Jianwen Su is a Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), where he has been since 1990. He holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Southern California and B.S./M.S. degrees from Fudan University in China. His research focuses on databases, formal verification, web services, business process management (BPM), and workflow systems. He has contributed to data-centric workflow modeling, artifact-based BPM frameworks, and tools like the Web Service Analysis Tool (WSAT). Adjunct professorships at Peking, Fudan, and Donghua Universities in China. Key roles: General co-chair of ICSOC 2013, PC chair of PODS 2009, and general chair of SIGMOD 2001. Recipient of the 2000 Outstanding Faculty Award (UCSB College of Engineering) and IBM Faculty Awards (2007, 2008). Research spans database query languages, incremental query evaluation, spatial databases, and formal verification techniques for software systems. Current emphasis is on data modeling for workflows and BPM systems.
Dr. Sander Leemans is a Professor at RWTH Aachen University leading the Business Process Management Foundations and Engineering research group. His work focuses on advancing process mining theory and practice with emphasis on stochastic modeling and conformance verification. Leemans' research centers on process mining, business process management, and stochastic process modeling. He investigates conformance checking techniques for probabilistic models, process discovery algorithms, and the integration of exogenous data into process analysis. His work bridges theoretical foundations with practical applications in healthcare, robotic process automation, and inter-organizational systems. Recent publications reveal a concentrated research trajectory in stochastic conformance checking, where Leemans develops methods for matching observed traces to stochastic process models using alignment techniques, entropy metrics, and partial-order reasoning. He also pioneers object-centric process mining frameworks and explores silent transitions in labeled Petri nets, significantly enhancing the precision and applicability of process mining in real-world scenarios. The Business Process Management Foundations and Engineering group under Leemans' leadership drives innovation in process mining through rigorous theoretical development and open-source tooling, maintaining RWTH Aachen's position at the forefront of business process intelligence research.
Gabriele Bavota is an Associate Professor at the Software Institute of Università della Svizzera Italiana (USI) in Lugano, Switzerland. He leads the SEART (Software Engineering Advanced Research Team) group and serves as Principal Investigator for the DEVINTA ERC starting grant focused on developer intelligence through mining software artifacts. Dr. Bavota's research spans Software Quality, Empirical Software Engineering, and Mining Software Repositories. His work has evolved from foundational studies on code smells and technical debt to cutting-edge research at the intersection of artificial intelligence and software development. He has made significant contributions to understanding API usage patterns, software quality metrics, and developer behavior through empirical studies of large software repositories. His recent publications reveal a strong focus on AI-assisted software development, with extensive research examining code generation, code summarization, and code review automation using large language models. He has also expanded his research to include quality assurance in game development (detecting game stuttering and low engagement events) and voice user interface testing. His work consistently bridges theoretical insights with practical applications for software developers. ACM SIGSOFT Distinguished Paper Award for API compatibility research (MSR 2019) ACM SIGSOFT Distinguished Paper Award for Hugging Face model documentation study (ICPC 2024) ACM SIGSOFT Distinguished Artifact Award for deep learning fault taxonomy (ICSE 2020) As an active member of the software engineering research community, Dr. Bavota serves on program committees for major conferences including ICSE, ASE, FSE, and MSR. He has held leadership roles such as Program Co-Chair for ICSME 2023 and Vision/Reflection Track Co-Chair for ICSE. His SEART research group develops practical tools like the SEART Data Hub that streamline large-scale source code mining and preprocessing for empirical software engineering research.
Andrea Morichetta is an Associate Professor at the University of Camerino (UNICAM). His research focuses on blockchain technology, smart contracts, and business process management. He explores the integration of blockchain with choreography-based systems, model-driven engineering, and process mining. His work addresses challenges in smart contract testing, distributed systems coordination, and auditability in decentralized applications. Key research areas include: Blockchain-based execution frameworks for BPMN choreographies Mutation testing strategies for Solidity smart contracts Decentralized identity systems using blockchain Event log analysis for Ethereum applications His publications highlight advancements in: Smart contract security and testing methodologies Choreography-driven architectures for IoT and MLOps Formal analysis of business process collaborations He contributes to international conferences and workshops on blockchain, enterprise modeling, and business informatics research. His work bridges theoretical foundations with practical implementations in distributed systems and process automation.
Ryan Sponseller is a Professor at the Department of Ecology and Environmental Science, Umeå University, and serves as Director of Studies. His research focuses on biogeochemical processes in boreal and Arctic ecosystems, particularly stream hydrology, riparian zone dynamics, and climate change impacts. He investigates how human activities, land use changes, and extreme climatic events affect carbon, nitrogen, and dissolved organic matter cycling in freshwater systems. Key research themes include: Carbon dioxide and methane dynamics in streams and lakes Effects of forest management and drought on biogeochemical fluxes Landscape controls on stream network functioning Long-term ecosystem responses to disturbances His work integrates field experiments, long-term monitoring (e.g., Krycklan Catchment Study), and interdisciplinary approaches to address global environmental challenges. Recent studies highlight browning trends, riparian zone heterogeneity, and the role of groundwater-stream interactions in regulating ecosystem processes. Publications emphasize methodological advances in measuring aquatic metabolism and greenhouse gas emissions, while also addressing policy-relevant issues like sustainable forest management and climate mitigation strategies.
Kasper Welbers is an Associate Professor at the Department of Communication Science, Faculty of Social Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. He holds additional appointments at the Network Institute and the Communication Choices, Content and Consequences (CCCC) research group. He is co-Director of The Societal Analytics Lab, Vice Chair of the Computational Methods Division at the International Communication Association (ICA), and a scientific representative of the OPINION COST Action network. His research focuses on computational communication science, journalism, and political communication, particularly exploring how news spreads and the role of gatekeepers in media systems. He develops open-source tools for research and advocates for reproducible computational methods. Education and Academic Background: While formal education details are not explicitly provided, his academic trajectory is evident through his faculty role and publications. Research Interests: Welbers combines methodological innovations with substantive research on news diffusion, media gatekeeping, and computational text analysis. His work addresses topics like dark platforms' agenda-setting roles, automated content analysis techniques, and the impact of platform policies on data donation studies. He emphasizes ethical research practices and open-source infrastructure development. Grants and Awards: He received the Faculty of Social Sciences Dissertation Award (2017) and Teacher Talent Award (2019), highlighting both research and pedagogical excellence. Labs and Collaborations: His work is anchored in The Societal Analytics Lab, fostering interdisciplinary research on societal challenges through computational methods. Collaborations span global networks like the OPINION COST Action, addressing cross-cultural media dynamics. Teaching: He teaches courses such as Computational Analysis of Digital Communication and contributes to curriculum development in AI ethics and data science for societal issues.
Kevin W. Hamlen is the Louis A. Beecherl, Jr. Distinguished Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Texas at Dallas. He serves as Executive Director of UT Dallas' Cyber Security Research and Education Institute. His research focuses on language-based security , binary software hardening , cyberdeception , and formal program verification . He has received multiple grants from agencies like AFOSR, NSF, DARPA, and industry partners including Lockheed Martin and Intel. PhD and MS from Cornell University BS from Carnegie Mellon University His research explores automated approaches to software security through techniques like binary disassembly , control-flow integrity , and honey-patching . He has pioneered methods for malware defense and cloud/web/mobile security . Recent work examines adaptive cyberdeception and GPU-based security frameworks . His publications span binary code manipulation , malware mitigation , and blockchain security . Key awards include the NSF IUCRC Technology Breakthrough Award and two CSAW Best Paper 2nd Prizes . He advises numerous PhD students, many of whom now work at Google, IBM, and Microsoft. His book Autonomous Cyber Deception (Springer, 2019) with Ehab Al-Shaer and Cliff Wang provides comprehensive coverage of adaptive cyberdeception strategies.
Dr. Kanika Goel is a Lecturer in the School of Information Systems at Queensland University of Technology (QUT), specializing in Business Process Management (BPM), Data Governance, and Process Analytics. She holds a PhD from QUT and has over 9 years of teaching experience, coordinating programs such as BIT Honours (IN10) and Masters of Philosophy (IN80). Her research focuses on process-oriented data analytics, data quality, and process mining, with industry collaborations spanning health, retail, and asset management sectors. She is a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt certified trainer and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA). Dr. Goel has led several industry-funded projects, emphasizing applied research in data governance, process mining, and process improvement. Notably, she received the Vice-Chancellor's Award for Excellence (2019) for innovative BPM integration in research management systems. Her work bridges academic research and real-world applications, contributing to journals like Business and Information Systems Engineering and IEEE Access . She teaches courses on Business Process Technologies, Modern Data Management, and BPM units in QUT's continuing professional education programs. Her articles explore topics like data imperfections in healthcare systems, process standardization strategies, and privacy risks in NoSQL databases. She advocates for digital literacy and has published on initiatives to build tech-savvy communities. Dr. Goel is also involved in supervising research topics such as prescriptive process analytics and process-data governance patterns.
Abdulkadir Çelikkanat is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science at Aalborg University, Denmark, where he is part of the DKW (Data Science and Knowledge) research group. His research focuses on genome representation learning, graph representation learning, and machine learning applications in bioinformatics and network science. Research Interests: His work lies at the intersection of artificial intelligence and biological data analysis, with a strong emphasis on scalable methods for genome and metagenome representation using k-mer profiles, as well as modeling dynamic and complex networks. He develops novel machine learning models to capture the structure and evolution of graphs over time. Recent Research Trends: His recent publications, appearing in top-tier venues like NeurIPS, AAAI, and AISTATS, demonstrate a consistent focus on improving scalability and effectiveness in representation learning. Key themes include revisiting traditional k-mer methods for modern deep learning, modeling citation dynamics, and developing continuous-time node embedding techniques. His work bridges theoretical advances with practical applications in genomics and network analysis. Scientific Awards: Best Paper Award, TGL Workshop @ NeurIPS 2023 Top Reviewer, LoG 2024 Conference Advising and Grants: While current advisees are not listed, he is actively leading research projects as evidenced by his recent publications and project organization (e.g., Nordic ProbAI summer school). His work is supported through institutional affiliations and likely competitive research funding, given the high-impact venues of his publications. Labs and Teams: He is affiliated with the DKW group at Aalborg University. Previously, he was part of the Inria OPIS team and the Centre for Visual Computing during his Ph.D., and worked in the Section for Cognitive Systems at DTU Compute as a postdoctoral researcher.
Jilles Vreeken is a Professor of Computer Science at Saarland University and tenured faculty at the CISPA Helmholtz Center for Information Security, where he leads the Exploratory Data Analysis research group. He is also an ELLIS Fellow and Faculty of the Saarbrücken Unit on AI and ML. His work bridges theoretical foundations with practical applications in causal inference, unsupervised learning, and exploratory data analysis. Dr. Vreeken's research focuses on developing theory and algorithms for answering fundamentally exploratory questions about data: "what is going on in my data?", "what causes what and how?", and "what can we learn from this model?" without making unnecessary or unjustified assumptions. He takes a principled approach based on information theory to identify what is worth knowing, then develops efficient algorithms for extracting useful interpretable results. His work spans causal inference under realistic conditions (including hidden confounding, selection bias, and non-i.i.d. data), summarizing complex data and models in understandable terms, and combining these threads to create more robust and useful models across diverse data types. His recent publications demonstrate a strong trend toward causal discovery in increasingly realistic settings, including non-stationary time series, event sequences, and scenarios with hidden confounders. He has made significant contributions to federated learning, interpretable machine learning, and pattern mining. His work consistently applies information-theoretic principles to develop methods that are both theoretically sound and practically useful for extracting insights from complex data. Dr. Vreeken has received numerous prestigious awards including: IEEE ICDM'18 Tao Li Award for Excellence in Research IEEE ICDM'18 Best Paper Award UdS-CS'15 Busy Beaver Teaching Award ACM SIGKDD'11 Best Student Paper Award ACM SIGKDD'10 Doctoral Dissertation Runner-Up Award ECML PKDD'09 Best Student Paper Award As an advisor, Dr. Vreeken has mentored numerous doctoral researchers to completion, including Dr. Osman Ali Mian, Dr. David Kaltenpoth, Dr. Boris Wiegand, Dr. Sebastian Dalleiger, Dr. Janis Kalofolias, Dr. Jonas Fischer, Dr. Alexander Marx, Dr. Panagiotis Mandros, Dr. Kailash Budhathoki, Dr. Roel Bertens, Dr. Koen Smets, and Dr. Michael Mampaey. He has secured significant research funding as PI for multiple projects including "AI for Prediction and Therapy Guidance in Acute Stroke" (HAICU, 2025-2028), "Neuro-Explicit Models of Language, Vision and Action" (RTG, DFG, 2023-2028), and "Crushing Antimicrobial Resistance using Explainable AI" (HAICU, 2021-2024). Dr. Vreeken leads the Exploratory Data Analysis (EDA) research group at CISPA, which focuses on developing theory and algorithms for discovering novel insights from data, learning inherently interpretable models, and drawing reliable causal conclusions. The group has produced numerous influential algorithms and frameworks in causal inference, pattern mining, and exploratory data analysis, with applications spanning healthcare, materials science, and cybersecurity.
Jaron Mink is an Assistant Professor at Arizona State University's School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, leading the Human Aspects in cyber Protections and Privacy Lab (Happy Lab). His research focuses on the intersection of usable security, machine learning, and system security, particularly exploring how human factors impact ML security. He holds a Magna Cum Laude from UCLA and completed graduate studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), where he served as a Teaching Assistant and Guest Lecturer in Computer Security courses. Education: University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) - Bachelors (Magna Cum Laude) University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) - PhD in Computer Science Research Interests: Human-ML Interaction Dynamics Deepfake Detection and User Perception Adversarial ML Defense Adoption Barriers User Trust in Security Tools Privacy-Preserving Technology Design His work bridges technical security solutions with human-centric usability challenges, emphasizing real-world application in social media, fitness apps, and enterprise systems. Recent Publications: Focus on quantifying sociodemographic influences in security behaviors, analyzing deepfake moderation biases, and evaluating ML security tool usability across industries. Awards: Google Research Scholar Program NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Teaching: Instructs courses like Information Assurance and Trustworthy Human-ML Interaction at ASU, previously teaching Computer Security II at UIUC. Labs/Teams: Directs the Happy Lab, actively recruiting PhD students to tackle challenges in human-centric cybersecurity and privacy. Hobbies: Passionate about vintage dance styles (Lindy Hop, Blues, Balboa) and strategic board games like Spirit Island and War of the Ring .
Tobias Ofner-Graff is a researcher at the Institute of Forest Growth within the Department of Ecosystem Management, Climate and Biodiversity at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU). Based at Peter-Jordan-Straße 82, 1190 Wien, his work focuses on advanced forest monitoring technologies. His research interests include: LiDAR and remote sensing applications in forestry Automated forest inventory systems Forest regeneration quantification Airborne Laser Scanning (ALS) data analysis Sustainable forest harvesting planning Recent project contributions include: Leading lidar-based forest monitoring systems development Developing spatial forest growth models Implementing digital inventory workflows His publications demonstrate expertise in: Quantifying forest resources through 3D point clouds Advanced timber stack measurement techniques ALS data integration for forest modeling Mobile laser scanning applications Forest climate adaptation strategies
Thijs van Ede serves as an Assistant Professor in the Semantics, Cybersecurity and Services research group at the University of Twente's Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science. His academic work centers on security automation through machine learning and AI integration, with specialized expertise in large language models for intrusion detection systems and anomaly analysis in rapidly evolving network environments. His research program bridges theoretical AI advancements with practical cybersecurity applications, focusing on contextual security analysis using deep neural networks and Natural Language Processing techniques for cyber threat intelligence sharing. This work manifests in open-source tool development emphasizing collaborative science, including frameworks for encrypted traffic analysis and security event log interpretation. Recent publications demonstrate consistent innovation in applying deep learning to network security challenges, particularly through the DeepCASE (2022) and FlowPrint (2020) frameworks that address anomaly detection in security logs and mobile application fingerprinting respectively. These works establish patterns in leveraging sequential data analysis for real-time threat identification. Through active mentorship of the Twente Hacking Squad student team, he cultivates next-generation cybersecurity talent via Capture The Flag competitions while maintaining research infrastructure through open-source security tools. His academic service includes developing accessible research implementations that bridge theoretical concepts and operational security solutions. As a core member of the Semantics, Cybersecurity and Services research group, he contributes to the University of Twente's Digital Society Institute initiatives, focusing on deployable AI security systems that operate effectively in dynamic enterprise environments. His work maintains strong connections between academic research and practical security operations through toolchain development and student engagement.
Anirban Chakraborti is a Professor at the School of Computational and Integrative Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi, India, where he has been a faculty member since 2014. He previously held academic positions at École Centrale Paris (France) as Chercheur Senior (Associate Professor) and Chargé de Recherche (Assistant Professor), and earlier roles at Banaras Hindu University, Brookhaven National Laboratory (USA), and Helsinki University of Technology (Finland). He is a leading figure in the interdisciplinary field of econophysics and complex systems. Education: Diplôme d’Habilitation à Diriger des Recherches (2013), Université Pierre et Marie Curie – Paris VI, France (Physics) Ph.D. in Physics (2003), Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics, Jadavpur University, India Post-M.Sc. in Physics (1999), Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics, Jadavpur University, India (Ranked First) M.Sc. in Physics (1998), University of Calcutta, India (Ranked First) B.Sc. in Physics (1996), Scottish Church College, University of Calcutta, India His research interests lie at the intersection of physics, economics, and data science. He is particularly known for pioneering work in econophysics , including the statistical mechanics of money, wealth distribution, agent-based market models, and network-based analysis of financial and social systems. He also works on complex systems , computational finance , statistical physics , and nanosciences , with applications in sensing and imaging. His work often involves modeling socio-economic phenomena using tools from statistical physics. His recent publications span topics such as financial fluctuations, wealth inequality, network analysis of conflicts, order book dynamics, and nanomaterial characterization. These works reflect a strong trend toward interdisciplinary research combining physics, economics, and data analytics, with a focus on real-world applications in finance, inequality, and social systems. Scientific Awards: Indian National Science Academy Young Scientist Medal (2009) He has advised Ph.D. students such as Kiran Sharma and leads the ETC (Experimental-Theoretical-Computational) Lab at JNU, which brings together physicists, computer scientists, and mathematicians. The lab has been involved in international collaborations, including projects funded by the Estonian Ministry of Education and Research and consultancies with TCS Innovation Labs and DONO Consulting. His research has been supported through grants and collaborative projects, reflecting strong industry and global academic engagement.
Christian Tominski serves as an apl. Professor (non-tenured) at the University of Rostock, holding the außerplanmäßige Professur for Human-Data Interaction within the Institute for Visual and Analytic Computing. His academic work spans teaching in Visual Computing and Computer Science programs, with active research contributions in data visualization and visual analytics. His research focuses on multi-variate data visualization, time-series and geo-visualization, graph visualization, and coordinated multiple views. He investigates interaction techniques including interactive lenses, visual comparison, navigation, and guidance mechanisms, alongside computational aspects such as efficient algorithms and asynchronous processing for visualization systems. Recent work emphasizes task-driven approaches and analytic support for interactive exploration. Analysis of his publication trends reveals strong emphasis on visual analytics for complex data structures, particularly in process mining and multivariate graphs. His work consistently explores guidance frameworks, progressive computation models, and novel interaction paradigms for large high-resolution displays, bridging theoretical foundations with practical applications in visual data analysis. Tominski holds professional roles as a member of the Faculty Council of IEF and the System Technical Group of Computer Science Institutes at the University of Rostock. He actively participates in the Informatik-Forum Rostock (INFO.RO), contributing to the regional computer science community through collaborative initiatives and knowledge sharing.
