Sanjit A. Seshia is the Cadence Founders Chair Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences at the University of California, Berkeley . He is affiliated with the Group in Logic and the Methodology of Science and participates in centers like the Industrial Cyber-Physical Systems Center , Berkeley AI Research , and the Simons Institute for the Theory of Computing . Research interests include formal methods for automated verification and synthesis of dependable systems, with applications to cyber-physical systems , AI-based autonomy , and computer security . His work spans SMT solving, model counting, syntax-guided synthesis, and algorithmic improvisation, with tools like UCLID5 , VerifAI , and Scenic for verifying autonomous systems and educational platforms like CPSGrader . Students and collaborators include notable researchers such as Dorsa Sadigh (Stanford), Daniel Fremont (UC Santa Cruz), and Hazem Torfah (Chalmers). He has co-founded startups like Decyphir and 20ⁿ Labs based on his research.
Dr. Geng Guoqing is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the National University of Singapore (NUS). He holds concurrent roles as East Asian Regional Convener for RILEM and board member of ACI-Singapore Chapter. His research focuses on sustainable construction materials, particularly durability, microstructural characterization, and waste material utilization. Geng earned his PhD from UC Berkeley (2017), followed by postdoctoral research at the Paul Scherrer Institute (Switzerland). He has authored over 50 papers and leads multiple projects funded by Singapore’s Ministry of Education, Energy Center, and National Research Foundation. Education: Bachelor of Engineering, Southeast University, China (2010) Master of Science, UC Berkeley, USA (2013) PhD, UC Berkeley, USA (2017) Research interests center on sustainable construction materials, multi-scale characterization, and material durability . Key themes include recycling low-grade materials, mitigating degradation in concrete, and developing high-performance binders like LC3. His work employs advanced techniques like molecular modeling, X-ray diffraction, and NMR. Recent articles explore hydration kinetics, CSH matrix mechanics, and waste clay applications. Awards include the 2023 RILEM Medal and multiple teaching excellence recognitions. Current projects address CO 2 absorption, sustainable cement blends, and resilient façade materials. Professional service includes editorial roles at Cleaner Materials and Frontiers in Materials , plus organizing the 2022 EASEC Conference. His lab focuses on bridging microstructural insights with macro-scale material performance.
Professor David C. Dunand is a faculty member in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Northwestern University , where he leads the Dunand Research Group . His work focuses on mechanical metallurgy of advanced metallic materials, including alloys, composites, and foams, with applications in energy-efficient transportation and biomaterials. He also investigates additive manufacturing techniques like laser powder-bed fusion and 3D ink extrusion. Research Interests: Physical and mechanical metallurgy of multiphase metals Additive manufacturing (ink extrusion, selective laser melting) Green/sustainable metal production In situ X-ray tomography for microstructure analysis Metallic foams and scaffolds Thermoelectric materials Recent Publications show expertise in redox cycling stability, precipitation strengthening, and hierarchical microstructures, with applications in batteries, shape-memory alloys, and high-entropy systems. Awards: TMS Fellow (2012) Structural Materials Division Distinguished Scientist/Engineering Award (2008) Fellow, ASM International (2007) Department Teacher of the Year (1998) He has held leadership roles including Co-Director of the Initiative for Sustainability and Energy at Northwestern (2008-2015) and Visiting Professor at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (2000). The group operates a SISMA MYSINT 100 laser powder bed fusion machine and collaborates extensively.
Dr. Canan Dagdeviren is an Associate Professor and LG Career Development Professor of Media Arts and Sciences at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she directs the Conformable Decoders research group at the MIT Media Lab. She joined the MIT faculty in January 2017 and has established herself as a leading innovator in conformable biomedical devices. Education: Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign M.Sc. in Materials Science and Engineering, Sabanci University, Istanbul, Turkey B.Sc. in Physics Engineering, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey Dr. Dagdeviren's research focuses on creating mechanically adaptive electromechanical systems that can intimately integrate with biological surfaces for sensing, actuation, and energy harvesting. She believes vital information from nature and the human body is 'coded' in various physical patterns, and her work develops 'conformable decoders' to translate these patterns into beneficial signals and energy. Her research spans wearable and implantable medical devices, with particular emphasis on piezoelectric systems that can be twisted, folded, stretched, wrapped, and implanted onto curvilinear surfaces of the human body without damage or significant alteration in performance. Analysis of her recent publications reveals a strong focus on medical applications of conformable electronics, particularly in ultrasound technology for breast cancer detection, deep brain stimulation, and bladder monitoring. Her work consistently bridges materials science, electrical engineering, and medical applications, with increasing emphasis on practical healthcare solutions that can be deployed outside clinical settings. Major Scientific Awards: NSF CAREER Award (2021) 3M Non-Tenured Faculty Award (2021) MIT Technology Review's Top 35 Innovators Under 35 (2015) Forbes' Top 30 Under 30 in Science (2015) National Academy of Engineering US Frontiers of Engineering Symposium participant (2019) Frank E. Perkins Award for Excellence in Graduate Advising Aziz Sancar Science Award Dr. Dagdeviren actively mentors graduate students and has received recognition for her advising excellence. Her research is supported by significant grants including the NSF CAREER award and has resulted in numerous patents and commercialization opportunities. She has developed innovative cleanroom-based courses at MIT that train students in microfabrication techniques for biomedical devices. The Conformable Decoders research group operates a specialized cleanroom facility at the MIT Media Lab, enabling the development and fabrication of novel conformable electronic systems. The group's work has attracted attention from major media outlets including BBC, CNN, and Nature, and has potential applications across multiple medical specialties including neurology, oncology, and urology.
Jaehong Kim is the Henry P. Becton Sr. Professor of Engineering at Yale University, where he serves as Professor and Chair of Chemical and Environmental Engineering in the School of Engineering and Applied Science. Prior to joining Yale in 2013, he held the Georgia Power Distinguished Professor position at the Georgia Institute of Technology. His research bridges environmental science, chemical engineering, and nanotechnology, focusing on photocatalytic materials, water quality engineering, and sustainable solutions for global health contexts. Ph.D., Environmental Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (2002) M.S., Chemical and Biological Engineering, Seoul National University (1997) B.S., Chemical and Biological Engineering, Seoul National University (1995) Kim’s work addresses water treatment through advanced oxidation processes , electrochemical systems , and single-atom catalysts , with applications in nitrate removal, fluoride transport, and solar disinfection. His research emphasizes nanotechnology for environmental remediation and public health engineering in developing regions. Recent publications highlight electrified membranes for nitrate conversion, photothermal water disinfection , and single-atom catalysts for pollutant degradation. His team explores atomic-scale engineering and green chemistry approaches to enhance reaction efficiency and material durability. Georgia Power Distinguished Professor Yale Superfund Research Center investigator Kim leads interdisciplinary efforts in environmental health through collaborations with Yale School of Public Health and the School of the Environment. His lab develops monolithic catalytic membranes and nanobiochars for sustainable water treatment, balancing technical innovation with global accessibility.
Prof. Dr. Markus Zimmermann leads the Chair of Product Development and Lightweight Design at the Technical University of Munich (TUM). With a background in mechanical engineering from TU Berlin and the University of Michigan, and a doctorate from MIT on solid-state singularities, he bridges academic rigor with industrial application. His career spans 12 years at BMW focusing on vehicle development before transitioning to academia. Specializes in solution space engineering for robust design Expert in additive manufacturing and systems engineering Develops methodologies for managing design complexity and uncertainty His research focuses on multidisciplinary design optimization and lightweight structures , particularly in robotics and automotive systems . His team applies digital twin frameworks and attribute dependency graphs to enhance design processes. Recent publications emphasize topology optimization in robotic systems and thermal management for medical X-ray sources. Key trends in his 2024-2025 publications include: Topological optimization for additive manufacturing and robotics Application of solution spaces to manage design uncertainty Development of compact X-ray systems for medical therapy Integration of digital twin technologies in industrial contexts
Caroline Lemieux is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Computer Science, University of British Columbia (UBC), with research focused on advancing software correctness, security, and performance through innovative testing and synthesis techniques. Her work bridges Programming Languages and Software Engineering , particularly in fuzz testing, specification mining, and program synthesis. PhD from University of California, Berkeley (2021), advised by Koushik Sen Postdoctoral researcher at Microsoft Research, NYC (2021-2022) Key contributions: FuzzFactory , CodaMOSA , Arvada , and Gauss Her research integrates machine learning with traditional testing methods, exemplified by projects like RLCheck (reinforcement learning for test generation) and AutoPandas (neural synthesis for dataframes). Recent publications analyze generator-based fuzzing challenges and propose hybrid strategies combining coverage feedback with AI-driven insights. Scientific Awards : ACM/SIGSOFT Best Paper Award (ESEC/FSE 2019) ACM/SIGSOFT Tool Demonstration Award (ISSTA 2019) ACM/SIGSOFT Distinguished Artifact Award (ISSTA 2019) NSERC Postgraduate Scholarship-Doctoral (PGS D) UBC Governor General's Silver Medal (2016) Teaching roles include: 2025W2: CPSC 539L - Topics in Programming Languages 2024W2: CPSC 410 - Advanced Software Engineering 2023W2: CPSC 410 (with Alex Summers) She supervises graduate and undergraduate researchers working on projects like ExploTest (automated unit test generation) and GRIMOIRE (grammar extraction from pseudo-rules). Her research team collaborates with institutions including Microsoft Research, Google, and academic partners in systems security and AI-driven testing.
Assoc Prof Ng Teng Yong is an Associate Professor at the School of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering (NTU), specializing in numerical modeling and simulation. With a background as Research Manager at A*STAR Institute of High Performance Computing, his work spans materials science, nanotechnology, and aerospace engineering. Current focus on graphene-based desalination membranes Expertise in molecular dynamics simulations Investigates nanoscale fluid mechanics and structural dynamics Recent publications highlight advancements in energy-efficient electrodialysis, smart robotics, and nonlinear vibration analysis. His interdisciplinary approach integrates computational methods with experimental validation in additive manufacturing and soft material mechanics.
Professor Chunsheng Lu is a faculty member at Curtin University's School of Civil and Mechanical Engineering within the Faculty of Science and Engineering. He currently holds the position of Professor and serves as Editor-in-Chief of Mechanical Engineering Advances . His research focuses on fracture mechanics, multi-scale modeling, energy materials, nonlinear dynamics, and natural disaster risk analysis. Lu is actively involved in HDR (Masters/PhD) supervision, offering projects on advanced materials modeling and simulations. His research interests include mechanics of energy materials, multi-scale modeling, and fracture statistics. He has contributed to over 200 publications, with recent work emphasizing piezoelectric semiconductors, nanomaterials, and energy storage systems. Lu's teaching spans materials engineering, solid mechanics, and numerical methods.
Professor Emma Lees serves as Professor of Environmental and Property Law at the University of Cambridge, based in the Department of Land Economy with affiliation to the Law Faculty. She is a Fellow of Downing College and maintains connections with the Conservation Research Institute and Land Economy department at the David Attenborough Building, Cambridge. Her educational background includes an undergraduate Law degree (with French Law) from Brasenose College, Oxford (2009), an LLM by Research from the University of Dundee, and a PhD in Land Economy from the University of Cambridge (2013) supervised by Professor Martin Dixon. Lees' research spans environmental and property law with particular emphasis on biodiversity protection, contaminated land regulation, waste management, and planning law. Recent work explores the use of scientific information in environmental adjudication and transnational climate litigation. Her scholarship demonstrates a clear trend toward interdisciplinary analysis connecting legal theory with practical environmental governance challenges, especially regarding the precautionary principle and climate accountability. Richard Macrory Prize for Best Paper in the Journal of Environmental Law (2016) Emerald Literati Network Awards for Excellence Highly Commended (2016) She actively supervises PhD candidates including Farhana Hamid Butt and Gonzalo Vial Forcade, with recent graduates Giulio Corsi and Douglas Maxwell. Her teaching portfolio covers Land Law, Contract Law, Landlord and Tenant Law, and Environmental Law. Lees contributes to research centers CEENRG (Centre for Environment, Energy and Natural Resource Governance) and CCPL (Cambridge Centre for Property Law), focusing on property rights in environmental contexts.
Stefania Dumbrava is an Associate Professor of Computer Science at ENSIIE (École Nationale Supérieure d'Informatique pour l'Industrie et l'Entreprise) and a permanent member of the ACMES team in the SAMOVAR laboratory at Télécom SudParis, Institut Polytechnique de Paris. She is also actively involved in the Property Graph Schema Working Group and the European Research Network on Formal Proofs (EuroProofNet). Education PhD in Computer Science, Université Paris-Sud (2016) MSc in Computer Science, Jacobs University Bremen (2012) BSc in Mathematics, Jacobs University Bremen (2010) Research Interests Dumbrava's research lies at the intersection of formal methods and data management . She designs and verifies algorithms and systems for graph databases , with emphasis on property graphs , schema discovery , query optimization , and distributed graph processing . Recently, her work focuses on certifying large-scale distributed graph systems under the ANR JCJC VERDI project (2025–2029). Awards & Honors SIGMOD Best Paper Award 2023 – “PG-Schema: Schemas for Property Graphs” SIGMOD Research Highlight Award 2023 – “Threshold Queries” VLDB 2022 Best Regular Research Paper Runner-Up – “Threshold Queries in Theory and in the Wild” SIGMOD 2025 Distinguished Reviewer Award ICDE 2025 Best Program Committee Member Award EASST Best Software Science Paper Award, ICGT 2025 Students & Grants Dumbrava has supervised numerous research interns and is actively recruiting PhD students for her ANR VERDI project on verified foundations of large-scale distributed graph systems. She has also served on six PhD thesis committees as examiner since 2021. Labs & Teams She leads the ACMES research group within the SAMOVAR laboratory (Télécom SudParis, Institut Polytechnique de Paris), where her team develops formally verified graph-database engines and tools such as GRASP, VerDILog, and DatalogCert.
Danqi Chen is an Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Science at Princeton University's School of Engineering and Applied Science. Their research focuses on advancing large language models (LLMs), with emphasis on model alignment, safety, and long-context reasoning capabilities. Key research areas: LLMs, AI safety, retrieval systems, and model optimization Recent work explores theorem proving, context encoding, and ethical content generation Their 2025 publications highlight innovations in formal verification scaffolding, attention mechanism efficiency, and copyright-aware generation. 2024 studies investigate continual memorization, rule-based chatbot representations, and scientific literature retrieval benchmarks. Current projects demonstrate commitment to improving model robustness, interpretability, and security compliance in multimodal systems.
Professor Hala Zreiqat AM is a leading biomedical engineer at The University of Sydney , serving as the Director of the ARC Training Centre for Innovative BioEngineering . A Fellow of all major Australian academies (AAS, ATSE, FAHMS, FRSN), she develops 3D printed bioceramics for bone regeneration while championing diversity through initiatives like the IDEAL Society and BIOTech Futures mentorship program. Her work bridges academia, clinical practice, and industry in musculoskeletal research . Research Focus: Her lab creates synthetic bone scaffolds that mimic natural bone architecture, strength, and porosity, enabling non-rejected bone regeneration via patient-matched implants. Key applications include orthopaedic, dental, and maxillofacial repair , with over $18M in competitive funding and multiple patents. Current projects explore AI-driven scaffold performance prediction and anti-senescence strategies for aging-related bone loss. Scientific Trends: Recent publications highlight 3D printed nanovoxelated ceramics , antisenescence biomaterials , and multifunctional theranostic platforms . Her team integrates machine learning for scaffold design, atom probe tomography for interface analysis, and two-photon imaging for cellular monitoring in 3D environments. 2021-2022 Fulbright Senior Scholar 2018 NSW Premier's Woman of the Year 2019 Eureka Prize for Innovative Use of Technology Fellow of Australian Academy of Science (2021) Over $18M in research funding Teaching & Leadership: She designed core courses like Tissue Engineering and Nanomaterials in Medicine , mentoring 158 students in 2020 alone. As Chair of CAAR (2020-2023), she strengthens Australia-Arab collaborations. Her lab trains early-career researchers , with alumni now in academia and industry.
Wolfgang Kunz is a Full Professor (C4, W3) and Chair of Electronic Design Automation at the Technische Universität Kaiserslautern since 2001. His academic career spans multiple prestigious institutions, including Goethe-University Frankfurt/Main and the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. He has held leadership roles such as Dean (2005-2007) and Vice-Dean (2007-2009) at TU Kaiserslautern. Habilitation (Dr. rer. nat. habil.), Computer Science, University of Potsdam (1996) Doctoral degree (Dr.-Ing.), Electrical Engineering, University of Hannover (1992) Dipl.-Ing. degree, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (1989) His research focuses on hardware verification, security, and optimization, particularly in embedded systems and processors. His work on formal verification methods has been commercialized by companies like Synopsys, Mentor Graphics, and Siemens EDA. His 2016-2021 publications address critical security issues such as Spectre/Meltdown and introduce innovative verification frameworks adopted by industry leaders like Infineon and OneSpin Solutions. Scientific awards include the IEEE Fellow (2006), German IT Society Award (2005), and TU Kaiserslautern Distinguished Teaching Award (2016). He has served on editorial boards of major journals and coordinated the Erasmus Mundus European Master Program in Embedded Computing Systems since 2010. Key students: Jörg Bormann, Raik Brinkmann, Tobias Ludwig Collaborations: Siemens EDA, Infineon, AbsInt, Intel SCAP Spin-offs: LUBIS EDA, OneSpin Solutions
Paola Cascante-Bonilla is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science at Stony Brook University, with expertise in computer vision, natural language processing, and embodied AI. Her research focuses on developing systems for compositional reasoning, common-sense inference, and trustworthy AI using vision-language models, while addressing cultural bias and explainability challenges.
