Célia Challet is a Lecturer in law at the School of International Affairs (ESPOL) within the Catholic University of Lille, appointed in September 2024. Her educational background includes: PhD in Law from Ghent University (2025) LL.M. in European Law from the College of Europe Master's degree in European Business Law from University of Paris Panthéon-Assas (2018) Dr. Challet specializes in European Union legal frameworks, with research concentrated on institutional law and external relations. Her work critically examines EU sanctions under the Common Foreign and Security Policy and their judicial review mechanisms by the Court of Justice of the European Union. She actively contributes to the Multidisciplinary International Network on Sanctions (MINOS), advancing interdisciplinary analysis of international sanctions regimes. Prior to joining ESPOL, she served at the College of Europe in Bruges from 2019 to 2024 as Academic Assistant in European Law and later as Assistant to the Director of European Legal Studies.
Grant Ho is an Assistant Professor in the Computer Science Department at the University of Chicago. His research focuses on computer security, particularly at the intersection of data and security. Prior roles include a CSE Postdoctoral Fellowship at UC San Diego, a Visiting Researcher position at Corelight Labs, and a PhD in Computer Science from UC Berkeley (advised by Vern Paxson and David Wagner). He holds a B.S. in Computer Science from Stanford University. **Research Interests**: Enterprise security, AI/ML applications in security, large-scale threat analysis, and data-driven cybersecurity practices. His work spans detecting attacks (e.g., phishing, ransomware), improving security measures, and evaluating the efficacy of security policies. **Awards**: 2023 IEEE Euro S&P Best Paper Award, 2019 and 2017 USENIX Security Distinguished Papers, 2017 Internet Defense Prize, NSF and Facebook Fellowships, and the 2015 IEEE S&P Distinguished Practical Paper Award. **Advising & Teaching**: Current advisees include Aniket Anand (PhD), Christiana Marchese (PhD), and Robert Liu (B.S.). Taught courses include Introduction to Computer Security (CMSC 23200) and seminars on AI/ML and NLP in cybersecurity. Collaborates with industry partners like Barracuda Networks and Dropbox. **Labs & Teams**: Leads a research group focused on enterprise security challenges, emphasizing practical impact and interdisciplinary approaches.
Thomas Michaels is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Biology, ETH Zürich, leading the Michaels Group . His research focuses on theoretical models of biomolecular condensates and protein aggregation in biological systems. Research Themes : Protein aggregation, liquid-liquid phase separation, membrane biophysics, and the role of condensates in neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Collaborative Approach : Integrates theoretical physics, control theory, and computational biology with experimental validation to design therapeutic strategies. Recent Publications highlight his work on amyloid formation mechanisms, lipid interactions, and phase-separated compartments as biochemical reactors. His group trains PhD students in systems biology and biocondensate physics.
Dr. Carolin Amlinger is a researcher at the University of Basel's Department of German Linguistics and Literature , directing the SNSF Ambizione Grant "Reading: Taste and Social Boundaries" . She studied philosophy, German studies, and sociology at the University of Trier , later earning her doctorate at the Technical University of Darmstadt and the Institute for Social Research Frankfurt am Main with the award-winning thesis "Writing: A Sociology of Literary Work" . Her research centers on Literary Sociology and Social Theory , particularly focusing on the intersection of taste, social boundaries, and cultural struggles. She co-directs the Forum Literary Sociology and has contributed to debates on conspiracy theories and the post-factual age . Her 2023 monograph "Infringed Freedom: Aspects of Libertarian Authoritarianism" (co-authored with Oliver Nachtwey) was shortlisted for the Leipzig Book Fair Prize . Research interests: Literary Sociology, Social Theory, Post-Factual Age, Cultural Studies, Conspiracy Theories, Political Sociology Key projects: SNSF Ambizione Grant "Reading: Taste and Social Boundaries" , co-director of Forum Literary Sociology , visiting fellow at CRC 1472 "Transformations of the Popular" (University of Siegen, 2022/23) Scientific awards: 2022 Dissertation Prize (Friends of TU Darmstadt) 2022 DGS Labor and Industrial Sociology Prize 2023 Young Thinker Award (Sociology category) Recent publications (2024–2025): Focus on literary sociology, libertarian authoritarianism, bureaucratic reform, and social dimensions in text production
Charles Athanasopoulos is an Assistant Professor of African American and African Studies & English at The Ohio State University. His research focuses on intersections of Black rhetorics, media, and culture, with expertise in The Black Radical Tradition, Rhetorical Theory, and Cultural Critique. He earned his Ph.D. in Rhetoric & Communication from the University of Pittsburgh. His work analyzes racial progress, public symbols, and post/Ferguson America through lenses of iconoclasm and critical race theory. Education: Ph.D., Rhetoric & Communication, University of Pittsburgh. Research interests span Black American and Diasporic Cinema, Afro-Caribbean and Greek-Roma identity critiques. He has published in venues like Lateral: The Journal of the Cultural Studies Association and Western Journal of Communication. His 2024 book Black Iconoclasm explores dismantling racial symbols in public discourse. Recent articles address Fanonian thought, anti-racist campus rhetoric, and transnational Blackness studies. His publications critically engage with visual activism, film analysis, and decolonial theories. Current projects include studies on sonic rhetorics in Black women’s music and global race discourses in Mediterranean contexts.
Dr. Cassandra Sampaio Baptista is a Lecturer at the University of Glasgow's School of Psychology & Neuroscience. Her research focuses on brain plasticity in adulthood, particularly exploring how experiences like skill learning or rehabilitation influence structural and functional changes in the brain. She employs neuroimaging techniques such as fMRI neurofeedback and MRI to investigate mechanisms of myelin and white matter plasticity. Her work emphasizes translational applications, including stroke rehabilitation and promoting healthy aging. Key contributions include demonstrating myelin's role in motor learning and developing MRI protocols for white matter analysis. She collaborates on projects funded by the BIAL Foundation (2025–2026) and has supervised multiple postgraduate students. Recent publications highlight studies on oligodendrocyte dynamics, neurofeedback interventions for stroke survivors, and cross-species neuroscience approaches. While no specific awards are listed, her extensive publication record reflects her leadership in neuroplasticity research.
Dr. Birgit Frauscher is the Lincoln Financial Group Distinguished Professor in Neurobiology at Duke University School of Medicine, where she serves as Professor of Neurology and holds a secondary appointment in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the Duke Pratt School of Engineering. She is currently the Director of the Duke Comprehensive Epilepsy Center and leads the Analytical Neurophysiology (ANPHY) Lab. Her clinical and research work focuses on epilepsy and sleep medicine, utilizing both invasive and non-invasive electrical recordings to study brain activity in humans. Dr. Frauscher completed her medical training, neurology residency, and subspecialty training in electroencephalography, epilepsy, and sleep medicine at the Medical University of Innsbruck in Austria. After completing her clinical training in 2008, she earned her habilitation degree in 2011. She further specialized in intracranial EEG and signal analysis during a visiting professorship at the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, McGill University (2013-2015), where she later served as an Attending Epileptologist and Group Leader of Epilepsy. Her research interests focus on developing novel seizure-independent EEG markers for the epileptogenic zone, investigating sleep-epilepsy interactions, and using intracranial EEG to study brain physiology during wakefulness and sleep. Her work aims to improve epilepsy diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment outcomes by better localizing the epileptic focus. Dr. Frauscher's recent publications demonstrate her continued leadership in epilepsy research, with over 170 peer-reviewed papers and an H-index of 62. Dr. Frauscher has received several prestigious awards including the Clinician-Scientist awards of the FRSQ (2018-2023), the Michael Prize of the International League against Epilepsy (2019), and the Ernst Niedermeyer Prize from the Austrian Epilepsy Society (2015). Her scholarly work has significantly advanced clinical knowledge in epilepsy and sleep medicine, establishing her as a leading figure in the field. As Director of the Duke Comprehensive Epilepsy Center and head of the ANPHY lab, Dr. Frauscher oversees a research program dedicated to advancing neuroscience through innovative approaches to studying brain activity. Her lab employs quantifiable tools to investigate neurophysiological and pathological processes related to epilepsy and sleep, with the ultimate goal of improving patient outcomes through better understanding of brain function.
Andrea Reiter is a Professor at the Universitätsklinikum Würzburg, holding the W1-Professur für Lernprozesse in der Entwicklungspsychiatrie, Psychotherapie und Prävention. Her research focuses on decision-making processes in clinical populations, lifespan changes, and the impact of stress/social influences. She employs computational modeling combined with fMRI and EEG. Education: Dr. rer. nat. (summa cum laude, 2016) from University of Leipzig, Master of Advanced Studies in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (University of Bern), and Diploma in Psychology from Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg (2012). She also studied Literature and Educational Sciences alongside Psychology. Professional Experience includes a research position at TU Dresden (since 2015), guest research at Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences (since 2015), and PhD work at IMPRS NeuroCom (2012-2015). She has clinical experience as a Psychologist at Kreiskrankenhaus Tauberbischofsheim. Research Awards: Austrian Academy Grant (2016), Poster Award (2014), DZ Banken Career Prize (2013), and IMPRS PhD stipend (2012-2015). Her publications (2013-2016) emphasize neuroimaging studies on decision-making deficits in disorders like binge eating and alcohol dependence, with methodological strengths in computational modeling and EEG/fMRI integration.
Elizabeth A. Simpson is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Miami's College of Arts and Sciences. She serves as Associate Director of the Child Division and directs the Social Cognition Laboratory, focusing on infant social and cognitive development through interdisciplinary methodologies. Education: Ph.D. in Psychology (unspecified institution) Key Research Areas: Developmental Psychology, Autism, Social Cognition, Primate Studies, Visual Attention, Infant Behavior Her research investigates individual differences in infant visual attention, social motivation, and physiological markers like salivary oxytocin. Recent studies demonstrate: Stability of attentional patterns from newborn to 14 months Sex differences in early face detection Links between oxytocin levels and social affect in infants Neurophysiological markers in newborns later diagnosed with ASD Scientific awards include the NSF CAREER grant for neonatal imitation research. She contributes to open science initiatives through the ManyBabies consortium and develops remote eye-tracking methods for broader accessibility. Current lab work explores: Parent-infant affective interactions during still-face episodes Predictive power of early attentional biases Development of pathogen avoidance behaviors Cross-species comparisons of social cognition
Dr. Livia Pancotto is a Senior Lecturer in Banking at the Department of Accounting and Finance, University of Strathclyde. She serves as Director of the MSc in International Banking and Finance and Deputy Director of the Responsible Business Institute (ReBI). She holds a PhD and MSc from Bangor University and degrees from Sapienza University of Rome. Her research focuses on European banking regulation, financial stability, and gender diversity's impact on climate finance. She chairs the International Accounting & Finance Doctoral Symposium and edits The European Journal of Finance. Awards include the 2014 Best Banking and Finance Master’s dissertation. She leads research on negative interest rates, non-performing loans, and green lending through EU-funded projects. Education: PhD Banking & Finance (Bangor), MSc (Sapienza), BSc (Sapienza) Research explores empirical banking dynamics, regulatory frameworks, and sustainable finance. Key topics include EU banking union evolution, climate change mitigation via gender-diverse bank boards, and market reactions to policy shocks. Recent work analyzes negative interest rate impacts on bank efficiency and Italy's NPL crisis. She has secured £153k in research funding (2023-2025). Grants: Research Excellence Awards (Strathclyde SRSS) Led workshops on Responsible Business and AI, presented at FSB Financial Innovation Network, and peer-reviewed for top journals. Supervises doctoral candidates through IAFDS. Active in editorial and advisory roles enhancing academic rigor in finance disciplines.
Megan Kerr serves as the Katharine and Claudine Malone '63 Professor of Mathematics at Wellesley College, where she teaches across the mathematics curriculum from calculus to advanced topics in geometry. Her academic home is within the Mathematics & Statistics Department at this prestigious women's liberal arts college. Her educational journey began as an undergraduate at Wellesley College, where she later returned as faculty, completing a full circle in her academic career. She earned her Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania under the supervision of Wolfgang Ziller, with research focused on Homogeneous Einstein Metrics. Professor Kerr's research centers on global differential geometry, particularly exploring the interplay between curvature constraints and large symmetry groups. She specializes in homogeneous and low-cohomogeneity spaces, investigating fundamental questions about the existence of geometric structures, their rarity or commonality, and potential obstructions. Her work bridges the analytic concept of curvature with the algebraic framework of Lie groups, and she has recently expanded into geometric analysis where topology plays a significant role. Analysis of her publication record reveals a consistent focus on homogeneous Einstein metrics across three decades, with particular attention to curvature properties, symmetry constraints, and classification problems in both positive and negative curvature settings. Her research has evolved from foundational work on symmetric spaces to more complex non-symmetric examples and specialized curvature conditions, demonstrating both depth and breadth in differential geometry. Katharine and Claudine Malone '63 Professor of Mathematics Radcliffe Institute Fellowship As an alumna of Wellesley College, Professor Kerr maintains a strong commitment to encouraging women in mathematics. She teaches a diverse range of courses including calculus, linear algebra, combinatorics, real analysis, non-Euclidean geometry, differential geometry, topology, knot theory, and matrix groups as an introduction to Lie groups. Her teaching philosophy emphasizes developing mathematical understanding and confidence that benefits students regardless of their major. Her research has taken her to international destinations including Australia, Germany, and Mexico, reflecting the global nature of her scholarly collaborations.
Baris Fidan is a Professor in Mechanical & Mechatronics Engineering at the University of Waterloo, with cross appointments in System Design Engineering and Electrical & Computer Engineering. He is a senior member of IEEE and AIAA. His research focuses on cooperative/adaptive control, autonomous systems, multi-agent networks, and vehicular control applications. He leads the Cooperative & Adaptive Mechatronic Systems (CAMS) Lab, which develops control strategies for autonomous vehicles, robotic systems, and intelligent transportation. Education: PhD in Electrical Engineering, University of Southern California (2003) Masters in Electrical & Electronic Engineering, Bilkent University (1998) Bachelor's in Electrical & Electronic Engineering & Mathematics, Middle East Technical University (1996) Research Interests: His work spans adaptive control theory, sensor networks, multi-agent coordination, autonomous vehicle networks, and biomedical systems control. He emphasizes practical applications in intelligent transportation, robotic navigation, and distributed system optimization. Grants & Projects: He has led major grants including NSERC Discovery Programs on cooperative mechatronic systems and 3D autonomous vehicle coordination. Industrial projects include autonomous driving strategies, vehicle control optimization, and high-precision gear manufacturing technologies. Labs/Teams: Directs the CAMS Lab, which collaborates on projects involving distributed motion planning, sensor localization, and autonomous vehicle networks. Current projects address challenges in urban autonomous driving, cooperative robotic systems, and resilient sensor networks.
Sushmita Roy is a Professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, affiliated with the Department of Computer Sciences and the College of Letters and Science. Her research focuses on developing computational methods in statistical machine learning to understand gene regulatory networks in living cells, particularly under environmental, developmental, disease, and evolutionary contexts. She explores bulk and single-cell genomic data integration to study processes like cell fate specification, host-microbe interactions, and diseases such as cancer and neurodevelopmental disorders. Her work emphasizes three key areas: inference of genome-scale transcriptional networks, evolutionary analysis of regulatory networks, and 3D genome organization dynamics. Roy’s lab collaborates across disciplines, leveraging genomic data from plant and mammalian systems. She has contributed to methodologies for analyzing chromatin accessibility, single-cell profiling, and network-based models of pathogen systems. Her affiliations include Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery, and she is a leader in computational biology and systems genomics research.
David S. Eisenberg is a Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Biological Chemistry at the University of California, Los Angeles, where he also serves as Director of the UCLA-DOE Institute for Genomics and Proteomics and as an HHMI Investigator. His research focuses on protein interactions, particularly the structural basis for conversion of normal proteins to the amyloid state and conversion of prions to the infectious state. Dr. Eisenberg earned his undergraduate degree in biochemical sciences from Harvard College and his D.Phil. degree in theoretical chemistry from Oxford University on a Rhodes Scholarship. His postdoctoral research was on ice and water with Walter Kauzmann at Princeton and in protein crystallography with Richard Dickerson. He joined the UCLA faculty after his postdoctoral studies. Dr. Eisenberg and his research group focus on protein interactions in amyloid and prion diseases. These diseases involve protein aggregation where normal functional proteins convert to abnormal aggregated forms. Systemic amyloid diseases like dialysis-related amyloidosis result from fiber accumulation until organ failure, while neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, ALS, and prion conditions appear to be caused by smaller oligomers. In 2005, his team determined the atomic-level structure for the amyloid fiber spine, revealing a 'steric zipper' of two parallel beta sheets packed across a dry interface. Since then, they've determined approximately 90 amyloid spines from 15 disease-related proteins. In 2010, they identified the structure of a toxic amyloid-related oligomer consisting of six anti-parallel beta strands forming a cylindrical barrel. His recent publications demonstrate continued innovation in amyloid research, with focus areas including structural prediction of amyloid formation, mechanisms of tau fibril disassembly in Alzheimer's disease, cryo-EM analysis of amyloid polymorphism, and structure-based design of inhibitors for amyloid toxicity. His work integrates computational, structural, and biochemical approaches to understand protein aggregation across multiple disease contexts. Dr. Eisenberg has received numerous prestigious awards and honors: National Academy of Sciences Member American Philosophical Society Member Institute of Medicine Member Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator Biophysical Society Emily M. Gray Award Harvard Westheimer Medal UCLA Seaborg Medal Technion - Israel Institute of Technology Harvey Prize in Human Health As Director of the UCLA-DOE Institute for Genomics and Proteomics and an HHMI Investigator, Dr. Eisenberg leads significant research initiatives in protein structure and aggregation. His laboratory combines X-ray crystallography, bioinformatics, and biochemical techniques to investigate protein interactions, with particular emphasis on amyloid-forming proteins and their role in disease. The Eisenberg Lab, located in Boyer Hall at UCLA, maintains an active research program investigating the structural basis of protein aggregation. The lab continues to build on its landmark discoveries of amyloid structures while exploring new frontiers in understanding protein misfolding diseases and developing potential therapeutic interventions.
Dr. Carola Weil serves as Dean of McGill University's School of Continuing Studies and Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science since July 2018, following leadership roles as founding Dean at American University and Senior Associate Dean at USC's Annenberg School. Her educational background includes: Post-Doctoral Fellowship, University of Southern California School of International Service Post-Doctoral Fellowship, Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Government Belfer Center Ph.D. and M.A. in Political Science, University of Maryland Master of Public Management, University of Maryland B.A. in History (Minor in Politics), Bryn Mawr College Dr. Weil's research centers on human security, migration, and conflict transformation with specialized expertise in gender dynamics in international relations and public diplomacy . Her work bridges policy analysis and practical applications in humanitarian intervention, while her recent focus explores lifelong learning systems and the impact of digital technologies on adult education , addressing evolving workforce demands through innovative educational frameworks. Her publication trajectory reveals a strategic evolution from foundational work on women in international security (1990s) to contemporary analyses of digital media diversity and global communication challenges in higher education. Early scholarship examined military intervention dilemmas in humanitarian crises, later pivoting toward systemic analyses of information ecosystems and educational accessibility in the digital age. Dr. Weil co-founded Women In International Security (WIIS) and serves on multiple non-profit boards, leveraging her dual German-American citizenship and multilingual capabilities to advance organizational development initiatives. Her peacebuilding consultancy spans Pakistan, Afghanistan, Darfur, Colombia, and the African Great Lakes region with specific attention to gender-inclusive journalism practices. Her leadership extends to advising on global strategy for technology-enhanced education and future workforce development, though no formal student advisement lists or grant details appear in the source material.
