Speakers 2021
Speakers
Eva Cetinić (HR)
Eva Cetinić is currently working as a postdoctoral research associate in Digital Humanities and Machine Learning at the Department of Computer Science, Durham University. She is also holding the position of a postdoctoral researcher at the Ruđer Boškovic Institute in Zagreb, Croatia, where she has been working as a postdoctoral researcher since 2020, and as a professional associate from 2015 to 2020. She obtained her Ph.D. in Computer science from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing, University of Zagreb in 2019, with a thesis titled “Computational detection of stylistic properties of paintings based on high-level image feature analysis“. She was actively involved in several international projects working on establishing advanced solutions for the DARIAH (Digital Research Infrastructure for the Arts and Humanities) research community. Besides being generally interested in the interdisciplinary field of digital humanities, her specific interests focus on exploring new research possibilities rooted in the intersection of artificial intelligence and art history. Particularly, she is interested in using computer vision and deep learning techniques to narrow the semantic gap between artistic concepts and computational image features, with the aim to provide a novel framework for exploring visual art.
Visit Eva Cetinić on Google Scholar
Georgi Kostadinov (BG)
Georgi Kostadinov - Head of Artificial Intelligence at Imagga company. He has more than 10 years of experience in research and development of various machine learning algorithms for imageand video understanding and over 15 years of experience in developing, deploying and managing complexsoftware architectures. The key person responsible for the development of Imagga’s core AI technology, as well as fine-tuning itsperformance and specialization for a variety of practical use-cases. Back-to-back first prize winner in many competitions in Information Technologies and Software Development, aswell as winner in various technical & business hackathons over the years. Recognized by Forbes Bulgaria in 2020 as one of the 30 people under the age of 30 for achievements in the areasof computer science and innovation.
Visit Georgi Kostadinov on LinkedIn
Gergana Baeva
Dr. Gergana Baeva is project officer responsible for research and media policy at the media authority of Berlin and Brandenburg (mabb). Her work focuses on issues of digital media pluralism, online distribution of content and news literacy of the general public. Gergana recently supervised several studies on the use and perception of online information and the distribution of disinformation through algorithmic curation for the German media authorities, Previously, she researched broadcasting structures and programs as well as the process of collective identity construction.
Visit Gergana Baeva on re-publica.tv
Assoc. Prof. Gülşen Eryiğit (TR)
Assoc. Prof. Gülşen Eryiğit is Associate Professor at Istanbul Technical University (ITU), Turkey, founder of the ITU Turkish NLP Pipeline (tools.nlp.itu.edu.tr) servicing more than 150 researchers, founding member of the ITU Natural Language Processing Group, member of the ITU Learning from Big Data Group. She received her M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from the Computer Engineering Department, Istanbul Technical University, Turkey, in 2002 and 2007, respectively. Her current research focuses on natural language processing of Turkish. In this field, she acted as a reviewer or co-author of various publications in prestigious journals and conferences. She was the Turkey’s representative in CLARIN (EU 7th Framework Programme, CLARIN - Common language resources and technology infrastructure).
Visit Assoc. Prof. Gülşen Eryiğit on itu.edu
Julia Krueger
Julia Krueger is a political scientist (Diplom Universität Potsdam/ King's College London 2012) focused on the development of democratic government, research, and advocacy. Her expertise covers: artificial intelligence, data politics, copyrights, IT-security, and network architectures.
Starting point of her net-political engagement was the so-called ‘platform-content management’ and its intricate impacts on politics, law, and society, which was also key to her studies of/ expertise in artificial intelligence (AI, namely: data analysis and platform regulation of society), and related areas for economic, political, religious or civil society stakeholders, in DE and transnational context.
More info, including music and techno favs: phaenomen.org
Kyriaki Goni (GR)
Kyriaki Goni - an Athens based artist. Working across disciplines and technologies, she creates multi-layered installations. She connects the local with the global by critically touching on questions of surveillance, networks and infrastructures, ecosystems, human and other than human relations. She has received commissions, prizes, fellowships and residencies (INSPIRE2020, The New New, Ars Electronica, Shanghai Biennale, Delfina Foundation).
Recent solos were presented at Onassis Cultural Centre, Athens; Aksioma, Ljubljana; Drugo More, Rijeka. At the same time her work has been part of group exhibitions internationally (13th Shanghai Biennial, 5th Istanbul Design Biennale, Transmediale, Trondheim Biennale, The Glass Room San Francisco, Melbourne Triennial).
Visit Kyriaki Goni on her website kyriakigoni.com
Prof. Liviu P. Dinu (RO)
Liviu P. Dinu is professor at University of Bucharest, Computer Science Department, director of Human Language Technologies Research Center, and member of Computer Science and Interdisciplinary Doctoral Schools. He is honorary president of Romanian Linguistics Olympiad „Solomon Marcus”. His main research is in Computational Linguistics, Natural Language Processing (NLP), Information processing, etc. Solomon Marcus was his PhD supervisor (obtained in 2003), and in 2014 he defended his habilitation thesis entitled "Similarity and Decision Problems in Computational Linguistics". In 2007 he received "Grigore C. Moisil" Prize, awarded by the Romanian Academy (for 2005). He has initiated and managed a number of 12 national and international R&D projects and was involved in other 14 R&D projects. He has also initiated in 2020 a master program in Natural Language Processing at University of Bucharest, and is the main responsible for all NLP activities from his university.
Visit Prof. Liviu P. Dinu on unibuc.ro
Manolis Adriotakis
Manolis Andriotakis is a journalist and author. Over the last 15 years his research has focused mainly on techno-societal issues. He has consistently investigated the role of the internet, social media platforms and artificial intelligence products on humanity. He has published several books, produced a number of documentaries, and he is a contributing author for Kathimerini newspaper, one of Greece’s leading publications. His most recent book Homo Automaton, AI and us, explores the deep undermining of human autonomy by automated decision systems. He has published numerous articles on AI biases and ethics, and several interviews with AI experts such as Luciano Floridi, Max Tegmark, Pedro Domingos.
Visit Manolis Adriotakis on andriotakis.com
Dr. Nevena Ivanova
Dr. Nevena Ivanova works at the intersection of philosophy, art, science and technology. She has a PhD degree in interdisciplinary information studies from the University of Tokyo and has taught cybernetics and technoetic arts in Hong Kong and Shanghai (China). She has published in the domains of philosophy of technology, media aesthetics and critical software studies. Currently she is assistant professor at the Institute of Philosophy and Sociology at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, where she works on a project about AI and creativity. She is also the Co-founding Director of symbiomatter: experimental arts lab.
Dr. Nikos Panagiotou
Dr. Nikos Panagiotou is Associate Professor, School of Journalism and Mass Media Communication, Aristotle University. He has been a DAAD Scholar at Deutsche Welle, Chevening Scholar of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office UK, RCAP Scholar from APU University Japan, Scholar to Beijing Foreign Studies University, Scholar at Sabanci University (Turkey), Scholar of the State of Luxembourg. He has an extensive research work which is currently funded from Google (DNI Initiative fund). He is the initiator and organizer of Thessaloniki International Media Summer Academy and Head of Digital Communication Network Global
Dr. Preslav Nakov (BG)
Dr. Preslav Nakov is a Principal Scientist at the Qatar Computing Research Institute (QCRI), HBKU , where he leads the Tanbih mega-project (developed in collaboration with MIT ). He received his PhD degree in Computer Science from the University of California at Berkeley, supported by a Fulbright grant. Dr. Preslav Nakov is President of ACL SIGLEX , Secretary of ACL SIGSLAV , and a member of the EACL advisory board. He is also member of the editorial board of a number of journals including Computational Linguistics, TACL , CS&L, NLE , AI Communications, and Frontiers in AI. He authored a Morgan & Claypool book on Semantic Relations between Nominals and two books on computer algorithms.
Visit Dr. Preslav Nakov on hbku.edu.qa
Stefan Trausan-Matu
Stefan Trausan-Matu is Professor at the Computer Science Department of the University Politehnica of Bucharest and researcher I at the Institute of Artificial Intelligence of the Romanian Academy. He was Fulbright post-doc at Drexel University, Philadelphia, USA, visiting professor and invited speaker in USA, Germany, France, China, etc. His research interests are artificial intelligence, computational linguistics, discourse analysis, creativity, philosophy, ethics, religion-science dialogue, music, and e-learning. He introduced the polyphonic model of discourse, awarded with the Romanian Academy Prize. Prof. Trausan-Matu chaired or participated to the program or organizing committee of many international conferences, and authored more than 500 publications.
Vladimir Petkov
Chief Technology Officer, A Data Pro
Vladimir joined A Data Pro as CTO in 2011, bringing on board over a decade’s experience in digital media and business development, gained at Economedia, Bulgaria’s top news publisher. Under his leadership, the company has transformed into a fully integrated human-technology ecosystem, both in terms of service line-up and infrastructure. He also serves as CEO of A Data Pro’s artificial intelligence research and development hub, Identrics.
Beyond his work at A Data Pro, Vladimir is also a vocal advocate for digitalisation and the adoption of new technologies by businesses in Bulgaria. He currently presents а popular podcast on media and technologies, and has served on the boards of the Bulgarian Web Association and the local branch of the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB). He also lectures on online business and digital media-related topics at Sofia University and New Bulgarian University.
Vladan Joler (SRB)
Vladan Joler is an academic, researcher and artist whose work blends data investigations, counter-cartography, investigative journalism, writing, data visualisation, critical design and numerous other disciplines. He explores and visualises different technical and social aspects of algorithmic transparency, digital labour exploitation, invisible infrastructures and many other contemporary phenomena in the intersection between technology and society. He has curated and organized numerous events and gatherings of Internet activists, artists and investigators, including SHARE events in Belgrade and Beirut. His artistic pre-history is rooted in media activism and game hacking.
Aside from his permanent professorship position, i.e. tenure, at the Academy of Arts in Novi Sad, where he teaches at the New Media Department, he has given lectures at numerous educational and art institutions, including the University of Oxford, Museo Reina Sofía, CCCB, the Royal Academy of Arts in Copenhagen, HfG-Karlsruhe, etc.