Vijay Kumar is the Nemirovsky Family Dean of Penn Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania, with faculty appointments in the Departments of Mechanical Engineering, Computer and Information Science, and Electrical and Systems Engineering. He is a leading figure in robotics and computer architecture research. Research Interests include robotics, particularly multi-robot systems and micro aerial vehicles (MAVs), as well as computer architecture innovations for machine learning, GPU acceleration, and datacenter efficiency. His work spans theoretical foundations and practical applications in autonomous systems and hardware optimization. Scientific Awards include: 1991 NSF Presidential Young Investigator Award 1996 Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching 2012 ASME Mechanisms and Robotics Award 2014 Engelberger Robotics Award 2017 IEEE George Saridis Leadership Award Multiple best paper awards at DARS, ICRA, and RSS conferences Editorial Leadership includes serving as Editor of the ASME Journal of Mechanisms and Robotics and Advisory Board Member of AAAS Science Robotics Journal . His GRASP Lab team developed foundational frameworks for micro UAV testbeds and swarm robotics.
Claire Donnat is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Statistics at the University of Chicago, specializing in statistical and machine learning methods for graph-structured and high-dimensional data. Her work bridges theoretical innovation with applications in biomedical research, environmental science, and public health. Education: B.S. and M.S. in Applied Mathematics from Ecole Polytechnique; Ph.D. in Statistics from Stanford University (2020). Her research focuses on three methodological directions: (1) statistical foundations for graph neural networks (GNNs), (2) structured estimation with graph constraints, and (3) multimodal data integration with uncertainty quantification. Key applications include thermotolerance in photosynthetic microbes, family network analysis for child welfare, and spatial transcriptomics. The 15 most recent publications highlight her work in GNNs, CCA, tensor modeling, and epidemic analysis, with keywords spanning statistics, machine learning, and network science. Her methodological contributions address challenges in sparsity, graph topology, and heterogeneous data fusion. Scientific Awards: Facebook Research Award (2021), C3.AI COVID Grand Challenge winner (2020), Lumiata hackathon winner (2020), Stanford Centennial Award (2019), and others. Claire's research group actively recruits postdocs and students for projects involving graph-based modeling, data integration, and biomedical applications. She also provides research consulting in statistical methodology and graph modeling for life sciences.
Omer Bayraktar is a Group Leader at the Wellcome Sanger Institute , leading research in the Cellular Genomics Programme. His work focuses on decoding human brain cellular diversity using spatial transcriptomics , imaging , and functional screening to study neural complexity in health and disease. Bayraktar's educational background includes a PhD from HHMI under Chris Doe, investigating neural diversity development in Drosophila , followed by postdoctoral work at University of California, San Francisco and University of Cambridge as a Life Sciences Research Foundation Fellow. He developed a spatial transcriptomic pipeline during his postdoc to analyze astrocyte heterogeneity in the cerebral cortex. His research explores neural cell type mapping , glial-neuronal interactions , and cellular pathways in neurodevelopmental disorders . Recent publications emphasize 3D tissue mapping , multi-omic integration , and computational tools like Cell2fate and WebAtlas. His work bridges neurogenetics and computational biology to advance understanding of human tissue ecosystems. Bayraktar's lab collaborates with the Human Cell Atlas initiative and develops technologies such as automated histology pipelines and highly-multiplexed smFISH for molecular cell typing. His team also investigates glia-based therapies and astrocyte functional heterogeneity in neurodevelopmental contexts. Key scientific contributions include: Discovering astrocyte layer patterns independent of neuronal laminae Developing cell2location for spatial cell mapping Characterizing Drosophila neural stem cell models with human relevance Notable awards include the Life Sciences Research Foundation Fellowship during his postdoctoral training. His current group includes a PhD student , Senior Data Scientists , and Bioinformaticians .
Ahmed Elbanna is an Associate Professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), affiliated with the Grainger College of Engineering and the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. He holds a Ph.D. from Caltech (2011) and has been on UIUC faculty since 2013. His research focuses on mechanics of complex systems, including earthquake dynamics, metamaterials, and biomaterials. He has received prestigious awards such as the NSF CAREER Award (2018) and the Donald Biggar Willett Faculty Fellowship (2020). Education: Ph.D. Civil Engineering, California Institute of Technology (2011) M.S. Applied Mechanics, California Institute of Technology (2006) M.S. Structural Engineering, Cairo University (2005) B.S. Civil Engineering, Cairo University (2003) Research Interests: Elbanna’s work spans theoretical and applied mechanics, with emphasis on fracture, wave propagation, and critical phenomena in geophysical and biological systems. Key areas include: Earthquake mechanics and granular matter dynamics Mechanical metamaterials for wave control Networked biological materials (e.g., bone, hydrogels) Modeling epidemic dynamics during the COVID-19 pandemic Awards & Recognition: National Science Foundation CAREER Award (2018) Donald Biggar Willett Faculty Fellow (2020) Journal of Applied Mechanics Award (2019) UIUC Teaching Excellence Awards (2018–2024) Service & Leadership: Member of the UIUC Faculty Senate (2020–present) Co-Chair, Computational Mechanics Committee (ASCE EMI, 2024–present) Leader, Computational Science Group at Southern California Earthquake Center (2019–present) Labs & Groups: Leads the Mechanics of Complex Systems Lab at UIUC, focusing on interdisciplinary research in geophysics, materials science, and computational modeling.
Robert Dick is a Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Michigan, part of the College of Engineering. He previously held roles as Associate Professor at Northwestern University and Visiting Professor at Tsinghua University. He earned his Ph.D. from Princeton University and a Bachelor's degree from Clarkson University. His research focuses on Embedded Systems, Learning Dynamics, Efficient Machine Learning, Privacy, and Censorship Resistance. Key themes include defining problems with correct costs/constraints, broadening access to information technology, mitigating negative tech impacts, and solving inference problems with limited resources. He leads the Embedded Systems Graduate Program and is a member of the Michigan Integrated Circuits Laboratory (MICL). His work spans thermal management, energy-efficient computing, and low-power wireless networks. Notable contributions include innovations in embedded system design, machine vision frameworks, and sensor networks. Courses taught include EECS 507 (Embedded Systems Research), EECS 373 (Embedded System Design), and ENGR 100 (Autonomous Systems). His recent publications emphasize AI model analysis, energy-efficient networks, and environmental sensing. Projects include MemX (attention-aware wearable tech) and LoRa-based LPWAN protocols. Dick co-founded Stryd, a company commercializing embedded systems innovations.
Dr. Yujie Tang is an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Computer Science at Dalhousie University, Canada, where she has been serving since September 2022. Prior to this, she was an Assistant Professor at Algoma University (2019–2022) and a Post-Doctoral Fellow at the University of Waterloo (2017–2019). Her academic journey includes a PhD from the University of Waterloo and earlier degrees from Harbin Institute of Technology and Lanzhou Jiaotong University. PhD – University of Waterloo (2017) M.E. – Harbin Institute of Technology, Shenzhen, China B.E. – Lanzhou Jiaotong University, Lanzhou, China Her research focuses on intelligent networking and computing technologies for future IoT and 5G/6G systems. Key areas include Internet of Vehicles (IoV), AI-empowered edge computing, resource management in heterogeneous networks, software-defined networking, and UAV-assisted communications. She employs machine learning and optimization techniques to design energy-efficient and high-performance network protocols. The most recent publications reflect a strong trend in applying AI and machine learning to solve complex problems in vehicular networks, edge caching, and spectrum management. Her work spans top-tier IEEE journals such as IEEE Transactions on Vehicular Technology , IEEE Internet of Things Journal , and IEEE JSAC , with a clear emphasis on real-world deployable solutions for next-generation wireless systems. Faculty Research Startup Fund, Dalhousie University, 2022 NSERC Discovery Grant, 2021–2026 Algoma University Research Fund, 2021 Faculty Research Startup Fund, Algoma University, 2019 Best Speaker Award, University of Waterloo, 2017 Faculty of Engineering Award (4 times), University of Waterloo, 2013–2017 University of Waterloo Graduate Scholarship, 2013–2015 International Doctoral Student Award, 2012–2016 Graduate Research Studentship (twice), 2011–2012 Provost Doctoral Entrance Award for Women, 2011 Dr. Tang actively supervises graduate and undergraduate students and has secured competitive research grants, including the NSERC Discovery Grant. She serves on the technical program committees of major IEEE conferences such as INFOCOM, GLOBECOM, and ICC, and regularly reviews for top journals like IEEE JSAC , IEEE TWC , and IEEE TVT . She currently leads a research group focusing on B5G/6G networks, IoV, and edge computing, and she is actively recruiting new students and visiting scholars. Her research group operates within the Faculty of Computer Science at Dalhousie University, where she leads projects in intelligent resource management, AI-driven networking, and integration of space-air-ground networks. She is a member of IEEE, IEEE Communications Society, and IEEE Vehicular Technology Society.
Brian Hie is an Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering at Stanford University , a Dieter Schwarz Foundation Stanford Data Science Faculty Fellow , and an Innovation Investigator at Arc Institute . He leads the Laboratory of Evolutionary Design , focusing on the intersection of biology and machine learning . His prior roles include a Stanford Science Fellow in the Stanford University School of Medicine and a Visiting Researcher at Meta AI . Education: Ph.D. , Electrical Engineering and Computer Science , Massachusetts Institute of Technology (2021) Bachelor’s Degree , Stanford University Research Interests: Brian’s work bridges machine learning and computational biology , with a focus on protein engineering , single-cell RNA sequencing , and viral evolution . His Evolutionary velocity framework predicts protein evolutionary dynamics across timescales, while his Scanorama algorithm enables efficient integration of heterogeneous single-cell datasets. He also develops structure-informed language models for antibody optimization and uncertainty-aware ML for biological discovery. Publication Trends: His recent work (2023) emphasizes structure-based inverse folding for antibody evolution, evolutionary scale modeling , and unsupervised optimization . Earlier studies (2022-2021) cover evolutionary velocity , multi-modal single-cell analysis , and viral escape prediction using natural language analogies. Scientific Awards: Stanford Science Fellow (2021) National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship (2019) Advising: He mentors doctoral students including Brandon Ameglio , Garyk Brixi , and Chang M. Yun , with a focus on biological design and computational methods . Labs & Collaborations: His lab collaborates with Bio-X and the Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HAI) , and he maintains affiliations with Sarafan ChEM-H and Stanford Data Science .
Anna Levina is an Assistant Professor for Computational Neuroscience at the University of Tübingen , affiliated with the Department of Computer Science under the Faculty of Science. Her research focuses on the self-organization of neuronal activity, critical dynamics in neural networks, and the excitation/inhibition balance in cortical circuits. Current positions: Assistant Professor (since 2018), Group Leader (2017-2018), Equality Officer (Computer Science) Previous roles: IST Fellow (2015-2017), Associated Researcher (2011-2015), Postdoc/PI (2011-2015), Postdoc (2008-2011) Her research integrates mathematical modeling , statistical physics , and computational neuroscience to study criticality phenomena, neural avalanches, and adaptive network dynamics. Key interests include: Self-organized criticality in neural systems Excitation/Inhibition balance mechanisms Network topology and dynamics Timescale analysis in neural processing Stochastic modeling of neural activity Recent publications reveal trends in understanding critical dynamics across biological and artificial networks, with applications to memory systems, sensorimotor integration, and disease modeling. She has received recognition as an IST Fellow .
Bee-yan Roberts is a Professor of Economics and Asian Studies at the Pennsylvania State University, affiliated with the Department of Asian Studies within the College of the Liberal Arts. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin - Madison (1980). Her research focuses on development economics, international economics, and industrial organizations, particularly analyzing firm-level dynamics in Asian economies. She has conducted extensive studies on Taiwanese firms' productivity, export strategies, R&D investments, and global competitiveness. Dr. Roberts' work explores topics such as the impact of R&D investments on firm productivity, the role of exports in shaping labor markets, and the comparative productivity of Taiwanese and South Korean manufacturers. Her recent publications examine Taiwanese multinational firms' foreign location decisions, the relationship between exports and technological upgrading, and the productivity evolution of small and medium enterprises in Taiwan. Her research trends emphasize firm heterogeneity, global market participation, and the interplay between innovation, exports, and economic growth. She collaborates frequently with scholars like Mark J. Roberts and Yi Lee, focusing on empirical analyses of Asian manufacturing sectors. No scientific awards are explicitly listed, but her prolific publication record reflects significant academic contributions. Additional details on grants, labs, or teams are not provided in the text.
Jee Choi is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer and Information Science within the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Oregon. His research focuses on developing high-performance algorithms for big data analytics, particularly in tensor decomposition and parallel computing systems. Education: PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2015 MS in Electrical and Computer Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2004 BS in Electrical and Computer Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2000 Research Interests: Dr. Choi specializes in High Performance Computing with expertise in parallel algorithm design, performance modeling, and energy efficiency. His work targets Tensor Decomposition & Data Mining for big data, developing scalable solutions for sparse and dense tensor computations. He advocates leveraging HPC systems to transform massive datasets into societal benefits through efficient data mining techniques. Publication Trends: Choi's recent publications (2021-2025) demonstrate consistent innovation in tensor decomposition methodologies, with increasing focus on adaptive storage (Alto), streaming data factorization, and energy-aware autotuning. His work spans GPU clusters, distributed systems, and emerging architectures, maintaining strong connections to real-world big data challenges while advancing theoretical algorithm design. Professional Background: After completing his PhD under Richard Vuduc at Georgia Tech (notable for SpMV GPU autotuning and Energy Roofline Model), Choi conducted DoD-funded research on tensor decomposition at IBM Watson Research Center (2015-2018) before joining the University of Oregon faculty.
Dr. Mario P. Wiesenfeldt is an independent research group leader at Ruhr-Universität Bochum and the Max-Planck-Institut für Kohlenforschung, affiliated with the Cluster of Excellence RESOLV. His laboratory focuses on developing synthetic organic methodologies using photoredox catalysis and radical intermediates to address challenges in medicinal chemistry. Education: PhD in Organic Chemistry (WWU Münster, 2015–2019) M.Sc. Chemistry (Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg, California Institute of Technology) B.Sc. Chemistry (Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg) Research Interests: Dr. Wiesenfeldt's work integrates physical organic chemistry with synthetic methodology, emphasizing solvent effects, radical stability, and photoredox activation. Key areas include: Development of bioisosteres for drug discovery Stereoselective hydrogenation of (hetero)arenes Mechanistic studies of radical intermediates Sustainable catalysis under mild conditions Publication Trends: His recent work demonstrates a strong focus on photoredox-mediated transformations (2023–2024), expanding into medicinal chemistry applications like cubane bioisosteres. Earlier publications (2017–2020) established expertise in enantioselective hydrogenation and fluoroarene chemistry. Awards and Honors: Thieme Chemistry Journals Award (2022) Liebig Scholarship, Fonds der Chemischen Industrie (2021) GDCH Prize for university innovation (2021) Leopoldina Postdoctoral Scholarship (2019) WWU Dissertation Prize (2018) Evonik Prize (2018) Research Group: Leads the Wiesenfeldt Lab at ZEMOS (Centre for Molecular Spectroscopy), supervising four PhD students. The lab utilizes state-of-the-art facilities for organic synthesis and collaborates with RESOLV for solvation science studies.
Ramina Sotoudeh is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at Yale University with a secondary appointment in Statistics & Data Science. Her research bridges sociogenomics, the sociology of culture, and social inequality, focusing on how genetic and social environments interact to shape human behavior. Education : BA in Social Research and Public Policy from NYU Abu Dhabi, PhD in Sociology from Princeton University Postdoctoral Experience : Fellow at Nuffield College, University of Oxford Ramina’s work in sociogenomics examines how institutional, relational, and genetic contexts influence health outcomes, such as smoking behavior and peer interactions. Her sociology of culture projects use relational methods to explore cultural frameworks underlying attitudes toward science, religion, politics, and marriage. She also investigates health disparities and inequality through interdisciplinary lenses. Her most recent publications analyze genomic population structure, behavioral plasticity, and computational approaches to algorithm selection. Earlier works focus on cultural attitudes, behavioral diffusion in networks, and genetic correlations with education and longevity. These studies span journals like American Sociological Review , PNAS , and Demography .
Diego Garlaschelli is Professor of Theoretical Physics at the IMT School for Advanced Studies in Lucca, Italy, and at the Lorentz Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of Leiden, the Netherlands. He leads the NETWORKS research unit at IMT and the Econophysics and Network Theory group at Leiden. He is also an external faculty member at the Complexity Science Hub in Vienna and an associate member of the Enrico Fermi Research Center in Rome. His affiliations reflect a strong international and interdisciplinary research profile in network science and statistical physics. He holds a master's degree in theoretical physics from the University of Rome III (2001) and a PhD in Physics from the University of Siena (2005). His postdoctoral experience includes positions at the Australian National University, the University of Siena, the University of Oxford, and the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies in Pisa. Garlaschelli’s research spans network theory, statistical physics, econophysics, financial complexity, ecological networks, and social dynamics. He applies maximum entropy models, information theory, and random graph frameworks to understand complex real-world systems. His teaching includes courses in Network Theory, Econophysics, and Complex Systems at both PhD and MSc levels. The 15 most recent publications highlight a consistent focus on network reconstruction, ensemble inequivalence, renormalization, and applications to financial and socio-economic systems. Key themes include statistical inference in networks, resilience, and multi-scale modeling, with publications in top journals such as Nature Reviews Physics , Physics Reports , Science , and Physical Review Letters . His scientific awards include the Best Paper Award at the 6th International Workshop on Self-Organizing Systems (2012) and the Jan Kijne Prize (2013) as supervisor. He has secured multiple grants from NWO, the European Union, and the Royal Society, and has supervised over 40 students at PhD, master’s, and bachelor’s levels. He also mentors postdocs and visiting scientists. Garlaschelli leads and organizes major international workshops and schools in network science and complex systems. He serves on scientific committees and is an active referee for journals like Nature and Physical Review Letters , as well as funding agencies including the ERC and NWO.
Anastasia Ailamaki is a Professor at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL), renowned for her work in database systems and data management . Her research focuses on optimizing query processing for modern hardware, particularly GPUs and heterogeneous systems, and advancing cloud data analytics with serverless architectures like PixelDB . She has co-authored influential frameworks for adaptive query optimization , hardware-conscious database engines , and model-relational data management . Key research areas: GPU acceleration , HTAP , query approximation , spatial data processing , and cloud-native databases . Recent work emphasizes cross-task optimizations in distributed environments, efficient sampling , and context-aware joins integrating vector embeddings. In 2023, she contributed to adaptive recursive query optimization and speculative K-means clustering, while 2024 publications addressed proportional caching (HPCache) and model-relational systems . Her collaborations span institutions such as MIT, Microsoft, and ETH Zurich, with publications in top venues like SIGMOD , VLDB , and ICDE .
Arpit Agarwal is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science & Engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay. He previously held postdoctoral positions at FAIR Labs (Meta) working with Max Nickel and at the Data Science Institute at Columbia University hosted by Prof. Yash Kanoria and Prof. Tim Roughgarden. He completed his PhD from the Department of Computer & Information Science at the University of Pennsylvania under the guidance of Prof. Shivani Agarwal. His research focuses on the intersection of human behavior and machine learning systems, with particular interest in learning from implicit, strategic, and heterogeneous human feedback. His work spans multiple dimensions of human-AI interaction including understanding long-term dynamics between humans and AI systems, designing responsible AI, and studying misalignment between user preferences and system objectives. His research methodology often combines theoretical machine learning with practical applications in recommendation systems and social AI. His recent publications reveal a strong focus on bandit algorithms, preference learning, and recommendation systems, with increasing attention to responsible AI design and human-centered considerations. His work demonstrates expertise in theoretical machine learning with applications to real-world problems, particularly in understanding how humans interact with and are influenced by AI systems over time. Dr. Agarwal teaches advanced courses including CS767 Theoretical Machine Learning (Autumn 2025) and CS6103 Human-Centered AI: From Learning Models to Responsible Systems (Spring 2025), which covers topics such as AI alignment, learning from pairwise comparisons, crowdsourcing, human-in-the-loop decision making, recommendation systems, interpretability, privacy, fairness, causality, and AI governance.
