Xiaolei Fang is Associate Professor in the Edward P. Fitts Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at North Carolina State University. His research develops advanced statistical learning, deep learning, and optimization methods for industrial applications involving high-dimensional data, with particular focus on condition monitoring, failure prognostics, and system performance optimization. He holds a PhD in Industrial Engineering and MS in Statistics from Georgia Tech. Professor Fang's research integrates machine learning with industrial engineering to solve complex problems in predictive maintenance, quality control, and energy systems. His methodological innovations include federated learning approaches for privacy-preserving prognostics, distributionally robust machine learning models, and tensor-based statistical methods for manufacturing quality diagnostics. He has received multiple prestigious awards including the ISE Outstanding Research Award (2024), Sigma Xi Best PhD Thesis Award (2019), and SAS Data Mining Best Paper Award (2016). His research has been funded by NSF, Cisco Systems, and the US Department of Energy. Professor Fang teaches courses in Quality Design & Control, Statistical Models for Systems Analytics, High-Dimensional Data Analytics, and Optimization Models. He has supervised 9 PhD students to completion and currently advises 7 graduate students working on projects spanning federated learning for prognostics, tensor-based quality control, and machine learning applications in manufacturing and energy systems.
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Elisabeth Clausen is a Professor and Director of the Chair and Institute for Advanced Mining Technologies at RWTH Aachen University. She holds key roles in the Specialist Group for Raw Materials and Disposal Technology, serves as a rectorate representative, and leads the Commission for EU Research Funding. Her research spans Underground mining automation Acoustic emission diagnostics Sustainable mining systems Space resource extraction Advanced sensor technologies Her recent publications focus on autonomous mining machinery, underground communication systems, and acoustic emission analysis across 15+ studies from 2013–2025, with particular emphasis on Ultra-wideband positioning Thermographic detection Crack monitoring in planetary gearboxes Explosive atmosphere safety Mineral processing diagnostics Digitalization trends Prof. Clausen contributes to mining education reform through initiatives like CDIO™ and has developed innovative learning spaces in underground mines. She coordinates international educational labs and integrates sustainability into mining engineering curricula, with publications on Adaptive ventilation systems Mining education frameworks Future-proof mineral extraction Entrepreneurial mindset in engineering
David Blaauw is the Kensall D. Wise Collegiate Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) at the University of Michigan. His research focuses on ultra-low-power analog/mixed-signal circuits, mm-scale sensors, neural networks, and biomedical applications. He leads the Blaauw Lab, which has pioneered innovations like the Michigan Micro Mote (M^3) and neural recording probes. His work emphasizes real-world deployability, with applications in environmental monitoring (e.g., monarch butterflies), medical devices, and robotics. Education: B.S. in Physics and Computer Science, Duke University (1986) Ph.D. in Computer Science, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (1991) Research Interests: Blaauw’s lab explores ultra-low-power computing, mm-scale systems, RF communication, in-memory computing, and genomics acceleration. Key projects include: Millimeter-scale computers (e.g., 0.04mm³ temperature sensors) Wireless neural interfaces for brain-machine communication Energy-efficient accelerators for edge AI and genomics Micro-robotics with sensing/actuation/computation Awards: IEEE Fellow 2016 SIA-SRC Faculty Award Motorola Innovation Award Best Paper Awards at ISSCC, ISCA, and RFIC Advising & Impact: Over 600 publications, 65 patents, and 4 startup companies spun from his lab. Current research includes genome sequencing accelerators (GenAx) and neural recording dust for brain mapping. He directs the Michigan Integrated Circuits Lab and chairs major conferences like ISSCC and DAC. Labs/Teams: Blaauw Lab (University of Michigan) Michigan Integrated Circuits Lab (MICAL)
Jukka Manner is a Full Professor (tenured) of Networking Technology at Aalto University's Department of Communications and Networking (Comnet), School of Electrical Engineering. With a career spanning over two decades in internet technologies, he leads research in networking, wireless systems, and energy-efficient ICT solutions. Dr. Manner received his MSc (1999) and PhD (2004) degrees in computer science from the University of Helsinki. His academic journey has been marked by significant contributions to internet standardization through the IETF since 1999, where he served as co-chair of the NSIS working group. Professor Manner's research focuses on networking, software and distributed systems, with particular emphasis on wireless and mobile networks, transport protocols, energy efficient ICT and cyber security. His work bridges theoretical advancements with practical applications, addressing critical challenges in modern communication systems, sustainable networking practices, and security frameworks. His research group has made significant contributions to 5G technologies, UAV communications, and energy-efficient network design. His extensive publication record shows a clear evolution toward sustainability in networking technologies, with recent work focusing on energy efficiency in 5G systems, sustainable web technologies, and the environmental impact of digital infrastructure. The research demonstrates strong interdisciplinary connections between telecommunications engineering, computer science, and environmental science, with particular emphasis on reducing the carbon footprint of digital systems while maintaining performance. Cross of Merit, Signals (2014) Medal for Military Merits for contributions in national defence and C4 (2015) Professor Manner has supervised over 200 MSc theses and more than 20 doctoral dissertations, establishing himself as a dedicated mentor in the field. He has been principal investigator and project manager for over 15 national and international research projects, including serving as Academic Coordinator for the Finnish Future Internet research programme (2008-2012). His leadership extends to conference organization, having served as local co-chair of Sigcomm 2012 in Helsinki, and active participation as a peer reviewer and member of various Technical Program Committees. As an active contributor to internet standardization through the IETF, Professor Manner's work has practical impact on global networking technologies. His research group maintains strong connections with industry partners and participates in shaping future networking standards and practices, particularly in the areas of sustainable networking, 5G evolution, and security frameworks for emerging technologies.
Dr. Chee Kiat Seow is an Associate Professor at the University of Glasgow's School of Computing Science. He holds a PhD from Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and an MSc from the National University of Singapore (NUS). His research focuses on cyber-physical security, wireless communication localization, and IoT systems leveraging AI/ML. He has led projects valued in the millions, winning awards like the IEEE Best Student Paper and National Instruments Engineering Impact Awards. Education: PhD (NTU), MSc (NUS) Research: Specializes in UWB positioning, spoofing detection, and IoT integration with 5G/GNSS. Teaching: Courses include Big Data, Software Engineering, and Data Analytics. His recent work addresses NLOS mitigation in indoor localization and cyber-physical security threats. Over 63 publications span journals like IEEE Transactions and conferences such as IPIN and WF-IoT. Supervised 6+ PhD/MSc students on topics like autonomous robotics and AI-driven localization. Grants: Includes $853K for 5G-X Smart Building projects and $797K for GNSS signal authentication. Awards: IEEE PIERS Best Student Paper (2019), NI Engineering Impact Awards (2015-2016). He advises on IoT and cybersecurity for organizations like ARTC and National Instruments. Active in IEEE Signal Processing and Computer Society.
Dr. Duc (David) Tran is a tenured Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Massachusetts at Boston. He directs the Network Computing Laboratory and focuses on network computing, with current projects in blockchain technology, decentralized learning, and edge computing. His research on peer-to-peer and decentralized networks has been widely cited. National Science Foundation funding recipient Best Theory Paper Award at IEEE MASS (2014) Best Paper Award at ICCCN (2008) IEEE Outstanding Graduate Student Award (2002) His research combines machine learning and decentralized techniques to optimize networked applications. Recent publications highlight blockchain for federated learning, edge computing, and automated market-making algorithms. He has also published cross-disciplinary work in medical imaging (2021) and obstetrics (2025). Dr. Tran actively contributes to academic service as an editor for Elsevier Ad Hoc Networks Journal, Springer Journal on Computational Social Networks, and Taylor Francis Journal on Parallel, Emergent, and Distributed Systems. He has served as TPC Chair for WiMAN, Guest-Editor for Pervasive Computing and Communications, and keynote speaker at WiMAN 2013.
Birgitte Bak-Jensen is a Professor at the Department of Energy, Aalborg University, where she has worked since 1988. She specializes in intelligent control of power distribution systems, with research focusing on grid stability, power quality, and integration of dispersed generation and smart grid technologies. Her work also addresses multi-energy system interactions between electrical grids, heating, and transport sectors. Projects : Led EU H2020 projects (SERENE, SUSTENANCE) and Danish initiatives (EFFORT, SMARTCE2H) Publications : Over 250 papers on distribution grid control and smart energy systems Her research combines renewable energy integration , electric vehicle grid interaction , and energy storage optimization . Recent work includes explainable AI for wind forecasting and voltage control strategies for EV charging. 2025 Awards : Best Student Paper Award (2023), Best Paper Award (2021), CIGRE Technical Council Award (2018) Organizational Roles : Vice Head of AAU Energy Research, leadership positions in IEEE and CIGRE
Hamid Bagheri is an Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln , affiliated with the School of Computing and the Institute for Software Research (ISR) at UC Irvine. He co-directs the ESQuaReD Lab and focuses on software engineering, security, and formal methods. Research Interests span software reliability, mobile/IoT security, automated program repair, and cyber-physical systems. His work integrates lightweight formal methods, testing, and machine learning. Publications appear in top venues like IEEE TSE , ISSTA , and ICSE . Recipient of the EPSCoR FIRST Award and NSF CISE Career Award Advisor to PhD students (e.g., Clay Stevens, Mohannad Alhanahnah) now in tenure-track roles Active in program committees (IEEE TSE, ACM TOSEM) and research leadership
Mustafa A. Mustafa is a Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor) in the Department of Computer Science at The University of Manchester, where he leads the Trusted Digital Systems Cluster as part of the university-wide Centre for Digital Trust and Society. His academic journey spans prestigious institutions including The University of Manchester, where he completed his PhD, and KU Leuven in Belgium, where he served as a post-doctoral research fellow. Dr. Mustafa earned his educational qualifications through an impressive academic path: a B.Sc. in communications from the Technical University of Varna, Bulgaria (2007), an M.Sc. in communications and signal processing from Newcastle University, UK (2010), and a Ph.D. in computer science from The University of Manchester, UK (2015). His doctoral research focused on "Smart Grid Security: Protecting Users' Privacy in Smart Grid Applications," laying the foundation for his subsequent research career. Dr. Mustafa's research expertise centers on information security, data privacy, and applied cryptography with particular focus on smart grid systems, smart city applications, e-health, and IoT. His work addresses critical challenges in securing peer-to-peer electricity trading markets, smart metering infrastructure, electric vehicle charging systems, and health data management. He has developed innovative solutions for keyless car sharing systems, frictionless authentication mechanisms, and privacy-preserving protocols for data collection and distribution. His scholarly contributions demonstrate a consistent trajectory toward increasingly sophisticated privacy-preserving techniques applied across multiple domains. Recent work shows a growing integration of artificial intelligence and machine learning approaches with traditional cryptographic methods, particularly in federated learning systems and large language model verification. His research bridges theoretical cryptography with practical implementations in energy systems and healthcare applications. Dr. Mustafa's scientific achievements have been recognized with several prestigious awards: Winner of the Student Video Competition at IEEE SmartGridComm 2017 for "Secure and Privacy-friendly Local Electricity Trading" Best Paper Award at SECURWARE 2017 Distinguished Achievement Award as Postgraduate Research Student of the Year nominee by the School of Computer Science of The University of Manchester (2015) Dame Kathleen Ollerenshaw Research Fellowship (2018-2023) As an academic supervisor, Dr. Mustafa has mentored numerous graduate students through their PhD and Master's research, with a particular focus on privacy and security challenges in emerging technologies. His current supervision portfolio includes research on privacy-friendly multi-agent systems for smart grids, security for IoT in e-health, vulnerability detection in IoT cryptography, and bot detection systems. He has secured significant research funding through multiple competitive grants including EnnCore: End-to-End Conceptual Guarding of Neural Architectures (EPSRC, 2020-2024), SCorCH: Secure Code for Capability Hardware (EPSRC, 2019-2023), and SNIPPET: Secure and Privacy-friendly Peer-to-peer Electricity Trading (FWO-SBO project, 2019-2023). Dr. Mustafa leads the Trusted Digital Systems Cluster within the Centre for Digital Trust and Society at The University of Manchester. His research group comprises PhD students, postdoctoral researchers, and collaborators working on cutting-edge security and privacy solutions. The team maintains strong international collaborations, particularly with KU Leuven in Belgium, and contributes to standards development as evidenced by Dr. Mustafa's role as an expert in the IEC/SYC/WG 3 "IEC Smart Energy Roadmap."
Rajesh Krishna BALAN is a Full-Time Professor at the School of Computing and Information Systems (SCIS) at Singapore Management University (SMU) . His research focuses on Human-Machine Collaborative Systems , Pervasive Sensing , and Health & Wellbeing technologies. Based in Singapore, he leverages mobile computing to address urban sustainability and quality-of-life challenges. PhD from Carnegie Mellon University (2006) Specializes in WiFi sensing , VR/AR , and health monitoring Advises PhD students in areas like urban mobility , empathetic design , and cyber-physical systems Beyond academia, BALAN's work bridges ubiquitous computing and public health , with applications in ageing populations , mental health analytics , and smart city optimization . His recent publications highlight cross-disciplinary approaches to sleep analysis , group behavior modeling , and contactless physiological sensing . BALAN actively contributes to educational technology through projects like Technology-Enhanced Learning frameworks. He is also a mentor in collaborative research areas including biomedical informatics and lifestyle monitoring , with a focus on mobile GPU optimization and low-power systems .
Professor Li Hui serves as the executive dean of the School of Network and Information Security at Xidian University, where he holds the position of second-level professor and doctoral supervisor. He is nationally recognized as a distinguished teacher and serves in multiple prestigious roles including member of the National Steering Committee for Postgraduate Education in Cryptography, inaugural president of ACM SIGSAC CHINA, and director of several major academic societies related to cryptography and information security. Professor Li's research spans cryptographic information security, privacy computing, information theory, and coding theory, with significant contributions to network and cyberspace security. His work demonstrates a strong focus on both theoretical foundations and practical applications, particularly in developing security protocols for emerging technologies like blockchain, federated learning systems, and IoT environments. His research output shows consistent innovation in balancing security requirements with computational efficiency across diverse application domains. With over 300 publications and more than 15,000 Google Scholar citations (H-index 60), Professor Li's scholarly impact is substantial. His recent publications demonstrate increasing emphasis on privacy-preserving machine learning, secure multi-party computation, and cryptographic protocols for distributed systems, reflecting the evolving security challenges in the AI era. Three second-class national teaching achievement awards Special prize and first-class national teaching achievement awards Four first-class provincial and ministerial science and technology progress awards Privacy Computing Theory award (Qian Weichang Chinese Information Processing Science and Technology Award) Multiple patents with over 80 granted inventions Professor Li leads the Cyber Changan Team and serves as head of the Shaanxi Provincial Innovation Team for Mobile Internet Security. He has successfully supervised numerous doctoral and master's students who have gone on to win prestigious competitions like the National College Student Information Security Competition. His research is supported by major national grants including a National Key R&D Program project and key projects from the National Natural Science Foundation of China.
Yu Xiao is an Associate Professor at the Department of Information and Communications Engineering, Aalto University, specializing in edge computing, extended reality (XR), wearable computing, and crowdsensing. Their research contributes to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, particularly in education and technology innovation. Active in mobile cloud computing and decentralized systems Principal Investigator in EU-funded projects (EMIL, TUTL) Expert in 5G networks, autonomous systems, and human activity recognition Yu Xiao's work spans interdisciplinary domains, including healthcare (cardiovascular resuscitation devices) and urban mobility (autonomous vehicle interactions). They have received multiple awards, including Best Paper Awards and Nokia Foundation Scholarships. Focus on low-latency communication and multiagent reinforcement learning Developed frameworks like FediLive for decentralized social networks Contributed to 128+ publications and software tools Recent collaborations include institutions like Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile and participation in IEEE committees. Their research integrates blockchain for secure IoT communication and advanced AR applications.
Lars-Olof Johansson is a Senior Lecturer at Halmstad University's School of Information Technology, specializing in Informatics. His research focuses on digital service innovation from a learning perspective, emphasizing collaboration between diverse stakeholders and knowledge exchange in innovation processes. He is actively involved in the LeaDS research program (Learning in a Digitalized Society) and teaches in the bachelor's program 'Digital Business Development' and the master's program 'Digital Learning'. His work bridges educational methodologies and technological innovation, particularly in fostering environments where interdisciplinary learning drives successful digital service creation. Notably recognized as an 'Excellent Teacher in Informatics,' he integrates practical experience with academic rigor, contributing to both scholarly discourse and pedagogical advancements. Key projects include SESMA (2019-2021), exploring sustainable mobility solutions, and ongoing collaborations in boundary practices for ICT innovation. His publications span topics like knowledgeability in digital service innovation, ethics in autonomous systems, and collaborative learning frameworks. His awards highlight his pedagogical impact, while his research addresses systemic challenges in innovation through interdisciplinary approaches.
Renjie Zhao is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science at Johns Hopkins University and a member of the Data Science and AI Institute. His research focuses on wireless networking and mobile computing, with significant contributions to millimeter-wave communications, software-defined radio, and IoT systems. Dr. Zhao received his B.E. in Electric Power Engineering and Automation from Shanghai Jiao Tong University in 2018, followed by an M.S. (2020) and Ph.D. (2023) in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of California San Diego, where he was advised by Professor Xinyu Zhang. His research centers around three main areas: next-generation wireless network architectures (5G millimeter wave, 6G joint communication and sensing, Internet of Things), novel radio hardware and software design (software-defined radio, wireless brain interfaces, low-power ultra-wide-band), and ubiquitous communication and sensing systems (smart homes, virtual/augmented reality, localization, ultra-reliable RFID for supply chains). His work bridges theoretical innovation with practical implementation, often resulting in open-source hardware and software platforms that advance the field. Dr. Zhao's research has been published in top conferences including ACM SIGCOMM, MobiCom, and NSDI. His work demonstrates a clear progression from foundational wireless communication systems to increasingly sophisticated sensing and localization applications, with consistent focus on practical deployment challenges and solutions. Scientific Awards: Best Paper Award at ACM MobiCom 2020 for work on massive MIMO millimeter-wave software radio Best Paper Award at ACM SenSys 2023 for NeuroRadar paper Hopkins AITC funding for AI technologies promoting healthy aging Dr. Zhao actively serves the research community as TPC member for major conferences including MobiCom'25, NSDI'25, and MobiSys'25, and as a reviewer for leading journals. He is involved in multiple NSF-funded projects, including an NSF CIRC project developing the next-stage M-Cube platform. His lab, focused on wireless systems, maintains strong industry connections with companies like Qualcomm and Samsung. Dr. Zhao leads the M-Cube project, an open-source millimeter-wave massive MIMO software radio platform that has been adopted by numerous research institutions worldwide. His team continues to develop innovative wireless technologies with practical applications in supply chain management, healthcare, and smart environments.
Ada Gavrilovska is a Professor at Georgia Tech's School of Computer Science under the College of Computing. Her work focuses on systems software for emerging technologies, including hybrid memory systems, edge computing, and cloud infrastructure. She leads projects in the PRISM Center and ADA Center , with funding from NSF, DoE, SRC, and industry leaders like Cisco and VMware. Education: PhD in Computer Science, Georgia Tech (2004) Research Interests: Designing systems for new hardware and applications, including edge computing, heterogeneous memory management, and LEO satellite platforms. Her work bridges low-level OS mechanisms with high-level distributed systems challenges. Recent Publications highlight trends in LEO satellite resource scheduling Edge-based ML preprocessing Hybrid memory OS abstractions Disaggregated graph analytics Compiler-assisted performance optimization Scientific Awards: Best paper, NFV World Congress (2016) Spotlight paper, IEEE Transactions on Cloud Computing (2014) ISCA-50 25-year retrospective (2023) Advising & Grants: Ada has mentored over 15 PhD students and 10 MS students, with research supported by NSF, DoE, SRC, and industry grants. She serves as PI in the SRC/DARPA PRISM Center.
