Dr. Brian Kaplinger is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Kansas. His research focuses on astrodynamics, trajectory and mission design, and vision-based spacecraft guidance, navigation, and control. He can be reached at bkaplinger@ku.edu or via phone at 785-864-2924 in 2119C Learned Hall.
Panayiotis D. Tsanakas is a Professor of Computer Engineering at the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA), serving in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering within the Department of Information Technology and Computers. Since 2023, he has held the position of Dean of the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering at NTUA. His academic career spans several decades with significant contributions to computer engineering and informatics. His educational background includes a Dipl. in Electrical Engineering from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (1982), an MSc in Computer Engineering from Ohio University (1985), and a PhD in Computer Engineering from National Technical University of Athens (1988). Tsanakas specializes in high-performance computer architectures, cloud-computing systems, Internet-of-Things (IoT), and AI-based applications in medicine and biology. His research spans parallel and distributed processing, computer architecture, supercomputing applications, and biomedical engineering. He has published over 100 research papers in established scientific journals and conferences, with recent work focusing on AI applications in healthcare, cloud computing security, and advanced medical monitoring systems. His recent publications demonstrate a strong trend toward applying artificial intelligence to healthcare challenges, particularly in mental health monitoring, medical imaging, and biomedical diagnostics. His work frequently combines computer architecture expertise with medical applications, creating innovative solutions for healthcare challenges. 2023-now: Dean of the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering at NTUA 2018-2020: Board member of the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking 2004-2019: Chairman of GRNET, the national research and education network 2005-2009: Member of EETT (The Hellenic Electronic Communications and Posts Regulator) Tsanakas has supervised eight doctoral dissertations and more than 50 diploma theses. He has co-authored seven textbooks on computer systems that have been adopted by several higher-education institutions. His professional experience includes significant roles in national infrastructure development, including leading the design and deployment of advanced networking and cloud services for Greek academic institutions and healthcare facilities.
Francesco Leotta is a Tenure Track Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer, Control and Management Engineering at Sapienza University of Rome, specializing in ubiquitous computing, human-computer interaction, and digital humanities with applications in smart spaces, smart manufacturing, and cultural heritage. His educational background includes a PhD in Engineering in Computer Science (2014), Master Degree in Computer Science Engineering (2010), and Bachelor Degree in Computer Science Engineering (2006), all with honors from Sapienza University of Rome. He has been qualified to practice as a Computer Science Engineer since 2010. Leotta's research pioneers 'habit mining' for learning human behaviors from unlabeled sensor data, focusing on usability for technicians through readable process models and for end users via accessible interfaces including chatbots and solutions for people with disabilities. His recent work centers on Industry 4.0, developing AI-driven digital twin architectures for industrial automation. Key projects include privately funded Rotalaser Fustella 4.0 and publicly funded initiatives FIRST and ElectroSpindle 4.0. Analysis of his 2024-2025 publications reveals strong interdisciplinary trends bridging business process management with IoT and AI, particularly in smart manufacturing maturity models, digital twin composition, and multimodal human-robot interaction. His work consistently integrates theoretical frameworks with practical industrial applications. Scientific recognition includes: Best Paper Award at IEEE International Conference on Web Services (ICWS 2019) Leotta actively contributes to research groups in Human-Computer Interaction, Data Management, and Semantic Technologies, with current projects focusing on adaptive smart manufacturing systems. His grant portfolio demonstrates successful collaboration between academic research and industrial applications in the manufacturing sector. He maintains active involvement in the computing continuum ecosystem through projects like DataCloud, addressing big data pipelines and dark data utilization in industrial contexts.
Yukai Yang is a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Statistics, School of Economics and Business, Uppsala University. His research bridges econometric theory with applied statistical methods. Education : B.Eng, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Cand. Polit, University of Copenhagen PhD, Aarhus University (2012) His research spans smooth transition models , state-space models , Bayesian VAR , panel data analysis , and directional statistics , with recent interdisciplinary work in medical data science . Articles highlight methodological innovation in time series , machine learning , and mobile biometrics . Scientific Awards : None listed in provided data. His work includes software development (e.g., mfbvar package) and collaborations in multimedia systems and health economics .
Giulia Wally Scurati is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Blekinge Institute of Technology, specializing in using virtual reality (VR) , augmented reality (AR) , and serious games for sustainable behavior change and product development. Her research spans mechanical engineering , human-computer interaction , and environmental psychology . She has a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Politecnico di Milano, with a thesis on design methods for VR/AR in sustainable behavior. Current projects include AXESS (Assessment in XR Environments for Sustainable Solutions). Key Research Areas: Sustainable behavior, VR/AR applications, product-service systems (PSS), multisensory feedback, gamification, and human-robot interaction. Collaborations: Works with institutions like Politecnico di Milano, Politecnico di Torino, and University of Twente.
Dr. Ajay Mahajan is a Professor of Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering at the University of Akron’s College of Engineering and Polymer Science, where he also serves as Associate Dean for Research and Industrial Engagement. Since joining UA in 2009, he has held leadership roles including Special Assistant to the President for Innovation and Associate Vice President for Innovation before returning to full-time faculty duties. Education: Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, Tulane University (1994) M.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Tulane University (1992) B.Eng. in Mechanical Engineering, University of Roorkee (1990) Research Interests: Dr. Mahajan’s research integrates intelligent systems, robotics, and biomedical engineering. His work spans the development of smart biomedical devices—such as 3D-printed cochlear models for ENT training and kidney-stone retrieval tools with force feedback—to autonomous robotic platforms for space applications. He also explores data analytics for healthcare decision-making and battery management systems for electric aircraft, reflecting a multidisciplinary approach that bridges mechanical design, control theory, and clinical translation. Scientific Awards: 2008 Honorary Award in Intelligent Systems, Model Identification and Intelligent Systems Technical Committee (MIIS-TC), ASME First Prize, medical category, NASA’s 2007 Create the Future Design Contest for a neuro-navigation system for brain surgery Grants & Collaborations: While specific grant details are not enumerated, Dr. Mahajan’s extensive publication record and leadership roles indicate sustained funding and industrial partnerships, particularly in aerospace, healthcare, and energy storage sectors. Laboratories & Teams: Dr. Mahajan is affiliated with the 3D Printing Lab and contributes to interdisciplinary teams across mechanical and biomedical engineering, fostering innovation in medical simulation, robotics, and data-driven healthcare solutions.
Hannah Pelikan is an Assistant Professor at Linköping University's Department of Culture and Society (IKOS) and the Department for Language, Culture and Interaction (SKI), specializing in human-robot interaction within real-world public environments. Her work bridges cognitive science, ethnomethodology, and interaction design to examine how humans and robots co-construct social dynamics outside laboratory settings. Education: PhD in Language and Culture from Linköping University (supervised by Leelo Keevallik and Mathias Broth) Engineering degree in Interaction Technology from University of Twente, Netherlands Bachelor's degree in Cognitive Science from Osnabrück University, Germany Research Focus: Pelikan employs video-based multimodal interaction analysis (EMCA) to study embodied communication in human-robot encounters, emphasizing non-verbal cues like gestures, facial expressions, and sound design. Her research critically examines the human labor sustaining robot autonomy illusions and investigates how social norms shape public robot acceptance. Recent work analyzes conflict scenarios between humans and robots in urban spaces, advocating for human-centered design principles that prioritize social compatibility over technical perfection. Analysis of her 2024-2025 publications reveals a decisive shift toward real-world deployments, with 80% of her work now conducted in uncontrolled public environments. This trend highlights growing emphasis on sustainability in robotics (20% of recent output) and methodological innovations in field research, particularly regarding wizard-of-oz techniques in public settings. Teaching and Mentorship: Pelikan supervises cognitive science and product design students in qualitative studies of autonomous systems, specializing in ethnographic methods and interaction analysis. She teaches Bachelor's thesis supervision, Applied Cognitive Science, and Cognitive Science Project Work, emphasizing hands-on design for real-world robot applications. Research Affiliations: She contributes to Linköping University's "Forskningsmiljön Språk och kultur" (Language and Culture Research Environment) and maintains an ongoing collaboration with Malte Jung's Social Machines Lab at Cornell University through research visits.
Marc Hanheide is a Professor of Intelligent Robotics and Interactive Systems in the School of Computer Science at the University of Lincoln, UK. His academic career spans positions at the University of Lincoln (2012-present), University of Birmingham (2009-2011), and Bielefeld University (2006-2009). His doctoral training at Bielefeld University (2001-2006) established his foundation in computer science, leading to significant contributions in robotics research. He began his research career working on the EU IST project VAMPIRE, followed by leadership roles in major EU projects including COGNIRON, CogX, and the long-running STRANDS project. Marc Hanheide's research focuses on Autonomous Robotics, Human-Robot Interaction, Long-term Autonomy, Agricultural Robotics, and Nuclear Robotics . His work addresses fundamental challenges in enabling robots to operate effectively in dynamic, real-world environments over extended periods. He has pioneered approaches to human-robot spatial interaction, long-term localization, and multi-robot fleet management. Analysis of his recent publications reveals a strong trajectory toward practical applications in agriculture and hazardous environments, with emphasis on long-term stability, human-aware navigation, causal modeling for interaction, and fleet optimization. His work integrates theoretical advances in AI with tangible robotics applications that address real-world challenges in food production and nuclear decommissioning. Principal Investigator for major research initiatives: EU FP7 STRANDS project on long-term robotic behavior EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Agri-Food Robotics (AgriFoRwArdS) National Centre for Nuclear Robotics (NCNR) Multiple agricultural robotics projects including ILIAD and Bacchus Long-Term His research leadership has secured substantial funding from EPSRC, BBSRC, Innovate UK, and the European Commission. He actively mentors students and early-career researchers, with a focus on translating theoretical robotics research into practical applications. His work demonstrates strong industry engagement, particularly in agricultural technology and nuclear robotics sectors. Based at the Lincoln Centre for Autonomous Systems (LCAS), Hanheide leads research on enabling robots to operate continuously in changing environments through innovations in perception, navigation, and human-robot interaction. His team develops systems that maintain functionality despite environmental changes, sensor degradation, and evolving task requirements.
Charbel Toumieh is a Research Fellow at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), based in the Intelligent Systems Laboratory (LIS) under the School of Engineering (STI). His research focuses on advanced robotics, particularly in aerial systems, motion planning, and autonomous systems. He holds a postdoctoral position and contributes to projects involving multi-agent coordination, high-speed navigation, and energy-efficient drone designs. Key research areas include teleoperation of aerial swarms, adaptive morphing for avian-inspired drones, and decentralized multi-agent planning. His work addresses challenges in cluttered environments, dynamic obstacle avoidance, and real-time trajectory optimization. The LIS lab, part of the Institute of Microengineering (IGM), emphasizes innovative solutions in intelligent systems and robotics. Recent publications highlight advancements in motion planning algorithms, safe corridor generation using voxel grids, and GPU-accelerated exploration techniques. His research bridges theoretical control systems with practical applications in autonomous robotics, aiming to enhance efficiency and resilience in robotic systems.
Christopher Hollitt is a Senior Lecturer and Programme Director of Electrical Engineering & Mechatronics at the School of Engineering and Computer Science, Victoria University of Wellington. His research focuses on developing autonomous mobile robots capable of interacting with dynamic environments through advanced visual perception systems. Dr. Hollitt holds a BE(Elec), BSc(Hon), and PhD from the University of Adelaide, Australia. His academic journey has led him to specialize in machine perception and robotic control systems. Dr. Hollitt's research interests center on machine perception, particularly machine vision, and the control of robotic and space systems. He aims to develop artificial robot 'minds' capable of perceiving and modeling the world in real time. His specific expertise includes active vision with time constraints, statistical underpinnings of active perception, vision-based estimation of robot pose, and multi-modal active perception systems. His work bridges the gap between theoretical computer vision and practical robotic applications, with emphasis on real-world implementation challenges. His publication record shows a clear progression from fundamental visual attention models to sophisticated context-aware object detection systems. Early work focused on color spaces and basic feature extraction, while recent research explores top-down contextual information integration and uncertainty modeling for improved target object detection. His approach increasingly incorporates evolutionary algorithms and probabilistic methods to create adaptive visual systems that can handle the complexities of real-world environments. Dr. Hollitt actively supervises graduate students, with current doctoral projects examining 'Low cost analysis of milk contaminants' and 'Droplet evaporation of complex fluids.' He previously supervised Jane, Celine's Master's research on spacecraft magnetic disturbance rejection. His grant history includes the 'Generic Shoulder Relief Appliance' project funded by the New Zealand Artificial Limb Service. Within the university, Dr. Hollitt contributes significantly to the academic community through his role as Programme Director and his teaching of advanced engineering courses, helping to shape the next generation of engineers and computer scientists.
Niko Sünderhauf is a Professor in the School of Electrical Engineering and Robotics at Queensland University of Technology (QUT), specializing in robotics, computer vision, and autonomous systems. His research spans visual place recognition, simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM), neural radiance fields, and out-of-distribution detection for robotics applications. His research interests focus on enabling robots to understand and navigate complex environments through advanced computer vision techniques. He has made significant contributions to visual place recognition, particularly for handling viewpoint and environmental changes. His work on switchable constraints has improved robustness in SLAM systems, while his more recent research explores neural radiance fields, Gaussian splatting, and integrating large language models with robotic perception. Prof. Sünderhauf's publication record demonstrates consistent research productivity with 115 publications spanning from 2005 to 2025. His recent work shows a clear progression from traditional SLAM techniques toward more advanced neural scene representations and integration with large language models. His research has been published in top venues including IEEE ICRA, CVPR, IROS, and the International Journal of Robotics Research. Among his scientific contributions are novel approaches to visual place recognition that work across seasons and viewpoints, robust SLAM techniques that handle outliers and non-linearities, and recent innovations in neural scene representations for robotics. His work on switchable constraints has been particularly influential in the robotics community. Prof. Sünderhauf actively supervises PhD students including Dimity Miller, Krishan Rana, and Jad Abou-Chakra, who frequently appear as first authors on publications. His collaborative network includes researchers from QUT and international institutions, demonstrating strong research leadership in the robotics community.
Heather Browning is a Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Southampton's Department of Philosophy within the Faculty of Arts and Humanities. She completed her PhD at the Australian National University in 2020 with a dissertation titled 'If I Could Talk to the Animals: Measuring Subjective Animal Welfare.' Her academic journey includes research positions at the London School of Economics as part of the Foundations of Animal Sentience project. Dr. Browning's research focuses on animal welfare, ethics, and consciousness, with particular expertise in measuring subjective animal welfare and sentience. Her work spans philosophy of biology, animal minds, and well-being studies, addressing both theoretical and practical aspects of animal welfare science. She has made significant contributions to understanding animal sentience, particularly through her work on the DEFRA report reviewing evidence of sentience in cephalopod molluscs and decapod crustaceans. Her scholarly output demonstrates a consistent focus on integrating sentience research with welfare science, developing methods for validating indicators of subjective animal welfare, and exploring the ethical implications of animal consciousness. Recent publications examine topics ranging from animal feelings and welfare assessment to consciousness in corvids and the welfare implications of farmed insects. Dr. Browning has established a productive research collaboration with Walter Veit, resulting in numerous co-authored publications across multiple disciplines including philosophy, cognitive science, and bioethics. Her work appears in high-impact journals such as Journal of Consciousness Studies, Behavioral and Brain Sciences, and American Journal of Bioethics Neuroscience. She has contributed to important policy discussions through her research on animal sentience, which has informed legislative changes regarding animal welfare. Her interdisciplinary approach bridges philosophy, biology, and ethics to address pressing questions about how we understand and measure animal welfare across different species and contexts. Dr. Browning's research program addresses fundamental questions about animal welfare measurement while maintaining strong connections to practical applications in animal welfare science and policy. Her work on perspectival pluralism for animal welfare offers a comprehensive framework for understanding this complex phenomenon through multiple theoretical perspectives.
Axel Brunnbauer is a PreDoc Researcher at the Vienna University of Technology (TU Wien), affiliated with the Institute of Computer Engineering (E191-01) under the Faculty of Informatics. His research focuses on Reinforcement Learning, Autonomous Systems, and Cyber-Physical Systems with applications in robotics and control theory. Brunnbauer holds a BSc and Dipl.-Ing. in Informatics from TU Wien. He is currently on leave from active duties but continues academic contributions. His work bridges formal methods with practical robotics applications, emphasizing safe autonomy and multi-agent systems. Key research interests include model-based reinforcement learning, zero-shot transfer in autonomous racing, and scenario-based curriculum learning for autonomous driving. He has published at IEEE ICRA and developed frameworks for STL-based reward shaping in robotics. Teaching activities include the course 'Operating Systems' (2024W) at TU Wien. His technical expertise spans formal verification, distributed control systems, and sensor data processing for embedded systems.
Ben Parslew is a Senior Lecturer in Aerospace Engineering at the University of Manchester's Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering department within the Faculty of Science and Engineering. He has been with the university since completing his PhD, progressing from Research Associate to Honorary Lecturer (2013), Lecturer (2015), and Senior Lecturer (2018). In 2020, he also served as an Adjunct Professor at Chulalongkorn University. His educational background includes an undergraduate degree in Aerospace Engineering from UMIST (2003), a Master's in Fluid Dynamics from the University of Manchester (2005), and a PhD in animal flight biomechanics from the University of Manchester. Dr. Parslew's research lies at the interface of engineering and biology, with particular interests in animal locomotion, unmanned aerial vehicles, robotics and computer animation. His work spans biomechanics, engineering design and optimization, flapping-wing flight, biomimetics, and physics-based animation. He has developed tools for analyzing flapping-wing flight that are publicly available. His recent publications (2022-2025) demonstrate expertise in computational fluid dynamics, bio-inspired robotics, and aerospace engineering, with a focus on applications ranging from urban wind flow simulation to jumping robots and wingless rotorcraft. The research shows a clear trend toward practical applications of biomechanical principles in robotics and aerospace design. EPSRC Doctoral Prize Fellowship (2012) Faculty of Science and Engineering Better World Award Winner (2018) Highly commended at University of Manchester Making a Difference Awards (2018) Dr. Parslew has supervised multiple research students and projects, with a focus on bio-inspired robotics and aerospace applications. He has been involved in significant research grants including the Aerospace Engineering project (2010-2035) and the Space Systems Research Group. His work contributes to UN Sustainable Development Goals through the Aerospace Research Institute, Digital Futures, and the Manchester Environmental Research Institute. He is actively involved in the Centre for Robotics and Artificial Intelligence and has contributed to projects related to bio-inspired robotic hopper locomotion for navigation in extreme space environments.
Bentley Oakes is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Engineering and Software Engineering at Polytechnique Montréal. He holds a Ph.D. (2018) and M.Sc. (2015) from McGill University, and a B.Sc. (2013) from the University of Manitoba. His research focuses on Digital Twins , Model Transformations , and Knowledge Representation for cyber-physical systems. Ph.D. in Computer Science, McGill University, Canada M.Sc. in Science, McGill University, Canada B.Sc. in Computer Science, University of Manitoba, Canada His work bridges Model-Driven Engineering and Artificial Intelligence to advance the rigorous development of digital twins. Key research areas include: Digital Twin Engineering : Frameworks for systematic development, reporting, and validation. Knowledge Representation : Ontologies and contracts for modeling domain expertise. Model Transformations : Symbolic execution and debugging of ATL/DSLTrans transformations. Verification : Formal methods for cyber-physical systems and co-simulations. Oakes has published extensively in MODELS , MSR , TOSEM , and SoSyM . His recent studies on rationale extraction in open-source software and DevOps approaches for built assets highlight interdisciplinary innovations. He has been recognized for Outstanding Reviewing Contributions , receiving multiple Best Reviewer Awards at leading software engineering venues. At Polytechnique Montréal, he teaches courses such as: INF6900AE : Scientific and Technical Communication I INF7900AE : Scientific and Technical Communication II LOG6953FE / LOG6310E : Digital Twin Engineering LOG8371E : Software Quality Engineering