Dr. George Stamou is a Professor at the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering of the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA), serving as Director of the Artificial Intelligence and Learning Systems Laboratory (AILS). His expertise spans knowledge representation, machine learning, neural networks, and semantic technologies. He leads interdisciplinary initiatives such as the postgraduate program 'Data Science and Machine Learning' (2018–2022). Research Interests: Focuses on knowledge graphs, interpretable AI, semantic web applications, and multimodal learning. His work integrates formal logic systems (e.g., description logics) with modern deep learning techniques, addressing challenges in explainability, bias detection, and ethical AI applications. Publications: Over 150 articles in AI journals/conferences with an h-index of 34 (Google Scholar). Notable contributions include datasets like CHORDONOMICON (music analysis), GOSt-MT (gender bias in MT), and methodologies for counterfactual explanations in machine learning. Awards & Committees: Active in W3C and RuleML standardization bodies. Co-organized major AI conferences. Recognized for contributions to semantic interoperability and knowledge-based systems. Labs & Teams: Directs AILS-NTUA lab and collaborates with CISRI (Computer & Information Systems Research Institute). Engages in EU projects like CultureLabs (cultural heritage digitalization) andsmarty4covid (health data analysis).
Renée J. Miller is a Professor and Canada Excellence Research Chair in Data Intelligence at the Cheriton School of Computer Science, University of Waterloo. Her research focuses on data integration, data management, and open data systems. She holds a PhD in Computer Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and bachelor’s degrees in Mathematics and Cognitive Science from MIT. Her work addresses challenges in data preparation, integration, and curation, aiming to reduce the burden on data scientists. She co-authored foundational papers on data exchange and schema mapping, earning the ICDT Test-of-Time Award (2013) and the Alonzo Church Award (2020). Miller has led major initiatives like the NSERC Business Intelligence Network and the International Very Large Data Base Foundation. Her grants include NSERC Accelerator Awards and funding from IBM, SAP, and Microsoft. Notable students include Ariel Fuxman (SIGMOD Dissertation Award winner) and Oktie Hassanzadeh (IBM PhD Fellow). Her research group, the Miller Lab, develops tools like Clio for schema mapping and systems for data lake exploration (RONIN, JOSIE).
Prof. Martin Boeker is a Professor of Medical Informatics at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), affiliated with the TUM School of Medicine and Health. His work focuses on advancing healthcare through AI-driven solutions, interoperability frameworks, and precision medicine initiatives. Key projects include the German Medical Text Corpus (GeMTeX) and the MIRACUM DIFUTURE Alignment Hub. Expertise: Medical Informatics, AI in Healthcare, Federated Learning, Health Data Integration Key Contributions: FHIR-based systems, clinical decision support, patient-centered outcomes research Leadership: Director of the Institute for AI and Informatics in Medicine at TUM Hospital Right of the Isar Research emphasizes bridging clinical practice and data science through projects like modular health crawlers, automated guideline adherence monitoring, and cross-institutional medical NLP solutions. His work spans oncology informatics, rare disease management, and pandemic response data ecosystems. Recent articles highlight innovations in digital twins for precision oncology, federated analysis in oncology, and German-language medical NLP challenges. He collaborates internationally on EHR standardization and healthcare interoperability, contributing to the Medical Informatics Initiative (MII) and pandemic evidence ecosystems. Grants and collaborations involve the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, European initiatives, and industry partnerships. Educational efforts focus on training future medical informatics professionals through MII competency programs.
Ning Nan is an Associate Professor at the University of British Columbia's Sauder School of Business, specifically within the Department of Accounting and Information Systems. With a BA from Peking University, an MA from the University of Minnesota, and a PhD from the University of Michigan, Dr. Nan focuses on digital business strategy, evolvable IT infrastructure, and complex adaptive systems. His research explores blockchain applications, agent-based modeling, and the intersection of AI with societal challenges like sustainability. Education: PhD in Information Systems, University of Michigan MA in Information Systems, University of Minnesota BA in Computer Science, Peking University Research Interests: Dr. Nan investigates how technology shapes organizational and societal systems, with a focus on AI ethics, sustainability through personalized recommendations, and blockchain's role in decentralized supply chains. He employs agent-based modeling to simulate complex phenomena like innovation diffusion and online community dynamics. Recent work addresses explainable AI in smart cities and carbon-reduction gamification strategies. Teaching: In 2024-2025, he teaches Data Management for Business Analytics , emphasizing practical applications of data-driven decision-making. Key Research Themes: His articles highlight trends in AI sustainability (e.g., carbon footprint impacts of recommendation systems), digital business strategy (blockchain governance, app update strategies), and foundational IS theory (hyperturbulence and IS strategy).
Professor Diana Inkpen is a faculty member at the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of Ottawa. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Toronto's Department of Computer Science and degrees from the Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, Romania (M.Sc. and B.Eng.). Her research focuses on computational linguistics, natural language processing (NLP), and artificial intelligence, with specialties in natural language understanding/generation, lexical semantics, and semantic web agents. Education: Ph.D., Computer Science, University of Toronto M.Sc., Computer Science and Engineering, Technical University of Cluj-Napoca B.Eng., Computer Science and Engineering, Technical University of Cluj-Napoca Affiliations: Director, NLP Lab Editor-in-Chief, Computational Intelligence journal Associate Editor, Natural Language Engineering journal Her research has led to roles such as program co-chair for AI 2012 and leadership in organizing international workshops. She has received funding from NSERC, SSHRC, and OCE, and was honored with a Visiting Professor title at the University of Wolverhampton, UK. Her teaching spans courses like Information Retrieval, Natural Language Processing, and Prolog programming. Professor Inkpen's work bridges NLP innovations with societal challenges, including mental health surveillance via social media analysis and bias mitigation in AI systems. She actively contributes to interdisciplinary projects, such as detecting hate speech and legal text entailment, while maintaining a global research network through collaborations and international conference involvement.
Elena Simperl is a Professor of Computer Science and Deputy Head of Department for Enterprise and Engagement at King's College London's Department of Informatics. She co-directs the King's Institute for Artificial Intelligence and serves as Director of Research for the Open Data Institute. As a Hans Fischer Senior Fellow at the Technical University of Munich's Institute for Advanced Study, she leads the Trustworthy Knowledge Graphs focus group and contributes to advancing human-centric AI research across European institutions. Professor Simperl obtained her doctoral degree in Computer Science from the Free University of Berlin and her diploma from the Technical University of Munich. Prior to joining King's, she held academic positions in Germany, Austria, and at the University of Southampton, and was a Turing Fellow. Her career trajectory demonstrates consistent leadership in bridging academic research with practical applications in data ecosystems. Her research sits at the critical intersection of AI and social computing, focusing on human-centric approaches to building sociotechnical systems that integrate data, algorithms, and human capabilities. She investigates how to make knowledge engineering more accessible, how to leverage collective intelligence for data quality improvement, and how to design participatory AI systems that address societal challenges like misinformation. Her work spans knowledge graphs, semantic technologies, crowdsourcing, and open data, with particular emphasis on the social dimensions of data-intensive systems and the governance frameworks needed for trustworthy AI deployment. Analysis of her recent publications reveals a strong evolution toward integrating large language models with traditional knowledge engineering practices while maintaining human oversight. There's a clear trajectory from foundational work on knowledge representation toward increasingly applied research addressing real-world challenges in media ecosystems, citizen science, and data governance, with growing attention to policy implications of AI technologies. Fellow of the British Computer Society Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts Hans Fischer Senior Fellow at TUM-IAS (2023) Ranked among top 100 most influential scholars in knowledge engineering of the last decade Included in Women in AI 2000 ranking Professor Simperl has led 14 major European and national research projects totaling millions in funding, including MediaFutures (a Horizon 2020 program tackling online misinformation), QROWD, ODINE, Data Pitch, and ACTION. She currently co-chairs the Croissant working group in ML Commons developing data standards for AI, and serves as president of the Semantic Web Science Association. Her research has directly influenced the development of data ecosystems supporting startups and citizen science initiatives across Europe, demonstrating exceptional ability to translate theoretical advances into practical impact. As Director of Research at the Open Data Institute, she oversees initiatives connecting data entrepreneurs with artists and civic organizations. Her leadership in the MediaFutures project established a data-driven innovation hub that supported 51 startups/SMEs and 43 artists through three open calls, creating a sustainable model for arts-technology collaborations addressing media challenges. Her work with the ODINE project helped create a European ecosystem for data-driven startups, demonstrating her commitment to building practical applications of open data principles.
Michael Riegler is a Researcher at the AI Department, Simula Research Laboratory , focusing on interdisciplinary applications of Artificial Intelligence in healthcare, sports analytics, and multimedia systems. His work bridges Machine Learning , AI Alignment , and Applied AI across clinical and real-world domains. Key Affiliations: Simula Research Laboratory (AI Department Head) Research Themes: Explainable AI in medicine, multimodal data analysis, and AI-driven health monitoring Research Interests include: Developing AI/ML algorithms for medical imaging (e.g., polyp detection, embryo analysis) Addressing missing data challenges in healthcare through novel imputation techniques Creating multimodal virtual avatars for investigative interview training Designing edge AI systems for sports analytics and sustainable fishing Recent Publications highlight collaborations with institutions in Norway and globally, with a focus on: Medical Applications: Polyp segmentation, ECG analysis, and explainable models for disease detection Sports Analytics: Athlete performance prediction and soccer video processing Data Infrastructure: Lifelogging datasets (ScopeSense), semantic representation frameworks Labs & Teams include leadership in Simula’s AI Department and participation in projects like Medico Multimedia Task , ImageCLEF , and MediaEval workshops. His work emphasizes responsible AI innovation in public sectors and privacy-preserving systems for edge environments.
Krzysztof Z Gajos is a Gordon McKay Professor of Computer Science at Harvard University’s Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. He leads the Intelligent Interactive Systems Group, focusing on human-AI interaction, accessible computing, and behavioral research at scale. His work integrates technical innovation with ethical and societal considerations, emphasizing equity-centered design. Education: Ph.D., University of Washington M.Eng. and B.Sc., Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Research Interests: His research spans AI for public services , health informatics , design for equity , and behavioral research platforms like LabintheWild.org. He investigates how AI can augment human decision-making while addressing biases and ethical challenges. Recent Trends in Articles: Recent work emphasizes human-AI collaboration in healthcare , explainable AI , and equity-centered design . Key themes include reducing overreliance on AI, improving transparency in algorithmic decisions, and centering marginalized communities in technology development. Scientific Awards: Sloan Fellowship Best Paper Awards at ACM CHI, COMPASS, and IUI Advising & Grants: His federal grants support AI ethics and healthcare projects, though recent terminations have prompted efforts to secure alternative funding. He advises students on projects like AI for humanitarian negotiations and digital phenotyping. Labs & Teams: Leads the Intelligent Interactive Systems Group , collaborating with organizations on AI for social good and accessible technology.
Thomas Demeester is an Associate Professor at the Internet Technology and Data Science Lab (IDLab), Ghent University - imec, Belgium. Appointed as Assistant Professor in 2019, he leads an AI research group focused on health applications and drug design, co-directing the Text-to-Knowledge research cluster with Prof. Chris Develder. His educational background includes: M.Sc. in Electrical Engineering from Ghent University (2005), completed with thesis work at ETH Zurich Ph.D. in Computational Electromagnetics from Ghent University (2009), funded by Research Foundation - Flanders (FWO) Demeester's research spans artificial intelligence with emphasis on deep learning and neuro-symbolic methods. Current tracks include energy-based models (Hopfield Networks, Deep Equilibrium Models), diffusion models for drug design, and clinical reasoning systems. His work bridges NLP, healthcare informatics, and generative AI with strong industry partnerships. Recent publications (2023-2025) reveal strategic expansion from NLP into health-centric AI: BioLORD biomedical encoders (2023), synthetic medical data frameworks (UAI/NeurIPS 2024), and novel diffusion model guidance (ICLR 2025). This evolution demonstrates convergence of generative modeling, clinical data analysis, and protein design. He actively mentors 24 PhD students across diverse AI domains: Current Research: Conversational agents, emotion analysis, clinical reasoning, antibody design, and diffusion model optimization Recent Graduates: Interpretable language models, biomedical semantics, task-oriented dialogue, and social media knowledge extraction Research is supported by imec funding and collaborations with Flemish biotech companies, building on his post-doctoral experience securing media-sector projects. Within IDLab, he co-leads the Text-to-Knowledge cluster driving NLP innovations for healthcare, legal, and economic applications.
Christiane Fellbaum serves as Lecturer with Rank of Professor in Princeton University's Program in Linguistics and Department of Computer Science, where she has been a senior research scholar since returning in 1987 after postdoctoral work at the University of Paris. Her foundational contributions to computational linguistics include co-developing WordNet and co-founding the Global WordNet Association. Her educational background features: Ph.D. in Linguistics, Princeton University (1980) Postdoctoral Fellowship, University of Paris Fellbaum's research integrates theoretical linguistics with computational applications, specializing in lexical semantics, corpus analysis, and semantic network construction. Her work bridges computational linguistics and lexicography through projects like WordNet and Medical WordNet, with recent emphasis on multilingual resources, bias analysis in embeddings, and African language technology development. She examines semantic phenomena including idioms, verb alternations, and emotion scales through both corpus linguistics and formal ontological frameworks. Analysis of her publication trajectory reveals sustained innovation in lexical resource development since the 2000s, evolving from foundational WordNet studies to contemporary work on large language model adaptation and social bias mitigation. Current research demonstrates increasing interdisciplinary collaboration across NLP, cognitive science, and social justice applications. Her scientific recognition includes: Wolfgang Paul Prize from the German Humboldt Foundation (2001) Antonio Zampolli Prize (2006) Fellbaum has secured continuous research funding from the U.S. National Science Foundation, European Union Seventh Framework, Frank Moss Foundation, and Tim Gill Foundation. She actively mentors junior researchers through Princeton's Independent Work seminars and hosts the North American Computational Linguistics Olympiad (NACLO), while leading major international collaborations including the KYOTO and SIERA European projects. As director of the WordNet project and permanent fellow at the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences, she maintains leadership in global lexical resource initiatives through the Princeton Language and Intelligence initiative and Natural and Artificial Minds research group.
Martin Volk is a Full Professor of Computational Linguistics at the University of Zurich, with a dual affiliation to the Department of Informatics since 2019. He holds a PhD from the University of Koblenz and has held academic positions at institutions including Stockholm University (part-time from 2008-2011), Zurich University of Applied Sciences, and the University of Georgia. His research focuses on grammar engineering, machine translation evaluation, multilingual text analysis, and cross-language information retrieval. Education : Born in Cochem, Germany Studied Computer Science and Computational Linguistics at EWH University, Koblenz Master's in Artificial Intelligence at the University of Georgia (Fulbright Scholar) PhD in Computational Linguistics from the University of Koblenz Research Interests : His work emphasizes data-driven NLP methods, including corpus-based approaches, parsing technologies, and the application of machine learning to historical and multilingual texts. Key focuses include: Machine translation systems and evaluation frameworks Grammar testing environments (e.g., GTU) OCR and digitization of historical documents (e.g., Gothic script) Development of parallel corpora for linguistic research Projects : SMULTRON: Multilingual parallel treebank project Bullinger Digital: Historical document digitization initiative Text+Berg: Digital Humanities project for alpine textual heritage EU-funded MuchMore (cross-language medical IR) Grants & Collaborations : Recipient of grants from the Swiss National Science Foundation, EU projects, and industry partnerships (e.g., Siemens, Xerox). His work integrates academic and industrial perspectives in NLP tool development. Labs & Teams : Leads research teams in the Institute of Computational Linguistics at UZH, focusing on projects like the Zurich Parallel Corpus Collection and MODERN (modeling discourse for MT).
Aldo Gangemi is a Full Professor in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Bologna, specializing in Informatics (INFO-01/A). His research integrates Semantic Technologies, Natural Language Processing, Data Science, and Cognitive Science to address challenges in knowledge representation, ontology engineering, and cultural heritage informatics. He co-founded the STLab at ISTC-CNR and DHARC at the University of Bologna, and is on leave from Sorbonne Paris Nord University (Computer Science Lab - LIPN). Scientific roles include serving as area chair for Web Semantics , editorial board member for Semantic Web and Applied Ontology , and conference chairs for major events like WWW2015 and ESWC2018. He has led European projects such as GALEN, WonderWeb, NeOn, and MARIO, and developed software tools like FRED, Aemoo, and Framester. Research interests focus on semantic technologies, knowledge patterns, and applications in humanities, medicine, law, and fisheries. Over 250 peer-reviewed publications span these areas, with emphasis on ontology-based knowledge integration, multimodal reasoning, and ethical AI. His work bridges cognitive science and technological innovation, particularly in virtual reality's societal applications and cultural heritage preservation. Notable contributions include the PRIVAFRAME knowledge graph for sensitive data, the ImageSchemaNet ontology for embodied cognition, and the Sandra neuro-symbolic reasoner. His interdisciplinary approach addresses challenges in AI ethics, creative systems, and citizen-driven data curation.
Handan Kulan serves as Assistant Professor at Yeditepe University's Faculty of Computer and Information Sciences, Department of Information Systems and Technologies since 2024. Previously, she held faculty positions at Istinye University (2023), Uskudar University (2022), and Beykoz University (2020) across computer engineering and software engineering departments. Education: Ph.D. in Computer Engineering, Kadir Has University (2016-2020): Thesis on critical proteins in Down syndrome learning processes M.S. in Computer Science and Engineering, Sabanci University (2013-2014): Thesis analyzing protein residue networks B.S. in Genetics and Bioengineering, Yeditepe University (2007-2013) Second Major in Computer Engineering, Yeditepe University (2009-2013) Her research integrates machine learning with biomedical challenges, specializing in Down syndrome proteomics, neural network analysis of brain aging, and immune system disorders. She develops computational models for protein identification and applies gradient boosting algorithms to biological datasets, bridging AI with healthcare decision systems as demonstrated in her 2023 Springer book. Publications reveal consistent focus on computational approaches to Down syndrome, with recent conference presentations expanding into statistical clustering of biological data and gene ontology analysis for drug discovery. Her work demonstrates methodological evolution from protein network analysis to advanced predictive analytics. Awards: No specific scientific awards documented in source materials. Dr. Kulan actively supervises graduate theses while teaching core computer science courses including Deep Learning, Artificial Intelligence, and Data Structures at both undergraduate and graduate levels across multiple institutions. Her teaching portfolio reflects direct alignment with her research in AI-driven biomedical analysis.
Michela Bertolotto is a Professor in the School of Computer Science at University College Dublin (UCD). Her research focuses on spatio-temporal data modeling, GIScience, and applications of geospatial technologies in fields like urban planning and health informatics. She leads a research group and has supervised 19 PhD and 8 MSc students. Her work includes innovations in LiDAR-based flood risk visualization, semantic web quality assurance, and open-source spatial data analysis. Bertolotto has held roles including College Lecturer at UCD (2000–2006) and postdoctoral research positions at the University of Maine and University of Genoa. Education: BSc and PhD in Computer Science from the University of Genoa (1993, 1998). Professional achievements include over 100 publications, 24 grants (e.g., Science Foundation Ireland-funded Urban ARK project), and editorial roles at journals like the International Journal of Geographical Information Science. Awards include the UCD President's Research Award (2001) and NATO Postdoc Fellowship (1998–1999). Research interests span map personalization, volunteered geographic information (VGI), and geospatial data quality. Her lab develops tools like the LAMSkyCam (low-cost sky imaging system) and dynamic flood risk viewers. She chairs international conferences and serves on program committees for GIScience events.
Lizi Liao is an Assistant Professor at the School of Computing and Information Systems , Singapore Management University (SMU) , specializing in Artificial Intelligence and Conversational AI . Her research bridges Machine Learning , Natural Language Processing , and Multimodal Systems , focusing on proactive dialogue systems, multimodal conversational search, and task-oriented interactions. Education : PhD in Computer Science (2019) from the National University of Singapore (NUS) , advised by Professor Tat-Seng Chua . Research Interests center on principles of human conversational understanding and machine implementation, particularly in proactive conversational agents , multimodal dialogue systems , and target-driven conversation planning . Key applications include emotional support systems , intelligent shopping assistants , and learning companions . Recent Publications (2024-2025) highlight her work on LLM-based proactive dialogue , multimodal emotion recognition , and dynamic graph modeling , often integrating NLP , Multimedia , and Knowledge Graphs . Collaborative projects with her CoAgent Lab team emphasize human-AI interaction and ethical response generation . Scientific Awards : Google South Asia & Southeast Asia Research Award 2023 Lee Kong Chian Fellow Teaching includes Visual Analytics for Business Intelligence (undergraduate) and Text Analytics and Application (graduate). She also serves as Associate Editor for TOIS and TOMM , and organizes tutorials at ACL , SIGIR , and WSDM .
