Pierre Duhamel is a researcher affiliated with the Signals and Systems Laboratory, focusing on digital signal processing, communication systems, and multimedia security. His work spans theoretical and applied research in network coding, image compression, and channel coding. Primary affiliation: Signals and Systems Laboratory Research roles: Academic researcher, inventor (patents in image coding) Research interests: Duhamel's work addresses challenges in signal processing (e.g., wavelet transforms, L∞ norm compression), communication systems (e.g., robust decoding, WiMAX MAC protocols), and multimedia security (asymmetric watermarking, screen content coding). He explores optimization techniques for wireless networks and error resilience in multimedia transmission. Recent publications (2024–2025) reflect trends in image and signal processing , network optimization , and communication security , with applications to hyperspectral imaging, turbo coding, and cooperative wireless systems.
Associate Professor Wayne Wobcke is a faculty member in the School of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of New South Wales (UNSW), where he has been employed since 2002. His academic career includes previous positions at the University of Sydney until 1998, British Telecom Labs in the UK for three years, and the University of Melbourne for one year. He holds a PhD in Computer Science from the University of Essex (1989), an MSc from the University of Queensland (1985), and a BSc (Hons) in Mathematics/Computer Science from the University of Queensland (1984). Dr. Wobcke's research spans both theoretical and practical aspects of artificial intelligence and data science. His work encompasses intelligent agents, data mining, agent-based modeling, dialogue management, personal assistants, recommender systems, and computational social science. He has collaborated extensively with industry through three Cooperative Research Centres (Smart Internet Technology CRC, Smart Services CRC, and Data to Decisions CRC), where he served as a Programme Manager and Project Leader for over 10 years. Notable achievements include developing a voice-controlled mobile application for email and calendar interaction (a precursor to Apple's Siri) and deploying a people-to-people recommender system for online dating on one of Australia's largest dating sites. His recent research focuses on data science in humanitarian contexts and machine learning applications in official statistics, conducted in collaboration with BPS (Statistics Indonesia) and STIS (Politeknik Statistika, Indonesia). His publication record shows a consistent trajectory of impactful research, with recent work concentrating on poverty targeting, domain adaptation, natural language processing for recommender systems, and political opinion mining. Scientific Awards: Best Paper Nomination, 11th Workshop on Argument Mining (2024) UNSW Arc Postgraduate Research Supervisor Award (2017, 2018) AAAI Deployed AI Application Award, Twenty-Sixth Annual Conference on Innovative Applications of Artificial Intelligence (2014) Best application paper runner up, 17th Pacific-Asia Conference on Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining (2013) Dr. Wobcke has successfully supervised numerous research students, with Irwan Rahadi currently working on 'Causal Modelling and Machine Learning for Official Statistics'. His grant portfolio includes significant funding from the Australian Research Council and various Cooperative Research Centres, totaling over $3.7 million since 2003. He teaches COMP9414 Artificial Intelligence and COMP9727 Recommender Systems at UNSW.
Nikos Giatrakos is an Assistant Professor at the School of Electronic & Computer Engineering, Technical University of Crete, and a core member of the Software Technology and Network Applications Lab (SoftNet) . His work bridges Big Data systems, IoT, and advanced analytics, with a focus on real-time processing and scalable architectures. Previously, he served as a postdoctoral researcher at the same laboratory. Education PhD in Computer Science, University of Piraeus (2012) Postgraduate Diploma in Information Systems, Athens University of Economics and Business (2008) BSc in Computer Science, University of Piraeus (2006) Research Focus : Nikos specializes in software architectures for Big Data streaming, including Distributed Big Data Processing , Federated Machine Learning , Cloud-to-Edge Data Management , and Approximate Query Processing . His work has also advanced Complex Event Processing and Outlier Detection in decentralized environments. Scientific Contributions : His research has led to the DAG* workflow optimizer for IoT, the SuBiTO framework for real-time neural learning, and the INFORE approach for cross-platform analytics. He received the Best System Demonstration Award at ACM CIKM 2020 for INforE. Academic Leadership : Nikos teaches Object-Oriented Programming, Data Science, and Distributed Systems. He has supervised numerous European and national grants as Principal Investigator and served on program committees for top-tier conferences like SIGMOD, VLDB, and DEBS.
Dr Catherine Kontz is a London-based composer and professor at the Royal College of Music, specializing in nonlinear forms, visual/spatial elements, and musical theatricality in contemporary composition. She serves as a Doctoral Supervisor and is currently an artist-in-residence at King's College London's Engineering Department. Born 1976 BMus (Hons), MMus, PhD from Goldsmiths Her research spans: Audio technology applications in composition Multimedia operatic productions Site-specific sound installations Interdisciplinary collaboration strategies Cultural synthesis in musical theatre Temporal experimentation in performance Her work has been performed by prestigious ensembles and artists including Solistes Européens Luxembourg, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, ensemble recherche, Exaudi, and Naomi Woo. Current projects include collaborative research with Professor Zoran Cvetkovic exploring audio technologies and human intelligence processes. Notable achievements: Shortlisted for Quattropole Music Prize Commissioned for European Capital of Culture program Doctoral research connecting Deleuzian theory with mime opera Regular Tête-à-Tête opera festival participant Director of multimedia opera productions Academic contributions include: Supervising doctoral composition students Developing interdisciplinary research projects Teaching contemporary composition techniques Creating large-scale collaborative works Advancing audio technology applications Mentoring emerging composers
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Holger Blume serves as Vice President for Research and Transfer at Leibniz University Hannover while maintaining his academic position as Professor in the Architectures and Systems Section within the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. He holds multiple leadership positions including Chairperson of the Research Commission and Central Ethics Committee, Executive Board member of eNIFE (Leibniz Research Initiative for Neurosciences), and membership in both the Laboratory of Nano and Quantum Engineering and L3S Research Centre. His research interests span computer architecture, hardware design, signal processing, AI accelerators, hearing aid technology, and biomedical engineering. His work bridges theoretical computer science with practical applications in automotive systems, medical devices, and quantum engineering. Professor Blume's research demonstrates strong interdisciplinary connections between electrical engineering, computer science, and biomedical applications, with particular emphasis on hardware-oriented solutions for real-world problems. Analysis of his recent publications (2023-2025) reveals a strong focus on hardware acceleration for AI and signal processing applications, particularly in automotive radar/LiDAR systems and hearing aid technology. His work shows consistent innovation in RISC-V processor design, specialized hardware for mathematical functions, and biomedical applications of engineering principles. The research demonstrates a clear trajectory toward energy-efficient, specialized computing architectures for specific application domains. As Vice President for Research and Transfer, Professor Blume oversees significant research initiatives at Leibniz University Hannover, which hosts multiple Clusters of Excellence including PhoenixD (Photonics, Optics, and Engineering), QuantumFrontiers, and Hearing4all. The university participates in numerous collaborative research centers and junior research groups funded by DFG, BMBF, and EU programs. Professor Blume is actively involved in multiple research facilities including the Laboratory of Nano and Quantum Engineering and the L3S Research Centre. His work connects with Leibniz University's research focuses on optical technologies, quantum optics and gravitational physics, and biomedical research and technology. His leadership positions indicate strong involvement in shaping the research strategy and ethical framework of the university's scientific endeavors.
Shuyin Jiao is an active Associate Teaching Professor in the Department of Computer Science at North Carolina State University's College of Engineering. She serves as course coordinator for CSC 111 Introduction to Computing: Python and teaches multiple core undergraduate courses including CSC 116 (Java) and CSC 246 (Operating Systems), with extensive teaching experience spanning over 9 years at both NC State and the College of William & Mary. Her educational background includes a Ph.D. from the University of Houston (2015), a Diplôme d'Ingénieur from Ecole Central de Lyon, France, and a B.S. from Beihang University, China. She previously held positions as Assistant Teaching Professor (2020-2025) and Lecturer at NCSU, and taught as Lecturer and Adjunct Lecturer at William & Mary from 2015-2020. Dr. Jiao's research focuses on computing education and program analysis, with particular emphasis on developing tools to enhance student learning in computer science. Her work explores pedagogical methods to address diverse learning styles in increasingly large CS classrooms and investigates code inefficiencies through memory profiling and performance analysis. She leads the CERES lab at NCSU and serves as Publications Co-Chair for SIGCSE TS 2026. Her publication record shows consistent output in top venues including SIGCSE, CGO, MobiCom, and ICSE, with recent work spanning from 2025 back to 2012. Her research trajectory demonstrates a clear evolution from materials science (early career) to software engineering and computer science education, with current work heavily focused on educational technology and program analysis tools. Dr. Jiao has secured significant funding including as PI for NSF Grant DUE-#2417469 (2024-2027), NCSU Data Science Academy Seed Grant (2023-2024) as Co-PI, and NCSU GEARS Grants (2023-2024) as PI. She also serves as Co-PI for NSF Grant OAC-#2411136 (2025-2028) focused on computer system research. She actively involves undergraduate students in research through COE REU and CSC 498/499 projects, recruiting at CSC Undergraduate Research Lightning Talks each semester. Her course redesign projects include enhancing operating systems education through multimedia and redesigning CSC 111 with DELTA funding to address challenges in large-class instruction.
Martin Odersky is a Full Professor at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in the School of Computer and Communication Sciences, where he heads the Programming Methods Laboratory (LAMP1). He maintains dual teaching appointments in the Systems and Software Engineering (SIN) and Software and Systems Engineering (SSC) sections. Education: Doctorate from ETH Zurich (1989) Odersky's research fundamentally explores the unification of object-oriented and functional programming paradigms. His work spans language design, type theory, compiler construction, and semantic foundations, driven by the thesis that these paradigms are complementary facets of a single computational model. This vision materialized in the Scala programming language, engineered for seamless Java/.NET interoperability while advancing type-safe abstractions for modern software development. His publication trajectory (1997-2005) reveals consistent innovation in bridging theoretical rigor with industrial applicability. Key themes include component-based modularity (Scalable Component Abstractions), dependent type systems for objects, and practical implementations of generics and functional constructs, all converging toward expressive yet safe programming models. Advising and Funding: Odersky has mentored 29 PhD students across his career, including 5 current candidates. His research sustains major funding from the Swiss National Science Foundation, European Commission, and Hasler Foundation, enabling foundational work in language design and implementation. Laboratory: He directs EPFL's Programming Methods Laboratory (LAMP), which drives Scala's evolution and investigates next-generation programming abstractions for concurrency, modularity, and type-driven development.
Nick Bassiliades is a Professor at the School of Informatics , Aristotle University of Thessaloniki , Greece. His academic roles include serving as President of the Digital Governance Committee and the Digital Transformation of Greek Universities Committee, as well as Director of the Web, Data, and Knowledge Engineering Sector. Education: B.Sc. in Physics, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (1991) M.Sc. in Applied Artificial Intelligence, University of Aberdeen (1992) Ph.D. in Parallel Knowledge Base Systems, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (1998) His research focuses on Semantic Web , Ontologies , Knowledge Graphs , and applications in Artificial Intelligence , eGovernment , and Intelligent Agents . Recent publications emphasize ontological frameworks for requirements engineering, explainable AI, and electric vehicle knowledge graphs. He actively contributes to scientific communities as a Senior Member of IEEE and ACM , and serves as Co-Editor-in-Chief for the International Journal of Artificial Intelligence in Business and Management . His work involves collaborations with the Intelligent Systems laboratory and projects like XR4DRAMA for disaster management.
Sotiris Christodoulou is an Associate Professor at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering within the College of Engineering at the University of Peloponnese. He also serves as a research associate at the 'Diofantos' Institute of Computer Technology and Publishing. His academic career spans multiple institutions where he has taught graduate and undergraduate courses across seven different universities since 2004. Dr. Christodoulou earned his B.A. in Computer Engineering and Informatics from the University of Patras in 1994 and completed his PhD in Web Engineering from the same institution in 2004. His educational background established the foundation for his extensive research career focused on web technologies and applications. His primary research interests include Web Engineering, Web Application Performance Optimization, Web Code Quality, Semantic Web technologies, Hypermedia Systems, and emerging Web 2.0 and Web 3.0 technologies. His work extends to Virtual Interactive Environments, 3D and Augmented Reality applications, and Spatial Hypertext systems. Christodoulou's research bridges theoretical web engineering principles with practical applications in cultural heritage, education, and urban infrastructure systems. His research output comprises over 45 publications in international journals, book chapters, and conferences, accumulating more than 450 citations. He has participated in over 23 European and National Research and Development Projects focused on web software technology, hypermedia applications, and 3D educational and cultural applications. Professional member of ACM Professional member of IEEE Member of organizing committees for over 15 international scientific conferences Reviewer for recognized international journals (ACM, IEEE, etc.) Christodoulou has extensive teaching experience across seven universities, specializing in programming languages, web software engineering, software quality, and data management. His research projects typically combine applied research with cutting-edge technology implementation for real-world problems in large organizational information systems. He maintains regular office hours at Building K, Office K2.02 at the University of Peloponnese, with appointments available on Mondays and Thursdays.
Oum El Kheir Aktouf is a Professor in Computer Science at Grenoble Institute of Technology (Esisar Engineering School) and a member of the LCIS laboratory, France. She previously served as a Visiting Professor at San José State University, USA, during a sabbatical leave. Education : Master and PhD in Computer Science from Grenoble Institute of Technology Her research focuses on dependability, safety, and security of embedded and interconnected systems, including sensor-based applications and multi-agent architectures. She employs runtime testing, diagnosis, and monitoring approaches. Her work spans mobile application testing, fault diagnosis in RFID and wireless sensor networks, and security frameworks for autonomous systems. Recent publications highlight trends in Android security benchmarking , decentralized cryptography , and multi-agent resilience . She has participated in 12 funded national and international research projects and supervised courses in operating systems, real-time systems, distributed computing, and system dependability.
Douglas G Down is a Professor in the Department of Computing and Software at McMaster University . He leads the Resource Allocation and Stochastic Systems Lab (RASSL) and serves as co-PI of the Computing Infrastructure Research Centre (CIRC) . Education: Ph.D., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign His research focuses on stochastic modelling , scheduling , and performance evaluation of computer systems, with recent work on intelligent control of data centers , thermal-aware workload management , and data-driven resource allocation for healthcare systems. Publications span queueing theory , energy-aware scheduling , and machine learning applications in logistics. Recent scholarly trends include deep learning for pandemics (2023-2025), stochastic optimization of cooling systems (2024), and hybrid models combining queueing theory with AI (2023). He has pioneered frameworks like MGST for scheduling in heterogeneous grids and contributed to cache locality improvements in Hadoop systems. Scientific Awards: Nominated for Best Paper at MASCOTS 2013
Alessandro (Alex) Orso is the Dean and Professor at the University of Georgia College of Engineering , starting in 2025. Previously, he spent 25 years at Georgia Institute of Technology , where he served as a Professor in the College of Computing , Director of the Scientific Software Engineering Center , and Associate Dean for Off-Campus and Special Initiatives . Education: Ph.D. in Computer Science – Politecnico di Milano, Italy M.S. in Electrical Engineering – Politecnico di Milano, Italy B.S. in Electrical Engineering – Politecnico di Milano, Italy Research Focus: Alex Orso is a leading expert in software engineering , with a focus on software testing , program analysis , and debugging . His work aims to improve software reliability, security, and trustworthiness , and has been validated on real-world systems. He has led initiatives to integrate AI and large language models into testing workflows, particularly for REST APIs and mobile applications . Scientific Recognition: Distinguished Member of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) ISSTA Impact Paper Award (2021) Research Funding & Leadership: Orso has secured major funding from Google, IBM, Microsoft , and government agencies. In 2021, he led the acquisition of $11 million from Schmidt Futures to establish the Scientific Software Engineering Center at Georgia Tech, where he served as inaugural director. Teaching & Innovation: He was an early advocate of Georgia Tech’s Online Master of Science in Computer Science (OMSCS) and has taught a virtual software engineering course since its launch in 2014.
Johanna Ullrich is a Professor at the University of Vienna's Faculty of Computer Science and a Key Researcher at SBA Research in Vienna. She leads the Research Group Communication Technologies and serves as Head of the Networks and Critical Infrastructures Security Group at SBA Research. Her academic journey includes positions as Principal Investigator & Manager of Third Party Funded Projects at the University of Vienna and Post-Doctoral Researcher at the Christian Doppler Laboratory for Security and Quality Improvement in the Production System Lifecycle. Her educational background includes a PhD sub auspiciis praesidentis in Computer Science from TU Wien (2013-2016), an MSc in Automation Engineering from TU Wien (2010-2013), and a BSc in Electrical Engineering from TU Wien (2007-2010). She also holds a Venia Docendi for Computer Engineering from the University of Vienna. Ullrich's research focuses on the intersection of computer science and classical engineering, with particular emphasis on network security, IPv6 measurement experiments, and critical infrastructure protection. Her groundbreaking work demonstrated vulnerabilities in the IPv6 Privacy Extension that led to modifications in major client operating systems, protecting millions of users. She is renowned for her research on cyber-physical attacks against power grids, showing how coordinated load attacks can destabilize electrical infrastructure. Her work spans both theoretical security frameworks and practical implementations with significant real-world impact. Her publication record reveals a consistent trajectory from fundamental network security research toward increasingly complex interdisciplinary investigations at the boundary of computer science and physical infrastructure. Recent work emphasizes AI/ML applications for network security, power grid resilience, and socio-technical approaches to cybersecurity. Her research demonstrates a progression from protocol-level security (IPv6) to system-level security (cloud, IoT) and now to infrastructure-level security (power grids, critical national infrastructure). 2nd in the Faculty of Computer Science's Best-of-the-Best Ranking 2024 Category Third Party Funding Nomination for the Hedy Lamarr Prize 2019 and 2020 Scholarship of Excellence 2018 Research Prize of the Dr. Maria Schaumayer Foundation 2018 Promotio Sub Auspiciis Praesidentis 2017 Diploma Thesis Award of the City of Vienna 2013 Ullrich actively contributes to the academic community through extensive grant acquisition and service. She has secured numerous research projects including SPyCoDe (Semantic and Cryptographic Foundations of Security and Privacy by Compositional Design), DynAISEC (Adaptive AI/ML for Dynamic Cybersecurity Systems), and Q-Crit (Quantum-Safe Critical Infrastructure for Austria). Her leadership extends to committee roles including Program Committee Member of IEEE Symposium on Security and Privacy (S&P) 2024 and Technical Program Chair of Network Traffic Measurement and Analysis Conference (TMA) 2023. At SBA Research, she leads the Networks and Critical Infrastructures Security Group, which investigates security challenges at the intersection of digital networks and physical infrastructure. The group conducts both theoretical research on security frameworks and practical measurements of real-world systems. Their work combines network measurement techniques with power systems engineering to develop comprehensive security approaches for critical infrastructure.
Morteza Zihayat is an Associate Professor and Canada Research Chair (Tier 2) in Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence at Toronto Metropolitan University. He holds dual appointments in the Faculty of Engineering and Architectural Science (Department of Electrical, Computer, and Biomedical Engineering) and the Ted Rogers School of Management. Additionally, he serves as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Waterloo in Management Sciences and is a Faculty Fellow at IBM's Centre for Advanced Studies. Dr. Zihayat's educational background includes: PhD in Computer Science from York University (2016) MSc in Computer Engineering from University of Tehran (2011) Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at University of Toronto's Faculty of Information (2017) His research lies at the intersection of AI, security, and society with a focus on building fair and transparent AI systems. Dr. Zihayat's expertise spans human-centered AI, fair information retrieval systems, and blockchain-enabled AI infrastructures. His work emphasizes creating AI systems that are accountable and designed to serve the public good, with applications in healthcare, digital media, and social networks. Dr. Zihayat has received numerous accolades including the Canada Research Chair (Tier 2) in Human-Centered AI (2024), Dean's Outstanding Scholarly, Research, and Creative Activity Award (2023), Best Short Paper Award at ECIR (2023), and IBM CAS Faculty Fellowship (2021). His research has attracted over $1.7 million in external funding from agencies such as NSERC, Mitacs, and multiple industry partners including Toronto Transit Commission, The Globe and Mail, AT&T, and IBM. Dr. Zihayat serves as Associate Editor of the Computational Intelligence Journal and is an active reviewer for top-tier venues. He is also Co-director and Co-founder of the Digital Enterprise Analytics and Leadership (DEAL) Research Center.
Siegmar Sommer is a Researcher at the Humboldt University of Berlin , affiliated with the Institute of Computer Science under the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences . He has worked at the university since 1986 in various technical and scientific roles. Dipl.-Ing. in Computer Engineering (1982) Dr.-Ing. in Computer Science (1986) Postgraduate studies in Higher Education (1990) His research focuses on networking , distributed systems , and network security , with historical contributions to optical information transmission , LAN protocols , and security-relevant systems . His work bridges hardware-software co-design and educational theory in technical disciplines. The 1980s-1990s articles highlight expertise in LAN architecture, optical communication, and security frameworks. Keywords span Networking , Operating Systems , and Education , with subfields like Fiber Optic Networks , CSMA/CD Protocols , and Higher Education Curriculum . He contributed to the Computer Engineering Group and holds a patent for " Bus Access Method for a Local Computer Network " (1986). His teaching legacy includes courses on programming languages (BASIC, PASCAL, PEARL), computer graphics, and modern topics like Wireless Communication Systems and Reliable Distributed Systems . Contact: Email: sommer@informatik.hu-berlin.de Phone: +49 30 2093-41256 Office: Room IV.303, Rudower Chaussee 25, Berlin-Adlershof
