Shiyu Su is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Waterloo. His research focuses on high-speed data converters, wireless transceivers, digital phase-locked loops (PLL), and AI-assisted analog/mixed-signal design automation. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Southern California (2019) and teaches courses such as ECE 340 (Electronic Circuits 2) and ECE 432 (Radio Frequency Integrated Devices and Circuits). Education: B.S. from Beijing University of Post and Telecommunication (China) and Queen Mary, University of London (UK), 2011; M.S. and Ph.D. from USC, 2013 and 2019, all in electrical engineering. Research Interests: High-speed ADCs/DACs RF/mm-wave transceivers Time-approximation filters (TAF) Analog/mixed-signal design automation Memristor-based computing Biomedical interfaces Key Awards: IEEE SSCS Predoctoral Achievement Award (2017–2018) Best Student Paper Award at IEEE RFIC (2022) Ming Hsieh Institute Scholar (2019–2020) Lab Focus: The Shiyu Su Lab develops integrated circuits for communications, sensing, and computing, with a focus on AI-driven methodologies and digital-analog co-design. Collaborations include work with Prof. Wei Wu (USC) on memristor-based systems.
Francesco Pilati is an Associate Professor at the Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Trento, where he serves as local coordinator for the scientific field ING-IND/17 (Industrial Plants and Logistic Systems). He chairs the research group on Industrial Plants, Production Systems, and Logistics, and teaches courses in Industrial Plants and Design of Digital Production and Assembly Systems. As coordinator of the Master's program in Management and Industrial Systems Engineering and University Coordinator for the EIT double degree in Zero-Defect Manufacture, Pilati bridges academic leadership with advanced manufacturing research. He has also served as Invited Lecturer at universities in Vienna and Göttingen. His research focuses on integrating environmental sustainability with technical-economic criteria through multi-objective optimization and impact assessment. Key areas include: Distribution networks and warehousing systems Manufacturing and assembly line design Hybrid energy production systems Digitization of manual production processes using depth cameras Recent publications highlight applications of Industry 4.0 technologies to pandemic safety, logistics optimization, and smart manufacturing. Pilati has received significant recognition including the Philip Morris Italia Empowering Research Award (2016) and Autostrade per l'Italia academic recognition. His editorial contributions include guest editing special issues on Digital Twins and Smart Factories in Q1 journals.
Judith Driscoll is Professor of Materials Science at the University of Cambridge in the Department of Materials Science & Metallurgy. She holds the prestigious Royal Academy of Engineering Chair in Emerging Technologies and serves as a Visiting Staff Member at Los Alamos National Laboratory. As the founding Editor-in-Chief of APL Materials, she has significantly contributed to the materials science community. Dr. Driscoll's research focuses on Energy Efficient Oxide Materials for Information and Communications Technologies and energy devices. Her work spans the development of non-volatile memory, resistive switching devices, and ferroelectric materials for neuromorphic computing applications. She investigates oxide thin films for applications ranging from data storage to energy generation and conversion, with particular emphasis on creating more energy-efficient device technologies to handle the exponential growth of data-centric applications. Her recent publications demonstrate strong trends in developing novel oxide-based memory devices with improved energy efficiency, particularly for AI applications. The work shows significant progress in hafnium-zirconium oxide ferroelectrics, resistive switching mechanisms, and vertically aligned nanocomposite structures for enhanced device performance. These innovations address critical challenges in reducing the unsustainable energy demands of modern computing, particularly for artificial intelligence systems. Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering Fellow of the Materials Research Society Fellow of the American Physical Society Fellow of IOM3, IOP, and Women Engineers Society Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Recipient of ERC Advanced Grant Editor-in-Chief of APL Materials Dr. Driscoll leads a vibrant research group that has secured significant funding including her Royal Academy of Engineering Research Chair, an ERC Advanced Grant, and an ECCS-EPSRC grant in collaboration with researchers from the USA. She has founded the Cambridge Centre for Neuromorphic Computing (Neucam) in 2023. Her group operates world-leading growth equipment including pulsed laser deposition with RHEED control, high temperature oxide sputtering, and spatial ALD systems. She collaborates extensively across the University of Cambridge and with international partners to solve complex materials challenges, with her group's role often being to identify optimal materials for functional goals, predict fabrication methods, and then create and characterize these materials.
Paul Lu is a Professor in the Department of Computing Science at the University of Alberta, Faculty of Science. His research focuses on high-performance computing, parallel and distributed systems, cloud computing, and bioinformatics. He holds a B.Sc. (1991), M.Sc. (1993) in Computing Science from the University of Alberta, and a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Toronto (2000). His research explores software systems, including operating systems, virtual machines, and parallel programming. Recent work emphasizes high-performance data transfers and IaaS cloud computing. He teaches courses such as MINT 706: Internet Application and Programming, covering internet protocols and client-server programming. Publications highlight contributions to network optimization, machine learning-driven protocol selection, and distributed systems. His work bridges theoretical advancements with practical applications in cloud infrastructure and wide-area networks.
Arman Cohan is an Assistant Professor of Computer Science at Yale University, affiliated with the School of Engineering & Applied Science. His research focuses on the intersection of Machine Learning and Natural Language Processing (NLP), particularly in language modeling, representation learning, retrieval systems, and applications in specialized domains such as scientific text processing. He earned his Ph.D. in Computer Science from Georgetown University and has received notable awards, including the Dr. Harold N. Glassman Distinguished Doctoral Dissertation Award (2019) and the EMNLP 2017 Best Long Paper Award. His work emphasizes ethical AI, robustness of LLMs, and interdisciplinary applications in healthcare, science, and education. Cohan's research group, the Yale NLP Lab, develops advanced techniques for multi-document summarization, adversarial fact-checking, and LLM-driven tools for scientific discovery. Recent projects include frameworks like SciBERT, Longformer, and ChemAgent, which enhance domain-specific reasoning and safety in AI systems. His publications address challenges in table reasoning, uncertainty expression, and multimodal reasoning, with applications in medical decision-making and educational problem-solving. He collaborates on initiatives like the Roberts Innovation Fund to advance AI in healthcare and environmental technology.
Dr. James D. Foley is a Professor in the College of Computing and the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology. He holds the Stephen Fleming Chair in Telecommunications. He earned his Ph.D. in Computer Information and Control Engineering from the University of Michigan and a BSEE from Lehigh University, where he was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa, Tau Beta Pi, and Eta Kappa Nu. Founded the Graphics, Visualization & Usability (GVU) Center at Georgia Tech, ranked #1 in graphics and user interaction. Directed Mitsubishi Electric Research Lab and later served as CEO of Mitsubishi Electric ITA. Executive Director of Yamacraw, Georgia's broadband development initiative. His research focuses on computer graphics, human-computer interaction (HCI), visualization, and user interface design. He co-authored foundational textbooks like Interactive Computer Graphics , translated into multiple languages. Professional leadership includes Chair of the Computing Research Association (CRA), Fellowships with ACM and IEEE, and the ACM/SIGGRAPH Stephen Coons Award. He advised over 30 graduate students and led numerous conferences, panels, and editorial roles in top journals. Contributions span academia and industry, including roles in NSF workshops, JTEC studies on HCI in Japan, and advisory boards for institutions like MIT and Lehigh University.
Margaret E. Roberts is a Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of California, San Diego. She co-directs the China Data Lab at the 21st Century China Center and serves as an affiliate at the UC Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation. Her academic appointments reflect her interdisciplinary approach combining political science, statistics, and computational methods. University of California, San Diego, Department of Political Science (Current) Co-director, China Data Lab at the 21st Century China Center Affiliate, UC Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation Roberts earned her PhD in Government from Harvard University (2014), MS in Statistics from Stanford University (2009), and BA in International Relations and Economics from Stanford University (2009). Her educational background bridges political science, statistics, and computational methods, forming the foundation for her interdisciplinary research approach. Professor Roberts' research focuses on the intersection of political methodology and the politics of information, with specific expertise in automated content analysis and the politics of censorship and propaganda in China. Her work employs innovative methods including social media analysis, online experiments, and large-scale text analysis to understand how censorship and propaganda influence information access and political beliefs. She has made significant contributions to text-as-data methodologies, developing tools like the Structural Topic Model (stm) R package that have become widely used in social science research. Roberts' research portfolio demonstrates consistent focus on authoritarian information control, particularly in China, while expanding into broader applications of text analysis in political science. Her publications span top journals in political science, computer science, and interdisciplinary fields, reflecting the cross-disciplinary nature of her work. Goldsmith Book Award Best Book Award in the Human Rights Section Best Book Award in Information Technology and Politics Section Best Book Award of the last decade in the Political Communication Section of the American Political Science Association Chancellor's Associates Endowed Chair at UCSD Foreign Affairs Best Books of 2018 Professor Roberts has secured significant research funding supporting her work on Chinese censorship, propaganda, and text analysis methodologies. Her research has practical applications for understanding digital authoritarianism, content moderation, and the development of computational tools for social science research. She has mentored numerous students and collaborators, contributing to the next generation of scholars working at the intersection of political science and computational methods. Roberts also leads the China Data Lab, which serves as a hub for research on Chinese politics and society using digital methods.
Dr. Sirui Li is a Lecturer at Murdoch University's School of Information Technology within the College of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. Her research focuses on Artificial Intelligence, Natural Language Processing (NLP), Machine Learning, Knowledge Graphs, Data Analysis, Temporal Data, and Multi-modal Models, with applications in medicine, agriculture, and mining. She collaborates with industry partners like BHP and has published in journals such as Food Chemistry and Knowledge and Information Systems , as well as conferences like ICSME and IJCNN. Education: Bachelor of Advanced Computing (Honours) in Computer Science at Australian National University Master of Computing (Specialising in AI) at ANU Ph.D. in Information Technology (AI) at Murdoch University Research interests include interdisciplinary applications of AI, such as clinical coding privacy solutions, disease spread modeling, and drug repurposing for pandemics. Her work emphasizes practical industry integration, demonstrated through awards like the 2024 EMNLP Best Demo Award and the 2023 Iron Ore Circuit Hackathon innovation prize. Professional roles include IEEE Western Australia Section committee membership, conference chair positions, and peer review for top journals. She actively mentors students pursuing Honours, Master's, or PhD projects in her areas of expertise.
Britney Schmidt is Associate Professor in Earth and Atmospheric Sciences and Astronomy at Cornell University, where she leads the Planetary Habitability and Technology Lab. She develops robotic tools like the Icefin underwater vehicle to study Earth's ice shelves and glaciers, providing insights into climate change and analogs for ocean worlds like Europa. Her research bridges glaciology, planetary science, and astrobiology. Research focuses on ocean world habitability, ice-ocean interactions, and Antarctic climate systems. Fieldwork includes extensive campaigns in Antarctica and the Arctic using robotic explorers. Recent publications explore Europa's habitability, Thwaites Glacier dynamics, microbial communities in hypersaline environments, and planetary analog studies. Technical developments include novel instrumentation for under-ice exploration. Awarded the 2024 Blavatnik National Award for groundbreaking research. Leads multiple international collaborations including NASA's Europa Clipper mission and Thwaites Glacier projects.
Yehuda Ben-Zion is a Professor of Earth Sciences at the University of Southern California (USC), affiliated with the Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. He serves as Director of the Statewide California Earthquake Center (SCEC). His expertise lies in geophysics and seismology, with a focus on earthquake mechanics, fault dynamics, and seismic hazard assessment. He holds a Ph.D. in Geophysics and Seismology from USC (1990) and a B.S. in Geology and Physics from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (1982). Research interests include physics of earthquakes and faults, high-resolution fault zone imaging, earthquake source properties, and dynamic rupture processes. Recent work emphasizes multi-scale modeling of rupture zones, seismic velocity monitoring using anthropogenic signals (e.g., train tremors), and probabilistic seismic hazard analysis frameworks like CyberShake. He leads projects such as Quakeworx, an open-source earthquake simulation platform, and investigates fault zone architecture in regions like the San Andreas, San Jacinto, and Marmara faults. His studies address critical questions about large earthquake mechanisms, ground motion prediction, and the interplay between tectonic stress and seismicity patterns. He has pioneered the use of dense seismic arrays and machine learning to analyze seismic data, advancing understanding of fault zone processes and their implications for hazard mitigation.
Dr. Daniel J. Preston is an Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Rice University, leading the Preston Innovation Laboratory (PI Lab). He holds a B.S. from the University of Alabama (2012), M.S. and Ph.D. from MIT (2014, 2017), and postdoctoral training at Harvard University (2017-2019). His research focuses on energy efficiency, soft materials, fluid mechanics, and robotics, with applications in wearable technologies and sustainable systems. Key achievements include the NSF CAREER Award (2022) and pioneering work on necrobotics using biotic materials. The PI Lab collaborates widely, with projects involving biomimetic surfaces, smart textiles, and fluidic control systems. Education: B.S. Mechanical Engineering, University of Alabama (2012) M.S./Ph.D. Mechanical Engineering, MIT (2014/2017) Research Interests: Energy : Thermal management, heat transfer optimization, and waste heat recovery. Materials : Soft actuators, surface coatings, and functional biomaterials. Fluids : Interfacial phenomena, droplet dynamics, and fluid-structure interactions. Notable Publications: Recent work includes advancements in wearable haptic devices ( Science Advances ), necrobotics ( Advanced Science ), and fluidic logic textiles ( PNAS ). Over 50 peer-reviewed articles span multidisciplinary topics from magnetic levitation to virus decontamination. Honors: In addition to the CAREER Award, Dr. Preston has received the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, Tau Beta Pi Fellowship, and Wunsch Foundation Award. His lab fosters innovation through grants and industry partnerships. Advising & Grants: Supervises ~15 graduate and undergraduate students, including NSF GRFP recipients. Active in mentoring initiatives like the Randall Research Scholars Program and AATCC grants. Labs & Teams: The PI Lab collaborates with MIT’s DRL, Harvard’s Whitesides Group, and institutions globally. Core projects include smart wearables, energy harvesting fabrics, and autonomous soft robots.
Dr. Mathieu Joerger is an Associate Professor in the Aerospace & Ocean Engineering Department at Virginia Tech, leading the Assured Vehicle Autonomy (AVA) Lab. He holds a Ph.D. (2009), M.S. (2002), and Diplôme d’Ingénieur (2002) from Illinois Institute of Technology and INSA Strasbourg. His research focuses on navigation safety, multi-constellation GNSS, and autonomous system integrity. He serves as Technical Editor for IEEE Transactions on Aerospace and Electronic Systems and co-leads the CARNATIONS initiative for resilient PNT systems. Notable awards include the ION Early Achievement Award (2015) and Bradford W. Parkinson Award (2009). Research interests include GNSS augmentation, LiDAR/IMU integration, and safety quantification for autonomous vehicles. His lab collaborates with industry/government on projects like CAAMS and develops methods to detect GNSS interference using UAS. Key publications address integrity monitoring in SLAM, particle filtering, and Kalman filter applications. Education: Ph.D. Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, Illinois Tech (2009); M.S. Mechanical Engineering, Illinois Tech (2002); Diplôme d’Ingénieur, INSA Strasbourg (2002). Awards: ION Early Achievement Award, Outstanding NAVIGATION Reviewer, Bradford W. Parkinson Award. Professional Roles: Senior Editor for IEEE Transactions, ARAIM Standards Contributor, CARNATIONS Co-Director. Advises multiple PhD/Master’s students and oversees lab activities involving 20+ researchers. Projects include R-PNT systems, UAS-based RFI localization, and automotive GNSS safety. Active in international conferences like ION GNSS+ and AIAA forums.
Christopher D.P. Baxter is a Professor and Department Chair of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the College of Engineering, University of Rhode Island , with expertise in geotechnical engineering, offshore wind energy, and coastal resilience. He holds a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from Virginia Tech (1999), an M.S. from Purdue University (1994), and a B.S. from Tufts University (1990). Research Focus: Geotechnical characterization of marine sediments, liquefaction resistance analysis, fiber-optic sensing for infrastructure monitoring, and coastal protection systems. Recent Publications: 15+ articles (2011–2025) covering topics like shear wave velocity, offshore wind foundation dynamics, and tsunami hazard modeling. Grants: Led projects on offshore wind monitoring (2019–2024) and fiber-optic seismic sensing (2021–2023). Key Collaborations: Work with teams on submarine landslide analysis, coastal dune reinforcement, and Rhode Island infrastructure resilience. His work bridges experimental geomechanics with practical coastal engineering solutions.
Rong Zheng is a Professor in the Department of Computing and Software and a member of the School of Biomedical Engineering at McMaster University, Canada. She holds a Tier-1 Canada Research Chair in Mobile Computing and serves as Acting Chair of the Computing and Software department from July to December 2025. She is also an Associate Member of the Electrical & Computer Engineering department. Education: Ph.D. in Computer Science, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, USA Master of Engineering (thesis) in Electrical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China Bachelor of Engineering in Electrical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China Dr. Zheng's research lies at the intersection of mobile computing, wireless networking, and machine learning, with a strong focus on applications for aging populations. She directs the NSERC Smart Mobility for the Aging Population CREATE program. Her work encompasses sensor development, wireless network design, and mobile data analytics to address real-world challenges in healthcare, mobility, and data center monitoring. She has developed innovative solutions like the MacQuest campus navigation app and has captured first prize in indoor localization competitions. Her recent publications demonstrate a clear trajectory toward applying wireless sensing technologies (particularly acoustic, Wi-Fi, and mmWave) to health monitoring and mobility assessment for older adults. There's a strong emphasis on developing efficient edge computing solutions that can process data in real-time on resource-constrained devices, as exemplified by her TeamNet framework for collaborative inference on the edge. Her work bridges theoretical advances with practical applications that have social impact. Scientific Awards: Tier-1 Canada Research Chair in Mobile Computing US National Science Foundation CAREER Award (2006) Joseph Ip Distinguished Engineering Fellow (2015-2018) Dr. Zheng leads the Wireless System Research Group (WiSeR) at McMaster University, which has secured significant funding including a $1.65M NSERC CREATE grant for smart mobility research for older adults. Her research has been supported by multiple funding agencies including NSERC, NSF, UH GEAR, and DURIP. She actively mentors graduate students and has developed specialized courses including CAS 772 (Mobile Data Analytics) and CAS 781 (Mobility in the Aging Population). The WiSeR group conducts impactful research on communication, networking, and data analytics issues in Cyber Physical Systems, with applications spanning healthcare, smart infrastructure, and data center monitoring. Their work on data center infrastructure monitoring networks has been featured in EurekAlert and Data Center Dynamics, and they've made significant contributions to indoor localization technology.
David Allcock is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Physics at the University of Oregon, part of the College of Arts and Sciences. His research focuses on ion trapping, quantum computing, and hybrid quantum systems, with an emphasis on manipulating atomic and molecular systems using electric and magnetic fields for quantum information applications. He leads the Ion Trapping Lab at UO, where he develops scalable quantum technologies and open-source control systems like ARTIQ and Sinara. His work bridges experimental physics with engineering, addressing challenges in qubit control, error mitigation, and large-scale quantum computer design. Education: MPhys from the University of Oxford (2007), D.Phil. in Physics from Oxford (2012). Prior to UO, he was a Lindemann Fellow at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Boulder, CO. His research includes innovations in trapped-ion qubit control, including laser-free entangling gates, scalable architectures, and applications in quantum sensing and dark matter detection. Key research themes include metastable qubit systems, photon scattering error mitigation, and the integration of superconducting detectors for state readout. He collaborates on open-source hardware-software stacks for quantum experiments and mentors students in quantum engineering through programs like the Quantum Technology Master’s Internship. Current projects explore hybrid quantum-classical interfaces and ultra-stable ion trap fabrication. His lab’s contributions span theoretical and experimental domains, with recent advances in geometric phase gates, microwave-driven control, and error-resilient qubit operations. The group also engages in interdisciplinary work linking quantum computing with precision measurement, such as SPUD (SPectroscopy for Ultralight Dark matter) and bosonic sensing tools.
