Jed Elison is a Professor at the Institute of Child Development within the College of Education and Human Development at the University of Minnesota . He is renowned for his work in developmental social neuroscience, focusing on neural mechanisms of early social communication and autism pathogenesis. He serves as a co-investigator for the Infant Brain Imaging Study (IBIS) , funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development , and contributes to major neuroimaging projects like the UNC/UMN Baby Connectome Project (BCP) . BA , Psychology and English, University of Utah (2005) PhD , Psychology, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill (2011) Postdoc , Social Neuroscience, California Institute of Technology (2013) Elison’s research centers on developmental social neuroscience, structural brain development, social cognition, and early autism identification using neuroimaging (MRI, DWI). His work explores how visual attention and white matter organization influence social communication in infants and toddlers, with implications for autism and emerging psychopathology. Recent publications emphasize longitudinal trajectories of gestural language, brain-behavior associations, and neurodevelopmental heterogeneity. His scientific accolades include the Irving B. Harris Professor of Child Development and Distinguished McKnight University Professor titles. Elison actively mentors graduate students and collaborates with interdisciplinary teams in the Cognition and Neurodevelopmental Studies Lab .
Tobias Lunte is a PhD student and research assistant at the University of Oldenburg's Department of Media Informatics and Multimedia Systems. His work focuses on assistive technologies for education, human-computer interaction (HCI), and multimodal interface design, particularly using gaze-tracking and augmented reality (AR) to address reading difficulties in children. He holds an M.Sc. in Engineering of Socio-Technical Systems (2020) and received the Best Thesis Award in Computer Science by OLDIES e.V. His research integrates real-time gaze behavior analysis to develop adaptive reading assistance tools, collaborating with parents, speech therapists, and educators. He also teaches courses on ethnographic methods, Gestalt principles in design, and quantitative evaluation techniques. In educational development, Tobias redesigned modules like Interactive Systems (BSc) and Human-Computer Interaction (MSc) into a cohesive HCI teaching framework. He pioneered a remote hardware-oriented Maker's Lab course during the 2020 digital semester, which was nominated for Best Course of 2019/20. His practical projects span physical computing, AR applications, and sensory notification systems for clinical environments. Scientific Awards: Best Thesis Award in Computer Science by OLDIES e.V. (2020) He supervises student projects in gaze-tracking, physical computing, and ARVR, including notable works like the Puzzle Box prototype, Sherlock AR game system, and Sensor Pet health reminder tool. His research combines technical innovation with pedagogical insights to create user-centered solutions across education and healthcare domains.
Maria Wirzberger is a tenure-track Assistant Professor at the University of Stuttgart, Germany. She serves as spokesperson for the Stuttgart Research Focus “Interchange Forum for Reflecting on Intelligent Systems” (SRF IRIS), head of the Department of Teaching and Learning with Intelligent Systems, and co-director of the Artificial Intelligence Software Academy (AISA). Her research team operates within the Cyber Valley ecosystem, Europe’s largest AI research consortium. Her work sits at the interdisciplinary intersection of cognitive psychology, human-computer interaction, instructional design, and artificial intelligence. She employs experimental lab, field, and online studies alongside user-centered software development and modeling approaches to design responsible, user-adaptive assistive technologies. Initially focused on learning contexts, her research now extends to single-pilot operations, digital health, sustainable product development, and industrial robotics. Current projects investigate cognitive processes, user characteristics, and contextual factors through modeling human cognition (cognitive/connectionist approaches), advanced statistical analysis (multilevel models, time series, SEM), and multimodal cognitive load assessment (eye tracking, physiological measures, speech analysis). Key initiatives include designing adaptive assistive systems using predictive analytics, studying distraction/resumption patterns, supporting neurodiversity in HCI, and examining trust mechanisms and AI bias in human-AI interaction. Professor Wirzberger leads interdisciplinary collaborations through Cyber Valley and actively seeks research partners and students. Her leadership in the SRF IRIS forum and AISA demonstrates commitment to advancing responsible AI development while addressing critical human factors in emerging technical domains.
Hans van Dijk serves as a Senior Researcher in the Signal Processing Systems group within the Department of Electrical Engineering at Eindhoven University of Technology. He simultaneously holds leadership and research positions at multiple institutions, heading the Clinical Physics department at Kempenhaeghe (an institute specializing in Epileptology and Sleep medicine) and working as a Senior Researcher at the University Hospital in Ulm, Germany. His multidisciplinary career bridges engineering, clinical neurophysiology, and sleep medicine. Dr. van Dijk's research focuses on biomedical engineering applications in Clinical Neurophysiology, with particular expertise in electrophysiological techniques including EEG, EMG, and ECG. His work centers on developing and applying signal processing methods to diagnose neurological disorders, with specific emphasis on seizure detection using EEG , High-Density EMG for facial and masticatory muscles , and alternative diagnostic methods for sleep disorders . His recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on applying machine learning techniques to sleep medicine and epilepsy monitoring. Analysis of Dr. van Dijk's recent publications (2021-2025) reveals a consistent research trajectory in developing advanced signal processing methods for clinical neurophysiology. His work spans three main domains: epilepsy monitoring and seizure detection (particularly in children), sleep disorder diagnostics (using multimodal approaches beyond traditional polysomnography), and advanced EMG techniques for motor unit analysis. His research increasingly incorporates deep learning and multi-modal sensor fusion approaches to improve diagnostic accuracy while reducing the invasiveness of monitoring procedures. 2699 citations according to Scopus metrics 101 research outputs documented in institutional repository Active research collaboration with Philips Research and Kempenhaeghe Contributions to UN Sustainable Development Goals through medical diagnostics research Dr. van Dijk supervises research activities with 8 documented supervised works, collaborating extensively with clinical and engineering researchers across multiple institutions. His research program integrates signal processing expertise with clinical needs in neurology and sleep medicine, developing practical solutions for monitoring and diagnosing neurological disorders. His work at Kempenhaeghe focuses on translating engineering innovations into clinical practice for epilepsy and sleep disorder patients.
Dare Baldwin is a Full Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Oregon , where she directs the Acquiring Minds Lab . Her research focuses on the intersection of language acquisition, cognitive development, event processing , and social-cognitive development . 541-346-4964 (Office) 467 Straub Hall and 210 Chapman Hall (Office Locations) Office Hours: Thursdays 12-1pm on Zoom; Fridays 9-10am in Straub Hall 467 Dr. Baldwin’s work explores how infants and young children acquire knowledge through social interactions , action processing , and language learning . Her lab investigates two major additional domains: the developmental consequences of malnutrition and human behavioral responses to natural hazards such as earthquakes. Current projects examine maternal thiamine supplementation effects on infant cognition and methodologies for online interpersonal understanding studies . Recent publications span: simulating human behavior under earthquake early warnings , infant language processing , micronutrient impacts on neurocognitive development , and event cognition mechanisms . Her lab employs interdisciplinary approaches combining eye-tracking , machine learning , and behavioral experiments . Current Lab Members: Doctoral Students: Netanel Weinstein, Scott Wallner, Elizabeth Loi, Karlena Ochoa Steigerwald, John Rochelle, Anaahat Bala Masters Students: Yasuhiro Tanaka, Leah Child, Jason Garrison, Julian Michels, Emily Neuhaus
Julien Mayor is a Professor at the Department of Psychology, University of Oslo , specializing in Language Acquisition , Infant Speech Perception , and Computational Modeling in Psychology . His work bridges cognitive development with bilingualism and dialect exposure, focusing on how infants learn words through parental speech patterns. He leads the BabyLing project, developing tools like TLex for unbiased language screening.
Dr. Cathy Lonngren-Sampaio is a Lecturer in English Language & Communication at the School of Creative Arts, University of Hertfordshire. She also collaborates with the Languages department to deliver beginner Spanish instruction to level 4 students. Her academic credentials include PhD, MA, BA, and PGCE qualifications. Her research focuses on bilingual language phenomena, particularly using corpus linguistic methodology to investigate bilingual language use. Her doctoral work examined code-switching in naturalistic spoken English/Portuguese (Brazilian) through a self-collected and coded corpus. She has expanded her research to incorporate eye-tracking technology to study word access in both bilingual children and adults. Her primary research areas include bilingualism, codeswitching, corpus linguistics, eye-tracking methodology, TEFL, phonetics and phonology, pragmatics, computer-mediated discourse, and grammar. She has conducted significant research on bilingual children's language patterns and visual word recognition processes. Dr. Lonngren-Sampaio led the research project 'Word Access in monolingual and bilingual speakers: An Eye Tracking Study' (2017-2018), which investigated word selection processes in monolingual and bilingual children and adults, contributing to understanding literacy development in bilingual contexts.
Prof. Dr. Anja Schiepe-Tiska serves as Professor of Educational Science with a focus on teaching research at the Institute of School Education (Department 1), University of Koblenz. Her office (C 103) is located at Universitätsstraße 1, 56070 Koblenz, Germany, with contact via telephone (+49 261 287 1828) or email. Her research centers on multidimensional educational goals, examining how high-quality teaching practices and school conditions drive academic success. She investigates motivational dynamics and emotional responses in classroom settings, teacher professionalization pathways, and education monitoring systems. Methodologically, she pioneers cross-cultural assessment techniques including eye tracking, physiological measures, and experience sampling to advance diagnostic precision in educational research. Prof. Schiepe-Tiska advises graduate students on final theses while managing course operations through the School Education Office (studium-uf@uni-koblenz.de) for registrations, placements, and academic clips. Her teaching portfolio includes core courses on theoretical teaching foundations, learning environment design, classroom communication, and research colloquia that integrate empirical methods with practical pedagogy.
Kara Palamountain is a Research Professor and Lecturer at the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, focusing on sustainability and social impact in global health. She leads market entry analysis for medical technologies in over 15 countries and chairs the Technology Qualification and Innovation Lead role in the NEST360 initiative, managing a $65M grant for neonatal mortality reduction in Africa. BBA, University of Texas at Austin (1998) MBA, Kellogg School of Management (2004) Her research spans global health diagnostics , neonatal care innovations , and medical device implementation in low-resource settings , with a focus on Africa. She has authored peer-reviewed articles on HIV testing, tuberculosis diagnostics, and optimized healthcare systems. Recent publications highlight trends in point-of-care diagnostics , medical device scalability , and data-driven sample transportation . Awards include recognition from the Financial Times (2025), Production and Operations Management Society (2021), and M&SOM Practice-Based Research Competition (2021).
Professor Steve Counsell is a distinguished academic in the Department of Computer Science at Brunel University London's College of Engineering, Design and Physical Sciences. Holding a PhD from Birkbeck, University of London (2002), he previously served as a Lecturer at Birkbeck and brings industry development experience to his academic role. As a Fellow of the British Computer Society, his career bridges theoretical research and practical software engineering applications. PhD in Software Engineering from Birkbeck, University of London (2002) Former Lecturer at Birkbeck Department of Computer Science Industry software development experience prior to PhD Professor Counsell's research centers on empirical software engineering with particular focus on software metrics, refactoring techniques, code smells, fault analysis, and agile methodology implementation. His work consistently emphasizes industry collaboration, addressing real-world challenges faced by developers and project managers. A significant portion of his research investigates the relationship between software structure metrics and maintainability, with extensive studies on object-oriented systems evolution and web application engineering. Analysis of his recent publication trends reveals a sustained focus on empirical validation of software engineering practices, with increasing emphasis on industrial case studies and reproducibility of results. His work spans both theoretical metric development and practical application in commercial environments, particularly examining how structural code properties correlate with fault-proneness and maintenance effort. Fellow of the British Computer Society Professor Counsell actively supervises doctoral research, currently guiding three PhD students while having successfully completed nine PhD supervisions since 2004, all within software engineering and information systems domains. His research has attracted significant funding including EPSRC grants EP/E055141/1 (as Co-investigator studying program slicing and faults), EP/H019685/1 (with Moorfields Eye Hospital on glaucoma data analysis), and current project EP/L011751/1 exploring fault prediction techniques in collaboration with industry partners. His research activities are coordinated through the CIDA research group at Brunel, where he maintains strong collaborations with industry partners to ensure practical relevance of his empirical studies. Current projects focus on analyzing industrial fault data to determine which prediction techniques provide the most accurate explanations of software faults in real-world systems.
Professor Marcus Specht serves as Member of the Executive Board and Head of the research professorship "Learning Science in Higher Education" at CATALPA Research Center, FernUniversität in Hagen. He holds dual academic appointments as Chair of Learning Science at FernUniversität and Chair of Digital Education in the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science at TU Delft. Additional affiliations include Erasmus University Rotterdam (Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences) and Leiden University (Institute for Advanced Computer Science). With an interdisciplinary background spanning cognitive psychology and computer science, Specht's research focuses on the intersection of learning sciences and technology. His work emphasizes personalized knowledge and competency development through Learning Analytics, Artificial Intelligence for Education, Digital Skills, and Computational Thinking. Current research directions include developing methods to support educators and learners in utilizing generative AI, creating prompt templates for educational applications, and designing collaborative learning environments that integrate peer-review with AI support. Specht's recent publications reveal a strong focus on AI-driven educational technologies, particularly conversational agents for goal-setting interventions, computational thinking assessment, and learning analytics applications. His work bridges theoretical learning science with practical educational technology implementations, with increasing emphasis on mixed reality and hybrid learning environments. The publications demonstrate consistent collaboration with international researchers across European institutions. Specht holds leadership positions in major educational technology organizations including President of the European Association of Technology-Enhanced Learning (EATEL) and membership on scientific advisory boards for the Leibniz Institute for Science and Mathematics Education and Goethe Universität Frankfurt's Zukunft Lehre initiative. His career trajectory shows progressive leadership in educational technology, having previously directed the 4TU Centre for Engineering Education (2020-2024), served as Scientific Director of the Leiden-Delft-Erasmus Center for Education and Learning (2019-2024), and held professorial positions at Open Universiteit Nederland (2008-2020). His interdisciplinary approach integrates psychology, computer science, management sciences, and pedagogy to advance educational innovation. At CATALPA, Specht leverages the unique environment of 70,000 learners as a real-world laboratory for developing and implementing innovative distance learning methods across schools, colleges, and universities throughout Germany and North Rhine-Westphalia.
Dr. Caoilte Ó Ciardha is a Senior Lecturer in Forensic Psychology and Deputy Head of School at the University of Kent's School of Psychology. He serves as Head of Undergraduate Recruitment and Student Experience and is a member of the UG Outreach Team. Dr. Ó Ciardha is affiliated with the Centre of Research and Education in Forensic Psychology (CORE-FP) and holds editorial positions with journals including Sexual Abuse and Psychology, Crime & Law . He also serves on the research committee of the Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers (ATSA). Dr. Ó Ciardha obtained his PhD from Trinity College Dublin (Ireland) in 2010. His doctoral research examined the use of indirect/implicit cognitive measures in the assessment of individuals who had sexually offended. Following his PhD, he joined the University of Kent in 2011 as a postdoctoral research associate working on an ESRC funded project to develop a psychological treatment programme for adults who had engaged in deliberate firesetting. Dr. Ó Ciardha's research focuses on the aetiology of offending behaviour, as well as on the assessment and treatment of factors that are causally related to offending. His work primarily concerns sexual offending against children and adults and firesetting. His research draws on theory and methods across forensic psychology, social psychology, cognitive psychology and social cognition, employing approaches including reaction time measures, eye-movements, brain stimulation, questionnaires, and qualitative methods to understand criminogenic psychological factors such as problematic sexual interest, cognitive distortions, maladaptive coping, and the psychological consequences of childhood adversity. Analysis of Dr. Ó Ciardha's recent publications reveals a consistent focus on understanding sexual offending and firesetting through innovative assessment methods. His work frequently employs physiological measures like pupillometry to assess sexual interest, examines cognitive distortions in offenders, and evaluates treatment approaches. Recent work has expanded into areas including online communities (incel phenomenon), dark web analysis, and theory of mind deficits in offenders. His research demonstrates an interdisciplinary approach combining forensic, cognitive, and clinical psychology perspectives. Dr. Ó Ciardha serves as associate editor for the journals Sexual Abuse and Psychology, Crime & Law and reviews for over 20 other journals. He is a member of the research committee of the Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers (ATSA). His editorial work represents significant recognition of his expertise in the field of forensic psychology and sexual offending. Dr. Ó Ciardha actively supervises PhD students, with current research focusing on topics including childhood adversity and sexual behavior, implicit theories in sexual offending, theory of mind in child sexual abuse, and cognitive schemas in sexual assault cases. His grant history includes projects funded by the Police and Crime Commissioner for Cumbria (evaluating polygraph use for managing sexual offenders) and the National Organisation for the Treatment of Abusers (comparing indirect measures of sexual interest). These grants demonstrate his ability to secure external research funding for applied forensic psychology projects. Dr. Ó Ciardha leads research within the Centre of Research and Education in Forensic Psychology (CORE-FP) at the University of Kent. His lab employs diverse methodologies including reaction time measures, eye-tracking, pupillometry, and qualitative approaches to investigate criminogenic factors. His team collaborates with researchers internationally and works closely with practitioners in the field to ensure research has practical applications for assessment and treatment of offenders.
Craig Chambers is a Professor and Department Chair in the University of Toronto Department of Psychology. His research focuses on human communication , cognitive science , and psycholinguistics , particularly language processing across the lifespan and communication with social robots . Education: B.A. in Linguistics, York University M.A. in Linguistics, University of Toronto M.A. in Brain & Cognitive Sciences, University of Rochester Ph.D. in Brain & Cognitive Sciences and Linguistics, University of Rochester His lab investigates how speakers balance verbal and non-verbal information (gestures, intonation, environmental context) to convey meaning, and how listeners integrate these cues during comprehension. Recent studies explore pragmatic inferences , lexical competition , age-related differences in language processing, and social robotics applications . Key article trends include child language acquisition , speech perception in aging populations, multimodal communication , and language prediction mechanisms . Lab activities blend rigorous scientific inquiry with playful experimentation, including initiatives like "The PAL LAB PLAYS!"
Dimitris Voudouris is a Researcher at the Department of Psychology & Sports Science at Justus Liebig University Giessen. His work combines eye and body motion tracking with psychophysics to explore how humans use sensory information to perform movements, particularly in young and older adults. PhD (2013) in Human Movement Sciences, Vrije University Amsterdam MSc (2007) and BSc (2005) in Physical Education & Sports Sciences, Aristotle University Thessaloniki His research focuses on sensorimotor control , tactile suppression , and visuomotor integration . He investigates how tactile perception is dynamically modulated during reaching, balance control, and interception tasks, with a particular emphasis on aging effects. Recent work explores the reliability of tactile suppression measurements, postural demands on tactile perception, and predictive gaze allocation in older adults. His publications span journals like Journal of Neurophysiology , Scientific Reports , and PNAS , highlighting his contributions to understanding sensorimotor predictions and sensory processing in motor control. He teaches Master seminars in programming, body movement analysis, and Bachelor seminars on perception and action. He is part of the Perception and Action team led by Prof. Dr. Katja Fiehler, collaborating with researchers like Dr. Belkis Ezgi Arikan and Dr. Meaghan McManus.
Dr Nisha Nixon is a Fellow at St Catharine's College, University of Cambridge, holding an academic appointment in the School of Clinical Medicine with specialization in the Department of Ophthalmology. Appointed as an Academic Clinical Fellow in Ophthalmology in 2020 and admitted to the Fellowship in 2022, she serves as chief investigator for innovative clinical studies leveraging virtual reality technology. Her educational background includes preclinical and clinical medical training at St Catharine's College with first-class honors, complemented by intercalated studies in Physiology, Development and Neuroscience. Key distinctions include the Moses Holway Scholarship, John Addenbrooke Medical Prize, Thomas Hobbes Scholarship, and Robert Comline Prize in Systems Physiology. Dr Nixon's research focuses on revolutionizing oculomotor assessment through virtual reality applications , particularly for strabismus diagnosis and eye movement analysis outside traditional clinical settings. Her work bridges ophthalmology , medical technology development , and automated diagnostic systems , emphasizing cost-effective solutions using accessible hardware like VR headsets. Her publication portfolio demonstrates consistent advancement in diagnostic innovation, with recent work (2021-2023) centering on augmented reality strabismus screening and virtual reality ocular misalignment testing. Earlier research (2015-2017) established foundations in dry eye therapy, lacrimal surgery, and color vision adaptation for clinicians. Moses Holway Scholarship John Addenbrooke Medical Prize Thomas Hobbes Scholarship Robert Comline Prize in Systems Physiology As an educator, Dr Nixon has supervised Neurobiology and Human Behaviour for second-year medical students since 2012 and holds a Postgraduate Certificate in Medical Education (2016). Her current VR-based clinical study represents significant grant-funded research exploring automated diagnosis systems, with potential to transform community-based eye care delivery through low-cost technology.
