Rutgers, The State University of New JerseyUnited States
Dr. Keisha April is an Assistant Professor at Rutgers University's School of Criminal Justice. She holds a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Drexel University, J.D. from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, and A.B. in Psychology from Princeton University. Her research focuses on juvenile justice systems, policing practices, mental health intersections with crime, community-based interventions, and racial/ethnic disparities. Using mixed methodologies, she examines justice system interactions to inform policy reforms. Recent publications explore police-youth dynamics, treatment-to-prison pipelines, and community participatory research. Her work integrates public health models with restorative justice approaches.
Kris Baetens is a Professor in the Department of Psychology Brain, Body and Cognition at Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB). His research focuses on the neural mechanisms underlying social cognition, mentalization, and inhibitory control, particularly exploring the role of the cerebellum and prefrontal cortex in these processes. He employs techniques such as transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), EEG, and fMRI to investigate cognitive and clinical phenomena. Leading projects like ANI423 (neural correlates of inhibitory control in adolescents) and FWOAL1160 (cerebellum's role in social cognition). Recipient of the EUTOPIA Young Leaders Academy fellowship (2024-2026). Active collaborations in the PRISM network for mental health research. Key research interests include: - Cerebellar contributions to cognitive and social functions - Neurostimulation techniques for mental health interventions - Mentalizing processes in social action prediction - Personality and learning mechanisms His articles consistently analyze the interplay between neural structures like the cerebellum and behavioral outcomes in clinical and cognitive contexts. Recent work emphasizes applications of tDCS in treating alcohol use disorders and disordered eating, highlighting translational research in non-invasive brain stimulation. Advising/Grants: Supervises student research projects and manages grants from FWO and OZR agencies. Labs/Teams: Core member of the PRISM network and involved in the EUTOPIA fellowship initiative.
Dr. Will Grant is an Associate Professor in Science Communication at the Australian National University’s Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science. His work focuses on science communication, public policy, and the intersection of science with politics and technology. He holds a PhD from The University of Queensland and has been at ANU since 2008. His research explores science communication strategies, misinformation dynamics, and the societal impacts of emerging technologies. He has authored over 100 publications in outlets like Public Understanding of Science and Environmental Communication , and his work has reached 1.8 million readers on The Conversation . He co-founded PostAc, a platform analyzing PhD job markets, and has advised organizations including the Office of the Chief Scientist and CSIRO. Grant’s research interests include science communication pedagogy, the role of social media in shaping public discourse, and the ethical dimensions of geoengineering. He has organized high-impact outreach initiatives like the Long Conversations dialogue series and hosts the podcast The Wholesome Show . His awards include the Vice Chancellor’s Award for Public Policy and Outreach (2015) and the Sidney Sax Medal (2020). He supervises numerous graduate students and teaches courses on science communication ethics, digital media, and science-policy interaction.
Falk MÜLLER-RIEMENSCHNEIDER is an Associate Professor and Vice Dean (Research) at NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health and holds a joint affiliation with NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine. He leads the Physical Activity and Nutrition Determinants in Asia (PANDA) research programme. With a medical degree from the University of Cologne (2003) and advanced training in Public Health at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (2005), he has built a career focused on cardiovascular disease prevention, physical activity promotion, and obesity epidemiology. His academic qualifications include a Doctoral degree from Charité University Medical Centre Berlin (2005) and Habilitation (2011). Professional roles include Senior Lecturer/Research Fellow positions at Charité (2005–2012), and administrative leadership roles such as Teaching Coordinator and Project Division Coordinator for Cardiovascular Research (2008–2012). Research interests center on lifestyle determinants of chronic diseases, with emphasis on physical activity interventions, dietary patterns, and early childhood development. Notable work includes the Singapore Preconception Study and the GUSTO cohort study, examining long-term health trajectories. Media engagements highlight his work on screen time effects in children and urban green space benefits. His recent publications (2021–2025) address mHealth intervention design, park-based physical activity, and 24-hour movement guidelines. Key themes include digital health adoption barriers, longitudinal cohort studies, and culturally tailored public health strategies.
Dr. E. Keith Smith is a Lecturer at ETH Zürich's Department of Humanities, Social and Political Sciences, affiliated with the Center for Comparative and International Studies (CIS). His research focuses on sociopolitical dimensions of climate change, particularly climate change attitudes, behaviors, and social tipping processes. He holds PhD from Colorado State University and master’s degrees from KU Leuven and University of British Columbia. His work explores why individuals engage—or disengage—in climate action, emphasizing factors like political polarization, religious beliefs (especially evangelical Protestantism), and trust in institutions. Smith's research employs quantitative methodologies and addresses challenges in environmental policy implementation, such as equitable air quality monitoring and global supply chain regulations. He contributed to the DominoES project on social tipping dynamics and has published in journals like Global Environmental Change and Nature Scientific Reports . His recent studies analyze public support for climate policies across Europe and the U.S., emphasizing how procedural inclusiveness and transparency can build trust in environmental governance. He also explores mobility policies in Switzerland, including road pricing and public transport expansion, using experimental methods to gauge citizen preferences. Smith’s work bridges environmental science and social science, aiming to identify pathways for transformative societal shifts toward climate action. His current projects focus on social tipping mechanisms and the interplay between climate risk anticipation and policy demand.
Joseph Kangmennaang is an Assistant Professor and Queen's National Scholar in Black Health & Social Change at Queen's University. He holds a PhD from the University of Waterloo, an MA from Western University, and a B.A. from the University of Ghana. His research focuses on the interplay between environment and wellbeing, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa and among Black immigrant communities in North America. He employs social theories, participatory methods, and mixed approaches to address health disparities, with a focus on non-communicable diseases, food/water security, and the impact of racism and social change. His courses include HLTH 397 (Globalization and Black Health) and HLTH 495 (Racism and Health). Research areas include immigrant health equity, syndemics, and the role of place in healthcare access. Collaborations with marginalized communities emphasize participatory action and civic engagement. He has published extensively on topics such as climate change impacts on health, HIV/AIDS knowledge among women in Malawi, and the social determinants of wellbeing in Ghana. His work bridges global health challenges with localized solutions, addressing systemic inequities through interdisciplinary partnerships. Notably, he explores how structural factors like migration, remittances, and agroecology affect household welfare and food security in Malawi and Ghana. His recent studies highlight the mental health implications of discrimination among minoritized Canadians during the pandemic and the spatial distribution of diseases like cholera in Tanzania. He advocates for community-driven interventions to promote wellbeing in resource-limited settings.
Faidra Monachou is an Assistant Professor of Operations Management at the Yale School of Management and a Faculty Fellow at the Center for Algorithms, Data, and Market Design at Yale (CADMY). She specializes in designing market mechanisms and operational interventions that balance efficiency and fairness, particularly in public policy contexts like education. Her research integrates tools from operations research, economics, and data science to address societal challenges. Education: Ph.D. in Operations Research from Stanford University's Department of Management Science and Engineering Postdoctoral Fellowship at Harvard University Bachelor's degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the National Technical University of Athens Her research interests focus on market design for public policy , including education systems, labor markets, and algorithmic fairness. Recent work examines human-algorithm trade-offs in college admissions and limitations of diversity interventions in hiring. She frequently collaborates with institutions like the Nokia Bell Labs and the University of Michigan Ross School. Recent Research Trends: Monachou's publications emphasize fairness, equity, and strategic behavior in allocation systems. Key themes include: Algorithmic fairness in education and labor markets Design of simple yet optimal allocation mechanisms Evaluating trade-offs between information and access in policy Awards: INFORMS DEI Best Student Paper Award (2022) ACM EAAMO 2021 Best Paper with a Student Presenter Award Her work has been published in top venues like ACM EC, Management Science, NeurIPS, and AAAI. She actively contributes to interdisciplinary initiatives such as the Mechanism Design for Social Good workshop.
Professor Georgios Chortareas is a Professor of Economics at King's Business School, part of King's College London. He serves as Director of the Data Analytics for Finance and Macro Research Centre and is affiliated with the Qatar Centre for Global Banking & Finance. His research focuses on monetary policy, international finance, central banking, exchange rate economics, and fiscal policy coordination. He has contributed to understanding real exchange rates, current accounts, banking efficiency, and the impact of quantitative easing on stock markets. Affiliations : Data Analytics for Finance and Macro Research Centre, Qatar Centre for Global Banking & Finance His work bridges theoretical and applied economics, with notable contributions on policy conflict resolution in monetary unions, volatility-growth linkages, and the role of central bank interventions. He has published extensively in journals like the Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, European Journal of Political Economy, and International Journal of Finance and Economics. Research highlights include analyzing fiscal leadership strategies in monetary unions, the asymmetric New Keynesian Phillips Curve, and the effects of financial development on economic growth. His studies often employ advanced econometric techniques to address policy-relevant questions.
Dr. Michelle Townsend is a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Wollongong's School of Psychology and a Senior Lecturer in the Public Health Discipline within the School of Health and Society. With over two decades of expertise in responding to adverse childhood experiences, her research bridges psychology and public health, focusing on child maltreatment, mental health disorders, self-harm, suicide prevention, and improving outcomes for vulnerable children and families. Her work emphasizes collaboration with clinicians, educators, government agencies, and communities to develop impactful interventions and policies. Notable contributions include the Project Air Strategy for Schools and research on child-to-parent violence, caregiver experiences, and e-therapy for adolescents with borderline personality disorder. Dr. Townsend holds dual roles, combining research leadership with teaching in public health and psychology, and actively supervises PhD students in areas like narrative therapy and suicide risk assessment. Her funding includes grants from NSW Department of Education and the Mental Health Commission of NSW, supporting initiatives such as early intervention in schools and peer support programs for personality disorders. She also contributes to editorial roles and peer review for journals like BMC Psychology and Clinical Psychologist. Through co-design approaches, her research prioritizes ethical principles and community impact, addressing critical societal challenges in mental health and child welfare.
Leah Doane is a Professor and Chair of the Department of Psychology at Arizona State University (ASU) since 2025. She holds affiliations with the Biodesign Center for Personalized Diagnostics and previously served as Associate Dean of Graduate Initiatives in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (2024). Her academic background includes a B.A. in Psychology from Cornell University (2002), M.A. and Ph.D. in Human Development and Social Policy from Northwestern University (2006/2008), and a postdoc at the University of Chicago in Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience. Research focuses on developmental psychopathology, examining links between health behaviors, physiological stress (e.g., cortisol), and stressful experiences across childhood, adolescence, and emerging adulthood—with particular emphasis on Latinx youth and college transition challenges. Key themes include cultural adaptation, sleep health, epigenetic influences, and bicultural stress. Funded by NIH, CDC, and Army Research Institute, her work integrates ecological and ambulatory assessment methods. Leadership roles include Director of Faculty Success, Developmental Graduate Training Area Head, and Deputy Chair in ASU's Psychology Department. Awards include William T. Grant Foundation Scholar (2025-). Active in teaching advanced courses on research methods and thesis supervision, she mentors students through courses like Honors Thesis (PSY 493), Research (PSY 792), and Dissertation (PSY 799). Key grants include studies on Latino youth college pathways (Helios Education Foundation, 2015-2016), genetic/environmental influences on sleep and behavior (NICHD, 2015-2020), and culturally informed interventions. The Adolescent Stress and Emotion Lab (adolescentstressandemotionlab.org) serves as her research hub.
Sara Zaniboni is an Associate Professor in Work and Organizational Psychology at the University of Bologna's Department of Psychology 'Renzo Canestrari'. Her research focuses on workplace diversity, age-related issues, and organizational inclusion. She holds a PhD and has led international research initiatives, including the 'Age in the Workplace Meeting' conference. Her work bridges psychological theory with practical applications, addressing challenges like age discrimination, mental health, and work design. She has contributed to EU and national grants (e.g., PRIN, PNRR), and serves on editorial boards such as Work, Aging and Retirement . Awards include the 2015 outstanding paper award and 2018 outstanding author contribution award. She has held visiting roles at institutions like ETH Zurich and the University of Essex, emphasizing global collaboration. Her research explores how organizational policies can enhance diversity outcomes, reduce stereotypes, and support older workers. Key areas include uncertainty mindset development, workaholism effects, and workplace accommodations for people with mental health challenges. She advocates for policies promoting sustainable careers and inclusive work environments. Key Projects: LeverAge (EU network), Age in the Workplace Meeting Grants: PRIN, PNRR, EU grants International Collaboration: Visiting positions at 6+ universities, including ETH Zurich Editorial Roles: Work, Aging and Retirement , among others
Dr. Kristen Lindquist is an incoming Professor and Robert K. and Dale J. Weary Chair in Social Psychology at The Ohio State University. She holds a A.B. in Psychology and English from Boston College (2004) and a Ph.D. in Psychology from Boston College (2010). Her research focuses on the psychological and neural basis of emotions, integrating tools from social cognition, neuroscience, and big data. She previously served as an Assistant Professor (2012–2018) and Associate Professor (2018–2022) at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill before being promoted to Professor in 2022. Her work emphasizes how emotions emerge from interactions between bodily states, cultural learning, and neural processes across the lifespan. She leads the Affective Science Lab, exploring cultural influences on emotion perception and the role of language in shaping emotional experiences. Lindquist’s research has been featured in Science , NeuroImage , and Trends in Cognitive Sciences , among others. Education: A.B. in Psychology and English, Boston College, 2004 Ph.D. in Psychology, Boston College, 2010 Research Interests: Lindquist investigates emotion construction theory, the neurobiological underpinnings of affect, interoception, and cultural influences on emotion semantics. Her work bridges cognitive, social, and developmental psychology with neuroscience, emphasizing interdisciplinary methods. Recent studies explore how language shapes emotional understanding and the impact of aging on physiological-emotional linkages. Key Contributions: Developed the theory of constructed emotion, challenging traditional discrete emotion models. Conducted large-scale meta-analyses mapping brain networks underlying emotion. Explored cultural variation in emotion semantics using linguistic and neuroimaging data. Labs/Teams: Her Affective Science Lab at OSU will continue investigating emotion’s neural and cultural foundations, with a focus on translational applications in mental health and education.
ISM University of Management and EconomicsLithuania
Dr. Jolanta Jaškienė is a Postdoctoral Researcher at IÉSEG School of Management (France) and a Visiting Lecturer at ISM University of Management and Economics. She holds a PhD in Management from ISM (2021) and has 15 years of experience in academia. Her research focuses on Human Resource Management (HRM) in higher education, particularly HRM-research performance linkages, staff motivation, and factors influencing academic productivity. She has presented at major conferences like Academy of Management (AOM) and EURAM, and has been awarded doctoral scholarships from the Research Council of Lithuania (2016, 2019). Jolanta has held administrative roles including Senior Research Manager at ISM and has conducted research visits at Maynooth University (Ireland) and Southampton Business School (UK). Education Background: PhD in Management, ISM University of Management and Economics (2021) Master's in Business Administration, Vilnius University (Kaunas Faculty of Humanities) Research Interests: Jolanta's work explores how HRM practices impact research productivity in academic settings. She investigates institutional policies, individual characteristics, and organizational factors shaping academic performance. Her studies emphasize cross-country comparisons and practical implications for higher education management. Recent work highlights the role of staff motivation strategies and policy frameworks in enhancing research outcomes. Grants & Mobility: Research Council of Lithuania grants for research visits to Maynooth University (2018-2019) Erasmus+ internship at Southampton Business School (2023) PhD courses at BI Norwegian Business School Labs & Collaboration: Engaged in collaborative research across European institutions, focusing on HRM frameworks for academic organizations. Active in interdisciplinary teams addressing challenges in higher education management.
Dr Justine Howard is an Associate Professor in Education and Childhood Studies at Swansea University's Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. She holds Chartered Psychologist status and is an Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society. Her research focuses on developmental psychology, educational psychology, and the role of play in early childhood development. With over 15 years of experience in higher education, she teaches and supervises PhD students in education-related topics. Her work emphasizes play-based learning, therapeutic play, and inclusive education. Notable contributions include publications on play's developmental benefits, teacher perspectives, and the implementation of play curricula. She has presented globally on topics like play advocacy and child well-being in crisis contexts. Awards include recognition from the British Psychological Society. Current PhD supervision includes projects on social justice in Bangladesh, music education impacts, and therapeutic play in healthcare settings. Howard's research spans international collaborations and policy engagement, such as advising on Welsh educational initiatives.
Susanne M. Jaeggi is a Professor of Psychology at Northeastern University, with additional affiliations in the Bouve College of Health Sciences and the College of Arts, Media, and Design. Her research focuses on cognitive training, executive functions, and individual differences in cognition across the lifespan. She holds PhDs in Cognitive Psychology and Neuroscience from the University of Bern (Switzerland), and completed postdoctoral work in Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of Michigan. Her work has been funded by NIH, NSF, IES, ONR, and the Advanced Education Research and Development Fund (AERDF). She leads the Working Memory & Plasticity Lab , which develops interventions to improve working memory and executive functions, and co-leads the Brain Game Center for Mental Fitness and Well-Being , creating evidence-based brain fitness tools. Jaeggi’s research emphasizes understanding mechanisms of cognitive improvement through training, including neuroplasticity and individual variability. Key areas include cognitive aging interventions, gamification, sensory-cognitive interactions, and the impact of socioeconomic factors on academic achievement. Her work integrates behavioral experiments, neuroimaging, and digital health technologies to address real-world challenges in education and healthcare. Recent studies explore music/art-based interventions, brain stimulation (e.g., tDCS), and scalable cognitive assessments. Collaborations span disciplines, with publications addressing topics like neural correlates of training, motivational features in interventions, and cross-modal perception. Her labs emphasize translating findings into public-facing tools, such as freely accessible brain fitness apps. Current projects include optimizing interventions for ADHD populations and leveraging digital platforms for global mental fitness.
