Dr. Stewart Worrall is a Senior Research Fellow at the Australian Centre for Field Robotics (ACFR) within the University of Sydney. His research focuses on autonomous systems, robotics, and intelligent transportation systems, particularly in the areas of autonomous vehicle perception, human-robot interaction, and sensor fusion. He has contributed to numerous high-impact publications on topics such as edge case testing for autonomous vehicles, collaborative perception frameworks, and context-aware human-robot interaction design. His work integrates robotics hardware, computer vision, and machine learning to address challenges in autonomous driving, crowd dynamics, and urban mobility scenarios. Current research students under his supervision explore topics ranging from light field imaging for autonomous driving to human-machine interfaces for vehicles. Worrall has pioneered datasets like the University of Sydney Campus Dataset and the ACFR Five Roundabouts Dataset, which are critical for evaluating autonomous systems. His contributions span academic conferences (e.g., IEEE IV, ICRA) and journals, emphasizing both technical innovation and societal impacts of autonomous technologies. Key labs/teams: Core member of the ACFR, collaborating across disciplines including robotics, computer science, and urban design.
Nur Zincir-Heywood is a Distinguished Research Professor and Associate Dean (Research) in the Faculty of Computer Science at Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. She has been a Full Professor since 2010, following progressive academic appointments from Assistant to Associate Professor. Her research centers on developing intelligent and secure systems for modeling and analyzing behaviors across networks and services. Key areas include: Cyber Security and Resilience Autonomous Cyber Operations Threat Analysis and Detection Machine Learning and Big Data Analytics Computer Communications and Networks Her recent recognition as a Distinguished Research Professor reflects her significant contributions to research and scholarship. She leads the NIMS Lab and is actively involved in research clusters focused on Systems, Big Data Analytics, AI, and Machine Learning. She also co-organized the 'Dal FCS Hands on Security Day' with industry partners like Cisco and 2Keys. A special issue she is involved with in IEEE TNSM on AI for network and service management highlights her leadership in cutting-edge domains. Scientific awards include: Distinguished Research Professor (2021–present) She advises students and leads research projects, with fellowship opportunities currently available in her lab. Her work bridges academic innovation with real-world applications in security and intelligent systems. She is also engaged with public outreach, occasionally appearing on CBC Information Morning.
Dr Ruchit Agrawal is an Assistant Professor and Head of CS Outreach at the School of Computer Science, University of Birmingham Dubai. He holds a PhD in Computer Science from Queen Mary University of London and was a postdoctoral research scientist at the University of Oxford, where he worked on Artificial Intelligence for Healthcare. His research is centered on advancing AI systems with applications in healthcare and natural language understanding. Research Interests: Dr Agrawal specializes in Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Natural Language Processing, Deep Learning, and Clinical Machine Learning. His work explores Multimodal Deep Learning and Adaptive and Contextual AI , aiming to develop intelligent systems that can understand and respond to complex, real-world environments, particularly in medical contexts. His research bridges theoretical innovation with practical healthcare applications. His scholarly contributions include numerous publications in leading journals and top-tier international conferences in AI and computer science. The body of his work demonstrates a strong trajectory in healthcare-oriented AI, multimodal data integration, and context-aware learning models. Scientific Awards: Marie-Curie Fellow Dr Agrawal has experience supervising students at the PhD, MSc, and BSc levels, contributing to academic training and research mentorship. While specific grants are not listed, his Marie-Curie Fellowship and postdoctoral position at Oxford indicate a strong record of competitive research funding. He currently leads computer science outreach initiatives at the University of Birmingham Dubai, promoting engagement and education in computing fields. He is affiliated with the School of Computer Science at the University of Birmingham’s Dubai campus, contributing to both research and academic leadership in an international academic environment.
Dr Sumeet Jain is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Edinburgh, affiliated with the School of Social and Political Science (Social Work). His interdisciplinary research focuses on community mental health in low-income contexts, cultural psychiatry, ethnography, and global mental health policy, with regional expertise in South Asia. He has led projects funded by ESRC, Carnegie Trust, British Academy, Wellcome Trust, DFID, and World Bank, including studies on recovery-oriented mental health in India, poverty-mental health linkages, and evaluation of Scotland's alcohol/drug referral services. Research Interests: Community mental health systems in low-resource settings Critical analysis of psychiatric categories and local distress Qualitative/ethnographic evaluation of health programs Training of social workers in non-western mental health Global mental health policy and equity Publication Trends: Recent works emphasize participatory interventions, mutuality in mental health, caste identities, and critiques of scaling-up global mental health initiatives. His research spans South Asia, Malawi, Ghana, and the UK, blending sociocultural perspectives with public health outcomes. Scientific Awards: ESRC-Impact Accelerator Award Carnegie Trust funding for community mental health in India British Academy collaboration on caste and distress Wellcome Trust grant for London health inequalities study DFID/World Bank funding for poverty-stigma-mental illness research Dr Jain supervises postgraduate research in Global Mental Health and Social Work, contributes to undergraduate and postgraduate teaching, and co-edited The Palgrave Handbook of Sociocultural Perspectives on Global Mental Health (2017).
Sherry Tongshuang Wu is an Assistant Professor at Carnegie Mellon University's School of Computer Science, with primary appointments in the Human-Computer Interaction Institute (HCII) and secondary affiliation with the Language Technology Institute (LTI) . Trained at the University of Washington under Jeffrey Heer and Dan Weld, she bridges HCI and NLP to study human interactions with AI systems across diverse user groups. Her educational background includes a Ph.D. (2016-22) and M.S. (2016-18) in Computer Science and Engineering from the University of Washington, and a B.Eng. (2012-16) from Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. Industry experience includes research internships at Google Brain, Microsoft Research, and Apple. Wu's research focuses on three interconnected pillars: Real-world AI Evaluation (developing frameworks like SPHERE for systematic assessment), Task-specific AI Test & Distill (optimizing general-purpose models for specific use cases), and Human-AI Task Delegation (designing optimal collaboration between humans and AI). Her work emphasizes practical deployment, user-specific net gains, and error recovery mechanisms. Analysis of her 15 most recent publications reveals a strong trend toward evaluation frameworks (35%), human-AI collaboration systems (30%), and specialized model distillation (25%), with growing emphasis on educational applications (10%). Key methodological themes include checklist-based evaluation, perspective-aware retrieval, and structural analysis of AI outputs. Google Academic Research Award (2024) Amazon Research Awards (2024) AIED 2024 Best Paper Award ACL 2020 Best Paper Award Rising Stars in EECS Workshop (2020) Wu actively mentors 19 students across PhD, Master's, and undergraduate levels, with notable projects including synthetic data generation, LLM literacy tools, and retrieval system optimization. She leads significant grant-funded work through Amazon Research Awards and Google Academic Research Awards, focusing on deployable model generation and human-AI collaboration frameworks. Her lab develops practical tools like Promp2Model and SPHERE that bridge theoretical research with industry applications.
Nikolai Matni is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical and Systems Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania. He holds a secondary appointment in the Department of Computer and Information Science and is a member of the Applied Mathematics and Computational Sciences (AMCS) graduate group. His research focuses on integrating learning, optimization, and control for safety-critical and data-driven cyber-physical systems, with applications in robotics, autonomy, and distributed control. Secondary Appointment: Computer and Information Science (University of Pennsylvania) Labs/Centers: GRASP Lab, PRECISE Center His research bridges machine learning, robust control, and autonomous systems, particularly in developing guaranteed-safe strategies for cyber-physical systems. He emphasizes the importance of reliability and robustness in learning-based control for applications like self-driving vehicles and agile robots, where failures could be catastrophic. Recent publications highlight advancements in vision-based robotic control, neural ODEs for motion planning, adversarial exploration strategies, and stability-constrained learning. These works span conferences such as ICRA, CoRL, WACV, IROS, and L4DC, with a focus on safety-critical applications. Notable scientific awards include the NSF CAREER Award, George S Axelby Award (for his work on System Level Synthesis), AFOSR YIP award, and Google Research Scholar Award. He was also elevated to IEEE Senior Member. Matni advises Ph.D. students in Computer and Information Science (CIS), Electrical and Systems Engineering (ESE), and Applied Mathematics and Computational Sciences (AMCS). His teaching includes courses like ESE 2030 (Linear Algebra with Engineering/AI applications) and others focused on control theory and robotics.
Daniel J. Field is Professor of Vertebrate Palaeontology in the Department of Earth Sciences and the Strickland Curator of Ornithology at the University of Cambridge Museum of Zoology. He is a Fellow of Christ's College, Cambridge, where Charles Darwin studied as an undergraduate, and serves as the founding director of the Darwin-Hamied Centre at Christ's College. Field also maintains research associate positions at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science and the Natural History Museum (London). Field is an evolutionary biologist and palaeontologist whose research focuses on deciphering the origins of modern avian biodiversity using fossil, anatomical, and molecular data. His work spans multiple themes including clarifying how birds survived and diversified following the mass extinction of non-avian dinosaurs, studying the evolutionary histories of major living bird groups, and understanding the evolutionary origins of distinctive biological features such as the modern bird skull. In 2020, his team announced the discovery of Asteriornis maastrichtensis (the 'Wonderchicken'), the oldest-known modern bird fossil and an early relative of the group that gave rise to living chickens and ducks. Field's publication record shows consistent research output across multiple areas of avian evolution, with recent work focusing on avian palate evolution, skeletal pneumaticity, developmental patterns in bird skulls, and the evolutionary relationships among major bird groups. His research integrates cutting-edge techniques including CT scanning, geometric morphometrics, and phylogenetic analysis to address fundamental questions about vertebrate evolution. Field leads an active research group comprising postdoctoral researchers, PhD students, and master's students from around the world. His lab has produced significant work on topics including the evolution of flightlessness in ratites, the developmental underpinnings of avian morphological diversity, and the phylogenetic relationships among major bird lineages. The lab maintains strong international collaborations and has been instrumental in training the next generation of evolutionary biologists and palaeontologists. Field is passionate about natural history and science outreach, and enjoys photographing Earth's vertebrate biodiversity in the field. His work bridges the gap between traditional palaeontology and modern evolutionary biology, contributing significantly to our understanding of how modern bird diversity arose from their dinosaurian ancestors.
Mischa Billing is a Senior Lecturer at Örebro University specializing in Culinary Arts and Meal Science. She is actively involved in research on sensory experiences, wine studies, and food pairing. Her work spans across multiple disciplines including haptics, olfaction, and culinary traditions. Her research interests focus on the intersection of sensory perception and culinary practices. Billing explores how sound affects taste perception, develops haptic attribute models for food design, and investigates improved sensory experiences for the elderly. Her work in sommelier training and critical attribute techniques bridges traditional culinary knowledge with scientific approaches to sensory evaluation. Analysis of her publications reveals a strong focus on practical applications of sensory science in culinary contexts. Her work spans from theoretical explorations of wine tasting as embodied knowledge to practical guides for food and beverage pairing. The recurring themes include sensory integration, cultural contexts of food consumption, and innovative methods for enhancing meal experiences. Gastronomic Academy's Silver Medal Wine Profile of the Year Nose of the Year Honorary Truffle of the Year Billing has served as general secretary of the International Sommelier Association (ASI) and is a member of the Wine Academy in Sweden. She has extensive experience in evaluating diverse products including Swedish tap water and apple juice. Her media presence includes serving as a jury member on TV4's Sweden's Master Chef and delivering radio talks for Sveriges Radio. She leads several research initiatives including the Sense Lab, which focuses on future sensory experiences, and participates in research groups examining meals from social and cultural perspectives. Her projects like 'Rewine The World' demonstrate interdisciplinary approaches to reducing food waste through innovative culinary methods.
Tom Schrijvers is a Professor at the Department of Computer Science in the Faculty of Engineering Science at KU Leuven, Belgium. He leads the Programming Languages Group within the Declarative Languages and Artificial Intelligence (DTAI) research group. His research focuses on programming languages, particularly functional and logic programming, with special emphasis on Haskell, type systems, and algebraic effects. His research interests include: Functional Programming, especially Haskell Type Systems and Type Theory Algebraic Effects and Handlers Logic Programming, particularly Prolog Constraint Programming Domain-Specific Languages Programming Language Theory Prof. Schrijvers' recent research has focused on effect systems, staged programming, and language composition. His work on algebraic effect handlers has been particularly influential, providing new insights into how effects can be modularly composed and handled in functional languages. He has also made significant contributions to the understanding of type classes and their implementation in Haskell. His publications demonstrate a consistent focus on practical applications of programming language theory, with work spanning from foundational type theory to applied domain-specific languages for areas like fluorescence microscopy. His research often bridges the gap between theoretical programming language concepts and practical implementation concerns. Prof. Schrijvers has supervised numerous PhD students to completion, including Pieter Wuille, Benoit Desouter, George Karachalias, Steven Keuchel, Amr Saleh, Alexander Vandenbroucke, and Ruben Pieters. He currently supervises PhD students Klara Mardirosian, César Santos, Gert-Jan Bottu, Koen Pauwels, Birthe van den Berg, and Roger Bosman. His research group has received funding from various sources including EU projects like GRACeFUL. The Programming Languages Group at KU Leuven, which he leads, focuses on functional (Haskell) and logic (Prolog, Datalog, CLP) programming languages, as well as general programming language theory. The group has been active in numerous research projects and collaborations across Europe.
Jonathan S. Phillips is an Assistant Professor in the Program in Cognitive Science at Dartmouth College , with affiliations in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences and the Department of Philosophy . He directs the PhilLab , which explores cognition through interdisciplinary methods integrating philosophy, psychology, linguistics, and computer science . Education: B.A., University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill Ph.D., Yale University (Philosophy/Psychology) Research focuses on modal cognition , including how humans represent possibilities ( possible worlds ), moral judgment , causal reasoning , and theory of mind . The lab investigates how these representations influence language and decision-making , with empirical work spanning fMRI studies , computational modeling , and developmental psychology . Recent publications examine modal decomposition , counterfactual neural substrates , and moral constraints on possibility representation . Collaborators include scholars from Harvard, Yale, Stanford, and MIT. The lab has trained graduate students in Cognitive Science and Psychology , with alumni pursuing computational, moral, and developmental research.
Olga Kokshagina serves as an Associate Professor in Innovation & Entrepreneurship at The University of Sydney, with adjunct research appointments at Monash University's Emerging Technology Lab and the UNU Hub - Learning Planet Institute. She is also an active member of the French Digital Council. Her research program investigates technology-mediated collaboration in complex innovation systems, focusing on healthcare transformation, deep tech commercialization, and co-design methodologies. Kokshagina has led high-impact projects with global institutions including the World Health Organization, OECD, STMicroelectronics, Vall d’Hebron Hospital, and Roche, demonstrating strong translational research capabilities. Her scholarly work centers on value-based healthcare innovation, digital platform governance, and AI-enhanced collaborative systems. She examines how organizational capabilities evolve during technological transitions, particularly in healthcare ecosystems, and investigates regulatory frameworks for algorithmic control in digital markets. Kokshagina's research bridges theoretical innovation management with practical applications, evidenced by her co-founding of Ninti—an initiative advancing women's health in workplace environments—and her Open Covid-19 crowdsourcing campaign that mobilized global expertise during the pandemic. Analysis of her 2021-2025 publications reveals a cohesive trajectory examining innovation in socio-technical systems. Key themes include value digitalization in healthcare, mission-oriented interdisciplinary collaboration, and the impact of big data on technology management. Her work consistently addresses grand challenges through mixed-methods approaches, spanning conceptual frameworks in journals like Research Policy to applied studies in Technovation and R&D Management, with increasing focus on quantum readiness and AI-augmented learning systems. No scientific awards are documented in the provided materials. Kokshagina currently holds a 2025 research grant for "Co-designing societal readiness and scenario building for quantum" through the University of Sydney Nano Institute/Catalyst program. While no student supervision activities are mentioned, her collaborative projects involve multi-institutional teams across industry, government, and academic sectors. Kokshagina maintains active roles within the University of Sydney Nano Institute and contributes to international policy discourse through the French Digital Council. Her Ninti initiative exemplifies her commitment to human-centered innovation, while ongoing collaborations with healthcare providers like Roche and Vall d’Hebron Hospital demonstrate sustained engagement with real-world implementation challenges in value-based care systems.
Naomi Rogers, Ph.D. (She/Her) is Professor of the History of Medicine in the Section of the History of Medicine and the Program in the History of Science and Medicine at Yale University. She holds courtesy appointments in the History Department and the Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies Program, and serves on Yale's Dean's Advisory Council for LGBTQI Affairs. Professor Rogers teaches undergraduate, graduate, and medical students, regularly lecturing on the history of AIDS, reproduction, health economics, eugenics, nutrition, disability, and health activism. Professor Rogers' educational background includes: PhD in History from University of Pennsylvania (1986) MA from University of Pennsylvania (1986) BA in Music from Melbourne University (1980) BA with Honors from Melbourne University (1979) Her research focuses on 20th and 21st century history of medicine with emphasis on health inequities and social justice. Professor Rogers' historical interests span gender and health, disease and public health, disability studies, feminism, alternative medicine, health policy, and health activism. Her work critically examines the intersection of medical practices with social movements, particularly how marginalized communities have challenged medical orthodoxy throughout American history. She has published extensively in journals such as American Journal of Public Health, Bulletin of the History of Medicine, Journal of Medical Humanities, Radical History Review, Social History of Medicine, and Women and Health. Professor Rogers' recent scholarship demonstrates a consistent focus on the historical dimensions of contemporary health issues, particularly vaccine politics, abortion history, and community health activism. Her publications reveal patterns of resistance to medical authority, the role of race and gender in shaping health outcomes, and the historical roots of current health justice movements. Her work bridges academic history with public engagement, as evidenced by her frequent media commentary on COVID-19 and other health issues in outlets including BBC Radio, CNN, Huffington Post, National Public Radio, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post. Among her notable recognitions: AAHN's Lavinia L. Dock Award for Exemplary Historical Research for 'Polio Wars: Sister Kenny and the Golden Age of American Medicine' (2014) Presenter of the AAHM's Garrison Lecture: 'Radical Visions of American Medicine: Politics and Activism in the History of Medicine' (2017) Professor Rogers has been actively involved in academic leadership and mentoring. She has served as Director of Graduate Studies for the 2022-23 academic year, Chair of the Women's Faculty Forum, and Liaison to the Committee on Status of Women in Medicine. Her service extends to editorial boards including the Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences since 2018. She has also contributed to public understanding of medicine through consultations for documentaries including 'The Polio Crusade' (PBS), 'On the Basis of Sex' (Focus Features), and 'War on Science' (in process). Currently, Professor Rogers serves on the Medical School's OBGYN 'Dobbs' Sessions Planning Committee, which has organized webinars for the Yale community, and was co-organizer of the history-themed session 'Rooted in History: Abortion, Law and American Health Care.' She is working on her book project 'Health Radicalism and the Humanization of American Medicine' (under contract with Oxford), examining critics of medical orthodoxy since 1945 including civil rights, consumer, and feminist activists. She also conducts ongoing research on antisemitism in American medicine in the decades before and after World War II.
Ruohan Gao is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Maryland, College Park , with affiliate appointments at the University of Maryland Institute for Advanced Computer Studies (UMIACS) , Maryland Robotics Center (MRC) , and Artificial Intelligence Interdisciplinary Institute at Maryland (AIM) . His research focuses on Computer Vision and Machine Learning , emphasizing Multisensory Machine Intelligence that integrates sight, sound, and touch . He aims to enable machines to perceive, understand, and interact with the world as humans do, with applications in robotic manipulation , audio-visual localization , and differentiable rendering . Article Trends : Span 2018–2025 , centering on audio-visual perception , multisensory datasets , and robotics . Recurring themes include object-centric learning , sound synthesis , and cross-modal consistency . Scientific Awards : Michael H. Granof Award (UT Austin’s Top 1 Doctoral Dissertation, 2021) Best Paper Award Runner-Up (BMVC 2021) Best Paper Award Finalist (CVPR 2019) Highlight Paper (CVPR 2023) He leads the UMD Multisensory Machine Intelligence Lab and collaborates with institutions like Stanford and The University of Texas at Austin . Contact: rhgao@umd.edu .
Dr. Peter Fokker is a Researcher at Utrecht University's Faculty of Geosciences, specifically within the Department of Earth Sciences and the Experimental Rock Deformation/HPT group. He is affiliated with the Research Programme in Earth Sciences Utrecht (DES/IVAU) and has been actively publishing in geomechanics, subsidence modeling, and induced seismicity for over three decades. His work primarily focuses on the application of geomechanical principles to understand and model subsurface processes related to resource extraction and geothermal energy. Dr. Fokker's research interests span several interconnected domains in geomechanics and subsurface engineering. His primary focus is on experimental rock deformation , studying how rocks behave under various stress conditions. He has made significant contributions to subsidence modeling , particularly in the context of gas field depletion in the Netherlands. His work on induced seismicity has helped understand the relationship between subsurface operations and seismic events. Additional interests include geothermal energy systems , reservoir engineering , and the application of data assimilation techniques to improve subsurface characterization. His research often bridges theoretical models with practical applications in energy resource management. An analysis of Dr. Fokker's recent publications (2020-2025) reveals a strong focus on practical applications of geomechanics to real-world challenges. His work increasingly integrates InSAR technology and data assimilation methods to monitor and model subsidence processes. There's a clear emphasis on geothermal energy applications , reflecting growing interest in sustainable energy solutions. His research also demonstrates a sophisticated approach to modeling complex reservoir behaviors across multiple scales, from laboratory experiments to field-scale operations. The interdisciplinary nature of his work is evident in collaborations spanning geology, engineering, and environmental science. Dr. Fokker has supervised multiple research projects and students throughout his career, as indicated by the "Supervised Work (4)" reference in his profile. His research has been supported by various grants focused on subsidence modeling, geomechanics of energy resources, and induced seismicity. He has been involved in significant collaborative efforts, including the Dutch National Scientific Research Program on Land Subsidence. Dr. Fokker is part of the Experimental Rock Deformation/HPT group at Utrecht University, which conducts laboratory experiments and develops theoretical models to understand rock behavior under various conditions. His work contributes to the broader research ecosystem focused on sustainable resource management and understanding subsurface processes, with particular relevance to the Dutch context of gas extraction and land subsidence.
Kristine Andra Avram is a Visiting Researcher at the Center for Conflict Research (ZfK) at Philipps University of Marburg, serving as a Post-doctoral fellow in the BMBF project 'Transformations of Political Violence' (2024-2025). Her work bridges peace and conflict studies, narratology, and social sciences with a focus on meaning-making in contexts of political violence and state repression. Her educational background includes a PhD in Political Science (summa cum laude, 2022) from Philipps University of Marburg, an MA in Peace and Conflict Studies (2010-2013) with study abroad at the University of Haifa, and a BA in Communication Science and Romance Studies (2007-2010) from the University of Erfurt, including Erasmus at Complutense University of Madrid. Avram's research examines how narratives shape interpretations of violence, influence reckoning with traumatic pasts, and inform transitional justice efforts. Using interdisciplinary narrative and (auto)ethnographic methods, she reveals storytelling as a site of agency and resistance—both for processing historical violence and envisioning just futures. Her work centers on concepts like responsibility, truth, and hope within post-communist contexts, particularly Romania. Her recent publications (2023-2025) demonstrate methodological innovation in narrative analysis applied to political violence, with increasing attention to researcher positionality and reparative methodologies. Articles span qualitative frameworks, courtroom narratives, postcolonial critiques of peacebuilding, and ethical dimensions of studying violence. Key scientific awards include: Dissertation Award from Südost-europagesellschaft (2023) Honorable Mention from Gert-Sommer-Award for Peace Psychology (2023) Mobility Grant from EISA (2023) Scholarships from MARA, Friedrich Ebert Foundation, and University of Haifa She has secured significant research funding including a Fritz Thyssen Foundation grant (2017-2022) as co-applicant and has taught courses on narrative reconstructions of the past at Philipps University Marburg and Goethe University Frankfurt. Her advisory work includes designing memory projects and conflict resolution initiatives with pax christi Rhein-Main. Avram actively collaborates within the Center for Conflict Research's interdisciplinary teams, focusing on political violence, transitional justice, and narrative methodologies in post-communist contexts through projects like 'Ascribing Individual Criminal Responsibility' and 'Transformations of Political Violence'.
