Ian Main is a Professor of Seismology and Rock Physics at the University of Edinburgh since 2000, within the School of GeoSciences. Previously, he held roles as Reader (1996–2000) and Lecturer (1989–1996) in similar fields. He earned a BSc in Physics from the University of St Andrews, an MSc in Geophysics from the University of Durham, and a PhD in Seismology from the University of Edinburgh. His research focuses on quantifying natural hazards, catastrophic failure mechanisms (e.g., earthquakes, volcanic eruptions), and fluid-rock interactions. He explores these phenomena through complex systems theory and non-linear dynamics, with applications to subsurface processes and urban disaster resilience. Main has held leadership roles including Director of Research at the School of GeoSciences and membership in national/international bodies such as the Natural Environment Research Council Science Committee and the Royal Society of Edinburgh Research Committee. He contributed to high-profile initiatives like the UKRI GCRF Multi-Hazard Urban Disaster Risk Transitions Hub and the International Commission on Earthquake Forecasting. Notable awards include the Louis Néel Medal (2014) and the Ed Lorenz Lecture (2019). He has been a visiting scholar at institutions like Stanford University and the Centre for Mathematical Research, Barcelona.
Konstantinos Spiliopoulos is a Professor and Director of Statistics at Boston University's Department of Mathematics and Statistics, part of the College of Arts & Sciences. He leads research in Applied Mathematics and Probability and Statistics groups, focusing on stochastic processes, machine learning, and mathematical finance. His research interests include stochastic analysis of complex systems, multiscale phenomena, and their applications to neural networks, PDEs, and financial modeling. Notable areas of study involve mean-field limits, rare event simulation, and asymptotic methods in stochastic differential equations. He has received grants such as DMS-EPSRC funding for analyzing online training algorithms in recurrent and deep neural networks. His work bridges theoretical advancements with practical applications in data science and computational methods. Spiliopoulos maintains an active presence in interdisciplinary research, addressing challenges in systemic risk, network dynamics, and optimization. His contributions span from fundamental probability theory to applied problems in engineering and finance.
Xiaowen Dong is an Associate Professor in the Department of Engineering Science at the University of Oxford, affiliated with the Machine Learning Research Group and the Oxford-Man Institute. He is also a Tutorial Fellow at Lady Margaret Hall. Prior to Oxford, he was a postdoctoral researcher at MIT Media Lab and earned his PhD from EPFL. His research focuses on signal processing and machine learning for analyzing network data, with applications in social, urban, and financial systems. Education: PhD from École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland. Research Interests: Graph signal processing, geometric deep learning, network topology inference, computational social science, and urban computing. He has received awards including the Turing Fellowship and outstanding paper recognitions. His work spans theoretical advancements and practical applications in network analysis, with collaborations extending to institutions like MIT, EPFL, and the Alan Turing Institute. Notable achievements include contributions to understanding urban segregation, pandemic impacts on mobility, and financial network dynamics. He advises multiple doctoral and master's students across disciplines and actively organizes workshops and conferences in graph-based learning and network science.
Baoyu Zhou is an Assistant Professor of Industrial Engineering at Arizona State University (ASU), School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence. He holds a PhD in Industrial and Systems Engineering from Lehigh University (2018–2022), an M.S. in Industrial Engineering from Lehigh University (2016–2018), and a B.E. in Mechanical Engineering from Shanghai Jiao Tong University (2012–2016). His research focuses on developing efficient algorithms for large-scale, stochastic, and constrained optimization problems, with contributions to sequential quadratic programming, nonsmooth optimization, and derivative-free methods. Before joining ASU, Zhou was a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Michigan (Department of Industrial and Operations Engineering) and the University of Chicago (Booth School of Business). He has received the Van Hoesen Family Best Publication Award and the Elizabeth V. Stout Dissertation Award. His work bridges optimization theory and practical applications, emphasizing scalability and robustness in complex systems. Zhou teaches courses such as IEE 470: Stochastic Operations Research at ASU and has guest-lectured at the University of Michigan. He actively contributes to the academic community through organizing conference sessions, reviewing for top journals, and participating in workshops at NeurIPS and SIAM. His group currently advises three PhD students focusing on optimization algorithms and their applications. Key research areas include large-scale continuous optimization, constrained stochastic optimization, and derivative-free methods. His publications span journals like SIAM Journal on Optimization and INFORMS Journal on Optimization, addressing challenges in nonlinear systems, variance reduction, and algorithmic convergence.
Gheorghe Craciun is a Professor in the Department of Mathematics and the Department of Biomolecular Chemistry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His research focuses on mathematical and computational models in biology and medicine, particularly dynamical systems models of biological interaction networks. He has been a visiting researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Mathematics in the Sciences during the 2019-2020 academic year and has organized the Madison Workshops on Mathematics of Reaction Networks. Craciun's primary research interests include Mathematical Biology, Dynamical Systems, Chemical Reaction Networks, Computational Biology, Systems Biology, and Algebraic Geometry. He investigates systems of differential equations with polynomial right-hand sides, which are common in biochemical reaction networks, ecological interactions, and epidemiological models. His work often involves proving global stability, analyzing multistability, and characterizing steady states using tools from algebraic geometry and combinatorics. Recent publications demonstrate his focus on toric differential inclusions, endotactic networks, and the global attractor conjecture, extending to applications in biochemical networks and discrete Boltzmann equations. His extensive publication record reveals a strong trend toward algebraic and geometric methods for analyzing complex biological networks, with significant contributions to reaction network theory, stability analysis, and parameter characterization. Craciun's work bridges abstract mathematical concepts with practical applications in biochemistry, ecology, and medicine, including modeling vitellogenin production in trout and peptide mass distributions. He has collaborated extensively with international researchers including Alicia Dickenstein, Anne Shiu, Bernd Sturmfels, Casian Pantea, and Miruna-Stefana Sorea. In education, Craciun teaches graduate courses such as Math 703 and mentors students through the Madison Math Circle and Putnam Club, while organizing specialized workshops that foster collaboration in reaction network theory.
Christiane Barz is a Professor of Mathematics at the University of Zurich's Institute for Business Administration since 2016. Previously, she held academic roles at the UCLA Anderson School of Management, the Chicago Booth School of Business, and the Technical University (TU) Berlin. Her research focuses on stochastic dynamic systems, Markov decision processes, and their applications in revenue management. She emphasizes making mathematical tools accessible and practical for real-world problem-solving, particularly in optimizing decision-making under uncertainty. Education includes a degree in industrial engineering and a doctorate from the University of Karlsruhe (TH), Germany. Her career path includes postdoctoral research at the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business and roles as an Assistant Professor at UCLA. She combines academic excellence with balancing family life, advocating for gender equity in STEM fields. Her research explores risk-sensitive decision-making frameworks, dynamic pricing models for transportation and healthcare, and optimizing resource allocation in complex systems. Recent work includes applications in FlixBus, air cargo networks, and improving patient admission scheduling in hospitals. Barz's teaching philosophy prioritizes demystifying mathematics for students, encouraging critical engagement rather than fear of complexity. She collaborates with industry partners to apply operations research methods to real-world challenges, emphasizing both theoretical rigor and practical relevance.
Karan Singh serves as an Assistant Professor of Operations Research at Carnegie Mellon University's Tepper School of Business, where he develops theoretically rigorous algorithms for machine learning systems with emphasis on reinforcement learning and control theory. His work synthesizes techniques from online learning, optimization, and statistics to address complex interactive learning challenges. His academic journey includes: PhD in Computer Science from Princeton University under Elad Hazan Postdoctoral research at Microsoft Research (Redmond) Bachelor's degree in Computer Science from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur Singh's research program centers on three interconnected pillars: Algorithmic Reductions : Creating efficient methods to solve complex learning problems (e.g., reinforcement learning) using solvers for simpler tasks, yielding breakthroughs in online boosting and RL with concave rewards Nonstochastic Control : Establishing an algorithmic foundation for control theory through provably efficient instance-optimal algorithms that extend online learning to stateful systems Privacy-Preserving Online Learning : Investigating fundamental limits of regret minimization under differential privacy constraints while maintaining performance His approach consistently bridges theoretical computer science and practical control applications. Analysis of his 15 most recent publications reveals a clear evolution toward integrating algorithmic reductions with nonstochastic control frameworks. Recent work (2023-2025) demonstrates increasing focus on sample efficiency in agnostic boosting, privacy-aware optimization without smoothness assumptions, and competitive ratio analysis in online control. A unifying thread is the development of regret-optimal algorithms for linear dynamical systems under adversarial disturbances. His contributions have earned significant recognition: Best Paper Award at OptRL workshop (NeurIPS 2019) Spotlight Prize from New York Academy of Sciences' ML Symposium (2018) Multiple oral presentations at NeurIPS/ICML (acceptance rate Though specific student advisees aren't listed, Singh's extensive publication record with junior co-authors indicates active mentorship. His research has secured substantial support including a US patent (11,138,513 B2) for dynamic learning systems and collaborations through CMU's Machine Learning and Optimization group. Current projects involve interdisciplinary work on differentiable control libraries (Deluca) and medical applications like mechanical ventilation control. Singh leads research within CMU's Machine Learning and Optimization ecosystem, collaborating across computer science and engineering departments. His team develops foundational tools like the Deluca differentiable control library while pursuing real-world applications in healthcare systems, demonstrating strong cross-disciplinary integration.
Olufemi A. Omitaomu is an Adjunct Professor at the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering within the Tickle College of Engineering at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. He serves as a Group Leader and Distinguished R&D Staff at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), leading the Computational Urban Sciences Group in the Computational Sciences and Engineering Division. Ph.D., Industrial Engineering (Information Engineering concentration), University of Tennessee, Knoxville M.S., Mechanical Engineering, University of Lagos, Nigeria B.S., Mechanical Engineering, Lagos State University, Nigeria Dr. Omitaomu’s research focuses on artificial intelligence in energy systems , cognitive coupling of human-machine systems , anomaly detection in complex systems , energy infrastructure siting and analysis , and disaster risk analysis with urban systems resilience . His work integrates computational models, optimization techniques, and geospatial frameworks to address challenges in critical infrastructure systems. The 15 most recent publications highlight trends in renewable energy integration , climate adaptation strategies , and emergency resource allocation . Key methodologies include agent-based modeling , multicriteria decision analysis , and wavelet shrinkage , applied to domains like energy systems , disaster management , and urban sustainability . Scientific recognition includes: Distinguished R&D Staff, Oak Ridge National Laboratory Senior Member, Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE) Senior Member, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) He actively mentors MS and PhD students with expertise in Python programming , game theory , and human-machine systems . His research is supported by collaborations with ORNL and interdisciplinary grants.
Myrto Mavraki is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mathematics at the University of Toronto, with affiliations to both the St. George and Mississauga campuses. She specializes in arithmetic geometry and dynamical systems, particularly the theory of unlikely intersections and canonical heights in families of rational maps. Institution: University of Toronto School: Faculty of Arts and Science Department: Department of Mathematics Rank: Assistant Professor Her research focuses on deep connections between arithmetic geometry and dynamical systems. Key areas include equidistribution, variation of canonical heights, preperiodic points, and unlikely intersections in families of maps, especially on the projective line and in elliptic surfaces. These topics lie at the heart of modern arithmetic dynamics and have strong ties to Diophantine geometry and number theory. The most recent publications show a sustained focus on canonical height variation, equidistribution, and the geometry of post-critically finite and preperiodic loci in parameter spaces. Collaborations with leading mathematicians such as Laura DeMarco, Harry Schmidt, and Hexi Ye reflect her central role in current developments in arithmetic dynamics. Her work combines algebraic, analytic, and arithmetic techniques to solve deep conjectures and establish foundational results. Her research is supported by an NSERC Discovery Grant and an Early Career Supplement (2024–2029), and previously by an NSF grant (DMS-2200981). She has mentored or collaborated with several prominent researchers and is likely supervising graduate students, though none are explicitly named. She does not list formal awards, but her publication record in top journals and prestigious fellowships indicate high recognition in the mathematical community. Mavraki held the Benjamin Peirce Fellowship at Harvard (2020–2023), a highly competitive postdoctoral position, and prior positions at the University of Basel and Northwestern University. She earned her PhD from the University of British Columbia under Dragos Ghioca.
Ivano Cardinale is a Professor and Head of the Institute of Management Studies at Goldsmiths, University of London. He previously held a Junior Research Fellowship at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, and has been a Visiting Fellow at Clare Hall, Cambridge. He founded and directs the Structural Economic Analysis Unit and serves as Editor-in-Chief of Structural Change and Economic Dynamics . PhD, University of Cambridge 2022 Feltrinelli Giovani Prize for Social Sciences (Italy's top award for researchers under 40) 2019 Guest Faculty, Learning Innovation Laboratory, Harvard University His research in Structural Political Economy examines how material, social, and cognitive structures shape economic conflicts and policy outcomes. Key areas include institutional theory, industrial dynamics, and energy transition frameworks. He analyzes systemic interests, sectoral conflicts, and structural conditions through theoretical and empirical studies. Recent publications explore gas market vulnerabilities in EU energy policy, Pasinetti's institutional theory, and networked economic structures. His work appears in Structural Change and Economic Dynamics , Energy Economics , and Cambridge Journal of Economics . Scientific awards include: 2022: Feltrinelli Giovani Prize (Social Sciences) 2019: Political Economy Research Fellowship (ISRF) 2016: Life Membership, Clare Hall, Cambridge He contributes to academic governance through editorial roles and co-edited major handbooks including The Palgrave Handbook of Political Economy (2018) and The Political Economy of the Eurozone (2017).
Mehdi Farahani is an Assistant Professor at the C.T. Bauer College of Business, University of Houston, in the Department of Decision & Information Sciences. He holds a Ph.D. in Operations Management from the Jindal School of Management, The University of Texas at Dallas, and has previously served as an Assistant Professor at the University of Miami and as a Postdoctoral Associate at MIT's Center for Transportation & Logistics. His research focuses on Operations Management , with specialized interests in Socially-Responsible Operations , Service Operations , and Supply Chain Contracting . His work integrates sustainability, equity, and efficiency in operational decision-making, particularly in humanitarian and environmental contexts. The recent publications highlight a strong trend in sustainable and resilient operations, with applications in agriculture, infrastructure, cloud computing, and urban services. His research often involves modeling complex trade-offs under uncertainty and designing contracts or policies to improve system performance. Scientific Awards and Recognitions: Honorable Mention: POMS Humanitarian Operations and Crisis Management Best Paper Award Selected for presentation at the SIG Meeting on Service Operations MSOM 2021 Conference Featured in INFORMS Analytics Collections (formerly Editor's Cut) Mehdi Farahani advises on operations and supply chain research and contributes to graduate education through courses such as SCM 6301 (Supply Chain Management in Executive MBA) and SCM 7330 (Demand and Supply Integration). While specific grant details are not mentioned, his publication record in premier journals indicates strong research support and scholarly impact. He collaborates with leading researchers including M. Dawande, G. Janakiraman, and H. Gurnani. He is actively contributing to the advancement of operations management through high-impact research and academic engagement, with no indication of affiliation with a formal lab or research team beyond his published collaborations.
Professor Dahlia Malkhi is a leading academic and researcher in distributed systems and blockchain technology. She currently holds a faculty position at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), where she heads the Foundations of Financial Technology (FfTech) research lab. Her work focuses on reliability, security, and consensus mechanisms in distributed systems, with a recent emphasis on blockchain innovations like HotStuff, which underpins Diem, Aptos, and other blockchains. She has held influential roles at industry leaders such as Chainlink Labs, Diem Association, VMware, and Microsoft Research. Education: Ph.D. in Computer Science from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Past roles include CTO of Diem Association (2019–2022), Principal Researcher at VMware (2014–2019), and Partner Principal Researcher at Microsoft Research (2004–2014). Research Interests: Blockchain consensus algorithms (e.g., HotStuff, Flexible Paxos), Byzantine Fault Tolerance (BFT), secure multi-party computation (FairPlay), and distributed database systems (CorfuDB). Her work bridges academic theory with industrial applications, emphasizing practical scalability and security. Awards: ACM Fellow (2011), IEEE TCDP Outstanding Technical Achievement Award (2021), IBM Faculty Award (2003/2004). She has also held leadership roles in conferences like Usenix ATC and program chairs for multiple distributed systems events. Advising & Grants: Advises projects at Space Computer, Lyquor Labs, and Chainlink Labs. Her research labs and collaborations include work on BBCA-Chain, Lumiere, and BFTBrain, advancing consensus mechanisms in decentralized systems. Labs/Teams: Leads UCSB’s FfTech lab, co-founded VMware Research, and contributed to foundational blockchain projects like DiemBFT and Espresso Systems. Her work impacts technologies such as NSX-T control planes and distributed financial infrastructure.
Nikolaos Tziavelis is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at Basking Engineering, University of California, Santa Cruz. His research bridges theoretical and practical aspects of database systems, focusing on improving real-world data processing through novel algorithmic solutions. Education: Ph.D. from Northeastern University (advised by Mirek Riedewald and Wolfgang Gatterbauer) Diploma from National Technical University of Athens, Greece Research Interests: Data Management Database Theory Query Processing and Optimization Algorithms for Big Data Integration of Machine Learning with Database Systems Publication Trends: His work emphasizes ranked enumeration, join algorithms, and query optimization, with applications in responsive database systems and machine learning integration. Key themes include theoretical foundations, practical system improvements, and algorithmic efficiency for complex data processing tasks. Scientific Awards: 2022 Google PhD Fellowship PODS 2021 Best of Recognition 2023 VLDB PhD Workshop Best Paper Award 2024 Khoury Research Award from Northeastern University Service: He has served on program committees for major conferences including SIGMOD, VLDB, PODS, EDBT, ICDE, and Northeast Database Day.
JuHyun Lee is an Associate Professor of Architecture and Computational Design in the School of Built Environment at the Faculty of Arts, Design and Architecture (ADA), University of New South Wales (UNSW) Sydney, where they also hold the prestigious title of Scientia Academic. With a professional background in architecture and construction (1998-2002), they have held academic positions across Australia including a five-year post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Newcastle (2012-2017) and a senior research fellowship at the University of South Australia (2018), following earlier research and teaching roles in South Korea (2003-2011). Lee specializes in architectural design computing, design cognition, and urban complexity, integrating computational methods, cognitive science, and architectural theory to advance architectural intelligence and human-centered design. Their research spans architectural visualization, analysis and design methods, algorithm/protocol design, and data visualization with computational approaches. They have established a strong research program examining the intersection of language, culture, and design cognition, particularly focusing on cross-cultural design communication between Australia and Korea. Lee's recent publications demonstrate a clear trajectory toward increasingly sophisticated integration of computational methods with architectural design theory, particularly in the areas of shape grammar, space syntax, and machine learning applications. Their work shows consistent focus on practical applications of computational design methods to real-world architectural problems, with growing emphasis on cross-cultural collaboration and intelligent design systems. The research portfolio reveals a deepening engagement with AI and machine learning techniques applied to architectural design assessment and generation. Scientia Academic at UNSW Sydney Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (AFHEA, 2020) As an educator, Lee develops cutting-edge courses in computational design and Building Information Modeling (BIM), integrating experiential learning and industry engagement. They have secured over $11 million in research funding, including multiple ARC Discovery Projects and an Australia-Korea Foundation grant. Lee co-directs the Advanced Architectural Analytics Laboratory (A 3 LAB), leading interdisciplinary research on design automation, spatial analysis, and machine learning applications in architecture, while also leading cross-cultural initiatives like the Australia-Korea Architects' Network (AKAN). Lee supervises multiple HDR students working on culturally sustainable urban design, socio-spatial patterns in public housing, and computational layout generation. Their research has significant implications for improving design communication across cultural boundaries and developing more coherent, clear, and accessible built environments through computational design approaches.
William Sulis is an Associate Clinical Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and an Associate Member of the Department of Psychology at McMaster University, where he also directs the Collective Intelligence Lab (CILab). With a unique interdisciplinary background spanning mathematics, physics, and psychiatry, Dr. Sulis bridges the gap between theoretical science and clinical practice. His educational journey is exceptionally diverse: B.Sc. (Hon) in Mathematics with minor in Theoretical Physics, Carleton University (1976) M.D., University of Western Ontario (1980) M.A. in Mathematics, University of Western Ontario (1984) Ph.D. in Mathematics, University of Western Ontario (1989) FRCPC in Psychiatry (1984) Ph.D. in Theoretical Physics, University of Waterloo (2014) CRCPC in Geriatric Psychiatry (2015) Dr. Sulis's research explores the intersection of complex systems theory with psychological and psychiatric phenomena. His work on Collective Intelligence investigates how group dynamics emerge from individual interactions, while his research on Temperament and Psychobiology examines the continuum between normal personality variations and mental illness. He has made significant contributions to understanding Synchronization in Complex Systems and developed the concept of Transient Induced Global Response Synchronization (TIGoRS) , which has implications for neural coding and information processing. His theoretical work extends to Quantum Foundations and Process Algebra Theory , where he proposes novel approaches to quantum mechanics. Analysis of his recent publications reveals a consistent thread connecting complex systems theory with psychological and psychiatric applications. His work increasingly focuses on bridging the gap between temperament theory and clinical psychiatry, using mathematical and computational approaches to understand mental illness. Simultaneously, he continues to develop theoretical frameworks in quantum physics through process algebra models, demonstrating remarkable interdisciplinary range. Dr. Sulis has received several prestigious awards including The Governor General's Medal for having the highest overall grade point average in his graduating class, the Henry Marshall Tory Scholarship, and multiple Harry Stevenson Southam Scholarships. Throughout his career, Dr. Sulis has mentored numerous students across disciplines, supervising research projects spanning collective intelligence, semantic space modeling, network dynamics, and temperament studies. His Collective Intelligence Lab has served as a hub for interdisciplinary research connecting computer science, psychology, and psychiatry. Dr. Sulis has also been actively involved in professional organizations, serving as President of The Society for Chaos Theory in Psychology and the Life Sciences (1996-1998) and holding editorial positions for several journals including "Dynamical Psychology" and "Nonlinear Dynamics in Psychology and the Life Sciences." As Director of the Collective Intelligence Lab at McMaster University, Dr. Sulis fosters research exploring how complex adaptive systems can model cognitive and social phenomena. The lab serves as an intellectual nexus where mathematics, computer science, psychology, and psychiatry converge to address fundamental questions about intelligence, both individual and collective.
