Stephen Boyd is a Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering within Stanford University's College of Engineering. His current research focuses on convex optimization applications across multiple domains. His primary research interests include: Convex Optimization as a foundational methodology Control systems theory and implementation Signal processing algorithms and architectures Machine learning model optimization Analog/digital circuit design techniques Professor Boyd teaches core courses including EE 364A (Convex Optimization I) and ENGR 108 (Introduction to Matrix Methods), alongside extensive independent study supervision across 21 graduate/undergraduate research categories spanning Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, and Computational Mathematics.
Sarah Pink is a leading Professor at Monash University , holding a joint appointment across the Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture and the Faculty of Information Technology . She serves as Director of the FUTURES Hub and Emerging Technologies Research Lab , focusing on human futures in digital and net zero transitions. PhD in Social Anthropology, University of Kent Honorary Doctorates from Malmö and Halmstad Universities Fellow, Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia Her research spans design anthropology, emerging technologies, automated decision making, and future mobilities . Recent work examines: AI ethics in clean energy Smart homes for seniors Automated mobility futures Selected 2025 article trends show focus on technological ethics, urban data systems, and human-machine interaction across 6 subfields including automated decision making and sensory design. Major awards: CIOB Award for Best International Paper (2016) Asia Pacific Eldercare Innovation Gold (2021) Good Design Awards (2023) As research director for Monash Grid Innovation Hub and Human-Centred Computing , she leads projects funded by Australian Research Council, EU, and national research councils across five countries. Her lab engages 20 active projects and 20+ industry partners globally.
Jesse Hoey is a Professor in the David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science at the University of Waterloo and leader of the Computational Health Informatics Lab (CHIL). He serves as a Faculty Affiliate at the Vector Institute and is Editor-in-Chief of the IEEE Transactions on Affective Computing. His research spans affective computing, health informatics, and socially assistive robotics, with a particular focus on developing technologies for elderly care and cognitive assistive applications. Hoey's research interests center around affective intelligence, Bayesian affect control theory (BayesACT), and decision-theoretic planning in uncertain domains. His work integrates social psychology with artificial intelligence to create emotionally aware systems that can interact naturally with humans, particularly those with cognitive impairments such as Alzheimer's disease. He has developed models for social interaction, emotion recognition, and uncertainty management in human-robot collaboration. His recent publications demonstrate a strong trend toward medical applications of AI, particularly in ultrasound analysis and healthcare technology. Many of his papers focus on self-supervised learning techniques for medical imaging and the application of affective computing principles to assistive technologies for dementia care. His work bridges theoretical AI with practical healthcare applications, showing increasing emphasis on real-world implementation. Editor-in-Chief of IEEE Transactions on Affective Computing Hoey has supervised numerous PhD and Master's students through the Computational Health Informatics Lab, with research spanning socially assistive robotics, affective computing, and health informatics. His lab has received funding for projects related to AI for dementia care, smart home technologies, and emotion-aware systems. The CHIL lab collaborates with healthcare institutions including the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute. The Computational Health Informatics Lab (CHIL) focuses on developing intelligent systems that understand and respond to human emotions and social contexts. Current projects include emotionally aligned social robots for dementia care, self-supervised learning for medical ultrasound, and models of social organization as uncertainty management. The lab combines theoretical work in Bayesian modeling with practical applications in healthcare technology.
Peihan Miao is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science at Brown University, where she is a member of the Theory Group. Her academic journey began with a BS from the ACM Honors Class at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, followed by a PhD from UC Berkeley in 2019 under the supervision of Sanjam Garg. BS: ACM Honors Class at Shanghai Jiao Tong University PhD: University of California, Berkeley (2019) Dr. Miao's research focuses on cryptography and security, with particular emphasis on bridging the gap between theoretical cryptography and practical applications, especially in the realm of secure multi-party computation. Her work spans both foundational theoretical aspects and applied systems, demonstrating a strong commitment to developing cryptographic techniques that can be implemented in real-world scenarios. She has made significant contributions to private set intersection protocols, secure computation frameworks, and cryptographic primitives that enable privacy-preserving data analysis across various domains including genomics and machine learning. Her publication record reveals a consistent focus on advancing secure computation techniques, with recent work exploring structure-aware private set intersection, updatable cryptographic protocols, and applications of cryptography to emerging domains like federated genomics. Her research demonstrates a progression from theoretical foundations toward practical implementations that address real-world privacy challenges. NSF CAREER Award Meta Research Award Google Research Scholar Award Amazon Research Award Dr. Miao actively mentors PhD students including Xinyi Shi, Phuoc Van Long Pham, and Jifeng Wang, as well as postdoc Gayathri Garimella. She serves on program committees for major cryptography conferences including Crypto, TCC, and Asiacrypt. Her teaching portfolio includes courses on applied cryptography, introduction to cryptography and computer security, and special topics in secure computation, demonstrating her commitment to educating the next generation of cryptographers. She also runs a crypto reading group at Brown University for students interested in cryptography research. As part of Brown's Theory Group, Dr. Miao collaborates with colleagues on advancing the theoretical foundations of computer science while maintaining a strong focus on practical applications of cryptographic techniques.
Pratyush Mishra is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer and Information Science at the University of Pennsylvania's School of Engineering and Applied Science, where he is a member of the Security and Privacy Laboratory. His academic career bridges theoretical cryptography with practical implementations in secure computation systems. University of Pennsylvania (Current) UC Berkeley (Alma Mater) Dr. Mishra's research focuses on cryptography and computer security, particularly zkSNARKs, secure computation, and cryptographic proof systems. His work enables efficient privacy-preserving systems through innovations in zero-knowledge proofs and verifiable computation. He is a co-author and co-maintainer of the arkworks ecosystem, which provides foundational libraries for zkSNARK implementations used across industry and academia. His recent publications demonstrate significant contributions to proof accumulation, delegation-friendly zkSNARKs, and scalable zero-knowledge systems. These works appear consistently in top-tier security and cryptography venues including CRYPTO, IEEE S&P, and USENIX Security. ACM SIGSAC Doctoral Dissertation Award Runner-Up (2022) Dr. Mishra serves on prestigious program committees including IEEE S&P (2023-2026), CRYPTO (2023, 2025), and FC (2025). He currently advises five PhD students and teaches advanced cryptography courses covering both theoretical foundations and practical implementations of cryptographic systems. His research has practical impact through his role as founding scientist at Aleo, a startup based on his Zexe research project.
Goran Avlijas serves as an Assistant Professor at Singidunum University's Faculty of Business in Belgrade, Serbia. His academic profile spans project management, operational research, and retail logistics with significant industry experience at Delta Holding, Strabag AG, and Efektus Consulting Group. His research interests focus on project management methodologies including Agile and Earned Value Management, retail operations optimization through automatic replenishment systems, and sustainable project control . Current work examines gig economy impacts on well-being and pandemic business resilience. Recent publications demonstrate strong emphasis on Quantitative project risk analysis using Monte Carlo simulation Retail inventory management and stock-out reduction Agile methodology implementation in Serbian business context Sustainable infrastructure project valuation Professional recognitions include: Project Management Professional (PMP) Professional in Business Analysis (PMI-PBA) Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP) He actively participates in Erasmus+ programs as both teacher and mentor, notably guiding Serbia's championship-winning team at the 2020 International Project Management Championships. His academic contributions include two textbooks on Project Management and Entrepreneurship, along with numerous international conference participations as scientific committee member and reviewer. Avlijas maintains strong industry-academia connections through PMI membership and consulting engagements, while contributing to higher education accreditation processes as a National Accreditation Body delegate.
Barton Lee is an Assistant Professor (tenure track) and Chair of Political Economy & eDemocracy at the Department of Management, Technology, and Economics (D-MTEC) of ETH Zurich . He holds an Affiliate Fellowship with the Stigler Center at Chicago Booth and was a Junior Research Fellow at Magdalen College, University of Oxford (2021–2022). Dr. Lee earned his PhD in Economics from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in 2021, following a visiting year at Harvard University (2018–2019). Current Role : Asst. Prof (TT) + Chair, ETH Zurich Affiliations : Stigler Center (Chicago Booth), UNSW Resilient Democracy Lab Research Focus : Political Economics, Applied Theory Dr. Lee investigates democratic fragility through lenses of legislative gridlock , technocratic governance , and populist voter behavior . His work connects economic policy with political institution design , often employing formal modeling and empirical analysis . Notable projects include studies on the feedback loops between polarization and policy failure and adaptive strategies in autocratic regimes . He actively contributes to academic networks via personal website and Google Scholar , and engages in collaborative workshops such as the 2025 IAST/TSE Workshop on Political Economy of Autocratic Rule . Dr. Lee also advocates for academic positions like the Professor of Health Economics role at ETH Zurich. Scientific Awards: Affiliate Fellow, Stigler Center (2021–present) Junior Research Fellow, Magdalen College, Oxford (2021–2022) Dr. Lee's recent work explores intersections between technology , democracy , and economic theory , with active participation in conferences and mentoring networks across Europe and Australia.
Christopher G. Tarolli, MD is an Associate Professor in the Department of Neurology at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry. He specializes in movement disorders, particularly Parkinson's disease and Huntington's disease, and serves as Director of the Mind, Brain, Behavior neuroscience course and Associate Program Director of the Adult Neurology Residency Program. His work bridges clinical practice with research in wearable sensor technology, palliative care, and health professions education. MD from SUNY Downstate College of Medicine (2012) Residency & Fellowship at University of Rochester Medical Center (2012-2018) Masters of Science in Health Professions Education (Warner School, UR) Dr. Tarolli's research focuses on novel technologies for neurological assessment, practice-based research in movement disorders, and palliative care models. He has contributed to studies on wearable sensors, remote video-based clinical trials, and symptom burden analysis in Parkinson's and Huntington disease. His work emphasizes patient-centered care and digital health innovation. Recent publications highlight his expertise in: Wearable sensor validation for neurodegenerative diseases Telemedicine applications in Parkinson's disease Palliative care integration across disease trajectories Smartphone-based Huntington's disease monitoring Machine learning for movement disorder severity quantification Quality measures in Parkinson's care Awards include the Herbert W. Mapstone Prize for Excellence in Second Year Teaching and participation in the American Academy of Neurology Emerging Leaders Program. Dr. Tarolli also leads clinical research initiatives and educational programs at the University of Rochester Medical Center.
Gerald Reiner serves as Head of the Institute for Production Management at the Vienna University of Economics and Business (WU), within the Department of Information Systems and Operations Management. He holds a Magister Degree, doctorate, and Habilitation in Business Administration from WU. His academic career includes positions as full professor in Production Management and Logistics at the University of Neuchatel (Switzerland, 2007-2014) and Universitaet Klagenfurt (Austria, 2014-2018), where he also served as head of the department of Operations, Energy, and Environmental Management. Dr. Reiner has held visiting professorships at Aston Business School (UK), HEC Lausanne (Switzerland), University of Bergamo, and Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Milan (Italy). His research spans several critical areas including Industry 4.0 implementation, integrated capacity and inventory management, humanitarian logistics operations, circular supply chains, and operations management for base of the pyramid contexts. His work particularly focuses on practical applications addressing food waste reduction, sustainable manufacturing, and blockchain technology in supply chains. His publication portfolio demonstrates a clear evolution toward digital transformation in operations, with recent focus on hydrogen production systems, AI integration in manufacturing, and blockchain applications for food supply chain transparency. The research shows increasing emphasis on sustainability integration within traditional operations management frameworks, particularly addressing European manufacturing challenges and food system inefficiencies. Publication Excellence Award 2021 (2023) Researcher of the month (January 2023) Highly Commended paper in the 2017 Emerald Literati Network Awards for Excellence ISIR Service Award (2014) Emerald Outstanding Paper Award (2013) Dr. Reiner coordinates multiple significant international research projects including EU-project 'Keeping Jobs in EU', EU/Ecsel-project 'Power Semiconductor and Electronics Manufacturing 4.0', 'Integrated Development 4.0', and 'Artificial Intelligence in Manufacturing leading to Sustainability and Industry 5.0'. His current projects focus on FOODIS (cross-border ecosystem for innovation in food supply chains), Circular Design implementation, and blockchain applications for banana supply chains. He actively supervises research teams working on food waste reduction, sustainable packaging systems, and AI applications in operations management.
Matej Varga is a Scientific Assistant and Postdoctoral Researcher at ETH Zurich's Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering, working in the Geosensors and Engineering Geodesy group under Prof. Andreas Wieser since 2021. His research spans geometrical geodesy, physical geodesy, and satellite geodesy, with applications in both theoretical and practical domains. Dr. Varga's research interests focus on spatial, temporal and spectral analysis of geodetic data, with particular expertise in geodetic reference systems and frames, gravity and geomagnetic field modeling at all temporal and spatial scales, and multi-GNSS multi-frequency positioning and monitoring. His work integrates geometrical and physical aspects of geodesy to address complex Earth observation challenges, particularly in infrastructure monitoring and geophysical applications. His recent publications demonstrate a strong trend toward high-precision geodetic applications for major scientific infrastructure, most notably the Future Circular Collider project, alongside important contributions to earthquake impact analysis, geomagnetic network development, and gravity field modeling. His research bridges traditional geodetic methods with modern computational approaches, including machine learning applications for point cloud registration. Dr. Varga is actively involved in the GSEG research group at ETH Zurich, contributing to the development of geodetic infrastructure and reference systems. His work has practical applications in infrastructure monitoring, earthquake analysis, and scientific projects requiring extreme geodetic precision.
Kiwan Maeng is an Assistant Professor in Computer Science and Engineering, focusing on the intersection of machine learning systems, privacy-preserving techniques, and low-latency computing architectures. His research emphasizes algorithm-system co-design for scalable and secure AI implementations. Research Trends : His recent work explores retrieval-augmented generation systems, low-latency diffusion models, privacy-preserving federated learning, and energy-harvesting intermittent computing frameworks. Publications highlight collaborations across machine learning, cryptography, and hardware-software co-design. Key Projects : He leads a 3-year NSF SaTC grant (2024-2027) addressing privacy-preserving data embedding for untrusted ML services, and contributes to serverless video analytics frameworks (SVDE) and VR streaming optimization (PIRATE). Technical Contributions : His scholarship spans 17 conference contributions and 3 journal articles since 2007, with notable work on memory encryption for edge devices, secure MPC-based inference, and sustainable AI systems. Current research focuses on balancing privacy guarantees with model utility while optimizing for environmental efficiency.
Guang Tian, Ph.D. , is an Assistant Professor of City and Metropolitan Planning at the University of Utah and a faculty member at the Scientific Computing and Imaging Institute . His research bridges land use-transportation planning , travel behavior , and urban data science , with a focus on sustainability , climate adaptation , and equitable transit-oriented development . He previously founded the Center for Equitable Transit-Oriented Communities at the University of New Orleans as an Associate Professor. Education : Ph.D. in City & Metropolitan Planning (University of Utah, 2016) Professional Affiliations : Faculty, Scientific Computing and Imaging Institute (2025–present) His research leverages machine learning and GIS to analyze VMT reduction , active transportation , and the built environment’s impact on mobility . Key findings include the superior performance of random forest models over traditional methods in predicting mode choice and the role of polycentric urban structures in reducing auto dependency. Scientific Awards : Rising Scholar Award (2024, Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning) Grants include funding from the US Department of Transportation for equitable transit communities and multiple Louisiana Transportation Research Center projects on VMT modeling, rail infrastructure, and truck parking efficiency. His teaching centers on GIS applications in urban planning and transportation analysis.
Clémence Poirier is a Senior Researcher in the Cyberdefense Project within the Risk and Resilience Team at the Center for Security Studies (CSS) at ETH Zurich. She previously served as a Research Fellow at the European Space Policy Institute (ESPI) in Vienna and as a Researcher for Flinders University in Adelaide, Australia. She also holds the position of Space Generation Advocacy and Policy Platform's Lead on Responsible Space Behavior at the Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC). Her educational background includes a Master's degree in International Relations, International Security and Defense and a Bachelor's degree in Foreign Applied Languages (English, Russian, Spanish), both from University Jean Moulin Lyon III, France. Dr. Poirier is multilingual, which supports her international research collaborations. Dr. Poirier's research focuses on the critical intersection of space operations and cybersecurity, with particular emphasis on geopolitical implications of cyber conflict in outer space. Her work examines how terrestrial conflicts like the Ukraine war impact space security architecture and explores policy frameworks for protecting space infrastructure from cyber threats. She has conducted extensive research on space cybersecurity policy across multiple jurisdictions including Australia, Europe, and the United States. Analysis of her publication record reveals a clear progression from foundational space policy research toward increasingly specialized work on space cybersecurity. Her recent publications demonstrate growing attention to practical policy implementation challenges, with several papers addressing specific national and regional approaches to space cybersecurity governance. There's also a notable trend toward multidisciplinary collaboration, particularly with technical experts in space systems engineering. Dr. Poirier has established significant research partnerships with major space institutions including the European Space Agency, with whom she collaborated on climate policy research examining the integration of space-based data in European environmental policies. Her work with SmartSat CRC in Australia demonstrates international research coordination on space infrastructure security. She leads research initiatives focused on responsible space behavior and has contributed to policy development through her work with the European Economic and Social Committee. Her current Cyberdefense Project at ETH Zurich's CSS represents the culmination of her expertise in space security policy development.
Sebastian Möller is a Professor at the Faculty for Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at Technical University of Berlin and leads the Speech and Language Technology research department at the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI) since 2017. His work bridges speech technology, natural language processing, and quality engineering, with a focus on usable security, virtual reality applications, and ethical AI. Born in 1968, studied electrical engineering at Ruhr University Bochum, Université d'Orléans, and University of Bologna Doctorate in 1999 from Ruhr University Bochum on speech quality prediction Adjunct Professor at University of Technology Sydney since 2018 His research spans speech signal processing, quality assessment of AI systems, and ethical challenges in medical AI applications. Recent work includes fairness in clinical AI decision-making, audio deepfake detection using self-supervised learning, and collaborative approaches to natural language explanation generation. All three 2025 publications reflect his focus on AI quality assessment and ethical implementation across domains: medical AI fairness, audio deepfake detection, and collaborative explanation frameworks. These works demonstrate expertise in natural language processing, speech technology, and model interpretability. Johann-Philipp-Reis-Prize (2009) Heisenberg Scholarship (2005) Lothar Cremer Prize (2003) VDE ITG Prize (2001) Geers Foundation award (1998) Möller has held leadership roles at TU Berlin including Vice Dean for Research (2015-2017) and Dean (2017-2019). He contributes to international standardization through ITU-T (since 1997) and has served in key positions at DEGA, VDE, and ISCA, including ISCA presidency (2021-2023).
Prof. Dr. Sebastian Büttner is an Associate Professor at the Institute of Sociology within the Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg (FAU) and since September 2024, he serves as the scientific project manager of the Transfer Unit Science Communication at the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities (BBAW) . His academic career includes acting professorships at the University of Kassel, Freie Universität Berlin, and University of Duisburg-Essen. Research Interests : Sociological theory and cultural sociology Sociology of knowledge and science Political sociology of expertise and policy European integration and transnationalization Regionalization processes in Europe Academic Training : 2024: Außerplanmäßiger Professor at FAU 2017: Habilitation in Sociology at FAU 2010: Doctorate (Dr. rer. pol.) at BIGSSS 2004: Diploma in Sociology at University of Bamberg Collaborations and Projects : He is an associate editor of Culture, Practice & Europeanization , co-organizer of the German-French working group 'Governing European Mobilities', and member of the interdisciplinary group 'Conflict Management in Europe'. He led DFG-funded projects on EU professionalism and co-edited works on Europeanization and controversial expertise.
