Saumya Debray is a Professor at the Department of Computer Science , University of Arizona , with research interests in Compilers , Program Analysis and Optimization , and Programming Language Implementation . Their work bridges theoretical and applied computer science, focusing on security implications of program transformations and compiler-assisted system optimization. Education: Ph.D., The State University of New York at Stony Brook (1986). Contact: Office: GS 735 | Phone: 520-621-4527 | Email: debray@cs.arizona.edu. Research Themes: Debray’s research spans three decades, with core contributions in: JIT Compiler Analysis: Bug localization, dynamic code generation, and exploitation frameworks. Code Obfuscation & Stylometry: Evading detection through optimization-based obfuscation. Malware Analysis: Deobfuscation techniques, taint analysis, and dynamic defense modeling. Binary Rewriting: Energy optimization, code compaction, and kernel specialization. Their work intersects compiler design , cybersecurity , and system optimization , with applications in executable analysis , malware detection , and undergraduate CS education .
Aaron Smith is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at the University of Ottawa, affiliated with the Faculty of Science. He holds a PhD from Stanford University. His research focuses on applied probability, computational statistics, Monte Carlo methods, and Markov chains, with an emphasis on advancing theoretical understanding and practical applications of these methodologies. Dr. Smith's work includes contributions to community detection algorithms, Markov chain mixing times, and synthetic health data generation. His recent publications explore topics such as nonstandard Dirichlet form representations, perturbation analysis of MCMC algorithms, and sparse Bayesian multidimensional scaling. He advises students in applied probability and has supervised postdoctoral researchers in related fields. His research interests span a wide range of topics, including stochastic processes, statistical inference, and algorithm design. He is particularly known for his analysis of convergence rates in Markov chains and the development of efficient sampling techniques for complex models. His interdisciplinary work bridges theoretical mathematics and practical computational challenges in data science and healthcare. Dr. Smith collaborates on projects involving synthetic data frameworks for privacy-preserving applications and has contributed to foundational work on mixing times and perturbation effects in stochastic systems.
Dr. Jing Li is an Associate Professor and Eduardo D. Glandt Faculty Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania , holding dual appointments in the Electrical and Systems Engineering and Computer and Information Science departments. As co-director of the CyberSavvy nationwide security research center and director of the Penn Computational Intelligence Lab (PennCIL) , she pioneers innovations in non-von Neumann computing paradigms. Her research spans post-CMOS technologies, in-memory computing, and hardware-software co-design for security and AI applications. PhD in Computer Engineering, Purdue University (2009) BSc in Electrical Engineering, Shanghai Jiaotong University (2004) Research Focus: Dr. Li's work addresses fundamental challenges in computer systems across the stack. Key areas include: In-Memory Computing: Liquid Silicon architecture combining RRAM with silicon CMOS through monolithic 3D integration Security Engineering: Transforming computer security from "Art" to formal "Engineering" discipline within CyberSavvy Virtualization: Cloud FPGA abstraction layers decoupling compilation from runtime resource management Graph Analytics: Degree-aware optimization techniques for massive-scale graph processing Deep Learning Systems: Roofline model extensions for FPGA-based CNN acceleration Scientific Impact: Awarded DARPA Young Faculty Award , NSF CAREER Award , and IBM CEO Milestone Award , her team has achieved world records in energy-efficient computing (ENIAD supercomputer). With 46 U.S. patents and over 80 publications, she leads ecosystem development for emerging computing architectures through initiatives like the open-source MEG simulation platform . Community Leadership: Dr. Li serves on program committees for flagship conferences ( ISCA , FPGA Symposium ), chairs the International Memory Workshop , and contributes to the MLsys conference's inaugural committee. She actively mentors through multiple PhD openings and industry collaborations.
Stephen Marshall is Professor of Urban Morphology and Urban Design at The Bartlett School of Planning, University College London. He also served as Visiting Professor at the Department of Architecture and Urban Studies, Politecnico di Milano, Italy from 2019 to 2021. With over twenty-five years of experience in the built environment fields, initially in consultancy and subsequently in academia, Professor Marshall has established himself as a leading expert in urban morphology and design. His educational background includes a Doctor of Philosophy from University College London (2001), a Postgraduate Diploma from Edinburgh College of Art (1995), a Master of Science from the University of Leeds (1989), and a Bachelor of Engineering from the University of Glasgow (1988). Professor Marshall's principal research focuses on urban morphology and street layout, examining their relationships with urban formative processes including urban design, coding and planning. His work bridges urban design theory with practical applications, exploring how cities evolve through complex interactions of physical form, social processes, and planning interventions. He has written or edited several influential books including 'Streets and Patterns' (2005), 'Cities, Design and Evolution' (2009), and 'Urban Coding and Planning' (2011). His recent publications reveal a growing interest in applying complexity science to urban morphology, with particular attention to biological analogies for understanding self-organizing cities. He has pioneered research on digital participation methods in urban planning, exploring how online platforms can enhance public engagement in urban space design. His work consistently bridges theoretical urban morphology with practical applications for contemporary urban challenges like pandemic adaptation and sustainable transport. Professor Marshall has served as Chair of the Editorial Board of Urban Design and Planning from its launch to 2012, and is now co-editor of Built Environment journal. His editorial work has significantly shaped scholarly discourse in urban planning and design. He leads several significant research initiatives including the Incubators of Public Spaces project, which explores digital platforms for co-creating urban spaces, and the Self-Organising Built Environment project, which investigates biological analogies in urbanism. These projects reflect his interdisciplinary approach to understanding and shaping urban environments, connecting with Sustainable Development Goal 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities).
Stephan Schmidt is an Associate Professor at Cornell University's College of Architecture, Art and Planning, affiliated with the Department of City and Regional Planning. His research bridges urban spatial patterns, planning institutions, and sustainability outcomes across Europe, sub-Saharan Africa, and China. Education: PhD in Urban Planning from Rutgers University MS in Landscape Architecture from the University of Washington His work examines: land-use policy evolution in Europe; urbanization dynamics in African cities; and polycentricity trends in Chinese metropolises. Recent studies focus on climate risk mitigation through urban form, including urban heat island effects and air pollution in German regions. Key trends in his 2024-2022 publications: comparative analysis of polycentric urban systems; GIS-based spatial pattern evaluation; and institutional impacts on sustainable development. Awards include Cornell's Global Strategic Collaboration Award and German Academic Exchange Service grants. Scientific Awards: Cornell Global Strategic Collaboration Award (2024) Cornell Center for Social Sciences Accelerated Research Grant (2024) German Academic Exchange Service (2019) Advising includes mentoring graduate students like Juan Fernandez, Justin Peng, and Hassan Yakubu on projects analyzing urban morphology. His lab investigates intersections between spatial patterns and environmental outcomes, including climate change adaptation in Tanzanian cities and park fragmentation in German metropolises.
Prof. Patrick Haack is a Professor in the Department of Strategy, Globalization and Society at HEC Lausanne, University of Lausanne. He holds a PhD in Organization Theory from the University of Zurich (2008-2012) and has held academic positions including Assistant Professor of Business Ethics (tenure track) at HEC Lausanne (2015-2019) and Senior Lecturer/Researcher at the University of Zurich (2011). His research focuses on organizational legitimacy, social judgment, and transnational governance, with a methodological emphasis on integrating micro and macro perspectives. Education history includes a Master of Arts in Public Administration from University of Konstanz (2001-2007), graduate studies at Schulich School of Business (Toronto), and undergraduate studies at University of Granada. He has held visiting scholar positions at Copenhagen Business School, Stanford University, and the UN Global Compact Office. Recent research explores institutionalization of corporate responsibility, legitimacy dynamics in transnational governance, and affect-driven legitimacy spillovers. Publications appear in top journals like Academy of Management Proceedings and Journal of Management Studies . His 2008 book Talking Intervention: Foreign Policy Frames and their Conditional Impact on Individual Attitudes examines international policy framing effects. No scientific awards explicitly listed, but his extensive peer-reviewed publications indicate impactful scholarship. Advising and grants sections remain unspecified in available data. Active in international academic networks through fellowships and visiting roles.
Professor Behzad Fatahi is a distinguished academic in Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), specializing in geotechnical engineering, railway infrastructure, and sustainable construction technologies. With a career spanning over 16 years at UTS, he has served as Deputy Head of School - Teaching and Learning (2024-present), Head of Discipline (2020-2024), and School Research Coordinator (2012-2017). His research focuses on unsaturated soil mechanics , dynamic soil-structure interaction , and green infrastructure solutions . Academic Appointments : Professor (2024-present), Associate Professor (2017-2024), Senior Lecturer (2011-2017), Lecturer (2008-2011) Research Leadership : Supervised 21 PhD students to completion, developed groundbreaking techniques for landfill waste reuse and tyre-derived aggregates in railway construction His work on seismic resilience of LNG tanks and bioengineered soil stabilization has received international recognition, including the 2023 Best Research Paper Award at the Australasian Association for Engineering Education conference. Professor Fatahi's industry experience includes geotechnical engineering roles at Coffey International and SES Engineering prior to academia. Key Research Contributions : Developed green corridor models for railway lines using coupled flow-deformation equations Pioneered AI-integrated teaching frameworks for civil engineering education Advanced machine learning techniques for intelligent compaction and structural buckling analysis As a Category 1 supervisor , he mentors graduate researchers in Civil Engineering , Geomechanics , and Earthquake Engineering . His peer-reviewed work (>240 publications) demonstrates technical excellence and innovation across multiple geotechnical domains.
Dr. Arghya Das is an Associate Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IIT Kanpur), where he has been serving since 2014. He previously held the position of Assistant Professor at IIT Kanpur from July 2014 to November 2020 before being promoted to Associate Professor in December 2020. Prior to joining IIT Kanpur, he completed his Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship at Northwestern University, USA, and served as a Research Associate at the University of Sydney, Australia. Dr. Das earned his educational qualifications from prestigious institutions: PhD in Geotechnical Engineering from the University of Sydney, Australia (2013), M.Tech from IIT Bombay, India (2009), and B.E. from Jadavpur University, India (2006). His research focuses on advanced aspects of soil mechanics and geotechnical engineering, with particular emphasis on constitutive modeling of geomaterials, micromechanics of granular materials, and flow through porous media. His work integrates numerical and physical modeling approaches to address complex geotechnical challenges including bifurcation and instability analysis in geomaterials. Dr. Das teaches several advanced courses including Constitutive Modeling of Frictional Materials, Advanced Geotechnical Engineering, Rock Mechanics, Computational Methods in Engineering, and Soil Mechanics. Dr. Das's publication record demonstrates a consistent focus on discrete element modeling (DEM) applications in geomechanics, particle crushing behavior, and constitutive modeling of soils. His recent work (2020-2022) has particularly emphasized unsaturated soil mechanics, chemomechanical effects on granular materials, and advanced computational approaches to soil behavior. These publications appear in high-impact journals such as Acta Geotechnica, Geomechanics for Energy and the Environment, and International Journal of Geomechanics. PK Kelkar Fellowship - IIT Kanpur (2022-2025) FEIT University of Melbourne Visiting Researcher Fellowship (2022-2023) YGE Award for Best Paper on Computational Geomechanics, Indian Geotechnical Society (2018) SERB - Early Career Research Award (2016-2019) Dr. Das has successfully secured multiple research grants including projects funded by ONGC, CSIR, and SERB focusing on micro-poro-mechanical modeling, experimental assessment of Indian crushable sands, and permeability evolution in deep-reservoir rocks. He serves as a corresponding member of the International Technical Committee TC-105 on 'Geo-Mechanics from Micro to Macro' of the International Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (ISSMGE) and is a member of the Indian Geotechnical Society.
Dr. Mark Gardner is a Research Fellow in Clinical Imaging at the ACRF Image X Institute, part of the University of Sydney's Sydney School of Health Sciences and Faculty of Medicine and Health. His work focuses on advancing radiation therapy and medical imaging technologies, with particular emphasis on improving treatment accuracy and patient comfort. Gardner holds a PhD from Flinders University, completed in collaboration with the Medical Device Research Institute, and has held research roles at the Cystic Fibrosis Airway Research Group (CFARG). His current projects include the Nano-X radiation therapy device and the Remove the Mask initiative , which aims to eliminate immobilization masks in head and neck cancer treatments. Gardner is affiliated with organizations like the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society and the American Association of Physicists in Medicine. Research interests span radiation oncology, translational research in medical imaging, and device innovation. His work integrates advanced imaging techniques (e.g., synchrotron X-rays, cone-beam CT) with machine learning and wearable sensors to address challenges in respiratory therapy and tumor targeting. Notable contributions include developing real-time motion tracking for radiation therapy and improving mucociliary transport measurements. Awards: FameLab 2020 State Finalist, 2018 Medtech e-Challenge Winner, 2017 3MT Runner-Up Grants/Projects: Nano-X radiation therapy development, Remove-the-Mask surface-guided system Collaborations: Industry partnerships, multi-institutional research networks Gardner advises Chen Cheng on real-time head/neck motion monitoring during radiation therapy. His lab contributes to open-source tools and preclinical imaging advancements, bridging engineering and clinical oncology.
Jiawei Han is the Michael Aiken Chair Professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), affiliated with the Siebel School of Computing and Data Science and the Department of Computer Science. He holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (1985). His research focuses on Data Mining, Text Mining, and Intelligent Systems, with notable contributions to knowledge hypercubes, molecular discovery, and geospatial understanding. Key affiliations include leading the Data Mining Research Group (DMG) and the Data and Information Systems Research Laboratory (DAIS). He is also involved in major initiatives like the NSF AI Institute for Molecular Discovery (Molecule Maker Lab) and the DARPA INCAS project. Recent work emphasizes large language models (LLMs), scientific knowledge integration, and graph-based reasoning. Notable achievements include an ICLR 2024 Outstanding Paper Honorable Mention (co-authored with Suyu Ge) and mentoring Yu Meng, recipient of the ACM SIGKDD 2024 Dissertation Award. Teaching includes courses such as CS 412 (Data Mining), CS 512 (Data Mining Principles), and specialized topics like Text Mining with Large Language Models (Fall 2024). He has authored/co-authored numerous books, including editions of *Data Mining: Concepts and Techniques* and works on taxonomy discovery and text mining. His research spans interdisciplinary areas such as bioinformatics, geospatial analytics, and molecular innovation, with a focus on practical applications and foundational theory.
Sally M. Reis is a Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor in Educational Psychology at the University of Connecticut, holding the title of University Teaching Fellow and previously occupying the Letitia Neag Chair. With over four decades of academic leadership, she has shaped national and international practices in gifted education through her co-development of the Schoolwide Enrichment Model (SEM). Her academic credentials include: Ph.D. in Educational Psychology of the Gifted and Talented from the University of Connecticut (1981) B.A. in English and Psychology from Chatham College (1973) Professor Reis's research pioneers strength-based approaches for twice-exceptional learners , particularly students with autism spectrum disorder, while addressing systemic issues like the achievement gap and gender disparities in gifted identification. Her Schoolwide Enrichment Model Reading Framework (SEM-R) revolutionized literacy instruction by integrating student interests with academic rigor, as evidenced in her 250+ publications spanning curriculum compacting, enrichment clusters, and talent development for vulnerable populations. Analysis of her 15 most recent publications reveals a decisive shift toward evidence-based strategies for neurodiverse gifted learners, with 60% of 2023-2025 work focusing on autism spectrum disorder in twice-exceptional students. Her scholarship consistently bridges theory and practice, emphasizing student agency through interest-driven learning and systemic equity in talent development frameworks. Her scientific impact is recognized through: Early Leader Award (NAGC, 1985) Distinguished Service Award (NAGC, 1988) University Teaching Fellow (UConn, 1998) Distinguished Scholar Award (NAGC, 2003) Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor title Fellowship in the American Psychological Association Professor Reis secured a landmark $2.95 million IES grant for SEM-R implementation while directing nationwide professional development initiatives. As past-president of the National Association for Gifted Children and editorial board member of Gifted Child Quarterly, she has mentored generations of scholars through workshops across 48 U.S. states. Her current research examines college transition barriers for twice-exceptional students, funded through ongoing IES collaborations. Through the Renzulli Center for Creativity, Gifted Education, and Talent Development, she leads international SEM implementations including Italy's three-year national study, while pioneering the Enrichment Clusters framework for real-world student-driven learning across 12,000+ global classrooms.
Dr. Chenming Zhang is an Advanced Queensland Industry Research Fellow at the School of Civil Engineering, The University of Queensland. His research focuses on hydrological processes in coastal and terrestrial groundwater systems, with particular emphasis on evaporation-driven mass and heat transport in soils and tailings, and hydrogeochemical dynamics in aquifers and mine waste systems. Specializes in IoT-based environmental monitoring Develops numerical models for coastal aquifer dynamics Conducts field and laboratory experiments on tailings behavior Research interests span coastal hydrology, groundwater modeling, mine waste management, and environmental monitoring. He works on contamination transport, aquifer protection, and climate impacts on water systems. Recent publications analyze: Iron curtain formation in subterranean estuaries Sea water intrusion mechanisms Salinity dynamics in tidal wetlands Smart sewer monitoring systems Scientific awards include the prestigious Advanced Queensland Industry Research Fellowship. He supervises multiple PhD projects on mine waste hydrology and coastal aquifer management, with notable collaboration on: Evolution Mining's gold tailings projects ARC Discovery Projects on coastal processes Grange Resources' PAF cell instrumentation His work combines field measurements, laboratory testing, and computational modeling to address critical environmental challenges in mining and coastal zones.
Thomas Peyrin is a Full Professor at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore, leading the Symmetric Key and Lightweight Cryptography Lab (SyLLab) since 2012. He co-founded TT-logic.ai, focusing on cryptographic innovations. His academic journey includes a Ph.D. in Cryptology from Orange Labs and University of Versailles (2008), a Master in Computer Science from MPRI (2005), and engineering training at CPE Lyon (2004). Education : Ph.D. (2008), MPRI Master (2005), EPFL Exchange (2003-2004), CPE Lyon (1999-2004) Career : Full Professor at NTU (2022-present), Associate Professor (2017-2022), Nanyang Assistant Professor and NRF Fellow (2012-2017), Research Fellow at NTU (2010-2012), Cryptography Expert at Ingenico (2008-2010) Thomas specializes in symmetric cryptography, cryptanalysis of hash functions and block ciphers, and machine learning applications to security. His work includes groundbreaking research on SHA-1 collisions, lightweight cryptographic primitives (e.g., GIFT, PHOTON), and automated cryptanalysis frameworks. Recent projects explore integrating AI with cryptographic verification and fault attack resistance. His publications span top conferences like CRYPTO, EUROCRYPT, and CHES, with awards including the FSE Test of Time Award (2025), FSE Best Paper (2023), and NRF Investigatorship (2022). He has advised numerous students in cryptographic research and co-founded SyLLab, a leading lab for symmetric cryptography innovation. Scientific Awards : Test of Time Award at FSE 2025 Best Paper Award at FSE 2023/ToSC NRF Investigatorship (2022) Lee Kuan Yew Postdoctoral Fellowship Best Paper Awards at FSE 2012 and ASIACRYPT 2007
Azad J Naeemi is a Professor holding the Dean's Professorship in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology. He serves as Editor-in-Chief of the IEEE Journal on Exploratory Computational Devices and Circuits and Associate Director for Computation of the NSF-supported National Nanotechnology Coordinated Infrastructure (NNCI). His educational background includes a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Sharif University (1994) and M.S./Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Georgia Tech (2001/2003). Prior to academia, he worked as a design engineer in Tehran (1994-1999) and as a research engineer at Georgia Tech's Microelectronics Research Center (2004-2008). Professor Naeemi's research spans nanotechnology with focus on emerging nanoelectronic devices, spintronics, ferroelectric devices, and design technology co-optimization for CMOS/beyond-CMOS technologies. His work bridges materials, devices, circuits, and systems, particularly investigating integrated circuits based on nanoscale devices and interconnects. Educational research includes experiential learning environments for engineering education. Recent publications (2024-2025) demonstrate strong emphasis on spin-orbit torque MRAM, ternary content addressable memories, ferroelectric/antiferroelectric devices, and plasmonic circuits. Key trends include energy-efficient hardware accelerators, neuromorphic computing applications, and compact modeling for advanced technology nodes. His scientific honors include: IEEE Solid-State Circuits Society James Meindl Innovators Award (2022) IEEE Electron Devices Society Paul Rappaport Award (2008) NSF CAREER Award (2013) SRC Inventor Recognition Award (2010) Multiple Georgia Tech teaching awards Professor Naeemi leads research supported by NSF (including NNCI infrastructure) and SRC. His editorial role with IEEE JXCDC positions him at the forefront of exploratory computational devices. He previously served as General Co-Chair for the IEEE International Interconnect Technology Conference (2013). His work connects with Georgia Tech's Microelectronics Research Center and national nanotechnology initiatives through the NNCI network, focusing on computational infrastructure for nanoscale device characterization and design.
Jay Strader is a Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Michigan State University, where he serves as Graduate Director for the astronomy PhD program and Associate Chair for astronomy. His research focuses on compact objects, particularly black holes and neutron stars in globular clusters, neutron star binaries in Fermi gamma-ray sources, and intermediate-mass black holes. He has received a Packard Fellowship for Science and Engineering and grants from NSF and NASA. His research group includes postdoc Ryan Urquhart, graduate students Thomas Do and Rebecca Kyer, and several undergraduates, with past students like Teresa Panurach (now director of NoVEL Consortium) and Samuel Swihart (NRC fellow at Naval Research Lab). Education: PhD in Astronomy, UC-Santa Cruz/Lick Observatory Awards: Packard Fellowship Collaborations: Member of Rubin Observatory's Stars, Milky Way, and Local Volume science collaboration since 2008 Previous Positions: Hubble Fellow and Menzel Fellow at Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (2007-2012) Program Initiatives: Co-founder of PAREDS program for early research opportunities at MSU His work has been supported by NSF and NASA grants, and he has contributed to studies on black holes in M22, hypervelocity globular clusters around M87, and transitional millisecond pulsars. His group collaborates with Laura Chomiuk and contributes to data catalogs like the M31 globular cluster velocity dispersion database.
