Richard Horan is a tenured Professor in the Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics at Michigan State University's College of Agriculture & Natural Resources. His research focuses on the intersection of economic and ecological systems, particularly in environmental economics, resource management, and infectious disease policy. Education : Ph.D. and M.A. from Pennsylvania State University; dual B.S. degrees in Agricultural Education and Business Administration from Appalachian State University. Horan's research examines coupled human-ecological systems, emphasizing: Feedback dynamics between economic and ecological processes Management of endangered species and invasive species Bioeconomics of wildlife and livestock diseases Agri-environmental policy design His recent publications address risks of animal/plant infectious diseases through trade, ecological thresholds, and market-based conservation strategies. He has served as Managing Editor of Resource and Energy Economics and Associate Editor for multiple journals. Scientific Recognition : MSU AgBioResearch Faculty Excellence Award (2014) Horan collaborates with interdisciplinary teams on projects like Risks of Animal and Plant Infectious Diseases Through Trade (Rapid Trade) , contributing policy insights to national committees including the National Academy of Sciences.
Samar Abbas Nawaz is a Senior Researcher at the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) with expertise at the intersection of law and technology. He holds a PhD in "Safe integration of civil drones: Law, self-operation & infrastructure" from the Department of Criminology & Sociology of Law at the University of Oslo. His current research focuses on regulatory challenges of emerging technologies, particularly Artificial Intelligence and unmanned systems. Dr. Nawaz has been professionally involved in the legal field for nearly a decade, serving as a practitioner, in-house advisor, and academic researcher. His doctoral research was conducted as part of the 'RegulAIR' project funded by the Research Council of Norway between 2021-2024 under the supervision of Bruno O. Martins and Kristin B. Sandvik. His primary research interests lie in the regulatory frameworks governing emerging technologies, with special focus on: Legal challenges of integrating civil drones into civilian airspace Regulation of artificial intelligence in security and border management contexts Human oversight requirements for autonomous systems Infrastructure challenges for drone operations (U-Space) Policy coherence in EU regulatory approaches to drone technology and AI Conceptual issues in defining "autonomous operation" and "remote pilot" Dr. Nawaz's scholarly work demonstrates a consistent focus on the intersection of law, technology, and regulatory frameworks. His publications reveal an evolving research trajectory from foundational drone law analysis towards more complex issues of AI integration, autonomy spectrums, and institutional policy coherence. A notable trend in his work is the application of Science and Technology Studies (STS) perspectives to legal analysis of emerging technologies, highlighting regulatory lag and conceptual challenges in current frameworks. As a Senior Researcher at PRIO, Dr. Nawaz is currently working on the EU-funded 'TRANSCEND' project, researching challenges for civil society engagement in border management technologies. He is also engaged in an internal project analyzing AI-related frameworks in Kenya, Brazil, and South Korea. Between 2021-2024, he conducted doctoral research as part of the 'RegulAIR' project funded by the Research Council of Norway. In 2022 and 2025, he co-facilitated the 'Peace Research' summer course in collaboration with the University of Oslo.
Amy Wolaver is a Professor of Economics at Bucknell University in the College of Arts & Sciences, actively developing undergraduate research opportunities through the Bucknell Institute for Public Policy. She maintains an active research profile with recent publications spanning health economics, behavioral economics, and labor market analysis. Educational Background: B.A. Political Economy, Michigan State University M.S. Economics, University of Wisconsin - Madison Ph.D. Economics, University of Wisconsin - Madison Professor Wolaver's research focuses on geographic variation in healthcare utilization, non-environmental health impacts of Shale drilling, disparities in labor market effects of migration, and effects of college binge drinking on human capital acquisition. Her current research emphasizes the impact of public funding of family planning services on sexual activity, contraception use, and pregnancies. Her work demonstrates that expanding coverage of these services does not change the rate of sexual activity but does increase contraception consistency and decrease pregnancies. Analysis of her recent publications (2010-2022) reveals a strong trajectory from traditional health economics toward behavioral economics and pandemic-related research. Her work increasingly incorporates experimental methods and examines political dimensions of economic behavior, particularly evident in her 2021-2022 publications on COVID-19 response and framing bias. Research Support: Graham, J. & A. Wolaver. "Non-Environmental Health Impacts of Marcellus Shale Development," Bucknell Geisinger Research Initiative Seed Grant #1213-112, June 2013-June 2014. Professor Wolaver teaches ECON 101 Principles of Economics, FOUN Seminar "The Future is Now," ECON 312 Health Economics, and ECON 202 Microeconomics. She has been instrumental in creating the Susquehanna Valley Undergraduate Social Science Research Symposium to foster student research opportunities in the social sciences.
Thomas Kudraß serves as Professor for Database Systems at the Faculty of Computer Science, Mathematics and Natural Sciences (IMN) at Leipzig University of Applied Sciences (HTWK Leipzig). With over 25 years of academic and industry experience, he teaches courses including Database Basics, Database Application Programming, Data Warehousing, and Big Data Technologies. His leadership roles include Internship Coordinator for Computer Science since 2001, Member of the Academic Senate since 2011, and Contact person for the IMN faculty alumni association since 2005. Dr. Kudraß earned his Dipl.-Ing. in Computer Science from Technical University of Dresden (1985-1990) and completed his doctorate at Darmstadt University of Technology (1992-1997), where his dissertation received the prestigious Jos Schepens Memorial Award. Prior to academia, he worked as an Information Systems Architect at UBS AG Zurich and Database Specialist at Swiss Bank Corporation Basel. His research spans database technologies with focus on heterogeneous database integration, data quality, data privacy, and modern database concepts. Recent work explores cloud-native billing applications for 5G, NoSQL databases, and privacy-preserving record linkage techniques. His publication record shows continuous evolution from traditional database systems to contemporary challenges in big data and distributed systems. Jos Schepens Memorial Award for doctoral dissertation (1997) Active participation in German Informatics Society (GI) specialist groups Organizer of multiple database-related workshops and conferences Professor Kudraß has significantly contributed to academic governance as E-Learning Officer (2000-02), Faculty Council member (2009-12), and liaison lecturer for the German Society for Computer Science (2001-14). He has coordinated numerous student projects and served on program committees for major conferences including INFORMATIK 2017 and BTW series.
Olivier Lopez is a Professor of Actuarial Sciences at the Institut Polytechnique de Paris (ENSAE Paris), where he is affiliated with the CREST Laboratory (Finance - Actuarial). He serves as co-director of the Master's program in Statistics, Finance and Actuarial Sciences at the same institution. Previously, he directed the Institute of Statistics of Sorbonne Université (ISUP) from 2016 to 2023 and currently holds the position of General Secretary of the French Institute of Actuaries since June 2024. His research focuses on the intersection of actuarial science, machine learning, and risk analysis, particularly addressing emerging risks such as cyber threats and climate-related challenges. He specializes in duration models, copula models, and high-dimensional data analysis in insurance contexts. Olivier Lopez leads the CARE research chair on emerging risks with Allianz France under the Fondation du Risque and co-leads the "Cyber Insurance Financialization" (CyFi) project with Caroline Hillairet and Citalid, funded by BPI France. His work emphasizes statistical modeling and its applications to evolving insurance challenges. Scientific Awards: Fellow of the French Institute of Actuaries
Professor Konstantinos Politis is a distinguished academic in the Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science at the University of Piraeus, where he has served since 2004, progressing from Assistant Professor to his current position as Professor (2025-present). His academic career spans prestigious institutions including the University of Manchester, University of Southampton, and the University of Cambridge where he earned his PhD. Education: B.A. in Mathematics, University of Athens (1989) MSc in Statistics, University of Sheffield, UK (1991) PhD in Statistics, University of Cambridge, UK (1997) Professor Politis specializes in stochastic processes with particular focus on ruin theory, risk analysis, and actuarial mathematics. His research examines complex probability models related to insurance risk, surplus processes, renewal theory, and failure rate analysis. He has made significant contributions to understanding the mathematical properties of insurance risk models, particularly in the Sparre Andersen framework and compound Poisson processes. His work bridges theoretical probability with practical applications in actuarial science and financial risk management. His extensive publication record demonstrates consistent contributions to leading journals in probability and actuarial science. The research trajectory shows evolution from foundational work on ruin theory and risk models toward more sophisticated analyses of renewal processes, failure rate functions, and stochastic bounds. His recent work focuses on precise mathematical characterizations of recurrence times, convolution properties, and monotonicity in stochastic systems. Professor Politis has co-authored significant textbooks including Introduction to Probability: Models and Applications (2019) and Introduction to Probability: Multivariate Models and Applications (2021) with Balakrishnan and Koutras, as well as his Greek-language work Introduction to the Theory of Collective Risk (2012, 2nd ed. 2016). In teaching, Professor Politis has contributed to both undergraduate and graduate education, offering courses including Probability I, Special Topics in Probability, Variance Analysis, Loss Distributions, Generalized Linear Models, and Risk Theory II. His academic journey reflects a deep commitment to advancing statistical theory while maintaining practical relevance to actuarial science and risk management.
James Flory is an Associate Professor of Population Health Sciences at Weill Cornell Medical College , Cornell University. With an MD and MSCE from the University of Pennsylvania (2009) and a BA from Columbia University (2002), he specializes in pharmacoepidemiology and clinical research related to diabetes management, drug safety, and healthcare policy. Education: M.D., University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, 2009 M.S.C.E., University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, 2009 B.A., Columbia University, 2002 His research focuses on the intersection of diabetes pharmacology , cardiovascular risk , and health services research . He has contributed extensively to understanding drug safety (e.g., sulfonylureas, SGLT2 inhibitors, TRK inhibitors), medication adherence , and clinical decision-making in diabetes and oncology settings. His methodological work includes instrumental variable analysis , pragmatic trial design , and real-world data validation . James Flory's recent publications examine temperature-related diabetes complications , AI in clinical decision support , and policy impacts on medication utilization . His work combines epidemiological methods with health informatics to address critical questions in diabetic care , drug safety surveillance , and health equity .
Kim Kyung-min is an Associate Professor and current Department Head of the Department of Child and Family Studies at Seoul National University's College of Human Ecology. He also holds adjunct professor positions in the Department of Regional and Spatial Analysis and the Department of Applied Data Science at Seoul National University's Graduate School. Additionally, he serves as an Associate Professor in the Well-Aging and Senior Industry Top-Level Program (AWASB) and maintains a research fellowship at the Gerontology Institute of the University of Massachusetts Boston. Ph.D., Human Development and Family Studies, Pennsylvania State University (2012) Master's degree in Child and Family Studies, College of Human Ecology, Seoul National University (2004) Bachelor's degree in Consumer and Child Studies, College of Human Ecology, Seoul National University (2002) Dr. Kim's research focuses on family gerontology, adult development and aging, and intergenerational relationships across the lifespan. His work examines how midlife experiences such as retirement, health issues, dementia, caregiving, and bereavement impact individuals and families. His Family Development and Gerontology Laboratory investigates the dynamics of family relationships in midlife and old age, with particular attention to how social and cultural contexts influence geriatric development and the aging process. His current research projects address family relationships, dementia, and family support in aging populations. Analysis of Dr. Kim's recent publications reveals a strong emphasis on dementia caregiving, intergenerational relationships, and the psychological well-being of aging populations. His work frequently employs dyadic and longitudinal approaches to understand relationship dynamics between aging parents and their adult children. There is a clear focus on Korean aging populations while maintaining international comparative perspectives, particularly with U.S. populations. His research increasingly incorporates digital communication patterns, residential preferences, and financial behaviors of midlife and older adults. Dr. Kim serves in significant editorial and leadership roles including Associate Editor of Research on Aging (2018-present), Editorial Board Member for the Journal of Marriage and Family (2021-present), and Director of the Korean Gerontological Society (2023-present). He has also served on the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) Scientific Review Panel (2020). Dr. Kim actively mentors graduate students, with several master's students having completed their degrees under his supervision including Kim Na-hyun (2024), Yoo Ha-eun (2025), and Eun-ju Lee (2025). His research is supported by numerous grants including projects funded by KB Life Insurance, the Singapore Ministry of Social and Family Development, the National Institute on Aging (NIA), and the Korean National Research Foundation. His current projects examine topics such as regional balanced growth clusters, daily experiences of senior housing residents, grandparenting exchanges in sandwiched families, and leisure activities for seniors in Seongnam City. Dr. Kim directs the Family Development and Gerontology Laboratory at Seoul National University, which conducts research on intergenerational, marital, and kinship relationships in midlife and old age. The lab examines how midlife experiences impact individuals and families across the lifespan, with particular attention to retirement, health issues, dementia, caregiving, and bereavement. The laboratory maintains strong international collaborations, particularly with researchers at the University of Massachusetts Boston, and participates in the BK21 Regional Resilience Convergence Talent Education Research Group.
Prakash Nadkarni, MD, is a Lecturer at the Yale School of Public Health , specializing in health informatics, clinical research systems, and public health data science. He holds an MD from Bombay University (1982) and contributes extensively to healthcare financial management, medical imaging, and responsible clinical decision-making. Research Focus: Health informatics, clinical data repositories, electronic health records optimization, and machine learning applications in emergency medicine. Key Publications: 2024 works on financial statements in clinical practice, 2023 articles on clinical research information systems and pediatric sedation, and 2022 studies on tuberculosis diagnostics. Collaborations: Frequent partnerships with Perry Miller, Cynthia Brandt, and Yale colleagues in biostatistics and clinical computing.
Antonio Pietrabissa is an Associate Professor at the Department of Computer, Control, and Management Engineering “Antonio Ruberti” (DIAG) of the University of Rome Sapienza, where he earned his degree in Electronics Engineering (2000) and PhD in Systems Engineering (2004). He has been teaching Automatic Control and Process Automation since 2010 and holds the National Scientific Qualification as Full Professor in Systems and Control Engineering (09/G1). Research interests include networked systems, robust control, Markov decision processes, and deep reinforcement learning. His work spans telecommunications, biomedical applications, and space systems, with a focus on federated learning and decentralized control. He has authored ~70 journal papers (Scopus h-index 22) and co-invented a patent for model predictive control in motor disability assistance. Awards include the 2021 Cybersecurity Award and ETRI Journal Best Paper. Current projects are NANCY (6G networks) and CADUCEO (AI-driven medical diagnostics). He is also CEO of Sapienza startup Automation Intelligence and Control (AICO), commercializing AI solutions for space, telecom, and biomedical sectors.
Professor Longbing Cao serves as a Professor at University of Technology Sydney (UTS) in the Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology, specifically within the Data Science Institute. He also holds the position of Distinguished Chair Professor in AI at Macquarie University and is an ARC Future Fellow (Level 3). As a pioneering researcher in AI, data science, and advanced analytics, Professor Cao founded the UTS Advanced Analytics Institute, the first data science initiative in Australia. Professor Cao's research interests span across data science fundamentals, machine/deep learning, behavior informatics, and enterprise data science applications. His work bridges the gap between theoretical research and practical implementation, focusing on non-IID learning, actionable knowledge discovery, and complex behavior modeling. His research has addressed real-world challenges in government services, finance, insurance, banking, telecommunications, transport, and e-commerce sectors. His 15 most recent publications reveal a strong trend toward addressing distributional challenges in machine learning, developing transdisciplinary AI approaches, modeling complex temporal dependencies, and advancing negative sequence analysis. His work consistently integrates theoretical foundations with practical applications, particularly in financial analytics, healthcare, and disaster resilience. Scientific Awards: Eureka Prize for Excellence in Data Science (2019) ACM Distinguished Scientist Professor Cao has made significant contributions to academic leadership and research supervision. He established world-first research degrees at UTS (Master of Analytics and PhD Thesis: Analytics), founded the IEEE Task Force on Data Science and Advanced Analytics, and served as general chair of the KDD conference in 2015 (the first edition in Australia). His funded research portfolio includes multiple ARC grants and industry collaborations focusing on complex data analytics, behavior informatics, and AI applications. He leads the Data Science Lab at UTS, which has become a prominent center for data science research in Australia. The lab focuses on developing fundamental theories and practical applications of data science, with strong industry partnerships that translate research into real-world impact. Professor Cao's leadership in establishing the annual Big Data Summit in 2012 created Australia's first platform for bridging academic research with industry and government applications.
Peter Skogman Thoursie is a Professor at the Department of Economics, Stockholm University. His research focuses on empirical labor economics with particular attention to social insurance systems, gender-related labor market dynamics, and disability pension policies. Key research areas: Sickness absence, gender norms in childcare, parental leave incentives, and labor market interventions for vulnerable groups Active in producing policy-relevant studies for Swedish reforms Recent publications examine: Gender wage gaps and career mobility patterns Disability benefit utilization Impact of tax policies on childcare distribution
Prof. Dr. Benjamin Scheller serves as Professor of Late Medieval and Early Modern History at the Historical Institute within the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Duisburg-Essen. His distinguished academic career spans over two decades, with significant contributions to medieval history, religious conversion studies, and risk cultures in pre-modern societies. Prior to his current position, he held appointments as Visiting Professor at the University of Vienna and conducted extensive research at Humboldt University of Berlin. His academic credentials include: Doctorate from Humboldt University of Berlin (2002) on 'Memoria at the Turn of the Century. The Foundations of Jacob Fugger the Rich before and during the Reformation (c. 1505 to 1555)' Habilitation in Medieval History at Humboldt University of Berlin (2009) on 'The City of the New Christians. Converted Jews and their Descendants in Late Medieval Trani between Inclusion and Exclusion (1267 to 1514)' Master of Arts from Humboldt University of Berlin (1995) Prof. Scheller's scholarly work centers on religious conversion in medieval Europe, with particular focus on converted Jews and their descendants in southern Italy. His research explores how these 'Cristiani Novelli' (New Christians) navigated complex social landscapes through mobility and strategic identity management. He has developed innovative frameworks for understanding historical ambiguity and distinction, examining how medieval societies managed religious uncertainty and social differentiation. His extensive publication record reveals consistent expertise in analyzing how pre-modern societies conceptualized risk, contingency, and uncertainty. His groundbreaking work argues that the concept of 'risk' as a calculable entity emerged in the medieval Mediterranean world, particularly within maritime trade contexts. His scholarship connects historical analysis with contemporary theoretical concerns, as evidenced by his comparative pandemic analysis published during the Covid-19 crisis. Among his notable achievements: Spokesperson of the DFG Research Group 2600 'Ambiguity and Distinction. Historical-Cultural Dynamics' (since 2018) Spokesperson (deputy) of the DFG Graduate School 1919 'Precaution, Foresight, Prediction: Coping with Contingency through Future Action' (since 2013) Recipient of the Feodor-Lynen Fellowship from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation Research Fellow at the Historical College in Munich Prof. Scheller has secured substantial third-party funding for research projects and currently leads the DFG Research Group 2600, demonstrating his leadership in advancing interdisciplinary approaches to historical ambiguity. His current project 'The Sea of New Christians' examines how mobility enabled religious minorities to navigate ambiguous social statuses in the Adriatic region during the late Middle Ages, continuing his long-standing investigation into religious conversion and social integration in medieval Europe.
Wendiam Sawadgo is an Assistant Professor & Extension Economist at Auburn University's Department of Agricultural Economics & Rural Sociology. His research focuses on agricultural marketing, soil health economics, conservation practices, local food systems, technology adoption, and risk management. Ph.D. in Economics, Iowa State University B.S. in Economic Sciences, Washington State University His recent research explores agri-food system transformations, trade policy impacts, and sustainable agricultural practices. Articles span topics including biochar economics, cover crop policies, and market volatility linkages between energy and agriculture sectors. Based in Comer Hall at Auburn University, he serves statewide as an extension economist. His work combines empirical analysis with policy evaluation, particularly in the Midwest's agricultural context.
Emmanuel Thompson serves as Professor and Actuarial Science Coordinator in the Department of Mathematics at Southeast Missouri State University, located in Johnson Hall 311. His contact details include phone (573) 651-2721 and email ethompson@semo.edu. Dr. Thompson's research integrates Actuarial Science with Public Health through advanced statistical modeling. His primary interests include healthcare cost estimation in fragile states, risk modeling for insurance claims, and analysis of socioeconomic determinants in health disparities—particularly regarding breast cancer diagnosis stages across racial, economic, and geographic lines. Methodologically, he specializes in regularization techniques, elastic net-risk measures, and bootstrap ranking models. His 2016-2020 publications reveal a consistent focus on applying quantitative risk assessment to public health challenges. Key themes include the impact of income stratification on healthcare indicators, rural-urban disparities in cancer outcomes, and correlated claim processes in actuarial risk modeling. This interdisciplinary work bridges theoretical statistics with real-world health policy applications, especially in vulnerable populations.
