Ben Seiyon Lee is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Statistics at George Mason University's College of Science. His work bridges computational statistics, climate modeling, and environmental risk assessment. Education: PhD in Statistics, Pennsylvania State University (2020) Lee specializes in computational methods for high-dimensional spatiotemporal data and uncertainty quantification in climate models. His research explores climate change impacts on extreme hydrological events, wildfire emissions, and medical decision-making. Recent publications focus on Bayesian spatiotemporal frameworks for extreme precipitation analysis, zero-inflated spatial models, and multisector uncertainty quantification. His work addresses challenges in flood risk assessment, agricultural yield projections, and healthcare compliance metrics.
Professor Dhiraj Murthy holds appointments in the Moody College of Communication , Sociology , and School of Information at the University of Texas at Austin. He earned a Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Cambridge. His research focuses on social media, digital methods, health communication, and disaster response. He directs the Computational Media Lab , a leading research group with over 20 students, and co-edits the journal Big Data & Society . Notably, he authored the seminal book Twitter: Social Communication in the Twitter Age (2013/2018), which won the ALA CHOICE Prize. Dr. Murthy's work has been funded by NIH, NSF, and other major grants, including studies on e-cigarette marketing, disaster informatics, and AI-driven disinformation detection. He also serves on advisory boards for MediaWell and chairs international social media conferences. Education : Ph.D. in Sociology, University of Cambridge. Grants : Over $5M from NIH, NSF, and UT Austin’s Good Systems initiative for projects like 'AI Technologies to Curb Disinformation' and 'E-cigarette Use Among Mexican American Students.' Labs/Teams : Computational Media Lab (UT Austin), focusing on AI, social media analytics, and health research. Awards : Stanford University’s 2023 Top 2% Global Scientists in Communication & Media Studies and Sociology, ALA CHOICE Prize (2018), and multiple NIH/NSF grants. His work bridges sociology, media studies, and computational methods to address societal challenges like health disparities and misinformation.
Dr. He Wang is an Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Science at University College London (UCL), affiliated with the Virtual Environment and Computer Graphics (VECG) group and the UCL Centre for Artificial Intelligence. He holds a Visiting Professorship at the University of Leeds and previously served as an Associate Professor and Lecturer there, as well as a Senior Research Associate at Disney Research Los Angeles. His research focuses on computer graphics, vision, and machine learning, with notable contributions to crowd simulation, generative models, and physics-informed neural networks. Dr. Wang earned his BEng from Zhejiang University and his PhD from the University of Edinburgh, followed by postdoctoral work at the University of Edinburgh's School of Informatics. He has been recognized as a Turing Fellow and serves as an Academic Advisor to the Commonwealth Scholarship Council and an Associate Editor of Computer Graphics Forum . His research spans cutting-edge topics including 3D reconstruction, adversarial attacks on motion recognition, and AI-driven groundwater modeling. He has supervised six PhD students to completion and actively engages in collaborative projects, consultancy, and grant evaluations. His lab welcomes students through dedicated recruitment channels.
Libby Gerard is an Associate Adjunct Research Professor at the University of California, Berkeley School of Education and a Research Director for the Technology-Enhanced Learning in Science (TELS) Center. Her work focuses on leveraging innovative technologies to enhance science education through student idea capture, automated assessment, and teacher professional development. Doctorate in Educational Leadership (EdD), Mills College (2008) Bachelor’s in English Literature and Philosophy, Emory University (2000) Her research emphasizes: Automated scoring of student essays using NLP to improve science explanations Real-time instructional customization using embedded assessment data Technology-driven professional development for teachers and principals Social justice integration in science pedagogy Collaborative revision frameworks for inquiry-based learning K-12 education adaptation during the pandemic Recent publications highlight trends in educational technology for science learning, with a focus on NLP applications, interactive inquiry modules, and equitable teaching practices. She has authored studies in journals like Science , Review of Educational Research , and Computers & Education , often exploring how automated systems can enhance teacher-student dynamics. Scientific Awards : Best Paper Award at the AI4EDU Workshop (AAAI Conference, 2020) Libby leads funded projects such as: TIPS (NSF, 2021-2025): NLP for science education ARISE (Hewlett Foundation, 2020-2023): Anti-racism in science education STRIDES (NSF, 2018-2022): Responsive instruction for science teachers PLANS (NSF, 2015-2020): Automated learning support systems She contributes to teacher training through courses like Research Methods for Science Teachers and Apprentice Teaching in Science , emphasizing data-driven pedagogy and inquiry-based instruction.
Alan Montgomery is a Professor of Marketing at Carnegie Mellon University's Tepper School of Business, where he has held a tenured position since 2018 (previously as Associate Professor from 2005-2017). He also maintains an affiliation with the Machine Learning Department at CMU's School of Computer Science, demonstrating his interdisciplinary research approach at the intersection of marketing, economics, and computational methods. Dr. Montgomery earned his educational credentials from prestigious institutions: Ph.D. in Marketing/Economics, University of Chicago (1994) MBA, University of Chicago (1994) BS in Economics, University of Illinois at Chicago (1989) His research focuses on applying advanced quantitative methods to marketing problems, with particular expertise in consumer behavior modeling, clickstream data analysis, pricing strategies, and micro-marketing. Dr. Montgomery's work bridges traditional marketing theory with computational approaches, making significant contributions to both academic literature and practical business applications. His research often involves large-scale data analysis to uncover patterns in consumer decision-making processes, with recent work exploring mental accounting, bandit algorithms, and the impact of digital phenomena like movie piracy on traditional markets. Dr. Montgomery has received notable recognition including the 1999 Mitchell Prize from the American Statistical Association for his paper "Estimating Price Elasticities with Theory-based Priors." His work has been published in top-tier journals across marketing, economics, and computer science disciplines, demonstrating the interdisciplinary impact of his research. As an educator and mentor, Dr. Montgomery has advised numerous PhD students and collaborated extensively with researchers across multiple institutions. His interdisciplinary approach has led to collaborations with computer scientists studying web browsing behavior and economists examining consumer decision frameworks. His research has been supported by various grants throughout his career, enabling extensive data collection and analysis projects. Dr. Montgomery's work spans multiple research environments, including collaborations with the Machine Learning Department at CMU's School of Computer Science. His research group likely focuses on applying computational methods to marketing problems, particularly in the areas of consumer behavior modeling, clickstream analysis, and data-driven marketing strategies. His recent work shows increasing integration of machine learning techniques with traditional marketing research methodologies.
Karen Panetta is a Professor at Tufts University School of Engineering with appointments in Electrical and Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering, and Academic Services. She currently serves as Dean of Graduate Education for the School of Engineering and holds the title of Distinguished Professor. Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, Northeastern University M.S. in Electrical Engineering, Northeastern University B.S. in Computer Engineering, Boston University Dr. Panetta's research focuses on developing efficient algorithms for simulation, modeling, and signal and image processing for security and biomedical applications. Her work brings together artificial intelligence, machine learning, and visual sensing systems to create solutions for robot vision and biomedical imaging. She develops algorithms inspired by the human visual system to enable machines to 'see' like humans, with applications in homeland security, biomedicine, facial recognition, and search and rescue operations. Her research has significant humanitarian applications, addressing global challenges facing women and children. Dr. Panetta has received numerous prestigious awards including induction into the National Academy of Engineering (2023), the Presidential Award for Science and Engineering Education and Mentoring (2011), and the IEEE Award for Distinguished Ethical Practices (2013). She is a fellow of multiple prestigious academies including the National Academy of Inventors, European Academy of Sciences and the Arts, and IEEE. Member, National Academy of Engineering (2023) Presidential Award for Science and Engineering Education and Mentoring (2011) IEEE Award for Distinguished Ethical Practices (2013) Fellow, National Academy of Inventors Fellow, European Academy of Sciences and the Arts Fellow, Asia-Pacific Artificial Intelligence Association As an educator and mentor, Dr. Panetta founded the nationally acclaimed Nerd Girls program to promote engineering to young students, particularly women. She previously served as worldwide director for IEEE Women in Engineering and editor-in-chief of the IEEE Women in Engineering magazine. Her approach to graduate education emphasizes the importance of building strong collaborative relationships between faculty and students, with a focus on proactive communication and documentation of research progress. Dr. Panetta's humanitarian research applies engineering solutions to global challenges, including developing technology to help doctors find cancerous tumors, security screeners find concealed weapons, and law enforcement agencies find criminals and missing children. Her work demonstrates a commitment to 'Doing The Right Thing' by addressing issues affecting populations with limited resources or 'voice' in society.
Akram N. Alshawabkeh is the George A. Snell Professor of Engineering and University Distinguished Professor at Northeastern University's College of Engineering, where he also serves as Senior Vice Provost and Director of the PROTECT Superfund Research Center. He holds a PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Louisiana State University (1994), an MS from Jordan University of Science & Technology (1990), and a BE from Yarmouk University (1988). His research focuses on geoenvironmental engineering, soil and groundwater remediation, and electrochemical processes. Alshawabkeh has led major research initiatives, including the PROTECT Superfund Research Center (since 2010) and the CRECE Children's Environmental Health Center (since 2015). He has over 100 peer-reviewed publications and has advised numerous PhD, MS, and undergraduate students. His honors include the ASCE Thomas A. Middlebrooks Award (2014), Fulbright Scholar (2005-2006), and National Science Foundation CAREER Award (2001). His service roles include Chair of the Superfund Research Program Conference (2015), Technical Program Co-Chair for GeoCongress 2008, and editorial board memberships in journals like Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering . He has also held leadership positions in professional societies, including Fellow status in the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). Alshawabkeh's work emphasizes interdisciplinary collaboration, addressing environmental health challenges in Puerto Rico and beyond. His research integrates engineering, toxicology, epidemiology, and social science to tackle issues like preterm birth linked to environmental contaminants and karst aquifer remediation.
Santosh Basapur is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine at Rush Medical Center and Director of Design at Rush University. He also serves as an Adjunct Faculty Lecturer and planning coordinator for human factors and systems design at the Institute of Design (ID) at Illinois Institute of Technology. His expertise bridges human-centered design, healthcare systems, and user experience research, with a focus on applying methods from HCI, social sciences, and anthropology to complex healthcare challenges. Education: PhD in Design from the Institute of Design (ID), MS in Industrial and Systems Engineering (Human Factors) from SUNY Buffalo, and BS in Mechanical Engineering from Karnatak University. Research Interests: Santosh focuses on innovative systems design in healthcare, including UX research methodologies, smart technologies integration, and cross-disciplinary healthcare innovation. His work emphasizes human factors engineering and culturally sensitive design approaches to improve healthcare delivery and patient outcomes. Industry Roles: Director of Project Management at Rush University Medical Center, Founder/Principal of UX Yantra Inc., and former Chief Experience Architect at Vizlore. He has over 19 years of industry experience in UX design, including roles at Motorola Research Labs and Mobility (Google), where he led projects in Smart Media, Connected Home, and Wellness Experiences. Award Recognition: Notable contributions include patents in media-related systems (2016, 2017) and invited speaking engagements at global conferences like Human-Centered Design (Leuven, 2016) and Service Design Week (Chicago, 2019). His work has been published in venues such as the International Conference on Intelligent Human Systems Integration and BCS Human Computer Interaction Conference. Grants & Collaborations: Collaborated on an NIH-funded project to improve sickle cell care via design interventions. His cross-disciplinary approach integrates clinical, technical, and design expertise to address systemic healthcare challenges. Labs/Teams: Associated with the Center for Collaborative Healthcare Design at ID, focused on equitable healthcare solutions through design innovation.
Prof. Margret Keuper is a Professor of Machine Learning at the University of Mannheim's School of Business Informatics and Mathematics, leading the Data and Web Science Group. She is also affiliated with the Max-Planck-Institute for Informatics and ELLIS (fellow since 2024). Her research focuses on robust deep learning, neural architecture search, and computer vision tasks like motion segmentation and adversarial defense. She holds a PhD from the University of Freiburg and previously held positions at the University of Siegen and the University of Mannheim. Her work spans projects funded by DFG and BMBF, including Climate Visions for social media analysis and TrackOpt for motion tracking. She teaches courses on computer vision, generative models, and reinforcement learning. She actively serves on program committees for top conferences like CVPR, ECCV, and NeurIPS, and is an associate editor for IEEE TPAMI and JAIR. Education: PhD in Computer Science from University of Freiburg (advisor: Thomas Brox) Research Projects: Learning to Sense (DFG), Climate Visions (BMBF), TrackOpt (BMBF) Key Roles: Head of Mannheim Master in Data Science Examination Board, Member of MSc Business Informatics Board Her research emphasizes robustness in AI systems, with contributions to adversarial attacks, domain generalization, and efficient solvers for large-scale problems. She advises over 15 PhD students across academic and industry partnerships.
Adriana I. Kovashka is an Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Pittsburgh's School of Computing and Information. She serves as Chair of the Department of Computer Science. Her research focuses on computer vision, machine learning, and their intersections with human-machine communication and visual rhetoric analysis. Kovashka earned her BA in Computer Science and Media Studies from Pomona College (2008) and her PhD in Computer Science from the University of Texas at Austin (2014). She joined Pitt in 2015. Her work emphasizes improving image retrieval systems through semantic attributes, human-in-the-loop feedback, and crowd-sourced data. Notable projects include analyzing advertisements' persuasive strategies, developing object detection models resilient to domain shifts, and exploring multimodal learning with linguistic and visual inputs. She has secured significant grants, including NSF awards for geographic diversity in object detection (2023), CAREER funding for weak supervision methods (2021), and multiple Google Faculty Research Awards. Kovashka advises PhD students on topics ranging from multimodal intent modeling to domain generalization. She has organized workshops on advertising understanding and subjective attributes in vision conferences. Her lab's datasets, such as the 64,832-image ad repository and video ad collections, are widely used in vision research. Recent efforts include quantifying perceptual diversity in multilingual systems and mitigating bias in CNNs through shape regularization. Awards and recognitions include the NSF CAREER Award, Pitt's CRDF grants, and leadership roles in CVPR and WACV conferences. Her research bridges technical innovation with societal impact, addressing challenges in visual communication, ethical AI, and educational robotics.
James T. Hamilton is the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education and Hearst Professor of Communication at Stanford University, where he also directs the Stanford Journalism Program. He previously taught at Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy and led the De Witt Wallace Center for Media and Democracy. His academic career spans over three decades, with a focus on media economics, investigative journalism, and environmental policy. Hamilton holds a B.A. (summa cum laude) and Ph.D. in Economics from Harvard University. His research explores how markets shape news content, the economics of investigative reporting, and the societal impact of information access. He co-founded the Stanford Computational Journalism Lab and is a Senior Fellow at the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research. His work emphasizes computational tools to enhance journalism’s accountability role, including automated fact-checking and data-driven story discovery. Key contributions include groundbreaking books like Democracy's Detectives (2016) and All the News That’s Fit to Sell (2004), which analyze media markets and transparency policies. Scientific Awards: David N Kershaw Award, Goldsmith Book Prize (twice), Frank Luther Mott Research Award (twice), Tankard Book Award Teaching Honors: Allyn Young Prize, Trinity College Distinguished Teaching Award, Susan Tifft Mentoring Award His current research addresses digital inequality, the psychological effects of online financial ads, and algorithmic transparency in journalism. He advises on media innovation through affiliations with the Brown Institute for Media Innovation and the JSK Fellowships Board.
Michael C. Frank is the Benjamin Scott Crocker Professor of Human Biology at Stanford University and Director of the Symbolic Systems Program. He leads the Stanford Language and Cognition Lab and has pioneered large-scale collaborative projects including Wordbank (open vocabulary data), MetaLab (developmental meta-analyses), ManyBabies (replication network), childes-db (language transcripts), and Peekbank (eye-tracking repository). His research examines children's language learning and its interaction with social cognition, utilizing computational modeling, large datasets, and open science frameworks. Key interests include: Mechanisms of early language acquisition Pragmatic inference in social contexts Cross-cultural variability in cognitive development Data-driven approaches to developmental science Reproducibility and meta-scientific innovation Recent publications (2022-2025) demonstrate strong emphases on: 1) Novel methods for measuring language environments and cognitive abilities, 2) Computational models of learning and perception, 3) Cross-cultural investigations of social cognition, and 4) Infrastructure for open developmental science. The majority employ multimodal data, meta-analytic techniques, and large-scale collaborations. He teaches courses including Experimental Methods, Developmental Psychology, and interdisciplinary seminars on language, cognition, and computation. His lab maintains active research teams across multiple continents through initiatives like ManyBabies and LEVANTE.
Mark W. Newman is an Associate Professor in the School of Information at the University of Michigan, with a joint appointment in the EECS Department. His research focuses on human-computer interaction, ubiquitous computing, and health informatics, emphasizing the design of technologies that integrate seamlessly into everyday life. He teaches courses on user experience research, programming, and application development, contributing to curriculum design efforts such as the User Experience Design track and programming curricula for undergraduate and graduate programs. His work spans smart home technologies, mobile health interventions, and collaborative health management systems. Notably, he collaborates across disciplines to address challenges in healthcare technology, including patient-generated data integration and sustainable energy solutions. Newman actively mentors students and leads design projects that prioritize user-centered approaches, such as the UX Research & Design Specialization on Coursera. His recent scholarship explores adaptive mHealth interventions, context-aware systems, and participatory design methods to enhance health equity.
Edwin Olson is an Associate Professor of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Michigan, where he directs the APRIL Robotics Lab. He also serves as CEO of May Mobility Inc., a company focused on developing driverless shuttles. His research spans autonomy, perception, robotics, and learning, with notable contributions to technologies like AprilTags and the LCM middleware. Olson has led groundbreaking projects, including the 2010 MAGIC competition-winning robot team and the DARPA Urban Challenge. He has been recognized with awards such as Popular Science's 'Brilliant Ten' (2012), the DARPA Young Faculty Award (2013), and the College of Engineering Education Excellence Award (2015). His work emphasizes real-world applications of autonomous systems, including risk assessment, multi-policy decision making, and sensor fusion. Recent articles focus on autonomous agent behavior prediction, remote assistance systems, and infrastructure calibration. Olson's academic contributions are complemented by industry roles, including his tenure at Toyota Research Institute as Co-Director for Autonomous Driving Development. Education: PhD in Computer Science from MIT (2008) Key Projects: MAGIC 2010, DARPA Urban Challenge, Toyota Research Institute Labs: APRIL Robotics Lab Awards: DARPA Young Faculty Award, Brilliant Ten, Education Excellence Award
Michael Schaub is a tenure-track Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science at RWTH Aachen University, specializing in Computational Network Science. His research focuses on analyzing complex systems through network and graph models, integrating dynamical systems, control theory, and machine learning. He leads the Computational Network Science group, advancing methodologies for higher-order network models like simplicial complexes and hypergraphs. Schaub holds a PhD from Imperial College London and has held postdoctoral positions at MIT and Oxford. He is an ERC Starting Grant recipient (2022) and a Marie Curie Fellow, recognized for contributions to network dynamics and topological data analysis. Education: PhD in Mathematics, Imperial College London (2011-2015) MSc in Biomedical Engineering, Imperial College London (2010) BSc in Electrical Engineering, ETH Zurich (2007-2010) Research Interests: Schaub’s work spans interdisciplinary applications of network science, including biological systems, social networks, and technical infrastructures. Key areas include: Higher-order network models (hypergraphs, simplicial complexes) Graph signal processing and dynamics on networks Community detection and dynamical systems analysis Topological data analysis and machine learning Grants & Awards: ERC Starting Grant (2022): HIGH-HOPeS project Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellowship (2017-2019) Junior Fellow, German Informatics Society (GI) Member of Junges Kolleg (North Rhine-Westphalia Academy) Labs & Teams: Leads the Computational Network Science Lab at RWTH Aachen, collaborating internationally on projects like the ELLIS Society and the European Laboratory for Learning and Intelligent Systems (ELLIS). Active in organizing workshops (e.g., Toponets, SIAM MDS).
