Mark Liberman is a Trustee Professor at the University of Pennsylvania , holding appointments in the Department of Linguistics and Department of Computer and Information Science . He serves as Director of the Linguistic Data Consortium and Faculty Director of Ware College House . His career spans linguistics, speech technology, and computational methods. Education: Harvard University (1965-1969), MIT (M.S. 1972, Ph.D. 1975) Professional Experience: AT&T Bell Laboratories (1975-1990), University of Pennsylvania (1990-present) His research interests include: Corpus-based Phonetics : Analyzing speech patterns via large-scale datasets. Clinical Applications : Developing speech biomarkers for neurodegenerative diseases. Tonal Phonology : Studying lexical tone and intonation in languages like Yoruba and Mandarin. Formal Annotation Models : Creating frameworks for linguistic data standardization. Recent publications highlight automated speech analysis, cross-linguistic prosody, and digital biomarkers for conditions like ALS-FTD and Alzheimer’s. His collaborations span computational linguistics , neurology , and cognitive science . Scientific awards include the IEEE James L. Flanagan Award (2017), Antonio Zampolli Prize (2010), and fellowships from the AAAS and Linguistic Society of America . He advises PhD students May Chan and Jonathan Him Nok Lee and contributes to editorial boards for journals like Cognition and Annual Review of Linguistics . His work bridges speech science , language technology , and neurocognitive research .
Professor Maria Craig is a distinguished academic and researcher at the University of New South Wales, Faculty of Medicine & Health, specializing in childhood diabetes research. She holds a prominent position as a Professor with extensive contributions to the field of pediatric endocrinology and diabetes, particularly focusing on type 1 diabetes in children. Professor Craig's educational background includes: MB BS from the University of Melbourne MMedSc(ClinEpid) from the University of Newcastle PhD from the University of Sydney FRACP (Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians) Professor Craig's research primarily focuses on childhood diabetes, with special emphasis on prediction and prevention of type 1 diabetes. She has a significant interest in the association between viruses and type 1 diabetes, collaborating with the Virology Research Group at Prince of Wales Hospital (POWH). Together with Professor Bill Rawlinson, she leads the viral theme for the multicentre ENDIA study (endia.org.au). As principal investigator for the CoRD trial, she is conducting a world-first phase 1 study using autologous cord blood for prevention of type 1 diabetes in children with islet autoimmunity. Additionally, she serves as principal investigator for the Australasian Diabetes Data Network (ADDN). Her research portfolio also encompasses the epidemiology of various forms of childhood diabetes (type 1, type 2, cystic fibrosis related diabetes and monogenic diabetes) and diabetes complications, in collaboration with Professor Kim Donaghue at the Children's Hospital at Westmead. Professor Craig's extensive publication record, including over 361 journal articles, demonstrates her leadership in advancing our understanding of childhood diabetes. Her recent work shows increasing focus on early detection methods, risk prediction models, technological interventions for diabetes management, and the complex interplay between viral infections and autoimmune diabetes development. She has been instrumental in developing clinical practice guidelines through her role as co-editor of the International Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Diabetes (ISPAD) guidelines. Professor Craig has received numerous prestigious awards recognizing her contributions to pediatric endocrinology and diabetes research: Australian Paediatric Endocrine Group Young Investigator's Award (1997) Asia Pacific Paediatric Endocrine Society Clinical Teaching Award (2008) Lifetime Honorary Member, Caring and Living as Neighbours (2013) Australian Diabetes Society Jeff Flack Diabetes Data Award (2019) Australian Paediatric Endocrine Group Norman Wettenhall Award for Research and Innovation (2019) Throughout her career, Professor Craig has demonstrated exceptional leadership in professional societies, having served as former president/treasurer of the Australasian Paediatric Endocrine Group (APEG) and currently as Scientific Convenor of the Asia Pacific Paediatric Endocrine Society Fellows school. Her work with the ENDIA study and Australasian Diabetes Data Network represents significant collaborative research efforts involving multiple institutions across Australia and internationally. Her principal investigator roles for major studies indicate substantial research funding support. Professor Craig leads several important research initiatives including the ENDIA study, the CoRD trial, and the Australasian Diabetes Data Network. These programs involve multidisciplinary teams of researchers, clinicians, and support staff working collaboratively to advance understanding and treatment of childhood diabetes. Her work at the intersection of virology and diabetes represents a unique and innovative approach to understanding the environmental triggers of type 1 diabetes.
Dr. Jimeng Sun is a Health Innovation Professor at the Siebel School of Computing and Data Science and Carle Illinois College of Medicine at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Co-founder of Keiji AI , he leads groundbreaking research at the intersection of artificial intelligence and healthcare, actively deploying clinical AI systems and developing frameworks like PyHealth and Therapeutics Data Commons . His research spans four major areas: Clinical AI Systems : Developing interpretable models (e.g., RETAIN) for patient similarity, temporal event prediction, medication recommendation, and clinical outcome forecasting Drug Discovery : Creating molecular optimization frameworks, drug-target interaction models, and AI-driven platforms Clinical Trials : Pioneering patient-trial matching, outcome prediction, and optimization frameworks using deep learning and graph neural networks Biosignal Analysis : Advancing sleep staging, seizure classification, and automated EEG/Cardiac monitoring systems With over 500 top-tier publications (including in Nature , NEJM AI , and leading AI conferences) and an h-index of 99, his work has been recognized with the Top 100 AI Leaders in Drug Discovery and Advanced Healthcare award. He maintains active collaborations with institutions like Massachusetts General Hospital , Medidata Solutions , and OSF Healthcare . His recent publications reveal a strong focus on: Reinforcement learning applications in medical data analysis Large language model adaptation for clinical tasks Knowledge graph integration with AI systems Synthetic data generation for healthcare Multi-modal learning in clinical contexts Explainable AI for medical applications Dr. Sun's lab ( Sunlab ) emphasizes practical impact over theoretical work, actively collaborating with hospitals and healthtech companies. He welcomes contributions from clinicians, researchers, and industry partners through initiatives like his AI for Health webinar series .
Prof. Marcy Zenobi-Wong is a Full Professor at ETH Zurich's Department of Health Sciences and Technology, specializing in biofabrication and tissue engineering. Her research focuses on cartilage regeneration using advanced biomaterials, including nanofilm coatings and 3D printing techniques. She holds patents in tissue engineering and has pioneered methods like filamented light (FLight) biofabrication for creating anisotropic tissues. Her academic journey includes a B.Sc. from MIT (1985), M.Sc. and Ph.D. from Stanford (1987, 1990), followed by postdoctoral work at the University of Michigan. She leads the Biofabrication Group at ETH, developing therapies for joint repair and regenerative medicine. Courses taught include Biomedical Engineering and Materials and Mechanics in Medicine . Research highlights include engineered hydrogels for cartilage protection, CRISPR-driven gene editing in chondrocytes, and biohybrid neural interfaces. Her work bridges material science, cell biology, and clinical applications, with a focus on translational medicine. Collaborative projects involve creating elastic cartilage grafts for microtia reconstruction and volumetric printing of complex tissue constructs.
Evrim Acar Ataman is a Research Professor and Chief Research Scientist at Simula Metropolitan, where she serves as Head of the Department of Data Science and Knowledge Discovery. Her research focuses on advanced data mining techniques for complex, multi-modal datasets across biomedical and network domains. Her primary research interests include Data Mining , Matrix and Tensor Factorizations , and Data Fusion for multi-modal data analysis. She develops constrained and coupled factorization methods to extract interpretable patterns in applications spanning neuroimaging, metabolomics, and mobile network analysis, with emphasis on dynamic and longitudinal data structures. Her work integrates mechanistic models with data-driven approaches to enhance biological and system understanding. Analysis of her recent publications (2024-2025) reveals a dominant trend applying tensor and coupled matrix-tensor factorizations to biomedical data for biomarker discovery, particularly in metabolomics and neuroimaging. Key innovations include tracking evolving patterns in temporal data (tPARAFAC2), constrained fusion methods (dCMF), and integration of mechanistic models with tensor decompositions for longitudinal analysis. As Head of the Department of Data Science and Knowledge Discovery, she leads research in developing novel data mining methodologies and their real-world applications at Simula Metropolitan, with significant contributions to interpretable AI for complex systems.
Daniel Finley is a Professor of Cell Biology at Harvard Medical School (HMS), leading the Finley Lab focused on the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway and related regulatory mechanisms. He holds academic appointments within the Department of Cell Biology and sits on the Scientific Advisory Boards of Proteostasis and X-Chem Pharmaceuticals. His research investigates proteasome function, ubiquitin-like proteins, and proteostasis roles in diseases like Alzheimer’s and ALS. Dr. Finley earned his undergraduate degree in biochemistry from Harvard University and a Ph.D. in molecular biology from MIT. After postdoctoral training at MIT, he joined HMS in 1988. His lab explores topics including erythroid proteome remodeling, mitochondrial dysfunction, and neurodegenerative disease mechanisms. Key research areas include: (1) Ubiquitin-proteasome pathway regulation, (2) Proteasome structure/function, (3) Nonproteolytic roles of ubiquitination, and (4) Pathophysiological roles of proteostasis defects in diseases. His work bridges basic cell biology with translational medicine, particularly in neurodegeneration and anemia. Finley has secured NIH funding for projects like 'Regulation of Proteasome Activity' (R35GM145246) and 'Erythrocyte maturation through global proteome remodeling' (R01HL153970). Collaborations with industry and academic partners extend his impact in drug discovery and proteasome-targeted therapies. His lab’s contributions include defining ubiquitin chain editing mechanisms, identifying USP14’s role in mitophagy, and elucidating proteostasis defects in Alzheimer's models. Research tools developed include advanced cryo-EM analyses of proteasomal structures and functional assays for ubiquitin system enzymes.
Julienne Bower is a Professor at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with joint appointments in the Department of Psychology and the Department of Psychiatry/Biobehavioral Sciences. She serves as Director of the Mind-Body Research Lab, Associate Director of the Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology, and as a Member of the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center. Her research explores mind-body interactions in individuals facing stressful life events, particularly cancer patients and survivors, focusing on biological pathways linking psychological states to health outcomes and the effects of mind-body interventions. Ph.D. from UCLA Area Chair: Health Psychology Primary Area: Health Psychology Secondary Area: Clinical Psychology Location: 6538 Pritzker Hall, UCLA Dr. Bower's research examines how positive psychological factors (e.g., benefit finding, positive affect) influence physical health through immune and neuroendocrine pathways, while also investigating mind-body interventions like yoga and mindfulness meditation. Her work spans observational, experimental, and intervention studies, emphasizing the immune system as a central mechanism. The Mind-Body Research Lab, under Dr. Bower's leadership, has published extensively on topics including cancer-related fatigue, stress-induced inflammation, and the physiological impacts of psychosocial interventions. Key publications address NF-κB signaling, glucocorticoid resistance, and cortisol dysregulation in cancer survivors. Dr. Bower's lab is actively recruiting graduate students for 2024 through the UCLA Health Psychology Program, offering training in psychoneuroimmunology, cancer prevention, and mind-body research methodologies.
Catherine Lai is a Reader (~Associate Professor) in the Department of Linguistics and English Language at the University of Edinburgh, with strong affiliations to the Centre for Speech Technology Research (CSTR) and the Institute for Language, Cognition and Computation (ILCC) in the School of Informatics. She is based in the School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences and is actively involved in research, teaching, and academic service. Department: Department of Linguistics and English Language School: School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences Research Institutes: Centre for Speech Technology Research, Institute for Language, Cognition and Computation Email: C.Lai@ed.ac.uk Her research centers on the role of prosody—non-lexical aspects of speech—in spoken communication. She investigates how prosody contributes to discourse structure, information structure, and affect in dialogue, using interdisciplinary methods from linguistics and machine learning. Her work bridges theoretical linguistics and practical speech technology, aiming to improve spoken language understanding and synthesis systems. She is particularly interested in how prosody shapes listener expectations and how affect and topic are expressed and perceived in conversation. Her recent publications reflect a strong focus on self-supervised learning in speech models, emotion recognition, ASR error correction using large language models, cognitive state classification, and ethical considerations in language technology. She explores topics such as the uncanny valley in synthetic speech, gender expression through voice, and community-centered development of language technologies. Prize from Scopus Profile Catherine Lai has supervised several PhD students, including Leimin Tian and Yuanchao Li, and has been involved in significant research projects, such as a Toyota-funded initiative on spoken dialogue for robot companions. She has secured multiple grants and leads a research agenda that integrates theoretical inquiry with real-world applications in assistive technologies and social science. Her academic service includes organizing major conferences like Interspeech and UK and Ireland Speech. She is a key member of research teams at CSTR and ILCC, collaborating across disciplines to advance the understanding of spoken communication and the development of robust, ethical speech technologies.
Jillian Bohlen is an Associate Professor at the University of Georgia within the College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences , specifically the Department of Animal and Dairy Science . Her work focuses on dairy cattle reproduction, teaching, and youth development in agricultural sciences. Education: B.S. in Dairy Science, University of Georgia (2003) M.S. in Dairy Science, University of Georgia (2005) Ph.D. in Animal Sciences, Clemson University (2012) Dr. Bohlen's research emphasizes applied reproduction in cattle , including synchronization techniques, ultrasound applications in reproductive programs, and embryo competency. She integrates students into all research projects despite lacking a formal research appointment. Her teaching interests span dairy cattle production , reproductive management , and contemporary agricultural issues , with courses like ADSC 3620 (Dairy Cattle Production), ADSC 4010 (Issues in Animal Agriculture), and ADSC 4410 (Applied Reproductive Management). Scientific awards include: Student Career Success Influencer Award (2024) Russell Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching (2023) UGA Creative Teaching Award (2022) CAES Early Career Teaching Award (2022) Hoard's Dairyman Youth Development Award (2021) Larry Benyshek Teaching Award (2017) She actively promotes agricultural education through programs like the Commercial Heifer Project , Dairy Cattle Judging , and Dairy Quiz Bowl . Additionally, she participates in funded projects related to methane emissions , heat stress mitigation , and antibiotic alternatives in dairy farming.
Alexis Battle is an Associate Professor at Johns Hopkins University with appointments in Biomedical Engineering , Computer Science , and Genetic Medicine (secondary). She directs the Malone Center for Engineering in Healthcare and serves as Deputy Director of the Data Science and AI Institute . Educated at Stanford University (PhD in Computer Science, 2013), Battle transitioned to academia after leadership roles at Google. Research Focus: Battle’s work bridges genomics and machine learning , emphasizing the impact of genetic variation on human health. Her lab develops tools like Watershed to predict functional effects of rare variants, aiming to enhance rare disease diagnosis. Key themes include non-coding DNA analysis , personalized genomics , and systems biology , with applications in cardiovascular disease and neurodegenerative disorders . Publications & Awards: Over 60 peer-reviewed articles in journals like Nature , Science , and Genome Biology , with recent emphasis on single-cell transcriptomics , multiomics integration , and telomere biology . Recipient of the President’s Frontier Award (2022), Microsoft Investigator Fellowship (2019), and Searle Scholar (2016). Scientific Awards: 2022 President’s Frontier Award 2019 Microsoft Investigator Fellowship 2019 Johns Hopkins Discovery Award 2017 Johns Hopkins Catalyst Award 2016 Searle Scholar Advising & Funding: Mentors 11 PhD students, 3 undergraduates, and postdoctoral fellows. Her research is funded by NIH, Searle Scholars, and institutional grants. The Battle Lab collaborates on projects like the GTEx Consortium , focusing on gene regulation and clinical genomics .
Pierre Vandergheynst is a Full Professor at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) in the Department of Electrical Engineering, with a courtesy appointment in Computer and Communication Sciences. He serves as EPFL’s Vice-Provost for Education since 2015 and leads the Signal Processing Laboratory 2 (LTS2). His research spans harmonic analysis, sparse approximations, mathematical data processing, and applications in signal/image processing, computer vision, machine learning, and graph-based data analysis. PhD in Mathematical Physics (1998), Université catholique de Louvain Postdoctoral Researcher at EPFL (1998-2001) Assistant Professor at EPFL (2002-2007) His research explores geometry/symmetry in high-dimensional data, redundant dictionaries for dimensionality reduction, and computational harmonic analysis on manifolds. Recent work focuses on protein structure modeling, geometric deep learning, and graph-based signal processing. Key article trends include graph neural networks for protein analysis, geometric deep learning in neuroscience, and structured knowledge priors in neural models. His 2023-2025 publications emphasize interpretable AI, long-range dependencies in graphs, and molecular representation learning. Scientific Awards: IEEE Signal Processing Magazine Best Paper Award (2023) Signal Processing Society Best Paper Award (2022) Apple ARTS Award (2007) De Boelpaepe Prize, Royal Academy of Sciences of Belgium (2009-2010) He has supervised over 30 PhD theses and contributed to foundational work in graph signal processing, compressive sensing, and geometric deep learning. His lab develops tools for data science on non-Euclidean structures, with applications in medicine, astronomy, and wireless systems.
Allison Ross Eckard, MD is Professor in the Departments of Pediatrics and Medicine at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) College of Medicine, serving as Division Chief for Pediatric Infectious Diseases and Director of MUSC's Ryan White Pediatric HIV Clinic and HIV Transition Clinic. She maintains an adjunct faculty position at Emory University and holds board certification in Pediatrics and Pediatric Infectious Diseases. Her primary research focuses on metabolic, cardiovascular, and nutritional complications of chronic HIV and antiretroviral therapy across age groups, with emphasis on inflammation's role in comorbidities like cardiovascular disease and bone disorders. Current investigations include NIH R01-funded research on interventions for weight gain and abdominal fat in HIV, vitamin D supplementation, and statin therapy. She has published nearly 60 peer-reviewed papers on HIV pathogenesis and treatment optimization. Dr. Eckard co-chairs the DHHS panel for Guidelines for the Prevention and Treatment of Opportunistic Infections in HIV-Exposed and HIV-Infected Children and serves on the DHHS panel for Guidelines for the Use of Antiretroviral Agents in Adults and Adolescents with HIV . Her clinical work specializes in comprehensive HIV care for children through young adults, with particular focus on adolescent/young adult transition issues and global health initiatives through Lespwa Timoun in Haiti. Recent efforts include developing COVID-19 treatment guidelines for children and school safety protocols. HIV Specialist certification (American Academy of HIV Medicine) Fellow, Infectious Diseases Society of America Fellow, Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society Fellow, HIV Medical Association Member, HIV Medical Association's 'Ending the HIV Epidemic' working group She leads MUSC's HIV education initiatives and serves as inpatient consultant for pediatric infectious diseases, with advanced training in tropical medicine. Her NIH-funded research examines targeted interventions to minimize comorbidity development in HIV, while her clinical leadership spans the Ryan White HIV program, transition clinics, and global health partnerships.
Dr. Samira Lakhal-Littleton is an Associate Professor of Cell Physiology and MRC Senior Non-Clinical Research Fellow at the University of Oxford, affiliated with the Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics and Brasenose College. Her research focuses on iron homeostasis, systems biology, and oxygen sensing mechanisms in cardiovascular and systemic physiology. Education: BSc in Human Genetics (University College London), DPhil in Molecular Medicine (University of Oxford) Her work bridges cell physiology and translational medicine, with key discoveries on hypoxia-inducible factors (HIFs), iron regulatory genes TMPRSS6 and GDF15 , and the role of hepcidin in altitude adaptation and chronic diseases. She utilizes tissue-specific animal models to study iron regulation in heart, kidney, placenta, and vasculature. Recent publications highlight her contributions to understanding: FLASH radiotherapy effects linked to iron-dependent lipid peroxidation Clinical implications of myocardial iron dynamics in heart failure Hepcidin's role in vascular protection and placental iron transfer Biomarker development for predictive iron deficiency diagnostics Scientific Leadership: British Heart Foundation Intermediate Fellowship (2012) MRC Senior Fellowship (2020) BioIron Society Board Member (2019) She collaborates with clinical teams on translational projects and serves as a Tutorial Fellow in Medicine at Brasenose College, mentoring students in physiological sciences.
Christopher Thomas Sege, PhD is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) College of Medicine. His research focuses on the neurophysiological mechanisms underlying anxiety disorders, particularly examining escape, avoidance, and approach behaviors in the anxiety disorder spectrum. Dr. Sege's primary research interests include: Anxiety Disorders and Emotional Processing Defensive Behaviors and Coping Mechanisms Neurophysiological Correlates of Emotional Anticipation Startle Response and Autonomic Nervous System Functioning Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) Applications His work bridges clinical psychology with neuroscience to understand how individuals with anxiety disorders process and respond to emotional stimuli. Dr. Sege leads the research study "Modeling and Modulating Mechanisms of Escape, Avoidance, and Approach in the Anxiety Disorder Spectrum" which investigates whether repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) can alter how people with anxiety cope with emotional situations. This study involves measuring brain activation while participants view emotional pictures and undergo rTMS procedures. His publication record demonstrates expertise across multiple domains: Neurophysiological mechanisms of defensive behaviors Emotional anticipation and perception Startle modulation in anxiety disorders Borderline personality disorder research Development of experimental paradigms for emotional processing studies His research employs multiple methodologies including psychophysiology, event-related potentials, and neurostimulation techniques. Dr. Sege collaborates with researchers including Lisa McTeague, Bernadette Cortese, Carla Danielson, Thomas Uhde, and Aicko Schumann. His work appears in journals such as Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, Biological Psychology, and Psychophysiology.
Laura Elo serves as Professor of Computational Medicine and Head of the Medical Bioinformatics Centre at the University of Turku, Finland. She concurrently holds the position of Research Director at Turku Bioscience Centre and acts as InFLAMES Flagship Contact, driving interdisciplinary biomedical research initiatives. Her academic foundation includes a PhD in Applied Mathematics (2007) and Adjunct Professorship in Biomathematics (2011), establishing her quantitative expertise before transitioning into biomedical applications. Her research program focuses on transforming molecular and clinical datasets through statistical modeling and advanced machine learning . Key thrusts include robust computational tools for proteome/epigenome analysis, AI-driven digital health diagnostics, and computational systems immunology for immune-mediated diseases. This work directly addresses challenges in reproducibility and scalability of high-throughput biotechnology data. Analysis of her recent publications reveals dominant themes in type 1 diabetes biomarker discovery , multi-omics integration , and immune system modeling , with strong emphasis on clinical translation through collaborations with experimental and medical teams. Her scientific recognition includes: JDRF Career Development Award Professor Elo actively trains MSc/PhD students and postdoctoral fellows while leading major research initiatives including ERC grants. Her teaching portfolio spans Bioinformatics Journal Club, AI in Diagnostics, and Systems Biology courses. The Elo Lab (https://elolab.utu.fi) operates as a hub for computational biomedicine, developing open-source tools like CellRomeR while maintaining close ties with Turku Bioscience Centre's experimental facilities for validating computational predictions in immunology and metabolic disease contexts.
