Noman Mohammed is an Associate Professor of Computer Science at the University of Manitoba’s Faculty of Science, leading the Data Security & Privacy (DSP) laboratory. He specializes in privacy-preserving techniques for data sharing, addressing challenges in healthcare, genomic, and financial data. In 2020, he received the Terry G. Falconer Memorial Rh Institute Foundation Emerging Researcher Award for his contributions to bridging privacy and data utility gaps. His research focuses on balancing data accessibility and individual privacy through technical solutions like federated learning, differential privacy, and secure genomic data processing. He emphasizes integrating policy guidelines with advanced technologies to mitigate privacy risks from interconnected data sources. Notable achievements include developing toolkits for data anonymization and federated learning frameworks, as well as advancing methods to secure cloud-based data storage and analysis. His work aligns with societal needs for robust privacy mechanisms in an era of expanding personal data collection. Future objectives involve addressing privacy challenges in emerging technologies, such as heterogeneous data integration and scalable systems for personal data management. Despite his research focus, he notably avoids social media platforms.
Guillaume Lajoie is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at Université de Montréal and a Core Academic Member of Mila – Quebec Artificial Intelligence Institute. He holds a Canada CIFAR AI Research Chair and a Canada Research Chair in Neural Computation and Interfacing. His research focuses on the intersection of AI and neuroscience, particularly in understanding neural network dynamics and developing brain-machine interfaces for clinical and scientific applications. He is affiliated with the Centre de recherches mathématiques (CRM), the Interdisciplinary Center for Research on the Brain and Learning (CIRCA), and the UNIQUE initiative. Education: PhD in Applied Mathematics from the University of Washington (Seattle), postdoctoral fellowships at the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and the University of Washington Institute for Neuroengineering. Awards include the FRQS Scholar designation and leadership roles in strategic research initiatives like UNIQUE and CIRCA. Research interests include neural computations, recurrent neural networks, neurotechnology, and responsible AI development. Supervised students include François Paugam (PhD), Giancarlo Kerg (PhD), and others. Key grants include projects on adaptive neuroprosthetics, neural decoding, and Canada Research Chairs funding.
Dr. Wenjing Zhang is an Assistant Professor in the School of Computer Science at the University of Guelph, Canada. She holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Guelph (2024) and was a visiting research scholar at the University of Arizona's Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (2016–2018). Her research focuses on cybersecurity in AI/ML, including security threats to models, privacy-preserving techniques, and data privacy in generative AI. She leads projects on robust defenses against adversarial attacks, secure federated learning, and privacy-preserving prompt engineering for LLMs. Dr. Zhang’s research areas include: Security in AI/ML (e.g., poisoning, evasion, prompt injection attacks) Model Privacy (protection of internal parameters) Data Privacy (synthetic data generation, privacy-preserving prompt engineering) She has secured a five-year NSERC Discovery Grant (2025–2030) for her research on enhancing security, privacy, and fairness in generative AI. Her work has been published in top-tier venues such as NeurIPS, IEEE Transactions on Information Forensics and Security, and IEEE Transactions on Communications. She is a recipient of the 2022 Westin Scholar Award and serves on technical committees for IEEE conferences including CNS 2025 and ICC 2025. Her team collaborates on interdisciplinary projects involving federated learning, information theory, and reinforcement learning. She actively seeks partnerships in security, privacy, and generative AI applications.
Dr. Karim El-Basyouny is a Killam Laureate Professor and City of Edmonton Urban Traffic Safety Research Chair at the University of Alberta's Faculty of Engineering, where he serves as Associate Dean (Research Infrastructure and Innovation) in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department. A licensed Professional Engineer in Alberta, he holds advanced degrees in Transportation Engineering from the University of British Columbia and has dedicated his career to advancing road safety through data-driven management frameworks. His academic credentials include: Doctor of Philosophy, Civil Engineering, University of British Columbia, 2011 Engineering Management Sub-specialization, Civil Engineering, University of British Columbia, 2010 Master of Applied Science, Civil Engineering, University of British Columbia, 2006 Bachelor's degree (ABET Equivalent), Civil & Environmental Engineering, United Arab Emirates University, 2003 El-Basyouny's research pioneers the integration of remote sensing, machine learning, and statistical modeling to enhance transportation safety. His work develops automated tools for infrastructure digitization, collision prediction, and speed management, treating safety as a systemic product requiring management frameworks. Key contributions include LiDAR-based road feature extraction, network-level safety evaluations, and frameworks for vision-zero outcomes that address both human-driven and autonomous vehicle contexts. His recent publications demonstrate a cohesive research trajectory centered on leveraging point cloud data and computational intelligence for safety management. Over 15 major publications since 2021 focus on automated infrastructure assessment (light pole detection, clear zone mapping, vertical clearance evaluation), weather-impact modeling, and enforcement resource optimization. This body of work bridges transportation engineering with computer vision and operations research to create scalable safety solutions. His scientific contributions have been recognized with prestigious honors including: 2024 Killam Annual Professorship Award 2024 Road Safety Achievement Award from TAC 2023 Donald Stanley Award for environmental engineering 2022 Faculty of Engineering Graduate Teaching Award 2021 Daniel B. Fambro Student Paper Award As an academic leader, El-Basyouny actively mentors graduate students and secures significant research funding through his endowed chair position. He currently recruits fully-funded PhD and postdoctoral candidates specializing in remote sensing applications, machine learning, and geomatics for road digitization projects. His research group collaborates with national safety committees and municipal agencies to translate findings into policy, while he serves on editorial boards for Transportation Research Record and Analytic Methods in Accident Research. The research group operates at the intersection of transportation engineering and computational science, developing automated frameworks that merge sensor technologies with data processing tools. Current projects focus on semantic segmentation of 3D point clouds, safety implications of infrastructure digitization, and machine learning applications for road feature extraction in both urban and rural environments.
Oussama Damen is a Professor at the University of Waterloo's Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. His research focuses on advanced wireless communication systems, particularly in MIMO (Multiple-Input Multiple-Output) systems, signal processing, and machine learning applications in telecommunications. He is actively involved in developing innovative solutions for beamforming, hybrid precoding, and distributed decoding in massive MIMO and millimeter-wave networks. Damen's work also extends to optical fiber communication, federated learning in wireless systems, and optimization of resource allocation in next-generation networks like 5G/6G. His research interests include wireless communication theory, antenna system design, channel modeling, and algorithm development for improving spectral and energy efficiency. He has contributed extensively to the theoretical foundations of MIMO detection, lattice reduction techniques, and statistical signal processing methods. Notable trends in his publications emphasize bridging theoretical performance limits with practical implementations, particularly in scenarios involving channel impairments, limited backhaul capacity, and multi-core fiber transmission. His work often addresses fairness and optimization in distributed systems, including federated learning frameworks and hybrid beamforming architectures. No scientific awards or grants are explicitly mentioned in the provided information. Damen has advised no listed students, and no specific lab affiliations are noted.
Gautam Kamath is an Assistant Professor at the University of Waterloo's Cheriton School of Computer Science, a Faculty Member at the Vector Institute, and a Canada CIFAR AI Chair. He leads The Salon, a research group focused on statistics, algorithms, machine learning, and optimization. His work bridges theoretical foundations with practical applications in data privacy and robustness, contributing to both academic research and real-world deployments that impact millions of users. Dr. Kamath earned his PhD and SM degrees in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at MIT, where he was advised by Costis Daskalakis. Prior to MIT, he graduated from Cornell University in May 2012 with a degree in Computer Science and Electrical and Computer Engineering, where he worked with Bobby Kleinberg. His academic journey reflects a strong foundation in both theoretical computer science and practical applications. His research focuses on developing solutions for trustworthy and reliable machine learning and statistics, with particular emphasis on data privacy and robustness. He addresses fundamental problems in these areas, revitalizing statistical toolkits for the modern data era where privacy preservation is paramount. His work spans theoretical foundations of differential privacy to practical applications that have been deployed at scale, including contributions to systems that protect the sensitive information of hundreds of millions of individuals. Analysis of his recent publications reveals a strong trend toward addressing the interplay between privacy, robustness, and machine learning performance. His work increasingly examines practical deployment challenges while maintaining theoretical rigor, with growing emphasis on diffusion models, generative AI, and the legal implications of AI systems. There's a clear trajectory from foundational privacy theory toward addressing real-world implementation challenges across diverse application domains. Canada CIFAR AI Chair Ontario Early Researcher Award 2024 Caspar Bowden Award for Outstanding Research in Privacy Enhancing Technologies STOC Best Student Presentation Award ICML 2024 Best Paper Award Microsoft Research Fellow at the Simons Institute for the Theory of Computing Dr. Kamath actively mentors students, with notable successes including Valentio Iverson winning the Germain-Erdős Undergraduate Award and Chris Trevisan receiving the CRA Outstanding Undergraduate Researcher Award. His service to the research community is extensive, serving as Editor-in-Chief of TMLR, on the Executive Committee of the Learning Theory Alliance, and on steering committees for major conferences including ICML, COLT, and ALT. He has organized numerous workshops focused on privacy-preserving machine learning and differential privacy. Through The Salon research group, Dr. Kamath fosters a collaborative environment where postdoctoral fellows, graduate students, and undergraduates work together on cutting-edge problems at the intersection of statistics, algorithms, machine learning, and optimization. The group maintains strong connections with industry partners and participates in major research initiatives, including the Vector Institute's privacy and security research efforts. Looking forward, Dr. Kamath will be moving to the Computer Science department at NYU's Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences in September 2026, where he plans to expand his research program.
Dan Lizotte is an Associate Professor jointly appointed to the Department of Computer Science in the Faculty of Science and the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics in the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry at Western University. Additional affiliations include the Schulich Interfaculty Program in Public Health and a cross-appointment to the Department of Statistics and Actuarial Sciences. Based in Middlesex College, London, Ontario, his contact email is dlizotte@uwo.ca. His research centers on machine learning and biostatistics for health decision support, with emphasis on sequential decision-making in chronic disease management where evolving patient health status and preferences inform adaptive interventions. Core contributions involve adapting reinforcement learning frameworks to model dynamic health decisions in public health and primary care settings, addressing methodological challenges in personalized medicine and risk prediction. Analysis of his publication record reveals consistent focus on healthcare applications of machine learning, particularly in chronic disease risk modeling using electronic medical records, intersectionality frameworks in public health AI, and Bayesian methods for dose personalization. His work bridges reinforcement learning with clinical decision support systems, advancing dynamic treatment regimes and statistical methodologies for evolving patient data. No scientific awards were mentioned in the provided text. The text does not specify any advisees, grant funding, or educational background details. Lizotte leads a research laboratory focused on machine learning applications in health, as evidenced by the dedicated lab site referenced in his contact information. His team likely explores intersections of statistical methodology, AI ethics, and clinical implementation for personalized health interventions.
Amir-massoud Farahmand is an Associate Professor at the Polytechnique Montréal (Department of Computer and Software Engineering) and a Status-Only Associate Professor at the University of Toronto (Department of Computer Science). He is also a Core Academic Member at Mila (Quebec AI Institute). His research focuses on computational and statistical mechanisms for designing efficient reinforcement learning (RL) agents and adaptive algorithms. Dr. Farahmand's research spans reinforcement learning, optimal transport, adversarial robustness, and model-based methods. He has extensively studied regularization in RL, distributional approaches, and algorithm design for stability and convergence. His textbook Lecture Notes on Reinforcement Learning (2021) emphasizes mathematical intuition over algorithmic collections. Recent publications highlight trends in high-update-ratio RL, distributional equivalence, and self-prediction for task understanding. He is actively involved in teaching, having previously instructed courses on machine learning, neural networks, and RL at the University of Toronto. Scientific Awards : Ontario Early Researcher Award (2024) for Accelerated Reinforcement Learning Algorithms Dr. Farahmand has mentored numerous students, including his first PhD graduate Yangchen Pan (now at Oxford) and MSc students like Allen Bao (AMD) and Farnam Mansouri (University of Waterloo). He is currently recruiting graduate students at Polytechnique Montréal and Mila for 2025 admissions.
Grace Y. Yi is a Professor and Tier I Canada Research Chair in Data Science at the University of Western Ontario, holding a joint appointment in the Departments of Statistical & Actuarial Sciences and Computer Science. She previously served at the University of Waterloo (2000-2019) and earned degrees from Sichuan University (B.Sc., M.Sc. in Mathematics), York University (M.Sc. in Statistics), and the University of Toronto (Ph.D. in Statistics). Her research focuses on statistical methodology for missing/mismeasured data, biostatistics, causal inference, and machine learning. She has authored influential monographs and co-edited major handbooks in her field. Recognized for leadership, she served as SSC President (2021-2022) and holds editorial roles at top journals. Awards include the SSC Gold Medal (2025), CRM-SSC Prize (2010), and Fellowships from the Institute of Mathematical Statistics and American Statistical Association. Her doctoral thesis (2000) under Don Fraser explored asymptotic distributions. She has supervised 23 Ph.D. students, three of whom won the Pierre Robillard Award. She mentors actively and advocates for statistical education globally, including founding the ICSA Canada Chapter. Her work bridges statistical theory and modern machine learning challenges like label noise and domain adaptation.
Scott McDougall is an Associate Professor in the Department of Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences at the University of British Columbia (UBC). He specializes in geohazards, particularly landslides and related risks, with a focus on improving risk assessment and mitigation strategies. His work integrates field data, statistical analysis, numerical modeling, and laboratory experiments to understand landslide dynamics. Education: PhD in Geological Engineering, UBC (2006) BASc in Civil Engineering, University of Toronto (1998) Research Interests: Landslide mobility and runout modeling Tailings dam breaches and their impacts Risk evaluation frameworks for geohazards Shoreline erosion and landslide-generated waves Applications of machine learning in hazard prediction Key Contributions: Development of the UBC Geohazards Research Team to advance landslide risk reduction Leadership in the CanBreach project to improve tailings dam breach analysis Pioneering probabilistic runout prediction models for rock avalanches and debris flows Awards: Engineering Geology Best Paper Award 2024 CDA Published Paper Award Advising & Grants: Supervised over 15 graduate students and postdoctoral fellows Active industry collaborations with mining and engineering firms Funded by NSERC, Mitacs, and industry partnerships Labs & Teams: UBC Geohazards Research Team CanBreach Collaborative Research and Development Project
Shiva Nejati is a Professor at the University of Ottawa 's School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science . He holds a PhD in Computer Science from the University of Toronto and previously worked as a Senior Scientist (2012-2019) and Scientist (2009-2012) at the SnT Centre (University of Luxembourg) and Simula Research Laboratory. Research focus: Software engineering for cyber-physical systems (autonomous vehicles, IoT), blending formal verification, machine learning, and search-based testing Key tools developed: ARIsTEO, SOCRaTEs, SimCoTest, EPIcuRus Editorial roles: Associate Editor for EMSE Journal (2025–), ASE Journal (2025–), IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering (2020–2024) His work combines formal methods , empirical software engineering , and AI/ML to address verification challenges in complex systems, particularly through evolutionary algorithms and surrogate modeling . Notable collaborations include industry partners in telecommunications, automotive, and aerospace sectors. Recent publications emphasize large language models for requirements analysis, adversarial testing of vision systems, and multi-objective optimization for test generation. His Sedna Research Lab actively trains graduate students in these cutting-edge methodologies.
Dr. Saeed Gazor is a full Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Queen's University. He holds a cross-appointment in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics. His research focuses on signal processing applications in electrical energy systems, communications, and medical imaging. He has supervised postdoctoral fellows Babak Ghaffari and Yaser Esmaeili Salehani. Professional affiliations include Senior Member IEEE and membership in the Institution of Engineering and Technology. Education: PhD (1994) in Signal and Image Processing from Télécom ParisTech; M.Sc. (1989) and B.Sc. (1987) from Isfahan University of Technology with highest honors. Academic roles include former Assistant Professor at Isfahan University of Technology (1995–1998) and research associate at University of Toronto (1999). Research interests span detection theory, smart energy systems, hyperspectral imaging, and medical signal processing. Notable contributions include innovations in radar signal processing, sparse signal reconstruction, and adaptive filtering. Active in academic service, including editorial roles in IEEE journals. Awards: Professional Engineer designation from Professional Engineers Ontario. Over 200 peer-reviewed publications with recent focus on AI-driven hyperspectral analysis, robust beamforming, and energy-efficient communication systems. Labs/Teams: Leads signal processing research initiatives at Queen's, collaborating on projects involving smart energy grids, distributed radar networks, and biomedical signal analysis. Current work emphasizes integrating deep learning with traditional signal processing techniques.
Minyi Huang is a Professor in the School of Mathematics and Statistics at Carleton University. His research focuses on Mean Field Stochastic Control, Stochastic Algorithms in Multi-Agent Systems, and Wireless Networks. He holds a Ph.D. from McGill University (2003) and has held postdoctoral positions at the University of Melbourne and the Australian National University. Dr. Huang is a Fellow of IEEE and a Member of SIAM. Education: Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering, McGill University (2003) M.Sc. in Systems and Control, Chinese Academy of Sciences (Beijing) B.Sc. in Mathematics, Shandong University (Jinan, China) Research Interests: Huang's work centers on stochastic control, mean field games, and multi-agent systems. His contributions include theoretical advancements in mean field social optimization, graphon-based control frameworks, and applications in wireless networks and economic models. He has organized workshops on Mathematical Cybernetics and Stochastic Processes, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration. Scientific Awards: Fellow of the IEEE Advising & Grants: Huang has advised numerous graduate students on topics in stochastic control and mean field theory. His grants include funding for international PhD students through Carleton's initiatives. He collaborates on projects involving mean field models for production output and social dynamics. Labs/Teams: Associated with the Ottawa-Carleton Institute for Mathematics and Statistics (OCIMS), contributing to collaborative research in control theory and applied mathematics.
Mathias Lécuyer is an Assistant Professor in the Computer Science Department at the University of British Columbia (UBC) , part of the Faculty of Science . His research focuses on trustworthy AI systems, with emphasis on privacy (differential privacy), adversarial robustness, and causal machine learning. He leads the Systopia Lab and collaborates with groups such as UBC S&P, TrustML, and CAIDA. Education: PhD in Computer Science from Columbia University (2019), MSc from Columbia University (2013) and École Polytechnique (2011). Research Interests: Ensuring rigorous guarantees for AI systems via differential privacy, robustness against adversarial attacks, and causal inference. His work spans theoretical foundations and practical implementations in areas like privacy-preserving systems, federated learning, and transparent machine learning. Awards: SOSP Distinguished Artifact Honorable Mention (2024), Google Research Award (2022), Bourse Carnot Fellowship (2011), and UBC’s top teaching evaluations (2021). Advising & Service: Supervised over 20 students (PhD, MSc, undergrad) across privacy and machine learning topics. Serves on PCs for top conferences (OSDI, S&P, NeurIPS) and organizes workshops like TrustML @ UBC. Actively mentors high school students in ML research through outreach programs. Labs/Teams: Leads the Systopia Lab at UBC, focusing on AI safety and privacy. Collaborates with MSR, Google, and industry partners on practical system implementations.
Gabriela V. Cohen Freue is an Associate Professor in the Department of Statistics at the University of British Columbia (UBC), Vancouver Campus, and holds a Canada Research Chair (CRC Tier 2). She leads an interdisciplinary research program focusing on developing robust statistical methodologies for analyzing high-dimensional data in genomics and proteomics, with applications in medical sciences. Her work addresses challenges such as outliers, collinearity, and measurement errors, with applications in biomarker discovery for diseases like multiple sclerosis, cardiovascular disorders, and asthma. Her academic journey includes collaborations across disciplines, including with the BC Cancer Agency, PROOF Centre of Excellence, and iCAPTURE. She has pioneered methods like the Penalized Elastic Net S-Estimator (PENSE) and contributed to proteomic data analysis tools such as the Protein Group Code Algorithm (PGCA). She also co-developed the MDQC quality control method for microarrays. Research interests include robust regression, biomarker development, and statistical methods for big data. Her team includes postdocs, PhD, and MSc students, with a focus on training in both statistical rigor and interdisciplinary collaboration. Notable grants include a CANSSI Collaborative Research Team Project (CRT) award for robust causal inference and prediction modeling. Teaching responsibilities span statistical consulting, high-dimensional biological data analysis, and generalized linear models. She emphasizes active learning and real-world problem-solving in her courses. Her lab’s work is supported by grants from the Data Science Institute (DSI) and collaborations with institutions like the PROOF Centre. Alumni of her group hold positions in academia (e.g., George Mason University) and industry (e.g., Merck, BC Cancer Research Centre).
