Niclas Borlin is an Associate Professor at the Department of Computing Science, Umeå University. His research specializes in photogrammetry, bundle adjustment algorithms, and 3D measurement techniques, with applications spanning computer vision, remote sensing, and geospatial analysis. He maintains an active role in academic research with no indications of retirement or part-time status. Research Focus: Borlin's work centers on developing computational methods for photogrammetric data processing. Key areas include: Bundle adjustment optimization and modular algorithm design Terrestrial and UAV-based photogrammetry for environmental/architectural documentation Laser scanning calibration and error quantification Medical imaging techniques for orthopedic applications Awards: Talbert Abrams Award (2020) for contributions to photogrammetry His publications demonstrate consistent focus on improving accuracy in 3D measurements through computational innovations, with recent work emphasizing open-source tools like the Damped Bundle Adjustment Toolbox (DBAT).
Marcus Schmidt is a Geographer and Researcher at the Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF) in Müncheberg, Germany, affiliated with the Computation and Data Service Platform's Research Data Management working group. He coordinates the FAIRagro Data Steward Service Center (DSSC) and drives Research Data Management (RDM) networking initiatives for FAIRagro and broader agricultural research contexts. His research centers on geo-ecological data systems with specialized expertise in soil data curation, advanced statistical analysis, and agricultural informatics. Key focus areas include implementing FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) data principles, developing metadata standards for environmental datasets, and optimizing data infrastructure for agricultural landscape studies. His work bridges geospatial science with practical data stewardship solutions for sustainable agriculture research. No scientific awards are documented in the provided materials. Advisory relationships and grant funding details are not specified in the available information. Dr. Schmidt leads the FAIRagro Data Steward Service Center within ZALF's Computation and Data Service Platform, focusing on institutional data governance frameworks and collaborative RDM networks across European agricultural research consortia.
Dr. Lynn M. Schriml is a Professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, with primary appointments in the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health and the Institute for Genome Sciences. Her research develops bioinformatic tools, metadata standards, and ontologies to understand relationships between pathogens, genomics, and disease. She leads the Disease Ontology project and Built Environment MIxS-BE Metadata initiative, supported by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. Education: Bachelor of Arts in Biology, Wells College (1989) PhD in Biology, University of Ottawa (1997) IRTA/CRTA Postdoctoral Fellowship, National Cancer Institute (1996-1999) Her research integrates human disease classification, microbiome analysis, and genomic metadata standardization. She coordinates international consortia including the Genomic Standards Consortium (where she served as President) and MetaSUB, examining urban microbiomes. Key focus areas include ontological representation of cancer, rare diseases, and metadata frameworks for large-scale genomic databases. Publications emphasize genomic standards, disease ontology development, and microbiome research, with recent work advancing FAIR data principles, reproducibility frameworks, and cross-domain interoperability. Trends show deepening integration of ontology-based approaches with clinical genomics and environmental microbiomics. Awards & Leadership: Medical School Teaching Award, University of Maryland (2015) President, Genomic Standards Consortium (2015-2016) She directs collaborative projects with NASA, ClinGen Pediatric Cancer Taskforce, and the Omic Biodiversity Observation Network. Current initiatives include modeling complex disease etiology and enhancing metadata standards for planetary protection protocols.
Julia Kowalski serves as Professor and Chair of the Department of Methods of Model-Based Development in Computational Engineering at RWTH Aachen University's Faculty of Mechanical Engineering. She holds dual appointments on the Steering Committees for the university's Profile Areas in Production Engineering (ProdE) and Modeling & Simulation Sciences, operating from the Collective Building of Mechanical Engineering in Aachen, Germany. Her research integrates computational engineering with geohazard prediction and cryorobotics, developing advanced numerical methods for multiphysics problems including ice-penetration probes, landslide susceptibility mapping, and wind-energy systems. She pioneers machine learning applications that bridge physical models with engineering design while championing FAIR data principles across cryosphere and geohazard research domains. Current projects focus on model coupling techniques for environmental flows and space exploration technologies. Analysis of her 15 most recent publications reveals dominant trends in surrogate modeling for geotechnical stability, cryorobotic exploration systems, and FAIR data frameworks for environmental science. Her work consistently bridges machine learning with physical modeling across renewable energy, planetary science, and natural hazard mitigation through international collaborations like the TRIPLE project. Scientific awards are not documented in provided materials, though her leadership in DLR-funded space exploration initiatives and editorial roles in topical collections indicates significant recognition. As department chair, she oversees graduate advising and research direction within her computational engineering group, with active grant funding evidenced by German Space Agency collaborations and multi-institutional projects targeting geohazard prediction and cryosphere exploration. Her work demonstrates strong industry-academia-government partnerships. Kowalski leads the Methods of Model-Based Development research group, which operates as an integrated lab for numerical simulation, model coupling, and data-driven engineering solutions. Future work focuses on enhancing uncertainty quantification in geohazard models, advancing cryorobotic technologies for extraterrestrial environments, and developing robust frameworks for FAIR geoscientific data.
Dr. Erik-Jan van Kesteren is an Assistant Professor in the Methodology and Statistics department at Utrecht University , where he leads the ODISSEI Social Data Science (SoDa) team. His work bridges statistical methodology with computational social science, with a focus on synthetic data, Bayesian inference, and open research infrastructure. Current research initiatives include: Developing privacy-preserving synthetic data frameworks Improving computational approaches to structural equation modeling Addressing geospatial sampling bias in volunteer-collected datasets Exploring text-based personality computing and language association tools He maintains the department's compute server infrastructure and contributes to open-source projects like ArtScraper and osmenrich. Contact via e.vankesteren1@uu.nl or erikjanvankesteren@pm.me
Dr. Rita Gautschy is a Lecturer at the Department of Environmental Sciences within the Faculty of Humanities and Natural Sciences at the University of Basel. Her academic position is based at Bernoullistrasse 30, 4056 Basel, Switzerland, where she can be reached at telephone number +41 61 207 67 30 or via email at rita.gautschy@unibas.ch. Dr. Gautschy's research interests span several interdisciplinary fields including: Digital Archaeology and Cultural Heritage Research Data Management for Humanities Environmental Archaeology Historical Geography of Mesopotamia Astronomical Methods in Archaeological Chronology Her recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on developing interoperable systems for archaeological data management. Dr. Gautschy is particularly interested in creating robust database structures that can handle specialized archaeological information such as micromorphological data while ensuring long-term preservation and accessibility of cultural heritage materials. Her work bridges environmental sciences with archaeological research, contributing to the growing field of digital archaeology. Dr. Gautschy leads several significant research projects including: "Tall al-Hamidiya Online" - Digitization and Publication of the Finds from the Swiss Archaeological Mission in Tall al-Hamidiya, Northeast Syria (Ongoing) Hydrography of Mesopotamia. Rivers and Channels in Babylonia from the 4th to the 1st Millennium BCE (Ongoing) Astronomical chronology of the Third Intermediate Period in Egypt (Completed)
Danijela Dimitrijević is a Postdoctoral Researcher in the Chair of Palaeontology at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU). Her work focuses on the evolutionary and ecological dynamics of marine reef communities across deep time, particularly the morphological trait evolution of scleractinian corals and their responses to climate upheavals. Education: PhD in Paleontology (FAU, 2024) International Master in Geosciences: Palaeobiology (FAU, 2021) International Master in Applied Ecology (EMMC-IMAE, 2015) BSc in Geospatial and Environmental Science (University of Belgrade, 2011) Research Interests: Danijela investigates coral reef evolution , trait-based extinction risk , and marine community responses to hyperthermal events . Her projects integrate quantitative trait analysis (e.g., corallite size) with paleoclimatic data to assess long-term ecological resilience. She also co-developed the Ancient Reef Traits (ART) database for global reef-building organism data. Publication Trends: Recent work spans census-based reef carbonate production , bioerosion patterns in Triassic corals , and trait decoupling in extinction events . She emphasizes open science and data equity in paleontological research. Fieldwork & Collaboration: Active in field studies (e.g., Silurian reefs in Sweden) and international collaborations, Danijela bridges geological history with modern conservation challenges through interdisciplinary research and science communication initiatives.
Paolo Zatelli is an Associate Professor at the University of Trento , Department of Civil, Environmental and Mechanical Engineering. His academic career spans over two decades, with research expertise in geomatics, photogrammetry, and open-source GIS applications. Department of Civil, Environmental and Mechanical Engineering (since 2001) Researcher in ICAR06 (Topography and Cartography) International collaborations in geospatial projects Education includes a degree in Environmental and Territory Engineering (1993, 110/110 with honors) and a PhD in Topographic and Geodetic Sciences (1998). He has taught courses in GIS, Digital Cartography, and GPS surveying. Research Interests focus on geospatial technologies and their applications. Key areas include digital photogrammetry , wavelet applications in geodesy , GPS survey planning , and open-source GIS development . His work extends to environmental monitoring, historical cartography analysis, and sustainable forest management systems. Publication Trends show sustained contributions to FOSS4G (Free and Open Source GIS) applications, with recent work covering topics like landscape metrics , EV charging infrastructure , beta diversity analysis , and historical map digitization using GRASS GIS and QGIS. Scientific Contributions include: Member, IAG Special Study Group 4.187 on Wavelets in Geodesy Organizing committee, IV Hotine-Marussi Symposium Key developer of GRASS GIS applications Contributor to GOCE satellite geodesy projects Teaching and Mentorship highlights his role in both academic and professional GIS training, with over 20 theses supervised. His Technical Contributions involve developing open-source tools for spatial database management, statistical analysis, and georeferencing workflows.
Gheorghe Badea serves as a University Professor and Dean at the University of Civil Engineering Bucharest (UTCB) since October 2015, having previously served as Vice-Dean from 2012-2015. He is affiliated with the Faculty of Geodesy, Department of Topography and Cadastre, and also serves as doctoral supervisor in Geodetic Engineering within UTCB's Doctoral School. Additionally, he holds associate teaching positions at Ion Mincu University of Architecture and Urbanism (Faculty of Urbanism, since 1998), University of Bucharest (Faculty of Geography, since 2012), and Ferdinand I Military Technical Academy (Faculty of Integrated Weapon Systems, Engineering and Mechatronics, since 2022). Professor Badea's research focuses on cadastre systems, geospatial data infrastructures, and land administration. His expertise spans the development of normative and informational frameworks for cadastral operations, geospatial data integration in GIS, spatial data standards (including ISO 19115 Metadata and 19152 Land Administration Domain Model), and advanced 3D modeling techniques (BIM, GIS, CAD). He has extensive experience in technical documentation for property registration in integrated cadastral systems and spatial data acquisition/processing for infrastructure projects. With over 32 years of academic experience, Professor Badea has authored or co-authored 8 books and book chapters published by central publishers, 6 university textbooks and guides through UTCB Press, and over 100 scientific articles (including more than 30 ISI-rated publications). He has participated in over 50 research contracts and projects as member, responsible person, or project director. Expert evaluator for ARACIS (Romanian Agency for Quality Assurance in Higher Education) Expert evaluator for UEFISCDI research projects Trainer in internal quality assurance Trainer in study program development Professor Badea serves as President of Commission 7 "Cadastre and Territory Administration" within the Union of Geodesists of Romania (UGR) and is a member of the Romanian Society of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (SRFT). He collaborates with the National Agency of Cadastre and Real Estate Publicity (ANCPI) as an authorized category D person, technical norms consultant, and board member. His professional activities include coordinating doctoral theses in Geodetic Engineering and Civil Engineering fields, and leading research at the Center for Engineering Geodetic Measurements and Spatial Data Infrastructures.
Prof. Gheorghe M. Badea serves as University Professor and Dean of the Faculty of Geodesy at the Technical University of Civil Engineering Bucharest (UTCB), where he has accumulated over 32 years of academic experience. He concurrently holds teaching positions at the "Ion Mincu" University of Architecture and Urban Planning (Faculty of Urban Planning since 1998), University of Bucharest (Faculty of Geography since 2012), and "Ferdinand I" Military Technical Academy (Faculty of Integrated Armament Systems since 2022). His institutional leadership includes membership in the UTCB Doctoral School Council, Faculty Council, Administrative Council, and Senate. Educational milestones include a 1989 Geodesy degree from Bucharest Institute of Construction, a 2003 PhD with thesis "Contributions on the use of cadastral data in the territorial information system", and a 2018 Habilitation in Geodetic Engineering with thesis "Cadastre, geospatial data infrastructures, standards and metadata". His research spans Cadastre, Geospatial Data Infrastructures, and Geodetic Engineering with emphasis on Topography, GIS, Land Administration, Remote Sensing, and 3D Modeling (BIM/GIS/CAD). He has authored 8 books in central publishing houses and 6 UTCB-published academic guides, alongside 100+ scientific articles (30+ ISI-listed), focusing on geospatial data integration for sustainable development, standardization frameworks (ISO 19115/19152), and advanced 3D applications. Prof. Badea has directed or participated in over 50 research contracts while serving as ARACIS/UEFISCDI evaluator and quality assurance trainer. He leads the Center for Geodetic Engineering Measurements and Spatial Data Infrastructures, coordinating doctoral theses in Geodetic Engineering and collaborating with the National Agency for Cadastre (ANCPI) as category D authorized expert. As president of UGR Commission 7 "Cadastre and Territorial Administration" and member of SRFT, he develops technical norms for cadastral systems and advances 2024-2025 research themes: multisource geospatial data modeling for SDGs, geospatial standards integration, and cadastral data for 3D representations.
