Zhao Guoying is an Academy Professor at the Academy of Finland and holds a tenured Full Professorship at the University of Oulu, Finland. His research focuses on human behavior understanding, emotion AI, and computer vision. He has held visiting positions at institutions including Stanford University and Aalto University. He earned his PhD (2005) in Computer Science from the Chinese Academy of Sciences. His work has led to pioneering contributions in facial expression analysis, micro-expression recognition, and remote physiological signal measurement. Zhao has secured over €19.8 million in research grants as PI, including the prestigious Academy Professor Grant (2021-2026) and Profi-7 Hybrid Intelligence funding. He has supervised 22+ PhD students and 16+ postdocs, many of whom hold academic and industry leadership roles. His awards include IEEE Fellow (2022), IAPR Fellow (2020), and Finland’s Most Publishing AI Researcher (2017). His research interests span machine learning, affective computing, and feature representation. Notable contributions include the first systems for spontaneous micro-expression analysis, novel methods for face anti-spoofing, and remote health monitoring via video. He actively organizes conferences (e.g., Arctic AI Days) and chairs committees such as the Finnish AI Society board.
Alan Bovik is the Cockrell Family Regents Endowed Chair Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin's Cockrell School of Engineering. He also holds positions at The Institute for Neurosciences and serves as Director of the Laboratory for Image and Video Engineering (LIVE). With a career spanning over three decades at UT Austin, he has progressed from Assistant Professor (1984-1988) to Associate Professor (1988-1994) to his current position as Full Professor (1994-present). Dr. Bovik received his Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering in 1984 from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Professor Bovik's research focuses on image and video quality assessment, visual perception, and digital media processing. He is renowned for developing groundbreaking algorithms including the Structural Similarity (SSIM) index, Visual Information Fidelity (VIF), and various blind quality assessment models like BRISQUE and NIQE. His work bridges engineering and neuroscience, creating perception-based models that optimize visual media delivery while reducing bandwidth consumption. These innovations have had profound industry impact, with his algorithms processing a significant proportion of global internet video traffic. His recent publications demonstrate continued leadership in perceptual quality assessment, with increasing focus on AI-generated content, high dynamic range (HDR) video, and novel applications in medical imaging. The research shows a clear trajectory toward more sophisticated, neural network-based quality metrics that better align with human visual perception across diverse content types. Professor Bovik has received numerous prestigious awards recognizing his contributions to the field: John Fritz Medal (2024) IEEE Edison Medal (2022) IAMB BaM Award (2022) Elected to the United States National Academy of Engineering (2022) Technology and Engineering Emmy Award (2021) IEEE Fourier Award for Signal Processing (2019) Progress Medal from The Royal Photographic Society (2019) Named Honorary Fellow of The Royal Photographic Society (2019) Primetime Emmy Award (2015) Edwin H. Land Medal from The Optical Society (2017) As Director of the Laboratory for Image and Video Engineering (LIVE), Professor Bovik has secured substantial research funding from organizations including the National Science Foundation and the National Institute for Standards and Technologies. His lab has produced numerous influential datasets including the LIVE Image and Video Quality Databases. He has mentored many successful students who have gone on to make significant contributions in academia and industry, though specific student names are not provided in the source materials. The Laboratory for Image and Video Engineering (LIVE) under Professor Bovik's direction has become a world-renowned center for research in perceptual image and video quality. The lab maintains close collaborations with major technology companies including Netflix, Amazon, and YouTube, ensuring that research has direct practical applications. LIVE has developed numerous influential tools and databases that are widely used in both academic research and industrial applications worldwide.
Atakan Aral serves as an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Computer Science, University of Vienna, where he leads research in edge computing, distributed systems, and environmental monitoring applications. His work focuses on developing efficient and resilient computing systems for environmental applications, with particular emphasis on neuromorphic edge AI and the cloud-edge continuum. He maintains an active teaching schedule offering courses in Distributed Systems Engineering, Cloud Computing, and Practical Software Courses with Bachelor's Thesis work across multiple semesters through 2025. Dr. Aral's research interests span several critical areas in modern computing including edge computing architectures, federated learning approaches, neuromorphic computing for environmental monitoring, and resilient systems design. His work addresses fundamental challenges in resource-constrained environments, particularly focusing on latency-sensitive applications and energy-efficient computation. The interdisciplinary nature of his research bridges theoretical computer science with practical environmental applications, developing systems that can operate effectively in remote or resource-limited settings. Analysis of his recent publication trajectory reveals a clear evolution from foundational cloud computing research toward increasingly specialized edge intelligence systems. Early work focused on resource allocation and scheduling in cloud environments, while his current research emphasizes neuromorphic approaches for sustainable environmental monitoring. His publications demonstrate growing interdisciplinary collaboration, particularly with environmental scientists, and increasing focus on practical implementations of theoretical concepts in real-world monitoring systems. Dr. Aral leads significant research projects including TROCI (Towards Resilient Operation of Critical Infrastructure), an ongoing initiative, and SWAIN (Sustainable Watershed Management Through IoT-Driven AI), which ran from February 2021 to February 2024. His work spans multiple dimensions of computing systems, from hardware-aware algorithms to application-level implementations, with consistent contributions to major conferences and journals in distributed systems and edge computing. He is an active member of the Scientific Computing research group at the University of Vienna, working from Room 6.49 at Währinger Straße 29. His research environment includes collaboration with the Environment and Climate Research Hub, reflecting the interdisciplinary nature of his work that bridges computer science with environmental applications. His publications indicate strong international collaboration across European institutions and research groups.
Hui Pan is a distinguished academic holding dual positions as Nokia Chair in Data Science and Professor of Computer Science at the University of Helsinki, and Chair Professor of Computational Media and Arts at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST). His research spans networking, mobile computing, augmented reality, and computational social science. He earned his Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Cambridge in 2007. His work bridges social networks with mobile systems, pioneering fields like mobile social networks and opportunistic forwarding algorithms. Research interests include data science, complex networks, and innovative applications of augmented reality. His recent publications focus on low-latency AR frameworks, blockchain for computation offloading, and mobile web visualization. He has received prestigious awards, including IEEE Fellow (2018), ACM Distinguished Scientist (2016), and the Nokia Chair Endowment (2017). He has supervised over 15 PhD and 12 MPhil graduates, with 13 current Ph.D. students and 2 MPhil students. His editorial roles include Associate Editorships at IEEE Transactions journals and guest editorships at top venues like IEEE JSAC and ACM Transactions. He has organized conferences such as WWW Track Chair and ExtremeCom General Chair.
François Peeters is a Full Professor of Physics at the University of Antwerp, Belgium, holding the position since 2000 (with Dutch title 'gewoon hoogleraar' since 2003). He previously served as Research Director (FWO-VI) at the University of Antwerp (1996-1999), Research Leader (NFWO) (1992-1996), and Senior Research Assistant (NFWO) (1988-1992), establishing a distinguished academic career spanning over three decades. His educational background includes a Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Antwerp (1982), followed by a Habilitation (Hoger aggregaat) from the same institution (1987), and a postdoctoral fellowship at Bell Laboratories in Murray Hill, New Jersey (1982-1983). His academic journey also featured research periods at prestigious institutions including the High Magnetic Field Laboratory in Grenoble, University of California Berkeley, Oxford University, and several Brazilian and Australian universities. Peeters' research focuses on theoretical condensed matter physics , specializing in the electronic, optical, and magnetic properties of nanostructured systems. His work encompasses semiconductors , superconductors , graphene , and hybrid quantum systems , with particular emphasis on strong correlations in both classical (colloids, dusty plasma) and quantum (quantum dots) environments. His theoretical frameworks bridge fundamental quantum mechanics with practical nanotechnology applications, driving innovations in spintronics and quantum device design. Analysis of his publication record reveals a clear evolution from foundational work on polaron physics and quantum Hall systems in the 1980s-1990s toward contemporary research on graphene, topological materials, and programmable quantum nanodevices. His most cited works demonstrate consistent leadership in mesoscopic physics, with recent publications showing increased focus on spin-dependent transport phenomena and two-dimensional material systems. His scientific recognition includes: Fellowship in the American Physical Society (2005) APS Outstanding Referee award (2008) Doctor Honoris Causa from University of Szeged, Hungary (2009) Peeters has supervised 26 completed PhD theses and currently leads the Condensed Matter Theory research group comprising 3 ZAP researchers, 16 PhD students, and 8 postdocs. His grant portfolio includes coordination of an EU Marie Curie Training site on 'Electrons on helium', participation in multiple EU projects, COST actions, and ESF networks, demonstrating sustained success in securing competitive international funding. The Condensed Matter Theory group maintains extensive international collaborations, evidenced by Peeters' research visits to over 10 institutions worldwide and regular hosting of 3-4 international visitors at postdoc or professorial levels. The group's output of over 770 refereed publications with 12,000+ citations reflects its position at the forefront of theoretical condensed matter physics research.
Markus Vincze is an Associate Professor at the Institute of Automation and Control Engineering (ACIN) at Vienna University of Technology (TU Wien). He founded the Vision for Robotics (V4R) group in 1996 to advance robotic perception, particularly in real-world environments and homes. His work focuses on cognitive computer vision techniques for robotics. Education: Diplom in Mechanical Engineering (1988) and PhD (1993) from TU Wien; M.Sc. (1990) from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. V4R coordinates EU projects like ActIPret, robots@home, HOBBIT, and national initiatives like vision@home. Markus has edited a book on Robust Vision with Gregory Hager and authored 62 peer-reviewed journal articles and over 400 reviewed publications. His recent research explores zero-shot 6D pose estimation, sim-to-real transfer, and transparent object detection. Markus has served as program chair for ICRA 2013 and organized HRI 2017 in Vienna. He has advised numerous students and secured grants from the Austrian Academy of Sciences for work at HelpMate Robotics and Yale's Vision Laboratory. The V4R group leads innovations in robotic vision, including frameworks for synthetic data generation (Unrealgensyn), depth completion (CAGT), and educational robotics applications for sustainability. Their work spans household robotics (RH3), agricultural robotics (EdgeSoil), and human-robot collaboration.
Uwe Zdun is a Professor at the Faculty of Computer Science, University of Vienna, where he serves as Vice-Director of Studies for Computer Science and Head of the Research Group Software Architecture. His teaching portfolio includes core courses such as Software Engineering 2, Advanced Software Engineering, and Practical Software Courses for Bachelor's and Master's theses across multiple semesters (2024W-2025S). His research spans software architecture with emphasis on microservices, cloud computing, and DevOps. Key focus areas include architectural design decisions, infrastructure-as-code conformance, security in distributed systems, and the integration of machine learning operations (MLOps/RLOps). He investigates cognitive aspects of architecture practices through controlled experiments and develops model-driven approaches for quality assessment in complex systems. Recent publications (2024-2026) reveal three dominant trends: (1) Security and coupling analysis in infrastructure-as-code deployments, (2) MLOps/RLOps integration for Industry 4.0 cyber-physical systems, and (3) Performance optimization patterns for CI/CD pipelines and autoscaling. His work bridges theoretical architecture models with industrial practice, particularly in microservice ecosystems and reinforcement learning applications. Professor Zdun leads the Research Group Software Architecture at the University of Vienna's Faculty of Computer Science. The group focuses on empirical validation of architectural patterns, tool development for conformance checking, and advancing design decision methodologies in cloud-native and AI-driven systems.
Prof. Pierre Jaïs serves as University Professor in Cardiology and Cardiac Electrophysiology at the University of Bordeaux and Head of the Electrophysiology Unit at Bordeaux University Hospital. He concurrently leads the Electrophysiology and Heart Modeling Institute (LIRYC) as CEO since 2021, driving innovation in cardiac rhythm disorder treatments through multidisciplinary research. His research revolutionized cardiac electrophysiology by identifying pulmonary veins as primary sources of atrial fibrillation, establishing pulmonary vein isolation as the global treatment standard. Current work focuses on pulsed field ablation—a non-thermal technique with potential to replace conventional ablation—and developing advanced imaging for precise arrhythmia targeting, reflecting his commitment to translating scientific discovery into clinical solutions. Analysis of recent publications (2017-2021) reveals dominant trends in pulsed field ablation optimization, comparative ablation techniques, and AI integration in cardiovascular imaging. These works consistently address atrial fibrillation treatment efficacy, safety profiles, and technological innovation, positioning him at the forefront of electrophysiology advancement. His distinguished contributions are recognized through prestigious awards including: 2019: Eli S. Gang Most Innovative Abstract Award (Heart Rhythm Society) 2018: Eric N. Prystowsky Lectureship Award 2012: Academy of Medicine Membership (Paris) 2009: Circulation Best Paper Award Multiple National Academy of Medicine honors Prof. Jaïs actively mentors electrophysiology trainees and secures substantial research funding, notably leading an EU-funded randomized trial comparing pulsed field versus thermal ablation. His LIRYC institute integrates cardiology, engineering, and computational expertise to accelerate therapeutic innovation. The LIRYC institute operates as a collaborative hub where clinicians, biomedical engineers, and data scientists develop next-generation electrophysiology tools. Current projects include real-time arrhythmia mapping systems, tissue-selective ablation protocols, and AI-driven predictive models for treatment personalization, fostering seamless translation from bench to bedside.
Marco Di Renzo is a CNRS Professor (Directeur de Recherche Titulaire) at University of Paris-Saclay, affiliated with CentraleSupelec and the Signals and Systems Laboratory (L2S). He serves as Coordinator of the Communications Networks Area at the DigiCosme Laboratory of Excellence and Editor-in-Chief of IEEE Communications Letters. His academic leadership includes membership in the Ph.D. School on ICT Admission Committee at Paris-Saclay University. His educational background includes a Laurea (cum laude) and Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from University of L'Aquila, Italy (2003, 2007), and a Habilitation à Diriger des Recherches from University Paris-Sud (2013). Laurea (cum laude), Electrical Engineering, University of L'Aquila (2003) Ph.D., Electrical Engineering, University of L'Aquila (2007) Habilitation à Diriger des Recherches, University Paris-Sud (2013) Di Renzo's research focuses on next-generation wireless communications, particularly reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RIS), 6G technologies, and stochastic geometry modeling. His work bridges theoretical communication theory with practical implementations in cellular networks, millimeter-wave communications, and ultra-wide band systems. Recent publications demonstrate leadership in holographic metasurfaces, integrated sensing and communication (ISAC), and AI-empowered network design, establishing him as a pioneer in electromagnetic wave manipulation for future networks. His award-winning publications span RIS-aided communications, channel modeling, and security frameworks. Analysis of his recent work reveals consistent focus on three pillars: (1) fundamental electromagnetic theory for wave manipulation, (2) practical RIS implementations across frequency bands, and (3) integration with AI for network optimization. His articles frequently address industrial applications including factory automation and space-air-ground networks. Di Renzo's scientific recognition includes: IEEE Fellow (2020) and IET Fellow (2020) Highly Cited Researcher (Web of Science, 2019) SEE-IEEE Alain Glavieux Award (2017) Multiple Best Paper Awards (IEEE ICC, EURASIP) Nokia Foundation Visiting Professorship (2020) As Principal Investigator for CNRS, he coordinates multiple Horizon 2020 projects including SURFER, PathFinder, and MetaWireless. His leadership extends to serving as Project Coordinator for H2020 5Gwireless, 5Gaura, MAPNET, and REDESIGN. With over 350 publications, 17,000+ citations, and h-index of 66+, his research group maintains strong industry partnerships with Nokia and other telecommunications leaders. Di Renzo directs the Signals and Systems Laboratory (L2S) at Paris-Saclay and coordinates the DigiCosme Excellence Lab's Communications Networks Area. His team specializes in electromagnetic modeling for wireless networks and has pioneered the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) Industry Specification Group on RIS. The group maintains active collaborations with Aalto University (Finland), University of Technology Sydney (Australia), and University of L'Aquila (Italy).
Professor Celso Grebogi, Sixth Century Chair in Nonlinear & Complex Systems at the University of Aberdeen, is a globally recognized leader in nonlinear dynamics , chaos theory , and systems biology . He founded the Institute for Complex Systems and Mathematical Biology and co-founded the Aberdeen-Lanzhou-Tempe Research Centre. His career spans institutions including University of Maryland, University of São Paulo, and Max-Planck-Society (External Scientific Member since 1998).
Leigh David is a Professor of Chemistry at the University of Manchester, holding the Sir Samuel Hall Chair since 2014. Previously, he held prestigious roles such as the Forbes Chair of Organic Chemistry at the University of Edinburgh (2001–2012) and Chair of Synthetic Chemistry at the University of Warwick (1998–2001). His research focuses on synthetic molecular machines, supramolecular chemistry, and molecular knots, with notable contributions to the design of molecular motors and catenanes. David earned a BSc (Special Honours) and PhD in Chemistry from the University of Sheffield (1981–1987). He conducted postdoctoral research at the National Research Council of Canada (1987–1989) before joining the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology, where he advanced from Lecturer (1989–1996) to Readership (1996–1998). His research interests include developing synthetic strategies for molecular-scale machines, exploring applications in nanotechnology, and investigating dynamic covalent chemistry. Key areas involve creating molecular knots, interlocked structures, and systems capable of programmable motion. David has received numerous accolades, including the Royal Society Bakerian Medal (2013), ERC Advanced Grants (2008, 2014), and the Feynman Prize for Nanotechnology (2007). His work has been recognized globally through fellowships in the Royal Society (2009) and Royal Society of Edinburgh (2005). He leads a research group advancing molecular robotics and has secured major grants, such as the EPSRC Senior Research Fellowship (2005–2010). His lab focuses on translating molecular systems into functional devices with applications in materials science and biotechnology.
Assoc. Prof. Zehra Eksi-Altay holds a position at the Institute for Statistics and Mathematics at Vienna University of Economics and Business (WU). Her research focuses on financial mathematics, stochastic modeling, and partial information control problems in finance. She has expertise in credit risk modeling, derivatives pricing, and commodity markets. Eksi-Altay has a PhD in Financial Mathematics (2011) and completed her Habilitation in 2017. She has advised one doctoral thesis and has published extensively in top-tier journals like Quantitative Finance and Journal of Computational and Applied Mathematics . Her work bridges theoretical advancements with practical applications in areas such as regime-switching models, optimal portfolio strategies, and liquidity analysis. Education: BSc, MSc (2005), PhD (2011) Habilitation: 2017 Key Research Themes: Partial Information Models, Stochastic Control, Credit Risk, Algorithmic Trading Her recent work explores regime-switching affine term structures, optimal trading strategies under uncertainty, and dark pool liquidity analysis. Eksi-Altay has received one academic prize, though its specific name is not detailed in the provided text. Her contributions span both theoretical developments and applied finance, often collaborating with institutions like WU’s Institute for Statistics and Mathematics.
Gabriella Giannachi is Professor of Performance and New Media and Director of the Centre for Intermedia at the University of Exeter's Faculty of Humanities, Department of English. She leads interdisciplinary collaborations between artists, academics, and scientists to advance research in performance and digital arts. Her educational background includes: BA in Modern Languages and Literatures from Turin University's Faculty of Letters and Philosophy PhD in English from Cambridge University, researching silence in modern European Drama with Trinity Hall scholarship Giannachi's research pioneers performance documentation in mixed reality environments, examining how digital archives function as mobile interpretation hubs for cultural engagement. She investigates mobile user-generated documentation's role in knowledge production, museum visitor dynamics, memory formation, and identity construction within ecological and heritage contexts, with significant focus on copyright and accessibility implications. Her publication trends reveal consistent exploration of presence theory across physical-digital boundaries, with award-winning CHI conference papers (2009-2013) and books like 'Performing Mixed Reality' (2011) establishing frameworks for understanding mixed reality performance, environmental art, and digital heritage preservation. Her scientific recognition includes: Three consecutive CHI Best Paper Awards (2009, 2012, 2013) Theatre Library Association Book Award nomination for 'Performing Presence' (2012) Royal Society of Arts Fellowship nomination (2012) While specific advisees aren't documented, her research partnerships demonstrate extensive collaborative supervision across institutions including Tate, Imperial War Museum, British Library, and Stanford Libraries, securing projects that integrate artistic practice with scientific research. As Centre for Intermedia Director, she cultivates experimental teams investigating how digital archives transform cultural engagement through mobile platforms, particularly in environmental contexts via partnerships with Met Office Hadley Centre and Ludwig Boltzman Institute.
Hongbo Jiang is a Distinguished Professor and Vice Dean of the College of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering at Hunan University, China. He holds concurrent roles as Director of the Trusted Systems and Networking Key Laboratory of Hunan Province and Director of the Hunan International Technical Cooperation Base for High-Performance Computing and Distributed Systems. His academic journey includes tenures as a Professor at Huazhong University of Science and Technology and a Hong Kong Scholar Research Fellow at The Chinese University of Hong Kong. Education: PhD in Computer Science (Case Western Reserve University, 2008), B.S./M.S. in Mathematics (Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 2002). Research Interests: Distributed systems, mobile computing, smart sensing, wireless networks, IoT, and edge computing. Ongoing projects include mobile/wireless applications, data science in IoT, and edge computing platforms. His work emphasizes practical implementations such as DriverSonar for driving safety and SmileAuth for biometric authentication. Key Achievements: Elected Member of Academia Europaea (2022), Fellow of AAIA, IET, and BCS. Notable awards include the Wu Wenjun Science and Technology Award (2020) and multiple best paper recognitions. Over 100+ publications in top venues like ACM MobiCom, IEEE/ACM Transactions. Professional Contributions: Editorial roles across 8+ journals including IEEE Transactions on Mobile Computing and ACM Transactions on Sensor Networks. Conference leadership includes co-founding ACM TURC and EAI ICECI. Active in technical committees for INFOCOM, MOBIHOC, and ICDCS. Labs/Teams: Leads research groups focused on networking, IoT, and edge computing. Current openings for PhD/MSc students and PostDoc researchers with strong mathematical and systems backgrounds.
Viktor Prasanna is the Charles Lee Powell Chair in Engineering and Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Southern California. He holds courtesy appointments in Computer Science and leads the Center for Energy Informatics, focusing on interdisciplinary research linking energy technologies, computer science, and engineering. Education: BE in Electronics (Bangalore University), ME (Indian Institute of Science), PhD in Computer Science (Pennsylvania State University) His research spans reconfigurable computing, FPGA accelerators, parallel and distributed systems, and big data applications. He has pioneered high-performance architectures and algorithms using FPGAs, impacting domains like networking, security, HPC, and machine learning. Prasanna has published over 600 papers, received 22 best paper awards, and secured >$50M in grants. His work emphasizes energy-efficient computing, with recent grants totaling $12.9M (2016–2021). His h-index is 73, with 23,454 total citations. Scientific Awards: IEEE Fellow, ACM Fellow, AAAS Fellow, W. Wallace McDowell Award, multiple Distinguished Alumnus Awards He has advised over 70 doctoral students and led major centers including CiSoft (Big Data in oilfield tech) and CAST. His editorial roles include Editor-in-Chief of IEEE Transactions on Computers and Journal of Parallel and Distributed Computing.
