Andre Levchenko is the John C. Malone Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Yale University, with secondary appointments in the Department of Neurosurgery and affiliations with the Cancer Signaling Networks, Immunology, and the Yale Program in Neurodevelopment and Regeneration. His research focuses on systems biology, signal transduction, and cell-cell communication, utilizing microfluidics and computational modeling to study cancer progression, stem cell behavior, and neurological disorders. PhD, Columbia University MEng, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology Levchenko's work explores how cells process dynamic signals to make critical decisions, particularly in glioblastoma migration, organoid development, and cardiovascular tissue engineering. His lab develops innovative microfluidic platforms and mathematical models to dissect multicellular communication and signaling networks. Recent publications highlight his contributions to understanding YAP-driven cancer invasion , NOTCH signaling in angiogenesis , and metabolic regulation of hypoxia responses . He has pioneered methods for organoid modeling and single-cell analysis , advancing precision in biological signaling studies. Scientific Awards : Computational Molecular Biology Post-Doctoral Fellowship (Burroughs Wellcome Fund) National Academies Keck Futures Conference Invitee Distinguished Guest Lecturer, University of Virginia American Asthma Foundation Early Excellence Award Fellow, American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering Levchenko leads the Levchenko Lab at the Yale Systems Biology Institute, collaborating with institutions like Mayo Clinic and Yale Cancer Center. His research has received recognition in Faculty of 1000 and multiple journal highlights.
James Briscoe is a Senior Group Leader at The Francis Crick Institute in London, where he leads a research group focused on developmental biology and morphogen signaling. He previously held positions at the Medical Research Council's National Institute for Medical Research, which later became part of the Francis Crick Institute. Education: BSc in Microbiology and Virology from the University of Warwick, UK PhD from Imperial Cancer Research Fund/King's College London Postdoctoral training at Columbia University with Thomas Jessell Dr. Briscoe's research focuses on the molecular and cellular mechanisms of graded signaling by morphogens and the role of transcriptional networks in cell fate specification. His laboratory employs a range of experimental and computational techniques using model systems including mouse and chick embryos and embryonic stem cells. His work has significant implications for understanding developmental processes and their relationship to disease. His recent publications demonstrate a continued focus on morphogen gradients, neural tube development, and computational approaches to understanding cell fate decisions. His research increasingly integrates single-cell technologies and computational modeling to unravel the complexities of developmental patterning. Scientific Awards and Honors: EMBO Young Investigator (2001) EMBO Gold Medal (2008) Elected to EMBO (2009) Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences (2019) Fellow of the Royal Society (2019) As Editor-in-Chief of the journal Development since 2018, Dr. Briscoe plays a significant role in shaping the field of developmental biology. His leadership extends to mentoring researchers and contributing to scientific policy discussions, as evidenced by his recent publication 'Science under siege: protecting scientific progress in turbulent times.' Dr. Briscoe's laboratory at the Crick Institute is well-equipped with access to advanced facilities including light microscopy, flow cytometry, genomics, and computational resources, enabling a multidisciplinary approach to developmental biology questions.
Robert J. Hamers is a Professor of Chemistry and the Steenbock Professor of Physical Science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison . He serves as the Director of the Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology , a multi-institutional collaboration, and is a Senior Editor for Accounts of Chemical Research . Additionally, he co-founded the startup Silatronix, Inc. and leads the ACS/UW-Madison Bridge to the Chemistry Doctorate Program . B.S. in Chemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison (1980) Ph.D. in Chemistry, Cornell University (1986) Hamers' research focuses on surface chemistry, nanotechnology, and renewable energy , with specific interests in electrochemical energy storage, photoelectron emission mechanisms, and environmental impacts of nanomaterials . His group develops ultra-stable surface chemistries for energy devices and investigates charge-transfer processes at material interfaces . Recent publications highlight advances in diamond-based materials , organosilicon electrolyte additives , and environmental fate of nanomaterials . Scientific recognitions include the Wisconsin Distinguished Professor title. His work bridges fundamental surface science with applied technologies through collaborations with academic institutions, national laboratories, and industry partners like Dow Chemical . The Hamers Group actively trains graduate students and postdoctoral researchers in multidisciplinary approaches.
California Institute of Technology (Caltech)United States
Raul Astudillo Marban is a Postdoctoral Scholar Research Associate in the Department of Computing and Mathematical Sciences at Caltech, hosted by Professor Yisong Yue. He will join MBZUAI as a tenure-track Assistant Professor in August 2025. His research focuses on adaptive learning and decision-making in complex, data-intensive environments, with applications in personalized healthcare, engineering design, and scientific discovery. He earned his Ph.D. in Operations Research and Information Engineering from Cornell University under Professor Peter Frazier and holds an undergraduate degree in Mathematics from the University of Guanajuato and the Center for Research in Mathematics. His work integrates Bayesian optimization and machine learning to address real-world challenges such as protein engineering, plant breeding, and computational biology. Key contributions include steering generative models with experimental data, preferential multi-objective optimization, and cost-aware Bayesian strategies. He has received recognition as a Rising Star in Management Science and Engineering (Stanford) and a Rising Star in Data Science (University of Chicago/UCSD). Recent research highlights include optimizing protein fitness through generative models, active learning in directed evolution, and Bayesian optimization for budget allocation in agriculture. His publications span top venues like NeurIPS, Nature Communications, and TMLR. He actively recruits students/researchers for projects in machine learning and optimization.
John Paisley is an Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering at Columbia University's Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science, and a member of Columbia's Data Science Institute (DSI). He holds a B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Duke University (2004-2010), followed by postdoctoral research in Computer Science at Princeton University and UC Berkeley. His research focuses on Bayesian models, posterior inference techniques for Big Data, and applications in data analysis, recommendation systems, information retrieval, and compressed sensing. He has pioneered methods like Bayesian Gaussian Process ODEs and Double Normalizing Flows, with recent work emphasizing uncertainty quantification in environmental modeling and neuroimaging analysis. His collaborative workflows (e.g., bneR ) address air pollution exposure and PM2.5 concentration uncertainties, combining Bayesian nonparametric ensembles with geospatial data. He has also developed frameworks for neural network interpretability, image denoising, and compressed sensing MRI. Paisley's work bridges statistical theory and applied machine learning, with applications in healthcare, environmental science, and geophysics. His academic contributions include over 50 publications since 2016, spanning topics like deep metric learning, adversarial learning, and variational inference optimization. He maintains an active research group and serves on editorial boards for machine learning and signal processing journals.
Lara Ferry is the Vice President of Research at Arizona State University (ASU), holding the title of President’s Professor. She is affiliated with the New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences, specifically the School of Mathematical and Natural Sciences, and serves as graduate faculty in the School of Life Sciences. Her roles include advancing research strategies, fostering interdisciplinary collaborations, and enhancing partnerships with institutions, communities, donors, and industry. Ferry is also a PLuS Alliance Fellow, a Senior Global Futures Scientist at the Global Institute of Sustainability and Innovation, and affiliated with the Biodesign Institute and Global Security Initiative. She holds honors faculty status in ASU’s Barrett Honors College. Her academic background includes a B.S. in Biology from Cal Poly State University, M.S. in Marine Science from San Francisco State University, Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from UC Irvine, and postdoctoral work at UC Davis. Her research focuses on functional morphology, particularly the evolution of jaws and skeletal materials in aquatic organisms. She has contributed to understanding prey capture mechanisms in fish and the biomechanics of cartilage in elasmobranchs. Ferry’s awards include the 2016 Outstanding Faculty Mentor Award, 2014 Outstanding Research/Creative Activity Award, and the 2018 President’s Professor title. She has led initiatives in equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI) and served on boards of professional societies like the American Elasmobranch Society and Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology. Her editorial roles include Senior Executive Editor of Functional Ecology and editorial board memberships in journals like Integrative & Comparative Biology . Her research activity spans functional morphology, biomechanics, and marine physiology, with grants focused on interdisciplinary education and diversity in STEM. Notable projects include studies on cartilage strength in sharks and collaborations on cultural change in professional societies.
Hyun (Michel) Koo is a Professor at the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine , with affiliations in the Department of Orthodontics , Division of Community Oral Health , and Division of Pediatric Dentistry . As Co-Founder and Co-Director of the Center for Innovation & Precision Dentistry (CiPD) , he leads interdisciplinary efforts merging bioengineering, nanotechnology, and oral health research. Education : DDS and PhD Research Focus : Biofilms, bacterial-fungal interactions, and nanotechnology for oral disease prevention Leadership : Co-Director of CiPD; key roles in training programs like NIDCR-sponsored R90 and T90/R90 Dr. Koo’s research explores biofilm mechanisms in oral infectious diseases, particularly childhood caries, through engineering methods and microrobotics . His team developed micron-scale robots for automated biofilm eradication and FDA-approved nanoparticles for caries prevention. Collaborations with Penn Engineering, including Dr. Daeyeon Lee and Dr. Kacy Cullen, emphasize translational approaches. The 15 most recent publications highlight his work in nanorobotics , interkingdom biofilms , and precision diagnostics . Articles span 2025–2024 and address topics like adaptive micromotors , biofilm matrix degradation , and single-cell microbial interactions . These emphasize his focus on targeted therapies and biofilm microenvironment engineering . Key Awards : Elected Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) IADR Distinguished Scientist Award for innovative dental research Dr. Koo trains next-generation researchers through the CiPD NIDCR T90/R90 Postdoctoral Training Program , mentoring fellows like Smruti Nair (ACE2 Chewing Gum development) and Zhi Ren (K99 awardee). His work intersects with Penn Health-Tech, CT3N , and Penn Institute for Biomedical Informatics , fostering transdisciplinary innovation.
Dr. Ismail Guvenc is a Full Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at North Carolina State University. He holds an IEEE Fellowship and is a Senior Member of the U.S. National Academy of Inventors. His research focuses on 5G/6G wireless systems, UAV communications, heterogeneous networks, and spectrum management. He leads the NSF AERPAW project and serves as the NC State Site Director for the NSF BWAC I/UCRC center. Dr. Guvenc has authored/co-edited four books and holds over 30 U.S. patents. Education: Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, University of South Florida (2006) Master's in Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of New Mexico (2003) Bachelor's in Electrical Engineering, Bilkent University, Turkey (2001) Research Interests: Dr. Guvenc’s work spans UAV communication systems, 5G/6G networks, spectrum sensing, and machine learning for network optimization. He emphasizes experimental validation through platforms like AERPAW, focusing on drone-based networks, radio dynamic zones, and testbed-driven innovation. His contributions address challenges in UAV localization, interference management, and energy-efficient networks. Grants & Leadership: PI and Director of NSF AERPAW (2019–Present) NC State Site Director for NSF BWAC I/UCRC (2019–Present) Recipient of NSF CAREER Award (2015) and NC State Faculty Scholar Award (2021) Publications & Awards: He has authored over 130 peer-reviewed papers and contributed to standardization efforts. His awards include the R. Ray Bennett Faculty Fellow Award (2019) and the USF Outstanding Dissertation Award (2006). Labs & Teams: Dr. Guvenc directs research in the ECE’s wireless communications group, leveraging AERPAW’s experimental capabilities to advance UAV networks and 6G technologies. His team collaborates with industry and government on spectrum policy and autonomous systems.
Aline Eid is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Michigan Ann Arbor, directing the Beam Dynamics research group. Her work bridges electromagnetics, wireless systems, and autonomous technologies, with a focus on mmWave/sub-THz sensing, backscatter communications, and wireless power transfer. PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering (Georgia Tech, 2021) MS in Electrical and Computer Engineering (American University of Beirut, 2017) Postdoctoral Associate at MIT Media Lab (Signal Kinetics group) Research Interests: She pioneers systems that use electromagnetic waves to address societal challenges in Sustainable energy networks Smart cities/infrastructures Autonomous vehicles/robots Her group develops mmID tags for radar vision, batteryless sensors, and 5G-based wireless power grids. Scientific Impact: Recognized with awards including IEEE RFID Best Paper (2023) Proceedings of the IEEE Best Paper (2023) IEEE MTT-S Graduate Fellowship (2020) She leads commercialization efforts for warehouse robotics via MTRAC grant and startup Atheraxon. Advising: Mentors 8 students across PhD (Skanda Harisha, Sepideh Ghasemi, Yunfei Liu), Master's (Longyu Guo), and undergraduates (Mohamed Safawi, Katherine Shih, Andy Wang, Adrian Velazquez) in projects spanning robotics, IoT, and electromagnetic engineering. Labs: Beam Dynamics group at U-M Radiation Laboratory, collaborating with Atheraxon and MTRAC for technology translation.
Kelly Arnold is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Michigan. Her research integrates systems engineering principles with immunology to investigate variability in immune responses across infection, vaccination, and injury, with a focus on computational modeling and clinical translation. Research Focus Systems-level immune response modeling Vaccination and antibody functionality Vaginal microbiome-host interactions Chronic lung disease progression Computational serology and proteomics Recent Work Her 2025 studies examine SARS-CoV-2 vaccination responses in cancer patients and computational frameworks for vaginal probiotics. Earlier works (2024-2007) span COPD progression, lupus fibrosis, HIV susceptibility, and tissue engineering for fertility preservation. Methodologies include proteomic profiling, network modeling, and microfluidic systems.
Robert W. Heath Jr. is the Charles Lee Powell Chair in Wireless Communications at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), part of the Jacobs School of Engineering's Electrical and Computer Engineering Department. Previously, he held the Lampe Distinguished Professorship at North Carolina State University (2020–2023) and the Cockrell Family Regents Chair at The University of Texas at Austin (2002–2020). He is also the President and CEO of MIMO Wireless Inc. His research focuses on MIMO (multiple-input multiple-output) wireless communications, millimeter wave/terahertz systems, and next-generation cellular networks (5G/6G). Key contributions include pioneering work on hybrid beamforming architectures (widely adopted in 5G) and machine learning-driven MIMO configurations. He explores emerging areas like quantum communications and reconfigurable antennas. Education & Career: Extensive academic and industry collaborations; authored/co-authored over 800 papers and 65 patents. Research Interests: MIMO theory, massive MIMO, millimeter wave applications, and interdisciplinary innovations at the intersection of communications, circuits, and photonics. Recipient of prestigious awards including the IEEE Kiyo Tomiyasu Award and multiple best paper honors. His work bridges theoretical advancements and practical implementations through prototyping and industry partnerships. Labs/Teams: Leads a research group advancing MIMO systems for future networks. Future Work: Expanding MIMO into terahertz spectra and quantum communication domains.
Réka Albert is a Distinguished Professor of Physics at Pennsylvania State University, affiliated with the Eberly College of Science. Her research focuses on the application of network science to biological systems, including signal transduction networks, ecological interactions, and cancer systems biology. She holds editorial roles at npj Systems Biology and Applications , IET Systems Biology , and Bulletin of Mathematical Biology . Education: Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Notre Dame (2001), M.S. and B.S. from Babeș-Bolyai University, Romania (1995-1996). Research Interests: Modeling complex systems using network theory; Boolean network analysis of biological pathways; ecological community dynamics; systems-level understanding of disease mechanisms (e.g., cancer, AML). Her work bridges theoretical physics, computational biology, and experimental data to predict system behavior and therapeutic strategies. Awards: External member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (2016), APS Maria Goeppert-Mayer Award (2011), NSF CAREER Award (2007), and Alfred P. Sloan Fellowship (2004). Grants/Support: NSF awards (MCB 1715826, IIS 1814405), ARO MURI on hyperuniform systems, and collaborations with biologists like Sarah Assmann (plant signaling) and Katriona Shea (ecology). Labs/Teams: Leads a multidisciplinary research group at Penn State, mentoring over 20 PhD alumni and current students like Eli Newby and Fatemeh Nasrollahi. Active in developing tools like pystablemotifs for Boolean network analysis.
Professor Matthias Mann is a world-leading scientist serving as Director of the Proteomics and Signal Transduction department at the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry in Martinsried, Germany, and Director of the Proteomics department at the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Protein Research, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark. With an h-index exceeding 277 and over 350,000 citations, he is recognized as the highest cited German researcher and one of the most influential scientists globally in proteomics. His educational background includes: Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Yale University (1988) Master's Degree in Physics from Georg August University Göttingen (1984) Bachelor's of Arts in Mathematics from Georg August University Göttingen (1982) Professor Mann's research focuses on advancing mass spectrometry-based proteomics to understand biological systems at the protein level. His work spans technological developments in mass spectrometry, bioinformatics and computational analysis, signal transduction and posttranslational modifications, and clinical proteomics applications for disease diagnosis and treatment. The Mann lab has pioneered groundbreaking methods like SILAC for quantitative proteomics and MaxQuant for proteome data analysis. Their vision is to translate proteomics knowledge into clinical practice for predictive, diagnostic, and preventive medicine, with recent work focusing on AI-guided platforms for analyzing proteomes from minimal tissue samples. Analysis of Professor Mann's recent publications reveals a strong trend toward clinical applications of proteomics, particularly in cancer research, metabolic diseases, and neurodegenerative disorders. His work increasingly integrates spatial proteomics, single-cell resolution techniques, and artificial intelligence approaches to uncover disease mechanisms and identify potential biomarkers, with a clear shift from basic technology development toward direct clinical applications and personalized medicine. Professor Mann has received numerous prestigious awards throughout his career: 2025: Elected member of the American National Academy of Sciences 2024: Dr. H.P. Heineken Award for Biochemistry and Biophysics 2023: Otto Warburg Medal 2019: Nominated member of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences 2013: Elected member of Leopoldina German National Academy of Sciences 2012: Körber European Science Award, Louis-Jeantet Foundation Prize for Medicine, Ernst Schering Prize, and Leibniz Prize Professor Mann leads a highly collaborative research team involved in multiple international networks including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research, CLINSPECT-M, and Munich Heart Alliance. His lab has mentored numerous successful researchers, with several former postdocs receiving prestigious ERC Starting Grants. The Mann group has developed innovative clinical proteomics pipelines for analyzing archived tissue specimens and body fluids, aiming to identify protein markers for early detection of diseases such as diabetes and cancer. The Mann lab operates across two major research centers with state-of-the-art mass spectrometry facilities. Their Clinical Knowledge Graph platform integrates multi-omics data with extensive metadata, creating an ecosystem for machine learning applications in proteomics. Current research focuses on developing highly sensitive methods that can profile thousands of proteins from minimal cell samples, enabling the identification of critical disease-related proteins and supporting the development of individualized therapies.
Prof. Knut Drescher is an Associate Professor at the Biozentrum, University of Basel , leading a research group focused on bacterial biofilms , swarming , and microbial multicellularity . Previously, he served as a Professor of Biophysics and Max Planck Research Group Leader at Philipps-Universität Marburg (2015-2021) and conducted postdoctoral research at Princeton University. Research Interests: Physical and biological mechanisms of biofilm formation Cell-cell interactions in microbial communities Antibiotic resistance in biofilms Hydrodynamics of bacterial swarms Evolution of cooperation in multispecies biofilms Development of bioimaging software (BiofilmQ, BacStalk) Scientific Awards: 2023: SNSF Consolidator Grant 2019: Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Prize (DFG), VAAM Research Prize, IUPAP Young Scientist Prize 2016: ERC Starting Grant Advising & Grants: Advises PhD and Master's students in microbiology, biophysics, and bioinformatics Secured major grants from ERC , HFSP , and DFG
Benjamin Machta is an Assistant Professor of Physics at Yale University, affiliated with the Department of Physics and the QBio Institute. He holds a BS from Brown University and a PhD from Cornell University, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship at Princeton University. His research focuses on applying theoretical physics to understand biological systems, particularly leveraging statistical physics and information theory to study biological membranes near critical points and the energetic constraints of biological signaling. Education: BS in Physics (Brown University), PhD in Physics (Cornell University), Postdoc at Princeton University (Lewis-Sigler Theory Fellow). Research Interests include: membrane criticality, phase transitions in biological systems, information-theoretic limits in organism function, and energy dissipation in biological processes. His work often bridges theoretical models with experimental data, such as collaborations with Sarah Veatch’s lab on membrane phase behavior. Publications highlight themes like membrane criticality, protein phase separation, and energy constraints in signaling. His group’s current projects explore cochlear mechanics, thermodynamic control in biological systems, and the role of criticality in sensory systems. Awards: 2019 Simons Investigator Award. Lab Affiliations: QBio Institute and Department of Physics at Yale, located in YSB-C164. Group members include postdocs Isabella Graf and Michael Abbott, and graduate students Asheesh Momi, Mason Rouches, and others.