Tom A.E. Oomen is a Full Professor in the Department of Control Systems Technology at the Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e). He holds affiliations with the Mechanical Engineering School and the EAISI High Tech Systems institute. His research focuses on data-driven control, motion control of mechatronic systems, and system identification, with applications in industries like automotive, medical, and energy systems. Academically, he earned his MSc and PhD from TU/e, and held visiting positions at KTH (Sweden) and the University of Newcastle (Australia). He has received notable grants (NWO Veni/Vidi) and awards, including IEEE and Mechatronics Paper Prize recognition. Oomen is a Senior Member of the IEEE and serves as an Associate Editor for IFAC Mechatronics and IEEE Control Systems Letters. His work bridges fundamental research and industry collaboration, emphasizing advanced motion control and learning algorithms. Projects include PROACTHIS (projection-based control) and ML4CONTROL (AI-driven motion control). He has supervised 99+ works and contributed to over 500 research outputs.
Ron H.J. Peerlings is Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) , where he leads the Mechanics of Materials research group. Promoted to Associate Professor in 2007 after joining as Assistant Professor in 2000, he has built an extensive portfolio in theoretical and computational mechanics of materials. Education: PhD (1999) – Eindhoven University of Technology, thesis: Enhanced damage modelling for fracture and fatigue Post-doctoral research (1999–2000) – University of Cambridge, Engineering Department Research interests revolve around micromechanics , micro-plasticity , multiscale modelling , homogenisation , damage and fracture , and enriched continuum theories . His work spans advanced high-strength steels, composites, paper and fibrous networks, with strong emphasis on coupling rigorous theoretical developments to industrially motivated problems. His recent publications (2023-2025) demonstrate a clear trajectory towards integrating advanced experimental techniques (e.g., digital image correlation, micro-mechanical testing) with high-fidelity computational frameworks such as crystal-plasticity finite-element modelling, FFT-based solvers and micromorphic homogenisation. Dominant themes include: Deformation and fracture in lath martensite and dual-phase steels Hygro-mechanics of paper and fibrous networks Pattern-transforming mechanical metamaterials Discrete-to-continuum scale bridging methods Scientific awards are not explicitly listed in the provided material; however, his prolific output (294 research items, >6500 citations) attests to significant peer recognition. Teaching & supervision: He delivers courses on Computational Mechanics – Numerical Methods for Fluids and Solids and Fracture Mechanics – Theory and Application , and has supervised >80 student works and numerous PhD candidates whose names appear on joint publications. Laboratory & teams: He heads the Group Peerlings within the Mechanics of Materials cluster, maintaining close collaboration with the Mechanics of Materials Group Geers and extensive national/international experimental and computational networks.
Jacky Bourgeois is an Assistant Professor of Data-Centric Design at Delft University of Technology's Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering (IDE), leading the Data-Centric Delft Design Lab. His work bridges Human-Computer Interaction, Data Science, and Participatory Design, focusing on methods like data donation to empower collaborative data exploration. He holds a computer science background, previously researching ubiquitous technologies for domestic energy practices of 'energy farmers' (solar households). Key projects include the PROMISE study on patient-led oncological care and the Data Donation initiative promoting ethical data practices. Education: Background in Computer Science; academic focus on sustainable design engineering and IoT. Teaching includes courses like 'Data-Centric Design for...' (2024) and 'Digital Product Development' (2023). Research Interests: Data as subjective inquiry material, data intimacy, data commons, and human-data interaction in home contexts. Notable contributions include PAIRcolator for collaborative data reflection and Tangi for 360° video insights. Awards include Best Paper at CHI 2025 and DIS '24 Best Paper. Grants & Collaborations: NWO-funded research on hospital sounds (2024), IoT Rapid Proto Labs for industry-academia partnerships, and ancillary role as a scientific employee at The Open University (2025–2027). Labs & Teams: Director of the Data-Centric Delft Design Lab; collaborates with the HCI Data & Design SIG. Current projects address ethical frameworks for data donation and patient-centered healthcare systems.
Javier Alonso-Mora is a Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Delft University of Technology, specializing in Learning & Autonomous Control. His research focuses on autonomous systems, robotics, motion planning, and transportation logistics, with applications in mobile manipulation, dynamic environments, and urban mobility. He leads key projects such as INTERACT (Intuitive Interaction for Robots among Humans) and ACT (Perceptive Acting Under Uncertainty), exploring human-robot interaction, autonomous vehicles, and healthcare robotics. Notable achievements include an ERC Starting Grant (2022) and a Veni Grant (2017). His work addresses challenges in robot navigation, control systems, and fleet optimization, with contributions to both theoretical advancements and practical implementations. Projects like TRiLOGy focus on sustainable water transportation, while HARMONY advances assistive robotics in healthcare. Alonso-Mora’s research leverages geometric fabrics for motion planning, probabilistic modeling for dynamic environments, and multi-agent coordination. He collaborates internationally and contributes to open-source frameworks for robotics. His recent publications emphasize safety-aware control, instance-aware semantic mapping, and adaptive systems for cluttered environments.
Phuong H. Nguyen is an Associate Professor at the Department of Electrical Engineering at Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e). He leads the digital Power & Energy Systems (digi-PES) lab, focusing on smart energy systems, distributed control, and IoT integration for future energy grids. His research addresses energy transition challenges, including microgrid optimization, flexibility markets, and data-driven grid management. Nguyen holds a PhD from TU/e (2010) and has held visiting researcher positions at Clemson University. His work contributes to UN SDG goals related to affordable and clean energy. Education: Bachelor's in Electrical Engineering, Hanoi University of Science and Technology (2002) Master's in Electrical Engineering, Asian Institute of Technology (2004) PhD in Electrical Engineering, TU/e (2010) Key Research Areas: Smart Grids and Cyber-Physical Systems Distributed Energy Resource Management Local Energy Markets and Flexibility Provision IoT and Big Data in Energy Systems Awards & Recognition: Best Paper Award SEST 2020 Projects & Grants: REACT-D: Reactive Power Management (Project Manager) Al-driven Applications to Smarten Power System Operation (Project Lead) UNIversity Campus as a Self-Regulated Network (Co-Manager) Labs & Teams: The digi-PES lab develops cyber-physical tools for energy transition, including microgrid simulations, flexibility markets, and grid resilience strategies.
Prof. Dr. Pinar Yolum Birbil is a leading researcher in Responsible AI at the Faculty of Science , Utrecht University . Her work bridges Artificial Intelligence , Privacy and Data Protection , and Software Agents , focusing on Human-Centered AI and Trustworthy Systems . She is part of the AI & Data Science and Responsible AI research groups. PhD in Computer Science, North Carolina State University (2003) MS in Computer Science, North Carolina State University (2000) BSc in Computer Engineering, Marmara University (1998) Her research explores Privacy Preservation in collaborative systems, Computational Theory of Mind for human-agent coordination, and Norm-Based AI Systems . Recent projects include the Hybrid Intelligence Center and tools like PANOLA for privacy support. She investigates how AI can balance user autonomy , ethical norms , and societal values in applications ranging from urban planning to healthcare. Her scientific publications (2023-2025) span topics like Explainable Privacy , Trust in Hybrid Teams , and AI for Diabetes Management , appearing in venues such as JAIR , AAMAS , and ACM TOIT . She emphasizes collaborative AI , with contributions to multiagent simulations and privacy-preserving mechanisms . Scientific Awards : NC State University Alumni Hall of Fame (2017) Woman Entrepreneur of the Year (Microsoft Turkey & KAGIDER, 2017) Bogazici University Academic Encouragement Award (multiple years) Best Paper Award at ESAW 2009 She supervises a dynamic research group with PhD students working on Hybrid Intelligence , Computational Ethics , and Privacy Modeling . Her projects often involve interdisciplinary collaboration with institutions like TNO and the Transforming Cities Hub .
Dr. Jeewanie Jayasinghe Arachchige is a Lecturer in the Department of Computer Science at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Faculty of Science. She teaches undergraduate courses including Bachelor Project Computer Science, Professional Development, and Software Engineering Processes for the academic year 2024–2025. Her research focuses on process mining , healthcare informatics , and data security . She applies process mining to analyze healthcare pathways and subpopulation treatment variations, develops explainable AI frameworks for predictive analytics, and examines data governance in emerging architectures like Data Lakehouses. Her work intersects legal informatics, particularly formalizing Sri Lankan civil court processes using ontology engineering. Recent publications highlight trends in balancing simplicity and complexity in process modeling, Industry 4.0 healthcare applications, and cybersecurity in model-driven web development. She has contributed to over 20 peer-reviewed articles since 2006, spanning topics from service-oriented architectures to value network analysis. Her teaching and research emphasize practical applications of IT in healthcare, legal systems, and enterprise environments. No ancillary activities are currently recorded.
Prof. dr. Steven Hoekstra is an Associate Professor of Atomic and Molecular Physics at the University of Groningen's Faculty of Science and Engineering, within the Van Swinderen Institute. His research focuses on precision measurements using cold molecules to explore fundamental physics, including Stark deceleration, laser cooling, and searches for physics beyond the Standard Model. He leads the NL-eEDM program at Nikhef, investigating the electron's electric dipole moment. Hoekstra is also involved in educational innovation, having received the Teacher of the Year award (2020) and a Senior Teacher Qualification (2023). He has supervised over 11 PhD theses and currently mentors 5 students. His work combines experimental techniques with theoretical insights, addressing questions like symmetry violations and quantum dynamics. Key projects include manipulating BaF molecules with electrostatic fields and exploring levitated nanoparticles as sensors. Hoekstra has secured major grants, including NWO VICI (2022) and VIDI (2013), and collaborates internationally on projects like the European Strategy for particle physics. Recent articles highlight advancements in molecular beam control, spin-precession methods for EDM searches, and opportunities in radioactive molecules. He actively participates in the Physics Olympiad Netherlands as chair, contributing to science outreach and education.
Mohammad Aliannejadi is an Assistant Professor at the IRLab (formerly ILPS) within the Informatics Institute at the University of Amsterdam. His research focuses on Information Retrieval (IR), machine learning, natural language processing (NLP), and conversational systems, particularly in modeling user information needs on mobile devices and conversational search systems. He holds a Ph.D. in Informatics from Università della Svizzera italiana (USI), Lugano, Switzerland, and a M.Sc. in Computer Engineering from Tehran Polytechnic. During his Ph.D., he visited the CIIR Lab at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, USA. His research interests include conversational search systems, recommender systems, unified search frameworks, and user-centric evaluation methodologies. Notable contributions include work on clarifying questions in open-domain dialogues, contextual suggestion systems, and cross-market recommendation. Aliannejadi has organized major shared tasks and workshops, including the IGLU Contest (NeurIPS 2021) and XMRec Workshop (RecSys 2021). He serves on program committees of top IR conferences like SIGIR, CIKM, and ECIR, and has authored over 50 peer-reviewed publications in these areas. His work has received recognition, including top performance in TREC Contextual Suggestion tracks (2015, 2016). He actively contributes to the IR community through teaching, including courses on Information Retrieval and Human-in-the-Loop Machine Learning at the University of Amsterdam.
Dr. Jarno Hoekman is an Associate Professor in Innovation Studies at the Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development, Utrecht University. His research focuses on the dynamics and governance of science in the context of innovation, regulation, and societal challenges, with particular emphasis on sustainability and health. He is affiliated with both the Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development and the Utrecht collaborating Centre for Pharmaceutical Policy & Regulation in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences. Dr. Hoekman serves as the programme leader of the research master in Innovation Sciences and teaches academic integrity courses to Master students and PhD candidates. Dr. Hoekman's research is organized around three interconnected themes: Science in transition , examining how scientific practices and institutional arrangements are evolving through open science, interdisciplinary research collaborations, and alternative recognition systems; Regulatory science and innovation , investigating innovations in tools and standards for assessing risks and benefits of new technologies, including safety assessment methods and regulatory authorization standards; and Geography of science , exploring the role of location factors in scientific knowledge production and diffusion. Analysis of Dr. Hoekman's recent publications (2022-2024) reveals a strong interdisciplinary focus spanning pharmacology, toxicology, innovation studies, and science policy. Key research trends include examining conditional marketing authorization pathways, post-approval studies for conditionally authorized medicines, animal-free safety testing methodologies, and the societal impact of transdisciplinary research projects. His work frequently employs mixed-methods approaches and involves multi-stakeholder perspectives to address complex regulatory and innovation challenges. Dr. Hoekman actively contributes to policy-relevant research, including major European Commission studies on pharmaceutical legislation. His collaborative work extends across multiple institutions and involves interdisciplinary teams working on pharmaceutical policy, sustainable innovation, and science-society interactions. As a member of the Utrecht Young Academy and the UU Open Science Platform, he engages with broader academic community initiatives related to research integrity and open science practices.
Massimo Mischi is a Full Professor at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering of the Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) and chairs the Signal Processing Systems (SPS) Division , the largest division at TU/e with over 250 researchers. He founded the Biomedical Diagnostics (BM/d) Lab in 2012, which now includes 180 researchers and clinical/industrial advisors, focusing on biomedical signal processing for diagnostics and monitoring.
Hugo de Boer is a Professor at the Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development , Faculty of Geosciences, Utrecht University. He serves as scientific lead for the Delta Climate Center in Vlissingen and coordinates MSc programs in Water Science and Management and Water Management for Climate Adaptation . His research explores climate-ecosystem interactions, focusing on plant ecophysiology, ecosystem dynamics, and nature-inclusive climate adaptation in deltas. Research Themes: Future Deltas, Pathways to Sustainability, Integrative Bioinformatics Projects: LEMONTREE, CloudRoots, 'From losers to winners' (ancient plant lineages under elevated CO2) Teaching Expertise: System thinking for sustainability, quantitative statistics, plant ecophysiology Research Trends emphasize interdisciplinary approaches to climate change impacts on ecosystems, with publications spanning plant-cloud processes, CO2 acclimation, and eco-evolutionary optimality models. His work bridges biogeochemistry, land-atmosphere interactions, and sustainable development frameworks. Projects & Collaborations include experimental studies on ancient plant lineages (Equisetum) and integrative field campaigns in Amazon and temperate forests. He contributes to modeling climate-vegetation feedbacks, pesticide emission scenarios, and social-ecological system transitions.
Dr. Li Shen is an Associate Professor at the Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development , Utrecht University since 2015. She holds the Energy & Resources group and has been active in sustainability assessment of materials and energy systems since completing her PhD in 2011. Education: BEng (Mechanical Engineering, cum laude 1999, Shanghai) MSc (Sustainable Development, track Energy and Resources 2006, Utrecht University) PhD (2011, Utrecht University, thesis: Bio-based and Recycled Polymers for Cleaner Production – an Assessment of Plastics and Fibres ) Research Interests: Dr. Shen specializes in Life Cycle Assessment and Technological Sustainability Evaluation of Bio-based Plastics , Plastics Recycling , Waste Management , and Nanomaterials . Her work bridges Environmental Science , Chemical Engineering , and Sustainable Development through rigorous system analysis. Scientific Publications: Leading expert in Circular Economy applications for plastics Developed Ex-ante LCA frameworks for emerging materials Key contributor to PEF Bio-based Bottle sustainability analysis Active in Telescope Energy Systems sustainability Published in Nature Communications , Science of the Total Environment , and Journal of Cleaner Production Teaching: Responsible instructor for Advanced Energy Analysis in the Master Energy Science program. Also teaches Life Cycle Assessment and Sustainable Resources Use in the Global Sustainability Science bachelor program. Supervises numerous master thesis projects from Energy Science (ES), Sustainable Development (SD-EM), and Science for Energy Innovation (SBI) programs.
Pim de Vink is a doctoral researcher at Eindhoven University of Technology , affiliated with the Biomedical Engineering department and Chemical Biology group. Supervised by dr. L.-G. Milroy and prof. L. Brunsveld , his work bridges supramolecular chemistry and chemical biology , focusing on host/guest chemistry for protein complex modulation. Education: B.Sc. in Chemistry (2014) from University of Amsterdam M.Sc. in Biomedical Engineering (2016) from TU/e Internship at Max Planck Institute for Molecular Physiology (2016) on gold-catalyzed synthesis Research Themes: His research develops switchable cucurbituril-based systems for light-controlled enzyme activation and artificial signaling networks. Key areas include protein-protein interaction stabilization , thermodynamic modeling , and allosteric nuclear receptor modulation . Publication Trends: Across JACS , Chemical Science , and RSC Chemical Biology , his work from 2017–2023 emphasizes supramolecular tools for biochemical applications. Notable contributions include 100-fold affinity enhancement of 14-3-3 ligands and UV-responsive cucurbituril release mechanisms . Grants: Funded by Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) through Gravity program 024.001.035 and VICI grant 016.150.366.
Thomas Bäck is a Professor at the Leiden Institute of Advanced Computer Science (LIACS) , Leiden University , Netherlands, and a member of the interdisciplinary programme Society, Artificial Intelligence and Life Sciences (SAILS) . His academic career spans roles at Leiden University (1996–present) and leadership positions at the Center for Applied Systems Analysis in Dortmund (1994–2000). Education : Diplom-Informatiker (Computer Science), Technische Universität Dortmund (1990) Dr. rer. nat. (Computer Science), Technische Universität Dortmund (1994) Research Interests : Dr. Bäck specializes in evolutionary computation , machine learning , and their applications in sustainable smart industry and healthcare . Recent work focuses on integrating large language models (LLMs) and quantum computing into optimization frameworks, with projects like CIMPLO (predictive maintenance), ECOLE (experience-based optimization), and SAPPAO (airline operations optimization). Scientific Contributions : His 526+ publications cover evolutionary algorithms, quantum optimization, and LLM-driven design, with recent trends including: Quantum computing (e.g., quantum approximate optimization, quantum advantage challenges) LLM integration (e.g., hyperparameter tuning, mutation control, code evolution graphs) Healthcare and industry (e.g., predictive maintenance, anomaly detection, melt quality prediction) Algorithm benchmarking (e.g., IOHprofiler, MA-BBOB, explainable benchmarking) Scientific Awards : IEEE Fellow (2022) Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) member (2021) Academia Europaea member (2022) IEEE Computational Intelligence Society Evolutionary Computation Pioneer Award (2015) Fellow, International Society of Genetic and Evolutionary Computation (2003) Best Ph.D. thesis award, German Society of Computer Science (GI) (1995) Advising and Grants : He supervises Ph.D. candidates in evolutionary computation and machine learning and has secured 7 major grants from organizations like the Dutch Research Council , European Commission , and The Research Council of Norway . His editorial roles include Editor-in-Chief of the Evolutionary Computation Journal and associate editorships in leading AI journals.
