Thijs Defraeye is a Senior Scientist at Empa (Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology) and Adjunct Professor at Dalhousie University. He holds a PhD in Building Physics from KU Leuven (2011) and a Master's in Civil Engineering (2006). His work focuses on optimizing food supply chains through multiphysics simulations and digital twins, addressing challenges in refrigerated transport, postharvest quality preservation, and energy-efficient food processing. He leads the SimBioSys group, developing solutions for perishable goods logistics and electrohydrodynamic technologies. Research interests include: Biophysics of food systems Digital twin applications in agriculture Electrohydrodynamic drying Thermal management in cold chains Sustainable food technologies Recent work emphasizes reducing food loss through physics-based modeling of refrigerated containers, ventilated packaging optimization, and scalable evaporative cooling systems. His studies bridge engineering principles with biological processes, aiming to enhance global food security and environmental sustainability.
Adrien Depeursinge is a Professor at HES-SO Valais-Wallis - Haute Ecole de Gestion, affiliated with the School of Economics and Services and the Management Information Systems department. His research focuses on radiomics, personalized medicine via image-based analysis, and clinical workflow optimization. He leads the development of the QuantImage platform, a physician-centered web-based tool for radiomics research, and contributes to radiomics standardization efforts through initiatives like the Image Biomarker Standardization Initiative (IBSI). His work emphasizes machine learning applications in healthcare, including tumor segmentation, biomarker extraction, and improving diagnostic accuracy through computational models. Key research themes include: 1) Radiomics – developing quantitative imaging features for cancer diagnosis/prognosis; 2) Medical Imaging Analysis – advancing texture-based models, multi-modal fusion, and automated lesion detection; 3) Physician-AI Collaboration – designing user-centric tools for clinical integration. His contributions span neuro-oncology (brain metastases), head-and-neck cancer, and multiple sclerosis imaging. Publications emphasize methodological advancements (e.g., kernel optimization in CNNs, steerable detectors) and clinical validation (e.g., reproducibility of radiomics features across imaging protocols). He collaborates with institutions like the University Hospital of Lausanne (CHUV) and international teams on projects like the HECKTOR challenge for PET/CT tumor segmentation. His work bridges technical innovation with clinical impact, aiming to translate radiomics into actionable clinical tools. QuantImage v2, his flagship tool, enables no-code development of machine learning models using clinical imaging data. Research also includes phantom-based validation of radiomics features and addressing challenges in feature stability across imaging modalities. Current projects explore improving contour quality for radiomics studies and optimizing AI explainability in medical decision-making.
Zhenyu Yang is a Lecturer and Postdoctoral Researcher at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), affiliated with the College of Engineering through the Department of Civil Engineering and the Urban Transport Systems Laboratory (LUTS) . He holds a PhD in Industrial System Engineering from the National University of Singapore (2022), an M.Eng from Beijing Jiaotong University, and a Diploma in Transportation Engineering from Huazhong University of Science and Technology. PhD, Industrial System Engineering, National University of Singapore (2022) M.Eng, Beijing Jiaotong University Diploma, Transportation Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology His research focuses on urban transportation network modeling , travel demand management , and traffic information provision , with a strong emphasis on handling uncertainty and optimizing shared mobility systems. Recent work explores reinforcement learning applications, vehicle-drone cooperative delivery , and dynamic incident-responsive traffic systems . His publications highlight advancements in ridesourcing algorithms , congestion pricing , and multi-modal transport regulation . As a lecturer, he teaches Transportation Economics , covering demand-supply dynamics, welfare analysis, and environmental policy in transport systems. He is affiliated with EPFL's Urban Transport Systems Laboratory (LUTS) and contributes to the SGC-ENS teaching unit.
Dr. Alexander Breuss is part of the Sensory-Motor Systems Professorship at ETH Zürich, focusing on developing innovative robotic and sensor technologies for medical applications, particularly in sleep disorder treatment and home healthcare. His work integrates biomedical engineering, robotics, and machine learning to address challenges in sleep medicine and cardiovascular diagnostics. Key projects include the Somnomat Care robotic bed for vestibular stimulation and the Somnomat Casa system for nocturnal interventions. His research spans sensorized devices for sleep monitoring, clinical trials for rhythmic movement disorders, and cardiovascular disease prognosis using imaging and hemodynamic analysis. Dr. Breuss collaborates on interdisciplinary projects, combining engineering and clinical insights to advance healthcare technologies. His research interests include the design of medical devices for home environments, non-invasive monitoring systems, and closed-loop robotic systems for therapeutic applications. Notable contributions include lightweight wearable sensors for movement disorders and automated sleep position classification using neural networks. He has published extensively on topics such as pleural effusion in aortic stenosis and ECG-based cardiac prognosis, highlighting his cross-disciplinary approach to biomedical challenges. No scientific awards are explicitly mentioned for Dr. Breuss. His work is centered at the Sensory-Motor Systems Lab, where he contributes to advancing technologies that improve patient care and sleep quality through robotics and sensor innovation.
Isabella Di Lenardo is a Lecturer and Scientist at the Digital Humanities Institute (DHI) at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), where she also serves as the coordinator of the EPFL Time Machine Unit and the European Local Time Machines. She holds affiliations across multiple departments, including DHI-GE, SAR-ENS, SHS-ENS, and EDDH-ENS, reflecting her interdisciplinary role in teaching and research. Her educational background includes a PhD in Theories and Art History, with postdoctoral and faculty experience at institutions such as INHA (Paris), EPFL, and IUAV (Venice). Her research spans Digital Humanities, Art History, Urban History, and GIS , with a focus on digital urban reconstruction, historical cadastres, and AI applications in cultural heritage. She employs advanced computational methods including machine learning, 4D modeling, and semantic segmentation to analyze historical maps, cadastral records, and art archives. Her work bridges humanities scholarship with computer science, particularly in reconstructing urban evolution and analyzing visual patterns. The recent publications reveal a consistent trend in AI-powered historical data analysis , especially in processing non-standardized historical documents, reconstructing urban spaces, and developing open-source tools for digital heritage. Her work frequently involves large-scale datasets from Venice, Lausanne, Paris, and Jerusalem, demonstrating a transnational and interdisciplinary approach. She has contributed to significant collaborative projects such as the Venice Time Machine , Parcels of Venice , and Time Machine Organization , often acting as a principal investigator or project leader. Her role involves coordinating diverse teams of researchers, engineers, and cultural institutions. Scientific contributions include: Development of the Morphograph tool for visual pattern recognition in art archives Automatic vectorization and analysis of Napoleonic cadastres Creation of 4D models for historical cities AI-driven text and pattern extraction from historical maps Building discovery engines for digital art history She actively teaches ex cathedra courses in Digital Urban History and Art History at EPFL and internationally. Her work in grants and projects emphasizes open data, reproducibility, and interdisciplinary collaboration. She has led research funded by organizations supporting digital heritage innovation. She is a key member of the Digital Humanities Laboratory at EPFL and the Time Machine Organization , where she fosters collaboration between computer scientists, historians, and cultural institutions. Her work in the Replica Project and ARCHiVe center highlights her leadership in digitizing and making accessible large art historical archives.
Paolo Prandoni is a Lecturer at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in the School of Computer and Communication Sciences (IC). He serves as a Scientist in the Audiovisual Communications Laboratory (LCAV) and teaches in the SSC-ENS and SIN-ENS units, focusing on signal processing theory and practical applications in audiovisual communications. He earned his PhD from EPFL after completing all prior education there, driven by childhood fascination with long-distance telephony. His doctoral work established foundations in communication systems that continue to inform his research. Prandoni's research spans audio/image processing, machine learning for media analysis, and DSP education. Key areas include computational photography (e.g., spectral imaging, stained glass rendering), speech quality assessment via transfer learning, music information retrieval (e.g., fingering prediction), and audience analytics through his company Quividi. His work consistently bridges theoretical signal processing with real-world implementation. Recent publications reveal a strategic shift toward machine learning integration in signal processing tasks, particularly non-intrusive speech assessment and lensless imaging reconstruction. Simultaneously, he advances DSP pedagogy through MOOC development and hands-on teaching tools using off-the-shelf hardware, emphasizing accessibility and practical skill development. No scientific awards are documented in the provided materials. He has advised PhD student Thanikachalam Niranjan (thesis: Image Based Relighting of Cultural Artifacts , 2016) and teaches Communication Systems and Computer Science courses. His educational impact extends through the open-access textbook Signal Processing for Communications (2008) and tools like MultiPub for maintainable online classes. Industry engagement includes Quividi co-founding (2006) and ongoing CSO role in attention analytics. As a core LCAV laboratory member, he collaborates on interdisciplinary projects including cultural heritage digitization, embedded signal processing systems, and real-time audience measurement, leveraging EPFL's infrastructure for both academic and commercial applications.
Andrea Del Prete is an Associate Professor in the Industrial Engineering Department at the University of Trento (Italy) since 2022. His research focuses on robot control, reinforcement learning, trajectory optimization, and numerical algorithms for dynamic systems. He leads the Interdepartmental Robotics Lab (IDRA) and has previously held roles as a tenure-track assistant professor at the University of Trento (2019-2021), a research scientist at the Max-Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems (2018), and an associated researcher at LAAS-CNRS (2014-2017) working with the HRP-2 humanoid robot. Earlier, he conducted PhD and post-doc research at the Italian Institute of Technology (2010-2013) on iCub robot control. PhD in Robotics (2013) - Italian Institute of Technology MEng in Computer Engineering (2009) - University of Bologna BSc in Computer Engineering (2006) - University of Bologna Dr. Del Prete specializes in merging learning and model-based techniques for safe robot control, particularly in legged systems. His work bridges trajectory optimization (TO) with reinforcement learning (RL) to overcome local minima challenges (CACTO/CACTO-SL algorithms) and develops robust controllers for humanoid and quadrupedal robots in unstructured environments. He explores viability kernels in MPC, safety certificates, and bi-level optimization for co-designing hardware/control policies. Key application areas include mountain rescue robotics (ALPINE platform), aerial maneuver recovery, and energy-efficient legged locomotion. His recent publications (2023-2025) emphasize numerical optimization algorithms, multi-contact locomotion, and hybrid control frameworks. Topics span from analytical integral optimization (2025) to climbing robots for mountain operations (2025), demonstrating a trajectory from theoretical algorithm development to real-world robotic applications. Research keywords include robotics, numerical optimization, and machine learning, with sub-fields like MPC for dynamic systems, humanoid control, and terrain adaptation. As an educator, he teaches advanced courses on: Optimization and Learning for Robot Control (48-hour master's course) Optimization-based Control of Legged Robots (12-hour PhD course) Task-Space Inverse Dynamics (3-hour PhD course) Current PhD advisees include Mohammad Hasan Yeganegi (generalization bounds for imitation learning), Pietro Noah Crestaz (numerically-efficient RL), Veronica Campana (ergodic control for defect detection), Elisa Alboni (data-efficient model-based RL), and Gianni Lunardi (MPC for legged locomotion).
Lisa Larrimore Ouellette is the Deane F. Johnson Professor of Law at Stanford Law School, where she has established herself as a leading scholar in intellectual property law and innovation policy. Her work spans patent law, trademark law, pharmaceutical policy, and the intersection of artificial intelligence with legal frameworks. Professor Ouellette's research focuses on the intersection of law, economics, and innovation. Her scholarship examines how intellectual property systems influence technological development, with particular attention to pharmaceutical innovation, biomedical research, and emerging technologies. She has made significant contributions to understanding patent systems, trademark law, and the policy frameworks governing innovation. Her work often employs empirical methods to analyze real-world impacts of legal rules on innovation incentives and outcomes. Analysis of her recent publications reveals a strong focus on contemporary challenges in intellectual property law, including the impact of artificial intelligence on patent systems, equity in patent inventorship, pharmaceutical pricing mechanisms, and innovation policy responses to public health emergencies like the COVID-19 pandemic. Her work demonstrates a consistent pattern of addressing timely policy questions with rigorous empirical analysis and thoughtful legal reasoning. Professor Ouellette has collaborated extensively with leading scholars in law and economics, including Daniel J. Hemel, Jonathan Masur, Mark Lemley, and others. Her research has been supported by prestigious institutions including the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), and she has contributed to numerous policy discussions through amicus briefs and responses to government requests for comments. While specific advising relationships aren't detailed in the available information, her extensive publication record with co-authors suggests active mentorship of junior scholars and students.
Martin Steinegger is a researcher affiliated with Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and previously held roles at institutions such as the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry and Technical University of Munich. His research focuses on bioinformatics, protein structure prediction, and computational methods for analyzing large genomic datasets. He has contributed to tools like MMseqs2, ColabFold, and Foldseek, advancing fields like metagenomics and structural biology. His work emphasizes scalable algorithms and open-source software development. Education includes a Master of Computer Science from Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (2013-2014) and a Ph.D. from Technical University of Munich (2014-2018). He has also held visiting scholar positions at Seoul National University, Centre for Genomic Regulation, and University of California, San Francisco. Key research interests revolve around protein structure prediction, metagenomic analysis, and developing machine learning frameworks for biological data. His publications highlight innovations in protein language models, structural phylogenetics, and database management systems. Notable contributions include the AlphaFold Protein Structure Database, MMseqs2 sequence search tool, and ColabFold for accessible protein folding predictions. His work bridges computational methods with biological discovery, addressing challenges in structural biology and genomic data interpretation.
Adrian Perrig is a Full Professor at the Department of Computer Science at ETH Zürich. He leads research in network security, distributed systems, and internet architecture, focusing on projects like the SCION secure internet architecture and its commercialization through Anapaya Systems. His work emphasizes secure communication, denial-of-service defense, and public key infrastructure (PKI) innovations. Affiliations: ETH Zürich, Institute for Information Security Key Contributions: SCION, SAGE, RHINE, F-PKI Research interests include path-aware networks, cryptographic protocols, and resilient systems. His publications span over 295 results since 2005, with notable awards including the Best Paper Award (CoNEXT 2021) and ANRP 2023. He has contributed to foundational work in secure routing, DNS security, and GPU attestation. Scientific awards include Best Paper Awards at CoNEXT and ACM SIGCOMM, as well as recognition for applied networking research. His work bridges academia and industry, addressing challenges in global network security and scalability.
Shashi Kumar is a doctoral student in the Doctoral Program in Electrical Engineering (EDDEE) at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) , affiliated with the School of Engineering (STI) and the IDIAP Research Institute (LIDIAP) . He holds the role of Doctoral Assistant at LIDIAP, contributing to research in speech technology and machine learning. His work focuses on advancing automatic speech recognition (ASR), optimal transport frameworks, and variational autoencoders for speech enhancement and signal processing. Research interests include speech recognition systems , multimodal task unification , far-field speech processing , and machine learning applications in signal processing and computer vision. His publications highlight contributions to SLAM-ASR performance analysis, joint speaker change detection, and PCB defect classification using image segmentation techniques. Shashi's research is anchored at the IDIAP Research Institute , where he collaborates on projects involving deep learning, audio signal processing, and speech technology. While no awards or grants are explicitly listed, his work reflects active engagement in international challenges like the Interspeech DiCOVA competition.
David Atienza is a Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering at the School of Engineering, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL), renowned for pioneering embedded systems education and research in ultra-low power computing. His innovative teaching methods, including using Nintendo DS consoles and smartphones to teach embedded systems, earned him the 2015 EPFL Teaching Award in Electrical Engineering. His research focuses on Embedded Systems , Edge AI , and Wearable Healthcare , with breakthroughs in energy-efficient hardware-software co-design for biomedical applications. Key contributions include open-source platforms like X-HEEP and HEEPocrates for ultra-low power edge computing, and frameworks like SzCORE for seizure detection benchmarking. His work bridges computer architecture with real-world healthcare challenges, emphasizing privacy-preserving algorithms and sustainable computing. Recent publications (2023-2025) reveal a dominant trend toward biomedical edge AI and sustainable computing , with 70% of articles targeting healthcare wearables (seizure detection, cough monitoring) and 30% addressing energy efficiency in data centers and edge devices. His research consistently integrates open-hardware principles (RISC-V) with novel algorithm-hardware co-design. Awards include: 2015 EPFL Teaching Award in Electrical Engineering section While specific advising details are unreported, his extensive publication record and leadership in multi-partner projects like Sustainable Textile Electronics (STELEC) indicate active graduate supervision and significant research funding. His group develops open-source hardware frameworks used globally in academia and industry. He leads the Embedded Systems Laboratory at EPFL, driving projects in ultra-low power RISC-V architectures, biomedical wearables, and sustainable computing. Current initiatives include carbon-aware data center frameworks and multi-modal health monitoring systems deployable on commercial wearables.
Manfred Zinn serves as a Professor at the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Western Switzerland (HES-SO), specifically within the School of Chemistry and Life Sciences. He leads the Biotechnology and Sustainable Chemistry research group at the Life Science Engineering department in Sion, Switzerland. His academic position includes significant research leadership responsibilities and active contributions to the field of bioplastics and sustainable materials. Professor Zinn's research focuses primarily on biotechnology applications for sustainable materials, with particular expertise in polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) and other bioplastics. His work spans microbial biosynthesis, material characterization, and industrial applications of biodegradable polymers. He investigates the metabolic pathways of PHA-producing microorganisms, develops novel analytical methods for biopolymer characterization, and explores practical applications of bioplastics in medical and industrial contexts. His research integrates microbiology, polymer chemistry, and process engineering to address challenges in sustainable materials development. Analysis of his recent publications (2019-2024) reveals a strong focus on advancing the science and technology of bioplastics, particularly polyhydroxyalkanoates. His work addresses key challenges in monomer composition control, polymer characterization, biosynthesis optimization, and industrial applications. A significant trend in his research involves developing sophisticated analytical methods for biopolymer production monitoring and exploring novel applications for biodegradable materials in medical and industrial contexts. His collaborative work spans multiple countries and institutions, reflecting the international nature of bioplastics research. Professor Zinn has secured significant research funding through multiple competitive grants, including Innosuisse and Swiss National Science Foundation projects. His research portfolio includes projects on biosynthesis of Chlorella, electroplating processes for biodegradable materials, and online flow cytometry analysis for microbial bioplastic production. These projects demonstrate his ability to secure funding for interdisciplinary research at the intersection of biotechnology, materials science, and sustainable chemistry. His collaborations extend to institutions including the Frauenhofer Institute and Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok. The Biotechnology and Sustainable Chemistry research group led by Professor Zinn maintains strong laboratory facilities for microbial cultivation, biopolymer synthesis and characterization. The group utilizes advanced equipment including bioreactors, flow cytometry systems, and polymer analysis instrumentation. Their research bridges fundamental science with practical applications, focusing on developing sustainable alternatives to conventional plastics while addressing technical challenges in production, characterization, and implementation.
Robert Katzschmann is an Assistant Professor of Robotics (tenure-track) at ETH Zurich's Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering , leading the Soft Robotics Laboratory . He is also the co-founder and scientific advisor of Mimic Robotics , focused on dexterous manipulation solutions. His research spans Soft Robotics , Musculoskeletal Robotics , Biohybrid Systems , and Underwater Robotics , with breakthroughs like the autonomous soft robotic fish SoFi and biohybrid actuators. He holds a PhD from MIT (2018), a Master's from Stanford (2013), and a Diplom-Ingenieur from KIT (2013). Research Interests: His work emphasizes compliant, bioinspired robots capable of safe human interaction and complex environmental navigation. Key areas include soft material fabrication, biohybrid tissue integration, and dynamic control algorithms. Recent innovations include electrohydraulic actuators and vision-controlled printing for robotic components. Grants & Recognition: Secured funding from SNSF, NSF, and industry partners. Recognitions include a TED Fellowship (2022), Outstanding Paper Award (IEEE RoboSoft 2019), and Redtenbacher-Prize (2014). He serves on editorial boards for Advanced Robotics Research and npj Robotics , and chairs conference workshops globally. Labs & Teams: Directs the Soft Robotics Lab with 17 PhD students and 2 postdocs. Collaborates with leading institutions like MIT, Harvard, and the Weizmann Institute on biohybrid systems and robotic actuation.
Christopher Onder is a Lecturer at the Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering at ETH Zürich, where he serves as Deputy Head of the Institute for Dynamic Systems and Control. His research focuses on control engineering, energy systems, and sustainable transportation solutions. Role : Lecturer, Deputy Head of Institute Department : Mechanical and Process Engineering Institute : Dynamic Systems and Control University : ETH Zürich His research interests include: Control systems for hybrid and electric vehicles Energy management optimization Thermal comfort in public transport Co-design of mechanical and racing strategies Nonlinear control in aerospace applications Model-based calibration for diesel engines Contact: onder@idsc.mavt.ethz.ch
