Hector Geffner is an Alexander von Humboldt Professor at RWTH Aachen University, leading the Chair of Machine Learning and Reasoning. He specializes in automated planning, machine learning, and reasoning, with a focus on representation learning for acting and planning. His work bridges symbolic and model-based AI, emphasizing general policies and subgoal decomposition. Education & Background : PhD from UCLA (1989), prior roles at IBM Watson Research Center and Universidad Simón Bolívar. Former ICREA researcher and professor at Universitat Pompeu Fabra (2001–2022). Research Interests : Classical and probabilistic planning, reinforcement learning, knowledge representation, and applications in robotics. His ERC-funded RLeap project explores learning generalized policies and symbolic representations for effective decision-making. Teaching : Courses include 'Actions and Planning in AI' and 'Social and Technological Change', emphasizing interdisciplinary AI applications. Awards & Recognition : Alexander von Humboldt Professorship (2023), AAAI/EurAI Fellowships, and editor of influential works on Judea Pearl’s contributions to AI. Grants & Projects : Advanced ERC grant (2020–2025), Humboldt Foundation support, and RWTH funding for research on planning and reasoning. Labs & Teams : Heads the Chair of Machine Learning and Reasoning at RWTH, focusing on interdisciplinary research in AI, robotics, and planning algorithms.
Yashar Ganjali is a Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Toronto , leading the Systems and Networking Group . His research spans computer networks , with a focus on data center networking , software-defined networking (SDN) , and congestion control . Education : Not explicitly detailed, but inferred from academic rank as a Professor. His work on flow consolidation , load migration in SDN controllers , and machine learning for network management has been influential. Recent projects include FORESIGHT (2025) for ML-driven scheduling and Meta-Migration (2023) to reduce switch migration latency. Scientific Awards include the IFIP Networking 2025 Best Paper Award . Collaborations with institutions like Google (2024) and Facebook (2019) highlight his industry impact. Advisees include Sepehr Abbasi Zadeh (PhD, 2024). Current projects integrate optical packet switching and eBPF-based network augmentation , aiming to address scalability, micro-bursts, and resource allocation efficiency in cloud environments.
Prof. Sadettin Emre Alptekin is a full Professor of Industrial Engineering at Galatasaray University, Faculty of Engineering and Technology, where he also serves as Vice Dean. Since joining the university as a research assistant in 2000, he has steadily advanced through the academic ranks, becoming an Assistant Professor (2006–2010), Associate Professor (2010–2023), and finally Professor in 2023. Education: PhD (Dr), Industrial Engineering, Istanbul Technical University, Institute of Science and Technology, 2001–2006 MSc, Industrial Engineering, Galatasaray University, Faculty of Engineering and Technology, 1999–2001 BSc, Industrial Engineering, Istanbul Technical University, Faculty of Management, 1995–1999 Languages: Advanced English (C1), Upper-Intermediate French (B2), Advanced German (C1) Research Interests: Prof. Alptekin’s research focuses on Computer Learning , Fuzzy Sets and Systems , and Decision Support Systems . His work integrates artificial intelligence, machine learning, and soft-computing techniques to solve complex industrial and managerial problems in areas such as supply chain management, quality function deployment, blockchain adoption, and mental-health prediction. Publication Trends: Across more than 50 refereed publications, Prof. Alptekin has consistently explored hybrid intelligent models that combine fuzzy logic, machine learning, and multi-criteria decision-making. Recent articles emphasize deep-learning-based anomaly detection in industrial time-series data, blockchain adoption in supply chains, and machine-learning applications in subjective well-being and mental-health modeling. Scientific Awards & Honors: No specific awards or medals are listed in the provided documents. Research Leadership & Funding: Since 2008 he has been the principal investigator (executive) of 12 nationally funded projects, covering topics such as Industry 4.0 sub-system design, Internet of Things applications, artificial neural networks in organizational decision-making, big-data analytics, and strategic decision processes. Graduate Advising: He has formally supervised at least 8 master’s theses and numerous undergraduate projects. Representative thesis titles include Gaussian-process-regression-based man-hour prediction, machine-learning-driven human-behavior modeling, recommender-system design for e-commerce, thyroid-nodule diagnosis from scintigraphic images, software-effort estimation via neural networks, spreadsheet heuristics for joint-replenishment problems, cross-selling decision systems in insurance, and profitability analyses of Turkish banks under disinflation. Laboratories & Teams: While no dedicated laboratory name is disclosed, his continuous role as Vice Dean and principal investigator implies active leadership of the Industrial Engineering department’s research clusters in intelligent systems and decision support technologies.
Kaiyang Liu is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Computer Science, Memorial University of Newfoundland. He holds a Ph.D. from Central South University (2019) and was a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Victoria, Canada. His research focuses on distributed cloud/edge computing, data center networks, and distributed machine learning, emphasizing optimization for data-intensive services. He is an IEEE Senior Member and has received prestigious awards, including the NSERC Discovery Grants and IEEE TCCLD Outstanding Ph.D. Thesis Award. Education: Ph.D. in Information Science and Technology, Central South University (2014–2019) M.Sc. in Information Science and Technology, Central South University (2012–2014) B.Eng. in Information Science and Technology, Central South University (2008–2012) Research Assistant at the University of Victoria (2016–2018) Research Interests: Kaiyang’s work bridges AI and cloud computing, exploring optimization strategies for next-generation systems. Key areas include learning-based congestion control, energy-efficient resource management, and scalable distributed storage solutions. His research has been published in top-tier journals like IEEE Transactions on Parallel and Distributed Systems and conferences such as IEEE ICDCS. Awards & Grants: NSERC Discovery Grants & Discovery Launch Supplement (2024) IEEE TCCLD Outstanding Ph.D. Thesis Award (2020) CSC-UVic Fellowship (2016–2018) Teaching: He teaches courses on Computer Networks, Advanced Computer Networks, and Operating Systems at Memorial University and previously at the University of Victoria. Labs & Teams: His research group focuses on Space Edge Computing, leveraging LEO satellites for resilient, low-latency networks. Ongoing projects include optimizing distributed systems for AI workloads and satellite-based data centers.
Norman Sadeh is a Professor in the School of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), where he has made significant contributions to cybersecurity, privacy, and AI research. He has co-founded and co-directed several groundbreaking graduate programs at CMU, including the Privacy Engineering Program (2012-present), the Ph.D. Program in Societal Computing (2003-2013), and the MBA track in Technology Strategy and Product Management (2005-2017). Carnegie Mellon University, School of Computer Science Software and Societal Systems Department CyLab Security and Privacy Institute Manufacturing Futures Institute Dr. Sadeh received his Ph.D. in Computer Science at CMU with a major in Artificial Intelligence and a minor in Operations Research. He holds an M.Sc. in computer science from the University of Southern California and a BS/MS degree in electrical engineering and applied physics from the Free University of Brussels (Belgium) as 'Ingénieur Civil Physicien.' Professor Sadeh's research spans cybersecurity, online privacy, Human-AI Interaction, AI governance, mobile computing, the Internet of Things, user-oriented machine learning, and language technologies. He is particularly known for his pioneering work on AI-based privacy enhancing technologies, including privacy assistants, automated privacy compliance tools, and NLP-based privacy solutions. His work has influenced the design of privacy features at major technology companies including Apple, Google, and Facebook/Meta, as well as privacy policies at regulatory agencies like the Federal Trade Commission and the California Office of the Attorney General. Analysis of his recent publications shows a strong focus on practical privacy solutions, particularly in mobile and IoT contexts, with an emphasis on making privacy more usable and understandable for end users. His work bridges technical innovation with policy implications, addressing both the technological and human aspects of privacy protection. 2018 Outstanding Entrepreneur of the Year award from the Pittsburgh Venture Capital Association Test of time award by the AAAI Conference on Web and Social Media (ICWSM) Gartner Group's Magic Quadrant leader in Security Awareness Computer-Based Training for 4 consecutive years Deloitte's Technology Fast 500 recognition for 3 consecutive years Professor Sadeh has advised numerous students, including PhD candidates like Aerin (Shikhun) Zhang, whose dissertation focused on understanding diverse privacy attitudes. His research has been funded through various grants, including NSF SaTC projects, and has resulted in technologies that protect tens of millions of users worldwide. He also founded Wombat Security Technologies, which was acquired by Proofpoint in 2018 and whose technologies are used by over 75% of Fortune 100 companies. Professor Sadeh leads several research initiatives including the Privacy Engineering Program, the Usable Privacy Policy Project, the Personalized Privacy Assistant Project, and CMU's Privacy Infrastructure for the Internet of Things. His Mobile Commerce Lab and E-Supply Chain Management Lab have produced influential research that has been commercialized by major organizations including IBM, Raytheon, Boeing, and the U.S. Army.
Christine Di Martinelly is an Associate Professor in Operations Management at IÉSEG School of Management. She holds two PhDs in Economic and Management Sciences from Louvain School of Management and Applied Sciences from INSA Lyon. Her research focuses on operations management, healthcare systems, supply chain optimization, and resource allocation. Di Martinelly's extensive publication record addresses operational challenges in healthcare, including surgical scheduling, inventory management, and resource allocation. Her work employs mathematical modeling, optimization algorithms, and multicriteria decision analysis to improve efficiency in healthcare delivery systems. She has served as Academic Director at IÉSEG since 2014 and has professional experience as a consultant at Arthur Andersen earlier in her career.
Hasan Davulcu is a Professor in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence at Arizona State University (ASU). He holds a B.S. in Mathematics from Middle East Technical University (Turkey) and M.S./Ph.D. in Computer Science from Stony Brook University (NY). His research focuses on sociocultural modeling, AI, machine learning, and behavioral analytics for fraud detection. He leads the CIPS-AI Lab, developing data mining tools for semantic information extraction from social media and web data. Affiliations: Senior Global Futures Scientist (Global Futures Scientists and Scholars Program), Co-founder & CIO of ARTIS MAGI (AI-driven behavioral analysis startup). Education: Ph.D. Computer Science (Stony Brook, 2002), M.S. Computer Science (Stony Brook, 1995), B.S. Mathematics (METU, 1993). Research interests include: Sociocultural modeling and persuasive AI. Web/social media mining, information extraction, and database systems. Behavioral analytics for fraud detection and countering extremist influence. Key achievements: 2011 HSCB Focus Exceptional Scientific Achievement Award for work on sociocultural modeling in the DOD Minerva project. Principal Investigator on NSF and DoD grants, including behavioral analytics for financial fraud and social influence analysis of extremist groups. Grants & Projects: NSF PFI:BIC Grant (2014-2019): Behavioral analytics for fraud detection via visual analytics infrastructure. DoD Minerva (2015-2019): Measuring social influence of extremist groups. ONR Projects (2018-2021): Modeling polarization, adversarial framing, and disinformation tracking. Labs/Teams: Cognitive Information Processing Systems (CIPS-AI) Lab, which pioneers data mining techniques for unstructured social media data and semantic representation systems.
Dr. Yanchao Liu is an Associate Professor at Wayne State University's College of Engineering, Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering. He has received research funding from the National Science Foundation and the State of Michigan, including the NSF Career Award. His academic career spans prior industry roles as a Data Scientist and Manager of Advanced Analytics at Sears Holdings Corporation (2016-2017) and Director of Brand Marketing Analytics at Catalina Marketing Corporation (2017). He teaches courses in data science, IoT, and stochastic processes. B.S. Industrial Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology (2006) M.S. Industrial Engineering, University of Arkansas (2008) Ph.D. Industrial and Systems Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison (2014) Dr. Liu's research focuses on mathematical modeling for transportation systems, industrial AI, and data analytics. His work addresses drone traffic management, battery-constrained delivery routing, and optimization algorithms for urban mobility. He has developed novel methods for UAV safety diagnostics, random forest implementations, and fairness-aware path planning in urban air mobility. His publications span journals like Journal of Guidance, Control and Dynamics , Transportation Research Part C , and IEEE Transactions on Intelligent Transportation Systems , with conference contributions at IISE and FAIM. His research combines theoretical advancements with practical applications in smart cities and logistics. NSF Career Award (2020) Faculty Research Excellence Award (2021) IEEE PES Best Conference Paper (2015) IEEE Transactions on Smart Grid Best Reviewer (2015) Hubei Province Distinguished Bachelor’s Thesis Award (2006) Dr. Liu advises PhD students like Zhenyu Zhou and J. Chen. He has contributed to energy market modeling (with M.C. Ferris) and published extensively on drone operations, machine learning algorithms, and stochastic processes. His work includes U.S. patent pending applications for UAV safety systems.
Nazanin Tajik is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at Mississippi State University (MSU). She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Oklahoma, an M.S. from the University of Tehran, and a B.S. from Sharif University of Technology. Her research focuses on integrating artificial intelligence, machine learning, and social science concepts to develop cross-disciplinary frameworks for infrastructure resilience, smart transportation systems, and disaster management. Her academic journey includes a Ph.D. at the University of Oklahoma where she contributed to the Risk-Based Systems Analytics Laboratory. At MSU, she established a research center bridging AI/ML tools with socio-technical systems. Key research domains include cyber-physical-social infrastructure resilience, search-and-rescue planning, and game-theoretic robotic designs. Tajik's work emphasizes optimization algorithms for network vulnerability assessment, resource allocation in disaster scenarios, and adaptive recovery strategies. She is actively involved with professional organizations such as INFORMS, ISE, and POMS, reflecting her commitment to advancing operations research and systems engineering methodologies.
Sanjeev Dewan is a Professor of Information Systems and Associate Dean of Masters Programs at the Paul Merage School of Business, University of California, Irvine. He also serves as Faculty Director of the Master of Science in Business Analytics program. Prior to joining UCI in 2001, he held faculty positions at the University of Washington and George Mason University. PhD, University of Rochester MS, University of Rochester Bachelor of Technology, Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi His research focuses on the economics of digital platforms , social and mobile analytics , and the valuation of technology investments . He investigates how information technology creates business value, impacts consumer behavior, and influences firm performance. His work spans electronic markets, Web 2.0 technologies, IT productivity, and the digital divide. The most recent publications reveal a strong emphasis on empirical analysis of digital platforms , including studies on gender bias in open source communities, quality certification in the sharing economy (e.g., Airbnb), personalized ranking in app stores, and mobile health applications. His research frequently uses large-scale datasets to examine behavioral patterns, market dynamics, and the economic implications of IT innovations. Faculty Service Award for 2023-24, UCI Paul Merage School of Business Best Paper Award, INFORMS 2019 e-Business Cluster Faculty Service Award for 2016-17, UCI Paul Merage School of Business Best Paper Award, INFORMS Conference on Information Systems and Technology (2009) INFORMS Service Award (2009) INFORMS Certificate of Appreciation (2008) Beta Gamma Sigma Honor Society (1991) University of Rochester Fellowship (1985–1990) Sanjeev Dewan has advised numerous PhD students who have secured faculty positions at leading institutions such as the University of Wisconsin-Madison, HKUST, Penn State, and the University of Hong Kong. His editorial service includes senior editor roles at Information Systems Research and associate editor at Management Science . He has also chaired tracks at ICIS and served as program co-chair for PACIS. There is no indication of external grant funding in the provided text, but his sustained publication record and leadership roles suggest significant research activity and institutional support. He is actively involved in academic leadership and research dissemination, contributing to major conferences and editorial boards. His work bridges theory and practice, particularly in digital platform ecosystems and analytics-driven decision-making.
Dr Andrew Coles is a Reader in Artificial Intelligence at the Department of Informatics, King's College London, within the Faculty of Natural, Mathematical & Engineering Sciences. His research focuses on temporal and numeric planning, explainable planning, and human-robot collaboration. He leads and co-investigates multiple research projects funded by EPSRC, the Royal Academy of Engineering, and the European Commission. His research interests include Artificial Intelligence, Temporal and Numeric Planning, Planning with Rich Domain Models, Explainable Planning, Human-Robot Interaction, Autonomous Systems, Heuristic Search, and Decision-Making. He has published extensively in top-tier AI and robotics conferences such as ICAPS, IROS, HRI, AAAI, and IJCAI. His recent publications demonstrate a strong trend toward explainable AI in human-robot collaboration, with a focus on multimodal sensing (e.g., eye tracking), user needs for explanation, and adaptive planning. His work integrates planning algorithms with human-centered evaluation and real-world applications in robotics. Scientific Awards: International award for PhD thesis on assistive robots (2020) Advising and Grants: Dr Coles has supervised multiple students, including Lara Wachowiak, Guillem Canal, and Petra Tisnikar. He has led or co-investigated several major research projects, including: COHERENT (EPSRC): Collaborative Hierarchical Robotic Explanations Plan and Goal Reasoning for Explainable Autonomous Robots (Royal Academy of Engineering) ADE (European Commission): Autonomous Decision Making in Very Long Traverses ERGO (European Commission): European Robotic Goal-Oriented autonomous controller Labs and Teams: He is affiliated with the Reasoning and Planning research group and the Trusted Autonomous Systems Hub at King's College London, focusing on developing trustable autonomous systems through robust planning and human-centered AI.
Roel Leus is a full professor at KU Leuven's Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB), part of the Operations Research and Statistics Research Group (ORSTAT). He holds roles such as Program Director for the Business Engineering programs and Chairman of the KU Leuven Advisory Committee for the Chinese Region. He earned his PhD in Applied Economics from KU Leuven in 2003, focusing on project planning under uncertainty. His research emphasizes operations research and management, particularly scheduling, project planning, and decision-making under uncertainty. Education: PhD in Applied Economics (KU Leuven, 2003); Master's in Business Engineering (Handelsingenieur, KU Leuven, 1998). He has held academic positions since 2003, including adjunct professorships at Beijing Jiaotong University. His administrative roles include heading ORSTAT research group (2012–2016) and program directorships. Research Interests: Sequencing and scheduling, project planning under uncertainty, discrete optimization, and practical quantitative decision support. He has supervised 12 graduated PhD students as primary supervisor and contributed to numerous publications in top journals like INFORMS Journal on Computing and European Journal of Operational Research. Teaching: Courses include 'Introduction to Operations Research,' 'Operations Research,' and 'Applications of Operations Research.' He coordinates master's theses in Data Science and Business Analytics, focusing on practical optimization problems. Grants and Projects: Acquired over €2 million in research funding from private companies, the National Bank of Belgium, and KU Leuven. His work spans satellite scheduling, supply chain management, and cross-docking logistics. Labs/Teams: Active in ORSTAT, collaborating on projects like drone-assisted delivery and robust scheduling algorithms. His research bridges theoretical advancements with real-world applications in logistics, manufacturing, and aerospace.
Carlisle-Martin is an Associate Department Head and Professor of Practice in the Department of Computer Science & Engineering at Texas A&M University. They also serve as Director of the United States Air Force Academy Center for Cyberspace Research. Their research focuses on computer security, programming languages, and innovative computer science education techniques. Education: Ph.D., Computer Science, Princeton University (1996) B.S., Mathematics and Computer Science, University of Delaware (1991) Research Interests: Malware analysis and detection Cybersecurity frameworks for DNS and network protocols Visual programming tools like RAPTOR for education Ada language modernization and integration Cybersecurity education through CTF competitions Awards: 2016: Meritorious Civilian Service Award (USAF) 2014: SANS Institute Security Award 2009: ACM Distinguished Educator 2008: Colorado Professor of the Year 2007: Arthur S. Flemming Award Advising & Grants: Known for mentoring through cybersecurity initiatives and leading the USAF Academy's cyberspace research programs. No specific grant details listed, but their work aligns with defense and education funding priorities. Labs/Teams: Directs the USAF Academy's Center for Cyberspace Research, focusing on applied cybersecurity solutions and educational outreach.
Sandra Paterlini is a Full Professor in the Department of Economics and Management at the University of Trento, Italy. She holds academic roles including Co-Chair of the ERCIM Working Group on Optimization Heuristics and Vice-Chair of the IEEE Task Force on Portfolio Optimization. Her career includes visiting positions at institutions such as the University of Minnesota and Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München. She earned a PhD in Computational Methods for Financial and Economic Decisions from the University of Bergamo, an MSc in Financial Mathematics from the University of Warwick, and a Laurea in Economics from the University of Modena and Reggio E. Her research focuses on quantitative finance, risk management, portfolio optimization, and network analysis, with applications to ESG, systemic risk, and financial stability. Key research contributions include methodologies for sparse graphical modeling, systemic risk analysis, and ESG scoring frameworks. She has received multiple awards for research excellence and serves on editorial boards of journals like Computational Statistics & Data Analysis and Frontiers in Applied Mathematics and Statistics . Her work bridges academia and policy, with contributions to the European Central Bank’s Financial Stability Directorate and involvement in global conferences on computational finance and econometrics.
Christiane Barz is a Professor of Mathematics at the University of Zurich's Institute for Business Administration since 2016. Previously, she held academic roles at the UCLA Anderson School of Management, the Chicago Booth School of Business, and the Technical University (TU) Berlin. Her research focuses on stochastic dynamic systems, Markov decision processes, and their applications in revenue management. She emphasizes making mathematical tools accessible and practical for real-world problem-solving, particularly in optimizing decision-making under uncertainty. Education includes a degree in industrial engineering and a doctorate from the University of Karlsruhe (TH), Germany. Her career path includes postdoctoral research at the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business and roles as an Assistant Professor at UCLA. She combines academic excellence with balancing family life, advocating for gender equity in STEM fields. Her research explores risk-sensitive decision-making frameworks, dynamic pricing models for transportation and healthcare, and optimizing resource allocation in complex systems. Recent work includes applications in FlixBus, air cargo networks, and improving patient admission scheduling in hospitals. Barz's teaching philosophy prioritizes demystifying mathematics for students, encouraging critical engagement rather than fear of complexity. She collaborates with industry partners to apply operations research methods to real-world challenges, emphasizing both theoretical rigor and practical relevance.
