Achilleas Psyllidis is an Assistant Professor of Urban Mobility and Director of the Urban Analytics Lab at TU Delft. He also leads the Social Urban Data Lab at Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Metropolitan Solutions and is affiliated with the LDE Centre for BOLD Cities. His roles include membership in TU Delft's Transport & Mobility Institute, the Mobility Futures Vision Team, and serving on the Executive Board of CUPUM. Education: PhD in Spatial Data Science (TU Delft, Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment) Master of Science in Spatial Planning (National Technical University of Athens) Engineering Diploma in Architectural Engineering (National Technical University of Athens) Research Interests: Focuses on accessibility, walkability, land-use dynamics, and travel behavior. Develops computational methods for analyzing access equity, spatial segregation, and human mobility. Leads projects on sustainable urban mobility, environmental exposures, and the 15-minute city concept. Awards: CTwalk Map: Best Demo Award (ICT.Open 2024) ROUTE Ontology of Urban Transportation Entities (2015) Grants & Projects: Involved in initiatives like PERISCOPE (Social Resilience Design), Horizon2020 'Equal-Life' (Environmental Health), and SocialGlass (Urban Analytics Dashboard). Active in research collaborations across Europe and Asia. Labs & Teams: Directs Urban Analytics Lab and Social Urban Data Lab, focusing on data-driven urban solutions. Engages in interdisciplinary teams addressing mobility futures, urban health, and sustainable design.
Sergio Carrera serves as Senior Research Fellow and Head of the Justice and Home Affairs Unit at the Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS), a prominent Brussels-based think tank. Additionally, he holds the position of Adjunct Professor at the Paris School of International Affairs (PSIA) in SciencesPo, France, where he contributes to academic teaching and research in international affairs. Dr. Carrera's academic background includes a Ph.D. on immigration and citizenship from Maastricht University (The Netherlands), an LL.M. in European, Comparative and International Law from the University of Maastricht, and a Law Degree from Universidad de Salamanca in Spain. His extensive educational foundation in European and international law underpins his expertise in EU justice and home affairs policy. His primary research interests focus on EU justice and home affairs (JHA) law and the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice policy, with particular emphasis on migration, asylum, citizenship, and Schengen policies. Dr. Carrera's expertise also extends to EU criminal justice law and police cooperation, examining their impacts on data protection, privacy, and the rights of the defense. His work consistently addresses the intersection between security measures and fundamental rights within the European context. Dr. Carrera has produced an extensive body of scholarly work, with over 190 published publications according to the available information. His recent research has particularly focused on EU-US data transfers, rule of law challenges in the context of migration management, global asylum governance, and the evolving landscape of EU security policy. His publications demonstrate a consistent concern with ensuring that security and migration policies uphold fundamental rights and the rule of law. Among his notable contributions are policy analyses on the European Green Deal's implications for climate policy, assessments of the EU's response to the Ukraine crisis, and examinations of the impact of the Trump administration on EU security policy. His research often bridges academic analysis with practical policy recommendations for EU institutions. Dr. Carrera leads and participates in numerous research projects addressing critical issues in EU policy. Current initiatives include "Reclaiming our past, rebuilding our future: new approaches to fighting antigypsyism" (2024-2026) and the "Study on Mapping Civil Dialogue Practices in the EU Institutions" (2024-2025). Previous significant projects include "Global Asylum Governance and European Union's Role" (ASILE, 2019-2023), "Pan-European Response to the ImpactS of COVID-19" (PERISCOPE, 2020-2023), and "IT tools and methods for managing migration FLOWS" (ITFLOWS, 2020-2023). His work has been commissioned by various EU institutions, including the European Parliament's Policy Department for Citizens' Rights and Constitutional Affairs, demonstrating the policy relevance and impact of his research. Dr. Carrera's expertise is frequently sought for task forces addressing timely issues such as EU-US data transfers, digital justice, and cross-border cooperation in criminal matters.
Nelly V. Litvak is a Full Professor in Algorithms for Complex Networks at Eindhoven University of Technology (Mathematics and Computer Science). She works on mathematical methods and algorithms for complex networks (social networks, WWW) using random graph models. She joined TU/e as a part-time professor in 2017 after being an Associate Professor at the University of Twente since 2012. Affiliations: 4TU Applied Mathematics Institute, Data Science Center Eindhoven, CTIT Industry Partners: ABN-AMRO Bank, Philips Lighting, Thales Editorial Role: Managing Editor of Internet Mathematics Her research focuses on extracting value from network data across three areas: (1) Information extraction and prediction, (2) Mathematical analysis of network characteristics, and (3) Efficient algorithms for incomplete network data. Key topics include PageRank, HITS algorithm, random graphs, homophilic networks, and network epidemiology. Recent work (2022-2025) spans network growth mechanisms, fairness in ranking algorithms, educational pedagogy, and pandemic forecasting dashboards. She contributes to SDGs through data-driven approaches to societal challenges. Teaching activities include course development at TU/e and earlier institutions, with innovative methods for computer engineering students' statistical understanding.
Dr. Debraj Roy is a Visiting Professor at the University of Amsterdam (UvA), affiliated with the Faculty of Science, Mathematics and Computer Science and the Informatics Institute. His research focuses on agent-based modeling, socio-economic dynamics, environmental resilience, and blockchain technology. He investigates complex systems such as urban slums, disaster recovery, and climate adaptation using computational methods like remote sensing and machine learning. His work bridges theory and practice, offering insights into policy design for sustainable development and social equity. Key research interests include slum dynamics, poverty traps, and the application of blockchain oracles for decentralized systems. He employs advanced techniques such as global sensitivity analysis and manifold learning to explore multi-scale socio-environmental challenges. His recent articles highlight trends in carbon pricing, flood risk valuation, and multi-agent systems. Earlier work concentrated on urban inequality in cities like Bangalore and Mexico City, leveraging geospatial and statistical tools. No scientific awards or grants are explicitly listed. His advising and team collaborations are unspecified in the provided text.
Dr. Vera Deneer is an Associate Professor of Clinical Pharmacology at the Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Research (UIPS) within the Faculty of Science at Utrecht University, specializing in the Division of Pharmacoepidemiology and Clinical Pharmacology since 2019. She also serves as a hospital pharmacist and clinical pharmacologist at the University Medical Center Utrecht (UMC Utrecht) at the Department of Clinical Pharmacy since 2017. Dr. Deneer holds significant leadership positions including Vice-Chair of the Medicines Evaluation Board (MEB-CBG) since 2019 and Chair of the Dutch Pharmacogenetics Working Group (DPWG). Dr. Deneer received her PharmD from Utrecht University in 1991 and her PhD from Groningen University in 2003, with research focused on clinical pharmacology and pharmacokinetics of antiarrhythmic drugs in atrial fibrillation. She completed clinical training in hospital pharmacy in 1994 and clinical pharmacology training in 1998. Prior to her current positions, she served as Head of the Pharmacogenetics, Pharmaceutical and Toxicological Laboratory at St. Antonius Hospital, Nieuwegein/Utrecht from 1998 to 2017. Her research focuses on personalized medicine through the study of biomarkers including genetic variants, patient characteristics, and clinical parameters to optimize drug treatment efficacy and safety. Her work primarily targets cardiovascular disease, lung cancer, and immune-mediated inflammatory diseases. She also investigates clinical reasoning and decision-making by pharmacists to improve medication management in clinical practice. Dr. Deneer serves as principal investigator for multiple research projects funded by The Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development. Dr. Deneer's recent publications demonstrate her leadership in pharmacogenetics guidelines development, with numerous Dutch Pharmacogenetics Working Group (DPWG) guidelines published in 2023-2025 covering gene-drug interactions for various medication classes including antidepressants, antipsychotics, anti-epileptics, and cardiovascular medications. Her work spans both clinical implementation research and educational aspects of pharmacy practice. Among her significant appointments, Dr. Deneer serves as Vice-Chair of the Medicines Evaluation Board (MEB-CBG) and Chair of the Dutch Pharmacogenetics Working Group (DPWG). She previously chaired a medical research ethics committee from 2012-2017 and serves on multiple national and hospital committees related to pharmacotherapy and drug safety. Dr. Deneer has been actively involved in mentoring pharmacy students and professionals, with recent publications focusing on clinical decision-making education for pharmacists. Her work bridges the gap between pharmacogenetic research and clinical implementation, with particular emphasis on optimizing drug treatment strategies for individual patients while minimizing adverse drug reactions.
Laura Maruster is an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Groningen, Netherlands. She holds an MSc from the West University of Timisoara, Romania, and a PhD in Technology Management from Eindhoven University of Technology, Netherlands. Her research focuses on process mining, process modelling, and healthcare networks, with applications in operations research and data science. She collaborates extensively with industry and public sector partners on projects like the Casimir initiative (RuG and Gasunie). Teaching areas include business processes, data mining, and research methodology. Recent work includes studies on healthcare logistics optimization and process mining beyond traditional workflows. Her publications appear in leading journals such as BMJ Open , IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management , and Computers in Industry . Research interests span healthcare networks, emergency medical services analytics, and enterprise process optimization. Notable recent contributions include analyzing interhospital patient transfers and redesigning engineering design processes using data-driven methods.
Dr. Koen Haak is an Associate Professor at Tilburg University's Department of Cognitive Science and Artificial Intelligence within the Tilburg School of Humanities and Digital Sciences. His research focuses on vision science, neuroimaging, and AI applications in healthcare. He leads projects like 'Bridging the gap between visual function and functional vision' (NWO Vidi) and 'Neuroimaging biomarkers for predicting vision training success after stroke' (NWO KIC). He collaborates with institutions such as the Donders Institute and the Lifelong Vision Consortium. His work contributes to UN SDGs related to health and innovation. Research interests include analyzing brain imaging data to predict functional vision outcomes, developing machine learning tools for clinical trials, and studying visual cortex plasticity. He has authored 51+ publications, including papers in Nature Neuroscience and Translational Psychiatry . Awards include NWO Veni (2016) and Vidi (2020) fellowships. He teaches courses on computer vision and AI at Tilburg University. Current projects explore predictive analytics for eye treatments, thalamocortical connectivity, and sleep disruption effects in maritime pilots. His lab develops methods like connectopic mapping and deep learning for MRI analysis, with applications in Alzheimer's, autism, and psychiatric disorders.
Valentijn M.T. de Jong is an Assistant Professor at Utrecht University, specializing in methodological advancements in biostatistics and epidemiology. His research focuses on causal inference, missing data analysis, and meta-analytical techniques in medical studies. Research Trends: Recent publications highlight his expertise in statistical methods for handling missing data (e.g., Heckman selection models), causal inference in individual-participant data meta-analyses, and enhancing prediction model discrimination in healthcare research. His work spans disciplines like epidemiology, biostatistics, and health data science.
Mila N. Koeva is a Vice Dean Research and senior Associate Professor at the University of Twente's Faculty of Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation (ITC), Department of Urban and Regional Planning and Geo-Information Management. Her research focuses on 3D modeling and Digital Twins for land management and urban planning, integrating geospatial technologies, UAV data, and AI/ML methods. PhD in architectural photogrammetry MSc in Engineering (Geodesy) Research Themes: Digital Twinning for urban ecosystems AI-driven cadastral boundary extraction 3D modeling with LiDAR and satellite data Global partnerships in Rwanda, Kenya, and Ethiopia Interoperability standards for local digital twins Scientific Contributions: Geospatial World Innovation Award 2021 Copernicus Masters Competition (3rd place 2016) Editorial roles in Photogrammetric Records and MDPI journals Keynote speaker at 3D GeoInfo, GI Forum, and FIG events Her educational impact includes developing courses, lecturing, and supervising students whose work has received top awards in The Netherlands and international competitions.
Coen H.H.M. Custers is a Researcher at Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e), affiliated with the Department of Electromechanics and Power Electronics within the College of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science. His work focuses on electromechanical systems, magnetic materials, and actuator design, contributing to UN Sustainable Development Goals related to sustainable energy and industrial innovation. Education: MSc and PhD in Electrical Engineering from TU Eindhoven. His research emphasizes advanced modeling techniques such as harmonic analysis and finite element methods, particularly in segmented structures and solid-state transformers. He has collaborated on projects like the Impuls II Long Stroke synchronous reluctance actuator (2016–2022) and the Nanometer-accurate planar actuation system (2015–2019), both as a project member. Research interests include improving precision in planar motor systems, reducing eddy currents in conducting structures, and advancing solid-state transformer technology. His publications highlight contributions to control systems, magnetic levitation, and semi-analytical modeling approaches. He has advised M. Kleijer on a conference contribution. His work has been recognized by 61 total citations (Scopus) and he is active in the Electromechanics Lab, focusing on interdisciplinary projects involving electromagnetic design and mechanical deformation.
Ulrike Schultze is a Professor in Business Information Systems at the Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Groningen. She also serves as a Visiting Professor at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. Her research focuses on digitalization impacts, platform organizations, and sociomateriality in information systems. She holds a PhD from Case Western Reserve University (1997) and has held academic roles at Southern Methodist University (2004-2021) and other institutions globally. Education: PhD in MIS (1997, Case Western Reserve University), MCom (1992), and BCom (1988) from University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa. Research interests include technology standardization, platform ecosystems, identity work in virtual environments, and qualitative research methods. Her work has been published in top journals like MIS Quarterly and Information Systems Research. She has received multiple awards including the AIS Fellow designation (2022) and served as editorial board member for leading journals. Teaching roles include coordinating bachelor's thesis courses and supervising master's theses in Change Management and SIM programs. She actively participates in academic leadership roles including program committees for ICIS and ECIS conferences.
Prof. Geert-Jan P.M. Houben is a Professor at Delft University of Technology's Web Information Systems Department within the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science. His research focuses on AI ethics, machine learning, data integration, and decision support systems. He has published over 165 works and supervised 24 students. Notable contributions include frameworks for meaningful human control in AI systems and methodologies for bias mitigation in data-driven systems. Editorial roles: Editor for CEUR-WS, Springer, and other publishers since 2012 Awards: Royal Honours from TU Delft (2025) Research emphasizes ethical AI, data engineering, and scalable systems. Recent work addresses AI governance, bias in analytics, and interactive data discovery in modern data ecosystems. He actively contributes to conferences like ACM Web Science and VLDB.
Florian Bociort is an Assistant Professor at the Optics Research Group , Delft University of Technology (Faculty of Applied Sciences). He holds a PhD in Physics from TU Berlin (1994) and has dedicated his career to optical system design, gradient-index optics, and computational methods in lens design. Research Interests Bociort’s research focuses on design landscapes of optical systems , where he pioneered the use of saddle points to escape local minima in optimization. His work spans Gradient-index optics (conversion of homogeneous lenses to GRIN media) Artificial intelligence in lens design Optics education (simulation-driven learning) Academic Contributions He has supervised multiple PhD theses on topics like: A. M. Boyd (2025): Generalized gradient-index lens optimization Z. Hou (2023): Systematic lens design searches Y. Shao (2021): Imaging coherence and optimization M. Strauch (2020): Tunable optics M. Mout (2019): Ray-based diffraction simulation Recent Publications His 2025-2018 publications show a trajectory from classical optical design to modern computational approaches, including simulation-driven education, gradient-index conversions, and high-NA diffraction modeling. The 2024 paraxial reconstruction and 2025 simulation-education articles exemplify this evolution. Patents & Expertise He co-invented two ASML-related patents in lithographic design and served as expert witness in the 2018 ASML-Nikon patent lawsuit. His personal webpage details his networks of local minima and fractal basins in optimization.
Joris M. Mooij is a Professor of Mathematical Statistics at the Korteweg-De Vries Institute of the University of Amsterdam, Netherlands. His research focuses on causality, spanning causal modeling, discovery, and inference with applications in biology, medicine, fairness, and business analytics. He combines mathematical modeling with statistical and algorithmic approaches in his work. Dr. Mooij received his PhD with honors from Radboud University Nijmegen in 2007, focusing on approximate inference in graphical models. After postdoctoral work at the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics in Tübingen, Germany, he obtained an NWO VENI grant in 2011 for further postdoctoral research at Radboud University. He became Assistant Professor at the University of Amsterdam's Informatics Institute in 2013, was promoted to Associate Professor in 2017, and became a full Professor of Mathematical Statistics in 2020. Dr. Mooij's research centers on causal inference, with particular expertise in structural causal models, cyclic causal systems, and causal discovery algorithms. His work addresses fundamental questions about when causal relationships can be identified from observational data and how to develop robust causal discovery methods that work in complex real-world settings with latent variables, cycles, and selection bias. He has made significant contributions to understanding the limitations of existing causal discovery approaches and developing new methods that overcome these limitations. His research group organizes the Amsterdam Causality Meeting series and develops theoretical frameworks for causal modeling that encompass both acyclic and cyclic systems. Dr. Mooij has collaborated extensively on applications of causal methods in biological systems, including protein signaling networks and gene expression data. The group's recent work explores performative predictions, causal domain adaptation, and robust causal discovery methods that account for selection bias and missing data. Dr. Mooij has received numerous awards for his research, including: Best paper award at UAI for "Establishing Markov equivalence in cyclic directed graphs" IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Society 2011 Letters Prize Paper Award ICML Test of Time Honorable Mention Best student paper award at UAI 2010 He has secured competitive research funding through an NWO VENI grant, NWO VIDI grant, and an ERC Starting Grant, which supported the establishment of his research group consisting of 3 PhD students and 3 postdocs focused entirely on causality. Dr. Mooij has supervised several PhD students, including Tineke Blom, whose work on "Causality and Independence in Perfectly Adapted Dynamical Systems" significantly influenced his thinking about causality in complex systems. He has co-taught the MasterMath course on Causality and published lecture notes titled "A Mathematical Introduction to Causality." His research continues to push the boundaries of causal inference methodology and its applications across diverse scientific domains.
Ine van der Fels-Klerx is an Associate Professor in Business Economics at Wageningen University & Research, with a focus on food safety and risk management. She is also a Programme and Account Management lead, overseeing interdisciplinary projects. Her work integrates economic analysis with food safety challenges, particularly addressing mycotoxin contamination, climate change impacts, and circular economy solutions. Key collaborations include projects on early warning systems for mycotoxins and cost-effective monitoring strategies for contaminants in food supply chains. Her research spans topics such as alternative protein sources, insect-based feed production, and resilient supply chain designs. Notable projects include developing decision support tools for risk-based monitoring and assessing the economic feasibility of food safety interventions. She has advised multiple PhD candidates, including those studying mycotoxin management in maize and climate change effects on aflatoxins. Media contributions highlight her expertise in food safety, including interviews on predicting grain contamination and smart monitoring techniques. She actively participates in workshops and conferences, discussing digitalization in food systems and the role of artificial intelligence in food safety prevention.
