Professor Jo Barraket is a leading academic and researcher in social equity, social innovation, and public policy. As Director of the Melbourne Social Equity Institute and member of the Dilun Duwa Centre for Indigenous Business Leadership, she focuses on improving social equity through organizational innovation, cross-sector collaboration, and policy design. Her research addresses social procurement, health equity, digital inclusion, and employment pathways for marginalized groups. Her work includes landmark projects such as the Australian Digital Inclusion Index and evaluations of Commonwealth Social Enterprise Development Funds. She has secured over $11M in research grants, including multiple ARC grants, and produced over 75 scholarly publications. Her current projects compare social procurement policies in Australia and Scotland, and study youth unemployment in construction via employment-focused procurement. Key research themes include: social enterprise scaling strategies, cross-sector partnerships for policy implementation, and the role of philanthropy in equitable housing. She advises governments and OECD on inclusive employment policies and chairs major research initiatives like the Social Enterprise Impact Lab. Prof Barraket’s transdisciplinary approach combines rigorous academic research with practical outputs like policy guides and digital tools to maximize societal impact. She previously founded the Centre for Social Impact Swinburne, now a global leader in social economy research.
Amir Zamir is a tenure-track Assistant Professor of Computer Science at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) in the School of Computer & Communication Sciences. Previously, he worked at UC Berkeley, Stanford, and UCF with prominent researchers including Silvio Savarese, Jitendra Malik, Mubarak Shah, Rahul Sukthankar, and Leonidas Guibas. He currently leads the Visual Intelligence & Learning Lab at EPFL and serves as chief scientist of Duranta, having previously been the CVML chief scientist of Aurora Solar (a Forbes AI 50 company valued at $4B in 2022) from 2015 to 2022. Dr. Zamir's research spans computer vision, machine learning, and artificial intelligence, with a focus on developing general multi-modal/multi-task vision systems that operate as active agents in the real world. His work emphasizes slow science principles, seeking fundamental understanding over quick publications. Key research areas include embodied vision, multimodal foundation models, computational imaging, and vision-language integration. His notable projects include 4M, Taskonomy, Gibson Environment, Omnidata, and MultiMAE, which have significantly influenced the field of computer vision and embodied AI. Zamir has made substantial contributions to the computer vision community through numerous high-impact publications and leadership roles. His work demonstrates a consistent focus on creating vision systems that go beyond narrow and passive methods toward more general, active, and embodied approaches. The trajectory of his research shows increasing sophistication in handling multiple modalities and tasks within unified frameworks, culminating in recent work on multimodal foundation models that can handle diverse vision tasks. Dr. Zamir has received numerous prestigious awards including the Young Researcher Award 2022 from ECCV, the PAMI Mark Everingham Prize 2022, SIGGRAPH 2022 Best Paper Award for CLIPasso, CVPR 2018 Best Paper Award for Taskonomy, and CVPR 2016 Best Student Paper Award. He is also an ELLIS Faculty Scholar and received the NVIDIA Pioneering Research Award in 2018 for the Gibson Environment. As an advisor, Dr. Zamir has mentored numerous PhD students including Roman Bachmann, Andrei Atanov, Rishubh Singh, Jason Toskov, Kunal Pratap Singh, Zhitong Gao, Mingqiao Ye, and Muhammad Uzair Khattak. His former PhD students include Oguzhan Kar (now at Apple), Alexander Sasha Sax (co-advised with Jitendra Malik, now at Meta FAIR), and Teresa Yeo (now at MIT-Singapore Alliance). Dr. Zamir teaches several advanced courses including CS-503 Visual Intelligence, CS-500 AI Product Management, COM-304 Intelligent Systems, and ENG-615 Topics in Autonomous Robotics. Dr. Zamir leads the Visual Intelligence & Learning Lab at EPFL, which focuses on developing fundamental methods for visual intelligence that can operate effectively in real-world environments. The lab takes an interdisciplinary approach combining computer vision, machine learning, robotics, and cognitive science to create systems that can perceive, understand, and interact with the world. Current research directions include multimodal foundation models, computational imaging, embodied vision, and personalization of generative models.
Prof. Magnus Fröhling is a Full Professor of Circular Economy and Sustainability Assessment at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), leading the Chair of Circular Economy and Sustainability Assessment at TUM Campus Straubing. He holds a doctorate and habilitation from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), specializing in material flow analysis and resource efficiency. His career includes roles as a professor at TU Bergakademie Freiberg before joining TUM in 2018. Fröhling’s research focuses on quantitative approaches for circular economy systems, including industrial value chains, built environments, and bioeconomy. He co-leads the TUM Mission Network Circular Economy, an interdisciplinary platform for research and innovation. **Education:** Bachelor/Master in Industrial Engineering, Karlsruhe University (TH) PhD in Industrial Engineering (2005), Karlsruhe University Habilitation in Business Administration (2011), KIT **Research Interests:** Circular economy concepts for automotive industry, buildings, and energy systems; sustainability assessment in bioeconomy; policy instruments for resource efficiency. His work emphasizes lifecycle analysis and closed-loop systems. **Awards:** TUM Sustainability Award (2021) and recognition for groundbreaking research on sustainability in industrial biotechnology (2020). **Advising & Grants:** Leads research initiatives like CirculaTUM, focusing on interdisciplinary collaboration. His work integrates policy analysis, technological innovation, and industrial ecology to advance sustainability goals. **Labs/Teams:** Active in TUM’s Green Fuel Center and SynBioFoundry@TUM, promoting sustainable energy and biotechnology solutions.
Cheng Gao is an Assistant Professor of Strategy at the Ross School of Business, University of Michigan. He holds a DBA from Harvard Business School and an AB in Economics from Harvard University. His research focuses on innovation strategy, entrepreneurship, and nonmarket strategy, particularly in navigating regulatory uncertainty and disruptive industries. Gao teaches Advanced Competitive Strategy and has received multiple teaching excellence awards. Education: DBA in Strategy, Harvard Business School (2018) AB in Economics with High Honors, Harvard University (2008) Research interests emphasize how firms strategically manage institutional voids and political dependence while innovating in uncertain environments. His work appears in top journals like Administrative Science Quarterly and Strategic Management Journal. Articles often explore themes of corporate political spending, strategic pivots in new ventures, and reputation-based survival in emerging markets. Awards include the Academy of Management Best Dissertation Award (2018), Heizer Award (2018), and recognition as one of Poets & Quants' Top 50 Undergraduate Professors (2020). He advises students in strategy and entrepreneurship and previously worked as a management consultant at Oliver Wyman and as a policy researcher at CSIS. Labs/Teams: Active in Ross School of Business research networks focusing on innovation and institutional strategy. Serves on the board of directors at Barton Malow.
Sam Yam is a Professor and Head of the Management & Organisation Department at the National University of Singapore's (NUS) Business School. He holds the Jardine Cycle & Carriage Professorship and serves as Associate Dean. His research spans strategy, organisational behaviour, applied psychology, ethics, and human-technology interaction. Yam has contributed to over 125 publications, focusing on AI ethics, workplace dynamics, and cross-cultural management. He explores topics like robot replacement effects, abusive supervision, and financial anxiety's intergenerational impacts. His work bridges psychology, ethics, and organisational theory, addressing contemporary challenges in automation, leadership, and human-AI collaboration. Appointments: Head of Management & Organisation (2022–present), Joint Appointment in Arts & Social Sciences (2023–present). Key Research Themes: Future of work, human-technology interaction, ethical leadership, and Machiavellian dynamics. Notable Contributions: Multimodal ADHD diagnostics, leader biases toward robot-using employees, and cultural impacts on team performance. Yam’s interdisciplinary approach integrates psychology, technology, and management, addressing societal issues like AI ethics and workplace automation. His research frequently appears in top journals like the Journal of Management and Annual Review of Organizational Psychology .
Christopher L. Tucci is a Professor of Digital Strategy & Innovation at Imperial College London's Business School and currently serves as Interim Vice Dean of Education. He is also the Founding Dean of NEOM's College of Business & Innovation in Saudi Arabia. Previously, he held the Chair in Corporate Strategy & Innovation at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), where he served as Dean of the College of Management from 2013 to 2018. His academic qualifications include a PhD in Management from MIT and multiple degrees from Stanford University: an AB in Music, BS in Mathematical Sciences, and MS in Computer Science and Computer Science. His research focuses on digital strategy, innovation management, open innovation, and business model innovation, with particular emphasis on how firms transition to new technologies and organizational forms. He has pioneered work on crowdsourcing, inter-networking, and AI-driven innovation. His award-winning article 'Crowdsourcing as a Solution to Distant Search' (co-authored with Allan Afuah) has received multiple accolades, including the AMR Decade Award in 2022. Professor Tucci teaches courses such as AI Ventures, Co-Creation in AI & Robotics, and Design Thinking. He actively contributes to academic leadership roles, including serving on the Academy of Management's Board of Governors and leading initiatives like Imperial's I-X (Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation hub). His work integrates technology, strategy, and organizational dynamics to address modern business challenges. Educations: PhD in Management, MIT (1992–1997) SM in Technology & Policy/EECS, MIT (1989–1991) BS in Mathematical Sciences, Stanford (1978–1982) AB in Music, Stanford (1979–1983) MS in Computer Science, Stanford (1982–1984) Labs/Teams: Co-Director of Imperial's I-X initiative, focusing on AI, data science, and digital innovation.
Dr. Wim Biemans is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Economics and Business of the University of Groningen, specializing in Innovation Management and Marketing. He holds a PhD from Eindhoven University of Technology (1989) and has over 25 years of experience in research, teaching, and consulting. His work focuses on service innovation, B2B marketing, customer involvement in innovation, and the marketing-sales interface. He has authored over 100 peer-reviewed articles and books, including the best-selling Dutch B2B marketing textbook. His research has been recognized with awards like the Thomas P. Hustad Best Paper Award. He serves as Triage Editor for the Journal of Product Innovation Management and editorial board member for Industrial Marketing Management and Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing. Biemans teaches at the University of Groningen and multiple international institutions, including guest professor roles in Europe, Asia, and the U.S. He also designs executive programs for managerial training in innovation management and customer value creation. His recent research explores humor’s impact on creativity, digital tools in sales-marketing integration, and bridging technology-to-product development gaps. He emphasizes end-to-end value creation through intra-organizational collaboration and has published on the Valley of Death ecosystem challenges in innovation commercialization.
Pawan Adhikari is a Professor of Accounting at Essex Business School, University of Essex , where he serves as Director of Impact and Enterprise and Director of Essex Accounting Centre . He is an Associate Editor of the Journal of Public Budgeting, Accounting and Financial Management and a Executive Board Member of the Comparative International Governmental Accounting Research Network (CIGAR) . Previously, he led accounting reforms at Nepal’s Accounting and Auditing Standards Board and lectured at Nord University, Norway. PhD, Nord University Business School Fellow of the Higher Education Academy His research focuses on public sector accounting in developing countries, particularly accounting reforms , public value creation , and climate accountability . He explores how accrual accounting and participatory budgeting can enhance transparency in South Asian and African contexts. His work has influenced policy-making in Nepal and is recognized with the 2023 Best International Research Impact award by the University of Essex. Recent publications analyze wellbeing economies (2025), NGO accountability in disasters (2024), and climate budgeting (2023). He collaborates with institutions like the World Bank , European Commission , and British Academy , focusing on projects related to financial resilience , circular economy , and health sector accountability . Supervising 8 current PhD students, his advisees have produced work on topics like accrual accounting in Bangladesh and NGO accountability in Palestine . World Bank/PEFA Research Award African Accounting and Financial Association (AAFA) Award ESRC IIA Impact Fund GCRF and SeNSS Grants 2019 Best Postgraduate Supervisor (Essex)
Professor Gabriel Brostow is a faculty member in the Department of Computer Science at University College London (UCL), where he leads research in Computer Vision and Human-Computer Interaction. He also serves as Chief Research Scientist and Senior Director of the R&D Team at Niantic, the company behind Pokémon GO. His work bridges academic research and industry applications, focusing on developing AI systems that enhance human capabilities through what he terms 'Human in the Loop AI'—now commonly referred to as Human-Centered AI. Brostow completed his BS in Electrical Engineering at UT Austin, followed by a PhD with Irfan Essa at Georgia Tech. He then pursued postdoctoral research with Roberto Cipolla's Computer Vision & Robotics Group at Cambridge University as a Marshall Sherfield Fellow, and with Marc Pollefeys in ETH Zurich's CVG Group. His research explores how AI, particularly Computer Vision, can serve as 'super-tools' for professionals across various domains including filmmaking, architecture, robotics, and scientific research. Specific interests include assistive technology for everyday life, authoring systems that maximize user effort, 3D reconstruction, depth estimation, and vision-language models. His work often involves creating systems that are validated through real-world human interaction to ensure practical utility. Analysis of his recent publications reveals a strong focus on practical applications of Computer Vision that directly interact with humans. His research spans 3D scene understanding, depth estimation, sketch-based interfaces, and multimodal AI systems. There's a clear emphasis on creating benchmarks and tools that facilitate human-AI collaboration, with applications in assistive technology, urban planning, filmmaking, and biodiversity monitoring. His work frequently appears at top conferences including CVPR, NeurIPS, ECCV, and CHI. Marshall Sherfield Fellowship Brostow actively mentors PhD students, with current advisees including Ross Murphy, Skanda Koppula, Gizem Unlu, Omiros Pantazis, and Jamie Watson. His alumni include numerous PhD graduates and MSc students who have gone on to successful careers in academia and industry. He emphasizes selecting students based on passion and potential rather than just academic credentials, valuing traits like helpfulness, drive, and hunger to learn. His research is supported through collaborations with major institutions and companies including DeepMind, MIT, and the University of Edinburgh. He leads a research group at UCL that collaborates closely with Niantic's R&D team, creating a unique bridge between academic research and industry application. His team's work frequently involves developing novel Computer Vision techniques that are validated through real-world human interaction, ensuring practical utility alongside technical innovation. The group explores blue-sky research problems with applications ranging from assistive technology to professional tools for filmmakers, architects, and scientists studying diverse environments.
Prof. Maja Horst is a Visiting Professor of Science and Technology Policy at the Department of Science, Technology and Society (STS) at Technical University of Munich. She holds a PhD in Science Communication from Copenhagen Business School (2003) and has held academic roles including Head of the Department of Media, Cognition and Communication at the University of Copenhagen (2011–2014) and Professor of Responsible Technology at DTU Technical University of Denmark (2019). Her research focuses on public communication of science, societal responsibility in technology, and innovation governance. She chairs DTU’s Responsible Technology group and is a member of the Danish Academy of Technical Sciences. Key roles include Chair of the Danish Independent Research Fund Board and President of the European Association for the Study of Science and Technology (EASST). Education: MA in Social Science and Communication, Roskilde University (1996) PhD in Science Communication, Copenhagen Business School (2003) Research Interests: Public communication of controversial technologies Social responsibility in science and technology Innovation governance and ethics Sociology of science and technology Recent Focus: Her work emphasizes interactive installations for science communication and co-creation in energy transitions. Over 20+ publications address topics like gene editing ethics, public debate frameworks, and trust in science. Awards: 2021: Hans Fischer Senior Fellowship (TUM-IAS) 2019: Danish Science Minister’s Communication Prize Leadership & Service: President, European Association for the Study of Science and Technology Chair, Danish Independent Research Fund Board
Martina Artmann is a Research Professor in Green Infrastructure at the University of Applied Science Weihenstephan-Triesdorf, Germany. She leads the Leibniz Junior Research Group URBNANCE on Urban Human-Nature Resonance at the Leibniz Institute of Ecological Urban and Regional Development (IOER) in Dresden. Her work spans urban ecology, green infrastructure, and sustainability transformation, with a focus on human-nature interactions in cities. PhD in Natural Sciences, University of Salzburg & Bavarian Academy for Nature Protection MSc in Landscape, Regional and Urban Management, University of Salzburg BSc in Agricultural Science, University of Hohenheim Her research centers on urban ecosystem services, green infrastructure, and edible cities as nature-based solutions for urban sustainability. She investigates how urban agriculture, soil sealing, and green space planning contribute to resilient cities. Her work integrates transdisciplinary methods, citizen science, and policy evaluation to foster human-nature resonance and transformative change. Her recent publications reflect a strong trend toward systemic assessments of urban agriculture, sustainability transformation, and the role of relational values in urban ecology. Themes include edible cities, green infrastructure, urban human-nature interactions, and the integration of ecological and social dimensions in urban planning. Student Award, German IALE-D (2012–2014) Doctoral Scholarship, German Federal Foundation for Environment (DBU, 2011) TUD Young Investigator, TU Dresden (2013) Fellowships for study in China (2005) and New Zealand (DAAD) Artmann has led multiple funded research projects, including DFG’s Edible Cities, BMBF’s Future Town Dresden, and BMVI’s meinGrün. She mentors students through project-based teaching at TU Dresden and has served as a visiting professor at the University of Bucharest. She is a Review Editor for Frontiers in Environmental Science and actively contributes to academic networks such as the Society for Urban Ecology (SURE) and the China Centre for Urban Ecology (CCUE). She is involved in research labs and teams including the URBNANCE Junior Research Group at IOER and collaborates with interdisciplinary teams on urban sustainability projects. Her work emphasizes transdisciplinary research, stakeholder engagement, and the co-creation of knowledge for sustainable urban development.
Dr. Jarno Hoekman is an Associate Professor in Innovation Studies at the Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development, Utrecht University. His research focuses on the dynamics and governance of science in the context of innovation, regulation, and societal challenges, with particular emphasis on sustainability and health. He is affiliated with both the Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development and the Utrecht collaborating Centre for Pharmaceutical Policy & Regulation in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences. Dr. Hoekman serves as the programme leader of the research master in Innovation Sciences and teaches academic integrity courses to Master students and PhD candidates. Dr. Hoekman's research is organized around three interconnected themes: Science in transition , examining how scientific practices and institutional arrangements are evolving through open science, interdisciplinary research collaborations, and alternative recognition systems; Regulatory science and innovation , investigating innovations in tools and standards for assessing risks and benefits of new technologies, including safety assessment methods and regulatory authorization standards; and Geography of science , exploring the role of location factors in scientific knowledge production and diffusion. Analysis of Dr. Hoekman's recent publications (2022-2024) reveals a strong interdisciplinary focus spanning pharmacology, toxicology, innovation studies, and science policy. Key research trends include examining conditional marketing authorization pathways, post-approval studies for conditionally authorized medicines, animal-free safety testing methodologies, and the societal impact of transdisciplinary research projects. His work frequently employs mixed-methods approaches and involves multi-stakeholder perspectives to address complex regulatory and innovation challenges. Dr. Hoekman actively contributes to policy-relevant research, including major European Commission studies on pharmaceutical legislation. His collaborative work extends across multiple institutions and involves interdisciplinary teams working on pharmaceutical policy, sustainable innovation, and science-society interactions. As a member of the Utrecht Young Academy and the UU Open Science Platform, he engages with broader academic community initiatives related to research integrity and open science practices.
Daniel M.G. Raff is an Associate Professor of Management at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, where he has been affiliated since 1994. His research bridges business history and strategy, focusing on urban history, public policy, and historical demography. PhD, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1987 BPhil, Oxford University, 1978 MPA, Princeton University, 1976 BA, New College, 1973 Raff’s work explores the historical evolution of business institutions, with recent publications analyzing topics such as pre-modern Chinese real estate markets , industrial routines , and strategic risk management . His research often employs archival data and interdisciplinary methodologies. His publications span business history, economic performance, and transactional engineering, reflecting trends in historical demography , corporate strategy , and market evolution . Raff has also contributed to academic leadership as a Trustee of the Business History Conference and Chair of committees at the Economic History Association. Daniel Raff actively engages in teaching courses like Value Creation & Val Cap and Deals: Econ Struc Trans , emphasizing critical historical thinking in strategic business analysis. He is affiliated with institutions such as the National Bureau of Economic Research and the Wharton Financial Institutions Center.
Remko Van Hoek serves as Professor of Practice in the Department of Supply Chain Management at the Sam M. Walton College of Business, University of Arkansas. He teaches Sourcing and Procurement courses across undergraduate, master's, and doctoral programs. Prior to joining the University of Arkansas, Dr. Van Hoek held academic positions in Europe and served as a visiting professor at Cranfield School of Management, complemented by extensive industry experience as a supply chain and procurement executive at global corporations including Nike, PwC, and The Walt Disney Company. He currently serves on the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) Board of Directors and acts as executive director of the CSCMP Supply Chain Hall of Fame hosted by the Walton College. Dr. Van Hoek's research centers on digital transformation in procurement and supply chain management, with particular focus on blockchain implementation, artificial intelligence applications, and sustainable sourcing practices. His work investigates how emerging technologies reshape procurement processes, supplier relationship management, and risk mitigation strategies. He explores innovative approaches to supplier diversity programs, ethical sourcing frameworks, and the strategic evolution of procurement from cost reduction to value creation. His research consistently bridges academic theory with industry practice through case studies from major corporations, developing actionable frameworks for practitioners facing digital disruption and sustainability challenges. Analysis of his 15 most recent publications (2023-2025) reveals dominant themes in AI-driven supply chain risk prevention, blockchain implementation for transparency, and sustainable supplier engagement. His work demonstrates consistent industry collaboration, drawing from case studies at Walmart, Moet Hennessy, and Bayer to address post-pandemic resilience challenges. A significant portion examines procurement's strategic evolution beyond transactional functions, with recurring emphasis on ethical considerations in digital transformation and the practical implementation barriers for emerging technologies in global supply networks. As a Professor of Practice, Dr. Van Hoek integrates executive-level industry experience into curriculum development and student mentorship. His industry-engaged teaching model includes guest lecturer programs connecting students with supply chain practitioners, as evidenced by his co-authored work on integrating industry insights into supply chain education. While specific grant funding details are not publicly documented, his leadership in the CSCMP Supply Chain Hall of Fame demonstrates commitment to professional development and industry-academia knowledge transfer. Dr. Van Hoek directs the CSCMP Supply Chain Hall of Fame initiative, which documents transformative contributions to supply chain management through interviews with industry pioneers and historical case studies. This platform serves as both an educational resource for Walton College students and a professional development tool for supply chain practitioners globally. The Hall of Fame preserves critical industry knowledge while highlighting contemporary innovations in supply chain strategy and technology implementation.
Gregory Paradis is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Forest Resources Management at the University of British Columbia (UBC) Faculty of Forestry. His research focuses on sustainable forest management, integrating operations research, mathematical optimization, and systems modeling to address complex interactions between ecosystems, industries, and society. He works with the FRESH Lab and collaborates with the Integrated Remote Sensing Studio, emphasizing ecological and economic integration in forest planning. Sustainable Forest Management Operations Research Forest Economics Data Science Risk Assessment GIS-based Methods His research spans forest inventory optimization, climate change adaptation strategies, wildfire risk modeling, and decision support systems for invasive species. He develops computational frameworks to enhance wood supply planning, carbon management, and ecological resilience. Recent work includes machine learning applications for fire safety in timber structures and automated road planning tools for wildlife conservation. Paradis’s publications highlight trends in applying optimization methods to sustainable forestry, with a focus on biodiversity, climate adaptation, and value chain innovation. He advocates for interdisciplinary approaches that bridge silviculture, industrial engineering, and data science to tackle emerging challenges in forest ecosystems. As an educator, he seeks motivated students with quantitative and creative problem-solving skills. His lab collaborates on remote sensing integration, risk assessment models, and policy-relevant forest management strategies, ensuring plans account for uncertainties like insect infestations or windthrow events.
