Professor Ivan Mijakovic leads the Mijakovic Lab at both Chalmers University of Technology (Sweden) and DTU Biosustain (Denmark) , focusing on Bacterial Systems Biology . His research bridges Microbiology , Synthetic Biology , and Nanotechnology to address challenges in Biomedicine , Biotechnology , and Environmental Applications . Current research areas include: Bacterial Pathogenesis and biofilm dynamics Metabolic Engineering of microbial cell factories Nanomaterial Applications in antimicrobial surfaces and drug delivery Experimental Evolution studies Interdisciplinary Approaches combining microbiology with material science His 2023-2025 publications demonstrate expertise in Nano-biomedical Interfaces , Antibacterial Nanomaterials , Cancer Nanotherapy , and Sustainable Bioprocesses . The lab also develops CRISPR-based Sensing and Graphene-Enhanced Biosensors for clinical applications. As group leader , he mentors 12 PhD/MSc students and collaborates across institutions in EU MSCA ITN projects like BUG-ID . The lab emphasizes scientific freedom , collaborative research , and ethical responsibility in their work.
Stephanie Lynn Richards is a Professor in the Environmental Health Sciences program within the Department of Health Education and Promotion at East Carolina University's College of Health and Human Performance. She serves as the Graduate Program Director for the MS Environmental Health and Environmental Health Foundations Certificate Programs at ECU. Dr. Richards is actively engaged in numerous professional organizations including the North Carolina Mosquito and Vector Control Association (NCMVCA), where she serves as Treasurer with previous appointments as Secretary, Vice-President, and President, and the Mid-Atlantic Mosquito Control Association where she has served as Vice-President and President. Dr. Richards earned her bachelor's degree in Biology and MS in Environmental Health from East Carolina University, followed by a PhD in Entomology from North Carolina State University. She completed post-doctoral training in vector biology/arbovirology at the Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory (University of Florida). Her research program spans vector-virus interactions, vector competence, insecticide resistance mechanisms, mosquito control methodologies, and personal protection strategies against pests. Dr. Richards has published over 80 peer-reviewed journal articles, one book chapter, and numerous electronic publications, with her work demonstrating consistent growth in impact across multiple disciplines including entomology, public health, and environmental health sciences. Her recent publications show increasing focus on interdisciplinary approaches, connecting vector control with environmental health, occupational safety, and disaster preparedness. Dr. Richards has received multiple prestigious awards including the College of Health and Human Performance Outstanding Researcher Award (2024-2025), 3rd place in the Blue Economy Pitch Competition (2023), the Mike and Sherri Felts Regional Impact Research Award (2021), and the Hamilton Stevens Award from the NC Mosquito and Vector Control Association (2021). As Editor-in-Chief for the international peer-reviewed journal Environmental Health Insights, Dr. Richards contributes significantly to scholarly communication in her field. She has mentored dozens of undergraduate and graduate students throughout her career and currently leads multiple research grants totaling millions of dollars in funding from sources including NIH, NCInnovation, and various state health departments. Her laboratory work focuses on developing novel tools for mosquito control assessment, including a compact wind tunnel for insecticide testing, and she maintains strong collaborations with public health agencies for mosquito identification and insecticide resistance testing services across multiple North Carolina counties.
Dr. Jane Hawkey is a Research Fellow in Infectious Diseases at Monash University, specializing in bacterial genomics and antimicrobial resistance. Her work focuses on genomic evolution of hospital pathogens and mobile genetic elements. She holds a PhD from the University of Melbourne (2017) and a BSc (Honours) in Microbiology from the same institution (2012). Her research interests include bacterial genomics, mobile genetic elements, and the development of genomic methods for tracking pathogens. She has led projects such as the RESERVOIR initiative for antimicrobial resistance surveillance and was awarded the Endeavour Fellowship (2019) and VESKI Victoria Fellowship (2017). Education: PhD in Microbial Genomics, University of Melbourne (2017) Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Microbiology, University of Melbourne (2012) Research Focus: Her work addresses the genomic dynamics of antimicrobial resistance dissemination, particularly through mobile elements like insertion sequences and plasmids. She has developed tools like ISMapper for detecting insertion sequences in bacterial genomes and contributed to global surveillance of pathogens like Shigella sonnei and Klebsiella pneumoniae. Key Projects: Primary Investigator for 'Advancing diagnosis and prevention of antimicrobial-resistant infections with genomics' (2025–2029) Co-Investigator for 'RESERVOIR: Hospital wastewater surveillance for antimicrobial resistance' (2024–2027) Awards: Endeavour Fellowship (2019) VESKI Victoria Fellowship (2017) Advising & Grants: While no students are explicitly listed, her projects involve collaborative teams with global partners. Her work has been supported by competitive fellowships and grants focusing on genomic surveillance and clinical applications. Labs & Teams: Affiliated with the Holt Group at Monash University's Department of Infectious Diseases, contributing to multidisciplinary research on pathogen evolution and clinical microbiology.
Dr. Marie Culhane serves as an Associate Professor within the Secure Food Systems Team at the University of Minnesota's College of Veterinary Medicine. With dual expertise as a veterinarian (DVM) and infectious disease researcher (PhD), she focuses on protecting food animal health through advanced epidemiological analysis and emergency response planning. Her educational background includes: BA in English from University of Minnesota, Morris DVM from University of Minnesota, College of Veterinary Medicine PhD in Infectious Diseases from University of Minnesota, College of Veterinary Medicine Dr. Culhane's research centers on influenza A viruses in swine and turkeys, specializing in antigenic and genetic characterization, pathogenesis studies, and vaccination protocol impacts. Her work extends to animal disease emergency planning at local, national, and global levels, with particular emphasis on biosecurity protocols and disease transmission dynamics. Analysis of her recent publications reveals a strong focus on practical applications for the livestock industry, including advanced surveillance systems for African Swine Fever, evaluation of depopulation methods, and optimization of influenza vaccination strategies in commercial production systems. Her research consistently bridges laboratory findings with field applications. Dr. Culhane actively collaborates with USDA APHIS, the Swine Health Information Center, and the Fats & Proteins Research Foundation on numerous funded projects addressing high-consequence food animal diseases. Her media appearances, including commentary on swine flu concerns, demonstrate her role as a trusted expert in veterinary public health. She leads the Secure Food Systems Team, which develops practical solutions for disease prevention and control in food animal production systems, with particular focus on influenza viruses and African Swine Fever. The team works closely with industry stakeholders to implement research findings into real-world biosecurity protocols.
Mirjam Kaestli serves as a Senior Research Officer and Research Fellow in ARC Microbiology at Charles Darwin University's Faculty of Science and Technology, with dual appointments at the Research Institute for Environment and Livelihoods and Global and Tropical Health. She is registered to supervise postgraduate research and maintains an active research profile with 107 research outputs and an h-index of 31. Dr. Kaestli's research spans microbiology, tropical medicine, and environmental health, with a particular focus on bacterial pathogens in tropical environments. Her work centers on Burkholderia pseudomallei (causing melioidosis) and Vibrio species, examining their environmental distribution, transmission patterns, and impact on human health. She investigates how climate factors like monsoon seasons affect pathogen abundance in water systems, and explores connections between environmental conditions and disease outbreaks in Northern Australia and Southeast Asia. Her recent publication trends show a strong emphasis on microbial ecology in tropical environments, with significant work on water quality assessment, pathogen genomics, and climate-health interactions. The research demonstrates consistent collaboration across Australian institutions and international partners, particularly in Southeast Asia, addressing critical public health challenges in tropical regions. Dr. Kaestli actively secures research funding through multiple competitive grants, currently leading or contributing to eight major projects totaling millions in funding. Her research portfolio includes the CRCNA Water Security for Northern Australia Program (2023-2026), Flinders ARC project on Coffin Bay water quality (2024-2027), and several initiatives focused on Vibrio bacteria in the Tropical Rock Oyster industry. She also provides expert consultancy services to government and industry on microbial source tracking and water safety. Her laboratory work spans Darwin Harbour, Northern Australia water systems, and international sites in Indonesia and Southern Africa, examining pathogen ecology across diverse ecosystems. Current research teams focus on integrating genomic, environmental, and epidemiological data to understand pathogen transmission dynamics and develop evidence-based interventions for water safety and public health protection in tropical regions.
Philip Thomas Lanken Conradsen Clausen is a Researcher at the Research Group for Genomic Epidemiology within the National Food Institute at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU). His work contributes to UN Sustainable Development Goals related to health and well-being, particularly through genomic epidemiology and antimicrobial resistance research. Dr. Clausen's research focuses on antimicrobial resistance , metagenomics , and genomic epidemiology . His expertise spans computational methods for analyzing resistance genes, pathogen surveillance, and infectious disease tracking. His work bridges bioinformatics, microbiology, and public health, with particular emphasis on developing novel computational approaches for understanding antimicrobial resistance mechanisms and transmission patterns. His recent publications demonstrate a strong trend toward developing computational pipelines and methods for analyzing metagenomic data, with applications in infectious disease surveillance and antimicrobial resistance monitoring. His research integrates next-generation sequencing technologies with advanced bioinformatics to address critical challenges in pathogen detection and resistance gene tracking. Scientific awards: DTU Young Researchers Award 2020 - Recognizing promising early-career research contributions Dr. Clausen has served as a supervisor for PhD research, including for Hallgren, M. B. on the project 'Real-time surveillance and detection of infectious diseases in clinical and environmental pathogens.' His research has been supported by DTU and likely external funding sources given the scope of his projects, which focus on genomic epidemiology and antimicrobial resistance surveillance. He is an active member of the Research Group for Genomic Epidemiology at the National Food Institute, DTU, where he contributes to collaborative research efforts focused on understanding and combating antimicrobial resistance through genomic approaches. His work involves close collaboration with international researchers and institutions, as evidenced by his co-authorship on multiple international publications.
Bradley Matthews is a Researcher at the Institute of Forest Ecology within the Department of Ecosystem Management, Climate and Biodiversity at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU). His work focuses on forest ecology and ecosystem dynamics, particularly carbon cycling in mountain and urban environments, with emphasis on disturbance impacts from windthrow, clearcutting, and bark beetle outbreaks. He currently leads the Vienna Urban Carbon Laboratory project (2021-2025), funded by national public entities, which monitors urban CO2 emissions using tall tower eddy covariance systems. Education: PhD (Promotion) in 2017 His core research interests include forest ecology, ecosystem research, environmental physics, hydrology, and agricultural meteorology. He investigates how disturbances and climate extremes alter soil carbon dynamics, microbial communities, and decomposition processes, with recent expansion into urban cooling effects and green infrastructure equity. Media contributions highlight practical applications, such as his 2024 study showing uneven distribution of urban green cooling in Vienna. Analysis of his 2017-2022 publications reveals consistent focus on forest disturbance effects on soil carbon and fungal communities, alongside urban CO2 monitoring. Key methodologies involve eddy covariance towers, stable isotope analysis, and spatial heterogeneity mapping. Trends indicate growing interdisciplinary work connecting mountain forest resilience with urban climate mitigation strategies. Scientific Awards: City of Vienna Science Scholarship (2019) 120 Years of the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Dissertation Prize (2018) Dr. Matthews has supervised university theses and secured research funding through major projects. As principal investigator for the Vienna Urban Carbon Laboratory (2021-2025), he coordinates with the Institute of Soil Research and national entities. His prior role in the C-Alp II project (2017-2019), funded by the Austrian Academy of Sciences, involved international collaboration across six countries. He has delivered 30 lectures globally including Austria (17), Germany (2), UK (2), and Brazil (1). He leads the Vienna Urban Carbon Laboratory (VUCL) team operating tall tower eddy covariance systems for city-scale CO2 monitoring. His work also integrates with the Calcareous Alps Forest Ecosystem Research initiative, examining long-term disturbance impacts on mountain forests through field sites like Zöbelboden and Molln. Current efforts focus on translating urban carbon data into climate policy through media engagement and public science communication.
Hadi Fanaee Tork is an Associate Professor (Docent) in Machine Learning and Program Director for the Applied AI bachelor program at Halmstad University's School of Information Technology, Sweden. He earned his PhD in Computer Science with distinction from the University of Porto, Portugal in 2015, followed by postdoctoral positions at the University of Oslo (2017-2020) and INESC TEC research institute in Portugal. His primary research interests include machine learning, tensor decompositions, anomaly detection, and time series analysis. His work spans theoretical foundations to practical applications in healthcare, transportation, environmental monitoring, and industrial systems. He has developed novel methods for tensor-based event detection, multi-aspect data analysis, and space-time clustering, with applications ranging from disease outbreak detection to energy efficiency in maritime transport. His recent publication trend shows a strong focus on tensor analysis applications across multiple domains, with increasing emphasis on practical implementations in transportation efficiency and healthcare analytics. His work bridges theoretical machine learning with real-world problem solving, particularly through tensor decomposition techniques applied to complex, high-dimensional data streams. ERCIM Cor Baayen Young Researcher Award Finalist (2017) Publons Top Reviewer Award (2017) PhD Scholarship, MAP-i doctoral program (2011) Best PHP Class Award (2012) Professor Fanaee Tork has advised numerous PhD and Master's students across multiple institutions including Halmstad University, University of Oslo, and international collaborations with institutions in Iran, Portugal, and Germany. His research has been supported through European FP7 Project "MAESTRA" and various academic collaborations. He maintains active research groups focused on tensor analysis and natural learning approaches, with strong industry connections particularly in maritime technology and healthcare analytics.
Mattias Ohlsson is a Visiting Professor at the School of Information Technology , Halmstad University . His research focuses on machine learning and deep learning for analyzing diverse health data, particularly patient trajectory modeling with multimodal approaches. Primary affiliation: IT - Computer Department Collaboration areas: Healthcare sector and industry His work emphasizes explainable AI in clinical contexts, including survival analysis, cardiac event prediction, and cross-domain applications in satellite poverty mapping. Recent projects explore temporal healthcare data analysis using transformer architectures and self-supervised learning . Key article trends include: 2025: AI integration with medical expertise for emergency diagnostics 2024: Survival model evaluation, temporal data challenges, and graft failure prediction 2023: Multi-robot routing optimization and fatty liver disease etiology modeling 2022: Heart failure mortality algorithms and anomaly detection systems Current affiliations include the CAISR Health research group, with technical expertise spanning CNNs, transformers, and robust imputation methods.
Ellen Ashmore Marsh is a Researcher in the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics (DAMTP) at the University of Cambridge, Faculty of Mathematics. Her work applies mathematical and statistical modeling to public health and food safety challenges, particularly within New Zealand's regulatory framework. Her research spans epidemiology , food safety , and toxicology , with expertise in source attribution of foodborne illnesses, mycotoxin surveillance, and risk assessment of chemical contaminants. She employs advanced statistical methods to analyze campylobacteriosis outbreaks, fumonisins in maize products, and heavy metal exposure in dietary contexts, collaborating extensively with New Zealand's Ministry for Primary Industries and ESR (Institute of Environmental Science and Research). Dr. Marsh's publication record (2012-2021) shows a clear evolution from materials science toward public health applications, with 9 of 10 recent works focused on New Zealand food safety issues including pathogen source tracking, mycotoxin monitoring, and contaminant risk assessments in rice, cereals, and children's products. No major scientific awards are documented in available sources. Her research is primarily funded through government commissions from New Zealand Food Safety and the Ministry for Primary Industries, indicating active policy-relevant work, though specific graduate student mentorship is not publicly listed. Dr. Marsh contributes to Cambridge's applied mathematics research ecosystem through specialized statistical modeling for food safety regulation, maintaining strong operational ties with New Zealand's public health infrastructure.
Joana Crisostomo serves as a Lecturer in Veterinary Surveillance and Investigation at the School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Surrey, where she is affiliated with the Veterinary Pathology Centre. Her role focuses on academic instruction and research within veterinary disease monitoring systems. Her research spans critical areas including Veterinary Medicine, Veterinary Pathology, Disease Surveillance, Epidemiology, Animal Health, and Infectious Disease Investigation. This work emphasizes practical methodologies for tracking and analyzing animal disease outbreaks to safeguard public health and agricultural ecosystems through systematic field investigations and data-driven surveillance protocols. Scientific Awards: No awards documented in available sources While specific advising records and grant funding details remain unreported in the provided materials, her lecturer position inherently involves mentoring veterinary students in pathology and surveillance techniques. The academic environment necessitates continuous curriculum development and hands-on training in diagnostic procedures. She operates within the Veterinary Pathology Centre's framework—a dedicated research unit specializing in post-mortem analysis, diagnostic pathology, and outbreak response coordination—which serves as the operational hub for her investigative work and academic contributions to veterinary science.
Joan Rose is a Professor and holds the Homer Nowlin Chair in Water Research at Michigan State University (MSU), where she serves as Director of the Water Alliance. Affiliated with the College of Agriculture & Natural Resources and the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, she is a member of the National Academy of Engineering (2011) and a recipient of the Stockholm Water Prize (2016) and the Helen and William Milliken Distinguished Service Award (2018). Education: Bachelor’s in Biology, University of Arizona Master’s in Microbiology, University of Wyoming Doctorate in Microbiology, University of Arizona As a pioneering water microbiologist, Rose focuses on waterborne pathogens, microbial source tracking, and quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA). Her work includes developing molecular methods for pathogen detection, studying wastewater treatment efficacy, and addressing global water scarcity and contamination. Her recent research on fecal contamination in stream water and sediment highlights the role of rainfall events in spreading pathogens and the utility of qPCR technology. This aligns with her broader efforts to integrate advanced analytics into water safety protocols, including viral metagenomics for tracking threats like SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater. Scientific Awards: 2016 Stockholm Water Prize 2018 Helen and William Milliken Award 2019 Chandler-Misener Award 2024 IWA Global Water Award Rose’s grants, such as the NSF-funded NRT-HDR: WaterCube and EPA projects, reflect her commitment to interdisciplinary solutions for water safety. She collaborates with Michigan’s environmental and health departments, influencing state policy on septic systems and beach testing. Her lab’s work on QMRA and septic contamination in Michigan watersheds has driven legislative reforms and global initiatives like the UNESCO-linked Global Water Pathogen Project.
Roni Rosenfeld is a Professor in the School of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University, holding joint appointments in Machine Learning, Language Technologies, Computer Science, and Computational Biology. He has served as Head of the Machine Learning Department from 2018 to 2024. His education includes a BSc in Mathematics and Physics from Tel Aviv University (1985) and a PhD in Computer Science from Carnegie Mellon University (1994). His research focuses on epidemic forecasting via the Delphi Group, named a National Center for Epidemic Forecasting by the U.S. CDC. Past work includes speech recognition, SLT4D (Spoken Language Technologies for Development), and ML4SG (Machine Learning for Social Good). He has advised over a dozen PhD students and mentored postdocs in epidemiology, computational biology, and speech technologies. Rosenfeld has published 150+ peer-reviewed articles and received the Spira Teaching Excellence Award (2017) and Allen Newell Medal for Research Excellence (1992, 2022). His current projects emphasize real-time epidemic tracking, public health data quality, and collaborative forecasting frameworks. Key collaborations include the CDC-funded Delphi Group’s work on influenza, dengue, and pandemic surveillance systems. He also pioneered viral spread analysis in low-literacy regions through speech-based technologies, addressing global development challenges.
Jean-Claude Dujardin is a full professor at the Institute of Tropical Medicine (ITM) in Antwerp, Belgium, where he heads the Unit of Molecular Parasitology and serves as head of the Department of Biomedical Sciences. He holds a 10% affiliation as an associate professor at the University of Antwerp's Department of Biomedical Sciences and is a visiting lecturer at UNamur. His academic journey includes a Zoology degree from Facultés Notre Dame de la Paix (1983), a diploma in Tropical Medical Biology from ITM (1984), and a Doctor in Science (Zoology) from the Free University of Brussels (1995). His research focuses on Leishmania parasites and the diseases they cause, emphasizing molecular biology, genomics, and drug resistance. He pioneered Leishmania genomics, established the first L. donovani reference genome, and led sequencing of 300 clinical isolates. His work integrates genomic data with ecological and clinical contexts, revealing parasite adaptation mechanisms. He has coordinated seven EU-funded projects, fostering international networks. Key contributions include elucidating treatment failure mechanisms (drug resistance, quiescence, viral infections) and developing standardized molecular tools for diagnostics and epidemiology. He has supervised 28 PhD students, 34 MSc students, and 13 postdocs, contributing to global capacity-building. His research spans from basic biology to translational applications, with a focus on neglected tropical diseases. Notable grants include the MRC Cruzi Grant (2024–2027) and LeishMAP (2023–2026), addressing genomic instability and aneuploidy in parasites. His work is published in high-impact journals like Nature Communications and PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, with an h-index of 51 (WoS, 2021).
Amber Richards is a Researcher in the Department of Population Health at the College of Veterinary Medicine. Her work focuses on microbial pathogen dynamics in food production systems, particularly Salmonella and Campylobacter species. She investigates bacterial behavior in poultry processing environments and develops methodologies for pathogen detection and control. Her research integrates genomic analysis, microbiology, and food safety practices. Key research themes include bacterial biofilm formation, serovar diversity in foodborne pathogens, and the ecological links between environmental and livestock-associated bacteria. Her work aims to improve food safety standards and reduce zoonotic disease risks through evidence-based interventions. Recent studies have explored enrichment media efficacy in Salmonella detection, genetic differences between Campylobacter isolates from water and poultry, and CRISPR-based diagnostic tools for pathogen identification. This research has implications for both agricultural practices and public health policies. No scientific awards or grants are explicitly mentioned in the provided materials. Her current role involves collaborative research within the College of Veterinary Medicine's academic and diagnostic infrastructure.
