Gilbert Fridgen is Full Professor in Digital Financial Services and holder of the PayPal-FNR PEARL Chair at the University of Luxembourg's Interdisciplinary Centre for Security, Reliability and Trust (SnT). He leads the FINATRAX research group focusing on blockchain, digital identity, and sustainable digital solutions. His research explores decentralized technologies in finance, energy systems, and public administration. Current projects investigate blockchain applications in industrial demand response, NFT markets, EU digital identity wallets, and DeFi institutional adoption. Prof. Fridgen examines the intersection of technology with regulatory frameworks and user behavior in energy and financial systems. He collaborates extensively with industry partners including PayPal and Spuerkeess. Prof. Fridgen actively contributes to EU digital policy discussions, particularly regarding the European Digital Identity Wallet framework and decentralized finance governance.
Julienne Bower is a Professor at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with joint appointments in the Department of Psychology and the Department of Psychiatry/Biobehavioral Sciences. She serves as Director of the Mind-Body Research Lab, Associate Director of the Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology, and as a Member of the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center. Her research explores mind-body interactions in individuals facing stressful life events, particularly cancer patients and survivors, focusing on biological pathways linking psychological states to health outcomes and the effects of mind-body interventions. Ph.D. from UCLA Area Chair: Health Psychology Primary Area: Health Psychology Secondary Area: Clinical Psychology Location: 6538 Pritzker Hall, UCLA Dr. Bower's research examines how positive psychological factors (e.g., benefit finding, positive affect) influence physical health through immune and neuroendocrine pathways, while also investigating mind-body interventions like yoga and mindfulness meditation. Her work spans observational, experimental, and intervention studies, emphasizing the immune system as a central mechanism. The Mind-Body Research Lab, under Dr. Bower's leadership, has published extensively on topics including cancer-related fatigue, stress-induced inflammation, and the physiological impacts of psychosocial interventions. Key publications address NF-κB signaling, glucocorticoid resistance, and cortisol dysregulation in cancer survivors. Dr. Bower's lab is actively recruiting graduate students for 2024 through the UCLA Health Psychology Program, offering training in psychoneuroimmunology, cancer prevention, and mind-body research methodologies.
Professor Rebecca Lawson is a Professor of Neuroscience and Computational Psychiatry at the University of Cambridge, affiliated with the Department of Psychology and Bye-Fellow at Peterhouse College. Her research focuses on understanding how humans learn to make predictions under uncertainty, with applications to mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression. She leads the Prediction and Learning (PaL) Lab, which combines computational modeling, neuroimaging (e.g., 7T MRI), and behavioral experiments to study cognitive processes in typical and atypical populations. Key research interests include computational psychiatry, autism spectrum disorders, neuroimaging techniques, and the neurochemical basis of learning mechanisms. She has received significant funding, including a £4.3m Wellcome Mental Health Award and the Sir Henry Dale Fellowship. Notable contributions include advancing theories of neural gain and sensory expectations in autism, as well as studies on uncertainty processing in anxiety and depression. Professor Lawson holds academic awards such as the BNPA Lishmann Prize and the BAP Psychopharmacology Award. She actively contributes to public engagement, including initiatives like Knit-a-Neuron and involvement with PrideinSTEM. Her lab collaborates internationally, with projects like the CamRAA study investigating autism-anxiety overlaps and the Chemical and Brain Basis of Uncertainty (CBBU) study exploring pharmacological interventions. Education: PhD in Cognitive Neuroscience (University of Cambridge), BA (Hons) Psychology & Philosophy (University of Glasgow). Grants: £4.3m Wellcome Award, Parke-Davis Fellowship, Lister Institute Prize. Labs/Teams: Principal Investigator of the PaL Lab; collaborations with MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, Yale University, and Brown University.
Dieter Fox is a Professor at the University of Washington's Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering, heading the Robotics and State Estimation Lab (RSE-Lab) while also contributing to the Allen Institute for AI (Ai2) on robotics foundation models. Previously, he led NVIDIA's Robotics Research Lab in Seattle for eight years. He earned his Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Bonn (Germany) in 1998 and joined UW's faculty in fall 2000. His research focuses on Robotics and Artificial Intelligence , specifically state estimation , perception-control integration , and applications in human activity recognition, 3D environment mapping, and robot manipulation systems. Major honors include: AAAI Fellow ACM Fellow IEEE Fellow IEEE RAS Pioneer Award IJCAI John McCarthy Award Dr. Fox served as editor of IEEE Transactions on Robotics. No information regarding student advisees or research grants was provided. He directs the RSE-Lab within UW's Robotics Group, advancing real-world robotics applications through sensor data interpretation and intelligent control systems.
Sarah Dean is an Assistant Professor in the Computer Science Department at Cornell University, affiliated with the College of Engineering. Her research focuses on the interplay of machine learning, optimization, and dynamics in real-world systems, particularly in control theory, recommendation systems, and ethical AI. Education: PhD in EECS, University of California, Berkeley (2021) Postdoctoral Research, University of Washington (2021-2022) Research Interests: Data-driven control systems, reinforcement learning, recommendation systems, user dynamics, algorithmic fairness, and the societal impacts of AI. She emphasizes foundational understanding of how learning systems interact with human and social processes. Recent Work Trends: Her articles explore topics like bilinear system identification, user participation dynamics in recommendation platforms, and ethical considerations in AI development. Recent work includes harm mitigation strategies and mathematical modeling of AI-human feedback loops. Awards: AI2050 Early Career Fellow (2024) Best Paper at ICML 2018 (Delayed Impact of Fair Machine Learning) Best Student Paper in Imaging Systems (OSA Congress 2018) Advising & Labs: Advises over 15 graduate and undergraduate students. Leads research on interactive ML systems, with contributions to projects like the 'MSGD' repository for streaming data learning. Active in the GEESE group, promoting socially responsible computing.
Oliver Kroemer is an Associate Professor at Carnegie Mellon University's Robotics Institute (RI), affiliated with the Intelligent Autonomous Manipulation (IAM) Lab. His research focuses on enabling robots to learn versatile manipulation skills through lifelong frameworks, with applications in elder care, environmental maintenance, and hazardous operations. Developed methods for robot learning via physical interaction and reinforcement learning Created representations for contact states and motor primitives to improve skill generalization Research Interests: Spanning robot learning, tactile sensing, force-velocity control, and lifelong skill acquisition. Projects include Agile and Dynamic Interactions for Mobile Manipulation and Integrated Planning and Learning (Pillar project). Scientific Awards: Finalist, Georges Giralt Ph.D. Award (2015) Education: Masters & Bachelors in Engineering, University of Cambridge (2008) Ph.D., Technische Universitaet Darmstadt (2014) Students & Affiliates: Current PhD: Mark Lee, Sarvesh Patil, Saumya Saxena, Yunus Seker, Zilin Si Past PhD: Alex LaGrassa, Tabitha Lee, Qiao Liang, Shivam Vats, Kevin Zhang
Jieyu Zhao is an Assistant Professor in the Thomas Lord Department of Computer Science at the University of Southern California (USC), part of the Viterbi School of Engineering. She holds a Ph.D. from UCLA and was a NSF Computing Innovation Fellow at the University of Maryland. Her research focuses on fairness in machine learning and NLP, particularly addressing biases in AI systems and promoting ethical AI practices. Education: Ph.D. in Computer Science (UCLA, 2021), Postdoc at University of Maryland (2022-2023), and multiple research internships at Microsoft Research, Google Research, and AI2. She also completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Virginia. Research interests include bias detection and mitigation in NLP models, trustworthy AI, and social responsibility in technology. Her work has been recognized with awards such as the EMNLP Best Long Paper Award (2017), Microsoft PhD Fellowship (2020), and EECS Rising Star (2021). She has delivered talks at conferences like NeurIPS, EMNLP, and USC Law School, and serves on committees including AAAI workflow chair. Her lab explores topics like alignment of LLMs, fairness in sequential decision-making, and ethical model interventions. She actively participates in initiatives promoting diversity and inclusion in AI, such as the UN-WOMEN Beijing panel on gender equality. Awards: 100 Brilliant Women in AI Ethics (2025), Capital One Research Award (2024), Microsoft PhD Fellowship (2020) Grants: NSF Computing Innovation Fellowship, USC Viterbi funding Labs/Teams: Leads the USC Lab focused on trustworthy AI and ethical NLP
Dr. Silvia VESCO is an Associate Professor in the Department of Asian and North African Studies at Ca' Foscari University of Venice, where she specializes in Japanese art history, particularly Edo-period visual culture, ukiyo-e prints, illustrated books, and the works of Katsushika Hokusai. She is actively involved in research, teaching, and cultural curation, with a strong focus on Italian collections of Japanese art and cross-cultural artistic dialogues between Japan and the West. Education: PhD in History of Indian and East Asian Art, Ca' Foscari University of Venice (1999) Master in Art & Archaeology, SOAS, University of London (1995) Degree in Oriental Languages and Literatures, University of Venice (1993, with honors) Her research interests encompass Japanese aesthetics, museum studies, and the global reception of Japanese art. She has led major digitization projects for the Museum of Oriental Art in Venice and contributed to the development of its new museological framework. Her scholarly work reveals a consistent focus on Hokusai, Edo-period print culture, and the philosophical dimensions of Japanese visual forms. The recent publications highlight a deep engagement with Hokusai’s pedagogical works, the aesthetics of emptiness, and contemporary reflections on nature in post-Fukushima Japan. Her interdisciplinary approach bridges art history, cultural studies, and museum practice. Scientific Recognition: Finalist, Premio Nazionale per la divulgazione scientifica 'Giancarlo Dosi' (2020) Japan Foundation Fellowship (1997) Postgraduate scholarship from the University of Venice (1994) She has supervised numerous MA theses, served on PhD committees, and mentored students in Japanese art history. Her research has been supported by grants from the Japan Foundation and institutional collaborations with museums and cultural centers. She is a referee for VQR, Edizioni Ca' Foscari, and international journals, and serves on the scientific committees of several academic and museum publications. Labs and Teams: Scientific Committee, Museum of Oriental Art, Ca' Pesaro, Venice Scientific Committee, Edizioni Ca' Foscari Coordinator, Scientific Committee for Ca' Foscari Japanese Studies, Arts and Literature Member of the editorial board of 'Venezia Arti' and 'Quaderni del Polo museale del Veneto'
WANG Ye is an Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the School of Computing, National University of Singapore (NUS). He holds a PhD in Information Technology from Tampere University of Technology, Finland, and has been a tenured faculty member at NUS since 2002, following his industry research role at Nokia Research Center. He is the director of the Sound and Music Computing Lab at NUS, leading cutting-edge research in AI-driven music and health technologies. PhD, Information Technology, Tampere University of Technology, Finland (2002) MSc, Telecommunications, Braunschweig University of Technology, Germany (1993) BSc, Telecommunications, South China University of Technology, China (1983) His research is centered on Sound and Music Computing for Human Health and Potential (SMC4HHP) , with a focus on eHealth, eLearning, mobile/wearable computing, and music information retrieval. His work spans AI for stroke rehabilitation, language learning through singing, singing voice synthesis, and automatic music transcription. He has pioneered systems like SLIONS (language learning via karaoke), CocoLyricist (AI co-creation for stroke recovery), and SinTechSVS (expressive singing voice synthesis). The latest articles highlight a strong trend in AI-driven music and health technologies , particularly in controllable lyric generation, singing voice synthesis, automatic pronunciation assessment, and multimodal music transcription. The research increasingly integrates large language models, explainable AI, fairness, and real-world deployment, reflecting a shift from theoretical exploration to practical, human-centered applications in healthcare and education. Dr. Wang has received numerous scientific honors, including: Best Paper Awards at ACM MM, ISMIR, IEEE ISM, and CHI First Prize, Asia Pacific Assistive, Rehabilitative, and Therapeutic Technologies Challenge (2015) Faculty Teaching Excellence Award, NUS School of Computing (2024) Top Paper Award, ACM Multimedia 2022 AI in Medicine Collaborative Grant for CocoLyricist project He has supervised over 11 PhD and 20 MComp students and is currently guiding six PhD candidates. His grants come from MOE, NRF, A*STAR, Nokia, and Smule. He has served as General Chair of ISMIR2017 and TPC Co-Chair of ICOT2017, and is on the editorial boards of IEEE Transactions on Multimedia and Journal of New Music Research. He has also developed and taught the first course on Sound and Music Computing in Singapore. Dr. Wang leads the Sound and Music Computing Lab (SMC Lab) , a multidisciplinary team exploring the synergy of music computing, AI, mobile technology, and cloud systems for health and education. The lab actively collaborates with medical institutions such as NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, Singapore General Hospital, and Harvard Medical School, and is currently working on projects in AI-supported language learning, stroke rehabilitation, and intelligent music interfaces.
Sebastian Scherer is an Associate Research Professor at the Robotics Institute (RI), Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), where he leads cutting-edge research in autonomous aerial systems and robotics. His work focuses on enabling unmanned rotorcraft to operate safely and efficiently in cluttered, low-altitude, and extreme environments. Education: Ph.D. in Robotics, Carnegie Mellon University (2010) MS in Robotics, Carnegie Mellon University (2007) BS in Computer Science (Minor in Robotics), Carnegie Mellon University (2004) His research interests span robotics, artificial intelligence, autonomous navigation, obstacle avoidance, SLAM, visual-inertial odometry, energy infrastructure, and public policy . He has made seminal contributions to UAV autonomy, including the first obstacle avoidance for micro aerial vehicles in natural environments (2008) and the first automatic landing zone detection and landing on a full-size helicopter (2010). His recent publications (2023–2025) demonstrate a strong focus on resilient autonomy, multi-robot exploration, foundation models for robotics, and large-scale dataset development. His team has released key datasets like TartanGround , BETTY , and SubT-MRS , and simulation tools like Pegasus Simulator , indicating a systems-level approach to advancing real-world autonomy. The research trends emphasize self-supervised learning, robust perception, risk-aware planning, and multi-modal fusion for off-road and urban environments. Scientific Awards: Popular Science Best of What's New 2010 Award AIAA@Infotech Best Paper Runner-up Award (2010) Siebel Scholar Dr. Scherer has advised numerous students and leads a vibrant research group focused on high-impact robotics applications. He has secured significant grants related to UAV autonomy, energy infrastructure, and urban air mobility. His lab develops experimental infrastructure such as AIrTonomy for testing next-generation autonomous aerial vehicles. He is actively involved in advancing SLAM and localization in extreme environments, notably through participation in the DARPA Subterranean Challenge. His team develops large-scale datasets and benchmarking frameworks to push the boundaries of robustness and generalization in mobile robotics.
Roles & Affiliations: Manolis Savva is an Associate Professor at Simon Fraser University's School of Computing Science and holds a Canada Research Chair in Computer Graphics. He leads research in 3D scene understanding, with applications in graphics, vision, and robotics. Previously, he was a researcher at Facebook AI and Princeton University. Education: Ph.D. in Computer Science (2016), Stanford University, advised by Pat Hanrahan B.A. in Physics and Computer Science (2009), Cornell University Research Interests: His work focuses on analyzing, organizing, and generating 3D content, particularly for holistic scene understanding. Key areas include articulated objects, embodied AI, and datasets like ScanNet , Matterport3D , and Habitat . His methods drive applications in robotics, autonomous agents, and virtual environments. Publications Trends: Recent work emphasizes generative models (e.g., SINGAPO for articulated object parts), embodied AI benchmarks (Habitat), and multimodal scene analysis. His papers often address challenges in scalability, realism, and cross-modal fusion for 3D environments. Awards: CHCCS Early Career Researcher Award (2022) ICLR 2023 Outstanding Paper Award ICCV 2019 Best Paper Nomination (Habitat) Advising & Grants: Supervised over 15 graduate students, many advancing to top PhD programs and tech companies. Active in grants for embodied AI, scene understanding, and robotics. Labs/Teams: Leads the 3DLG (3D Learning Group) and GrUVi (Graphics and Vision) groups at SFU. Collaborates extensively with industry (e.g., Meta, NVIDIA) on AI-driven 3D research.
Catherine Lai is a Reader (~Associate Professor) in the Department of Linguistics and English Language at the University of Edinburgh, with strong affiliations to the Centre for Speech Technology Research (CSTR) and the Institute for Language, Cognition and Computation (ILCC) in the School of Informatics. She is based in the School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences and is actively involved in research, teaching, and academic service. Department: Department of Linguistics and English Language School: School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences Research Institutes: Centre for Speech Technology Research, Institute for Language, Cognition and Computation Email: C.Lai@ed.ac.uk Her research centers on the role of prosody—non-lexical aspects of speech—in spoken communication. She investigates how prosody contributes to discourse structure, information structure, and affect in dialogue, using interdisciplinary methods from linguistics and machine learning. Her work bridges theoretical linguistics and practical speech technology, aiming to improve spoken language understanding and synthesis systems. She is particularly interested in how prosody shapes listener expectations and how affect and topic are expressed and perceived in conversation. Her recent publications reflect a strong focus on self-supervised learning in speech models, emotion recognition, ASR error correction using large language models, cognitive state classification, and ethical considerations in language technology. She explores topics such as the uncanny valley in synthetic speech, gender expression through voice, and community-centered development of language technologies. Prize from Scopus Profile Catherine Lai has supervised several PhD students, including Leimin Tian and Yuanchao Li, and has been involved in significant research projects, such as a Toyota-funded initiative on spoken dialogue for robot companions. She has secured multiple grants and leads a research agenda that integrates theoretical inquiry with real-world applications in assistive technologies and social science. Her academic service includes organizing major conferences like Interspeech and UK and Ireland Speech. She is a key member of research teams at CSTR and ILCC, collaborating across disciplines to advance the understanding of spoken communication and the development of robust, ethical speech technologies.
Melissa Coyle is a Senior Lecturer at the School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation, Marjon University. She specializes in sport and exercise psychology, focusing on applications in sport science, coaching, physical education, outdoor education, and health and well-being. Her qualifications include HCPC registration as a sport and exercise psychologist, BASES chartered scientist, and BASES-accredited sport scientist (Psychology), alongside a PGCert, MSc, and BSc. Her research explores psychological factors in high-stakes environments, including military training, cancer patient exercise programs, and aging populations. Notable studies include a qualitative evaluation of an 8-week exercise referral program for cancer patients and an investigation into psychological factors in Royal Artillery Army Commando training. She has also examined motivations and barriers to indoor bowls participation among over-65s and mental health transitions in university students. Dr. Coyle has been awarded grants for studies like 'Psychological factors in Army Commando training' and 'Exercise adherence for cancer recovery.' Her publications span journals like Psychology of Sport and Exercise and conferences such as the Association of Applied Sport Psychology. She actively contributes to professional bodies like HCPC and BASES. Her teaching emphasizes practical applications of psychology in sports and health, complemented by research-driven insights. Beyond academia, she is an avid golfer and hill walker.
Adriana Tapus is a Full Professor at ENSTA Paris, affiliated with Institut Polytechnique de Paris, leading the Autonomous Systems and Robotics Laboratory (SAR) within the Computer Science and Systems Engineering Unit (U2IS). She holds an HDR (Habilitation) and a PhD from EPFL, Switzerland, with postdoctoral experience at USC. Her research focuses on socially assistive robotics, human-robot interaction (HRI), and personalized therapy for individuals with physical/cognitive impairments. She directs the IP Paris Doctoral School and coordinates national/international projects like the EU-funded ENRICHME and SWEET. Education: PhD in Mobile Robotics, EPFL (2005) Habilitation (HDR), ENSTA Paris (2011) M.S. Computer Science, University Joseph Fourier Engineer, Politehnica University of Bucharest Research Interests: Tapus pioneers socially assistive robotics, integrating machine learning, human modeling, and multimodal communication (verbal/non-verbal/para-verbal). Her work addresses adaptive therapies for vulnerable populations using robotics, physiological data interpretation, and context-aware interaction. Key themes include: Human-robot cooperation and trust Emotion recognition and expression Personalized rehabilitation systems AI ethics and human-centered design Publications: Over 150 articles, with recent work exploring humor in HRI, teleoperation trust models, and cross-cultural intelligent vehicles. Notable 2025 contributions include studies on robot laughter efficacy and multimodal facial expression frameworks. Awards: 2025: 4 IROS papers accepted 2016: 25 Women in Robotics recognition 2010: Romanian Academy Award Multiple conference best paper awards (RO-MAN, ICRA, etc.) Advising & Grants: Supervised over 20 PhD students and led projects like EU Horizon 2020 ENRICHME. Current students focus on teleoperation dynamics, robot humor, and haptic interfaces. Active in editorial roles (IJSR, THRI) and conference organization (HRI General Chair 2019). Labs/Teams: Founder of RoboticsByDesign lab and co-initiator of the Hi! Paris interdisciplinary AI center. The SAR lab develops systems for healthcare, education, and human-robot collaboration.
Matthew O'Toole is an Associate Professor at Carnegie Mellon University's School of Computer Science, holding joint appointments in the Robotics Institute and Computer Science Department. His research focuses on computational imaging, integrating optics, electronics, and computational processing to innovate visual information capture and display. Education: PhD (Computer Science, University of Toronto, 2016), MSc (2009), BSc (Honors Computer Science and Mathematics, University of British Columbia, 2007). Prior roles include Banting Postdoctoral Fellow at Stanford University and visiting scholar at MIT Media Lab's Camera Culture group. Research interests emphasize programmable imaging systems, transient imaging, non-line-of-sight sensing, and holographic displays. Key innovations include vibration sensing via dual-shutter optics and radar super-resolution for autonomous vehicles. Awards include runner-up best paper recognitions at ICCV 2007, CVPR 2014, and SIGGRAPH 2017 dissertation honors. Advisees include Dorian Chan and Arjun Teh. Grants supported by Canadian Banting Fellowships. Active in workshop organization (CVPR Computational Cameras 2016-2017) and course development on computational imaging at SIGGRAPH 2014. Labs/Teams: Leads research in computational imaging and robotics at CMU, collaborating with industry partners like NVIDIA and MDA. Current projects explore LiDAR-radar fusion, holographic projection systems, and dynamic scene reconstruction.
