Dr. Yang Liu is the Chair and Gangarosa Distinguished Professor in the Gangarosa Department of Environmental Health at Emory University's Rollins School of Public Health. His research focuses on satellite remote sensing applications for public health, climate change impacts, and air pollution exposure modeling. He leads federally funded projects integrating satellite data into health studies and serves as a PI for the NIH-funded Climate & Health Actionable Research and Translation (CHART) Center. Education: Ph.D. (Harvard University), M.S. (University of California), B.S. (Tsinghua University). Professional Affiliations include NASA mission science teams and the ORISE Faculty Fellowship at CDC. Research interests span satellite aerosol retrieval, climate-health linkages, and machine learning in environmental statistics. Notable work includes advancing wildfire smoke health impacts, PM2.5 modeling, and climate dashboard development for Georgia. Awards include Gangarosa Distinguished Professorship, ORISE CDC Fellowship, and leadership in NIH/NASA initiatives. His lab develops innovative tools for environmental health monitoring and policy translation.
Dr. Owen Dillon is a Research Fellow in the Discipline of Medical Imaging Sciences at the University of Sydney's Faculty of Medicine and Health. He holds affiliations with the ACRF Image X Institute and the Dodd-Walls Centre for Photonic and Quantum Technologies. His work focuses on advanced imaging techniques for medical applications, particularly computed tomography (CT) and motion compensation in radiation therapy. He completed his PhD in Mathematics at the University of Auckland, specializing in probabilistic compression algorithms for inverse problems. Education: B.Sc. Physics & Applied Mathematics (2013, University of Auckland), First Class Honours in Mathematics (2015), PhD Mathematics (2018). Research interests include inverse problems, Bayesian statistics, CT image reconstruction, and real-time imaging systems. Current projects involve optimizing CT acquisition geometries, motion-compensated 4D imaging, and anatomical motion estimation. His contributions have led to clinical trials reducing radiation dose and scan times. He advises two PhD students and collaborates on grants like the Quantum CT project. Grants: 'Quantum CT for Cancer Diagnosis' (2024), 'Functional Imaging in Lung Cancer' (2024). His work bridges mathematical theory with clinical applications in oncology and interventional radiology.
Massimo Mischi is a Full Professor at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering of the Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) and chairs the Signal Processing Systems (SPS) Division , the largest division at TU/e with over 250 researchers. He founded the Biomedical Diagnostics (BM/d) Lab in 2012, which now includes 180 researchers and clinical/industrial advisors, focusing on biomedical signal processing for diagnostics and monitoring.
Ricardo Gutierrez-Osuna is a Professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at Texas A&M University, part of the College of Engineering. He leads the PSI Lab and focuses on machine learning, speech processing, and digital health applications. His research spans topics like wearable sensors, foreign accent conversion, and physiological monitoring. Education: Ph.D. (Computer Engineering, NC State, 1998), M.S. (Computer Engineering, NC State, 1995), B.S. (Electrical Engineering, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, 1992). Research interests include intelligent sensors, speech processing, machine learning, neuromorphic computation, and mobile robotics. His work bridges computer science and biomedical engineering, with applications in health monitoring and human-computer interaction. Awards: NSF CAREER Award (2002) Ramón y Cajal Award (2005-2010) Texas A&M Barbara and Ralph Cox Fellow (2009) Multiple teaching awards (2009-2010) His lab develops innovative technologies like stress-detecting wearables, biofeedback games, and systems for non-native speech improvement. He collaborates on projects involving voice conversion, glucose prediction algorithms, and multi-modal sensing devices.
Nabil Alshurafa is an Associate Professor at Northwestern University, holding joint appointments in the McCormick School of Engineering (Computer Science and Electrical and Computer Engineering) and the Feinberg School of Medicine (Preventive Medicine). He directs the HABits Lab, which focuses on developing mHealth systems to address health behaviors such as overeating, stress, and UV exposure. His work integrates wearable sensors, machine learning, and behavioral science to create passive sensing solutions. Education: PhD in Computer Science and Wireless Health (UCLA), MS and BS in Computer Science (UCLA). Research Interests: Body sensor networks, activity recognition, embedded systems, and health informatics. His lab designs wearable devices (e.g., neck-worn sensors, UV patches) and AI frameworks to detect behaviors like eating patterns and stress levels. Collaborations include domain experts in medicine and engineering to translate technical innovations into clinical interventions. Recent Projects: Developing systems for stress monitoring via ECG-PPG patches, UV exposure tracking, and just-in-time interventions for overeating. The lab emphasizes ethical design, privacy preservation, and user-centered technology. Students and Lab Team: Supervises PhD, MS, and undergraduate researchers in areas like machine learning, embedded systems, and health data analytics. Notable advisees include Rawan Alharbi (PhD candidate), Shibo Zhang (PhD student), and Wilson Wang (MS student). Labs/Teams: HABits Lab collaborates with experts in Preventive Medicine, Psychiatry, and Dermatology to advance interdisciplinary health research. Current projects include predictive analytics for weight loss and interventions targeting maternal stress during pregnancy.
John Ford is an Associate Professor in the Department of Nuclear Engineering at Texas A&M University. His research focuses on radiobiology, radiation carcinogenesis, and medical applications of radiation. He holds academic appointments within the College of Engineering and contributes to the Health Physics, Radiation Biology & Medical Physics research group. Education includes a B.S. and M.S. in Nuclear Engineering from Mississippi State University (1982, 1986), a Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences from the University of Tennessee (1992), and postdoctoral training at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (1992–1993). His work emphasizes understanding radiation effects on biological systems, with notable contributions to radiation dosimetry, bystander signaling mechanisms, and dietary modulation of radiation damage. Recent studies explore space radiation monitoring technologies and therapeutic applications of radiation. Awards include the BP Award for Teaching Excellence (2007) and ARRO Educator of the Year (2013–2014). Research spans interdisciplinary areas such as radiation-induced cancer mechanisms, nutritional interventions to mitigate radiation effects, and advanced radiation detection instrumentation. He has advised numerous projects in radiation safety curriculum development and collaborated on NASA-funded studies modeling radiation impacts on astronauts.
Masato Kato serves as Professor in the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center since 2020 and concurrently as Team Leader at Japan's National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology. His academic trajectory includes progressive appointments from Assistant Professor (2004-2014) to Associate Professor (2014-2020) at UT Southwestern, with prior postdoctoral training at Harvard Medical School and Nara Institute of Science and Technology. 2020-present: Professor, Department of Biochemistry, UT Southwestern 2020-present: Team Leader, National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology, Japan 2014-2020: Associate Professor, Department of Biochemistry, UT Southwestern 2010-2014: Assistant Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Internal Medicine, UT Southwestern 2004-2010: Assistant Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, UT Southwestern 1999-2004: Postdoctoral Fellow, Ellenberger Lab, Harvard Medical School 1998-1999: Postdoctoral Fellow, Hakoshima Lab, Nara Institute of Science and Technology Dr. Kato's research pioneers the biophysical characterization of protein phase separation, particularly focusing on low-complexity domains (LCDs) in neurodegenerative disease contexts. His work establishes fundamental mechanisms of biomolecular condensate formation, including hydrogel polymerization, liquid-solid transitions, and mutation-induced dysregulation in ALS/FTD. Key contributions demonstrate how C9orf72-encoded poly-dipeptides disrupt nucleocytoplasmic transport and how redox states regulate Ataxin-2 phase behavior, bridging structural biochemistry with pathological mechanisms. Analysis of his 22 publications reveals a cohesive research program centered on LCD-driven phase transitions. The most recent 15 articles (2012-2019) systematically investigate pathological aggregation in neurodegeneration, structural basis of condensate formation, and regulatory mechanisms like phosphorylation and oxidation. This body of work establishes LCDs as central players in both physiological RNA granule assembly and disease-associated solidification, with strong emphasis on C9orf72-related ALS/FTD mechanisms. Dr. Kato maintains active leadership within the McKnight Laboratory at UT Southwestern, where his team employs integrated approaches spanning structural biology, cell biology, and biophysics to dissect phase separation mechanisms. His collaborative network includes prominent neuroscience and biochemistry groups, with co-authorship on key studies in Cell, Science, and PNAS.
Leia Stirling is an Associate Professor in Robotics and Industrial Operations Engineering at the University of Michigan, serving as Associate Chair of Undergraduate Studies in Robotics. She is Core Faculty at the Center for Ergonomics and Affiliate Faculty at the Space Institute. Her research focuses on human-system interactions in robotics, biomechanics, and decision support systems. Key areas include wearable motion sensing for decision-making, co-adaptive exoskeleton algorithms, and space mission operations tools. Her group blends human factors, biomechanics, and robotics to design technology that enhances human performance in complex tasks. She leads the Stirling Group, which develops metrics for injury risk assessment, exoskeleton usability, and space crew readiness evaluation. Her lab’s work has applications in industrial safety, healthcare rehabilitation, and astronaut training. Research Thrusts: Wearable Motion Sensing: Creates metrics for musculoskeletal injury risk, balance rehabilitation, and quantitative assessment of agility/coordination. Exoskeleton Usability: Develops co-adaptive control algorithms and studies trust dynamics between users and wearable robots. Space Operations: Designs tools for astronaut readiness, human-aware robotics, and extravehicular activity planning. Recent work includes studies on neonatal ventilation systems, space inspection trajectory optimization, and augmented reality for sensorimotor assessments. She teaches robotics courses including ROB 204: Introduction to Human-Robot Systems. Her work has been featured at IROS 2023 and NASA-related initiatives. Lab Website: stirlinglab.org
Chi Liu is a Professor of Radiology & Biomedical Imaging at Yale School of Medicine . He serves as Associate Director of Biomedical Imaging Technology at the Yale Biomedical Imaging Institute and Director for Research Faculty Affairs in the Radiology & Biomedical Imaging department. Education : PhD from Johns Hopkins University (2008) Postdoctoral Training : University of Washington (2010) Certification : American Board of Science in Nuclear Medicine (Nuclear Medicine Physics and Instrumentation) His research focuses on quantitative cardiac and oncological PET/CT and SPECT/CT imaging , emphasizing deep learning algorithms , reconstruction algorithms , data correction , and dynamic imaging . Key clinical applications include early detection of chemotherapy-induced cardiotoxicity , multimodality imaging of heart failure , and motion variability elimination in therapy response assessment . The 15 most recent publications reveal a strong emphasis on deep learning techniques for low-dose imaging , motion correction , and cross-tracer generalizability in PET/SPECT systems. These works span applications in cardiac imaging , neuroscience , oncology , and theranostics . Scientific Award : Bruce Hasegawa Young Investigator Medical Imaging Science Award (2012) Contact: chi.liu@yale.edu | ORCID 0000-0002-7007-1037
Dr. Bill Sheel is a Professor and Distinguished University Scholar at the School of Kinesiology, University of British Columbia. His research focuses on the integrative physiology of exercise, particularly respiratory and cardiovascular interactions. Email: bill.sheel@ubc.ca Office: Chan Gunn Pavilion, Room 221B, Vancouver, BC Lab: Health and Integrative Physiology Laboratory Research Interests: Dr. Sheel investigates respiratory physiology during exercise, cardiovascular modulation by breathing patterns, and human performance optimization. His work spans elite athletes, aging populations, and clinical applications. Publication Trends: Recent studies include pulmonary mechanics in exercise physiology, respiratory muscle training applications, and socio-cultural factors in sports science. Collaborative works address aging interventions and environmental influences on athletic performance. Scientific Recognition: Distinguished University Scholar, UBC Laboratory & Collaborations: Leads the Health and Integrative Physiology Laboratory at UBC, focusing on respiratory-cardiovascular integration and exercise tolerance mechanisms.
Prof. Abbas Samani is a Professor at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and holds a joint appointment in the Department of Medical Biophysics at Western University . He is a core faculty member of the Biomedical Engineering Graduate Program and an Associate Scientist at Imaging Research Laboratories of Robarts Research Institute . His academic journey includes a Ph.D. from the University of Waterloo, an M.Sc. from the University of Tehran, and a B.Sc. from Amirkabir University of Technology. His research focuses on biological tissue computational modeling and its applications in medical imaging, intervention, and image analysis . He develops computer/image-assisted tools for minimally invasive disease diagnosis and therapy , targeting heart disease, cancer, and lung disease . Key projects include myocardium biomechanical modeling , handheld medical devices for breast cancer screening , and lung disease diagnostics via CT image segmentation . His recent publications emphasize ultrasound elastography , finite element modeling , and inverse problems in biomechanics , primarily in journals like IEEE Transactions on Computational Imaging and Translational Oncology . His work spans both computational modeling and medical device development . Selected Graduate Supervision : Ph.D. Candidates : Seyed Hassan Haddad, Elham Karami, Seyed Mohammad Hesabgar Graduated Ph.D. Students : Ali Sadeghi Naini, Seyed Reza Mousavi M.Sc. Students : Cristian Linte, Patrick Courtis, Joseph O'Hagan, Hatef Mehrabian, Hirad Karimi, Hosein Amooshahi, Seyed Mohammad Hesabgar, Nastaran Ghadarghadr, Shadi Shavakh, Ehsan Salamati, Ehsan Omidi Teaching Contributions : Graduate: BME9519B/CAMI9519B/ECE9202B/ECE9022B - Advanced Image Processing and Analysis , MBP9530A - Human Biomechanics and Biomedical Applications Undergraduate: ECE4438B - Advanced Image Processing and Analysis , ES1050 - Introductory Engineering Design and Innovation Studio , MBP3330F - Human Biomechanics and Biomedical Applications Research Affiliations : Robarts Research Institute - Associate Scientist at Imaging Research Laboratories Western University - Core Faculty, Biomedical Engineering Graduate Program
Ian Ewart is an Associate Professor at the University of Reading's School of the Built Environment, serving as Head of Construction and Engineering Management and Research Group Lead for Organisation, People and Technology. He chairs the Research Ethics Committee since 2016 and supervises undergraduate/postgraduate dissertations. His academic journey spans engineering and anthropology: DPhil Social and Cultural Anthropology, University of Oxford, St Hugh's College (2007-2012) MSc Material Anthropology and Museum Ethnography, University of Oxford, St Hugh's College (2006-2007) BA (Hons) Archaeology and Anthropology, University of Oxford, Harris Manchester College (2003-2006) Diploma in Management Studies, University of the West of England (1990-1994) BEng (Hons) Mechanical Engineering, Staffordshire University (1983-1987) Ewart's research integrates ethnographic methods with digital technology studies, examining human-technology interactions in construction and domestic settings. His work bridges engineering practice and social anthropology, focusing on skill transmission, sustainable design, and multisensory experiences in virtual environments. Publications from 2025-2013 reveal a dominant trajectory in digital twins for socio-ecological sustainability, VR-based occupant behavior prediction, and HBIM for heritage conservation. The corpus demonstrates consistent cross-disciplinary innovation, merging archaeological reconstructions with healthcare applications while maintaining anthropological rigor. Key recognition: ESRC Future Research Leader fellowship (2013) for Designing Healthy Homes project He supervises PhD candidates like Afolabi Dania (Nigerian sustainable construction) and Joanna Hull (Heritage BIM), leveraging ESRC funding for ethnography-VR health studies. His grants emphasize participatory design and real-world impact assessment in built environments. Leaders the Organisation, People and Technology research group, developing multisensory Roman town reconstructions with sound/smell integration to advance archaeological and architectural experience modeling.
Dr. Andrea Lecchini Visintini is an Associate Professor at the School of Electronics and Computer Science , University of Southampton. He specializes in systems modelling and control with applications in aerospace engineering and biomedical domains, utilizing Monte Carlo methods for stochastic optimization. Cyber-Physical Systems Research Group Institute for Life Sciences Research Focus: His work bridges computational methods with practical applications in: Neurovascular coupling and brain tissue pulsation analysis Advanced control strategies for aerospace systems Stochastic optimization in machine learning and fault detection Medical imaging and diagnostic protocol development Publication Trends: Recent work emphasizes interdisciplinary approaches combining computational neuroscience with engineering, focusing on brain hemodynamics, MIMO system control, and data augmentation techniques for imbalanced datasets. Supervision: Currently supervising PhD student Xuankun Cai in Computer Science.
Dr. Andrew Hines is a Researcher at the School of Computer Science, University College Dublin, specializing in machine learning applications for signal processing in speech, audio, and video domains. His work focuses on Quality of Experience (QoE) modeling, speech quality assessment, and immersive media analysis. He has held leadership roles in European COST Actions like Qualinet and CryptoAction, and previously worked in industry as a Director of Engineering. University: University College Dublin Role: Director of Research, Innovation and Impact Key Collaborations: IEEE (Senior Member), Audio Engineering Society (Ireland) Research interests center on machine learning for QoE optimization, audio-visual integration, and healthcare applications like heart sound classification and stroke rehabilitation. His recent publications explore self-supervised learning, neural speech codecs, and contextual factors in speech/audio quality assessment. Scientific contributions include awards like IEEE Senior Membership, and his work spans both academic research and industrial engineering in finance and aviation sectors. He leads the QxLab research team at UCD and develops open-source platforms such as WARP-Q and AQP for quality metrics.
Dr. Anil Kumar is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology & Immunology at the University of Saskatchewan's College of Medicine. He specializes in molecular virology, focusing on positive-stranded RNA viruses and their interactions with host immune systems. His research employs high-throughput genetic screens and reverse genetics systems to identify host factors critical for viral infection. Education includes a BSc in Agricultural Sciences (1999, Kerala Agricultural University), MSc in Plant Pathology (2001, Indian Agricultural Research Institute), and PhD in Molecular Virology (2010, University of Heidelberg). Postdoctoral training included stints at the University of Heidelberg (2010–2013) and the University of Alberta (2014–2020). Research interests center on Eastern Equine Encephalitis virus (EEEV) and Enterovirus D68 (EV-D68). For EEEV, his lab investigates immune evasion mechanisms and host-virus protein interactions to identify therapeutic targets. For EV-D68, they study CNS invasion mechanisms and novel host dependency factors linked to acute flaccid myelitis (AFM). Recent work includes studies on SARS-CoV-2, uncovering roles for host proteins like Argonaute 2 in viral restriction. His lab integrates molecular biology, virology, and systems biology approaches, with a focus on translational research for antiviral drug development. Collaborations include work on respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) entry mechanisms and dengue virus replication regulation.
