Carsten Wulff is Associate Professor at NTNU's Department of Electronic Systems, focusing on analog CMOS design automation and circuit compilers. Research: Develops software tools for automated analog IC design, including ciccreator—an open-source compiler for generating custom integrated circuits. Aims to simplify analog design workflows through programmable frameworks. Teaching: Leads courses in Advanced Integrated Circuits (AIC) with public lecture notes and YouTube resources. Current focus includes Python-based circuit design tools.
Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Rainer Leupers is a faculty member at RWTH Aachen University, chairing the Department of Software for Systems on Silicon. His research focuses on embedded systems, hardware-software co-design, virtual prototyping, and security in computing-in-memory architectures. He has published extensively on RRAM accelerators, logic locking, and neuromorphic security. Chair of Software for Systems on Silicon Research in hardware security and deep learning accelerators Recent publications on cross-tool virtual frameworks and thermal side-channel attacks His work bridges system-level modeling with practical security implementations, emphasizing reliability and performance in heterogeneous computing environments. Key trends in his 2025-2023 articles include compute-in-memory optimization, neural network inference efficiency, and security vulnerabilities in emerging hardware. Awards and formal recognitions are not explicitly detailed in the provided materials. He has not directly mentioned advising students or research grants in the given text fragments. The chair's contact information includes an office at ICT Cube 1, Electrical Engineering, Aachen, with direct email and website links.
Sonia Lopez Alarcon is an Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Engineering at the Kate Gleason College of Engineering, Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). She has been a faculty member since 2009, teaching core courses like Computer Organization and developing quantum computing curricula including the new CMPE-257 undergraduate course and CMPE-757 graduate course. Her research bridges computer architecture and quantum computing with emphasis on practical quantum circuit implementation. Her educational background includes a Bachelor of Physics and Master's in Device Physics from the University Complutense of Madrid (2002), followed by a PhD in Computer Engineering (2009) where she researched cache hierarchy in simultaneous multithreaded architectures. During her studies, she gained industry experience at Lucent Technologies and Fundetel working on integrated circuit design. Dr. Lopez Alarcon's primary research focuses on Quantum Computing and heterogeneous hardware solutions, specifically quantum circuit compilation processes, scalability challenges, and error resilience techniques. She investigates how to translate theoretical quantum algorithms into executable circuits while managing noise and resource constraints, with applications in optimization problems and physics simulations. Her work connects computer engineering principles to emerging quantum technologies. Analysis of her publication timeline shows a strategic shift from traditional computer architecture (2015-2018 cache/HLS research for GPU/heterogeneous systems) to quantum computing (2019-2021). Recent work explores quantum algorithms for combinatorial optimization (Grover's), quantum simulation of physical systems, and machine learning applications, reflecting her adaptation to the rapidly evolving quantum landscape while maintaining her architectural expertise. Her teaching excellence has been recognized through multiple awards: Kate Gleason College of Engineering Exemplary Performance in Teaching Award (2016, 2017, 2020) Computer Engineering Most Effective Teacher Award (2016) She actively mentors graduate students including Mark Danza (MS Computer Engineering candidate 2025), with whom she collaborated on quantum machine learning research featured in Quantum Zeitgeist (May 2025). She contributes to RIT's quantum information science minor launched in 2022, developing curriculum and supervising student research in this emerging field. Dr. Lopez Alarcon leads quantum computing research efforts within RIT's Department of Computer Engineering, collaborating with colleagues like Cory Merkel on quantum algorithm applications. Her work is supported through her personal research website and integration into university-wide quantum initiatives, positioning her at the forefront of academic quantum computing education and research.
Nele Mentens is a full professor at both KU Leuven and Leiden University, where she leads cutting-edge research in applied cryptography, hardware security, and secure embedded systems. At KU Leuven, she is affiliated with the Faculty of Engineering Technology and the Electrical Engineering Department (ESAT), leading the Emerging Technologies, Systems & Security (ES&S) research group at the Diepenbeek campus. Simultaneously, she holds a full professorship at Leiden University’s Leiden Institute of Advanced Computer Science (LIACS), focusing on applied cryptography and security. She has been instrumental in numerous national and international research initiatives, including Horizon Europe and NWO-funded projects. Full Professor, KU Leuven (since 2023) Full Professor, Leiden University (since 2020) Associate Professor, KU Leuven (2014–2023) Post-doctoral Researcher & Lecturer, KHLim / KU Leuven (2007–2014) Ph.D. in Engineering Science, KU Leuven (2007) M.Sc. in Electrical Engineering, KU Leuven (2003) Her research focuses on secure and efficient hardware design, particularly for cryptographic applications on FPGAs, reconfigurable architectures, IoT security, and neuromorphic computing. She explores physical attack resistance, side-channel analysis protection, and trusted computing architectures, with applications in healthcare, industrial monitoring, and endpoint AI. Her work bridges theoretical cryptography with practical hardware implementations, emphasizing energy efficiency and real-time performance. The 15 most recent publications reflect a strong trend toward secure, energy-efficient, and intelligent embedded systems. Topics include neuromorphic AI accelerators, trusted IoT architectures, dynamic reconfiguration for side-channel protection, and secure medical data processing. These works span disciplines such as computer architecture, cybersecurity, digital design, and embedded systems, with a focus on hardware-software co-design and real-world deployment. Nele Mentens has received recognition for her contributions, including: Best Paper Award, DATE'16 Best Paper Nomination, AsianHOST'17 Best Paper Award, CHES'19 She has supervised over 15 Ph.D. students and post-docs, both current and former, and has served as principal investigator in approximately 25 funded research projects. Her work has attracted significant grants from Horizon Europe, NWO, FWO, and national innovation programs. She actively contributes to the academic community through editorial roles in top journals and leadership in major conferences. Nele Mentens leads the ES&S research group at KU Leuven and collaborates closely with LIACS at Leiden University. Her team includes Ph.D. students, post-docs, and research experts working on projects like NimbleAI, NeuroSoC, and TrustedIoT. She has also established secure electronics labs through infrastructure grants and maintains strong international ties with institutions such as EPFL, Ruhr University Bochum, and ETH Zurich.
Mario Piattini is a Full Professor at the School of Computer Science of the University of Castilla-La Mancha (UCLM) in Spain, where he has served since 2002. He is the founder of the Alarcos research group and has held leadership roles including Director of the Mixed Center for Software Research and Development UCLM-Indra and Director of the Institute of Technologies and Information Systems (ITSI) at UCLM. He has also served as an associate professor at Universidad Complutense and Universidad Carlos III de Madrid. His educational background includes a PhD and degree in Computer Science from Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, a Psychology degree from UNED, and a Doctor Honoris Causa from Universidad de La Plata (Argentina). He holds multiple master's degrees in IT Audit, Human Resources Management, and Project Management, along with professional certifications including CISA, CISM, CRISC, CGEIT, PMP, and data governance certifications from DAMA. Professor Piattini is a leading expert in software quality, information systems, and security, with a recent strong focus on quantum computing and quantum software engineering. His research spans software engineering methodologies, data quality, AI systems, and the emerging field of quantum software development. He has been recognized as one of the top 15 scholars in systems and software engineering (2004-2008) and among the most active software engineering researchers (2010-2017). His recent publications reveal a significant shift toward quantum computing, with numerous articles on quantum software engineering, quantum-classical hybrid systems, quantum testing frameworks, and quantum software architecture. His work bridges theoretical foundations with practical engineering approaches for the emerging quantum computing paradigm. His scientific recognition includes multiple prestigious awards: Premio Nacional a la Trayectoria Profesional del Ingeniero Informático Premio Gabriel Alonso Herrera from JCCM for research trajectory Premio Grace Hooper from COIICLM Premio Aritmel from SCIE Premio FIUM from Universidad de Murcia Premio a la Trayectoria Profesional de ISACA Madrid As an academic leader, Piattini has founded several spinoff companies including Cronos Ibérica (now Alten), Kybele Consulting, Lucentia Lab, DQTeam, AQCLab (the first ENAC-accredited laboratory for software product quality and data evaluation), and I2SC. He serves as secretary of CTN71/SC7 and is a member of various ISO/IEC and UNE standardization committees, contributing significantly to software quality standards development. His research group has established AQCLab, which has been evaluating software quality for 25 years, demonstrating his long-term commitment to practical applications of software engineering research. Through his leadership in both academic and industrial contexts, Piattini has created a robust ecosystem connecting theoretical research with real-world software quality practices.
Nectarios Koziris is a Professor at the Department of Computer Science , National Technical University of Athens (NTUA) , and former Dean of the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering . His research focuses on Parallel and Distributed Systems , Computer Architecture , and Cloud Computing . Key Research Themes: Compiler-OS-Architecture Interaction, Datacenter Hyperconvergence, Sparse Matrix Optimization, Quantum Computing, FPGA Virtualization Leadership: Founder of ~okeanos (Europe's largest public Cloud IaaS), Co-founder of GFOSS , Member of IEEE Computer Society Greece, Advisor to Arrikto Inc. His work has led to over 180 publications with 5800+ citations (h-index 33) , including two Best Paper Awards (IPDPS 2001, CCGRID 2013) and Intel Recognition (2015). He has supervised 12 PhD students and participated in 15+ EU projects as coordinator or consortium partner. Scientific Leadership: Program Co-Chair for Europar 2012 , Organizer for IPDPS , ICPP , SC conferences, and active member in Cloud Computing Expert Groups for the European Commission.
Kanad Basu is an Associate Professor in the Department of Electrical, Computer, and Systems Engineering at The University of Texas at Dallas, Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science. He leads the Trustworthy and Intelligent Embedded Systems (TIES) lab, focusing on hardware security, reliability, and emerging computing paradigms. His research spans AI hardware, quantum computing, functional safety, and hardware-based security validation. Research Interests: His work emphasizes improving the trustworthiness of modern hardware systems. Key areas include hardware security (e.g., side-channel analysis, hardware trojans), functional safety in AI accelerators, quantum computing security and verification, and post-silicon validation techniques. He combines formal methods, machine learning, and hardware design to address vulnerabilities in SoCs, DNN accelerators, and quantum systems. Publication Trends: Recent publications (2023–2025) show a strong focus on interdisciplinary research, integrating AI/ML with hardware security, quantum computing, and functional safety. There is a growing emphasis on using large language models for assertion generation, symbolic execution for hardware fuzzing, and graph neural networks for quantum circuit analysis. His work frequently appears in top venues like DAC, DATE, HOST, ISVLSI, and IEEE journals. Scientific Awards: NSF CAREER Award, 2025 IEEE Top Picks in Test and Reliability, 2024 and 2023 Multiple Hack@DAC Prizes (2nd and 3rd) Best Paper Award at VLSI Design 2011 Assistant Professor Award at UTD Jonsson School, 2024 Nominated for Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists, 2019 Advising and Grants: Dr. Basu has mentored numerous PhD, MS, and undergraduate students, many of whom have published in top-tier venues. He leads the TIES lab, which has received significant recognition, including the NSF CAREER Award. He actively collaborates across disciplines, advising students on topics ranging from quantum computing to AI hardware and functional safety. His lab produces high-impact research with real-world applications in automotive, cloud, and embedded systems. Labs and Teams: He leads the Trustworthy and Intelligent Embedded Systems (TIES) lab at UT Dallas, which fosters innovation in hardware security and reliability. The lab has produced award-winning work, including second prize at HACK@DAC 2025. He also serves on technical committees for IEEE DATE and HOST, and acts as Hardware Hacking Chair for IEEE HOST, indicating strong leadership in the hardware security community.
Dr. Matt Amy is an Assistant Professor in the School of Computing Science at Simon Fraser University (SFU), holding the Canada Research Chair in Quantum Computing. His research focuses on quantum compilers, programming languages, and formal verification of quantum programs. He also explores quantum circuit optimization and models of quantum computation. Education: PhD in Computer Science (University of Waterloo, 2019), M.Math in Quantum Information (2013), and B.Math in Computer Science (2011), all from the University of Waterloo. Research Interests: Quantum compilers and languages, circuit optimization, formal verification, and quantum computation models. His work bridges theoretical foundations with practical implementations, emphasizing efficient quantum software development. Recent research trends include advancing quantum compilation techniques, exploring NP-hard optimization problems in quantum circuits, and developing formal methods for quantum program analysis. His work on symbolic synthesis and equational theories for quantum circuits demonstrates a focus on foundational algorithmic challenges. Scientific Awards: Canada Research Chair (2025–present) Advising and Grants: While no current advisees are listed, his research is supported by grants focused on quantum computing and formal methods. He collaborates with industry through SFU’s School of Computing Science. Labs and Teams: Involved with the Tangent Lab, a research group exploring quantum algorithms and software systems at SFU.
Andrea Simonetto is a Research Professor at the Applied Mathematics Unit (UMA) , ENSTA Paris, Institut Polytechnique de Paris. His work spans optimization, control theory, and learning algorithms for large-scale and streaming data , with applications in smart grids, intelligent transportation, personalized health, and quantum computing. Current research focuses on online algorithms for time-varying optimization , personalized optimization for cyber-physical systems , and variational quantum algorithms . Past contributions include theoretical and algorithmic advances in convex/non-convex optimization, distributed optimization (robotic networks, smart grids), and signal processing for sparse reconstructions and parallel computing in particle filtering. Key application domains include renewable energy integration , quantum state preparation , and human-in-the-loop control systems . His research is published in journals like ACM Transactions on Quantum Computing , IEEE Control Systems Letters , and Automatica .
Ashish Venkat is an Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Virginia, part of the School of Engineering and Applied Science. He holds a Ph.D. from UC San Diego and has established himself as a leading researcher in computer architecture, compilers, and computer security. Research Interests: His research focuses on cross-disciplinary hardware and software techniques to build secure, high-performance computing systems. He investigates robust exploit mitigations that maintain energy efficiency and programmability, with a particular emphasis on speculative execution, memory safety, hardware security, and privacy-preserving computing. He also explores the application of machine learning to detect security threats and model execution behavior. Publication Trends: His recent publications (2020–2025) demonstrate a strong focus on hardware-based security, particularly microarchitectural vulnerabilities (e.g., micro-op cache attacks), memory safety via microcode capabilities, and secure accelerators for bioinformatics. There is a consistent trend of publishing in top-tier venues like ISCA, MICRO, IEEE S&P, and USENIX Security, often featuring novel hardware/software co-design solutions. Scientific Awards: NSF CAREER Award (2023) NSF CRII Award (2018) IEEE Micro Top Pick (2019) IEEE Design & Test Top Pick (2020, 2021) HPCA Best Paper Runner-Up (2019) DATE Best Paper Nominee (2023) UVA Research Achievement Award (2023) ISCA Prolific Author of the Decade (2013–2022) Advising and Grants: He actively mentors graduate and undergraduate students, many of whom have pursued advanced degrees or joined leading tech companies. He has secured significant funding as PI or co-PI from NSF, DARPA, SRC, and Intel, including a $4.9M DARPA HERCULES grant and an NSF CAREER award. His projects focus on holistic security solutions, speculative optimization, and privacy-preserving machine learning frameworks. Labs and Teams: He leads a research group focused on secure and efficient computing systems, collaborating with researchers at institutions like UC San Diego, UC Riverside, and UC Irvine, as well as industry partners including Intel and IBM.
Fabian Monrose is a Professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology, holding the Julian T. Hightower Chair in Cybersecurity. His career spans leadership roles at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC), Johns Hopkins University, and Bell Labs. He earned his Ph.D. in Computer Science from New York University's Courant Institute in 1999. Dr. Monrose specializes in cybersecurity, with research focusing on malware analysis, network security, and hardware threats. His work has earned Best Paper Awards at IEEE and USENIX conferences, along with the AT&T Best Applied Security Paper Award . He has published over 100 papers and led collaborative efforts at institutions like RENCI. Dr. Monrose's recent publications include studies on TLS certificate risks, hardware trojans, and AI-aided malware evasion. Best Paper Award at IEEE Symposium on Security & Privacy Best Paper Award at USENIX Security Symposium Outstanding Research in Privacy Enhancing Technologies Award AT&T Best Applied Security Paper Award Best Student Paper Award (2013) His research trends emphasize practical security solutions , including defensive registration strategies, automated bug analysis, and IoT threat mitigation. Dr. Monrose has also contributed to cybersecurity education through gamified platforms and secure autograding systems.
Chris Thachuk is an Assistant Professor in the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering at the University of Washington . His research bridges computer science with molecular programming and synthetic biology, focusing on programmable matter at the nanoscale using bio-molecules like DNA. Current Position: Assistant Professor, University of Washington (2020–Present) Previous Positions: Senior Postdoctoral Researcher at Caltech (2014–2020), Postdoctoral Research Assistant & James Martin Fellow at Oxford (2012–2014) Education: PhD in Computer Science (2013), University of British Columbia MSc in Computer Science & Bioinformatics (2007), Simon Fraser University & CIHR/MSFHR Bioinformatics Training Program BCS in Computer Science (2005), University of Windsor Thachuk’s research spans computing + biology , with expertise in molecular programming , synthetic biology , and bioinformatics . His work includes algorithm design for DNA-based systems, thermodynamic modeling, and leakless strand displacement systems. Recent publications focus on DNA origami alignment , leakless strand displacement , compiler-aided DNA circuit design , and thermodynamic binding networks , reflecting interdisciplinary research in computer science, synthetic biology, and nanotechnology. Scientific Awards: James Martin Fellow at the Institute for the Future of Computing, Oxford Thachuk contributes to the Molecular Information Systems Lab (MISL) , collaborating with researchers like Erik Winfree and David Soloveichik. His work emphasizes integrating molecular biosensors with electronics for applications such as protein concentration measurement and DNA sequencing.
William Wulff is a Scientific Assistant at the Chair of Integrated Systems, Technical University of Munich (TUM), School of Computation, Information and Technology. He holds an M.Sc. in Computer Science and Engineering from the Technical University of Denmark (2021-2023) and a B.Eng. in Computer Engineering from the same institution (2017-2021), with an internship at CERN focusing on Embedded Systems and Compilers. Education : M.Sc. in Computer Science and Engineering (TUD), B.Eng. in Computer Engineering (TUD) Current Role : PhD candidate at LIS, TUM Research Interests include computer architecture (arithmetic circuits), error-correction schemes, asynchronous circuits, and linear codes for improving packet-drop resilience in wired networks, particularly low-latency implementations on SmartNICs. Contact : Email william.wulff@tum.de , Room N2139, Building N1, TUM Campus.
Xuan Zhang serves as Associate Professor in Electrical and Computer Engineering at Northeastern University, leading the Sensory AI Lab since joining in January 2024. Her research bridges computer architecture, integrated circuits, and artificial intelligence to develop miniaturized AI systems for autonomous physical platforms. She earned her PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Cornell University in 2012. Her educational background forms the foundation for her interdisciplinary work spanning hardware and software co-design. Dr. Zhang's research focuses on artificial intelligence hardware, machine vision sensors, and security for autonomous systems. She pioneers techniques for efficient in-sensor computing, analog circuit optimization via machine learning, and hardware-level privacy preservation. Her work addresses critical challenges in energy efficiency, robustness, and security for edge AI deployment, particularly in resource-constrained environments like medical devices and autonomous vehicles. Analysis of her 2023-2025 publications reveals three dominant trends: (1) hardware-accelerated privacy mechanisms for sensors, (2) machine learning-driven analog circuit design automation, and (3) energy-efficient architectures for neural network inference. These works consistently target real-world applications in healthcare, autonomous systems, and semiconductor design. Her accolades include the prestigious NSF CAREER Award (2020) and leadership in a $10 million federal semiconductor initiative. She contributes to national efforts in AI-powered chip design through the National Center for the Advancement of Semiconductor Technology. Dr. Zhang advises graduate researchers in the Sensory AI Lab, securing significant funding for projects spanning hardware security, in-sensor computing, and autonomous system assurance. Her lab collaborates with federal agencies and industry partners on cutting-edge semiconductor research. The Sensory AI Lab operates at the hardware-software interface, developing novel architectures for intelligent edge devices. Current projects include optical privacy preservation, robust analog design tools, and energy modeling frameworks for in-sensor visual computing systems.
Sandrine Blazy is a Professor in the Computer Science Department at the University of Rennes, France. She is a member of CELTIQUE (also referred to as Epicure), a joint project-team with Inria Rennes Bretagne Atlantique and the IRISA laboratory. Since 2021, she has served as deputy director of the IRISA CNRS UMR 6074 laboratory and will be the general chair for POPL 2026, which will be held in Rennes. She is also a member of the editorial board of the LMCS journal. Dr. Blazy completed her PhD at CNAM (Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers) in 1993 with a thesis titled "La spécialisation de programmes pour l'aide à la maintenance du logiciel" (Program Specialization for Software Maintenance Assistance). She later completed her Habilitation à diriger des recherches (HDR) in 2008 at the University of Évry Val d'Essonne with a thesis titled "Sémantiques formelles" (Formal Semantics). Her research focuses on the formal verification of program transformations and semantic properties of programming languages, particularly in the context of the CompCert compiler and Verasco static analyzer. She develops mechanized semantics using the Coq (or Rocq) proof assistant to ensure software correctness and security. A prime application domain of her work is software security, including constant-time programming for cryptographic applications and software obfuscation techniques. Her teaching includes mechanized semantics (in Coq), functional programming (in OCaml), formal methods (using Why3), and software vulnerabilities. Dr. Blazy's publication record from 2019-2025 shows a sustained focus on verified compilation techniques, particularly in preserving security properties during compilation. Her work bridges theoretical formal methods with practical compiler implementation, resulting in tools that have real-world impact in safety-critical systems. She has made significant contributions to the CompCert formally verified compiler project, with particular attention to constant-time preservation for cryptographic applications and JIT compilation verification. Her scientific achievements have been recognized with several major awards: CNRS Silver Medal (2023) Lucas Award from Formal Methods Europe (2023) ACM SIGPLAN Programming Languages Software Award for CompCert (2022) ACM Software System Award for CompCert (2021) Dr. Blazy has been actively involved in the programming languages research community, serving on numerous program committees for major conferences including POPL, ICFP, PLDI, and CPP. She has mentored students and contributed to education through teaching mechanized semantics and formal methods. Her work with the CompCert compiler has led to practical applications in safety-critical systems, with industry collaborations documented in publications like "CompCert: Practical experience on integrating and qualifying a formally verified optimizing compiler" (ERTS 2018). She leads research within the CELTIQUE project team, which focuses on developing trustworthy software using deductive verification. Her team works on advancing the state of the art in formal verification of compilers and static analyzers, with applications in security-critical domains including cryptographic implementations and safety-critical embedded systems.
