Marcus Smith is an Associate Professor in Law at the Charles Sturt University , where he teaches LAW222 Technology Law and directs the Bachelor of Laws program. He holds advanced degrees from the Australian National University (PhD, LLM) and the University of Cambridge (MPhil). His research spans technology law and regulation , focusing on genomic data governance biometric identification AI ethics blockchain policy cybersecurity surveillance law He leads the Contemporary Threats to Australian Security research group and serves as Chief Investigator on an NHMRC-funded project (MRF2015531) addressing genomic dataset governance. His recent work analyzes algorithmic bias in facial recognition AI in healthcare blockchain's regulatory challenges post-pandemic cybercrime surveillance ethics data security frameworks He actively supervises PhD and honours students in technology law and contributes to law reform through submissions to international bodies like the UN Human Rights Council .
Rik Crutzen is a Full Professor at the Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, specializing in health promotion and digital interventions. His research focuses on leveraging technology to improve health behaviors across diverse populations, including adolescents, older adults, and immigrant communities. He leads projects in the CAPHRI research group for Promoting Health & Personalised Care. Research trends include: Digital health innovations (e.g., helplines, apps, algorithms) Chronic disease management (post-COVID-19, dementia risk) Health equity in immigrant populations (cervical cancer, maternal care) Behavioral interventions (physical activity, sleep, STI prevention) Systematic reviews and mixed-methods studies He has supervised 22 academic works and contributed to datasets on activity patterns and sleep-activity correlations. His work spans public health policy, health education, and technology integration.
Clio Andris is an Associate Professor at Georgia Tech, jointly appointed in the School of City and Regional Planning and the School of Interactive Computing. She directs the Friendly Cities Lab, focusing on mathematical models of social networks applied to urban planning, transportation, and geography. Her work integrates spatial analysis with visualization, emphasizing interdisciplinary collaboration. Education and Career: Andris earned a PhD in Urban Information Systems from MIT (2011), where she was an NDSEG Fellow. She held postdoctoral positions at Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology and the Santa Fe Institute. Prior to Georgia Tech, she was a faculty member at Penn State’s Department of Geography, affiliated with the GeoVISTA Center. Research Focus: Her research bridges social networks, geovisualization, and urban informatics. Key areas include spatial social network analysis, GIS applications for urban policy, and the impact of digital tools on civic engagement. She has developed innovative visual analytics tools like SNoMaN and ROBIN to democratize spatial data exploration. Awards: She received the NSF CAREER Award (2021) and NDSEG Fellowship (2011). Her lab is affiliated with the Center for Spatial Planning Analytics and Visualization (CSPAV) and the Information Visualization Lab. Labs and Collaborations: The Friendly Cities Lab focuses on socially just urban design through computational methods. Her work addresses issues like food security networks, pandemic impacts on biodiversity, and community mapping for activism. Grants and Outreach: Her NSF-funded projects emphasize public good applications, such as real-time pandemic risk communication and educational tools for migration data. She actively collaborates with non-profits and policymakers to translate research into actionable urban strategies.
Alena Thiel is an Associate Professor at the Centre of African Studies within the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Copenhagen. Her research examines digital technologies' impact on state formation and knowledge systems across Africa, with primary field sites in Ghana, Senegal, Botswana, and Kenya. Her core research areas include: State knowledge systems (biometric ID, census histories, DHIS2 health records) Digital governance (addressing systems, payment solutions, disaster risk datafication) African/feminist AI development and implementation Anthropology of the state through Science and Technology Studies (STS) frameworks Recent publications (2024-2025) reveal concentrated analysis of health data infrastructures in Ghana, trust dynamics in Africa's global networks, and critical sociological examinations of digital identification. Her work consistently bridges anthropological theory with practical governance challenges in African contexts. As an active member of the Centre of African Studies, she maintains interdisciplinary collaborations across multiple African countries and European institutions, with particular emphasis on Ghanaian research partnerships and editorial leadership for Africa Spectrum journal.
Andres Lucero is Associate Professor of Interaction Design at Aalto University's Department of Art and Media, specializing in human-computer interaction for mobile devices and interactive surfaces. His research integrates human-computer interaction, design methodologies, and playful interfaces. He holds a PhD from Eindhoven University of Technology and has industry experience from Nokia, where he led user-centered design projects as Senior Researcher. Research explores tangible interfaces, social wearables, museum experience design, human-AI collaboration, and cross-cultural co-design approaches. Recent projects investigate conversational agents in design processes, persona generation workflows, and freeform interactive devices. Dr. Lucero received the Honourable Mention Award at MUM 2020 for innovative interaction research. His work advances design methods through first-person perspectives, AI integration, and novel interaction paradigms.
Dr. Daniel Dutton is an Associate Professor in the Department of Community Health and Epidemiology at Dalhousie University's Faculty of Medicine, based at the Dalhousie Medicine New Brunswick campus in Saint John. His research focuses on how social environments influence health outcomes and the role of government policies in mitigating these impacts, particularly in areas like poverty, homelessness, and health economics. He holds adjunct roles at the University of New Brunswick (Sociology) and is the Scientific Director of APPTA, a hub bridging aging research and policy. He teaches courses in epidemiology, population health, and statistics. Education: PhD in Community Health Sciences (University of Calgary) MA in Economics (University of Calgary) BA Honours in Economics (Queen’s University) Research Interests: Dr. Dutton examines population-level health determinants, government policy effectiveness, and socioeconomic disparities. His work employs large datasets and econometric models to analyze topics such as homelessness incidence, healthcare cost savings through preventive measures, and the distributional impacts of public spending. Key Contributions: Scientific Director of the APPTA aging and technology hub. Co-founder of the IMPART research collaborative. Author of influential studies on Housing First programs, opioid prescribing patterns, and the fiscal benefits of guaranteed annual income policies. Advising & Grants: Supervises multiple MSc students and has collaborated on grants analyzing healthcare utilization in New Brunswick and Alberta. His work often intersects with policy-making, emphasizing actionable insights from quantitative research. Labs & Teams: Leads the Dutton Research Group, which uses mascot Odin the Saint Bernard to foster team cohesion. Active in interdisciplinary collaborations across public health, sociology, and economics.
Yvonne Rogers is a Professor of Interaction Design and Director of the UCL Interaction Centre (UCLIC), with a joint appointment as Deputy Head of the Department of Computer Science at University College London. She joined UCL in 2011 after holding professorships at the Open University (2006-2011) and Indiana University (2003-2006). Her pioneering work spans ubiquitous computing, interaction design, and human-computer interaction, with a current focus on human-centered AI. She co-authored the definitive 'Interaction Design' textbook (6 editions, 300,000+ copies) and serves as CTO of LetThink.com. Research interests center on designing technologies that enhance human cognition and daily activities: Ubiquitous Computing: Augmenting learning/work activities through pervasive technologies Human-AI Interaction: Developing AI systems that enhance human decision-making Health Technologies: Creating VR therapies and ADHD support systems Community Resilience: Designing tools for environmental monitoring and sustainable practices Publication analysis reveals three dominant trends: (1) VR applications for mental health (emotion regulation, ADHD support), (2) AI systems for cognitive augmentation, and (3) community-centered tools for healthcare/environmental challenges. Recent work demonstrates strong emphasis on vulnerable populations including children with ADHD, older adults, and postoperative patients. Major scientific recognition includes: International Member, National Academy of Engineering (2024) ACM SIGCHI Lifetime Research Award (2022) Royal Society Robin Milner Medal (2022) Royal Society Fellowship (2022) Microsoft Outstanding Collaborator Award MRC Suffrage and Science Award (2020) Triple Fellow status (ACM, BCS, CHI Academy) Advises PhD students including Leon Reicherts, Sheena Visram, and Tu Duong. Secured major grants including EPSRC Dream Fellowship on ageing/computing and led the Intel Collaborative Research Institute on Sustainable Connected Cities (2012-2018). Directs UCLIC research center and previously established the Pervasive Interaction Lab at Open University.
Huamin Qu is a Chair Professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST). He serves as the Founding Dean of the Academy of Interdisciplinary Studies (AIS), Founding Head of the Division of Emerging Interdisciplinary Areas (EMIA), and was the Founding Acting Head of Computational Media and Arts (CMA) at HKUST(GZ). Qu directs the VisLab and coordinates the Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) group. He obtained his BS in Mathematics from Xi'an Jiaotong University and MS/PhD in Computer Science from Stony Brook University. Qu's research integrates Data Visualization , Human-Computer Interaction , and Human-Centered AI , with applications in urban informatics, social networks, and explainable AI. His work focuses on developing interactive systems for big data analytics, visual storytelling, and AI-driven decision support. Research extends to multimodal communication, fintech, and augmented reality applications. His publications emphasize visual analytics for complex datasets (mobility, social media, financial), interaction techniques for immersive environments, and AI-enhanced visualization tools. Recent works explore explainable AI interfaces and large-scale data communication frameworks. IEEE Visualization Academy (2020) IEEE VGTC Technical Achievement Award AI 2000 Most Influential Scholar (2019, 2023, 2024) 21 Best Paper/Honorable Mention awards IBM Faculty Award (2009) APICTA Merit Award (2015) Yelp Dataset Grand Prize (2018) Qu has advised 48 PhD graduates (21 now faculty at institutions like UC Davis, University of Minnesota, Texas A&M) and 30 MPhil students. He secured major grants including RGC theme-based projects (digital citizenship, air pollution), UGC AoE (slope safety), and China's 973 Program. As VisLab director, he leads 20+ researchers in visualization/HCI projects adopted by Microsoft, IBM, Huawei, and Tencent.
Zakia Hammal is an Assistant Research Professor with dual appointments at Carnegie Mellon University, holding positions in the Robotics Institute within the School of Computer Science and the Department of Biomedical Engineering in the College of Engineering. Her work bridges computer science, machine learning, artificial intelligence, and social/behavioral psychology to advance computational models for human behavior analysis. Dr. Hammal's educational background includes a PhD in Computer Science, a Master of Artificial Intelligence and Algorithmic with specialization in Image Processing, and an Engineer's degree in Computer Science with specialization in Computer Systems. Her academic journey has positioned her at the intersection of technical expertise and healthcare applications. Her research focuses on multimodal human behavior modeling in social interaction, with particular emphasis on health informatics and affective computing (Emotion AI). Dr. Hammal's work has pioneered computational models for multimodal assessment of psychiatric disorders, including depression severity evaluation, automatic pain intensity measurement, assessment of expressiveness in children with facial abnormalities, analysis of non-verbal communication in mother-infant interaction, and identification of behavioral markers in autism spectrum disorder. Her approach integrates computer vision, machine learning, and behavioral psychology to create systems that can objectively measure human behaviors that are often subjective in clinical settings. Analysis of her recent publications reveals a consistent trajectory toward more sophisticated multimodal approaches to healthcare challenges, particularly in pain assessment and mental health diagnostics. Her work increasingly emphasizes interpretable AI models that can translate complex behavioral patterns into clinically meaningful insights, with growing attention to applications for vulnerable populations including infants, elderly patients, and those with craniofacial abnormalities or autism spectrum disorder. Women in AI Awards North America 2023 – AI Researcher of the Year Award Outstanding Reviewer Award at FG 2015 Best Paper award at ACII 2015 Outstanding Paper award at ICMI 2012 Dr. Hammal has secured significant research funding, primarily from the U.S. National Institutes of Health, including an R01 grant for developing a Multimodal Behavioral AI platform for pain assessment and management, and additional grants for automatic pain assessment in older adults with dementia. Her leadership extends to mentoring through her involvement in organizing workshops and conferences that train the next generation of researchers in affective computing and health informatics. As an active leader in her field, Dr. Hammal serves as ACM ICMI Steering Board Committee Member, Associate Editor for IEEE Transactions on Affective Computing and IEEE Transactions on Multimedia, and has organized numerous influential workshops including the International Workshop on Automated Assessment of Pain and Face and Gesture Analysis for Health Informatics. She is set to serve as Program Chair for FG 2025, ACII 2025, and ICMI 2026, demonstrating her growing influence in shaping the future direction of research in multimodal interaction and affective computing.
Giulio Jacucci is a Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Helsinki, affiliated with the Helsinki Information Technology Research Institute. He serves as a Supervisor in the Doctoral Programme in Computer Science, mentoring PhD candidates in human-computer interaction and related fields. His academic career spans over two decades with continuous research productivity from 2006 through 2025. Professor Jacucci's research interests center on Human-Computer Interaction , particularly focusing on Virtual Reality , Brain-Computer Interfaces , and Neuroadaptive Systems . His work explores how technology can adapt to users' cognitive and physiological states, with significant contributions to social virtual reality environments, embodied agents, and information retrieval systems. He investigates how virtual representations affect social behavior, time perception, and communication in digital spaces. His publication record shows a clear evolution from foundational work in information retrieval toward increasingly sophisticated neuroadaptive systems. Recent publications (2024-2025) demonstrate his leadership in examining social dynamics within virtual reality platforms, including votekicking mechanisms, mirror watching behaviors, and communication tools like mutes. His work bridges technical innovation with deep understanding of human social behavior in digital environments. Professor Jacucci currently leads multiple research projects funded by the Academy of Finland, including DataLit: Datalukutaito ja vastuullinen päätöksenteko (2023-2026) and MyModel: Selitettävyys suositusten hallinnassa (2023-2027). These projects focus on data literacy, responsible decision-making, and explainability in recommendation systems, reflecting his commitment to ethical and user-centered technology development. His research has received media attention, particularly around brain-computer interfaces and virtual reality applications, with coverage in outlets discussing how deep learning transforms mobile applications and sensor landscapes. He has presented his work at major conferences including CHI 2017 and continues to be an active contributor to the international research community.
Max V. Birk is an Associate Professor at Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e), affiliated with the Human-Technology Interaction group in the School of Industrial Engineering and Innovation Sciences. He holds a secondary appointment as EAISI Health Associate Professor. His interdisciplinary research focuses on game-based design strategies, digital health, and motivational interface design, with contributions to games user research, eSports, and interactive experience tools. Birk earned a Psychology degree from the University of Trier (2012) and a Computer Science PhD from the University of Saskatchewan (2018), focusing on avatar customization for health engagement. Research Contributions: Birk’s work spans player experience, behavioral data analysis, and game-based digital biomarkers for stress. He leads the NWO Veni-funded project on game-based biomarkers for acute/chronic stress. His research has been published in top HCI venues like CHI and ACM Transactions on CHI. Organized global workshops and co-chaired CHI PLAY 2020/2021 Collaborations with Tencent, AlienTrap, and global game developers Editorial roles at JMIR Mental Health Awards & Honors: 2023 TU/e Young Researcher Award 2022 Best MSc Teacher Industrial Design NWO Veni Grant (2020) Multiple ACM awards and recognitions Academic Leadership: Vice-chair of Eindhoven Young Academy of Engineering Board member of EWUU Centre for Unusual Collaboration Member of De Jonge Akademie (KNAW) Teaching: Courses include 'Digital Tools & Human Wellbeing', 'Human Factors', and 'Social Media & Online Life'.
Brendan O'Connor is an Associate Professor in the Manning College of Information and Computer Sciences (CICS) at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. His research focuses on computational social science and natural language processing (NLP), particularly exploring how social factors influence language technologies and using text analysis to understand societal trends. His work includes studies on racial bias in NLP, political event analysis, and social media linguistics. He holds a PhD in Machine Learning from Carnegie Mellon University (2014) and dual MS/BS in Symbolic Systems from Stanford University (2006). Education: PhD in Machine Learning, Carnegie Mellon University (2014) MS in Symbolic Systems, Stanford University (2006) BS in Symbolic Systems, Stanford University (2006) Research interests span AI ethics, social media analysis, and computational methods for studying language and society. Notably, he investigates racial disparities in NLP systems, linguistic variation in African American English, and event detection in news and social media. His work has been recognized with NSF CAREER and Google Faculty awards, and his research has been cited thousands of times. His lab, the Statistical Social Language Analysis Lab, develops tools for analyzing large-scale text data. He is affiliated with the Center for Data Science, Center for Intelligent Information Retrieval, and Computational Social Science Institute. Recent projects include analyzing global news coverage of critical events and developing frameworks for zero-shot argument explication. Awards and Honors: NSF CAREER Award Google Faculty Research Award Best Paper Award Advising and Grants: O'Connor has advised projects on social media polling representativeness and demographic analysis. His grants include collaborative research on sociopolitical event extraction and bias mitigation in AI systems. He has also contributed to platforms like Rookie for news archive exploration and ezCoref for coreference resolution. Labs/Teams: Leads the Statistical Social Language Analysis Lab and collaborates with the UMass NLP Group and Harvard Institute for Quantitative Social Science. His work bridges NLP with social science methodologies, emphasizing transparency in algorithms and causal inference using text data.
Chen Li is a Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of California, Irvine (UCI), affiliated with the Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences (ICS). He holds a Ph.D. from Stanford University and bachelor's and master's degrees from Tsinghua University. His research focuses on data management, including databases, query optimization, machine learning systems, and open-source tools like AsterixDB and Texera. He has received prestigious awards such as the NSF CAREER Award and IEEE Fellow recognition. Li is also a board member of the VLDB Endowment and the former Faculty Director of UCI's ICS Master of Computer Science Program. Education: Ph.D., Computer Science, Stanford University M.S. and B.S., Computer Science, Tsinghua University Research interests span next-generation databases, approximate query processing, and AI-driven data analytics. Notable contributions include the Texera system for collaborative data science workflows and the Apache AsterixDB project. He has led NIH-funded initiatives in diabetes research and pandemic prediction, emphasizing real-world applications of data science. Professional roles include PC co-chair of VLDB 2015, General Co-chair of SIGMOD 2027, and a visiting research scientist at Google. His awards highlight his impact in both academia and industry. Advising and mentoring are central to his career, with a focus on graduate education. He has pioneered outreach programs like DS4ALL to teach high-school students data science using Texera.
Na Du is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Informatics and Networked Systems at the University of Pittsburgh's School of Computing and Information. She holds a PhD in Industrial & Operations Engineering from the University of Michigan (2021) and a Graduate Certificate in Data Science. Her research focuses on human factors in smart cities, human-centered computing, and user experience design. She is affiliated with the Intelligent Systems Program, Pitt Cyber, and the Center for Governance and Markets. Education: PhD in Industrial & Operations Engineering (University of Michigan, 2021); Undergraduate in Psychology (Zhejiang University). Research emphasizes explainable AI, human-AI teaming, and smart technologies. Recent grants include funding from Honda Research Institute and Pitt Cyber Accelerator for projects on emotions in Human-AI interaction and Metaverse privacy awareness. Her work has been recognized with awards like the HFES Best Paper Award and the IOE Outstanding Student Award. Advising includes PhD students and researchers in human factors and UX design. The HAT Lab under her leadership explores interdisciplinary challenges in human-computer interaction and smart systems.
Stefan Bechtold is a Full Professor of Intellectual Property at ETH Zurich since 2013 and Associate Vice President IP Policy (2023–2026). He is affiliated with the ETH AI Center and serves on global advisory boards including the Academic Advisory Board of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action. His interdisciplinary research bridges law, economics, and computer science.
