Prof. David Hunger leads the Cavity Quantum Optics Group at the Physics Institute (PHI) of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). His research focuses on optically addressable spins in condensed matter, cavity-enhanced light-matter interactions, and quantum photonics with applications in sensing, spectroscopy, and quantum computing. The group develops fiber-based microcavities for coherent spin-photon interfaces, rare-earth ion qubits, and cavity-enhanced imaging of nanoscale systems. Notable projects include the BMBF-funded NEQSIS and SPINNING initiatives for quantum communication and diamond-based quantum computing. The group also pioneered Qlibri , a spin-off company commercializing optical fiber microcavities for quantum optics and microscopy. Recent breakthroughs include record spin coherence in SnV centers and ultra-stable nanopositioning platforms for cryogenic experiments. Affiliations: Faculty of Physics, KIT; Max Planck School of Photonics Grants: BMBF Grand Challenge (Quantum Communication), BMBF SPINNING (Diamond Qubits) Labs/Teams: Cavity Quantum Optics Group, Qlibri spin-off Students and postdocs in the group work on topics like collective cavity effects, molecular spin platforms, and cavity-enhanced sensing of liquid-phase nanosystems.
Prof. Dr. Gerold Alsmeyer is a faculty member at the Institute of Mathematical Stochastics, Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, University of Münster. He is an active researcher with a focus on stochastic processes, particularly stochastic fixed-point equations and iterated function systems. His work is supported by his role as an Investigator in Mathematics Münster in the project EXC 2044 - C1: Evolution and asymptotics. His primary research interests include the theory of stochastic processes, branching processes, Markov random walks, renewal theory, and the asymptotic analysis of random structures such as random trees and polytopes. He has made significant contributions to the understanding of fluctuation theory, perpetuities, and the smoothing transform. His recent publications (2017–2023) reveal a sustained focus on theoretical probability, with recurring themes in random difference equations, iterated function systems, and limit theorems for stochastic processes. The work spans pure mathematical theory and applications in mathematical biology and combinatorics, indicating a broad yet deep research profile. Prof. Alsmeyer has supervised numerous doctoral and master’s students, including Viet Hung Hoang, Christopher Eick, Philipp Godland, and Fabian Buckmann, whose dissertations cover topics in branching processes, random walks, and stochastic fixed-point equations. He has no listed scientific awards in the provided texts. He teaches courses in probability theory, mathematical statistics, branching processes, and stochastic recursion equations, demonstrating a strong commitment to academic mentoring and education.
Eric Roberts is a Professor of Geology and Geological Engineering and Director of the Potential Gas Agency at the Colorado School of Mines. His research focuses on basin analysis, energy exploration, and sedimentary geology with specializations in Mesozoic-Cenozoic basins of Gondwana and North America. He leads projects in U-Pb geochronology, critical minerals exploration, and paleoenvironmental reconstruction through vertebrate paleontology and stratigraphy studies. Roberts' work integrates advanced geochronological techniques with field-based analyses to address questions in paleobiology, resource exploration, and earth system dynamics. Key research themes include: Geochronology of sedimentary and volcanic deposits Paleoclimate reconstruction using paleosols Stratigraphic frameworks for dinosaur fossil records Resource potential of helium/hydrogen reserves Antarctic and African vertebrate paleontology His exploration of hominin burial practices in the Rising Star Cave System has provided critical insights into early human behavior. Roberts' interdisciplinary approach bridges geological, biological, and environmental sciences to advance understanding of Earth's history and resource management strategies.
Dr. Silu Wang is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University at Buffalo. Her research focuses on speciation, adaptation, and forest evolutionary genomics, particularly in avian species. She leads the Forest Speciation Lab, studying the genomic and ecological mechanisms underlying species divergence in North American and global forest ecosystems. Her work integrates field studies, genomic analyses, and computational modeling to address biodiversity conservation challenges under climate change. Education: BS in Behavior Genetics and Neurobiology, University of Toronto MA in Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Texas, Austin PhD in Zoology, University of British Columbia Postdoctoral Research at University of California Berkeley and UC Davis Research Interests: Dr. Wang investigates how hybridization, climate adaptation, and reproductive isolation shape avian biodiversity. Her lab uses old-growth forest bird species as models to study early-stage speciation processes, including mate choice, genetic incompatibilities, and mitochondrial-nuclear interactions. Key themes include understanding organismal responses to environmental changes and developing genomic tools for conservation prioritization. Lab and Teams: The Forest Speciation Lab collaborates with institutions globally, focusing on fieldwork in temperate and tropical forests. Current projects include studies on warbler hybrid zones, tinamou speciation, and the genomic architecture of mitonuclear coevolution. Teaching: Dr. Wang teaches courses on Speciation, Tropical Ecology, and Evolutionary Biology, emphasizing hands-on research training for students.
Nick Haddad is a Professor of Integrative Biology at Michigan State University and serves as the Director of the Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) site at Kellogg Biological Station. His research focuses on ecological experimentation, particularly examining how habitat loss and fragmentation impact biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. He specializes in reversing these negative effects through landscape connectivity strategies and diversified working landscapes, with a strong emphasis on insect conservation, including critically endangered butterfly species. Role: Professor, Integrative Biology Directorship: KBS LTER Site Location: 322 Kellogg Biological Station Email: haddadn3@msu.edu Haddad's research spans habitat fragmentation, biodiversity conservation, climate change impacts, and agricultural sustainability. His lab conducts large-scale experiments like the Corridor Project and studies rare butterflies (e.g., St. Francis’ satyr, Miami blue) to understand extinction risks and recovery strategies. Recent work explores pesticide effects, prairie restoration, and long-term ecological trends. The 15 most recent publications highlight habitat fragmentation's ecological impacts, climate-driven phenological shifts, and innovative conservation approaches. Key themes include biodiversity monitoring, pesticide-driven declines, prairie restoration for pollinators, and climate adaptation strategies. His work leverages long-term datasets (e.g., 40-year LTER) and integrates theory with applied conservation. Lab activities include mentoring undergraduate and graduate students at KBS, leading the Haddad Lab, and collaborating on projects like the KBS-LTER and SRS Corridor initiatives. Research spans both terrestrial and agroecosystems, emphasizing actionable solutions for conservation and sustainable land use.
Brian Leung is an Associate Professor at McGill University, jointly affiliated with the Department of Biology and the Bieler School of the Environment . He holds the prestigious UNESCO Chair for Dialogues on Sustainability and serves as Director of the McGill Neotropical Environment Option (NEO) , a collaborative program with the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. His work bridges ecological theory, computational modeling, and environmental policy. Dr. Leung earned his PhD in Biology from Carleton University and completed postdoctoral research at the University of Cambridge and the University of Notre Dame. His academic journey at McGill began in 2004 as an Assistant Professor, advancing to Associate Professor in 2010. His research centers on predictive ecology , particularly modeling biological invasions and sustainability challenges . He develops and applies mathematical, statistical, and computational models to understand invasion dynamics across terrestrial, aquatic, and marine systems. His recent work includes the Panama Research and Integrated Sustainability Model (PRISM) , a spatially explicit framework for sustainability science in the Global South. His research spans scales from local to global and integrates ecological, economic, and social factors. His recent publications show a strong focus on invasion risk assessment , species distribution modeling , economic costs of invasions , and ecological forecasting . He frequently publishes in top journals such as Nature , Ecology Letters , and Global Ecology and Biogeography , emphasizing data-driven decision-making and policy relevance. Dr. Leung has received significant recognition through invitations to contribute to major reports and has co-edited influential works on invasive species economics. While specific named awards are not listed, his leadership roles and publication record reflect high scientific esteem. He actively mentors a dynamic research group, supervising multiple Ph.D. and M.Sc. students on projects related to invasion modeling, mangrove conservation, forest pest dynamics, and urban ecology. His lab emphasizes quantitative skills and interdisciplinary collaboration. He has secured research funding to support these projects, though specific grants are not detailed in the text. He leads the Leung Lab , which focuses on predictive modeling in ecology and sustainability. The lab collaborates with institutions such as the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and environmental firms like Habitat. Current projects include multi-species connectivity modeling, mangrove ecosystem services, and forecasting forest pest outbreaks.
Lindell Bromham is a Professor at the Research School of Biology , Australian National University, focusing on evolutionary biology, cultural evolution, and interdisciplinary research. Their work spans genomic mutation rates to global linguistic diversity, with notable projects on language endangerment and Galton’s problem in cross-cultural studies. Broad research themes: evolutionary biology, cultural evolution, macroecology, linguistics Key contributions: interdisciplinary funding disparities, language evolution models, parasite-culture interactions Recent articles emphasize language endangerment risk factors, methodological innovations in cross-cultural analysis, and population size effects on language evolution. Awards include Eureka Prize Finalist (2021) and media recognition in Nature and New Scientist . Supervises students in evolutionary and linguistic research.
Robert Fletcher is a Researcher at the University of Cambridge, affiliated with the Department of Zoology and the C-CLEAR Doctoral Training Partnership . His work focuses on applied ecology and conservation science, utilizing landscape and population ecology to address biodiversity challenges globally. Research Areas : Conservation biology, population ecology, landscape ecology, environmental informatics Collaborations : Partners in North America, Europe, Africa, and Southeast Asia Key Themes : Species extinction prevention, landscape conservation prioritization, and rapid biodiversity data delivery Email : rf497@cam.ac.uk Fletcher's interdisciplinary approach integrates fieldwork (e.g., Everglades endangered species, African elephants) with advanced modeling of habitat loss, fragmentation, invasive species, and climate change impacts. His recent work emphasizes: Drivers of species decline and recovery strategies Landscape management and restoration techniques Interdisciplinary collaborations with engineers, social scientists, and computer scientists His publications span topics like savanna ecosystem dynamics, community science applications, and conservation forecasting, reflecting a commitment to actionable science for global biodiversity preservation.
Arnab Sen is an Associate Professor at the School of Mathematics, University of Minnesota. His research focuses on probability theory and discrete harmonic analysis, with emphasis on models from statistical physics such as spin glasses, random graphs, random matrices, and random polynomials. PhD in Statistics, UC Berkeley (2010), advised by Steven N. Evans and Elchanan Mossel Postdoctoral Fellow, Statistical Laboratory, University of Cambridge His research spans discrete probability , statistical physics , and random matrix theory , addressing topics like disorder chaos in spin glasses, eigenvalue distributions, and quantum percolation. He has taught graduate and undergraduate courses including Random Matrix Theory , Introduction to Stochastic Processes , and Multivariable Calculus . His recent publications analyze spin glass models, random matrices, and combinatorial systems.
Mary Lou Zeeman is the R. Wells Johnson Professor of Mathematics at Bowdoin College, specializing in geometric dynamical systems, mathematical biology, and climate modeling. Her work bridges theoretical mathematics with real-world applications in ecology, sustainability, and neuroendocrinology. Education: PhD in Mathematics from the University of California, Berkeley; MA and BA in Mathematics from the University of Oxford. Research focuses on population dynamics, resilience in ecosystems, and interdisciplinary approaches to sustainability. She co-leads initiatives like the Mathematics and Climate Research Network (MCRN) and contributed to the Mathematics of Planet Earth (MPE) 2013 initiative. Her teaching includes Biomathematics (MATH 1758/BIOL 1175) and Multivariate Calculus (MATH 1800). Key contributions include modeling hormone oscillations in the menstrual cycle, climate change impacts, and fisheries management policies. Her work emphasizes decision-support frameworks for environmental challenges. Grants and collaborations span NSF-funded projects on computational sustainability and climate change research, reflecting her commitment to applied interdisciplinary science.
Dr. April Nowell is a Professor of Anthropology in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Victoria's Faculty of Social Sciences, specializing in Paleolithic archaeology, cognitive archaeology, and the archaeology of children. Currently on leave, she leads internationally recognized research projects across Europe, the Levant, Australia, and Africa while actively accepting graduate students. She earned her PhD from the University of Pennsylvania and has developed expertise in Neanderthal lifeways, Paleolithic art, and hominin life histories. Her academic journey reflects deep engagement with both theoretical frameworks and fieldwork across diverse geographical contexts. Nowell's research examines how prehistoric societies structured knowledge transmission, childhood development, and symbolic expression. Her groundbreaking work on finger flutings in Australian caves reveals children's roles in Paleolithic storytelling traditions, while her analysis of Levantine wetland ecosystems demonstrates how Pleistocene humans adapted to environmental shifts. She challenges conventional narratives about Neanderthal cognition and has pioneered methodologies for reconstructing prehistoric childhood experiences through skeletal and material evidence. Her recent publications show consistent innovation in archaeological methodology, particularly in digital documentation of rock art and interdisciplinary approaches to human development. Key trends include integrating bioarchaeological data with cognitive models, examining material culture as evidence of social learning, and analyzing environmental archives to understand human dispersal patterns. Her scientific recognition includes: 2023 EAA Book Prize for Growing Up in the Ice Age: Fossil and Archaeological Evidence of the Lived Lives of Plio-Pleistocene Children Nowell secures major research funding including Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council grants supporting her Azraq Basin project in Jordan and Koonalda Cave research in Australia. She mentors graduate students in Paleolithic theory while collaborating with Indigenous communities and international scholars on field projects spanning five continents. Her work bridges academic research and public engagement through TEDx talks and media appearances examining science communication. She directs field programs at Jordan's Azraq Basin wetlands and Australia's Koonalda Cave, working with multidisciplinary teams including geochronologists, bioarchaeologists, and Traditional Owners to investigate Pleistocene human adaptation and cultural transmission.
Louis Du Plessis is a Lecturer at ETH Zürich's Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering in Basel, Switzerland. His research focuses on computational evolution with particular emphasis on infectious disease dynamics and genomic analysis. He maintains an active research profile with numerous high-impact publications in top-tier journals. Dr. Du Plessis completed his doctoral studies at ETH Zürich in 2016 with a thesis titled 'Understanding the spread and adaptation of infectious diseases using genomic sequencing data,' building upon his 2011 Master's work on evolutionary rate variation. His current research sits at the intersection of computational biology, epidemiology, and evolutionary genetics. His research interests span computational epidemiology, phylodynamics, viral evolution, and infectious disease modeling. He has made significant contributions to understanding pandemic dynamics, particularly regarding influenza and SARS-CoV-2, using genomic and epidemiological data integration. His methodological work includes developing computational approaches for estimating epidemic dynamics and viral transmission patterns. Analysis of his recent publications reveals a strong focus on how pandemics disrupt normal viral circulation patterns, with particular attention to influenza evolution during the 2009 H1N1 and COVID-19 pandemics. His work often combines phylogenetic analysis with epidemiological modeling to extract maximum information from genomic and case count data. Dr. Du Plessis has received research funding from European Commission projects including 'From Foundations of Phylodynamics to new applications in Cell Biology' (grant 101001077) and 'MOnitoring Outbreak events for Disease surveillance in a data science context' (grant 874850). He is actively involved in developing computational tools for analyzing pathogen genomic data and has contributed to several software packages used in the field. His work has significant implications for public health surveillance and pandemic preparedness.
Karen Thornber is the Harry Tuchman Levin Professor in Literature and Professor of East Asian Languages and Civilizations at Harvard University’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences. She holds leadership roles as Richard L. Menschel Faculty Director of the Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning and President of Phi Beta Kappa Alpha Iota. Her research spans environmental humanities, medical/health humanities, gender justice, climate justice, and transculturation, with expertise in over a dozen languages. Thornber earned her Ph.D. in East Asian Languages and Civilizations from Harvard (2006) and an A.B. from Princeton. She has authored six major monographs, including Ecoambiguity (2012) and Global Healing (2020), co-edited volumes, and over 80 articles. Her translation of Toge Sankichi’s atomic bomb poetry won the 2012 Sibley Prize. Her awards include the Charles Bernheimer Prize and John Whitney Hall Book Prize. Leadership roles include Director of Harvard’s Asia Center, Chair of Comparative Literature, and co-chair of FAS strategic planning. Thornber teaches courses on gender justice, environmental literature, and medical humanities, advising graduate students in Comparative Literature and East Asian Studies. Her recent projects include books on climate justice and global mental health, with research emphasizing transnational frameworks for Asian and global literatures.
Gheorghe Craciun is a Professor in the Department of Mathematics and the Department of Biomolecular Chemistry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His research focuses on mathematical and computational models in biology and medicine, particularly dynamical systems models of biological interaction networks. He has been a visiting researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Mathematics in the Sciences during the 2019-2020 academic year and has organized the Madison Workshops on Mathematics of Reaction Networks. Craciun's primary research interests include Mathematical Biology, Dynamical Systems, Chemical Reaction Networks, Computational Biology, Systems Biology, and Algebraic Geometry. He investigates systems of differential equations with polynomial right-hand sides, which are common in biochemical reaction networks, ecological interactions, and epidemiological models. His work often involves proving global stability, analyzing multistability, and characterizing steady states using tools from algebraic geometry and combinatorics. Recent publications demonstrate his focus on toric differential inclusions, endotactic networks, and the global attractor conjecture, extending to applications in biochemical networks and discrete Boltzmann equations. His extensive publication record reveals a strong trend toward algebraic and geometric methods for analyzing complex biological networks, with significant contributions to reaction network theory, stability analysis, and parameter characterization. Craciun's work bridges abstract mathematical concepts with practical applications in biochemistry, ecology, and medicine, including modeling vitellogenin production in trout and peptide mass distributions. He has collaborated extensively with international researchers including Alicia Dickenstein, Anne Shiu, Bernd Sturmfels, Casian Pantea, and Miruna-Stefana Sorea. In education, Craciun teaches graduate courses such as Math 703 and mentors students through the Madison Math Circle and Putnam Club, while organizing specialized workshops that foster collaboration in reaction network theory.
Charles C. Davis is a Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University and Curator of Vascular Plants in the Harvard University Herbaria. He leads the Davis Lab, focusing on plant diversity through integrative research in systematics, paleobiology, ecology, and molecular biology. His work emphasizes phylogenetic theory, biogeography, and the application of herbarium collections to address global change challenges. Davis is particularly noted for leveraging herbarium specimens to study plant responses to climate change, phenology, and biodiversity patterns. Research interests include plant-insect interactions, genome architecture evolution in parasitic plants, and the ethical use of herbarium specimens. His lab has pioneered high-throughput phylogenomic pipelines (e.g., PhyloHerb) and explored the future of herbaria in the digital age. Collaborations span global institutions, emphasizing digitization, spectral imaging, and AI-driven analysis of biodiversity data. Recent work highlights the impact of anthropogenic change on plant communities, the role of phenology in species survival, and strategies to mitigate collecting biases in herbaria. Davis teaches courses on plant systematics and evolution, and his lab actively participates in public engagement through exhibits like the HMNH’s *In Search of Thoreau’s Flowers*. His research has been featured in *Trends in Ecology & Evolution*, *Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution*, and *Current Biology*, with a focus on advancing methodologies for biodiversity science while addressing ethical challenges in specimen sampling.
