Dylan Hadfield-Menell is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, holding the Bonnie and Marty (1964) Tenenbaum Career Development Professorship. His research focuses on AI alignment and human-AI interaction within MIT's School of Engineering. His research interests center on agent alignment problems in AI systems, particularly examining uncertainty in objective optimization for human-robot teams and societal oversight of machine learning systems. Key areas include the principal-agent alignment problem , assistance games frameworks , and robust preference learning that accounts for hidden contextual factors in reinforcement learning from human feedback. His recent publications reveal strong trends toward multi-agent cooperation , formal contract mechanisms for resolving social dilemmas, and advanced evaluation methodologies for AI safety. The research spans theoretical frameworks like open-universe assistance games while addressing practical challenges in language model alignment and cultural bias assessment. Scientific awards include: AI2050 Early Career Fellowship from Schmidt Futures Berkeley Fellowship NSF Graduate Research Fellowship C.V. Ramamoorthy Distinguished Research Award His work bridges theoretical computer science with real-world AI governance challenges, as demonstrated through MIT's participation in AI policy white papers. Current research directions include developing frameworks for transparent AI systems and addressing fundamental limitations in aligning recommender systems with human values through interdisciplinary synthesis.
Associate Professor Chen Lou is a faculty member at the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information, Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore. Her research focuses on consumer psychology and advertising effects, exploring how marketing communications influence behavior through information processing mechanisms. She investigates topics like influencer marketing, content strategies, and the psychological impacts of brand communications. A mixed-methods researcher, she employs techniques such as eye-tracking, psychophysiological measures, and big data analytics (e.g., sentiment analysis). Dr. Lou holds editorial roles at journals including the International Journal of Advertising and Journal of Interactive Advertising , and serves on committees for organizations like the American Academy of Advertising (AAA) and the International Communication Association (ICA). She earned her Ph.D. from Michigan State University, an M.S. from Ohio University, and a B.A. from Wuhan University. Her research has been recognized with awards such as the 2021 Mary Alice Shaver Promising Professor Award (AAA) and multiple best article awards. She actively supervises student projects, including top-winning FYPs at NTU. Key research areas include: Influencer marketing dynamics and virtual influencers Social media platform affordances and advertising effectiveness Brand activism and message framing Psychological ownership in content marketing Consumer responses to ethical and cultural messaging
Sandy J. Wayne serves as Dean of the College of Business Administration and Professor of Management at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC), where she leads academic initiatives while maintaining an active research program. An internationally recognized expert in workplace leadership, her work focuses on developing high-performing employees through effective team leadership and organizational practices that enhance motivation and performance. She also investigates systemic barriers affecting the upward mobility of women and people of color in corporate environments. Dr. Wayne earned her academic credentials from: PhD in Management, Texas A&M University MBA, Illinois State University BS in Business Administration, Illinois State University Her research program spans leadership dynamics, organizational behavior, and diversity science. She examines how manager-employee relationships impact engagement and performance, with particular emphasis on work-family balance and career trajectory barriers for underrepresented groups. Her work bridges theoretical rigor with practical applications for organizations seeking to build inclusive, high-performance cultures through evidence-based leadership development. Analysis of her recent publications (2014-2024) reveals three dominant research streams: leader-member exchange theory (particularly LMX differentiation effects), servant leadership measurement and outcomes, and diversity dynamics in advancement pathways. Her work consistently appears in top-tier journals like Journal of Applied Psychology and Academy of Management Journal , demonstrating methodological sophistication through multi-level analyses and cross-cultural investigations. Dr. Wayne's scientific contributions have earned significant recognition: Decennial Influential Article Award for 2015 publication (2025) University Scholar, University of Illinois System (2020-2023) Faculty Impact Award, UIC Business (2019) Fellow, Academy of Management (2019) Decennial Influential Article Award for 2008 publication (2018) As Director of the Institute for Leadership Excellence and Development since 1996, she has cultivated a robust research ecosystem while leading institutional initiatives like the UIC Business Cohort Program and Business Scholars Program. Her administrative leadership extends to faculty development through her former role as Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs (2014-2022), demonstrating sustained commitment to academic excellence and organizational growth.
Georgia Zellou is an Associate Professor in the Department of Linguistics at the University of California, Davis, where she co-directs the Phonetics Lab and conducts award-winning research at the intersection of phonetics, speech perception, and human-AI interaction. Her work investigates how phonetic detail is cognitively represented through variations in speech production, with significant contributions to understanding speech alignment with voice assistants, face-masked speech intelligibility, and cross-linguistic perception of synthetic voices. Her academic credentials include a Ph.D. in Linguistics from the University of Colorado at Boulder (2012), an M.A. in Linguistics from Stony Brook University (2007), and a B.A. in Linguistics & Anthropology from the University of Florida (2005, Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa). Ph.D., Linguistics, University of Colorado at Boulder (2012) M.A., Linguistics, Stony Brook University (2007) B.A., Linguistics & Anthropology, University of Florida (2005) Professor Zellou's research program centers on laboratory phonology approaches to real-world communication challenges, examining how acoustic-phonetic details influence speech perception across contexts. Her studies span speech alignment with voice-AI systems (e.g., Amazon Alexa), sociophonetic variation in bilingual speech, and the cognitive mechanisms underlying perceptual compensation for coarticulation. She employs experimental methods including eye-tracking, acoustic analysis, and perceptual testing to uncover how phonetic variation functions pragmatically in human communication and human-machine interaction. Analysis of her 15 most recent publications (2023-2025) reveals three dominant research trajectories: (1) human-AI voice interaction dynamics, including prosodic alignment and social evaluation of TTS voices; (2) intelligibility optimization in challenging contexts (face masks, clear speech for diverse listeners); and (3) cross-linguistic phonetic variation in vowelless words and consonant clusters. These works consistently bridge theoretical phonology with applied speech technology, demonstrating how fine-grained phonetic detail influences communication effectiveness in both human-human and human-machine contexts. Her scientific recognition includes: Fulbright Scholar (2022) for research in France Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Mentoring (2019) Fellow of the Linguistic Society of America (2020) Amazon Faculty Research Award (2019) for Alexa-related speech studies Dean’s Fellow designation at UC Davis (2020-2023) Professor Zellou maintains an active mentoring practice recognized with the Chancellor’s Award, supervising undergraduate researchers in the Phonetics Lab while teaching core linguistics courses from introductory to advanced graduate levels. Her research program is supported by competitive grants including NSF funding, Amazon Research Awards, and UC Davis internal grants (Hellman Foundation, ISS Junior Faculty Grant), reflecting the translational value of her work for speech technology development. She has co-directed major initiatives including the 2019 LSA Linguistic Institute. The Phonetics Lab she co-leads serves as a hub for experimental phonetics research, focusing on speech production-perception relationships through projects investigating vocal accommodation to voice assistants, nasal coarticulation dynamics, and cross-linguistic prosody. Current collaborations with industry partners aim to implement human speech adaptation principles into voice assistant design to enhance naturalness and engagement.
Raakel Plamper is a Doctoral Researcher at the Department of Education, University of Turku, with additional roles as Project Specialist in Geography and Development Specialist in Research Services. Her research focuses on higher education sociology, academic work dynamics, student roles in marketized systems, and university history. She teaches courses on social class and education, research methods, and multivariable analysis. Her work critically examines the marketization of universities, student-as-customer discourses, and managerialism in academic leadership. Key themes include tuition fee policies, institutional identity shifts, and equality in education systems. Recent publications analyze leadership rhetoric, writing retreats for researchers, and cross-country education strategies. Plamper actively contributes to interdisciplinary projects, such as the EU-funded Young Adulllt study on skill governance, and maintains a blog (Kas! blogi) discussing academic work and education policy. She holds an MA and is pursuing a PhD examining student roles in neoliberalized higher education.
Sarah A. Soule is the Philip H. Knight Professor and Dean of Stanford Graduate School of Business and Morgridge Professor of Organizational Behavior. She has been a faculty member at Stanford since 2008 and previously taught at the University of Arizona and Cornell University. As of June 2025, she serves as the first woman dean of Stanford GSB, marking the school's centennial year. Her educational background includes a PhD and MA in Sociology from Cornell University (1995, 1991) and a BA in Sociology from the University of Vermont (1989). She has held significant leadership roles including Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs (2016-2023) and Director of the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences (2023-2025). Soule's research focuses on organizational theory, social movements, and political sociology, examining how social movements impact organizational and policy change. Her work bridges sociology and business, analyzing how protest influences corporate decisions and how organizations respond to social movement pressures. She has made significant contributions to understanding tactical innovation in social movements and the diffusion of protest strategies. Her scholarly output shows a consistent trajectory examining the intersection of social movements with business and policy. Early work focused on protest policing and movement tactics, while more recent research explores corporate activism, DEI initiatives, and the role of design thinking in organizational contexts. Her publications span top sociology and management journals, demonstrating interdisciplinary impact. Hank McKinnell-Pfizer Inc. Faculty Fellow, Stanford GSB, 2014 James and Doris McNamara Faculty Fellow, Stanford GSB, 2011 GSB Trust Faculty Fellow, Stanford GSB, 2010 Member, Sociological Research Association, 2009 Fellow, Michelle R. Clayman Institute for Gender Research, 2009 Magellan Circle Award for Excellence in Graduate Teaching, University of Arizona, 2006 Soule has served on multiple editorial boards including Sociological Science (founding team), Stanford University Press, and Cambridge University Press. She has advised numerous PhD students and has been actively involved in curriculum development, particularly in diversity, equity, and inclusion education. Her leadership extends to nonprofit boards including the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design (Stanford d.school) and the international advisory board to the president of the Stockholm School of Economics. She co-directs the Stanford LEAD Online Business Program and has developed executive education programs focused on coaching skills and diversity leadership.
Cecilia O. Alm is a Professor in the Department of Psychology within the College of Liberal Arts at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), where she serves as the Artificial Intelligence Program Director. She holds multiple leadership roles including Director of the Center for Human-aware AI and Director of the Computational Linguistics and Speech Processing Lab (CLaSP). Her institutional affiliations span the School of Information, Ph.D. Programs in Cognitive Science and Computing and Information Sciences, Department of Computer Science, and MS in Data Science program. Dr. Alm earned her Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Her research focuses on human-centered artificial intelligence with particular emphasis on linguistic and multimodal sensing, affective computing, and natural language processing. She investigates how AI systems can better understand and respond to human communication through multimodal dialogue processing, with applications in accessibility, education, and healthcare. Her recent publications demonstrate a strong trend toward developing inclusive AI systems, particularly through projects addressing Deaf community needs (MULTICOLLAB-ASL), subtle emotion recognition (FUSE corpus), and bias mitigation in NLP. The work consistently integrates multimodal data streams (speech, gaze, gesture) to create more responsive human-AI interaction frameworks. Current research directions emphasize diversity in AI education, visual prosody in sign languages, and human-in-the-loop AI development. Dr. Alm leads several significant NSF-funded initiatives including the AWARE-AI program, IRES AI-PROWIL international research experience, and collaborative projects with Gallaudet University focused on Deaf scientist-centered AI research. She has secured over $2.5 million in external funding for her work on human-aware AI systems. She directs the CLaSP lab which provides research opportunities for PhD, MS, and undergraduate students, with graduates employed at major technology companies including Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, and Facebook. The lab focuses on real-world AI applications in accessibility, human-robot interaction, and multimodal communication systems.
Professor Janet McColl-Kennedy is a leading figure in marketing and service science at The University of Queensland's Business School. She serves as Program Lead for Innovation Pathways (FaBA) and co-founded the Service Innovation Alliance (SIA) research hub, focusing on customer experience, AI, digital transformation, and sustainability. With Fellow status in the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia and the Australian and New Zealand Marketing Academy, she holds international recognition including Research.com's World's Best Business Scientists ranking and the Christopher Lovelock Career Contributions to the Services Discipline Award (2025). University of Queensland Business School Honorary Visiting Professor, Cambridge Service Alliance Research Collaborator, University of Cambridge Her research spans customer experience management, service ecosystems, digital transformation, and healthcare services. She has pioneered frameworks for customer value co-creation and service recovery strategies, integrating AI and behavioral science. Her 2019 paper on customer experience insights was implemented by a major B2B organization, while her work on value co-creation improved outcomes at Lutheran Community Care. Recent publications focus on AI impacts in food and beverage services, sustainable service ecosystems, and digital health interventions. She has secured over $89 million in competitive grants, including multiple ARC Linkage and Discovery Projects, and leads cross-disciplinary teams with institutions like Cambridge University and Arizona State University. 2024 - ARC College of Experts appointment 2023 - Bo Edvardsson Industry Impact in Services Award 2022 - Elected Fellow of Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia 2021 - Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher 2018 - Ranked most influential marketing academic in Australia With over 220 publications and a Google Scholar H-index of 62, she has mentored 15 PhD students and examined theses at multiple universities. Her teaching spans 30+ years across undergraduate, postgraduate, and executive programs in Australia, USA, Italy, China, and Korea, with awards for blended learning and corporate education.
Mark Coeckelbergh is a Professor of Philosophy at the University of Vienna, specializing in the philosophy of technology, AI ethics, and robot ethics. He is affiliated with the Department of Philosophy and the Research Network Data Science at the University of Vienna. In addition to his academic position, Coeckelbergh has held significant roles including Former President of the Society for Philosophy and Technology (SPT) and Member of the European Commission's High-Level Expert Group on Artificial Intelligence (AI HLEG). His research focuses on the ethical, political, and philosophical implications of emerging technologies, particularly artificial intelligence and robotics. Coeckelbergh has published extensively in these areas, authoring influential books such as Robot Ethics (2022), The Political Philosophy of AI (2022), and Why AI Undermines Democracy and What To Do About It . His work explores how AI systems affect democratic processes, human agency, and social relationships. Recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on the relationship between AI, democracy, and ethical governance, examining how AI systems can both threaten and potentially enhance democratic processes through algorithmic transparency and participatory design approaches. Finalist of the World Technology Award 2017 Coeckelbergh teaches various courses including 'Introduction to Philosophy of LLMs,' 'LLMs and the Future of Writing,' 'Ethics and Robotics,' and 'Global Governance of AI.' He has supervised numerous students working on topics related to technology ethics and philosophy. He has been involved in several major research projects including H2020 PERSEO, WWTF Democracy Responsible Entrepreneurship, and FP7 DREAM (Development of Robot-Enhanced therapy for children with Autism spectrum disorders). Coeckelbergh has also announced upcoming guest professorships at the Institute of Philosophy of the Czech Academy of Sciences and Uppsala University, where he will work on environmental and technology ethics projects.
Ezequiel Reficco is an Associate Professor at ESCP Business School's Madrid campus, specializing in Management. Previously, he served as Associate Professor at EGADE Business School (Tecnológico de Monterrey) and Chair of the Strategy Department at Universidad de Los Andes School of Management (Bogotá, Colombia). His academic journey includes a post-doctoral fellowship and Senior Researcher role at Harvard Business School (2001–2008). He co-authored books with Harvard University Press and published extensively in journals like the Journal of Business Ethics and Harvard Business Review . He is recognized globally for his research output, ranking among the top 10% of SSRN authors and #108 in Colombia's most cited researchers (2015). His research focuses on responsible management education, corporate social responsibility (CSR), inclusive business models, and strategic cross-sector partnerships. Key areas include leveraging business strategies to address poverty (BoP markets), fostering sustainability through innovation, and redesigning educational curricula for ethical leadership. His work bridges theory and practice, with consulting engagements for multilateral organizations and corporations like Inditex (owner of Zara). Notable achievements include awards from Universidad de Los Andes and Tecnológico de Monterrey for research excellence. He actively contributes to policy debates on social entrepreneurship and global development, emphasizing Latin American contexts. His recent articles highlight trends toward integrating CSR into core business operations and rethinking educational frameworks to address global challenges. Professional roles beyond academia include membership in Inditex's Social Council, advising on ethical practices and sustainability initiatives. His career reflects a commitment to aligning business strategies with societal impact, particularly in underserved markets and developing regions.
Laurent DUPONT is a Research Engineer and Co-coordinator of the IUVTT Master’s program at ENSGSI (École Nationale Supérieure de Géologie et de Sciences Industrielles), part of the Groupe INP in Nancy, France. He also serves as Scientific Manager of the Lorraine Fab Living Lab. His work focuses on user-driven innovation, smart and sustainable territories, collaborative engineering, and immersive environments. He holds a PhD in Industrial Systems Engineering from INPL (2009), a DEA (2004), and a degree in Industrial Systems Engineering (2003) from ENSGSI. Research interests include innovation lab strategies, open innovation spaces, territorial resilience, and digital twin applications in manufacturing. He leads projects like INEDIT, exploring co-design frameworks and circular economy solutions. His articles highlight trends in collaborative innovation networks, systemic impact mapping, and the integration of extended reality in industrial contexts. Key contributions include frameworks for evaluating territorial resilience and tools for monitoring innovation lab networks. He has been involved in initiatives such as the DHDA Project for resilience assessment and the Smagrinet project on smart grid training. His work bridges academia and practice through participatory methods and cross-sector collaborations. Current projects emphasize Industry 5.0, open manufacturing, and community-driven innovation.
Dr. Thijs Broekhuizen is an Associate Professor at the University of Groningen's Faculty of Economics and Business, specializing in Innovation Management & Strategy. He currently serves as Scientific Director of the University of Groningen Business School, Coordinator of the Northern-Netherlands Innovation Monitor, and Programme Director of the Executive MBA. His research focuses on digital transformation, value creation in innovation, and digital business models, with interdisciplinary insights bridging strategy, innovation, and digitalization. Education: PhD in Marketing (University of Groningen, 2006) MSc in Marketing (University of Groningen, 2001) Research Interests: Broekhuizen explores value appropriation in technology-driven contexts, digital business models, and strategic responses to disruptive technologies. His work emphasizes SMEs' digital transformation challenges, organizational identity during technological change, and AI-driven innovation management. Key areas include digital platforms, motion picture industries, and social media dynamics. Grants & Projects: TALENT4S3 (€165K, Interreg 2024-2028) SIRM (€189K, Interreg 2023-2027) NWO-funded studies on construction industry profitability and online customer journeys Awards: Best Paper Award at ISoF 2021 Best Short Paper Award Nomination 2021 Teaching & Leadership: Broekhuizen teaches strategy and digitalization in executive programs and has led the MScBA and EMBA initiatives. His educational roles include Programme Director of the Executive MBA (Energy Transition, Health, Sustainable Business Models tracks) and member of the Groningen Digital Business Centre. Labs/Teams: He coordinates the Northern-Netherlands Innovation Monitor (surveying 10,000+ SMEs) and collaborates with the Groningen Digital Business Centre to advance digital strategy research.
C. (Chengyong) Xiao is an Associate Professor of Sustainable Supply Chain Management at the University of Groningen's Faculty of Economics and Business. He holds a BSc in Management Science from the University of Science and Technology of China (2010) and a PhD in Operations Management from the University of Groningen (2019). His research focuses on sustainable supply chains, particularly the extension of sustainability standards in global supply chains, corporate social responsibility, and social enterprises. Education: Bachelor's Degree: Management Science, University of Science and Technology of China (2010) PhD: Operations Management, University of Groningen (2019) Research Interests: Global supply chain sustainability Supplier sustainability capability development Corporate social responsibility and stakeholder engagement Case study and mixed-method research methodologies Awards: Chan Hahn Best Paper Award (2020 AOM Conference) Teaching and Editorial Roles: Teaches courses including Global Supply Chain Management & Sustainability, Management Science, and Operations & Logistics Management Editorial board member of the Journal of Supply Chain Management and Journal of Operations Management Collaborations: Partnerships with multinational companies like Philips and Signify to study supply chain sustainability practices
Jana Schaich Borg is an Assistant Research Professor at the Social Science Research Institute at Duke University. She specializes in integrating neuroscience, computational modeling, and emerging technologies to study social decision-making processes and their interactions with internal value representations. As a data scientist, she collaborates with interdisciplinary teams to develop novel statistical approaches for analyzing high-dimensional, multi-modal data. Research interests include Moral psychology and computational ethics Human-AI interaction in decision-making Automated social behavior analysis Neuroscience of social cognition Interdisciplinary data science education Recent publications highlight her focus on ethical AI development, moral preference modeling, and automated behavioral analysis. She teaches IDS 707: Data Visualization at Duke University.
Federica De Stefano is an Associate Professor of Organisation Studies at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, and a Research Fellow of Green Templeton College. She serves on editorial boards for Organization Science , Human Resource Management , and Human Resource Management Review , while holding roles in the Strategic Management Society (SMS). Previously, she was an Assistant Professor at HEC Paris and a Post-Doctoral Fellow at Wharton People Analytics. She earned a PhD from Bocconi University, with additional degrees from Fudan University and Bocconi. Her research focuses on people management's impact on organizational and individual outcomes, including employee mobility, workplace safety, and social sustainability. Using quantitative methods and large datasets, her work has been published in top journals like Academy of Management Journal and Strategic Management Journal . She has received the Marie Curie Individual Fellowship and recognition as a top 40-under-40 MBA professor. Teaching focuses on people analytics and management, with a 2023 completion of the International Teachers Program (ITP). Her research grants and collaborative work at Wharton People Analytics underscore her commitment to advancing strategic human capital practices. Federica's work bridges academic rigor with real-world organizational challenges, emphasizing ethical and sustainable workforce strategies.
