Dr Nour Ali is a Reader in the Department of Computer Science at Brunel University London , where she co-heads the Brunel Software Engineering Lab and serves as Vice-Dean of Education for the College of Engineering, Design and Physical Sciences. She holds a PhD in Software Engineering from Universidad Politecnica de Valencia, Spain, and a Major in Computer Science from Bir-Zeit University, Palestine. Research Interests: Software architecture for distributed and adaptive systems, integrating techniques like Model-Driven Engineering, Reverse Engineering, and Machine Learning. Teaching: Module leader for Software Project Management and supervisor of undergraduate group projects and final-year projects. Scientific Contributions: Over 70 publications in journals, conferences, and books. Key research areas include microservice architecture recovery, autonomic healthcare systems, and mobile self-adaptive architecture. Scientific Awards: Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (HEA). Membership: Deputy Editor-in-Chief for IET Software, member of multiple conference program committees, and reviewer for EPSRC, NWO, and other funding bodies.
Ludovic Räss is a computational geoscientist at the University of Lausanne and lecturer at ETH Zurich's Glaciology Lab. His research intersects high-performance computing (HPC), geophysics, and applied mathematics, with specialization in GPU-accelerated scientific computing and supercomputing applications. He leads the GPU4GEO initiative developing multi-physics solvers and pioneers differentiable modeling techniques for geophysical simulations using Julia. Research focuses include: Portable HPC software development Ice dynamics and porous media deformation GPU-optimized computational methods Scalable simulation architectures Differentiable programming for geophysics He designed and teaches Solving partial differential equations in parallel on GPUs at ETH Zurich, providing hands-on training in GPU programming and Julia-based scientific computing. Contributes significantly to Julia's open-source ecosystem through JuliaGPU and JuliaParallel projects.
Dr Ting Sun is an Associate Professor in Climate & Meteorological Hazard Risks at University College London , Department of Risk and Disaster Reduction. He earned his BEng (2009) and PhD in Hydrology (2013) from Tsinghua University , followed by a visiting period at Princeton University (2011–2012). After postdoctoral appointments at Tsinghua and the University of Reading , he held a NERC Independent Research Fellowship at Reading (2017–2022) before joining UCL in May 2022. Education PhD in Hydrology, Tsinghua University, 2013 BEng in Hydraulic Engineering, Tsinghua University, 2009 Visiting PhD Student, Princeton University, 2011–2012 Research Interests Dr Sun’s work converges on urban climate modelling across scales —from neighbourhood blocks to global grids—focusing on the impacts of weather and climate extremes such as heat waves and extreme rainfall in cities. He is the lead developer of the Surface Urban Energy and Water balance Scheme (SUEWS) and its Python wrapper SuPy , developed in collaboration with Prof Sue Grimmond’s micromet group. He also contributes as a core member of the Urban Multi-scale Environmental Predictor (UMEP) development team. His multidisciplinary expertise integrates hydro-climate dynamics, computational modelling, machine learning, built-environment processes, and public-health linkages . Research Trends from Recent Publications Across the 15 most recent articles, a clear trajectory emerges from high-resolution urban-process modelling toward integrated socio-environmental assessments . Studies published in 2024–2025 couple atmospheric models (WRF-SUEWS) with global building-morphology datasets (GLAMOUR) to quantify how cities alter rainfall patterns, temperature sensitivity, and heat-related mortality. Earlier works progressively refined SUEWS’s physical parameterisations and Python accessibility, while recent outputs leverage deep-learning remote-sensing tools (SHAFTS) and hybrid hydrological-neural architectures to deliver actionable insights for urban planning and climate adaptation. Scientific Awards & Fellowships NERC Independent Research Fellowship , University of Reading, 2017–2022 HEA Fellowship , University College London, 2023 Professional Service & Editorial Roles Topic Editor , Geoscientific Model Development (from 2025) Editorial Board Member , Scientific Data (from 2024) Peer review and consultancy for journals, conferences, and policy bodies Supervision of taught-course projects and research degrees External examining and mentoring Labs, Teams & Collaborations Dr Sun leads and collaborates within the UCL Department of Risk and Disaster Reduction , working closely with the micromet group at the University of Reading (Prof Sue Grimmond) on SUEWS/SuPy development. He is an active member of the UMEP consortium and maintains extensive international collaborations spanning Tsinghua University, Princeton, and numerous European research centres, underpinning a vibrant, interdisciplinary research network focused on urban climate resilience.
Dr Ian Gray serves as a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Computer Science at the University of York, where he also holds the position of Deputy Head of Department (Teaching). His academic career at York began as a Research Associate in 2010, progressing to Research Fellow in 2012, Lecturer in 2017, and ultimately Senior Lecturer. His research focuses on real-time systems and their programming models , with significant contributions to embedded systems, FPGA and reconfigurable computing architectures, and many-core/multicore system design. His work extends to application-specific high-performance computing solutions and cloud computing infrastructure within distributed systems frameworks. Gray maintains active involvement in the Real-Time and Distributed Systems research group, where his expertise bridges theoretical computer science with practical hardware implementation challenges. Gray's professional trajectory demonstrates steady progression from industry (as Lead Software Developer at Stockholm Environment Institute in 2005) into academia, where he has developed substantial expertise across multiple computing domains requiring precise timing constraints and efficient resource utilization. His leadership role as Deputy Head of Department (Teaching) reflects his significant contribution to curriculum development and academic administration within the department.
Daehyeok Kim is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science at The University of Texas at Austin, where he co-leads the UT Networked Systems Research Group and participates in the Wireless Networking and Communications Group and 6G@UT. He serves as co-PI for the LDOS NSF Expeditions in Computing project, a major initiative rethinking operating systems through AI. His educational background includes a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Carnegie Mellon University under advisors Vyas Sekar and Srinivasan Seshan, where his dissertation introduced abstractions for elastic in-network computing. He also earned B.S. and M.S. degrees in Computer Science and Engineering from POSTECH, South Korea, followed by research scientist work at KAIST prior to his Ph.D. Kim's research centers on hardware-software co-design for cloud and edge data centers, targeting speed, efficiency, and resilience. Key projects include resource management for programmable infrastructure, robust cellular network design, end-to-end network transport frameworks, and learning-directed operating systems. His work bridges computer networks, operating systems, distributed systems, and 5G/6G technologies, with emphasis on virtualized radio access networks (vRAN) and edge computing challenges. Analysis of his recent publications reveals a dominant focus on enhancing 5G/6G infrastructure reliability—particularly in virtualized RANs—through innovations in failover mechanisms, integrity protection, and latency-sensitive resource allocation. His research consistently addresses critical industry pain points like sub-second availability requirements, fronthaul security vulnerabilities, and end-to-end service-level objective (SLO) guarantees for mobile-edge applications. Notable scientific awards include: NSF CAREER Award (2025) for advancing cloud hardware efficiency Microsoft Research PhD Fellowship (2019) Bronze Award at Samsung HumanTech Paper Awards (2018) Qualcomm Innovation Awards (2016) His grant portfolio features leadership in the $10M+ LDOS NSF Expeditions project and the NSF CAREER award, both driving transformative work in AI-integrated operating systems and resilient network infrastructure. These projects demonstrate strong industry-academia collaboration with Microsoft Research, wireless vendors, and cloud providers. Kim co-leads the UT Networked Systems Research Group, which operates within the Wireless Networking and Communications Group and 6G@UT consortium. These labs maintain a 5G/6G testbed for Open RAN validation and focus on solving real-world problems in cellular infrastructure, edge computing, and network security through close partnerships with industry leaders.
Daniel Cardoso Llach is an Associate Professor at Carnegie Mellon University's School of Architecture , where he chairs the Master of Science in Computational Design program and co-directs the CoDe Lab . His scholarship merges history, science and technology studies (STS), and computational design , focusing on the cultural and socio-technical dimensions of design automation. Education: PhD and MS in Architecture: Design and Computation from MIT , BArch from Universidad de los Andes Research Grants: Supported by the Graham Foundation for historical CAD exhibitions and by the Alexander Von Humboldt Foundation for postwar computational design research in Germany His work interrogates the politics of software, the materiality of computational systems , and the ethical implications of AI/robotics in architectural practice. Recent projects include reconstructing early CAD systems and analyzing data-driven urban technologies. Scientific awards include: Alexander Von Humboldt Fellowship (2024–2025) ACM CSCW Methods Mention for emulation-based software research (2021)
Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyUnited States
Thomas W. Malone is the Patrick J. McGovern Professor of Management at the MIT Sloan School of Management. He holds joint appointments as Professor of Information Technology and Professor of Work and Organizational Studies. As founding director of the MIT Center for Collective Intelligence, he leads pioneering research on how people and computers can connect intelligently. Previously, he founded the MIT Center for Coordination Science and co-directed the MIT Initiative on 'Inventing the Organizations of the 21st Century'. His teaching focuses on organizational design, IT, and leadership. His research examines how new organizations leverage information technology, with groundbreaking predictions about electronic business in 1987. Major works include the influential books The Future of Work (2004) and Superminds (2018). Research areas span: Collective Intelligence: Designing systems combining human and machine intelligence Organizational Structure: Decentralization, coordination, and future work models Climate Solutions: Crowdsourcing through Climate CoLab AI Implications: Human-AI collaboration in business strategy His publications demonstrate consistent focus on collective problem-solving, with recent emphasis on AI-workforce integration, remote team intelligence, and computational group metrics. Key research projects include the Collective Intelligence Design Lab, Minglr, Climate CoLab, and Measuring Collective Intelligence. Honors include an honorary doctorate from the University of Zurich . He co-founded four software companies and holds 11 patents in collaboration systems and organizational modeling. He directs the MIT Center for Collective Intelligence, leading interdisciplinary teams on global challenges. Current initiatives explore AI-enhanced prediction markets, collective intelligence genomes, and hybrid human-machine systems for organizational design.
Chaopeng Shen is a Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Pennsylvania State University. His research bridges hydrology with state-of-the-art deep learning and differentiable modeling techniques, focusing on advancing our understanding of hydrologic cycles and their interactions with ecosystems, energy, and carbon cycles. He leads the Multi-scale Hydrology, Processes and Intelligence group (MHPI) and has developed the Process-based Adaptive Watershed Simulator (PAWS) for large-scale hydrologic modeling. Shen's work emphasizes physics-informed machine learning , where deep learning components are integrated with process-based equations through differentiable modeling. This approach enables training neural networks using big data while respecting physical laws, leading to improved generalizability and robustness. His group has demonstrated advantages of differentiable models in rainfall-runoff prediction, routing, ecosystem modeling, and water quality studies. Notably, his team's deepLDB project addresses landslide prediction using AI and big datasets. Recent publications highlight his contributions to global water modeling (grid-LSTM, differentiable Muskingum-Cunge routing), extreme flood forecasting (probabilistic diffusion models), and hydrologic uncertainty quantification . Shen actively engages in interdisciplinary collaborations through the PRISM Cooperative Institute, which aims to integrate multi-domain data for systemic risk assessment. His group has advised students including Dapeng Feng, Wen-Ping Tsai, Kuai Fang, Xinye Ji, and Tasnuva Mahjabin. Shen's research is supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF), Department of Energy (DoE), USGS, Google.org, and the Gates Foundation. He serves as Editor for the Journal of Geophysical Research - Machine Learning & Computation and Chief Editor for Frontiers in Water: Water & AI. His open-source software tools like PAWS and deepLDB are available through dedicated project websites.
Professor Richard Durbin (FRS) is a computational biologist at the Department of Genetics , University of Cambridge, and Associate Faculty member at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute . His work spans computational methods development, large-scale genomics projects, and evolutionary studies. Academic Affiliation: Professor of Genetics (University of Cambridge) Research Institute: Associate Faculty (Wellcome Sanger Institute) Key Projects: 1000 Genomes Project, UK10K Project, Gorilla Genome Sequencing Research Interests Durbin's group focuses on: Evolutionary Genomics: Human population history through modern and ancient DNA, Malawi cichlid fish speciation with adaptive introgression Computational Methods: Burrows-Wheeler transform algorithms (BWA), variant call format (VCF), variation graph mapping (vg package) Genome Assembly: Long-read sequencing techniques for high-contiguity reference genomes across vertebrates Scientific Contributions Co-author of Biological Sequence Analysis (HMM methods for gene finding) Co-developer of ACeDB software and founding contributor to WormBase, Pfam, TreeFam, Ensembl Scientific Awards Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) - Recognized for outstanding contributions to computational biology
Giomara Lárraga Maldonado is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Faculty of Information Technology within the University of Jyväskylä , Finland. She contributes to the Multiobjective Optimization Group and is affiliated with the Decision Analytics utilizing Causal Models and Multiobjective Optimization (DEMO) thematic research area. Research Focus: Interactive Multiobjective Optimization, Evolutionary Computation, Explainable AI Key Areas: Preference integration, Decomposition-based methods, Human-Computer Interaction for decision support Her recent work explores explainability frameworks (e.g., LIME integration), phase-specific algorithm configuration, and semantic distance studies for visualization. She collaborates with researchers like Kaisa Miettinen and Giovanni Misitano. She has contributed to conferences such as GECCO, PPSN, and AAMAS, with publications emphasizing open-access availability. The R-XIMO framework (2022) highlights her work on explainable systems.
Rasheed Hussain is an Associate Professor of Intelligent Network Security at the Smart Internet Lab and Bristol Digital Futures Institute (BDFI), School of Electrical, Electronic and Mechanical Engineering at the University of Bristol, UK. Previously, he served as a Senior Lecturer at the same institution from December 2021 to July 2025. He has held academic positions at Innopolis University, Russia, where he served as Associate Professor and Director of the Institute of Information Security and Cyber-Physical Systems, and as a guest researcher at the University of Amsterdam, Netherlands. His educational background includes a PhD in Computer Engineering from Hanyang University, South Korea (2011-2015), an MS in Computer Engineering from the same institution (2008-2010), and a B.Sc in Computer Software Engineering from the University of Engineering and Technology, Peshawar, Pakistan (2003-2007). Hussain's research focuses on network and cybersecurity, particularly future network security including 6G, the role of Digital Twins in future networks and systems security, and Responsible AI including fairness, trustworthiness, and explainability. His work spans information security, privacy, applied cryptography, vehicular networks, Internet of Things, Content-Centric Networking, cloud computing, API security, and blockchain applications. Senior member of IEEE Member of ACM ACM Distinguished Speaker Editorial board member for IEEE Communications Surveys & Tutorials, IEEE Access, and other journals His recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on the intersection of AI, networking, and security, with particular emphasis on Digital Twins, blockchain applications, federated learning, and 6G security. His research shows a clear trajectory toward addressing security challenges in emerging network architectures while incorporating responsible AI principles. Scientific Recognition: ACM Distinguished Speaker Netherlands University Teaching Qualification (Basis Kwalificatie Onderwijs, BKO) Hussain serves as a reviewer for major IEEE transactions, Springer and Elsevier journals, and participates in technical program committees for conferences including IEEE VTC, IEEE VNC, IEEE Globecom, and IEEE ICC. He is also certified as a trainer for the Instructional Skills Workshop (ISW) and contributes to the ESRC Centre for Sociodigital Futures (CenSoF) at the University of Bristol. His laboratory work centers around the Networks and Blockchain Lab, which focuses on security solutions for next-generation networks, with particular emphasis on Digital Twins security, blockchain applications, and AI-driven network security solutions. His current projects involve developing secure frameworks for future networks, trustworthy AI models, and privacy-preserving federated learning approaches.
Nicola Capodieci is an Associate Professor at the Department of Physical, Computer and Mathematical Sciences at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, specializing in Information Processing Systems (IINF-05/A). He actively teaches multiple courses including Object-Oriented Programming, Web Technologies, and General Computer Science across Computer Science and Mathematics degree programs. His research interests focus on GPU acceleration for embedded systems, autonomous vehicles, and real-time computing. Dr. Capodieci's work addresses critical challenges in heterogeneous computing platforms, particularly for automotive applications and smart city infrastructure. His research bridges theoretical computer science with practical applications in autonomous driving and urban mobility systems. Analysis of his recent publications reveals a strong focus on optimizing GPU performance for latency-sensitive applications, particularly in autonomous vehicles. His work spans path planning algorithms, memory interference management, and real-time scheduling on heterogeneous platforms. A significant portion of his research addresses practical implementation challenges in embedded systems where computational resources are constrained but timing predictability is critical. Dr. Capodieci's teaching portfolio demonstrates expertise in both foundational programming concepts and advanced topics in web technologies. His courses emphasize practical implementation skills while covering theoretical foundations of object-oriented programming, web development frameworks, and computational thinking.
Luo Mai is an Assistant Professor at the University of Edinburgh's School of Informatics , with an upcoming promotion to Associate Professor (UK Reader) in August 2025. He leads the Large-Scale Machine Learning Systems Group and co-leads the UK EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Machine Learning Systems and an ARIA Project on Scaling AI Compute by 1000X . PhD in Computer Science (Imperial College London, 2018) MRes in Advanced Computing (Imperial College London, 2012) His research focuses on the intersection of computer systems , machine learning , and data management . Key contributions include award-winning systems like WaferLLM (wafer-scale LLM inference), Tenplex (elastic ML), and ServerlessLLM (serverless LLM serving), published at top venues (OSDI, SOSP, ICML, NeurIPS, JMLR). Recent publications demonstrate trends in GPU-based distributed systems , LLM optimization , and adaptive machine learning . His team has developed groundbreaking open-source projects including TensorLayer , TorchOpt , and ServerlessLLM . Awarded Microsoft Research StarTrack Scholar (2024) , secured ARIA grant (2024) with Imperial College & Cambridge University, and received Google Fellowship during PhD (2012-2016). As an educator, he designed Edinburgh's popular Machine Learning Systems course (150+ students). His group supervises multiple PhD students including Yao Fu (recognized as 2024 Rising Star in ML & Systems) and Leyang Xue .
Prof. Dr. Mehmet Reşit Tolun is a full-time Professor in the Department of Software Engineering at Çankaya University (Turkey) since 2022. Previously held full-time professor positions at Konya Food and Agriculture University (2020-2022), Aksaray University (2013-2017), and TED University (2011-2013), along with a part-time professorship at Başkent University (2017-2020). Specializes in Artificial Intelligence , Machine Learning , and Data Mining , with a focus on deep learning applications in aerospace, biomedical data analysis, and software process improvement. PhD in Computer Science (University of Kent, 1985) MSc in Computer Science (University of Kent, 1982) BSc in Physics and Computer Science (University of Kent, 1981) Research Interests span deep learning frameworks, hybrid expert systems, software engineering methodologies, and biomedical signal processing. Publications emphasize practical implementations in medical diagnostics, robotics, and agricultural pest detection. Scientific Awards include the IEEE Third Millenium Medal (2000). Supervised over 55 graduate students, including Burak Çetin, Uğur Özotuk, and Mahinur Doğan. Collaborated with researchers from Orta Doğu Teknik Üniversitesi , Çankaya University , and Aksaray University .
Irem Boybat is a Researcher in the In-Memory Computing Group at IBM Research - Zurich, Switzerland, focusing on advanced AI hardware solutions. She holds a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from EPFL (2020) and prior degrees from EPFL and Sabanci University. Ph.D., Electrical Engineering, EPFL (2020) M.Sc., Electrical Engineering, EPFL (2015) B.Sc., Electronics Engineering, Sabanci University (2013) Her research bridges in-memory computing and AI, targeting energy-efficient hardware for deep learning and neuromorphic systems. Recent work explores analog AI accelerators, heterogeneous architectures, and scalable models for edge computing. Publications highlight cross-disciplinary innovation in materials, circuits, and system design. She has received the IBM Pat Goldberg Memorial Best Paper Award and EPFL PhD Thesis Distinction. Her invited talks span prestigious venues including the European Phase-Change Symposium, IEEE CICC, and HiPEAC. Collaborations include EU H2020 projects like MANIC and WiPLASH.
