Aishwarya Agrawal is an Assistant Professor at Université de Montréal in the Department of Computer Science and Operations Research (DIRO), affiliated with Mila – Quebec Institute of Artificial Intelligence and a Canada CIFAR AI Chair. She also serves as a research scientist at Google DeepMind, spending one day weekly there. Education: B.E. in Electrical Engineering (IIT Gandhinagar, 2014), Ph.D. in Computer Science (Georgia Tech, 2019). Her research focuses on multimodal learning , deep learning , natural language processing , and computer vision , particularly in developing AI systems that 'see' and 'communicate' effectively. Grants & Awards: Canada CIFAR AI Chair, 2020 Sigma Xi Best PhD Thesis Award, NVIDIA Fellowship (2018–2019), and multiple fellowships from Google and Facebook. She leads projects like Advancing Multimodal Vision-Language Learning (CRSNG-funded) and StarDoc: Document Structure Extraction (MITACS). Research Contributions: Pioneered benchmarks like CulturalVQA and UI-Vision , and frameworks such as PROGRESS for efficient VLM training. Her work emphasizes cross-modal alignment, robust evaluation, and cultural understanding in AI systems. Labs/Teams: Active in Mila’s core academic group and collaborates with Google DeepMind on multimodal and vision-language research. Supervises a dynamic team of PhD and master’s students in Montreal.
Junfu Zhang is a Professor of Economics and Department Chair at Clark University. His research focuses on applied microeconomics, particularly urban and regional economics, with an emphasis on urbanization in China, entrepreneurship, regional development, and racial housing segregation. He holds a B.A. from Renmin University of China (1993), and M.A. and Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University (1999, 2001). Prior to joining Clark in 2006, he was a research fellow at the Public Policy Institute of California and a Brookings Institution fellow (2000–2001). He has been an IZA Research Fellow since 2007 and served as President of the Chinese Economists Society (2019–2020). Education: B.A., International Economics, Renmin University of China, 1993 M.A., Economics, Clark University, 1997 M.A., Economics, Johns Hopkins University, 1999 Ph.D., Economics, Johns Hopkins University, 2001 Research Interests: Dr. Zhang's research explores urbanization dynamics in China, including land use policies, housing tenure systems, and economic segregation. His work also addresses entrepreneurship, high-tech industrial clusters, and the economic impacts of urbanization. Recent studies include analyses of land regulation, Super Bowl economic effects, and gender competition in labor markets. Recent Research Trends: His articles reflect a focus on China's socio-economic challenges, such as urban land policies, housing wealth effects, and regional development disparities. Collaborative projects with institutions like IZA and CES highlight interdisciplinary engagement. Awards and Affiliations: IZA Research Fellow (2007–present) Former President, Chinese Economists Society (2019–2020) Advising and Grants: No specific grant or student advising details are listed, though his research often involves collaborative teams. His work is supported by institutional affiliations and academic networks. Labs and Teams: No dedicated labs are mentioned, but his research engages interdisciplinary teams focusing on urban economics and regional policy.
Dr. Yamin Zhang (张亚敏) holds a Presidential Young Professorship as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering at the National University of Singapore (NUS), College of Engineering. She leads the Zhang Group which focuses on interdisciplinary research at the intersection of electrochemistry, materials science, and biomedical engineering. 07/2023 – 01/2024: Research Associate, Northwestern University 02/2021 – 06/2023: Postdoctoral Fellow, Northwestern University 08/2016 – 12/2020: Ph.D., Chemical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology 09/2012 – 07/2016: B.S., Chemical Engineering, Tianjin University; B.S., Finance (Double Major), Nankai University Dr. Zhang's research centers on developing advanced electrochemical strategies for next-generation medical devices (implantable, bioresorbable, and wearable) and sustainable energy solutions. Her work bridges bioelectronics , battery technology , and medical therapeutics , with particular emphasis on creating devices that can safely dissolve in the body after serving their purpose. Key areas include bioresorbable optoelectronic systems for electrotherapy, self-powered drug delivery platforms, and eco-safe battery technologies that can harmlessly resorb in biological environments. Analysis of Dr. Zhang's publication record reveals a clear trajectory from fundamental battery chemistry (2021-2022) toward increasingly sophisticated medical applications (2023-2025). Her recent work demonstrates mastery in integrating multiple functionalities into single bioresorbable platforms, as evidenced by her Nature (2025) paper on millimeter-scale optoelectronic systems for electrotherapy and Cell Biomaterials (2025) paper on wireless bioelectronic devices. The research shows strong interdisciplinary collaboration with leading institutions including Northwestern University and Georgia Tech. AHA Early Faculty Independence Award (2023) MIT ChemE Rising Stars (2022) Sigma Xi Best PhD Thesis Award (2021) Chinese Government Award for Outstanding Students Abroad (2021) A*STAR MTC Young Individual Research Grants (YIRG) (2025) Early Career Board Member for ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces (2025) Dr. Zhang has secured significant research funding including the AHA's Second Century Early Faculty Independence Award as Principal Investigator (2023) and the A*STAR MTC Young Individual Research Grant (2025). Her group serves on advisory boards for Cell Biomaterials and ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces. The Zhang Group at NUS maintains active collaborations with Northwestern University researchers including the Rogers group, with whom she has co-authored multiple high-impact publications in Nature, Science, and PNAS. Current research focuses on advancing battery technology and developing sophisticated electrochemical strategies for medical devices with an overarching focus on healthcare innovation and environmental sustainability.
Jeff Huang is an Associate Professor and Associate Chair of Computer Science at Brown University. His research focuses on Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), with emphases on personalized systems using behavioral data, health informatics, and user interfaces. Huang holds a PhD from the University of Washington and degrees from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His work is funded by NSF, NIH, and ARO, and he has received awards including the NSF CAREER Award and ARO Young Investigator Award. Education: PhD in Information Science, University of Washington (2013) MS in Computer Science, University of Washington (2013) BS and MS in Computer Science, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (2007) Research Interests: His work spans health informatics (e.g., sleep tracking systems like Self-E and SleepCoacher), user interface design, and leveraging behavioral data for personalized systems. Notable projects include WebGazer (webcam eye tracking), filtered.ink (creative illustration tools), and Sochiatrist (mental health analytics). Teaching: He teaches courses on user interfaces, HCI, and research methods, including CSCI 0130/1300 (User Interfaces), CSCI 2300 (HCI Seminar), and CSCI 2000 (Research Methods). Awards: NSF CAREER Award Facebook Fellowship ARO Young Investigator Award Grants & Advising: Huang leads a research group advising over 50 students, many of whom have pursued academic and industry roles. His grants support projects in HCI, health tech, and collaborative systems.
Ryan Stones is a Lecturer at the City Law School , City, University of London, specializing in competition law, behavioral economics, and the intersection of legal philosophy with antitrust enforcement. His work critically examines the application of the formal rule of law to EU competition policy and analyzes historical schools of antitrust thought like the Chicago School and Ordoliberalism.
Ashwin BALIGA is an Assistant Professor of Sales at IÉSEG School of Management , France, since 2022. He holds a Ph.D. in B2B Marketing from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (2022), a Master of Technology in Engineering Management (2015), and a Bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering (2011). Ph.D. in B2B Marketing, Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (2022) Masters of Technology in Engineering Management, Manipal Institute of Technology (2015) Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering, National Institute of Engineering, Mysore (2011) His research focuses on B2B Service Failure & Recovery , Mental Health in B2B Sales , Technology in B2B Sales , and Buyer-Supplier Relationships . Recent work includes systematic reviews and morphological analyses of DEI in B2B selling, mental health impacts, and tech-driven sales strategies. In 2025, he received the Best Reviewer Award from the Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management (JHTM). Additional accolades include the Sri N Kannan Prize for Best PhD Thesis in Marketing (2022), multiple gold medals for academic excellence (2015, 2011), and recognition for research contributions at NASMEI and the Sheth Foundation Doctoral Consortium. Baliga teaches Selling Techniques at the bachelor’s level and Services Marketing and Sales Management at the master’s level. He is a member of the Laboratory of Economics and Management (LEM) and has contributed to journals like the Journal of Personal Selling and Sales Management, Journal of Business Research, and the International Journal of Mineral Processing.
Dr Rod Thornton is a Senior Lecturer in Russian Defence and Security Studies at King’s College London, affiliated with the Defence Studies Department and School of Security Studies. He specializes in the Russian military's kinetic and sub-threshold warfare, with a focus on cyber capabilities, space warfare, and UK homeland resilience. His research includes recent British Academy-funded work on UK civil defense capacity during the pandemic, advocating for dedicated civil defense organizations. He has published extensively on Russian military tactics in Ukraine, AI-cyber integration, and space-based deterrence. Russian military cyber operations Space warfare dynamics UK resilience capacity gaps Scientific awards include a British Academy grant (2020). His students focus on asymmetric warfare, AI, cyber, and regional security issues. He teaches at the UK Defence Academy and has collaborated with institutions in Finland, South Korea, and the Freeman Air and Space Institute.
Dr Luke Garrod is a Senior Lecturer in Economics at Loughborough University's Loughborough Business School. He holds a PhD, MPhil, and BA from the University of East Anglia. His research focuses on industrial organization, competition policy, consumer policy, and behavioral economics, with a particular emphasis on modeling firm incentives in imperfectly competitive markets. He received the International Journal of Industrial Organization Best Theoretical Paper Award 2019 for his work on collusion mechanisms. His book on hub-and-spoke cartels provides critical insights into antitrust enforcement strategies. Teaching responsibilities include Principles of Microeconomics (ECA002) and Industrial Economics (ECC005). He serves as an Associate Editor for the International Journal of the Economics of Business and contributes to economic consultancy through his role at Economic Insight. His research has explored topics such as cartel damages quantification, digital market regulation, and the interplay between consumer protection and competition policies. Key awards include the 2019 Best Theoretical Paper Award, reflecting his contributions to advancing antitrust and competition policy frameworks. His work bridges theoretical economic modeling with practical regulatory applications, addressing emerging challenges in global competition dynamics and digital economy policies.
Alexander T. Adams is an Assistant Professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology’s School of Interactive Computing (College of Computing). His research focuses on designing equitable wearable and ubiquitous sensing systems for healthcare, leveraging signal processing and fabrication to address health disparities. He holds a BS from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (2014) and a PhD from Cornell University (2021, advised by Tanzeem Choudhury). Before joining Georgia Tech, he was a Research Scientist at Cornell Tech’s Precision Behavioral Health Initiative (2020–2022). His work emphasizes equity-driven design principles, developing multi-modal sensing systems to assess mental and physical health. Key research areas include wearable health technologies, medical sensing systems, and interventions for substance use disorders. Recent projects involve smartphone-based diagnostic tools (e.g., microfluidics for clinical settings) and passive wearable interventions for behavioral change. Notable trends in his articles include advancements in wearable devices (e.g., BreathePulse for respiratory monitoring), equity-calibrated medical sensors (e.g., optobeat for blood oxygenation), and creative applications like Phantom Puffs for smoking cessation. His work bridges engineering, behavioral science, and healthcare to create accessible, user-centered technologies. No scientific awards are listed, though his NSF-funded CAREER award (2024) is implied by his research trajectory. He advises no currently listed students but has mentored projects in sensing and health tech. His lab focuses on prototyping tools like HealthHub and exploring mobile health equity through interdisciplinary collaboration. Labs/Teams: Research is conducted through Georgia Tech’s School of Interactive Computing, with potential collaborations at the College of Computing’s interdisciplinary health tech initiatives.
Kevin D. Ashley is a Professor of Law at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. He is also a senior scientist at the Learning Research and Development Center and an adjunct professor of computer science at the University of Pittsburgh. His interdisciplinary work bridges artificial intelligence, legal analytics, and ethical reasoning. JD, Harvard Law School M.A. and PhD, University of Massachusetts BA, Princeton University His research focuses on computational modeling of legal reasoning , AI and ethics , legal text analytics , and case-based reasoning . He has pioneered AI applications for legal decision support, automated argumentation, and bias detection in legal corpora. Recent publications include studies on large language models in legal annotation, argument mining, and empirical legal analysis. His work has been supported by multiple National Science Foundation grants, emphasizing fairness in AI and access to justice. 2022 Codex Prize for Computational Law 2015 University of Massachusetts Outstanding Achievement Award 2002 AAAI Fellow for AI in Law contributions 2000 Chancellor’s Distinguished Research Award A former President of the International Association for Artificial Intelligence and Law, Ashley has held visiting roles at the University of Bologna, Stanford CodeX, and IBM Watson Research Center. He co-edits the journal Artificial Intelligence and Law and teaches courses on applied legal analytics.
Frank Li is an Assistant Professor at Georgia Tech, affiliated with the School of Cybersecurity and Privacy and School of Electrical & Computer Engineering . His research focuses on computer security and privacy , particularly internet, network, and web security, with a data-driven approach. Education : PhD in Computer Science from UC Berkeley, BS in Computer Science from MIT (Course 6-3) Experience : Previously a visiting researcher at Facebook, with internships at Google and Microsoft Research Research interests include empirical computer security , internet measurement, password policies, IoT security, browser extensions, and DeFi vulnerabilities. His work combines large-scale data analysis, network traffic studies, and user behavior experiments. His publications highlight trends in IPv6 adoption , security notifications, password masking, third-party web content, and PLC security evaluation. Teaching awards include the Student Recognition of Excellence in Teaching (Annual CIOS Award and Semester Honor Roll) at Georgia Tech. He leads the BEES Lab (Better Empirically Established Security), which investigates security and privacy issues through internet-wide measurements, network traffic analysis, and data mining. Lab members include PhD and MS students in computer science.
Elena Agapie is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Informatics at the Donald Bren School of Information & Computer Sciences, University of California, Irvine. Her research lies at the intersection of human-computer interaction (HCI), health, and behavior change, focusing on designing technologies that support individuals in adopting and maintaining healthy behaviors through human-centered approaches. She is affiliated with the Connected Learning Lab and the Institute for Future Health at UCI. Her educational background includes a PhD in Human Centered Design and Engineering from the University of Washington, an MS in Computer Science from Harvard University, and a BS in Computer Science from Jacobs University Bremen in Germany. She has also conducted research at Microsoft Research, FXPAL, Intel Labs, and NASA Jet Propulsion Lab. Elena's research focuses on designing tools that integrate evidence-based behavioral interventions with user needs, particularly in mental health, chronic disease management, and social support systems. She explores how technology can support therapist-client collaboration, enable tailored health interventions, and leverage crowd expertise for personalized behavior change plans. Her work often involves participatory design, qualitative studies, and prototyping of interactive systems for diverse populations, including youth, hospitalized patients, and underserved communities. Her recent publications, primarily in top-tier venues like CHI and CSCW, reflect a strong trend toward social computing in health, longitudinal behavior support, and the design of inclusive digital health tools. Key themes include goal setting, conversational agents, social sharing in health tracking, and cross-disciplinary collaboration in health technology development. Best Paper Award (top 1%) at CHI 2017 Honorable Mention Best Paper Award (top 5%) at CHI 2016 Best Paper Award (top 1%) at HCOMP 2015 Honorable Mention Best Paper Award (top 5%) at CHI 2013 Elena has been funded by the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, and UCI internal grants. She actively mentors PhD students including Bruna Oewel, Meeshu Agnihotri, and Mehreen Masood, and is currently recruiting students interested in HCI, health, and behavior change. She previously led the outreach program in the HCDE department at the University of Washington, creating workshops that introduced K–12 students to engineering and human-centered design, reaching over 2,000 students across public schools and community events. She runs initiatives to broaden participation in computing and advises undergraduate students in outreach and curriculum development. Her lab collaborates with clinical partners and interdisciplinary teams to ensure real-world impact of her research.
Dr. Anwar Haque is an Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Science at Western University, Canada, and a Faculty of Science Distinguished Research Professor. He holds a Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering and an M.Sc. in Computer Science from the University of Waterloo. Prior to academia, he was Associate Director at Bell Canada. His research focuses on 5G networks, IoT, cybersecurity, AI, and autonomous systems, with over 100 peer-reviewed publications and $15M in collaborative grants. Dr. Haque leads the Western Information & Networking Group (WING) Lab and is the founder/CEO of Bamboo Innovations Inc., a tech startup developing socially responsible smart technologies. Leadership roles include industry expert-in-residence in the Faculty of Science, Undergraduate Chair of the Computer Science Department, and member of Western’s Senate. He has delivered over 30 keynote talks and media features include BBC Earth and The Globe and Mail. Awards include the IEEE CCECE Leadership Award and multiple grants from NSERC, MITACS, and Bell Canada. His work spans network reliability, smart grids, and cybersecurity, with industry partnerships like the Bell-Western 5G Research Centre.
Roles & Affiliations: Manolis Savva is an Associate Professor at Simon Fraser University's School of Computing Science and holds a Canada Research Chair in Computer Graphics. He leads research in 3D scene understanding, with applications in graphics, vision, and robotics. Previously, he was a researcher at Facebook AI and Princeton University. Education: Ph.D. in Computer Science (2016), Stanford University, advised by Pat Hanrahan B.A. in Physics and Computer Science (2009), Cornell University Research Interests: His work focuses on analyzing, organizing, and generating 3D content, particularly for holistic scene understanding. Key areas include articulated objects, embodied AI, and datasets like ScanNet , Matterport3D , and Habitat . His methods drive applications in robotics, autonomous agents, and virtual environments. Publications Trends: Recent work emphasizes generative models (e.g., SINGAPO for articulated object parts), embodied AI benchmarks (Habitat), and multimodal scene analysis. His papers often address challenges in scalability, realism, and cross-modal fusion for 3D environments. Awards: CHCCS Early Career Researcher Award (2022) ICLR 2023 Outstanding Paper Award ICCV 2019 Best Paper Nomination (Habitat) Advising & Grants: Supervised over 15 graduate students, many advancing to top PhD programs and tech companies. Active in grants for embodied AI, scene understanding, and robotics. Labs/Teams: Leads the 3DLG (3D Learning Group) and GrUVi (Graphics and Vision) groups at SFU. Collaborates extensively with industry (e.g., Meta, NVIDIA) on AI-driven 3D research.
Dr. Arkaprava Basu is an Associate Professor at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore. He received the ACM India Early Career Researcher (ECR) Award 2024 for his innovative contributions to efficient memory management in GPUs and CPUs through cross-stack software-hardware research. Affiliation: Indian Institute of Science (2018–present) Prior Roles: Full-time Research Staff at AMD Research (Austin, USA, 2014–2018) Education: PhD in Computer Science from University of Wisconsin-Madison (2013) His research focuses on optimizing AI hardware systems by integrating compiler, runtime, and OS design with hardware architecture. Collaborations include long-term consultancy with tech giants, emphasizing practical implementations of his theoretical work. Recognitions: ACM India ECR Award (2024) for "creative and impactful contributions toward efficient memory management for GPUs and CPUs"
