Professor, Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use, University of Sydney Cath Chapman is Professor and Director of Research Development & Strategy at the Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use at The University of Sydney. She is also Program Director of the NHMRC CRE in Prevention and Early Intervention in Mental Illness and Substance Use (PREMISE, 2018-present). Cath leads an innovative program of research on the epidemiology and prevention of mental and substance use problems with a strong focus on translating evidence into practice and into the community.
Professor of International Commercial Law, University of Exeter Clair joined Exeter Law School in 2022 as Professor in International Commercial Law and took up the role of Head of School in April 2023. As a scholar of international trade law and development, Clair’s research focuses on the diverse ways that trade law and governance intersects with sustainable development, gender, human rights, labour and environment. Her research is concerned with the relationship between international trade and power, and identifying the regulatory and governance gaps that exist in the multilateral trading system. Clair’s specific expertise lies in the implementation of regional trade agreements and their social, economic and cultural effects for stakeholders in developing countries. Her forthcoming monograph, Women and Trade: Promoting Gender Equality and Social Justice through the International Trading System, will be published with Bristol University Press in 2025. Clair has consulted for the UK government on trade matters and she has provided expert evidence before both the UK government and EU parliament. In 2022, she was appointed to the UK government Trade and Domestic Advisory Group as a member of the Trade and Public Policy (TaPP) network. In 2023, Clair has delivered expert-level training to UK government officials on trade and development and she has previously acted as an expert reviewer for Chatham House in its work on free trade agreements and human rights. Clair is currently an Advisor to the Independent Commission on UK-EU Relations and is working with the organisation to generate research on the social and ethical implications of post-Brexit industrial legislation and policies for regional communities in the UK. Clair has taught across the core law subjects (Constitutional Rights, Trusts and EU law) and specialist subjects (advanced EU law, World Trade Law, and International Trade and Investment Law) at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. She has successfully supervised PhD students to completion and welcomes expressions of interest from new doctoral candidates who have a shared interest in international trade law, development and power. Clair holds a LLB and LLM International Law (Nottingham), and a MSc Socio-Legal Studies and PhD in Law (Bristol). She was formerly Associate Professor/Reader at the University of Bristol, where she also acted as the Faculty Education Director for Undergraduate Studies in Social Sciences in Law (2021-2), School Education Director in Law (2020-1) and the Director for Employability (2015-18).
Reader in Mathematics Education, Loughborough University I am a Reader in Mathematics Education in the Department of Mathematics Education at Loughborough University, England. My research interests in mathematics education focus on the learning and teaching of mathematics in ways that support students’ conceptual understanding. I am particularly interested in the design and use of rich tasks in the mathematics classroom, and in finding ways to enable students to develop the necessary fluency in mathematical processes to support them in solving mathematical problems. I am Director of the Loughborough University Mathematics Education Network and leading the design of completely free, research-informed teaching resources for school mathematics.
Bjorn Borgen Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Director of the Center for Traumatic Brain Injury, University of Wisconsin-Madison, University of Wisconsin-Madison Christian Franck is the Bjorn Borgen Professor in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He received his B.S. in aerospace engineering from the University of Virginia in 2003, and his M.S. and Ph.D. from the California Institute of Technology in 2004 and 2008. Dr. Franck held a post-doctoral position at Harvard investigating brain and neural trauma in 2009, and was on the faculty in Solid Mechanics in the School of Engineering at Brown University from 2009 to 2018. He is the acting director of the Center for Traumatic Brain Injury at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the ONR-funded "Physics-based Neutralization of Threats to Human Tissues and Organs" (PANTHER) program, which consists of over 30 PIs nationwide. Key objectives of Dr. Franck’s research program are in advanced detection and prevention of traumatic brain injuries by providing accelerated translation from basic science discovery to civilian and warfighter protection solutions.
Meteorologist, University of Wisconsin-Madison Chris Vagasky is a meteorologist and manager of the Wisconsin Environmental Mesonet, a network of weather and soil monitoring stations across Wisconsin. His primary research focus includes lightning and lightning safety. He is a frequent guest of The Weather Channel, The Washington Post, and other media to speak on topics related to lightning, lightning safety, and weather measurements.
Chair professor, University of the Witwatersrand I am a professor in the School of Geography, Archaeology and Environmental Studies at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. I am the director of the Centre in Water Research and Development (CIWaRD) and I hold the Claude Leon Foundation Chair in Water Research.
