Istvan David is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computing and Software at McMaster University , with research expertise spanning Digital Twins , Model-Driven Engineering , and Sustainability . His work bridges theoretical and applied domains, focusing on smart ecosystems , collaborative modeling , and AI-driven simulation . Key contributions include frameworks for digital twin evolution and interoperability in sustainable systems. Education : BSc, MSc, and PhD in Computer Engineering and Computer Science from Budapest University of Technology and Economics, and University of Antwerp. Research Areas : Digital Twins, Model-Driven Engineering, Reinforcement Learning, Smart Ecosystems, Sustainability, Collaborative Modeling, Cyber-Biophysical Systems, and Software Architecture. Recent Article Trends emphasize AI integration with digital twins, collaborative modeling in industrial contexts, and sustainable systems engineering . His work often combines machine learning with formal modeling to address challenges in technical sustainability and smart agriculture .
Zhen Ming (Jack) Jiang is an Associate Professor and York Research Chair (Tier II) in Software Engineering for Foundation Model-Powered Systems at York University's Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. His research bridges software engineering, artificial intelligence, and computer systems with significant industrial impact. Dr. Jiang earned his Ph.D. from Queen's University's School of Computing and MMath/BMath degrees from the University of Waterloo's David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science. During his doctoral studies, he collaborated with BlackBerry's Performance Engineering team, developing tools now used daily to monitor commercial software systems. His research focuses on engineering rigor for AI-powered applications , software engineering evolution in the Generative AI era , and performance optimization of large-scale systems . Key areas include software performance engineering, mining software repositories, debugging distributed systems, source code analysis, and software visualization. His work combines empirical studies with practical tool development. Recent publications reveal strong trends in applying AI to software engineering challenges, particularly in machine learning systems reliability, blockchain efficiency, and AIOps solutions. His research consistently emphasizes empirical validation using real-world systems and industrial case studies. Scientific recognition includes: York Research Chair (Tier II) in Software Engineering for Foundation Model-Powered Systems NSERC Discovery Accelerator Supplements (DAS), 2020 Best Paper Award at ICST 2016 IEEE Software Best SEIP Paper at ICSE 2015 Ph.D. Research Achievement Award at Queen's University Multiple best paper awards at WCRE, MSR, and ICSE Dr. Jiang actively supervises graduate students and has secured competitive research funding including NSERC grants. His service includes program committee roles for top conferences (ICSE, ASE, ICSME) and editorial work for leading journals (TSE, TOSEM, EMSE). He leads research initiatives focused on foundation model-powered systems, collaborating with industry partners on performance monitoring and debugging solutions for large-scale distributed environments.
Ken Wong is an Associate Professor in the Department of Computing Science at the University of Alberta's Faculty of Science. He also serves as Associate Chair within the same department. Holding a PhD in Computer Science from the University of Victoria (1999), his research focuses on software engineering challenges such as reverse engineering, program understanding, and software visualization. He emphasizes improving software evolution through tools like architecture recovery and root cause analysis, with applications in web/mobile platforms and diverse system understanding. Teaching highlights include developing Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) via Coursera, including the 'Software Product Management Specialization' and courses on Agile practices, client needs analysis, and software metrics. His recent publications (2023–2025) span AI-driven healthcare innovations (e.g., medical imaging, photoacoustic tomography) and advanced computer vision techniques (e.g., diffusion models, video inpainting). Notable collaborations include EVAREST studies on heart failure management and lung transplantation outcomes. His work bridges software engineering theory and practical applications in healthcare technology, with contributions to federated learning frameworks (e.g., FedLPPA) and AI-augmented clinical decision support systems. Research also extends to autonomous driving (DriveGPT4-V2) and 3D human avatar generation (DreamAvatar), showcasing interdisciplinary impact.
Kay C. Wiese is a Professor and Software Systems Chair at the School of Computing Science, Simon Fraser University. His research focuses on computational intelligence and bioinformatics, particularly RNA secondary structure prediction and visualization. He leads the Bioinformatics Research Lab and has contributed to RNA design and gene finding. Wiese holds a PhD in Computer Science from the University of Regina (1999) and degrees in Computer Science and Mathematics from the Universität des Saarlandes (Germany). He has extensive editorial roles, including Associate Editor for the IEEE/ACM Transactions on Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, and has organized major conferences like the IEEE Symposium on Computational Intelligence in Bioinformatics. His teaching interests include Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, and Discrete Mathematics. Wiese has supervised numerous graduate students, including Boris Shabash, Wenbo Jiang, and Andrew Hendriks. His research group developed tools like jViz.RNA for RNA visualization and SARNA-Predict for structure prediction. His work bridges computational methods with biological applications, emphasizing algorithmic innovation and practical software solutions.
Andrew McArthur is a Professor in the Department of Biochemistry & Biomedical Sciences at McMaster University, where he leads the McArthur Laboratory. His research focuses on bioinformatics , genomics , and computational biology with a specialization in genomic surveillance of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) . He spearheads the Comprehensive Antibiotic Resistance Database (CARD) and collaborates with the Canadian Anti-Infective Innovation Network (CAIN) , GenEpio Consortium , and IRIDA Platform for pathogen genomics. Education : PhD in Biochemistry (University of Victoria, 1996), Postdoctoral work at Marine Biological Laboratory (1998-1999) and National Museum of Natural History (1996-1998) His research spans antimicrobial resistance surveillance , machine learning applications , viral genomics (including SARS-CoV-2), and pathogen evolution . He has developed tools like CARD and IRIDA to standardize AMR data and enable rapid infectious disease analysis. Recent work includes machine learning models for predicting AMR, cloud-based pathogen detection , and resistome profiling in clinical and environmental contexts. He has mentored graduate students including Jalees Nasir (HSGSA Impact Award 2025), Dirk Hackenberger , Autumn Arnold , and Emily Bordeleau , as well as postdoctoral fellows like Sheridan Baker . His teaching includes courses in practical bioinformatics and biomedical consulting at McMaster University.
Cristiano Politowski is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science at Ontario Tech University’s Faculty of Science. His research focuses on applying software engineering principles to video game development, with particular emphasis on software testing, artificial intelligence for software engineering (AI4SE), deep reinforcement learning, and empirical software engineering. Education includes a PhD in Computer Science and Software Engineering from Concordia University (2022), supervised by Professors Yann-Gaël Guéhéneuc and Fabio Petrillo. Prior to his current role, he held postdoctoral positions at Université de Montréal and École de Technologie Supérieure in Montréal, Canada. Research interests span game engine architecture analysis, automated testing methodologies for games, and bridging gaps between academic theory and industry practices in software engineering. His work often involves empirical studies on software quality, framework impacts, and event-driven systems. Publications reflect a focus on game development challenges, including studies on API compatibility, subsystem coupling visualization, and AI-driven game balance assessment. He actively contributes to the understanding of software processes in the video game industry through surveys and dataset curation initiatives like PlayMyData.
Grant Weddell is an Associate Professor in the David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science at the University of Waterloo. His research focuses on database technology for real-time applications, including large-scale schema management, information clustering, dependency theory, and query optimization for heterogeneous data sources. He teaches courses such as CS338 (Introductory Databases), CS348 (Advanced Databases), CS446 (Software Engineering), and CS848 (Advanced Database Systems). His research interests emphasize the interplay between description logics and database systems, particularly in optimizing query processing and managing complex schemas. Recent work explores path agreements, functional dependencies, and ontology-mediated querying to enhance data integration and schema management efficiency. Teaching responsibilities include foundational database courses (CS338/348), software engineering (CS446), and advanced topics in information integration (CS848). No scientific awards are explicitly listed, though his contributions to database theory and optimization are extensive.
Vera Pantelic is an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Computing and Software at McMaster University. Her research focuses on software engineering practices for model-based development in automotive systems, particularly centralized Electrical/Electronic (E/E) architectures, Simulink modeling, and supervisory control of probabilistic discrete event systems. Education: Not explicitly mentioned in the text. Her scholarly activity includes extensive contributions to conferences and journals in automotive software engineering, model transformation, and real-time systems. Her work addresses challenges in modularity, documentation, and compliance within automotive embedded systems. Her recent publications emphasize advancements in centralized E/E architectures, model-driven testing, and assurance cases for automotive safety. She collaborates on topics integrating software engineering principles with automotive domain requirements. Scientific Awards: No specific awards mentioned in the text. She serves as an advisor in software engineering, though specific student names are not listed. Her projects involve simulation-based testing, model refactoring, and compliance frameworks, supported by industry partnerships and academic grants. Her work contributes to labs and teams focused on automotive software reliability and model-driven engineering. No explicit lab or team affiliations are detailed in the provided text.
Leslie Breitner is a Senior Faculty Lecturer at McGill University’s Desautels Faculty of Management, serving as Academic Director of the International Masters for Health Leadership (IMHL) and Co-Director of the Graduate Certificate in Healthcare Management (GCHM). She also co-created a GROOC (Global Registered Open Online Course) on social entrepreneurship. Her roles include teaching and academic leadership in healthcare financial management and nonprofit organizations. Affiliated with the Marcel Desautels Institute for Integrated Management, she contributes to interdisciplinary healthcare education and policy initiatives. Dr. Breitner holds a D.B.A. from Boston University, an MBA from Simmons College, and a BA from the University of Wisconsin. Her expertise spans healthcare financial systems, nonprofit management, and performance measurement in healthcare organizations. She has taught at the University of Washington (Evans School of Public Policy) and Harvard University (Kennedy School), where she received teaching excellence awards. Her research focuses on healthcare financial management and cross-sector collaboration, with publications in peer-reviewed journals and textbooks on accounting principles. Notable grants include projects on fiscal planning for children’s services in Bosnia, public management training in Azerbaijan, and disaster response funding analysis with FEMA. Awarded Teacher of the Year (2005) and Dean’s Award for Teaching Excellence (2004), she emphasizes practical financial literacy and leadership training for healthcare professionals. Her current work integrates global healthcare leadership development through executive education programs and online platforms.
Tushar Sharma is an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Computer Science at Dalhousie University, Canada. His research focuses on software engineering, particularly software quality, refactoring, technical debt, and the application of machine learning in software engineering (ML4SE). He leads the SMART Lab and is actively involved in projects related to Green AI and sustainable software development. PhD : Software Engineering, Athens University of Economics and Business, Greece (2019) MS : Computer Science, Indian Institute of Technology-Madras, India His research interests span software design and architecture, code and design quality, refactoring, technical debt, mining software repositories, and applied machine learning for software engineering. He is particularly interested in sustainable AI, green software engineering, and the use of large language models for code. His work bridges empirical studies with practical tool development to improve software maintainability and quality. His recent publications highlight a strong trend in code smell detection, refactoring automation, energy-aware AI, and the reliability of large language models in software engineering. He has developed tools like Designite and DPy and contributed datasets such as MaRV and DACOS, emphasizing empirical validation and reproducibility in software engineering research. Dean's Research Excellence Award Best Artifact Award, SCAM 2023 IEEE Senior Member Tushar Sharma has secured significant research funding, including an NSERC Discovery Grant for DevQOps, Mitacs Accelerate grants with industry partners, and contributions to the $154M Canada First Research Excellence Fund project. He actively mentors students and collaborates with industry. He leads the SMART Lab at Dalhousie and has organized workshops such as SATToSE 2018. He is also a founding developer of Designite, a widely used software design quality assessment tool.
Christian Jacob is a Professor in the Department of Computer Science within the Faculty of Science at the University of Calgary . He holds a B.S. in Computer Science and a Doctor of Engineering Science from Erlangen University . His research focuses on nature-inspired algorithms, biocomputing, and agent-based simulations applied to biological systems and education. Key initiatives include the LINDSAY Virtual Human Project , which uses immersive virtual reality to explore human anatomy and physiology. He contributes to the university's strategic priorities in Digital Worlds and Health and Life initiatives. His work integrates evolutionary algorithms, cellular automata, and swarm intelligence into creative and medical applications. Notable achievements include the ASTech Award (2015) from Alberta Science and Technology. His projects emphasize interactive education through tools like LeukemiaSIM , Eukaryo , and the Giant Walkthrough Gut . Jacob also explores visualization techniques, such as evoVision3D and LifeBrush , to enhance scientific understanding. His research bridges computational methods with real-world applications in healthcare, architecture, and game design. Collaborative efforts include developing agent-based models for immune systems, nervous responses, and crowd behavior. Jacob's work spans interdisciplinary fields, blending computer science with biology, engineering, and the arts.
Merlyna Lim is a Full Professor at the School of Journalism and Communication, Carleton University, and a former Canada Research Chair in Digital Media and Global Network Society. She is the founder and director of the ALiGN Media Lab, an interdisciplinary research lab focusing on digital media, data, and civic engagement. Her research spans the interplay between technology, society, and politics, with a regional focus on Southeast Asia. Education: PhD in Science and Technology Studies, University of Twente, Netherlands Bachelor’s in Architecture, Institute of Technology Bandung (ITB), Indonesia Bachelor’s in Architectural Engineering, University of Parahyangan (Unpar), Indonesia Her research interests include digital media, political communication, social movements, algorithmic politics, critical data studies, privacy, surveillance, and religion and media. She takes an interdisciplinary approach, drawing from communication, sociology, urban studies, religious studies, and computer science. Her work critically examines how digital platforms shape civic engagement, dissent, and social change, particularly in the Global South. Her recent publications explore themes such as affective sociability in Indonesian social media, algorithmic enclaves, digital disconnection, and the evolution of activist media in Southeast Asia. The articles reflect a strong focus on the political and cultural implications of algorithms, disinformation, and platform governance in non-Western contexts. Scientific Awards and Honors: Royal Society of Canada’s New College of Scholars, Artists, and Scientists (2016) Carleton University Top 10 Women Leaders and Researchers (2020) Faculty Graduate Mentoring Award (2019) Best Publication Award in Information Systems (2012) One of 100 Most Inspiring Indonesian Women (2011) One of 100 Most Prominent Alumni of ITB (2020) One of 25 Notable Alumni of University of Twente (2023) Lim has received major research grants from SSHRC, CFI, NSF, Ford Foundation, and others. She has delivered over 250 talks globally and has been featured in media such as The Guardian, Al Jazeera, and CBC News. She has held visiting positions at Princeton University, Arizona State University, and the University of Southern California. She also leads the a cappella group The Edoens and is an accomplished visual artist.
Dr. Wei Song is a Professor and the Coordinator of Software Engineering at the Faculty of Computer Science, University of New Brunswick (UNB) in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada. She has been with UNB since 2009, after completing her postdoctoral studies at UC Berkeley, and has established herself as a leading researcher in mobile networking and wireless communications. Her office is located in room ID419 and she can be reached at wsong@unb.ca. Education Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Waterloo (2003-2007) Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences, University of California, Berkeley (2008-2009) Research Focus Dr. Song's research spans multiple cutting-edge areas in mobile and wireless networking, with a strong emphasis on integrating artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques. Her work addresses fundamental problems in mobile social networks, Internet of Things, vehicular networks, and mobile cloud computing. She explores how cooperative intelligence and distributed AI can enhance network performance while addressing practical constraints such as energy efficiency and user incentives. Her recent work particularly focuses on intelligent edge computing, mobile crowdsensing with deep reinforcement learning, and social-aware data dissemination through device-to-device communications. She investigates how to turn decentralized mobile "crowds" into coherent working groups and how social connections can be leveraged to improve data dissemination efficiency. Publication Trends Dr. Song's recent publications (2016-2023) demonstrate a clear evolution from traditional wireless networking to AI-driven approaches. While her earlier work focused on fundamental problems in device-to-device communications and resource allocation, her recent publications increasingly incorporate deep reinforcement learning, graph neural networks, and other AI techniques to solve complex optimization problems in mobile crowdsensing and edge computing. This shift reflects broader trends in the field toward intelligent, adaptive networking solutions. Scientific Recognition Best Paper Award from IEEE ICC (2018) UNB Merit Award (2014) Best Student Paper Award from IEEE CCNC (2013) Top 10% Award from IEEE MMSP (2009) NSERC postdoctoral fellowship (2008) Best Paper Award from IEEE WCNC (2007) Professional Service and Mentoring Dr. Song serves as Senior Member of IEEE and has held significant leadership roles, including Chair of the Joint Computer and Communications Chapter of IEEE New Brunswick Section (2014-2020). She has chaired symposia at major conferences including IEEE VTC Fall 2023, 2017, and 2016. As a supervisor, she mentors graduate students in areas including intelligent edge computing and deep learning for networking, and is currently recruiting students for Winter 2024 and Fall 2025.
Joseph Emerson is an Associate Professor at the University of Waterloo's Department of Applied Mathematics and a faculty member at the Institute for Quantum Computing (IQC). He is also a Fellow of CIFAR's Quantum Information Science program and CEO of Quantum Benchmark, a startup specializing in quantum computing error diagnostics. His research focuses on scalable quantum error correction, foundational quantum theory, and protocols like randomized benchmarking, now a global standard for quantum gate characterization. Emerson earned a BSc from McGill University, an MSc in experimental nuclear physics, and a PhD in theoretical physics from Simon Fraser University. His postdoctoral work at MIT and the Perimeter Institute explored quantum randomness and decoherence. He has held roles at IQC since 2005, advancing quantum computing's practical implementation through error suppression and validation techniques. Research Highlights Developed randomized benchmarking for error diagnostics across quantum platforms. Framework for unitary t-designs applied to quantum algorithms and thermodynamics. Investigated contextuality in quantum mechanics as a computational resource. Awards & Recognition Early Researcher Award (Ontario, 2008–2013) CIFAR Quantum Information Science Fellow NSERC Postdoctoral Fellowship (2003–2005) Labs & Affiliations Emerson leads research teams at IQC and collaborates with Perimeter Institute and industry partners. His work bridges theoretical foundations with practical tools for quantum computing scalability.
Dr. Graziano Fiorillo is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Manitoba's Price Faculty of Engineering. He holds a Ph.D. from the City University of New York and M.Sc./B.Sc. from the University of Naples, Italy. His research focuses on structural reliability, bridge systems analysis, and risk assessment, incorporating machine learning and high-performance computing. He has contributed to probabilistic frameworks for infrastructure resilience, filovirus outbreak modeling, and bridge redundancy evaluation. Education: Ph.D. Civil Engineering, City University of New York, 2016 M.Sc. Building Engineering, University of Naples Federico II, 2003 B.Sc. Building Engineering, University of Naples Federico II Research Interests: Dr. Fiorillo specializes in structural analysis of bridges, risk-based design, and machine learning applications in infrastructure. He develops probabilistic models for bridge network reliability and flood risk assessment, with a focus on Manitoba's infrastructure resilience. His work integrates computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and energy efficiency solutions for buildings. Publications: His recent work emphasizes interdisciplinary approaches to infrastructure challenges, including CFD for sediment transport, EnergyPlus-based building efficiency studies, and MPI parallel computing for reliability analysis. His 2024 studies on flood-overload interactions and additive manufacturing in construction highlight emerging trends in civil engineering. Awards: He received the 2012 New York State Intelligent Transportation Society Award for best student paper. His research has been applied to truck weight regulation strategies and bridge importance factor calibration. Advising & Grants: Offers M.Sc. opportunities in CFD, building energy efficiency, and bridge structures. Positions require expertise in OpenFOAM, EnergyPlus, or structural analysis software. No specific grants mentioned in the text.
