Antonino Vallesi is a Full Professor in Neuropsychology and Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of Padua. He holds a master's degree in Psychology (University of Padua, 2003) and a PhD in Neuroscience (SISSA, Trieste, 2007). He has held roles as Assistant and Associate Professor at SISSA and the University of Padua before achieving his current rank. His research focuses on executive functions, cognitive aging, and temporal processing, employing neuroimaging, EEG, and experimental psychology methods. He has supervised over 10 PhD students, 13 postdocs, and 65 trainees. Education: PhD in Neuroscience, SISSA, Trieste (2007) Master's in Psychology, University of Padua (2003) Research Interests: The anatomo-functional organization of executive functions, cognitive aging, temporal processing, and neuropsychological methodologies. His work explores these areas through advanced techniques like EEG, neuroimaging, and neuromodulation. Awards: Bertelson Award (2011) Outstanding Young Person Award (2011) SIPF Prize (2017) ERC Starting Grant (2013) Advising & Grants: Supervisor of over 10 PhD students and 13 postdocs. Secured significant funding including an ERC grant. Involved in grant reviewing for EU programs (e.g., Horizon 2020) and international agencies. Labs & Teams: Leads the Executive Function Lab at the University of Padua, focusing on cognitive neuroscience and clinical applications.
Roberto Martinez-Maldonado is an Associate Professor in the Department of Human Centred Computing at Monash University's Faculty of Information Technology. He holds a PhD in Human-Computer Interaction and Educational Data Mining from the University of Sydney. His research focuses on Learning Analytics, Artificial Intelligence in Education, and Collaborative Learning, with applications in healthcare and classroom settings. Prior to Monash, he worked at the Connected Intelligence Centre (CIC) and as a lecturer at the University of Technology, Sydney. His academic journey includes a Master's in Information Technology from Universidad Tecmilenio and a Bachelor's in Computer Systems Engineering from Instituto Tecnológico de Mérida. Key research projects include developing analytics dashboards for healthcare simulations, teamwork analytics for professional education, and AI-driven tools for reflective practice. His innovations include the HuCETA framework and the Data Storytelling editor, which enhance educational data visualization and teacher-student interaction. He has received multiple awards, including the 2022 Best Student Paper and 2020 Best Paper Award. His work contributes to UN Sustainable Development Goals related to quality education. He supervises PhD students in Multimodal Teamwork and Classroom Analytics. Roberto is actively involved in academic conferences, serving on program committees for LAK and AIED. Media engagements include ABC Radio interviews discussing classroom design and AI in education.
David Lydon-Staley is an Associate Professor at the Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania, where he serves as Principal Investigator of the Addiction, Health, & Adolescence (AHA!) Lab. His research integrates neuroscience with communication science to examine substance use, media effects, and curiosity using fMRI, ecological momentary assessment, and network analysis. Education includes a Ph.D. in Human Development & Family Studies from The Pennsylvania State University, an M.S. from Penn State, an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from Drexel University (2025), and a B.A. in Psychology and English Literature from Trinity College Dublin. Research focuses on three interconnected areas: curiosity in media environments and health communication, media engagement in emotion dynamics, and substance use through dynamic network perspectives. Work emphasizes intensive longitudinal measurement of brain-behavior interactions during daily life. Recent publications (2023-2025) predominantly explore tobacco behavior, neural mechanisms of addiction, curiosity modulation, and social media's emotional impacts. Articles demonstrate consistent themes: fMRI analysis of inhibitory control, real-time geospatial tracking of smoking triggers, curiosity-based health messaging, and emotion regulation networks. Research has been supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, Jacobs Foundation, International Society for Behavioral Development, Center for Curiosity, and Brain & Behavior Research Foundation. Leads the Addiction, Health, & Adolescence (AHA!) Lab investigating substance use through network science approaches. Collaborates with the Complex Systems Lab at Penn's Department of Bioengineering.
Bärbel Finkenstädt Rand is a Senior Tutor at the Warwick Medical School , University of Warwick, with extensive research contributions at the intersection of statistics, machine learning, and biomedical sciences. Her work focuses on developing advanced methodologies for analyzing temporal and spatio-temporal data, particularly in circadian rhythms and disease dynamics. Research Themes : Bayesian inference, Hidden Markov Models, circadian rhythm stability, transcriptional bursting, and wearable sensor data analysis. Collaborations : Chronotherapy Group at Warwick, Université Paris-Saclay, and interdisciplinary teams across medicine, genetics, and computational biology. Publications reveal a strong emphasis on circadian health monitoring, gene expression dynamics, and epidemic modeling using stochastic frameworks. Her recent work prioritizes personalized medicine applications through telemonitored biomarkers and IoT platforms . Methodological Innovations include spline-based HMMs, distributed delay systems, and harmonic modeling for nonstationary time series. Applications span oncology, sleep medicine, and population ecology.
David S. Matteson is a Professor and Associate Department Chair in the Department of Statistics and Data Science at Cornell University. He holds affiliations with the Bowers College of Computing and Information Science, the ILR School, the Center for Applied Mathematics, and the Program in Financial Engineering. His research focuses on developing statistical and machine learning methodologies for complex systems, with applications in finance, environmental science, healthcare, and nanotechnology. He received his PhD in Statistics from the University of Chicago and a BSB in Finance, Mathematics, and Statistics from the University of Minnesota. His awards include the NSF CAREER Award (2015), SUNY Chancellor’s Award (2022), and Fellowships from the Institute of Mathematical Statistics and American Statistical Association (2024). Research interests span theoretical methods like changepoint analysis, high-dimensional time series, and functional data, alongside applied domains such as systemic risk, climate change, and medical imaging. He leads major NSF-funded initiatives including the PRISM Institute for Trans-domain Systemic Risk and the TRIPODS Greater Data Science Cooperative Institute (GDSC). Editorial Roles: Founding Editor-in-Chief of Data Science in Science , Associate Editor for Journal of Econometrics , and former editor for multiple statistical journals. Leadership: Chair of the ASA’s Business and Economic Statistics Section (2024), Director of the National Institute of Statistical Sciences (NISS). Grants: PI/Co-PI on NSF and USAID projects addressing systemic risk, energy systems, and poverty estimation.
Dr. Neashan Mathavan is a Lecturer in the Department of Health Sciences and Technology at ETH Zürich, affiliated with the Institut für Biomechanik . His research focuses on musculoskeletal biomechanics, aging-related bone deterioration, and spatial omics approaches to study fracture healing and mechanoregulation. He has pioneered work on mouse models of premature aging (e.g., PolgA mice) to investigate sex-specific mechanisms of bone regeneration and frailty. Key areas include spatial transcriptomics, osteocyte function, and the role of mechanical loading in musculoskeletal repair. Dr. Mathavan’s research integrates advanced imaging techniques (e.g., spatial μProBe, super-resolution spatial transcriptomics) with biomechanical testing to elucidate molecular and structural changes in aging bones. His recent studies emphasize the interplay between mechanical signals and molecular pathways in bone regeneration, particularly in contexts like osteoporosis and osteoarthritis. He has also developed novel osteochondral explant models to study cartilage-bone crosstalk in osteoarthritis. His publications span 2009–2025, with a focus on translational studies linking mechanobiology to clinical outcomes. Notable contributions include investigating the efficacy of BMP-7 and zoledronate therapies in bone regeneration, as well as the role of IL-1β in osteochondral tissues. His work has implications for personalized therapies targeting musculoskeletal aging and degenerative diseases. Dr. Mathavan supervises PhD students like Riyin Tay, who explored palliative care for advanced dementia patients. He collaborates on grants involving biomechanical modeling, spatial omics, and transgenic mouse models. His laboratory at ETH Zürich’s Institut für Biomechanik is equipped for advanced imaging, mechanical testing, and molecular biology.
Helen Verran is a Professorial Research Fellow at Charles Darwin University's Northern Institute within the Faculty of Arts and Society. An accomplished ethnographer with a distinguished career spanning seven universities across four continents, she has dedicated her academic life to exploring cross-cultural knowledge work, particularly with Indigenous communities. Before joining Charles Darwin University, she spent twenty-five years teaching and researching in History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Melbourne, where she collaborated extensively with Yolngu Aboriginal knowledge authorities. University of Melbourne (25 years in History and Philosophy of Science) Nigeria (8 years in the 1980s working with Yoruba teachers) Charles Darwin University (current position at the Northern Institute) Verran's research centers on ethnographic approaches to knowledge production in an era dominated by numerics, algorithms, and big data. She investigates how first-person experience and Indigenous knowledge systems can inform policy and governance, preventing crucial aspects of human experience from being lost in purely quantitative approaches. Her work spans Indigenous knowledge traditions, philosophy of science, comparative philosophy, and decolonizing practices, with particular focus on Yolngu Aboriginal Australian knowledge systems and Yoruba knowledge from Nigeria. She has developed innovative 'Ground Up' research methods that enhance Indigenous sovereignties and has made significant contributions to Science and Technology Studies (STS), especially regarding numbers and enumeration in cross-cultural contexts. Her recent publications reveal a sustained engagement with decolonizing methodologies, museum epistemology, Indigenous knowledge systems, and the philosophical implications of cross-cultural knowledge exchange. Verran's work consistently examines the tensions between different knowledge systems while developing practical approaches for working across these differences respectfully. She has made notable contributions to understanding Indigenous mathematics and the role of numbers in different cultural contexts, as evidenced by her award-winning book 'Science and an African Logic' (2001). Vice Chancellor's Award for Research Impact (2023) International prizes for 'Science and an African Logic' (2001) Referenced in Wikipedia pages Verran actively supervises postgraduate research and shares her expertise through 'Espresso Yourself!' sessions for Higher Degree by Research students. Her current projects include 'Design and evaluation as strategies/practices for exploring organisational sustainability' and 'Hope and a Decolonising Pedagogy,' reflecting her commitment to developing practical applications of her theoretical work. She has established collaborative research frameworks with Indigenous communities in Arnhem Land, particularly focused on digital technologies, environmental management, and education in remote settlements. As an active participant in academic networks, Verran organizes conferences and workshops on STS and Indigenous methodologies, including the 'Making and Doing Top End Science and Technology Studies together' event in 2024. Her work contributes significantly to Sustainable Development Goals related to quality education, reduced inequalities, and peace, justice and strong institutions.
John Leahy is the Allen Sinai Professor of Macroeconomics and Public Policy at the University of Michigan, holding dual appointments in the Department of Economics (College of Literature, Science, and the Arts) and the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy. As Chair of the Economics Department, he focuses on macroeconomic theory, monetary policy, and behavioral economics, particularly rational inattention models. His research emphasizes how cognitive limitations and information processing affect economic decisions, contrasting classical economic assumptions. Leahy has held positions at Harvard, NYU, and Boston University, and served as Coeditor of the American Economic Review and Editor of the American Economic Journal: Macroeconomics. He consults with Federal Reserve Banks, advocating for data-driven, question-first research methodologies. His work bridges theoretical rigor and practical applications, influencing policy analysis and academic discourse. Education: PhD in Macroeconomics from Princeton University; MSFS from Georgetown University; BA in Math and History. His research spans macroeconomic policy, structural change, and behavioral models of decision-making, with recent focus on wishful thinking and imperfect information processing. He collaborates widely, emphasizing interdisciplinary approaches and creative problem-solving. Key contributions include modeling rational inattention, analyzing age structure impacts on monetary policy, and exploring North-South economic disparities. His editorial leadership and academic mentorship reflect his commitment to advancing innovative economic inquiry.
Shannon Neibergs is an academic professional at Washington State University (WSU), serving as Director of the Western Center for Risk Management Education and Extension Specialist in the School of Economic Sciences. She holds a Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics from Texas A&M University (1993), an M.A. in Agricultural Economics from WSU (1987), and a B.S. in Animal Science from WSU (1983). Her research focuses on livestock production economics, auction market dynamics, and agribusiness employment strategies, with significant contributions to risk management education and sustainable agriculture. Notable honors include NACAA National and Regional Finalist awards for team newsletters (2010, 2008), a Faculty Member of the Year Award (University of Louisville, 1997), and multiple annual evaluation awards for service and research excellence. Her work bridges academic research with practical extension programs, addressing challenges in beef production systems, genomic selection tools, and rangeland management. Risk Management Education: Leads initiatives to help farmers navigate market uncertainties and policy changes. Livestock Economics: Specializes in production costs, crossbreeding impacts, and disease management economics. Regional Agriculture: Analyzes economic contributions of Washington's beef and dairy sectors through input-output models. Her advisory and collaborative efforts include managing the Western Center for Risk Management and contributing to the Beef Risk Control (BRD CAP) project. She collaborates with ranchers and policymakers to enhance agricultural resilience. Active in interdisciplinary teams such as the IMPACT Center and Transportation Research Group, her work emphasizes translating research into actionable solutions for agricultural stakeholders.
Prof. Melanie Schienle is a Professor and Chair of Statistical Methods and Econometrics at the Department of Economics and Management, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). She also holds a professorship in the Department of Mathematics at KIT since 2021. Her expertise spans statistical methods, econometrics, financial risk analysis, and forecasting. She leads the HKMetrics Network and the RespiNow Hub for respiratory disease forecasting. She serves as a Senior Fellow at the Rimini Center for Economic Analysis (RCEA), a steering committee member of the German Economic Association, and a member of the University Research Council at KIT. Education: Ph.D. (Dr. rer. pol.) in Economics from Mannheim University (2008), summa cum laude; Diploma in Mathematics (University of Karlsruhe, 2003) with a minor in theoretical physics. She has held academic positions at Leibniz University Hannover (2012–2015) and Humboldt University of Berlin (2008–2012). Research interests focus on financial networks, systemic risk, time series analysis, and machine learning applications in economics. She co-leads projects on nowcasting and forecasting, including collaborative efforts during the pandemic to predict hospitalizations. Her work integrates advanced statistical techniques with real-world policy implications. Prof. Schienle is an Associate Editor for the International Journal of Forecasting and Journal of Time Series Analysis . She has authored over 50 peer-reviewed publications and contributed to high-impact journals like Nature Communications and Journal of Business & Economic Statistics . She leads the Institute of Statistics at KIT and chairs the MathSEE initiative for interdisciplinary mathematical applications.
Jiehong Lou is an Assistant Research Professor and Assistant Research Director at the Center for Global Sustainability (CGS) within the University of Maryland School of Public Policy. Her expertise spans climate finance, energy economics, environmental policy, and transportation equity. She holds a PhD in policy sciences from the University of Maryland, with additional degrees in public policy and applied economics from the same institution, and a BA in public policy from Tongji University in China. Her research focuses on mobilizing private climate finance, corporate motivations for carbon investments, evaluating co-benefits of climate projects, and analyzing disparities in transportation and energy accessibility. She previously served as a postdoctoral fellow with the Maryland Transportation Institute. Her work often integrates interdisciplinary approaches, combining economic modeling with policy analysis to address global sustainability challenges. Lou has contributed to high-ambition climate pathways for countries like Indonesia, South Korea, and China, emphasizing equitable transitions and policy reforms. She co-authored studies on EV infrastructure equity, coal phaseout strategies, and the socioeconomic impacts of energy policies. Her recent projects include analyzing renewable energy investment needs in China and Indonesia’s decarbonization pathways. Lou collaborates with international organizations and policymakers, bridging academic research with practical climate solutions. Her work is published in journals like npj Climate Action and peer-reviewed energy policy outlets, with a focus on actionable insights for policymakers and stakeholders.
Tom Brughmans serves as Associate Professor in Classical Archaeology at Aarhus University's School of Culture and Society, where he pioneers the application of network science and computational modeling to archaeological questions. His work bridges theoretical archaeology with complexity science, focusing on long-term economic dynamics in the Roman Empire through quantitative analysis of material culture distribution. His research centers on developing methodological frameworks for archaeological network analysis, with specific expertise in Roman economic integration, amphorae trade networks, and agent-based simulation of ancient economies. Brughmans advocates for computational reproducibility and open-science practices, creating accessible tools that transform complex archaeological data into analyzable network structures while challenging traditional interpretations of Roman market systems. Brughmans' publication trajectory reveals three dominant trends: advancing theoretical foundations of archaeological network science through handbooks and methodological guides; empirical investigations into Roman economic complexity using big-data approaches to amphorae distributions; and development of public-facing simulation platforms that translate academic research into interactive experiences. His work consistently integrates computational techniques with archaeological evidence to model socio-economic processes across centuries. His scientific recognition includes prestigious competitive fellowships: Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship (2017-2019) for the MERCURY project Marie-Curie Individual Fellowship (2019-2020) for SIMREC Brughmans directs multiple major research initiatives including the Past Social Networks Project (an open repository for ancient network data), NEFLARA (a Marie-Curie project developing landscape archaeology frameworks), and MINERVA (focused on Roman economic functioning). He has secured substantial funding from the Leverhulme Trust, Marie-Curie Actions, and ERASMUS+ for projects advancing computational archaeology, while actively promoting collaborative research through platforms like FORVM that make economic modeling accessible to broader audiences. As a core member of Aarhus University's Centre for Urban Network Evolutions (UrbNet), he contributes to interdisciplinary investigations of ancient urban connectivity. His leadership extends to developing international research networks through the Oxford Handbook of Archaeological Network Research and creating open educational resources that democratize access to network analysis methodologies in archaeology.
Emanuel Sallinger is a Full Professor at TU Wien's Databases and Artificial Intelligence Group and Vice Dean of Academic Affairs for Business Informatics and Data Science. He leads the Knowledge Graph Lab, focusing on scalable knowledge-based systems, reasoning in knowledge graphs, and AI integration. His research spans computational logic, database theory, and blockchain applications. Education: PhD in Computer Science (awarded 'sub auspiciis praesidentis rei publicae'), Master's degrees in Computational Intelligence and Informatics Management, and a Bachelor's in Software and Information Engineering. Research Interests: Knowledge graphs (construction, reasoning, scalability), logic-based systems, AI/ML integration with databases, enterprise architecture modeling, and financial knowledge systems. His work emphasizes practical applications like enterprise modeling, sustainable waste management, and regulatory compliance. Grants & Projects: Lead Vienna Science and Technology Fund (WWTF)-funded Knowledge Graph Lab. Involved in projects like 'Knowledge Graph-driven Tour Management' (sustainability), 'SustainGraph' (waste processing), and 'Enterprise Architecture Knowledge Graphs'. Teaching: Offers courses on Knowledge Graphs, Generative AI, Database Systems, and research methodology. Supervises doctoral and master's students in AI, databases, and knowledge representation. Labs/Teams: Knowledge Graph Lab at TU Wien, collaborating with industry on blockchain-based systems, financial AI, and enterprise architecture frameworks.
Dr. Reza Montasari is a Senior Lecturer in Cyber Threats at Swansea University's Hillary Rodham Clinton School of Law. He holds a BSc in Multimedia Computing and MSc in Computer Forensics from the University of South Wales, and a PhD in Digital Forensics from the University of Derby. His professional memberships include Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA) and Chartered Engineer (CEng). Montasari’s research focuses on Digital Forensics, Cyber Security, and Cyber Terrorism, with over 50 publications. He has authored/co-authored books like Cyberspace, Cyberterrorism and International Security (2024) and Countering Cyberterrorism (2023). His work bridges technical and legal aspects of cyber threats, addressing AI’s role in counterterrorism and national security. He has held roles such as External Examiner at the University of South Wales and leadership positions in cybersecurity initiatives. His expertise includes IoT forensics, dark web challenges, and digital policing strategies. Montasari also collaborates with law enforcement agencies like Cheshire Police and advises media on cybersecurity issues. Key contributions include editorial board memberships, conference presentations (e.g., ICGS3), and contributions to cybersecurity policy development. His research emphasizes ethical AI applications, privacy rights, and mitigating cyber threats in modern societies.
Gabriella Giannachi is Professor of Performance and New Media and Director of the Centre for Intermedia at the University of Exeter's Faculty of Humanities, Department of English. She leads interdisciplinary collaborations between artists, academics, and scientists to advance research in performance and digital arts. Her educational background includes: BA in Modern Languages and Literatures from Turin University's Faculty of Letters and Philosophy PhD in English from Cambridge University, researching silence in modern European Drama with Trinity Hall scholarship Giannachi's research pioneers performance documentation in mixed reality environments, examining how digital archives function as mobile interpretation hubs for cultural engagement. She investigates mobile user-generated documentation's role in knowledge production, museum visitor dynamics, memory formation, and identity construction within ecological and heritage contexts, with significant focus on copyright and accessibility implications. Her publication trends reveal consistent exploration of presence theory across physical-digital boundaries, with award-winning CHI conference papers (2009-2013) and books like 'Performing Mixed Reality' (2011) establishing frameworks for understanding mixed reality performance, environmental art, and digital heritage preservation. Her scientific recognition includes: Three consecutive CHI Best Paper Awards (2009, 2012, 2013) Theatre Library Association Book Award nomination for 'Performing Presence' (2012) Royal Society of Arts Fellowship nomination (2012) While specific advisees aren't documented, her research partnerships demonstrate extensive collaborative supervision across institutions including Tate, Imperial War Museum, British Library, and Stanford Libraries, securing projects that integrate artistic practice with scientific research. As Centre for Intermedia Director, she cultivates experimental teams investigating how digital archives transform cultural engagement through mobile platforms, particularly in environmental contexts via partnerships with Met Office Hadley Centre and Ludwig Boltzman Institute.
