Wei Xu is an Associate Professor at Georgia Institute of Technology's College of Computing and School of Interactive Computing, with affiliations to the Machine Learning Center. Their research bridges machine learning, natural language processing, and social media with focus areas in large language models, cultural bias mitigation, multilingual capabilities, and human-AI collaboration in text evaluation. NSF CAREER and Google Academic Research Award recipient Director of NLP X Lab PhD from New York University, BSMS from Tsinghua University Research interests span: Multilingual Multicultural LLMs addressing representational gaps and cultural adaptation in language models (NAACL 2025, ACL 2024); Robustness and Reasoning through dynamic AGI evaluations (ACL 2024, EMNLP 2024); Interdisciplinary NLP applications in security, healthcare, and law (EMNLP 2024, ACL 2024). Recent publications focus on multilingual alignment (NAACL 2025), privacy risk estimation (arXiv 2025), cultural bias analysis (ACL 2024), and medical text simplification (EMNLP 2024). Key themes include bias mitigation, multimodal processing, and practical LLM evaluation. Scientific Awards : NSF CAREER, Google/Sony/Criteo research awards, ACL'24 Best Social Impact Award, COLING'18 Best Paper Advising 15 PhD/MS/BSMS students including Yao Dou (human-centered LLM evaluation), Tarek Naous (multilingual LLMs), and alumni like Chao Jiang (Apple AI/ML) and Yang Chen (NVIDIA research scientist). Teaches graduate courses on NLP and LLMs.
Furong Huang is an Associate Professor at the University of Maryland's Department of Computer Science, with affiliations at the Institute for Advanced Computer Studies, Center for Machine Learning, Maryland Robotics Center, and Applied Mathematics, Statistics, and Scientific Computation Program. Her research bridges trustworthy machine learning, sequential decision-making, and foundation models for robotics, emphasizing reliability, interpretability, and ethical standards. Research Interests: Trustworthy AI Generative AI Reinforcement Learning AI Security Algorithmic Fairness Foundation Models for Robotics Recent Publications span leading conferences (NeurIPS, ICML, ICLR, CVPR) and journals, focusing on: Robustness in Vision-Language Systems Trustworthy Generative AI Foundation Models for Sequential Decision-Making AI Security and Watermarking Scientific Awards MIT TR35 Innovator Under 35 (Asia Pacific 2022) Best Paper Award, AdvML Frontier Workshop, NeurIPS 2024 NSF NAIRR Pilot Awardee Microsoft Accelerate Foundation Models Research Award (2023) JP Morgan Faculty Research Awards (2019–2022) Advising and Grants : Her lab has graduated students to roles at OpenAI, Google, Meta, and Netflix. Research funded by DARPA, NSF, ONR, AFOSR, and industry partners like Microsoft, Adobe, and Capital One. Labs & Teams : Leads research groups focused on Trustworthy AI and Robotics at the University of Maryland, collaborating with the Maryland Robotics Center and Applied Mathematics Program.
Heng Huang is the Brendan Iribe Endowed Professor in the Department of Computer Science and the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Maryland, College Park . He earned his Ph.D. in Computer Science from Dartmouth College and holds prior degrees from Shanghai Jiao Tong University. His research focuses on advancing the foundations and applications of artificial intelligence, particularly in machine learning, data mining, natural language processing, computer vision, and biomedical informatics . His work integrates large-scale optimization, fairness, and robustness in deep learning systems. Heng Huang’s recent publications demonstrate a strong trend in large language models, federated learning, model watermarking, continual learning, and medical image analysis . His work appears consistently in top venues like NeurIPS, ICML, CVPR, ICLR, and MICCAI, reflecting a broad impact across theoretical and applied AI. He actively mentors students and postdocs, seeking highly motivated researchers in machine learning and related domains. His work has significant implications for healthcare, privacy, and trustworthy AI.
Robin Jia is an Assistant Professor in the Thomas Lord Department of Computer Science at the University of Southern California (USC) , where he leads the AI, Language, Learning, Generalization, and Robustness (Allegro) Lab . His research focuses on enhancing the reliability and robustness of large language models (LLMs) through mechanistic understanding, benchmarking under distribution shifts, and neurosymbolic integration. Key affiliations include collaborations with the USC Keck School of Medicine and contributions to legal frameworks like the EU's Digital Services Act. Robin's research spans multiple domains, including: Scientific analysis of LLM capabilities in in-context learning , data memorization , and numerical reasoning Advancements in robust NLP systems , emphasizing uncertainty estimation and calibration Development of methods combining LLMs with symbolic solvers for complex reasoning tasks Interdisciplinary applications in medicine and law , such as privacy-preserving synthetic data generation and medical misconception evaluation . His recent publications (2024-2025) address Fourier-based numerical embeddings (NeurIPS), neurosymbolic planning (NAACL), and multimodal benchmarking (COLM), with a strong emphasis on privacy , fairness , and transparency . Scientific awards include the Google Research Scholar Award (2023) , SoCalNLP Symposium Best Paper Awards , and ACL/EMNLP outstanding papers . He advises PhD students like Johnny Wei and Ameya Godbole, and has secured grants from the NSF , USC-Capital One , and USC-Amazon .
Anamaria Crisan is an Assistant Professor at the University of Waterloo, affiliated with the Insight Lab. Her research focuses on interdisciplinary work at the intersection of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Data Visualization, and Applied AI/ML. She explores human-centered approaches to AI/ML systems, visualization design for decision-making, and healthcare data science applications. Dr. Crisan holds a PhD in Computer Science from the University of British Columbia (2019), an MSc in Bioinformatics (2010), and a BComp in Biomedical Computing from Queen’s University (2008). Her educational background bridges computer science, biology, and healthcare informatics. Her research interests include responsible AI/ML systems, interactive visualization for data-driven decisions, and leveraging visualization in healthcare to improve outcomes. She emphasizes transparency, trustworthiness, and human alignment in AI technologies. Her work spans diverse applications such as genomic epidemiology, dashboard design, and ethical AI evaluation. Notable contributions include studies on human-AI collaboration, visualization linters, and scalable dashboard census methodologies. She has published widely in top-tier venues like IEEE VIS and ACM CHI. Dr. Crisan’s lab (UW Insight Lab) focuses on human-centered approaches to automating data science and improving visualization practices in critical domains like healthcare and public health.
Prof. Dr. Thomas Brinkhoff is Chair of the Institute Board and Chair of Geoinformatics at Oldenburg University of Applied Sciences. He leads the Institute for Applied Photogrammetry and Geoinformatics (IAPG) and contributes to institutions like the Association for the Promotion of Geoinformatics in Northern Germany (GiN e.V.) and the Oldenburg Research and Development Institute for Computer Science (OFFIS e.V.). Education: Diploma in Computer Science (Informatik), Universität Bremen (1990) Doctorate in Computer Science (Dr. rer. nat.), Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (1994) Brinkhoff's research spans geodatabase systems, spatiotemporal data processing, geosensor analytics, and location-based services. His work addresses Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI), web-based geospatial visualization, and mobile data integration, with applications in traffic management and forensic science. Recent projects include ProSaDi (Digital Provenance and Collection Research) and contributions to the Laboratory for optical 3D metrology . He has served on program committees for ACM SIGSPATIAL (2002-2019), AGILE conferences (2010-2025), and editorial boards of journals like GeoInformatica and TGIS. Notable Lectures: 2024: Forensic applications of tachograph data 2023: Geoinformatics in homicide investigations 2022: Spatiotemporal analysis for sustainability projects 2015: Open geodata standards at FOSSGIS 2014: Mobile sensor data processing
Beng Chin Ooi is a Lee Kong Chian Centennial Professor at the National University of Singapore (NUS), School of Computing (SoC). He holds a B.Sc. (1st Class Honors) and Ph.D. in Computer Science from Monash University. His research focuses on database systems, large-scale analytics, and distributed computing. He has held leadership roles including Dean of School of Computing (2007–2013) and Director of Smart Systems Institute (2011–2021). Key achievements include the Singapore President’s Science Award (2011), ACM Fellow (2011), IEEE Fellow (2009), and multiple best paper awards. His work emphasizes scalable data management, blockchain systems, and healthcare data analytics. Education: Monash University (B.Sc., Ph.D.) Leadership: Dean (SoC), Director (Smart Systems Institute) Awards: Over 15 major honors including ACM SIGMOD E.F. Codd Innovations Award (2020) His research spans distributed databases, big data systems, and innovative applications of blockchain technology. Recent work includes NASI (neural architecture search) and Rafiki (ML-as-a-service).
Florian Tramèr is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science at ETH Zurich, Switzerland, leading research at the intersection of machine learning security, privacy, and AI safety. His work focuses on identifying and mitigating security vulnerabilities in machine learning systems, particularly in large language models and other AI systems. Tramèr's primary research interests include adversarial machine learning, membership inference attacks, privacy-preserving AI, and the security implications of large language models. His work has significantly advanced our understanding of how machine learning models memorize training data, how this memorization creates privacy risks, and how to evaluate the robustness of machine learning systems against various attacks. His recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on practical security challenges in deployed AI systems, including data extraction from language models, adversarial attacks against generative AI, and developing more rigorous evaluation methodologies for machine learning security. Tramèr's research has been published in top venues including ICLR, NeurIPS, ICML, and IEEE Security & Privacy. Tramèr is actively collaborating with leading researchers in the field including Nicholas Carlini, Matthew Jagielski, and Javier Rando, contributing to important initiatives like the International AI Safety Report. His work bridges theoretical security concepts with practical implications for real-world AI deployment.
Dai Zhongxiang is an Assistant Professor and Presidential Young Fellow at the School of Data Science, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen (CUHKSZ), where he joined in August 2024. Previously, he was a Postdoctoral Associate at MIT's Laboratory for Information and Decision Systems (January-June 2024) and a Postdoctoral Fellow at the National University of Singapore's Department of Computer Science (April 2021-December 2023). He completed his Ph.D. in Artificial Intelligence at NUS under the supervision of Bryan Kian Hsiang Low and Patrick Jaillet. Dr. Dai's research focuses on the intersection of theoretical and practical AI, with particular emphasis on large language models (LLMs) and optimization techniques. His work spans both theoretical foundations of multi-armed bandits and Bayesian optimization, as well as practical applications in LLM inference, including prompt optimization, in-context learning, personalization of LLMs, LLM-based agents, and scaling up test-time computation of LLMs. His research approach often bridges theoretical principles with real-world applications, particularly in AI4Science problems. His recent publications demonstrate a clear trend toward advancing LLM capabilities through optimization techniques, with increasing focus on practical deployment challenges. The research spans both theoretical contributions to optimization theory and applied work on enhancing LLM performance in real-world scenarios. His work on dueling bandits, neural bandits, and zeroth-order optimization has been consistently published in top-tier venues including NeurIPS, ICML, ICLR, and ACL. Presidential Young Fellow, CUHKSZ (2024) Dean's Graduate Research Excellence Award, NUS (2021) Research Achievement Award × 2, NUS (2019 & 2020) Singapore-MIT Alliance Graduate Fellowship (2017) Dr. Dai actively mentors multiple Ph.D. students and research assistants, with several of his students' papers accepted to top conferences. His research has received significant attention, with invitations to serve as Area Chair for NeurIPS 2025 and ICLR 2025, reflecting his growing influence in the machine learning community. His work bridges theoretical machine learning with practical applications in large-scale AI systems.
Dawn Y. Sumner is a Professor in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at the University of California, Davis. Her research focuses on geobiology, paleobiology, and planetary science, particularly reconstructing ancient environments on Earth and Mars. She is a key member of NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory team, contributing to the Curiosity rover’s exploration of Gale Crater on Mars. Sumner’s work integrates field studies, lab analyses, and interdisciplinary approaches to understand microbial life’s role in shaping Earth’s history and potential habitability on other planets. Education: Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1995). Research interests include microbialite formation, Antarctic lake ecosystems, and the evolution of oxygenic photosynthesis. She investigates modern microbial communities in ice-covered lakes (e.g., Lake Vanda) to understand ancient environments and their biosignatures. Her scientific awards include the California Academy of Sciences Academy Fellow (2020) and Geological Society of America Fellow (2014). Sumner emphasizes inclusive education and supports student success in STEM through feminist research practices. Labs/Teams: W.M. Keck Center for Active Visualization in the Earth Sciences (KeckCAVES), Antarctic Lake Research Group.
Achuta Kadambi, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor at UCLA in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, leading an interdisciplinary research group focused on AI, computational imaging, and bias mitigation in medical technologies. He recruits PhD students from EE, CS, and Bioengineering departments and has commercialized research through two California-based companies. His research investigates the intersection of physics and artificial intelligence, with a focus on unbiased low-level vision systems. Current projects explore how light transport interacts with human skin variations to identify and correct imaging biases in facial recognition and medical devices. His work has produced over 70 patents, with 30+ issued, and a textbook Computational Imaging (MIT Press, 2022). NSF CAREER Award (2021) for light transport bias research DARPA Young Faculty Award (2021) for AI and medical imaging innovations ARO Young Investigator Program (2021) for computational sensing IEEE-HKN Under 35 Award (2022) for inclusive EECS inventions Forbes 30 Under 30 recognition His recent publications focus on polarization imaging, 3D Gaussian splatting, synthetic data generation for healthcare, and bias mitigation in machine learning. Collaborations with UCLA medical school faculty, including Dr. Laleh Jalilian, aim to deploy these innovations in clinical settings. Current teaching includes ECE 149: Foundations of Computer Vision (Fall 2024, Spring 2025) and ECE 102: Signals and Systems (Winter 2024).
Susan Pfeiffer is a Research Professor of Anthropology at the University of Toronto, affiliated with the Department of Anthropology within the Faculty of Arts and Science. Her research focuses on bioarchaeology, skeletal biology of past populations, and repatriation of human remains, particularly among Southern African Khoe-San and North American Great Lakes communities. She holds a Ph.D. (1976), M.A. (1972), and B.A. (1968) in Anthropology and Religion from the University of Toronto and the University of Iowa. Education: Ph.D. in Anthropology, University of Toronto (1976) M.A. in Anthropology, University of Toronto (1972) B.A. in Religion, University of Iowa (1968) Her research interests include paleopathology, adult age estimation, evolutionary theory, and collaborations with Indigenous communities. Notable works include her 2022 book Osteobiographies , which explores repatriation frameworks globally, and studies on Huron-Wendat ancestral repatriation and Southern African skeletal analysis. Dr. Pfeiffer has received prestigious awards such as the 2019 AAAS Fellowship and the 2016 J. Norman Emerson Medal. Her publications bridge bioarchaeological methodological advancements with ethical repatriation practices, emphasizing cross-cultural collaboration in anthropology. Key Awards: AAAS Anthropology Section Fellowship (2019) Ontario Archaeological Association Medal (2016) University of Toronto Teaching Excellence Award (2001) Her work integrates skeletal analysis with community partnerships, addressing both scientific and cultural dimensions of human remains research. Collaborations with First Nations and African groups highlight her commitment to ethical, culturally sensitive archaeology.
Maksym Andriushchenko is an incoming faculty member at the ELLIS Institute Tübingen and Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems , where he will lead the AI Safety and Alignment group as a principal investigator. Currently, he is a Doctoral Assistant at the Theory of Machine Learning Laboratory (TML) within the Department of Computer Science (IINFCOM) at Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL) . His work focuses on AI safety, adversarial robustness, and alignment of large language models (LLMs) with societal values.
Nate Foster is a Professor of Computer Science at Cornell University and currently serves as the Associate Dean for Research in the Ann S. Bowers College of Computing and Information Science. He is also a Visiting Researcher at Jane Street and served as a Visiting Professor at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne during the 2023-24 academic year. His research uses ideas from programming languages to solve problems in networking, databases, and security. BA in Computer Science, Williams College (2001) MPhil in History and Philosophy of Science, University of Cambridge (2008, all work completed in 2003) PhD in Computer and Information Science, University of Pennsylvania (2009) Foster's research focuses on developing languages and tools that make it easy for programmers to build secure and reliable systems. His current work centers on the design and implementation of languages and tools for programmable networks, particularly using the P4 language. His past work includes bidirectional languages (also known as 'lenses'), database query languages, data provenance, type systems, mechanized proof, and formal semantics. His research group at Cornell has made significant contributions to network verification, software-defined networking, and formal foundations for programmable data planes. Analysis of Foster's recent publications reveals a strong focus on network verification and programming language foundations for networking. His work consistently applies formal methods to practical networking problems, with a particular emphasis on the NetKAT and P4 languages. Over the past five years, his research has evolved toward more complex network verification techniques, including infinite state verification, active learning of network models, and dependently-typed approaches to network programming. His work bridges theoretical computer science with practical networking systems, making formal methods accessible to network engineers. ACM Fellow (2025) ACM SIGPLAN Robin Milner Award (2023) ACM SIGCOMM Rising Star Award (2018) NSF CAREER Award (2013) Alfred P. Sloan Fellowship (2012) Multiple distinguished paper awards across top conferences including POPL, PLDI, and SIGCOMM Foster has advised numerous PhD and Master's students who have gone on to prominent positions in both industry and academia, with many continuing work in programming languages and networking. He has led multiple significant research grants including an NSF CAREER Award and has been involved in the P4 Language Consortium, serving as Chair of the P4 Language Governing Board. His work has been supported by various organizations including NSF, DARPA, and industry partners like Intel and Jane Street. Foster is also active in the programming languages research community, serving on numerous program committees and as Vice Chair of DARPA's Information Science and Technology (ISAT) study group. Foster leads a vibrant research group at Cornell focused on programming languages for networks, with collaborators from academia and industry. His group has developed several influential tools and frameworks including NetKAT, Petr4, and KATch. They maintain strong connections with the P4 community and work closely with industry partners to ensure their research has practical impact on real-world networking systems.
Dr. Michael Boyd is a prominent archaeologist affiliated with the Department of Archaeology at the University of Cambridge and serves as an Honorary Research Associate at the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research and a Senior Research Affiliate at The Cyprus Institute . His work centers on the prehistoric Aegean, with expertise in material culture, mortuary studies, ritual practices, and landscape archaeology. Research Interests : Boyd's scholarship interrogates the theoretical and methodological foundations of archaeology, emphasizing the dynamic interplay between landscapes, tombs, and human agency. His studies span Early Bronze Age Cycladic cultures, environmental archaeology, and the emergence of ritualized spaces in the Aegean. Publications : Boyd has co-directed the Keros Seaways Project and authored seminal works on Aegean ritual deposits, including the Keros Sanctuary volumes (2016–2018) and Staging Death (2016). His 2021 edited volume Far from Equilibrium critiques contemporary archaeological theory and advocates for reorienting the discipline. Methodological Contributions : He pioneers interdisciplinary and geo-ethnoarchaeological approaches, integrating soil micromorphology and phytolith analysis to reconstruct degradable architectural elements in the Cyclades.
