Maarten de Hoop is the Simons Chair and Professor of Computational and Applied Mathematics at Rice University, part of the George R. Brown School of Engineering. He holds visiting roles at MIT and the Chinese Academy of Sciences. His research spans seismic wave analysis, inverse problems, deep learning, and planetary seismology. He earned his Ph.D. in Technical Sciences from Delft University of Technology (1992), and earlier degrees from Utrecht University. Notable awards include the 1996 J. Clarence Karcher Award and 2001 Fellowship from the Institute of Physics. His work integrates computational mathematics with geophysics, focusing on extracting signal information from large datasets, developing novel inverse scattering methods, and applying deep learning to geoscience challenges. Recent studies include transformer models for in-context learning, semialgebraic neural networks, and seismic waveform foundation models like SeisLM. He leads the Geo-Mathematical Imaging Group, fostering interdisciplinary projects in planetary missions and data-driven discovery.
Benjamin Machta is an Assistant Professor of Physics at Yale University, affiliated with the Department of Physics and the QBio Institute. He holds a BS from Brown University and a PhD from Cornell University, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship at Princeton University. His research focuses on applying theoretical physics to understand biological systems, particularly leveraging statistical physics and information theory to study biological membranes near critical points and the energetic constraints of biological signaling. Education: BS in Physics (Brown University), PhD in Physics (Cornell University), Postdoc at Princeton University (Lewis-Sigler Theory Fellow). Research Interests include: membrane criticality, phase transitions in biological systems, information-theoretic limits in organism function, and energy dissipation in biological processes. His work often bridges theoretical models with experimental data, such as collaborations with Sarah Veatch’s lab on membrane phase behavior. Publications highlight themes like membrane criticality, protein phase separation, and energy constraints in signaling. His group’s current projects explore cochlear mechanics, thermodynamic control in biological systems, and the role of criticality in sensory systems. Awards: 2019 Simons Investigator Award. Lab Affiliations: QBio Institute and Department of Physics at Yale, located in YSB-C164. Group members include postdocs Isabella Graf and Michael Abbott, and graduate students Asheesh Momi, Mason Rouches, and others.
Dr. Ehsan Abbasnejad is an Associate Professor at Monash University's Department of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence, and holds adjunct positions at the Australian Institute for Machine Learning (AIML, University of Adelaide) and the Centre for Augmented Reasoning (CAR). He specializes in foundational AI, focusing on vision-language tasks, adversarial machine learning, and reinforcement learning. His work bridges theory with real-world applications in agriculture, energy, healthcare, and sports. Education: PhD in Computer Science from Australian National University (ANU). Research Interests: Machine Learning Theory and Adversarial Defenses Neural Network Robustness and Generalization Multimodal Learning (Vision-Language) Continual and Transfer Learning Applications in Energy, Healthcare, and Robotics Awards: Finalist for Australian AI Academic/Researcher of the Year (2024) Multidisciplinary competition wins (e.g., OzMineral Explorer Challenge) Advising & Grants: Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery Project on Reinforcement Learning CSIRO's Next Generation Graduate Fund Accepting PhD students in foundational AI and applications Labs & Teams: Director of Foundational Machine Learning & Reasoning at Monash, leading global teams in AI competitions and industry collaborations (Microsoft Research, NEC Labs America).
Pan Xu is a tenure-track assistant professor with joint appointments in the Department of Biostatistics & Bioinformatics, Department of Computer Science, and Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering at Duke University. Previously, Xu was a Postdoctoral Scholar Research Associate at Caltech's Department of Computing and Mathematical Science and earned a Ph.D. in Computer Science from UCLA. Xu's research focuses on developing computationally- and data-efficient machine learning algorithms with strong empirical performance and theoretical guarantees. Xu's research interests center around Machine Learning with broad applications in Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, Optimization, Reinforcement Learning, and High Dimensional Statistics. The research specifically targets real-world problems in Bioinformatics and Healthcare, with recent work emphasizing distributionally robust decision making, efficient exploration strategies, and multi-agent systems. Xu has developed novel algorithms that address the challenges of exploration in sequential decision making and robustness to distributional shifts between training and deployment environments. Xu's recent publications demonstrate a strong trend toward developing theoretically grounded yet practical algorithms for reinforcement learning and bandit problems, with particular emphasis on distributionally robust methods, efficient exploration techniques, and applications to healthcare. The work spans both theoretical analysis (providing minimax optimal regret bounds) and practical implementations (validated on benchmarks like Atari games and real healthcare datasets). Whitehead Scholar award from Duke University School of Medicine (2023) Best Paper Award at ACM FAccT 2023 for Queer In AI paper PIMCO Postdoctoral Fellowship in Data Science (2022) TMLR Featured Certification (2023) NSF award on approximate sampling based exploration (2023) Xu actively mentors multiple Ph.D. students across Duke's Biostatistics & Bioinformatics, Computer Science, and Electrical & Computer Engineering programs, with several alumni now pursuing doctoral studies at top institutions. The research group has secured competitive funding including an NSF award for approximate sampling based exploration for sequential decision making. Xu serves as an action editor for TMLR and as an area chair for major conferences including ICML, NeurIPS, AAAI, ICLR, and AISTATS. Xu leads a dynamic research group focused on sequential decision making, with projects spanning theoretical algorithm development, implementation of practical systems, and applications to healthcare and bioinformatics. The group maintains active collaborations across Duke's medical and engineering schools, with recent work applying machine learning to epidemic forecasting during the pandemic.
Assoc Prof Ng Teng Yong is an Associate Professor at the School of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering (NTU), specializing in numerical modeling and simulation. With a background as Research Manager at A*STAR Institute of High Performance Computing, his work spans materials science, nanotechnology, and aerospace engineering. Current focus on graphene-based desalination membranes Expertise in molecular dynamics simulations Investigates nanoscale fluid mechanics and structural dynamics Recent publications highlight advancements in energy-efficient electrodialysis, smart robotics, and nonlinear vibration analysis. His interdisciplinary approach integrates computational methods with experimental validation in additive manufacturing and soft material mechanics.
Damek Davis serves as an Associate Professor of Statistics and Data Science and Co-Academic Director of the Dual Master's Degree in Statistics at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. His academic base is the Department of Statistics and Data Science within the Wharton School, with his office located at the Academic Research Building in Philadelphia, PA. His research expertise centers on optimization theory for data science, with deep specialization in nonsmooth and stochastic optimization problems. Key focus areas include convergence analysis of first-order methods, variance reduction techniques, and theoretical guarantees for algorithms in nonconvex settings. His work bridges mathematical rigor with practical applications in machine learning and statistical inference, particularly in developing efficient computational frameworks for large-scale data analysis. Analysis of his 2022-2024 publications reveals dominant themes in optimization for modern data challenges: nonsmooth stochastic approximation, linear convergence under sharpness conditions, and global optimality in mixture models. His research consistently appears in premier venues across optimization (Mathematical Programming, SIAM Journal), statistics (The Annals of Statistics), and machine learning (IEEE Transactions), demonstrating cross-disciplinary impact in both theoretical foundations and computational methodologies.
Gil Kalai is a Professor of Mathematics at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem since 1992, where he holds the Henry and Manya Noskwith Chair. He also serves as an Adjunct Professor of Mathematics and Computer Science at Yale University since 2004 in a long-term part-time visiting position. His academic career includes visiting positions at prestigious institutions including MIT, Cornell, IAS Princeton, Berkeley, Bell-labs, IBM, and Microsoft. Professor Kalai's research spans multiple areas within mathematics and theoretical computer science. His work in combinatorics encompasses geometric, probabilistic, and topological approaches. He has made significant contributions to the study of convex sets and polytopes, linear programming, and theoretical computer science. His influential 1988 paper with Kahn and Linial on Boolean functions pioneered applications of Fourier analysis in theoretical computer science. Kalai's research has evolved to include the application of Fourier analysis to thresholds, influences, symmetries, noise, percolation, and social choice. He has developed theories in algebraic shifting and studied face-numbers and other combinatorial invariants of polytopes. His work on the diameter of polytopes and randomized simplex algorithms has been influential in optimization theory. In 1993, his collaboration with Kahn produced a groundbreaking counterexample to Borsuk's Conjecture in 1325 dimensions. Professor Kalai's publications reveal a consistent focus on the intersection of combinatorics, geometry, and theoretical computer science. His work shows a progression from foundational combinatorial geometry to increasingly sophisticated applications of harmonic analysis in discrete mathematics. The recurring themes across his 30+ year career include Boolean functions, polytope theory, and probabilistic methods in combinatorics, demonstrating remarkable coherence in his research trajectory. 2016 European congress of Mathematics, plenary speaker 2013 ERC advanced grant 2012 Rothschild Prize 1994 International Congress of Mathematicians invited section talk, Zurich 1994 Fulkerson Prize 1993 Erdos Prize 1992 Polya Prize Though specific details of his advising are not provided in the source material, Kalai has written over 70 scientific papers and maintains an active research blog entitled "Combinatorics and More." His 2013 ERC advanced grant indicates significant research funding for his work. His extensive collaborations with researchers across multiple institutions suggest a robust research program with numerous PhD students and postdoctoral researchers, though specific names are not mentioned in the provided texts. Professor Kalai maintains active research connections across multiple institutions including Hebrew University, Yale, and various research centers worldwide. His work bridges pure mathematics and theoretical computer science, creating a unique interdisciplinary research environment that influences both fields.
David Jerison is a Professor of Mathematics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he conducts research in Fourier analysis and partial differential equations. His work focuses primarily on free boundary problems and, more recently, on internal Diffusion Limited Aggregation (internal DLA), a stochastic growth model. He maintains an active research program with numerous publications in leading mathematical journals. Professor Jerison's research spans several interconnected areas of mathematical analysis. His primary interests include Fourier analysis and partial differential equations, with particular emphasis on free boundary problems. In recent years, he has expanded his research to include internal Diffusion Limited Aggregation, a stochastic growth model that has connections to probability theory and mathematical physics. His work often bridges geometric analysis, spectral theory, and probabilistic methods, demonstrating the deep connections between different branches of mathematics. Analysis of Professor Jerison's recent publications reveals a consistent focus on geometric aspects of partial differential equations, particularly free boundary problems. His research shows progression from classical PDE theory toward more stochastic and probabilistic approaches, as evidenced by his work on internal DLA. The publications demonstrate interdisciplinary connections between mathematical analysis, probability theory, and mathematical physics, with applications ranging from geometric measure theory to quantum mechanics. Professor Jerison is actively involved in teaching and mentoring at MIT. He has taught courses including Differential Equations (18.03), Fourier Analysis and Applications (18.103), and Differential Analysis (18.155). He also directs the Summer Program for Undergraduate Research (SPUR), which is exclusively for MIT undergraduates, and organizes the mathematics section of the Research Science Institute (RSI) for high school students. His teaching materials are available through MIT's Open Courseware platform, indicating his commitment to educational outreach and accessibility.
Vladimir Spokoiny is a Professor at the Departments of Mathematics and Economics of the Humboldt University of Berlin and Head of the Research Group "Stochastic Algorithms and Nonparametric Statistics" at the Weierstrass Institute for Applied Analysis and Stochastics (WIAS) in Berlin, Germany. His research spans multiple areas of statistics, machine learning, and financial mathematics, with significant contributions to nonparametric statistics, high-dimensional data analysis, and statistical methods in finance. Spokoiny received his M.Sc. in applied mathematics from the Moscow Institute of Railway Engineering in 1981 and his Ph.D. in mathematics from Lomonosov Moscow State University in 1988. He completed his Habilitation at Humboldt University in 1996. His academic career includes positions at the All-Union Institute of Railway Transport in Moscow, the Institute for Information Transmission Problems in Moscow, and the Institute for Applied Analysis and Statistics in Berlin before joining the Weierstrass Institute and Humboldt University where he has been a professor since 2002. Spokoiny's research focuses on adaptive nonparametric smoothing and hypothesis testing, high dimensional data analysis, statistical methods in finance, image analysis with applications to medicine, classification, and nonlinear time series. His work often addresses the challenges of nonstationarity in time series data and develops innovative methods for volatility estimation and risk management. He has made significant contributions to the development of adaptive weights smoothing procedures, which have applications in image processing, community detection, and manifold learning. His recent work has expanded into high-dimensional statistics, Bayesian inference, and optimization methods for machine learning, with publications demonstrating novel approaches to Gaussian approximation, Laplace methods, and statistical inference in non-Euclidean spaces. Spokoiny has supervised numerous PhD students including Oliver Reiss, Danilo Mercurio, Ying Chen, Elmar Diederichs, and Mstislav Elagin, whose research has focused on mathematical finance, time series analysis, and statistical methods. He serves as an Associate Editor for The Annals of Statistics (since 2004) and Statistics and Decisions (since 2002), and has previously served on the editorial board of the Journal of Statistical Planning and Inference. His professional activities include reviewing for major statistical journals including Annals of Statistics, Bernoulli, Econometrica, and Journal of American Statistical Association, as well as reviewing grant proposals for the National Science Foundation (USA), German Research Foundation, and Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research. Spokoiny is a member of several professional societies including the International Statistical Institute, American Statistical Association, Institute of Mathematical Statistics, and Bernoulli Society. He is fluent in Russian (mother tongue), English, and German, and has good knowledge of French. His research group at WIAS focuses on developing novel statistical methodologies with applications across various scientific domains, particularly emphasizing adaptivity and robustness in complex data environments. The group's work has significant implications for financial risk management, medical imaging, and machine learning applications, with recent publications addressing fundamental questions in high-dimensional statistics and nonparametric inference.
Stefano Fusi is an Associate Professor of Neuroscience at Columbia University's Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, with joint affiliations at the Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute and Kavli Institute. His laboratory focuses on computational modeling of neural circuits and neuromorphic engineering. Education PhD in Physics, Hebrew University of Jerusalem (1999) BS in Physics, Sapienza University of Rome (1992) Research Focus Fusi investigates how biological complexity supports neural computation through three primary domains: theoretical analysis of neural circuit dynamics, representational geometry in learning systems, and hardware implementations of brain-inspired algorithms. His work bridges machine learning, neurophysiology, and theoretical physics, emphasizing high-dimensional representations and memory optimization. Recent publications demonstrate consistent focus on neural coding principles across hippocampus, prefrontal cortex, and sensory systems, with innovations in modeling working memory, stress responses, and cross-species computational paradigms. Collaborations & Labs Leads an interdisciplinary laboratory collaborating with Columbia experimental neuroscientists, MIT engineers, and Stanford computational researchers to validate theoretical models. Current projects include neuromorphic hardware development and neural decoding of emotional states.
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.
Ivan Dokmanic is an Assistant Professor at the Coordinated Science Laboratory (CSL) within the University of Illinois . His research bridges signal processing , machine learning , and applied inverse problems , with a focus on acoustics, biomedical imaging, and distance geometry. Current Role : Assistant Professor, CSL Email : dokmanic@illinois.edu Research Interests : Dokmanic explores machine learning applications in inverse problems , particularly distance geometry for molecular imaging and acoustics . His work includes unlabeled sensing , where distances between points are known but their arrangement is not. This has implications for powder diffraction , indoor localization , and echo modeling . Article Trends : His recent publications emphasize distance geometry in machine learning , acoustic signal processing , and inverse problem theory . Key areas include molecular imaging , audio encryption , and sensor positioning . Collaborative work spans medical imaging , cyberphysical systems , and geometric invariants . 2016 Google Faculty Award NSF Grant (1 year, $157,079) Students and Grants : Dokmanic mentors PhD students like Puoya, Shuai, and Anadi. His research is funded by the National Science Foundation , Google , VISA , and nVidia .
Surya Ganguli is an Associate Professor in the Department of Applied Physics at Stanford University, with courtesy appointments in Neurobiology and Electrical Engineering. He serves as Senior Fellow at the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered AI and is affiliated with the Stanford Neuroscience Institute , Bio-X , and Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute . His research spans theoretical neuroscience, machine learning, and statistical mechanics. Ph.D. , UC Berkeley, Theoretical Physics (2004) M.A. , UC Berkeley, Physics (2000) M.A. , UC Berkeley, Mathematics (2004) M.Eng. , MIT, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (1998) B.S. , MIT, Physics (1998) B.S. , MIT, Mathematics (1998) B.S. , MIT, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (1998) His lab explores how higher-level cognitive phenomena emerge from neural network dynamics, focusing on perception, memory, attention, and decision-making . Research themes include statistical mechanics of learning , neural representational geometry , and biologically plausible learning rules . Current work examines nonlinear interactions in neural networks through the Schmidt Science Polymath Award (2023). Key article trends reveal expertise in neural coding limits (2022 Nature), synaptic plasticity models (2022 Neural Computation), and deep learning theory (2022 NeurIPS publications). His 2019 Annual Review chapter on statistical mechanics of deep learning established foundational insights into network criticality. Scientific Awards : NSF Career Award (2019) Simons Foundation Investigator (2016) McKnight Scholar Award (2015) James S. McDonnell Foundation Scholar (2014) Sloan Research Fellow (2013) As advisor, he mentors 10+ doctoral students across Applied Physics, Neurosciences, and Computer Science, including Vamshi Balanaga and Mason Kamb. His lab collaborates with experimental teams at Stanford and beyond, supported by grants from NSF , Simons Foundation , and Swartz Foundation . The Neural Dynamics & Computation Lab unites physicists, mathematicians, and neuroscientists to decode cognition through interdisciplinary methods.
David Croydon is an Associate Professor at the Research Institute for Mathematical Sciences (RIMS), Kyoto University. His research focuses on probability theory, particularly diffusions on random fractals and scaling limits of random walks on random graphs. He also investigates discrete integrable systems with random initial conditions. Dr. Croydon's primary research interests span several areas of probability theory and mathematical physics. His work centers on diffusions on random fractals and how these processes can be constructed as scaling limits of related random walks on random graphs. He has made significant contributions to understanding random walks on critical structures including Galton-Watson trees, uniform spanning trees, and percolation clusters. More recently, he has developed a growing interest in the behavior of discrete integrable systems such as the box-ball system, particularly when started from random initial conditions. His research often bridges theoretical probability with applications in statistical physics and mathematical physics. Dr. Croydon's recent publications demonstrate a dual focus on theoretical probability and mathematical physics. His work on random walks spans various structures including binary trees, critical percolation clusters, and uniform spanning trees. He has made significant contributions to understanding aging phenomena, heat kernel fluctuations, and scaling limits in random media. Simultaneously, his research on discrete integrable systems explores the connections between probability theory and soliton theory, particularly through the lens of the box-ball system and related models. These two research strands converge in his investigations of scaling limits and invariant measures for complex stochastic systems. Dr. Croydon's scientific contributions have been recognized through publications in top-tier journals across probability theory and mathematical physics, though specific awards are not mentioned in the available information. Dr. Croydon has supervised several doctoral students to completion, including Adam Bowditch (2017), George Andriopoulos (2019), Eleanor Archer (2020), and Takumu Ooi (2024). He has also served in advisory roles for other students including John Sylvester (2017). His collaborative research spans multiple international institutions, suggesting involvement in various research grants supporting his work in probability theory and mathematical physics. While specific lab names aren't mentioned, Dr. Croydon is part of the vibrant probability theory research group at the Research Institute for Mathematical Sciences (RIMS) at Kyoto University. His extensive collaborations with researchers worldwide, particularly in the UK, France, and Japan, indicate active participation in international research networks focused on stochastic processes, random media, and discrete integrable systems.
Jiwoong Park is Professor of Chemistry and Chair of the Department of Chemistry at the University of Chicago, and simultaneously Professor of Molecular Engineering in the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering. His interdisciplinary research group, the Park Group, is jointly affiliated with the James Franck Institute and the Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) at UChicago, and operates from the Gordon Center for Integrative Science. Education & Training Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley (2003) B.S., Seoul National University (1996) Junior Fellow, Rowland Institute, Harvard University (2003–2006) Assistant → Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University (2006–2016) Research Interests Park’s research centers on the science and technology of precisely engineered nanomaterials, particularly atomically-thin two-dimensional (2D) crystals and van der Waals solids. Spanning chemistry, physics, materials science and electrical engineering, his group develops novel synthetic, imaging and characterization techniques to uncover new physical phenomena and translate them into scalable device technologies. Key thrusts include growth of wafer-scale molecular crystals, optical and transport spectroscopy of 2D semiconductors, mechanical behavior of polycrystalline nanomembranes, and integration of these materials into photonic, electronic and energy-harvesting devices. Scientific Awards Elected Fellow of the American Physical Society (2022) – “for the development of synthetic, imaging, and characterization techniques of atomically thin materials and the discovery of novel properties of van der Waals solids.” Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher (2023) – recognition for multiple papers ranking in the global top 1% by citations in Materials Science and Chemistry. Group & Collaborations The Park Group is an interdisciplinary team of postdocs, graduate researchers and undergraduates housed in the Gordon Center for Integrative Science. The group actively collaborates with colleagues across the Department of Chemistry, Department of Physics, and the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, leveraging shared facilities at the James Franck Institute and MRSEC to push the frontiers of 2D material science.
