David Schloen is the John A. Wilson Professor of Archaeology and Digital Studies at the University of Chicago, affiliated with the College, the Department of Middle Eastern Studies, and the Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures. He specializes in the archaeology of the Levant during the Bronze and Iron Ages, directing excavations in Israel, Turkey, and Spain. His work integrates archaeological and textual evidence to explore ancient socio-political structures and cultural transformations. Education: Ph.D. in Archaeology from Harvard University (1995). He has taught at the University of Chicago since 1994. Research focuses on Canaanite, Israelite, and Phoenician societies, emphasizing household organization, trade networks, and digital methodologies. He co-developed the OCHRE computational platform for cultural heritage data integration, advocating for context-sensitive ontologies in humanities research. Field projects include excavations at Ashkelon, Tel Yaqush, Alalakh, Sam’al, Tell Keisan, and Cerro del Villar. His publications synthesize archaeological findings with theoretical frameworks, such as Max Weber’s patrimonialism, to explain societal evolution. He teaches courses on Near Eastern archaeology, digital humanities, and social theory. Professional contributions include founding the M.A. program in Digital Studies and directing the Forum for Digital Culture. His work critiques disembodied AI and emphasizes human-centered digital tools for humanities research.
Marta Kołacz is a Lecturer in the Department of Art History and Theory at the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdańsk, specializing in design history and architectural heritage. She teaches courses on design history, theory, criticism, and semantics within the Faculty of Architecture and Design. Her work focuses on preserving and interpreting Polish design and architecture from the mid-20th century, particularly addressing overlooked post-war contexts. Education: Bachelor's in Protection of Cultural Property, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń (2008) Postgraduate studies in Public Relations, Gdańsk University of Technology (2008) Research interests include: Polish design history (1945–1989) Material culture and obsolescence Modernist architecture preservation Design's social and political dimensions Curatorial work includes exhibitions like Don't Forget About Me (2010) and Breakthrough: Architecture in Poland after 1989 (2015), emphasizing forgotten narratives. She co-founded the TORMIAR Festival of Architecture and Design and advises the DESK Design Collective research group. Her scholarship explores how design objects reflect societal values and historical eras. Awards: Recipient of the MKiDN Young Poland scholarship (2008). Advising: Mentor for DESK Design Collective. Grants: Research focuses on post-war interior preservation challenges, such as the destroyed Aula UMK interior by Lech Kłosiewicza. Labs/Teams: Curator at the Centre for Contemporary Art Znaki Czasu in Toruń, leading projects like PRZEprojekt for emerging artists (2011–2014).
Xiao Liu is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Information Systems at Arizona State University (ASU), Tempe campus. She holds a Ph.D. in Management Information Systems from the Eller College of Management at the University of Arizona. Her research focuses on leveraging data science and predictive analytics in healthcare, education, and fintech, with a particular emphasis on health informatics, social media analytics, and machine learning applications. Liu's work bridges computational methods with real-world healthcare challenges, analyzing social media data to understand medication nonadherence, opioid treatment barriers, and adverse drug events. Education Ph.D. in Management Information Systems, University of Arizona Research Interests Health Informatics Social Media Analytics Public Health Surveillance Machine Learning Natural Language Processing Grants NIH Grant: $984k (ASU Share: $262K) for 'Leveraging YouTube Video Analytics for Patient Education on Health Management: A Digital Therapy Tool for Clinicians' (2021–2024). Labs/Teams Not explicitly mentioned, but her research aligns with ASU's healthcare data science initiatives.
Eduardo Blanco is an Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Arizona. His research focuses on advancing Natural Language Processing (NLP) with an emphasis on understanding negation, hate speech dynamics, and computational linguistics applications. He explores how language models can better interpret ambiguous statements, predict conversation incivility, and counteract harmful online content through structured responses. Blanco’s work spans theoretical and applied NLP domains, including semantic role labeling, sentence embedding evaluation, and biomedical text analysis using protein language models. His research often integrates large language models with task-specific frameworks to address challenges in zero-shot learning and negation robustness. Key areas of investigation include: Negation processing and affirmative interpretation Social media discourse dynamics and hate speech detection NLP for biomedical applications (glycosylation site prediction) Semantic similarity alignment in sentence embeddings His recent articles highlight advancements in counterhate speech strategies, temporal QA systems, and LLM-based peer review tools. Notably, he secured the NSF CAREER Award for studying negation through positive interpretations (2022). Collaborative efforts focus on interdisciplinary teams addressing challenges in computational linguistics, with grants supporting projects like the ALIGN-SIM benchmarking framework and BEMEAE event argument extraction system.
Ülle Pärli is an academic affiliated with the University of Tartu, where she held the position of Associate Professor in the Institute of Philosophy and Semiotics within the Faculty of Philosophy from 2002 to 2007. Her research focuses on cultural semiotics, literary theory, and the analysis of artistic texts, particularly exploring themes like proper names, cultural memory, and narrative structures. She has been actively involved in organizing international conferences and editorial work, including roles as academic secretary of the Institute of Philosophy and Semiotics and editor of Sign Systems Studies . Her work bridges Russian literary traditions, semiotic analysis, and interdisciplinary cultural studies. Education: She earned a Doctor's Degree (1987) and a Russian philologist qualification (1977), both from the University of Tartu. Her career began as a teacher of Russian language and literature, evolving into academic roles with a focus on semiotics and cultural analysis. Research Interests: Dr. Pärli’s work examines the semiotics of proper names, the reception aesthetics of literary texts, and the interplay between oral and written narratives. She has contributed to discussions on postmodernism and avant-garde influences, particularly through analyses of Joseph Brodsky’s poetry. Her methodologies often integrate Juri Lotman’s theories on cultural semiotics and textual interpretation. Publications Trends: Her articles emphasize the semiotic analysis of names, cultural symbolism, and the theoretical frameworks of Lotman. Key themes include the paradoxes of proper names in artistic contexts, the dynamics of infinite/finite concepts in hermeneutics, and the role of toponyms in social memory. Awards: No specific scientific awards are listed in the provided materials. Advising and Grants: She has coordinated multiple projects, including the ETF grant on interdisciplinary analysis of artistic texts (1997–1999) and EstSF grants on proper names and cultural anonymity. Her administrative roles include organizing conferences like 'Naming in Text and Culture' and serving on editorial and academic councils. Labs/Teams: Active in the Semiotics Department’s research networks, contributing to collaborative projects with institutions like the University of Lüneburg.
Dr. Emilio Serrano is an Associate Professor at the Department of Artificial Intelligence, Technical University of Madrid (UPM). He holds an M.Sc. in Computer Science from the University of Murcia (2006) and a Ph.D. with European Mention from the same institution (2011). His research focuses on AI ethics, machine learning, bioinformatics, and multi-agent systems. He has authored over 50 international publications, including 10 in top-tier JCR journals. He has participated in EU projects like FP7’s SMARTOPENDATA, EUROSentiment, and Omelette. Dr. Serrano has received the National Research Fellowship (FPU) and the Extraordinary Ph.D. Award. His teaching spans 20+ education science courses, 12 university modules, and postgraduate seminars. His work integrates AI with social simulations, environmental forecasting, and healthcare applications, emphasizing ethical AI and bias mitigation. Awards: FPU Fellowship (2008), Extraordinary Ph.D. Award (2012) Grants: FP7 Projects (SMARTOPENDATA, EUROSentiment, Omelette) Labs/Teams: Active in AI ethics, bioinformatics, and multi-agent systems research
Mari Carmen Suárez-Figueroa is an Associate Professor at the Artificial Intelligence Department, School of Computer Science, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM). She is also a senior researcher at the Ontology Engineering Group (OEG). Her research focuses on Ontology Engineering, Semantic Web, and Linked Data, with emphasis on ontology networks, evaluation, and design patterns. She holds a PhD in Artificial Intelligence from UPM (2010) and has been recognized with an Outstanding Award from UPM's Graduate Doctorate Commission. Her work includes contributions to methodologies like the NeOn Framework, tools such as OOPS! for ontology validation, and participation in projects like NeOn, SEEMP, and Ready4SmartCities. She has organized conferences and workshops, including TKE 2012 and WOP 2012. Over 88+ publications span journals like International Journal of Information Technology & Decision Making and Data & Knowledge Engineering . Key achievements include co-editing Ontology Engineering in a Networked World (Springer, 2012) and leading interdisciplinary initiatives on inclusive consumer testing and semantic metadata standards. Ongoing projects address social inclusion via machine learning and educational service-learning programs.
Jochen Schiewe is a Researcher specializing in geovisualization, GIS, and spatial uncertainty analysis, with a career spanning over two decades. His work bridges cartography, urban planning, and computational methods. Key Affiliations: University of Hanover (PhD), ISPRS community, EuroVA workshop Research Focus: Geovisualization techniques, uncertainty quantification, smart cities, and historical map analysis His 2024 publication introduces agent-based approaches for preserving spatial patterns in urban data. Earlier works examine sound maps for data representation, land cover change analysis, and interactive GIS for public participation. Schiewe's scholarly contributions emphasize human-computer interaction and cognitive aspects of mapping . He has served as editor for special issues on smart city solutions and collaborated with leading experts in GIS and visualization.
Marco Brambilla is a Professor at Politecnico di Milano and a Lecturer at Università della Svizzera italiana (USI) . He leads the Data Science Lab at Politecnico di Milano's Department of Electronics, Information and Bioengineering (DEIB) and serves as director of Computer Science and Engineering B.Sc. and M.Sc. curricula . Research focus on data science, AI explainability, web science, crowdsourcing, model-driven development, and social media analytics Co-inventor of the OMG IFML standard and holder of 2 patents on crowdsourcing and multi-domain search Founder of four startups: WebRatio, Fluxedo, Servitly, and Quantia His recent publications explore: Graph-based Retrieval Augmented Generation for energy efficiency Human-AI interaction analysis through live streaming platforms Model-driven approaches for multiexperience AI interfaces Explainable AI with human-in-the-loop validation Scientific contributions include: Best paper awards at international conferences Associate editor role at SIGMOD Records Editorial contributions to the PERISCOPE H2020 project on pandemic impacts He actively participates in European research initiatives such as: TRIGGER project on EU global governance PERISCOPE for pandemic preparedness
Prof. Hanneke Ronnes holds the endowed chair in 'Historical Country Estates and Manors' at the University of Groningen's Faculty of Arts. Her research focuses on the cultural history and musealization of castles, country estates, and historical architecture, with a specialization in demolition studies. She earned her PhD in Archaeology from University College Dublin (2005), alongside masters degrees in History, Cultural Anthropology, and Archaeology from the University of Amsterdam and UCD. Ronnes serves as chief editor of the peer-reviewed journal Virtus and sits on the advisory board of Explorations in Renaissance Culture . Her work explores themes such as elite spatial practices, historical memory, and the transformation of architectural heritage. Notable contributions include studies on William III's architectural legacy and the proto-museum role of early modern estates. She actively participates in heritage policy discussions and has published over 50 peer-reviewed articles and edited volumes since 2000. Education: PhD Archaeology (2005), MA History (1998), MA Cultural Anthropology (1999), MA Archaeology (2000) Editorial Roles: Editor-in-chief Virtus , Advisory Board Explorations in Renaissance Culture Her research bridges archaeology, history, and cultural studies, addressing topics like Dutch country house historiography, early modern travel accounts, and the reception of historical landscapes. Current projects investigate memory practices in heritage sites and the socio-political dimensions of architectural preservation.
Tyler Horan is a Lecturer in the Data Analytics and Computational Social Science (DACSS) program at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, specializing in social network analysis and data-driven storytelling. He directs the Digital Institute, a research institute exploring social, cultural, political, economic, and technological dimensions of social media and communication. Education: PhD in Sociology, The New School for Social Research BS, Boston University Research Interests: Tyler’s work focuses on the societal impacts of technology, including social media’s role in privacy, labor dynamics in gig economies, and the interplay between urbanization and mental health. He examines how social networks shape economic opportunities, cultural values, and individual behaviors through quantitative and qualitative methods. Research Trends: His publications span topics like consumer data privacy, global labor disparities in freelancing platforms, and algorithmic fairness. A common thread is analyzing how digital technologies mediate social, economic, and political outcomes across diverse populations. Labs/Teams: As director of the Digital Institute, Tyler oversees interdisciplinary research addressing pressing issues in digital communication, including corporate social media policies and the ethical implications of data ownership.
Prof. Dr. Jörn Kohlhammer is an Honorary Professor at TU Darmstadt and Head of the Information Visualization and Visual Analytics department at Fraunhofer Institute for Computer Graphics Research IGD. His work focuses on decision-oriented visualization using semantics, visual business analytics, and applications in medical data analysis, internet security, and industrial sectors. He holds a PhD from TU Darmstadt (2005) and has authored over 50 publications in journals and conferences like IEEE VAST and EuroVis. Education: B.Sc./M.Sc. in Computer Science with Business Administration Minor (1993-1999), Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München Research Interests: Context-dependent visualization solutions Medical data analysis and cohort visualization Decision support systems Visual analytics for cybersecurity and network traffic Professional Activities: Regular member of program committees for IEEE VAST, EuroVis Reviewer for journals/conferences including IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics Co-chair of IEEE VAST (2009) and founder of EuroVA (2010) Labs/Teams: Leads Fraunhofer IGD's Information Visualization & Visual Analytics group Projects: ATHENA, CorASiV (health authority support), SoBigData (social big data analytics)
Roberto Casati is a distinguished academic serving as a Senior Researcher (Directeur de Recherche) at the French Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) since 2002, and as a Director of Studies (Directeur d'Etudes) at the School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences (EHESS) in Paris since 2016. His academic career spans multiple institutions across Europe and North America, including previous positions as Research Fellow at CNRS (1993-2002), Assistant at Université de Neuchatel, Switzerland (1991-1994), and Research Fellow with the Swiss National Science Foundation (1991-1993). Dr. Casati received his PhD from the University of Milan, Italy in 1992 and from the University of Geneva, Switzerland in 1991. He has taught at the Ecole Normale Supérieure and served as visiting professor or scholar at prestigious institutions including Università IUAV in Venice, the University of Turin, Columbia University, and Dartmouth College. His research focuses on the intersection of philosophy and cognitive science, with particular emphasis on perception, representation, and cognition. Dr. Casati has made significant contributions to understanding shadow perception, cognitive artifacts, spatial representation, and the philosophy of sound. His work bridges theoretical philosophy with empirical cognitive science, creating a rich interdisciplinary approach to understanding human cognition and its relationship with the physical world. Dr. Casati has published extensively, with nine academic books and numerous research articles in leading journals across philosophy and cognitive science. His publications span topics from metaphysics to visual perception, demonstrating the breadth and depth of his scholarly contributions. Scientific Awards 2003 Prix de la Science du Livre for the book "La découverte de l'ombre" 2001 Premio Castiglioncello di Filosofia for the book "La scoperta dell'ombra" 2000 Premio Fiesole speciale for the book "La scoperta dell'ombra" 1996 CNRS Bronze Medal in Philosophy (most distinguished researcher in the year for Philosophy) 1990 Geneva University Prize in Philosophy Dr. Casati has been actively involved in academic service and leadership. He is co-founder and co-editor of the Review of Philosophy and Psychology (Springer). He was responsible for Institut J. Nicod's Enactive Network of Excellence (IST-2002-002114) and has served as an evaluator for the VI Framework Programme of the European Commission, the European Science Foundation, and national research institutions of France and Italy. He has organized numerous national and international conferences in both philosophy and cognitive science. Beyond academic research, Dr. Casati has been committed to public philosophy, publishing a widely translated book (Semplicità insormontabili, with A. Varzi) that was adapted for theater, and over 250 short philosophical articles in the Italian daily IlSole/24Ore. Dr. Casati combines his academic pursuits with diverse personal interests, including professional competence in drawing and design, and completed a Transat Retour sailing race on a Challenge 67 sailboat in 2017. His future research projects focus on cognitive artifacts and wayfinding, continuing his tradition of innovative interdisciplinary work.
Ivo Volt is a Lecturer in Classical Studies and Editor-in-Chief at the University of Tartu Press, affiliated with the Faculty of Arts and Humanities and the Institute of Foreign Languages and Cultures. He holds a Doctorate in Classical Philology (2007) and a Research Master’s Degree (2000), both from the University of Tartu. Roles: Editor-in-Chief (0.5 FTE) and Lecturer in Classical Studies (0.5 FTE) since 2024 Prior roles include Research Fellowships, Project Management, and teaching Latin in secondary schools. His research focuses on negative character types in Ancient Greek literature, the history of classical scholarship in Estonia, and the reception of antiquity in Estonian cultural space. Key areas include lexical-semantic analysis of classical texts, translation studies, and the interplay between ethics, comedy, and rhetoric in classical antiquity. Major publications include edited volumes on classical reception, Karl Morgenstern’s scholarly legacy, and contributions to Routledge’s Handbook of Translation Studies. His creative work includes translations of Ancient Greek and Latin texts, such as Theophrastus’ Characters (2000). Awards include the University of Tartu Badge of Distinction (2023). He led projects on antiquity’s reception in Estonia, Baltic intellectual history, and improving the quality of humanistic publications. Admin roles include editorial board memberships and series editorship of Acta Societatis Morgensternianae . Active in academic communities, he is a member of the Morgenstern Society and contributed to shaping institutional policies through roles in Universitas Tartuensis .
Andrius Gudauskas is an Associate Professor at the Centre for Journalism and Media Research within the Faculty of Communication at Vilnius University. His academic background includes a PhD in Social Sciences from the Pontifical Gregorian University (Rome, 2008), focusing on Andrei Tarkovsky's cinematography. His research interests span the philosophy of communication, film theory, media and religion, and audiovisual media aesthetics. He actively contributes to academic conferences and committees, including organizing roles in events like the Symposium on Audiovisual Media in Lithuania (2022) and the International Conference on Communication and Information Sciences in a Networked Society. His teaching includes courses on audiovisual media discourse, communication ethics, and video reportage. Key publications include monographs on film philosophy and edited volumes exploring media transitions. Notable awards include the Thalia Award for ethical journalism on human trafficking and recognition in the Pragiedruliai competition. He has conducted research collaborations in Italy, Sweden, and Latvia through Erasmus programs and international workshops. Gudauskas' work bridges cinematic theory with philosophical inquiry, particularly examining the intersection of time, transcendence, and media representation in works by filmmakers like Tarkovsky. His research also addresses ethical dimensions of communication in digital and traditional media contexts.
