Hyesoon Kim is a Professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology , affiliated with the College of Computing and leading the HPArch research group . She co-directs the Center for Research into Novel Computing Hierarchies (CRNCH) . Her research focuses on Computer Architecture , GPU , Compilers and Runtime Systems , and Hardware Security , particularly for heterogeneous systems. Contact : hyesoon@cc.gatech.edu Location : 266 Ferst Drive, KACB 2344, Atlanta, GA Research Trends Her recent work spans RISC-V extensions for security, CUDA optimization on softcore GPUs, memory safety techniques, and energy-efficient deep learning architectures. Articles emphasize heterogeneous computing , GPU performance scaling, and IoT -oriented neural network methods. Open Source Projects She leads development of Macsim (heterogeneous architecture simulator) and Vortex (open-source GPU platform).
Elaine Chun is an Associate Professor in the Department of English Language and Literature at the McCausland College of Arts and Sciences, University of South Carolina. She holds a Ph.D. in Linguistics from the University of Texas at Austin (2007) and an A.B. in Linguistics from Stanford University (1995). Education: Ph.D. in Linguistics, University of Texas at Austin (2007); A.B. in Linguistics, Stanford University (1995). Research Interests Dr. Chun specializes in sociolinguistics and linguistic anthropology, with a focus on language, race, gender, and sexuality. Her work examines how language practices traverse racial and national boundaries, particularly in contexts like Asian American YouTube commentary, K-pop fandom, and U.S. public spaces. She investigates ideologies of race and gender, collaborative interpretation in social media, and anti-racist strategies. Publication Trends Her recent publications emphasize language in digital media, racial ideologies, and sociocultural identity. Topics include racism in public discourse, transnational social media analysis, racial parody, and the intersection of language with race and gender. Her work spans journals like American Speech , Language in Society , and Discourse & Society .
Patricio Vela is a Professor at the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering , Georgia Institute of Technology , specializing in geometric perspectives for control theory and computer vision. His research focuses on computer vision integration for semi-autonomous systems, nonlinear control of robotic systems, and biologically inspired mechanics. Education: B.S. (1998) and Ph.D. (2003) from Caltech Research Areas: Autonomy, Robotics, Computer Vision, Control Theory Key Contributions: Geometry-based control systems, visual navigation frameworks, SLAM benchmarking Recent publications highlight advances in vision-based motion planning , 6D pose tracking , and safe navigation policies for autonomous robots. His work bridges geometric mechanics with deep learning for robust perception and control in dynamic environments. Awards: HENAAC Most Promising Engineer (2005) Contact: pvela@gatech.edu | Office: TSRB 441 | Phone: 404.894.8749
Prof. Bryan Ford leads the Decentralized/Distributed Systems (DEDIS) lab at EPFL. He focuses on secure decentralized systems, including blockchain technology, privacy, and systems security. He earned his Ph.D. from MIT and held faculty positions at Yale University and EPFL. His work spans distributed consensus protocols, peer-to-peer networking, and privacy-preserving systems. Key projects include QuePaxa (timeout-free consensus), UIA (global connectivity for mobile devices), and MedCo (secure healthcare data sharing). He advises numerous PhD students and contributes to open-source projects like Bitcoin collective signing and privacy networks like Riffle. Education: Ph.D., MIT; Postdoctoral work at Yale Research interests include blockchain scalability, consensus algorithms, and cryptographic privacy. His lab develops systems like TRIP for coercion-resistant voting and F3B to mitigate blockchain front-running. His work on NAT traversal and peer-to-peer protocols (e.g., STUN/ICE) remains foundational in network architecture. He emphasizes practical, auditable security solutions such as CertiKOS and atomic cross-chain transactions (Atom). Notable contributions: CoSi (collective signing), OmniLedger (sharded blockchain), and privacy-preserving protocols like PURBs (Protected Unsealable Recursive Boxes). His lab collaborates with Swiss Post to audit e-voting systems and designs democratic cryptocurrencies like PoPCoin.
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State UniversityUnited States
Dr. Kevin Kochersberger is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Virginia Tech , with a career spanning academic research, technical innovation, and educational leadership. His work focuses on autonomous aerial systems , robotic control , and applied aerodynamics , particularly through the Uncrewed Systems Laboratory . Kochersberger's research has pioneered UAV-based radiation detection , 3D terrain mapping , and low-resource drone applications , including establishing the African Drone and Data Academy in Malawi . Education: Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering, Virginia Tech (1994) M.S., Mechanical Engineering, Virginia Tech (1984) B.S., Mechanical Engineering, Virginia Tech (1983) A.S., Engineering Science, Jamestown Community College (1981) Kochersberger's publications demonstrate expertise in UAV path planning , smart material actuation , and radiation source localization , with over $9M in research funding. His scientific awards include AIAA Associate Fellow (2009) and Aviation Week Aerospace Laureate (2003). Notable projects involve helicopter-deployable robotic systems and urban canyon navigation without GPS. Recent articles highlight BVLOS drone simulators , 2.5D terrain mapping , and autonomous negative obstacle traversal , reflecting his focus on real-time adaptive control and heterogeneous robotic systems . He teaches Drone Technology and Flight Operations and Advanced Design Projects , emphasizing student-driven innovation and industry collaboration .
Vadim Lozin is a Professor of Mathematics at the University of Warwick, affiliated with the Department of Mathematics within the School of Mathematics. His research interests span graph theory, combinatorics, and discrete mathematics, focusing on areas such as clique-width, Ramsey numbers, and structural graph theory. He has held visiting positions at institutions including the Université Paris-Dauphine, EPFL, and KAUST. Lozin has received several accolades, including the Best Paper Award for 'Linear Ramsey numbers' in 2018 and a 2024 award at the International Symposium on Algorithms and Computation. His work involves collaborations with global researchers and contributions to conferences like IWOCA and WG. Lozin serves on editorial boards for journals such as Discrete Applied Mathematics and Electronic Notes in Discrete Mathematics . His research explores foundational problems in graph theory, with applications in algorithm design and complexity analysis. Lozin’s publications include studies on union-closed sets, functional graph properties, and algorithmic approaches to graph parameters. He has also contributed to books like Words and Graphs , bridging formal language theory with graph structures. His grants focus on clique-width and stability in graphs, reflecting his commitment to advancing theoretical and applied discrete mathematics.
Prof. Dr. Ingo Scholtes is Chair of Machine Learning for Complex Networks at Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg's Center for Artificial Intelligence and Data Science (CAIDAS). His research spans network science, graph machine learning, and computational social science, with applications in software engineering, ecology, biology, and physics. He received a Juniorfellowship from the German Informatics Society (2014) and an SNSF Professorship (CHF 1.5Mio, 2018). Current affiliations: JMU Würzburg (since 2021), University of Zurich (2018-2024), Bergische Universität Wuppertal (2019-2021) Research focus: Higher-order network modeling, temporal graph analysis, AI for collaborative systems, causality-aware machine learning His recent publications demonstrate strong trends in temporal network analysis , graph neural networks for time-series, and higher-order models across software engineering and social science domains. He co-chairs multiple international workshops on complex networks and serves as associate editor for EPJ Data Science and Advances in Complex Systems. Key scientific contributions: Foundational work on higher-order network models published in Nature Physics Methodological innovations in temporal network visualization (HOTVis) and path-based analysis (pathpy) As both educator and organizer, he leads the Computational Social Science Section at GI e.V., mentors across disciplines, and develops tools like git2net for collaboration analysis. His work bridges theoretical foundations with practical applications in network science.
Dr. Jing Li is an Associate Professor and Eduardo D. Glandt Faculty Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania , holding dual appointments in the Electrical and Systems Engineering and Computer and Information Science departments. As co-director of the CyberSavvy nationwide security research center and director of the Penn Computational Intelligence Lab (PennCIL) , she pioneers innovations in non-von Neumann computing paradigms. Her research spans post-CMOS technologies, in-memory computing, and hardware-software co-design for security and AI applications. PhD in Computer Engineering, Purdue University (2009) BSc in Electrical Engineering, Shanghai Jiaotong University (2004) Research Focus: Dr. Li's work addresses fundamental challenges in computer systems across the stack. Key areas include: In-Memory Computing: Liquid Silicon architecture combining RRAM with silicon CMOS through monolithic 3D integration Security Engineering: Transforming computer security from "Art" to formal "Engineering" discipline within CyberSavvy Virtualization: Cloud FPGA abstraction layers decoupling compilation from runtime resource management Graph Analytics: Degree-aware optimization techniques for massive-scale graph processing Deep Learning Systems: Roofline model extensions for FPGA-based CNN acceleration Scientific Impact: Awarded DARPA Young Faculty Award , NSF CAREER Award , and IBM CEO Milestone Award , her team has achieved world records in energy-efficient computing (ENIAD supercomputer). With 46 U.S. patents and over 80 publications, she leads ecosystem development for emerging computing architectures through initiatives like the open-source MEG simulation platform . Community Leadership: Dr. Li serves on program committees for flagship conferences ( ISCA , FPGA Symposium ), chairs the International Memory Workshop , and contributes to the MLsys conference's inaugural committee. She actively mentors through multiple PhD openings and industry collaborations.
Daniel Razansky is a Full Professor at the Department of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering, ETH Zurich, leading the Professorship for Biomedical Imaging. His research spans engineering, physics, biology, and medicine, focusing on developing advanced in vivo imaging tools like optoacoustic tomography and ultrasound neuromodulation. His recent work emphasizes multi-scale functional and molecular imaging , with applications in neuroscience , Alzheimer’s disease , and stroke diagnostics . Collaborations include National Tsing Hua University and the EU Horizon consortium SWEEPICS. Current projects target hybrid imaging systems (e.g., MRI-MSOT) and image-guided neuromodulation. Scientific awards include the IPPA James Smith Prize for his contributions. His lab has secured significant grants, including a $2.5M NIH award and SNSF funding. He mentors PhD students like Quanyu Zhou and Eva Remlova, who have received accolades for their research. The Razansky Lab at ETH Zurich’s Preclinical Imaging Center explores medical microrobotics , dynamic fluid flow imaging , and neuroimaging techniques , aiming to bridge engineering with clinical applications.
Dhruv Shah is an Incoming Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Princeton University starting January 2026 and currently serves as a Senior Research Scientist at Google DeepMind. He is also an Associated Faculty member in Princeton's Center for Statistics and Machine Learning, focusing on the convergence of machine learning and robotics for real-world deployment. His academic credentials include a Ph.D. and M.S. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences from the University of California, Berkeley (2024) and a B.Tech. (Honors) in Computer Science and Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay (2019). Shah's research pioneers foundation models for robotics, emphasizing large-scale robot learning, out-of-distribution generalization, and long-horizon reasoning. His group adopts a full-stack methodology spanning algorithmic innovation to system design, drawing from cognitive science to develop physical AI systems at the perception-learning-control interface. Key focus areas include reinforcement learning, human-robot interaction, and continual learning for challenging environments. Analysis of his 15 most recent publications reveals dominant trends in foundation models for visual navigation, language-conditioned policies, and multi-agent systems. His work increasingly integrates multimodal inputs (vision, language) while addressing generalization gaps in real-world settings, with strong emphasis on efficient data curation and scalable robot learning frameworks. His accolades feature the Microsoft Future Leaders in Robotics & AI Fellowship (2024), two IEEE ICRA Best Conference Paper Awards (2024), multiple ICRA finalist awards across cognitive robotics and manipulation categories, and the Berkeley Fellowship (2019-2024). Shah will recruit PhD students for Princeton's upcoming admissions cycle, establishing a research group dedicated to full-stack robotics development. While specific grant details aren't provided, his trajectory indicates significant funding for AI-robotics convergence projects, particularly in foundation model development and real-world deployment challenges. His laboratory at Princeton will integrate algorithmic innovation with system design, focusing on physical AI systems that bridge perception, learning, and control while maintaining strong ties to cognitive science principles for human-aligned robotic intelligence.
Professor Jun Zhang is a leading academic in cybersecurity at Swinburne University, Australia, where he directs the Cybersecurity Lab. He has been honored as Australia's top cybersecurity researcher and instrumental in establishing Swinburne as a globally recognized cybersecurity research institution. His work includes high-impact papers and multi-million-dollar R&D projects, culminating in awards like the 2021 'Top Cybersecurity Research Institution' accolade. As course director of the Bachelor of Cyber Security, he pioneered an industry-driven teaching model with Deloitte and CSIRO, significantly boosting course enrollment. His collaborations extend to Adobe's Curriculum Innovation Program and the Australian P-TECH initiative, promoting STEM education and cybersecurity awareness. He supervises doctoral candidates and leads grants focused on AI-driven cybersecurity, smart home security, and blockchain-based edge computing. His research spans vulnerability detection, GAN forensics, IoT security, and privacy preservation in OSNs. Research interests include cybersecurity fundamentals, data science applications, and distributed systems. Notable achievements include the PTFix framework for Java vulnerabilities, the IoTFuzz smart home testing system, and CTI mining methodologies. Awards reflect his mid-career research excellence and industry partnerships. His grants with CSIRO and defense organizations emphasize real-world impact, addressing challenges from malware detection to adversarial machine learning. The Cybersecurity Lab and collaborative projects like Artchain demonstrate his commitment to bridging academia and industry. Professional activities include supervising over 20 HDR students and securing grants totaling millions. His work on blockchain-based edge storage (CSEdge) and SDCCP congestion control highlights innovation in networking. Future directions include advancing AI for design collaboration with CSIRO and enhancing privacy in smart energy technologies. His contributions span technical, educational, and community outreach domains, positioning him as a pivotal figure in cybersecurity's evolution.
Leibniz Institute for Jewish History and CultureGermany
Dr. Enrico Lucca serves as a Research Fellow at the Dubnow Institute, where he has held the position of Research Associate since January 2018. He concurrently coordinates the Research Unit 'Knowledge', the Institute's Forum, and oversees peer reviewing for the Dubnow Institute Yearbook. His academic work centers on twentieth-century European-Jewish history and thought, with specialized focus on knowledge transfer between Europe and Israel/Palestine, intellectual history, and institutional history within Jewish contexts. Lucca completed his Master's degree in Philosophy at the University of Milan in 2007, followed by doctoral studies (2009-2012) at the same institution, culminating in a dissertation titled 'A Dialectic Vision of Jewish History. Gershom Scholem and the Legacy of Messianism.' His academic training includes post-graduate specialization in Cultural Studies at Scuola Alti Studi in Modena (2009) and visiting research periods at the University of Chicago Divinity School (2009-2010) and Hebrew University of Jerusalem (2011). His research traverses European-Jewish intellectual history, Jewish cultural studies, and philosophy of religion, with particular emphasis on messianic thought, Kabbalah studies, and Hebrew literature. Lucca's scholarship frequently examines biographical and institutional frameworks that shaped Jewish thought in the twentieth century, especially through figures like Gershom Scholem, Franz Rosenzweig, and Hugo Bergmann. His methodological approach integrates cultural history with philosophical analysis to explore knowledge transmission across geographical and temporal boundaries. Analysis of his 15 most recent publications reveals consistent engagement with Central European Jewish intellectual migration to Palestine/Israel, institutional history of the Hebrew University, and critical reinterpretations of Scholem's legacy. His work demonstrates interdisciplinary breadth across history, philosophy, and literary studies, with recurring themes of linguistic identity, cultural transfer, and the interplay between mysticism and modernity in Jewish thought. No scientific awards are documented in the provided materials. While no formal students are listed, Lucca has secured significant research funding including a Gerda Henkel Foundation fellowship (2016-2017) for 'German-Jewish Knowledge and Cultural Transfer 1918–1948' and currently serves as Principal Investigator for the German Research Foundation-funded International Research Training Group 'Belongings: Jewish Material Culture in Twentieth-Century Europe and Beyond' (since 2024). Lucca actively leads the Research Unit 'Knowledge' and co-directs the International Research Training Group 'Belongings'—a tripartite collaboration between the Dubnow Institute, Leipzig University, and Hebrew University of Jerusalem—focusing on material culture approaches to Jewish history through comparative, transnational frameworks.
Ralf Bierig joined Maynooth University's Computer Science Department in 2017, teaching topics including information retrieval, software testing, interaction design, and virtual reality. He is the programme director of the Higher Diploma in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and User Experience (UX). He earned his BSc (2002) from University of Furtwangen and PhD (2008) from Robert Gordon University. Research Interests His work spans information retrieval, interactive information retrieval, personalisation, information search behavior, usability (UX), and virtual reality (VR). Recent publications focus on multimodal concept indexing, hybrid IR approaches, and contextual adaptation in search systems. Publication Trends His research combines statistical semantics, graph modeling, and multimodal data analysis across academic collaborations in Austria, Germany, and international venues like ECIR and SIGIR.
Artur Czumaj is a Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Warwick and serves as the Director of the Centre for Discrete Mathematics and its Applications (DIMAP). He is a member of the Division of Theory and Foundations (FoCS) and holds affiliations with the Alan Turing Institute, the Warwick Data Science Institute (WDSI), and the Warwick Centre for Doctoral Training in Mathematics of Real-world Systems (MathSys). Previously, he served as Head of Department and President of the European Association for Theoretical Computer Science (EATCS) from 2020 to 2024. His research lies at the core of theoretical computer science, focusing on the design and analysis of algorithms, particularly randomized, sublinear, parallel, and distributed algorithms. His work spans graph theory, combinatorics, computational geometry, algorithmic game theory, and property testing. He has led major research initiatives funded by EPSRC, IBM, the Royal Society, and Weizmann-UK grants. The trends in his recent publications highlight a strong emphasis on sublinear algorithms, dynamic graph algorithms, and property testing, with recurring themes in randomized methods, graph processing, and efficient data structures. His work bridges foundational theory with applications in data summarization, network analysis, and computational geometry. EPSRC grants: EP/D063191/1, EP/G064679/1, EP/G069034/1, EP/J021814/1, EP/N011163/1, EP/V01305X/1, EPSRC studentship IBM Faculty Award Royal Society International Exchanges Scheme Weizmann-UK Making Connections Grants on combinatorial and algorithmic primitives and the interplay between algorithms and randomness Peter Davies received the 2020 Warwick Faculty of Science Thesis Prize under his supervision Artur Czumaj has supervised numerous PhD students, including Anna Adamaszek, Michal Adamaszek, Sam Coy, Peter Davies, Michail Fasoulakis, Jan Hladky, Wang Xin, and Hairong Zhao. His research has been supported by sustained grant funding, reflecting his leadership in theoretical computer science. He has organized major workshops at Dagstuhl, Oberwolfach, Simons Institute, and the University of Warwick, and has served on the steering committees of HALG and as PC Chair for SODA 2018 and ICALP 2020. He is actively involved in organizing key research events, including the Simons Institute Special Semester on Sublinear Algorithms (2024), the Workshop on Sublinear Graph Simplification (2024), and the Computational Complexity Conference (CCC 2023) at Warwick. He also co-organizes the Warwick-Weizmann workshops and the IGAFIT Algorithmic Postdocs Workshop, fostering international collaboration in algorithms research.
M. Tamer Özsu is a University Professor of Computer Science at the David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science, University of Waterloo, where he holds a Cheriton Faculty Fellowship. He also serves as a Distinguished Visiting Professor at Tsinghua University and is the Founding Director of Waterloo-Huawei Joint Innovation Laboratory since 2018. His extensive contributions to computing have earned him numerous prestigious awards including the 2024 ACM Presidential Award for long-standing and significant contributions to the computing field. Professor Özsu's research focuses on data engineering aspects of data science, particularly addressing data management issues with two main foci: management of non-traditional data and large-scale distributed data management. He is renowned for his seminal book "Principles of Distributed Database Systems" (co-authored with Patrick Valduriez), now in its fourth edition, and the "Encyclopedia of Database Systems" (co-edited with Ling Liu), in its second edition. His work bridges theoretical foundations with practical system implementations, targeting grand societal challenges through computational approaches. His recent publications reveal a strong trend toward graph analytics, streaming data processing, and the integration of large language models with vector data management. The research shows increasing focus on GPU-accelerated graph processing, RDF query optimization, and multimodal data analysis, reflecting the evolution of data management challenges in the era of big data and AI. His work continues to address fundamental challenges in distributed data systems while adapting to emerging technologies and application domains. Scientific Awards and Fellowships ACM Presidential Award (2024) IEEE TCDE Education Award (2024) IEEE Innovation in Societal Infrastructure Award (2022) CS Can | Info Can Lifetime Achievement Award (2018/2019) ACM SIGMOD Test-of-Time Award (2015) ACM SIGMOD Contributions Award (2006) The Ohio State University College of Engineering Distinguished Alumnus Award (2008) Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Life Fellow of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) Life Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Fellow of the Asia-Pacific Artificial Intelligence Association (AAIA) Elected member of the Science Academy, Türkiye Professor Özsu has been deeply involved in academic leadership and community building. As Founding Editor-in-Chief of ACM Books (2013-2019), he launched a series that by 2019 had published 28 major books with another 30 under contract. His service to ACM, particularly through SIGMOD, has been exemplary and widely recognized. He directs the Waterloo-Huawei Joint Innovation Laboratory, which focuses on cutting-edge research in data management and distributed systems, fostering strong industry-academia collaboration.
