universität München) Master in Medical Informatics (University of Heidelberg) Master in Computer Science (Université Lyon I) Gartner's research centers on applying quantitative methods to healthcare operations across strategic, tactical, and operational decision levels. His work spans hospital-wide patient scheduling, resource optimization, and machine learning applications for healthcare planning. He has developed job shop scheduling models for healthcare services and created optimization approaches for reusable medical equipment management. His research bridges theoretical operations research with practical healthcare applications, focusing on improving efficiency while maintaining high-quality patient care. Analysis of Gartner's recent publications reveals a strong focus on applying operational research to elderly care, emergency services, and mental health challenges. His work increasingly integrates predictive and prescriptive analytics, with growing emphasis on sustainability in healthcare operations. There's a clear trend toward multi-disciplinary collaborations with healthcare professionals to address real-world problems like virtual ward capacity planning, surgical instrument decontamination, and ADHD monitoring services. Award highlights include: Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy EPSRC Peer Review College member (top 6% ranking for 2019/20) Cardiff University's Celebrating Excellence 2019 Rising Star Award Multiple prizes at international conferences including INFORMS healthcare and ORAHS Gartner currently supervises six PhD students on healthcare operations research projects funded by EPSRC CASE and KESS2 scholarships. His students work on topics including virtual ward capacity planning, ADHD monitoring, and optimizing adolescent mental health services. He has co-designed a program with the NHS to support clinicians and managers in healthcare analytics, creating a network of modeling fellows. His research collaborations with healthcare providers have led to practical implementations of mathematical models in real healthcare settings, demonstrating strong industry and NHS engagement.
Professor Paul Harper is a distinguished academic in the School of Mathematics at Cardiff University, where he holds the position of Professor of Operational Research. With over 110 peer-reviewed publications and £18 million in funded research grants as a named investigator, he has established himself as a leading expert in applying mathematical methods to healthcare systems. He is also a founding editor-in-chief of the international journal Health Systems (Taylor & Francis) and has successfully supervised 22 PhD students to completion. Harper's research focuses on stochastic Operational Research, including queueing theory, simulation methods, optimization, and game theory, with particular applications to healthcare systems. His work spans mathematical modeling of healthcare resources, disease prevention and detection, and machine learning approaches to improve healthcare delivery. His research has significant practical impact, as evidenced by his REF2021 sub-panel membership for Mathematical Sciences and numerous awards recognizing his contributions to the field. Professor Harper's extensive publication record demonstrates consistent contributions across multiple domains of healthcare operations research. His recent work shows a strong trend toward applying advanced modeling techniques to emergency and urgent care services, elderly patient care, and resource allocation challenges in diverse healthcare settings including dental care and mental health services. His research increasingly integrates behavioral aspects with traditional operations research methods to create more realistic and effective models. Among his notable achievements are being elected as a Fellow of the Learned Society of Wales (FLSW), receiving the Companion of OR Award and the Lyn Thomas Impact Medal from The OR Society, and a Times Higher Education award for 'Outstanding Contribution to Innovation and Technology.' His research has been instrumental in informing national health policy and transforming healthcare delivery through mathematical modeling. As a dedicated educator and mentor, Professor Harper has supervised 22 PhD students to successful completion and has been actively involved in postgraduate supervision. His research grants totaling £18 million have supported numerous projects addressing critical challenges in healthcare delivery, resource planning, and service optimization across various medical specialties. Professor Harper leads research in the Operational Research group at Cardiff University, focusing on applying quantitative methods to solve complex healthcare challenges. His work bridges theoretical operations research with practical healthcare applications, creating impactful solutions for real-world problems in healthcare systems worldwide.
