Pankaj Pandey, Ph.D., is a seasoned professional and academic with expertise in information security, digital technologies, and risk management. He holds dual doctorates, a Ph.D. in Information Security and a Ph.D. in Applied Economics. His academic journey includes a Double Master’s degree in Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems Engineering and a Master of Law in International Law. Dr. Pandey currently serves as a Senior Researcher at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Norway, where he leads and manages several high-profile research projects focusing on AI, cybersecurity, and digital trust. He is the project manager for the ENFIELD project, a European Commission-funded initiative aiming to manifest trustworthy and environmentally sustainable AI.

Natalia is a Science Officer at the European Science Foundation, working on EU-funded projects focused on Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI). She holds a PhD in Environmental Management from the Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra (Slovak Republic) and has over 12 years of experience in scientific project management under European Framework Programmes (Horizon 2020, Horizon Europe, LIFE), particularly in Environment and Health. She has extensive experience in managing international projects, including collaborations with the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC), and has worked with UN organizations such as UNEP, UNESCO and WHO.
Natalia co-developed the RENAISSANCE concept, contributing the Water & Art component to advance science diplomacy through the JRC and UNEP’s World Water Quality Alliance, with a special emphasis on female-related aspects in a multicultural environment. At the 2023 UN Water Conference in New York, she presented the Medusa Nexus Cycle at UNESCO’s UN Walk of Water Exhibition, linked to the EU publication The Gateway to the Future of the Mediterranean, promoting citizen and stakeholder engagement across the Water-Food-Ecosystem Nexus.

Nicki Lisa Cole, PhD is a Senior Researcher in the Open and Reproducible Research Group at Know Center Research in Graz, Austria. She is a sociologist with a research focus on issues of diversity, equity and inclusion in science and in science reform. Her approach to research is informed by feminist, globalization, racial and cultural theories and her practice is rooted in qualitative methods. In addition, Nicki has expertise in sustainability issues within the global electronics industry and its supply chains and contributes this perspective to the ENFIELD project.
Nicki completed a PhD in Sociology at the University of California-Santa Barbara (2011) and has worked as a researcher in the USA, the UK and Austria. Her work has been published across a range of academic and popular outlets around the world. [photo credit: Thomas Klebel ]

Despina Natsi is a legal expert, researcher/project manager and human rights trainer. She studied Law at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and holds a LL. M in International Legal Studies from the same university where she is also a PhD in Law Candidate. Her doctoral thesis is on artificial intelligence and gender equality. Her academic interests are (in)equality, in particular gender equality and its interrelation with other academic disciplines, e.g. twin transition. She has joined the European Science Foundation team since January 2025.
She has extensive research and project-related experience, and she has been involved in several EU-funded projects (Horizon2020, Horizon Europe, Erasmus +, EPIM). As a lawyer, human rights trainer and/or project manager she has collaborated in the past with the Heinrich Boell Foundation, the White Research, the Council of Europe, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and the Greek Council for Refugees, among others. In the past, she has worked as an intern at the Greek Embassy in Berlin and at Internationale Begegnung in Gemeinschaftsdiensten e.V. (IBG).

Dr Ioanna Roussaki is an Associate Professor at the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering (SECE) of the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA) in Greece. She received her Master degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from NTUA in 1997. In 2003, she received her PhD in Telecommunications and Computer Networks and became a senior research associate at the Computer Network Laboratory of SECE. In 2008, she was elected and appointed as a lecturer at SECE in the field of ambient intelligence systems, promoted to Assistant Professor in 2015, and since 2022, she has been an Associate Professor at SECE in the same subject. Since 1998, she has participated in about 30 European or national research programs, in which she held key technical or coordination roles. The research areas she works on include the following: Internet of Things; Artificial Intelligence; Data Spaces; Data modelling and semantic interoperability; Ambient Intelligence and Pervasive Computing; context-aware systems, architectures and service models; intelligent systems; self-improving and self-adapting networks and systems; data mining, management and semantics; knowledge extraction; development of human-centric and personalized systems; optimization of cloud computing resource management; communications and computer networks; computer network security and privacy protection; service engineering; etc. She has about 200 publications in these research fields and she teaches computer and communications courses at SECE.

Jeriek Van den Abeele joined Telenor Research & Innovation as a Research Scientist in 2020, following a PhD in theoretical particle physics at the University of Oslo. During his PhD, he worked on topics including Gaussian process regression for particle cross-section calculations and genetic algorithms for computational drug development. At Telenor, he has been involved in work on using reinforcement learning for network automation and technical advisory regarding AI governance and the EU AI Act. He is currently leading Telenor’s efforts in the Horizon Europe project ENFIELD, focusing on Green, Human-centric, and Trustworthy AI research directions, including work on building defences against LLM jailbreak attacks. [​Photo credit: Erik N.H. Krafft (Krafftwork Photo and film / Flow Event)]

Merve Astekin is a Research Scientist in the Trustworthy Green IoT Software (GIoT) Research Group at SINTEF Digital, Norway, where she contributes to the Horizon Europe project ENFIELD, focusing on the Green AI research direction. Her research lies at the intersection of sustainable AI and software engineering, with a focus on energy-efficient and trustworthy systems. She has recently contributed to empirical studies on the energy efficiency and performance of Large Language Models (LLMs) on edge devices and is developing agentic LLM-based methods for intelligent systems. Prior to joining SINTEF, she was a postdoctoral fellow at Simula Research Laboratory and a long-time researcher at TÜBİTAK BİLGEM in Türkiye, where she contributed to major R&D projects in cloud computing, big data analytics, and software quality. She holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Ozyegin University, and B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees in Computer Engineering from Istanbul Technical University. Her work supports the development of energy-aware, AI-driven software systems for trustworthy and sustainable digital infrastructures.

Sebastian Heil is a Senior Researcher (tenured) at the Distributed and Self-organizing Systems Group at Chemnitz University of Technology. His research is in the field of Web Engineering and focuses on trustworthy and human-centric AI-driven methods for the analysis and creation of web user interfaces, technologies for web-based frontends, as well as interaction aspects in the context of Web of Things and conversational user interfaces. To that end, he combines his experience in Applied AI, Software Engineering and HCI to explore new methods of designing, implementing and assessing user interfaces towards a future in which humans and AI co-create and interact within the next generation of the Web. In ENFIELD, he contributes a Software Engineering/HCI perspective to the creation of trustworthy-by-design web-based systems, co-leading research activities in the Trustworthy AI research pillar.

Stelios Neophytides is a Researcher C at ERATOSTHENES CoE in the Department of Big Earth Data Analytics. Neophytides has a BSc in Computer Engineering and Informatics from the Cyprus University of Technology (CUT), 2019. He holds an MSc of Geoinformatics and Geospatial Technologies at CUT, in 2021. Stelios Neophytides is a PhD Candidate in Big Earth Data Analytics at CUT. Mr. Neophytides worked as a Researcher at the CYENS Centre of Excellence (Cyprus) and he got experience in 3D Modelling, Augmented Reality Technologies, and digital Cultural Heritage. Under the framework of his PhD, Neophytides is examining the subject of Earth Observation Data Cubes, Artificial Intelligence and Big Earth Data Analytics in Agriculture and Water Resources Management. More specifically, his research interests are comprised in the fields AI and Big Earth Data for different applications such as precise irrigation, soil moisture estimation, crop yield estimation, and crop classification.

Dr. Mohammed B. Alshawki is an assistant professor at ELTE and a senior researcher at IDACUS Germany, specializing in the intersection of applied cryptography, AI and next-generation network security. With over 15 years of experience in cybersecurity, trusted systems, and privacy-preserving technologies, his work bridges academic research and real-world applications in critical digital infrastructure. Dr. Alshawki holds a Ph.D. in Informatics and Cybersecurity, jointly by Eötvös Loránd University and Furtwangen University. He also holds a diploma in Information Technology from TU Berlin, and regularly contributes to international cybersecurity and AI forums and events.
Currently, he leads research focused on secure and AI-driven data aggregation protocols for 6G networks. His current work aims to make future communication systems more resilient, adaptive, and privacy-aware. Beyond research, Dr. Alshawki is a certified cybersecurity consultant, advising on secure system design, AI governance, and critical infrastructure protection.

Konstantina Remoundou is a researcher and PhD candidate at the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA), Greece. She has over five years of experience working on EU-funded Horizon and Erasmus+ programs, specializing in big data analytics, machine learning, and artificial intelligence. Her work spans multiple sectors, including cybersecurity, agriculture, and healthcare, and has resulted in several scientific publications. Throughout her PhD studies, she has focused on research, step-by-step development, and implementation of AI-driven solutions to real-world problems. She holds an MSc in Applied Statistics with a specialization in medical data, which supports her strong foundation in statistical analysis. Her expertise includes correlation and causation analysis, probabilistic modeling, and stochastic approaches to complex data-driven challenges. In parallel with her research, she has contributed to academic teaching, particularly in delivering lectures on research methodology and statistics in health-focused educational programs.

Shruthi Gowda is a PhD candidate in the Data & AI Cluster at Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e), Netherlands. Her research lies at the intersection of neuro-inspired artificial intelligence and deep learning, with a focus on cognitive biases, multi-memory systems, and sparse coding in the brain. She aims to bridge these cognitive principles with modern deep neural network architectures to build more robust and adaptable AI systems. Prior to academia, she worked as an AI Research Engineer for five years in industry, developing advanced machine learning and embedded software solutions across sectors such as Autonomous Driving, Quality Inspection, and Healthcare. Combining industry experience with academic curiosity, she is passionate about developing intelligent systems that are both computationally efficient and grounded in cognitive principles. Her research Interests are Neuro-inspired Artificial Intelligence,  Continual Learning, Robustness, Shortcut Learning, and Multi-Modality.

Michael Wimmer is a PhD candidate in the Human-AI Interaction group at Know Center Research, Austria, and at the Institute of Neural Engineering at Graz University of Technology. His research is dedicated to addressing challenges in human-machine interaction by leveraging principles from neuroscience. This approach combines a wide range of technologies and methods, including brain-computer interfaces, machine and deep learning, and virtual and augmented reality. Through the integration of human factors, Michael’s research contributes to intelligent systems that adapt to users’ physiological signals, promoting more intuitive and responsive interfaces. Michael holds a Master’s degree in Biomedical Engineering and has gained international research experience through engagements in Australia, Spain, and the USA.

Jeremy is a researcher in the Human AI Interaction department of Know Center Research GmbH, Austria. He holds a MEng degree in Computer Science from the University of Warwick, United Kingdom, and he is currently a PhD student at the Graz University of Technology, Austria. His research focus resides in retrieving useful information from the training of neural networks. An example of such is the estimate of the importance hierarchy within the input features. He has managed numerous projects concerning explainable AI and has published multiple manuscripts regarding the use of AI explainability and interpretability.

Andrei Olaru is an Associate Professor with the Computer Science and Engineering Department at National University of Science and Technology POLITEHNICA Bucharest, member of the Artificial Intelligence and Multi-Agent Systems Laboratory, and founding member of ARIA, the Romanian Association for Artificial Intelligence. He received his B.Sc. and M.Sc. in 2008 from the POLITEHNICA Bucharest and from Polytech Nantes, respectively, and his PhD degree in 2011 jointly from POLITEHNICA Bucharest and the University Pierre and Marie Curie (now Sorbonne University).
His research, funded through multiple national and European projects, deals with models and infrastructures for multi-agent systems, with applications in distributed machine learning and AI, ambient intelligence, and smart buildings.

Mario Fernando Jojoa Acosta holds a PhD in Electronics and is currently a researcher at the University of Valladolid. He is the CEO and founder of Q-ML LLC startup. His work focuses on Natural Language Processing (NLP) and machine learning, particularly in healthcare. His main contributions include the development of emotion classification models using transformer architectures for COVID-19 surveys, the identification of socioeconomic biases in word embeddings, and the application of NLP to analyze open-ended responses in mental health and mindfulness research. He has also contributed to projects involving executive function prediction in adults with Down syndrome and AI-driven medical diagnostics.
His interdisciplinary research combines technical innovation with societal relevance, aiming to create transparent and fair AI systems. He has co-authored several peer-reviewed publications and participated in collaborative EU-funded research efforts. He is experienced in multilingual NLP, model interpretability, and the ethical evaluation of AI tools. His current focus is on leveraging language technologies to support inclusive, data-driven decision-making in health care services.

Dr. János Csatár earned his Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering from the Budapest University of Technology and Economics (BME), Hungary, in 2019, and currently serves as an assistant professor in the Department of Electrical Power Engineering, BME, Hungary. His research interests include power system modeling, protections, digital substations, and cybersecurity of the power system. János applies a holistic approach in his work, considering both the cyber and the physical domains, made possible by having experience in both informatics and electrical engineering. He leverages hardware-in-the-loop, co-simulation with digital twins in order to unveil the behaviour emerging from the interdependence in the power systems. With 15 years of industry experience and a track record of over 20 finished projects, János has forged strong connections in the electric power sector.

Walter Quadrini is a technologist and PhD candidate at the Department of Management, Economics and Industrial Engineering at Politecnico di Milano, where he manages research activities of the Industry4.0lab. He is actively involved in the coordination and implementation of research projects funded by the European Commission, with a focus on digital manufacturing and industrial innovation. His research explores the digitalization of production processes, particularly the vertical and horizontal integration of manufacturing systems, and the deployment of robotic hardware and software architectures for real-time data acquisition on the shop floor.
Currently, he contributes to the Horizon Europe project ENFIELD, where he investigates the adoption of AI-enabled technologies in manufacturing environments, with a particular focus on the technical solutions companies adopt to overcome current limitations of data-driven models applied to production processes.

Dr. Gábor Olaszy is a retired full professor at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics (BME), formerly affiliated with the Department of Telecommunications and Artificial Intelligence. With a distinguished career spanning over four decades, he is one of Hungary’s leading experts in speech technology, phonetics, and speech synthesis. He is one of the original developers of the ProfiVox Hungarian text-to-speech software, and co-developer of the G-O-H hearing screening method, a pioneering tool using synthesized speech for early detection of hearing impairments in children. He also co-led the faithful reconstruction of Kempelen Farkas’s historic 18th-century speaking machine, displayed at BME.
Dr. Olaszy is the author and editor of the Hungarian speech research website www.magyarbeszed.hu, and has contributed significantly to both national and international research in acoustic phonetics, prosody modeling, and assistive speech technologies.

Istvan Arnocz founded Space Apps, a startup addressing Remote Sensing, GIS, and IoT hardware development. The company aimed to utilise existing remote sensing solutions in the agricultural market. The first developed product was BeeBox, which provides IoT devices for beekeepers and GIS products to help with their daily operations.

Arnocz is the secretary general of the Hungarian Astronautical Society, where he focuses on space entrepreneurship.

Dr. Jean-Baptiste LÉGER was CEO and co-founder, in 1999, of the PREDICT start-up innovative company. He sold PREDICT and joined Groupe Snef in 2018. He is now Director of Industrial AI solutions at iQanto, a subsidiary of Groupe Snef. He is graduated from Lorraine University, France and his PhD thesis, defenced in 1999, was on Formal Modelling Framework for Proactive Maintenance Systems mainly based on Monitoring, Predictive Diagnosis and Prognosis. He has more than 30 years of experience on usage of Artificial Intelligence in Industry and began on machine learning for CBM (Condition Based Monitoring) and advanced predictive algorithms for PHM (industrial Prognostics and Health Management).
He has worked for nearly 250 companies and institutes. He has contributed to 12 European Research & Innovation collaborative projects dedicated to AI for industry since 1995. He was member of several International Scientific Society such as PHMSociety, SAE, IEEE, IFAC, BNAE, AFNOR. After his PhD, he continues to contribute to scientific research and he published 12 papers in reviews and books and more than 35 papers in conferences. He was invited for evaluation of 7 PhD thesis mainly based on predictive AI algorithms for industry.