Bahar Asgari is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Maryland, College Park. She holds appointments in CS, UMIACS, and ECE, and directs the Computer Architecture and Systems Lab (CASL). Her research focuses on domain-specific architecture design, near memory processing, and reconfigurable computing. Before joining UMD, she worked at Google, contributing to system optimization and memory utilization strategies. Education: Ph.D., Georgia Institute of Technology, 2021. Research Interests: Developing energy-efficient architectures for sparse problems, scientific computing acceleration, FPGA optimizations, and reconfigurable hardware systems. Her work addresses challenges in memory efficiency, parallelization, and hardware-software co-design across domains like machine learning and IoT. Key Awards: 2024 UMD Excellence in Teaching Award 2023 DOE Early Career Award Advising & Grants: Supervises 9 graduate students and leads projects sponsored by NSF, DOE, and industry partnerships. Her lab explores systolic arrays, near-data processing, and fault-tolerant computing. Labs/Teams: Directs CASL, which builds next-generation computing systems through hardware innovation and algorithm-architecture co-design.
Ram Rajagopal is an Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Electrical Engineering at Stanford University, and a Senior Fellow at the Precourt Institute for Energy. He leads the Stanford Sustainable Systems Lab (S3L), focusing on large-scale monitoring, data analytics, and stochastic control for infrastructure networks, particularly power systems. His research emphasizes renewable energy integration, smart distribution systems, and demand-side data analytics. Education: PhD in Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences & MA in Statistics (UC Berkeley), MS in Electrical and Computer Engineering (UT Austin), and BEng in Electrical Engineering (Federal University of Rio de Janeiro). Research interests include power grid optimization, renewable energy systems, and data-driven approaches to infrastructure challenges. He has pioneered work in grid flexibility, distributed energy resources, and machine learning applications for energy systems. His lab develops technologies like Smart Dim Fuses and the EV-EcoSim platform for EV charging infrastructure optimization. Received NSF CAREER Award, Powell Foundation Fellowship, and Berkeley Regents Fellowship Over 30 patents and best paper awards Advises/founded companies in sensor networks, power systems, and data analytics Labs/Teams: Stanford Sustainable Systems Lab (S3L), Powernet Project. His work spans grid resilience, energy equity, and scalable energy solutions.
Ana Klimovic is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Computer Science, ETH Zürich, and Deputy Head of the Institute for Computing Platforms. She leads the Efficient Architectures and Systems Lab (EASL) and focuses on optimizing cloud computing performance and resource efficiency. Education: Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering (Stanford University), M.S. in Electrical Engineering (Stanford), B.A.Sc. in Engineering Science (University of Toronto) Previous Roles: Research Scientist at Google Brain Her research spans cloud computing, operating systems, distributed systems, and their intersection with machine learning. Key areas include cloud-native programming models, elastic storage, GPU sharing, and data pipeline optimization. The 2025-2024 articles highlight trends in serverless computing, large language model (LLM) serving, GPU optimization, and data-centric ML systems. Themes include elasticity, resource multiplexing, heterogeneous computing, and infrastructure for AI/ML workloads. Scientific Awards: Microsoft Research PhD Fellowship, Stanford Graduate Fellowship She has led research projects on ephemeral storage, distributed training automation, and cost-efficient ML preprocessing, with grants from Microsoft Research and Stanford.
Dr. Anwar Haque is an Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Science at Western University, Canada, and a Faculty of Science Distinguished Research Professor. He holds a Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering and an M.Sc. in Computer Science from the University of Waterloo. Prior to academia, he was Associate Director at Bell Canada. His research focuses on 5G networks, IoT, cybersecurity, AI, and autonomous systems, with over 100 peer-reviewed publications and $15M in collaborative grants. Dr. Haque leads the Western Information & Networking Group (WING) Lab and is the founder/CEO of Bamboo Innovations Inc., a tech startup developing socially responsible smart technologies. Leadership roles include industry expert-in-residence in the Faculty of Science, Undergraduate Chair of the Computer Science Department, and member of Western’s Senate. He has delivered over 30 keynote talks and media features include BBC Earth and The Globe and Mail. Awards include the IEEE CCECE Leadership Award and multiple grants from NSERC, MITACS, and Bell Canada. His work spans network reliability, smart grids, and cybersecurity, with industry partnerships like the Bell-Western 5G Research Centre.
Dr. K. Max Zhang is a Professor in the Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Cornell University. He is the director of the Energy and the Environment Research Laboratory (EERL) and a fellow at the Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future. His research is deeply interdisciplinary, focusing on sustainable energy systems, air quality, and environmental justice, with significant impacts on policy and community development in New York and beyond. Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering, University of California-Davis, 2004 B.S., Thermal Engineering, Tianjin University, 1998 B.A., English Language, Tianjin University, 1998 Dr. Zhang’s research centers on the integration of energy and environmental systems. He investigates air pollution dynamics using advanced numerical models like CTAG, with applications in near-source pollution, indoor air quality, and environmental justice. His work on renewable energy systems includes designing sustainable solar farms and managing distributed energy resources such as heat pumps to enhance grid flexibility. He also leads a pioneering initiative to create the first statewide public IoT network in the U.S., enabling hyperlocal weather forecasting and microclimate monitoring. His recent publications reflect a strong trend toward agrivoltaics, peer-to-peer energy markets, and IoT-based environmental monitoring. These works demonstrate a consistent focus on data-driven modeling, community-scale energy solutions, and the integration of social considerations into technical systems. The keywords across his articles highlight expertise in sustainability, machine learning, air quality, and energy transition. Cornell Town-Gown Achievement Award (2022) Engaged Scholar Prize, Cornell University (2017) People's Choice Sign of Sustainability Award, Sustainable Tompkins (2016) Scientific and Technological Achievement Award, Environmental Protection Agency (2015) Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Dr. Zhang is actively involved in mentoring students and securing research grants from agencies such as the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). His projects often involve interdisciplinary collaboration across eight Cornell colleges and 16 academic departments. He has led initiatives such as the Cornell Atkinson Academic Venture Fund projects and the development of a county-level energy roadmap for Tompkins County. He also teaches courses in engineering thermodynamics, future energy systems, and air quality, emphasizing experiential and community-based learning. Dr. Zhang leads the Energy and the Environment Research Laboratory (EERL) and collaborates with the Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future. His lab functions as a hub for innovation in sustainable communities, combining advanced modeling with real-world applications. Through partnerships with community organizations, government agencies, and industry, his team develops science-driven solutions to urban and rural sustainability challenges.
John Lygeros is a Full Professor and Head of the Institute for Automatic Control at ETH Zurich's Department of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering. He received his B.Eng. (1990) and M.Sc. (1991) from Imperial College London, and Ph.D. (1996) from UC Berkeley. Before joining ETH Zurich in 2006, he held academic positions at the University of Cambridge and University of Patras. His research focuses on: Modeling and control of hierarchical hybrid systems Large-scale dynamical systems applied to biochemical networks Control of automated transportation systems via wireless networks Energy systems and advanced manufacturing control His research demonstrates strong emphasis on optimization methods, distributed control architectures, and machine learning applications in control systems, with significant contributions to real-time optimization algorithms and data-driven control methodologies. Major scientific awards include: HSCC Test of Time Award (2024) ERC Advanced Grant (2018) O. Hugo Schuck Best Paper Award (2018) IEEE George S. Axelby Paper Award (2016) Three Golden Owl teaching awards from ETH Zurich He leads the Automatic Control Laboratory at ETH Zurich and serves as Director of the National Centre of Competence in Research 'Dependable Ubiquitous Automation'. He has advised over 60 doctoral candidates since 2017, with research spanning optimization algorithms, power systems, autonomous systems, and machine learning applications.
Mika Järvinen serves as Associate Professor in the Department of Energy and Mechanical Engineering at Aalto University, leveraging fundamental sciences—physics, thermodynamics, chemistry, and numerical modeling—to address cross-sector energy challenges. His research spans sustainable bioenergy and inter-linked circular economy systems integrating energy, materials, and environmental considerations across biomass, pulp/paper, metallurgy, and waste-to-energy industries. His expertise centers on sustainable bioenergy and circular economy frameworks, utilizing numerical modeling to optimize combustion engineering and metallurgical processes. By maintaining diverse industrial engagement, he ensures research continuity during economic fluctuations while advancing black liquor spraying technologies and energy-material-environment synergies. This approach enables flexible, physics-based solutions for complex industrial energy conversion problems. Professor Järvinen's 2025 publications reveal a cohesive focus on renewable energy systems operating within planetary boundaries, spanning carbon capture (calcium looping), low-temperature heat engines, and comprehensive textbook development. His work integrates solar, wind, bioenergy, and storage technologies into holistic frameworks that balance technical innovation with ecological constraints, emphasizing system-level sustainability over isolated component optimization. His scientific recognition includes: Best Dissertation Award (2002) from Helsinki University of Technology's Department of Machine Technology for research on black liquor droplet conversion Resonate Award (2015) from Caltech University's Resnick Institute As lead of the Energy Conversion and Systems research group, he directs projects bridging fundamental modeling with industrial applications while developing educational resources for next-generation energy engineers. His laboratory work emphasizes experimental validation of numerical models across combustion, metallurgical, and biomass conversion processes.
Barbara Caputo is a Full Professor at Politecnico di Torino, leading the VANDAL Laboratory and directing the AI@PoliTo Interdepartmental Lab. She holds a double affiliation with the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT) and has held roles at Idiap-EPFL and Sapienza University. Her research focuses on AI, computer vision, domain adaptation, and federated learning. She contributes to national AI policy, including the Italian Strategy on AI and the National PhD on AI for Industry 4.0. She is an ERC Laureate and ELLIS Fellow, co-founding ELLIS society. Her work spans visual place recognition, action recognition, and cross-domain learning. Education: PhD in Computer Science from KTH Royal Institute of Technology (2005). Major roles include Rector’s Advisor on AI at PoliTo, Board Member of ELLIS, and coordinator of the AI & Industry 4.0 vertical in the National PhD program. Awards include ERC Laureate (2017), ELLIS Fellow (2019), and Inspiring Fifty Italy (2018). Her research emphasizes federated learning, domain adaptation, and AI ethics. Recent articles explore domain generalization, resource-efficient federated models, and AI-environment interactions. She collaborates with institutions like MUR, CNR, and the European Commission on AI policy and tech initiatives.
Vijay Raghunathan is a Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Purdue University's College of Engineering. His work focuses on hardware and software architectures for embedded systems, wireless sensors for IoT, and wearable/implantable electronics with emphasis on low power design, energy harvesting, emerging memory technologies, and secure system design. Academic Rank: Professor Department: Electrical and Computer Engineering University: Purdue University Research Focus: Energy-efficient embedded systems, IoT, wearable devices His research explores low power design at both board-level and system-on-chip scales, micro-scale energy harvesting , and reliable/secure system design for medical devices. Recent work focuses on Processing-in-Sensor/Memory for battery-free AIoT devices, state space models for neural processing units, and security coprocessor integration in autonomous systems. Analysis of his publications reveals trends in energy-efficient neural network acceleration , approximate computing for edge inference , and compute-in-memory architectures . Key subfields include collaborative edge-cloud partitioning , sparse DNN accelerators , and security frameworks for medical devices. Vijay's work also addresses energy-accuracy tradeoffs in multimodal cognitive systems and intermittent computing using non-volatile memory technologies. His contributions span from microcontroller energy management to security protocols for implantable electronics.
CHAN Mun Choon is a Professor at the School of Computing, National University of Singapore (NUS) , where he directs the NUS-NCS Joint Laboratory for Cyber Security . He previously worked at Bell Labs (1997-2003) and holds a PhD from Columbia University (1997). His research spans systems and networking with specific interests in mobile computing, software-defined networking, and cyber-physical systems . PhD, Electrical Engineering (1997), Columbia University M.Phil., Electrical Engineering (1993), Columbia University MS, Electrical Engineering (1993), Columbia University BS, Computer & Electrical Engineering (1990), Purdue University His recent work focuses on 5G network architecture , data center fault debugging , and energy-efficient mobile sensing . He has published over 100 papers and holds 7 US patents , including cache-based compaction techniques with 210+ citations. His projects include fronthaul slicing for 5G, network-wide packet history frameworks, and participatory indoor localization. Scientific recognition includes: Best Paper Awards: IEEE ICNP 2019, ACM SOSR 2019, ICDCN 2016 Best Demo: IPSN 2016 Distinguished Member, INFOCOM TPC (2016, 2020, 2021) He serves as Vice-Dean, Graduate Studies and Vice-Dean, Academic Affairs at NUS Computing, and has graduated 21 PhD students . His lab develops solutions for network security , latency-sensitive applications , and mobile sensing .
Jian Huang is an Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), holding a 100% appointment since August 2024. He is also an affiliated Associate Professor in Computer Science and serves as the Y. T. Lo Faculty Fellow in ECE. Huang leads the Systems Platform Research Group and received his Ph.D. in Computer Science from Georgia Institute of Technology in August 2017, where his dissertation earned the College of Computing Dissertation Award. His research focuses on Computer Architecture, Memory and Storage Systems, AI Infrastructure, Distributed Systems, and Systems Security . Huang has pioneered work in sustainable AI infrastructures, modular data centers, neural processing unit virtualization, and ransomware-aware storage systems. His research has been featured in top-tier conferences including ISCA, MICRO, ASPLOS, OSDI, SOSP, and USENIX ATC, with over 50 publications and multiple patents issued worldwide. Huang's research has significant industry impact, with some work transferred into products and featured in popular media outlets including ACM CACM, TechXplore, and Science Daily. His work on non-volatile memory and storage systems has received extensive coverage, with some projects generating over 50 media reports. Among his notable achievements are the ACM SIGMICRO Early Career Award, NSF CAREER Award, IEEE Micro Top Picks (three times), USENIX Best Paper Award, and the MICRO Best Paper Runner Up in 2024. He has secured over $4.01M in grants ($11.12M with collaborators) from NSF, DARPA, Army Research Office, and industry partners. ACM SIGMICRO Early Career Award NSF CAREER Award IEEE Micro Top Picks (three times) USENIX Best Paper Award MICRO Best Paper Runner Up (2024) Google Faculty Research Award NetApp Faculty Fellowship Award Huang actively contributes to the academic community as program co-chair of NVMW'23 and organizer of HotInfra'23. He currently advises 12 Ph.D. students, 1 master student, and multiple undergraduates. His teaching innovations include developing ECE522: Emerging Memory/Storage System and revising ECE511: Computer Architecture with cutting-edge content.
Hamed Rahmani is an Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at New York University (NYU Tandon School of Engineering). He is affiliated with NYU WIRELESS and the Center for Advanced Technology in Telecommunications (CATT), leading the Research in Advanced Integrated Systems and Electronics (RAISE) Lab. His research focuses on integrated circuits and systems for biomedical applications, IoT, and 5G/6G communication. Education: Ph.D., Electrical and Computer Engineering, UCLA (2020) M.Sc., Electrical and Computer Engineering, Rice University (2017) B.Sc., Electrical Engineering, Sharif University of Technology (2014) Research Interests: RF/mm-Wave circuits, low-power biomedical sensors, energy-efficient IoT systems, and wireless power transfer. His work emphasizes miniaturized implants, smart healthcare, and sustainable electronics. Awards: Recipient of the NSF CAREER Award (2025), IEEE MTT-S Graduate Fellowship (2019), and the 2023 Best Paper Award in the Journal of Microwave. He serves on technical committees for major conferences like CICC and IMS. Labs & Groups: Directs the RAISE Lab, collaborating with NYU WIRELESS on 6G research and CATT for technology transfer.
Gustavo Alonso is Full Professor at the Department of Computer Science (D-INFK) of ETH Zurich and Head of the Institute for Computing Platforms . He has been at ETH since 1995, first as a post-doc, then as Assistant Professor from April 1998, and promoted to Full Professor in October 2001. Within the Systems Group he leads the Information and Communication Systems Research Group . Education: 1989 – Telecommunications Engineering (undergraduate), Madrid Technical University (UPM-ETSIT), Spain 1992 – M.S. Computer Science, University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) 1994 – Ph.D. Computer Science, University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) Research Interests: His work spans databases, distributed systems, cloud-computing architecture, FPGAs, hardware acceleration for data science, parallel and reconfigurable computing . The group investigates how modern heterogeneous hardware—from GPUs to SmartNICs—can be integrated into data-processing systems to achieve orders-of-magnitude performance gains, energy savings, and new functionality such as in-network computation and serverless acceleration. Scientific Awards & Honors: Fellow of the ACM (Association for Computing Machinery) Fellow of the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) Distinguished Alumnus, Department of Computer Science, UC Santa Barbara Four Test-of-Time / Most Influential Paper Awards across databases, programming languages, cloud computing, and software engineering Labs & Projects: He directs the Information and Communication Systems Research Group within the Systems Group ( systems.ethz.ch ). The lab develops open-source platforms such as Coyote v2 for FPGA abstractions, Shuhai for HBM benchmarking, and MicroRec for micro-second recommendation serving, while collaborating with industry on SmartNICs, serverless analytics, and cloud-scale data analytics.
Goran Strbac is a Professor of Energy Systems at Imperial College London's Faculty of Engineering, holding the Chair in Electrical Energy Systems. He leads the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering and directs the joint Imperial-Tsinghua Research Centre on Intelligent Power and Energy Systems. His roles include IPCC WG 3 Leading Author, OFGEM RIIO-2 Challenging Group Member, and member of multiple EU energy platforms. Strbac's research focuses on multi-energy systems integration, energy market design, renewable integration, distributed energy resources, and grid resilience. Notable contributions include whole-energy system modeling across operation and investment scales, market mechanisms for flexibility services, and security assessments for low-carbon infrastructure. His work emphasizes resilience and decarbonization, with over 500 publications and 4 co-authored books. He advises governments and regulatory bodies on energy policy, including contributions to UK Smart System Forum and European Technology and Innovation Platforms. His recent articles explore AI-driven grid optimization, hydrogen integration, and transactive energy systems. Strbac leads major initiatives like the UK Centre for Grid Scale Energy Storage and chairs resilience-focused research clusters. His research bridges academia and industry, informing policy through rigorous systems analysis and innovative modeling frameworks.
Dr. Liang Cheng is the Department Chair and Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Toledo. He leads a department with ~700 students across CS, CSE, and EE programs. His research focuses on Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS), IoT, AI/ML, and intelligent infrastructure, supported by over $30M in funding from NSF, DOE, DOT, and industry. Notable projects include CPS Breakthrough initiatives and underground sensing systems. He co-edited a multidisciplinary book on Underground Sensing and contributed to smart grid cybersecurity. Dr. Cheng has held leadership roles at Lehigh University, shaping faculty governance and equity policies. His 100+ publications span networking, real-time systems, and sensor networks. He advises on funded projects totaling $30M+ and has pioneered pedagogical approaches in computer science education. Research Interests: Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS): Focuses on autonomous drones, energy systems, and real-time infrastructure Networking: Expertise in TSN, DTN, and wireless protocols Cybersecurity: SCADA systems, PLC attack detection, and blockchain energy modeling Underground Sensing: Geo-sensing via wireless signals and subsurface tomography Grants & Projects: Over 20 sponsored projects including NSF CPS Breakthrough (2018-2023), ABB smart grid projects, and DARPA-funded EDIFY systems. Key contributions include reconfigurable wireless architectures and network calculus tools for real-time systems. Teaching: Courses span senior design, compiler design, parallel computing, and wireless sensor networks. Developed pedagogical patterns for non-CS programming education. Awards: Recognized for leadership in academic governance and interdisciplinary research collaboration.
