Professor Nadia Magnenat Thalmann, University of Geneva, Switzerland
Bio: Professor Nadia Thalmann began her illustrious career in Canada at Université Laval and later at the Université of Montréal, where she pioneered the field of 3D Virtual Humans. Her groundbreaking film, Rendez-vous in Montreal, which has received numerous awards, showcased the first-ever 3D simulation of past legendary stars acting in a café setting in Montreal.
In 1989, Professor Thalmann established MIRALab at the University of Geneva, a groundbreaking research lab dedicated to the development of Virtual Humans and Social Robots. From 2019 to 2022, she served as the Director of the BeingThere Centre and the Institute of Media Innovation (IMI) at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore.
Throughout her distinguished career, Professor Thalmann has participated in over 50 European research projects. Under her leadership, MIRALab has spearheaded interdisciplinary research in computer graphics, computer animation, and virtual worlds, producing impactful work that integrates art, fashion, computer graphics, and cultural heritage simulations. One of her innovations includes the development of a 3D see-through, multiscale virtual patient model. At NTU, Singapore, she made significant advancements in social robotics, unveiling Nadine, the world’s first social robot capable of displaying moods, emotions, and the ability to remember people and actions.
Professor Thalmann’s academic credentials are as diverse as they are impressive. In addition to bachelor’s and master’s degrees in psychology, biology, chemistry, and computer science, she earned a Ph.D. in quantum physics from the University of Geneva. Her remarkable contributions have been recognized through numerous honorary doctorates from institutions such as Leibniz University Hannover and the University of Ottawa in Canada. She has also received prestigious accolades, including the Humboldt Research Award in Germany, the Eurographics Career Award, and the Canadian Human-Computer Communications Society Award.
Prof. Sylvia Xueni Pan, Goldsmiths, University of London, UK
Bio: Prof Sylvia Pan is a Professor of Virtual Reality at Goldsmiths, University of London. She co-leads the SeeVR research lab. She holds a PhD in Virtual Reality, and an MSc in Computer Graphics, both from UCL, and a BEng in Computer Science from Beihang University, Beijing, China. Her research interest is the use of Virtual Reality as a medium for real-time social interaction, in particular in the application areas of medical training and therapy. Her work in social anxiety in VR and moral decisions in VR has been featured multiple times in the media, including BBC Horizon, the New Scientist magazine, and the Wall Street Journal. Her 2017 Coursera VR specialisation attracted over 100,000 learners globally, and she co-leads on the MA/MSc in Virtual and Augmented Reality at Goldsmiths Computing.
Prof. Jian Jun Zhang, Bournemouth University, UK
Bio: Jian J Zhang is Professor of Computer Graphics at the National Centre for Computer Animation (NCCA), Bournemouth University where he leads the National Research Centre. He has worked at various universities including Bristol University, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, Chongqing University, Queens University of Belfast and Brunel University.
As Principle Investigator, Prof Zhang has brought in 10 million pounds (GBP) of research grants to the NCCA from EPSRC, AHRC, EU FP7, EU H2020, and Horizon Europe as well as other funding organisations. His research focuses on topics relating to 3D computer animation, immersive technology (virtual and augmented reality), virtual human modelling and simulation, digital twins and artificial intelligence (AI) powered graphical applications, including graphical scene understanding, medical visualisation and simulation, and conversational AI.
Prof Zhang has published over 350 peer reviewed journal and conference publications and has given over 30 invited/keynote talks around the world. He has chaired over 40 international conferences and symposia, and serves on a number of editorial boards.
Prof Zhang was awarded the "CGI Outstanding Career Award" by Computer Graphics International and Computer Graphics Society in 2021.
Prof. Zhijie Xu, Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, China
Bio: Dr Zhijie Xu has been serving as the Head of the Department of Computing and Professor at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University since September 2024. He previously held the position of Tenured Professor at the University of Huddersfield’s School of Computing and Engineering, where he was also the Director of the Centre for Visual and Immersive Computing and the Director of the Graduate School. Since beginning his teaching career in 1999, he has supervised 18 PhD students and completed more than twenty academic and engineering projects. Dr. Xu’s primary research interests include computer graphics and imaging, visual systems, digital twins, edge computing, and information visualization technologies. Since 1996, he has published over 200 papers, authored 5 books, and held 11 patents. Dr. Xu has served as the Chairman of the Chinese Automation and Computing Society in the UK and is an editorial board member and invited reviewer for numerous academic journals. He is also a senior member of several prestigious academic organizations, such as IEEE, IET, BCS, and HEA. In addition, he led the 2018 Ministry of Education Chunhui Plan UK Expert Group to China and served as an expert judge for the Manchester area of the Chunhui Cup Chinese Exchange Students Entrepreneurship Competition from 2017 to 2019. Through long-term scientific research cooperation with universities in China, he was selected for the Sichuan Province Thousand Talents Plan in 2017 and received the Second Prize of Sichuan Province Science and Technology Progress Award in 2021.