Fernando Campos serves as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Anthropology at The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), College of Liberal and Fine Arts. His research investigates evolutionary responses of nonhuman primates to environmental change, with direct applications for conservation amid the global primate extinction crisis driven by anthropogenic pressures. His academic credentials include: PhD in Anthropology, University of Calgary (2014) MA in Anthropology, University of Calgary (2008) BSc in Biology, California Institute of Technology (2002) Dr. Campos' research integrates behavioral ecology , biodemography , and conservation science to study primate life histories, aging, and responses to global change. Using a biodemographic approach, he examines links between environmental variability, health outcomes, and life trajectories in wild populations through long-term field studies of white-faced capuchins in Costa Rica and baboons in East Africa. Analysis of his recent publications reveals a methodological emphasis on non-invasive biomarkers (fecal proteomics, DNA methylation) to quantify physiological impacts of stress and aging. This work demonstrates how social structures and ecological conditions interact to shape survival and reproductive success, providing critical data for evidence-based primate conservation strategies. He directs the Campos Lab , which maintains active field sites in Costa Rica and Kenya, and contributes to cross-species primate life history databases for comparative analyses of demographic processes.
Aaron Sandel is an Associate Professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Texas at Austin , where he has been affiliated since at least 2012. He co-directs the Ngogo Chimpanzee Project and leads the Primate Ethology & Endocrinology (PEE) Lab . His research focuses on primate social bonds, emotions, and physiological metrics, with fieldwork based in Kibale National Park, Uganda . He teaches courses on biological anthropology, primate conservation, and the origins of friendship. Research Interests : Social bond formation across species Primate emotion quantification Life history and physiology Machine learning behavior analysis Comparative endocrinology Conservation biology Article Trends : Recent publications emphasize chimpanzee social dynamics, emotional/physiological metrics (via urine and breathing rate), and comparative evolutionary analysis. His work spans primatology , evolutionary anthropology , and machine learning applications , with increasing focus on gorilla sociality and human evolution in recent years.
Danielle Sulikowski is a Senior Lecturer and Associate Head of School in the School of Psychology at Charles Sturt University (Bathurst Campus). She holds a PhD from Macquarie University (2010), a BSc(Hons) from Macquarie University (2005), and a BSc from the University of New England (2003). Her research focuses on comparative cognition, integrating psychology, behavioral ecology, and evolutionary principles to study spatial cognition, attractiveness, visual attention, and lateralization in humans and animals like noisy miners. Her teaching responsibilities include PSY201 (Research Methods and Statistics in Psychology) and PSY307 (Cognition), delivered both internally and via distance learning. Key research interests span cognition, learning, perception, biopsychology, and evolutionary psychology, with projects involving human subjects and avian species. She maintains a research laboratory website for her comparative cognition work. Recent publications explore topics ranging from dark personalities in online behavior to facial symmetry studies and evolutionary mate strategies. Her work frequently bridges traditional psychology with ecological and evolutionary frameworks, emphasizing adaptive cognitive mechanisms in foraging and social behavior. No scientific awards are explicitly mentioned, though her extensive publication record reflects significant academic contribution. Teaching and advisory roles include no listed students, but her research engages with broader societal issues like domestic violence policy implications and digital media effects.
Dr. Rachel Parkinson is a Research Fellow at Wolfson College, University of Oxford, and holds a Lecturer position in Biology at Keble College. She is also an Eric & Wendy Schmidt AI in Science Postdoctoral Fellow. Her research focuses on insect sensory processing, particularly how pollinators like bees perceive environmental stressors such as pesticides. She develops AI-driven tools to diagnose sublethal toxicity and leads projects using large language models for systematic reviews of pesticide risks. Her work aims to assess environmental threats to pollinators and devise mitigation strategies. Her research interests include neuroethology, pesticide impacts on insect behavior, and AI applications in ecological research. She collaborates with the Bee Lab to advance understanding of pollinator health and ecological resilience. Her interdisciplinary approach bridges biology, neuroscience, and computational methods to address global environmental challenges. Awards: Eric & Wendy Schmidt AI in Science Postdoctoral Fellow Labs/Teams: Bee Lab, University of Oxford
János Kertész is a Professor at the Department of Network and Data Science at Central European University (CEU) since 2012, and previously held the position of Professor at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics (1992–2018). He obtained his PhD in Physics from Eötvös University (1980) and DSc from the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (1989). His research spans statistical physics applications, complex networks, and financial analysis. He has authored over 280 papers and served on editorial boards of journals like Journal of Physics A and Physical Review E . His research focuses on interdisciplinary topics including social network dynamics, systemic risk in economic systems, and algorithmic bias in digital environments. Notable awards include the Széchenyi Prize (Hungary’s highest scientific honor) and the Finland Distinguished Professorship. He has led projects such as SAI (Socially Explainable AI) and HUMANE-AI-NET, addressing algorithmic bias and AI ethics. His work bridges physics-based modeling with real-world social and economic systems, emphasizing computational approaches to corruption, opinion formation, and innovation diffusion. Key contributions include modeling cascading failures in interdependent networks and analyzing attention dynamics on platforms like Sina Weibo during the pandemic. He advises on systemic risk mitigation strategies and collaborates internationally, with visiting roles in Germany, the U.S., France, Italy, and Finland.
Ramón Luis Rizo Aldeguer is a University Professor in the Department of Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence at the Higher Polytechnic School of the University of Alicante. He has held this position since 1996 and continues to be actively involved in teaching and research as recently as 2025. He previously served in various leadership roles including Director of the Department of Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence (1997-2004) and Deputy Director of the Institutional Projects Area at the University of Alicante (2012-2020). His educational background includes a PhD in Computer Science from the Polytechnic University of Valencia (1992) and a degree in Mathematics from the University of Valencia (1977). He has been a member of the Spanish Association for Artificial Intelligence since 1990 and has held leadership positions within the organization. Rizo Aldeguer's research focuses on artificial intelligence with particular emphasis on swarm robotics, UAV deployment, and deep reinforcement learning. His work bridges theoretical foundations with practical applications in robotics and autonomous systems. He has made significant contributions to educational methodologies, particularly in integrating computational tools into engineering education. His publication record shows a consistent trajectory in swarm intelligence and robotics, with recent publications (2018-2023) demonstrating increasing sophistication in applying deep reinforcement learning to complex multi-agent systems. His research spans both theoretical advancements and practical implementations in robotics and autonomous systems. Fifteen five-year research periods (trienios) Six teaching merit periods Five six-year research periods (sexenios) President of Organizing Committee of VI Conference of Spanish Association for Artificial Intelligence (1995) President of Scientific Committee of CAEPIA (1999) Rizo Aldeguer has supervised 14 doctoral theses, with many receiving the highest honors (SOBRESALIENTE CUM-LAUDE). He has participated as a researcher in over 30 competitive public research projects, serving as principal investigator in 12 of them. His educational projects include innovative teaching methods and the development of computational tools for engineering education. He has been instrumental in the design and implementation of computer science programs at both the University of Alicante and the Polytechnic University of Valencia. He is a founding member of the University Institute for Computer Research and directed the Industrial Computing and Artificial Intelligence research group from 1992 to 2004. His current research continues to focus on swarm robotics and intelligent systems, with active participation in the Valencian Graduate School and Research Network of Artificial Intelligence since 2021.
Jing Wang is a Professor at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, affiliated with both the Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative Care, and Pain Medicine and the Department of Neuroscience . She specializes in pain medicine, combining clinical practice with research on brain circuits and pain regulation. Dual MD-PhD training (Columbia University, 2004 and 2003 respectively) Leadership roles: Director of Interdisciplinary Pain Program and Vice Chair, Research, in Anesthesiology Her research interests focus on cortical pain mechanisms, computational neuroscience for pain decoding, and brain-machine interfaces. Key areas include: Glutamatergic projections in pain modulation Ketamine studies for postoperative pain Machine learning for neural biomarkers of chronic pain Psychedelics in pain treatment Current clinical trials include: Chronic Pain and Postoperative Cognitive Function in the Elderly EEG Biomarkers for Acute-to-Chronic Pain Transition Predictive Biomarkers in Chronic Pancreatitis Pain Her work bridges molecular neuroscience , clinical applications , and real-time neural engineering for pain management.
Dr. Matilda Mroz is a Lecturer in Film Studies at the University of Sydney's Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, where she also serves as Honours Coordinator and School Social Inclusion Representative. She joined the University of Sydney in October 2020 after holding positions as Senior Lecturer in Film Studies at the University of Sussex and Programme Leader for the BA (Hons) Film Studies at the University of Greenwich, London. Dr. Mroz is a member of both the Sydney Environment Institute and the Charles Perkins Centre. Dr. Mroz earned her BA (Hons) from the University of Sydney and completed her PhD at the University of Cambridge (Faculty of English) in 2008. Her doctoral research formed the basis of her first monograph, Temporality and Film Analysis (Edinburgh University Press, 2012). Between 2008-2011, she held a British Academy Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at Cambridge and was the Charles and Katherine Darwin Research Fellow at Darwin College (2009-2011). Dr. Mroz's research focuses on film theory, philosophy and aesthetics, with particular emphasis on global cinematic engagements with violence, genocide and death, Polish cinema, filmed environments and ecologies, and animals in film. Her work explores how film represents traumatic historical events, particularly the Holocaust in Polish visual culture, and how cinematic representations negotiate complex relationships between humans, animals, and environments in post-conflict spaces. She employs interdisciplinary approaches drawing from film-philosophy, eco-criticism, and memory studies to examine these topics. Her recent publications demonstrate a consistent focus on Polish cinematic responses to historical trauma, particularly regarding Polish-Jewish relations and Holocaust memory. The publications reveal a trajectory from early work on cinematic temporality to more recent explorations of posthumous ecologies and the materiality of violence in Holocaust film and art. Her research increasingly incorporates elemental approaches to world cinema, examining how earth, fire, water, and air function as cinematic elements across global film cultures. Dr. Mroz has received numerous prestigious awards throughout her career: British Academy Mid-Career Fellowship (2019-2020) British Association for Slavonic and East European Studies Women's Forum Article Prize, Honorable Mention (2019) Research Pump Priming Award, University of Greenwich (2015) British Academy Small Grants (2013-2015) Early Career Research Excellence Award, University of Greenwich (2013) Charles and Katherine Darwin Research Fellowship, Darwin College, University of Cambridge (2010-2011) British Academy Postdoctoral Research Fellowship, University of Cambridge (2008-2011) Dr. Mroz currently supervises PhD students including Audrey MITCHELL, whose research examines "Gesture, Conversation, and 'Vision': Ethical Nodalities and Contemporary Cinema," and Lee STEENBERGEN, researching "Changing the Nature of Consumption in Documentary: The Foragers." She has secured significant research funding through British Academy fellowships and grants, focusing on Polish visual culture's engagement with Holocaust memory and post-conflict landscapes. Dr. Mroz serves on the editorial board of Film-Philosophy and is an active member of several scholarly associations including the British Association of Film, Television and Screen Studies, the British Association for Slavonic and East European Studies, and the Society for Cinema and Media Studies. Her current research projects include "Framing the Holocaust in Polish Aftermath Cinema: Posthumous Materiality and Unwanted Knowledge," which examines how Polish film and visual culture has responded to recent historical scholarship concerning Polish acts of violence against Jewish neighbors during the Holocaust, and "Posthumous ecologies," which explores how moving images negotiate global histories of violence and conflict through the complex networks between human remains, landscapes, and their cinematic representation.
Luke Rendell is a Professor in Biology at the University of St Andrews, where he holds multiple affiliations including the Scottish Ocean Institute, Sea Mammal Research Unit, Centre for Biological Diversity, Centre for Social Learning and Cognitive Evolution, and the Institute of Behavioural and Neural Sciences. His academic title of Reader (equivalent to Professor in the US system) reflects his senior status within the university. Dr. Rendell's research program centers on the evolution of learning, behavior, and communication in marine mammals. He has conducted extensive work on sperm whale society and ecology, demonstrating how long-lasting social groups use distinctive vocal dialects that appear culturally transmitted. His research spans culture in whales and dolphins, learning in archerfish, human social learning, and evolutionary modeling. Through the East Coast Marine Mammal Acoustic Study (ECOMMAS), he deploys passive listening buoys along the Scottish coastline to monitor windfarm impacts on marine mammals. His recent publications reveal a strong focus on cetacean culture, vocal communication, and conservation. His work increasingly integrates machine learning with traditional bioacoustics to analyze whale communication patterns. There's a clear trend toward examining the conservation implications of cultural transmission in marine mammals, particularly how cultural knowledge affects population resilience to environmental changes. Supervised 9 PhD students to completion since 2009 Principal Investigator on multiple research grants from Scottish Funding Council, Leverhulme Trust, and NERC Co-author of the influential book "The Cultural Lives of Whales and Dolphins" Dr. Rendell maintains active science communication efforts through projects like "Sea Symphonies" that blend marine science with artistic expression. His work contributes to UN Sustainable Development Goals related to life below water and biodiversity conservation.
Malcolm A. MacIver is a Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering at Northwestern University's McCormick School of Engineering. His research integrates computational modeling, bio-inspired robotics, and neurobiology to study sensory systems and movement in animals. He leads the Center for Robotics and Biosystems and has contributed to groundbreaking work on the evolution of vertebrate sensory systems and climate policy communication. Prof. MacIver holds a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, an M.A. in Philosophy, and a B.S. in Computer Science from the University of Toronto. His work spans interdisciplinary domains, including robotics, climate science communication, and vertebrate brain evolution. His research has been recognized with prestigious awards such as the Presidential Early Career Award for Science and Engineering (2009) and NSF Career Award (2009). He actively contributes to science communication through roles like Science Consultant for the National Academy of Science's Science Entertainment Exchange and as an organizer of international robotics symposiums. In teaching, he instructs graduate courses in computational neuromechanics and undergraduate classes in neuroscience and Python programming for engineering. His lab's innovations include robotic systems modeling animal behavior and climate prediction market experiments influencing public policy support.
Lisa O'Bryan is an Assistant Research Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Rice University. She holds a Ph.D. in Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior from the University of Minnesota (2015) and a B.S. in Zoology from Texas A&M University (2008). Her research focuses on understanding communication mechanisms underlying collective social behaviors in both human and non-human species, leveraging computational models and machine learning. She has pioneered the use of wearable dataloggers and audio-visual recording technologies to study animal groups and human teams. Dr. O’Bryan’s interdisciplinary work bridges engineering, biology, and social sciences. Her current research investigates vocal turn-taking in human teams and vocal coordination in animal groups. She has received prestigious fellowships, including the James S. McDonnell Postdoctoral Fellowship (2015) and the Rice Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship (2018). Her long-term goals include applying insights from collective behavior to improve human collaboration, aid wildlife conservation, and inform artificial intelligence design. Research Highlights: Developed novel methodologies for analyzing collective intelligence in human teams Discovered goats use copying rather than voting to coordinate movement Explored communication networks in baboons and chimpanzees Her work has been featured in Nature Magazine and she frequently collaborates across disciplines, integrating engineering tools with ecological and behavioral studies.
Brett Gibson is Professor and Department Chair of Psychology at University of New Hampshire. He holds a Ph.D. from University of Nebraska and M.S. from Bucknell University, with research focusing on animal cognition and behavioral neuroscience. Research examines: Spatial memory and navigation across species Neurophysiological basis of learning and decision-making Comparative cognition in birds and rodents Visual perception and memory systems His publications demonstrate consistent focus on neural mechanisms of spatial cognition, particularly thalamocortical pathways and prefrontal function, with significant work on avian cognitive abilities in nutcrackers and pigeons.
Brian Fisher is a Professor at Simon Fraser University's School of Interactive Arts and Technology, where he leads the Interaction Science Research Group. He holds affiliate positions at the University of British Columbia and serves as Associate Director for the Media And Graphics Interdisciplinary Centre (MAGIC). His research investigates human reasoning in responsive environments through cognitive science approaches, developing visualization systems that support individual and distributed cognition. Fisher's work spans personalized health, aircraft safety analysis, space object classification, and emergency management. His teaching integrates perceptual, cognitive, and social science knowledge into design education. He actively participates in science policy through organizations including NSERC, Defence R&D Canada, EUREKA Eurostars, and IEEE committees. Fisher has been recognized as a Fellow of the Psychonomics Society and chaired major conferences including IEEE VIS 2019. His research is characterized by strong interdisciplinary collaboration and real-world applications in high-stakes decision domains.
Andrew Gordus is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biology at Johns Hopkins University, with affiliations in the Neuroscience Training Program and the Cellular, Molecular, Developmental and Biophysics (CMDB) Graduate Program. He leads an active research laboratory focused on the neural and genetic basis of behavior using model organisms such as C. elegans and the spider Uloborus diversus . His research centers on understanding how neural circuits generate both novel and innate behaviors in response to environmental variability. Using genetic, imaging, and behavioral tools, his lab investigates decision-making, motor control, and sensory integration in these organisms. Notably, they study the precise movement sequences in spider web-building and stochastic foraging behaviors in worms. The lab's recent publications reveal a strong emphasis on neural circuit dynamics , behavioral algorithms , genetic tools development , and systems neuroscience , often combining molecular genetics with quantitative behavioral analysis. Their work appears in high-impact journals such as Current Biology , eLife , and PNAS . NSF Division of Physics grant (2023) NIGMS R35 grant renewal (2023) JHU Catalyst Award (2022) Buck Institute Nathan Shock Center grant (2022) NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship (mentored awardee) Gordus mentors a diverse group of graduate students, postdocs, and undergraduates, and supports their professional development. His lab culture emphasizes diversity, equity, and inclusion, welcoming scientists from immigrant, LGBTQ+, Black, Jewish, Latino, and Asian backgrounds. The lab is supported by multiple competitive grants and actively contributes to advancing the understanding of how brains generate complex behaviors.
Kelly Sutherland is a Professor of Biology at the University of Oregon , affiliated with both the College of Arts and Sciences and the Oregon Institute of Marine Biology (OIMB) in Charleston. She holds a Ph.D. from MIT/Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (2009), an M.S. from the University of South Alabama (2004), and a B.S. from Tufts University (1999). Her research bridges biology and physics, focusing on biomechanics and fluid-environment interactions in marine organisms, particularly gelatinous zooplankton. Education: B.S., Tufts University (1999) M.S., University of South Alabama (2004) Ph.D., MIT/Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (2009) Sutherland’s lab investigates ecological and evolutionary roles of gelatinous plankton, which are understudied yet critical to marine food webs. Her work emphasizes predator-prey dynamics , multi-jet propulsion , and microbial-grazing interactions , employing in situ video, kinematic analysis, and flow visualization. Recent studies explore colonial salp swimming efficiency, appendicularian particle selection, and ctenophore ecological impacts in open oceanic ecosystems. Research Trends: Recent publications highlight Salp colonial architecture , multi-jet propulsion , microbial prey dynamics , particle surface properties , and hydrodynamic advantages in pelagic organisms . Collaborative themes span biomechanics , ecosystem impacts , and evolutionary adaptations . Advising & Outreach: Dr. Sutherland mentors undergraduate, MSc, and PhD students at both the Eugene campus and OIMB, with lab opportunities in lab/field studies and summer research. She encourages external funding applications and collaborates with environmental studies programs. Outreach includes partnerships with journalists, filmmakers, and artists to communicate science to broader audiences.
