Dr Louise Ashley is an Associate Professor and IHSS Fellow at Queen Mary University of London’s School of Business and Management. Her research focuses on equality, diversity, and inclusion within elite professions such as law, accountancy, and investment banking, with a particular emphasis on socio-economic diversity, gender, and ethnicity. She leads research projects funded by the UK government’s Social Mobility Commission and has advised third-sector organizations like UpReach and the Bridge Group. Her work examines barriers to social mobility and evaluates organizational diversity programs. Dr Ashley’s research includes comprehensive analyses of non-educational barriers to elite professions, socio-economic exclusion dynamics, and gender inequities in professional work environments. She has published in leading journals such as Human Relations and Work, Employment and Society , and her findings have been featured in mainstream media including BBC Radio 4, the New York Times, and The Guardian. Her research grants include a £158,579 AHRC award for interdisciplinary civic theatre research (2021–2022) and a £25,900 Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission grant (2015). She supervises PhD students exploring topics like feminist identity in Chinese entrepreneurship. Dr Ashley holds roles on multiple advisory committees, including the City of London Corporation Social Mobility Taskforce and the JLL Foundation’s social equality initiatives.
Dr. Eiko Fried is an Associate Professor at Leiden University's Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, where he works at the intersection of clinical psychology, psychiatry, epidemiology, methodology, and complexity science. His research focuses on improving psychological science through open science practices and innovative measurement approaches. PhD in clinical psychology, Free University of Berlin Postdoctoral training at KU Leuven and University of Amsterdam Promoted to Associate Professor at Leiden University in 2021 Key research areas include: Psychopathology measurement and classification Network analysis in mental health research Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) methodology Open science advocacy and implementation Dynamic systems modeling in psychology Transdiagnostic approaches to mental disorders Recent publications demonstrate expertise in: Symptom network analysis across disorders Improving depression measurement standards Transdiagnostic assessment protocols Mental health data integration challenges Psychological theory construction Methodological innovations in clinical research
Ali Abbas is a Senior Researcher and Methods Fellow at the MRC Epidemiology Unit within the University of Cambridge's School of Clinical Medicine. His academic background includes a PhD in Computer Science from Manchester Metropolitan University, an MSc in Media Informatics from RWTH Aachen University, and a BS in Computer Science from Mohammad Ali Jinnah University. With over two decades of research experience, he specializes in data-driven approaches including exploratory analysis, statistical modelling, and interactive visualization. His core research focuses on developing environmentally sustainable transport systems with positive public health outcomes, particularly through: Agent-based modeling of transport behaviors Cycling infrastructure and active travel interventions Health impact assessment of urban mobility policies Spatial analysis using GIS technologies Complex systems approaches to public health He leads several major research initiatives including the JIBE project (integrating transport and built environment models), GLASST (global health impact assessment), TIGTHAT (integrated global transport-health tool), National Propensity to Cycle Tool, and Impacts of Cycling Tool. His publication portfolio demonstrates consistent focus on transport-health interactions, physical activity epidemiology, and urban health modelling, with recent work emphasizing policy applications and global scalability. As an advocate for open science, he maintains active GitHub repositories of his computational models. He additionally manages junior researchers and contributes to training initiatives within his unit.
Dr. Jane Garrison is a cognitive neuroscientist and Lecturer at the University of Cambridge, affiliated with Queens’ College. She serves as Director of Studies in both Psychological & Behavioural Sciences and Natural Sciences (Biological) for Part IA students, and as Admissions Tutor at Queens’ College. MA (Cantab), MSc (Hertfordshire), PhD (Warwick), PhD (Cantab) Focus on the neural basis of reality monitoring and hallucinations in schizophrenia and other conditions Current research explores paracingulate sulcus morphology, functional connectivity, and neurofeedback interventions Her recent publications emphasize neuroimaging methodologies, structural MRI analysis, and computational frameworks for understanding hallucination mechanisms. Contact: jrg60@cam.ac.uk
Professor Sara Dolnicar is an ARC Australian Laureate Fellow at the School of Business, Faculty of Business, Economics and Law, University of Queensland. With degrees in psychology and business administration from Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien, she specializes in market segmentation, sustainable tourism, social marketing, and environmental behavior. Born in Slovenia, raised in Austria, now based in Australia Over 300 refereed publications and 16 ARC grants Recipient of TTRA Distinguished Researcher Award (2017) and Slovenian Ambassador of Science (2016) Her research improves market segmentation methodology, addresses environmental sustainability in tourism, and develops behavioral interventions for eco-friendly tourist practices. She pioneered perceptions-based market segmentation and introduced bi-clustering techniques for improved data analysis. Recent publications focus on towel reuse interventions, buffet waste reduction, and smart sensor systems for hotel sustainability. She supervises PhD students in environmental behavior, tourism carbon emissions, and IoT applications for sustainability. Current grants include 'Mechanisms of Behaviour Change Theory' (2025-2028) and 'Reducing plate waste in hotels' (2021-2025). Key research areas: Sustainable tourism, market segmentation, social marketing Supervised over 15 PhD students in environmental behavior and disability employment Collaborates with industry partners like Energy Queensland and disability organizations
Benjamin Alarie is a Professor and the Osler Chair in Business Law at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law. He is a leading scholar at the intersection of artificial intelligence, law, and taxation, and the co-founder and CEO of Blue J, an AI-powered tax research platform used by over 3,000 organizations across North America and the UK. Education: LL.M. – Yale Law School (2003) J.D. – University of Toronto (2002), with honours M.A. – University of Toronto (2002) B.A. – Wilfrid Laurier University (1999), with high distinction Research Interests: Alarie’s research spans tax law , legal theory , judicial behaviour , and the applications of machine learning in law . He introduced the concept of the “legal singularity”—the idea that legal systems may evolve toward greater clarity and predictability through AI and computational methods. His work explores how AI can enhance legal reasoning, regulatory design, and tax compliance. He is particularly focused on the ethical and practical implications of generative AI in legal and tax practice, including liability, transparency, and the future role of human practitioners in AI-augmented systems. Scientific Awards: PROSE Award (2024) for The Legal Singularity Donner Prize shortlist (2024) for The Legal Singularity vLex Fastcase 50 Honoree (2023) Top 50 Changemaker, The Globe and Mail (2022) Alan Mewett QC Prize for Excellence (2009) Advising & Grants: Alarie is a frequent advisor to courts, government agencies, and global professional networks. His work at Blue J involves strategic partnerships with CPA.com, CPA Canada, the National Association of Tax Professionals, Big 4 accounting firms, and Tax Notes. He also serves as a faculty affiliate at the Vector Institute for AI and the Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society. Labs & Teams: As CEO of Blue J, Alarie leads a multidisciplinary team of legal scholars, engineers, and data scientists. The platform is used by tax authorities and accounting firms to deliver precise, defensible, and efficient tax research and decision-making tools.
Michele Gelfand is a Professor of Organizational Behavior at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and Professor of Psychology by courtesy at Stanford University . She is renowned for her research on cross-cultural organizational behavior, negotiation, conflict management, and cultural psychology. Her work explores the concept of tight and loose cultures and their impact on global leadership, organizational dynamics, and societal responses to threats. PhD in Social and Organizational Psychology, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (1996) Her research spans interdisciplinary approaches, integrating computational methods, neuroscience, and behavioral science to understand cultural evolution and its multilevel consequences. She has led groundbreaking studies on the effects of cultural tightness-looseness on political polarization, pandemic responses, and corporate mergers. Recent publications highlight her work on social norm dynamics, threat-driven cultural adaptation, and the psychological underpinnings of political and terrorist ideologies. Her articles frequently appear in top journals such as Science , Nature Human Behaviour , and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences . Notable scientific awards include the 2020 Katzell Award , 2016 Diener Award , and 2011 Anneliese Maier Research Award . She has also been elected to the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences . Gelfand’s Culture Lab at Stanford investigates topics like cultural norms, revenge, forgiveness, and diversity. She actively mentors postdoctoral researchers and serves as an editor for the Oxford Handbook of Cross-Cultural Management . Her executive education programs focus on global leadership and negotiation strategies.
Lesya Ganushchak is Assistant Professor in Educational Sciences at Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Erasmus University Rotterdam. Her research employs cognitive neuroscience methods to examine language processing, reading development, and educational interventions. Using EEG/ERP and eye-tracking methodologies, she investigates cognitive mechanisms underlying self-monitoring, lexical access, and sentence production. Recent publications demonstrate her focus on evidence-based educational interventions: Meta-analyses of reading proficiency interventions (2024) Inference-making development in early readers (2023) Behavioral nudges improving online learning engagement (2022) Her ORCID profile documents extensive research output with collaborative networks spanning cognitive psychology and education research.
Professor Juliet Foster is Dean of Education at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN), King's College London. Previously, she served as Deputy Dean of Education at the Psychology Department since 2018 and held academic roles at the University of Cambridge as Senior Tutor and Senior Lecturer. King's College London (2018–present) University of Cambridge (prior to 2018) Her research focuses on public understandings of mental health, student wellbeing, and sociocultural psychology. She employs qualitative and mixed-methods approaches, contributing to the development of the 'whole university' mental health strategy. Juliet collaborates with Student Minds, the UK student mental health charity, and serves as an Assessor for the University Mental Health Charter. Key projects include evaluating peer support systems, studying loneliness in students, and analyzing media representations of mental health and homelessness. Her work aligns with the UN Sustainable Development Goal of Quality Education. Scientific Awards: British Psychological Society Social Psychology Section Award for the Most Outstanding PhD She co-chairs King's College London's Steering Committee on Student Mental Health and Wellbeing and has served on the British Psychological Society's Education and Training Board. Her research has been funded by ESRC, AHRC, and NIHR.
Joe Pitt-Francis is Associate Professor of Computer Science and Tutorial Fellow in Computer Science at St Edmund Hall, University of Oxford . Since 1999 he has tutored Oxford computer-science students and formally became a Tutorial Fellow of St Edmund Hall in 2024. His research lies at the intersection of computational biology and mathematical biology . Using sophisticated numerical techniques he constructs and analyses models of the heart , cancer and blood flow . A central strand of his work is software development for biological simulation; he is an active contributor to Chaste ( Cancer, Heart and Soft-Tissue Environment ), a large-scale C++ library that supports multiscale computational models in physiology and medicine. Across more than 60 peer-reviewed publications since 1998, his work has progressively advanced from foundational software-engineering papers describing Chaste’s architecture to highly-cited studies on cardiac electrophysiology , tumour-induced angiogenesis , microvascular haemodynamics and cell-cycle dynamics under hypoxia . The 2024-2025 corpus shows strong emphasis on multiscale frameworks , open benchmarking , and radiotherapy-induced vascular remodelling , positioning his group at the forefront of translational in-silico oncology. Contact: Email: Joe.Pitt-Francis@seh.ox.ac.uk
Matt Nassar is an Associate Professor of Neuroscience and Assistant Professor of Cognitive and Psychological Sciences at Brown University. He leads the Learning, Memory and Decision Lab, which is part of the Department of Neuroscience and the Robert J. & Nancy D. Carney Institute for Brain Science. His research focuses on understanding how the brain flexibly processes information to achieve complex and adaptive behaviors through computational approaches that bridge cognitive psychology and neuroscience. Education: PhD, University of Pennsylvania (2012) BA, Colgate University (2004) Nassar's research examines how different cognitive systems—learning, memory, and perception—leverage common computational principles to optimize decision-making. His work particularly focuses on how the brain balances stability and flexibility in processing information, how uncertainty is represented and utilized in learning, and how neural computations underlie complex behaviors. Through computational modeling and empirical research, he investigates how modular information-processing systems impact decisions and complex behavior in dynamic environments. His research integrates methods from cognitive psychology, neuroscience, and computational modeling to address fundamental questions about human cognition. Analysis of Nassar's recent publications (2020-2024) reveals a strong focus on computational neuroscience applied to decision-making, learning, and psychiatric conditions. His work frequently employs Bayesian modeling approaches to understand belief updating, uncertainty processing, and structure learning. Key themes include the neural basis of flexibility in learning, computational mechanisms underlying psychiatric symptoms, and age-related changes in cognitive processing. His research bridges cognitive psychology, neuroscience, and computational modeling to provide insights into both healthy cognition and disorders such as depression and schizophrenia. Scientific Contributions: Developed computational models of belief updating and learning under uncertainty Investigated neural mechanisms of stability-flexibility tradeoffs in cognition Examined age-related differences in learning and memory processes Explored computational mechanisms underlying psychiatric conditions Studied the role of noise correlations in neural learning systems Investigated how prefrontal cortex representations shape decision processes Nassar actively mentors researchers in his lab, with recent announcements highlighting postdocs joining from prestigious institutions like Max Planck UCL and Freie Universität Berlin. His lab appears to receive significant research funding, supporting multiple postdoctoral positions and research projects. Collaborations span multiple departments at Brown University, particularly with researchers in Cognitive and Psychological Sciences, Neurology, and Psychiatry. The lab has produced numerous high-impact publications in top journals including Nature Human Behaviour, Brain, and eLife. The Learning, Memory and Decision Lab, led by Nassar, is an active research group that uses computational models to understand how the brain represents and stores information for effective decision making. Recent lab announcements (as of February 2025) indicate the lab is expanding with new postdoctoral researchers joining from Harvard, Max Planck UCL, and Freie Universität Berlin, suggesting strong research momentum and funding support. The lab appears to be well-integrated within Brown's neuroscience community, with collaborations spanning multiple departments and research centers.
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.
Éric Bélanger is a Professor in the Department of Political Science at McGill University, specializing in Canadian and Quebec politics. His research focuses on electoral behavior, political parties, nationalism, and public opinion dynamics. He holds a PhD from the Université de Montréal and has published extensively on topics such as generational shifts in Quebec nationalism, party realignment, and municipal voting patterns. His work frequently employs quantitative methods, including advanced econometric modeling for election forecasting. Research interests include: Quebec and Canadian political systems Political party competition and realignment Nationalist movements and identity politics Economic voting and fiscal policy impacts Municipal elections and local governance Comparative studies of electoral systems His recent work highlights innovative approaches to forecasting elections in diverse contexts like France and Latin America, while maintaining a strong focus on Quebec-specific issues such as generational voting patterns and the evolving nationalist landscape. Bélanger’s research often bridges theoretical frameworks with empirical analysis, contributing to both Canadian and comparative political science literatures.
Saleem Bahaj is an Associate Professor of Economics and Finance at University College London (UCL), serving as Programme Director for MRes/PhD in Financial Economics. He joined UCL in 2021 after seven years at the Bank of England's research department and holds a PhD from the University of Cambridge. His research focuses on the intersection of macroeconomics and finance, emphasizing international finance, corporate behavior, and bank capital regulation. Notable work includes studies on cross-border financial policy coordination, central bank liquidity lines, and the implications of bank capital requirements. Bahaj's research also explores topics such as open banking's impact, inflation risk markets, and the effects of monetary policy through collateral channels. He is affiliated with UCL's Department of Economics and School of Management, with a professional presence at Drayton House in London. Research interests include global financial stability mechanisms, the macroeconomic effects of fiscal policies, and the transmission channels of monetary policy. His work often addresses systemic risks and policy coordination in international contexts. He has contributed to discussions on liquidity management, solvency hedging strategies, and the anatomy of currency pegs. Bahaj's publications span topics from corporate behavior during crises to the economic impacts of residential collateral dynamics. His advising and grants activities are not explicitly detailed in the provided materials. He maintains a lab or team focused on financial stability and macroeconomic policy analysis, though specific team names are not mentioned. Contact information and a personal website are available via his UCL profile.
Braam Lowies is a Senior Lecturer in Property at UniSA Business, University of South Australia, based at the City West Campus. He is an active researcher and Research Degree Supervisor, focusing on the intersection of financial behaviour, mental health, and ageing in Australia. His work spans multiple disciplines including housing, public policy, gerontology, and behavioural economics. Institution: University of South Australia School: UniSA Business Department: Property Position: Senior Lecturer Email: Braam.Lowies@unisa.edu.au Dr. Lowies' research primarily explores the financial and psychological wellbeing of older Australians, particularly in the context of retirement, housing equity, and crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic. His studies examine how savings, debt, hope, and mental health influence financial decisions, and how the home environment affects health outcomes across different age groups in later life. He frequently employs large-scale datasets like HILDA and applies both qualitative and quantitative methods. His recent publications highlight trends in ageing-in-place, equity release, digital banking challenges, and the socio-ecological determinants of financial stress. These works appear in high-impact journals such as Stress and Health , PLoS One , and Ageing & Society , as well as in book chapters with Edward Elgar Publishing. His research has relevance for policy development in housing, retirement planning, and mental health support systems. Dr. Lowies collaborates extensively with researchers such as Kurt Lushington, Rajabrata Banerjee, and Vandana Arya. His work has been cited in academic databases and picked up by media outlets, indicating its societal impact. Understanding the effect of financial behaviour on mental health: evidence From Australia (2025) Ageing-in-place (2024) The home environment: influences on the health of young-old and old-old adults in Australia (2024) The effect of psychological factors on financial behaviour among older Australians (2023) COVID‐19: financial well‐being of older Australians in times of crisis (2022) Dr. Lowies has no listed scientific awards in the provided materials. He is actively involved in supervising research degrees but specific student names are not mentioned. There is no information about grants, laboratories, or research teams he leads, though his collaborative work suggests strong interdisciplinary engagement.
