David Sander is a Professor at the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Geneva, affiliated with the Department of Psychology and the Centre interfacultaire en sciences affectives. He leads the Emergence et expression de l'émotion (E3 Lab) research group. His work focuses on affective neuroscience, emotional processing, and their applications in health, education, and social behavior. With 185 publications and 141 supervised works, his research spans topics like emotion appraisal mechanisms, reward systems, and developmental psychology. Key themes include neural correlates of emotional responses (e.g., amygdala activity), behavioral effects of sensory stimuli (odors, visual cues), and interventions addressing mental health and physical activity. His studies employ fMRI, EEG, and clinical trials, often integrating interdisciplinary methods. Notable contributions include frameworks for understanding emotional valence, appraisal-driven brain processes, and the role of affect in decision-making. Recent articles highlight innovative methodologies (e.g., virtual reality for pediatric pain management) and societal impacts (e.g., materialism’s influence on consumer behavior). His work bridges basic science and applied contexts, such as improving education through emotional development strategies and addressing obesity via neural mechanisms.
Professor Kathy Douglas is the Associate Deputy Vice Chancellor, Learning, Teaching & Quality in RMIT University's College of Business and Law. She leads initiatives in pedagogy innovation, program development, and educational governance. With over 20 years in dispute resolution (ADR), her research spans legal education, mediation practices, and technology-enhanced learning. Previously, she served as Dean of the Graduate School of Business and Law (2018–2022), receiving the 2020 Vice Chancellor’s Leadership Award for Imagination. Her work integrates transformative educational experiences with impactful research, focusing on community, industry, and staff engagement. Research Interests: Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) practices and education Legal pedagogy and blended learning Technology’s role in dispute resolution and legal training Mediation ethics and emotional intelligence Awards: Vice Chancellor’s Leadership Award for Imagination (2020) Advising & Grants: Supervises research projects in mediation and legal practice innovation Prior grants focused on ADR training and educational technology integration Labs/Teams: Leads the College’s Learning & Teaching Quality portfolio, collaborating with academic boards and industry partners.
Prof. Dr. Tania Singer is the Scientific Head of the Social Neuroscience Lab at the Max Planck Society in Berlin. She holds a PhD in Psychology and has held professorial roles, including the inaugural Chair in Neuroeconomics at the University of Zurich. Her work bridges social neuroscience with economics, arts, and contemplative practices. Key projects include the ReSource Project (studying mental training effects) and Caring Economics (exploring economic models informed by psychology and neuroscience). She has authored over 150 peer-reviewed publications and collaborates with institutions like the Mind and Life Institute. Recent initiatives include the Edu:Social School Project, applying socio-emotional training in education. Education: PhD in Psychology (Max Planck Institute for Human Development), Postdoc at UCL London Research Focus: Empathy, compassion, brain plasticity, and societal impacts of mental training Grants: European Research Council, Institute of New Economic Thinking Her research emphasizes translating findings into societal applications through programs like ReConnect! Masterclasses. She has organized high-profile conferences with the Dalai Lama and co-authored books such as Caring Economics and Power and Care . Art collaborations with Olafur Eliasson blend science with public outreach.
Roles: Prof Peter Bell holds a personal chair in speech technology at the University of Edinburgh's School of Informatics and is a core member of the Centre for Speech Technology Research (CSTR). His primary research focus is automatic speech recognition (ASR), particularly in cross-domain adaptation, lightly supervised training, and minority language systems. He teaches the Automatic Speech Recognition course and advises multiple PhD students. Research Interests: Prof Bell's work spans ASR system development for diverse domains, audio-visual integration, end-to-end models, and under-resourced languages. His projects include the CoG-MHEAR healthcare initiative and the Unmute project addressing language marginalization. He has pioneered techniques for speaker adaptation, raw-waveform modeling, and multi-task learning. Commercial Activities: He advises industry on speech tech adoption, co-founded Quorate Technology (acquired by LSEG), and provides consultancy to firms developing speech solutions. His work bridges academic research with commercial impact through projects like the BBC's MGB Challenge and EU-funded SUMMA platform. Grants & Projects: Leads EPSRC-funded CoG-MHEAR and Unmute initiatives, collaborates on IARPA MATERIAL for low-resource ASR, and contributed to the SpeechWave waveform-based ASR project. His research has been supported by Bloomberg, Ericsson, Samsung, and Toshiba. Labs & Teams: Active in CSTR, leading teams in speech representation learning, adaptation techniques, and multi-modal ASR. His lab supports interdisciplinary work with NLP, HCI, and biomedical engineering groups. Personal: A passionate hillwalker, he explores Scottish Highlands and Corbetts. Previously active in Edinburgh University Hillwalking Club, his outdoor pursuits reflect his disciplined approach to research exploration.
Prof. Katarzyna Piwowar-Sulej is a Professor of Economics in Management and Quality Sciences at Wrocław University of Economics, holding a position in the Department of Labor, Capital and Innovation. She actively contributes to academic governance as a member of the Doctoral School Council and various strategic committees. Her research focuses on sustainable human resource management, leadership, and project management, with a strong emphasis on integrating sustainability into organizational practices. Expertise: Sustainable HR Development, Green HRM, Organizational Innovation Leadership Roles: Director of 'Psychology in Management' postgraduate studies Her academic contributions span over 200 publications in top journals such as Human Resource Management and Journal of Business Ethics . She has secured EU grants and led projects addressing HR challenges in Industry 5.0 and digitalization. Notable achievements include recognition in the World's TOP 2% Scientists 2023 and second place in the 2025 Science Personality of the Year award. Awards: Medal of the National Education Commission, Emerald's Outstanding Paper Award Research trends in her work highlight the intersection of leadership, sustainability, and innovation. Recent studies explore sustainability-focused leadership, green behaviors in SMEs, and neurodiversity management. She bridges academic and business worlds through HR consulting and project management expertise in sectors like finance and manufacturing. Key Projects: Digital HR process optimization, compensation system design, post-merger integration Her teaching legacy includes pioneering postgraduate programs for business trainers and integrating design thinking into academic curricula. She advocates for sustainable HR practices, emphasizing employee development and environmental responsibility.
Nathan Lassance is a Lecturer at the Louvain School of Management (LSM), Université catholique de Louvain (UCLouvain), and a member of the Louvain Finance (LFIN) research division. His work bridges financial theory, statistical modeling, and data-driven portfolio optimization, with a focus on addressing parameter uncertainty and improving risk-return tradeoffs in asset allocation. Research Interests: Portfolio management, covariance matrix estimation, financial econometrics, risk analysis, quantitative finance, and non-Gaussian return distributions. Publications: His recent work explores shrinkage methods for high-dimensional portfolio selection, sentiment-aligned covariance matrices, and the economic value of statistical metrics like mean squared error. He has also contributed to understanding the limitations of factor-based mispricing models and the statistical properties of mean-variance portfolios. Labs/Teams: Affiliated with the Louvain Institute of Data Analysis and Modeling (LIDAM) and the Louvain Finance (LFIN) group.
Jan Bergström is Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychology at Stockholm University's Department of Psychology, where he serves as Director of Studies for the Postgraduate Psychotherapist Program and Head of the Stockholm University Psychology Clinic. His research focuses on self-help based CBT and digital psychological interventions, with particular emphasis on clinical behavior analysis, psychotherapy supervision, Behavioral Activation for depression, exposure-based interventions for anxiety/OCD, and Functional Analytic Psychotherapy (FAP). He also investigates metatheoretical aspects of psychotherapy and mental health treatment mechanisms. Research group: Clinical psychology, neuroscience and health Key clinical interests: Mental health problems in neurodiverse populations (autism, ADHD) His publications demonstrate extensive work on internet-delivered therapies for panic disorder, OCD, and depression, including comparisons of blended vs full treatment modalities. He has developed non-heteronormative psychometric instruments like the revised Social Interaction Anxiety Scale (SIAS). Current projects include ZeroOCD smartphone app development for OCD treatment and iMERAT emotion recognition training for adolescents. The academic literature shows his focus on treatment efficacy, therapist time optimization (47% reduction in blended models), and functional analytic approaches to mental health classification. His cross-disciplinary work combines psychological theory with technology-mediated solutions, bridging clinical practice, neuroscience, and digital health innovations.
Neil Martin Davies is a Researcher at the Department of Public Health and Nursing , Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) . His work bridges epidemiology, genetics, and public health, with a focus on causal inference, Mendelian randomization, and socioeconomic health disparities. His research explores the intersection of genetic epidemiology , developmental psychology , and clinical outcomes . Key themes include the impacts of antiseizure medications in pregnancy , cardiometabolic risks in psychiatric populations , and health policy implications of Mendelian randomization . Recent publications highlight methodological advancements in directed acyclic graphs (DAGs) , instrumental variable analysis , and family-based sampling . His work frequently addresses parental education effects , sleep patterns , and genetic correlations in large cohorts like UK Biobank. Neil Martin Davies contributes to scientific reporting standards , co-authoring the STROBE-MR guidelines for Mendelian randomization studies. His collaborations span neurology , mental health , and health economics , emphasizing causal relationships over correlational findings.
Caroline Ketcham is a Professor of Exercise Science and the Associate Dean of Elon College, the College of Arts and Sciences at Elon University. Her research focuses on movement neuroscience, neurodiversity, concussions, and mental health, with expertise in neuromusculoskeletal control and rehabilitative strategies across diverse populations including children, elderly, neurological patients, and athletes. Education: PhD in Exercise Science/Motor Control, Arizona State University (2003) MS in Exercise Science/Motor Control, Arizona State University (1999) BA in Biology/Psychology, Colby College (1996) Her work spans motor control, concussion management, and mental wellness, with over 87 undergraduate mentees and 65+ publications. She co-edited Concussion in Athletics and Cultivating Capstones , and co-directs the Elon BrainCARE Research Institute, which advocates for concussion awareness and mental health. Recent research trends include concussion baseline testing as mental health screening, dual-task gait analysis, and global mentoring frameworks. Scientific awards highlight her contributions: Distinguished Scholar (2023), Ward Family Mentoring Award (2017), and multiple teaching distinctions. Scientific Awards: Distinguished Scholar Award (2023), Elon University Ward Family Excellence in Mentoring Award (2017), Elon University Elon College Service Award (2014), Elon University School of Education Excellence in Scholarship Award (2010), Elon University Teacher of the Year (2007), Texas A&M University She actively mentors students in concussion advocacy and neurodiverse movement research, with hundreds advised in health professions. Her labs focus on neuromuscular control and mental wellness initiatives.
Andrey Anikin is an Associate Professor and Researcher in Cognitive Science at the Department of Philosophy, Lund University. His work focuses on vocal communication and emotions, exploring how the voice conveys information beyond linguistic codes through nonverbal vocalizations and acoustic phenomena. Research Interests Dr. Anikin investigates how vocal qualities like roughness, laughter, and screams convey emotional and social information. His research takes a cognitive and biological approach, examining sensory biases and auditory attention in vocal communication. His work aims to illuminate the evolutionary origins and universal features of vocal communication across human cultures and animal species. Key areas include emotion perception, nonverbal vocalizations, acoustic analysis, and vocal communication systems. Research Output Trends Dr. Anikin's recent publications (2025) demonstrate a strong focus on acoustic properties of vocalizations across species. His work bridges biology, psychology, and acoustics with methodological innovations in analyzing nonlinear phenomena, voice roughness, and formant structures. His research shows increasing interdisciplinary collaboration, particularly with zoologists and signal processing experts, while maintaining a core focus on the cognitive mechanisms underlying vocal communication. Research Projects What makes baby cries impossible to ignore? (2024-2026): Funded by the Swedish Research Council, this active project investigates the sensory mechanisms behind infant cry perception. Sensory biases in nonverbal communication (2021-2023): A completed project funded by the Swedish Research Council that examined how sensory systems shape nonverbal communication. Research Environment Dr. Anikin is affiliated with the Cognitive Zoology Group and the Lund University Cognitive Science (LUCS) program. He contributes to the LU Profile Area: Natural and Artificial Cognition. His work connects with the UN Sustainable Development Goals through interdisciplinary research on communication and cognition, with implications for understanding human well-being and social interaction.
Sergio Agnoli is Associate Professor of General Psychology at the Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste. He serves as Director of the Dynamics of Creativity Lab (DoC Lab) and Co-Coordinator of the Doctoral Course in Neuroscience and Cognitive Sciences. Academic Affiliation: University of Trieste Research Institutions: Marconi Institute for Creativity (Senior Scientist) Editorial Roles: Associate Editor of Journal of Creative Behavior and Possibility Studies & Society His research focuses on the cognitive, emotional, and neurophysiological substrates of creative thinking . Key methodologies include EEG for temporal brain dynamics, eye-tracking for attentional mechanisms, and neurofeedback/tDCS for causal brain-behavior investigations. Current projects examine contextual inspiration, creative frustration dynamics, and multidimensional creativity models. Recent publications highlight advancements in: Neurophysiological prediction of creative originality via EEG alpha power Emotional intelligence in creative resilience Contextual modulation of idea generation Theoretical frameworks integrating cognitive-emotional factors Eye-tracking analysis of attentional filtering in creativity Awarded the Gabriele Di Stefano Prize (Italian Psychology Association) and featured on NeuroImage cover (Vol. 207). Active in international societies including ISSCI, SfNC, and PSN. Current research involves European FP7 and Italian PRIN projects, with interdisciplinary collaborations across neuroscience, psychology, and education. The DoC Lab maintains partnerships with institutions in Bologna, Graz, Penn State, London, Padua, and Georgetown.
Rob Gleasure is a Professor in the Department of Digitalization at Copenhagen Business School (CBS), Denmark. His research focuses on the intersection of information systems, digital technologies, and human behavior, with particular expertise in blockchain technology, crowdfunding, AI applications, and technology adaptation. Based at Solbjerg Square 3 in Frederiksberg, he contributes to CBS's mission of advancing knowledge in business and society through digital transformation. Professor Gleasure's research spans several key areas within information systems and digital innovation: Digital finance and blockchain technologies, including cryptocurrency and financial applications Crowdfunding platforms and digital fundraising mechanisms Artificial intelligence applications in various domains including healthcare and banking Human-computer interaction and the psychological aspects of technology adoption Digital collaboration and the affective dimensions of online work Quantum computing infrastructure and emerging technologies His recent publications reveal an evolving research trajectory that increasingly addresses the societal implications of digital technologies. Gleasure has moved from foundational work on crowdfunding and blockchain to more complex examinations of AI ethics, gender bias in technological systems, and the psychological impacts of digital media. His research demonstrates growing attention to sustainable development goals, particularly those related to responsible consumption and production, reduced inequalities, and climate action. The interdisciplinary nature of his work bridges business, technology, and social sciences, often employing both qualitative and experimental methodologies. Professor Gleasure has served as a supervisor for numerous students (21 supervisor tasks mentioned) and has been active in academic service including co-chairing the ACM Collective Intelligence Conference in 2021. His research has attracted media attention, with contributions to discussions on cryptocurrency, carbon offsetting in aviation, and AI applications.
Julien Chanal is a researcher at the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Geneva, specializing in Methodology and Data Analysis (MAD group). His work bridges educational psychology, motivation theory, and neuropsychology through empirical studies on self-determination, physical activity, and cognitive function. Primary affiliation: University of Geneva Research focus: Motivation and executive function assessment Key areas: Physical education, materialism effects, neuropsychological testing His research spans two decades, producing 38 publications with over 19,000 views. Recent projects examine motivation multidimensionality (2025), aerobic fitness-cognition links (2024), and neural correlates of materialism (2018). Despite extensive publication history, specific student names remain unspecified. Methodological innovations include epoch-length analysis in physical education (2015), self-concept modeling (2009), and neuropsychological norm establishment in Cameroon (2009). His work remains actively cited across disciplines, though no scientific awards are explicitly documented in available sources.
Professor Joseph Wood is a Professor of Visual Analytics at City St George's, University of London, where he serves as a founding member of the giCentre. His academic career spans over three decades, with continuous contributions to Geographic Information Science and visualization since 1990. He previously served as Head of Department for Computer Science at City University between 2014 and 2017. Professor Wood's educational background includes a PhD in Geographical Information Science from the University of Leicester (1996), an MSc in the same field from the University of Leicester (1990), and a BSc in Physical Geography & Geology from the University of Sheffield (1989). His academic progression shows steady advancement from Research Scholar at the University of Leicester (1990-1992) through various lecturer and senior positions to his current professorship. His research interests center on visual analytics and data visualization, with particular expertise in geographic information science and terrain analysis. Professor Wood has developed innovative methods bridging GI Science, Data Visualization, and education domains. His specific interests include narrative of visual analytic design, computational thinking in pedagogy, and novel visualization design for geographic data. His work demonstrates a consistent focus on making complex spatial data understandable through innovative visualization techniques. Analysis of Professor Wood's recent publications reveals a strong emphasis on practical applications of visualization techniques across diverse domains including transportation, epidemiology, sports analytics, and historical migration patterns. His work shows an evolution from foundational geographic information science toward broader applications in visual analytics, with increasing focus on narrative structures, responsive design, and accessibility considerations in visualization. The interdisciplinary nature of his research is evident in collaborations spanning computer science, geography, urban planning, and public health domains. Professor Wood has been actively involved in the academic community, serving on organizing and program committees for major international conferences including IEEE Infovis and VAST, Eurovis, GIScience, Spatial Accuracy, and Geomorphometry. His contributions to the field have been recognized through invitations to deliver keynote talks at prestigious venues ranging from GeoComputation to TEDx, where he presented on topics such as visualizing movement behavior of cyclists. As an advisor, Professor Wood has supervised numerous PhD and Master's students, with current supervision of Julia Crossley (Student conceptualisation of abstraction in computer science) and Jude Nzemeke (Understanding student misconception in recursive algorithmic thinking). His extensive supervision history includes completed PhDs on topics ranging from cycling behavior to spatio-social relations in photographic archives. His academic leadership extends to software development, with contributions to tools like litvis, elm-vega/el-vegalite, giCentre Utils, handy, and LandSerf GIS. Professor Wood is an active member of professional organizations including IEEE (2007-present), Association of Computing Machinery (ACM) (2007-present), and Association of Geographic Information (AGI) (1997-present), demonstrating his commitment to interdisciplinary collaboration across computer science and geographic information domains.
Professor Robert Brooks is a Scientia Professor at the University of New South Wales , affiliated with the Evolution & Ecology Research Centre and leading the SEX LAB . His research spans evolutionary biology, behavioral ecology, and evolutionary psychology. Key affiliations: UNSW, Evolution & Ecology Research Centre Research focus: Evolutionary consequences of sex, sexual selection, human aging, gender dynamics, and technological impacts on mating Research Interests include: Mate choice and sexual conflict Evolution of attractiveness costs Sex differences in aging and longevity Intersection of evolution and economics Human life history evolution Evolutionary perspectives on social issues (obesity, feminism, technology) Recent Publications demonstrate interdisciplinary work: behavioral ecology in Proceedings of the Royal Society B , evolutionary psychology in Adaptive Human Behavior and Physiology , and socioecological analysis in Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution . Themes include mating systems, human behavioral patterns, and reproductive trade-offs. Awards: 2012 Queensland Literary Award for Science Writing 2013 Eureka Prize for Communicating Science Contact: rob.brooks@unsw.edu.au
