Andreas Hepp is a German media and communication scholar currently serving as a Full Professor (W3) at the University of Bremen , affiliated with the Center for Media, Communication and Information Research (ZeMKI). He has held visiting positions at prestigious institutions including the London School of Economics, Goldsmiths (University of London), Stanford University, and Université Paris II. Research Focus: Deep Mediatization and Datafication Communicative Artificial Intelligence Transcultural Communication Qualitative Methodologies Digital Futures and Algorithmic Society Major Grants: Co-Spokesperson for DFG/FWF Collaborative Research Group 'Communicative AI' (2025–) Principal Investigator for DFG Priority Programme 'Mediatized Worlds' (2012–2016) DFG-funded Creative Research Unit 'Communicative Figurations' (2013–2016) Scientific Awards: Fellow of the International Communication Association (2024) Theoriepreis and Zeitschriftenpreis from German Communication Association (DGPuK) 2010 Best Journal Publication Award Labs & Networks: Leads the 'Datafication and Mediatization' lab at ZeMKI and co-founded the 'Communicative Figurations' research network.
Anja Feldmann is Director at the Max Planck Institute for Informatics in Saarbrücken and Professor of Internet Network Architectures at Technische Universität Berlin (since 2006). Previously she held a full professorship at Technische Universität München (2002–2006) and conducted research at AT&T Labs Research , Saarland University , and Carnegie Mellon University , where she earned her Ph.D. in 1995. Education Ph.D. in Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon University, 1995 M.Sc. in Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon University, 1991 Diplom in Computer Science, Universität Paderborn, 1990 Research Interests Anja Feldmann’s research centers on measurement-driven understanding of the Internet. She tackles challenges such as software-defined networking , cloud-network interactions , performance debugging , and traffic characterization . A growing focus is the privacy and security of networked systems, evidenced by recent studies on online tracking, DNS security, and disinformation ecosystems. Her group designs scalable measurement platforms that combine passive and active monitoring , programmable data planes , and machine-learning analytics to dissect phenomena ranging from terabit-scale traffic to covert tracking on illegal streaming sites. Recent Publication Themes The 2021-2025 publications reveal a methodological evolution toward large-scale, longitudinal measurement . Topics include: Impact of global events (COVID-19, CrowdStrike outage) on Internet traffic Cross-country tracking ecosystems and privacy leaks DNS root and routing plane stability and security ML-driven real-time monitoring at terabit speeds Disinformation campaigns on encrypted messaging platforms Scientific Awards Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize (2011) – Germany’s highest research honor Berliner Wissenschaftspreis (2011) Elected Member of the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina (2009) Advising & Grants While individual student names are not listed, Prof. Feldmann leads a vibrant team at MPI-INF’s Internet Architecture department. She has supervised numerous doctoral candidates and post-doctoral researchers whose work is reflected in the co-authored papers. Funding sources include the German Research Foundation (DFG) via the Leibniz Prize and EU Horizon projects, although explicit grant numbers are not provided in the source material. Labs & Teams She heads the Internet Architecture department at MPI-INF, located at the Saarland Informatics Campus . The department operates state-of-the-art measurement infrastructure—including programmable switches, honeynets, and global vantage points—to support empirical network science.
Dietmar Jannach is a Full Professor at the University of Klagenfurt, Austria, affiliated with the Institute for Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity where he leads the Research Group for Information Systems. His academic roles include membership in the university's Senate and Curricular Commissions for Liberal Arts and Information Management. His research spans: Core Areas : Artificial Intelligence, Recommender Systems, and Software Engineering. Methodological Focus : Algorithm reproducibility, fairness in AI, sequential recommendations, and hybrid learning models. Emerging Interests : Generative AI for group decision support, ethical recommender systems, and foundation model applications. Jannach's recent publications critically evaluate reproducibility challenges in AI research, advocate for calibrated recommendations to mitigate bias, and explore agentic paradigms in group recommender systems. He emphasizes real-world validation, with studies on deployment challenges and developer experiences in software processes. He actively contributes to academic governance and mentors through research groups, though specific student advisees are not listed. Contact via Dietmar.Jannach@aau.at .
Nelson Nicolas Higuera Ruiz is a PreDoc Researcher at the Vienna University of Technology, affiliated with the Faculty of Informatics' Knowledge-Based Systems research group. His work bridges logic programming and deep learning for explainable AI. Research Focus: Neurosymbolic AI, Visual Question Answering (VQA), Answer Set Programming (ASP), and hybrid reasoning systems Projects: Leads optimization research in the LCS (2017–2025) project, developing neurosymbolic approaches for intelligent systems Key Contributions: Pioneering adaptive large-neighbourhood search algorithms for ASP optimization, modular neurosymbolic architectures, and contrastive explainability frameworks for VQA Collaborations: Active in international workshops and conferences including IJCAI, AAAI, and CLeaR, frequently collaborating with researchers like Thomas Eiter and Johannes Oetsch Publications: Focus on neurosymbolic integration, optimization algorithms, and explainability across AI, logic programming, and computer vision domains
Yun Fu is a Distinguished Professor at Northeastern University, affiliated with the College of Engineering and Khoury College of Computer Science. He holds tenure in Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE). His roles include Professor, Senior Vice President at Shiseido Americas, founder of Giaran (acquired by Shiseido), and co-founder of TVision Insights. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His research focuses on artificial intelligence, computer vision, machine learning, and data mining. Key achievements include over 500 publications, 50+ patents, and prestigious awards like IEEE Fellow, OSA Fellow, and AAIA Fellow. He leads the SMILE Lab, exploring AI applications in vision, robotics, and healthcare. Notable entrepreneurship includes AI-driven ventures in cosmetics and media analytics. Research interests emphasize AI-driven solutions for computer vision challenges, including anomaly detection, trajectory prediction, and multimodal learning. His work bridges academia and industry, with impactful contributions to both fields.
Alex X. Liu is a Professor in the Department of Computer Science & Engineering at Michigan State University (2016-2022), currently serving as Chief Information Security Officer and President of Midea Software Engineering Institute. His academic career includes roles as Associate Professor (2012-2016) and Assistant Professor (2006-2012) at the same institution. He holds a Ph.D. and M.S. in Computer Science from The University of Texas at Austin, and a B.S. in Computer Science from Jilin University, China. Education Ph.D. in Computer Science (UT Austin, 2006) M.S. in Computer Science (UT Austin, 2002) B.S. in Computer Science (Jilin University, 1996) Liu's research focuses on Dependable computing , Networking algorithms , Cloud computing , Mobile computing , Privacy computing , and Computer/network security . His work spans secure systems, network protocols, and resource optimization in distributed environments. Recent publications address quantum neural networks , microservices autoscaling , RFID tag recognition , network traffic classification , and hybrid physical-layer authentication , demonstrating expertise at the intersection of AI and network security. Key trends include deep learning applications for cloud systems and robust security protocols. Scientific Awards IET Fellow (2021) IEEE Fellow (2019) ACM Distinguished Scientist (2019) Withrow Distinguished Scholar Awards (Senior 2019, Junior 2011) NSF CAREER Award (2009) IEEE & IFIP William C. Carter Award (2004)
Antonio Plaza is a Full Professor at the University of Extremadura, Spain, and Head of the Hyperspectral Computing Laboratory. With over 600 publications, he is a leading expert in hyperspectral data processing and parallel computing of remote sensing data. He serves as IEEE Fellow and has received numerous accolades, including the 2019 Excellent Teaching Award and multiple Highly Cited Researcher recognitions. Research Interests : His work bridges Hyperspectral Image Analysis , Medical Imaging , and High-Performance Computing . Recent projects focus on 3D anatomical modeling, AI-driven surgical tools, and deep learning applications for aortic dissection segmentation. Scientific Awards : 2019 Highly Cited Researcher (Geosciences) 2015 IEEE Fellow 2019 Excellent Teaching Award 2018 Highly Cited Researcher (Cross-Field) 2002 Best PhD Dissertation, University of Extremadura Editorial Leadership : Served as Editor-in-Chief of IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing (2013–2017) and held multiple committee roles in IEEE GRSS. His articles reflect a shift from remote sensing to medical imaging, with a focus on Aortic Dissection Segmentation , Skull Reconstruction , and AI-driven Medical Tools .
Gerti Kappel is a full professor at the Institute of Information Systems Engineering at TU Wien, affiliated with the Business Informatics Group (BIG). Since 2020, she has served as Dean of the Faculty of Informatics at TU Wien, previously holding the role of Dean’s team member responsible for research, diversity, and financial affairs (2016–2019). She previously held a full professorship in computer science (database systems) and led the Department of Information Systems at Johannes Kepler University Linz (1993–2001). Her research focuses on Model Engineering, Web Engineering, and Process Engineering, particularly in cyber-physical production systems. She has co-authored influential works such as UML@Work (2005), UML@Classroom (2015), and Web Engineering (2006). Key projects include leadership roles in Vienna Informatics Living Lab (2018–2019), MPM4CPS (2014–2019), and ARTIST (2012–2015), addressing topics like model versioning, cloud architecture modeling, and inter-organizational systems. Her recent articles explore circular systems engineering, IoT-based simulation environments, and model-driven approaches for time-series analytics and cloud applications. She actively contributes to academic governance, including managing the Office of the Dean (E199-01) and overseeing faculty services. Her work emphasizes bridging theory and practice through collaborative frameworks like ERPEL and TROPIC . Grants: Projects funded by Austrian Research Promotion Agency, European Cooperation in Science and Technology, Vienna Business Agency, and others. Advising: Supervised over 15 graduate theses, including recent works on model-driven techniques for railway planning, debugging frameworks for modeling tools, and cloud-based IDEs. Labs/Teams: Leads research within the Business Informatics Group (BIG) and collaborates with the Vienna Informatics Living Lab for applied systems engineering.
Navid Rekab-saz is an Assistant Professor at the Institute of Computational Perception, Johannes Kepler University Linz (JKU), Austria. He is actively involved in research and teaching, offering courses such as Natural Language Processing and Natural Language Processing with Deep Learning . He maintains regular office hours and is accessible via email and a dedicated booking system for meetings. His research focuses on natural language processing , information retrieval , fairness and bias in AI , and recommender systems , with applications in humanitarian action and ethical AI. He employs deep learning and machine learning techniques to address challenges in bias mitigation, explainability, and domain adaptation. His work often bridges technical innovation with societal impact, especially in developing inclusive and fair AI systems. The recent publications of Navid Rekab-saz reflect a strong trend in debiasing strategies , parameter-efficient learning , and evaluation of societal biases in search and recommendation systems. His research spans from foundational work on word embeddings and retrieval models to applied studies in humanitarian NLP and gender bias in user queries. He frequently collaborates with a broad network of researchers and contributes to the development of datasets and benchmarks. Scientific Awards: Best Student Paper Award at ISMIR 2022 for 'Traces of Globalization in Online Music Consumption Patterns and Results of Recommendation Algorithms' Advising and Grants: Navid Rekab-saz has advised and collaborated with numerous students and researchers, many of whom are co-authors on his publications. While specific grant details are not listed in the provided text, his extensive publication record in top-tier venues suggests active involvement in funded research projects, likely supported by national or European funding bodies. He is also engaged in interdisciplinary research, particularly at the intersection of technical AI and legal or social implications. Labs and Teams: He is a core member of the Institute of Computational Perception at JKU, where he contributes to research projects in computational linguistics and AI. He collaborates closely with the team led by Prof. Markus Schedl and participates in initiatives related to music information retrieval, fairness in AI, and humanitarian applications of NLP.
Gerlinde Mautner is a Full Professor at the Vienna University of Economics and Business (WU) , where she has held a chair since 2000. Her research focuses on the intersection of language with business and legal frameworks , combining corpus linguistics and critical discourse analysis . She has published extensively on topics like marketized language, interdisciplinary methodology, and linguistic landscapes. PhD in English from University of Vienna Habilitation (1997) at WU Visiting professorships at Cass Business School, Durham Business School, and Nottingham Business School Her methodological expertise includes mixed methods research and corpus-assisted discourse studies . Recent work examines large language models and public signage through discourse analysis. She has held leadership roles at WU as Vice-Rector for International Relations (1998-2002) and Head of Department (2005-2015), and served as Vice-President for Humanities at the Austrian Science Fund until 2024. Her textbooks on academic writing reflect her commitment to pedagogy across undergraduate, postgraduate, and executive programs. Notable trends in her 15 most recent publications include: Challenges of AI in discourse studies (2024) Methodological integration of corpus linguistics with qualitative analysis (2024) Analysis of managerial language evolution (2020) Critique of marketization in education (2005)
Matteo Bosco is a PreDoc Researcher at the Department of Software Technology and Interactive Systems, TU Wien, within the Virtual and Augmented Reality group. His work focuses on advancing human-computer interaction in immersive environments, particularly through conversational agents, neurotechnology integration, and circular economy frameworks. He contributes to the Circular Twin research project, addressing sustainable building design through digital twins and generative algorithms. Education & Roles: PreDoc Researcher (PhD candidate) at TU Wien Research Interests: His primary areas include: VR/AR interfaces enhanced by large language models BCI-driven human-robot interaction systems Procedural building design using conversational AI Sustainable architecture via circular twin frameworks He explores how immersive technologies can bridge human-centric design with computational efficiency, emphasizing accessibility and environmental sustainability. Key Projects: Circular Twin (2022–2025): Developing digital ecosystems for circular buildings using BIM and VR. Neurotag Visualization Media: Comparing AR/VR/monitor-based BCI interfaces. Labs & Teams: Active in the Mixed Reality Lab and collaborates with the Virtual Meeting Room initiative at TU Wien.
Johann Eder is a full professor for Information and Communication Systems at the Department of Informatics Systems, University of Klagenfurt, Austria, and currently serves as Deputy Head of Department. He previously held positions at the Universities of Linz, Hamburg, Vienna, and Klagenfurt, and was Vice President of the Austrian Science Funds (FWF) from 2005-2013. He was also a visiting scholar at AT&T Shannon Labs, NJ. Educational Background: Diplom-Ingenieur, University of Linz Doctor of Technical Sciences, University of Linz Johann Eder's research focuses on databases, information systems, and data management for medical research, including temporal information modeling, process evolution, and workflow systems. His work spans temporal data warehousing, exception handling in workflows, and application interoperability, with a particular emphasis on privacy and quality in medical data lakes and federated biobanks. Recent publications highlight trends in temporal reasoning for business processes, medical data quality, and service composition optimization. His editorial roles include positions at ACM Transactions on Database Systems and IEEE Transactions on Knowledge and Data Engineering . He leads the Information and Communication Systems Research Group at AAU, contributing to projects like federated biobank integration and blockchain-based smart contracts.
Radu Grosu is a Professor at Technische Universität Wien (TU Wien), leading the Forschungsbereich Cyber-Physical Systems . His research focuses on Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS), Machine Learning, and autonomous robotics, with notable contributions to neural network architectures like Liquid Time-Constant Networks (LTC) and their applications in robotics and medical imaging. He is affiliated with the Network Lab and has supervised numerous PhD and Master's students, including Sebastian Michael Bittner, Daniel Scheuchenstuhl, and Sophie Neubauer. His work spans topics such as reinforcement learning, autonomous driving, and IoT ecosystems. Recent projects include developing robust AI systems for healthcare and robotics, such as tumor delineation using PET imaging and neuromorphic IoT architectures for smart villages. Grosu has published extensively on CPS, with over 146 contributions across peer-reviewed journals and conferences. His research emphasizes bridging theory and practice, addressing challenges in safety, scalability, and real-time control in autonomous systems. Key research interests include robotic perception, neural network robustness, and CPS/IoT integration. He has pioneered methods like DeepSTL for translating temporal logic requirements into neural network training objectives and developed frameworks like NimbleAI for neuromorphic sensing-processing systems. His team also explores distributed control algorithms for multi-agent systems, such as flocking drones and formation control using relative distance measurements. Recent work examines the generalization properties of deep filters in CNNs and quantum-classical reinforcement learning models for game AI. Grosu has advised over 20 students on topics ranging from deep learning in wafer defect analysis to bio-inspired neural circuits for auditable autonomy. His lab collaborates on interdisciplinary projects, such as applying AI to battery health estimation and prostate cancer diagnostics. He actively contributes to academic communities, editing special issues on AI in healthcare and CPS resilience, and has organized summer schools on CPS and IoT systems.
Prof. Dr. Paulina Jo Pesch is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Law and Technology at Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Germany. Her research focuses on Internet/IT law, data protection law, electronic payments, and decentralized virtual currencies. She has held postdoctoral positions at the University of Münster (part-time) and University of Innsbruck, alongside legal training as a Trainee Lawyer in Berlin’s judicial system, including roles at the Berlin Public Prosecutor’s Office, Berlin Commissioner for Data Protection, and law firms. Education includes a Ph.D. (Dr. iur.) in Law from the University of Münster (2016), a specialization in Information/Telecommunication Law, and legal examinations (First and Second State Examinations). Her work bridges legal and technical domains, addressing challenges posed by emerging technologies like blockchain, AI, and generative models under GDPR and cybersecurity frameworks. Publications emphasize regulatory frameworks for cryptocurrencies, AI ethics, digital forensics, and consent management in ad-tech. She co-authored the BITCRIME project’s recommendations for cryptocurrency regulation and contributed to studies on financial sector cybersecurity for Germany’s BaFin. Her research frequently intersects cybercrime prevention, intellectual property, and cross-border legal harmonization. Prof. Pesch’s career combines academic rigor with practical legal experience in tech sectors. She advises on IT security law, participates in interdisciplinary projects, and teaches at FAU. Current work explores generative AI’s legal implications, blockchain governance, and data protection in decentralized systems.
Stephan Schlögl is a Full Professor at MCI - The Entrepreneurial School in Austria, leading research and teaching in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Information Systems. He holds editorial roles at journals like the Springer Discover Artificial Intelligence Journal and MDPI Multimodal Technologies and Interaction Journal. His work spans over two decades, with key roles including Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Télécom ParisTech (2012–2013) and PhD Researcher at Trinity College Dublin (2008–2012). Schlögl’s research focuses on HCI, AI-driven conversational systems, and assistive technologies for aging populations. Education includes a PhD in Computer Science from Trinity College Dublin, an MSc in Human-Computer Interaction from University College London, and a Mag.(FH) in Applied Informatics & Management from MCI. His teaching spans Software Engineering, Business Intelligence, and Research Methods. Research interests emphasize natural language interfaces, AI ethics, and technology’s societal impact. Notable projects include the EU-funded EMPATHIC initiative (2017–2021), developing an empathic virtual coach for elderly care, and the CRYSTAL project (2024–present) on conversational systems for emotional support. Schlögl has supervised numerous theses on AI applications, chatbots, and UX design. He co-organized major conferences like CUI (Conversational User Interfaces) and received awards for best papers in AI-HCI and CHIRA. His work bridges academia and industry, addressing challenges in AI adoption, digital well-being, and ethical technology design.
