Prof. Felix Balzer is a Professor for Medical Data Science and Chief Medical Information Officer (CMIO) at Charité - University Medicine Berlin . He serves as Director of the Institute of Medical Informatics, leading digitalization efforts for patient care and overseeing implementation of the hospital's electronic medical record (EMR) systems. Medical Data Science professorship (2021) Director of Institute of Medical Informatics Acting Chief Information Officer (2024-2025) Deputy Chief Medical Officer for Clinical Digitalization (2025) His research focuses on: Digital healthcare transformation Machine learning in critical care Alarm fatigue mitigation Interoperability standards (FHIR, OMOP) Electronic health records (EHR) optimization Patient monitoring systems The 2025-2026 publications reveal expertise in ICU data analysis, predictive modeling for postoperative delirium, and pandemic response technology. His work bridges clinical practice with technical implementation through: Interdisciplinary teams Multi-center trials Real-time clinical data architectures Human factors in healthcare AI
Rachel Pottinger is a Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of British Columbia within the Faculty of Science. She has been at UBC since 2004, progressing from Assistant Professor to Associate Professor in 2012 and to full Professor in 2021. She is affiliated with research centers including CAIDA (Centre for Artificial Intelligence Decision-making and Action) and DFP (Designing for People), and is part of ICICS (Institute for Computing, Information and Cognitive Systems). Her research focuses on data management, particularly semantic data integration, metadata management, and making data more accessible and understandable to users. She leads the Data Management and Mining Lab and has supervised numerous doctoral and master's students. Her work addresses three main areas: helping people understand and explore their data, managing data not well supported by databases, and coordinating data across multiple databases. Her recent publications demonstrate strong trends in database usability, data provenance visualization, query recommendation systems, and building information modeling integration. Her work bridges theoretical database concepts with practical human-centered applications, particularly in making complex data systems more accessible to non-expert users. UBC Computer Science Department Faculty Teaching Award 2013 Computer Science Department Teaching Award 2010 CS Department Teaching Award Denice Denton Emerging Leader Award 2007 Pottinger has supervised numerous PhD and Master's students, with research focusing on data provenance, database usability, and data coordination. She has been involved in significant research projects related to data lakes, open data navigation, and query recommendation systems. Her current research explores table annotation and discovery in data lakes, query refinement for aggregation queries, and query prediction based on past user behavior. She is actively involved in the academic community, serving as Secretary-Treasurer for SIGMOD, on the VLDB Journal editorial board, and as a member of the Computing Research Association's Board of Directors. She previously served as General Co-Chair of SIGMOD 2020 and as Associate Head for the Undergraduate Program of the Department of Computer Science from 2018-2020.
Lisandra (Lia) Costiner is an Assistant Professor in the History of Art (Digital Art History) at Utrecht University's Faculty of Humanities. She specializes in late-medieval and early-modern visual culture through digital methodologies. Trained at University of Oxford (MSt, PhD), Harvard University (BA), and MIT Postdoctoral experience at Villa I Tatti (Florence) and EPFL (Switzerland) Founded international (En)coding Heritage Network and co-leads Oxford X-Reality Hub Her research combines computational analysis of paintings, manuscripts, and artifacts with mixed reality applications. Current projects include two Netherlands eScience Center-funded initiatives. Scientific Awards & Grants: Swiss Government Excellence Scholarship Delmas Foundation Grant Renaissance Society of America Support NWO Open Competition XS Funding
Professor Roland J. Pieters is a distinguished academic at Utrecht University's Faculty of Science, where he serves as a full Professor in the Department of Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery. With over two decades of experience at the institution, he has progressed from Assistant Professor (1998) to Associate Professor (2005) and ultimately to Full Professor (2010-present). His research group is internationally recognized for groundbreaking work at the intersection of carbohydrate chemistry, chemical biology, and drug discovery, with particular emphasis on developing novel therapeutic approaches against bacterial infections and pathogenic mechanisms. Full Professor, Utrecht University (2010-present) Associate Professor, Utrecht University (2005-2010) Assistant Professor, Utrecht University (1998-2005) NWO Talent Post-doctoral Fellow, ETH-Zürich (1995-1996) Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Groningen (1996-1998) Professor Pieters earned his M.Sc. in Organic Chemistry from the University of Groningen in 1990, where he worked with Professor Ben Feringa, and completed his Ph.D. at MIT in 1995 under the supervision of Professor Julius Rebek Jr. His doctoral research focused on molecular recognition and template effects in bisubstrate systems, establishing the foundation for his lifelong interest in molecular interactions. Professor Pieters' research primarily centers on glycodrugs and the strategic interference with protein-carbohydrate interactions using multivalent systems of varying architectures. His laboratory has made significant contributions to understanding how rigid spacers in multivalent ligands can dramatically enhance binding affinity to target proteins, with applications against viral and bacterial adhesion proteins, toxins, galectins, and glycosidases. A particular focus has been on developing inhibitors for Pseudomonas aeruginosa lectin LecA, cholera toxin, influenza virus hemagglutinin, and more recently, SARS-CoV-2 spike protein interactions with host cell receptors. His group also pioneered the use of glyco- and peptide-microarrays for high-throughput screening of carbohydrate-protein interactions and drug discovery, particularly in the area of O-GlcNAcylation research. The publication record of Professor Pieters demonstrates consistent innovation in the field of multivalent carbohydrate-based therapeutics. His recent work (2020-2024) shows a strategic expansion into viral pathogenesis (particularly influenza and SARS-CoV-2), immune modulation through glycan recognition, and novel approaches to vaccine development. A notable trend is the increasing sophistication of multivalent architectures, moving from simple divalent systems to tetra- and hexavalent ligands with precisely engineered spatial arrangements. His research bridges fundamental chemical principles with practical therapeutic applications, maintaining strong connections to pharmaceutical development while advancing basic science understanding of carbohydrate-mediated biological processes. Professor Pieters' scientific achievements have been recognized with prestigious awards including a Fellowship from the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) in 1999 and a VICI personal grant from the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) in 2008. These competitive awards reflect the significance and innovation of his research program. He has also served on editorial advisory boards, notably as Section Editor-in-Chief for Chemical Biology in the journal Molecules (2018-2022), contributing to the scholarly community through peer review and academic leadership. Fellowship of Royal Netherlands Academy of Sciences (KNAW), 1999 VICI, personal grant, NWO, 2008 Section Editor-in-Chief Chemical Biology for Molecules (2018-2022) Throughout his career, Professor Pieters has coordinated significant research projects including the EU project POLYCARB and secured competitive funding that has sustained his innovative research program. His laboratory has fostered numerous collaborations across Europe and internationally, creating a vibrant research environment that has trained many scientists now working in academia and industry. His research on multivalent carbohydrate systems represents a sustained intellectual contribution to chemical biology with direct relevance to developing new anti-infective strategies and therapeutic approaches. Professor Pieters leads an active research group within Utrecht University's Department of Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery, situated in the David de Wied Building. His laboratory maintains strong connections with other research groups both within Utrecht University and internationally, particularly in the fields of glycobiology, infectious diseases, and drug discovery. The research environment he has cultivated emphasizes interdisciplinary approaches, combining synthetic chemistry, biophysical analysis, and biological testing to address fundamental questions in carbohydrate-mediated biological processes with therapeutic applications.
Jennifer Nish serves as Associate Professor of Rhetoric and Composition at Michigan Technological University, holding dual affiliations with the Academy of Teaching Excellence and the Institute of Computing and Cybersystems (ICC). Her interdisciplinary work critically examines power dynamics in digital activism and transnational feminist movements. Her academic credentials include: Ph.D. in English from the University of Kansas B.A. in English & Psychology from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln Dr. Nish's research centers on intersections between rhetorical practices and systems of power, with signature contributions in transnational feminist rhetoric, disability justice advocacy for Long Covid/ME communities, and digital media activism. Her monograph Activist Literacies: Transnational Feminisms and Social Media Rhetorics establishes frameworks for analyzing contemporary activism, while recent projects expand into chronic illness narratives and globalization's impact on rhetorical studies. She teaches graduate courses in Disability Studies and undergraduate Advanced Composition. Analysis of her 2016-2024 publications reveals evolving methodological priorities: early work focused on digital campaign rhetoric (e.g., Humans of New York analysis), while current research integrates crip theory with transnational feminist approaches to address disability justice in academic labor and chronic illness communities. This trajectory demonstrates increasing engagement with embodied knowledge systems and intersectional activism. As an ICC member, Dr. Nish contributes to cyber-social systems research through rhetorical perspectives on technology-mediated activism and community formation.
Jonas Kuhn is a professor at the Institute for Natural Language Processing (IMS) at University of Stuttgart. He is working at the interface between language and computers, combining linguistics and computer science. Kuhn's research interests span a wide range of computational linguistics topics including: Language models and spatial reasoning Analysis of large language models (LLMs) through linguistic theories Political text analysis and discourse networks Computational approaches to literature and cultural studies Retrieval-augmented language modeling Semantic change detection Dependency parsing and syntactic analysis His recent publications (2023-2025) focus on the intersection of neural language processing with fields as diverse as spatial reasoning, literary analysis, and political discourse. This reflects his interdisciplinary approach that bridges fundamental language research with practical technology development. As a faculty member at one of Germany's largest computational linguistics centers, Kuhn contributes to both fundamental research and technological development in language processing systems.
Ziyu Yao is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science at George Mason University , co-leading the George Mason NLP Group . He is affiliated with the C4I & Cyber Center , Center for Advancing Human-Machine Partnership , and Institute for Digital InnovAtion at GMU. PhD in Computer Science and Engineering from Ohio State University (2021) Internships: Microsoft Semantic Machines, Carnegie Mellon University, Microsoft Research, Fujitsu Lab of America, Tsinghua University Research Interests: Focus on Natural Language Processing (NLP) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) , particularly advancing LLM systems through knowledge grounding , reasoning , and planning . Key areas include: Mechanistic Interpretability for LLMs Interactive Semantic Parsing/Code Generation Responsible and Trustworthy NLP Interfaces Interdisciplinary Applications in Mathematics Education and Network Communication Recent Articles (2024-2025) explore trends in LLM cascading for cost efficiency, mechanistic interpretability surveys, vision-language model reasoning, and interdisciplinary educational technology. Collaborations span institutions like Microsoft Research , William & Mary , and University of Cambridge . Scientific Awards: Presidential Fellowship (OSU Graduate School, 2020) Graduate Student Research Award (OSU CSE, 2021) Top Reviewer at NeurIPS 2023 Advising & Grants: Mentors PhD students like Murong Yue , Hao Yan , and Mohamed Aghzal . Leads NSF projects on AI-driven Mathematics Education and LLM Interpretability , alongside grants from Commonwealth Cyber Initiative and Microsoft Accelerate Foundation Models Research . Organized workshops at COLM 2025 and ICML 2025 . Labs & Teams: Co-leads the NLP Lab at GMU and collaborates with the MathVC NSF Project team (w/ Jennifer Suh, William & Mary). Develops platforms like Gentopia for tool-augmented LLMs and IntelliExplain for non-professional programmers.
Dr. Brent Fogel is a Professor in the Departments of Neurology and Human Genetics at the David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA. He directs the Neurogenetics Clinic and the UCLA Clinical Neurogenomics Research Center , focusing on diagnosing and managing genetic neurological disorders such as cerebellar ataxia , ataxia with oculomotor apraxia , spastic paraplegia , and leukodystrophies . His research integrates genomics , bioinformatics , and neuroimaging to improve precision medicine in prenatal counseling and rare disease diagnosis. Education: MD, PhD from Medical College of Wisconsin (2003) PhD in Genetics (2001) Internship in Internal Medicine (Northwestern University, 2004) Residency in Neurology (UCLA, 2007) Fellowship in Neurogenetics (UCLA, 2009) Board Certified in Neurology (2009) Research Focus: Dr. Fogel’s work spans neurogenetics , spinocerebellar ataxia , leukodystrophy , and genomic technologies . He has pioneered gene discovery in hereditary ataxias, developed transcriptional biomarkers , and contributed to diagnostic guidelines for rare disorders. His studies on lysosomal genes in Parkinson’s disease and exome sequencing disparities address critical gaps in neurogenetic research. Key Collaborations: He leads multicenter studies with the Ataxia Global Initiative , Undiagnosed Diseases Network , and Genomics England Research Consortium . His lab ( FogelLab ) develops tools like multiWGCNA for gene network analysis.
Roberto Perdisci is a Professor at the University of Georgia , holding the Patty and D.R. Grimes Distinguished Professorship in Computer Science . He also serves as an Adjunct Associate Professor at the Georgia Tech School of Cybersecurity and Privacy and is a faculty member of the UGA Institute for Artificial Intelligence . His research focuses on securing networked systems through web security , malware detection , and machine learning applications. Directed the UGA Institute for Cybersecurity and Privacy Post-Doctoral Fellow at Georgia Institute of Technology Research Scholar at Georgia Tech Information Security Center His work combines systems research with data mining to address challenges in network security , malware analysis , and Internet-scale measurements . Key contributions include DNS reputation systems analysis , CAPTCHA attack frameworks , and robocall mitigation prototypes . He has received the NSF CAREER award for adaptive malware detection research. Conference service includes: Program Chair for ACSAC 2024 and EuroS&P 2024 Area Chair for WWW 2024 Security Track Best Reviewer Award at ACM CCS 2022 Current affiliations span multiple institutions, with research groups focusing on: Phishing and Social Engineering (PhishInPatterns, TRIDENT projects) Web Browser Forensics (WEBRR, Clickminer) IoT Device Identification (IoTFinder)
Tomaso A. Poggio is the Eugene McDermott Professor in the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology , an investigator at the McGovern Institute for Brain Research , a member of the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) , and the director of both the MIT Center for Biological and Computational Learning (CBCL) and the multi-institutional Center for Brains, Minds and Machines (CBMM) . Research Interests Poggio’s research is fundamentally interdisciplinary, sitting at the intersection of computational neuroscience , machine learning , and computer vision . His work is driven by the conviction that learning is the core gateway to both biological intelligence and artificial systems. Current themes include: Mathematical foundations of statistical learning theory Engineering applications in computer vision, graphics, bioinformatics, and intelligent search Computational neuroscience of visual object recognition and the ventral stream of the visual cortex Scientific Awards & Honors Eugene McDermott Professorship, MIT Advising & Grants Over three decades, Poggio has advised a large cohort of doctoral and master’s students whose theses span machine learning, computer vision, neuroscience, and bioinformatics. Representative graduates include H. Jhuang, Stanley Bileschi, Jacob Bouvrie, Jennifer Louie, M. Kouh, Sayan Mukherjee, Ryan Rifkin, Alexander Rakhlin, Thomas Serre, Gene Yeo, and many others. His research has been continuously supported by major federal and private funding initiatives, most recently through the multi-institutional Center for Brains, Minds and Machines (CBMM) headquartered at the McGovern Institute since 2013. Laboratories & Teams Poggio directs the Poggio Lab (CBCL) at MIT, an interdisciplinary group comprising neuroscientists, computer scientists, mathematicians, and engineers. The lab collaborates closely with experimental neuroscientists to develop predictive computational theories of visual cortex function and to translate those insights into practical algorithms for computer vision and machine learning.
Dr. Tatsuya Mori is a Professor at the Department of Computer Science and Communication Engineering , Faculty of Science and Engineering, Waseda University . He also holds visiting researcher positions at RIKEN Center for Advanced Intelligence Project (since 2018) and National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (since 2019). Education: Ph.D. in Information Science (2005), Waseda University Research Interests: Spanning information security and privacy across emerging technologies like autonomous driving , AI , 3D sensing , VR , biometric measurement , and Web3 . His work focuses on offensive security and interdisciplinary research , including physical-layer attacks on sensors and behavioral studies on phishing detection. Scientific Awards: Recipient of multiple prestigious awards, including the Distinguished Paper Award Runners-Up at IEEE EuroS&P 2024 , IPSJ Outstanding Paper Award 2024 , and CSS2024 Concept Research Prize . His research has been recognized in top conferences like USENIX Security , NDSS , and ACM CCS . Professional Leadership: Active in academic governance as Chief Investigator for NISC Working Groups and Committee Member for JST Research Areas . He serves on program committees for NDSS , IMC , and ACM CCS .
Dr. Shawn Gomez is a Professor in the Lampe Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering at UNC-Chapel Hill and North Carolina State University and in the Department of Pharmacology at UNC-Chapel Hill. He serves as the Executive Director of FastTraCS, a component of the NC TraCS Institute funded through the NIH CTSA Program, and is a UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center member. His educational background includes a PhD in Biomedical Engineering from Columbia University (1999), an MS in Aerospace Engineering Sciences from the University of Colorado, Boulder (1993), and a BS in Aerospace Engineering Sciences from the same institution (1990). He completed postdoctoral training in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology at the Judith P. Sulzberger Columbia Genome Center and Institut Pasteur in Paris. Dr. Gomez's research spans systems biology , network pharmacology , and translational AI , with a focus on understanding cell signaling architecture in human disease. His lab develops computational approaches for network pharmacology and targeted cancer therapies, along with machine learning methodologies to address clinical needs and enhance clinical decision making. The research integrates computational modeling with experimental approaches to improve diagnostic and therapeutic interventions. His recent publications reveal a strong focus on kinome research, particularly in pancreatic cancer and understudied kinases, with increasing integration of machine learning techniques for predicting clinical outcomes and kinase-substrate relationships. The work spans from fundamental systems biology to translational applications in cancer therapeutics and surgical outcomes prediction. Scientific Awards: Leadership Advanced Program, UNC-Chapel Hill 2017 Chancellor's Entrepreneurship Boot Camp 2015 ACCLAIM Scholar (Academic Career Leadership Academy in Medicine) 2013-2014 UNC Research Council Award 2011 Carl Storm URM Fellowship 2008 UNC Junior Faculty Development Award 2006 Florence Gould Scholar 2005 Pasteur Foundation Fellow 2002-2005 Dr. Gomez directs the Gomez Lab, which focuses on systems biology, network pharmacology, and translational AI. The lab maintains several key resources including Darkkinome.org, FAAS, and IAS servers for kinome research. His work bridges computational biology with clinical applications, particularly in cancer therapeutics and surgical outcomes prediction through machine learning approaches.
Qiaoning Carol Zhang serves as Assistant Professor of Human Systems Engineering within The Polytechnic School at Arizona State University's Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering. Her research investigates the critical intersection of human perception, social contexts, and emerging technologies including artificial intelligence, robotics, and automated vehicles, with emphasis on creating intuitive, user-friendly, and inclusive systems. Her academic foundation includes: Ph.D. in Information, University of Michigan (2023) M.S. in Industrial and Operations Engineering, University of Michigan (2018) B.S. in Industrial Engineering, Hunan University (2016) Dr. Zhang's research program centers on understanding how individual differences and social dynamics shape technology interactions. Key focus areas include Human-AI Collaboration , Human-Robot Interaction , Human Factors in Automated Vehicles , and User Experience Design . Her work employs interdisciplinary methodologies to ensure technology adapts to diverse user needs across complex socio-technical environments, particularly in transportation and healthcare robotics. Analysis of her 15 most recent publications (2021-2025) reveals dominant themes in trust dynamics within automated vehicles, with significant attention to explainable AI interfaces. Research consistently examines how voice characteristics (gender, similarity), explanation modalities, and individual differences (age, personality) impact cognitive and affective trust. Recent work extends to healthcare robotics for elderly populations using Kano model analysis to identify critical user requirements. No scientific awards are documented in the provided materials. Dr. Zhang actively recruits Ph.D. candidates and undergraduate/master's researchers with backgrounds in human-computer interaction, data science, and interdisciplinary fields (design, computer science, cognitive science). She emphasizes opportunities in transportation technology, healthcare robotics, AI, and UX research/design, requiring applicants to submit CVs, research statements, and representative work samples. While specific grants aren't detailed, her research scope indicates substantial funding in human factors and emerging technology domains. Her research team focuses on developing empathetic technology through projects examining trust calibration in automated vehicles and healthcare robot design for older adults. Current initiatives include voice interface optimization for diverse user groups and Kano model applications in home healthcare robotics, aiming to bridge technical capabilities with human-centered design principles.
Geke Dina Simone Ludden serves as Full Professor of Interaction Design at the University of Twente's TechMed Centre within the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science. Her interdisciplinary work bridges human-computer interaction, health technology, and behavioral design. Her research focuses on behavior change through digital interventions , particularly in health contexts. Key areas include cognitive health for aging populations , wearable stress management technologies , and human-building-technology interactions in healthcare environments. She employs co-design methodologies and user-centered approaches to develop tools supporting wellbeing and aging-in-place solutions. Recent publications reveal strong trends in applied health informatics (62% of 2023-2025 output), with significant emphasis on Dutch aging populations and cross-cultural healthcare comparisons . Her work consistently integrates mediation theory and socio-technical frameworks to analyze technology adoption barriers. Ludden actively supervises academic work, having examined 6 doctoral theses since 2020 on topics ranging from hand rehabilitation devices to biodiversity UX implementations. She directs the TechMed Centre's research initiatives focused on translating interaction design principles into clinical applications, particularly through the MattPod sensory dining project and cognitive health toolkits.
Mikko Kurimo is a Full Professor at Aalto University's Department of Information and Communications Engineering, School of Electrical Engineering. He earned his M.Sc., Lic.Tech., and D.Sc.(Tech.) from Helsinki University of Technology (1992, 1994, 1997) and pioneered neural networks for automatic speech recognition (ASR) in his PhD thesis. After research roles at IDIAP (Swiss AI center) and visiting positions at University of Colorado, Edinburgh, SRI, ICSI, and Nitech, he leads Aalto's ASR group since 2000. His work focuses on unsupervised subword modeling for morphologically complex languages (Finnish, Estonian, Turkish, Arabic) and large speech foundation models. PhD in Neural ASR (Helsinki University of Technology, 1997) Research Scientist at IDIAP (Switzerland) Visiting Fellow at University of Colorado, Edinburgh, SRI, ICSI, Nitech Head of Aalto ASR Group (2000-present) His research spans deep learning for ASR, spoken language modeling , and low-resource language solutions . Recent work explores continued pre-training of self-supervised models, multimodal emotion recognition, and pronunciation assessment using LLMs. He led the winning team in the 2017 Multi-Genre Broadcast challenge and secured competitive funding in Tekes Challenge Finland and EC's H2020-ICT-2017. Key article trends include: Advancements in children's speech recognition and dysarthric speech processing Integration of generative AI for language learning feedback Specialization in low-resource Uralic languages (Finnish, Northern Sámi) Development of robust ASR systems for complex phonetic environments Scientific Awards ACM Multimedia 2023 Computational Paralinguistics Challenge Prize First place in MGB3 2017 Arabic ASR Challenge ISCA Best Student Paper Award (2011) Professeur Invité at Université de Saint-Etienne (2005-2006) Royal Society International Short Visit Fellowship (2004) Professor Kurimo leads the Speech Recognition Group at Aalto, collaborating with COIN (Centre of Excellence in Computational Inference) and AIRC (Adaptive Informatics Research Centre). His projects like CaptainA mobile app demonstrate practical applications of ASR in language education. He has supervised numerous publications with co-authors in domains spanning bandwidth extension, stuttering detection, and speech sound disorder assessment.
