Jean Salençon is a prominent academic and researcher in mechanics and civil engineering. He currently holds the position of Senior Fellow at the Institute for Advanced Study, City University of Hong Kong since 2016. Previously, he served as Visiting Distinguished Professor (2014–2016), Chair Professor-at-large (2011–2014), and President of the Académie des sciences (2009–2010). His academic career includes roles as a Professor of Mechanics at the École polytechnique (1982–2005) and Head of the Department of Mechanical and Material Sciences at the École nationale des ponts et chaussées (1980–1985). Salençon’s research focuses on continuum mechanics , soil mechanics , yield design theory , and composite materials . His work bridges theoretical advancements with practical applications in geotechnical engineering and structural analysis. Notable contributions include probabilistic approaches to yield design, stability analysis of earthworks, and macroelement modeling of foundations under seismic loads. Key Awards: Trevithick Prize (1990), Montyon Prize (1978), Member of the Académie des sciences (1988), and multiple honorary memberships in international academies. Leadership Roles: Rector of the CISM (2004–2012), Member of the Bureau IUTAM (2000–2004), and President of the Académie des sciences (2009–2010). Salençon has authored seminal textbooks such as Handbook of Continuum Mechanics (2001) and Yield Design (2013), contributing significantly to global engineering education and research.
Jana Tumova is an Associate Professor at the Division of Robotics, Perception and Learning, KTH Royal Institute of Technology. Her research focuses on designing algorithms for safe, purposeful autonomous systems using formal methods to ensure rigorous specifications and guarantees. Applications span autonomous driving, UAV exploration, and network control. She teaches courses like Artificial Intelligence (DD2380) and leads the Robotics, Reading Group (FDD3316) . Her work emphasizes formal methods integration with AI, safety-critical control, and human-robot interaction. Notable research directions include risk-aware planning, belief space control, and contingency planning under uncertainty. She has published extensively on motion planning, robust control synthesis, and multi-agent systems. Key technical contributions include techniques like Belief Control Barrier Functions , Backward Underapproximate Reachability (BURNS) , and Transitional Grid Maps . She actively participates in interdisciplinary initiatives like the Control for Societal-Scale Challenges: Roadmap 2030 .
Efstathia Bura is a Professor heading the Applied Statistics Research Unit (ASTAT) within the Institute of Statistics and Mathematical Methods in Economics at TU Wien's Faculty of Mathematics and Geoinformation. Her research focuses on dimension reduction techniques in regression and classification, high-dimensional statistics, and their applications in biostatistics, econometrics, and legal statistics. She leads projects like ProbInG (WWTF-funded) and the SecInt Doctoral College on statistical verification of cyber-physical systems. Her work integrates advanced statistical methodologies with interdisciplinary applications, emphasizing practical solutions for complex data challenges. Current projects explore probabilistic program analysis, security properties in cyber-physical systems, and dynamic econometric modeling. She collaborates internationally, with notable contributions to statistical theory and applications in law, healthcare, and telecommunications. Key research themes include time-varying regression models, sufficient dimension reduction for mixed predictors, and fusion of statistical methods with machine learning. Her publications bridge theoretical advancements and real-world problem-solving, reflecting her role as a leading academic in modern applied statistics. Her team includes postdocs and assistants working on WWTF and SecInt grants, focusing on probabilistic systems and statistical verification. While no formal student advisees are listed, her collaborative projects engage junior researchers in cutting-edge statistical research.
Noela Müller is an Assistant Professor in the Mathematics and Computer Science school at Eindhoven University of Technology . Her research focuses on Probability Theory , Random Matrices , and Random Graphs , with significant contributions to understanding the rank of sparse matrices and clique factors in probabilistic settings. Research Outputs : Published 22 works including journal articles and preprints. Collaborations : Active in international networks, particularly in sparse matrix analysis and probabilistic combinatorics. Her recent work explores sparse pooled data algorithms , random 2-SAT models , and sharp thresholds in random graphs , showcasing interdisciplinary applications in computer science, mathematics, and theoretical physics.
Dr. Julian Sahasrabudhe is a researcher at the Department of Pure Mathematics and Mathematical Statistics (DPMMS) , University of Cambridge, affiliated with the School of Mathematics . His work focuses on combinatorics, number theory, and graph theory, with a emphasis on extremal problems and probabilistic methods. His recent research explores Erdős covering systems, Littlewood polynomials, and monochromatic subgraphs. Publications from 2018–2024 highlight applications of probability generating functions, arithmetic progressions, and density analysis in combinatorial structures. Contact details: jdrs2@cam.ac.uk , Room C2.08, Tel: 01223 337974. Personal homepage .
Marcel Böhme is a faculty member at the Max Planck Institute for Security and Privacy (MPI-SP) , leading the Software Security research group. His work focuses on foundational advancements in fuzzing , statistical program analysis, and scalable vulnerability discovery. Education: PhD from National University of Singapore (NUS) Research interests span: Statistical and causal frameworks for software testing Efficiency/Scalability of automated testing Fundamental limits of vulnerability detection Practical fuzzing technology (e.g., Entropic in LibFuzzer) Recent publications highlight trends in: Machine learning for security analysis Privacy-preserving statistical methods Future-proof security frameworks Protocol fuzzing with large language models Scientific accolades include: ERC Consolidator Grant (2024) NUS Outstanding Young Alumni Award (2022) ARC DECRA (2019) Multiple ACM Distinguished Paper Awards He serves as: Spokesperson for Research Group Leaders at Max Planck Society Guest Editor-in-Chief for ACM TOSEM PC Chair for ASE'25 and ISSTA'26
Partha Sarathi Dey serves as Associate Professor in both Mathematics and Statistics at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, joining the faculty in 2014 after postdoctoral appointments at NYU's Courant Institute and the University of Warwick. His academic credentials include: Ph.D. in Statistics from UC Berkeley (2010) Undergraduate and Masters degrees from Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata, specializing in Mathematical Statistics and Probability Dr. Dey's research bridges Probability Theory and Statistical Physics, with expertise in First/Last Passage Percolation, Random Growth Models, Stein's Method, Concentration Inequalities, Spin Glasses, Random Graphs, and Random Matrices. His work develops rigorous probabilistic frameworks for physical systems. Recent publications (2023-2025) demonstrate consistent focus on disordered systems and phase transitions, examining random walks on discrete tori, nonlinear Schrödinger equations in higher dimensions, critical-strip path structures, monomer-dimer models, and spin glasses under external fields. These studies reveal deep connections between probabilistic fluctuations and thermodynamic behavior. His distinguished recognitions include: Simons Fellowship Harrison Early-Career Fellowship Though specific advising records and grants are unreported, his extensive co-authorship network reflects active collaboration across international research communities in mathematical physics.
Daniel Roy is a Full Professor at the University of Toronto, holding cross-appointments in the Department of Statistical Sciences, Computer Science, Electrical and Computer Engineering, and the Department of Computer and Mathematical Sciences at UTSC. He is also a Canada CIFAR AI Chair and Research Director at the Vector Institute, reflecting his leadership in AI and machine learning research. His educational background includes a PhD, MEng, and BSc in Computer Science from MIT, where his doctoral work earned the MIT EECS Sprowls Award. Prior to joining Toronto, he was a Newton International Fellow at the Royal Society and a Research Fellow at Emmanuel College, University of Cambridge. His research centers on foundational principles in machine learning, statistics, and probabilistic reasoning. Key interests include statistical learning theory, Bayesian nonparametrics, probabilistic programming, and information-theoretic generalization. His work bridges theoretical computer science, mathematical logic, and applied probability. His recent publications, appearing in ICML, NeurIPS, COLT, and JMLR, reflect a strong focus on theoretical advances in generalization, online learning, and stochastic optimization. Themes include minimax rates, conditional mutual information, and the role of data in PAC-Bayes bounds. His group has made foundational contributions to probabilistic programming, including work on Church and the computability of conditional probability. NSERC Discovery Accelerator Supplement Ontario Early Researcher Award Google Faculty Research Award Newton International Fellowship MIT EECS Sprowls Award Daniel Roy advises numerous PhD students and postdoctoral researchers, many of whom have gone on to prestigious positions in academia and industry. His group actively collaborates with leading researchers in machine learning and statistics. He is also an Action Editor for the Journal of Machine Learning Research and Transactions of Machine Learning Research, underscoring his role in shaping the field. He leads a vibrant research group focused on theoretical machine learning and probabilistic modeling, and maintains active collaborations with institutions such as MIT, Cambridge, and the Vector Institute. He is also the founder and maintainer of the probabilistic-programming.org wiki, a key resource in the community.
Natasha Smith is a Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University of Virginia. She holds a Teaching Track position and serves as Director of Undergraduate Mechanical Engineering. Her research focuses on pedagogical strategies in engineering education, systems engineering design, reliability assessment using probabilistic methods, and material property analysis through statistical approaches. A registered professional engineer in Maine, she has 20 years of military service as a U.S. Navy Civil Engineer Corps officer (Seabees), including roles as a military instructor at the U.S. Naval Academy and Associate Professor at the University of Southern Indiana. Dr. Smith’s academic contributions include advancing hybrid course design, integrating industry partnerships into finite element education, and developing hands-on laboratory experiments. She has received the Hartfield Excellence in Teaching Award from The Jefferson Scholars Foundation for her impactful instruction. Her work highlights the intersection of military precision, engineering fundamentals, and innovative teaching methods. Current projects include a Jefferson Trust-funded Moon Base simulation lab for NASA competition training. Her military experience and engineering expertise inform her teaching philosophy, emphasizing practical problem-solving and technical communication. She actively collaborates with industry on experimental design and has published extensively on laboratory pedagogy, reliability analysis, and aerospace systems design since 2001.
Shixiang (Woody) Zhu is an Assistant Professor in Data Analytics at the Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy, Carnegie Mellon University. He holds a PhD in Machine Learning from Georgia Institute of Technology (2022) and B.S./M.S. in Computer Science from Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications (2017). His research bridges machine learning, operations research, and statistics, focusing on sequential modeling, human-AI collaboration, and energy systems operations. He has received awards including the IEEE Power & Energy Society Best Paper Award (2025) and was a finalist for the INFORMS Wagner Prize (2021). Education : PhD in Machine Learning, Georgia Tech (2017–2022) B.S./M.S. in Computer Science, BUPT (2010–2017) His research emphasizes spatio-temporal data analysis , decision making under uncertainty , and applications to energy systems, healthcare, and public policy. Notable projects include optimizing police zone design (Wagner Prize finalist) and enhancing grid resilience through robust optimization. He actively collaborates with institutions like Argonne National Laboratory and NSF-funded projects. Awards : Best Paper Award, IEEE Power & Energy Society (2025) Gen-AI Fellows (2024) Finalist, INFORMS Wagner Prize (2021) Advising & Grants : Advises PhD students Zekai Fan, Wenbin Zhou, and others Recipient of Block Center Seed Grant (2024), NSF funding (2024) His work spans energy resilience, public policy optimization, and causal inference in social systems. He co-leads the INFORMS Data Mining Society and reviews for top journals like Operations Research and Management Science.
Jop Briët is a Researcher at the Department of Algorithms and Complexity at Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica (CWI) in the Netherlands. His work focuses on theoretical computer science, quantum information theory, combinatorics, and tensor analysis. He has held grants including the Veni Innovational Research Grant from NWO and a Rubicon fellowship. He has authored over 50 publications in leading venues, exploring topics such as Grothendieck inequalities, quantum computing, and additive combinatorics. His research interests span the interplay between combinatorics and computational complexity, with particular emphasis on tensor analysis, probabilistic methods, and algorithm design. Recent work includes studies on Szemerédi’s theorem with random differences and the application of quantum query algorithms to entanglement-based problems. Awards: Outstanding paper award TQC (2020), Andreas Bonn medal (2013), Stieltjesprijs (2011). Professional Activities: Editor for ERCIM News, Board Member of Koninklijk Wiskundig Genootschap, and frequent invited speaker at workshops on quantum computing and combinatorics. Grants: Veni Grant (2014), Rubicon Fellowship (2012). Current teaching includes courses on Additive Combinatorics and Quantum Information Processing, reflecting his commitment to bridging foundational theory with advanced applications in computing and mathematics.
Dr. Sinno Jialin Pan is a leading researcher in machine learning and artificial intelligence at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. His work focuses on domain adaptation, sentiment analysis, and efficient neural network optimization. Key research areas: Machine Learning, Domain Adaptation, Reinforcement Learning, Sentiment Analysis Recent publications demonstrate expertise in time-series classification (2025) using hierarchical domain adaptation, LLM efficiency (2025) through expert pruning, and graph generation (2024) via spectral diffusion. His work spans both theoretical advancements and practical applications in neural architecture optimization and adversarial learning. Scientific contributions include: 2025: Virtual-label hierarchical domain adaptation 2024: Spectral diffusion for graph generation 2024: Multilingual jailbreak analysis in LLMs Current trends show increasing focus on large language model optimization and robust neural architectures , with applications in fault diagnosis, recommender systems, and misinformation detection.
Rocio Lilen Segura is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil, Environmental and Sustainable Engineering at Santa Clara University's School of Engineering. She holds a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from Sherbrooke University (2019) and a B.Sc. in Civil Engineering from Del Comahue National University (2013). Dr. Segura specializes in infrastructure resilience against extreme events and climate change, focusing on probabilistic risk assessment of critical infrastructure systems like dams and levees. Her work bridges civil engineering with machine learning and climate justice, integrating built, natural, and social systems to address environmental challenges. 2023 Severo Ochoa Mobility Programme grant 2019-2022 MITACS Accelerate industrial postdoc scholarship 2019 Léonard de Vinci medal and Scholarship Her research spans seismic risk reduction, surrogate modeling, and uncertainty quantification in dam engineering, with over 10 publications in journals like Advances in Civil Engineering and Water Journal. She previously collaborated with Hydro-Quebec during her postdoctoral research.
Professor Ole-Christoffer Granmo is a distinguished academic at the University of Agder, Norway, where he serves as Professor in the Department of Information and Communication Technology. He is the Founding Director of the Centre for Artificial Intelligence Research (CAIR) at the University of Agder, leading cutting-edge research in artificial intelligence and machine learning. Dr. Granmo obtained his master's degree in 1999 and his PhD in 2004, both from the University of Oslo. His academic journey has been marked by significant contributions to the field of AI, most notably the creation of the Tsetlin machine in 2018, for which he received the AI research paper of the decade award from the Norwegian Artificial Intelligence Consortium (NORA) in 2022. Professor Granmo's research primarily focuses on logical and causal world modeling across multiple modalities including images, sound, and natural language. His work spans logical auto-encoding, convolution, regression, transformer architectures, and reinforcement learning, all with the overarching goal of creating ultra-low-power artificial general intelligence through transparent logical learning and reasoning. His publications reveal a strong emphasis on interpretable AI systems, hardware implementations, and applications across diverse domains including cybersecurity, healthcare, social media analysis, and bioinformatics. AI Research Paper of the Decade (2022) - Norwegian Artificial Intelligence Consortium (NORA) Eight paper awards in machine learning Professor Granmo has coordinated over seven research projects and mentored 55+ master's students and nine PhD students. His leadership extends to co-founding the Norwegian Artificial Intelligence Consortium (NORA) and establishing two companies: Anzyz Technologies AS and Tsense Intelligent Healthcare AS. As an advisor at Literal Labs, he actively bridges academic research with practical industry applications, demonstrating his commitment to translating theoretical innovations into real-world solutions that address complex challenges across multiple sectors.
Ross J. Kang is a Canadian mathematician currently serving as an Associate Professor at the Korteweg–de Vries Institute for Mathematics within the Faculty of Science at the University of Amsterdam since 2022. He is an active member of the Discrete Mathematics and Quantum Information group and the NETWORKS consortium. Previously, he held positions as Assistant/Associate Professor at Radboud University Nijmegen (2014-2022), Assistant Professor at Utrecht University (2013), and Researcher at Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica (2012-2013). His academic journey includes postdoctoral positions at Durham University (2010-2012) and McGill University (2008-2010), where he was advised by Bruce Reed and Louigi Addario-Berry. DPhil in Mathematics, University of Oxford (2008) - Thesis: 'Improper colourings of graphs', advised by Colin McDiarmid BSc (Hons) in Mathematics and Computer Science, University of Victoria (2003) - Governor General's Silver Academic Medal recipient Ross J. Kang's research focuses on probabilistic and extremal combinatorics, random discrete structures, graph coloring, geometric graphs, and algorithms. His work bridges theoretical mathematics with practical applications, exploring fundamental questions in discrete mathematics. He has made significant contributions to understanding graph coloring problems, particularly in the contexts of list coloring, distance coloring, and strong coloring. His research often employs probabilistic methods to establish bounds and structural properties in graph theory. Kang's work on the hard-core model, local occupancy method, and triangle-free graphs has advanced our understanding of the interplay between local constraints and global structure in discrete systems. Analysis of his recent publications reveals a strong emphasis on graph coloring problems, particularly list coloring variants and their extensions. His work frequently explores the relationship between graph structure (such as degree constraints, girth, or forbidden subgraphs) and coloring properties. A notable trend is his development and application of the local occupancy method to establish improved bounds for chromatic numbers in various graph classes. His research also demonstrates a consistent interest in extremal problems, seeking optimal configurations under specific constraints, particularly in the context of triangle-free graphs and geometric representations. NWO Open Competition M-1 grant entitled 'Asymptotic triangle-free structure (3Free)', 2022-2026 NWO Vidi grant entitled 'On the edge: theory and techniques at the frontiers of edge-colouring', 2017-2023 NWO Veni grant entitled 'Generalised colouring for random graph models', 2012-2015 Van Gogh travel grants (2020-2021 with Marthe Bonamy; 2016-2017 with Louis Esperet) Governor General's Silver Academic Medal (2003) Ross J. Kang has successfully supervised multiple PhD students including Eoin Hurley (defending May 2025), Stijn Cambie (defended April 2022), and François Pirot (winner of 2020 prix Charles Delorme). His research is supported by significant grants from the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO), including the prestigious Open Competition M-1 grant. Kang is actively involved in the academic community through his editorial role at Combinatorial Theory, co-organization of conferences like the Dutch Days of Combinatorics, and leadership in initiatives such as Innovations in Graph Theory, a diamond open access journal he helped launch in August 2023. As a member of the Discrete Mathematics and Quantum Information group at the University of Amsterdam and the NETWORKS consortium, Kang collaborates with researchers across various institutions. He has established strong international connections through his Van Gogh travel grants and participation in collaborative projects like the Sparse (Graphs) Coalition sessions. His research group focuses on theoretical aspects of discrete mathematics with connections to quantum information science, and he maintains active collaborations with researchers across Europe and North America.
