Huazheng Wang is an Assistant Professor in the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at Oregon State University. His research focuses on reinforcement learning, information retrieval, and trustworthy AI. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Virginia (2021) and B.E. from the University of Science and Technology of China (2015). He holds awards including the 2025 EECS Fabulous Teacher Recognition and SIGIR 2019 Best Paper Award. His work addresses challenges in robust reinforcement learning, adversarial attacks on bandit systems, and applications in scientific discovery. Education: Ph.D., Computer Science, University of Virginia (2021) B.E., Computer Science and Technology, University of Science and Technology of China (2015) Research interests emphasize developing efficient algorithms for reinforcement learning, multi-armed bandits, and their applications in recommendation systems, protein optimization, and security. Notable contributions include provably efficient risk-aware reinforcement learning frameworks and adversarial attack analysis on bandit systems. Recent work includes NSF-funded research on neural bandits (IIS-2403401) and publications in top venues like ICML, NeurIPS, and AAAI. His lab explores embodied LLM agents for team cooperation and federated collaborative online monitoring frameworks.
Alis Oancea is Professor of Philosophy of Education and Research Policy at the University of Oxford's Department of Education, part of the Social Sciences Division. She holds additional roles including ESRC Centre for Global Higher Education Deputy Director and Social Sciences Division Advocate for Responsible Engagement. With dual doctoral degrees (DPhil from Oxford and PhD from Bucharest), she also received a Doctor Honoris Causa from University of the West Timisoara. Her research focuses on meta-research, research policy, and higher education governance. Key areas include research assessment frameworks, impact measurement, ethics, open knowledge practices, and teacher education. She co-edited the 2024 Handbook of Meta-Research and leads international studies on research cultures and policies. Education: DPhil (Oxford), PhD (Buc), DipLATHE (Oxford), Dhc (UWT) Roles: Director of Research (2016-20), REF2021 Coordinator, ESRC CGHE Deputy Director Leadership: Over 30 funded projects including the RKEEI initiative and BERA Observatory Her 150+ publications span research policy, impact evaluation, and education systems. Awards include FAcSS Fellowship and numerous international advisory roles across Europe and Norway. Advises on global education reforms and chairs panels for EU, UK, and Nordic research councils. Current doctoral supervision focuses on research policy, higher education systems, and teacher education innovations. Active in editorial roles for Oxford Review of Education and Review of Education .
Professor Jun Zhang is a leading academic in cybersecurity at Swinburne University, Australia, where he directs the Cybersecurity Lab. He has been honored as Australia's top cybersecurity researcher and instrumental in establishing Swinburne as a globally recognized cybersecurity research institution. His work includes high-impact papers and multi-million-dollar R&D projects, culminating in awards like the 2021 'Top Cybersecurity Research Institution' accolade. As course director of the Bachelor of Cyber Security, he pioneered an industry-driven teaching model with Deloitte and CSIRO, significantly boosting course enrollment. His collaborations extend to Adobe's Curriculum Innovation Program and the Australian P-TECH initiative, promoting STEM education and cybersecurity awareness. He supervises doctoral candidates and leads grants focused on AI-driven cybersecurity, smart home security, and blockchain-based edge computing. His research spans vulnerability detection, GAN forensics, IoT security, and privacy preservation in OSNs. Research interests include cybersecurity fundamentals, data science applications, and distributed systems. Notable achievements include the PTFix framework for Java vulnerabilities, the IoTFuzz smart home testing system, and CTI mining methodologies. Awards reflect his mid-career research excellence and industry partnerships. His grants with CSIRO and defense organizations emphasize real-world impact, addressing challenges from malware detection to adversarial machine learning. The Cybersecurity Lab and collaborative projects like Artchain demonstrate his commitment to bridging academia and industry. Professional activities include supervising over 20 HDR students and securing grants totaling millions. His work on blockchain-based edge storage (CSEdge) and SDCCP congestion control highlights innovation in networking. Future directions include advancing AI for design collaboration with CSIRO and enhancing privacy in smart energy technologies. His contributions span technical, educational, and community outreach domains, positioning him as a pivotal figure in cybersecurity's evolution.
Constantine (Costa) Samaras is the Trustee Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Director of the Wilton E. Scott Institute for Energy Innovation at Carnegie Mellon University. He is also affiliated with the Department of Engineering and Public Policy and holds a courtesy appointment in the Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy. Director, Scott Institute for Energy Innovation Trustee Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering Affiliated Faculty, Engineering and Public Policy Courtesy Faculty, Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy His research focuses on systems engineering approaches to climate resilience , clean energy transitions , and infrastructure security . Key areas include: Transportation electrification and automation Climate adaptation for infrastructure Energy policy under uncertainty AI impacts on energy systems Equity in decarbonization National security implications of energy Costa Samaras co-authored 15 recent studies spanning energy burden analysis, climate hazard indices, AI training energy optimization, and nature-based infrastructure solutions. His work emphasizes transdisciplinary collaboration between engineering, policy, and climate science. Notable scientific recognition includes being named Professor of the Year by the Pittsburgh Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers in 2018. He has led significant policy engagements including White House service (2021-2024) as Principal Assistant Director for Energy and Chief Advisor for Clean Energy Transition. Current affiliations include: Founder/Director, Center for Engineering and Resilience for Climate Adaptation Founder/Director, Power Sector Carbon Index Former Senior Researcher, RAND Corporation (2009-2014) Former Adjunct Senior Analyst, RAND Corporation (2014-2021)
Dr. Srinivas Peeta is the Frederick R. Dickerson Chair and Professor in Transportation Systems Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology’s School of Civil and Environmental Engineering. He previously held the Jack and Kay Hockema Professorship at Purdue University, where he served for 24 years. He is also the Associate Director of the USDOT Center for Connected and Automated Transportation. Education: B. Tech. from IIT Madras, M.S. from Caltech, and Ph.D. from UT Austin, all in Civil Engineering. His research focuses on large-scale transportation systems, infrastructure interdependencies, and connected/automated vehicles. He has authored over 345 publications and secured over $48M in research funding. Research Interests: Dynamic traffic networks and driver behavior modeling Information-based navigation in vehicular systems Systems perspectives for complex adaptive infrastructure Autonomous vehicle integration and human-vehicle interactions Key Achievements: Developed DYNASMART software for traffic operations Recipient of NSF CAREER Award (1997) and ASCE Walter Huber Prize (2009) Directed NEXTRANS UTC and pioneered USDOT’s real-time route guidance systems Grants & Outreach: Secured funding from USDOT, NSF, FHWA, and international agencies Initiated NEXTRANS internship programs and K-12 outreach Labs/Teams: Active in Georgia Tech’s ACT Lab, focusing on autonomous transportation systems and human-vehicle-environment interactions.
Vasilis Kostakis is a Professor of Technology Governance and Sustainability at Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech), Estonia, and a Faculty Associate at Harvard University's Berkman Klein Center. He is also the founder of the P2P Lab, a global initiative exploring peer-to-peer production systems, and a founding member of the 'Tzoumakers' rural makerspace and CommonEn energy cooperative in Greece. Research Interests : Kostakis focuses on technology governance, sustainability, and commons-based systems. His work critiques traditional economic models and advocates for decentralized, community-driven approaches to energy, production, and knowledge-sharing. Key themes include post-growth economics, cosmolocal scalability, and the intersection of digital technology with local initiatives. Key Contributions : He has pioneered frameworks like 'cosmolocalism' (balancing local and global systems) and 'design global, manufacture local' (Dgml), emphasizing localized production using global digital designs. His projects, such as TheOtherSchool.art and the P2P Lab, aim to democratize access to technology and knowledge. Labs & Collaborations : The P2P Lab acts as a hub for global commons research, while his hometown initiatives in Ioannina, Greece, exemplify grassroots sustainability. Collaborations span academia, civil society, and policy-making to reimagine socio-technical systems.
Bert DE REYCK is the Dean of the Lee Kong Chian School of Business at Singapore Management University (SMU) and holds the rank of Professor of Operations Management. He holds a PhD in Business Economics from the University of Leuven, Belgium, along with an MSc in Business Information Systems and a BSc in Business Engineering from the same institution. His career includes roles as Founding Director and Professor at UCL School of Management (2015–2021), Professor and Head of Department at University College London (2009–2015), and various visiting professorships at institutions like London Business School and the University of Ghent. He has held academic positions since 1998, including Assistant and Associate Professor roles at prestigious institutions such as the London Business School and Rotterdam School of Management. DE REYCK’s research focuses on Operations Management, Business Analytics, and Project Management, with notable contributions to AI applications, transportation systems, and strategic sourcing. His work bridges theoretical rigor and practical impact, addressing challenges in project valuation, contract design, and operations optimization. He has received numerous accolades, including INFORMS’ AAS Best Paper Award (2022), multiple Daniel H. Wagner Prize recognitions, and teaching awards from London Business School and UCL. His research has been supported by grants from organizations like Eurocontrol, NHS, and private sector firms such as Vungle and Noble Group. DE REYCK has led significant industry collaborations, including projects on airport operations optimization, pharmaceutical R&D valuation, and AI-driven advertising strategies. His advisory work spans sectors like aviation, healthcare, and transportation, emphasizing real-world problem-solving through analytics and decision science.
Rachel M. Werner, MD, PhD, is a Professor of Medicine at the Perelman School of Medicine and holds the Robert D. Eilers Memorial – William Maul Measey Professorship in Health Care Management and Economics at the Wharton School , both at the University of Pennsylvania . She serves as Executive Director of the Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics and is an Attending Physician at the Philadelphia Veterans Affairs Medical Center . Dr. Werner is a Core Investigator with the VA Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion and a Senior Fellow at the Leonard Davis Institute . Education: B.A. in Political Science, Macalester College (1992) M.D. in Medicine, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine (1998) Ph.D. in Health Economics, Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania (2004) Dr. Werner's research program, spanning over two decades, explores the effects of health care payment policies and quality improvement incentives on delivery systems, with a focus on unintended consequences such as worsening racial disparities through public quality reporting. She employs causal inference methods from observational data and leads R01 grants from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and the National Institute on Aging (NIA) . Scientific Awards: Alice Hersh New Investigator Award Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers American Federation of Medical Research (AFMR) Outstanding Investigator Award Elected member of the National Academy of Medicine Her work influences federal and state advisory committees and evaluates Medicaid policies , Medicare systems, and post-acute care models . She directs a VA national center assessing the medical home effectiveness and collaborates with institutions like the Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion and the Center for Health Incentives and Behavioral Economics .
Susana Mourato is Professor of Environmental Economics at the Department of Geography and Environment at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). She joined LSE in 2008 after ten years at Imperial College London. In 2021, she became the Vice President and Pro-Vice Chancellor (Research) at LSE. She also holds positions as Visiting Reader at Imperial College London and Honorary Senior Fellow at CSERGE (University of East Anglia). Professor Mourato is an expert in environmental economics and the application of economic valuation techniques to measure environmental change and social value. Professor Mourato's research focuses on valuing natural wealth and creating markets for ecosystem services, perceptions and preferences for low-carbon energy technologies, environmental valuation methods and applications, and the relationship between life satisfaction and the environment. Her work spans the fields of environmental economics, wellbeing economics, and behavioral environmental economics. She has conducted extensive research on ecosystem services, wildlife conservation, air and water pollution, chemicals, climate change, low carbon technologies, and cultural heritage, testing and applying economic valuation techniques to these diverse areas. Her recent publications show a strong trend toward integrating behavioral economics with traditional environmental valuation techniques. She has published extensively on the links between subjective wellbeing and environmental quality, as well as the application of economic valuation methods to inform environmental policy. Her work often involves interdisciplinary collaborations across economics, ecology, and social sciences, with significant policy impact through government advisory roles and international organizations. Member of Culture & Heritage Capital Advisory Board (UK Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport) Associate of the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment Former Academic Director of LSE Summer School Former Head of Department (2017-2020) Professor Mourato has worked on more than 45 research projects and consultancies for research councils, government, industry, charities, and international organizations. She currently leads projects for the OECD evaluating the impact of chemicals on IQ, for LSE Middle East Centre estimating preferences for climate change policies in the Gulf Region, and for water conservation in Kuwait. Her research has informed policy development in multiple countries and international contexts.
Sanford E. DeVoe is a Professor of Management and Organizations at UCLA Anderson School of Management. He currently serves as Senior Associate Dean of MBA Programs and teaches leadership foundations to Full-Time, Fully Employed, and Executive MBA students. Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior, Stanford University (2007) B.A. in Psychology with High Honors, Swarthmore College (2000) DeVoe's research explores the psychological impacts of monetizing time, including trade-offs between time and money, workplace stress, and societal well-being. His work uses experimental and survey methods to analyze how organizations can improve quality of life through behavioral interventions. His recent scholarly trends examine temporal psychology in organizational contexts, financial impatience, and stressor mitigation in service industries. Articles span behavioral economics, consumer culture analysis, and time-use optimization. Excellence in Teaching award (6 times) Dean’s Award for Excellence in Research (2011, Rotman School of Management) Featured in top media outlets like New York Times , Economist , and Wall Street Journal DeVoe has served as Senior Editor at Organization Science and sits on editorial boards of leading management journals. He actively bridges academic research with public discourse through media engagements and advisory roles.
Tracy Xiao Liu is a Professor at the Department of Economics, School of Economics and Management, Tsinghua University. Her research focuses on behavioral market design and the intersection of economics and computer science (Econ-CS), utilizing experimental methods to explore decision-making mechanisms, incentive structures, and behavioral spillovers. Her publications span journals such as Management Science , Games and Economic Behavior , and Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization . Key themes include behavioral economics, game theory, public goods, and experimental studies on market design, incentive contracts, and social preferences. Recent work examines AI-driven economic rationality (GPT models), energy policy impacts, and virtual red packet dynamics in online groups. Tracy collaborates with scholars across institutions, including her husband Baoping Liu (Peking University, harmonic analysis). Her experimental research bridges microeconomic theory with real-world applications in education, pensions, and crowdsourcing platforms.
Timo Minssen is Professor of Law at the University of Copenhagen (UCPH) and the Founding Director of UCPH's Center for Advanced Studies in Bioscience Innovation Law (CeBIL). He also holds affiliations as an LML Research Affiliate at the University of Cambridge and an Inter-CeBIL Research Affiliate at Harvard Law School's Petrie-Flom Centre. With extensive expertise in Intellectual Property, Competition, and Regulatory Law, Minssen focuses on the legal aspects of emerging health and life science technologies, including genome editing, big data, artificial intelligence, and quantum technology. His educational background includes a German law degree (Staatsexamen) from Georg-August-University in Göttingen, and Swedish biotech & IPR related LL.M., LL.Lic., and LL.D. degrees from Lund University and Uppsala University. His PhD thesis on the patentability of biopharmaceutical technology in the US & Europe received the prestigious Swedish King Oscar award. 2024: TUM Global Visiting Professor, Technical University of Munich (Germany) 2016: Visiting Research Fellow, University of Cambridge (UK) 2014: Visiting Research Fellow, University of Oxford (UK) 2013-14: Visiting Scholar, Harvard Law School (US) 2012: LL.D. - Doctor of Laws (Swedish "juris doktor"), EU/US patent law, Lund University, Sweden Minssen's research spans AI & Big Data in Health & Life Sciences, Sustainable and responsible innovation & tech transfer, Pharmaceutical-, Life Science- & Biotech Law, Comparative European & US Patent Law, Intellectual Property Law & Open Innovation, and EU Competition- & US Antitrust Law. His work addresses legal issues throughout the lifecycle of health and life science products and processes, from R&D regulation to technology transfer and commercialization. His extensive publication record includes 7 books and over 200 articles and book chapters published in leading journals such as Science, Nature Biotechnology, JAMA, and Harvard Business Review. His research has been featured in The Economist, Financial Times, and other major media outlets. Minssen's recent work shows a strong focus on AI regulation, quantum technology law, and data governance in health contexts, reflecting the evolving landscape of technology and law. Scientific Awards and Recognition King Oscar award for best Jur. Dr. thesis (2014) Jorcks Fonds Forsknings Pris (Jorck's Foundation Research Prize) (2017) Awapatent Research Prize (2009) Max Planck Research Scholarship (2005) Visiting Scholar appointments at Harvard Law School, University of Oxford, and University of Cambridge Recipient of a Novo Nordisk Foundation Grant for a "Collaborative Research Program in Biomedical Innovation Law" (2018) As an advisor, Minssen serves international organizations including the WHO, WIPO, and EU Commission. He has supervised numerous PhD students in areas including pharmaceutical law, biotechnology patents, and antimicrobial resistance. His current research projects include the Novo Nordisk Foundation's International Collaborative Bioscience Innovation & Law (Inter-CeBIL) Programme (50 million DKK), CLASSICA: EU Horizon Project on AI-assisted surgery, and AI@Care: Law and Ethics and Algorithmic Bias in Healthcare. Minssen leads the Center for Advanced Studies in Bioscience Innovation Law (CeBIL), which serves as a hub for interdisciplinary research on the intersection of law, technology, and innovation in the health and life sciences. The center collaborates with institutions worldwide to address pressing legal challenges in emerging technologies.
Arthur Gervais is a Professor of Information Security at University College London's Department of Computer Science. His work focuses on blockchain systems, smart contract security, and decentralized finance (DeFi) risk analysis. He has published extensively on topics ranging from privacy technologies to systemic vulnerabilities in financial cryptography. Research Interests: Gervais investigates security challenges in blockchain ecosystems, including censorship mechanisms, zero-knowledge proofs, and DeFi liquidation risks. His interdisciplinary approach bridges computer science, cryptography, and financial systems. Publications Trends: Recent articles emphasize empirical studies of DeFi attacks, hybrid fuzzing for smart contract verification, and privacy trade-offs in blockchain mixers. His work spans conferences like ACM SIGMETRICS, IEEE Security & Privacy, and World Wide Web Conference.
Mohammad Mohammadi Amiri serves as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), appointed in Fall 2023. His research focuses on advancing artificial intelligence through strategic data utilization, with emphasis on large language models, data valuation, federated learning, and deep learning. Previously, he held postdoctoral appointments at Princeton University and MIT Media Lab, building on his strong educational foundation from Imperial College London, University of Tehran, and Iran University of Science and Technology. Education: Ph.D. in Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Imperial College London (2019) - Best Ph.D. Thesis Award recipient M.Sc. in Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Tehran (2014) - Ranked 1st among all M.Sc. students B.Sc. in Electrical Engineering, Iran University of Science and Technology (2011) - Ranked 1st among all B.Sc. students Dr. Amiri's research centers on optimizing artificial intelligence systems through innovative data strategies. His work addresses critical challenges in large language models including efficiency, memory usage, alignment, and reasoning capabilities. In data valuation, he develops principled methods to quantify data worth for fair trading platforms. His federated learning research tackles privacy concerns, heterogeneous data distribution, and communication overhead in decentralized environments. The deep learning component explores theoretical foundations to improve model interpretability and robustness. Analysis of his recent publications reveals a strong focus on making AI systems more efficient and accessible, with particular emphasis on large language model optimization, federated learning advancements, and data valuation frameworks. His work bridges theoretical foundations with practical applications in wireless communications and distributed computing environments. Scientific Awards: IEEE Communications Society Young Author Best Paper Award (2022) Best PhD Thesis Award from IEEE Information Theory Chapter of UK and Ireland (2019) Eryl Cadwallader Davies Prize for Outstanding PhD Thesis (2019) EEE Departmental Scholarship at Imperial College London (2015-2019) Ranked 1st among M.Sc. students at University of Tehran (2014) Ranked 1st among B.Sc. students at Iran University of Science and Technology (2011) Dr. Amiri actively mentors graduate students, currently supervising five Ph.D. candidates and one M.Sc. student working on efficient LLM fine-tuning, inference, and storage. His research has attracted significant attention, evidenced by numerous keynote invitations at prestigious institutions including Bell Labs, MIT, King's College London, and various IEEE conferences. He serves on program committees for major conferences including IEEE Globecom and ICC, demonstrating his growing influence in the academic community. His research group operates at the intersection of machine learning and wireless communications, developing innovative solutions for resource-constrained environments while addressing fundamental theoretical challenges in AI systems. Current projects focus on making advanced AI more scalable and accessible through efficiency improvements in model training and inference.
Ian Wilson is the Deputy Director of the Centre for Regional Economic and Social Research (CRESR) and a Professor of Policy Research and Evaluation at Sheffield Hallam University. He holds BA and MSc degrees, with over 20 years of expertise in applied policy research and evaluation, securing £15M+ in research funding. His work spans housing policy, urban regeneration, and social welfare, collaborating with government agencies like DLUHC, DWP, and Welsh Government. Education: BA, MSc (institutions unspecified) Roles: Deputy Director (CRESR), Professor of Policy Research and Evaluation Affiliations: Social and Economic Research Institute, College of Social Sciences and Arts Research Focus: Wilson's work centers on measuring policy impacts, housing affordability, and place-based interventions addressing social inequities. He pioneered methods like shadow pricing for regeneration outcomes and developed frameworks for valuing policy effects on communities. His expertise includes econometric analysis, cost-benefit evaluation, and innovative solutions for complex societal challenges. Grants & Projects: Key projects include evaluations of the Affordable Homes Programme (£10M agreement with DLUHC), Warm Home Prescription project, and Community Renewal’s Lifting Neighbourhoods Together initiative. He has led over 100 research outputs, including studies on housing benefit reforms, urban regeneration, and third-sector subcontractor roles in EU programs. Labs/Teams: Core affiliations with CRESR and the Social and Economic Research Institute, collaborating with interdisciplinary teams on national and international projects.
