Yasmin Kafai is a Professor at the University of Pennsylvania's Graduate School of Education (GSE), Department of Learning Sciences. Her research focuses on computational thinking, AI education, and equitable K-12 computing pedagogy. She has pioneered work on integrating electronic textiles (e-textiles) and participatory design into STEM education to engage youth in critical perspectives of technology. Kafai's recent work emphasizes algorithmic literacy, youth-led auditing of machine learning systems, and bridging technical and societal dimensions of computing. Key research areas include: computational empowerment, AI ethics in education, youth agency in technology design, and culturally responsive computing curricula. Her projects often involve hands-on making activities, such as constructing generative AI models or debugging e-textile systems, to foster both technical and critical understandings. Publications from 2024-2025 highlight trends in youth engagement with generative AI, algorithm auditing frameworks, and the intersection of physical computing with growth mindset practices. She has also explored the role of storytelling methodologies in reimagining computing narratives for marginalized groups. Kafai collaborates extensively with teachers to develop scalable professional development programs addressing equity in CS education. Her work frequently appears in learning sciences and computing education journals, with a focus on practical classroom implementations and systemic educational reforms. Ongoing efforts include designing 'Hour of Code' activities that integrate critical AI literacy and fostering youth as co-designers of ethical technology solutions.
Yasmin B. Kafai is the Lori and Michael Milken President's Distinguished Professor at the University of Pennsylvania's Graduate School of Education. Her work focuses on empowering students through computational tools such as Scratch, electronic textiles, and biomaking, aiming to broaden participation in computing and promote equity in STEM education. Affiliations: Editor of the Journal of the Learning Sciences Former President of the International Society of the Learning Sciences Recipient of NSF Early Career Award and Rosenfield Community Prize Her research explores youth engagement with digital media, including gaming, coding, and creative technologies. She co-developed Scratch, a foundational platform for youth programming, and pioneered curricula integrating electronic textiles and biodesign in K-12 education. Key contributions include analyzing the societal impacts of virtual worlds, algorithmic literacy, and culturally responsive pedagogy. Publications & Awards: Author of award-winning books like Connected Gaming and Makeology Contributed to national policy reports, including the 2010 U.S. Department of Education's National Educational Technology Plan Recognized as a Fellow of the American Educational Research Association Her outreach initiatives include mentoring partnerships with the City of Los Angeles and collaborations with community tech centers like the Computer Clubhouse network. Current projects emphasize algorithmic justice, AI literacy, and equity-focused maker education.
Harald Zapf is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of English and American Studies at Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), specializing in American literature and cultural studies. Affiliated with the Faculty of Philosophy and Theology, he focuses on postcolonial theory, hybridity, and multiculturalism in the Americas. 2002 Lilli Bechmann Rahn Doctoral Prize 2001 Bavarian American Academy Dissertation Prize His research explores intersections of ethnicity, language, and performance in contemporary American poetry, particularly in multilingual and transnational contexts. He has collaborated extensively with Wolfgang Binder and Klaus Lösch on publications examining cultural encounters and hybrid identities. Zapf’s publications span monographs, edited volumes, and critical articles, with a strong emphasis on authors like Ishmael Reed and theoretical frameworks such as rooted cosmopolitanism and deconstruction. His work bridges literary analysis with sociocultural and philosophical discourses.
Zohreh Sharafi is an Assistant Professor of Software Engineering in the Department of Computer and Software Engineering (GIGL) at Polytechnique Montréal. Previously, she served as a Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, where she worked with Dr. Westley Weimer and was awarded the prestigious NSERC Postdoctoral Fellowship. Prior to her academic career, she worked as a software engineer at Morgan Stanley, contributing to the firm's electronic trading platform and serving as principal architect of SURF, a market data simulator. Her educational background includes a Ph.D. in Computer Engineering from École polytechnique de Montréal under the supervision of Dr. Giuliano Antoniol and Dr. Yann-Gaël Guéhéneuc, a Master of Applied Science in Software Engineering from Concordia University, and a Bachelor of Computer Engineering from the University of Tehran. Dr. Sharafi leads the SENSE Lab, a multidisciplinary software engineering research laboratory focused on understanding problem-solving strategies developers use during software development, with particular attention to human factors such as gender and native language. Her research combines human-centric design with experimental methodologies, investigating cognitive processes involved in software development using biometric measures including eye tracking and neuroimaging. Current active projects include evaluating trustworthiness perceptions of software artifacts and studying the role of creativity in software engineering tasks. She has made significant contributions to understanding how gender influences program comprehension and code review processes. Her publication record demonstrates a strong focus on empirical methods in software engineering, particularly eye tracking and neuroimaging techniques to study developer cognition. Her work spans program comprehension, code review, requirements engineering, and the impact of human factors on software development processes. She has developed methodological frameworks for conducting eye tracking studies in software engineering and has made notable contributions to understanding how visualization techniques affect software development tasks. NSERC Postdoctoral Fellowship NSERC Discovery Grant Program and Launch Supplements (Sep 2024-Sep 2029) IVADO Startup & Operation Fund (Jan 2022-Jan 2023) Scholarship for Doctoral Studies from Fonds de Recherche du Quebec Distinguished Reviewer Awards from IEEE ICPC 2020 and ACM FSE 2024 Dr. Sharafi actively mentors students including Mahta Amini (PhD Candidate, IVADO Scientifique en résidence 2024 Laureate), Cameron Cherif (PhD Candidate), Sara Yabesi (Master's Student), and Anthonia Njoku (Graduate research intern). She serves on numerous conference organizing committees including as Local Arrangement Chair for SANER 2025, Program Co-chair for SEMLA 2024, and as a reviewer for top-tier journals including IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering and ACM Computing Surveys. Her research is supported by multiple grants focused on understanding human factors in software engineering through empirical methods. At Polytechnique Montréal, Dr. Sharafi directs the SENSE Lab which brings together computer scientists, cognitive scientists, and software engineering researchers to investigate the cognitive aspects of software development. The lab employs advanced methodologies including eye tracking, functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to study how developers comprehend, navigate, and modify software systems. Current projects examine trustworthiness perceptions in code review, the role of creativity in software engineering tasks, and gender differences in software development processes.
Igor Jurisica is a Professor at the University of Toronto and a Senior Scientist at the Krembil Research Institute’s Data Science Discovery Centre for Chronic Diseases. He also serves as Visiting Scientist at IBM CAS, Scientific Director of the World Community Grid, and Chief Scientist at the Creative Destruction Lab (Rotman School of Management). His research focuses on integrative computational biology, data mining, and AI-driven models for cancer mechanisms, drug discovery, and chronic disease management. Key affiliations include the Osteoarthritis Research Program, Schroeder Arthritis Institute, and leadership roles in open science initiatives like the World Community Grid, a global distributed computing platform with 810,000+ volunteers. Jurisica’s work bridges computational tools (e.g., NAViGaTOR visualization platform, MirDIP databases) and clinical applications, emphasizing explainable AI in healthcare. Research interests span proteomics, microRNA regulation, systems vaccinology, and multi-omics integration for disease stratification. Notable contributions include identifying prognostic signatures in cancer and osteoarthritis, machine learning models for drug repurposing, and sportomics analyses of athletic biomarkers. He has been recognized as a Thomson Reuters Highly Cited Researcher (2014-2016) and ranked among the Top 100 AI Leaders in Oncology (2023). His labs develop open-access tools like PathDIP, OsteoDIP, and miRAnno to advance translational research.
Mark d'Inverno is a Professor in the Department of Computing at Goldsmiths, University of London, where he has established himself as a leading researcher at the intersection of artificial intelligence, multi-agent systems, and creative applications. His academic journey began with foundational work in formal methods and agent-based systems, culminating in his 1998 PhD thesis 'Agents, Agency and Autonomy: A Formal Computational Model' from University College London, and has evolved toward practical applications in music technology and ethical AI systems. Professor d'Inverno's research interests span multiple interconnected domains, with a particular focus on computational creativity, multi-agent systems, and the application of AI in musical contexts. His work explores how artificial intelligence can enhance creative processes, particularly in music composition and performance, while maintaining ethical considerations in social AI systems. He has made significant contributions to understanding how agents can interact meaningfully in social contexts, how ethical frameworks can be embedded in online systems, and how technology can support creative learning experiences. His recent scholarly output demonstrates a clear trajectory toward applied research with social impact, as evidenced by his 2021-2024 publications which increasingly address ethical considerations in AI, human-AI collaboration in creative domains, and educational applications of technology. These works reveal a researcher deeply engaged with both theoretical foundations and practical implementations, bridging the gap between abstract computational models and real-world creative and educational applications. Professor d'Inverno maintains an extensive collaborative network, frequently working with Matthew Yee-King on music technology applications, with Pablo Noriega on ethical AI frameworks, and with Jon McCormack on computational creativity. His research has been supported through various projects that connect theoretical computer science with practical creative applications, particularly in the development of systems that facilitate human-AI creative collaboration.
David De Roure is Professor of e-Research at the University of Oxford and Academic Director of both the Digital Scholarship initiative and the Laboratory for AI Security Research. He is also an Honorary Research Professor at the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM), where he serves as Technical Director of the Centre for Practice & Research in Science & Music (PRiSM). His work bridges computer science, digital humanities, cybersecurity, and music through his distinctive interdisciplinary approach. De Roure received his PhD in 1990 supervised by David W Barron and Peter Henderson, with research in Lisp and distributed systems. Prior to joining Oxford in 2010, he was Professor of Computer Science at the University of Southampton and Director of the Centre for Pervasive Computing in the Environment. His career spans multiple institutions and research domains, reflecting his commitment to interdisciplinary work. De Roure's research focuses on new methods of digital scholarship, innovation in knowledge infrastructure, cybersecurity, and computational approaches to music. His work uniquely combines humanities (digital musicology), social sciences (social machines and web science), engineering (Internet of Things), and computer science (distributed systems, AI). A key theme is empowering human creativity through technology rather than replacing humans with AI. He emphasizes co-creation between humans and machines, particularly in music composition where he explores how algorithms can generate fragments for human assembly. His recent publications reveal a strong focus on AI security in IoT systems, digital scholarship methods, and the intersection of music with computational approaches. There's a clear trajectory from foundational work in social machines and web science toward current applications in cybersecurity and music-AI co-creation. His publications consistently bridge technical domains with humanistic inquiry, demonstrating his commitment to interdisciplinary scholarship that addresses real-world challenges. Fellow of the British Computer Society (FBCS) Fellow of the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications (FIMA) Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA) Chartered IT Professional (CITP) Turing Fellow at The Alan Turing Institute (2018-2024) De Roure has co-founded three major interdisciplinary initiatives: PETRAS National Centre of Excellence for IoT Systems Cybersecurity (the world's largest socio-technical research center focused on IoT security), the Software Sustainability Institute (dedicated to improving research software), and PRiSM at RNCM. He was Director of the Oxford e-Research Centre from 2012-17 and has led numerous research projects including SOCIAM (The Theory and Practice of Social Machines), FAST (Fusing Audio and Semantic Technologies), and Transforming Musicology. The Laboratory for AI Security Research, which he directs, took its first PhD students in 2024. At Oxford, De Roure chairs the Digital Research Cluster at Wolfson College and oversees the Laboratory for AI Security Research. The PRiSM team at RNCM has produced numerous musical works and performances, including six premieres in New York in 2024. He has been involved in designing gesture recognition software used in many performances and has collaborated on public engagement projects including the Science Together project which released a Hip Hop album. His current work includes exploring Chladni Plates for new musical instrument design and developing algorithmically enhanced instruments.
Irene Albers is a full Professor at Free University of Berlin's Department of Philosophy and Humanities, holding dual appointments at the Peter Szondi Institute for General and Comparative Literature and Institute for Romance Philology since 2004. She chairs both the Examination Board and Doctoral Committee for General and Comparative Literature, serves as Trustee of Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes since 2004/05, and has been Principal Investigator for the Friedrich-Schlegel Graduate School for Literary Studies and Cluster Languages of Emotion since 2007. Her research bridges comparative literature, anthropology, and visual culture with institutional leadership spanning editorial projects and international conferences. Her educational background includes: Born in Bremen (1967) Romance Studies, Philosophy, and German Studies at Universities of Tübingen, Tours, and Konstanz M.A. from University of Konstanz (1993) Ph.D. from University of Konstanz (1999) on literature and photography in Émile Zola, Proust, and Claude Simon Albers' core research examines literary anthropology through colonial/postcolonial lenses, focusing on French literary engagement with Africa, surrealism, and literature-photography intersections. She pioneered studies on Michel Leiris' ethnological poetics and Claude Simon's photographic techniques, extending to historical emotion research (anatomy of affects, body language) and romance novella traditions. Her work consistently challenges Eurocentric literary canons through primitivism critique and heteronomy aesthetics, emphasizing textual restitution and cultural reclamation. Recent publications (2018-2025) reveal a sharp turn toward colonial restitution ethics, particularly in oral literature provenance. Articles increasingly analyze literature as colonial loot, connecting French modernism with African/Caribbean contexts through collaborative projects with anthropologists like Eléonore Devevey. This trajectory builds from earlier surrealist studies to concrete frameworks for decolonizing literary scholarship, spotlighting institutional complicity in cultural appropriation while advancing symmetrized modernity revisions. Scientific awards include: Senior Fellow and Prize Winner of the Zukunftskolleg, University of Konstanz (2009) Albers supervises master's and doctoral students through dedicated AVL colloquia while securing major research funding as Principal Investigator for Friedrich-Schlegel Graduate School (2007-present) and Cluster Languages of Emotion (2007-2012). Her current DFG-funded project 'Literature as Colonial Loot?' with Andreas Schmid pioneers philological provenance research. Earlier, she contributed to Collaborative Research Center 511 'Literature and Anthropology' (Konstanz, 1999-2002) and DFG-funded conferences on Claude Simon. She leads the DramaNet research project and co-edits the 'machina' series at transcript Verlag since 2010. As board member (2007-2009) and deputy (2008-2012) of Cluster Languages of Emotion, she coordinates Area D 'Cultural Codings of Emotions'. Her Zukunftskolleg fellowship (2012-2013) and Marcel Proust Society collaborations underscore sustained engagement with literary anthropology networks.
Dominic Thibault is an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Music, Université de Montréal . His research-creation explores human-machine interaction in musical contexts, focusing on embodied cognition through electroacoustic compositions, audiovisual performances, and musical software development. Co-director, Laboratoire Formes·Ondes Active member, CIRMMT (Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Music Media and Technology) Research axis leader, Expanded Musical Practice (CIRMMT) Member, Québecor Millénium entrepreneurship committee Scientific committee member, ACFAS
Joël Thibeault is a Professor at the Faculty of Education, University of Ottawa and Adjunct Professor at the Faculty of Education, University of Regina . His research focuses on the teaching and learning of French grammar in Francophone minority contexts, the integrated instruction of French and English, and the use of children’s literature in linguistic education. He has secured major funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada for studies on bilingual grammar pedagogy. Research Themes: Francophone minority education, plurilingual approaches, drama-based pedagogy, and curriculum innovation. Awards: Received the Prix du nouveau chercheur (2024) from the University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Education. Recent Publications emphasize inductive grammar strategies, plurilingual vocabulary instruction, and drama/literature integration in minority language classrooms. His work bridges policy, practice, and technology in Canadian French-language education. Scientific Awards: SSHRC Grant (2024) Prix du nouveau chercheur (2024)
Professor Anna Marie Munster is a distinguished academic and artist at UNSW Art and Design (College of Fine Arts), where she has held a full-time tenured position since 2001. Her work bridges theoretical scholarship with creative practice, establishing her as a leading figure in digital media art and critical theory. University: University of New South Wales School: College of Fine Arts (UNSW Art and Design) Position: Professor Qualifications: PhD from UNSW (2002), BA (Class 1 Hons with University Medal) from University of Sydney (1984) Professor Munster's research explores the intersections of art, technology, and philosophy, with particular focus on statistical visuality, radical empiricism, the politics and aesthetics of machine learning, and more-than-human perception. Her work integrates process philosophy with contemporary media practices, examining how time, movement, and sonicity shape our experience of digital environments. She approaches these topics through both theoretical scholarship and creative practice, often collaborating with artist Michele Barker on multi-channel audiovisual installations. Her publications reveal a consistent trajectory exploring the relationship between embodiment and digital media, with recent work focusing on AI and machine learning in cultural contexts. Munster's creative output demonstrates sophisticated integration of technical innovation with philosophical inquiry, particularly in how her installations challenge conventional perceptions of time and space. ARC, UNSW Student Council Award for Excellence in Postgraduate Supervision (2017) Dean's Award for Excellence in Postgraduate Supervision (2015) Highly commended for Materializing New Media at Prix Ars Electronica (2008) Winner of National Digital Art Awards 'The Harries' (2006) University Press of New England Publishing Award (2005) Professor Munster has completed over 20 PhD and Masters supervisions at UNSW and been involved in another 10 secondary supervisions. She currently supervises five PhD candidates working on diverse topics including coding materialities, critical bio-textiles, schizophrenia and XR technologies, sound and resonance, and affective drawing. Her ARC-funded research projects demonstrate sustained commitment to interdisciplinary work, particularly at the intersection of art, science, and technology. Her creative practice with Michele Barker has resulted in numerous commissioned installations exploring perception, embodiment, and the relationship between humans and technology.
Gabriele de Seta is a researcher at the University of Bergen's Department of Linguistic, Literary and Aesthetic Studies, leading the ALGOFOLK project funded by the Trond Mohn Foundation (2024-2028). A sociologist by training with a PhD from Hong Kong Polytechnic University, he previously served as postdoctoral fellow at Academia Sinica (Taipei) and on the ERC-funded Machine Vision in Everyday Life project. Department of Ethnology, Academia Sinica (postdoctoral fellow) Department of Linguistic, Literary and Aesthetic Studies, University of Bergen (researcher) His research focuses on algorithmic folklore, synthetic ethnography, and Chinese digital culture. He examines how digital technologies and creative practices mutually shape each other, particularly in China's sociotechnical landscape. Key areas include platform governance, machine vision, algorithmic accountability, and digital vernaculars. Recent publications analyze TikTok/Douyin's infrastructural role, deepfakes, QR codes as globalized gateways, and Chinese internet vulgarity. His work combines theoretical frameworks from STS, media studies, and digital anthropology with fieldwork on Chinese digital practices. Trond Mohn Foundation Starting Grant ERC-funded research As educator, he designed the Machine Vision module for Bergen's Critical Approaches to Technology and Society course and taught Key Theories in Digital Culture. He supervises multiple MA/PhD students including co-supervision of Hanna Lauvli. Through his blog and podcast, he promotes public engagement with digital research.
Andrew Campana is an Assistant Professor of Asian Studies at Cornell University's College of Arts and Sciences, specializing in modern and contemporary Japanese literature and media. His research explores the possibilities and limitations of expression during media transitions, with particular focus on poetry, digital media, and disability studies. His academic journey includes a Ph.D. in East Asian Languages and Civilizations from Harvard University and an Honors B.A. in East Asian Studies from the University of Toronto. Campana's first book, Expanding Verse: Japanese Poetry at the Edge of Media , published by the University of California Press in 2024 as an open access work, examines Japanese poetic practice from the 1920s to the present as poets engaged with evolving media technologies including film, tape recording, television, and the internet. As a researcher, Campana's work bridges literary studies, media studies, game studies, and disability studies, with current projects exploring how poetry became a key site of digital experimentation in Japan. His research methodology combines traditional literary analysis with hands-on creative practice, informed by his experiences at MIT's Trope Tank laboratory. His scholarly interests span Japanese media history, disability representation in literature and gaming, digital poetics, and gender studies. His research has received significant media attention, including features in the Cornell Chronicle ('Poets in Japan Experiment at the Edge of Media' and 'Japanese Poets Open New Ways of Thinking About Media'), The Statesman, and interviews on NPR's Academic Minute and the Curiosity Daily podcast discussing his work on gaming and accessibility. As an educator, Campana teaches courses including 'Introduction to Japan,' 'Japanese Poetry,' and 'The Glitch: Errors, Disability, and the Edges of Digital Media' (ASIAN 4703/6703), guiding students through interdisciplinary explorations of Japanese literature, media, and digital culture. His teaching reflects his commitment to understanding media transitions through both theoretical and practical lenses.
Verónica Loureiro-Rodríguez is an Associate Professor in the Department of Linguistics at the University of Manitoba's Faculty of Arts. Her research focuses on sociolinguistics, language identity, and code-switching, with special attention to global hip hop and multilingual communities. She holds a PhD from the University of California, Davis, an MA from the University of Colorado at Boulder, and a BA from the Universidade de Santiago de Compostela. Dr. Loureiro-Rodríguez's work examines language attitudes across diverse contexts, including French-English dynamics in Manitoba, Spanish-Valencian bilingual processing, and code-switching in music. She has also explored language use in robotics and cultural hybridity among Puerto Rican and Mexican communities. Her teaching excellence was recognized with the 2021 Faculty of Arts Teaching Excellence Award. Education: PhD (UC Davis), MA (CU Boulder), BA (USC) Awards: 2021 Teaching Excellence Award (Established Faculty) Research Focus: Language policy, digital sociolinguistics, and cultural identity She currently supervises graduate students in Master's and PhD programs, focusing on sociolinguistic methodologies like the matched-guise technique. Her research often intersects with music studies, robotics, and diaspora linguistics.
Dongwook Yoon is an Associate Professor at the Department of Computer Science , University of British Columbia , and serves as Director of the SOCIUS Lab . He actively contributes to research in Human-Computer Interaction, Human-AI Interaction, and Virtual/Augmented Reality as a member of the Designing for People (DFP) and CAIDA research clusters. Education : PhD in Computer Science from Cornell University (2017), MS (2009) and BS (2007) in Computer Science from Seoul National University Research Focus : Designing socio-technical systems that bridge the gap between technology and human social processes, with innovations in AR/VR, multimodal interaction, and inclusive design Article Trends show his work spans: Temporal and bichronous learning environments AI self-clones and ethical implications Income inequality in virtual platforms Enhanced multimodal collaboration in VR Eyes-reduced interfaces for situational impairments Speculative participatory design for gig economy challenges Scientific Awards include: Google Academic Research Award (2024) Best Paper Award at CHI 2024 High Impact Award in Educational Technology (2024) CHCCS/SCDHM Graphics Interface Early Career Award (2023) Multiple Honorable Mentions at CHI, DIS, and CSCW Students & Collaborators range from active PhD candidates (Anika Sayara, Yuri Kim) to notable alumni (Thitaree Tanprasert, Ashish Chopra) across his SOCIUS Lab projects. His research receives funding from NSERC , KIST , Adobe , Microsoft , and Google grants.
