Kevin Costello is a Professor and the Krembil William Rowan Hamilton Chair in Theoretical Physics at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics. His research focuses on mathematical physics, particularly exploring string theory and quantum field theory through rigorous mathematical frameworks. Key areas include twisted holography, integrable systems, and the AdS/CFT correspondence. He holds prestigious awards such as the Royal Society Fellowship and the Leonard Eisenbud Prize for Mathematics and Physics. Costello’s work bridges advanced mathematical techniques with foundational questions in theoretical physics. His recent contributions include studies on celestial holography, self-dual gauge theories, and factorization algebras. He actively participates in academic seminars and teaches graduate courses on mathematical physics, emphasizing interdisciplinary approaches to understanding quantum phenomena. Awards: Royal Society Fellow (2018), Berwick Prize (2017), Leonard Eisenbud Prize (2020). Research Themes: Mathematical foundations of string theory, holographic dualities, integrable systems in gauge theories. His publications often explore cutting-edge topics like holographic correspondences in asymptotically flat spacetimes and algebraic structures in quantum field theory. Costello collaborates widely, contributing to both theoretical advancements and pedagogical initiatives in mathematical physics.
Kenneth Ross is a Professor in the Computer Science Department at Columbia University in New York City. His primary appointment is within the Department of Computer Science, with affiliations including the Foundations of Data Science Committee. His work bridges theoretical database research and practical system implementation. His research focuses on database systems with particular expertise in query processing, query language design, data warehousing, and architecture-sensitive database system design. Additional research spans computational biology, especially analysis of large genomic data sets. Current projects include Linear Algebra Operators in Databases for machine learning workloads and Repeats and Somatic Mutation analysis in genomics. His work consistently addresses the intersection of hardware capabilities and database system design. Ross leads the Database Research Lab at Columbia, which has produced significant work on query optimization, GPU database processing, and hardware-conscious database systems. His recent publications demonstrate strong focus on adapting database systems to modern hardware including GPUs, SIMD processors, and persistent memory. His scientific recognition includes: Packard Foundation Fellowship Sloan Foundation Fellowship NSF Young Investigator Award Distinguished Faculty Teaching Award (2008) Ross actively advises undergraduate engineering students (juniors with last names P-Z) and has taught foundational courses including Introduction to Databases and Programming and Problem Solving for over two decades. His teaching portfolio shows consistent engagement with both theoretical concepts and practical implementation challenges in computer science education.
Tara Garnett serves as Director of TABLE, a global knowledge platform for food systems analysis hosted by the Environmental Change Institute within the School of Geography and the Environment at the University of Oxford. TABLE operates as a collaboration between the University of Oxford, Wageningen University & Research, and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, facilitating evidence-based dialogue on sustainable food futures. Her research interrogates the complex intersections between food systems, climate change, public health, and sustainability, with particular focus on livestock as a critical nexus point. Garnett investigates how scientific knowledge is translated across policy, civil society, and industry contexts, emphasizing the diverse values stakeholders bring to food system challenges. Her work consistently advocates for systems-thinking approaches that recognize the interconnected nature of food-related problems. As a fellow of the Oxford Martin School and co-investigator on the Wellcome Trust-funded Livestock, Environment and People (LEAP) project, she contributes to high-impact research at the food-environment-health interface. Her publication portfolio reveals evolving research trajectories from early climate-food connections toward contemporary explorations of alternative proteins, regenerative agriculture, and the political economy of food system transformation. Recognition Oxford Martin School Fellowship Garnett's leadership through TABLE exemplifies her commitment to creating spaces for inclusive, evidence-informed dialogue about building food systems that are sustainable, resilient, and just. Her work consistently bridges academic research and practical application, emphasizing that context-specific solutions and multi-stakeholder engagement are essential for meaningful food system transformation.
Laureate Professor Behdad Moghtaderi is a globally recognized chemical engineer at The University of Newcastle's School of Engineering. He leads research in clean energy technologies, including the GRANEX heat engine, greenhouse gas abatement, and chemical looping processes. His work addresses critical challenges in energy efficiency, renewable energy systems, and reducing fugitive methane emissions from coal mines. With over $48M in research funding and 220+ publications, he directs the Newcastle Institute for Energy and Resources (NIER) and holds leadership roles in national and international energy initiatives. Education: PhD (University of Sydney), MEng (University of Sydney), BSc (Shiraz University) Administrative Roles: Director of NIER, former Head of School of Engineering, and member of global energy advisory bodies Research interests span energy systems, combustion science, and sustainable technologies. Notable innovations include the VAMCO system for methane abatement and solar thermal GRANEX installations. Awards include the Carrick Teaching Citation and multiple engineering excellence recognitions. Scientific contributions include 14 PhD completions and over 20 funded projects. Current focus areas include hydrogen safety, carbon capture, and thermochemical energy storage. His labs (NIER) collaborate with industry partners like Siemens Energy and the Australian Hydrogen Council.
Joseph Bailey is a Professor in the Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. His research focuses on evolutionary ecology, particularly how species interactions link genes to ecosystems, natural selection in community contexts, and scaling genetic processes across geographic and molecular resolutions. He holds a Ph.D. from Northern Arizona University (2003). Education: 2003 – Ph.D., Northern Arizona University Research interests include plant-animal interactions, evolutionary ecology, and the genetic underpinnings of community dynamics. His work integrates molecular, ecological, and evolutionary approaches across diverse systems, including native and invasive species interactions. He has published extensively on topics such as genetic structure of foundation species, plant-microbe interactions, and herbivore-induced ecosystem changes. Lab and Affiliations: His research group operates out of the Joseph Bailey Lab ( http://joebaileylab.com/ ). Publications reflect a focus on community genetics, indirect ecological interactions, and the genetic basis of species interactions.
Professor Anne Wallace is an Adjunct Professor at La Trobe Law School and holds concurrent roles at the University of Denver's Sturm College of Law and Victoria University's Sir Zelman Cowan Centre. She has extensive experience in judicial administration, having served as Head of School at Edith Cowan University and Associate Dean at the University of Canberra. Her research focuses on technology in justice systems, court administration, and Indigenous justice issues. Wallace holds a PhD from the University of Sydney and has authored over 37 scholarly works. Education: LLB (Tasmania), LLM (Melbourne University), Grad Cert Higher Ed (Canberra), PhD (Sydney). Her research explores the integration of ICT in courts, remote witness testimony, and judicial workload management. Notable projects include ARC-funded studies on visual evidence and remote testimony guidelines, and a decade-long Indigenous cultural awareness initiative for judiciary. Recent work addresses post-pandemic court digitalization and Indigenous justice disparities. She has contributed to international collaborations, serving as a visiting expert for CEELI Institute and editorial board member for the International Journal for Court Administration. Her funded research includes the 'Compliance by Design' project under Data to Decisions CRC (2018-2019). Professional activities include judicial training programs, curriculum development for Indigenous justice issues, and advisory roles in court technology policy.
Professor Philip Birch is a distinguished academic in Criminology at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), Faculty of Design & Society, School of International Studies & Education. With over 15 years of academic experience across British, American, and Australian university systems, he has established himself as a leading expert in policing, community safety, and criminal justice. His extensive practical background in criminology, including roles as a Specialist Crime Team Manager, Community Safety Research Manager, and Through Care Worker in UK correctional facilities, informs his applied research approach. Professor Birch's educational background includes a BSocSci. (Hons) in Social Policy (Crime & Justice) from the University of Manchester, multiple postgraduate qualifications from the Open University (including an MSc. in Social & Criminological Research Methods), a Post Graduate Certificate in Higher Education Practice from the University of Huddersfield, and a PhD in Criminology from the University of New South Wales. He also holds a Fellowship with the Higher Education Academy. His research centers on six key areas: Police & Policing; Community Safety & Crime Prevention; Prisons, Probation & Parole Policy & Practice; Assessment, Treatment & Management of Offenders; Gender & sexuality inclusive Domestic and Family Violence; and Sex Work, Sex Workers and Procurement. His work emphasizes the practical application of criminological research to real-world justice issues, with strong industry engagement across law enforcement and correctional services. Recent publications reveal a clear trend toward police mental health, aging in policing, hate crime identification, trauma-informed policing approaches, and digital community safety initiatives. His research employs diverse methodologies including qualitative case studies, Delphi methods, rapid evidence assessments, and comparative analyses across multiple jurisdictions. Teaching award (2019) from Australian College of Educators for outstanding contribution to education Literati Award (2019) for published work Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy Professor Birch has supervised numerous Honours, Masters by Coursework, Masters by Research and PhD students in Criminology, Criminal Justice and Policing, with several completions to date. He has secured over $1.3 million in research funding, including an ARC Linkage grant, and has acted as an external assessor for domestic and international funding bodies. His research projects address critical issues in criminology and policing, often with direct policy implications. He established the Crime & Security Science (CaSS) Research Group at UTS in 2022, a cross-faculty initiative connecting academia with industry to advance evidence-based criminology, criminal justice, policing, and community safety research. This group serves as a hub for collaborative projects addressing contemporary security challenges through translational research.
Professor Gregor Verbic is a faculty member at the University of Sydney in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering , where he serves as Director of the Centre for Future Energy Networks . Previously, he held an assistant professor position at the University of Ljubljana and was a NATO-NSERC Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Waterloo. His career spans academic research, industry leadership as Head of Interenergo's Investment Department, and extensive collaboration with IEEE. PhD in Electrical Engineering (University of Ljubljana) Senior IEEE Member Research Interests focus on transforming power systems to zero-carbon grids through: Aggregation and control of distributed energy resources (DERs) Frequency control with wind generation and electric vehicles Stochastic optimization for multi-energy systems Smart home energy management with phase change materials Notable Contributions include: 2006 IEEE prize paper for voltage instability prediction 2010-2024: 15 recent publications on DER coordination, network tariffs, and low-inertia grid stability Teaching includes courses on: ELEC3203/ELEC9203: Electricity Networks ELEC5213: Engineering Optimisation ELEC5206: Sustainable Energy Systems Labs & Initiatives Centre for Future Energy Networks The Net Zero Institute
Professor Dylan Jones is a Professor of Operational Research at the University of Portsmouth within the School of Mathematics and Physics. He holds dual affiliations with the Centre for Operational Research and Logistics and the Centre of Excellence in Defence, Risk & Resilience. His academic journey includes a BSc (Hons) in Mathematics with Operational Research from the University of Southampton and a PhD in Operational Research from the University of Portsmouth. Specializing in Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM), his research spans logistics, healthcare, renewable energy, and defense applications. He has led over 18 PhD theses and secured EU funding for projects focused on offshore wind energy and sustainable logistics. Professor Jones is also the Director of the Centre for Operational Research and Logistics, emphasizing strategic port development and disaster risk reduction. His work integrates advanced methodologies like goal programming and mixed modeling to address complex real-world challenges. Recent contributions include frameworks for offshore wind farm logistics, sustainable port selection, and resilience-based maintenance strategies. Education: BSc (Hons) in Mathematics with Operational Research, University of Southampton PhD in Operational Research, University of Portsmouth Research interests revolve around applying operational research principles to solve multi-objective problems in logistics, healthcare systems, and renewable energy sectors. His work emphasizes sustainability, decision-making under uncertainty, and optimizing resource allocation. Key projects include developing methodologies for offshore wind energy infrastructure and analyzing risk in maritime logistics. His research outputs (109+ publications) focus on advancing operational research techniques, with notable contributions to goal programming, logistics optimization, and multi-criteria decision analysis. He collaborates internationally, particularly in Brazil, France, Spain, and Portugal, to address global challenges in sustainable energy and infrastructure. Labs/Teams: Centre for Operational Research and Logistics Centre of Excellence in Defence, Risk & Resilience
Polemis Dionysios serves as an Associate Professor in the Department of Maritime Studies at the University of Piraeus, Greece, within the School of Shipping and Industry. His academic profile demonstrates a strong commitment to maritime education and research in the Greek academic context, contributing to one of the Mediterranean's leading institutions for maritime studies. Professor Polemis specializes in International Economics and Maritime International Trade, with research focusing on the intersection of global trade patterns and maritime transportation systems. His scholarly work examines how geopolitical shifts, economic policy uncertainty, and market dynamics impact shipping operations, particularly in the LNG sector. His research interests span shipping economics, maritime transport economics, port management, and the geopolitical dimensions of international maritime trade routes. His publications reveal a consistent focus on analyzing market patterns, regulatory compliance, and sustainability challenges within the maritime sector. His extensive publication record, spanning from 2001 to anticipated 2025 publications, demonstrates a comprehensive understanding of the maritime sector from operational, economic, and policy perspectives. Recent work shows increasing attention to emerging technologies in shipping and the evolving geopolitical landscape affecting global trade routes, particularly regarding LNG transportation and strategic maritime chokepoints like the Suez Canal. As an academic in the Department of Maritime Studies at the University of Piraeus, Professor Polemis contributes to the educational mission of an institution with a strong tradition in maritime education, situated in Piraeus—one of the Mediterranean's most important port cities. His work bridges theoretical economic concepts with practical applications in the shipping industry, providing valuable insights for both academic and industry stakeholders.
Daniel Kifer is a Professor in the Computer Science and Engineering department at Pennsylvania State University, with affiliations to the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences. His work bridges computer science, privacy-preserving machine learning, and geoscience applications. With over 10,000 citations and a high h-index, he focuses on methods to unify theoretical and applied research. Research Interests: Differential Privacy, Privacy-Preserving Machine Learning, Physics-Informed Neural Networks, Landslide Prediction, and Formal Verification of Privacy Systems. Recent projects include grants from the National Science Foundation: SaTC: CORE: Small (2024): privacy-preserving user data embedding in machine learning pipelines. SaTC: CORE: Medium (2017-2023): formal methods for differential privacy and accuracy optimization. His research outputs span domains like geoscience, database systems, and policy analysis, emphasizing precision and scalability of privacy-preserving algorithms.
Prof. Dr. Bernd Skiera holds the first chair for electronic commerce in Germany at Goethe University Frankfurt am Main since 1999. He serves on the board of efl - The Data Science Institute and the Schmalenbach Society, while representing Germany at the European Marketing Community (EMAC). Chair of Marketing, Goethe University Frankfurt am Main Board member, efl - The Data Science Institute National representative, European Marketing Community (EMAC) His research focuses on MarTech/SalesTech integration, customer value management, online advertising analytics, data-driven pricing models, and the economic implications of internet privacy regulations. He leads the ERC Advanced Grant project on cookie usage restrictions' economic consequences. Recent publications examine dynamic pricing in digital markets, competition visualization using big data, and AI applications in marketing analytics. The ERC Advanced Grant research has produced empirical analyses of GDPR impacts on advertising ecosystems. 2015 Journal of Marketing Best Paper Award 2013 International Journal of Research in Marketing Best Paper Award Multiple MSI/H. Paul Root Award recognitions He has mentored 17 doctoral students who became professors globally, including at London Business School and LMU Munich. His work bridges marketing analytics with financial valuation through customer equity modeling.
Mark D. Hill is a Professor at the University of Wisconsin—Madison, renowned for transformative contributions to computer architecture spanning memory systems and parallel computing. His work earned the ACM-IEEE CS Eckert-Mauchly Award in 2019 and ACM Fellowship in 2004. Hill pioneered the 3C model for cache misses, SC for DRF memory consistency (with Sarita Adve), and transactional memory via LogTM (with David Wood). His simulation frameworks—Dinero, GEMS, gem5, and BadgerTrap—enable advanced analysis of memory behavior and virtual systems, while concepts like 'page reservation' directly impact Linux kernel design. Research spans cache optimization, heterogeneous processor memory models, and scalable parallel evaluation techniques. Hill's accolades include: ACM-IEEE CS Eckert-Mauchly Award (2019) for contributions to memory systems and parallel computer design/evaluation ACM Fellow (2004) for innovations in memory consistency models and memory system architecture With over 160 co-authors and 20,000+ citations, Hill mentored influential researchers like Sarita Adve. His grant-supported projects—including the Wisconsin Wind Tunnel simulator—produced industry-adopted tools cited thousands of times, driving real-world implementations in programming languages and operating systems. Hill leads critical research initiatives at Wisconsin, developing the Dinero cache simulator, GEMS/gem5 full-system simulators, and BadgerTrap virtual memory analyzer. These projects underpin modern architecture research and continue to evolve for emerging heterogeneous computing challenges.
Amy Childress is Dean's Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Southern California's Viterbi School of Engineering. She serves as director of the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department's environmental engineering program and leads the Center for Water Reuse (ReWater). Dr. Childress has been with USC since summer 2013 and previously served as professor and chair of the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at the University of Nevada, Reno. Dr. Childress earned her educational degrees from the following institutions: Bachelor's Degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Maryland College Park Master's Degree in Civil Engineering from the University of California - Los Angeles Doctoral Degree in Civil Engineering from the University of California - Los Angeles For over 20 years, Professor Childress' research has focused on membrane processes for addressing global water scarcity challenges. Her current research interests include membrane contactor processes for innovative solutions to contaminant and energy challenges; pressure-driven membrane processes as industry standards for desalination and water reuse; membrane bioreactor technology; and colloidal and interfacial aspects of membrane processes. She emphasizes process sustainability through reduction of discharge by-products, limiting chemical and material consumption, and minimizing energy, carbon, and infrastructure footprints of treatment systems. Her work explores the water-energy nexus to develop holistic solutions for finite water and energy resources. Professor Childress' recent publications demonstrate a consistent focus on advancing membrane technologies for water treatment and desalination. Her research spans fundamental studies of membrane properties and performance to applied research on system integration and optimization. Key themes include improving membrane wetting resistance, developing mathematical models for water blending, understanding morphological changes in membranes, exploring power density limitations in osmotic processes, and investigating long-term operational effects on membrane performance. Her work consistently addresses the technical challenges of water scarcity while considering sustainability and energy efficiency. Her scientific achievements have been recognized with numerous awards and honors: National Science Foundation CAREER Award (2001) NAE Frontiers of Engineering Invited speaker (2007) AEESP President (2008) Multiple fellowships and scholarships from UCLA, AWRA, ACS, and water districts UNR Student Chapter of AWRA Excellence in Teaching Honorable Mention Award (2001) Clair A. Hill Scholarship (1995) Larson Aquatic Research Support (LARS) Scholarship (1996) Professor Childress has directed research projects funded by numerous prestigious organizations including the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, NSF, NASA, Office of Naval Research, U.S. Department of Energy, California Energy Commission, California Department of Water Resources, the U.S. EPA, and SERDP, as well as local and private agencies. She leads a productive research group that has generated numerous peer-reviewed publications, proceeding papers, and patents. Her leadership extends to service on the AEESP Foundation Board of Directors and previously as AEESP President. She also serves on the Advisory Board of Desalination journal. Dr. Childress leads the Childress Research Group at USC, which focuses on fundamental and applied aspects of membrane processes for water treatment and desalination. The group maintains laboratory facilities in Biegler Hall (BHE) at USC and conducts both experimental and modeling research to advance water treatment technologies. Their work addresses critical challenges in southern California and around the world related to wastewater reclamation and seawater desalination.
Irina Oleinikova is a Professor at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in the Department of Electric Energy, Faculty of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering. She leads the Power System Operation and Analysis research group and serves as the NTNU Smart Grid Team Leader. She is a steering committee member of the European Energy Research Alliance (EERA) Joint Programme on Smart Grids and an expert in the International Smart Grid Action Network (ISGAN) WG6. Research Interests : Power System Operation, Digital Power System Protection and Control, Grid Resilience, Energy Flexibility, Cybersecurity in Power Systems, and Hydrogen Technology Integration. Her work focuses on advancing smart grids, grid flexibility, and cybersecurity through projects like FME CINELDI, HONOR, ASAP, and ZeroKyst. Key Projects : CINELDI : Developing intelligent electricity distribution grids. HONOR : Cross-sectoral energy flexibility markets. ASAP : Next-generation system protection schemes. ZeroKyst : Hydrogen and charging infrastructure along Norway’s coast. COSPAT : Stability of AC/DC transmission grids via co-simulation. Advising & Grants : Supervises PhD students in digital protection and cybersecurity. Active in projects funded by RCN, STATNETT, and EU Horizon 2020. Leads the Power System Operation and Analysis group and collaborates with SINTEF and industry partners. Labs/Teams : NTNU Smart Grid Team and the Power System Operation research group.
