Wenrui Huang is a Professor in the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering at Florida A&M University-Florida State University (FAMU-FSU). He holds a Ph.D. (1993), M.S. (1986), and B.S. (1982) in Civil Engineering from the University of Rhode Island and Hohai University. His research focuses on Coastal & Estuarine Hydrodynamics, Surface Water Quality Modeling, and Neural Network Applications in Hydrology. Professional Affiliations: Licensed Professional Engineer (PE), Chair of the Professional Development Committee at FAMU-FSU. Key Contributions: Published in coastal hazards, hurricane modeling, and storm surge assessment. Edited the book Coastal Hazards (2010). Research emphasizes numerical modeling of extreme events, including tsunami propagation and hurricane-induced wave dynamics. His work integrates computational methods with environmental systems analysis.
Amro Awad is an Associate Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) at North Carolina State University's College of Engineering. He previously served as an Assistant Professor at the University of Central Florida and as a Senior Member of Technical Staff at Sandia National Laboratories. Dr. Awad earned his Ph.D. and Master's in Computer Engineering from NC State and a Bachelor's from Jordan University of Science and Technology. Research Focus His research spans computer architecture and security, emphasizing secure hardware systems , memory security , and integration of emerging technologies . Key contributions include novel approaches to secure and efficient GPU memory management, FPGA resource scheduling, and DRAM simulation. Publications & Awards Dr. Awad's work appears in top-tier venues like ISCA, MICRO, ASPLOS, and HPCA. He holds six U.S. patents and received the prestigious R. Ray Bennett Faculty Fellow Award and recognition as a Goodnight Early Career Innovator . Funding & Collaborations His research group has been supported by DARPA , Sandia National Laboratories , NSF , Naval Surface Warfare Center , and Air Force Research Lab . Collaborations include AMD Research, Los Alamos National Lab, HP Labs, and Air Force Research Laboratory.
Stefano Galelli is a tenured Associate Professor in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Cornell University, where he leads the Critical Infrastructure Systems Lab. He also holds an adjunct position as a Research Scientist at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University. His career spans roles in Singapore, including a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at NUS (2011–2013) and faculty at the Singapore University of Technology and Design (2013–2023). Dr. Galelli earned his B.Sc. (2004), M.Sc. (2007), and Ph.D. (2011) in Environmental and Land Planning Engineering and Information Technology from Politecnico di Milano, Italy. His research focuses on the interactions between critical infrastructure systems and natural environments, emphasizing adaptive management solutions for water-energy systems. Techniques include process-based modeling, climatology, statistical learning, control theory, and optimization. He explores topics like hydro-climatic variability impacts, dam re-operation for environmental flows, and cyber-physical security in infrastructure. His contributions to journals such as Nature Sustainability, Earth’s Future, and Environmental Modelling & Software have earned him multiple awards, including the Early Career Research Excellence Award (2014) and SUTD Excellence in Research Award (2017). He has served as an editor for several journals and is recognized for advancing interdisciplinary approaches to water-energy nexus challenges. Teaching highlights include foundational mathematics courses and advanced topics in data analytics, optimization, and water-energy management. He is developing new courses on data-driven control of coupled human-natural systems and risk management for interconnected systems.
Professor Allan Afuah is a distinguished academic at the Stephen M. Ross School of Business, University of Michigan, specializing in strategy. He holds a PhD and MS from MIT. His research focuses on business model innovation, crowdsourcing, technological innovation, and open innovation. He has won prestigious awards, including the 2022 AMR Decade Award for his work on crowdsourcing. Afuah teaches courses on managing innovation in digital markets, emphasizing how firms like Apple and Amazon create value in uncertain environments. His books, such as Business Model Innovation and Creating and Capturing Value through Crowdsourcing , explore strategic frameworks for competitive advantage. His work often bridges theory and practice, addressing challenges in digital transformation and organizational strategy. Education: PhD (1994) and MS (1990) in Strategy from MIT. Awards include the AMR Decade Award, AMR Managerial Practice Award, and Ross School’s MBA Teacher of the Year. His research has been published in top journals like Academy of Management Review and Strategic Management Journal . Research Interests: Business Model Innovation Crowdsourcing and Open Innovation Technological Change and Strategy Competitive Advantage User-Driven Innovation Global Markets and Digital Transformation His articles analyze topics like multisided platforms, network effects, and the strategic implications of digital ecosystems. He advocates for frameworks that help firms navigate disruption and leverage innovation for sustained growth.
Mustafa B. Ozturk is a Professor of Human Resource Management at Queen Mary University of London's School of Business and Management, affiliated with the Department of People and Organisations. He holds roles as Programme Director for the MSc International Human Resource Management and coordinator for the International Foundation Programme and Pre-Masters. His academic journey includes a BA in Economics and Politics from New York University, followed by MA and PhD studies at the University of Chicago, focusing on the political economy of human capital. Dr. Ozturk's research emphasizes workplace equality, diversity, and inclusion, particularly addressing systemic disadvantages related to gender identity, sexual orientation, race, and ethnicity. He is a member of the Centre for Research in Equality and Diversity (CRED) and actively supervises doctoral students exploring themes like gender inequality in finance, ethnic minority entrepreneurship, and global diversity management. His teaching includes BUS269: Organisational Behaviour. Research interests span both developed and developing regions, including Turkey, China, and the UK. He has published widely on topics such as racialized incivility, LGBTQ+ workplace inclusion, and gender equality in global contexts. Supervision expertise includes doctoral projects on intersectionality in talent management, corporate socio-political activism, and gender disparities in finance.
Michael O. Wood is an Associate Professor in the School of Environment, Enterprise and Development (SEED) at the University of Waterloo and currently serves as the Associate Dean of Work-Integrated Learning in the Faculty of Environment. He holds a Ph.D. in Strategy and Sustainability from the Ivey Business School at Western University, an M.A. in Environmental Studies in Sustainability Management from Western University, and a B.A. in Science from the University of Guelph. Ph.D. in Strategy and Sustainability, Ivey Business School, Western University M.A. in Environmental Studies in Sustainability Management, Western University B.A. in Science, University of Guelph Dr. Wood's research focuses on organizational responses to sustainability challenges through the lenses of space, time, scale, and social license to operate. His work spans industries like insurance, mining, carbon management, waste management, and global security, with a particular emphasis on the Blue Economy and climate change. He has contributed to frameworks for water risk assessment, sustainable packaging practices, and the role of governance in sustainability-financial performance linkages. His recent publications address transdisciplinary tools for water risk management, workforce practices' impact on sustainability, ETS policy effects, and disaster response patterns in multinational corporations. While no scientific awards are explicitly mentioned, his work has been published in journals such as the International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction and Economic Systems Research . Dr. Wood teaches courses like Introduction to Environment and Business and Environment and Business Project , and he collaborates with researchers like Sandhu, Weber, and Bansal on sustainability-related projects. His studies often incorporate mixed-methods analysis and policy reviews for sustainable resource management in Ontario and Canada.
Kari Ingstad is a Professor of Sociology at the Faculty of Nursing and Health Sciences, Nord University, and currently serves as Vice-Dean for Research. Her work bridges academia, clinical practice, and policy, focusing on healthcare organization, leadership, and innovation in Norway's health sector. She holds a PhD in Sociology from NTNU (2011) and has extensive clinical experience in municipal and specialist healthcare. Education: PhD in Sociology, NTNU, 2011 Nursing background from municipal and specialist healthcare sectors Research Interests: Workforce planning and staffing strategies in healthcare Impact of shift scheduling on employee well-being and patient safety Integration of artificial intelligence in healthcare operations Cross-sectoral collaboration and innovation in health services Recent Research Trends: Her 2024 publications emphasize strategic staffing solutions, AI-driven shift planning, and long-shift work-life balance. Key projects include the OptiCare-AI initiative (Norwegian Research Council-funded), exploring AI applications for optimizing healthcare resource allocation. Leadership & Grants: Leads the Acute Care, Innovation and Patient Safety (AKIP) research group Principal Investigator on OptiCare-AI (2023–present) Labs/Teams: Active collaborations with the AKIP group and national/international networks on healthcare workforce issues.
Mohammed Aledhari is an Assistant Professor at the University of North Texas, specializing in cybersecurity, machine learning, and data science. His research focuses on applications in computational medicine, bioinformatics, and autonomous systems. He holds a Ph.D. from Western Michigan University and degrees from the University of Basrah and the University of Anbar. His research interests include social cybersecurity techniques, federated learning in IoT, and AI-driven solutions for healthcare and transportation. Recent work explores blockchain-enabled digital twins, DDoS attack detection, and equitable ASD diagnostics using machine learning. His publications span cybersecurity frameworks, autonomous vehicle communication protocols, and biomedical IoT innovations. Notable contributions include optimizing intrusion detection in IoMT networks and developing interpretable machine learning models for healthcare. While no formal awards or grants are listed, his work emphasizes interdisciplinary applications of AI in healthcare, transportation, and energy markets. His email is Mohammed.Aledhari@unt.edu .
Miles M. Ishigaki serves as Professor of Music in the Department of Music within California State University, Fresno's College of Arts and Humanities. He has taught applied clarinet, chamber music, music theory, and music appreciation at Fresno State since 1987 while directing the university clarinet choir. From 1989-2017, he held the position of state chair for the National Association of College Wind and Percussion Instructors, demonstrating sustained institutional commitment. His academic credentials include: Doctor of Musical Arts in Performance, University of Oklahoma (1988) Doctoral study in Music Performance, University of Arizona (1981-1982) Master of Music in Performance, Colorado State University (1981) Dual Bachelor's degrees: Music Education and Music Performance, University of Northern Colorado (1978) Dr. Ishigaki's research centers on the dialectic between intuition and analytical understanding in musical performance, particularly regarding clarinet repertoire. His seminal work documents interpretive approaches of legendary clarinetists including Larry Combs, Stanley Hasty, and Leon Russianoff, focusing on Stravinsky's Three Pieces for Solo Clarinet. His collaborative research with Dr. Michael Rogers bridges music theory and performance practice, revealing how structural analysis informs expressive execution. This scholarly trajectory consistently examines the cognitive and technical dimensions of artistic mastery. His publications from 1988-2017 reveal evolving emphases from symposium documentation and performance analysis toward technology integration in music education, culminating in the 2017 Music Fundamentals ebook. Collectively, his work establishes clarinet pedagogy as both scientific discipline and artistic practice, with growing attention to digital learning environments while maintaining core focus on interpretive authenticity. His recognitions include: 2013 Provost's Teaching Award in Technology for innovative digital pedagogy 2006 Honorary Alumnus distinction from University of Northern Colorado Dr. Ishigaki has mentored exceptional students who have earned Fulbright Scholarships, McNair Doctoral grants, and participation in national honor ensembles. His studio consistently produces competition winners while he maintains active performance engagements with regional orchestras and international venues. Beyond academia, he serves as COO of I&M, Inc., applying sustainable technology principles to water and energy systems, demonstrating interdisciplinary impact beyond music. As founder of both the West Coast Clarinet Congress and Fresno State Faculty Clarinet Quartet, he cultivates professional communities while maintaining Yamaha Artist status. His community outreach through organizations like the Japanese American Citizen's League and Valley Children's Hospital reflects deep civic engagement alongside scholarly pursuits.
Heitor Pellegrina is an Assistant Professor of Economics at the University of Notre Dame, specializing in trade and development economics with a particular focus on agriculture and environmental resources. He is affiliated with the Building Inclusive Growth (BIG) Lab and became a Kellogg faculty fellow in 2023. Prior to joining Notre Dame, Pellegrina spent six years as an assistant professor at New York University Abu Dhabi, where he coordinated DevLab seminars from 2021-2023 and co-organized the conference "The End of Globalization" in 2022. His research spans multiple countries including Brazil, India, Colombia, and parts of Africa, examining the intersection of trade policies, economic development, and environmental sustainability. Pellegrina holds a PhD in economics from Brown University (2017) and both bachelor's and master's degrees in economics from the University of São Paulo, Brazil (2009 and 2011 respectively). His research program addresses critical questions at the intersection of international trade, agricultural productivity, and environmental sustainability. Recent work examines how weather shocks affect farm size distribution, the relationship between economic development and greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture, and the global impacts of trade policies on deforestation patterns. His publications appear in top journals including the Journal of Political Economy, Journal of Development Economics, and Journal of International Economics. PhD, Brown University, 2017 M.Sc., University of São Paulo, Brazil, 2011 B.Sc., University of São Paulo, Brazil, 2009 Pellegrina teaches undergraduate courses in Economic Growth and graduate courses in Quantitative International Trade and Development Economics. His research methodology combines empirical analysis of large datasets with theoretical modeling to address questions of economic development and trade policy. He has organized academic events including the Development Economics Working Group at Notre Dame and previously coordinated DevLab seminars at NYU Abu Dhabi.
Dr James Herbert-Read is an Associate Professor and Whitten Lecturer in Marine Biology at the Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge. He serves as Deputy Head of Department (Postgraduate Education) and leads the Marine Behavioural Ecology Group. His research focuses on understanding how animals, particularly marine organisms, collect and process information from their environments to make behavioral decisions, with emphasis on social interactions, adaptation mechanisms, and ecological constraints. His group employs theoretical frameworks, controlled experiments, and quantitative field studies to investigate behavioral diversity in marine species. Key themes include collective behavior, predator-prey dynamics, camouflage strategies, and the impacts of environmental stressors on animal decision-making. Recent publications highlight work on lionfish vocalization mechanisms, cuttlefish camouflage, citizen science applications in marine research, and behavioral responses to visual and acoustic noise. Scientific awards and affiliations include: Whitten Lecturer in Marine Biology Associate Professor, University of Cambridge He has supervised research projects on topics such as: Social attraction in invasive fish species Evolution of coordinated movement Neurophysiological basis for leadership in shoals Maternal effects on offspring exploration
Saurabh Amin is a Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he also serves as the Edmund K. Turner Professor and Undergraduate Officer. He is a Principal Investigator at the Laboratory of Information and Decision Systems and holds affiliations with the Operations Research Center and the Center for Computational Science and Engineering. His educational background includes: B.Tech. 2002, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee M.S. 2004, University of Texas (UT) Austin Ph.D. 2011, University of California (UC) Berkeley Saurabh Amin's research focuses on the design and control of infrastructure systems using game theory and optimization in networks. His work spans three main areas: resilient network control, information systems and incentive design, and optimal resource allocation in large-scale infrastructure systems. By concentrating on critical infrastructure domains including highway transportation, electric power distribution, and urban water networks, his research develops innovative theory and tools to enhance system performance against both stochastic and adversarial disruptions. His approach involves modeling cyber-physical interactions in infrastructures to assess vulnerabilities, developing detection and response tools for failures at various scales, and designing economic incentive schemes that improve aggregate public good while accounting for dependencies and private information among strategic entities. Amin's work bridges mathematical systems theory with practical civil engineering applications, creating a rigorous theoretical foundation for infrastructure resilience that addresses diverse failure mechanisms from natural disasters to deliberate malicious actions. His recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on decarbonization of energy systems, resilient infrastructure planning under climate uncertainty, optimization methods for complex networked systems, and game-theoretic approaches to sustainable infrastructure management. His work increasingly integrates artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques with traditional control theory to address contemporary challenges in infrastructure resilience and sustainability. The research shows a clear trajectory toward addressing climate change impacts on infrastructure systems while maintaining economic efficiency and operational reliability. Professor Amin has received numerous prestigious awards and honors: Common Ground Excellence in Teaching Award, 2025 HSCC Test-of-Time Award, 2024 MIT CEE, Distinguished Service and Leadership Award, 2023 Samuel M. Seegal Prize (SoE) – inspiring students in pursuing and achieving excellence, 2022 Earll M. Murman for Excellence in Undergraduate Advising, 2022 C3.ai Digital Transformation Institute Research Award, 2020 MIT, Ole Madsen Mentoring Award, 2020 MIT, Energy Initiative Research Award, 2020 National Academy of Engineering, China-America Frontiers of Engineering Symposium speaker, 2019 MIT, Robert N. Noyce Career Development Professor, 2015-2018 Google Faculty Research Award, 2015 National Science Foundation CAREER Award, 2015 Siebel Energy Institute Research Award, 2015 MIT, Solomon Buchsbaum AT&T Research Fund Award, 2012 Professor Amin has been actively involved in significant research projects including the C3.ai DTI project on Causal Reasoning for Real-Time Attack Identification in Cyber-Physical Systems and another on Learning in Routing Games for Sustainable Electromobility. He serves as the chief scientist on multi-institutional NSF grants, including the $9 million Foundations of Resilient Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) project. His teaching portfolio includes courses such as 1.008 Engineering for a Sustainable World, 1.104 Sensing and Intelligent Systems, 1.020 Engineering Sustainability: Analysis and Design, and 1.208 Resilient Networks. As Undergraduate Officer, he plays a key role in shaping the educational experience for civil and environmental engineering students at MIT. Professor Amin leads the Resilient Infrastructure Networks Lab at MIT, where his team develops theoretical foundations and practical tools for infrastructure resilience. The lab focuses on the intersection of control theory, game theory, and optimization applied to cyber-physical infrastructure systems. Current research directions include pandemic-resilient urban mobility and hurricane-resilient smart grid operations, reflecting the lab's commitment to addressing pressing societal challenges through rigorous systems engineering approaches.
Dr. Theresa Jedd is an Environmental Policy Specialist and Post-Doctoral Research Associate at the Department of Environmental and Climate Policy , Technische Universität München , since 2019. Previously, she worked at the National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2015-2019) and the Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory (Colorado State University, 2015). Her work spans drought policy analysis, transboundary conservation, and participatory governance methods across diverse regions including Montana, Nebraska, and the Middle East/North Africa. Current Affiliation: Technische Universität München (2019-present) Prior Roles: University of Nebraska-Lincoln (2015-2019), Colorado State University (2015) Research Focus: Combines qualitative methods (interviews, focus groups, workshops) with physical drought indicators to analyze policy frameworks at multiple governance levels (local, national, international). Key themes include: Climate risk governance Water allocation mechanisms Drought early warning systems Transboundary environmental policy Civil society engagement Ethics of environmental crises Publication Trends: Recent work highlights polycentric governance challenges, drought resilience limitations, and participatory monitoring approaches. Her research spans environmental policy, water resource management, and climate adaptation.
Maxime Menuet is a Professor of Economics at Université Côte d'Azur (GREDEG) and a Research Associate at IPAG Business School in Paris. His academic credentials include a PhD in Economics and dual M.Sc. degrees in Macroeconomics/Finance and Mathematics from the University of Orléans, complemented by a 2023 HDR (Habilitation à Diriger des Recherches) from Paris VIII. 2023: HDR in Economics, Paris VIII 2018: PhD in Economics, University of Orléans 2015: M.Sc in Macroeconomics and Finance, University of Orléans 2015: M.Sc in Mathematics (Theoretical Probability), University of Orléans His research focuses on Economic Theory and Political Economy , with specialized expertise in public debt , macroeconomic stability , conflict dynamics , and interdisciplinary intersections with theology and history . Recent work explores environmental sustainability through fiscal policy, ideological clashes in macroeconomic governance, and historical economic thought from Jansenist perspectives. Maxime's publications since 2023 show strong interdisciplinary trends, blending theological analysis with economic modeling (e.g., New Testament debt language), refining game-theoretic conflict models , and advancing ecological macroeconomic frameworks for sustainable debt management. ANR Young Researcher Grant Best Paper Award, TIMTED Conference Visiting Scholarships: Duke University, Osaka University, UCAM Montreal As Deputy Director of EUR ELMI and co-director of the European Research Group on Money, Banking, and Finance, he leads major interdisciplinary initiatives. His teaching portfolio mirrors his research, covering economic theory, political economy, and debt/conflict dynamics.
Melanie Molina, MD, MAS is an Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and Affiliate Faculty of the Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies. She serves as Co-Director of the Social Emergency Medicine and Health Equity Section and holds a secondary appointment in the Department of Medicine’s Division of Clinical Informatics and Digital Transformation. Clinically, she works at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and UCSF Medical Center. National Clinician Scholars Program Fellowship (2023) MAS in Clinical Research, UCSF (2023) Residency in Emergency Medicine, Harvard Medical School (2021) MD in Medicine, The University of Texas at Austin (2017) BS/BA in Biology and Hispanic Studies, The University of Texas at Austin (2012) Dr. Molina’s research centers on leveraging technology to address social determinants of health in emergency settings, with a focus on vulnerable populations. Her work spans health equity, opioid use disorder interventions, microaggressions in healthcare, and clinical informatics. She pioneers EHR-enabled tools to integrate social care into emergency clinical workflows while minimizing clinician burden. Her NIH-funded projects emphasize practical solutions for racial and ethnic health disparities, particularly in vaccine delivery and social risk documentation. Her recent publications (2024-2025) reveal three dominant trends: (1) Integration of AI and informatics for social risk screening and clinical decision support, (2) Health equity interventions targeting vaccine hesitancy and long COVID disparities, and (3) Critical analysis of DEI implementation challenges in academic emergency medicine. The work consistently bridges technical innovation with community-centered approaches to address systemic inequities. National Institutes of Health NIDA Loan Repayment Award (2024-2025) National Hispanic Medical Association Top 40 Under 40 (2024) UCSF John A. Watson Faculty Scholar (2023) National Institutes of Health NIAID Loan Repayment Award (2022-2024) Academy for Women in Academic Emergency Medicine Outstanding Research Publication Award (2021) Harvard Medical School Presidential Scholars Public Service Initiative Award (2017) Dr. Molina actively mentors medical students, residents, and fellows in health equity research. As Principal Investigator on multiple NIH and foundation grants—including the Harold Amos Medical Faculty Development Program grant ($825,575, 2024-2028) and an NIH/NIDA K23 award (2024-2029)—she leads projects developing EHR-integrated interventions for social risk documentation and opioid use disorder treatment. Her PROBOOSTVAXED trial addresses vaccine hesitancy through ED-based delivery across eight U.S. cities. She co-directs the Social Emergency Medicine and Health Equity Section within UCSF’s Department of Emergency Medicine, collaborating closely with the Action Research Center for Health Equity and the Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies. Her team integrates clinical informatics expertise with community health workers to develop scalable solutions for social risk mitigation in safety-net emergency departments.
