Gunilla Almgren Bäck is a researcher at the Department of Educational Psychology, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Linnaeus University. Her work focuses on assistive technology and its role in addressing reading and writing difficulties, particularly in primary and middle-school education. She has conducted extensive studies on speech-to-text tools for students with dyslexia and writing disabilities. Education: Ph.D. in Psychology (2024) from Linnaeus University, specializing in educational psychology and assistive technology. Research Interests: Almgren Bäck's research explores how speech-to-text technology can prevent, bridge, and develop students' text production capabilities. Her work includes longitudinal studies on dyslexic students' experiences and collaborations across Nordic countries to refine assistive technologies. Recent Publications: Her studies, such as Prevent, Bridge, Develop (2024) and Enhancing Middle-School Students' Textual Expression (2025), highlight the integration of assistive technology in educational settings. Her articles emphasize technology's potential to support writing difficulties, dyslexia, and AI-enhanced text production. Projects: She leads the ongoing project When AT meets AI , investigating the synergy between assistive technology and artificial intelligence in text production. Additionally, she collaborates on a 2024–2025 initiative using speech synthesis to aid reading learning in SFI teaching.
Franziska Klügl is a Professor in Computer Science at Örebro University's Faculty of Business, Science and Engineering, affiliated with the Center for Applied Autonomous Sensor Systems (AASS). She currently leads the KKS-funded TeamRob project on Human-Robot Teamwork and serves as Deputy Dean of the faculty since January 2023, chairing the academic appointment committee. Previously, she headed the Computer Science department (2020-2022) and served on the faculty board (2019-2022). Her research focuses on: Multi-agent systems : Development of languages, processes, and tools for agent-based simulation Interdisciplinary applications : Transportation, economics, epidemics, production, and mining simulations Simulation engineering : Integrating AI, machine learning, and formal methods to create accessible modeling tools for domain experts She created SeSAm , a visual programming tool for agent-based simulation that enables rapid prototyping of complex models. Analysis of her recent publications reveals three dominant themes: Human-robot collaboration frameworks and intention recognition systems Economic impacts of automation on labor markets and engineering services Advanced simulation methodologies using affordance theory and reinforcement learning She teaches software engineering, multi-agent systems, and agent-based modeling across multiple programs, including the WASP AI&ML PhD course. She leads research groups at the Machine Perception and Interaction Lab and oversees the TeamRob human-robot teamwork project.
Nathanael Andrade is a Professor in the History Department at Binghamton University within the College of Arts and Sciences. Specializing in Greek and Roman history, with a focus on the Ancient Mediterranean and Late Antiquity, his work explores the Roman Near East, Hellenistic Syria, and cultural interactions in antiquity. Education: PhD in Greek and Roman History from the University of Michigan; BA from Wesleyan University Research Interests span the Roman and later Roman Near East, including topics like religious pluralism , urban economies , and gender dynamics in antiquity. His scholarship interrogates cultural identity, material culture, and the transmission of ideas across the Mediterranean and Indian Ocean networks. Recent Publications (2025–2009) address diverse themes: Pompey's impact on the Levant, economic circularity in Palmyra, enslaved women and children in Roman legal documents, and the interplay of Greek and Syrian identities. These works situate him at the intersection of military history , social archaeology , and comparative religion . Academic Network includes co-authorship with Rubina Raja on Palmyrene economy, editorial contributions to volumes on the Roman Near East, and affiliations with institutions like the University of Michigan and Wesleyan University.
Liz Harvey-Kattou is a Senior Lecturer in Spanish and Latin American Studies at the University of Westminster's School of Humanities. She teaches Spanish language, 20th-21st century culture in Spain and Latin America, film studies, and visual culture, while supervising undergraduate and postgraduate dissertations. Research focuses on gender and family dynamics in contemporary Central American cinema Previous work analyzed identity and nationhood in Costa Rican literature and film Active in film festival curation and cultural commentary Her research keywords include: Gender subversion in Central American cinema Decolonial representation Identity politics Postcolonial theory Feminist film analysis Costa Rican cultural studies Scientific contributions include: Peer reviewing for Forum for Modern Language Studies Peer reviewing for Studies in Spanish and Latin American Cinemas Editorial work for National Identities and Hispanic Research Journal As an AHRC Doctoral Studentship awardee and recipient of the AHRC Award for Outstanding Journal Reviewer, she maintains active engagement with academic communities through memberships in the Association of Hispanists, Society of Latin American Studies, and Women in Spanish and Portuguese Studies.
Dr. Leandro Milhomens da Fonseca is a researcher at the Technische Universität Darmstadt, affiliated with the Institute of Nuclear Physics (IKP). His work focuses on nuclear physics, particularly in hypernuclei and neutron-rich nuclei studies. Primary research areas: Nuclear Scattering, Neutron-skin Thickness, Radioactivity, and Gamma-ray Spectrometry. Contributions to detector development, including the Time-of-flight system for R3B experiments. Published extensively on nuclear interaction cross sections and radiation safety in Brazilian building materials. His recent publications highlight expertise in both experimental nuclear physics and environmental radiation assessment. While no formal awards are listed, his involvement in international collaborations like HYDRA/R3B suggests significant contributions to the field.
Yuhang Li is an Associate Professor of Chinese Art at the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s Department of Art History. She serves as Affiliate of the Religious Studies Program, Department of Asian Languages and Cultures, and Center for East Asian Studies, and holds the role of Faculty Director of Material Culture at the Center for Design and Material Culture. Her education includes a B.A. from Central Academy of Fine Arts (Beijing, 1991), M.A. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (2001), and Ph.D. from the University of Chicago (2011). Her research focuses on gender and material practice in late imperial China, particularly Buddhist women’s artistic devotions, Chinese textiles and costume, opera’s role in visual culture, and Qing court art. Her book Becoming Guanyin (2020) won major academic awards. She co-edited Performing Images: Opera in Chinese Visual Culture (2014) and contributed to special issues on Empress Dowager Cixi. Teaching includes courses on Asian art surveys, Chinese art history, material culture, and gender studies. Her work bridges art history with religious studies, exploring how material practices reflect gendered identities and religious belief. Awards include the 2021 Religion and the Arts Book Award and the 2024 Geiss-Hsu Book Prize. Her research frequently examines the intersection of ephemeral mediums (e.g., paper, hair embroidery) with enduring cultural and religious themes.
Caroline Lehr is Professor of Translation Studies at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) School of Applied Linguistics, where she works in the Institute of Multilingual Communication. She is also a member of the University Ethics Committee. Her academic career spans multiple institutions including the University of Geneva, University College London, and Copenhagen Business School. PhD in Psychology of Language & Translation Studies from University of Geneva (2014) Master of Arts in Specialized Translation from University of Geneva CAS in Higher and Professional Education from ZHAW Professor Lehr's research focuses on the intersection of translation studies, cognitive psychology, and emerging technologies. Her work examines translation processes and multilingual text production, multilingualism in organizations, the use of artificial intelligence in multilingual communication, and the role of cognition, emotion and motivation in language professions. She has pioneered research on 'MT literacy' - the responsible and competent use of machine translation - particularly in educational contexts. Her recent publications reveal a strong trend toward examining the impact of artificial intelligence on translation and language professions, with particular attention to emotional intelligence, cognitive load, and professional adaptation in the face of technological change. She has co-edited significant works like 'The psychology of translation: an interdisciplinary approach' and published extensively on neural machine translation in language teaching. Co-project leader of 'Language learning in the age of Artificial Intelligence' Project leader of 'Use of machine translation in healthcare' Co-project leader of 'AI Literacy and Post-Editing Training for Language Services in Multilingual Companies' Professor Lehr actively contributes to bridging academic research with practical applications in the language industry. She has developed training interventions to improve emotional intelligence for translators and has been instrumental in establishing machine translation literacy as a critical competence for language professionals. Her work demonstrates how emotional factors influence translation performance and how professionals can develop resilience in rapidly changing technological landscapes.
Kyoko Iwaki is a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Literature of the University of Antwerp, with a focus on Japanese theatre, performance studies, and post-catastrophe narratives. She actively engages in collaborative research and holds internal governance roles, including membership in the Departmental Council for Literature and the Education Committee for the Educational Master in Languages. Her research explores Japanese contemporary theatre's intersections with ethics, digital performance, and nuclear trauma. Key themes include collaborative methodologies, liminality, and the philosophical implications of post-Fukushima art. Her work spans classical adaptations, avant-garde practices, and interdisciplinary approaches to performance. Recent publications analyze experimental Japanese theatre (Okada Toshiki, Sankai Juku), post-disaster memory, and the politics of digital pandemic spaces. She contributes to global discourse through interviews with practitioners and critiques of institutional frameworks in theatre and academia.
Hilary J. Allen is a Professor of Law at American University Washington College of Law, where she teaches Banking Law, Securities Regulation, and Business Associations. She is an internationally recognized expert on financial stability regulation and new financial technologies, regularly sharing her expertise with regulatory bodies across the United States, EU, UK, Canada, and Australia, as well as with international institutions including the IMF, World Bank, and Financial Stability Board. Allen earned her LL.M. from Georgetown University Law Center in 2010 (where she received the Thomas Bradbury Chetwood, S.J. Plaque for graduating first in her class), her Bachelor of Laws from the University of Sydney in 2003, and her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Sydney in 2001. Prior to entering academia, she spent seven years working in financial services groups of prominent law firms in London, Sydney, and New York, and in 2010 worked with the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission. Professor Allen's research focuses on critical intersections between financial regulation, emerging technologies, and systemic risk. Her work examines how artificial intelligence, blockchain, and cryptocurrency create new challenges for financial stability, while also addressing traditional regulatory concerns through modern lenses. She has published extensively on regulatory sandboxes, precautionary approaches to financial product approval, and the relationship between climate change and financial stability. Her book Driverless Finance: Fintech's Impact on Financial Stability (Oxford University Press, 2022) has become a significant contribution to understanding how emerging financial technologies introduce systemic risks requiring new regulatory tools. Analysis of her recent publications reveals a consistent focus on how technological innovation in finance requires corresponding innovation in regulation. Her work spans from practical regulatory mechanisms like sandboxes to broader conceptual frameworks for understanding financial stability in the digital age. She has particularly emphasized the need for common language in international financial regulation and the importance of addressing emerging threats from crypto, AI, and climate change. Professor Allen has testified before both the House Financial Services Committee and the Senate Banking Committee, demonstrating the practical impact of her scholarship on real-world policy. She is regularly quoted in the popular press and actively participates in scholarly conferences worldwide. Her research has been supported through invitations to present at roundtables with central banks and international regulatory bodies, reflecting her standing in the global financial regulation community. As an educator, Allen brings her deep practical experience from the financial services industry to the classroom, connecting theoretical concepts with real-world applications. Her expertise in both traditional banking law and emerging fintech issues provides students with a comprehensive understanding of the evolving financial regulatory landscape.
Sid Horton is an Associate Professor and Director of Cognitive Psychology in the Department of Psychology at Northwestern University. He holds affiliations with the Northwestern Department of Linguistics and the Center for Technology and Social Behavior. Horton’s research focuses on psycholinguistics and pragmatics, exploring how social and cognitive factors influence language use, particularly in discourse production and comprehension of non-literal language. His work also examines epistemic judgments and theory-of-mind development. Education: B.S. Psychology/German (Duke University, 1991), M.A. and Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology (University of Chicago, 1994 and 1999). Postdoctoral training at SUNY-Stony Brook and Georgia Institute of Technology. Editorial roles include Associate Editorships at Discourse Processes and Memory & Cognition . Research Interests: Pragmatics, discourse processing, figurative language, common ground, and aging effects on communication. His recent work investigates typing cues in written messages and analogical reasoning’s role in theory of mind. Awards: Fellow, Society for Text and Discourse (2011–2017). Teaching: Cognitive Psychology (PSYCH 228), Research Methods (PSYCH 205), and graduate courses on experimental pragmatics and dialogue. Labs: Cognition and Communication Lab (Swift 217 and Cresap 108), supervising undergraduate and graduate research on topics like bilingualism, emoji usage, and perspective-taking.
Dr. Armin Mustafa is an Associate Professor in Computer Vision and AI at the University of Surrey, where he holds a prestigious Royal Academy of Engineering Research Fellow position. He is affiliated with the Centre for Vision, Speech and Signal Processing (CVSSP), the School of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering, and the Surrey Institute for People-Centred Artificial Intelligence (PAI). His research focuses on developing AI systems for visual understanding of complex dynamic scenes, with applications in entertainment, autonomous systems, and augmented/virtual reality. Dr. Mustafa completed his PhD in general dynamic scene reconstruction from multi-view videos in 2016 from the University of Surrey under the supervision of Prof. Adrian Hilton. Prior to his doctoral studies, he worked for three years (2010-2013) at Samsung Research Institute in Bangalore, India, in the field of Computer Vision. His research expertise spans Computer Vision, Scene Understanding, 3D/4D Vision, Virtual Reality, Light Fields, Machine Learning, Video Captioning, Augmented Reality, Artificial Intelligence, and Audio-visual Video Understanding. Dr. Mustafa has pioneered advances in 4D vision, NLP, and Scene Understanding over the past decade, with a particular focus on enabling machines to model and interpret real-world environments for socially beneficial applications. His work bridges theoretical advances in computer vision with practical applications in media production, virtual reality, and autonomous systems. Analysis of Dr. Mustafa's recent publications reveals a strong focus on multimodal learning, particularly the integration of audio and visual information for scene understanding. His work spans diverse areas including shadow detection and removal, audio event classification, video captioning, person image generation, and dynamic scene reconstruction. A notable trend is his exploration of transformer architectures for both vision and audio tasks, as well as the application of self-supervised learning techniques to reduce dependency on labeled data. Dr. Mustafa has received numerous prestigious awards: 2018 - Research Fellowship, The Royal Academy of Engineering, UK 2017 - Young Researcher award, CVPR 2016 - Doctoral Consortium grant, CVPR 2015 - BMVA travel grant for ICCV 2014 - Set-Squared Research to Innovator grant 2013 - Overseas Research Scholarship, FEPS, The University of Surrey 2010 - Cadence Silver Medal, Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur As a dedicated mentor, Dr. Mustafa supervises several PhD students working on cutting-edge topics including multi-person reconstruction, audio-visual scene understanding, and automatic storyboard generation. His research is supported by significant grants including a £15 million UKRI Prosperity Partnership with the BBC (AI4ME), a 5-year Royal Academy of Engineering fellowship (4D Vision for Perceptive Machines), and multiple projects with industry partners such as Figment Productions and Foundry. Dr. Mustafa is an active member of the Centre for Vision, Speech and Signal Processing (CVSSP), one of the world's leading research centers in vision, speech, and signal processing. He also contributes to the Surrey Institute for People-Centred Artificial Intelligence (PAI), where he serves as a Surrey AI Fellow. His work often involves collaboration with industry partners and other academic institutions across Europe.
Madeline Endres is an Assistant Professor at the Manning College of Information and Computer Sciences, University of Massachusetts Amherst. She co-directs the LASER Lab and holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Michigan (2024), alongside degrees in Computer Science and Cello Performance. Her research focuses on improving programmer productivity and wellbeing through interdisciplinary approaches combining software engineering, psychology, and medicine. Her research interests include: Programmer cognition and skill acquisition Developer tool design and evaluation Impact of external factors (e.g., psychoactive substances, workplace policies) on software development Neuroimaging studies of programming tasks Key achievements include Distinguished Paper Awards at ICSE 2024 and FSE 2023, and an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship (2020). She actively contributes to program committees for major software engineering conferences. Current projects include VR-based spatial reasoning training for novices, TMS experiments to identify cognitive causality in programming, and controlled studies on cannabis use and programming ability. She also maintains the CS Grad Job Guide to support early-career researchers.
Leone Buckle is a Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Manchester, affiliated with the Division of Psychology, Communication and Human Neuroscience. She holds a BSc in Psychology and Philosophy from the University of Liverpool, followed by an MRes and PhD in Psychology from the University of Manchester, funded by the ESRC. Her research focuses on how environmental experiences, such as exposure to linguistic input and real-life events, shape children’s language development. Key interests include syntactic priming, integration of linguistic and social cues during conversation, and diversity representation in children’s literature. Her teaching includes courses like PSYC10421: Introduction to Cognition and PSYC31121: Language and Communicative Development in Educational Settings. Research methods employed include syntactic priming experiments, eye-tracking, corpus analysis, and online questionnaires. She is currently supervising PhD students in areas related to her research. Recent work explores how social contingencies in video/audio interactions influence grammatical learning and examines the relationship between short-term priming effects and long-term language acquisition. Collaborations include projects with the University of Edinburgh and Warwick, focusing on language experience and development. She emphasizes interdisciplinary approaches bridging developmental psychology, psycholinguistics, and linguistic theory.
Zhenchang Xing is a Research Professor at CSIRO's Data61 and holds a Hans Fischer Senior Fellowship at TUM-IAS. With a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Alberta (2008), he previously served as Associate Professor at Australian National University and Assistant Professor at Nanyang Technological University. His research focuses on software engineering for AI systems and human-centered computing. Current projects include: Automated Software-Hardware Co-Design for AI Systems Software Supply Chain Security frameworks Data Bill of Materials (DataBOM) for verifiable data ecosystems Software Testing Knowledge Graph development Professor Xing has received 10 Distinguished Paper Awards from ACM and IEEE, including the 2005 Most Influential Paper Award for UMLDiff. His work combines software engineering with responsible AI development.
Anne Rawls is a Professor of Sociology and Chair of the Department of Sociology at Bentley University. She also holds roles as Professor for Interaction, Work, and Information at the University of Siegen (Germany), Senior Fellow at Yale University's Urban Ethnography Project, and Director of the Garfinkel Archive, LLC. Her academic career began with a B.A. in Sociology (Summa Cum Laude), M.A. in Philosophy, and Ph.D. in Sociology from Boston University, followed by a Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her research focuses on ethnomethodology, race relations, workplace studies, and the sociology of information. Notable works include Epistemology and Practice: Durkheim's Elementary Forms of the Religious Life (Cambridge University Press) and editorship of Garfinkel’s Archive . She explores how interactional practices shape social order, race dynamics, and modern democratic systems, emphasizing the role of 'constitutive practices' in creating moral and social facts. Teaching interests span race, gender, globalization, and the ethics of situated practices. Her consulting work addresses workplace studies and computer-mediated work design. Rawls' contributions bridge classical sociological theory (Durkheim, Garfinkel) with contemporary issues like racial justice and technology's societal impact. Her research highlights tacit racism in everyday interactions, the moral foundations of public life, and the interplay between sociology and technology. She has presented globally and contributed to debates on sociological methodology and the legacy of key theorists like Goffman and Garfinkel.
