Prof. Sanne Kruikemeier is a Professor of Digital Media and Society at Wageningen University & Research (WUR). She leads the ERC Starting Grant (HUNTING) and a NORFACE consortium grant, coordinating research across four European universities (2020–2024). As director of the Digital Data and Democracy Lab and member of the AlgoSoc Gravitation Program, she explores digitalization's societal and democratic impacts. Her research focuses on data-driven political targeting, social media's role in polarization, privacy behavior, and digital journalism. She holds roles on the editorial boards of journals like Human Communication Research , International Journal of Press/Politics , and Digital Journalism . Awards include the KNAW Early Career Award and ICA Herbert S. Dordick Dissertation Award. Her work bridges digital media, political communication, and societal change, addressing challenges like misinformation and democratic engagement. Kruikemeier advises PhD candidates on projects like data-driven campaigning's impact on democracy and polarization strategies. She engages in public discourse through media commentary on social media's role in politics and news consumption trends. Her interdisciplinary approach integrates communication science with computational methods to analyze modern political and social dynamics.
Daniel Kifer is a Professor in the Computer Science and Engineering department at Pennsylvania State University, with affiliations to the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences. His work bridges computer science, privacy-preserving machine learning, and geoscience applications. With over 10,000 citations and a high h-index, he focuses on methods to unify theoretical and applied research. Research Interests: Differential Privacy, Privacy-Preserving Machine Learning, Physics-Informed Neural Networks, Landslide Prediction, and Formal Verification of Privacy Systems. Recent projects include grants from the National Science Foundation: SaTC: CORE: Small (2024): privacy-preserving user data embedding in machine learning pipelines. SaTC: CORE: Medium (2017-2023): formal methods for differential privacy and accuracy optimization. His research outputs span domains like geoscience, database systems, and policy analysis, emphasizing precision and scalability of privacy-preserving algorithms.
Marios Koutsias is a Senior Lecturer at Essex Law School, University of Essex, specializing in EU Commercial Law, Company Law, and Data Protection. He holds an LLB from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, an LLM in EU Law from the University of Essex, an MA in Politics and International Relations from King's College London, and a PhD in Law from the University of Essex. Prior to his academic career, he practiced as a lawyer on Greek Law and European Union Law in Thessaloniki and Brussels, and remains a member of the Thessaloniki Bar Association, Greece. His educational background includes: LLB from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece LLM in EU Law from University of Essex MA in Politics and International Relations from King's College, London PhD in Law from University of Essex Dr. Koutsias' research focuses on Company Law, Corporate Governance, Comparative Company Law, European Union Law with a special emphasis on the Internal Market, and Privacy and Data Protection. His work critically examines shareholder primacy versus stakeholder theory, the influence of national cultural identities on corporate governance frameworks, and the evolving landscape of data protection regulations in the digital economy. He has made significant contributions to understanding how Brexit might reshape European corporate governance paradigms and the tensions between commercial interests and privacy rights in global trade. His publication record reveals a strong interdisciplinary approach, connecting theoretical legal concepts with practical commercial applications. The research trends show increasing focus on post-Brexit regulatory alignment, stakeholder governance models, and data protection challenges in international commerce. His most recent 2025 article argues that Brexit should not sever UK-EU privacy regulatory connections to protect both trade interests and human rights. Dr. Koutsias supervises PhD students in Law with expertise in corporate governance frameworks across different jurisdictions. His current supervisees include Tioluwani Comfort Tioluwani and Iman Abdulrahman M Alfaraj, while he has successfully guided seven PhD students to completion since 2016, including Christina Gkampitsaki (awarded January 2024) and Tioluwani Comfort Tioluwani (awarded December 2023). His teaching responsibilities encompass Company Law (LW225), Law of the European Union (LW302), Final Year Research Project (LW304), Introduction to the Law of the European Union (LW430), Industry Placement (LW811), and Data Protection Law in the Digital Age (LW656). He has secured research funding including the 2019 Mondaq KTP 2 grant from Innovate UK. Dr. Koutsias has co-authored three significant books: 'Company Law in the New Europe' and 'The Nature of Corporate Governance: The Significance of National Cultural Identity' (both Edward Elgar Publishers), and 'Company Law' by Palgrave with Professor Janet Dine, which is considered one of the leading textbooks in the field. He also serves as a Specialist Contributor to Gore Brown on EU Company Law publications, demonstrating his recognized expertise in this specialized area.
Dr. Seyed Mohammad Sadegh Khaksar is a Senior Lecturer in Technology Management at La Trobe Business School, specializing in digital transformation, innovation, and healthcare technology. He holds a PhD in Management and teaches courses like Project Management. As Head of the Project Management major, he employs innovative pedagogies such as blended learning and peer review to enhance graduate employability. His research focuses on digital excellence strategies in firms, with notable projects including an AUD 96k IoMT platform for rural healthcare and AUD 40k studies on aged care supply chain resilience. He advises startups and organizations on digital strategies, particularly in healthcare, oil & gas, and professional services. Key research areas include social robots in education and care, IoT applications, and agile-lean methodologies. He has secured over $300k in grants and serves on editorial boards like Technological Forecasting and Social Change . Awards include the 2024 Student Experience Award and 2021 Early Career Researcher Award. Current PhD supervision spans digital responsibility in healthcare and banking sectors, and IoT-driven service innovations. He leads funded projects on smart cities and pandemic logistics, reflecting his interdisciplinary impact across technology, healthcare, and education.
Meredith E. David is an Associate Professor of Marketing in the Foster Business and Innovation school at Baylor University, where she conducts research on consumer behavior, marketing strategy, and strategic management. Her interdisciplinary work bridges psychology and marketing, with a focus on how interpersonal dynamics and digital habits influence consumer decisions. PhD in Marketing, University of South Carolina (2013) MBA, Wake Forest University (2008) BSBA in Marketing, University of South Carolina (2006) Her research interests include consumer attitudes and decision-making, smartphone use and social media's impact on well-being, interpersonal attachment styles in marketing contexts, and strategic planning. She explores how digital behaviors like phubbing affect relationships and how emotional and psychological factors shape consumer preferences and advertising responses. Her recent publications reveal a strong trend in integrating psychological theories—particularly attachment theory and social exclusion—into marketing science. She frequently publishes in top-tier journals such as Journal of Advertising , Psychology & Marketing , and Journal of Social and Personal Relationships , often examining how technology mediates human interaction and consumer choices. A recurring theme is the intersection of personal relationships and consumer behavior, especially in digital environments. Meredith David is a coauthor of Pearson’s globally adopted Strategic Management textbook (17th and 18th editions), used by over 500 institutions. This collaboration with Fred R. David and Forest David has significantly influenced both academic and corporate strategic planning education. Her work has been featured in major media outlets including ABC News, CNN, TIME Magazine, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post, highlighting the public relevance of her research. She is actively involved in pedagogical innovation, providing tools such as the free Excel Student Template for strategic analysis and contributing to Pearson MyLab resources. While no formal advisees are listed, her leadership in curriculum development and case-based learning suggests a strong mentoring role. She also contributes to academic-practice integration through her textbook’s application in real-world business strategy. Meredith David is affiliated with the David Strategic Management team, which maintains the author website www.strategyclub.com , offering teaching aids, videos, and updates. This collaborative platform supports global instructors and students in mastering strategic management concepts.
Matthias Künzler serves as Professor of Communication Policy and Media Economics at the Institute of Journalism and Communication Studies within Freie Universität Berlin's Department of Political and Social Sciences. His academic career spans Swiss and German institutions including FH Graubünden (2014-2021), Universität Zürich (2002-2013), and guest professorships at Universität Basel, Universität Zürich, Universität Fribourg, and Universität Salzburg. Current research focuses on Local Journalism and Municipal Communication in the Digital Transformation. Freie Universität Berlin (2021-present) FH Graubünden (2014-2021) Universität Zürich (2002-2013) His research examines comparative media systems with emphasis on German and Swiss contexts, local journalism sustainability, public service media transformation, and broadcast regulation. Methodologically grounded in qualitative approaches and organizational theory, his work addresses news deserts, media convergence, and the societal role of local media infrastructure. Recent projects analyze Swiss local media business models, youth engagement with public service content, and municipal communication in digital environments. Analysis of his 15 most recent publications reveals concentrated focus on local media crises (7 articles), public service media challenges (4 articles), and Swiss-German media system comparisons (12 articles). Key emerging themes include news desert mitigation strategies, innovative funding models for local journalism, and public value frameworks for entertainment programming in public service contexts. Künzler serves as decentralized ombudsperson for scientific integrity at Freie Universität Berlin (since 2022) and previously chaired the Swiss Communication Science Association (2016-2022). He co-edits the "Medienstrukturen" book series (13 volumes published since 2012) and participates in editorial boards including Publizistik and M&K Medien & Kommunikationswissenschaft. His teaching covers German media systems, local communication, public service media innovations, and communication policy colloquia. Current doctoral supervision focuses on digital transformation impacts on local journalism and municipal communication. Leadership roles include advisory positions for Berlin's general career preparation program and research committees at FH Graubünden. Research infrastructure includes the ongoing "Lokalmedien in der Schweiz und Liechtenstein" dataset series tracking Swiss local media (2022-2025), developed with Burger and Autenrieth. The "Local Journalism and Municipal Communication" project examines digital transformation impacts through comparative Swiss-German analysis.
Professor Jessica Fong is an Assistant Professor of Marketing at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business. Her work focuses on applying theoretical models and experimentation to analyze marketing data, with an emphasis on digital platform design, consumer behavior, and information economics. She holds a PhD from Stanford University and a BS in Computer Science from Caltech, and previously worked in product management at Fitbit. Education: PhD in Marketing, Stanford University (2019) BS in Computer Science, California Institute of Technology (2014) Her research interests include two-sided markets, platform mergers, consumer responses to misinformation, and the intersection of neuroscience with consumer choice. Her work has been published in top journals like Marketing Science and Management Science , and recognized with awards such as the Paul E. Green/Vithala R. Rao Award Finalist (2024). Recent articles highlight her exploration of network effects in platform mergers, the impact of truth disclosure in consumer finance, and the role of negative feedback in social media content generation. She actively contributes to academic discourse through blog posts, podcasts, and media engagements. Awards: Paul E. Green/Vithala R. Rao Award Finalist (2024) Her research bridges empirical analysis with practical implications for firms, addressing topics like suggested pricing strategies, product ranking effects, and pandemic-era social media usage patterns. She collaborates with interdisciplinary teams, integrating neuroscience insights into consumer behavior models.
Thomas Ploetz is an Adjunct Professor in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology. His work focuses on sensor-based human activity recognition, wearable computing, and computational behavior analysis with applications in healthcare, smart homes, and education. He leads interdisciplinary research integrating machine learning, IoT systems, and human-centered design. His research interests include improving activity recognition robustness through synthetic data generation, developing explainable AI for time-series analysis, and advancing healthcare technologies like diabetic foot ulcer monitoring systems. He explores ethical implications of wearable sensing in diverse populations, including underrepresented groups. Key contributions include IMUTube (virtual sensor data generation), ProxiCycle (cyclist safety monitoring), and DISCOVER (smart home activity recognition framework). His work addresses challenges in data scarcity, domain adaptation, and long-term system maintenance in pervasive computing environments. He has been awarded grants such as the GVU/IPaT Research and Engagement Grant (2020), and his research appears in top venues like UbiComp and ISWC. He actively contributes to the wearable computing community through conference organization and editorial work.
Dr. Alexa Fox is an Associate Professor in the Department of Marketing at the College of Business, The University of Akron, where she teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in Social Media Marketing, Digital Marketing, and Consumer Behavior. She earned her Ph.D. in Business Administration (Marketing) from The University of Memphis, and holds an MBA and BBA from The University of Akron. Ph.D., Business Administration (Marketing), The University of Memphis M.B.A., The University of Akron B.S.B.A., The University of Akron Her research centers on digital marketing, online privacy, and sharenting, with a focus on how consumers, particularly parents, share children's information online. She investigates the psychological and emotional dimensions of consumer behavior through physiological measurement and explores the ethical implications of digital marketing practices. Her work bridges marketing, public policy, and consumer well-being, with a strong emphasis on responsible research. The recent publications of Dr. Fox reflect a cohesive and impactful research agenda centered on digital consumer behavior, privacy, and emotional responses. Her work spans topics such as sharenting, AI in consumer products, ad blockers, social media fatigue (e.g., Fexit), and bereavement marketing. These studies employ diverse methodologies including physiological measurement, surveys, and content analysis, and are published in high-impact journals across marketing, psychology, and policy. Dr. Fox has received numerous scientific honors, including: The University of Akron’s 2024–2025 Outstanding Researcher—Early Achievement in Research Award College of Business Dean's Service Excellence Award (2025) Best Reviewer Award, International Journal of Advertising (2023) AMA-EBSCO-RRBM Award for Responsible Research in Marketing (2022) Dean’s Research Excellence Award (2020) Outstanding Paper, Journal of Consumer Marketing (2019) She has secured multiple research grants, including principal investigator roles on projects related to sharenting and children's digital well-being, funded by The University of Akron and the Association for Consumer Research. She mentors students and serves as Faculty Advisor for honors programs and student organizations. Her service includes leadership in curriculum development, faculty mentoring, and university committees. Dr. Fox is actively involved in academic and public discourse. She serves on the editorial review boards of five top marketing journals, including the Journal of Public Policy & Marketing and Journal of Marketing Education . She also contributes to public understanding through media engagements with Forbes, PBS, and The Washington Post on topics like sharenting and digital privacy.
Avi Goldfarb is Professor of Marketing at the Joseph L. Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto, where he holds the Rotman Chair in Artificial Intelligence and Healthcare. He serves as Chief Data Scientist at the Creative Destruction Lab and Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER). His academic career spans 2002-2012 as Assistant and Associate Professor, becoming Professor of Marketing in 2012. Rotman Chair in Artificial Intelligence and Healthcare (2018-present) Professor of Marketing (2012-present) Research Associate, NBER (2014-present) Chief Data Scientist, Creative Destruction Lab (2015-present) Research Interests : Specializing in digital economics and the economics of artificial intelligence, his work bridges technology, marketing, and public policy. Key focus areas include: Digital economics and platform behavior AI adoption in healthcare systems Quantum computing economic implications Privacy regulation and data markets AI's impact on labor and inequality General purpose technology frameworks Publication Trends : His recent work spans AI implementation strategies across industries, digital behavior economics, and emerging technology commercialization. Key subfields include AI adoption patterns, digital privacy frameworks, quantum computing applications, and workplace health safety analytics. Scientific Recognition : INFORMS Society of Marketing Science Long Term Impact Award (2018) Roger Martin Award for Excellence in Teaching (2017) Leadership Roles : Former Senior Editor at Marketing Science (2016-2021), with editorial board memberships at Management Science, Journal of Marketing Research, and Journal of Economics and Management Strategy. He contributes to the Acceleration Consortium and Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society.
Esther Thorson is Professor of Journalism at Michigan State University, College of Communication Arts and Sciences. She previously served as Associate Dean for Graduate Studies and Research Director of the Reynolds Journalism Institute at the Missouri School of Journalism. Ph.D. in Psychology, University of Minnesota B.A., Macalester College Her research integrates quantitative theory and applied communication studies , focusing on: Interactive and digital advertising News processing and audience development Evolutionary psychological frameworks for media consumption Combatting fake news through fact-checking Political socialization in news audiences Recent work includes: Evolutionary models of news/media approach-avoidance behavior Redesigning politicized news narratives Collaboration with the Worlds of Journalism US team and American Communities Project She has secured over $3 million in external funding from organizations including: Ford Foundation Pew Charitable Trusts Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Key honors: Only scholar to win top awards from AAA, AEJMC, and ICA Centennial review author for Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly Adviser to 55+ doctoral graduates in global institutions Labs and centers: Health and Risk Communication Center Former leader of Center for Advanced Social Research (1994-2014)
Hiroshi Toyoizumi is a Professor at Waseda University's Faculty of Commerce and Graduate School of Accountancy, with a Ph.D. in Mathematical Physics from Waseda University. His work bridges Applied Probability , Operations Research , and Computational Biology , focusing on stochastic modeling across biological and network systems. Research Interests Stochastic Models in Biology : Analyzing social queues in hover wasps and meiotic DSB regulation using quasi-birth-death processes and survival analysis. Network Security : Modeling computer virus spread on scale-free networks and proposing active defense strategies. Queueing Theory : Developing analytical frameworks for on-demand streaming, quantum merging, and blockchain-based systems. Article Trends Recent work (2020-2024) explores nonlocal diffusion , quantum queueing , and swarm behavior in financial markets . Mid-2010s studies focus on cooperative breeding and DNA recombination dynamics . Early papers (pre-2010) examine computer virus ecology , secure group communication , and deterministic queue analysis . Scientific Awards Biotechno 2013 Best Paper Award IEICE Switching Workshop SSE Research Award (1999) IEICE Young Research Engineer Award (1997) Teaching Activities Graduate-level courses in Operations Research and Financial Engineering . Undergraduate and graduate seminars in Applied Mathematics and Probabilistic Models .
Dr. Han Shi is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Economics & Finance at Louisiana State University Shreveport's College of Business since 2019. He holds a PhD in Finance (2017) from the University of South Florida, alongside Master's degrees in Accountancy (University of Glasgow) and Finance (Free University Amsterdam). Education: PhD in Finance (University of South Florida, 2017) Master of Accountancy (University of Glasgow) Master of Finance (Free University Amsterdam) His research focuses on tax aggressiveness , corporate governance , and insider trading , with recent work examining the relationship between advertising expenditures and tax avoidance strategies. His teaching portfolio includes advanced finance courses like Financial Planning Capstone and International Finance. Selected Publications (2020-2021) analyze critical financial sector dynamics: 1) Strategic tax avoidance through advertising, 2) Retail investor behavior patterns influencing insider trading, and 3) Complex governance structures in executive management contexts. Office hours: Tuesday 8:30am-10:30am & 1pm-5pm CT in BE 326; Thursday 1pm-5pm CT via Zoom.
Jean-Marie Bonnin is a Researcher at IMT Atlantique , affiliated with the Network Systems, Cyber Security and Digital Law department. His work spans autonomous industrial vehicles, vehicular networks, and cooperative systems, with a focus on energy management, task allocation, and safety protocols. IMT Atlantique, Rennes Campus Research in Industry 4.0 and Smart Mobility Research Interests : Autonomous Industrial Vehicle Fleets Fuzzy Logic for Multi-Agent Systems V2X Communication Protocols Scientific Contributions include: Modeling energy consumption in extreme-edge IoT nodes Decentralized task allocation for autonomous vehicles Collision avoidance in industrial environments
Jessica Fong is an Assistant Professor of Marketing at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business. Her research focuses on quantitative marketing and empirical industrial organization, particularly in digital platform design and consumer responses to information. She holds a Ph.D. in Marketing (implied via academic rank) and has published in top journals like Management Science and Marketing Science. Her work examines topics including two-sided markets, platform mergers, misinformation effects, consumer finance behavior, and social media dynamics. Notable contributions include analyzing eBay bargaining delays and online dating market competition, with media attention from VoxEU, ProMarket, and Michigan News. Dr. Fong has been recognized with the Paul E. Green/Vithala R. Rao Award Finalist (2024). Her research integrates empirical methods with behavioral insights, bridging marketing theory and real-world platform strategies. Current projects explore neuro-psychological habit models in consumer choice and the impact of suggested pricing on e-commerce platforms.
