Prof. Dr. Tobias Gemmeke is a University Professor at RWTH Aachen University's Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology, leading the Chair of Integrated Digital Systems and Circuit Design. His work focuses on neuromorphic computing, hardware accelerators, and energy-efficient electronics. He has pioneered advancements in FPGA-based computational neuroscience simulators, neuromorphic processor architectures, and sensor integration for industrial and medical applications. Research interests include time-domain computing, ReRAM reliability, and co-optimization of neural networks with hardware. Notable contributions include the neuroAIx framework for accelerated neuroscience simulations and energy-efficient ASIC designs for post-quantum cryptography. He actively explores memristive devices and domain generalization techniques for edge computing. Recent publications highlight innovations in spiking neural networks, sensor systems for plain bearings, and time-domain compute-in-memory engines. His work bridges theoretical neuroscience with practical hardware implementations, emphasizing scalability and real-time performance.
Zhibo Pang is an Adjunct Professor at KTH Royal Institute of Technology's Department of Intelligent Systems (EECS) and Senior Principal Scientist at ABB Corporate Research Sweden. His work focuses on digital transformation in industry and healthcare, spanning robotics, AI, control systems, and wireless communication. He leads projects in embodied intelligence, Industry 4.0, and Healthcare 4.0, with 23 granted patents and over 120 journal papers. Education: PhD in Electronic and Computer Systems (KTH, 2013), MBA in Innovation & Growth (University of Turku, 2012). Key Roles: IEEE Technical Committee Chair, Editor of 6 IEEE journals, ABB Inventor of the Year (2016, 2018, 2021). Research Interests: Robotics safety, wireless automation, federated learning, digital twins, and IoT security. Recent Projects: Cloud-fog automation frameworks, robot skin systems for healthcare, and latency-aware industrial control. His work bridges academia and industry through cross-functional collaborations.
Anita Hubley is a Professor at the University of British Columbia's Faculty of Education, Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education (ECPS). She serves as MERM Program Coordinator and directs the Adult Development and Psychometrics Lab. Her work focuses on psychometric test development/validation and quality of life research across adult populations. Education: Ph.D. in Psychology (Human Assessment specialization), Carleton University (1995) M.A. in Psychology (Lifespan Development and Aging), University of Victoria (1991) Pre-doctoral training at Geriatric Assessment Unit (Ottawa) and Neuropsychological Assessment Unit (Ottawa) Her research integrates psychometric theory with practical applications in aging populations, homeless/vulnerably housed individuals, and neuropsychological assessment tools. Key contributions include developing the Memory Test for Older Adults (MTOA), Hubley Depression Scale for Older Adults (HDS-OA), Quality of Life in Homeless and Hard-to-House Individuals (QoLHHI), and Subjective Age Identity Scale (SAIS). Scientific Awards: Killam Teaching Prize (2017) Distinguished Reviewer, Buros Institute of Mental Measurements (2013) She has taught graduate courses in Psychological Assessment, Measurement Principles, Scale Development, and Applied Neuropsychology, emphasizing ethical testing practices and response process research. Her lab's work on test adaptation for marginalized populations has informed international measurement standards.
Dr. Kenji Fujita is a Research Fellow at the Kolling Institute, University of Sydney, specializing in ageing, pharmacology, and pharmaceutical care quality. He holds a PhD, MScMed (ClinEpid), and BPharm from the University of Sydney. Previously a pharmacist in Japan, he leads international initiatives in the Pharmaceutical Care Network Europe (PCNE) and the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP). His work focuses on deprescribing strategies, polypharmacy, and developing quality indicators for healthcare services. Dr. Fujita’s research integrates big data analysis, statistical modeling, and machine learning to address challenges in geriatric pharmacotherapy. Current projects include validating frailty indices, evaluating deprescribing interventions in older adults, and developing NLP tools for clinical documentation analysis. He has also contributed to assessing organizational readiness for guideline implementation in community pharmacies. Awards include the 2023 Outstanding Poster Presentation Award at the IAGG Asia/Oceania Congress and 2022 Best Poster at the Japanese Society of Social Pharmacy. He has secured grants such as the 2024 electronic frailty index project and the 2021 systems-approach to medication review initiative. Dr. Fujita collaborates with global networks like J-HOP (Japan Home Visiting Pharmacy Association) and leads multidisciplinary teams across Australia and Europe. His lab focuses on translating data-driven insights into actionable clinical practices to improve medication safety and quality in ageing populations.
Nora Uglik-Marucha is an NIHR Doctoral Research Fellow at King’s College London’s Department of Biostatistics & Health Informatics, affiliated with the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience. Her work focuses on autism in women and misophonia through advanced psychometric methodologies. She holds MSc and BSc degrees in Clinical Neuropsychiatry and Psychology from King’s College London. Research interests include gender bias in autism screening tools, measurement invariance analysis, and questionnaire development. Her doctoral project develops novel autism assessment tools for women under Dr. Silia Vitoratou and Prof. Francesca Happé. Key contributions include the S-Five tool for misophonia assessment and validation studies across cultures. She has published on misophonia mechanisms, cross-cultural measurement robustness, and autism screening equity.
Joseph Sifakis is a CNRS Research Director and founder of Verimag Laboratory in Grenoble, France. He holds the INRIA-Schneider endowed industrial chair since 2008 and has been instrumental in advancing concurrent systems specification and verification. Education: Electrical Engineering (Technical University of Athens), Computer Science (University of Grenoble) Research interests focus on component-based design , real-time systems , and correct-by-construction techniques . He pioneered the development of the BIP framework and contributed to model checking, a cornerstone of industrial system verification. Recent publications emphasize component-based modeling, formal verification, and distributed system design, reflecting his work's impact on embedded systems and critical applications like aerospace and telecommunications. Scientific awards include: Turing Award (2007) CNRS Silver Medal (2001) Test-of-Time Award (2012) Multiple honorary doctorates (2008-2011) Member of prestigious academies Industry collaborations span Airbus, ST Microelectronics, and the European Space Agency, with applications in aeronautics, telecommunications, and industrial software standards. He leads the ARTIST2 Network of Excellence and directs the CARNOT Institute 'Intelligent Software and Systems'.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Esra Ece Bayat is an Associate Professor in the Civil Engineering Department at Istanbul Technical University (ITU), specializing in Earthquake Engineering, Soil Mechanics, and Geotechnics. She holds a PhD from Northeastern University (USA) and has been affiliated with ITU since 2010, progressing from Lecturer to her current rank. Her research focuses on liquefaction mitigation, soil-structure interaction, and dynamic soil behavior under seismic loads. She has led multiple projects funded by TUBITAK and BAP, including studies on induced partial saturation (IPS) techniques and p-y model development for earthquake-resistant designs. Her education includes a BSc from Middle East Technical University (1997–2002) and a PhD from Northeastern University (2004–2009). She has served in administrative roles such as Erasmus Coordinator and Education Coordinator, emphasizing international collaboration and academic development. Her work contributes to UN Sustainable Development Goals related to resilient infrastructure and disaster risk reduction. Dr. Bayat has published extensively on topics like dynamic soil behavior, liquefaction assessment, and foundation systems. Her research combines experimental methods (e.g., laminar soil containers, shaking table tests) with numerical modeling (e.g., FLAC 3D, SASSI). Recent work addresses the 2023 Kahramanmaraş earthquake’s impact on foundation systems in Iskenderun. She has advised over 20 graduate students and holds the ASCE Thomas Middlebrooks Award (2014).
Dr. Merry Mani is an Associate Professor in Radiology and Imaging Sciences and Biomedical Engineering, specializing in biomedical imaging and signal processing. Her work focuses on advancing MRI-based imaging technologies to study neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's, Autism, and Epilepsy. She holds a Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Rochester (2014) and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Iowa School of Medicine (2018). Her research combines biophysical modeling with machine learning to explore brain microstructures. Key achievements include the NNARSAD Young Investigator Grant and NIH-funded projects like 'Fast Multi-dimensional Diffusion MRI with Sparse Sampling'. Her lab develops cutting-edge reconstruction methods like qModeL and MUSSELS, prioritizing high spatio-temporal resolution imaging. Major contributions span diffusion MRI acquisition, model-based deep learning, and clinical applications in neurodegenerative diseases. Notable grants include NIH R01EB031169 for Alzheimer’s neurodegeneration studies and projects on rTMS for depression. Her work bridges imaging innovation with clinical impact, aiming to improve diagnosis and treatment through advanced imaging biomarkers.
Thomas Grote is a Research Fellow at the University of Tübingen's Ethics and Philosophy Lab within the Cluster of Excellence 'Machine Learning: New Perspectives for Science'. His research focuses on philosophical and ethical dimensions of artificial intelligence, particularly interpretability, fairness, and reliability in medical and social contexts. He co-supervises the Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung-funded project 'Certification and Foundations of Safe Machine Learning Systems in Healthcare' and co-organizes the 'Philosophy of Science Meets Machine Learning' conference series. Research Focus Grote's interdisciplinary work bridges philosophy of science and applied AI ethics. Key areas include: Methodological foundations of AI ethics and epistemology Clinical reliability and safety of ML systems Fairness metrics in sociotechnical healthcare systems Interpretability requirements for medical AI Computational psychiatry and evolving mental health frameworks His recent publications demonstrate strong emphasis on healthcare applications, with critical analyses of reliability in foundation models, ethical paradigms for LLMs, and rethinking evaluation methodologies at the epistemology-ethics interface.
Sharon Abrahams is a Professor of Neuropsychology and holds a Personal Chair at the University of Edinburgh's School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences. She leads research in clinical and experimental neuropsychology, focusing on neurodegenerative diseases like motor neurone disease/ALS and frontotemporal dementia. Her work integrates neuroimaging, cognitive assessment, and clinical intervention. She is affiliated with the Euan MacDonald Centre for Motor Neurone Disease, the Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, and Edinburgh Neuroscience. Current PhD students include Monica de Icaza Valenzuela, Debbie Gray, and Caroline McHutchison. Abrahams has secured over 17 research grants since 2008, including projects on cognitive screening in MND, apathy impact, and the ECAS tool. Her research emphasizes cognitive and behavioral changes in ALS, with a focus on early detection, staging, and patient quality of life. Notable contributions include the Edinburgh Cognitive and Behavioural ALS Screen (ECAS), validated across multiple languages and populations.
Alan Marco is an Associate Professor at the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School of Public Policy within Georgia Tech's Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts. His research focuses on innovation policy, patent economics, and intellectual property strategy. Previously, he served as Chief Economist at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), where he co-created PatentsView.org and led the Cancer Moonshot Patent Challenge. Research interests span antitrust regulation, patent valuation, technology markets, and empirical legal studies. Marco holds a Ph.D. in economics from UC Berkeley and a B.A. from Skidmore College. Publications demonstrate expertise in patent analytics, with recent work examining strategic citation behaviors, FRAND royalty calculations, and links between antitrust enforcement and innovation. Research methodologies emphasize large-scale data analysis of USPTO records, litigation outcomes, and market transactions.
Pascale Biron is a Professor in the Department of Geography, Urban Planning and Environment at Concordia University, Montreal. She holds a Ph.D. in Geography from Université de Montréal (1995) and has been with Concordia since 1998. Her research focuses on river dynamics, stream restoration for fish habitat, flood modeling, and climate change impacts. She specializes in hydrogeomorphology, river management in agricultural watersheds, and numerical modeling of fluvial processes. Research Interests: Her work includes river restoration strategies, flood risk assessment using LiDAR technology, and the 'river freedom' concept promoting ecosystem resilience. She collaborates closely with government agencies to translate research into practical river management policies. Professional Affiliations: Canadian Geomorphology Research Group, Canadian Association of Geographers, American Geophysical Union, GRIL (Limnology Research Group), and RIISQ (Quebec Flood Risk Network). Publications & Research: Recent studies address global salmonid biomass patterns, fluvial hazard detection via machine learning, and large-scale flood modeling. She supervises 19 graduate students in Ph.D./M.Sc. programs in Geography and Environmental Studies, focusing on topics like river confluence hydraulics and agricultural stream restoration. Grants & Funding: Active projects include river dynamics in fish habitats, flood modeling for road infrastructure vulnerability, and computational fluid dynamics simulations of river flows. She also leads research on societal dimensions of river restoration and policy frameworks for flood resilience.
Reed Stevens is a Professor in the Learning Sciences department at Northwestern University's School of Education and Social Policy (SESP). He holds a PhD in Cognitive Studies in Education from UC Berkeley (1999), an MA from UC Berkeley (1994), and a BA in Mathematics from Pomona College (1987). His research focuses on understanding learning across diverse settings including classrooms, workplaces, and museums, emphasizing how mathematical and technological practices shape cognition. Stevens develops tools like VideoTraces for media annotation and designs innovative educational models such as FUSE Studios to create scalable, interest-driven learning environments. His work bridges cognitive science and sociocultural studies, employing methods like audio-video ethnography and conversation analysis. Key themes include spatial reasoning in making activities, teacher adaptation to facilitator roles, and the diffusion of educational innovations. Stevens collaborates with industry partners to integrate real-world practices into school curricula, addressing challenges in scaling STEAM initiatives and fostering equitable participation. His research has implications for teacher training, curriculum design, and the development of technology-mediated learning tools. Stevens' recent work explores civic data science applications, professional learning in trades like coffee roasting, and the redefinition of scientific practices in education. He actively contributes to debates on expanding what counts as valid scientific inquiry and has published extensively on learning pathways, institutional adoption of innovations, and the role of agency in student-driven projects.
Emmanuel Stamatakis is a Professor of Physical Activity, Lifestyle, and Population Health at the University of Sydney's School of Health Sciences (Faculty of Medicine and Health). He holds NHMRC Leadership Fellowships (2021-2025 and 2026-2030) and leads the Charles Perkins Centre's Physical Activity & Exercise Theme. His research focuses on lifestyle behaviors' impacts on cardiometabolic conditions, cancer, and cardiovascular health, using large-scale cohort studies and wearable device data. Key roles include directing the Mackenzie Wearables Research Hub and co-chairing WHO's Physical Activity Guidelines Development Group. Education: PhD from University of Bristol (2003), post-doctoral training at University College London. He leads the ProPASS consortium, involving 45 cohorts with wearable data. Over 460 peer-reviewed publications, including Clarivate's Highly Cited list since 2019. Research interests integrate physical activity, sedentary behavior, and sleep analytics with clinical outcomes. Current projects explore wearables-based measurement innovations, SPAN (sleep-physical activity-nutrition) synergies, and intervention designs for GLP-1 receptor agonist users. Recent articles emphasize VILPA (vigorous intermittent lifestyle physical activity) benefits, sleep-cardiovascular links, and multimodal lifestyle optimization. Awards include Australia's Top Researcher in Sports Medicine and multiple NHMRC grants. Supervises PhD projects on physical activity measurement and intervention design. Active in 50+ peer-reviewed journals and national/international funding bodies.
Carlo Alberto Furia is an Associate Professor and Vice Dean at the Faculty of Informatics, Università della Svizzera italiana (USI). He is affiliated with the Software Institute, where he leads the ATOM research group. His academic journey includes prior roles as an Associate Professor at Chalmers University of Technology and a Senior Researcher at ETH Zurich’s Chair of Software Engineering. PhD in Computer Science, Politecnico di Milano Master of Science in Computer Science, University of Illinois at Chicago Laurea in Computer Science and Engineering, Politecnico di Milano His research centers on formal methods for software engineering, aiming to enhance software correctness, reliability, and quality through rigorous techniques. Key areas include automated program verification, contract-based development, loop invariant inference, and empirical evaluation using Bayesian data analysis. He emphasizes practical applicability and automation in formal methods. His recent publications reflect a strong focus on program analysis at the bytecode level, multilingual software analysis, automated repair of Android security issues, and empirical methodologies. These works span topics such as JVM substitutability, exception behavior in Java bytecode, and information flow security, demonstrating a consistent thread in improving software robustness through formal and automated techniques. He is actively involved in the software engineering research community as an Associate Editor of the Empirical Software Engineering (EMSE) journal and as a Program Committee member for major conferences including FASE, FM, ASE, ICSE, and CauSE. Carlo Furia has advised multiple research projects and supervised student theses. He has led and contributed to funded research initiatives, particularly in program analysis and verification. His group has developed tools such as AutoProof and other software artifacts available through the ATOM software page. He regularly teaches courses such as Software Analysis, Programming Fundamentals, and Software Design & Modeling. He leads the ATOM research group, which focuses on advancing automated techniques for software testing, analysis, and verification. The group develops practical tools and conducts empirical studies to validate research outcomes.
