Dr. Stan Ahalt serves as the inaugural Dean of the UNC School of Data Science and Society (SDSS) and holds a professorship in the Department of Computer Science at UNC-Chapel Hill. He previously directed the Renaissance Computing Institute (RENCI) and currently acts as its executive advisor. Additionally, he is the associate director of informatics and data science at NC TraCS, the translational research institute at UNC. His academic journey includes a 22-year tenure as professor of electrical and computer engineering at Ohio State University and leadership roles at the Ohio Supercomputer Center. Ahalt’s research focuses on applying data science to societal challenges such as healthcare, climate, and judicial reform. Key initiatives include the National Consortium for Data Science and the iRODS project, which advanced enterprise data management systems. Ahalt has secured over $34.5M in grants to lead high-impact projects like the NHLBI BioData Catalyst (unifying biomedical data), the NCATS Translator (accelerating clinical discovery), and the NIH HEAL Initiative (ensuring FAIR data standards). He mentors students across doctoral and master’s programs, teaching data science fundamentals in courses like COMP 116: Introduction to Scientific Programming. His work emphasizes interdisciplinary collaboration, evidenced by roles in RENCI, NC TraCS, and the SDSS. Ahalt’s contributions span cyberinfrastructure development, educational innovation, and translational research, positioning UNC as a national leader in data science.
Charles D. Sprenger is a Professor of Economics at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), where he has served since 2020 and held the position of Executive Officer from 2022 to 2025. He is affiliated with Caltech's Division of the Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS) and holds key roles at the Ronald and Maxine Linde Institute of Economic and Management Sciences and the Center for Theoretical and Experimental Social Sciences (CTESS). His external appointments include Board of Editors for the American Economic Review and Associate Editor roles for the Journal of the European Economic Association and Quantitative Economics . His educational background includes a B.A. from Stanford University (2002), an M.Sc. from University College London (2005), and a Ph.D. from the University of California, San Diego (2011). These credentials established his foundation in economic theory and experimental methodology. Sprenger is a leading behavioral and experimental economist specializing in intertemporal decision making and choices under uncertainty. His research designs innovative experiments across diverse contexts—from food deserts in the United States to polio vaccination drives in Pakistan—to test the validity of standard economic models. His work consistently reveals significant deviations from rational choice theory, particularly regarding time inconsistency, risk preferences, and reference-dependent behaviors. He has pioneered methods for measuring time preferences and testing cumulative prospect theory, with implications for public policy and behavioral interventions. Analysis of his 15 most recent publications (2015-2024) shows a cohesive research program centered on behavioral anomalies in decision making. His work bridges laboratory precision with real-world field applications, demonstrating how psychological factors like procrastination and loss aversion manifest in high-stakes environments. Key trends include the development of tailored incentive structures, validation of rank-dependent utility models, and exploration of dynamic inconsistency across domains including health, finance, and public policy. His notable recognition includes: Sloan Foundation Fellowship (2016-2018) Sprenger actively contributes to the academic community through editorial leadership and collaborative research. His work has been featured in Caltech news for projects like "Reducing Procrastination with Tailored Incentives" (2023) and the graduate summer program "Experimental Economics in Theory and Practice" (2023). Though specific advisees aren't listed, his teaching of advanced courses like Experimental Economics (SS 212 abc) indicates mentorship of graduate researchers. He secures significant research funding through fellowships and institutional support, enabling large-scale field experiments. As a core member of CTESS, Sprenger leads a multidisciplinary team conducting cutting-edge experimental economics research. His lab integrates theoretical modeling with empirical validation, focusing on how behavioral insights can improve policy design in areas like tax compliance, vaccination programs, and financial decision making. Current work emphasizes scalable interventions for procrastination and preference-based incentive customization.
Jose Miguel Abito ("Mike") is an Associate Professor in the Department of Economics at The Ohio State University (OSU), serving as Director of Undergraduate Studies. He holds a PhD from Northwestern University, with prior roles including Assistant Professor at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, where he won a teaching award. His research focuses on applied microeconomics, particularly industrial organization, regulation, and environmental economics. He examines topics such as regulatory incentives, consumer misinformation effects, and antitrust methodologies in sectors like electricity, extended warranties, and infant formula. Education: PhD in Economics from Northwestern University (Evanston, IL), graduate studies in Econometrics and Mathematical Economics at Toulouse, France, and undergraduate studies in Singapore. Research Interests: Mike explores how regulatory frameworks impact market efficiency, consumer welfare, and firm behavior. Recent work analyzes renewable energy market design, electricity procurement dynamics, and demand spillovers in welfare programs like WIC. His methodologies bridge theoretical models and empirical analysis to address complex policy questions. Professional Activities: Currently serves as a University Senator (2023-2026), member of the Salmon P. Chase Center Academic Advisory Committee, and faculty advisor for the Quantitative Finance Club at OSU. Previously involved in inclusive teaching initiatives at Wharton. Awards: Recognized with a teaching award during his tenure at Wharton School. Grants & Advising: Advises on projects related to infant formula markets, wage dynamics, and environmental policy. Engaged in collaborative research on green jobs, regulatory auditing frameworks, and productivity analysis.
Mallory Elizabeth SoRelle serves as the Tony & Teddie Brown Associate Professor at Duke University's Sanford School of Public Policy. Her research examines how public policies both stem from and perpetuate socioeconomic and political inequality in the U.S., with a focus on consumer financial protection and civil justice—issues critical to marginalized communities yet often neglected by welfare state scholars. Her academic credentials include: Ph.D. in Government, Cornell University (2016) M.A. in Government, Cornell University (2014) Master of Public Policy, Harvard University (2010) B.A. in Government, Smith College (2006) SoRelle's scholarly work centers on policy feedback effects, investigating how existing policies shape political behavior and future policy design. She analyzes consumer finance regulation, student debt relief, voting access reforms, and preemption politics, highlighting their disparate impacts on vulnerable populations and implications for democratic health. Her recent publications demonstrate a cohesive research agenda applying policy feedback theory across diverse policy domains. Key themes include the political consequences of financial regulation, the dynamics of student debt politics, and the erosion of voting rights, all examined through the lens of inequality and democratic participation. Dr. SoRelle holds the distinguished Tony & Teddie Brown Associate Professorship at Duke University. She is an active educator teaching courses such as The Political Economy of Policymaking and Public Policy, Political Power, and Social Change. Her research is supported by an NSF CAREER grant (2024-2029) investigating the political economy of fringe financial technologies and their impact on economic inequality.
Dr. Louise Alexander is an Associate Professor in Mental Health Nursing at Deakin University's School of Nursing & Midwifery (Faculty of Health). She holds prior academic roles including Senior Lecturer (ACU, 2018–2023) and Lecturer positions (ACU and Holmesglen Institute). Her research focuses on mental health nursing workforce sustainability, stigma reduction, simulation-based education, and curriculum development. Key interests include nurse resilience, pandemic impacts on healthcare workers, and improving student attitudes towards mental illness. Education: PhD from Deakin University; GCHE qualification Certifications: University of Melbourne's Emerging Leaders & Management Program (2021–2022) Teaching: Leads courses in forensic mental health, therapeutic communication, and health promotion Research Highlights: Recent work examines pandemic trauma among nurses, alcohol consumption trends post-COVID, and leadership's role in workforce retention. Her studies emphasize qualitative methods and integrative reviews to address systemic challenges in mental health nursing education and practice. Awards/Grants: No explicit awards listed; research supported by institutional collaborations. Active in developing transition-to-practice programs and evaluating simulation-based training efficacy. Labs/Teams: Collaborates with interdisciplinary teams on mental health workforce resilience and stigma reduction initiatives. Engages in national and international nursing education networks.
Paul Mohai is a Professor at the University of Michigan’s School of Natural Resources and Environment (SNRE). His work focuses on environmental justice, racial and socioeconomic disparities in pollution exposure, and policy development. He has contributed extensively to understanding historical and contemporary patterns of environmental inequity, particularly regarding hazardous waste siting and school proximity to industrial hazards. Mohai’s research bridges community-based activism, quantitative analysis, and policy advocacy. Education and Affiliations: Affiliated with the Program in the Environment at the University of Michigan. Research Interests: Mohai’s scholarship addresses how marginalized communities bear disproportionate environmental burdens, including air and water pollution, and advocates for equitable policy solutions. He has analyzed longitudinal data to assess demographic changes around hazardous facilities and collaborated with communities to design environmental screening tools. His work emphasizes the intersection of race, class, and environmental health outcomes. Publications: Mohai’s recent work includes studies on cumulative impacts of pollution, Michigan school siting guidelines, and the Flint water crisis. His articles span journals and conference proceedings, highlighting interdisciplinary approaches to environmental justice. Awards & Grants: No specific awards are listed, but his extensive publication record reflects sustained academic contribution. His grants likely support community-engaged research on environmental disparities. Labs/Teams: Collaborations include the Program in the Environment and the Michigan Environmental Justice Coalition.
Jerold S. Kayden is the Frank Backus Williams Professor of Urban Planning and Design at Harvard University's Graduate School of Design. He holds affiliations with Urban Planning and directs the Master in Real Estate Program. His expertise spans land use law, public space design, climate resilience, and urban disasters. Kayden advises governments, NGOs, and developers globally, with notable work in China, Russia, and Ukraine. He is a legal scholar with Supreme Court amicus brief experience, a Guggenheim Fellow, and recipient of the Harvard GSD 'Teacher of the Year' award. Education: Bachelor's, Law, and City & Regional Planning degrees from Harvard University Research Interests: Kayden focuses on urban legal frameworks, disaster resilience, and public-private space dynamics. His work bridges law, policy, and design, addressing climate adaptation and equitable urban development. Notable books include Privately Owned Public Space: The New York City Experience and Urban Disaster Resilience . Recent Articles: His 2022 Today’s Global contribution explores cross-cultural urban governance, while 2021's America examines legal history and urban resilience. Post-pandemic urban resilience analyses and legal analyses of Midtown Manhattan’s development highlight his recent work. Awards: Guggenheim Fellowship NEA Fellowships ACSP, ABA, ASLA, and EDRA awards Harvard GSD Teaching Excellence Advising & Grants: Principal Investigator for the Harvard-Netherlands Climate Adaptation Project (2009–2011). Advises the National Trust for Historic Preservation and leads the non-profit Advocates for Privately Owned Public Space . Collaborates with World Bank, UNDP, and the Dutch Government on land use policies. Labs/Teams: Leads urban resilience initiatives at Harvard GSD, coordinating interdisciplinary teams on climate adaptation and legal frameworks.
Professor Sara Baker is a Professor of Developmental Psychology and Education at the University of Cambridge's Faculty of Education and a Fellow at Darwin College, where she served as Vice Master from 2021-2024. She is also a 2022 Senior Fellow in the Science of Learning with UNESCO-IBE/IBRO. Her work bridges cognitive science and educational practice, focusing on how children develop executive functions and self-regulation skills. Baker leads the Early Years Library project, co-founded the Research Centre for Play in Education, Development and Learning (PEDAL), and is a founding member of the Global Executive Functions Initiative. Sara Baker specializes in the science of learning, with research aimed at improving children's lives by identifying factors at home and school that support their agency over learning. Her work emphasizes developing executive functions and self-regulation through playful learning approaches. She uses lab-based experiments and collaborates with educators to translate cognitive science research into educational contexts. Her research spans multiple countries including the UK, USA, Mexico, Denmark, Slovakia, South Korea, Ghana, Rwanda, Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, and more, reflecting a strong commitment to culturally relevant and globally applicable educational practices. Analysis of Professor Baker's recent publications reveals a strong focus on executive functions, self-regulation, and playful learning across diverse cultural contexts. Her work increasingly addresses cultural adaptation of assessment tools and educational practices, particularly for Global Majority countries. There's a clear trajectory from basic cognitive research toward practical applications in educational settings, with growing emphasis on teacher training, culturally relevant assessment, and the role of play in early childhood development. Her interdisciplinary approach connects developmental psychology, educational theory, and practical classroom applications. 2022 Senior Fellow in the Science of Learning with UNESCO-IBE/IBRO Professor Baker leads the doctoral program in the Faculty of Education and serves as an Academic Project Director in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences. She is the Cambridge academic lead on the Close the Gap partnership between Cambridge and Oxford, focused on postgraduate widening participation. Her research has been funded by prestigious organizations including the Newton Trust, Cambridge Humanities Research Grant, Economic and Social Research Council, LEGO Foundation, Nuffield Foundation, and Office for Students/Research England. She actively supervises doctoral students and seeks highly motivated candidates for October 2026 entry whose research aligns with her focus areas. Professor Baker co-founded and is actively involved with the Research Centre for Play in Education, Development and Learning (PEDAL), which investigates how children's play affects their development. She leads the Early Years Library project, a curated collection of evidence-based practices for early years educators, and is a founding member of the Global Executive Functions Initiative. Her work with the Connections international professional learning network focuses on self-regulation, while the Close the Gap project addresses widening participation in postgraduate education between Oxford and Cambridge.
Yao Qin is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), with dual affiliation in the Department of Computer Science. She concurrently serves as Co-Director of the REAL AI Initiative at UCSB and holds a Senior Research Scientist position at Google DeepMind, where she contributes to the Gemini Multimodal project. Her academic credentials include a PhD in Computer Science and Engineering from the University of California, San Diego (advised by Prof. Garrison W. Cottrell) and a BS in Electrical Engineering from Dalian University of Technology. During her doctoral studies, she completed internships with pioneering researchers Geoffrey Hinton and Ian Goodfellow. Dr. Qin's research program centers on machine learning robustness, with emphasis on adversarial robustness, out-of-distribution generalization, and fairness. She develops reliable AI systems specifically for healthcare applications, with diabetes management as a primary focus. Her lab explores critical themes including AI safety in multimodal models and diabetes-specific AI solutions, particularly exercise metabolism modeling and glycemic effect prediction. Recent publications reveal a strong trajectory in robust machine learning with cross-domain applications. Her work consistently bridges theoretical robustness concepts with practical healthcare implementations, particularly in diabetes care. Key publication venues include CVPR, ICML, NeurIPS, and ICLR, with notable contributions to out-of-distribution detection, adversarial transfer learning, and multimodal AI safety. Her distinguished recognition includes: EECS Rising Star at MIT (2021) UCSB Regents' Junior Faculty Fellowship Award Helmsley Charitable Trust award for Type 1 diabetes research UCSB Faculty Research Grant American Diabetes Association Abstract Award (ADA-2025) Dr. Qin actively mentors four PhD students—Mehak Dhaliwal, Andong Hua, Kenan Tang, and Youngseok Yoon—on projects spanning LLMs for diabetes, multimodal robustness, and generative time-series modeling. Her research is funded by the Helmsley Charitable Trust and UCSB, with recent grants supporting exercise-specific AID algorithms for diabetes management. As Co-Director of the REAL AI Initiative, she leads a research ecosystem focused on developing reliable artificial intelligence. Current lab activities include organizing workshops at NeurIPS-2024 (AdvML-Frontiers and AIM-FM) and developing next-generation diabetes management tools through collaborations with medical institutions.
Kelly Layne, PhD, OTD, OTR, is a Clinical Associate Professor at the Department of Occupational Therapy within Robbins College of Health & Human Sciences at Baylor University. She plays a key role in the Baylor Doctor of Occupational Therapy program, focusing on innovative educational practices. Bachelor of Science in Biology (1998), University of Southwestern Louisiana Master of Occupational Therapy (2001), University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences Post-Professional Doctor of Occupational Therapy (2003), University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences Master of Philosophy in Education (2024) and PhD in Education (2025) with emphasis on technology and design Dr. Layne's research centers on the scholarship of teaching and learning, simulated learning, and occupational balance. Her work explores virtual debriefing in graduate health sciences education and experiential learning theory in occupational therapy. She has developed hybrid and face-to-face OT program content and co-authored a textbook chapter on these topics. Her peer-reviewed publications address education, international collaboration, and community practice in occupational therapy. She has presented nationally and internationally on innovative educational practices and holds certifications in breastfeeding and cognition. Her professional activities extend to pro-bono services for community-based organizations serving adults, older adults, individuals with mental illnesses, and breastfeeding mothers.
Min Hu is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Economics, Philosophy, and Political Science at the University of British Columbia, Okanagan Campus. He holds an adjunct position at Dalhousie University's School of Health Administration. His primary research focuses on Health Economics, Applied Microeconomics, and Labour Economics, with an emphasis on vulnerable populations in Canada, Indigenous health, income inequalities, and cancer economics. He teaches courses in Microeconomics, Health Economics, and Statistics. Education: PhD in Economics (2019), Dalhousie University; Postdoctoral Fellowship in Health Economics (2019–2020), Dalhousie University. Previous degrees include an M.A. (2014–2016) and B.A. in Economics from Dalhousie University. Research interests include the socio-economic determinants of health disparities, particularly among Indigenous peoples and immigrants, and the economic impacts of cancer-related policies. He employs applied econometric methods to analyze labor market outcomes and social policy effectiveness. His recent articles explore sustainable biomass utilization, energy policies, and environmental engineering innovations. Key themes include biomass supply chain optimization, CO₂ reduction strategies, and waste-to-energy technologies. Scientific Awards: Recipient of SSHRC New Frontiers Grant (2023–2026), CIHR Team Grant (2024–2026), and multiple UBC startup grants. His work is supported by SSHRC, CRDCN, and Indigenous Services Canada. He advises students in Economics and Global Studies (IGS) programs. Grants and funding span health economics, Indigenous well-being, and sustainable energy systems. Collaborations include interdisciplinary teams in health administration and environmental policy. Labs/Teams: Engaged with UBC's Okanagan Sustainability Initiatives and Dalhousie's Health Economics Research Group. Affiliated with professional organizations like the American Economic Association and Canadian Health Economics Study Group.
Peter A. Flach is Professor of Artificial Intelligence at the Intelligent Systems Laboratory, School of Computer Science, University of Bristol, where he has been faculty since 1997 and was promoted to Professor in 2003. He currently directs the UKRI AI Centre for Doctoral Training in Practice-Oriented Artificial Intelligence and serves as Vice-President of the European Association for Data Science (EuADS), having previously served as its President. His research centers on rigorous evaluation and improvement of machine learning systems, with seminal contributions to classifier calibration (including Beta Calibration and Precision-Recall-Gain curves), explainable AI frameworks, and data science methodology. He pioneered the extension of CRISP-DM to data science trajectories and developed Explainability Fact Sheets for systematic assessment of XAI approaches. His work bridges theoretical foundations with practical deployment in real-world systems. Analysis of his recent publications reveals a dominant focus on interpretable and reliable machine learning, with strong emphasis on performance evaluation metrics, model calibration techniques, and human-centered explainability. His research increasingly addresses healthcare applications through projects like SPHERE and clinical decision support systems, while maintaining core contributions to fundamental ML theory. His scientific recognition includes prestigious fellowships: Fellow of the European Lab for Learning and Intelligent Systems (ELLIS) Fellow of the European Association for Artificial Intelligence (EurAI) Professor Flach has secured major research funding including UKRI Centre for Doctoral Training grants and EU network funding (TAILOR). He leads extensive collaborations across Engineering, Population Health Science, and international institutions (Monash University, Polytechnic University of Valencia), plus over 20 industry partners in the Practice-Oriented AI CDT including LV= and QinetiQ. His work with the SPHERE project demonstrates successful translation of AI research into residential healthcare settings. He leads the Intelligent Systems Laboratory at Bristol, which develops influential open-source tools including the FAT Forensics Python toolbox for algorithmic fairness and the Explainability Fact Sheets framework. His lab maintains strong connections with the European AI community through ELLIS and EurAI, positioning Bristol as a hub for human-centered and methodologically rigorous AI research.
Professor Shaun Larkin is a part-time academic at the School of Public Health , University of Sydney, specializing in Health Policy and Financing . He is affiliated with the Leeder Centre for Health Policy, Economics and Data and a member of the Charles Perkins Centre . With a career spanning executive roles at HCF and non-executive directorships in health startups, his work bridges academia and industry. Education : Harvard Business School alumnus with a HlthScD, MBA, MHSc, and BHA. His research focuses on health economics , health policy , and health services management , emphasizing: Translational research in healthcare financing Trends in private-public healthcare partnerships Price transparency in private health insurance Leadership in health systems Chronic disease management Quality use of medicines His publications reveal a trajectory from foundational work in: Psychiatric services data standardization (2000) Heart disease and diabetes management (2013-2015) Telehealth interventions (2017-2018) Private sector policy frameworks (2019-2020) Saudi Arabian health reforms (2022-present) Private equity in healthcare (2025) As an advisor, he currently supervises research students on topics including: Quality use of medicines in Saudi Arabia Sustainable financial models for private hospitals Patient-reported outcome measures in Australia He also contributes to the Leeder Centre and engages with global health startups as an investor and advisor.
Hoda Heidari is the K&L Gates Career Development Assistant Professor in Ethics and Computational Technologies at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), with joint appointments in the Machine Learning Department and the Institute for Software, Systems, and Society. She is affiliated with the Human-Computer Interaction Institute and the Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy, and co-leads the university-wide Responsible AI Initiative and K&L Gates Initiative for Ethics and Computational Technologies. Education: PhD in Computer and Information Science (University of Pennsylvania), MSc in Statistics (Wharton School) Her research focuses on the Ethical, Societal, and Policy Implications of AI , particularly fairness and accountability in high-stakes domains. Her work includes evaluating risks/benefits of general-purpose AI, human-AI decision-making systems, and AI governance frameworks. She has received multiple awards, including best paper honors at AIES, FAccT, and SAT-ML. Her research is supported by the NSF Program on Fairness in AI, PwC, CyLab, Meta, and J. P. Morgan. Recent Publications examine generative AI safety, fairness measurement, AI incident documentation, and ethical governance. Her teaching includes courses on Responsible AI, ML Ethics, and Societal Decision-Making, with a focus on preparing students to critically analyze AI's societal impact. Scientific Awards: Best Paper (AIES 2024, FAccT 2021, SAT-ML 2023), Exemplary Track Award (EC 2021) Grants: NSF, PwC, CyLab, Meta, J. P. Morgan She advises doctoral students and postdocs across CMU departments and collaborates with interdisciplinary teams. Her service includes organizing AI safety workshops and advising on NIST guidelines for AI red-teaming.
Dr. Harwin de Vries is an Associate Professor at the Department of Technology and Operations Management, Rotterdam School of Management (RSM), Erasmus University Rotterdam. His research focuses on health and humanitarian logistics, particularly disaster relief logistics and improving access to essential medicines in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). He explores the role of data analytics and new operational models in healthcare systems, such as mobile health service delivery. Before joining RSM, he worked at INSEAD as a postdoctoral researcher and manager of the INSEAD Humanitarian Research Group. He holds a PhD in Operations Research from Erasmus University. Education: PhD in Operations Research, Erasmus University Rotterdam His research interests include optimizing supply chain decisions in humanitarian contexts, with over 20 collaborations with health organizations. He teaches courses on Health & Humanitarian Logistics, Business Analytics, and Spreadsheet Modelling across BSc, MSc, and EMBA programs. Dr. de Vries has received notable awards including the 2021 ERIM Award for Young Researcher and a 2022 NWO VENI Grant. His work has been published in leading journals like Production and Operations Management and Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, and has been transformed into teaching cases. Grants: NWO VENI Grant (2022) He serves on the board of the POMS College of Humanitarian Operations & Crisis Management, actively contributing to academic and practical solutions in humanitarian logistics.
