Deva Kannan Ramanan is a Professor at the Robotics Institute of Carnegie Mellon University , focusing on computer vision , machine learning , and human-centered robotics . His work bridges neurorobotics and visual perception , with applications in autonomous driving and 4D reconstruction . Research Topics Computer Vision 3-D Vision and Recognition Visual Servoing Neurorobotics Human-Centered Robotics Graphics & Creative Tools His recent publications in CVPR , ICRA , and ICCV emphasize 4D human reconstruction , neural rendering , and vision-language models for autonomous systems. He serves as General Chair of CVPR 2027 and Program Chair of CVPR 2018 , with IARPA funding for aerial-ground rendering (2023-2027). Current students include PhD candidates Sally Chen, Kangle Deng, and Zhiqiu Lin, while past advisees like Arun Vasudevan and Olga Russakovsky now hold positions at Amazon and Meta respectively.
Stephen Licht is an Associate Professor of Ocean Engineering and Graduate Director at the University of Rhode Island's College of Engineering, where he directs the Robotics Laboratory for Complex Underwater Environments (R-CUE). His research focuses on developing maritime robots capable of operating in dynamic and unpredictable environments through biologically inspired propulsion, distributed pressure sensing, model-based optimal control, and compliant underwater manipulation technologies. Ph.D. in Oceanographic and Mechanical Engineering from MIT/WHOI Joint Program (2008) B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Yale University (1998) Former Senior Research Scientist at iRobot and Senior Robotics Engineer at Vecna Robotics Current Research Affiliate with MIT Department of Mechanical Engineering Former Visiting Faculty at Libera Università di Bolzano (2019-2020) Dr. Licht's research spans marine robotics with emphasis on biologically inspired propulsion systems that provide high authority and bandwidth thrust, nonlinear attitude control for maneuvering in dynamic conditions, compliant underwater manipulation technologies, and unmanned aerial monitoring of coastal structures. His work bridges mechanical engineering principles with oceanographic applications to create more capable underwater robotic systems that can operate in complex marine environments. His recent publications demonstrate a strong trend toward soft robotics applications for deep-sea exploration, with particular focus on jamming grippers and neutrally buoyant manipulation systems. The research also shows increasing integration of additive manufacturing techniques for field-deployable solutions and computational methods for autonomous systems operating in challenging marine environments. His work spans fundamental control theory, mechanical design, and practical field applications. Dr. Licht has secured significant research funding as both Principal Investigator and Co-Principal Investigator from major organizations including the Office of Naval Research, NOAA, NSF, and various university collaborations. His grants focus on advancing unmanned underwater vehicle technology, soft robotics for deep-sea applications, and coastal monitoring systems. Active mentor to numerous graduate and undergraduate students in Ocean Engineering Successful track record of student placements at organizations including Jaia Robotics, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, FORSSEA Robotics, and government research labs Collaborates with researchers at MIT, WHOI, University of Connecticut, University of Maine, and international institutions Licht leads the R-CUE lab which develops innovative solutions for underwater robotics challenges, with particular expertise in biomimetic propulsion, soft robotics for deep-sea applications, and autonomous systems for environmental monitoring. The lab maintains strong industry connections with OceanGate Inc. and FabNewport, and engages with local educational institutions through outreach programs with Roger Williams Middle School.
Prof. Christian Holz is an Associate Professor at the Department of Computer Science and Deputy Head of the Institute of Intelligent Interactive Systems at ETH Zürich. His work focuses on advancing human-computer interaction through innovations in wearable technologies, mixed reality systems, and sensor-driven applications. Key research areas include motion capture, physiological signal processing, and adaptive user interfaces. Holz leads the SIPLab (siplab.ethz.ch), producing influential work at the intersection of computer science and biomedical engineering. His research explores cutting-edge topics such as egocentric vision systems, wearable health monitoring devices, and VR/AR applications. Recent studies investigate cybersickness detection via EEG, heart rate estimation from eye-tracking cameras, and scalable motion capture using inertial/UWB sensors. Holz's work emphasizes practical applications in healthcare, education, and human-centered computing. Publications reflect a strong focus on interdisciplinary solutions, combining machine learning with sensor data analysis. Notable contributions include the EgoSim multi-view simulator, WildPPG biomedical dataset, and MiBOT cardiovascular modulation device. His research bridges theoretical advancements with real-world usability in domains like emergency response training, chronic disease monitoring, and immersive education.
Dr. Guillermo Amador is an Assistant Professor in the Experimental Zoology department at Wageningen University & Research. His research focuses on understanding how animals interact with complex environments through locomotion, adhesion, and fluid dynamics. He investigates biological systems like insects, plants, and marine organisms to inspire bio-engineered solutions for robotics, microfluidics, and material science. Amador received his PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology (USA), followed by postdoctoral research at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems (Germany) and a Marie Sklodowska-Curie fellowship at TU Delft (Netherlands). His expertise spans biophysics, biomaterials, and biomechanics, with a focus on self-cleaning mechanisms and bioadhesion. He collaborates with the 4TU consortium on Dutch Soft Robotics to develop bio-inspired designs. His work bridges fundamental biology with engineering applications, emphasizing interdisciplinary approaches to solve challenges in robotics and environmental science. Amador teaches courses including Biomimetics and Functional Zoology , integrating his research into education. His research highlights include studies on cuttlefish suction cups, stick insect adhesion, and pollen transport mechanisms in pollinators.
Adrian Weller is a prominent researcher and academic at the University of Cambridge, serving as a Director of Research in Machine Learning within the Department of Engineering. He holds multiple significant leadership roles including Programme Director for Trust and Society at the Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence (CFI), and previously served as Programme Director for AI at The Alan Turing Institute, the UK national institute for data science and AI. His work bridges theoretical machine learning research with practical applications and societal implications of artificial intelligence. Weller's research interests span a broad spectrum of AI and machine learning topics with a particular focus on ensuring beneficial societal outcomes. His work encompasses explainability, fairness, robustness, scalability, privacy, safety, and ethics in AI systems. He has made significant contributions to trustworthy machine learning, including developing frameworks for AI governance, certification, and human-AI collaboration. His research group actively investigates neuro-symbolic approaches, privacy-preserving techniques, and methods for improving the reliability and interpretability of AI systems. His recent publications demonstrate a strong trend toward addressing the practical challenges of deploying AI systems in real-world contexts, particularly focusing on certification frameworks, governance mechanisms, and human-centered approaches. His work spans theoretical advances in machine learning architectures while maintaining a strong connection to societal impact, with publications appearing in top venues across AI, machine learning, and interdisciplinary applications. Scientific Awards: MBE for services to digital innovation (2022 Queen's Birthday Honours) Turing AI Fellowship for Trustworthy Machine Learning Weller actively supervises a large group of PhD students and postdocs, with current students including Juyeon Heo, Yanzhi Chen, Katie Collins, Isaac Reid, Yichao Liang, Herbie Bradley, and Shoaib Siddiqui. His former students have gone on to positions at leading institutions including Google DeepMind, ETH Zurich, NYU, and MPI-IS Tübingen. He has served on numerous advisory boards including the Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation, UNESCO's expert group on AI ethics, and the World Economic Forum's Global Future Council on AI. His research has been supported through his Turing AI Fellowship and various collaborative projects focused on safe and ethical AI development. Weller leads a vibrant research group focused on trustworthy machine learning, which actively organizes workshops and conferences including ICML 2024 (where he served as Program Chair), multiple workshops on responsible AI, and events through the ELLIS network. His group collaborates extensively across disciplines, working with researchers in computer science, social sciences, law, and policy to address the multifaceted challenges of developing beneficial AI systems.
Daniel Epstein is an Associate Professor in the Department of Informatics at the University of California, Irvine (UCI), where he leads the Personal Informatics Everyday (PIE) Lab. He holds a courtesy appointment in the Department of Computer Science and is affiliated with the Connected Learning Lab, Institute for Future Health, and Accessibility Research Collective. Epstein earned his Ph.D. in Computer Science & Engineering from the University of Washington and a B.S. in Computer Science from the University of Virginia. His research focuses on how personal tracking technology can better serve diverse users' needs, emphasizing ethical design, health equity, and long-term user engagement. Notable areas include pregnancy tracking, wearable technology for children and ADHD management, and AI-driven health chatbots. Epstein has received grants from NSF, Snap Inc., and UCI programs, totaling over $650k in funding. Epstein's work bridges HCI and health informatics, with over 60 peer-reviewed publications. He advises six Ph.D. students and has mentored numerous undergraduates. Awards include the ACM Senior Member distinction (2025), CHI Best Paper (2023), and NSF CAREER Award (2023). Professional service includes program committees for CHI, CSCW, and UbiComp, plus leadership roles in workshops like the Workgroup on Interactive Systems in Healthcare (WISH). Beyond academia, Epstein enjoys hiking, collecting turtle figures, and advocating for accessible technology.
Katerina Fragkiadaki is the JPMorgan Chase Associate Professor of Computer Science in the Machine Learning Department at Carnegie Mellon University. She works at the intersection of Artificial Intelligence, Computer Vision, Machine Learning, Language Understanding, and Robotics. PhD from GRASP Lab, University of Pennsylvania Postdoctoral researcher at UC Berkeley (with Jitendra Malik) and Google Research Recipient of NSF CAREER, DARPA Young Investigator, Amazon, Google, Sony, UPMC, and AFOSR awards Organizer of CoRL 2023 Workshop on Generalist Robots ICLR 2024 Program Chair, multiple area chair roles Her research group focuses on developing machines that autonomously improve world models through human-environment interactions, with specific emphasis on: Representation learning and video understanding 2D/3D unified vision-language models Generative simulation and reinforcement learning Real2Sim/Sim2Real robot learning Continual learning and spatial common sense 3D scene reconstruction and dynamics Recent publications highlight advancements in: 3D mesh generation with compositional transformers Unified 2D/3D perception frameworks Physics-aware generative models Diffusion-based robotic manipulation policies Embodied agents with memory prompting Awards include: 2024: DARPA Young Investigator Award 2023: Amazon Faculty Award 2022: Sony Faculty Research Award 2021: UPMC Faculty Research Award 2020: NSF CAREER Award 2019: Google Faculty Award Key collaborations span institutions including UC Berkeley, Google Research, Stanford, MIT, and University of Tsukuba. Her work bridges theoretical innovation with practical applications in: Autonomous robot manipulation 4D world modeling Language-grounded perception Visual dynamics prediction Embodied program synthesis Physics-based simulation engines
Darryl Jones is Professor at Griffith University's Centre for Planetary Health and Food Security, specializing in behavioral ecology and human-wildlife interactions. His research examines urban ecosystems, wildlife conflict resolution, and conservation strategies, with particular emphasis on bird ecology and road infrastructure impacts. Professor Jones has authored influential books including 'Feeding the Birds at Your Table' and 'A Clouded Leopard in the Middle of the Road' that bridge scientific research and public engagement. His work explores: Wildlife responses to urbanization Bird feeding practices and consequences Road ecology and mitigation design Human dimensions of conservation Koala-vehicle collision patterns Recent publications document COVID-19's impact on global bird feeding behaviors, analyze 20-year trends in koala road mortality, and evaluate LED streetlight effects on urban wildlife. He leads research on dingo population viability in Fraser Island and develops innovative wildlife monitoring technologies like the open-source WildWID RFID system. Professor Jones collaborates extensively with government agencies on conservation policy and has secured funding for projects examining wildlife crossing infrastructure effectiveness. His research informs evidence-based approaches to human-wildlife coexistence in rapidly changing landscapes.
Dr. Kaya de Barbaro is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Texas at Austin (College of Liberal Arts). She holds a Ph.D. from the University of California San Diego. Her research focuses on bridging computer science and developmental/clinical psychology, particularly maternal mental health and infant social-emotional development. She directs the Daily Activity Lab, which uses mobile/wearable sensors and machine learning to analyze real-world interactions, aiming to develop just-in-time interventions for new mothers. Key research areas include maternal-infant dynamics, physiological synchronization, and the impact of environmental chaos on development. She has pioneered methods for analyzing high-density data, such as Granger causality and machine learning algorithms to detect behaviors like crying and holding. Recent work emphasizes leveraging ecological momentary assessment surveys and 24-hour LENA audio recordings to understand proximal mechanisms of development. Dr. de Barbaro teaches Psychology 333D (Introduction to Developmental Psychology) and has developed curricula for both in-person and online formats. She is actively involved in training students through the Eureka program at UT Austin. Her lab collaborates on tools like chatbots for postpartum mental health and has published extensively on sensor-based methodologies in developmental science.
Olga Sorkine-Hornung is a Professor of Computer Science at ETH Zurich and head of the Institute of Visual Computing. She leads the Interactive Geometry Lab, focusing on theoretical and practical advancements in digital content creation, geometry processing, and shape modeling. Current position: ETH Zurich, Department of Computer Science Previous roles: Courant Institute (NYU), Technical University of Berlin Education: BSc and PhD from Tel Aviv University, postdoc at TU Berlin Her research spans shape representation, digital fabrication, computer animation, and fundamental geometry processing. Key contributions include Laplacian surface editing, as-rigid-as-possible deformation, and generalized winding numbers. She works on applications in VR, AR, and autonomous systems. Awards include Test of Time Awards (2024), ACM Fellow (2020), ERC Consolidator Grant (2020), and EUROGRAPHICS Young Researcher Award (2008). She has supervised numerous students and co-developed software libraries like libigl and Instant Meshes . Co-chair roles for SIGGRAPH, Eurographics, and Pacific Graphics Editorial board member for ACM Transactions on Graphics and other journals Keynote speaker at VMV, CVPR, and SIAM conferences Her work bridges mathematical rigor with practical implementation, advancing computer graphics and geometry processing through intuitive algorithms that maintain surface detail while enabling efficient computation.
Blase Ur is an Associate Professor of Computer Science at the University of Chicago, leading the UChicago SUPERgroup (Security, Usability, & Privacy Education & Research group). His research focuses on data-driven methods to improve online security, privacy, and usability of complex systems. He holds a PhD from Carnegie Mellon University and an AB from Harvard University. Education: PhD in Societal Computing, Carnegie Mellon University (2016) AB in Computer Science, Harvard University Research Interests: Blase's work spans computer security, privacy, HCI, and ethical AI. He develops tools like password meters, privacy transparency systems, and IoT security solutions. His SUPERgroup emphasizes interdisciplinary collaboration, with projects addressing data-driven decision-making and usability challenges in AI and IoT. Articles Trends: Recent work includes studies on ad transparency systems, user perceptions of privacy in AI, and barriers to passwordless authentication. Research often combines empirical user studies with technical implementations to bridge gaps between security mechanisms and user needs. Awards: NSF CAREER Award (2021) Quantrell Award for Teaching (2021) SIGCHI Outstanding Dissertation Award (2018) Advising & Grants: Advisor to PhD students like Kevin Bryson. Secured grants from NSF, Mozilla, and Meta. Active in outreach to broaden CS participation, including K-12 programs. Labs & Teams: Co-director of the SUPERgroup and affiliated with the Systems Group and CERES Center for Unstoppable Computing at UChicago.
Wim VAN LENT is a Full Professor of Management at IÉSEG School of Management , France. He holds an HDR in Management from IAE Paris Sorbonne and a Ph.D. in Business Administration from ESSEC Business School. His academic career includes roles as Visiting Professor at Curtin University (Australia), Griffith University (Australia), and Researcher at the University of Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne. He coordinates the 'Strategy and Sustainability' track and is a member of the LEM research group. His research focuses on Management Strategy , Business Ethics , Innovation and Entrepreneurship , and Historical Methodology . Notable areas include corporate archives' strategic use, temporal dynamics in organizations, and ethical repair mechanisms. His work often employs historical case studies, such as the Dutch East India Company (VOC) and colonial-era corporations, to analyze organizational adaptation and institutional contradictions. Van Lent's publications span top journals like Academy of Management Review , Small Business Economics , and Business Ethics Quarterly . His recent studies explore periodization practices in organizations, entrepreneurial time narratives, and moral repair frameworks. Teaching includes international strategy and corporate social responsibility at the MSc level. His research bridges historical analysis with contemporary management challenges, emphasizing how understanding past institutional dynamics informs modern organizational behavior and ethical decision-making.
Prof. Stefan Leutenegger is a tenure-track Assistant Professor at Technische Universität München (TUM), leading the Machine Learning for Robotics group within the TUM School of Computation, Information, and Technology. Previously, he held roles as Senior Lecturer (2018–2021) and Lecturer (2014–2018) at Imperial College London's Dyson Robotics Lab, where he founded the Smart Robotics Lab. He earned his PhD (2014) from ETH Zurich, focusing on autonomous solar-powered aircraft navigation, and holds BSc (2006) and MSc (2009) in Mechanical Engineering from ETH Zurich. His research centers on mobile robotics, particularly enabling robots (e.g., drones) to perceive and navigate complex environments using machine learning and sensor data fusion. Key focus areas include SLAM, event-based vision, 3D reconstruction, and autonomous exploration. He has pioneered algorithms like BRISK (2011), OKVIS (2014), and ElasticFusion (2016), advancing real-time robotics perception. Notable Awards: Imperial College President's Award (2018), Best ECCV Paper (2016), ETH Medal for Dissertations (2015). Labs: TUM's Machine Learning for Robotics Group, Imperial's Smart Robotics Lab. Publications: Over 100 papers, including seminal works in CVPR, ECCV, and Robotics: Science and Systems. Current projects include DigiForests (forest inventory via robotics), aerial additive manufacturing, and object-centric semantic mapping. His work bridges theory and practice, with applications in autonomous drones, construction robotics, and human-robot interaction.
Anamaria Crisan is an Assistant Professor at the University of Waterloo, affiliated with the Insight Lab. Her research focuses on interdisciplinary work at the intersection of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Data Visualization, and Applied AI/ML. She explores human-centered approaches to AI/ML systems, visualization design for decision-making, and healthcare data science applications. Dr. Crisan holds a PhD in Computer Science from the University of British Columbia (2019), an MSc in Bioinformatics (2010), and a BComp in Biomedical Computing from Queen’s University (2008). Her educational background bridges computer science, biology, and healthcare informatics. Her research interests include responsible AI/ML systems, interactive visualization for data-driven decisions, and leveraging visualization in healthcare to improve outcomes. She emphasizes transparency, trustworthiness, and human alignment in AI technologies. Her work spans diverse applications such as genomic epidemiology, dashboard design, and ethical AI evaluation. Notable contributions include studies on human-AI collaboration, visualization linters, and scalable dashboard census methodologies. She has published widely in top-tier venues like IEEE VIS and ACM CHI. Dr. Crisan’s lab (UW Insight Lab) focuses on human-centered approaches to automating data science and improving visualization practices in critical domains like healthcare and public health.
Dr. Mo Rastgaar is a Professor at Purdue Polytechnic Institute, Purdue University. He holds a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Virginia Tech (2008) and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at MIT's Newman Laboratory for Biomechanics and Human Rehabilitation. He leads the Human-Interactive Robotics Lab (HIRoLab), focused on assistive and rehabilitation robots for enhanced mobility, particularly lower-extremity devices. His research emphasizes understanding agile gait dynamics through human experiments and modeling. Research interests include assistive robotics, cyber-physical systems, dynamics, and control systems. Notable awards include the 2014 NSF CAREER Award. He has secured grants such as the 2019 NRI Collaborative Grant on robotic ankle prosthetics and 2020 grants for undersea infrastructure. Dr. Rastgaar's work bridges biomechanics, robotics, and clinical applications, advancing prosthetic designs and human-robot interaction. Key contributions include developing steerable powered ankle-foot prostheses and exploring multi-robot systems for underwater exploration. His labs integrate interdisciplinary approaches to solve complex mobility challenges, emphasizing both technical innovation and real-world clinical impact.
