Ching Kwan Lee is a Professor of Sociology at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Her work focuses on global and comparative issues, including labor politics, political sociology, decolonization, and the dynamics of Chinese capitalism. She is renowned for her trilogy on Chinese labor and global expansion, including Gender and the South China Miracle , Against the Law , and The Specter of Global China . Lee has also authored groundbreaking studies on Hong Kong’s decolonization struggles and African-China relations. Education: PhD in Sociology from the University of California, Berkeley. Research Interests : Globalization and its social impacts Comparative labor movements and protest dynamics Decolonization and postcolonial state formations Sino-African economic and labor relations Hong Kong’s political trajectory and transnational activism Her recent work explores resistance to 'global China,' including mass mobilizations in Hong Kong documented in Forever Hong Kong: A Global City’s Decolonization Struggle (2025). She co-edits the Cambridge Elements in Global China and leads the Global Hong Kong Studies @UC initiative. Awards & Recognition : 2024 Distinguished Career in Political Sociology Award Multiple book prizes for The Specter of Global China Fellowships at Stanford’s Center for Advanced Study and Princeton’s Institute for Advanced Study Grants & Initiatives : Lead researcher on NSF grants studying platform capitalism and labor in China Initiated comparative projects on Brazil, India, China, and South Africa ( Southern Interregnum ) Co-editor of volumes on Hong Kong’s Umbrella Movement and global labor studies
Dr. Corey T. Callaghan is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation at the University of Florida . Based at the Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center , his research focuses on global change ecology using big data from citizen science platforms like eBird and iNaturalist, combined with geospatial analyses and macroecological theory . Ph.D. (2019) from UNSW Sydney M.S. (2015) from Florida Atlantic University B.S. + B.S. (2013) from Canisius College His work examines urban ecology , including how species traits influence urban tolerance across birds, amphibians, and butterflies. He develops adaptive sampling frameworks to optimize citizen science data collection while addressing biases. Current projects analyze human-nature interactions through citizen science participation, secondary data in photographs, and machine learning for biodiversity monitoring. He actively contributes to conservation strategies for urban biodiversity and data-driven restoration efforts . Recent publications highlight his expertise in cross-taxa comparisons , continental-scale analyses , and ecosystem service quantification . He leads the Global Ecology Research Group at the University of Florida, emphasizing collaborative science and open-source methodologies .
Jonathan Rosa is Associate Professor in the Graduate School of Education, Center for Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity, and, by courtesy, Departments of Anthropology, Linguistics, and Comparative Literature at Stanford University. He serves as Director of Stanford's Program in Chicanx-Latinx Studies and has held leadership positions including President of the Association of Latina/o and Latinx Anthropologists of the American Anthropological Association. Dr. Rosa's educational background includes: Ph.D. in Sociocultural and Linguistic Anthropology from the University of Chicago (2010) M.A. in Sociocultural and Linguistic Anthropology from the University of Chicago (2006) B.A. in Linguistics and Educational Studies from Swarthmore College (2003) Dr. Rosa's research examines the co-naturalization of language and race as a key feature of modern governance, tracking colonially structured interrelations among racial marginalization, linguistic stigmatization, and institutional inequity. His scholarship centers on raciolinguistic ideologies, Latinx studies, and educational justice, with a community-based approach that develops tools for challenging systemic vulnerability. He investigates how race and language are jointly defined across historical, geopolitical, and institutional contexts, with particular focus on Latinx communities and educational settings. His recent publications demonstrate a consistent thematic focus on decolonizing linguistic and educational frameworks, challenging standard language ideologies, and examining the intersections of race, language, and power. The work spans multiple disciplines including sociolinguistics, anthropology, education, and critical race studies, increasingly emphasizing undoing raciolinguistics and addressing coloniality in language education and assessment practices. Dr. Rosa has received numerous prestigious awards for his scholarship: Distinguished Summer Scholar, Banks Center for Educational Justice, University of Washington College of Education (2024) Outstanding Book of the Year Award for "Looking like a Language, Sounding like a Race," American Association of Teaching and Curriculum (2022) First Book Award for "Looking like a Language, Sounding like a Race," American Association for Applied Linguistics (2021) Prose Award for Excellence in Language & Linguistics for "Looking like a Language, Sounding like a Race," Association of American Publishers (2020) Charles A. Ferguson Award for Outstanding Scholarship, Center for Applied Linguistics (2018) Dr. Rosa actively mentors doctoral students across multiple programs, serving as primary advisor for students researching race, ethnicity, language, and education. His research has been supported by major grants from the National Science Foundation, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation, and Ford Foundation. He collaborates extensively with community organizations, particularly in Chicago, to develop educational approaches grounded in decolonial praxis, focusing on how scholarship can serve as a platform for social transformation. Dr. Rosa co-directed Stanford's Center for Global Ethnography (2021-2023) and directed Stanford's Program in Chicana/o-Latina/o Studies (2020-2023). He serves on multiple editorial boards including Current Anthropology and Equity & Excellence in Education, and has held leadership positions in professional organizations including President of the Association of Latina/o and Latinx Anthropologists (2020-2022).
Yuri Bobbert is a Professor of Information System Science at Antwerp Management School (AMS), part of the University of Antwerp. He holds dual PhDs from Radboud University and the University of Antwerp, focusing on IT performance measurement. His career includes roles as Global Group CSO of NN Group and UWV (Government), leading cybersecurity integrations during mergers like NN Group and Delta Lloyds. As CEO of B-ABLE (IT consultancy), he developed cybersecurity frameworks. Currently, he advises on NIS2 compliance and Zero Trust strategies. His research spans cybersecurity ROI, regulatory frameworks (e.g., NIS2), and leadership in digital security. Education PhD in Information Systems (Radboud University) PhD in Cybersecurity (University of Antwerp) Research Interests Cybersecurity governance and compliance ROSI (Return on Security Investment) CISO leadership and board communication Zero Trust architecture Risk quantification in digital ecosystems Publications & Books Authored books: Strategic Approaches to Digital Platform Security Assurance , Cybersecurity in 60 Minutes , and Digital Security Leadership Over 100 peer-reviewed publications on cybersecurity performance and governance Grants & Awards Recipient of NIS2 implementation research grants Contributor to EU cybersecurity policy discussions Labs & Teams Leads AMS cybersecurity education programs and collaborates with ON2IT on global cybersecurity strategies.
Mark Lloyd serves as a Clinical Professor at the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, University of Southern California. His career uniquely bridges legal advocacy, civil rights leadership, and broadcast journalism, with pivotal roles including Associate General Counsel at the Federal Communications Commission (2009-2012) where he advised on inclusion and localism policies, and Vice President at the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights. His research critically examines the intersection of media systems and democratic governance, focusing on structural inequities in communication infrastructure. Key interests include: Regulatory frameworks for equitable media access Civil rights implications of digital and broadcast platforms Historical analysis of communication policy failures Public interest advocacy in telecommunications Journalistic ethics in commercial media ecosystems Constitutional challenges in modern media landscapes Lloyd received an Emmy Award for his broadcast journalism work spanning public and commercial radio/television networks including NBC and CNN. His scholarly contributions include the book Prologue to a Farce: Communication and Democracy in America (University of Illinois Press, 2007) and co-editing The Communication Crisis in America and How to Fix It (Palgrave MacMillan, 2016). No information regarding student advising, research grants, or laboratory affiliations is documented in available sources. His professional trajectory emphasizes policy intervention over traditional academic mentorship structures.
Silvia Lindtner is an Associate Professor at the University of Michigan's School of Information and Director of the Center for Ethics, Society, and Computing (ESC). She holds courtesy appointments in the Penny W. Stamps School of Art and Design and the Digital Studies Institute. Her work focuses on the social and cultural study of technology in China and globally, with a focus on data-driven governance, AI ethics, and the intersection of technology and labor. Lindtner has conducted nearly two decades of fieldwork in China, examining innovation ecosystems, digital economies, and the affective dimensions of state control. She is the author of the award-winning *Prototype Nation: China and the Contested Promise of Innovation* (2020) and co-author of *Technoprecarious* (2020). Education: PhD in Information and Computer Sciences from University of California, Irvine; BS/MS in Media Technology and Design from University of Hagenberg, Austria. Research Interests: Science and Technology Studies (STS), China Studies, HCI, Critical Computing, AI Ethics, Data Governance, Labor Studies, and Transnational Digital Economies. She explores how technological systems shape governance, labor practices, and everyday life, particularly in contexts of global inequality and state surveillance. Awards: Joseph Levenson Prize (2021), Francis L.K. Hsu Book Prize (2021), ACM Distinguished Member (2022), and fellowships from the National Committee on US-China Relations (2021-2023) and China-US Scholars Program (2021-2022). Grants: Supported by NSF, IMLS, Intel Labs, Google Anita Borg, and Chinese National Natural Science Foundation. Leads interdisciplinary initiatives including Tech.Culture.Matters research group and Michigan Interactive and Social Computing (MISC) research group. Labs/Teams: Directs the Center for Ethics, Society, and Computing (ESC) and collaborates with the Lieberthal-Rogel Center for Chinese Studies. Current projects include studies on affective control in AI governance and transnational data practices in healthcare and labor.
Walid Magdy is a Professor at the School of Informatics, The University of Edinburgh, where he is a faculty member at the Institute for Language, Cognition and Computation (ILCC). He holds a PhD from Dublin City University's School of Computing and has been a faculty fellow at The Alan Turing Institute. With substantial industry experience, he has worked for Qatar Computing Research Institute (QCRI), Microsoft, and IBM, where he filed nine patents. His research spans computational social science and natural language processing. In computational social science, he focuses on social content analysis, political bias detection, polarization, and users' behavior analysis/prediction, with particular attention to understudied communities. His natural language processing work centers on social applications including sentiment analysis, sarcasm detection, and hate-speech identification, with specialized expertise in Arabic and its dialects as well as Persian. Professor Magdy's recent publications demonstrate a consistent focus on Arabic language processing and social media analysis, with growing attention to cultural factors in NLP systems. His work bridges computational methods with social science questions, particularly regarding misinformation, cultural differences in online behavior, and the impact of platform policies on diverse linguistic communities. He has expanded his research to include Persian language processing and continues to explore social dynamics across different cultural contexts. His significant contributions have been recognized with multiple awards: Best Demo Award for TwiXplorer at CSCW 2024 Outstanding Paper Award at ACL 2024 Best Paper Award Runner-up at SocInfo 2022 Best Paper Award at WANLP-EMNLP 2022 Best Paper Award at AIRS 2015 Best Dataset Award at ICWSM 2013 Professor Magdy serves as an editor for Springer's Social Network Analysis and Mining journal and has held leadership roles in major conferences including ACL 2023, ArabicNLP 2023, ICWSM 2022, and ASONAM 2022. He has co-organized numerous shared tasks focused on Arabic language processing and social media analysis, contributing significantly to community resources and benchmarks. He founded and directs the Social Media Analysis and Support for Humanity (SMASH) research group at the University of Edinburgh, which has organized the Summer School in Computational Social Science (SICSS-Edinburgh) in 2022, 2023, and 2025, training researchers in computational social science methodologies.
Tim Althoff is an Associate Professor at the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering, University of Washington, specializing in Artificial Intelligence and Human-Centered Computing. His research focuses on behavioral data science, combining Data Science Natural Language Processing Social Computing Human-Centered AI Ethics & Fairness to extract insights about health and well-being. Recent publications highlight advancements in: Mental health support through AI Wearable sensor health monitoring Online community analysis Reproducibility in data science Public health interventions with notable papers in ACL, Nature Machine Intelligence, and NeurIPS. Scientific recognition includes: ACL 2023 Outstanding Paper Award WWW 2021 Best Paper Award Double ICWSM 2021 Best Paper Awards SIGKDD Dissertation Award 2019 Fulbright Scholarship German National Merit Foundation Actively mentoring postdoctoral researchers and seeking PhD students in areas like neural representation learning, NLP applications to psychology, and mobile health technologies through his Behavioral Data Science Group .
Dr Kingsley Edney is an Associate Professor in International Relations of China at the University of Leeds' School of Politics and International Studies. He holds a PhD (International Relations) and MA (Political Science) from the University of Melbourne, along with a BA(Hons) in Politics and Anthropology from Victoria University of Wellington. Fluent in Chinese and with experience living in Shanghai and Beijing, his research focuses on China's non-material international security dynamics, including cultural diplomacy, propaganda, and ideological strategies to manage global information flows. His expertise includes Chinese soft power, the role of ideology in foreign policy, and the intersection of domestic political cohesion with international security objectives. He teaches undergraduate and master's courses on China's domestic and international politics. Current postgraduate researchers under his supervision are Jinru Huang, Yanyu Lu, and Hengfeng Zhao. Edney's research outputs span topics like public perceptions of China in the Anglosphere, Chinese youth nationalism, and environmental governance. His work often bridges theoretical frameworks with empirical analysis of China's evolving global engagement strategies. He maintains active academic engagement through platforms like Google Scholar and ORCID.
Dr Peninah Murage is an Assistant Professor at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine in the Department of Public Health, Environments and Society under the Faculty of Public Health and Policy. She specializes in environmental epidemiology with a PhD in Health Geography and focuses on health impacts of environmental changes, particularly climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies. Affiliation: Centre on Climate Change and Planetary Health Her research explores climate change effects on health outcomes like heat-related mortality, cardiovascular diseases, and cognitive development in children. She integrates GIS/spatial analysis with public health and policy frameworks to identify nature-based solutions for sustainable development. Current work examines systemic inequalities in heat risk exposure and interventions such as tree-based strategies in low-income settings. Key grants include: Health Protection Research Unit on Climate Change and Health Security (2025-2030, NIHR) Climate Change and Non-Communicable Diseases in Senegal (2024-2027) Pathfinder 2: Accelerating Climate Action for Health (2023-2026) She actively contributes to the Lancet Pathfinder Commission and serves on the Executive Committee of the International Society of Environmental Epidemiology (African Chapter).
Fabio Franceschi is an Associate Professor of Ecclesiastical Law, European Ecclesiastical Law, and Law and Religion at the Faculty of Law, Sapienza University of Rome. He teaches courses including Diritto Ecclesiastico (Ecclesiastical Law), Diritto Ecclesiastico Europeo (European Ecclesiastical Law), and Law and Religion. His institutional affiliation is with the Department of Legal and Economic Studies at Sapienza University of Rome. Franceschi's research interests focus on ecclesiastical law and the relationship between law and religion in contemporary society, the history of relations between State and Church in Italy (particularly in pre- and post-unification periods), canon law, and intercultural law. His work examines religious freedom, secularism, religious confessions, and the legal frameworks governing religious institutions in increasingly multicultural and multireligious societies. His publication record includes over 60 academic works in Italian and English, with his most notable contribution being the 'Compendium of Ecclesiastical Law,' which has gone through multiple editions. His recent scholarship addresses contemporary issues such as religious freedom in MENA countries, end-of-life decisions from religious perspectives, and the financial operations of religious institutions. Franceschi is actively involved in research groups including 'DiReSom (Law and Religion in Multicultural Societies)' and the executive committee of the interdisciplinary research center 'ORFECT - Observatory on Religious Freedom in the Jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights.' He also coordinates the research group 'Tradizioni religiose, diritti umani e diritto interculturale' (Religious Traditions, Human Rights and Intercultural Law). He serves on the scientific committee of the legal journal 'SudEuropa. Quadrimestrale di civiltà e cultura europea' and the editorial board of 'Il Diritto ecclesiastico.' His teaching materials for attending students are available on the university's E-Learning platform, and he maintains regular office hours for student consultations.
Celestine Mendler-Dünner is a Principal Investigator at the ELLIS Institute in Tübingen, co-affiliated with the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems and the Tübingen AI Center. She leads the Algorithms and Society research group, focusing on machine learning in social contexts and the role of prediction in digital economies. Her work bridges theoretical machine learning with practical societal impact, developing tools for safe, reliable, and equitable AI ecosystems. Her educational background includes a PhD from ETH Zurich in collaboration with IBM Research, followed by an SNSF postdoctoral fellowship at UC Berkeley hosted by Moritz Hardt. She was previously a group leader at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems before joining the ELLIS Institute. Mendler-Dünner's research spans several interconnected themes including performative prediction (where predictions change the behavior they aim to predict), algorithmic collective action (how participants can steer AI systems toward common goals), and the role of LLMs in social science research. Her work combines theoretical foundations with practical implementations, addressing challenges in interactive machine learning, optimization in dynamic environments, and context-specific evaluation of AI systems. She particularly examines how algorithmic predictions mediate services and platforms at societal scale, exploring concepts of economic power in digital markets. Her publication record shows a clear evolution from system-aware machine learning algorithms (including foundational work on IBM Snap ML) toward increasingly sociotechnical questions at the intersection of machine learning, economics, and policy. Recent work focuses on measuring performative power in digital economies, evaluating LLMs as risk scores, and developing frameworks for algorithmic collective action in recommender systems and labor markets. Among her notable recognitions are the ETH Medal for her dissertation, the IBM Research Division Award, the Fritz Kutter Award, and the IBM Eminence and Excellence Award. She is an ELLIS Scholar, a fellow of the Elisabeth-Schiemann-Kolleg, and affiliated with several prestigious research programs including the International Max Planck Research School for Intelligent Systems and the Max Planck ETH Center for Learning Systems. ETH Medal (dissertation award) IBM Research Division Award Fritz Kutter Award IBM Eminence and Excellence Award SNSF Early Postdoc Mobility Fellowship Mendler-Dünner actively mentors the next generation of researchers, advising PhD student Patrik Wolf and supervising research interns including Joachim Baumann, Haiqing Zhu, and Anna Badalyan, as well as Master's student Dorothee Sigg. She serves as core faculty for the International Max Planck Research School and associated faculty for the Max Planck ETH Center for Learning Systems. Her group has secured significant research funding through fellowships and institutional support, enabling work on projects like Powermeter (measuring search engine influence) and Snap ML (resource-efficient machine learning library with over 1 million PyPI downloads). She leads the Algorithms and Society research group, which examines machine learning as part of broader sociotechnical ecosystems. The group explores human-population interactions with algorithmic systems and incorporates these insights into learning system fundamentals. Current projects include investigating economic incentives in digital platforms, developing tools for systematic LLM evaluation in social science contexts, and creating frameworks for collective action in algorithmic systems. Mendler-Dünner also co-organizes the Algorithmic Collective Action workshop at NeurIPS 2025, demonstrating her leadership in emerging research directions at the AI-society interface.
Dr. Yamin Zhang (张亚敏) holds a Presidential Young Professorship as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering at the National University of Singapore (NUS), College of Engineering. She leads the Zhang Group which focuses on interdisciplinary research at the intersection of electrochemistry, materials science, and biomedical engineering. 07/2023 – 01/2024: Research Associate, Northwestern University 02/2021 – 06/2023: Postdoctoral Fellow, Northwestern University 08/2016 – 12/2020: Ph.D., Chemical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology 09/2012 – 07/2016: B.S., Chemical Engineering, Tianjin University; B.S., Finance (Double Major), Nankai University Dr. Zhang's research centers on developing advanced electrochemical strategies for next-generation medical devices (implantable, bioresorbable, and wearable) and sustainable energy solutions. Her work bridges bioelectronics , battery technology , and medical therapeutics , with particular emphasis on creating devices that can safely dissolve in the body after serving their purpose. Key areas include bioresorbable optoelectronic systems for electrotherapy, self-powered drug delivery platforms, and eco-safe battery technologies that can harmlessly resorb in biological environments. Analysis of Dr. Zhang's publication record reveals a clear trajectory from fundamental battery chemistry (2021-2022) toward increasingly sophisticated medical applications (2023-2025). Her recent work demonstrates mastery in integrating multiple functionalities into single bioresorbable platforms, as evidenced by her Nature (2025) paper on millimeter-scale optoelectronic systems for electrotherapy and Cell Biomaterials (2025) paper on wireless bioelectronic devices. The research shows strong interdisciplinary collaboration with leading institutions including Northwestern University and Georgia Tech. AHA Early Faculty Independence Award (2023) MIT ChemE Rising Stars (2022) Sigma Xi Best PhD Thesis Award (2021) Chinese Government Award for Outstanding Students Abroad (2021) A*STAR MTC Young Individual Research Grants (YIRG) (2025) Early Career Board Member for ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces (2025) Dr. Zhang has secured significant research funding including the AHA's Second Century Early Faculty Independence Award as Principal Investigator (2023) and the A*STAR MTC Young Individual Research Grant (2025). Her group serves on advisory boards for Cell Biomaterials and ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces. The Zhang Group at NUS maintains active collaborations with Northwestern University researchers including the Rogers group, with whom she has co-authored multiple high-impact publications in Nature, Science, and PNAS. Current research focuses on advancing battery technology and developing sophisticated electrochemical strategies for medical devices with an overarching focus on healthcare innovation and environmental sustainability.
Hernan Galperin is a Professor of Communication and Director of Doctoral Studies at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. His expertise lies in Internet policy, digital inequality, and the intersection of technology adoption with social stratification. He holds affiliations with institutions like the Annenberg Research Network on International Communication (ARNIC) and the USC Annenberg Innovation Lab. Galperin has authored four books and published in leading journals such as Telecommunications Policy and New Media & Society. His research, funded by organizations like the Pew Charitable Trust and the Inter-American Development Bank, focuses on broadband accessibility, digital inclusion, and policy impacts. Notable awards include membership in the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council and top paper awards from the International Communication Association (2020, 2022). Education background: While not explicitly detailed in the provided text, his academic roles and publications imply advanced training in communication studies, public policy, or related fields. His work integrates quantitative methods with policy analysis to address global challenges in technology access. Research highlights include studies on broadband’s role in poverty reduction (Ecuador), geographic discrimination in the gig economy, and the gender digital divide in Latin America. He has contributed policy briefs on the Affordable Connectivity Program and digital inclusion in public housing, demonstrating real-world policy impact. His affiliations with global institutions reflect a focus on international collaboration in addressing digital divides. Grants and awards: His funding sources include the Pew Charitable Trust, IDRC-Canada, and the Internet Society. Awards highlight his contributions to cyberpolicy and global media governance. His work often bridges academic research with actionable policy recommendations, particularly in underserved regions. Labs and teams: He directs ARNIC and collaborates with the USC Annenberg Innovation Lab and USC Price Center for Social Innovation, fostering interdisciplinary approaches to communication and technology challenges.
Gilbert Fridgen is Full Professor in Digital Financial Services and holder of the PayPal-FNR PEARL Chair at the University of Luxembourg's Interdisciplinary Centre for Security, Reliability and Trust (SnT). He leads the FINATRAX research group focusing on blockchain, digital identity, and sustainable digital solutions. His research explores decentralized technologies in finance, energy systems, and public administration. Current projects investigate blockchain applications in industrial demand response, NFT markets, EU digital identity wallets, and DeFi institutional adoption. Prof. Fridgen examines the intersection of technology with regulatory frameworks and user behavior in energy and financial systems. He collaborates extensively with industry partners including PayPal and Spuerkeess. Prof. Fridgen actively contributes to EU digital policy discussions, particularly regarding the European Digital Identity Wallet framework and decentralized finance governance.
