Francesco Costa is an Associate Professor at SDA Bocconi School of Management (Bocconi University). His expertise lies in Health Economics , Health Technology Assessment (HTA) , and Market Access within healthcare systems. Education : Second-level Master’s in Management for Health (SDA Bocconi), Ph.D. in Morphological Sciences (Università degli Studi di Milano), and a degree in Medical Biotechnology (Università degli Studi di Milano). Research Focus : Economic evaluations of healthcare technologies (cost-effectiveness, budget impact), pharmaceutical/medical device market dynamics, and patient access strategies. He analyzes public policies shaping healthcare innovation and spending. Publications span Pharmaceutical Policy , Health Economics , and Health Technology Assessment , with recent work on vaccination coverage disparities, value frameworks for drug pricing, and HRD testing cost-effectiveness in oncology. Teaching & Professional Roles : Coordinates pharmaceutical market access training programs, directs managerial courses, and teaches Pharmaceutical Policy in SDA Bocconi’s Master in Management for Health (MiMS). Serves as Coordinator of the Drug Observatory since 2023.
Neal Hockley is a Senior Lecturer in Economics & Policy at Bangor University’s School of Environmental & Natural Sciences. He also serves as Director of Research Postgraduate Studies and leads the Mitsilo lab on the Mirari project (Managing Protected Areas Equitably). Current roles: Senior Lecturer, Director of Research Postgraduate Studies Active research areas: socio-economic impacts of conservation, environmental justice, land tenure, valuation methods Key collaborations: Mitsilo lab (Madagascar), Tanzania forest governance initiatives Research Focus: His work addresses the intersection of environmental governance, community livelihoods, and policy effectiveness, particularly in Madagascar and Eastern Africa. Themes include: Equitable conservation practices Land tenure security and restoration Power dynamics in participatory forest management Valuation of non-market environmental goods Adoption of sustainable land-use strategies Projects: Recent initiatives include assessing carbon credits in Tanzania, climate-driven migration impacts on tropical forests, and FORWARDS (ForestWard Observatory for European Forests). He has contributed to SDG targets through climate action and life on land research. Advising: Neal actively supervises postgraduate research students and contributes to datasets like the 2016 Eastern Madagascar household survey. His methodological expertise includes discrete choice experiments and welfare impact analysis.
Associate Professor Brendan Mulhern (University of Technology Sydney) is a health economist and outcomes researcher at the Centre for Health Economics Research and Evaluation (CHERE). He leads the Cancer Australia-funded Cancer Quality of Life Expert Support Team (CQUEST) and joined UTS in 2015, completing his PhD in 2020. BSc (Hons) Psychology, University of Wolverhampton (UK) MRes Psychology, University of Birmingham (UK) PhD Health Economics, University of Technology Sydney (Australia) His research focuses on developing and validating preference-based quality-of-life measures (EQ-5D, SF-6D) using advanced psychometric techniques like item response theory and discrete choice experiments. He specializes in condition-specific instruments for dementia, epilepsy, and diabetes, and has contributed to valuation methods including time trade-off approaches. His recent work examines context effects in palliative care valuation, cross-cultural value set development (e.g., Ghana), and improving respondent engagement in DCE studies. Key projects include: Developing the EQ-5D-5L Ghanaian value set Testing EQ-5D respiratory bolt-ons in Australia Extending QALY framework through instrument combination Validating care recipient burden scales He has received grants from EuroQol Research Foundation, Cancer Australia, and MRFF for methodological advancements in quality-of-life measurement. His work informs health technology assessment and resource allocation decisions globally.
Irving Hoffman serves as a Research Professor of Medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine. He holds dual leadership positions as Director of International Operations for the IGHID and International Director of UNC Project-Malawi. With over 30 years of continuous service since joining the UNC faculty in 1992, Hoffman has established himself as a leading figure in global infectious disease research with a focus on HIV and sexually transmitted infections. Hoffman's research spans multiple critical areas in global health including HIV treatment as prevention, sexually transmitted infection control, and vaccine development for diseases like malaria and TB. His work has had significant practical impact, notably as a key investigator in HPTN 052 which proved the power of HIV treatment as prevention, and leading the Malawi team that tested the first effective pediatric malaria vaccine (RTSS). His research interests encompass Global Public Health, HIV prevention among vulnerable populations, gonorrhea surveillance, and international academic site development. Analysis of his recent publications reveals a strong focus on molecular epidemiology of sexually transmitted infections, particularly syphilis and gonorrhea, with extensive work conducted in Malawi. His research increasingly integrates genomic approaches to understand pathogen evolution and antibiotic resistance patterns in resource-limited settings. A consistent theme across his work is the translation of research findings into practical public health interventions in sub-Saharan Africa. Hoffman has authored over 235 peer-reviewed publications throughout his career, with recent work appearing in high-impact journals including The Lancet Microbe, Nature Communications, and the New England Journal of Medicine. His HPTN 052 study represented a landmark finding that transformed global HIV prevention strategies. As an academic leader, Hoffman has provided extensive technical assistance to HIV and STI control programs across fifteen countries in Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean. He co-directs the STI clinic in Malawi that conducts syphilis vaccine development studies and gonococcal surveillance with the WHO. His international operations leadership oversees academic centers in Malawi, Zambia, Nicaragua, Vietnam, and China. Hoffman founded UNC Project Malawi 25 years ago and has served continuously as its international director in Lilongwe. His laboratory and research teams have made significant contributions to understanding HIV transmission dynamics, particularly in the male genital tract, and developing effective prevention strategies for vulnerable populations including female sex workers and people who inject drugs.
Elizabeth Maitland is a Professor of International Business at the University of Liverpool Management School. Her research bridges strategy, international business, and New Institutional Economics, focusing on decision-making in global contexts and healthcare management in China. She has held editorial roles at journals like the Journal of International Business Studies and advises governments and multinational corporations. Her recent work examines healthcare systems in China, including vaccination policies, primary care quality, and chronic disease management. Maitland co-leads AI-Sight, a commercial spinout, and serves as a Trustee of St George’s Hall Charitable Trust. Research interests include expertise in strategic decision-making, multinational enterprise strategies, institutional environments, and AI applications in expert judgment. Her healthcare studies address primary care in Tibet, cancer treatment, vaccine choices, and Hepatitis B among migrant workers. Recent articles highlight psychological safety in Chinese healthcare, economic impacts of hospital reforms, and diabetes-related distress. Professional activities include editorial board memberships (2006–present) and consulting for Australian and Chinese government agencies. She has secured grants such as the North West Digital Heritage Centre project (AHRC, 2023). Her work bridges academic and applied contexts, influencing policy and corporate strategy globally.
Dr. Prateek Bansal is a Presidential Young Assistant Professor at the National University of Singapore (NUS), leading the Behavioural Cognitive Science (BeCoS) lab. His research focuses on developing AI-driven methodologies to analyze mobility behavior and urban systems. He holds a PhD from Cornell University and has held fellowships at Imperial College London and visiting roles at multiple institutions. His expertise spans transportation engineering, econometrics, and causal inference. Dr. Bansal is an elected board member of the International Association of Travel Behaviour Research and serves on editorial boards of top journals like Transportation Research Part B . He has received prestigious awards including the Presidential Young Professorship (2021) and Leverhulme Trust Fellowship (2020). His lab investigates individual-level decision-making models and system-level urban planning frameworks. Education: PhD, Transportation Engineering (Cornell University, 2016-2019); MS, Transportation Engineering (UT Austin, 2013-2015); BTech, Civil Engineering (IIT Delhi, 2008-2013). Research interests include neurophysiological data modeling, activity-based urban systems, and causal inference for infrastructure planning. Notable contributions include studies on electric vehicle adoption, ride-sourcing demand estimation, and ethical decisions in autonomous systems. His work integrates machine learning with traditional transportation models to address contemporary challenges like urban congestion and sustainable mobility. Professional activities include organizing conferences, delivering keynotes (e.g., 2023 Summer School of Behavior Modeling), and advising on policy issues such as carsharing and road safety. The BeCoS lab collaborates globally, leveraging interdisciplinary approaches to advance transportation science.
Professor Uri Gal is a Professor of Business Information Systems at the University of Sydney Business School. His research focuses on the ethical and organizational impacts of digital technologies, particularly algorithmic decision-making, surveillance technologies, and social media. He holds a PhD from Case Western Reserve University and has authored numerous publications in top-tier journals like European Journal of Information Systems and Information and Management . His research interests include the ethical implications of technology, the relationship between people and technology, and workplace transformations driven by algorithmic systems. Professor Gal has conducted studies on AI in education, social media marketing for universities, and privacy concerns in IoT and surveillance technologies. His work frequently addresses societal challenges such as misinformation, algorithmic bias, and data governance. Professor Gal is actively engaged in media commentary, discussing topics like data privacy, AI ethics, and digital surveillance with outlets such as Quartz , The Conversation , and Australian Financial Review . He has also contributed to grants focusing on enterprise social platforms and digital transformation, including the Australian Digital Transformation Lab (ADTL). Education: PhD in Information Systems, Case Western Reserve University Grants: Includes 'Evidence-based Management for Enterprise Social Platform Success' (2016) and ADTL initiatives Labs/Teams: Australian Digital Transformation Lab
Dr. Timothy R. Rebbeck is the Vincent L. Gregory, Jr. Professor of Cancer Prevention at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. He directs the Zhu Family Center for Global Cancer Prevention and the Center for Global Health Equity , focusing on genetic, molecular, and epidemiological factors in cancer risk and disparities. Key Initiatives : MADCaP consortium; NCI-funded African Cancer STARS training program Funding : Continuous NIH support since 1994 His cancer genetics research spans prostate cancer disparities , BRCA1/2 mutation risk modeling , and global health equity , with recent work on precision interception approaches for aggressive prostate cancer in African American men and multi-ancestry polygenic risk scores . Over 65 trainees mentored, now in academic roles. Scientific accolades include the Joseph F. Fraumeni, Jr. Award and ASCO-American Cancer Society Lecture . His 15 most recent articles (2022-2025) cover: Prostate cancer genomics in diverse populations Somatic tumor profiling in veterans Social/environmental determinants of telomere length Global cancer registries in low-resource settings Health disparities in screening/treatment access Evolutionary roots of cancer susceptibility Dr. Rebbeck's work bridges genetic epidemiology , clinical translational research , and international capacity building , with significant contributions to understanding and addressing cancer burden disparities across ancestry groups.
Dr Koonal Shah is an Honorary Senior Research Fellow at the School of Medicine and Population Health, University of Sheffield. He also serves as an Associate Director in the Science Policy and Research Programme team at the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). His work bridges health economics, empirical ethics, and public health policy, focusing on health-related quality of life measurement and social value judgments in healthcare decision-making. Education: BA (University of Nottingham) MSc (University of York) PhD (University of Sheffield, supervised by Professors Aki Tsuchiya and Allan Wailoo) Shah's research explores the intersection of health economics and ethical frameworks, particularly in end-of-life care prioritization and EQ-5D health state valuation. His recent publications (2013–2018) demonstrate expertise in discrete choice modeling, health policy, and economic evaluation methodologies. His work has been published in journals including Health Economics , Social Science & Medicine , and Medical Care , with a focus on developing robust value sets for health-related quality of life assessments. Shah's affiliations span NICE and the School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR) at the University of Sheffield. Contact: koonal.k.shah@sheffield.ac.uk
Dr. Ashar Aftab is an Associate Professor in the Business School and the Institute of Hazard, Risk and Resilience at Durham University. He holds an MSc and PhD from the University of Edinburgh. His research focuses on environmental and agricultural economics, particularly addressing agricultural externalities, climate change impacts in developing countries, and policies to mitigate diffuse pollution and flooding. He designs incentive mechanisms using choice experiments to promote sustainable practices in agriculture. Current work includes flood adaptation policies and spatial targeting for pollution control in agricultural landscapes. Dr. Aftab’s research spans interdisciplinary catchment systems modeling and policy evaluation. His recent publications analyze international environmental agreements, farm household adaptation strategies in Pakistan, and synergies between spatial targeting and precision agriculture. He advises PhD students on environmental and development economics topics. He collaborates with institutions like the Institute of Hazard, Risk and Resilience to address complex environmental challenges. His work emphasizes practical policy solutions for sustainable land use and water resource management in vulnerable regions.
Ivan Jeliazkov is an Associate Professor of Economics and Statistics at the Department of Economics, University of California, Irvine. His research focuses on Bayesian econometrics and simulation-based inference, emphasizing methodologies like Markov chain Monte Carlo and econometric modeling. He holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Washington University in St. Louis and a BA in Economics and Business Administration from Coe College. His key research areas include Bayesian Econometrics, advanced simulation techniques, and causal inference applications. Notable work addresses heteroskedasticity in causal studies, quantile analysis of rental markets, and simultaneous equation models for discrete data. Recent advising includes 2024 Ph.D. graduates Robert MacDonald, Parush Arora, and Jieyu Gao. His articles span topics like dynamic factor models, regression discontinuity designs, and model comparison techniques. He has contributed to interdisciplinary research in marketing, finance, and historical economic analysis. His methodological innovations emphasize practical applications of Bayesian methods to address econometric challenges such as uncertainty quantification and model specification. Current work continues advancing computational tools for complex econometric problems.
Karun Adusumilli is an Assistant Professor of Economics at the University of Pennsylvania, affiliated with the Department of Economics within the School of Arts and Sciences. He holds a PhD from the London School of Economics (2018), an MSc in Econometrics and Mathematical Economics (2013), and a B.Tech in Engineering Physics from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi (2011). His research focuses on advanced econometric methodologies, including causal inference, missing data analysis, dynamic treatment allocation, and reinforcement learning applications in economics. Education: PhD in Economics, LSE (2018) MSc Econometrics and Mathematical Economics, LSE (2013) B.Tech in Engineering Physics, IIT Delhi (2011) Adusumilli’s research interests span Econometrics , Causal Inference , Dynamic Treatment Regimes , and Statistical Learning . He has pioneered work on optimal policy design in bandit experiments, minimax allocation strategies, and addressing unobserved heterogeneity in econometric models. His contributions bridge theoretical econometrics with practical applications in healthcare, education policy, and sequential decision-making frameworks. He has received notable awards, including the Kravis Award for Teaching Excellence (2021) and the John Hicks Prize for his doctoral research (2019). His publications appear in top-tier journals like Econometrica and Review of Economic Studies . Adusumilli teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in econometrics and statistical learning, including Econometrics I and Econometric Machine Learning . He has served on scientific committees for major conferences such as the NBER-NSF Time Series Conference and the AEA-ASSA Annual Meetings .
Professor Darla Hatton MacDonald is a Professor and Associate Head (Research & Performance) in the Department of Economics at the University of Tasmania's Tasmanian School of Business and Economics. Her research focuses on environmental and resource economics, with particular emphasis on ecosystem accounting, behavioral economics, and policy analysis. She leads projects addressing soil stewardship, Antarctic governance, marine plastic reduction, and energy transitions. Her work integrates interdisciplinary approaches to evaluate environmental policies, stakeholder preferences, and market mechanisms. Notable funded projects include studies on temperate saltwater marsh accounting (2024-2025), behavioral change in fisheries (2023-2024), and certification frameworks for soil stewardship (2022-2025). She has also contributed to policy-relevant research on Tasmania's hydrogen industry and groundwater management in mining regions. Her supervision spans doctoral projects on beetle conservation, blue economy hazards, and renewable energy transitions. Publications highlight her expertise in Antarctic ecosystem valuation, microplastic distribution, and consumer preferences for environmental policies. She engages in media outreach, notably critiquing the Murray-Darling Basin Plan's effectiveness. Her work bridges academic research with practical policy solutions for sustainable resource management.
Sergio Arango is a Pre-Doctoral Fellow at Yale University's Department of Economics and a PhD Student in Economics of Education at Stanford Graduate School of Education. His research focuses on education economics, gender disparities in STEM education, and the impact of incentives on academic performance. Supervised by John Eric Humphries, Seth Zimmerman, and Christopher Neilson at Yale, he explores topics such as information effects on educational choices and the design of effective academic incentive programs. His academic work includes studies on Colombia's education policies, such as the Ser Pilo Paga program, which evaluates the role of extrinsic incentives and peer effects. Arango's research employs randomized experiments and discrete choice methodologies to analyze behavioral responses in educational settings. He is an alumnus of the Yale Pre-Doc Fellowship Program (Class of 2024). Key areas of focus include higher education policy, gender equity in STEM fields, and the application of economic experiments to real-world educational challenges. His publications address both theoretical frameworks and practical policy implications in education systems.
Kaleb Jada is a researcher affiliated with Wageningen University & Research, focusing on the intersection of nutrition science, biofortified food systems, and agricultural economics. His work primarily centers on Ethiopian food security challenges, employing behavioral economics and policy analysis to address micronutrient deficiencies and promote healthier diets through innovations in food systems.
