Gianluca Iaccarino is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Stanford University and the Robert Bosch Chairholder. He serves as Director of the PSAAP Center and leads large-scale computational research initiatives in uncertainty quantification, exascale computing, and multiphysics simulations. His academic journey includes a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Politecnico di Bari (2005), postdoctoral work at Stanford's Center for Turbulence Research, and progression from Research Engineer to full Professor. Education : PhD (Politecnico di Bari), MS/BS in Aeronautical Engineering (University of Naples) Research : Computational engineering, turbulence modeling, uncertainty quantification, biomedical fluid dynamics, and exascale-ready algorithms Publications : 15+ recent articles focus on turbulence modeling, data-driven simulations, and uncertainty quantification across diverse applications in aerospace, biomedical, and energy systems Awards : PECASE (2010), APS Fellow (2019), multiple best paper awards (AIAA, ASME), Terman Fellow (2007) Students : Advises doctoral and master's students in mechanical engineering and computational methods Leadership : Director of PSAAP Center (2014-present), Chair of Mechanical Engineering Department (2024-present)
Jackie Chit Kit Cheung is an Associate Professor in the School of Computer Science at McGill University, where he co-directs the Reasoning and Learning Lab. He holds the Canada CIFAR AI Chair and serves as an Associate Scientific Co-Director at the Mila Quebec AI Institute. He is also a consulting researcher at Microsoft Research Montreal. Academic Background: Ph.D. in Computer Science, University of Toronto (2010–2014) M.Sc. in Computer Science, University of Toronto (2008–2010) B.Sc. (Honours) in Computer Science, minors in Linguistics and German, University of British Columbia (2004–2008) Research Interests: Jackie Cheung's research lies at the intersection of natural language processing, machine learning, and cognitive science. He focuses on natural language generation , automatic summarization , commonsense and pragmatic reasoning , and the evaluation of NLP systems . His work aims to build language models that reflect real-world structure and reasoning, with applications in health, education, and language revitalization. He is particularly interested in how implicit meaning is processed in context, a core concern in linguistic pragmatics. Publication Trends: His recent publications (2024–2025) show a strong emphasis on evaluation methodologies (e.g., COSMIC, ECBD), hallucination and factuality in language models, coreference and reasoning , and long-context modeling . He frequently collaborates across institutions and integrates insights from linguistics and psychology into NLP system design and analysis. Scientific Awards: Best Paper Award, ACL 2018 Outstanding Paper Award, NAACL 2018 Student Research Workshop SAC Award, ACL 2024 (for COSMIC) Best Poster Award, CMDO AI-Health Symposium 2024 Advising and Grants: He advises a large and diverse group of graduate students, including PhD and Master’s candidates, often in co-supervision with other faculty. His group has received support from major AI and health research initiatives, including CIFAR and Mila. He has trained alumni who have gone on to faculty and industry research positions. He has served in leadership roles in top NLP conferences, including as Senior Area Chair, Workshop Chair, and Program Chair of Canadian AI 2018. Labs and Teams: He co-directs the Reasoning and Learning Lab at McGill and is deeply involved with Mila – Quebec AI Institute . He founded the NLP Reading Group at McGill, which brings together researchers from computer science, linguistics, and information studies to discuss theoretical and applied NLP topics.
Richard M. Murray is the Thomas E. and Doris Everhart Professor of Control and Dynamical Systems and Bioengineering at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). He holds a B.S. from Caltech (1985), M.S. from UC Berkeley (1988), and Ph.D. from UC Berkeley (1990). He has served in academic roles from Assistant Professor (1991–1997) to his current endowed professorship. He chaired the Engineering and Applied Science division (2000–2005) and Biology and Biological Engineering (2020–2024). His research focuses on feedback control in biological and autonomous systems, synthetic cells, and networked control systems. Collaborators include experts in robotics, synthetic biology, and systems biology. Key awards include the IEEE Control Systems Award and election to the National Academy of Engineering. His educational contributions span courses on control systems, robotics, and bioengineering. Current research projects include the Developer Cell initiative (Sloan Foundation), layered testing for autonomous systems (AFOSR), and microbiome-based environmental solutions (CHARMME, ARO). He advises numerous graduate students and postdocs, with notable alumni in academia and industry. Labs include facilities in Keck and Steele laboratories at Caltech. His work bridges control theory, synthetic biology, and autonomous systems to address societal challenges like environmental monitoring and safe autonomy.
Anette Mikes is an Associate Professor of Accounting at the University of Oxford’s Saïd Business School and a Hertford College Fellow. She specializes in risk management, corporate governance, and sustainability, with a focus on the intersection of ethics and organizational control systems. Her research explores how risk frameworks shape corporate decision-making, particularly in climate change and decarbonization contexts. Education: PhD in Accounting from the London School of Economics (2005) Pre-doctoral work in the City of London (2006–2007) studying Chief Risk Officer roles Research Interests: Behavioral approaches to risk management Management control systems for sustainability Ethics in corporate governance Decarbonization strategies in heavy industries Her 2012 Harvard Business Review article (with Robert Kaplan) on risk frameworks remains influential, while her documentary on the Kursk submarine disaster highlights crisis management failures. Awards: 2025 Honorary Doctorate from Uppsala University 2017 ACA Prize for Risk Management Contributions 2014 Global Risk Forum Film Award Key Contributions: Co-developed Harvard’s Risk Management executive program Leads research on ‘Values at Risk’ and corporate purpose Published widely on climate risk governance and ethical leadership Her recent work emphasizes decarbonization strategies and moral accountability in business, bridging accounting practices with environmental and ethical imperatives.
Gary Fedder is the Howard M. Wilkoff Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), with courtesy appointments in Biomedical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Robotics. He serves as Faculty Director of the Manufacturing Futures Institute (MFI) and previously held roles such as Vice Provost for Research and Interim CEO of the Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing (ARM) Institute. Fedder’s research focuses on MEMS, advanced manufacturing, and implantable microsystems. He earned his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. in EECS from MIT and UC Berkeley, respectively. Education: Ph.D., Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, UC Berkeley (1994) M.S., Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, MIT (1984) B.S., Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, MIT (1982) Research Interests: Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), digital twins, aerosol jet printing, stretchable electronics, and manufacturing innovation. His work integrates MEMS with CMOS processes, emphasizing low-cost, high-performance systems. Key Contributions: Co-founded the ARM Institute; developed MEMS-based sensors and actuators; pioneered methods for manufacturing innovation through projects like America Makes. His research spans over 300 publications and 21 patents. Awards: IEEE Fellow (2007), Ross Tucker Award (1993), NSF CAREER Award (1996), and leadership roles in Manufacturing USA initiatives. Leadership & Outreach: Directed the Institute for Complex Engineered Systems and led national initiatives to advance U.S. manufacturing competitiveness. Active in editorial roles for journals like IoP Journal of Micromechanics .
Anca Dragan is an Associate Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences at the University of California, Berkeley, where she runs the InterACT Lab focused on algorithms for human-AI and human-robot interaction. Currently on leave from Berkeley, she leads AI Safety and Alignment at Google DeepMind, overseeing safety for Gemini models and preparing for future advancements. Dragan has been a co-PI of the Center for Human-Compatible AI and served on the steering committee for the Berkeley AI Research (BAIR) Lab. B.Sc. in Computer Science from Jacobs University Bremen, Germany Ph.D. from Carnegie Mellon University Dr. Dragan's research focuses on enabling AI agents to work effectively with, around, and in support of people. Her work bridges robotics, machine learning, and game theory to create systems that better understand human preferences and coordinate with users. Key areas include AI alignment (ensuring AI does what people actually want), learning reward functions from diverse human feedback forms, and developing algorithms for human-AI collaboration across domains like autonomous vehicles, brain-machine interfaces, and recommender systems. Her research emphasizes maintaining uncertainty about human preferences and accounting for the plurality of human values. Dr. Dragan's recent publications reveal a strong focus on addressing fundamental challenges in AI safety and alignment. Her work spans theoretical foundations of reward learning, practical implementations for human-AI coordination, and critical examinations of limitations in current approaches. There's a clear trajectory toward more robust, safe, and value-aligned AI systems that can handle complex human preferences while avoiding both present-day harms and potential catastrophic risks. IEEE RAS Early Academic Career Award in Robotics and Automation (2021) McEntyre Award for Excellence in Teaching (2020) PECASE (Presidential Early Career Award for Science and Engineering) (2019) Sloan Fellowship (2018) NSF CAREER Award (2017) Okawa Foundation Award (2017) MIT Tech Review 35 Innovators Under 35 (2017) Multiple best paper awards at top robotics and AI conferences Dr. Dragan has mentored numerous successful students who have gone on to faculty positions at MIT, Stanford, CMU, and Princeton, as well as industry roles at DeepMind, Waymo, and Meta. Her advising philosophy emphasizes both technical rigor and consideration of broader societal impacts. She has secured significant research funding including NSF CAREER, ONR Young Investigator, and Okawa Foundation awards, supporting work on human-AI interaction and alignment. Dragan has also consulted for Waymo for six years, helping develop roadmaps for deploying increasingly learning-based safety-critical systems. Dr. Dragan leads the InterACT Lab at UC Berkeley, which has produced influential work on Cooperative Inverse Reinforcement Learning, Inverse Reward Design, and other foundational concepts in human-AI interaction. The lab's research has significantly shaped the field of AI alignment, with applications spanning autonomous vehicles that coordinate with human drivers, brain-machine interfaces that adapt to user needs, and language models that better understand human preferences. Current work focuses on scaling safety approaches as AI capabilities advance, ensuring alignment keeps pace with technological progress.
Asaf Cidon is an Associate Professor at Columbia University, jointly affiliated with the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, and a member of the Data Science Institute. His research focuses on software systems , storage , large-scale machine learning , and cybersecurity . Stanford University - PhD in Electrical Engineering Stanford University - MS in Electrical Engineering Technion - BS in Computer and Software Engineering His work in distributed storage systems has been commercialized by companies such as Facebook, Tibco, and Rubrik. He has led projects like Sentinel and Forensics during his industry career. Recent publications highlight advancements in software-based radiation protection (ASPLOS'26), PCIe pooling with CXL (HotOS'25), and AI phishing detection (IMC'25). These reflect his expertise in system architecture , security , and networking . Scientific recognitions include best paper awards at OSDI, Usenix Security, CIDR, and ATC, along with NSF CAREER and ARO Young Investigator Awards . His papers Cookie Monster (SOSP'24) and Chablis (CIDR'24) received notable accolades. He has mentored numerous PhD and Master's students , including Edward Guo, Harry Wang, and Teng Jiang, many of whom now hold roles at Google, Meta, Amazon, and academic institutions. His lab at Columbia is actively recruiting CS and EE PhD students. Prior to Columbia, he founded and led the startup Sookasa to acquisition and served as Senior Vice President of Email Protection at Barracuda Networks , managing a $200M business with 100 engineers.
Trevor Campbell is an Associate Professor in the Department of Statistics at the University of British Columbia (UBC), Vancouver. He holds a Ph.D. in Machine Learning and Statistics from MIT and a B.A.Sc. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Toronto. His research focuses on automated, scalable Bayesian inference algorithms, Bayesian nonparametrics, and streaming data analysis. Campbell is a core contributor to probabilistic programming tools like Pigeons.jl and has developed influential methods for coreset-based Bayesian inference. Education : Ph.D. in Machine Learning and Statistics (2016), MIT M.S. in Aeronautics and Astronautics (2013), MIT B.A.Sc. in Aerospace Engineering (2011), University of Toronto Research Interests : His work emphasizes scalable Bayesian computation, including variational inference, MCMC optimization, and coresets. He develops algorithms that balance statistical accuracy with computational efficiency, particularly for large-scale datasets. His recent work explores adaptive samplers (e.g., AutoStep, autoMALA) and theoretical guarantees for coreset methods. Applications span astrophysics, materials science, and network analysis. Awards & Grants : NSERC Discovery Grant (2025) Blackwell-Rosenbluth Award (2021) PIMS Early Career Award (2023) Google Perception Academic Funding (2020) Advising & Labs : He supervises a team of PhD and M.Sc. students at UBC, focusing on Bayesian methodology and computational tools. His lab collaborates with institutions like SFU and MIT on projects involving distributed sampling and probabilistic modeling. He co-organizes workshops on Bayesian computation and serves on editorial boards for Bayesian Analysis and TMLR.
Hyesoon Kim is a Professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology , affiliated with the College of Computing and leading the HPArch research group . She co-directs the Center for Research into Novel Computing Hierarchies (CRNCH) . Her research focuses on Computer Architecture , GPU , Compilers and Runtime Systems , and Hardware Security , particularly for heterogeneous systems. Contact : hyesoon@cc.gatech.edu Location : 266 Ferst Drive, KACB 2344, Atlanta, GA Research Trends Her recent work spans RISC-V extensions for security, CUDA optimization on softcore GPUs, memory safety techniques, and energy-efficient deep learning architectures. Articles emphasize heterogeneous computing , GPU performance scaling, and IoT -oriented neural network methods. Open Source Projects She leads development of Macsim (heterogeneous architecture simulator) and Vortex (open-source GPU platform).
Avi Turetsky is an Adjunct Professor at the Weatherhead School of Management (Case Western Reserve University) and a Research Fellow in private equity. Currently a Partner and Co-Head of the Quantitative Research Group (QRG) at Ares Management, he oversees original research, quantitative software development, and tools production teams. Previously served as Chief Operating Officer for The Riverside Company's Europe Fund and holds advisory roles at EDHEC and INSEAD . Research Focus: Turetsky’s work bridges private equity practice and quantitative finance, examining distributional patterns in investment outcomes, competency frameworks for financial professionals, and mathematical models for performance evaluation. His recent publications explore robust statistical methods in portfolio construction, direct alpha calculations for skill assessment, and sector-based value creation strategies in private equity-owned companies. Key Article Trends: His research spans 2016–2023, emphasizing quantitative methodologies in private equity, including skew analysis , value creation metrics , and competency clustering . Topics range from alliance changes in intercollegiate athletics to mathematical modeling of investment professional performance. Leadership & Teams: At Ares Management, Turetsky co-leads the QRG, managing cross-functional teams in Original Research , Quantitative Software Development , and Tools Production . He collaborates with investment teams to integrate quantitative strategies into decision-making processes.
Daniel W. Bliss is a Professor in the School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering at Arizona State University and Director of ASU's Center for Wireless Information Systems and Computational Architectures (WISCA). With over $50 million in research funding as principal investigator from organizations including DARPA, ONR, Google, and Airbus, his work bridges theoretical foundations with practical implementations across multiple domains of wireless systems. Dr. Bliss received his educational foundation with a B.S.E.E. from Arizona State University (1989), followed by M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Physics from the University of California-San Diego (1995, 1997). His academic journey includes significant industry experience at General Dynamics (1989-1993) and MIT Lincoln Laboratory (1997-2012) before joining ASU. His research program focuses on advanced wireless systems spanning radar, communications, precision positioning, computational architectures, and medical monitoring applications. Bliss employs information theory, estimation theory, and signal processing to develop novel system concepts with disruptive capabilities. Current research emphasizes RF convergence, integrated sensing and communications, and anticipatory medical analytics using wireless technologies, with particular focus on extracting physiological data from radar signals. Analysis of recent publications reveals a strong trend toward integrated sensing and communications systems, particularly utilizing mmWave and radar technologies for medical monitoring applications. His work increasingly bridges traditional communications and radar domains while expanding into physiological monitoring, demonstrating a clear trajectory toward convergence of wireless technologies for healthcare applications and remote vital sign detection. Dr. Bliss has received significant recognition for his contributions: Fellow of the IEEE (2015) 2021 IEEE Warren D. White Award for Excellence in Radar Engineering 2016-2017 Top 5% Teaching Award at ASU 2017 ASU Fulton Engineering Exemplar Faculty As a dedicated mentor, Dr. Bliss has supervised numerous graduate students through successful dissertation and thesis defenses across both PhD and Master's programs. His research portfolio includes substantial funding from diverse sources with over $50 million secured as principal investigator. Current projects include the $17M DARPA DASH project focused on advanced software-reconfigurable heterogeneous SoCs for next-generation RF systems, and multiple initiatives in contactless vital sign monitoring using radar technologies. Dr. Bliss leads the BLISS Lab and serves as director of WISCA, fostering interdisciplinary research in wireless systems. His team includes researchers working on distributed coherent systems, MIMO radar, RF convergence, and medical monitoring applications, with recent successes including the Making Waves team that tied for first place in the Air Force Spark Tank challenge. He has founded two startup companies: DASH Tech Integrated Circuits Company and the Big Little Sensor Company, focusing on high-performance embedded processing and small-scale radar physiological monitoring, respectively.
Jiaxuan You is an Assistant Professor at the Siebel School of Computing and Data Science, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, leading the U Lab focused on achieving Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) in digital environments. His research spans graph neural networks (GNNs), relational data, foundation models, and machine learning systems. PhD and MS in Computer Science from Stanford University (2021) Developed GraphGym and PyTorch Geometric (PyG) for graph learning Core member at Kumo AI (2021-2023) His research explores: Graph-enhanced LLMs: Integrating relational structures into foundation models AGI Development: Self-optimizing AI agents and tool utilization ML Systems: Scalable architectures and redundancy-free computation Interdisciplinary Applications: Financial networks, crop yield prediction, and metro systems Recent publications focus on temporal reasoning, multi-agent dynamics, and hybrid architectures for LLMs. He actively develops open-source tools like DBGYM and GraphRouter. Scientific recognition includes: JPMC PhD Fellowship Baidu Scholarship Best Student Paper at AAAI 2017 World Bank Big Data Innovation Challenge winner He mentors PhD and intern students, emphasizing machine learning systems expertise. His lab collaborates on AGI workshops (e.g., ICLR 2024) and industry projects.
Tushar Krishna is an Associate Professor in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology, with a courtesy appointment in the School of Computer Science. He earned his PhD in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from MIT in 2014, an MSE in Electrical Engineering from Princeton University in 2009, and a B.Tech in Electrical Engineering from IIT Delhi in 2007. His research spans computer architecture, interconnection networks, networks-on-chip (NoC), and AI/ML accelerator systems, with a focus on optimizing data movement in modern computing platforms. His work is funded by NSF, DARPA, IARPA, SRC, Department of Energy, Intel, Google, Meta, Qualcomm, and TSMC. His papers have been cited over 17,000 times, with three receiving IEEE Micro's Top Picks recognition, one earning an honorable mention, and four winning best paper awards. Dr. Krishna leads the Synergy Lab at Georgia Tech and has developed several influential tools including ASTRA-sim for distributed AI/ML training, MAESTRO and SCALE-sim for accelerator design space exploration, and Garnet2.0 for NoC simulation. His recent work focuses on large language model acceleration, distributed training systems, and neuro-symbolic AI architectures. He has received numerous teaching and research awards including induction into the HPCA Hall of Fame (2022), the Class of 1940 Teaching Effectiveness Award (2018), and the Roger P. Webb Outstanding Mid-career Faculty Award (2024). HPCA Hall of Fame Inductee (2022) Roger P. Webb Outstanding Mid-career Faculty Award (2024) Richard M. Bass/Eta Kappa Nu Outstanding Junior Teacher Award (2023) Roger P. Webb Outstanding Junior Faculty Award (2021) Class of 1940 Course Survey Teaching Effectiveness Award (2018) Dr. Krishna currently serves as Associate Director for the Center for Research into Novel Computing Hierarchies (CRNCH) and co-chair of the Chakra Execution Traces and Benchmarks Working Group. He has held the ON Semiconductor (Endowed) Junior Professorship at Georgia Tech (2019-2021) and has been a visiting professor at MIT EECS, Harvard University CS, and a researcher at Intel's VSSAD group.
Dr James Helal is the Assistant Dean for Sustainability and a Lecturer in Construction Management at the Melbourne School of Design (MSD), University of Melbourne. His research focuses on integrating life cycle assessment and computational tools into the structural design of tall buildings, emphasizing embodied carbon reduction. He is recognized for developing software frameworks that automate environmental impact analysis in early-stage structural design. Dr Helal teaches materials, structures, and life cycle assessment in construction management. His pedagogical excellence has earned prestigious awards, including the Edward Brown Award for Teaching Excellence. He coordinates the construction major in the Bachelor of Design program. His research addresses structural optimization, tall building sustainability, and environmental flows. Key contributions include frameworks for reducing carbon emissions in tall building design and critiques of decorative architectural elements' environmental impact. Awards: Structures Best Research into Practice Prize (Institution of Structural Engineers) Open Award for Excellence in Teaching (Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning) Edward Brown Award for Teaching Excellence (University of Melbourne) Advising & Grants: Coordinates construction curriculum but no explicit student advisee list is provided in texts. His work aligns with sustainability-focused research grants. Labs/Teams: Engaged with MSD’s Future Cities Practice and Construction Innovation initiatives.
Michael A Osborne is Professor of Machine Learning at the University of Oxford and leads the Bayesian Exploration Lab . He serves as Director of the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Autonomous Intelligent Machines and Systems and co-directs the Oxford Martin AI Governance Initiative. His research focuses on Bayesian optimization, Gaussian processes, and probabilistic numerics with applications in quantum devices, battery modeling, and AI governance. Key Positions: Professor of Machine Learning, University of Oxford Official Fellow, Exeter College Co-founder of Mind Foundry Lead Researcher, Oxford Martin Programme on Technology and Employment Research Themes: Probabilistic modeling for quantum systems Uncertainty quantification in energy storage AI safety and societal impact analysis Automated experimental design Quantum device calibration Probabilistic numerical methods Technical Contributions: Bridging reality gap in quantum devices Efficient Bayesian quadrature techniques Personalized neurostimulation algorithms Automated measurement protocols Quantum-classical hybrid ML
