Prof. Dr. Oliver Krüger is a behavioral ecologist and evolutionary biologist at Bielefeld University 's Faculty of Biology , where he leads the Department of Animal Behaviour since 2013. His research spans avian and marine mammal systems, focusing on life history strategies, parasite-host interactions, and environmental adaptation. Education: Biology studies at Bielefeld University (1994-1996) MSc in Oxford (1996-1997) PhD at Bielefeld University with Fritz Trillmich and Jan Lindström (1998-2000) Research Themes: Behavioral ecology, evolutionary biology, and population dynamics across tropical and temperate ecosystems. Key projects include NC³ (Niche Choice/Construction) and studies on Galápagos sea lions, common buzzards, and pinniped species. Scientific Leadership: Spokesperson, SFB TRR 212 "NC³" (2018-2025) Advisory Board member: German Ornithologists Union, IUCN SSC pinniped group, German Primate Centre Peer review roles: Humboldt Foundation, DFG, HFSP, NSF Awards: Leopoldina Prize (2001) Niko Tinbergen Award (2008) DFG Heisenberg Professorship (2010-2015)
Univ.-Prof. Torsten Möller, PhD is a Professor at the University of Vienna and serves as Head of the Research Group Visualization and Data Analysis and Head of the Research Network Data Science. His work spans data visualization, visual analytics, and human-computer interaction, with a focus on biomedical, environmental, and societal data applications. Academic rank: Professor Research group: Visualization and Data Analysis Network: Data Science Email: torsten.moeller@univie.ac.at Research interests include: Visual data analysis for complex systems Interdisciplinary applications in climate science and medicine Human-computer interaction in data exploration Image processing and computer graphics Recent publication trends show expertise in: Visualizing climate change and pandemic data Multi-volumetric and network analysis Algorithmic transparency and user-centered design Interdisciplinary collaborations (e.g., astrophysics, medical imaging) Statistical and uncertainty visualization Design frameworks for visualization recommendation Teaching includes courses in: Computer graphics and visualization Image processing and analysis Human-computer interaction Data analysis projects Doctoral research seminars
Christian Schlag is a Professor at the Finance Department of Goethe University Frankfurt’s Faculty of Economics and Business , where he also serves as Dean. He leads the Chair of Derivatives and Financial Engineering and coordinates young researchers at the Leibniz Institute for Financial Research SAFE. His research focuses on equilibrium asset pricing, derivative securities, and empirical capital market analysis. Research Trends : Schlag’s recent work explores volatility dynamics, climate risk in asset pricing, return predictability, and investor behavior. His 2023 publications examine time-varying consumption growth risk, equity factors, and individual stock volatility models. Earlier studies (2021–2015) address pricing kernels, welfare costs of temperature volatility, and model mis-specification in hedging. Student Placements : Former advisees hold positions at institutions like the European Central Bank, INSEAD, Australian National University, and Warwick Business School. His Chair of Derivatives and Financial Engineering collaborates with networks across Europe, North America, and Asia.
Dr. Amir Hakami is a Professor in the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering at Carleton University , where he leads the Carleton Atmospheric Modelling Group . His research focuses on advanced air quality modeling techniques to inform environmental policy. Degrees: B.Sc. (Polytechnic of Tehran), M.Sc., Ph.D. (Georgia Tech), Postdoc (Caltech) Contact: Office 3454 Mackenzie Building, Phone: 613-520-2600 ext. 8609, Email: amir.hakami@carleton.ca Research Interests: Air quality modeling at multiple spatial scales Adjoint sensitivity analysis for atmospheric response Inverse modeling and data assimilation techniques Uncertainty quantification in environmental systems Interdisciplinary applications in policy, public health, and economics Teaching: Courses include Environmental Engineering Systems Modeling , Contaminant Transport , and Air Pollution & Emissions Control at undergraduate and graduate levels. Research Group: The group includes Ph.D. candidates, postdoctoral fellows, and alumni working on topics ranging from atmospheric chemistry to sustainable energy systems. Members come from diverse backgrounds in engineering, science, and policy disciplines.
George J. Mailath is the Walter H. Annenberg Professor in the Social Sciences and Professor of Economics at the University of Pennsylvania, and an Honorary Professor at the Research School of Economics, Australian National University. He specializes in microeconomics, noncooperative game theory, repeated games, and the theory of reputations. His research explores pricing strategies, evolutionary game theory, and social norms. Mailath is a Fellow of prestigious institutions including the American Academy of Arts & Sciences and the Econometric Society. He served on the Econometric Society Council (2013-2015, 2020-2023), Game Theory Society Council (2005-2011), and co-founded Theoretical Economics . His editorial roles include editorships at Econometrica , Review of Economic Studies , and others. His 2019 book Modeling Strategic Behavior provides graduate-level insights into game theory and mechanism design. Mailath’s articles focus on strategic interactions, reputation effects, and dynamic game theory. Notable works include analyses of trust in risk-sharing mechanisms and coalition-proof strategies under frictions. His research emphasizes long-term strategic behavior and institutional design.
Mizuko (Mimi) Ito is a cultural anthropologist and learning scientist at the University of California, Irvine, serving as Director of the Connected Learning Lab and holder of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Chair in Digital Media and Learning. She previously held research appointments at Keio University and the University of Southern California. Ito earned dual PhDs in Education and Anthropology from Stanford University and a BA in East Asian Studies from Harvard University. Education: PhD in Education, Stanford University PhD in Anthropology, Stanford University Bachelor's Degree in East Asian Studies, Harvard University Research Interests: Ito's work focuses on leveraging youth interests and digital media to foster equitable, socially connected learning. Her research spans mobile media culture in Japan, youth social media engagement in the US, and global adoption of children's media. She developed the connected learning framework, emphasizing youth-centered, equity-oriented approaches to education in the digital age. Grants & Partnerships: Ito has secured funding from major organizations including the MacArthur Foundation, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, National Science Foundation, and Microsoft Research. She co-founded the Connected Learning Alliance to advance research and impact in technology and learning. Awards: Recipient of the Jan Hawkins Award for Early Career Contributions (AERA) Labs & Initiatives: Directs the Connected Learning Lab at UC Irvine, which explores opportunities and risks of digital media in education. The Lab collaborates with global networks to design inclusive learning ecosystems.
Jampel Dell'Angelo is an Associate Professor with ius promovendi in Water Governance and Politics at the Department of Environmental Policy Analysis, Institute for Environmental Studies (IVM), Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. He holds concurrent roles as a Visiting Scholar at the University of California, Berkeley's Ecohydrology Lab, and an Environmental Governance Affiliate Scholar at SESYNC, Maryland. His research focuses on multilevel dimensions of water governance, climate adaptation in African irrigation systems, and transnational land investments' impacts. He leads the EU-funded NEWAVE project, coordinating 15 Early Stage Researchers across 10 institutions. Educated with a dual PhD in Environmental Science (Autonomous University of Barcelona) and International Cooperation (Sapienza University), he also holds advanced degrees from the LSE, Sapienza, Curtin, and the University of Siena. As Editor-in-Chief of World Development , he promotes interdisciplinary research on socio-environmental systems. His work contributes to UN SDGs related to clean water, sustainable cities, and responsible production. Research interests span water grabbing dynamics, socio-ecological resilience, and policy frameworks for equitable resource management. Recent projects address Mediterranean water scarcity solutions and the socio-political implications of global land rushes. He supervises PhD candidates exploring themes like water democracy, agrifood transitions, and environmental justice. Key contributions include pioneering analysis of 'water commons grabbing' and documenting the Global Water Grab Syndrome. His documentary work complements field research, such as Working Together: Research and Water Governance on Mount Kenya . Current projects emphasize innovative governance models and climate-resilient water management in transboundary contexts.
Shinji Watanabe is an Associate Professor at Carnegie Mellon University's Language Technologies Institute and a Courtesy Professor in the Electrical and Computer Engineering department. He holds a Ph.D. (Dr. Eng.) from Waseda University, Japan, and has held research roles at NTT Communication Science Laboratories, Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories (MERL), and Johns Hopkins University. His research focuses on automatic speech recognition, speech enhancement, and machine learning for speech processing. Watanabe has published over 300 peer-reviewed papers and received the Best Paper Award at IEEE ASRU 2019. His work emphasizes robust speech processing in challenging environments, multilingual models, and neural audio codecs. He leads the ESPnet toolkit development for end-to-end speech processing systems and contributes to technical committees like IEEE SLTC and APSIPA SLA. Recent research trends include streaming speech systems, universal speech enhancement (URGENT challenges), and fusion of discrete speech units with self-supervised representations. He explores scalable speech foundation models through benchmarks like ML-SUPERB 2.0 and investigates cross-modal audio-visual processing in challenges like MISP 2025. Education : B.S., M.S., Ph.D. (Waseda University) Affiliations : CMU Language Technologies Institute, CMU ECE, Former roles at MERL and Johns Hopkins Key Projects : ESPnet, OpenWhisper-Style Models, URGENT Challenge Frameworks
Nancy Pollard is a Professor at Carnegie Mellon University, affiliated with both the Robotics Institute and the Computer Science Department. Her research focuses on understanding physical interaction with the environment through robotics and computer graphics, particularly in areas like dexterous manipulation, human motion analysis, and soft robotics. She explores how human examples can inform robot control policies and create natural-looking animations. Her work bridges robotics and graphics to solve challenges such as optimizing motion for humanoid robots and improving the realism of animated hands. Key projects include developing fast physically plausible motion techniques, studying hand motion complexity, and creating intuitive tools for modeling hand-object interactions. She also investigates the physical correctness thresholds in graphics and the design of affordable soft robotic hands for real-world applications like agriculture. Recent publications highlight advancements in motion retargeting for anthropomorphic manipulations, co-optimization of soft robotic hand design and control, and frameworks for sensor placement in soft hands. Her research emphasizes human-inspired approaches to robotics and the application of biomechanical insights to improve robotic dexterity. Pollard advises students such as Arjun Lakshmipathy and collaborates on projects involving both academic and industrial applications. Her work has been supported by grants focused on robotics design and simulation-based manipulation capture.
Prof. Dennis Komm is an Associate Professor at ETH Zurich's Department of Computer Science, leading the group for Algorithms and Didactics. He chairs the Center for Computer Science Education (ABZ) and serves on committees such as the Swiss Maturity Board (Schweizerische Maturitätskommission) and the STEM Commission of the Swiss Academies. Previously, he held roles at RWTH Aachen University (Master's, 2008), ETH Zurich (PhD, 2012), University of Zurich (external lecturer, 2014–2020), and PH Graubünden (including department head and professor of 'Fachdidaktik Informatik'). Education: He completed a Master's in Computer Science at RWTH Aachen (2008), a PhD at ETH Zurich (2012), and studies in Information Technology at Queensland University of Technology (2006). His academic journey includes visiting roles at King's College, Stanford, and Comenius University. He has taught extensively across institutions, emphasizing Python and LOGO-based approaches for beginners. Research focuses on algorithm design, approximation algorithms, reoptimization, and advice complexity in theoretical CS. His work in education explores computational thinking, programming pedagogy (especially for K–12), and interdisciplinary approaches (e.g., robotics in math). Recent trends in his articles highlight advancements in online algorithms, optimization under dynamic conditions, and initiatives to integrate CS into Swiss school curricula sustainably. He actively promotes CS education through platforms like WebTigerPython and collaborates on projects such as CyberQuest and MINTerlink. His outreach includes organizing conferences (e.g., STIU 2025) and workshops on programming and cybersecurity for teachers and students. Despite no listed scientific awards, his contributions to education and theoretical CS are recognized through editorial roles in journals like Informatics in Education and contributions to the TigerJython Group. Grant-related advising includes co-supervising doctoral theses on robotics, USOs, and programming didactics. He advocates for equitable educational opportunities via the Passerelle exam and the Swiss Beaver Competition. His team's work spans teacher training, didactic certifications, and bridging university-school collaborations through initiatives like MINTerlink. Labs and teams: Head of ABZ (ETH's CS education center), collaborator with the Computational Robotics Lab, and part of the TigerJython Group. He also co-organizes the Colloquium on Mathematics, Computer Science, and Education with ETH's Mathematics Department.
Jan O. Jonsson is a Professor of Sociology at Nuffield College, University of Oxford. His primary research focuses on social stratification, including educational inequality, class structure, and social mobility. He also studies ethnic stratification, particularly through his role as Principal Investigator (PI) for Sweden in the comparative CILS4EU project on minority schoolchildren integration. Jonsson oversees the Swedish Level-of-Living Survey (LNU), shaping his interest in welfare distribution analysis. His work bridges macro-level social structures with micro-level individual experiences, emphasizing intergenerational processes and immigrant integration. Research interests prominently feature studies on educational attainment disparities, immigrant integration dynamics in Sweden and Europe, and the social consequences of economic hardship. His recent work explores occupational aspirations among immigrant youth, mental health advantages of immigrant backgrounds, and policy impacts on child poverty during economic crises. As PI for CILS4EU, Jonsson leads a multinational study investigating educational and social integration trajectories of second-generation immigrants across Europe. His contributions include analyzing Sweden’s ‘middle way’ between social mobility and inequality patterns, and evaluating educational expansion strategies’ equity impacts. He has authored numerous articles on poverty measurement, family influences on mobility, and the role of education in socioeconomic reproduction. Key projects include the Level-of-Living Survey (LNU), which tracks welfare metrics, and comparative studies on social mobility across nations. His work frequently engages with policy implications of structural inequities, offering evidence-based insights for educational and social policies.
Professor Jacqueline Manuel is a Professor of English Education and Curriculum Coordinator for Secondary English at the University of Sydney's Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. She holds a PhD (UNE), DipEd (UNE), and BA (Hons I) from the University of New England. Her research focuses on secondary English education, curriculum history, teacher development, and teenage reading practices. She coordinates the English curriculum methodology for the Master of Teaching (Secondary) program and advises multiple PhD students. Current projects include co-editing volumes on English teacher development and leading international collaborations like the Professional Lives of English Language Arts Teachers Project. She has held significant roles in curriculum committees and boards, including chairing NSW Board of Studies committees and serving on AITSL panels. Key research interests span educational history, teacher professional identity, creativity in arts education, and early career teacher support. Notable publications include Reimagining Shakespeare Education (2023) and Teenagers and Reading (2012). Awards include the 2018 Alan Laughlin Award for Educational Leadership and 2016 Outstanding Service Award. Professor Manuel collaborates with institutions like the International Federation for the Teaching of English (IFTE) and chairs multiple editorial boards. Her work integrates international perspectives, emphasizing English as an emancipatory subject promoting social justice.
Leigh Spanner is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science at Saint Mary’s University (Faculty of Arts). She holds a PhD from the University of Alberta and previously served as a postdoctoral fellow at Mount Saint Vincent University. Her research focuses on feminist-informed analyses of Canadian national security, military policies, and veteran life, emphasizing gender, global security, and the intersections of intimate life with state structures. Education: PhD in Political Science, University of Alberta (2019) MA in Political Science, Memorial University of Newfoundland (2013) BA (Hons) in Political Science and Public Administration, University of Ottawa (2008) Research Interests: Dr. Spanner explores how gender, inequality, and political economy shape military families, veteran transitions, and security policies. She examines the role of households and caregiving in sustaining global security frameworks, with a focus on Canadian Armed Forces and Veterans Affairs Canada policies. Grants & Collaborations: Her monograph on military families was funded by SSHRC. She collaborates with DND MINDS Collaborative Network and previously with the Defence Security Foresight Group. Recent work includes policy contracts with Veterans Affairs Canada. Labs/Networks: Active member of military culture research networks, including the DND MINDS Collaborative Network.
Shaker A. Zahra is the Robert E. Buuck Chair of Entrepreneurship and Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship at the Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota. He has served as department chair for 9 years, Director of the Holmes Center for Entrepreneurship for 10 years, and Academic Co-Director of Carlson Ventures Enterprises. Previously, he held positions as Paul T. Babson Distinguished Professor of Entrepreneurship at Babson College and Professor of Strategy & Entrepreneurship at Georgia State University. His educational background includes: PhD in Business Administration, Business Policy & Managerial Economics from University of Mississippi MBA (with Distinction) in Management/MIS from National University B. Commerce (with Honors) in Management from Al-Azhar University Dr. Zahra's research focuses on international entrepreneurship, corporate entrepreneurship, technological innovation in global industries, and dynamic capabilities. His work examines how firms navigate global markets, develop innovative capabilities, and create value through strategic entrepreneurship. He studies industry emergence, strategic choices in entrepreneurial firms, and the evolution of novelty in company strategies, contributing significantly to knowledge-based and dynamic capabilities perspectives. His extensive publication record spans leading journals including Academy of Management publications, Strategic Management Journal, Journal of International Business Studies, and Journal of Business Venturing. His research covers diverse industries such as robotics, software applications, mobile applications, video games, pharmaceuticals, and nanotechnology across multiple countries including China, Brazil, India, and several European nations. Scientific recognition includes: 2014 Global Award for Entrepreneurship Research Multiple Best Paper Awards from leading journals Five honorary PhD degrees from prestigious institutions worldwide Research.com Business and Management in United States Leader Award (2022-2025) Fellowships in Academy of Management and other professional associations Dr. Zahra has advised or served on committees for over 75 PhD students and has received multiple teaching awards including the Mentor Award from the Entrepreneurship Division of the Academy of Management. His leadership extends to editorial roles on over 25 journal editorial boards and service as Chair of the Entrepreneurship Division of the Academy of Management. He has been a keynote speaker at more than 40 international conferences and has consulted for major global technology companies. His research projects span multiple countries and industries, examining how firms develop capabilities to compete in global markets. He has established several research centers including the Center for Integrative Leadership at the University of Minnesota and has directed major entrepreneurship research conferences including the Babson Kauffman Entrepreneurship Research Conference.
Zohreh Pourzolfaghar is an Assistant Professor in Management Information Systems (MIS) at the School of Business, Maynooth University (MU). She serves as Director of the IT-Enable Innovation Programme and cluster lead for the Digital Construction cluster at the Innovation Value Institute (IVI). She is also a member of Lero, the SFI Research Centre for Software. Education: PhD in Project Management (University Putra Malaysia, 2011); MSc in Management Systems and Productivity; BSc in Software Engineering. Research Interests : Focuses on digital transformation for SMEs, information management in construction, and smart city architectures. Leads EU-funded projects like EnTrust (agri-data governance), DIGI+ (sustainable digital transformation), and DigiFABs (food & beverage SMEs). Co-PI for projects such as GDI-IE (genomic data infrastructure) and PERFORM (digital retail innovation). Grants & Awards : Secured funding from SFI, Enterprise Ireland, and EU. Notable awards include the BIM Hero Award (2022) and Research Engaged Award (2022). Teaching : Courses include Digital Business, Digital Technology Governance, and Enterprise Architecture. Advises PhD students in MIS and digital transformation. Industry Collaboration : Works with firms like ArcDox and Corballis Technologies on BIM standards and data governance. Active in national and EU policy networks, including NSAI committees.
