Sebastian Hoch is an Adjunct Associate Professor in Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Utah. His research focuses on boundary layer processes in complex terrain , particularly examining radiation and surface energy balance effects on boundary layer evolution and terrain-driven flows. Education: PhD in Natural Sciences (Earth Science) from ETH Zurich (2006) Languages: German His research integrates atmospheric sciences , climate change science , and geophysics , with specific emphasis on pollution monitoring , mountain meteorology , and fog dynamics . Recent publications analyze freezing fog microphysics, coastal fog formation mechanisms, and complex terrain wind energy potential using WRF-COAMPS modeling. Grant-funded projects include: COLD FOG AMONGST COMPLEX TERRAIN (CFACT) 2021-2025 RED BUTTE AIR EXCHANGE STUDY 2019-2020 OWENS LAKE LIDAR STUDY 2018 MODELING FOR FASMEE 2018-2021 MATERHORN program 2011-2017 As educator, he has taught Experiential Learning II and Mountain Weather & Climate courses (2023-2024). His work combines extensive field measurements with high-resolution modeling to address atmospheric boundary layer dynamics in complex environments.
Janina Datz serves as a Research Fellow at the Institute for Computational Mechanics (LNM) at Technical University of Munich since 2020, where she conducts research in computational biomechanics for interventional cardiology and teaches the Numerical Biomechanics practical course (SS 2022-2024). Her academic qualifications include: Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering, TUM (2020) Research Practicum, University of New South Wales, Sydney (2018) Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, TUM (2017) Her research specializes in computational modeling of coronary artery disease and physics-informed simulations of angioplasty procedures. She develops mixed-dimensional finite element frameworks for stent-artery interactions, integrating medical imaging data to create personalized predictive models for preventative cardiology. Her work bridges solid mechanics, contact mechanics, and clinical applications to optimize interventional outcomes. Recent publications reveal a concentrated focus on patient-specific cardiovascular simulations, with dominant themes in finite element analysis of stent deployment, in-stent restenosis prediction, and computational frameworks for angioplasty planning. Key methodological contributions include mixed-dimensional contact mechanics and integration of coronary CT angiography data. She actively mentors students across bachelor's, master's, and term paper levels, supervising projects on coronary constitutive modeling, perivascular tissue mechanics, stent malapposition analysis, and computational frameworks for catheter initialization. Her academic guidance occurs within TUM's Numerical Mechanics curriculum. Her research is supported through collaboration with the German Heart Center Munich's Cardiology Department (Prof. Schunkert) under the joint initiative 'The future of medicine, AI - Heart Center' with Munich Institute of Robotics and Machine Intelligence (MIRMI), focusing on AI-driven cardiovascular interventions. As a core member of LNM directed by Prof. Wolfgang A. Wall, she contributes to a multidisciplinary team advancing computational mechanics for biomedical applications, utilizing high-performance computing infrastructure at TUM's Garching campus.
Lennart Risthaus serves as a Researcher at the Department of Engineering Mathematics within the School of Civil Engineering at the University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany. He joined the university in September 2023 after previously working as a Researcher at the Institute of Engineering Mechanics, Continuum Mechanics Division at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) from February 2021 to August 2023. His academic appointments demonstrate a consistent trajectory in computational mechanics research within German technical universities. Dr. Risthaus completed his Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering with a focus on Continuum Mechanics (2014-2018) and Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering with majors in Medical Technology and Applied Mechanics (2018-2021), both from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology. His educational journey included an Erasmus exchange semester at the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) in Stockholm and practical experience through internships at Reden B.V. in the Netherlands and Admedes GmbH in Germany, where he worked on finite element simulations and material testing. His research specializes in advanced computational techniques for material science, particularly FFT-based homogenization methods in micromechanics. Risthaus has developed innovative approaches for implementing Dirichlet boundary conditions in FFT-based computational frameworks and pioneered applications of tensor-train formats to enhance computational efficiency. His work bridges theoretical mathematics with practical engineering applications, focusing on solving complex boundary value problems in material behavior analysis. An analysis of his publication record reveals a clear research trajectory toward increasingly sophisticated computational methods for micromechanical simulations. His recent work demonstrates growing expertise in thermal homogenization problems and the integration of tensor-train methods with traditional FFT approaches. The consistent publication in high-impact journals like Computational Mechanics and International Journal for Numerical Methods in Engineering indicates recognition within the computational mechanics community. Risthaus actively contributes to the academic community through presentations at major international conferences including the GAMM Annual Meetings, ECCOMAS Young Investigators Conference, and the International Conference on Computational Plasticity (COMPLAS). His teaching responsibilities include leading exercises and tutorials for Mathematics courses for Civil Engineering students at both undergraduate and graduate levels, demonstrating his commitment to engineering education alongside his research activities.
Ralph Aldredge is a Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University of California, Davis, and serves as Executive Associate Dean for the College of Engineering, overseeing undergraduate studies and facilities planning. His leadership encompasses enrollment management, academic advising, retention programs, ABET accreditation, and strategic capital projects for engineering facilities. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and French from Carnegie-Mellon University (1985), a Master of Arts in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from Princeton University (1988), and a Doctor of Philosophy in the same field from Princeton University (1990). Dr. Aldredge's research focuses on combustion, fluid dynamics, and bio-transport , with dual emphases on bio-fluid dynamics (vascular blood flow) and front propagation in biological tissues (avascular-tumor dynamics) and reacting gases (flame propagation). His work integrates computational modeling to solve complex problems in energy and biomedical systems, including the development of the Level-Set app for flame propagation simulation. Analysis of his recent publications reveals a consistent interdisciplinary trajectory bridging combustion engineering and biomedical applications. Key themes include flame propagation modeling in complex flows, tumor growth dynamics influenced by extracellular matrix components, and optimization of medical devices for drug delivery and cancer treatment. His research demonstrates how fluid dynamics principles can be applied across energy systems and healthcare innovation. No scientific awards were explicitly documented in the source materials. Dr. Aldredge advises graduate students in combustion and bio-fluid dynamics while driving systemic improvements in engineering education. His administrative leadership has shaped holistic-review undergraduate admissions policies adopted system-wide across the University of California, significantly impacting enrollment management and academic support structures. As Associate Dean for Facilities and Capital Planning, he directs strategic development of engineering spaces and resources, ensuring alignment with academic priorities while maintaining safety compliance and operational efficiency for the College of Engineering.
Dario Rodighiero is an Assistant Professor of Science and Technology Studies at the University of Groningen's Campus Fryslân, specializing in knowledge design, critical data, and digital humanities. He coordinates the Data Wise minor and teaches in the Data Science and Society program. He holds affiliations as a principal at metaLAB (at) Harvard and a faculty associate at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society. His research bridges design, data, and humanities to map cultural/scientific dynamics through projects like Super-Vision (EPFL history via 8,000 theses) and the Weather Map (controversy analysis). He authored Mapping Affinities: Democratizing Data Visualization (2021) and holds a PhD from EPFL. He has lectured globally (CERN, Ars Electronica) and exhibited at MAXXI and Harvard Art Museums. Education: PhD in Sciences (EPFL), Doctoral Program in Architecture and Sciences of the City. Research Interests : Focuses on visualizing complex systems, interdisciplinary collaboration, digital archives, and controversy mapping. Develops tools for IIIF interfaces, cultural heritage analysis, and pandemic visualization (COVIC project). Grants & Labs : Works with metaLAB on projects like Surprise Machines (Harvard Art Museums) and Curatorial A(i)gents. Affiliated with Edgelands Institute (Fellow) and Freie Universität Berlin (Senior Fellow). Key Projects : Orchestrating Peirce’s PAP Manuscript, 3D Cartography of COVID-19, and the Analogous City digital mapping.
Gianluca Cusatis is a Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Northwestern University, with a courtesy appointment in Mechanical Engineering. He leads research in multiscale mechanics of infrastructure materials, focusing on constitutive modeling of concrete, cementitious composites, and wood. His work bridges computational modeling, experimental validation, and material innovation. He holds a Ph.D. and Laurea from Politecnico di Milano, Italy. Research interests include quasi-brittle material behavior, 3D concrete printing, infrastructure durability (e.g., alkali-silica reaction), and wood mechanics. He directs the Multiscale Mechanics of Infrastructure Materials (M2IM) group, collaborating with institutions like the University of Maine. Key achievements include pioneering the Lattice Discrete Particle Model (LDPM) and advancing understanding of cement hydration expansion via the Shard Test. Awarded ASCE/EMI Fellow, Cusatis serves on professional boards (ASCE Engineering Mechanics Institute, ACI Committees). His lab integrates advanced facilities for structural testing, 3D printing, and environmental control. Major projects include sustainable timber structure design, Martian concrete for extraterrestrial habitats, and mesoscale modeling of composite materials.
Deborah Levin is a Professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), holding this position since August 2014. Previously, she served as a Professor at The Pennsylvania State University (2007–2014) and an Associate Professor there (2000–2007). Earlier roles include Research Professor and Lecturer at George Washington University (1998–2000) and Research Staff Member at the Institute for Defense Analyses (1979–1998). Her education includes a PhD in Chemistry from Caltech (1979) and a BS in Chemistry from SUNY Stony Brook (1974). Her research focuses on hypersonics, computational fluid dynamics, combustion, and molecular dynamics. Key areas include radiation modeling in hypersonic flows, direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) methods, and plasma physics. She explores phenomena like shock-layer radiation, nonequilibrium flows, and ion thruster plume dynamics. Her work bridges microscale processes (e.g., molecular dynamics) with macroscale fluid dynamics, addressing challenges in aerospace propulsion and thermal protection systems. Recent studies involve kinetic modeling of ion beam neutralization, particulate behavior in high-speed flows, and carbon sputtering in electric propulsion testing. Her publications span journals like Physics of Fluids , Journal of Propulsion and Power , and AIAA Journal , with a focus on advancing predictive capabilities for aerodynamic heating and plasma-material interactions. Levin’s research has been presented at conferences such as the International Symposium on Rarefied Gas Dynamics and the International Electric Propulsion Conference. Her contributions include developing hybrid models for multiscale flows and advancing computational tools for rarefied gas dynamics.
Kenneth R. Cox is a Professor in the Practice of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Rice University's George R. Brown School of Engineering. He holds a PhD from the University of Illinois (1979), an MS from the same institution (1977), and a BSChE from The Ohio State University (1974). Prior to academia, he spent 17 years as a research engineer at Shell Development Company, followed by four years as an associate professor at The Ohio State University. His research focuses on colloidal dynamics, phase equilibria, molecular simulations, and process design, with applications in energy systems and environmental engineering. Dr. Cox specializes in theoretical models such as the Statistical Associating Fluid Theory (SAFT) and classical density functional theory to study complex fluid behavior, including colloidal stability, interfacial phenomena, and carbon capture processes. His work bridges fundamental science and industrial applications, particularly in oil/gas industries and sustainable technologies. Professionally, he has served on editorial boards (e.g., Fluid Phase Equilibria ) and committees (AIChE, CoMSEF), and is a registered professional engineer in Texas. His teaching experience includes courses on transport phenomena, technical communication, and research planning. Recent publications highlight advancements in predicting thermodynamic properties of aqueous electrolytes, modeling CO₂ capture systems, and analyzing phase behavior in multi-component mixtures. His career reflects a strong commitment to both academic research and industrial collaboration.
Mathieu Nancel is a permanent researcher in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) at the Loki Team of Inria Lille – Nord Europe since 2016. His research focuses on the temporality of interactions, including psycho-motor phenomena, interaction mechanism design, and interactive systems engineering. He leads the ANR-funded Causality project on cursor control and interaction history. He collaborates with institutions like Aalto University, University of Waterloo, and University of Canterbury. His research interests span HCI fundamentals, interactive systems design, experimental psychology, and software engineering. He contributed to the French keyboard layout standard (AZERTY) and co-authored high school programming textbooks. Notable projects include studies on interaction interferences, visual jitter reduction, and latency compensation. His articles address topics like GUI behaviors, pointing techniques, transient gestures, and hardware-independent input functions. Awards include the Google Faculty Research Award and NSERC Engage Grant. He advises PhD students Philippe Schmid and Alice Loizeau.
Dr. Rodrigo Martinez-Duarte is an Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Clemson University and a Faculty Scholar in the university’s School of Health Research. He also serves as elected President of the AES Electrophoresis Society and directs the Multiscale Manufacturing Laboratory (M²L), which he founded in 2013. Education: Ph.D. in Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, University of California, Irvine, 2010 M.S. in Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, University of California, Irvine, 2009 B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Tecnológico de Monterrey (Mexico), 2004 Research Interests: Dr. Martinez-Duarte’s scholarship sits at the intersection of micro/nanofabrication, carbonaceous materials, electrokinetics and microfluidics. He is internationally regarded as a pioneer of carbon-electrode dielectrophoresis (carbon-DEP), a technique that enables label-free manipulation and sorting of bioparticles, pathogens and cells. His group currently pursues advanced manufacturing routes—including origami, 3-D printing and bionanomanufacturing—to convert renewable cellulose into lightweight carbon and carbide structures for healthcare diagnostics, structural batteries and smart scaffolds. Publication Trends: Across 120+ peer-reviewed works his recent papers emphasize (i) low-voltage, battery-operated DEP platforms for point-of-care diagnostics, (ii) light-induced DEP for sub-100 nm “nanoweaving” with living microbial factories, and (iii) sustainable carbide/carbon origami derived from paper or bacterial cellulose. These strands collectively target scalable, low-cost, green manufacturing of micro- and nano-systems for health, energy and environmental monitoring. Scientific Awards & Leadership: UC-Irvine Public Impact Fellowship, 2010 Elected President, AES Electrophoresis Society (2020–2022 term; continues in leadership) Chair/organizer for multiple international symposia on electrokinetics and microfluidics Grants & Advising: His interdisciplinary program is supported by NSF, DOE, DTRA, NIH and industry partners. Graduate students and postdocs in M²L routinely collaborate across Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science, Bioengineering and the School of Health Research; alumni have entered academia, national labs and the medical-device sector. Labs & Teams: The Multiscale Manufacturing Laboratory houses facilities for carbon-MEMS, robocasting, DEP chip fabrication, and rapid prototyping. The group participates in Clemson’s celebration of Día de los Muertos, engaging the local community in STEAM outreach.
Sally M. Benson is the Precourt Family Professor in the Department of Energy Resources Engineering at Stanford University's School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences, with joint appointments as Senior Fellow at the Woods Institute for the Environment and Precourt Institute for Energy. Her research specializes in decarbonization pathways, including geological CO₂ storage and energy system transitions. From 2021–2023, she served as Energy Division Director at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Previously, she led the Stanford Center for Carbon Storage (2013–2020) and Global Climate and Energy Project (2009–2019). She holds board positions at the Global Carbon Capture and Storage Institute and Breakthrough Energy Innovation Council. Education Ph.D., Material Science & Mineral Engineering, University of California, Berkeley (1988) M.Sc., Material Science & Mineral Engineering, University of California, Berkeley (1984) B.A., Geology, Barnard College, Columbia University (1977) Research Focus Benson's work integrates experimental, computational, and policy approaches to advance carbon management. Key areas include: 1) Geological CO₂ storage , with emphasis on trapping mechanisms, monitoring, and heterogeneity impacts; 2) Energy system decarbonization through technoeconomic analysis of batteries, hydrogen, and grid integration; and 3) Climate mitigation frameworks for industrial and infrastructure transitions. Publication Trends Her recent articles (2022–2025) demonstrate three dominant themes: 1) Carbon storage optimization through advanced ML models, real-time monitoring, and multiscale heterogeneity studies; 2) Energy storage systems including battery recycling, sodium-ion tech, and grid flexibility; and 3) Cross-sector decarbonization of buildings, pipelines, and industrial processes. Methodologies emphasize machine learning, high-resolution imaging, and field validations. Awards American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2023) Leadership & Infrastructure She directs the Benson Lab and co-founded Stanford's carbon initiatives including the Center for Carbon Storage and Carbon Removal Initiative . Her teams collaborate globally on subsurface characterization, energy policy, and technology deployment.
Scott Kovaleski is Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Missouri. He holds a Ph.D. and M.S.E. from the University of Michigan and a B.S. from Purdue University. His research develops charged particle sources, electromagnetic systems, and nanofabrication methods using pulsed power and computational techniques. Current projects focus on piezoelectric-driven particle accelerators, metamaterial design optimization, and carbon nanotube electron sources. His laboratory advances compact radiation sources and computational methods for electromagnetic simulations. Recent publications demonstrate growing integration of deep learning in optical metasurface design and electromagnetic modeling. Key themes include physics-informed neural networks for inverse design, nanofabrication techniques, and vacuum electronics applications. His federally funded projects include research in charged particle generation, electromagnetics simulation, and pulsed power systems. Laboratory capabilities include computational modeling and experimental validation of particle acceleration systems.
Lucy Zhang is a Professor and Associate Dean for Research Innovations, Partnerships, and Workforce Development at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI). She holds a Ph.D. from Northwestern University and previously served as an assistant professor at Tulane University before Hurricane Katrina. Her primary affiliation is in the Department of Mechanical, Aerospace, and Nuclear Engineering, with a secondary affiliation in Biomedical Engineering within the School of Engineering. Dr. Zhang’s research focuses on computational mechanics, particularly fluid-structure interactions, computational biomechanics, and multiphysics-multiscale simulations. Her work bridges engineering and biomedical applications, including aerodynamics, cardiovascular modeling, and material corrosion analysis. Notable contributions include the development of the OpenIFEM software framework for fluid-structure interaction simulations and studies on respiratory droplet dynamics during pandemics. Her recent research integrates machine learning with fluid dynamics solvers, explores material degradation under extreme conditions, and addresses challenges in neurorehabilitation modeling through NSF-funded initiatives. Dr. Zhang collaborates across disciplines, leveraging high-performance computing and numerical methods to solve complex engineering and biomedical problems. Her NSF grant on fibrous material performance under real-world conditions underscores her commitment to translational research.
Mark S. Shephard is the Samuel A. Johnson '37 and Elizabeth C. Johnson Professor of Engineering and Director of the Scientific Computation Research Center (SCOREC) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, with joint appointments in Mechanical, Aerospace and Nuclear Engineering and Computer Science departments. His research pioneers Scientific Computing and High-Performance Simulation , driving innovations in automatic mesh generation , adaptive analysis methods , and parallel adaptive simulation technologies . SCOREC's work spans five core areas: High-Performance Simulation Methods - advanced mathematical models and discretization Simulation Reliability – uncertainty quantification and adaptive techniques Massively Parallel Computations – scalable solutions for real-world engineering problems Multiscale Computations - cross-scale modeling frameworks Construction of Simulation Systems – collaborative workflow development Applications include fusion plasma, soft tissue modeling, additive manufacturing, and microelectronics. Recent publications (2022-2025) reveal intense focus on GPU-accelerated unstructured mesh methods for fusion energy research and multiscale material science, with growing emphasis on exascale computing and cyberinfrastructure for plasma physics. His work increasingly bridges computational theory with industrial applications in CAE and medical device evaluation. Professor Shephard has graduated 24 Ph.D. students and secured over 65 research grants from 13 government agencies including DOE (SciDAC Institutes, Exascale Computing Program), NSF, NIH, DoD, and NASA, plus funding from 44 industry partners. His leadership extends to SCOREC's collaborations with ten+ universities and commercial impact through medical simulation software used in arterial stent evaluation. As SCOREC's founder and director for 32 years, he integrates faculty from seven departments across Rensselaer to advance simulation technologies. His Simmetrix Inc. co-founding role demonstrates commitment to translating research into engineering solutions, with current work targeting fusion plasma systems and heterogeneous supercomputing environments.
Bedřich Sousedík is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). He joined UMBC in 2014, transitioning from roles as a Research Associate at the University of Southern California and University of Maryland, College Park. His academic journey includes a Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics (2010, University of Colorado Denver) and a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering (2008, Czech Technical University in Prague). Education: Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics, University of Colorado Denver (2010) Ph.D. in Civil Engineering, Czech Technical University (2008) M.Eng. in Mechanical Engineering, Czech Technical University (2001) Research Interests: Focuses on applied and computational mathematics, including numerical analysis, scientific computing, uncertainty quantification, stochastic finite element methods, and domain decomposition techniques. His work emphasizes scalable algorithms for complex systems with parametric uncertainty. Professional Contributions: Author of ~43 refereed publications (24 journals, 12 conferences) with an h-index of 15 (Google Scholar) Principal Investigator on NSF grants totaling $219,999 for multilevel methods research Recipient of prestigious awards including the 2010 Prof. Babuška Prize and 2020 Early Career Excellence Award Advising & Teaching: Supervised 8 Ph.D. and Master’s students since 2014 Mentored undergraduate research projects in computational fluid dynamics and epidemiological modeling
