Joan Bruna is a Full Professor of Computer Science, Data Science, and affiliated Mathematics at New York University's Courant Institute and Center for Data Science. He leads the CILVR group and co-founded the MaD group. His research focuses on mathematical foundations of machine learning, deep learning, signal processing, and their applications in computational science, climate modeling, and geophysics. He holds a Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics from École Polytechnique and has held roles at UC Berkeley, the Institute for Advanced Study, and the Flatiron Institute. Education: Ph.D. (2013) and M.Sc. (2005) in Applied Mathematics, École Polytechnique and ENS Cachan; dual B.Sc./M.Sc. in Telecommunications and Mathematics from UPC Barcelona (2002–2004). Awards include the NSF CAREER Award (2019) and Alfred P. Sloan Fellowship (2018). Research interests span theoretical aspects of deep learning, optimization, and statistical methods, with applications to climate science and inverse problems. He has advised numerous PhD students and postdocs, contributing to seminal work on scattering networks, geometric deep learning, and neural ODEs. Professional service includes editorial roles at TMLR, JMLR, and TPAMI, plus program chairs for major conferences. His work bridges mathematics and machine learning, emphasizing rigorous analysis and real-world impact.
Hugo de Lasa is a Full Professor at the Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Western Ontario. He holds a Bachelor in Chemical Engineering (1968) from Universidad Nacional del Sur, Argentina, and a Doctoral degree (1971) from Université de Nancy, France. Research Focus: Catalysis, Photocatalysis, Chemical Reactor Engineering, Fluidization, Biomass Gasification Awards: Research Excellence Prize (1998), Fellow of the Chemical Institute of Canada (2000), Medal of Research and Development (2000), Doctor Honoris Causa (2004, 2018) His work spans chemical reactor design , photocatalytic hydrogen production , and fluidized bed technologies . Recent publications highlight machine learning applications in chemical equilibrium modeling and CO2 capture using microalgae. He founded the Chemical Reactor Engineering Centre (CREC) and Recat Technologies Inc. , a university spin-off commercializing reactor innovations. Awards include the Vanguard Award (2019) and Commemorative Issue in Catalysts Journal (2020). His research has generated 389 peer-reviewed publications , 14 patents , and over 10,000 citations .
Dr. Mi Jung Park is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of British Columbia (UBC), part of the Faculty of Science. She is also a Canada CIFAR AI Chair at the Amii. Her research focuses on privacy-preserving machine learning, particularly differential privacy, synthetic data generation, and their applications in healthcare. She holds a PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin, supervised by Dr. Jonathan Pillow, and has held postdoctoral positions at the University of Amsterdam and University College London. Education : PhD, Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Texas at Austin (2016) Master's, Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Texas at Austin (2012) Bachelor's, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul, South Korea (2009) Research Interests : Her lab develops methods to balance privacy and accuracy in data analysis, emphasizing differential privacy's role in healthcare. Key areas include: Generating synthetic data with privacy guarantees Integrating fairness, interpretability, and causality into privacy-preserving models Bayesian techniques for model compression and uncertainty estimation Recent Work Trends : Her publications explore differential privacy in generative models (e.g., diffusion models, kernel methods) and neural network pruning. Recent work highlights privacy-preserving techniques for image classification, latent diffusion, and perceptual feature integration. Awards : Canada CIFAR AI Chair (2021). Advising & Grants : Supervises postdocs (e.g., Mingyu Kim), master's students (e.g., Amman Yusuf), and PhD candidates (e.g., Margarita Vinaroz). Her research is supported by the CIFAR AI Chair program and collaborations with institutions like the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems. Labs & Teams : Leads the Privacy-Preserving Machine Learning Lab at UBC, advancing technologies to protect sensitive healthcare data while enabling clinical and research use.
Theo Damoulas is a Professor of Machine Learning at the University of Warwick with a joint appointment in the Department of Computer Science and Statistics. He is a Turing AI Fellow (2021-2026) through UK Research and Innovation, an ELLIS member, and a Visiting Professor at New York University's Center for Urban Science and Progress (CUSP). He founded and leads the Warwick Machine Learning Group and has directed major projects at The Alan Turing Institute including Project Odysseus and the London Air Quality project. Education includes: PhD in Probabilistic Multiple Kernel Learning (University of Glasgow, 2009) MSc in Informatics (Distinction, University of Edinburgh, 2004) MEng in Mechanical Engineering (1st Class, University of Manchester, 2003) His research focuses on probabilistic machine learning and Bayesian statistics, emphasizing the integration of structural priors, spatiotemporal dependencies, physical laws, and causal relationships. Key applications include Digital Twins, urban science, and computational sustainability. His work advances robust and scalable inference methodologies for complex real-world systems. Publications demonstrate strong emphasis on Bayesian methods, spatiotemporal modeling, and uncertainty quantification, with applications spanning battery modeling, urban mobility, federated learning, and causal inference. Recent work shows increased focus on physics-informed models, federated learning frameworks, and causal abstraction techniques. Major scientific awards: Turing AI Acceleration Fellowship (2021-2026) Best Paper Awards (Wilkes 2024, AISTATS 2022, IEEE ICMLA 2010) ACM SIGMOD Most Reproducible Paper (2017) Dissertation Award (Classification Society 2012) Teaching Excellence nominations (Warwick 2015-2017) He actively advises PhD students and secured significant grants including the £multi-million Turing AI Fellowship. Current doctoral researchers investigate federated learning, causal inference, and spatiotemporal modeling. He leads the Warwick Machine Learning Group, a cross-departmental team developing foundational ML methods for scientific and societal challenges.
Javier Alonso-Mora is a Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Delft University of Technology, specializing in Learning & Autonomous Control. His research focuses on autonomous systems, robotics, motion planning, and transportation logistics, with applications in mobile manipulation, dynamic environments, and urban mobility. He leads key projects such as INTERACT (Intuitive Interaction for Robots among Humans) and ACT (Perceptive Acting Under Uncertainty), exploring human-robot interaction, autonomous vehicles, and healthcare robotics. Notable achievements include an ERC Starting Grant (2022) and a Veni Grant (2017). His work addresses challenges in robot navigation, control systems, and fleet optimization, with contributions to both theoretical advancements and practical implementations. Projects like TRiLOGy focus on sustainable water transportation, while HARMONY advances assistive robotics in healthcare. Alonso-Mora’s research leverages geometric fabrics for motion planning, probabilistic modeling for dynamic environments, and multi-agent coordination. He collaborates internationally and contributes to open-source frameworks for robotics. His recent publications emphasize safety-aware control, instance-aware semantic mapping, and adaptive systems for cluttered environments.
Felix Bott is a Researcher at Technische Universität München (TUM), currently affiliated with PainLabMunich at Rechts der Isar Hospital since September 2020. Previously, he served as a Research Associate and Teaching Assistant in the Mechanics & High Performance Computing Group at TUM from April 2018 to March 2020. His academic credentials include a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering (TUM, 2018) and a Master de Sciences, Technologies, Santé specializing in multi-scale mechanics modeling (2019). Research Focus Bott's research specializes in computational mechanics, emphasizing mesh-free discretization techniques like Moving Kriging Collocation and Peridynamics. He develops probabilistic numerical methods for uncertainty quantification and inverse analyses, with applications in solid mechanics and engineering simulations. His work bridges theoretical computational frameworks with practical engineering challenges. Teaching & Advising As a teaching assistant, he led courses in Engineering Mechanics I (WS 2018/19) and Engineering Mechanics II (SS 2018, SS 2019). He supervised multiple student projects including Master's theses on peridynamics-based continuum modeling, Bachelor's theses on medical device mechanics, and research internships in dynamical systems visualization and impact phenomena simulation. Laboratory Affiliations Currently conducts research at PainLabMunich (Rechts der Isar Hospital), focusing on computational approaches for medical-mechanical problems. Previously contributed to the Mechanics & High Performance Computing Group at TUM, developing advanced numerical methods for engineering applications.
David Bindel is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mathematics at Cornell University, affiliated with the College of Arts and Sciences, College of Engineering, and Cornell Ann S. Bowers College of Computing and Information Science. He earned his Ph.D. in Mathematics from the University of California, Berkeley in 2006. His research focuses on applied numerical linear algebra, eigenvalue problems, and their applications in plasma physics, network analysis, and nonlinear systems. He develops methods for analyzing complex systems, including magnetic confinement in stellarators, stability of MHD systems, and community detection in networks. His work bridges theoretical foundations with practical computational tools, such as formal verification of linear algebra algorithms and scalable Gaussian process models. Bindel’s research explores the interplay between structure and computation, leveraging eigenvalue analysis to address challenges in computer vision, opinion dynamics, and engineering design. He has contributed to advancements in numerical methods for large-scale systems, including iterative solvers, spectral approximation techniques, and stochastic optimization. His interdisciplinary approach spans applied mathematics, computer science, and physics, with applications in fusion energy, machine learning, and network science. Recent work highlights include high-order expansions for magnetic confinement, adaptive filtering for dynamical systems, and Bayesian optimization strategies. His publications emphasize rigorous analysis alongside computational scalability, addressing both theoretical and practical aspects of modern scientific computing. Despite no explicitly listed awards, his contributions reflect significant impact in his fields.
Martin Z. Bazant is the E. G. Roos (1944) Professor of Chemical Engineering and Professor of Mathematics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), holding the Digital Learning Officer role in the Department of Chemical Engineering. His research focuses on mathematical modeling of electrochemical systems, transport phenomena, and applied mathematics, with significant contributions to battery technology and electrochemical energy storage. He is affiliated with MIT’s Department of Mathematics and the MIT Energy Initiative (MITEI), leading initiatives like the Center for Battery Sustainability and D3BATT. Education: Ph.D. from Harvard University (1997), M.S. and B.S. from the University of Arizona (1993, 1992). His work bridges theory and application, addressing challenges in lithium-ion batteries, solid-state systems, and electrolyte dynamics. Notable achievements include pioneering studies on coupled ion-electron transfer mechanisms and phase separation in battery materials. He is an elected member of the National Academy of Engineering (2025) and a Fellow of the Electrochemical Society (2023). As an educator, he develops MOOCs on transport phenomena and contributes to digital learning initiatives. His research group explores advanced battery diagnostics, machine learning for materials science, and environmental applications of electrochemical processes. Key collaborations include startups like Lithios, Inc., and leadership roles in professional societies such as the International Electrokinetics Society.
Richard E. Turner is a Professor of Machine Learning at the University of Cambridge's Department of Engineering and Research Lead for AI for Weather Prediction at the Alan Turing Institute. He serves as Cambridge Lead for the EPSRC Probabilistic AI Hub and previously held roles including Visiting Researcher at Microsoft Research, Co-Director of the AI4ER CDT, and Course Director for the Machine Learning and Machine Intelligence MPhil program. Current research focuses on probabilistic machine learning fundamentals, environmental prediction (weather/climate), and spatio-temporal modeling combining deep learning with Bayesian methods Supervised 26 PhD students (13 graduated) and 7 research assistants/associates Secured over £30M in research funding from EPSRC, Microsoft, Toyota, Google, DeepMind, Amazon, and Improbable Featured in BBC Radio 5 Live's The Naked Scientist, BBC World Service's Click, and Wired Magazine His recent publications demonstrate expertise in diffusion models for PDE simulations, Gaussian Processes for environmental applications, and Bayesian methods for spatio-temporal forecasting. Key trends include climate modeling using ML, neural PDE solvers, and scalable probabilistic inference. Awards : Cambridge Students' Union Teaching Award for Lecturing; supervised Qualcomm Innovation Fellowship winner Collaborations : Microsoft Research (AI4Science), Alan Turing Institute, EPSRC Probabilistic AI Hub Turner leads the Turner Group within Cambridge's Machine Learning Group, focusing on uncertainty-aware ML for scientific applications. Current research assistants work on topics like meta-learning, Bayesian inference, and climate science applications.
Paolo Gardoni is the Alfredo H. Ang Family Professor and an Excellence Faculty Scholar in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, with additional professorial appointments in Industrial & Enterprise Systems Engineering and Biomedical & Translational Sciences. He also serves as Director of the MAE Center and Editor-in-Chief of Reliability Engineering & System Safety. Education Ph.D. in Civil Engineering, University of California, Berkeley (2002) M.A. in Statistics, University of California, Berkeley (2001) M.Eng. in Structural Engineering, University of Tokyo (1997) Laurea (BS+MS equivalent) in Structural Engineering, Politecnico di Milano (1997) Research Interests Gardoni’s scholarship integrates probabilistic methods with large-scale infrastructure systems to advance reliability, risk, and life-cycle analysis. His work quantifies the performance of deteriorating systems under natural and anthropogenic hazards, models societal impacts of disasters, and develops decision frameworks for sustainable and resilient infrastructure. He also examines ethical, social, and legal dimensions of risk, and investigates optimal strategies for hazard mitigation, disaster recovery, and climate adaptation. Across more than 250 refereed journal papers, he has advanced sub-fields ranging from probabilistic mechanics and earthquake engineering to catastrophe bond pricing and engineering ethics, leveraging tools such as stochastic differential equations, Bayesian networks, and physics-informed machine learning. Awards & Honors Alfredo Ang Award on Risk Analysis and Management of Civil Infrastructure (ASCE, 2021) Best Paper Awards in ASCE Journal of Sustainable Water in the Built Environment (2019) and Geotechnical Research (2018 Telford Premium Prize) Fellowships and named professorships: Alfredo H. Ang Family Professor, Excellence Faculty Scholar, and courtesy or honorary professorships at Tsinghua, IIT Guwahati, Tongji, Jianghan, and Loughborough universities. Research Leadership & Funding Gardoni has secured over $58 million in research funding from NSF, DHS, NIST, USAID, Qatar National Research Fund, and other agencies. He directs the MAE Center—formerly an NSF Engineering Research Center—focused on multi-hazard engineering approaches, and is Editor-in-Chief of Reliability Engineering & System Safety (Elsevier, IF 9.4). He founded and formerly led the journal Sustainable and Resilient Infrastructure (Taylor & Francis) and serves on editorial boards of nine additional journals. Advising & Mentorship He has graduated 27 PhD and 35 Master’s students, many of whom now hold faculty positions worldwide. His group maintains an active pipeline of doctoral and post-doctoral researchers working on resilience analytics, infrastructure monitoring, and risk-informed decision-making. Laboratories & Collaborations He leads the MAE Center and is affiliated with the Critical Infrastructure Resilience Institute (CIRI) and the Biomedical and Translational Sciences group. International collaborations span the UK (Loughborough), India (IIT Guwahati), and China (Tsinghua, Tongji, Jianghan), fostering cross-disciplinary research in reliability and resilience engineering.
Matthew Osman is an Assistant Professor of Climate Science in the Department of Geography at the University of Cambridge. He leads the Cambridge Computational Climate and PaleOceanography (C3PO) group and serves as a supervisor for the Cambridge NERC Doctoral Landscape Awards (DLA). Dr. Osman's research focuses on understanding climate dynamics across various timescales by integrating geochemical proxy records, modern observations, and climate model simulations. His work centers on: Developing quantitative tools to reconstruct past climates and constrain future projections Using data assimilation and modeling methods for key climate intervals (mid-Pliocene, Last Ice Age, interglacials) Creating probabilistic frameworks combining proxies with climate simulations Developing statistical proxy system models for ice cores and marine records Investigating cryosphere-climate feedbacks, particularly ice sheets and sea ice His research spans sub-seasonal to millennial time intervals, specializing in bridging climate proxies with global climate models. He works closely with the international PMIP/CMIP community on projects spanning Arctic sea ice sensitivity, AMOC weakening, and carbon cycle feedbacks. Dr. Osman actively supervises PhD students through the Department of Geography PhD Program and encourages students interested in quantitative climate science to develop projects in: Using paleo data to constrain future climate projections Developing fingerprinting techniques for proxy records Building probabilistic proxy system models Applying paleoclimate data assimilation during ice sheet collapse Climate risk modeling using physics-informed statistics The C3PO group maintains a strong commitment to diversity and inclusion, welcoming researchers from all backgrounds to address the climate crisis through quantitative, multidisciplinary approaches.
Thomas Hacker is a Professor in the Department of Computer and Information Technology at Purdue Polytechnic Institute, Purdue University. His research focuses on cloud computing, high-performance computing, operating systems, computer networking, and cyber infrastructure . He holds a Ph.D. and M.S. in Computer Science & Engineering from the University of Michigan, along with dual B.S. degrees in Computer Science and Physics from Oakland University. Education: PhD (Computer Science & Engineering), University of Michigan (2004) MS (Computer Science & Engineering), University of Michigan (1993) BS (Computer Science, Mathematics Minor), Oakland University (1989) BS (Physics), Oakland University (1989) Dr. Hacker's research spans cloud and grid computing, operating systems, and distributed systems , with applications in earthquake engineering data systems and AI-driven infrastructure analysis. His recent work explores extended layer 2 networking for bare-metal provisioning ( 2023 IEEE Cloud Summit ) and machine-supported bridge inspection using artificial intelligence ( Transportation Research Record, 2023 ). Notable scientific contributions include 15+ publications on topics like cyberinfrastructure for earthquake engineering, container-based virtualization, and data-intensive systems. His work has been recognized with awards such as the NSF CAREER Award (2010) and multiple Purdue Seed for Success Awards . Key Scientific Awards: NSF CAREER Award (2010) Purdue Seed for Success Awards (2008-2013) ASEE Information Systems Division Best Paper Award (2012) College of Technology Outstanding Faculty in Discovery Award (2010) He has held leadership roles at Purdue, including Department Head (2018-2021) and Interim Department Head (2011-2016) . His career spans academic positions at Indiana University, University of Michigan, and industry roles at Storage Technology Corporation.
Professor Eugene O'Brien serves as Professor of Civil Engineering within the School of Civil Engineering at University College Dublin's College of Engineering and Architecture. His research focuses on critical structural assessment methodologies for long-span bridges, with particular expertise in traffic load modeling and bridge safety evaluation. His research interests center on structural engineering challenges related to bridge infrastructure, specifically traffic load assessment for long-span bridges , structural health monitoring systems , and sustainable infrastructure management . Professor O'Brien pioneered camera-based monitoring techniques to overcome limitations of traditional Weigh-in-Motion sensors during congested traffic conditions, enabling more accurate safety assessments of aging bridge infrastructure. His work addresses the critical gap in quantifying traffic loading on bridges with spans up to 2 kilometers, where conventional methods fail during stop-and-go traffic scenarios. Analysis of his 15 most recent publications reveals a consistent research trajectory focused on probabilistic modeling of traffic loads, with increasing sophistication in handling extreme events and long-term infrastructure performance. His work spans fundamental statistical methods for load effect prediction, practical applications in real-world bridge assessments, and environmental considerations regarding infrastructure carbon footprints. The research demonstrates strong methodological evolution from basic traffic modeling to comprehensive lifetime assessment frameworks incorporating sustainability metrics. As co-founder and director of Roughan O'Donovan's subsidiary Innovative Solutions (ROD-IS), Professor O'Brien has translated research into practice through significant projects including the Malahide Railway Viaduct assessment (2009), EU-funded bridge lifespan simulation tools (2011), vibration reduction systems for bridge cables, and structural assessments for major international projects including the Ting Kau Bridge in Hong Kong, the Forth Road Bridge in Scotland, and the Chacao Channel Bridge in Chile. His consultancy work demonstrates direct application of academic research to critical infrastructure challenges worldwide. Professor O'Brien's research group operates at the intersection of structural engineering and sustainable infrastructure management, with particular emphasis on extending bridge service life through accurate safety assessment. Their work on the Chacao Channel Bridge demonstrates practical implementation of traffic monitoring systems using toll data to manage truck loads, while their environmental impact analysis shows how accurate safety assessments reduce unnecessary bridge replacements, thereby lowering the carbon footprint of transportation infrastructure through extended service life of carbon-intensive materials like concrete and steel.
Junjian Qi serves as the Hohbach Endowed Associate Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at South Dakota State University's College of Engineering, holding this position since 2023. His academic journey includes prior appointments as Assistant Professor at Stevens Institute of Technology (2020-2023) and University of Central Florida (2017-2020), along with research roles at Argonne National Laboratory and University of Tennessee. His educational background includes: Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Tsinghua University, Beijing, China (2013) B.E. in electrical engineering from Shandong University, Jinan, China (2008) Dr. Qi's research centers on electric power systems resilience, with particular expertise in cascading failure mechanisms, microgrid control architectures, cyber-physical security vulnerabilities, and synchrophasor applications. His work integrates advanced data analytics and machine learning techniques to enhance grid stability against extreme weather events and cyber threats. Current investigations focus on developing distributed control strategies for inverter-dominated grids and modeling system interdependencies during failure propagation. Analysis of his 15 most recent publications (2021-2024) reveals a strong methodological shift toward data-driven approaches for power system challenges. Key trends include machine learning applications for cascading failure prediction, novel distributed control frameworks for AC/DC microgrids, and cybersecurity enhancements for inverter-based resources. His work consistently bridges theoretical models with real-world utility data, particularly evident in multiple Best Paper Award-winning publications analyzing actual outage sequences. Dr. Qi's scientific recognition includes: NSF CAREER Award (2020) Three consecutive Best Paper Awards at IEEE PES General Meetings (2022-2024) World's Top 2% Scientist designation in energy (2020-2023) IEEE PES Outstanding Working Group Award (2023) Multiple journal Best Paper Awards (IEEE Transactions on Power Systems, Journal of Modern Power Systems) He currently leads significant research initiatives including an NSF CAREER project ($500k) on cascading failure analysis and an NSF collaborative grant ($219k) for grid stability, alongside previous DOE funding ($1.8M) for cybersecurity of distributed energy resources. His service includes editorial roles for IEEE Transactions on Power Systems and IEEE Power Engineering Letters, plus leadership in IEEE PES technical committees focused on voltage control and smart grid security.
Yehuda Ben-Zion is a Professor of Earth Sciences at the University of Southern California (USC), affiliated with the Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. He serves as Director of the Statewide California Earthquake Center (SCEC). His expertise lies in geophysics and seismology, with a focus on earthquake mechanics, fault dynamics, and seismic hazard assessment. He holds a Ph.D. in Geophysics and Seismology from USC (1990) and a B.S. in Geology and Physics from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (1982). Research interests include physics of earthquakes and faults, high-resolution fault zone imaging, earthquake source properties, and dynamic rupture processes. Recent work emphasizes multi-scale modeling of rupture zones, seismic velocity monitoring using anthropogenic signals (e.g., train tremors), and probabilistic seismic hazard analysis frameworks like CyberShake. He leads projects such as Quakeworx, an open-source earthquake simulation platform, and investigates fault zone architecture in regions like the San Andreas, San Jacinto, and Marmara faults. His studies address critical questions about large earthquake mechanisms, ground motion prediction, and the interplay between tectonic stress and seismicity patterns. He has pioneered the use of dense seismic arrays and machine learning to analyze seismic data, advancing understanding of fault zone processes and their implications for hazard mitigation.
