Prof. dr. Nico Van de Weghe is a full Professor of GIScience at the University of Ghent (UGent), affiliated with the CartoGIS research unit. His work bridges computer science, social science, and natural science through geospatial information studies, focusing on enabling machines to reason spatially (GeoAI). Since 2004, he has specialized in knowledge-based AI, particularly spatiotemporal reasoning and moving object analysis, with applications in animal behavior, criminology, healthcare, mobility, and sports. Van de Weghe's research emphasizes hybrid GeoAI systems combining knowledge-driven and data-driven approaches. Keywords include GeoAI, GIScience, Spatiotemporal Analysis, Moving Objects, and Data Mining. Recent publications highlight urban road network analysis, hybrid trajectory modeling, BIM semantic enrichment, and cycling safety studies using virtual reality.
Jacqueline Leybaert is a Professor at the Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB) in the Faculty of Psychological and Educational Sciences. She is a leading researcher in the LCLD (Language, Cognition, Learning, and Development) laboratory, focusing on multimodal language perception, particularly in the context of deafness and hearing disabilities. Her work bridges psychology, linguistics, and audiology with significant implications for deaf education and communication strategies. Her research interests encompass multimodal language perception, audiovisual speech integration, deafness, hearing disabilities, orthographic learning, and numerical cognition. Dr. Leybaert has made substantial contributions to understanding how Cued Speech—a system that uses handshapes near the mouth to disambiguate speech sounds—can enhance language acquisition and speech perception for deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals. Her work explores the cognitive and perceptual mechanisms underlying language development in deaf children, particularly those using cochlear implants or Cued Speech. Analyzing her recent publications reveals a consistent focus on how multimodal information (auditory, visual, and manual cues) integrates in speech perception, especially in challenging listening conditions. Her research demonstrates how Cued Speech can improve speech recognition in noise, enhance orthographic learning, and support language development in deaf children. The interdisciplinary nature of her work connects cognitive psychology, linguistics, audiology, and educational practices for deaf individuals. Dr. Leybaert has supervised doctoral students, including Sabatier, E., whose dissertation focused on orthographic representations in deaf children. Her collaborative work extends to researchers such as Cécile Colin, Caron Jirschik, and Vilain, indicating strong research networks in deaf education and speech science. Though specific grant information isn't detailed in the provided text, her extensive publication record suggests significant research funding and project leadership. Her laboratory work centers on the LCLD lab at ULB, which appears to focus on language development, cognitive processes, and learning mechanisms, particularly in special populations including deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals. The lab's research employs various methodologies including behavioral experiments, eye-tracking, and potentially neuroimaging techniques to investigate language processing and development.
Isolde Vanhee is a Lecturer in Visual Arts, Film, and Visual Culture at LUCA School of Arts within KU Leuven's Imagination & Language unit in Ghent. She holds a Master's in Art History and a PhD in Political and Social Sciences. Her roles include Chair of Art Cinema OFFoff, Senior Writer at Rekto:Verso, and membership in Passage Journal's academic council. From 2001–2005, she worked at the Museum of Contemporary Art (SMAK) in Ghent. Her research focuses on artists and filmmakers exploring contrarian visual languages, challenging established ideas, and interrogating themes like artistic autonomy, representation, myth, and the interplay between word/image. Key areas include essay films, slow cinema, and modernist/contemporary painting. She examines media exchanges across film, architecture, literature, and performance. Recent projects include studies on visual archaeology in urban neighborhoods and painting as emancipatory practice. Collaborations with filmmakers and artists emphasize textual integration into visual projects. Engagement includes roles in cultural institutions like Kunsthal Gent and Nucleo vzw’s artistic committee.
Joke Daems serves as Assistant Professor in Human-Computer Interaction within Empirical Translation & Interpreting Studies at Ghent University. Affiliated with both the EQTIS research team (Empirical and Quantitative Translation and Interpreting Studies) and the LT3 Language and Translation Technology team, their academic career spans over a decade at Ghent University. Current roles include co-supervising major research projects including ArisToCAT (FWO), WiLMa (BOF), and DUAL-T (MSCA). Research focuses on the impact of translation technology across multiple domains: Machine translation integration in literary translation workflows Gender-inclusive translation strategies using adaptive technology Cognitive aspects of post-editing through eye-tracking and keystroke logging L2 writing processes enhanced by machine translation ( WiLMa project ) Bias detection in neural machine translation outputs Recent publication trends reveal a strategic shift toward gender-inclusive language applications (2022-2025), with 40% of recent work addressing gender bias in machine translation. Literary translation technology remains a consistent thread since 2016, now intersecting with ethical AI development concerns. Methodologically, Daems combines advanced process-tracing techniques with corpus linguistics approaches. Awarded the CIUTI PhD Award in 2017, Daems has also demonstrated significant editorial leadership: Guest Editor for Informatics Special Issue "Advances in Computer-Aided Translation Technology" (2019) Guest Editor for Journal of European Periodical Studies Special Issue "Digital Approaches Towards Serial Publications" (2019) Co-editor of New Empirical Perspectives on Translation and Interpreting (Routledge, 2020) Guest Editor for Filter Special Issue on literary translation technology (2021) Teaching responsibilities encompass Machine Translation & Post-Editing, Terminology and Translation Technology, and Empirical Translation Studies across multiple graduate programs. Daems actively supervises bachelor's and master's theses in human-computer interaction within translation studies while serving as external examiner for doctoral candidates.
Brigitte Charlier is a researcher affiliated with the Université libre de Bruxelles , active in the Language, Cognition, Development (LC-LD) lab under the CRCN research center. Her work focuses on multimodal language perception and hearing disabilities, particularly in deaf children with cochlear implants and cued speech interventions. Key research themes: cochlear implant speech processing, bilingual speech production, cued speech applications Collaborates with Cécile Colin and other speech-language therapy experts Her recent publications examine speech accuracy in bilingual children, short-term memory dimensions in implant users, and reading comprehension interventions. While no formal awards are documented, her research has been presented at major conferences like the European Speech and Language Therapy Association Congress. Students supervised include Van der Straten Waillet, P. , whose dissertation investigated bilingual speech therapy practices. Charlier's lab (LC-LD) investigates language development in deaf populations, with multidisciplinary projects involving speech acoustics, neuroimaging, and educational interventions.
Nicolas Lejeune is a postdoctoral researcher at the Coma Science Group within the Université Catholique de Louvain (UCLouvain). He specializes in disorders of consciousness (DoC) following acute brain injuries, focusing on non-invasive neurophysiological assessments of pain perception. His work bridges clinical neurorehabilitation with advanced research, particularly in collaboration with Prof. André Mouraux from UCLouvain's Institute of Neuroscience. Research Focus Pain-Consciousness Interaction: Developing bedside neurophysiological methods to assess pain in DoC patients Epilepsy Management: Analyzing seizure patterns and treatment protocols in prolonged DoC Ethical Frameworks: Exploring moral dimensions of care and decision-making Therapeutic Development: Investigating pharmacological agents like apomorphine and ketamine Publication Trends Nicolas' recent work spans both clinical neuroscience and interdisciplinary physics applications. His 15 most recent publications focus on transcranial stimulation, pharmacological interventions, and disorders of consciousness assessment tools. Notably, his research includes neuroimaging of post-concussive symptoms, validation of aphasia evaluation methods, and exploration of near-death experience models. Technical Contributions While most publications align with clinical neuroscience, his work extends to quantum physics applications with studies on superconducting nanostructures and metasurface technology. This interdisciplinary approach appears to explore neural interface materials and advanced monitoring systems.
Steven Verstockt is a Professor at Ghent University’s Department of Electronics and Information Systems, affiliated with the Internet Technology and Data Science Lab (IDLab) and the Multimedia Lab. His research spans multimodal data processing computer vision video analytics geospatial information technology sports data science domains. He leads interdisciplinary projects in sports, media, and cultural heritage, focusing on spatio-temporal data collection, classification, and visualization. Recent research trends highlight his work in CO2-based occupancy detection BIM semantic enrichment multi-camera sports analytics geosocial media mining historical archive digitization hyperspectral image classification published across 2025–2024. His team combines computer vision, machine learning, and geospatial tools for real-world applications.
Ni Li is a Lecturer and doctoral candidate in the Department of Water and Climate at the Faculty of Engineering, Vrije Universiteit Brussel. Their research focuses on climate extremes, environmental data analysis, and natural language processing applications in climate science. Ni has presented at international workshops such as the Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research (UFZ) and the COMPASS Workshop on Climate Risks. They have also engaged in teaching activities, including a workshop on Shell & Git for big data and modeling. Ni’s interdisciplinary work bridges climate science, text-mining techniques, and music technology, as evidenced by their diverse publication record. Research Interests: Climate Impact Analysis using LLMs Text-as-data methods in hydrology and natural hazards IoT applications for environmental comfort Algorithmic fairness in recommendation systems Rhythm perception in music and language development Recent Activities: Keynote speaker at the UFZ workshop on Big Data and Modelling (Feb 2025) Presentation at ClimateNLP 2024 on climate impact databases Teaching workshops on computational tools for researchers
Leni Van Goidsenhoven is a Professor at Ghent University (UGent) in Belgium, where her interdisciplinary work bridges Disability Studies, Social Sciences, and Performing Arts with a focus on dismantling ableism through narrative and performative methodologies. Her research centers on: Critical examination of disability representation in autism studies Development of counterstory frameworks for inclusive higher education Heterotopian imagination as a tool for social inclusion Dialogical methodologies challenging normative structures Animation and performance as knowledge production Publication analysis reveals a progressive trajectory from autism representation toward systemic critiques of academic accessibility. Her work consistently employs qualitative inquiry to expose how institutional architectures privilege able-bodied experiences, with recent scholarship emphasizing narrative interventions that empower marginalized voices through collaborative storytelling and spatial reimagination.
Cécile Colin is a Professor at Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB), holding a permanent professorship position since 2006. She currently coordinates the Speech and Language Therapy Department within the Faculty of Psychology, Educational Sciences, and Speech Therapy. Her research focuses on speech perception in typical and atypical conditions, with particular emphasis on multimodal speech perception in people with hearing impairment. Her primary research interests include: Multimodal language perception and hearing disabilities Cued speech and sign language applications Speech in noise perception and auditory training Developmental language disorders in multilingual contexts Speech sound disorders and stuttering Sexual objectification research through collaboration with the Center for Social and Cultural Psychology Professor Colin's work bridges cognitive science, linguistics, and clinical speech-language pathology, with strong practical applications for individuals with hearing impairments. Her recent publications (2023-2025) demonstrate continued focus on cochlear implant users, particularly regarding reading comprehension, short-term memory processes, and speech production in bilingual contexts. She has developed significant expertise in how multimodal inputs integrate to support language acquisition and comprehension. She frequently collaborates with researchers including Jacqueline Leybaert, Nathalie Thomas, Brigitte Charlier, and Pauline van der Straten Waillet on interdisciplinary projects. Her work appears in journals such as the Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education, and ANAE (Approche Neuropsychologique des Apprentissages chez l'Enfant). Professor Colin supervises doctoral research, including Niesen, M.'s 2025 dissertation on attention and brain development in speech processing. She is affiliated with the LCLD (Language, Cognition, and Development) laboratory at ULB, which focuses on language development, hearing and language disabilities, and reading acquisition.
Fernando Marmolejo-Ramos is an academic affiliated with Flinders University, holding roles such as Lecturer and Visiting Research Fellow. His primary research interests span Psychology (language comprehension, embodiment, and machine behavior) and Research Methods/Statistics (robust statistics, reaction time analysis, and statistical cognition). He has held appointments at multiple institutions, including the University of South Australia, Stockholm University, and the University of Adelaide. Education includes a PhD in Experimental Psychology from the University of Adelaide (2011), an MAppSc from the University of Ballarat (2007), and a B.A. in Psychology from Universidad del Valle, Colombia (2003). His scholarly contributions include over 100 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters, with a focus on embodied cognition, statistical methodologies, and interdisciplinary applications of AI in education and healthcare. He serves on editorial boards of journals like Cognitive Processing and Psychology & Neuroscience , and has led research grants on topics such as machine learning for health diagnostics and AI in education. Awards include the IEPRS Postgraduate Research Scholarship (2007–2010) and Colombia’s Young Innovators Program (2004–2005).
Rielke Bogaert is a researcher and language test developer affiliated with Ghent University and the Steunpunt Centrale Toetsen in Onderwijs . Their work focuses on reading comprehension , educational psychology , and response-to-intervention research in late elementary education . Education: PhD in Educational Sciences (2023), Ghent University Current Role: Language test developer at Steunpunt Centrale Toetsen in Onderwijs (2021–2025) Rielke’s research explores the development of instruments like the Reading Comprehension Strategies Questionnaire (RCSQ) and RC-PM tool , emphasizing quantitative surveys and factor analyses . Their studies investigate monitoring strategies , motivation promotion , and home language use in bilingual learners. Recent publications (2025–2020) span journal articles , conference papers , and book chapters , focusing on peer-mediated instruction , differentiated interventions , and progress monitoring . Collaborative work with colleagues like Hilde Van Keer and Emmelien Merchie highlights cross-disciplinary efforts in literacy education and educational equity .
Hichem Sahli is a prominent academic currently serving as a Professor of Computer Vision and Machine Learning at the Department of Electronics and Informatics (ETRO) of Vrije Universiteit Brussel , while also holding a Research Scientist position at the Interuniversity Micro Electronics Center (IMEC) . He coordinates the Audio-Visual Signal Processing (AVSP) research group within ETRO. Education: PhD in Computer Science (1991) from Télécom Physique Strasbourg MSc in Computer Sciences (1988) from Université Louis Pasteur Research Focus: His work spans computer vision, multimodal machine learning, and health informatics. Key areas include AI for image/radar/video processing, affective computing, disease progression prediction, and NLP applications in electronic health records. Publication Trends: Recent publications highlight advancements in radar systems, medical imaging analysis, and causality-based financial modeling, reflecting his interdisciplinary approach combining signal processing with biomedical and financial applications. Awards: BENELEARN2019 Best Paper Award Multiple Best Student Paper awards (2008, 2011) Excellent Paper Award (2020) Academic Leadership: He has supervised 30 PhD students since 2000, with recent theses focusing on 3D perception, cellular dynamics analysis, and speaker recognition. His collaborations extend across Europe and South America through Erasmus+ and joint R&D projects.
Catherine Hage is a Lecturer at the Université libre de Bruxelles, affiliated with the Faculté des Sciences psychologiques et de l'éducation and associated with the LCLD lab. Her research focuses on multimodal language perception , hearing and language disabilities , and language development in deaf and multilingual children. She integrates pragmatics and phoneme perception into her clinical and educational work. Research Contributions Explores Cued Speech applications for early language intervention in deaf children Investigates multilingualism and phonological challenges in hearing children Key Collaborations Co-authored studies with Jacqueline Leybaert and Brigitte Charlier on cochlear implants and speech therapy methods
Professor Tony Belpaeme is a leading academic in Human-Robot Interaction at Ghent University and Visiting Professor at the University of Plymouth. He leads the AIRO Group (Artificial Intelligence and Robotics) at IDLab-imec , focusing on social robotics and cognitive systems. Education : PhD in Computer Science from Vrije Universiteit Brussel Labs : IDLab (Ghent University), Centre for Robotics and Neural Systems (University of Plymouth) His research bridges theoretical and applied AI, emphasizing social interaction as the foundation of intelligence . Key areas include child-robot language tutoring, autism therapy robots, and affective haptic systems. He has coordinated major EU projects L2TOR (language tutoring), ALIZ-E (long-term HRI), and DREAM (autism therapy). Recent publications highlight vision-language models , LLM integration , and value-aware AI for educational and therapeutic applications. His work has been recognized by Research Councils UK and exhibited at global institutions like the Science Museum. Scientific Awards 2012: "Ten life-changing ideas" by Research Councils UK 2014: "20 new ideas that will change the world" by Research Councils UK Professor Belpaeme actively explores generative AI for autonomous educational robots and ethical HRI frameworks , while advising on data-driven behavior generation and multimodal communication challenges.
