Melissa Kemp is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Integrative Biology at the University of Texas at Austin, affiliated with the College of Natural Sciences. She is based at the Jackson School of Geosciences campus in Austin, Texas, with an office in PAT 102. Her research focuses on Quaternary paleontology, conservation paleobiology, and the ecological dynamics of Caribbean and North American biodiversity hotspots. She teaches GEO 391: Broader Impacts in STEM, emphasizing interdisciplinary approaches and community engagement. Dr. Kemp’s work integrates morphological and molecular data to study evolutionary adaptations, extinction processes, and human impacts on ecosystems. Her NSF CAREER Award supports research on Jamaican fossil ecosystems, while her NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship (2015) advanced studies on North American reptile evolution. She actively promotes equity in STEM through programs like GEOPAths GO Jamaica, which combines service learning with conservation efforts. Key research themes include reconstructing ancient communities, analyzing functional trait diversity in reptiles, and understanding the role of historical contingency in shaping modern biodiversity. Her grants and awards reflect a dual focus on scientific discovery and educational outreach, bridging paleontology with modern conservation challenges.
Dr. Sara Schmitt is the Bricker-Squires Faculty Chair in Early Intervention and an Associate Professor in the Department of Special Education and Clinical Sciences at the University of Oregon's College of Education. She holds affiliations with the Prevention Science Institute and the Prevention Sciences Graduate Program. Her research focuses on early childhood self-regulation, social-emotional development, and school readiness, particularly for underserved populations. Dr. Schmitt designs evidence-based interventions, such as the Early Learning Matters curriculum implemented in military child development centers. She has received accolades including the 2021 Society for the Study of Human Development Early Career Award and the 2021 Purdue University Trailblazer Award. Education: Ph.D., 2013, Human Development and Family Sciences, Oregon State University M.A., 2009, Developmental Psychology, San Diego State University B.A., 2003, Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison Research Interests: Dr. Schmitt investigates contextual and individual predictors of self-regulation, designs interventions to strengthen skills in disadvantaged children, and examines factors impacting school readiness. Her work emphasizes low-cost, scalable strategies and policy implications for educational equity. Publications: Her recent work includes studies on preschool program efficacy, block play’s impact on math skills, and the role of classroom quality in social-emotional development. These contributions underscore her focus on translational research bridging theory and practice. Awards & Grants: Funded by federal agencies and foundations, her research addresses socioeconomic disparities in early learning. She leads training initiatives for educators and has authored over 30 peer-reviewed articles. Labs/Teams: Active in the Prevention Science Institute and the Ballmer Institute Leadership Council, she collaborates on multidisciplinary teams advancing early childhood policy and practice.
Sara Wade is a Lecturer in Statistics and Machine Learning at the University of Edinburgh , within the School of Mathematics . Her research focuses on Bayesian statistics, machine learning, and their applications in health sciences, particularly in dementia diagnosis and predictive modeling. She holds a PhD from the University of Milan and has held academic positions at the University of Cambridge and University of Warwick before joining Edinburgh. She teaches a popular Machine Learning and Python course for Master’s and final-year undergraduate students, attracting nearly 200 enrollments annually. Her work integrates Bayesian methods with modern machine learning, emphasizing interdisciplinary applications such as scalar-on-image regression and biomarker analysis. Notable contributions include developing hierarchical Dirichlet processes for clustering and uncertainty quantification in RNA velocity studies. She secured a Royal Society of Edinburgh grant for her dementia research project, which aims to improve early diagnosis through statistical modeling. Education: PhD in Statistics, University of Milan Bachelor’s in Mathematics, University of Maryland Wade advocates for diversity in STEM, actively participating in the Women in Machine Learning community. Her research bridges statistical rigor and computational tools, fostering collaborations across academia and healthcare sectors.
Ian Owens is a Professor and Director of the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology at Cornell University, affiliated with the College of Arts and Sciences and the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology department. He holds a Ph.D. in Evolutionary Biology from the University of Leicester (1991) and a B.Sc. in Zoology from the University of Liverpool (1988). His research focuses on avian ecology, evolution, and conservation, with an emphasis on global biodiversity, invasive species impacts, and the genetic basis of wild populations. Owens has held leadership roles at institutions such as the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History and Imperial College London. His work integrates field experiments, genetic analyses, and big data to address ecological and evolutionary questions. He leads initiatives like eBird and the Macaulay Library, leveraging citizen science for biodiversity monitoring. Key themes include biogeographical patterns, evolutionary mechanisms, and conservation strategies for endangered species. His research interests span community ecology, evolutionary processes, and organismal biology, with a focus on applying ecological insights to global sustainability challenges. Notable contributions include studies on avian migration’s role in coevolution with parasites, phenotypic plasticity in island birds, and the ecological drivers of body size variation. Owens’ work emphasizes interdisciplinary collaboration, combining genomics, spatial analysis, and citizen science to inform conservation policies. Publications highlight his exploration of avian life history strategies, extinction risk factors, and the ecological impacts of invasive species. He has pioneered global biodiversity assessments, advocating for the integration of natural history collections to address environmental challenges. While no formal awards are listed, his leadership and research contributions have significantly impacted conservation science and ornithology.
Alejandro Sánchez Gracia is an Associate Professor at the Universitat de Barcelona's Faculty of Biology, affiliated with the Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics. He leads the Molecular Evolutionary Genetics research group and directs the advanced course in 'Phylogenomics and Population Genomics: Inference and Applications.' Education: Llicenciat in Biology (Universitat de Barcelona, 1998), PhD in Biology (Universitat de Barcelona, 2006) Research Focus: Molecular mechanisms of chemosensory gene evolution in arthropods, development of bioinformatics tools for evolutionary and population genomics, and population genomics of adaptation in Drosophila. His work bridges computational methods with evolutionary biology, emphasizing genomic approaches to study adaptation. Key projects include analysis of chemoreceptor gene families across Panarthropoda, genomic studies of Canary Island endemic species, and development of tools like BITACORA for gene family annotation. He has contributed to major genomic resources such as DnaSP 6 and participated in initiatives like the Earth BioGenome Project. Active in collaborative networks like the European Drosophila Population Genomics Consortium and AdaptNET (Adaptive Genomics Network). Grants and Projects: 2021-2024: PID2020-113168GB-I00 (Ministry of Science, Spain) - Poligenic adaptation in Drosophila 2020-2021: Catalan blind scorpion genome project (Institut d'Estudis Catalans) Labs/Teams: Heads the Molecular Evolutionary Genetics group, collaborating on projects involving spider genomics, chemosensory evolution, and population-level adaptation studies.
William Balch, PhD, is a Professor in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology at Scripps Research. His research focuses on linking genetic variation in human populations to protein function using machine learning tools like Gaussian Process (GP) modeling. He pioneered concepts in proteostasis and spatial covariance, exploring how genetic and environmental factors influence protein folding and disease. Education: Ph.D. in Microbiology from University of Illinois (1979) Research interests include inherited diseases (e.g., CFTR, AATD, NPC1), aging-related proteostasis collapse, and host-pathogen interactions in SARS-CoV-2. His lab develops computational platforms to model protein design and discover therapeutic interventions. Key projects involve GP-based analysis of genetic diversity, small molecule therapeutics targeting chaperone systems, and understanding viral evolution via spatial covariance. His work bridges genomics and phenomics to address disease mechanisms at atomic resolution. Grants and collaborations focus on protein-folding correction, with applications in precision medicine and climate change mitigation through RuBisCo optimization in plants.
Daniel Powell is a Senior Lecturer in Health Psychology and Programme Director of the MSc Health Psychology at the University of Aberdeen, School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition. He is a core member of the Aberdeen Health Psychology Group and the interdisciplinary Centre for Labour Market Research. He holds a PhD from the University of Southampton and became a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy in 2019. His educational background includes: BSc (Hons) Psychology – University of the West of England, 2007 MSc Health Psychology – University of Southampton, 2009 PhD Psychology – University of Southampton, 2014 Daniel's research focuses on health psychology, particularly using intensive longitudinal methods such as ecological momentary assessment (EMA) to study stress, fatigue, self-regulation, and decision-making in real-world contexts. His work spans chronic illness (e.g., multiple sclerosis, diabetes), healthcare professionals (e.g., doctors, nurses), and occupational settings (e.g., fly-in fly-out workers). He leads the Stress and Health Research Theme and convenes regular workshops to support health psychology researchers. His methodological expertise includes real-time data collection, psychophysiology (e.g., heart rate variability, cortisol), and interdisciplinary collaboration with health economics, primary care, and bioengineering. His recent publications (2024–2025) reveal a strong trend in investigating decision fatigue in healthcare, stress and recovery patterns in medical professionals using biometric monitoring, and the psychosocial impact of shift and rotation work. He frequently employs EMA and systematic reviews to explore behavioral patterns in context. His work also extends to sustainable clinical research and digital health tools for pandemic response. His scientific recognition includes: Stan Maes Early Career Award, European Health Psychology Society (2019) Rosemary Anne Price Student Award, MS Society (2013) Daniel actively supervises five PhD students on topics including decision fatigue in healthcare, quality of life after limb loss, stress in medical and dental students, and low-carbon clinical trials. He teaches across postgraduate programs, coordinates the PU5053 course on Stress, Personality & Health, and co-founded an annual Summer School in Intensive Longitudinal Methods. He has no indication of part-time status and is actively engaged in research, teaching, and leadership. He is affiliated with several professional organizations, including the British Psychological Society (Chartered Psychologist), Division of Health Psychology, European Health Psychology Society, and UK Society for Behavioural Medicine. His research lab is embedded within the Aberdeen Health Psychology Group, which fosters interdisciplinary collaboration and methodological innovation in health behavior research.
Andrew M. Baker is an Associate Professor in the School of Biology & Environmental Science at Queensland University of Technology (QUT). He holds a Ph.D. in Evolutionary Biology from QUT and specializes in mammal taxonomy, conservation, and evolutionary ecology, with a focus on carnivorous marsupials. His research addresses threats to biodiversity from land-use changes, invasive species, and climate change. He leads the Baker Lab, investigating species like the Julia Creek Dunnart and Antechinus spp., using innovative methods such as barn owl pellet analysis and environmental DNA (eDNA) for detection. Current grants include a $1.1M project on the Julia Creek Dunnart and a $300K ABRS scholarship for Planigale taxonomy. He is a member of the Australian Mammal Society and the Genetics Society of Australia. His research spans taxonomy, ecology, evolution, and conservation, with over 100 publications. Recent work includes describing new species (e.g., Antechinus vandycki) and refining conservation strategies for threatened mammals. He collaborates internationally on projects like the IUCN Red List assessments for Antechinus species.
Søren Lundbye-Christensen is an Associate Professor and Biostatistician affiliated with the Clinical Institute at the Faculty of Health Sciences, Aalborg University, and Aalborg University Hospital in Denmark. He specializes in biostatistical support for medical research, with a strong emphasis on cardiovascular and epidemiological studies. His research interests include biostatistics, survival analysis, cohort studies, clinical epidemiology, and statistical modeling in public health. He has contributed to a wide array of healthcare research, particularly in cardiovascular diseases, cancer, maternal health, and infectious diseases. His methodological expertise spans time-to-event analysis, registry-based research, and interval-censored data modeling. The recent publications highlight a strong trend in applying advanced statistical methods to large-scale clinical and population-based datasets. His work often involves collaboration with medical researchers to derive prognostic models, validate clinical databases, and assess public health outcomes. Key themes include cardiovascular risk, fertility, cancer biomarkers, and implementation of medical training programs. Scientific Contributions and Recognition: Published over 320 research articles and datasets. Active contributor to methodological advancements in biostatistics. Regular peer reviewer, including for journals like the R Journal. Public engagement through media appearances on statistics and health. Academic Advising and Grants: Søren has supervised 31 student theses, formally serving as PhD supervisor for 14 theses and as a biostatistical advisor for 19 others, primarily in mathematics and statistics. He has participated in numerous research projects funded through institutional and national grants, including studies on seasonal disease trends, postoperative complications, and metabolic disease prediction. His work often involves interdisciplinary collaboration across medicine, public health, and data science. Labs and Research Teams: He is embedded in collaborative research networks at Aalborg University Hospital and Aalborg University, contributing statistical expertise to clinical research groups. He is involved in projects utilizing Danish national health registries and has contributed to the development and validation of clinical databases. His work supports both hypothesis-driven medical research and methodological innovation in biostatistics.
Ram Samudrala is a Professor and Chief of the Division of Bioinformatics at the University at Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences . His research focuses on multiscale computational biology , integrating protein structure prediction , drug discovery , and translational science to address medical challenges. He leads the development of the CANDO platform for therapeutic drug discovery and co-directs the Informatics Core at the Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute. PhD in Computational Biology (University of Maryland, 1997) BA in Computing Science and Genetics (Ohio Wesleyan University, 1993) Postdoctoral Fellowship in Protein Folding (Stanford University, 1997-2001) His work spans structural biology , genomics , and computational drug design , with applications in dentistry , infectious diseases , and cancer . He has received prestigious awards including the NIH Director's Pioneer Award (2010) and multiple Wiki Science Prizes . Samudrala's group collaborates globally, emphasizing in silico methods followed by in vitro and in vivo validation. Key grants include $1.22M NIH NCATS ASPIRE Reduction-to-Practice Award and $4.5M NIH/NLM BRIGHT Training Grant . 2023 Finalist, Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute Clinical Research Achievement Awards 2016 MacArthur Foundation 100&Change Top 50 2008 Alberta Heritage Foundation Visiting Scientist Award 2005 NSF CAREER Award He directs the BRIGHT Short-Term Training Program and serves on multiple editorial boards and review panels. Samudrala's group maintains a Protinfo web server for structural predictions and the Bioverse framework for systems-level analyses.
Michelle Cameron is an Associate Professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Toronto's Faculty of Arts & Science. She joined the department in 2018 and specializes in skeletal biology and bioarchaeology, integrating skeletal analysis with archaeological and ecological evidence to study human adaptability across diverse environments. Her research explores how environmental and cultural contexts shape human biology through time, focusing on biocultural stressors and skeletal responses. She employs advanced methodologies including 3D modeling, biomechanical analyses, and spatial analysis frameworks to examine human adaptation to environmental challenges. Primary research regions: Africa (South Africa, Namibia, Lake Turkana), North America, Europe Key methodologies: Cross-sectional geometry, skeletal biomechanics, paleodiet reconstruction Dr. Cameron's publications demonstrate expertise in subsistence transitions (herding practices), human evolutionary morphology, and contemporary skeletal biology applications. She maintains active fieldwork programs in southern Africa while engaging in comparative studies across continents. Scientific Awards: SSHRC Insight Development Grant Connaught New Researcher Award Education: PhD, University of Cambridge (2017) As co-host of the YouTube series 'Humans in 5', she actively participates in science communication, distilling complex anthropological concepts into accessible five-minute segments.
Kushal Dey serves as an Assistant Professor in the Computational and Systems Biology Program at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC), part of the Graduate School of Medical Sciences in partnership with Weill Cornell Medicine. His research integrates statistical and machine learning approaches with genomic data to understand the regulatory architecture of complex diseases. Dr. Dey's research focuses on developing computational methods that integrate human disease genetics with functional genomics data. His work spans immune-related diseases including Alzheimer's and inflammatory bowel disease, as well as heritable cancers like breast and prostate cancer. His lab develops models to prioritize variants, genes, and cell states for disease using genetic, genomic, and perturbation data, with emphasis on causal directed graphs and benchmarking pipelines informed by disease genetics. His recent publications highlight expertise in GWAS, colocalization, spatial transcriptomics, Perturb-seq, and RNA+ATAC multiome analysis. His work frequently appears in top journals like Nature Genetics, with a focus on single-cell multi-omics approaches to understand disease mechanisms at cellular resolution. Scientific Awards: Josie Robertson Investigator (2023–2028) K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Award (NIH/NHGRI) (2022–2026) NIH/NHGRI Early Stage Investigator R01 (2025-2030) NCI P30 CCSG supplement – 'LLMs in cancer research' (2023-2024) Catalog Working Group Co-chair + Disease Focus Group Lead: IGVF consortium (2023-) Dr. Dey mentors several graduate students through the Weill Cornell Graduate School (WGS), including Thahmina Ali, Pretty Garcia, Karthik Guruvayurappan, Louis Liu, Sarthak Tiwari, Berk Turhan, and Harry Zhang. His lab has received multiple grants including the AWS IMAGINE Grant Children's Health Innovation Award 2024-2025 (as Project Co-lead) and PSRP Developmental Funds Awards (2025: Co-lead). The lab actively collaborates with consortia including ENCODE, ADSP, MorPhiC, and IGVF, maintaining strong ties with Columbia University, Stanford University, and Harvard T.H.Chan School of Public Health. The Kushal Dey Lab is part of the vibrant Tri-Institutional Research campus adjacent to Rockefeller University and Weill Cornell Medical College, offering a collaborative environment focused on computational genomics and disease mechanisms.
Reynaldo Romero serves as Associate Professor in the Department of History, Humanities and Languages at the University of Houston-Downtown, where he has maintained active teaching and research since at least 2012. His academic foundation spans linguistics, public health, and translation studies across multiple institutions. His educational background includes: Ph.D. in Spanish Linguistics from Georgetown University (Dissertation: Structural Consequences of Language Shift: Judeo-Spanish in Istanbul) M.P.H. in Community Health Practice from UTHealth (Dissertation: Beliefs on COVID-19 vaccination among Hispanic day laborers) M.A. in Translation from Kent State University Multiple B.A. degrees in French, General Linguistics, and Spanish Language/Linguistics from Rice University Romero's research creates critical intersections between linguistic theory and real-world applications. His work on Spanish for the Professions establishes frameworks for medical and legal interpreting while addressing systemic language access barriers. The scholarship on endangered languages—particularly Judeo-Spanish and Afro-Hispanic varieties—combines rigorous documentation with urgent revitalization efforts. His healthcare access research directly engages Houston's linguistic minorities through community-based projects like the Medical Translation Project with HISD. Recent publications reveal three dominant trajectories: (1) advancing methodologies in Afro-Hispanic linguistics through collaborative edited volumes; (2) developing social justice frameworks for marginalized language communities; and (3) documenting endangered linguistic varieties with innovative digital approaches. These threads converge in his community-engaged scholarship that bridges academic research and practical language access solutions. Professional recognition includes: Certified Translator status from the American Translators Association Advanced Professional Analytic Linguist certification Specialized medical and legal interpreter credentials Online teaching certification with digital tools specialization Romero's grant activity demonstrates sustained commitment to practical applications of linguistic research. Current projects include 'Promoting the Critical and Responsible Use of Digital Tools and AI in Written Tasks' (2024-2025), while past work developed medical interpreter training during disaster relief and language access protocols for healthcare settings. His service learning initiatives—like the Medical Translation Project with Houston ISD—create tangible community impact while advancing pedagogical innovation. Through the Medical Translation Project and language access advocacy, Romero cultivates collaborative spaces where academic research directly serves Houston's linguistic minorities. His work with heritage speakers and endangered language communities establishes frameworks for linguistic empowerment beyond traditional academic boundaries.
Prof. Dr. Christian Rathmann is a Professor for Sign Language Interpreting at the Institute of Rehabilitation Sciences , Humboldt University of Berlin. His academic journey includes prior roles at the University of Hamburg, University of Bristol, and The Ohio State University. PhD in Linguistics (2005), University of Texas at Austin MA in Linguistics (2000), University of Texas at Austin Research Interests : Rathmann specializes in sign language linguistics , focusing on morphosyntactic processes, semantics, and pragmatics. His work explores L1/L2 acquisition , multilingualism, language contact, and the implementation of the CEFR for sign languages . He also investigates Deaf Studies , discourse analysis, and language rights within international contexts. Scientific Contributions include publications on verb agreement, language standardization, and bilingual co-activation. His 2024 work on Signbank 2.0 and VisuoLab emphasizes digital resources for sign languages. Alexander von Humboldt Polish Honorary Research Scholarship (2016-2020) Professional Engagement : Rathmann serves on editorial boards (e.g., Frontiers in Psychology ) and scientific committees, including the SignON Project and the German Deaf Association . He advocates for early sign language access and language rights for deaf children.
Dr. Chiara Bertelli is a Lecturer in Biosciences at Swansea University within the Faculty of Science and Engineering, School of Biosciences, Geography and Physics. With over 15 years of experience in coastal and marine ecological surveys, she specializes in seagrass ecology and restoration, marine conservation, and habitat suitability modeling. Dr. Bertelli has extensive field experience including boat-based surveys, SCUBA diving, and snorkeling in both temperate and tropical environments. She is currently completing her PhD part-time focusing on environmental drivers of change in seagrass meadows in the UK and Brazil. Her educational background includes advanced training in marine biology with specialization in ecological survey techniques and data analysis using R and Primer. Her primary research focuses on seagrass ecology as nature-based solutions for climate change. She develops habitat suitability models to inform optimal locations for seagrass restoration, with applications in carbon sequestration (blue carbon) and marine biodiversity enhancement. Her work aligns with UN Sustainable Development Goals 13 (Climate Action) and 14 (Life Below Water). Analysis of Dr. Bertelli's recent publications (2020-2025) reveals a strong emphasis on practical applications of seagrass research to inform restoration efforts. Her work spans habitat suitability modeling, environmental stress responses, nutrient dynamics, and decision-support tool development. A significant portion addresses seed-based restoration techniques, ecosystem services, and the socio-ecological dimensions of marine conservation. Dr. Bertelli actively collaborates with external organizations including Project Seagrass, Sky Ocean Rescue, WWF, Natural England, and the National Oceanographic Centre. Her current ReSOW project aims to develop the CEEDS (Coastal Ecosystem Enhancement Decision Support) tool, an open-source platform to guide seagrass restoration practitioners. As an educator, Dr. Bertelli teaches several field-based marine biology courses including BIO260 Marine Biology Field Course, BIO327 Tropical Marine Ecology Field Course, and BIO346 Professional Skills in Marine Biology. Her teaching emphasizes practical, field-based learning and professional skill development for marine biologists, with a focus on survey techniques, data analysis, and environmental impact assessment. Dr. Bertelli is actively involved in research teams focused on marine ecosystem restoration and coastal management. Her work bridges academic research with practical conservation applications, working closely with government agencies, NGOs, and international research partners to translate scientific findings into actionable conservation strategies.
