Alena Thiel is an Associate Professor at the Centre of African Studies within the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Copenhagen. Her research examines digital technologies' impact on state formation and knowledge systems across Africa, with primary field sites in Ghana, Senegal, Botswana, and Kenya. Her core research areas include: State knowledge systems (biometric ID, census histories, DHIS2 health records) Digital governance (addressing systems, payment solutions, disaster risk datafication) African/feminist AI development and implementation Anthropology of the state through Science and Technology Studies (STS) frameworks Recent publications (2024-2025) reveal concentrated analysis of health data infrastructures in Ghana, trust dynamics in Africa's global networks, and critical sociological examinations of digital identification. Her work consistently bridges anthropological theory with practical governance challenges in African contexts. As an active member of the Centre of African Studies, she maintains interdisciplinary collaborations across multiple African countries and European institutions, with particular emphasis on Ghanaian research partnerships and editorial leadership for Africa Spectrum journal.
Dr. Karin A. King is an LSE Fellow in the Department of Management at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). Her expertise spans global talent management, leadership development, and strategic human resource management. She teaches in LSE's Master's programs, focusing on organisational behaviour, negotiations, and strategic rewards. With over two decades of experience in corporate HR and consulting, Dr. King advises leaders on evidence-based talent management practices aligned with business priorities. Her research explores global talent systems, leadership succession, and diversity in organisational contexts. Dr. King has been recognized with multiple awards, including the LSE Teaching Award (2023), Top Ten Best Lecturer (2022), and repeated Teaching Excellence Awards (2015–2022). She holds professional certifications in HR, management consulting, and is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. Her work bridges academic research and practice, with publications in leading journals like BRQ Business Research Quarterly and Journal of Global Mobility . Recent research emphasizes macro-contingent talent strategies and the role of line managers in global talent initiatives.
Avinash V. Ramprashad serves as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, with clinical practice based at the University of Maryland Treatment Center. His educational background includes: Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from New York University (2011) Doctor of Medicine from SUNY Upstate Medical University COM, Syracuse, NY (2016) General Psychiatry Residency at University of Maryland/Sheppard Pratt (2020) Addiction Psychiatry Fellowship at University of Maryland (2021) Washington Baltimore Center for Psychoanalysis Fellowship Program (2020) Dr. Ramprashad specializes in addiction psychiatry with deep expertise in substance use disorders and evidence-based treatments including buprenorphine and methadone management. His clinical work integrates psychodynamic psychotherapy with innovative telemedicine applications, particularly in tele-addictions and tele-buprenorphine services, expanding access to care for underserved populations. He actively contributes to medical education and psychotherapy research within academic psychiatry. His professional recognition includes: George Balis Award for Excellence in Medical Student Education (2018) Dr. Donald Ross Award for Outstanding Psychotherapy Paper (2020) As a member of the Maryland Addiction Consultation Service (MACS), he participates in statewide initiatives providing expert consultation on complex addiction cases while advancing telehealth implementation in psychiatric practice.
Tara McAllister is an Associate Professor and Director of the Doctoral Program in Communicative Sciences and Disorders at New York University’s Steinhardt School. She leads the Biofeedback Intervention Technology for Speech (BITS) Lab , focusing on speech learning mechanisms and biofeedback treatments for speech disorders. Her work emphasizes acoustic and ultrasound biofeedback efficacy in resolving residual speech sound disorders, particularly in children. McAllister directs development of the staRt iOS app, expanding access to biofeedback training. She holds degrees from Harvard, MIT, and Boston University, with clinical expertise in speech-language pathology. Education: A.B./A.M., Linguistics, Harvard University (2003) M.S., Communication Disorders, Boston University (2007) Ph.D., Linguistics, MIT (2009) Research Interests: Speech motor control, perception-production links, bilingual phonological development, and technology-driven interventions. Her NIH-funded studies investigate biofeedback applications for speech disorders and crowdsourcing methodologies for perceptual analysis. Grants & Labs: NIH/NIDCD-funded BITS Lab research staRt app development since 2014 Teaching: Courses include Critical Evaluation of Research and Speech Science Instrumentation , emphasizing evidence-based practices in communication sciences.
Emma Maclean is a Part-Time Lecturer and Module Coordinator in the Division of Occupational Therapy and Arts Therapies at Queen Margaret University. She holds qualifications including MA (Distinction), PG Dip, and BA (Joint Honours). Her roles include teaching on the MSc Music Therapy program, focusing on supervision for practice education placements and interdisciplinary studies. Education: MA (Distinction) in Music Therapy PG Dip in Music Therapy BA (Joint Honours) Research Interests: Partnership working, collaboration, evaluation, group work, and mental health across children, adults, and older populations. She employs research methods such as case studies and focus groups. Publications & Presentations: Her work includes a peer-reviewed article on partnership evaluation and a chapter in Arts Therapies in Schools . She co-presented a plenary session at the 2016 BAMT conference titled Music Therapy in a Changing Landscape . Affiliations: British Association for Music Therapy (BAMT) representative on Allied Health Professionals Federation Scotland (AHPFS) Registered with the Health and Care Professions Council Fellow of the Higher Education Academy Clinical Work: Works as a lead music therapist in the NHS, specializing in pediatric services, adult/older adult mental health (including dementia), and supervision. Engages in freelance violin performance with ceilidh bands, tango groups, and orchestras.
Linda Linton is an Advanced Practice Sports and Musculoskeletal Physiotherapist and Medical Educator at Queen Margaret University, with a career spanning over 25 years. She serves as clinical lead at FASIC Sport & Exercise Medicine Clinic for back, neck, and pelvic/hip conditions and supervises PhD students in aquatic therapy research. Her work bridges clinical practice, education, and research in injury prevention and rehabilitation. BSc(HONS) Physiotherapy (University of Ulster, 1994) PG Cert Sports Physiotherapy (Manchester Metropolitan University, 1997) MMACP (Glasgow Caledonian University, 2000) MSc Manual Therapy (Glasgow Caledonian University, 2005) PG Cert Diagnostic Musculoskeletal Ultrasonography (University East London, 2018) Injection Therapy (Queen Margaret University, 2022) Linton’s research focuses on running-related injury prevention, aquatic therapy for low back pain, and physical activity promotion. Her work includes scoping reviews on injury risk reduction practices, meta-analyses of exercise-based prevention programs, and qualitative studies on community aquatic therapy. She pioneered Prehabilitation for Runners Workshops and investigates neuromuscular training, gait re-education, and aquatic muscle activity patterns. Her publications span journals like Journal of Sports Rehabilitation , Physiotherapy , and Physical Therapy in Sport , with recent 2024-2025 studies addressing aquatic therapy mechanics, running injury prevention frameworks, and swimmer injury risk factors. She collaborates with Edinburgh Sports Medicine Research Network and Bath Research Centre in the IOC Research Centre. Linton supervises PhD students in aquatic therapy projects and integrates load management, strength training, and running biomechanics into her clinical education. Her work emphasizes practitioner-patient collaboration and evidence-based strategies to reduce injury risks across athletic populations.
Arvind Narayanan is a Professor of Computer Science at Princeton University and Director of the Center for Information Technology Policy (CITP). His research focuses on the societal impact of digital technologies, particularly artificial intelligence, with emphasis on policy implications, fairness, and privacy. He leads interdisciplinary efforts connecting technical research with real-world policy challenges. Dr. Narayanan earned his Ph.D. from the University of Texas, Austin in 2009. His academic journey has established him as a leading voice in the critical examination of AI systems and their societal consequences. Narayanan's research spans multiple domains where technology intersects with society. His work on AI includes critical analysis of AI capabilities versus marketing claims (AI Snake Oil), fairness in machine learning systems, and the reproducibility crisis in ML-based science. In privacy research, he led the Princeton Web Transparency and Accountability Project which uncovered how companies track users online, developing the OpenWPM tool used in over 100 studies. His early work demonstrated fundamental limits of de-identification techniques and how machine learning reflects cultural stereotypes. His recent publications reveal a consistent focus on demystifying AI capabilities while identifying genuine opportunities and risks. Narayanan's work bridges technical computer science with policy relevance, emphasizing the importance of evidence-based approaches to AI governance. His research increasingly addresses the limitations of prediction systems, the challenges of evaluating AI systems, and the need for transparency in foundation models. Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) Privacy Enhancing Technologies Award (twice recipient) Privacy Papers for Policy Makers Award (three-time recipient) TIME's inaugural list of 100 most influential people in AI 2025 Graduate Mentoring Award Narayanan is recognized as an exceptional mentor, receiving Princeton's Graduate Mentoring Award in 2025. His policy engagement extends to congressional testimony, advisory roles, and frequent media commentary. He has secured significant research funding supporting his work on web transparency, AI policy, and cryptocurrency analysis. His research group has produced influential tools like OpenWPM for web privacy studies and contributed to foundational textbooks on cryptocurrencies and fairness in machine learning. At Princeton, Narayanan leads the Web Transparency and Accountability Project, a major research initiative that has conducted large-scale measurements of online tracking across millions of websites. He also co-founded and directs the CITP's AI Policy Initiative, which brings together researchers from multiple disciplines to address pressing AI governance questions. His work frequently involves collaboration with social scientists, legal scholars, and policymakers to develop practical solutions to technology governance challenges.
Ludo Waltman serves as Scientific Director and Professor of Quantitative Science Studies at the Centre for Science and Technology Studies (CWTS) within Leiden University's Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences. He holds multiple influential positions including Co-chair of the Research on Research Institute (RoRI), President of ASAPbio, and Editor-in-Chief of MetaROR (MetaResearch Open Review). As an Open Science Ambassador for Leiden University, he actively promotes transparency and innovation in scholarly communication. Waltman's research spans Quantitative Science Studies, Bibliometrics, and Metascience, with particular focus on university rankings, preprint ecosystems, open access publishing models, and research evaluation frameworks. His work critically examines the infrastructure of scholarly communication, advocating for more transparent and efficient systems that better serve the research community. He has been instrumental in developing initiatives like the Barcelona Declaration on Open Research Information and advancing publish-then-review models as alternatives to traditional peer review. His recent publications reveal a consistent emphasis on systemic issues in scholarly communication, with particular attention to preprint adoption across Europe, the relationship between assessment reform and publishing reform, and the methodological transparency of university rankings. These works collectively demonstrate his commitment to evidence-based approaches for improving research infrastructure and evaluation practices. Waltman actively engages in advising and shaping research policy through his leadership roles. As Co-chair of RoRI, he helps guide metascience research that examines the research system itself. His work with MetaROR promotes innovative peer review models, while his presidency at ASAPbio advances preprint culture in life sciences. He frequently collaborates with major research funders, publishers, and infrastructure organizations to implement practical reforms in scholarly communication. Through CWTS at Leiden University, Waltman leads a research environment focused on quantitative analysis of science and technology systems. His work connects with broader initiatives like the Research on Research Institute and the Barcelona Declaration movement, creating networks that bridge researchers, funders, and infrastructure providers committed to improving research practices.
Tracey Evans Chan is an Associate Professor and Director of the NUS Law Academy at the National University of Singapore's Faculty of Law. His expertise lies in biomedical law and ethics, with a focus on issues such as surrogacy, transplant ethics, and human-animal research. He has held significant roles, including a secondment to Singapore's Ministry of Health, where he contributed to the Human Biomedical Research Act 2015. He currently serves on the National Medical Ethics Committee and the Advisory Committee on Restricted Research under the same Act, and is a member of NUS's Institutional Review Board. Education: LLM (Harvard University) LLB (National University of Singapore) Research Interests: Chan's work bridges legal and ethical dimensions of biomedical advancements. Key areas include regulatory challenges in mitochondrial replacement technology, consent frameworks for minors, and the ethical implications of emerging medical technologies. His contributions to Singapore's legal committees reflect his commitment to balancing innovation with societal values. Publications & Trends: His recent works explore themes like advance care planning, the placebo effect in clinical practice, and cross-jurisdictional comparisons of healthcare dependency laws. These publications underscore his interdisciplinary approach to legal and biomedical challenges. Awards & Grants: No specific awards or grants are listed, but his policy contributions and academic output highlight his impactful work in regulatory frameworks. Advising & Teams: As a faculty member, he teaches courses like Medical Law and Ethics. His involvement in NUS's Institutional Review Board and Singapore's advisory committees demonstrates his role in shaping research ethics and healthcare policy.
Dr. Joey Paquet is a Tenured Associate Professor and Department Chair in the Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering at Concordia University in Montreal, Canada. He holds a PhD and specializes in research areas including Design and Implementation of Programming Languages, Context-Driven Computing, and Demand-Driven Computing. His work focuses on advancing programming paradigms and their applications in cybersecurity, distributed systems, and autonomic computing. Dr. Paquet is actively involved in thesis supervision across Computer Science and Software Engineering programs at both master's and doctoral levels. Research interests are centered around programming language design, particularly in demand-driven and context-aware systems. His contributions include frameworks like GIPSY and OpenISS, enabling scalable data processing and forensic computing. Recent work explores autonomic intent-driven networking, real-time gesture recognition, and IoT forensics. These efforts highlight his expertise in both theoretical constructs and practical implementations. His advising role supports students in MCompSc, MASc, and PhD programs. While specific grants are not detailed, his projects often involve interdisciplinary collaboration. Dr. Paquet is affiliated with platforms like LinkedIn and ResearchGate, reflecting an active academic presence. Key technical contributions include pioneering work on forensic computing backends, intent expression languages, and multimodal interaction systems. His research addresses challenges in cybersecurity, distributed systems, and service composition, with a focus on resilience and scalability.
Kora DeBeck is a Distinguished Professor of Substance Use and Drug Policy in the School of Public Policy at Simon Fraser University, a CIHR Applied Public Health Chair, and Dorothy Killam Fellow. She is also a Research Scientist with the BC Centre on Substance Use and Principal Investigator of the At-Risk Youth Study (ARYS), a longitudinal cohort tracking over 1,200 street-involved youth. Her research focuses on substance use policy, health services for marginalized populations, and the structural drivers of drug-related harms. She has published over 200 peer-reviewed articles challenging ineffective drug enforcement models and advocating for policy reforms. Recent publications analyze trends in opioid use, harm reduction during the COVID-19 pandemic, drug decriminalization, and youth-focused interventions. Her work consistently addresses social inequities through data-driven approaches to the toxic drug crisis. CIHR Applied Public Health Chair Dorothy Killam Fellow Michael Smith Health Research BC Scholar Award Distinguished SFU Professorship She has secured over $50 million in research funding, including $21M as principal investigator for ARYS. Her lab collaborates with healthcare providers, community organizations, and policymakers to translate research into practice.
Briana S. Last is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychology at Stony Brook University, with a PhD from the University of Pennsylvania (2022). Her work focuses on improving mental health equity through policy research, implementation science, and community-based approaches. She examines social determinants of mental health, mental health workforce development, and clinical decision-making in public systems. Dr. Last leads the Mental Healthcare for All Lab, collaborating with governments, agencies, and clinicians to strengthen public mental health systems. Her research emphasizes workforce sustainability, anti-transgender policy impacts, and clinician well-being. She has published in high-impact journals like The Milbank Quarterly and Psychiatric Services . Her interdisciplinary methods combine qualitative and quantitative approaches, including mixed methods and implementation science frameworks. Current projects address workforce retention strategies, telehealth policy implications, and the sociopolitical context of gender-affirming care. Education: PhD in Clinical Psychology, University of Pennsylvania (2022) Labs: Mental Healthcare for All Lab Key Themes: Behavioral health policy, health equity, clinician-patient dynamics, LGBTQ+ mental health
Alex Mouzakitis is a Lecturer in Physiotherapy within the Faculty of Health, Education and Society at the University of Northampton, where he contributes to the MSc Physiotherapy (Pre-registration) programme. He combines extensive clinical experience with innovative teaching methods to develop competent, reflective physiotherapy practitioners. Educational Background: BSc (Hons) in Physiotherapy, First-class, University of West Attica, Athens, Greece (2015) MSc in Musculoskeletal Healthcare and Rehabilitation, University College London (2016) Alex's research and teaching focus on cardiorespiratory physiotherapy and musculoskeletal rehabilitation , emphasizing clinical reasoning and the integration of simulation and digital tools in education. His experience in ICU settings during the COVID-19 pandemic solidified his expertise in managing complex, critically ill patients. He also explored shoulder joint biomechanics in his MSc dissertation, focusing on rotator cuff activation patterns. Although no peer-reviewed publications are listed, his academic and clinical work centers on evidence-based approaches to physiotherapy, particularly in cardiorespiratory care and professional development. He is currently working toward Fellowship Accreditation in Higher Education, reflecting his commitment to pedagogical excellence. Scientific Awards and Honors: Alex supervises student learning through module leadership and clinical instruction, though no formal advisees are listed. He has been instrumental in delivering key modules such as PHYM002: Evidence-Based Cardiorespiratory Physiotherapy and PHY3001: Developing Professionalism and Collaborative Practice . He also maintains active clinical practice as a cardiorespiratory physiotherapy specialist in a private clinic in Northamptonshire, ensuring his teaching remains grounded in real-world application. Alex is involved in curriculum development and simulation-based teaching, contributing to a dynamic and responsive learning environment. His interdisciplinary approach bridges clinical expertise with educational innovation, preparing students for the evolving healthcare landscape.
John P.A. Ioannidis is the C.F. Rehnborg Professor in Disease Prevention and Professor of Medicine, Health Research and Policy, Biomedical Data Science, and Statistics at Stanford University. He is Co-Director of the Meta-Research Innovation Center at Stanford (METRICS) and an Einstein BIH Visiting Fellow at Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin. His academic appointments span multiple departments and institutes at Stanford, including the Stanford Prevention Research Center, Biomedical Data Science, and Statistics. He is internationally recognized for his work in meta-research, evidence-based medicine, and research reproducibility. Ioannidis holds an MD and DSc in Biopathology from the National University of Athens, with training in internal medicine and infectious diseases from Harvard and Tufts. He previously chaired the Department of Hygiene and Epidemiology at the University of Ioannina Medical School and held adjunct positions at Harvard, Tufts, and Imperial College. He joined Stanford in 2010, where he launched the PhD program in Epidemiology & Clinical Research, the MS in Community Health & Prevention Research, and METRICS in 2014. His research focuses on improving research methods, appraising biases, enhancing reproducibility, and integrating evidence across scientific disciplines. He is a pioneer in meta-research, with seminal contributions on the reliability of published findings, statistical practices, and research synthesis. His influential 2005 paper, "Why Most Published Research Findings Are False," is the most-accessed article in PLoS history. His recent work examines peer review, data sharing, AI in medicine, and pandemic research impact, consistently advocating for transparency and methodological rigor. His publications span epidemiology, statistics, genomics, clinical trials, and meta-analysis, with a strong emphasis on bias detection, replication, and open science. Trends in his recent articles highlight concerns about research integrity, citation practices, peer review reform, and the scientific response to global health crises. Founders' Medal for Lifetime Contributions to Meta-science (2024) Honorary doctorates from McMaster, Thessaloniki, Edinburgh, Tilburg, Athens, and Rotterdam Elected member, US National Academy of Medicine (2018) Elected member, European Academy of Sciences and Arts (2015) President, Association of American Physicians (2023–2024) President, Society for Research Synthesis Methodology Gordon Award, NIH (2019) Chanchlani Global Health Award (2017) Highly Cited Researcher (Clarivate) in Clinical Medicine, Social Sciences, and Psychiatry Ioannidis has advised numerous students and mentored early-career researchers. He has served as Senior Advisor for Knowledge Integration at the National Cancer Institute (2012–2016) and Editor-in-Chief of the European Journal of Clinical Investigation (2010–2019). He has received over 700 invited lectures and is deeply involved in shaping research policy and scientific infrastructure. He leads METRICS, a hub for meta-research innovation, and is affiliated with multiple Stanford institutes, including Bio-X, the Cardiovascular Institute, and the Stanford Cancer Institute.
Lauren A. Delisio is an Associate Professor of Special Education at Rider University's Department of Teacher Education. She has taught graduate and undergraduate courses in special education, inclusive practices, and assistive technology since 2015. Ph.D. in Exceptional Student Education (2015, University of Central Florida) Graduate Certificate in Autism Spectrum Disorders (2012, University of Central Florida) M.S. in Teaching (2005, Pace University) B.A. in Communications (2000, Rider University) Her research focuses on universal design for learning (UDL) , assistive technology , and inclusive education practices for students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and intellectual disabilities. She has explored trauma-informed instruction, STEM accessibility, and evidence-based practices in inclusive classrooms. Her recent publications analyze UDL implementation, video prompting for independence, and pandemic impacts on inclusive education. She has received grants through the Department of Education's Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) for Project LEAD and served as a doctoral intern with OSEP. Delisio has contributed to STEM research via video game integration for students with disabilities and supported alumni engagement through data collection. She collaborates with service providers, universities, and policymakers to improve educational outcomes for neurodiverse learners.
