Professor Kathy Douglas is the Associate Deputy Vice Chancellor, Learning, Teaching & Quality in RMIT University's College of Business and Law. She leads initiatives in pedagogy innovation, program development, and educational governance. With over 20 years in dispute resolution (ADR), her research spans legal education, mediation practices, and technology-enhanced learning. Previously, she served as Dean of the Graduate School of Business and Law (2018–2022), receiving the 2020 Vice Chancellor’s Leadership Award for Imagination. Her work integrates transformative educational experiences with impactful research, focusing on community, industry, and staff engagement. Research Interests: Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) practices and education Legal pedagogy and blended learning Technology’s role in dispute resolution and legal training Mediation ethics and emotional intelligence Awards: Vice Chancellor’s Leadership Award for Imagination (2020) Advising & Grants: Supervises research projects in mediation and legal practice innovation Prior grants focused on ADR training and educational technology integration Labs/Teams: Leads the College’s Learning & Teaching Quality portfolio, collaborating with academic boards and industry partners.
Douglas Bird is Professor of Anthropology at Penn State, researching interactions between social/ecological systems in foraging societies. His collaborative fieldwork with Martu Aboriginal communities examines hunting, fire ecology, and landscape evolution. Key research areas: Ethnoarchaeology of hunter-gatherers Anthropogenic fire regimes Co-evolution of humans/ecosystems Coastal archaeology Field sites include Australia's Western Desert and Torres Strait Islands.
Hager Ali is a Doctoral Researcher at the German Institute for Global and Area Studies (GIGA), specifically affiliated with the GIGA Institute for Middle East Studies, and is part of the GIGA Doctoral Programme since October 2018. Ali also serves as an External Editor for the thematic series "Autocracies with Adjectives" at the Loop, ECPR's Political Science Blog since March 2022, and maintains a career as a freelance journalist since 2010. German Institute for Global and Area Studies (GIGA) - Institute for Middle East Studies (2018-present) Central European University (CEU) - Teaching appointments (2025) Institute for Peace Research and Security Policy (IFSH) - Teaching appointments (2024) Ali's research focuses on civil-military relations in the Middle East and North Africa, military coups and civilian control of armies, authoritarian regimes and institutions, regime stability and destabilization, party systems and cleavages, and German military deployments in the MENA-Region and Sahel. The doctoral dissertation examines "Praetorianism in the MENA-Region: Military Governance and Civilian Control across Regime Types." Ali's work demonstrates sophisticated methodological approaches to understanding authoritarian resilience and military politics through comparative analysis. Ali's publication record reveals a consistent focus on Sudanese politics and civil-military relations, with increasing attention to contemporary conflicts since 2022. The research combines theoretical insights from comparative authoritarianism studies with detailed empirical analysis of military institutions and political transitions in the Middle East and North Africa. Recent work shows a growing emphasis on practical policy implications, particularly regarding peace negotiations in Sudan and the role of civilian actors in conflict resolution. Shortlisted for the Best Blog Award of 2022 by ECPR's Political Science Blog "The Loop" (2023) Ali actively contributes to academic discourse through conference presentations, policy papers, and media commentary. Recent engagements include serving as a discussant at the ECPR General Conference 2024 on "Trends in autocratic practices and behaviors" and scheduled lectures on the Sudan conflict in 2025. Ali has established collaborations with institutions like the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP) and maintains strong connections with academic networks across Europe. As a member of the GIGA research programme on Accountability and Participation, Ali contributes to interdisciplinary research on governance and political institutions. Ali participates in multiple ECPR Standing Groups including Political Methodology, Political Violence, Comparative Political Institutions, and Critical Peace and Conflict Studies, demonstrating engagement with diverse methodological and theoretical approaches to political science research.
Bill Howe is an Associate Professor at the University of Washington's Information School, with adjunct appointments in Computer Science & Engineering and Electrical Engineering. He serves as Founding Program Director and Faculty Chair of the UW Data Science Masters Degree, Founding Associate Director and Senior Data Science Fellow at the UW eScience Institute, Director of the Urbanalytics Lab, and Co-Founding Director of the Center for Responsible AI Systems and Experiences. He also co-founded Urban@UW and created the first Data Science MOOC through Coursera. His research focuses on making data science accessible in public sector applications with emphasis on equity, privacy, and compliance. Current interests include: Algorithmic fairness in urban and social contexts Privacy-preserving synthetic data generation Machine learning for heterogeneous data Database systems and high-performance computing Human-computer interaction for data systems Responsible AI development and deployment Publication analysis reveals strong focus on responsible data science, with recent work emphasizing differential privacy, COVID-19 data equity, urban mobility fairness, and relational data systems. Earlier foundational work established contributions to scientific workflow systems and data pricing models. Awards and Honors: Runner-up Best Paper Award (VLDB 2023) Best Paper Award (SIGMOD 2019) Best Paper Award (VIs 2019) Best Paper Award (InfoVis 2018) He leads the Urbanalytics Lab and advises multiple students including An Yan (fairness in urban mobility), Sean Yang (machine learning embeddings), and Dominik Moritz (visualization systems). His projects span EZLearn for automatic claim validation, privacy-preserving synthetic data, and Myria middleware for polystores.
Haitham Al-Deek is a Professor in the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Construction Engineering at the University of Central Florida's College of Engineering and Computer Science. He leads the Intelligent Transportation Systems and Data Analytics Lab and has over 32 years of experience in transportation engineering, planning, and operations. His work is nationally recognized, particularly in freeway operations and intelligent transportation systems (ITS). Ph.D., Civil Engineering-Transportation Engineering, University of California, Berkeley (1991) M.S., Civil Engineering-Transportation Engineering, University of California, Berkeley (1987) B.S., Civil Engineering (with Honors), University of California, Berkeley (1985) Dr. Al-Deek's research focuses on wrong-way driving countermeasures, connected and automated vehicles, traffic safety, and data analytics. He pioneered innovative ITS solutions for detecting and preventing wrong-way driving, including the development of a high-success-rate detection system in partnership with the Central Florida Expressway Authority (CFX). His work extends to freight transportation, electronic toll collection, and sustainable transportation systems. He has also contributed to safety performance functions and driver behavior modeling. His recent publications highlight advanced methodologies in network screening for crash modeling, the use of crowdsourced data (e.g., Waze) for incident detection, optimization of wrong-way driving countermeasures, and benefit-cost analyses of safety technologies. These works reflect a strong trend toward data-driven, real-time, and cost-effective solutions in transportation safety and operations. Scientific awards and recognitions include: TRB Chairman Award (2018, 2012) Multiple TRB Best Paper Awards (Freeway Operations and Regional TSM&O, 2023–2003) TRB Best Student Paper Awards (2022, 2019, 2018, 2017) UCF Excellence in Research Award (2018) UCF Researcher of the Year (1999) Distinguished Researcher, UCF College of Engineering (2003) Dr. Al-Deek has supervised 15 Ph.D. students and 29 M.S. theses and has secured over $10.3 million in research funding from agencies including FDOT, TRB, USDOT, and CFX. He serves as a technical editor for TRR and associate editor for the Journal of Intelligent Transportation Systems. He also chaired key TRB paper review subcommittees and is an active professional engineer in Florida. He leads the Intelligent Transportation Systems and Data Analytics Lab, which focuses on real-world applications of ITS, data warehousing, and advanced analytics for transportation safety and efficiency.
Wayne G. Lutters is a Professor and Associate Dean for Faculty in the College of Information Studies (INFO) at the University of Maryland. He holds office in Patuxent 1109C and can be reached at lutters@umd.edu. His research focuses on sociotechnical systems, computer-supported cooperative work (CSCW), and social informatics, with emphasis on IT-mediated infrastructural work and cybersecurity advocacy. Current projects include studies on scientific cyberinfrastructure, usable privacy and security, and moderation in social media. Dr. Lutters advises the Dean’s Student Advisory Council and explores topics like data privacy, sociotechnical cybersecurity, and the future of work. His recent work addresses challenges in security awareness programs, code set redundancy in healthcare, and collaborative systems design. He is actively involved in developing tools like the Value Set Hub to improve healthcare data curation practices. His research consistently bridges theory and practice, emphasizing ethical technology design and interdisciplinary collaboration. Notable contributions include frameworks for cybersecurity advocacy roles and methodologies for synthesizing scholarly knowledge. While currently not accepting new PhD students, he remains a key figure in shaping academic and infrastructural innovation at UMD.
Aaron John Spitzer is an Associate Professor of Arctic Governance at the Department of Comparative Politics, University of Bergen (UiB), Norway. He is co-leader of the international research project Indigenous Peoples and Governance in the Arctic and leads the ERC-funded Contested Frontiers (CONFRONT) project (2024–2029), which explores constitutional politics in settler-state peripheries. His academic work bridges comparative politics, constitutional law, and normative political theory. Research Interests: Arctic and Indigenous Governance Settler-Colonial Constitutionalism Metapolitics and the Boundary Problem Self-Determination vs. Liberal Democracy Truth Commissions and Transitional Justice Land Claims and Co-Management Institutions His recent publications analyze the Finnmark Act, Sami land rights, settler voting rights in US territories, and truth commissions in Norway and Canada. The articles reflect a consistent thematic focus on the tension between individual liberal rights and collective Indigenous self-determination, particularly in federal and post-colonial contexts. His methodological approach combines comparative case studies, legal analysis, and political theory. Scientific Awards and Funding: European Research Council (ERC) Starting Grant (101115513), 2024–2029 Advising and Grants: Aaron Spitzer has co-supervised PhD research, notably collaborating with Per Selle on Sami governance topics. He has secured major external funding, including from the Research Council of Norway (projects 302041, 274976, 248159, 259416, 230839), and leads a high-profile ERC project, indicating strong grant-writing capacity and leadership in Arctic political studies. Labs and Research Teams: Spitzer is co-leader of the Indigenous Peoples and Governance in the Arctic project and principal investigator of the Contested Frontiers (CONFRONT) research group. He collaborates extensively with scholars at UiB, Chr. Michelsen Institute, and UiT The Arctic University of Norway, forming a robust network in Indigenous and Arctic political studies.
Aurora Elmes is a Research Fellow at Swinburne University of Technology, affiliated with the School of Business, Law and Entrepreneurship and the Centre for Social Impact Swinburne. She holds a PhD from Swinburne, a Master of Social Work from RMIT University, and a Bachelor of Contemporary Arts from Deakin University. Her research is deeply interdisciplinary, bridging business, public health, and social policy to explore how work environments and social enterprises can promote mental health and inclusive participation. Doctor of Philosophy, Swinburne University of Technology Master of Social Work, RMIT University Bachelor of Contemporary Arts, Deakin University Her research interests focus on mental health and wellbeing in the context of social enterprise, inclusive employment, and organizational culture. She investigates how policies and workplace practices can support social and economic participation, particularly for people with lived experience of mental illness or psychosocial disability. Her work often employs mixed-methods and longitudinal designs to evaluate real-world interventions, such as employment-focused social enterprises and NDIS psychosocial recovery coaching. The recent publications reflect a strong trend toward evaluating the impact of social enterprises and public policy on mental health. Her work spans academic journals, comprehensive reports, and book chapters, consistently emphasizing the intersection of social justice, health, and organizational design. She frequently collaborates with not-for-profits, government agencies, and foundations, indicating a strong applied and policy-relevant research orientation. She has been recognized for her scholarly contributions, including a Literari Awards 2020 - Highly Commended Paper from Emerald Publishing. Her research is supported by a robust portfolio of grants from organizations such as Support Act Limited, ACHIEVE FOUNDATION LIMITED, and the Department of Jobs, Skills, Industry and Regions (Vic). These grants fund projects on mental health in creative industries, disability employment, and financial wellbeing in social enterprises. Aurora Elmes actively supervises research and is available to supervise PhD candidates. She leads major evaluations and research studies, often in collaboration with multidisciplinary teams. Her work is embedded in real-world settings, such as Vanguard Laundry and NDIS service providers, demonstrating a commitment to impactful, community-engaged scholarship. She is also affiliated with research groups including the Centre for Social Impact Swinburne and contributes to public discourse through platforms like The Conversation and The Power to Persuade.
Prof. Dr. Gerrit Remane is a full-time professor at Wedel University of Applied Sciences since 2018, leading the Bachelor's program in IT Management, Consulting, and Auditing (IMCA) and the Master's program in Business Information Systems / IT Management (WIM). He specializes in IT management, business intelligence, and digital transformation, integrating his industry experience from Roland Berger and academic research on digital business models and innovation. Education: Dr. rer. pol (Digital Business Models in the Mobility Sector), Georg-August-University Göttingen (2014–2017) M.Sc. Business Information Systems, Technical University of Munich (2008–2011) B.Sc. Business Information Systems, Wedel University of Applied Sciences (2005–2008) Research Interests: Digital transformation and business model innovation Agile methodologies in enterprise IT Strategic data acquisition and analytics Sustainable IT practices and Green Technology DevOps, BizDevOps, and hybrid project management His recent publications focus on digital business models, agile transformations, and sustainability in IT. He has supervised numerous student seminars on topics like ITIL maturity assessments, data privacy, generative AI use cases, and metaverse applications. While no specific scientific awards are documented, his work has been presented at conferences including AMCIS, ECIS, and WI. Gerrit Remane collaborates with scholars such as S. Schneider, A. Hanelt, and L.M. Kolbe, and his research underscores the integration of IT with organizational strategy.
Dr. Felix Härer is a Lecturer and researcher at the University of Applied Sciences FHNW, School of Business, Basel, Switzerland, and also teaches externally at the University of Fribourg. He is affiliated with the Digital Trust Competence Center, where he conducts research and teaching in IT Security, Cybersecurity, Digital Trust, Blockchain, AI, Cloud Computing, and Systems Modeling. His research interests span a broad and interdisciplinary range, including: Digital Trust and Cybersecurity Blockchain and Decentralized Systems AI and Knowledge-based Systems (including LLMs and RAG) Software and Systems Modeling (BPMN, ArchiMate) Data Science and ETL-based Analytics Zero Trust and Secure Architectures His recent publications (2020–2023) demonstrate a strong focus on blockchain interoperability, model-driven engineering, decentralized applications, and the integration of AI with conceptual modeling. He explores scalable architectures, cross-chain query languages, and secure attestation mechanisms, often combining modeling approaches with emerging technologies. His work bridges academic rigor with practical implementation in distributed and cloud environments. Scientific awards include: Best Paper Award at IEEE PKIA 2023 He actively supervises bachelor’s and master’s theses and student projects in digital trust and related domains. He has served on PhD committees externally and is a reviewer and program committee member for journals and conferences such as IEEE Transactions, WWW, CAiSE, and EMISAJ. His professional experience includes industry work at Siemens Healthineers in software engineering. He is a member of the IEEE Blockchain Group (Switzerland) and contributes to UN/CEFACT standards for e-commerce and supply chain data. He is involved in organizing workshops and conferences, including B4ISE 2025, B4TDS 2023–2024, and DESRIST 2023, and has delivered keynotes on Computational Trust and Blockchain Interoperability.
Martin Hepp is Professor of Web Science and Digitalization at the Universität der Bundeswehr Munich, where he leads the E-Business and Web Science Research Group. He is also CEO and Chief Scientist of Hepp Research GmbH, a consultancy firm specializing in semantic technologies, GoodRelations, and schema.org. He has held academic positions at the University of Innsbruck, Florida Gulf Mexico University, and DERI Innsbruck, and has been a visiting scientist at IBM Research and Boston University. Education: Habilitation in Information Systems, University of Würzburg, 2005–2008 PhD in Management Information Systems, University of Würzburg, 2000–2003 (Summa Cum Laude) Diplom-Kaufmann (M.B.A.), Business Administration and Management, University of Würzburg, 1997–1999 Vordiplom, Business Administration and Management, University of Würzburg, 1994–1997 His research centers on shared data structures at web scale, particularly ontology engineering and semantic interoperability in e-commerce. He is best known for creating GoodRelations , an OWL DL ontology for e-commerce that became the official e-commerce core of schema.org in November 2012. His other major projects include the Product Types Ontology, OPDM (Ontology-based Product Data Management), and the Automotive Ontology Working Group. He has developed methodologies such as GenTax for deriving ontologies from taxonomies and advocates for community-driven ontology development. His recent publications explore foundational issues in ontology design and the future of web communication, reflecting a blend of technical innovation and philosophical inquiry. These works highlight trends in semantic technologies, particularly their application in real-world business systems and ethical dimensions of digital interaction. Scientific Awards: Linked Data-a-thon Award (4th prize), ISWC 2009 ACM Senior Member (2009) 2nd place, FIT-IT Research Proposal Award (2007) Dissertation Award, Alcatel SEL Foundation (2004) Dissertation Award, Unterfränkische Gedenkjahrstiftung (2004) Summa cum laude, University of Würzburg (2003) Prof. Hepp has supervised numerous research projects funded by the European Commission, BMBF, FFG/BMVIT, and others, including MUSING, SUPER, myOntology, and OPDM. He has been an active member of over 60 conference program committees, including ISWC, ESWC, WWW, and ECIS, and has chaired workshops and tracks on semantic web topics. He serves or has served on editorial boards of journals such as the International Journal on Semantic Web and Information Systems (IJSWIS). He leads several research labs and teams, including the E-Business and Web Science Research Group at Universität der Bundeswehr Munich, and has contributed to open-source projects such as SKOS2GenTax, myClassify, and eClassOWL. His work bridges academic research and industry application through Hepp Research GmbH and collaborative initiatives like the Automotive Ontology Working Group.
Dr. Jia Rao is an Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Texas at Arlington, College of Engineering. He previously served as an Assistant Professor at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs from 2012 to 2016. His research spans operating systems, distributed and parallel computing, cloud computing, virtualization, and machine learning. Education: Ph.D., Computer Engineering, Wayne State University, 2011 M.S., Computer Science, Wuhan University, 2006 B.S., Computer Science, Wuhan University, 2004 Dr. Rao's research focuses on building adaptive, scalable, and efficient computer systems for cloud and data center environments. His interests include resource management, performance modeling, adaptive scheduling, and quality-of-service (QoS) guarantees in virtualized and containerized systems. He combines machine learning and feedback control techniques with low-level system design to improve efficiency, fairness, and predictability in heterogeneous and multi-tenant environments. An analysis of his recent publications reveals a strong trend toward memory and resource management innovations in cloud-native systems. His work explores tiered memory architectures, secure container deployment, preemptive multitasking for deep learning, and efficient packet processing in container networks. These efforts reflect a consistent focus on optimizing system-level performance, security, and scalability in modern data centers. Scientific Awards: NSF CAREER Award (2019) Best Paper Award, APSys (2016) Best Paper Award, ICAC (2013) Best Paper Nomination, HPCA (2013) Best Paper Nomination, HPDC (2013) Best Paper Award, Middleware (2021) Researcher of the Year, UCCS (2014) Dr. Rao actively advises students and serves on dissertation and thesis committees for numerous Ph.D. and Master’s candidates. He leads federally funded research projects supported by the National Science Foundation, including a major CAREER grant on virtualized architectures and collaborative big data initiatives. His research has been sponsored by NSF, IEEE, and Intel Corporation, reflecting strong industry and academic collaboration. He leads and contributes to major research labs and teams focused on cloud systems, operating systems, and performance optimization. His team has produced high-impact work in top-tier venues such as OSDI, SOSP, ATC, EuroSys, and ICDCS. Current and future work includes next-generation memory architectures using CXL, intelligent resource provisioning, and resilient container networking.
Maria Halbinger is an Associate Professor at the Zicklin School of Business , affiliated with the Lawrence N. Field Department of Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Baruch College, City University of New York (CUNY). Her academic career focuses on innovation, entrepreneurship, and creativity within collaborative environments. European Master of Business Science, University of Birmingham, UK (2003) Diplom in Business Administration, University of Regensburg, Germany (2005) PhD in Economics and Management with a focus on Entrepreneurship, Copenhagen Business School, Denmark (2014) Her research explores how user innovation communities, social identity, and pre-innovation experiences influence entrepreneurial success. She investigates topics such as reciprocity in collaborative platforms, the impact of competition on user-generated content, and the role of makerspaces in supporting entrepreneurial ventures. Maria's publications highlight trends in user-driven innovation , community dynamics , and technology adoption across platforms like 3D printing ecosystems. Her work spans interdisciplinary subfields including collaborative design, open innovation, and hacker-maker culture.
Abolfazl Hashemi is an Assistant Professor in the Elmore Family School of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Purdue University, directing the MINDS Group. He holds a B.Sc. from Sharif University of Technology (2014), and M.S.E. and Ph.D. degrees from The University of Texas at Austin (2016, 2020). His research focuses on Large-Scale Optimization for AI/ML, Learning at the Edge, and Decision-Making under Uncertainty, with applications in Federated Learning, Medical Image Analysis, and Cyber-Physical Systems. He leads the MINDS Group and collaborates with EnCORE and ICON centers. Key research areas include optimizing algorithms for machine learning, robustness in distributed systems, and adversarial learning. He has developed algorithms with mathematical guarantees for efficient deployment under resource constraints. Teaching includes Optimization for Deep Learning (graduate) and undergraduate courses like ECE 20001. He advises the Purdue RoboMaster robotics team and has mentored students through programs like SURF and Summer Stay Scholars. Outreach activities include fostering diversity through robotics competitions and research fellowships. His work bridges theoretical optimization with practical AI applications, emphasizing equitable and robust solutions in federated and decentralized learning.
Can Ding is an Associate Professor in the School of Electrical and Data Engineering at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), affiliated with the Faculty of Engineering and IT. He is a core member of the Global Big Data Technologies Centre (GBDTC). Ding holds a BEng in Microelectronics from Xidian University (2009) and a joint PhD in Electromagnetic Fields and Microwave Technology from Xidian University and Macquarie University (2016). His research focuses on engineering electromagnetics, particularly in base station antennas for 5G/6G networks, cross-band interference mitigation, and antenna array design. He has led numerous industry-collaborative projects, including ARC-funded initiatives, and has over 120 publications in top-tier journals/conferences, featured in IEEE's 'What’s Hot in Antennas and Propagation.' Teaching highlights include coordinating foundational electrical engineering courses and studio subjects, recognized with UTS's 2023 'Mid-Career Educator of the Year' award. He actively contributes to professional societies like IEEE AP-S, serving as an editor and conference organizer. His awards include the ARC DECRA grant (2020), Top 2% World Scientist (2023), and multiple outstanding reviewer distinctions. His grants include 'Advancing Millimeter-Wave Base Station for 6G' (ARC DP, 2025–2027) and 'Maximizing 5G Signal Transparency' (UTS Bluesky, 2024). Ding supervises students in antenna design and has mentored over a dozen researchers, many of whom have won international conference awards.
