Azhar Zam is an Associate Professor of Bioengineering at NYU Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) and associated faculty at NYU Tandon School of Engineering's Biomedical and Electrical Engineering departments. He holds a B.Sc. from University of Indonesia, M.Sc. from University of Luebeck (Germany), and Ph.D. from Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nuremberg (Germany). His research focuses on developing smart optical devices for medical imaging/diagnostics, including laser surgery, OCT, photoacoustics, and AI-driven imaging systems. He leads the Laboratory for Advanced Bio-Photonics and Imaging (LAB-π) at NYUAD and has authored 85+ publications/patents. Education: Bachelor of Science, University of Indonesia M.Sc. Biomedical Engineering, University of Luebeck Ph.D. Engineering, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nuremberg Research Interests: Innovations in biomedical optics, optical-based smart sensors, AI-enhanced diagnostics, and miniaturized medical imaging systems. His work integrates advanced optical technologies with surgical robotics and clinical applications. Professional Contributions: Associate Editor for Frontiers in Photonics Biophotonics section; Reviews Editor for Frontiers in Ophthalmology Retina section. Previously held positions at University of Basel (Assistant Professor), University of Waterloo, and other institutions globally. Labs & Teams: Directs NYUAD's LAB-π lab focusing on bio-photonics innovations. Collaborates across NYU's global network and international partners.
Professor Tommy Chan is Chair in Civil Engineering at Queensland University of Technology's School of Civil and Environmental Engineering. With over $10M in research funding, his work focuses on structural health monitoring of bridges and infrastructure systems. His research group develops cutting-edge methods for assessing structural integrity using vibration analysis, optical sensors, and machine learning. Professor Chan leads major projects including the ARC-funded 'Next Generation Bridge Monitoring' initiative developing real-time monitoring systems for prestressed concrete bridges. His team's innovations include GNSS-based settlement monitoring and synergic identification methods for prestress force evaluation. Current research explores vehicle-bridge interactions, damage detection algorithms, and novel materials for impact protection. He has received numerous honors including the Vice Chancellors' Leadership Award and Top Supervisor Award. Professor Chan founded the Australian Network of Structural Health Monitoring and serves on editorial boards for multiple journals in structural engineering.
Dietmar Maringer is Professor of Computational Economics and Finance at the University of Basel's Faculty of Business and Economics (WWZ), where he leads research at the intersection of finance, computational methods, and artificial intelligence. His work focuses on risk management, portfolio optimization, algorithmic trading, and financial simulations. His research interests span computational finance, artificial intelligence in finance, data analysis, risk management, portfolio optimization, algorithmic and high-frequency trading, financial networks, complex adaptive systems, and market simulations. He applies advanced computational and heuristic optimization techniques to solve real-world financial problems, contributing significantly to quantitative finance and financial engineering. His recent publications demonstrate a consistent focus on applying evolutionary algorithms, reinforcement learning, and numerical optimization to portfolio management, market impact modeling, and financial forecasting. The research integrates econometrics, machine learning, and financial theory, emphasizing practical implementation and robust risk-aware decision-making. Several best-paper awards Maringer has served as Chair of the Portfolio Optimization Section of the IEEE Computational Economics and Finance Technical Committee from 2008 to 2018 and is frequently involved in organizing and program committees of international conferences. He has advised or collaborated with numerous researchers, though specific student names are not listed. His research has been supported through academic affiliations and likely institutional or conference-based grants, though explicit funding sources are not detailed. He is affiliated with several research groups, including IEEE Computational Economics and Finance TC, COMISEF, ERCIM, Centre for Innovative Finance, and the European Financial Management Association, reflecting a broad collaborative network in computational finance and economics.
Dr. Chao Hu is the Collins Aerospace Professor in Engineering Innovation and Associate Professor at the University of Connecticut's Department of Mechanical Engineering within the College of Engineering. His research focuses on engineering design under uncertainty, battery health diagnostics, and structural health monitoring. He holds a B.E. from Tsinghua University (2007) and a Ph.D. from the University of Maryland (2011), with prior roles at Medtronic and Iowa State University. Research interests emphasize physics-informed machine learning for prognostics, battery degradation modeling, and reliability-based design optimization. Key publications include work on digital twin models for lithium-ion batteries, federated learning for fleet-wide fault diagnosis, and probabilistic machine learning pipelines for real-time state estimation. He has received awards like the ASME Design Automation Young Investigator Award and highly cited paper recognitions. Dr. Hu serves as Senior Editor for Engineering Optimization and Review Editor for Structural and Multidisciplinary Optimization . His work spans academic leadership in journals and industrial collaborations. Current projects include battery aging datasets (UConn-ILCC and UConn-ISU-ILCC), design for remanufacturing frameworks, and high-rate structural health monitoring techniques.
Changhyun Choi is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Minnesota (UofM), Twin Cities. His research focuses on visual perception for robotic manipulation using deep learning. Assistant Professor, UofM Electrical and Computer Engineering (2018–present) Postdoctoral Associate, MIT CSAIL (prior to 2018) Research Interests : Visual perception for robotic manipulation Deep learning for object grasping and assembly Soft manipulation techniques Object pose estimation and tracking Active perception and reinforcement learning Combining vision with manipulation Scientific Awards : NSF CAREER Award (2022) Sony Research Award (Faculty Innovation Award, 2021 & 2024) Russell J. Penrose Excellence in Teaching Award (2021) IEEE ICRA 2022 Outstanding Student Paper Award Advising & Collaborative Research : He advises 5 PhD students (Jiacheng Yuan, Alireza Rezazadeh, Houjian Yu, Ross Worobel, Mingen Li) and 2 Master's students (Chase Anderson, Nikhilanj Venkata Pelluri). His work involves grants from NSF, MnRI, and NRF (Korea).
Peter C.J.M. van der Wielen is a part-time Professor of Reliability Grid Components at the Department of Electrical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e), while maintaining a full-time role as Business Director for Power Failure Investigations and Principal Consultant in Power Cables at DNV GL – Energy. His work bridges academic research and industrial applications, focusing on grid component reliability, power cable technology, and asset management. Role: Part-time Professor (since 2018) Primary Affiliation: DNV GL – Energy (since 2000) Academic Affiliation: TU/e Department of Electrical Engineering His research interests center on grid component reliability , power cable degradation , and failure analysis , with a strong emphasis on translating scientific findings into practical tools like "Smart Cable Guard" for on-line partial discharge monitoring in medium voltage cables. He explores remaining life estimation , condition assessment , and maintenance methodologies to enhance power grid availability. Recent publications highlight his expertise in load scenario modeling using copulas, thermal monitoring of power cables via wave velocity, and congestion management strategies for power grids. These works align with his broader focus on asset management and reliability engineering . Scientific Awards : Hidde Nijland Award (2014) for groundbreaking power cable technology research At DNV GL, he leads power failure investigations and provides consultancy on power cable systems. As a TU/e Professor, he teaches grid component reliability and contributes to research on degradation mechanisms , failure analysis , and dynamic cable rating in collaboration with industry partners.
Dr. Tyson Phillips serves as Senior Lecturer and Director of Teaching and Learning at The University of Queensland's School of Mechanical and Mining Engineering within the Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Information Technology. He is an active Affiliate of the Future Autonomous Systems and Technologies research group, focusing on translating robotics innovations into practical mining applications. His academic leadership includes curriculum development for engineering programs and direct industry engagement with major mining equipment manufacturers. He earned his Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) from The University of Queensland in 2016, with thesis research centered on LiDAR-based perception systems for autonomous excavators. His doctoral work established foundational methods for object pose verification in mining contexts. Phillips' research specializes in robotics perception for extreme mining environments, developing LiDAR-centric solutions for autonomous equipment operation amid dust, fog, and unstructured terrain. Key contributions include evidential reasoning frameworks for uncertainty management, real-time pose estimation algorithms, and sensor fusion techniques for excavators and bulldozers. His work bridges theoretical computer vision with industrial deployment, targeting operational safety and efficiency in mineral extraction. Publication analysis reveals consistent focus on mining robotics since 2012, with recent works (2021-2024) emphasizing minimal-sensor configurations, probabilistic terrain mapping, and vibration-assisted gripper technology. His 14 scholarly outputs demonstrate evolution from sensor evaluation (2012-2015) toward integrated autonomy systems (2018-2024), predominantly in Journal of Field Robotics and Sensors . He actively supervises graduate researchers as Principal Advisor for a PhD on multimodal perception mapping and Associate Advisor for two PhD projects involving spreader systems and physics-informed neural networks. Completed supervision includes a 2024 PhD on bulldozer terrain mapping and a 2021 Master's on shovel/hopper interaction strategies. Research funding spans 14 projects from 2012-2026, including current Australian Coal Association Research Program support (2025-2026) and major Caterpillar Inc. collaborations for ERS self-protection and articulated truck automation. Phillips operates within The University of Queensland's Future Autonomous Systems and Technologies group, which develops field-deployable autonomy solutions for mining partners. This team conducts real-world testing of perception systems using Caterpillar and FMG operational sites as validation environments.
Professor Kylie Tucker is a distinguished academic at the University of Queensland, serving as Professor and School Director of Teaching and Learning in the School of Biomedical Sciences within the Faculty of Health, Medicine and Behavioural Sciences. She is also an Affiliate of the Centre for Innovation in Pain and Health Research (CIPHeR) and currently serves as President of the International Society of Electrophysiology and Kinesiology (ISEK) for the term 2024-2026. Professor Tucker leads a dynamic research environment focused on advancing knowledge about muscles and movement control, with significant contributions to understanding how pain impacts movement, methods for estimating muscle forces, and assessment of childhood movement control and adolescent skeletal maturity. Professor Tucker earned her Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, and Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Adelaide. Her academic journey has positioned her as a leader in neuromuscular research, particularly in the areas of motor control and pain adaptation. Within the School of Biomedical Sciences, she has held significant leadership roles including Deputy Director of Teaching and Learning (2018-2020), inaugural chair of the REMEDE committee (2021-2023), and Director of Teaching and Learning (2024-2025). She also co-facilitates UQ's flagship Career Progression for Women program. Her research interests span motor control, pain research, biomechanics, electromyography, neuromuscular control, pediatric movement, scoliosis, and muscle physiology. Professor Tucker's work has transformed understanding of pain's impact on movement and advanced assessment methods for childhood movement control and skeletal maturity. She has recently proposed new insights into scoliosis progression, identifying unique muscle features that can be non-invasively detected early in curve progression. Approximately 3-7% of children worldwide develop adolescent idiopathic scoliosis, often requiring surgical intervention when conservative treatments fail. Analysis of Professor Tucker's recent publications reveals a strong focus on neuromuscular control mechanisms, particularly in relation to pain, scoliosis, and pediatric movement disorders. Her work integrates advanced methodologies including electromyography, shear wave elastography, and biomechanical modeling to investigate muscle function across diverse populations. A notable trend is her leadership in consensus projects (CEDE) establishing standardized methodologies for electromyography research, reflecting her commitment to methodological rigor in the field. Professor Tucker actively mentors the next generation of researchers, supervising numerous PhD students across projects related to scoliosis, knee osteoarthritis, pain research, and pediatric movement disorders. Her research is supported by significant funding including NHMRC MRFF EPCDR grants for chronic musculoskeletal conditions in children and the SRS Research Grant for novel insights into adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. She leads the Motor Control and Pain Research Lab, a collaborative environment bringing together basic science and clinical researchers. The lab focuses on two main research streams: Motor Control and Pain Research and Child and Adolescent Neuromotor Control Research. Professor Tucker teaches across 10 UQ programs with class sizes ranging from 70-1400 students, demonstrating her commitment to education alongside her research leadership.
François Goulette is a Professor and Deputy Director of the Computer Science and Systems Engineering Unit (U2IS) at ENSTA Paris, part of Institut Polytechnique de Paris. His research focuses on 3D point cloud processing, LiDAR perception, and autonomous systems within the Robotics Center (CAOR). His primary research interests lie in 3D point cloud processing , LiDAR perception , and autonomous systems . His work spans fundamental algorithm development to practical applications in autonomous driving, cultural heritage digitization, and robotics. He has made significant contributions to domain generalization of LiDAR perception, semantic segmentation of 3D point clouds, and point cloud registration techniques. The analysis of his recent publications reveals a strong focus on domain generalization for LiDAR perception systems, with multiple papers addressing challenges in 3D semantic segmentation across different environments. His work combines multi-scale architectures , unsupervised learning , and dataset creation to advance the state-of-the-art in autonomous systems perception. The research spans both theoretical algorithm development and practical applications in urban environments. François Goulette leads research activities within the Robotics Center (CAOR) at ENSTA Paris. His team develops advanced techniques for 3D environment understanding, with applications in autonomous vehicles, cultural heritage preservation, and industrial robotics. The research combines computer vision, machine learning, and robotics to solve challenging problems in 3D perception and scene understanding.
Ottar Bjornstad is a Distinguished Professor of Entomology and Biology at Pennsylvania State University, holding the Huck Chair of Epidemiology. He is affiliated with multiple research centers, including the Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics, One Health Microbiome Center, and Center for Mathematical Biology. His research focuses on population ecology, epidemiological modeling, and the mathematical foundations of infectious disease dynamics. He investigates how climate change affects ecological systems, transmission patterns of zoonotic diseases, and the interplay between host demographics and disease spread. Recent publications highlight his work on dengue virus transmission, vaccine distribution logistics, and age-structured epidemic models. His studies span disciplines including ecology, virology, and computational epidemiology. Elected to Norwegian Academy of Sciences and Letters (2021) He collaborates with institutions worldwide, addressing global health challenges like Lassa virus spread and measles persistence mechanisms. His methodological contributions include statistical frameworks for epidemic analysis and spatial synchrony metrics.
Ryozo Nagamune is a Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering within the Faculty of Applied Science at the University of British Columbia (UBC). His research focuses on control engineering with specific expertise in floating offshore wind turbines, integrated solar thermal systems, and metal additive manufacturing processes. He maintains active collaborations with NSERC, MITACS, and industry partners including Ascent Systems Technologies. Dr. Nagamune received his B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees from Osaka University, followed by a Ph.D. from the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden. His educational background laid the foundation for his expertise in control systems theory and applications. His primary research interests center on control engineering, with particular emphasis on the control of floating offshore wind turbines and wind farms, integrated solar thermal systems, directed energy deposition metal additive manufacturing processes, engine aftertreatment systems, and data-driven modeling and control of dynamical systems. His work addresses critical challenges in renewable energy, manufacturing, and automotive applications, focusing on optimization, robustness, and efficiency improvements. The research spans theoretical developments in control algorithms to practical implementation in real-world systems. Analysis of Dr. Nagamune's recent publications reveals a strong focus on floating offshore wind turbine control, which constitutes approximately 40% of his recent work. Another significant portion (30%) addresses automotive control systems, particularly selective catalytic reduction for emissions control. The remaining publications cover diverse applications including haptic interfaces, spacecraft control, and precision manufacturing systems. His research demonstrates a consistent pattern of applying advanced control methodologies to solve practical engineering problems across multiple domains. Dr. Nagamune leads the Control Engineering Laboratory at UBC (located in KAIS 3104) and actively seeks collaborations with industry partners, research clusters, and interdisciplinary teams. His research is supported by major funding agencies including NSERC and MITACS, as well as industry partnerships. He is available for supervision of graduate students and expresses interest in working with undergraduate students on research projects. Dr. Nagamune welcomes interdisciplinary research opportunities and is particularly interested in collaborations that bridge multiple engineering domains.
Ricardo Aguilera Echeverria is an Associate Professor at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), School of Electrical and Data Engineering . With a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Newcastle (2012), he has held academic positions at UNSW Australia (2014-2016) and UTS since 2016. His research focuses on model predictive control (MPC) applied to power electronics , renewable energy integration , and microgrid control systems . He actively supervises Masters and PhD students and has developed courses such as Control Studio A and Control Studio B . Education: PhD in Electrical Engineering (University of Newcastle, 2012) MSc in Electronics Engineering (Universidad Tecnica Federico Santa Maria, 2007) BSc in Electrical Engineering (Universidad de Antofagasta, 2003) Research Interests: Model Predictive Control (MPC) for power converters Microgrid stability and cybersecurity Second-life battery integration Hybrid DC-AC microgrid solutions Recent Research Trends: Advancements in modular multilevel matrix converters (M3C) for LFAC systems Development of per-phase instantaneous power theories for LVRT compensation Sliding mode observers (SMO) for cyberattack mitigation in AC microgrids Optimal control strategies for delta-connected CHB converters in energy storage Grants & Projects: Lead investigator in HORIZON Europe (2024-2027) on digital solutions for renewable energy systems ARC Discovery Project (DP240102646) on extending second-life battery life (2024-2026) Collaborative grants with Sovereign Propulsion Systems Pty Ltd and NSW Department of Industry for hybrid-electric vehicle control
Xin Li is a Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Duke University and serves as the Associate Vice Chancellor at Duke Kunshan University. He holds a Ph.D. from Carnegie Mellon University (2005) and has held leadership roles in research consortia like the FCRP Focus Research Center and the Center for Silicon System Implementation (CSSI). His research bridges integrated circuits , machine learning , and cyber-physical systems , with applications in autonomous driving, battery lifetime prediction, and smart buildings. Education : Ph.D., Carnegie Mellon University (2005); M.S., Fudan University (2001); B.S., Fudan University (1998) His work emphasizes robust design methodologies for analog/RF circuits, data-driven predictive modeling , and Bayesian inference for high-dimensional variation spaces. Recent publications focus on generative adversarial networks for circuit design, multi-view imputation for incomplete data, and knowledge-driven autonomous systems . He has received numerous accolades, including the NSF CAREER Award (2012) , IEEE Donald O. Pederson Best Paper Awards (2013, 2016) , and IEEE Fellow (2017) . He has served as Editor for journals like IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering and as Chair for conferences including ISVLSI and CAD/Graphics.
Fengqing Maggie Zhu is an Associate Professor at the Elmore Family School of Electrical and Computer Engineering within Purdue University , West Lafayette campus. Her research spans image processing , video compression , computer vision , and smart health , with notable contributions to learned image compression , 3D reconstruction , and nutrition analysis via computer vision . Educational background: BS in Electrical Engineering, Purdue University (2004) MS in Electrical and Computer Engineering, Purdue University (2006) PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering, Purdue University (2011) Her work focuses on developing machine learning-based compression techniques for 2D/3D images and videos, with applications in food portion estimation , wearable dietary monitoring , and virtual reality facial expression tracking . She explores structured pruning , mixed precision quantization , and continual learning to create efficient, robust systems for edge-cloud collaboration. The 2025-2024 article collection reveals concentrated efforts in learned image compression (with 8 papers on quantization, pruning, hierarchical VAEs), food-related computer vision (12+ papers on portion estimation, databases, classification), and 3D reconstruction (MetaFood3D dataset, ICP-3DGS algorithm). Emerging themes include privacy-preserving AI for wearable cameras and class-incremental learning frameworks. Contact: zhu0@purdue.edu
Xiaonan Lu is an Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering Technology at Purdue University's School of Engineering Technology, with a courtesy appointment in the Elmore Family School of Electrical and Computer Engineering. His research focuses on critical challenges in modern power systems dominated by inverter-based resources, particularly stability and control in microgrids and renewable-integrated grids. His research interests span power systems engineering with emphasis on small-signal stability analysis, dynamic modeling of hybrid AC/DC microgrids, and advanced control strategies for grid-forming and grid-following inverters. He investigates AI-assisted modeling techniques, resilience enhancement through hydrogen integration, and data-driven optimization of microgrid operations to address challenges in low-inertia power systems and distributed energy resource coordination. Analysis of his recent publications (2024-2025) reveals dominant trends toward AI-aided stability assessment, seamless control transitions between inverter modes, and quantifiable trade-offs in voltage regulation and power sharing. His work consistently addresses practical implementation challenges including communication delays, cyber resilience, and standardized testing methodologies for inverter-dominated systems.
