Associate Professor Chen Lou is a faculty member at the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information, Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore. Her research focuses on consumer psychology and advertising effects, exploring how marketing communications influence behavior through information processing mechanisms. She investigates topics like influencer marketing, content strategies, and the psychological impacts of brand communications. A mixed-methods researcher, she employs techniques such as eye-tracking, psychophysiological measures, and big data analytics (e.g., sentiment analysis). Dr. Lou holds editorial roles at journals including the International Journal of Advertising and Journal of Interactive Advertising , and serves on committees for organizations like the American Academy of Advertising (AAA) and the International Communication Association (ICA). She earned her Ph.D. from Michigan State University, an M.S. from Ohio University, and a B.A. from Wuhan University. Her research has been recognized with awards such as the 2021 Mary Alice Shaver Promising Professor Award (AAA) and multiple best article awards. She actively supervises student projects, including top-winning FYPs at NTU. Key research areas include: Influencer marketing dynamics and virtual influencers Social media platform affordances and advertising effectiveness Brand activism and message framing Psychological ownership in content marketing Consumer responses to ethical and cultural messaging
Georgia Zellou is an Associate Professor in the Department of Linguistics at the University of California, Davis, where she co-directs the Phonetics Lab and conducts award-winning research at the intersection of phonetics, speech perception, and human-AI interaction. Her work investigates how phonetic detail is cognitively represented through variations in speech production, with significant contributions to understanding speech alignment with voice assistants, face-masked speech intelligibility, and cross-linguistic perception of synthetic voices. Her academic credentials include a Ph.D. in Linguistics from the University of Colorado at Boulder (2012), an M.A. in Linguistics from Stony Brook University (2007), and a B.A. in Linguistics & Anthropology from the University of Florida (2005, Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa). Ph.D., Linguistics, University of Colorado at Boulder (2012) M.A., Linguistics, Stony Brook University (2007) B.A., Linguistics & Anthropology, University of Florida (2005) Professor Zellou's research program centers on laboratory phonology approaches to real-world communication challenges, examining how acoustic-phonetic details influence speech perception across contexts. Her studies span speech alignment with voice-AI systems (e.g., Amazon Alexa), sociophonetic variation in bilingual speech, and the cognitive mechanisms underlying perceptual compensation for coarticulation. She employs experimental methods including eye-tracking, acoustic analysis, and perceptual testing to uncover how phonetic variation functions pragmatically in human communication and human-machine interaction. Analysis of her 15 most recent publications (2023-2025) reveals three dominant research trajectories: (1) human-AI voice interaction dynamics, including prosodic alignment and social evaluation of TTS voices; (2) intelligibility optimization in challenging contexts (face masks, clear speech for diverse listeners); and (3) cross-linguistic phonetic variation in vowelless words and consonant clusters. These works consistently bridge theoretical phonology with applied speech technology, demonstrating how fine-grained phonetic detail influences communication effectiveness in both human-human and human-machine contexts. Her scientific recognition includes: Fulbright Scholar (2022) for research in France Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Mentoring (2019) Fellow of the Linguistic Society of America (2020) Amazon Faculty Research Award (2019) for Alexa-related speech studies Dean’s Fellow designation at UC Davis (2020-2023) Professor Zellou maintains an active mentoring practice recognized with the Chancellor’s Award, supervising undergraduate researchers in the Phonetics Lab while teaching core linguistics courses from introductory to advanced graduate levels. Her research program is supported by competitive grants including NSF funding, Amazon Research Awards, and UC Davis internal grants (Hellman Foundation, ISS Junior Faculty Grant), reflecting the translational value of her work for speech technology development. She has co-directed major initiatives including the 2019 LSA Linguistic Institute. The Phonetics Lab she co-leads serves as a hub for experimental phonetics research, focusing on speech production-perception relationships through projects investigating vocal accommodation to voice assistants, nasal coarticulation dynamics, and cross-linguistic prosody. Current collaborations with industry partners aim to implement human speech adaptation principles into voice assistant design to enhance naturalness and engagement.
Flavio P. Calmon is the Thomas D. Cabot Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering at Harvard University's John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS). He holds a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from MIT, an M.Sc. from the Universidade Estadual de Campinas (Brazil), and a B.Sc. from the Universidade de Brasília (Brazil). His research focuses on the intersection of information theory, machine learning, and statistics, with applications to privacy, fairness, and trustworthy AI systems. He has received prestigious awards, including the NSF CAREER Award (2018) and the James L. Massey Award (2024). Research interests include developing theoretical foundations for fair and private machine learning, understanding algorithmic bias, and designing systems with provable guarantees. His work spans information-theoretic tools for responsible AI, distributed privacy mechanisms, and understanding the limits of fairness interventions. He has advised numerous students, including Hao Wang, Hsiang Hsu, and Lucas Monteiro Paes, many of whom now hold prominent roles in academia and industry. Calmon's research is supported by grants from NSF, Amazon, Google, and IBM. He has organized workshops on AI in Brazil and leads initiatives to broaden participation in STEM from underrepresented groups. His lab collaborates with institutions globally and emphasizes both foundational theory and practical applications of machine learning.
Tatsunori Hashimoto is an Assistant Professor of Computer Science at Stanford University, specializing in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and natural language processing. His research focuses on developing robust and ethical language models, addressing challenges in bias mitigation, fairness, and transparency. He leads projects like the Stanford Alpaca, exploring instruction-following models and their societal impacts. Key research interests include generative models, AI ethics, and privacy-preserving techniques. His recent work examines language model behaviors, security risks, and the societal implications of AI systems. Notable contributions include frameworks for auditing language models, improving factual accuracy, and reducing disparities in speech recognition. His publications highlight advancements in long-context processing, few-shot learning, and automated benchmarking. He emphasizes practical applications of AI while addressing dual-use concerns and ensuring alignment with human values.
Professor Ashley Braganza serves as Dean of Brunel Business School at Brunel University London and holds the Chair in Business Transformation. He founded and co-directs Brunel's interdisciplinary Research Centre for Artificial Intelligence (established 2018), which includes a dedicated AI Lab and forms part of Brunel's broader AI Ecosystem. His leadership secured £3.5 million in grants during the 2022/23 academic year and a recent €5.8 million ELOQUENCE EU project (2024-2027). His academic qualifications include a PhD in Organisational Change and Information Systems from Cranfield University and an MBA in Strategic Management Responsibility from the University of Strathclyde. Professor Braganza's research centers on artificial intelligence, big data, change management, strategy implementation, process and knowledge management, and transformation-enabled information systems . His practice-based approach stems from over 40 major consultancy projects with global organizations including BT, Microsoft, McDonald's, Astra Zeneca, and UN agencies. He champions interdisciplinary experiential learning and rigorous academic research with real-world applications. Analysis of his 15 most recent publications reveals dominant trends in applying AI and digital technologies to healthcare supply chains, blockchain governance, and socioeconomic challenges like digital poverty. His work consistently bridges operations management, information systems, and social sciences while examining human-organizational impacts of technological transformation. His distinguished recognition includes: Election to the British Academy of Management College of Fellows for 25+ years of scholarly contribution and community service Professor Braganza has directed significant research initiatives including the British Academy-funded digital poverty study in Margate, UK-India collaborative projects on AI in healthcare productivity, and curriculum development for special needs trainers. His consultancy assignments with major corporations have co-created practical frameworks for implementing complex organizational change programs. He founded and chairs the British Academy of Management Special Interest Group in Transformation, Change and Development, and directs Brunel's AI: Social and Digital Innovation Research Centre, fostering cross-disciplinary collaboration through the Operations and Information Systems Management Research Group (OISM).
Cecilia O. Alm is a Professor in the Department of Psychology within the College of Liberal Arts at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), where she serves as the Artificial Intelligence Program Director. She holds multiple leadership roles including Director of the Center for Human-aware AI and Director of the Computational Linguistics and Speech Processing Lab (CLaSP). Her institutional affiliations span the School of Information, Ph.D. Programs in Cognitive Science and Computing and Information Sciences, Department of Computer Science, and MS in Data Science program. Dr. Alm earned her Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Her research focuses on human-centered artificial intelligence with particular emphasis on linguistic and multimodal sensing, affective computing, and natural language processing. She investigates how AI systems can better understand and respond to human communication through multimodal dialogue processing, with applications in accessibility, education, and healthcare. Her recent publications demonstrate a strong trend toward developing inclusive AI systems, particularly through projects addressing Deaf community needs (MULTICOLLAB-ASL), subtle emotion recognition (FUSE corpus), and bias mitigation in NLP. The work consistently integrates multimodal data streams (speech, gaze, gesture) to create more responsive human-AI interaction frameworks. Current research directions emphasize diversity in AI education, visual prosody in sign languages, and human-in-the-loop AI development. Dr. Alm leads several significant NSF-funded initiatives including the AWARE-AI program, IRES AI-PROWIL international research experience, and collaborative projects with Gallaudet University focused on Deaf scientist-centered AI research. She has secured over $2.5 million in external funding for her work on human-aware AI systems. She directs the CLaSP lab which provides research opportunities for PhD, MS, and undergraduate students, with graduates employed at major technology companies including Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, and Facebook. The lab focuses on real-world AI applications in accessibility, human-robot interaction, and multimodal communication systems.
Professor Janet McColl-Kennedy is a leading figure in marketing and service science at The University of Queensland's Business School. She serves as Program Lead for Innovation Pathways (FaBA) and co-founded the Service Innovation Alliance (SIA) research hub, focusing on customer experience, AI, digital transformation, and sustainability. With Fellow status in the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia and the Australian and New Zealand Marketing Academy, she holds international recognition including Research.com's World's Best Business Scientists ranking and the Christopher Lovelock Career Contributions to the Services Discipline Award (2025). University of Queensland Business School Honorary Visiting Professor, Cambridge Service Alliance Research Collaborator, University of Cambridge Her research spans customer experience management, service ecosystems, digital transformation, and healthcare services. She has pioneered frameworks for customer value co-creation and service recovery strategies, integrating AI and behavioral science. Her 2019 paper on customer experience insights was implemented by a major B2B organization, while her work on value co-creation improved outcomes at Lutheran Community Care. Recent publications focus on AI impacts in food and beverage services, sustainable service ecosystems, and digital health interventions. She has secured over $89 million in competitive grants, including multiple ARC Linkage and Discovery Projects, and leads cross-disciplinary teams with institutions like Cambridge University and Arizona State University. 2024 - ARC College of Experts appointment 2023 - Bo Edvardsson Industry Impact in Services Award 2022 - Elected Fellow of Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia 2021 - Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher 2018 - Ranked most influential marketing academic in Australia With over 220 publications and a Google Scholar H-index of 62, she has mentored 15 PhD students and examined theses at multiple universities. Her teaching spans 30+ years across undergraduate, postgraduate, and executive programs in Australia, USA, Italy, China, and Korea, with awards for blended learning and corporate education.
Mark Coeckelbergh is a Professor of Philosophy at the University of Vienna, specializing in the philosophy of technology, AI ethics, and robot ethics. He is affiliated with the Department of Philosophy and the Research Network Data Science at the University of Vienna. In addition to his academic position, Coeckelbergh has held significant roles including Former President of the Society for Philosophy and Technology (SPT) and Member of the European Commission's High-Level Expert Group on Artificial Intelligence (AI HLEG). His research focuses on the ethical, political, and philosophical implications of emerging technologies, particularly artificial intelligence and robotics. Coeckelbergh has published extensively in these areas, authoring influential books such as Robot Ethics (2022), The Political Philosophy of AI (2022), and Why AI Undermines Democracy and What To Do About It . His work explores how AI systems affect democratic processes, human agency, and social relationships. Recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on the relationship between AI, democracy, and ethical governance, examining how AI systems can both threaten and potentially enhance democratic processes through algorithmic transparency and participatory design approaches. Finalist of the World Technology Award 2017 Coeckelbergh teaches various courses including 'Introduction to Philosophy of LLMs,' 'LLMs and the Future of Writing,' 'Ethics and Robotics,' and 'Global Governance of AI.' He has supervised numerous students working on topics related to technology ethics and philosophy. He has been involved in several major research projects including H2020 PERSEO, WWTF Democracy Responsible Entrepreneurship, and FP7 DREAM (Development of Robot-Enhanced therapy for children with Autism spectrum disorders). Coeckelbergh has also announced upcoming guest professorships at the Institute of Philosophy of the Czech Academy of Sciences and Uppsala University, where he will work on environmental and technology ethics projects.
Harry R. Lloyd is an Assistant Professor of Philosophy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, serving as Core Faculty for the PPE Program and Research Affiliate at the Center for AI Safety. He joined UNC Chapel Hill in Fall 2025 after completing his PhD at Yale University, where his dissertation examined moral uncertainty and bargaining under Shelly Kagan. His academic foundation includes a Ph.D. in Philosophy from Yale University (2020-2025) and a first-class B.A. in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics from the University of Oxford's Lady Margaret Hall (2016-2019), where he graduated top of his cohort and won multiple prizes including the Hicks/Webb Medley Prize and Uehiro Essay Prize. He attended Monmouth Comprehensive School (2009-2016), becoming the first comprehensive school student to win Trinity College Cambridge's Philosophy Essay Prize. Lloyd's research integrates Ethics, Political Philosophy, and Philosophy of AI through innovative frameworks for moral uncertainty and bargaining theory. His work bridges abstract theory with urgent real-world applications in AI alignment, distributive justice, and urban policy. He critically examines how normative disagreement should be resolved in AI systems, challenges conventional views on gentrification's moral dimensions, and develops resource-rational approaches to contractualism in animal ethics and intergenerational justice. His publication trajectory reveals a cohesive intellectual project: advancing bargaining-theoretic solutions to moral uncertainty while applying these frameworks across AI safety, political philosophy, and bioethics. Recent work in Philosophical Studies and Ergo establishes novel connections between moral uncertainty and collective decision-making, while his Journal of Urban Affairs article redefines gentrification's ethical analysis beyond displacement metrics. Awarded significant fellowships and prizes including the Rocky Mountain Ethics Congress Young Ethicist Prize (2024) and Global Priorities Institute Essay Prize (2021), his honors demonstrate impact across multiple domains: Institute for Humane Studies Junior Fellowship (2025) Forethought Foundation Global Priorities Fellowship (2022-2024) Rocky Mountain Ethics Congress Young Ethicist Prize (2024) Global Priorities Institute Early Career Conference Programme (2022) Research funding includes the Global Priorities Fellowship (2022-2024) and Institute for Humane Studies Junior Fellowship (2025). He actively shapes academic discourse through peer review for journals including Philosophical Studies and Journal of Applied Philosophy, and co-organizes the Yale Moral Philosophy Working Group. Though newly appointed, his teaching portfolio spans Environmental Ethics, PPE Capstone, and Philosophy of Technology, building on Yale teaching experience where he served as primary instructor for Philosophy and Technology. Lloyd maintains active research affiliations with the Center for AI Safety and previously contributed as a Resident Fellow at Yale's Information Society Project (2023-2025). His collaborative networks extend to the Global Priorities Institute at Oxford and Happier Lives Institute, driving interdisciplinary work at the AI-society interface through regular presentations at PPE Society meetings and ethics conferences.
Mohammad Mohammadi Amiri serves as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), appointed in Fall 2023. His research focuses on advancing artificial intelligence through strategic data utilization, with emphasis on large language models, data valuation, federated learning, and deep learning. Previously, he held postdoctoral appointments at Princeton University and MIT Media Lab, building on his strong educational foundation from Imperial College London, University of Tehran, and Iran University of Science and Technology. Education: Ph.D. in Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Imperial College London (2019) - Best Ph.D. Thesis Award recipient M.Sc. in Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Tehran (2014) - Ranked 1st among all M.Sc. students B.Sc. in Electrical Engineering, Iran University of Science and Technology (2011) - Ranked 1st among all B.Sc. students Dr. Amiri's research centers on optimizing artificial intelligence systems through innovative data strategies. His work addresses critical challenges in large language models including efficiency, memory usage, alignment, and reasoning capabilities. In data valuation, he develops principled methods to quantify data worth for fair trading platforms. His federated learning research tackles privacy concerns, heterogeneous data distribution, and communication overhead in decentralized environments. The deep learning component explores theoretical foundations to improve model interpretability and robustness. Analysis of his recent publications reveals a strong focus on making AI systems more efficient and accessible, with particular emphasis on large language model optimization, federated learning advancements, and data valuation frameworks. His work bridges theoretical foundations with practical applications in wireless communications and distributed computing environments. Scientific Awards: IEEE Communications Society Young Author Best Paper Award (2022) Best PhD Thesis Award from IEEE Information Theory Chapter of UK and Ireland (2019) Eryl Cadwallader Davies Prize for Outstanding PhD Thesis (2019) EEE Departmental Scholarship at Imperial College London (2015-2019) Ranked 1st among M.Sc. students at University of Tehran (2014) Ranked 1st among B.Sc. students at Iran University of Science and Technology (2011) Dr. Amiri actively mentors graduate students, currently supervising five Ph.D. candidates and one M.Sc. student working on efficient LLM fine-tuning, inference, and storage. His research has attracted significant attention, evidenced by numerous keynote invitations at prestigious institutions including Bell Labs, MIT, King's College London, and various IEEE conferences. He serves on program committees for major conferences including IEEE Globecom and ICC, demonstrating his growing influence in the academic community. His research group operates at the intersection of machine learning and wireless communications, developing innovative solutions for resource-constrained environments while addressing fundamental theoretical challenges in AI systems. Current projects focus on making advanced AI more scalable and accessible through efficiency improvements in model training and inference.
Dr. Alireza Nili is a Senior Lecturer in Service Science at QUT's School of Information Systems within the Faculty of Science. His expertise spans digitization of customer-centric services, AI/chatbots, IoT/IIoT, and sustainable technologies. He holds a PhD from Victoria University of Wellington and has coordinated large-scale courses like IT Systems Design (IFB103), achieving top teaching scores. Nili's research focuses on service ecosystems, trust in digital services, and public/retail sector innovations. He has secured over $1.4M in industry grants for projects involving Cisco, Amazon, and Services Australia. His awards include the 2023 Educator of the Year and multiple top conference paper recognitions. Nili supervises PhD students at Level 3 mentoring status and contributes to major conferences as track chair/associate editor. Research highlights include frameworks for chatbot governance, IOT in agriculture, and AI ethics. His work appears in IEEE Software , Communications of the ACM , and MIT Sloan Management Review . Current projects address consumer trust in AI technologies and spatial data systems. Nili's interdisciplinary approach combines design science with empirical methodologies to bridge theory and practice in digital service innovation.
Dr. Thijs Broekhuizen is an Associate Professor at the University of Groningen's Faculty of Economics and Business, specializing in Innovation Management & Strategy. He currently serves as Scientific Director of the University of Groningen Business School, Coordinator of the Northern-Netherlands Innovation Monitor, and Programme Director of the Executive MBA. His research focuses on digital transformation, value creation in innovation, and digital business models, with interdisciplinary insights bridging strategy, innovation, and digitalization. Education: PhD in Marketing (University of Groningen, 2006) MSc in Marketing (University of Groningen, 2001) Research Interests: Broekhuizen explores value appropriation in technology-driven contexts, digital business models, and strategic responses to disruptive technologies. His work emphasizes SMEs' digital transformation challenges, organizational identity during technological change, and AI-driven innovation management. Key areas include digital platforms, motion picture industries, and social media dynamics. Grants & Projects: TALENT4S3 (€165K, Interreg 2024-2028) SIRM (€189K, Interreg 2023-2027) NWO-funded studies on construction industry profitability and online customer journeys Awards: Best Paper Award at ISoF 2021 Best Short Paper Award Nomination 2021 Teaching & Leadership: Broekhuizen teaches strategy and digitalization in executive programs and has led the MScBA and EMBA initiatives. His educational roles include Programme Director of the Executive MBA (Energy Transition, Health, Sustainable Business Models tracks) and member of the Groningen Digital Business Centre. Labs/Teams: He coordinates the Northern-Netherlands Innovation Monitor (surveying 10,000+ SMEs) and collaborates with the Groningen Digital Business Centre to advance digital strategy research.
Jana Schaich Borg is an Assistant Research Professor at the Social Science Research Institute at Duke University. She specializes in integrating neuroscience, computational modeling, and emerging technologies to study social decision-making processes and their interactions with internal value representations. As a data scientist, she collaborates with interdisciplinary teams to develop novel statistical approaches for analyzing high-dimensional, multi-modal data. Research interests include Moral psychology and computational ethics Human-AI interaction in decision-making Automated social behavior analysis Neuroscience of social cognition Interdisciplinary data science education Recent publications highlight her focus on ethical AI development, moral preference modeling, and automated behavioral analysis. She teaches IDS 707: Data Visualization at Duke University.
Professor Alistair Brandon-Jones (PhD, PGDip, BSc Hons) is a Full Chaired Professor of Operations and Supply Chain Management at the University of Bath's School of Management since 2014. He serves as Head of the Information, Decisions and Operations Division (2020–present) and holds Visiting Professor roles at Hult International Business School and Danish Technical University. His career spans academic leadership positions at Manchester Business School, Bath, and Warwick Business School, where he completed his PhD. Research Interests : Digitalisation of operations and supply chains, professional service operations, healthcare operations, and cybersecurity in AI systems. His work combines empirical methods with cross-sector collaborations, supported by UKRI, ESRC, EPSRC, and the Welsh Assembly Government. Key themes include telehealth integration , responsible AI deployment , and value-based procurement . Teaching & Consulting : He teaches Operations Management, Supply Chain, and Project Management across executive, MBA, and undergraduate levels, with consulting experience for Maersk, NHS, and Qatar Leadership Centre. His textbooks like Operations Management (10th ed., 2022) are globally cited. Scientific Awards : Times Higher Education Teaching Excellence Prize Association of MBAs (AMBA) Award Production Operations Management Society (POMS) Recognition Hult International Business School Teaching Prize Supervision & Projects : Currently supervising doctoral students in digital transformation, he leads two major projects: ESRC Digital Security by Design Social Science Hub (2020–2025) and Welsh Government Healthcare Integration (2009–2009). His research aligns with UN SDG 12 (Sustainable Consumption and Production) through supply chain innovations.
Pieter Desmet serves as Professor of Design for Experience at Delft University of Technology's Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering, specifically within the Department of Human-Centered Design. He directs the Delft Institute of Positive Design, focusing on advancing knowledge for designing human flourishing. His research centers on emotional design mechanisms, particularly how product design evokes emotions and contributes to individual and community well-being. Key interests include Positive Design frameworks, mood-regulation interventions, AI-emotion alignment, and multisensory experiences in packaging and museum contexts. Recent work explores liminal spaces in exhibits, autoethnography ethics, and group mood dynamics in workplaces. Analysis of his 275+ publications reveals consistent focus on emotional design theory with expanding applications in AI, healthcare, and sustainability. His work bridges academic research with practical design tools for emotional well-being. No scientific awards are documented in the provided materials. Desmet actively supervises doctoral candidates (evidenced by PhD thesis datasets) and secures research grants through institutional collaborations. His leadership in organizing major conferences like IASDR 2023 and Design & Emotion events demonstrates significant academic influence. He leads the Delft Institute of Positive Design research group, which investigates user experience aspects through interdisciplinary projects integrating psychology, design, and technology.
