Ali Ghodsi is a Professor at the University of Waterloo and Director of the Data Science Lab, with affiliations at the Vector Institute. His research spans machine learning, deep learning, and artificial intelligence, with applications in natural language processing, bioinformatics, and computer vision. His group develops theoretical frameworks and algorithms for analyzing large-scale datasets, focusing on neural network architectures, knowledge distillation, and model efficiency. Current projects include deep learning for identity control, computational antibody design, and generative AI/large language models. Ghodsi has authored influential tutorials on diffusion models, graph neural networks, and large language models. Notable research contributions include computational methods for de novo peptide sequencing from mass spectrometry data, green simulation-assisted reinforcement learning, and efficient natural language processing models. His lab maintains collaborations with industry partners including Google, Amazon, and Roche.
Ben Bloem-Reddy is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Statistics at the University of British Columbia (UBC), Vancouver Campus. His research focuses on statistical theory and applications in machine learning, particularly in causal inference, Bayesian methods, neural networks, and probabilistic models. He advises current students Quanhan (Johnny) Xi, Kenny Chiu, and Gian Carlo Diluvi. His work bridges foundational statistical theory with practical machine learning challenges, including causal discovery, model identifiability, and uncertainty quantification. Recent research explores topics such as latent variable models, generative processes, and symmetry in data and algorithms. His contributions span interdisciplinary areas like particle physics applications and information theory-based compression techniques. Ben’s research trends emphasize advancing theoretical guarantees for modern machine learning systems while addressing real-world problems. His publications frequently intersect with algebraic topology (e.g., cocycles in causal inference) and nonparametric methods. He maintains an active lab within the Department of Statistics, fostering collaborations across UBC’s academic ecosystem. No scientific awards are explicitly listed in the provided information. His advising and grant activities focus on statistical methodology development, as evidenced by his student supervision and published work. His office is located in ESB 3168, and he can be reached at benbr@stat.ubc.ca.
Professor Guy-Vincent Jourdan is affiliated with the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Ottawa. He holds a Ph.D. from Université de Rennes/INRIA (France, 1995) focusing on distributed systems analysis. Prior to academia, he served as CTO and CEO of Decision Academic Graphics, an Ottawa-based firm. His research interests span software security, cybersecurity (including cybercrime prevention), distributed systems modeling, formal methods, mobile applications, and rich internet applications. Specific technical emphases include phishing detection systems, blockchain fraud analysis, and adversarial machine learning. Professor Jourdan has pioneered tools like D-ForenRIA for reconstructing user interactions in Rich Internet Applications and contributed to cybersecurity frameworks such as HEART for log anomaly detection. His work integrates machine learning techniques with domain-specific challenges in network security and software verification. His publications (2023-2025) reflect advancements in AI-driven vulnerability analysis, blockchain fraud detection, and automated phishing detection systems. Notable projects include SV-TrustEval-C for source code vulnerability analysis and Intellitweet for social media threat detection. While no scientific awards are explicitly listed, his prolific publication record and industry-academia transition highlight sustained contributions to computer science and cybersecurity domains.
Samuel Jean Bassetto is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mathematics and Industrial Engineering at Polytechnique Montréal. He serves as Director of the Continuous Improvement Laboratory (LABAC) and holds membership in multiple prestigious research groups including the Research Group on Globalisation and Management of Technology (GMT), Poly-Industries 4.0 Laboratory, Interuniversity Research Centre on Enterprise Networks, Logistics and Transportation (CIRRELT), and Institute for Data Valorization (IVADO). Dr. Bassetto's research spans multiple disciplines, focusing on continuous improvement through the integration of engineering, artificial intelligence, cognitive science, psychology, and design. His primary sphere of excellence is in New Frontiers in Information and Communication Technologies, with secondary expertise in Modeling and Artificial Intelligence and Human Health. He develops tools that place humans at the center of technology to enhance organizational performance while respecting human rhythms and cognitive limitations. His recent publication portfolio reveals a strong interdisciplinary approach, with research bridging industrial engineering, cognitive neuroscience, and AI ethics. His work addresses practical challenges in lean manufacturing assessment, racial bias in medical AI systems, cognitive data collection in natural environments, and condition monitoring for industrial machinery. The research consistently demonstrates a commitment to developing practical solutions that integrate human factors with technological innovation. NSERC Synergy Prize for Innovation recipient Principal investigator on multiple research grants from NSERC, FRQ, and MITACS Collaborations with over a dozen institutions across multiple countries Supervision of over 150 highly qualified personnel throughout his career Dr. Bassetto teaches specialized courses including CAP7011 (Creativity in Research), IND8444 (Continuous Improvement), IND8203 (Industrial Launch), and previously taught IND8178 (Production). His teaching philosophy emphasizes practical application, with courses featuring hands-on exercises, real-world scenarios, and gamification techniques to enhance learning. His supervision portfolio includes numerous Ph.D. and Master's students working on topics ranging from human-technology collaboration to reinforcement learning for production management. Through LABAC, Dr. Bassetto leads research initiatives focused on developing human-centered tools for continuous improvement in organizational settings. The laboratory conducts projects related to industrial IoT applications, cognitive aspects of process improvement, and the development of practical frameworks for organizations to enhance performance while maintaining respect for human rhythms and cognitive capabilities.
Yuan Tian is an Assistant Professor in the School of Computing at Queen's University, Faculty of Arts and Science. She holds a PhD in Information Systems from Singapore Management University (2017) and a B.Sc. in Computer Science from Zhejiang University (2012). Her research focuses on integrating heterogeneous data sources to enhance software engineering practices, including data mining, recommender systems, and social network analysis. Prior to Queen's, she was a data scientist at Living Analytics Research Centre (LARC), SMU. She has held visiting positions at Carnegie Mellon University, INRIA Paris, and SAIL Canada. Research Interests: Data Mining Software Engineering Social Network Analysis Information Retrieval Recommender Systems Computer Security Recent Research Trends: Her work emphasizes AI-driven solutions for software bug management, code translation, vulnerability detection, and developer behavior analysis. Notable contributions include leveraging LLMs for technical debt repayment and enhancing code vulnerability detection via Graph Neural Networks. Awards: SMU Presidential Doctoral Fellowship (2015-2016) Best Paper Award at SANER 2017 Grants & Advising: No formal advisees listed, but active in collaborative projects with industry and academic partners. Labs/Teams: Previously associated with SOAR Group at SMU and currently leads research in Queen's School of Computing.
Yuanzhu Chen is a Professor in the School of Computing at Queen’s University, affiliated with the Faculty of Arts and Science. He previously served as Professor and Department Head at Memorial University of Newfoundland (2005–2021). His research focuses on computer networking, mobile computing, complex networks, and applied machine learning, emphasizing wireless innovation beyond traditional wired systems. He holds a PhD from Simon Fraser University (2004) and a B.Sc. from Peking University (1999). Education: PhD in Computing Science (Simon Fraser University, 2004); B.Sc. in Computer Science (Peking University, 1999). Earlier roles include Post-doctoral Researcher at Simon Fraser University (2004–2005) and leadership positions at Memorial University, including Department Head (2019–2021). Research Interests: Network Coding and Opportunistic Routing Mobile and Wireless Network Protocols Complex Network Analysis Machine Learning Applications Indoor Positioning Systems Social Network Dynamics Selected Awards: Recipient of Queen’s University President's Award for Distinguished Teaching. Lab Affiliation: Director of the Wireless Networking and Mobile Computing Lab (WineMocol). Active in collaborative projects involving smartphone sensors, community-based environmental monitoring, and stock market prediction using web data.
Thomas Pasquier is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of British Columbia, affiliated with the Systopia Lab and UBC Security & Privacy Group. His research focuses on digital provenance, system auditing, intrusion detection, and performance optimization. He investigates systems security through provenance graph analysis, developing practical frameworks for intrusion detection (including PROVNET and Kairos) and provenance summarization tools. His work combines machine learning with systems research to enhance cybersecurity transparency. Recent Publications (2022-2025) Provenance-based intrusion detection systems analysis Whole-system provenance for practical security eBPF kernel extension security enhancements LLM-driven provenance summarization Research code quality assessment Scientific Awards Incredible Instructor Awards Amazon Science Research Award He supervises graduate students in systems security research and teaches courses on security & privacy and operating systems. His lab welcomes diverse students for thesis-based research opportunities.
Alaa Alameldeen is an Associate Professor in the School of Computing Science at Simon Fraser University (SFU), part of the Faculty of Applied Sciences. Previously, he worked as a Research Scientist at Intel Labs (2006–2020) and held an Adjunct Faculty position at Portland State University (2008–2018). He earned a PhD in Computer Sciences from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (2006), and earlier degrees from Alexandria University, Egypt. His research focuses on computer architecture, including memory systems (processing-in-memory, cache/memory compression, security), energy-efficient architectures, and hardware-software co-design for machine learning. He advises PhD and MSc students in these areas and teaches advanced computing science courses. Key contributions include innovations in memory hierarchies, cache compression techniques, and mitigating hardware vulnerabilities. His work has been published in top conferences (e.g., ISCA, MICRO, HPCA) and patented in areas like near-memory processing and error correction. Alameldeen currently leads a research group exploring secure and high-performance memory architectures. He has supervised multiple graduate students, with many progressing to roles at leading tech companies and academic institutions.
Richard Zemel is a Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Toronto, where he has been since 2000. He holds an Industrial Research Chair in Machine Learning and co-founded the Vector Institute for Artificial Intelligence. His research focuses on machine learning, including unsupervised learning, deep learning, and ethical AI, with contributions to probabilistic models, fairness, and representation learning. Zemel has developed influential systems like the Toronto Paper Matching System and holds awards such as the NVIDIA Pioneers of AI Award and multiple NSERC grants. Education: B.Sc. in History & Science from Harvard University (1984), Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Toronto (1993). Postdoctoral work at the Salk Institute and Carnegie Mellon University. Research Interests: Machine Learning (unsupervised/deep learning), probabilistic models, fairness in algorithms, computer vision, natural language processing. He emphasizes ethical AI and practical applications like recommendation systems and causal inference. Awards & Affiliations: Fellow of CIFAR, member of the Neural Information Processing Society (NIPS) Executive Board, and advisor to the Creative Destruction Lab. His work is funded by NSERC, CIFAR, Google, Microsoft, and DARPA. Grants & Labs: Active in grants supporting machine learning research, including projects on fairness and invariant learning. Collaborates with industry partners and leads teams at the University of Toronto and Vector Institute.
Anup Basu is a Professor in the Department of Computing Science at the University of Alberta. His research focuses on computer graphics, computer vision, and multimedia communications. He holds an B.S. in Math & Statistics from the Indian Statistical Institute (1980), an M.E. in Computer Science from the Indian Statistical Institute (1983), and a Ph.D. in Computing Science from the University of Maryland (1990). His work emphasizes Quality of Service (QoS) in multimedia delivery for e-commerce and telelearning, adaptive bandwidth monitoring, and 3D visualization tools. He pioneered foveated image compression and stereo visualization techniques, contributing to MPEG-4 coding standards. He leads major initiatives like the ASRA/TelePhotogenics/IBM 3D Medical Imaging project ($2M+ funding) and developed patented SHR Stereo/3D scanning technologies. Awards include the American Neurological Association Fellowship. He has held leadership roles as General Chair for IEEE International Conferences on SMC (2017), Multimedia & Expo (2013), and SMC (2014). His research integrates interdisciplinary collaborations across universities and industry partners, leveraging advanced equipment like the CAVE system for immersive visualization.
Deepa Kundur is the Professor & Chair of The Edward S. Rogers Sr. Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering at the University of Toronto. She earned her BASc, MASc, and PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the same institution in 1993, 1995, and 1999, respectively. Current roles: IEEE Spectrum Advisory Board Conference leadership: General Chair of 2018 GlobalSIP Symposium, TPC Co-Chair for IEEE SmartGridComm 2018, among others Her research focuses on cybersecurity , signal processing , and complex dynamical networks , particularly in smart grid applications. She has authored over 200 publications and pioneered techniques for detecting false data injection attacks, enhancing grid resilience, and integrating machine learning into power systems. Her recent work spans quantum learning for grid security , LLM-based mental health prediction , and resilient control systems . She has received 14 best paper recognitions, including IEEE SmartGridComm (2015) and IEEE INFOCOM Workshop (2008). Fellowships: IEEE Fellow (2015), Canadian Academy of Engineering Fellow (2016), Massey College Senior Fellow (2019) Teaching awards: Tenneco Meritorious Teaching Award (2005), Gordon Slemon Teaching of Design Award (2002) Early career honors: NSERC Scholarships (PGS A/B), Canada Scholarship She leads the Kundur Research Group , developing models for cyber-physical systems in smart grids and autonomous vehicle networks. Her team explores reinforcement learning for grid defense , transmissibility-based fault detection , and privacy-preserving smart grid analytics .
Jürgen Bernard is an Assistant Professor of Computer Science at the University of Zurich , leading the Interactive Visual Data Analysis (IVDA) Group . He is associated with the Digital Society Initiative (DSI) and holds a PhD in Computer Science from Technische Universität Darmstadt (2015) with a focus on time-oriented data analysis. His academic journey includes postdoctoral research at TU Darmstadt and the University of British Columbia. Education : Diploma in Computer Science (2009, TU Darmstadt) PhD in Computer Science (2015, TU Darmstadt) Research Interests : Dr. Bernard specializes in interactive visual data analysis , explainable machine learning , and human-centered AI . His work explores time series analysis , multivariate data exploration , and user-driven preference elicitation . He develops visual analytics systems for domains like healthcare , digital humanities , and industrial applications , with a particular focus on responsible AI and transparency in algorithmic systems . Research Trends : His publications emphasize interactive machine learning workflows , visual analytics for healthcare , and time-stamped event sequence analysis . Recent work includes LLM validation frameworks (Human-Data-Model Interaction Canvas) and personalized ranking systems funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation. He integrates temporal data with multivariate analysis across applications from medical manufacturing to chronic disease management . Scientific Recognition : EuroGraphics Young Researcher Award (2022) EuroVis Young Researcher Award (2021) Best Paper Awards at IEEE VIS (2021), EuroVA (2021, 2025) Dirk Bartz Prize (2017), Hugo-Geiger Preis (2016) Teaching & Grants : He teaches Interactive Visual Data Analysis (6 ECTS), Digital Health Seminars , and People-Oriented Computing . Currently leads a SNF Grant on Personalized Visual Analytics for multi-criteria decision support (2024-2028) with ETH Zurich's Prof. M. El-Assady.
Elena Grigorescu is a Professor at the University of Waterloo, Department of Computer Science. She holds a Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (2010), an M.S. from MIT (2006), and a B.A. from Bard College (2004). Her research focuses on sublinear-time algorithms, error-correcting codes, computational complexity, and learning theory. She explores foundational aspects of algorithms with constraints on time/space, privacy-preserving computation, and applications in graph theory and optimization. Her work includes advancements in spanner algorithms for network design, differential privacy in sublinear-time settings, and learning-augmented approaches for online optimization. Recent publications address trace reconstruction, privacy-utility trade-offs, and combinatorial optimization techniques. Grigorescu is actively involved in conferences like APPROX/RANDOM and IEEE Foundations of Computer Science, contributing to algorithmic theory and practical implementations. Her research emphasizes theoretical rigor while addressing real-world challenges in data analysis and distributed systems. No awards or formal advisees are explicitly listed in the provided information.
Fattane Zarrinkalam is an Assistant Professor in the School of Engineering at the University of Guelph. She holds a PhD from Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Iran, and completed a Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at Ryerson University (2018–2020). Her research focuses on social media mining, semantic technologies, and user modeling, with applications in healthcare, legal tech, and e-commerce. She is a Vector Institute Postgraduate Affiliate and serves on editorial boards for journals like Information Processing & Management and IEEE Transactions on Network Science and Engineering . Her work emphasizes actionable insights from social data, including sarcasm detection, user interest prediction, and fairness in social media analytics. Zarrinkalam has contributed to over 30 peer-reviewed publications and holds multiple patents in data analysis and social media sentiment modeling. Education: PhD, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Iran Postdoctoral Fellowship, Ryerson University Research Scientist, Thomson Reuters Labs Research Interests: Semantic interpretation of social content User modeling via temporal analysis Social good applications (e.g., mental health, telecommunication) Fairness in social media mining Recent Work Trends: Her articles span network representation learning, dynamic user interest prediction, and interdisciplinary applications. Notable themes include neural networks for sarcasm detection, heterogeneous graph embeddings, and leveraging Twitter data for psychological insights. Awards & Service: Co-chair, International Workshop on Mining Actionable Insights from Social Networks (MAISoN) Editorial board roles for top journals Labs & Teams: Involved in interdisciplinary collaborations at the Vector Institute and partnerships with industry on legal tech and social analytics projects.
Dr. Sheng Yang is an Assistant Professor in the School of Engineering at the University of Guelph. He leads the Design Innovation and Intelligent Manufacturing (DIIM) lab, focusing on advancing additive manufacturing, generative design, and smart manufacturing technologies. His research integrates IoT, big data analytics, and bio-inspired design to address challenges in aerospace, green energy, and healthcare. Key areas include computational design for additive manufacturing, data-driven mass customization, and digital twin-based optimization. Education: Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from McGill University (2019), followed by a Postdoctoral Fellowship at McGill (2019–2020). Joined University of Guelph in 2020. Research interests span energy efficiency, complex system optimization, and personalized healthcare products. Recent work emphasizes digital twin synchronization in robotics, machine learning for quality prediction, and sustainable additive manufacturing processes. Notable awards include the 2019 Association of Commonwealth Universities Blue Charter Fellowship and 2018 ASME Best Paper Award. His lab actively seeks partnerships in personalized healthcare, product design, and smart manufacturing. Grants and collaborations focus on advancing manufacturing technologies and sustainability. No formal advisees listed, but active in graduate training through lab projects. The DIIM lab explores cutting-edge solutions for industrial and societal challenges through interdisciplinary approaches.
