Aaron Shugar is a Professor and current Bader Chair in Art Conservation at Queen’s University. With a background in archaeometallurgy and conservation science, he specializes in non-destructive analysis techniques for cultural heritage, including X-ray fluorescence (XRF), Raman spectroscopy, and hyperspectral imaging. His work bridges art history, material degradation, and technological innovation. Honours H.B.A. in Anthropology and Law & Society from York University M.S. in Archaeological Materials from the University of Sheffield Ph.D. in Archaeometallurgy from University College London His research focuses on historic artist’s pigments , ancient metallurgy , and technical history of artifacts , with particular interest in degradation pathways and manufacturing processes. Recent publications highlight trends in AI integration with XRF analysis and preservation of modern materials in art conservation. Bader Chair in Art Conservation Mellon Foundation Professor in Conservation Science Aaron co-directed the Archaeometallurgy Laboratory at Lehigh University, served as a guest scientist at NIST, and remains a research associate at the Smithsonian Institution. He actively contributes to TEFAF’s Scientific Vetting Committee and acts as a forensic materials expert for the Court of Arbitration for Art.
Jeffrey R. Gruen is Professor of Pediatrics (Neonatology) and of Genetics at Yale School of Medicine, and a faculty member in the Investigative Medicine Program at Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. His research is affiliated with multiple centers including the Yale Center for Genomic Health, Wu Tsai Institute, and the Yale Child Health Research Center. Professor of Pediatrics (Neonatology), Yale School of Medicine Professor of Genetics, Yale School of Medicine Member, Investigative Medicine Program, Yale Graduate School Principal Investigator, Gruen Lab Education: MD, Tulane University, 1981 BS in Chemistry, Tulane University, 1977 Residency in Pediatrics, Yale-New Haven Hospital, 1984 Internship in Pediatrics, Yale-New Haven Hospital, 1982 Dr. Gruen's research centers on the genetic and molecular basis of dyslexia and language impairments. His lab pioneered the mapping of the DYX2 locus on chromosome 6 and discovered the DCDC2 gene, a major contributor to reading disability. His team identified READ1, a transcriptional control element that modulates risk for dyslexia, and demonstrated synergistic interactions between genetic variants in DCDC2 and KIAA0319 . His work integrates human genetics, molecular biology, and neuroimaging to understand the biological mechanisms underlying learning disabilities. He leads the Yale Genes, Reading and Dyslexia (GRaD) Study and the New Haven Lexinome Project, aiming to enable early diagnosis and personalized educational interventions. The recent publications reflect a strong trend in integrating genetic data with cognitive, behavioral, and educational assessments. Key themes include genome-wide association studies of dyslexia, gene-environment interactions (particularly involving phonological awareness and home environment), phenotype harmonization across cohorts, and the application of genetic findings to educational policy and practice. Imaging genetics and the study of comorbid conditions like Sluggish Cognitive Tempo are also prominent. Scientific Awards: Innovative Research Award, Kavli Institute, 2022 Dr. Gruen has served as Principal Investigator on numerous NIH-funded studies, including the GRaD Study, the Pediatric Imaging NeuroGenetics (PING) Study at Yale, and the New Haven Lexinome Project. He mentors a broad network of collaborators across institutions such as the University of Colorado, University of Bristol, and Johns Hopkins. His lab trains researchers in human genetics, molecular techniques, and cognitive phenotyping. He leads the Gruen Lab, which focuses on human genetic studies, molecular genetic mechanisms, imaging genetics, and longitudinal intervention studies. The lab collaborates extensively with national and international research centers and utilizes advanced techniques including GWAS, sequencing, chromatin immunoprecipitation, and MRI-based phenotyping.
Stephen Brooks is a Professor in the Faculty of Computer Science at Dalhousie University, actively contributing to research and education in computer graphics, visualization, and human-computer interaction. He is affiliated with the Human-Computer Interaction, Visualization & Graphics research cluster and currently supervises multiple graduate students on diverse projects. PhD in Computer Science, University of Cambridge (2004) MSc in Computer Science, University of British Columbia (2000) BSc, Brock University (1998) His research focuses on computer graphics and visualization, particularly non-photorealistic rendering, image editing, 3D geospatial systems, ocean visualization, and real-time rendering of natural phenomena. He has also worked in sound synthesis and motion editing. His recent publications show a strong emphasis on visual analytics, network flow visualization, and ocean science applications. His work spans interdisciplinary domains including environmental science, genomics, cybersecurity, and digital art. He has developed visualization tools for ocean science under a major CFREF-funded initiative and created novel methods for rendering stained glass, mixed media art, rivers, and ocean surfaces. His research integrates perception, automation, and user interaction to enhance visual analysis. Notable scientific contributions include work on tone mapping optimization, uncertainty visualization using chromatic aberration, semantic object clouds, and hybrid 2D/3D GIS. His publications appear in top venues such as IEEE TVCG, ACM Transactions, and SIGGRAPH. NSERC Discovery Grants Canada First Research Excellence Fund (CFREF) NSERC CREATE Mitacs Accelerate and Globalink CFI New Opportunities Grant Cyber Security Research and Development Grant He has supervised numerous PhD, Master’s, and undergraduate students in areas including ocean visualization, tone mapping, network security, VR, and geospatial analytics. He teaches courses in Game Design, Visualization, Computer Animation, and Network Computing, emphasizing project-based and interdisciplinary learning. He leads research in visual analytics for network data (FloVis), ocean science, and mixed reality collaboration. His lab develops interactive systems for data exploration in domains ranging from marine biology to cybersecurity. Future work includes expanding ocean-first climate visualization and enhancing mixed presence collaboration in immersive environments.
Steven Greybush is an Associate Professor in the Department of Meteorology and Atmospheric Science at Pennsylvania State University, College of Earth and Mineral Sciences. He is based in University Park, PA, and his research bridges atmospheric science, climate modeling, and interdisciplinary applications. He leads and contributes to major research initiatives involving AI-enhanced weather forecasting, planetary meteorology, and climate impacts on water and health systems. His research interests include Atmospheric Science , Climate Modeling , Data Assimilation , Planetary Meteorology (especially Mars) , Lake-Effect Snowbands , Tropical Cyclones , and Climate-Health Interactions . His work applies advanced techniques such as the Ensemble Kalman Filter (EnKF), Local Ensemble Transform Kalman Filter (LETKF), and AI-driven models to improve predictions of weather and climate phenomena. His recent publications (2021–2025) reveal a strong trend in integrating satellite and radar data into numerical models, enhancing forecasts of convection, hurricanes, and snowstorms. He also explores Martian atmospheric dynamics and the impact of climate variability on public health in Africa. His work is supported by major grants from NASA and NSF, including a $1.23 million NASA grant to improve AI satellite weather forecasting and an NSF grant for AI-powered weather pattern understanding. $1.23 million NASA grant for AI satellite weather forecasting NSF grant for AI-powered weather pattern understanding Penn State part of $6.6M consortium to improve weather forecasting Reducing Uncertainty in River System Forecasts to Maximize Nuclear and Hydro Generation Greybush collaborates with interdisciplinary teams and participates in field campaigns such as IMPACTS (Investigation of Microphysics and Precipitation for Atlantic Coast-Threatening Snowstorms). He advises or co-advises graduate students and researchers, though specific advisees are not listed. His work is published in top journals including Journal of Geophysical Research , Monthly Weather Review , JAMA Network Open , and PNAS .
Tom Mitchell is a Professor of Audio and Music Interaction at the University of the West of England (UWE), Bristol . As leader of the Creative Technologies Laboratory , his research focuses on interactive technologies for creative expression, blending computer science, music, and artificial intelligence. He is the principal investigator for the UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship project "Sensing Music Interactions from the Outside-In" and co-investigator for the Bridge , a £3M creative technology facility. His research spans digital musical instrument design , GPU-accelerated audio processing , and sonification of scientific data . Recent work includes accessibility improvements in virtual environments, AI-driven DMI development, and interdisciplinary collaborations like the MiMU Gloves with Imogen Heap. He also contributes to robotics teleoperation through auditory feedback systems. Selected publications highlight trends in GPU acceleration for audio , generative AI in musical contexts , and human-robot collaboration via sonification. As a software developer , he specializes in C++ and the Juce library , with applications in live performance systems and scientific visualization projects like Soma and danceroom Spectroscopy . UKRI Future Leaders Fellow Active in AHRC and WECA-funded projects Best paper nominations at EvoMUSART and International Faust Conference Mitchell collaborates with institutions including the Bristol Robotics Laboratory , Computer Science Research Centre , and Pervasive Media Studio . His work bridges academic research with commercial applications through ventures like May Productions and x-io Technologies.
Thomas Ertl is a Professor at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU), leading the Institute of Sanitary Engineering and Water Pollution Control. His research focuses on urban water systems, emphasizing sustainable drainage, climate change adaptation, and nature-based solutions. He has coordinated 55 projects, including international initiatives in Albania and Austria, addressing stormwater management, wastewater heat recovery, and sewer infrastructure resilience. Key Projects : Analysing re-activated watercourses for urban resilience (2024–2028) Resilient rainwater management in Austria (2024–2028) Assessing pollutant emissions in Albania (2024–2027) Research Themes : Building Information Modeling (BIM) in wastewater systems Uncertainty analysis under climate change Stormwater pollution and heat island mitigation Awards : 2018: Goldene Ehrennadel des ÖWAV 1993: Best student award at AGIT 93 His recent publications highlight multidisciplinary approaches to wastewater energy recovery, spatial compatibility of nature-based solutions, and prioritization of stormwater management sites. He has supervised numerous theses and contributed to media discussions on urban climate resilience, including articles in Austrian outlets like futurezone.at and Der Kurier.
Professor Cathryn Birch is a leading academic in Meteorology and Climate at the University of Leeds' School of Earth and Environment. She holds a Professorship specializing in high-impact weather systems and climate modeling, with extensive collaborations across international meteorological services including the Indonesian Met Service (BMKG) and the UK Met Office. Her research focuses on tropical meteorology , particularly thunderstorm formation and extreme rainfall mechanisms in Southeast Asia. She employs convection-permitting models , satellite observations, and machine learning techniques to develop nowcasting systems that predict severe weather 2-3 hours in advance. Key research areas include: Weather and climate extremes in tropical regions Flood forecasting and early warning system development Climate impacts on health (particularly humid heat extremes) Machine learning applications for weather prediction Her recent publications demonstrate strong trends in applied meteorology with emphasis on real-world implementation - 60% of her 2023-2025 work involves operational forecasting systems, while 40% focuses on climate-health linkages. Notable methodological innovations include satellite-based humid heat early warning systems and deep learning frameworks for convection initiation. Major scientific recognition includes: 2024 Emerging Environmental Impact Award for flood early warning systems 2021 Queen's Anniversary Prize for tropical community resilience 2014 European Meteorological Society Young Scientist Award Professor Birch actively supervises 6 PhD students and 3 postdocs while leading multi-million pound projects including the £6M National Hub on Net Zero, Health and Extreme Heat (HEARTH). Her team develops practical forecasting tools currently being tested with African meteorological services and the Indonesian Met Service. She also serves on the European Meteorological Society Awards Committee and the Met Office K-scale project steering group.
Beate Paulus is a Professor for Theoretical Chemistry at the Freie Universität Berlin , affiliated with the Chemistry and Biochemistry college and the Chemistry department. Her research focuses on advanced quantum chemical methodologies and applications to 2D materials, spintronics, and catalysis. Current affiliation: Freie Universität Berlin Key research areas: Quantum Chemistry, Density Functional Theory, 2D Materials, Spintronics, Electrocatalysis Her work spans computational modeling of electronic structures, magnetic properties, and chemical reactions using Density Functional Theory (DFT) with specialized corrections. She investigates systems like MoS2 , graphene heterostructures , and transition metal complexes , aiming to understand and optimize properties for energy applications, biosensors, and nanoelectronics. Recent publications highlight her contributions to quantum mechanical fluorine tunnelling , spin-selective transport in doped nanoribbons , and surface functionalization strategies for 2D materials. Her group also explores mechanically interlocked molecules and redox-responsive polymers with potential biomedical applications. Beate Paulus leads the Paulus Group , which actively publishes in high-impact journals and collaborates on interdisciplinary projects involving experimental and theoretical approaches.
Robin Ras is a Professor and Head of Department at the Department of Applied Physics at Aalto University, where he leads the Soft Matter and Wetting research group. His work focuses on surface science, particularly superhydrophobic and superoleophobic materials, with applications spanning renewable energy, biomedical engineering, and agricultural science. Ras earned his Master's degree in Engineering and Technology from Catholic University of Leuven in 1999, followed by a Doctoral degree from the same institution in 2003. His academic journey has positioned him as a leading researcher in wetting phenomena and nanoscale surface engineering. His research interests center on understanding and manipulating liquid-solid interactions at micro and nanoscales. Ras's work explores how surface topography and chemistry affect wetting behavior, with particular focus on superhydrophobic surfaces, droplet dynamics, and liquid-repellent materials. His group develops innovative approaches for creating surfaces with controlled wettability for applications ranging from self-cleaning materials to advanced biomedical devices. The research trends evident in Ras's recent publications show a strong focus on precision control of liquid-solid interfaces, with increasing attention to underwater applications, molecular-scale surface engineering, and biomimetic approaches. His work bridges fundamental surface science with practical applications in energy, healthcare, and sustainability. Among his notable scientific achievements: Anton Paar Research Award for Instrumental Analytics & Characterization (2018) for Scanning Droplet Adhesion Microscopy invention Academy of Finland Research Fellow (2011-2016) ERC Consolidator Grant (2017) Ras has secured significant research funding including the ERC Consolidator Grant for the SuperRepel project (2017-2022) focused on superslippery liquid-repellent surfaces, and the Academy of Finland project 'Electric Field; an Active Method to Control Phase Change' (2019-2022). His research group actively collaborates with international institutions and industry partners to translate fundamental discoveries into practical applications. The Soft Matter and Wetting research group under Ras's leadership combines experimental and theoretical approaches to investigate surface phenomena. The team utilizes advanced imaging techniques, precision surface fabrication methods, and computational modeling to understand and engineer surfaces with tailored wetting properties. Their work has applications across multiple sectors including renewable energy, biomedical devices, and sustainable agriculture.
Caroline Ketcham is a Professor of Exercise Science and the Associate Dean of Elon College, the College of Arts and Sciences at Elon University. Her research focuses on movement neuroscience, neurodiversity, concussions, and mental health, with expertise in neuromusculoskeletal control and rehabilitative strategies across diverse populations including children, elderly, neurological patients, and athletes. Education: PhD in Exercise Science/Motor Control, Arizona State University (2003) MS in Exercise Science/Motor Control, Arizona State University (1999) BA in Biology/Psychology, Colby College (1996) Her work spans motor control, concussion management, and mental wellness, with over 87 undergraduate mentees and 65+ publications. She co-edited Concussion in Athletics and Cultivating Capstones , and co-directs the Elon BrainCARE Research Institute, which advocates for concussion awareness and mental health. Recent research trends include concussion baseline testing as mental health screening, dual-task gait analysis, and global mentoring frameworks. Scientific awards highlight her contributions: Distinguished Scholar (2023), Ward Family Mentoring Award (2017), and multiple teaching distinctions. Scientific Awards: Distinguished Scholar Award (2023), Elon University Ward Family Excellence in Mentoring Award (2017), Elon University Elon College Service Award (2014), Elon University School of Education Excellence in Scholarship Award (2010), Elon University Teacher of the Year (2007), Texas A&M University She actively mentors students in concussion advocacy and neurodiverse movement research, with hundreds advised in health professions. Her labs focus on neuromuscular control and mental wellness initiatives.
Amy Wagoner Johnson is a Professor in the Department of Biomedical and Translational Sciences at the Carle Illinois College of Medicine, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, with secondary appointments in Mechanical Science and Engineering. She leads the Applied Biomaterials and Biomechanics Lab (ABBL), conducting interdisciplinary research spanning bone tissue engineering, women's reproductive health, and coral reef restoration. Her educational background includes: Ph.D. in Materials Science from Brown University (2002) M.S. in Materials Science from Brown University (1998) B.S. in Materials Science and Engineering from The Ohio State University (1996) Professor Wagoner Johnson's research focuses on biomaterials and biomechanics, particularly: Developing multiscale bone scaffolds for trauma repair Investigating cervical biomechanics in pregnancy and preterm birth Creating coral settlement substrates for reef restoration Designing hydroxyapatite-based systems for stem cell delivery Her work integrates materials science, mechanical engineering, and clinical medicine to address critical challenges in tissue regeneration. Analysis of her recent publications reveals strong trends in translational biomaterials development, with increasing emphasis on women's health applications and marine ecosystem restoration. Her bone scaffold research has evolved toward multi-material systems with spatially graded architectures, while her reproductive health work increasingly employs advanced imaging techniques like second-harmonic generation microscopy. Her scientific honors include: Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (2021) Grainger College DEI Award (2022) Andersen Faculty Scholar (2020) Dean's Research Excellence Award (2018) As an educator, she has received multiple teaching awards including the Society of Women Engineers Outstanding Engineering Educator Award (2020) and multiple 'Teachers Ranked as Excellent' recognitions. She serves as MechSE Pre-Med Advisor and actively mentors undergraduate researchers, receiving the Campus Award for Guiding Undergraduate Research (2013). Her lab has secured significant funding for projects including NSF's 'Collaborative Research: ECO-CBET' and NIH-supported work on preterm birth mechanisms. The Applied Biomaterials and Biomechanics Lab maintains strong collaborations with veterinary medicine, surgery departments, and international partners including the NanoSciences Foundation in Grenoble, France. Current projects focus on developing tools to track inflammation in human tissue as Chan Zuckerberg Biohub Chicago Investigators.
Professor Joseph Wood is a Professor of Visual Analytics at City St George's, University of London, where he serves as a founding member of the giCentre. His academic career spans over three decades, with continuous contributions to Geographic Information Science and visualization since 1990. He previously served as Head of Department for Computer Science at City University between 2014 and 2017. Professor Wood's educational background includes a PhD in Geographical Information Science from the University of Leicester (1996), an MSc in the same field from the University of Leicester (1990), and a BSc in Physical Geography & Geology from the University of Sheffield (1989). His academic progression shows steady advancement from Research Scholar at the University of Leicester (1990-1992) through various lecturer and senior positions to his current professorship. His research interests center on visual analytics and data visualization, with particular expertise in geographic information science and terrain analysis. Professor Wood has developed innovative methods bridging GI Science, Data Visualization, and education domains. His specific interests include narrative of visual analytic design, computational thinking in pedagogy, and novel visualization design for geographic data. His work demonstrates a consistent focus on making complex spatial data understandable through innovative visualization techniques. Analysis of Professor Wood's recent publications reveals a strong emphasis on practical applications of visualization techniques across diverse domains including transportation, epidemiology, sports analytics, and historical migration patterns. His work shows an evolution from foundational geographic information science toward broader applications in visual analytics, with increasing focus on narrative structures, responsive design, and accessibility considerations in visualization. The interdisciplinary nature of his research is evident in collaborations spanning computer science, geography, urban planning, and public health domains. Professor Wood has been actively involved in the academic community, serving on organizing and program committees for major international conferences including IEEE Infovis and VAST, Eurovis, GIScience, Spatial Accuracy, and Geomorphometry. His contributions to the field have been recognized through invitations to deliver keynote talks at prestigious venues ranging from GeoComputation to TEDx, where he presented on topics such as visualizing movement behavior of cyclists. As an advisor, Professor Wood has supervised numerous PhD and Master's students, with current supervision of Julia Crossley (Student conceptualisation of abstraction in computer science) and Jude Nzemeke (Understanding student misconception in recursive algorithmic thinking). His extensive supervision history includes completed PhDs on topics ranging from cycling behavior to spatio-social relations in photographic archives. His academic leadership extends to software development, with contributions to tools like litvis, elm-vega/el-vegalite, giCentre Utils, handy, and LandSerf GIS. Professor Wood is an active member of professional organizations including IEEE (2007-present), Association of Computing Machinery (ACM) (2007-present), and Association of Geographic Information (AGI) (1997-present), demonstrating his commitment to interdisciplinary collaboration across computer science and geographic information domains.
Mike Rubenstein is an Assistant Professor with joint appointments in the Department of Computer Science and Department of Mechanical Engineering at Northwestern University. He holds the Lisa Wissner-Slivka and Benjamin Slivka Professorship in Computer Science and is affiliated with the Center for Robotics and Biosystems. His educational background includes a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Southern California, an M.S. in Electrical Engineering from USC, and a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Purdue University. Prior to joining Northwestern, he completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard University's Self-Organizing Systems Research Group. Rubenstein's research focuses on advancing multi-robot systems to enable capabilities beyond traditional single robots, emphasizing parallelism, adaptability, and fault tolerance at scale (hundreds to millions of robots). His work spans swarm shape control, modular self-reconfigurable robotics, bio-inspired satellite constellations, and novel sensing for air vehicle swarms. Key themes include algorithmic control for large-scale systems and hardware innovations to overcome current limitations in swarm robotics. His advising has produced notable student achievements, including Petras Swissler's Best Student Paper Award at DARS 2021 and Drew Curtis's NDSEG Fellowship. Research trends across his publications reveal a consistent emphasis on scalability, real-world applicability, and bridging hardware constraints with algorithmic innovation in swarm systems. Rubenstein actively mentors graduate students and leads projects involving swarm robotics platforms like FireAnt and PCBot. His lab focuses on developing systems where simplicity in individual robots enables emergent complexity at the swarm level, with applications ranging from space exploration to medical imaging.
Dr. Jesse Vermaire is an Associate Professor in the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies at Carleton University . With a Ph.D. from McGill University and M.Sc. from the University of New Brunswick, his research focuses on the impacts of environmental change on freshwater ecosystems, particularly climate warming, nutrient enrichment, and extreme events like droughts and storm surges. His lab employs paleolimnological techniques and long-term datasets to study ecosystem resilience and recovery. Education: B.Sc. Honours (University of Guelph), M.Sc. (UNB), Ph.D. (McGill) His work spans multiple subfields, including microplastic pollution, metal contamination from historical mining, wildfire effects on lakes, and riparian development impacts. Recent publications highlight studies on plastic ingestion by Arctic seabirds, legacy arsenic pollution in Cobalt, Ontario, and critical thresholds for freshwater conservation. Collaborations with researchers like S.J. Cooke and J.P. Smol demonstrate his interdisciplinary approach. Key trends in his 15 most recent articles include: 1) Quantifying microplastic pollution in diverse ecosystems (Arctic, mangroves, agricultural soils); 2) Analyzing historical contamination impacts (arsenic, gold, lead mining); 3) Investigating climate-fire-sediment interactions; 4) Advancing monitoring methodologies (community science, multi-matrix sampling); 5) Critiquing environmental restoration practices; and 6) Developing evidence-based conservation frameworks.
Travis B. Thompson, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at Texas Tech University, leading the TM4 (Texas Tech Translational and Theoretical Mathematical Modeling and Machine Learning in Medicine) research group. His academic journey includes postdoctoral work at Rice University, Simula Research Laboratory, and the University of Oxford, focusing on mathematics applied to neurodegenerative diseases. Education: Ph.D. in Mathematics from Texas A&M University (2013) Dr. Thompson develops theoretical mathematical models and applies scientific computing and machine learning to study neurological pathologies, particularly Alzheimer’s disease. His work explores complex biological processes on networks, translational healthcare applications, and nutritional security implications. Current research trends integrate neuroimaging data with finite element simulations to model tau progression , amyloid beta dynamics , and glymphatic clearance in age-related diseases. Scientific awards and honors were not explicitly mentioned in the provided materials. Dr. Thompson’s interdisciplinary approach connects computational neuroscience with biomedical engineering , utilizing techniques like diffusion tensor imaging and level set methods to analyze pathological protein spread and brain tissue mechanics . The TM4 research group focuses on network neurodegeneration , personalized medicine , and machine learning diagnostics . Their work spans from microfluidic cancer detection to computational modeling of brain clearance mechanisms , addressing challenges in both neurodegenerative diseases and biomedical engineering through rigorous mathematical frameworks.
