Professor George Buchanan is a leading researcher in human-computer interaction and digital libraries at RMIT University . His work bridges information science, digital humanities, and health informatics, focusing on usability in sensitive contexts like healthcare and misinformation. Deputy Dean, Research at RMIT University Former Director, University of Melbourne iSchool Research Interests: Digital information interaction Health and aging informatics Disinformation analysis Mobile interface design Digital library systems Key Contributions: Developed mobile web usability benchmarks, spatial hypertext tools, and thermal feedback interfaces. Currently seeking PhD students for 2025 projects on digital browsing and view change dynamics. Awards: Over twenty best paper awards and Honorary Life Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. Advising: Accepting Masters/PhD supervision in information interaction and digital health domains.
Gabriele de Seta is a researcher at the University of Bergen's Department of Linguistic, Literary and Aesthetic Studies, leading the ALGOFOLK project funded by the Trond Mohn Foundation (2024-2028). A sociologist by training with a PhD from Hong Kong Polytechnic University, he previously served as postdoctoral fellow at Academia Sinica (Taipei) and on the ERC-funded Machine Vision in Everyday Life project. Department of Ethnology, Academia Sinica (postdoctoral fellow) Department of Linguistic, Literary and Aesthetic Studies, University of Bergen (researcher) His research focuses on algorithmic folklore, synthetic ethnography, and Chinese digital culture. He examines how digital technologies and creative practices mutually shape each other, particularly in China's sociotechnical landscape. Key areas include platform governance, machine vision, algorithmic accountability, and digital vernaculars. Recent publications analyze TikTok/Douyin's infrastructural role, deepfakes, QR codes as globalized gateways, and Chinese internet vulgarity. His work combines theoretical frameworks from STS, media studies, and digital anthropology with fieldwork on Chinese digital practices. Trond Mohn Foundation Starting Grant ERC-funded research As educator, he designed the Machine Vision module for Bergen's Critical Approaches to Technology and Society course and taught Key Theories in Digital Culture. He supervises multiple MA/PhD students including co-supervision of Hanna Lauvli. Through his blog and podcast, he promotes public engagement with digital research.
Rachel Pottinger is a Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of British Columbia within the Faculty of Science. She has been at UBC since 2004, progressing from Assistant Professor to Associate Professor in 2012 and to full Professor in 2021. She is affiliated with research centers including CAIDA (Centre for Artificial Intelligence Decision-making and Action) and DFP (Designing for People), and is part of ICICS (Institute for Computing, Information and Cognitive Systems). Her research focuses on data management, particularly semantic data integration, metadata management, and making data more accessible and understandable to users. She leads the Data Management and Mining Lab and has supervised numerous doctoral and master's students. Her work addresses three main areas: helping people understand and explore their data, managing data not well supported by databases, and coordinating data across multiple databases. Her recent publications demonstrate strong trends in database usability, data provenance visualization, query recommendation systems, and building information modeling integration. Her work bridges theoretical database concepts with practical human-centered applications, particularly in making complex data systems more accessible to non-expert users. UBC Computer Science Department Faculty Teaching Award 2013 Computer Science Department Teaching Award 2010 CS Department Teaching Award Denice Denton Emerging Leader Award 2007 Pottinger has supervised numerous PhD and Master's students, with research focusing on data provenance, database usability, and data coordination. She has been involved in significant research projects related to data lakes, open data navigation, and query recommendation systems. Her current research explores table annotation and discovery in data lakes, query refinement for aggregation queries, and query prediction based on past user behavior. She is actively involved in the academic community, serving as Secretary-Treasurer for SIGMOD, on the VLDB Journal editorial board, and as a member of the Computing Research Association's Board of Directors. She previously served as General Co-Chair of SIGMOD 2020 and as Associate Head for the Undergraduate Program of the Department of Computer Science from 2018-2020.
Jonas Kuhn is a professor at the Institute for Natural Language Processing (IMS) at University of Stuttgart. He is working at the interface between language and computers, combining linguistics and computer science. Kuhn's research interests span a wide range of computational linguistics topics including: Language models and spatial reasoning Analysis of large language models (LLMs) through linguistic theories Political text analysis and discourse networks Computational approaches to literature and cultural studies Retrieval-augmented language modeling Semantic change detection Dependency parsing and syntactic analysis His recent publications (2023-2025) focus on the intersection of neural language processing with fields as diverse as spatial reasoning, literary analysis, and political discourse. This reflects his interdisciplinary approach that bridges fundamental language research with practical technology development. As a faculty member at one of Germany's largest computational linguistics centers, Kuhn contributes to both fundamental research and technological development in language processing systems.
Kirk Roberts, PhD, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Health Data Science and Artificial Intelligence at the McWilliams School of Biomedical Informatics, UTHealth Houston. He specializes in Natural Language Processing (NLP), with a focus on clinical information extraction, spatial information extraction, and medical information retrieval. His work bridges computer science, medicine, linguistics, and machine learning to improve accessibility and usability of biomedical data. Education: PhD (2013) and MS (2009) in Computer Science from the University of Texas at Dallas; BS (2005) in Computer Science from Georgia Institute of Technology. Research emphasizes NLP applications for healthcare, including question-answering systems, EHR analysis, and spatial relation extraction. He leads the TREC Clinical Decision Support track and has been recognized with a National Library of Medicine Career Development Award. His contributions span over 20 peer-reviewed publications in journals like JAMIA and conferences such as ACL and AMIA. Key areas include: advancing clinical decision support via NLP, optimizing biomedical literature retrieval, and improving health data dissemination through natural language systems.
Dr Andrea Greve is a Lecturer in the Department of Psychology at the University of Cambridge . Her research focuses on cognitive processes related to memory, prediction error, and learning mechanisms. Key areas of interest include declarative memory formation, semantic predictions, and the influence of novelty on memory retention. She has explored topics such as word learning in variable-choice paradigms, the role of hippocampal lesions in memory binding, and predictive coding in neuroimaging contexts. Her work integrates experimental psychology with neuroscience methodologies, particularly leveraging neuroimaging techniques to investigate memory systems. Notable contributions include studies on false memory effects, the nonmonotonic relationship between object-location memory and expectedness, and the impact of prior knowledge on memory encoding. Dr. Greve has also contributed to methodological advancements, such as improved MRI anonymization for MEG coregistration. While her research spans multiple decades, recent efforts (2023–2025) emphasize predictive frameworks and their applications in understanding cognitive phenomena like semantic surprise and episodic memory formation. Her findings challenge traditional assumptions about fast mapping in adults and highlight the importance of integrating computational models with empirical data. Dr. Greve collaborates extensively with neuroimaging and cognitive science teams, contributing to interdisciplinary projects that bridge theoretical and applied research in memory systems. Her work maintains a strong focus on methodological rigor, particularly in experimental design and data interpretation.
Professor Alexander Koller is a leading academic in Computational Linguistics at Saarland University's Department of Language Science and Technology. He holds a courtesy appointment in Computer Science and contributes to the Saarland Informatics Campus - one of Europe's premier computer science research centers. He leads the Computational Linguistics group and serves as speaker for the DFG-funded Research Training Group 'Neuroexplicit Models of Language, Vision, and Action'. PhD in Computer Science (Saarland University) Former positions: University of Potsdam, Columbia University, University of Edinburgh Sabbatical experiences: Meta AI (Paris), Allen Institute for AI (Seattle) His research focuses on computational modeling of meaning and reasoning in NLP, combining neural and symbolic approaches. Key contributions include semantic parsing systems like the AM parser and Alto, neurosymbolic models, and the GIVE Challenge for NLG evaluation. His recent work explores LLMs' limitations in problem-solving and compositional generalization. Recent publications highlight diverse applications across semantic parsing, dialogue systems, and LLM evaluation. Awards include ACL 2020 Best Theme Paper and multiple Outstanding Paper recognitions at ACL conferences. 2025 - AI Action Summit keynote speaker 2023 - ACL Outstanding Paper Awards 2022 - ELLIS Faculty appointment He maintains the DialogOS system for spoken dialogue development and teaches advanced computational linguistics topics. His group includes multiple postdocs and PhD students working across LLMs, dialogue systems, and semantic modeling.
Clément Mallet is a Senior Researcher and Director of the LASTIG laboratory at Université Gustave Eiffel, IGN, and École Nationale des Sciences Géographiques (ENSG) in Champs-sur-Marne, France. He leads research in geospatial computer vision, focusing on the intersection of remote sensing, computer vision, and machine learning. His responsibilities include overseeing 75 laboratory members and directing the STRUDEL research team focused on spatio-temporal information modeling. Education: Habilitation (HDR) in Geographical Information Science, Université Paris-Est (2016) PhD in Image and Signal Processing, Télécom ParisTech (2010) Engineering Degree in Geographical Information Science, ENSG (2005) Master's in Remote Sensing, Université Paris 6 (2005) Research Interests: Dr. Mallet specializes in multi-modal land-cover mapping, change detection, geohistorical image analysis, and airborne lidar processing. His work integrates deep learning with geospatial data analysis to solve complex problems in environmental monitoring, urban studies, and historical geography. Current research explores foundation models for earth observation and semantic change detection using hybrid data generation techniques. Publication Trends: Mallet's recent articles (2021-2025) demonstrate strong focus on deep learning applications for geospatial challenges: 40% address land-cover mapping innovations, 30% develop novel change detection methodologies, 20% advance lidar data processing, and 10% explore historical map analysis. His work consistently bridges computer vision theory with operational remote sensing applications. Awards and Recognition: Schwidefsky Medal from ISPRS (2016) 5x Outstanding Reviewer awards (CVPR/ECCV/ICCV 2017-2024) Best Paper Awards at GEOBIA 2016 and ISPRS 2014 Young Researcher Award from GDR ISIS (2010) EuroSDR Best PhD Thesis supervision (2020) Research Leadership: Directs multiple national and international projects including MAESTRIA (ANR-funded multi-modal EO analysis) and HIATUS (historical image analysis). Supervised 14+ PhD students in geospatial AI topics. Secured funding from ANR, CNES, EU H2020 (VOLTA, LandSense), and industrial partners. Leads the STRUDEL team developing cutting-edge methods for territory dynamics analysis. Professional Service: Editor-in-Chief of ISPRS Journal of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (2021-present). Organized major conferences including ISPRS Congress (2020-2022 Program Chair) and JURSE events. Active in ISPRS working groups since 2008, currently leading initiatives in large-scale machine learning applications for geospatial data.
Ken Forbus is the Walter P. Murphy Professor of Computer Science and Professor of Education at Northwestern University. He earned his Ph.D. in Artificial Intelligence from MIT in 1984, along with S.M. and S.B. degrees in Computer Science from the same institution. Current research focuses on qualitative reasoning , analogical reasoning , spatial reasoning , sketch understanding , and the Companion cognitive architecture . He has made foundational contributions to qualitative physics , compositional modeling , and cognitive simulation through systems like CyclePad and Companions . His work spans AI, cognitive science, and education technology with applications in intelligent tutoring systems , educational software , and interactive entertainment . Awards and Fellowships: Humboldt Research Award AAAI Fellow Cognitive Science Society Fellow ACM Fellow AAAS Fellow Herbert A. Simon Prize recipient Research trends in recent publications include analogical reasoning frameworks, normative modeling, pretense simulation, qualitative spatial representations, and applications in education and cognitive systems. Articles frequently address intersections between AI, cognitive science, and human-computer interaction. Teaching activities include core courses like Cognitive Science 207 , Design of Problem Solvers , and Conversational AI . He co-developed the open-source Freeciv game framework for AI research in strategy games.
Christopher Storie is a Professor of Geography at the University of Winnipeg, specializing in GIS, Remote Sensing, and Urban Geography. He holds an office in Lockhart Hall (5L03) and teaches courses such as Introduction to GIS, Remote Sensing, and Urbanization in the Developing World. His research focuses on Deep Learning applications for automated land use/land cover mapping, informal settlement mapping, and urban-rural fringe detection. Key research interests include leveraging neural networks for geospatial analysis, urban dynamics in regions like Mexico City, and collaborative international fieldwork. He has contributed to over 20 peer-reviewed articles since 2000, emphasizing satellite imagery analysis and environmental monitoring. His work bridges technical geospatial methods with socio-environmental challenges in urban and developing regions.
Dr. Olga Vysotska is a Researcher affiliated with the Professorship for Robotic Systems at ETH Zurich's Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering. Her work focuses on advancing robotic systems through research in sensor-based navigation, SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping), and autonomous systems. She holds a doctoral degree and is based in Zurich, Switzerland. Her email is olga.vysotska@inf.ethz.ch. Research Interests: Olga's research spans robotics, computer vision, and autonomous navigation. She specializes in LiDAR-based place recognition, SLAM algorithms, and cross-modal localization using 3D scene graphs. Her work addresses challenges such as environmental changes, sensor fusion, and data association in dynamic environments like agriculture and underground exploration. Key themes include robust localization, loop closure detection, and adaptive algorithms for real-world robotic applications. Publications Overview: Olga's recent work emphasizes diffusion-based LiDAR place recognition (2025), 4D spatial-temporal mapping for agricultural robots (2023), and SceneGraphLoc for cross-modal localization (2024). Her research trends highlight innovation in sensor integration, algorithmic robustness, and practical applications in challenging environments. Earlier contributions include exploration of catacombs with mobile robots (2013) and SLAM enhancements using public map data (2017). Grants & Advising: While specific grants or student advisement details are not listed, her active publication record suggests involvement in funded research projects. Her work often collaborates with industry and academic partners to advance robotic autonomy in complex scenarios. Labs/Teams: As part of the Robotic Systems Professorship, she likely contributes to ETH Zurich's robotics labs focused on SLAM, sensor systems, and autonomous navigation. Her projects may intersect with the Department's broader initiatives in mechanical and process engineering.
Dr. rer. nat. Thomas Hermann is a faculty member at Bielefeld University's Faculty of Engineering, leading the Ambient Intelligence Group and coordinating the Computer Science program. He specializes in sonification, auditory data science, and smart environments. Head of Ambient Intelligence Working Group Computer Science Program Coordinator Member of multiple academic advisory boards His research focuses on interactive sonification for biomedical applications, quantum systems, and smart environments. Key projects include ECG sonification for cardiac diagnosis, real-time auditory feedback in swimming, and sonic interfaces for AR cooperation. Recent publications span 2025 with Python-based sonification tools ( pya AGen ), quantum system sonification, and ST-elevation myocardial infarction monitoring. He contributes to open-access supplementary materials and interdisciplinary workshops. As a researcher , Hermann develops practical sonification frameworks like Panson for facial behavior analysis, CardioScope for portable ECG monitoring, and Base Cube One for smart environments. His work bridges academic research with industry applications.
Ziyu Yao is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science at George Mason University , co-leading the George Mason NLP Group . He is affiliated with the C4I & Cyber Center , Center for Advancing Human-Machine Partnership , and Institute for Digital InnovAtion at GMU. PhD in Computer Science and Engineering from Ohio State University (2021) Internships: Microsoft Semantic Machines, Carnegie Mellon University, Microsoft Research, Fujitsu Lab of America, Tsinghua University Research Interests: Focus on Natural Language Processing (NLP) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) , particularly advancing LLM systems through knowledge grounding , reasoning , and planning . Key areas include: Mechanistic Interpretability for LLMs Interactive Semantic Parsing/Code Generation Responsible and Trustworthy NLP Interfaces Interdisciplinary Applications in Mathematics Education and Network Communication Recent Articles (2024-2025) explore trends in LLM cascading for cost efficiency, mechanistic interpretability surveys, vision-language model reasoning, and interdisciplinary educational technology. Collaborations span institutions like Microsoft Research , William & Mary , and University of Cambridge . Scientific Awards: Presidential Fellowship (OSU Graduate School, 2020) Graduate Student Research Award (OSU CSE, 2021) Top Reviewer at NeurIPS 2023 Advising & Grants: Mentors PhD students like Murong Yue , Hao Yan , and Mohamed Aghzal . Leads NSF projects on AI-driven Mathematics Education and LLM Interpretability , alongside grants from Commonwealth Cyber Initiative and Microsoft Accelerate Foundation Models Research . Organized workshops at COLM 2025 and ICML 2025 . Labs & Teams: Co-leads the NLP Lab at GMU and collaborates with the MathVC NSF Project team (w/ Jennifer Suh, William & Mary). Develops platforms like Gentopia for tool-augmented LLMs and IntelliExplain for non-professional programmers.
Dr. Bo Liu is an Associate Professor in the School of Computer Science at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), where he serves as a core member and director of the AI Security and Privacy (AISP) Research Lab at the Australian Artificial Intelligence Institute (AAII). With expertise spanning cybersecurity, privacy protection, AI and machine learning, and wireless communications, Dr. Liu has established himself as a leading researcher in the field of AI security and privacy. Dr. Liu earned his PhD from the Department of Electronic Engineering at Shanghai Jiao Tong University in 2010. His academic journey at UTS has progressed from Senior Lecturer (November 2019-December 2022) to his current position as Associate Professor (January 2023-present). Dr. Liu's research focuses on the critical intersection of artificial intelligence and security, particularly addressing emerging threats in the age of advanced AI systems. His work spans multiple dimensions of security and privacy, including deepfake detection, privacy-preserving data synthesis, AI model security, and fair machine learning. He has pioneered approaches to detect AI-generated content, protect visual privacy through de-identification techniques, and address the complex relationship between algorithmic fairness and privacy preservation. His publication record demonstrates significant contributions across multiple cutting-edge research areas, with particular emphasis on detecting and mitigating threats from generative AI systems. His recent work reveals a strong focus on deepfake detection across multiple modalities (images, video, and audio), privacy-preserving techniques for sensitive data, and the security implications of emerging AI architectures like Retrieval-Augmented Generation systems. Dr. Liu has secured substantial research funding, including as Lead Chief Investigator on multiple ARC Discovery and Linkage Projects, totaling over $3.5 million AUD. His industry collaborations include partnerships with the NSW Department of Planning and the Reserve Bank of Australia, demonstrating the practical applicability of his research. As an academic leader, Dr. Liu serves as Associate Editor for IEEE Transactions on Broadcasting and actively contributes to the academic community through conference organization, peer review for top-tier venues, and assessment for ARC grant schemes. He also teaches courses including Penetration Testing, Ethical Hacking and Offensive Security, and supervises Masters and PhD students in cybersecurity and privacy research.
Freda Shi is an Assistant Professor at the David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science, University of Waterloo, and a Faculty Member at the Vector Institute. She holds a Canada CIFAR AI Chair. Her research focuses on computational linguistics, natural language processing (NLP), and grounded language learning, with emphasis on multilingualism and spatial reasoning in vision-language systems. She earned her Ph.D. in Computer Science from the Toyota Technological Institute at Chicago (2024), advised by Karen Livescu and Kevin Gimpel, supported by a Google Ph.D. Fellowship. Her undergraduate degree is from Peking University (2018), with a minor in Sociology. Her academic career includes affiliations with the CompLING Lab at Waterloo and contributions to major conferences like ACL and NAACL. She has organized tutorials on NLP grounding and is actively involved in research on model robustness and cognitive insights. Awards include the Google Ph.D. Fellowship and Best Paper Nominations at ACL 2024 and EMNLP 2021, alongside her Thesis of Distinction. She teaches courses such as CS 784 (Computational Linguistics) and CS 486/686 (Artificial Intelligence), emphasizing both theoretical and applied aspects of NLP. Research trends in her articles highlight advancements in vision-language spatial reasoning, multilingualism, and model interpretability. Her work bridges cognitive science and computational methods, exploring how human language mechanisms inform the design of more trustworthy AI systems. Scientific Awards: Google Ph.D. Fellowship Best Paper Nominee (ACL 2024) Best Paper Nominee (EMNLP 2021) Thesis of Distinction (2024) Advising and Grants: As an advisor, she encourages prospective students to review her guidelines. Her grants include support from the Canada CIFAR AI Chair program and the Vector Institute. She collaborates in labs such as CompLING at Waterloo and co-organizes events at NAACL and ICLR. Labs/Teams: She leads the CompLING Lab at the University of Waterloo, affiliated with the Vector Institute. Her work integrates interdisciplinary teams focusing on grounded learning and multilingual NLP challenges.
