Frank van Harmelen is a full professor at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and scientific director of The Network Institute. He specializes in Artificial Intelligence, Knowledge Representation, and the Semantic Web. His research includes foundational contributions to OWL, Sesame, and large-scale reasoning engines. He holds a PhD from the University of Edinburgh (1989) and has been recognized with awards like the 10-Year Impact Award (2012). Research interests span symbolic knowledge representation, large knowledge bases, and medical guideline formalization. Notable projects include the EU-funded Large Knowledge Collider and the formalization of Dutch breast-cancer guidelines using dynamic temporal logic. Awards: Distinguished Lecturer (2003), Keur der Wetenschap (2005), European AI Society Fellow (2007), and Most Cited Article Award (2011). Advising includes student Jacopo Urbani, co-author of prize-winning work. His work integrates theorem-proving with medical applications and semantic web infrastructure.
Anne-Marie Kermarrec is a Senior Researcher at INRIA (France), with prior roles at Microsoft Research (UK) and the University of Rennes 1 (France). Her work focuses on decentralized systems, including gossip protocols, peer-to-peer networks, social networks, and collaborative filtering. PhD in Computer Science (Rennes, 1996) Her research spans epidemic algorithms, content-based search in large-scale networks, and scalable group communication. She pioneered gossip-based peer sampling and multicast infrastructures like Scribe and SplitStream. Her publications highlight applications in decentralized news recommendation (AllYours), network coding, and privacy-preserving social platforms (Gossple). Key article trends include gossip protocols , P2P systems , social network analysis , decentralized storage , and collaborative filtering . She received the Michel Monpetit Award (2011), ERC Starting Grant (GOSSPLE, 2008-2013), and an ICDCS Best Paper Award (2010). Michel Monpetit Award (2011) ERC PoC AllYours (2013) ERC Starting Grant GOSSPLE (2008-2013) ICDCS Best Paper Award (2010) Kermarrec led program committees for major conferences (e.g., EuroSys, Middleware) and chaired the ACM Software System Award. Her software contributions include AllYours (news recommender), GossipLib (gossip library), and GossipPeer (P2P platform maintenance).
Nicola Leone is a Full Professor of Computer Science at the University of Calabria , Italy, within the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science . Since 2000, he has held key academic and administrative roles, including Head of Department, Coordinator of the PhD Program in Mathematics and Informatics, Member of the Academic Senate, and Director of the PhD School in Systems Engineering, Informatics, Mathematics, and Operation Research. His research spans foundational and applied areas in Artificial Intelligence and Database Systems , with a focus on knowledge representation and reasoning , deductive databases , semantic web , answer set programming , and ontologies . He has been instrumental in advancing the theoretical and practical aspects of these fields, contributing to both academic discourse and real-world applications. Leone has been recognized with numerous prestigious awards, including the EurAI Fellowship , the ACM-PODS Alberto O. Mendelzon Test-of-Time Award , and multiple civic honors for scientific excellence. He has served on over 100 program committees and held editorial roles in top-tier journals. He has supervised 25 PhD dissertations and over 200 master’s theses , with many of his former students now holding professorships and contributing significantly to AI research. His leadership in education and research has shaped a generation of scholars in computer science and AI.
Shqiponja Ahmetaj is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Knowledge-Based Systems at the Faculty of Informatics, TU Wien. She specializes in semantic web technologies, knowledge representation, and graph data management. Her research focuses on SHACL validation, ontology integration, and formal methods for constraint satisfaction in graph databases. Education: PhD in Computer Science, TU Wien (2019): 'Rewriting approaches for ontology-mediated query answering.' MSc in Computer Science, TU Wien (2013): 'Planning in graph databases under description logic constraints.' Roles: Course instructor for 'Introduction to Artificial Intelligence,' 'Knowledge-based Systems,' and 'Semantic Technologies.' Principal investigator in projects like FRESH (2021–2026) and SEE (2012–2016). Research Interests: Her work addresses challenges in semantic web validation, ontology semantics, and graph data evolution. She develops formal methods for SHACL constraint validation, explanation generation for non-validation, and repair algorithms. Her contributions bridge the gap between semantic web standards and practical database systems. Her recent publications focus on SHACL validation of evolving graphs , ontology-ontology interoperability , and consistent query answering under constraints . Projects like FRESH emphasize theoretical and applied aspects of SHACL in knowledge graphs. Grants & Projects: FRESH (FWF, 2021–2026): 'Shapes in Graph Data: Theory and Implementation.' SEE (WWTF, 2012–2016): 'SPARQL Evaluation and Extensions.' Advising: Supervised theses such as 'SHACL validation of evolving RDF graphs' (2023) and 'A metaheuristic approach to crowdsourced package delivery' (2023). Labs/Teams: Active in TU Wien's research groups on semantic technologies and knowledge representation, collaborating with international institutions on projects like OMEGA and KtoAPP.
Thomas Eiter is a Full Professor at the Institute of Logic and Computation, Technical University of Vienna (TU Wien), where he serves as Head of Research Unit. He is a Full Member of the Division of Mathematics and Natural Sciences since 2022 and holds leadership roles within the university. His research focuses on knowledge representation and reasoning, computational logic, algorithms and complexity in AI, declarative problem solving, nonmonotonic logic programming and databases, and reasoning about actions and change. His work bridges theoretical foundations with practical applications in artificial intelligence, particularly in logic programming and knowledge-based systems. He has made significant contributions to Answer Set Programming (ASP), developing frameworks like DLV and HEX programs that enable sophisticated reasoning capabilities. His recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on stream reasoning (LARS framework), knowledge forgetting, modular reasoning systems, and the integration of logic programming with ontologies. His research shows consistent contributions to both theoretical foundations and practical implementations of AI systems over several decades. ACM Fellow (2020) Fellow of the European Association for AI (2006) Distinguished Paper Award of the 17th International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence (IJCAI, 2001) Prominent Paper Award of the Artificial Intelligence Journal (2013) Test of Time Award (10 years) of the International Conference on Logic Programming (2013) Eiter has led and participated in numerous research projects, both internationally funded (such as LogiCS@TUWien, Humane AI, AI4EU) and nationally funded (including projects like BILAI, TAIGER, and several FWF-funded initiatives). His research unit has received substantial support from European Commission programs (H2020) and Austrian funding agencies (FWF, FFG, WWTF). He is actively involved in the academic community as a member of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW), Academia Europaea, and has served on the Executive Council of AAAI. His research unit maintains strong connections with international collaborators and has developed influential systems like the DLV answer set programming system.
Eleonora Laurenza is a PostDoc Researcher at the Department of Databases and Artificial Intelligence, Vienna University of Technology (TU Wien). Her research focuses on the intersection of deductive logic-based and inductive methods in Artificial Intelligence, with a special emphasis on Knowledge Graphs, Data Engineering, and Reasoning Systems. She contributes to projects like KnowledgeGraph (2020–2028), DeConquer (2023–2027), and SustainGraph (2023–2025). Her work spans topics such as scalable reasoning in knowledge graphs, probabilistic reasoning frameworks, and applications in distributed ledger technology. Recent publications address FATEful smart contracts and model-independent knowledge graph design. She teaches courses like 'Knowledge Graphs' and 'Research and Career Planning for Doctoral Students.' Laurenza collaborates on interdisciplinary projects involving blockchain ethics, regulatory compliance systems, and uncertainty modeling in data systems. Her research bridges foundational theory with practical applications in AI-driven data management.
Tobias Dam serves as an Academic Professional at the Institute of IT Security Research within the Department of Computer Science and Security at St. Pölten University of Applied Sciences. His work focuses on practical cybersecurity challenges with emphasis on open-source software ecosystems, data space security, and web-based threats. Based in the B-Campus-Platz 1 location, he actively contributes to both research and educational initiatives in IT Security. His educational background includes completing HTL St. Pölten's Department of IT/Computer Science program from 2008-2013, followed by a Bachelor's degree in IT Security at St. Pölten University of Applied Sciences from 2013-2016. He gained practical experience in 2015 working on software development, security, and configuration management in the "upribox" project. Since 2016, he has been pursuing a Master's degree in Information Security at the same institution. Dr. Dam's research spans multiple critical areas in modern cybersecurity, with particular expertise in analyzing vulnerabilities in open-source software ecosystems. His work on critical open-source software databases represents significant contributions to understanding the "health status" of important open-source projects. He has also made notable advances in data space security, developing policy patterns for usage control, and conducting extensive analyses of web-based threats including typosquatting, pop-up scams, and cryptojacking. His research uniquely bridges theoretical frameworks with empirical analysis of real-world security issues, often examining how privacy techniques like k-anonymity impact machine learning classifiers and how data deletion affects model integrity. His publication record demonstrates consistent contributions to major cybersecurity conferences and journals, with recent work focusing on dataspace connector implementations, critical open-source software metrics, and vulnerability assessment in open-source packages. His research trajectory shows increasing specialization in the security challenges of modern data ecosystems while maintaining strong connections to practical implementation concerns. Through his video presentations on cloud services versus self-operated programs and secure remote corporate IT access, Dr. Dam actively engages in knowledge transfer to broader technical audiences beyond traditional academic publication channels.
Sareh Aghaei serves as a Research Fellow at the Institute of Management Sciences within the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Industrial Management at Vienna University of Technology (TU Wien), focusing on knowledge-driven solutions for industrial maintenance and healthcare systems. Her academic credentials include: Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Innsbruck (2023) M.Sc. in Computer Science from the University of Isfahan Dr. Aghaei's research integrates knowledge graphs with natural language processing and machine learning to develop explainable AI systems. Her work spans industrial maintenance optimization, clinical decision support, and tourism information systems, emphasizing ontology engineering and question-answering frameworks that transform unstructured data into actionable knowledge. Analysis of her 2021-2025 publications reveals a strategic shift toward domain-specific knowledge graph applications, particularly in maintenance management (2022-2025) and health informatics (2023-2024). This evolution demonstrates increasing specialization in medical knowledge representation while maintaining foundational contributions to semantic web technologies established in earlier works like her 2011 Web services architecture research. Her scholarly recognition includes: netidee Grant Call 17: Austria's award for most innovative doctoral theses Dr. Aghaei's doctoral research was funded through the netidee scholarship. Current documentation indicates no active student supervision or major grant leadership beyond her postdoctoral position at TU Wien. Within TU Wien's Institute of Management Sciences, she contributes to research bridging production engineering and artificial intelligence, developing knowledge-based systems for predictive maintenance and industrial process optimization through interdisciplinary collaboration.
Peter Wetz is a researcher affiliated with the Institute of Software Technology and Interactive Systems at TU Wien. His work focuses on semantic data processing, environmental data systems, and interactive data exploration. He has contributed to frameworks like YABench for RDF stream processing and StatSpace for statistical data integration. His research integrates Linked Data, real-time environmental monitoring, and user-friendly data visualization tools. Notable projects include Linked Widgets and Open Mashup Platform, aiming to lower barriers for data exploration. He has authored over 20 publications between 2013–2017, emphasizing interdisciplinary approaches to data management and semantic technologies. Key Areas: Semantic Web, Environmental Data, Stream Processing Tools Developed: YABench, StatSpace, Linked Widgets Platform
Astrid Schmidt-Kloiber is a researcher at the Institute of Hydrobiology and Aquatic Ecosystem Management, Department of Ecosystem Management, Climate and Biodiversity, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU). She holds a Dipl.-Ing. and Dr. degree and is actively engaged in freshwater biodiversity, data management, and ecological assessment research. Her work spans EU-funded projects, national initiatives, and international collaborations focused on biomonitoring, data publication, and science communication. Research Interests: Astrid Schmidt-Kloiber's research centers on freshwater biodiversity , benthic macroinvertebrates , ecological assessment , and data management . She is deeply involved in developing online platforms such as the Freshwater Information Platform and MERLIN Academy, promoting open data, trait-based ecology, and science communication. Her expertise includes statistical analysis, web design, and freshwater typology, supporting effective monitoring and policy development. Publication Trends: Her recent publications emphasize large-scale ecological trends in European rivers, data harmonization across trait databases, and the impacts of human activities like navigation and hydropower on freshwater ecosystems. She contributes to global biodiversity assessments and advocates for robust data infrastructures to support conservation and restoration efforts. Scientific Contributions: Lead and co-lead of multiple EU- and nationally funded research projects (e.g., FWF, European Commission, Austrian Federal Ministries). Key contributor to the development of the Freshwater Information Platform and data-sharing infrastructures. Active participant in international networks such as FreshwaterBON and GEO BON. Author of influential reports and policy briefs, including inputs to the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework. Advising and Grants: While no direct student advisement is listed, she leads major research grants and coordinates large interdisciplinary teams. Her projects often involve collaboration with institutions across Europe and Africa, focusing on capacity building, data mobilization, and ecosystem restoration. She plays a central role in knowledge transfer to society through reports, workshops, and media engagement. Labs and Teams: She is a core member of the Institute of Hydrobiology and Aquatic Ecosystem Management at BOKU and leads or contributes to several research consortia, including MERLIN, AQUACROSS, and FreshwaterBON. Her work fosters integration between ecological research, data science, and policy implementation in freshwater systems.
Johannes Scholz is a researcher affiliated with the Institute of Geoinformation and Cartography at Vienna University of Technology . His work bridges GIScience, spatial data analysis, and user-centric technologies. Research Focus : GIS applications, web mapping, spatial scheduling, and data management. Contributions : Explored machine learning for tourism flow prediction, FOSS-GIS education tools, NoSQL databases for unstructured data, and GIS-integrated operations research for logistics. Collaborations : Engaged in interdisciplinary projects with colleagues like Norbert Bartelme and Gerhard Navratil.
Tova Milo is a Full Professor and Head of the Department of Computer Science at Tel Aviv University, where she has held academic roles since 1995. She specializes in database systems, XML, data integration, and crowd-sourcing. Her research bridges theoretical foundations and practical applications in data management. Education: Ph.D. in Computer Science from Hebrew University (1992). She has led major initiatives such as the ERC Advanced Investigators grant (MoDaS project) and holds ACM Fellow status. She chairs key committees like the ACM SIGACT-SIGMOD PODS executive committee and has organized over 50 international conference programs. Research interests focus on database management, XML, data-centric business processes, and leveraging crowd-sourcing for data tasks. Her work has been recognized with the ACM PODS Test-of-Time Award (2010) and an IBM Faculty Award (2008). Grants and funding include over 20 awards from the European Union, US-Israel Binational Science Foundation, and industry partners like IBM and Microsoft. She contributes to editorial boards of ACM Transactions on Database Systems and The VLDB Journal.
Erich Neuhold is a Professor of Computer Science at the University of Vienna and Darmstadt University of Technology. He holds honorary professorships at several institutions, including the University of Guiyang and the New Jersey Institute of Technology. His career spans over five decades, with roles as Director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Publication and Information Systems (IPSI) and professorships at multiple universities globally. Education: Erich Neuhold earned a Dipl.-Ing. (M.S.) in Electronics and a Dr.-techn. (PhD) in Mathematics and Computer Science from the Technical University of Vienna. He holds special honors in his academic career, including Fellowships from IEEE and the Gesellschaft für Informatik. Research Interests: His work focuses on distributed databases, object-oriented systems, internet databases, information retrieval, semantic web, interoperability, and applications in digital libraries, e-science, and e-government. He pioneered advancements in transaction models, multimedia databases, and semantic integration frameworks. Publications: Over 200 papers and four books, with recent contributions including retrospectives on computing history and foundational work in supercomputing architectures. His articles reflect deep engagement with historical and future trends in computer science. Awards: Recognitions include the Meritorious Service Award from IEEE, medals from academic institutions, and honorary professorships worldwide. Grants & Labs: Led projects like the POREL distributed database system and contributed to initiatives like the EU’s FRESCO e-science cockpit. His work spans academic-industrial collaborations, with budget leadership at IPSI (€10M/year). Labs/Teams: Co-founded the Fraunhofer IPSI and directed research teams in Austria, Germany, and internationally, emphasizing interdisciplinary collaboration in information systems.
FH-Prof. Dr. Markus Seidl is a Professor in the Department of Media and Digital Technologies at the University of Applied Sciences St. Pölten. He leads the Creative Computing (BA) program and serves as interim head of the Media Computing Research Group within the Institute of Creative Media/Technologies. His roles include academic director and former Managing Director (2015–2020). Seidl holds a PhD in Computer Vision from TU Wien (2016) and has extensive experience in interdisciplinary projects, particularly in digital cultural heritage. His research focuses on computer vision techniques for analyzing rock art (petroglyphs) and enhancing museum experiences through multi-touch interfaces and BYOD integration. Key projects include the Europa Nostra-award-winning rock art analysis work and multi-touch table applications exhibited globally. He has supervised over 20 theses on topics like medieval manuscript analysis and AI-driven cultural artifact understanding. Notable contributions span 120+ publications, including work on 3D surface segmentation, flood level estimation from social media, and interactive museum technologies. His work bridges computer science with archaeology, design, and education, emphasizing experiential learning and technology-driven cultural preservation.
Wolfgang Faber is a researcher at Vienna University of Technology (TU Wien) specializing in Knowledge-Based Systems within the Faculty of Informatics. Holding the position of Privatdozent, he has completed his habilitation and is qualified to teach at the university level. His academic work centers on Answer Set Programming (ASP), Logic Programming, and Knowledge Representation, with significant contributions to theoretical foundations in these fields. Dr. Faber's research spans multiple areas of computational logic: Answer Set Programming and its theoretical underpinnings Epistemic logic programs and equivalence properties Knowledge representation and reasoning systems Nonmonotonic reasoning formalisms Integration of logic programming with external data sources His publication history reveals a sustained focus on theoretical aspects of ASP, with particular emphasis on program equivalence concepts (strong equivalence, uniform equivalence), computational complexity analysis, and applications to knowledge representation. Over two decades, his research has evolved from foundational work in disjunctive logic programming to specialized topics in epistemic reasoning within ASP frameworks. Dr. Faber has led and participated in numerous research projects including START (2014-2022) on Uniform Equivalence of Epistemic Logic Programs, SemDat (2012-2016), and multiple projects related to hybrid knowledge bases and Answer Set Programming from 2005-2015. His collaborative research extends across European institutions, evident through extensive co-authorship with researchers like Thomas Eiter and Stefan Woltran. While specific awards aren't documented in the available information, his sustained research output and leadership in multiple projects indicate significant recognition within his field. Dr. Faber has made substantial contributions to major systems in the field, most notably the DLV system for knowledge representation and reasoning, which has influenced both academic research and practical applications of Answer Set Programming.
