Professor Bernd Möbius is a leading academic in Phonetics and Phonology at the Department of Language Science and Technology, Saarland University. His research bridges phonetic theory with speech technology applications, focusing on text-to-speech systems, prosody modeling, and computational simulations of speech processes. Current research projects: DFG SFB 1102, C1: Information density and phonetic structure predictability DFG SFB 1102, C4: Slavic intercomprehension and surprisal theory (INCOMSLAV) Research Themes: Key areas include text-to-speech synthesis, speech prosody analysis, experimental methods in speech production/perception, information density in phonetics, and cross-linguistic studies of Slavic-Germanic languages. Scientific Contributions: Recent work explores Parkinson-induced dysarthria detection, breath noise acoustics, surprisal-driven speech behaviors, multilingual BERT models for idiomaticity, and perceptual consequences of acoustic adjustments.
Xavier Serra is a Full Professor at the Department of Engineering at Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona. He is the founder and director of the Music Technology Group (MTG), and leads the UPF-BMAT Chair on AI and Music. He also coordinates the Master in Sound and Music Computing and serves as President of the Phonos Foundation. His research focuses on audio signal processing, sound and music computing, and computational musicology, emphasizing open science and open innovation. Education: BSc in Biology, University of Barcelona (1981) Master in Music, Florida State University (1983) PhD in Computer Music, Stanford University (1989) Research Interests: Audio Signal Processing Data-Driven and Knowledge-Driven Methodologies Music Information Retrieval Cultural Music Analysis (e.g., Carnatic/Turkish/Andalusian Music) Music Education Technology Notable Projects: CompMusic (ERC Advanced Grant, 2010-2017): Multicultural computational music analysis Open datasets: Freesound, Saraga, FSD50K Technologies: Reactable, Vocaloid, Essentia API Recent Trends in Articles: Focus on AI-driven audio processing (neural fingerprints, generative models), cross-cultural music analysis, and explainable music difficulty estimation. Awards: ERC Advanced Grant (2010) for CompMusic Project. Labs/Teams: Director of MTG, Phonos Foundation, and UPF-BMAT Chair. Active in open-source projects and international collaborations.
Arvind Narayanan is a Professor of Computer Science at Princeton University and Director of the Center for Information Technology Policy (CITP). His research focuses on the societal impact of digital technologies, particularly artificial intelligence, with emphasis on policy implications, fairness, and privacy. He leads interdisciplinary efforts connecting technical research with real-world policy challenges. Dr. Narayanan earned his Ph.D. from the University of Texas, Austin in 2009. His academic journey has established him as a leading voice in the critical examination of AI systems and their societal consequences. Narayanan's research spans multiple domains where technology intersects with society. His work on AI includes critical analysis of AI capabilities versus marketing claims (AI Snake Oil), fairness in machine learning systems, and the reproducibility crisis in ML-based science. In privacy research, he led the Princeton Web Transparency and Accountability Project which uncovered how companies track users online, developing the OpenWPM tool used in over 100 studies. His early work demonstrated fundamental limits of de-identification techniques and how machine learning reflects cultural stereotypes. His recent publications reveal a consistent focus on demystifying AI capabilities while identifying genuine opportunities and risks. Narayanan's work bridges technical computer science with policy relevance, emphasizing the importance of evidence-based approaches to AI governance. His research increasingly addresses the limitations of prediction systems, the challenges of evaluating AI systems, and the need for transparency in foundation models. Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) Privacy Enhancing Technologies Award (twice recipient) Privacy Papers for Policy Makers Award (three-time recipient) TIME's inaugural list of 100 most influential people in AI 2025 Graduate Mentoring Award Narayanan is recognized as an exceptional mentor, receiving Princeton's Graduate Mentoring Award in 2025. His policy engagement extends to congressional testimony, advisory roles, and frequent media commentary. He has secured significant research funding supporting his work on web transparency, AI policy, and cryptocurrency analysis. His research group has produced influential tools like OpenWPM for web privacy studies and contributed to foundational textbooks on cryptocurrencies and fairness in machine learning. At Princeton, Narayanan leads the Web Transparency and Accountability Project, a major research initiative that has conducted large-scale measurements of online tracking across millions of websites. He also co-founded and directs the CITP's AI Policy Initiative, which brings together researchers from multiple disciplines to address pressing AI governance questions. His work frequently involves collaboration with social scientists, legal scholars, and policymakers to develop practical solutions to technology governance challenges.
Georgia Zellou is an Associate Professor in the Department of Linguistics at the University of California, Davis, where she co-directs the Phonetics Lab and conducts award-winning research at the intersection of phonetics, speech perception, and human-AI interaction. Her work investigates how phonetic detail is cognitively represented through variations in speech production, with significant contributions to understanding speech alignment with voice assistants, face-masked speech intelligibility, and cross-linguistic perception of synthetic voices. Her academic credentials include a Ph.D. in Linguistics from the University of Colorado at Boulder (2012), an M.A. in Linguistics from Stony Brook University (2007), and a B.A. in Linguistics & Anthropology from the University of Florida (2005, Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa). Ph.D., Linguistics, University of Colorado at Boulder (2012) M.A., Linguistics, Stony Brook University (2007) B.A., Linguistics & Anthropology, University of Florida (2005) Professor Zellou's research program centers on laboratory phonology approaches to real-world communication challenges, examining how acoustic-phonetic details influence speech perception across contexts. Her studies span speech alignment with voice-AI systems (e.g., Amazon Alexa), sociophonetic variation in bilingual speech, and the cognitive mechanisms underlying perceptual compensation for coarticulation. She employs experimental methods including eye-tracking, acoustic analysis, and perceptual testing to uncover how phonetic variation functions pragmatically in human communication and human-machine interaction. Analysis of her 15 most recent publications (2023-2025) reveals three dominant research trajectories: (1) human-AI voice interaction dynamics, including prosodic alignment and social evaluation of TTS voices; (2) intelligibility optimization in challenging contexts (face masks, clear speech for diverse listeners); and (3) cross-linguistic phonetic variation in vowelless words and consonant clusters. These works consistently bridge theoretical phonology with applied speech technology, demonstrating how fine-grained phonetic detail influences communication effectiveness in both human-human and human-machine contexts. Her scientific recognition includes: Fulbright Scholar (2022) for research in France Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Mentoring (2019) Fellow of the Linguistic Society of America (2020) Amazon Faculty Research Award (2019) for Alexa-related speech studies Dean’s Fellow designation at UC Davis (2020-2023) Professor Zellou maintains an active mentoring practice recognized with the Chancellor’s Award, supervising undergraduate researchers in the Phonetics Lab while teaching core linguistics courses from introductory to advanced graduate levels. Her research program is supported by competitive grants including NSF funding, Amazon Research Awards, and UC Davis internal grants (Hellman Foundation, ISS Junior Faculty Grant), reflecting the translational value of her work for speech technology development. She has co-directed major initiatives including the 2019 LSA Linguistic Institute. The Phonetics Lab she co-leads serves as a hub for experimental phonetics research, focusing on speech production-perception relationships through projects investigating vocal accommodation to voice assistants, nasal coarticulation dynamics, and cross-linguistic prosody. Current collaborations with industry partners aim to implement human speech adaptation principles into voice assistant design to enhance naturalness and engagement.
Ambuj Varshney is an Assistant Professor at the National University of Singapore (NUS) School of Computing , leading the WEISER research group . His work bridges electronics, wireless communication, computer science, and AI with a focus on creating ultra-low-power embedded systems for sustainable IoT deployments. University of California, Berkeley: Postdoctoral Scholar (2020-2022) Uppsala University: PhD in Sustainable Networked Systems NXP Semiconductors: Software Engineer (prior to PhD) Bachelors in Information & Communication Technology Research interests center on overcoming wireless systems' energy asymmetry through tunnel diode oscillators , LiFi-RF hybrid networks , and battery-free communication architectures . His group develops STICORS —sticker-like computers for industrial and medical monitoring. Recent publications demonstrate AudioCast 's FM-band utilization for 130m transmission, TunnelSense 's vital monitoring, and PixelGen 's diffusion model cameras. These works combine IoT sustainability, spectrum efficiency, and hardware innovation . 2024: Google Research Scholar Award 2023: MobiSys Best Demonstration 2021: Berkeley FORM+FUND Fellowship 2019: ABB's $300K Research Award As an educator, he teaches CS4222 Wireless Networking and CS5272 Embedded Software Design . Past students include Wenqing Yan (NUS/UCB PhD), Qiao Yukai , and Kunjun Li . His team collaborates with Prabal Dutta (UCB), Christian Rohner (Uppsala), and Prateek Saxena (NUS).
Shrikanth (Shri) Narayanan is University Professor and Niki & C. L. Max Nikias Chair in Engineering at the University of Southern California (USC), with appointments spanning Electrical & Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Linguistics, Psychology, Neuroscience, Pediatrics, and Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery. He serves as Research Director of the Information Sciences Institute and Director of the Ming Hsieh Institute. PhD in Electrical Engineering (UCLA, 1995) Engineer and MS in Electrical Engineering (UCLA, 1992 and 1990) BE in Electrical Engineering (Anna University, India, 1988) His interdisciplinary research focuses on human-centered signal processing and machine intelligence , addressing societal challenges in health, education, defense, and media arts. Key areas include: Behavioral signal processing Affective computing Multimodal signal processing Computational speech science Biomedical applications Scientific Awards : IEEE James L. Flanagan Speech and Audio Processing Award (2025) Edward J. McCluskey Technical Achievement Award (2024) ISCA Medal for Scientific Achievement (2023) Claude Shannon-Harry Nyquist Technical Achievement Award (2023) ACM ICMI Sustained Accomplishment Award (2020) USC Distinguished Faculty Service Award With over 1,000 publications and 19 patents , his work has been commercialized through startups like Behavioral Signals Technologies and Lyssn . He leads transformative university initiatives and has served in editorial roles for top journals including Computer Speech and Language and IEEE Transactions on Affective Computing .
Christina L. Garman is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science at Purdue University, where she joined in Spring 2018. Her research focuses on practical cryptography and cryptographic automation to make secure system development accessible to non-experts through error-resistant design methodologies. Her educational background includes: Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and Engineering from Bucknell University (2011) Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics from Bucknell University (2011) Master of Science in Engineering in Computer Science from Johns Hopkins University (2013) Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science from Johns Hopkins University (2017) Professor Garman's work centers on real-world cryptographic system security, spanning protocol analysis (e.g., RC4 in TLS, Apple iMessage flaws), decentralized anonymous systems (Zerocash/ZCash), and cryptographic automation. She pioneered techniques for removing human error in cryptographic deployments through automated tools and frameworks. Her research bridges theoretical cryptography with practical implementation challenges in privacy-preserving technologies and secure infrastructure. Analysis of her 2021-2025 publications reveals expanding research horizons: hardware security vulnerabilities (Rowhammer, SGX), privacy network enhancements (Tor onion services), software supply chain security (SBOM tools), and advanced cryptographic protocols (zkSNARKs, MPC). This evolution demonstrates consistent focus on real-world security impact while diversifying into hardware-software cross-layer threats and formal verification methods for cryptographic implementations. Her major scientific recognitions include: NSF CAREER Award (2021) for cryptographic automation research ACM CCS Best Paper Award (2016) for iMessage security analysis IEEE Test of Time Award (2024) for foundational Zerocash work Professor Garman co-founded ZCash, a privacy-focused cryptocurrency based on her Zerocash protocol, and her NSF CAREER grant supports cryptographic automation development. Her research has received significant media coverage in The Washington Post, Wired, and The New York Times, highlighting real-world relevance. While specific student advising details aren't public, her active publication record indicates ongoing mentorship of graduate researchers in security and cryptography. Her work maintains strong industry connections through ZCash development and Tor network contributions, with recent projects like keyless CDNs demonstrating practical applications of cryptographic automation. She remains a leading voice in cryptographic research communities through conference participation and collaborative projects addressing evolving security challenges.
Shinji Watanabe is an Associate Professor at Carnegie Mellon University's Language Technologies Institute and a Courtesy Professor in the Electrical and Computer Engineering department. He holds a Ph.D. (Dr. Eng.) from Waseda University, Japan, and has held research roles at NTT Communication Science Laboratories, Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories (MERL), and Johns Hopkins University. His research focuses on automatic speech recognition, speech enhancement, and machine learning for speech processing. Watanabe has published over 300 peer-reviewed papers and received the Best Paper Award at IEEE ASRU 2019. His work emphasizes robust speech processing in challenging environments, multilingual models, and neural audio codecs. He leads the ESPnet toolkit development for end-to-end speech processing systems and contributes to technical committees like IEEE SLTC and APSIPA SLA. Recent research trends include streaming speech systems, universal speech enhancement (URGENT challenges), and fusion of discrete speech units with self-supervised representations. He explores scalable speech foundation models through benchmarks like ML-SUPERB 2.0 and investigates cross-modal audio-visual processing in challenges like MISP 2025. Education : B.S., M.S., Ph.D. (Waseda University) Affiliations : CMU Language Technologies Institute, CMU ECE, Former roles at MERL and Johns Hopkins Key Projects : ESPnet, OpenWhisper-Style Models, URGENT Challenge Frameworks
Pedro Neves is a Full Professor in the Department of Management and Organizations at Nova School of Business and Economics (Nova SBE), Universidade Nova de Lisboa. His academic background includes a PhD in Industrial and Organizational Psychology/Organizational Behavior from ISCTE-IUL and post-doctoral research at the University of Delaware. He teaches courses in Organizational Behavior, Persuasion and Negotiation, and Entrepreneurship, and actively contributes to executive education programs. His research focuses on leadership processes , particularly the dark side of leadership , interpersonal relationships , organizational change management (especially resistance anticipation), occupational health (including stress perception), and entrepreneurial behavior . His work appears in leading journals such as the Journal of Applied Psychology , The Leadership Quarterly , and Human Resource Management . His recent publications show a consistent focus on leadership dynamics, organizational change, employee well-being, and ethical behavior, often using multi-level and cross-cultural frameworks. He has also edited key volumes such as the Handbook of Methods in Leadership Research and the Research Handbook on Destructive Leadership . He currently serves as Associate Editor of the Journal of Applied Behavioral Science and is on the Editorial Board of The Leadership Quarterly and other journals, reflecting his scholarly impact. Pedro Neves has collaborated with doctoral students and researchers globally and has contributed to both theoretical and applied aspects of organizational behavior. He has not received explicitly mentioned scientific awards in the text, but his editorial roles and publication record indicate significant recognition in the field. He is involved in the Leadership for Impact Knowledge Center and contributes to open and customized executive education programs at Nova SBE.
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.
Julia DiBenigno is a Professor of Organizational Behavior at Yale School of Management, where she has been faculty since 2016 and was promoted to full professor in 2023. She holds a courtesy appointment in Sociology and is an organizational ethnographer whose research focuses on the sociology of work, professional collaboration, upward influence, and organizational change. Her research interests include understanding how professional groups collaborate across boundaries, how frontline workers can effectively voice concerns upward in organizational hierarchies, and how organizations navigate change during crises. She specializes in qualitative, ethnographic methodologies, immersing herself in organizational settings ranging from hospitals to the U.S. Army to uncover the social dynamics that shape workplace behavior. DiBenigno's publication record includes multiple articles in top journals like Administrative Science Quarterly and Organization Science, with her most recent work examining how crises create opportunities for implementing long-resisted changes. Her research demonstrates patterns where frontline staff can successfully push through organizational resistance when they move quickly and demonstrate both short- and long-term value of their proposals. Ned Smith Rising Star Award, Organization & Management Theory Division of the Academy of Management, 2023 Thinkers50 Radar List, Class of 2022 Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Research Award, NYU Wagner, 2021 Grigor McClelland Best Dissertation Award, EGOS, 2017 W. Richard Scott Outstanding Paper Award, American Sociological Association, 2016 As an educator, DiBenigno teaches Managing Groups & Teams and Power & Politics at Yale SOM. Her research on team dynamics has revealed insights about coordination loss, the common knowledge problem in group decision-making, and how hierarchical structures can both help and hinder effective teamwork. Her work with healthcare providers during the pandemic demonstrated how team identification reduces stress and burnout among frontline workers.
Sarah Ita Levitan is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science at Hunter College, CUNY, and a member of the doctoral faculty in both Computer Science and Linguistics PhD programs at the CUNY Graduate Center. She previously served as a Postdoctoral Research Scientist at Columbia University, where she completed her PhD in Computer Science in 2019 under Dr. Julia Hirschberg. Research Focus: Spoken Language Processing Natural Language Processing Paralinguistic Analysis Trustworthiness and Deception Detection Acoustic-Procedic and Lexical Feature Extraction Online Radicalization and Misinformation Recent Publications demonstrate expertise in analyzing speech and text for trust cues, deception detection, and mental health prediction. Her awards include grants from NSF, Google, and Columbia University fellowships. She leads the Hunter Speech Lab , mentoring PhD, MS, and undergraduate students in computational linguistics research. Scientific Awards and Grants: NSF EAGER Grant (2023) Google Cyber NYC Grant (2023) NSF AI Institute Grant (2023) Air Force Office of Scientific Research Grant (2020) Brown Institute Seed Grant (2020) Knight News Innovation Fellowship (2018) Teaching: Courses include Natural Language Processing (undergraduate/graduate), Computational Linguistics, Computer Theory, and advanced topics in spoken language processing at both Hunter College and Columbia University.
Richard M. Stern is a Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), holding courtesy appointments in the Language Technologies Institute and Department of Computer Science, and serving as an Artist Lecturer in the School of Music since 2007. His interdisciplinary work bridges engineering and music technology through the School of Music's programs. Education: Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), 1976 Professor Stern's research spans sound, speech, hearing, and music, with core emphases on robust speech processing in variable acoustic environments, music information retrieval, automated accompaniment, and foundational contributions to binaural perception theory. His work integrates psychoacoustic principles with machine learning to address challenges in speech recognition and human-robot interaction. Recent publications (2022-2025) reveal intensified focus on deep learning for speech enhancement in reverberant/noisy conditions, human-robot interaction scenarios, and music tagging—highlighting innovations in beamforming, source separation, and temporal modulation modeling. Awards and Honors: Fellow of the IEEE Fellow of the Acoustical Society of America Fellow of the International Speech Communication Association (ISCA) ISCA Distinguished Lecturer Allen Newell Award for Research Excellence (1992) Lutron Award for Teaching Excellence (2018) Professor Stern has advised numerous graduate students in speech and audio research, though specific names are unlisted in source materials. His grant portfolio includes significant National Science Foundation and industry-funded projects in speech technology, with leadership roles in initiatives like Interspeech 2006. He actively collaborates with CMU's Language Technologies Institute and Music and Technology program. He maintains strong ties to CMU's interdisciplinary ecosystem through the Language Technologies Institute and School of Music's Music and Technology program, contributing to research that merges acoustic engineering with musical applications.
Karen Panetta is a Professor at Tufts University School of Engineering with appointments in Electrical and Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering, and Academic Services. She currently serves as Dean of Graduate Education for the School of Engineering and holds the title of Distinguished Professor. Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, Northeastern University M.S. in Electrical Engineering, Northeastern University B.S. in Computer Engineering, Boston University Dr. Panetta's research focuses on developing efficient algorithms for simulation, modeling, and signal and image processing for security and biomedical applications. Her work brings together artificial intelligence, machine learning, and visual sensing systems to create solutions for robot vision and biomedical imaging. She develops algorithms inspired by the human visual system to enable machines to 'see' like humans, with applications in homeland security, biomedicine, facial recognition, and search and rescue operations. Her research has significant humanitarian applications, addressing global challenges facing women and children. Dr. Panetta has received numerous prestigious awards including induction into the National Academy of Engineering (2023), the Presidential Award for Science and Engineering Education and Mentoring (2011), and the IEEE Award for Distinguished Ethical Practices (2013). She is a fellow of multiple prestigious academies including the National Academy of Inventors, European Academy of Sciences and the Arts, and IEEE. Member, National Academy of Engineering (2023) Presidential Award for Science and Engineering Education and Mentoring (2011) IEEE Award for Distinguished Ethical Practices (2013) Fellow, National Academy of Inventors Fellow, European Academy of Sciences and the Arts Fellow, Asia-Pacific Artificial Intelligence Association As an educator and mentor, Dr. Panetta founded the nationally acclaimed Nerd Girls program to promote engineering to young students, particularly women. She previously served as worldwide director for IEEE Women in Engineering and editor-in-chief of the IEEE Women in Engineering magazine. Her approach to graduate education emphasizes the importance of building strong collaborative relationships between faculty and students, with a focus on proactive communication and documentation of research progress. Dr. Panetta's humanitarian research applies engineering solutions to global challenges, including developing technology to help doctors find cancerous tumors, security screeners find concealed weapons, and law enforcement agencies find criminals and missing children. Her work demonstrates a commitment to 'Doing The Right Thing' by addressing issues affecting populations with limited resources or 'voice' in society.
Roberto Togneri is a Professor and Senior Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Western Australia's School of Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering. He has been affiliated with the university since 1988, following his PhD in 1989. His research focuses on signal processing, speech recognition, machine learning, and biometrics, with notable contributions to audio-visual recognition systems and fraud detection. Education: PhD in Electrical Engineering (University of Western Australia, 1989). Research interests include feature extraction for audio signals, neural network models for speech and speaker recognition, and applications of machine learning to fraud prevention. His work has been recognized with awards such as the Education Innovation Award (ICASSP 2019) and grants from the Australian Research Council (e.g., DP110103336 for a 3D Audio-Visual Speech Recognition System). Key projects include developing robust speech recognition systems in adverse environments and advancing graph-based fraudster group detection using spatio-temporal data. He has also contributed to editorial roles in IEEE Signal Processing Magazine and authored over 214 research outputs. Funding highlights include $279,000 for a 3D audio-visual speech recognition system (2011–2013) and $230,000 for robust speech recognition in hostile environments (2010–2012). His research aligns with UN SDGs related to innovation and infrastructure.
