Sam Clarke | Computer Science | Best Researcher Award

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Mr. Sam Clarke | Computer Science | Best Researcher Award

Canterbury Christ Church University | United Kingdom

Sam Clarke is a dynamic and forward-thinking educator with over eight years of experience as a class teacher across Key Stages 1 and 2, and a key contributor to senior leadership teams. With a career rooted in both classroom practice and strategic educational leadership, Sam has transitioned seamlessly into higher education as a Lecturer of Primary Education at Canterbury Christ Church University. His expertise spans teaching, mentoring, research, and academic innovation, particularly in the realm of artificial intelligence (AI) in education. A passionate advocate for equity and ethical innovation, Sam combines classroom experience with pioneering research, curriculum design, and community outreach. His professional philosophy echoes Nelson Mandela’s powerful belief that “Education is the most powerful weapon to change the world.”

Professional profile👤

ORCID

Strengths for the Awards✨

  1. Innovative Research in AI and Education
    Sam Clarke’s work sits at the intersection of two rapidly evolving fields: education and artificial intelligence. His research addresses critical questions about GenAI’s impact on pedagogy, curriculum design, and interdisciplinary learning. His publication “Education in the Age of GenAI” and his co-edited journal BQIL demonstrate a commitment to pioneering research.

  2. Leadership in Academic Initiatives
    Sam is not just a participant but a leader in several academic and professional settings. As Founding Co-Editor of BQIL, Peer Reviewer for research funding, and Lecturer at CCCU, he has shown initiative and scholarly leadership.

  3. Policy-Relevant Contributions
    His guest lectures at UCL, Cambridge, and the Association of Citizenship Teaching suggest his work resonates beyond academia. He connects research to practice, influencing national discourse on AI in education.

  4. Community Engagement and Equity
    Through outreach in underprivileged schools and staff CPD on AI literacy, Sam applies his research to reduce educational inequities, making a tangible social impact.

  5. Collaborative and Interdisciplinary Work
    Clarke’s collaboration with prestigious institutions like the University of Oxford and his emphasis on interdisciplinary knowledge building demonstrate a wide-ranging and cooperative research ethos.

  6. Strong Publication Record with Open Access & Accessibility
    His commitment to knowledge dissemination is evident in his open-access publications and engagement in practitioner journals, ensuring that research reaches a diverse audience.

🎓 Education

Sam’s educational journey reflects a consistent trajectory of academic excellence and professional growth. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Education Studies and Geography (First Class, 2014), a Postgraduate Certificate in Education with QTS (Distinction, 2015), and a Master of Arts in Education (Merit, 2024)—all from Canterbury Christ Church University. Most recently, he achieved a University Certificate of Advanced Practice (Distinction, 2025), further cementing his commitment to lifelong learning and pedagogical excellence.

👨‍🏫 Experience

Sam began his teaching career in 2015, serving in various roles including KS1 and KS2 Teacher, Mathematics Lead, and Computing Lead. His leadership capabilities emerged early, culminating in a place on the Senior Leadership Team at Sussex Road Primary School, where he managed appraisals, led curriculum initiatives, and coached newly qualified teachers. From 2017 to 2019, Sam also contributed as a School Improvement Facilitator for the Education Development Trust. Transitioning into higher education in 2024, he now lectures at Canterbury Christ Church University, shaping future educators with research-informed teaching and innovation-driven curriculum design.

🔬 Research Interests On Computer Science

Sam’s primary research interests lie in the ethical and educational implications of Generative AI within primary and higher education settings. He is especially passionate about exploring how AI can foster interdisciplinary learning, democratize access to education, and promote epistemic insight. His involvement with the Professoriate Group on AI and as a board member of the AI Ethics Committee at UCL underscores his commitment to ethical innovation. Sam also co-founded the academic journal Big Questions and Interdisciplinary Learning, promoting complex thinking and boundary-crossing knowledge creation.

🏆 Awards

Sam has not only received academic distinctions across all his university qualifications, but has also been repeatedly entrusted with leadership and mentoring roles that reflect his excellence. His invitation to prestigious conferences and involvement in ethics committees, editorial boards, and university strategic roles stands as a testament to the recognition of his thought leadership within the educational community.

📄 Publications

Sam Clarke has authored and co-authored several impactful publications exploring the intersections of education and AI:

  • Clarke, S. and Billingsley, B. (2024). Education in the Age of GenAI. Cambridge Generative AI in Education Conference Booklet of Abstracts.
    Published in 2024 | Cited by 3 articles

  • Clarke, S. (2024). A General Election and My Classroom in the Age of AI. Teaching Citizenship, Issue 59, pp. 8–9.
    Published in 2024 | Cited by 1 article

  • Clarke, S., Billingsley, B., & Heath, L. (Eds.) (2024). Big Questions and Interdisciplinary Learning. Zenodo.
    Published in 2024 | Cited by 2 articles

  • Clarke, S., Billingsley, B. and O’Leary, S. (2024). Using Generative Artificial Intelligence to Catalyse Further Interdisciplinarity Across Higher Education. Graduate College Working Papers, CCCU. Read paper
    Published in 2024 | Cited by 4 articles

✅ Conclusion

Sam Clarke embodies the ideal fusion of practitioner expertise and academic innovation. His contributions to AI in education—through teaching, research, publication, and community outreach—are both timely and transformative. With a consistent record of academic achievement, leadership, and ethical vision, Sam is poised to continue shaping the future of education at the intersection of pedagogy and technology. His work reflects a profound dedication to empowering educators and learners alike in a rapidly evolving digital world. 🌟

Dong Yang | Technologies | Best Researcher Award

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Prof. Dong Yang | Technologies | Best Researcher Award

Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics Chinese Academy of Sciences | China

Dong Yang is currently a professor at the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. He also serves as the Deputy Director of the State Key Laboratory of Photoelectric Conversion and Utilization of Solar Energy. His research focuses on advancing solar energy technologies, particularly in perovskite photovoltaics and renewable energy applications.

Profile👤

Google Scholar

Strengths for the Awards✨

  • Extensive Research Experience – Professor Dong Yang has a well-rounded academic and research background, spanning China and the United States, with positions at Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (CAS), Virginia Tech, and Pennsylvania State University.
  • Leadership & Innovation – As a Deputy Director of a State Key Laboratory, he plays a pivotal role in advancing solar energy research, which is highly impactful in the field of sustainable energy.
  • Cutting-Edge Research – His work in perovskite photovoltaics, flexible electronics, tandem solar cells, and renewable energy harvesters is at the forefront of energy research, addressing critical global challenges.
  • Industrial Applications – His research is not just theoretical but has strong potential for real-world applications, bridging the gap between academia and industry.
  • International Collaborations – Having worked in China and the United States, he brings a global perspective to research, fostering international partnerships.

🎓 Education

Dong Yang earned his Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics in 2014. His academic journey has been instrumental in shaping his expertise in solar energy conversion and flexible electronics.

🏆 Experience

Following his Ph.D., Dr. Yang expanded his research through postdoctoral positions at Shaanxi Normal University in China and Virginia Tech in the United States. From 2018 to 2022, he served as an Assistant Research Professor at Pennsylvania State University, contributing significantly to solar cell innovation. Currently, he leads a research group specializing in next-generation photovoltaics and energy-harvesting technologies.

🔬 Research Interests On Technologies

Dr. Yang’s research interests include perovskite photovoltaics, flexible electronics, tandem solar cells, and renewable energy devices. His work aims to enhance the efficiency, stability, and industrial scalability of solar energy solutions.

🏅 Awards

Dr. Yang has received several prestigious awards for his contributions to solar energy research. His innovations in perovskite solar cells and flexible electronics have been recognized internationally.

📚 Publications

Dr. Yang has authored numerous high-impact publications in esteemed journals. Below are some of his notable works:

  • High efficiency planar-type perovskite solar cells with negligible hysteresis using EDTA-complexed SnO2

    • Authors: D Yang, R Yang, K Wang, C Wu, X Zhu, J Feng, X Ren, G Fang, S Priya, …
    • Year: 2018
    • Citations: 1358

  • Surface optimization to eliminate hysteresis for record efficiency planar perovskite solar cells

    • Authors: D Yang, X Zhou, R Yang, Z Yang, W Yu, X Wang, C Li, SF Liu, …
    • Year: 2016
    • Citations: 993

  • Stable high efficiency two-dimensional perovskite solar cells via cesium doping

    • Authors: X Zhang, X Ren, B Liu, R Munir, X Zhu, D Yang, J Li, Y Liu, DM Smilgies, …
    • Year: 2017
    • Citations: 668

  • High efficiency flexible perovskite solar cells using superior low temperature TiO2

    • Authors: D Yang, R Yang, J Zhang, Z Yang, SF Liu, C Li
    • Year: 2015
    • Citations: 579

  • Record efficiency stable flexible perovskite solar cell using effective additive assistant strategy

    • Authors: J Feng, X Zhu, Z Yang, X Zhang, J Niu, Z Wang, S Zuo, S Priya, S Liu, …
    • Year: 2018
    • Citations: 490

  • Hysteresis‐suppressed high‐efficiency flexible perovskite solar cells using solid‐state ionic‐liquids for effective electron transport

    • Authors: D Yang, R Yang, X Ren, X Zhu, Z Yang, C Li, S Liu
    • Year: 2016
    • Citations: 436

  • 20‐mm‐Large single‐crystalline formamidinium‐perovskite wafer for mass production of integrated photodetectors

    • Authors: Y Liu, J Sun, Z Yang, D Yang, X Ren, H Xu, Z Yang, S Liu
    • Year: 2016
    • Citations: 390

  • Recent advances in flexible perovskite solar cells: fabrication and applications

    • Authors: D Yang, R Yang, S Priya, S Liu
    • Year: 2019
    • Citations: 378

  • Thinness-and shape-controlled growth for ultrathin single-crystalline perovskite wafers for mass production of superior photoelectronic devices

    • Authors: Y Liu, Y Zhang, Z Yang, D Yang, X Ren, L Pang, SF Liu
    • Year: 2016
    • Citations: 373

  • Solution-Processed Nb:SnO2 Electron Transport Layer for Efficient Planar Perovskite Solar Cells

    • Authors: X Ren, D Yang, Z Yang, J Feng, X Zhu, J Niu, Y Liu, W Zhao, SF Liu
    • Year: 2017
    • Citations: 356

🔚 Conclusion

Dr. Dong Yang is a distinguished researcher in solar energy and flexible electronics. His pioneering work continues to drive advancements in photovoltaic technology, bridging the gap between scientific discovery and industrial application.

Yuan Rao | Computer Science | Best Researcher Award

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Dr. Yuan Rao | Computer Science | Best Researcher Award

Lecturer | School of Artificial Intelligence, Guangzhou University | China

Yuan Rao is a dedicated researcher and lecturer specializing in media forensics and AI security. She has contributed significantly to the field of image forgery detection, focusing on self-supervised learning and domain adaptation techniques. Currently a Lecturer at the School of Artificial Intelligence, Guangzhou University, Yuan Rao combines academic excellence and practical expertise, earning recognition through various awards and high-impact publications.

Profile

Scopus

Google Scholar

Strengths for the Awards

  • Outstanding Research Contributions 
    • Yuan Rao has published numerous high-impact research articles in leading journals and conferences such as:
      • IEEE Transactions on Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence
      • Pattern Recognition
      • IEEE International Conference on Computer Vision (ICCV)
    • Her work on JPEG-resistant image forgery detection and AI security vulnerabilities reflects groundbreaking innovation in media forensics.
  • Leadership in Projects 
    • She has successfully undertaken four research projects as Principal Investigator (PI), funded by prestigious bodies such as:
      • National Natural Science Foundation of China
      • Guangdong Basic and Applied Research Foundation
      • Science and Technology Foundation of Guangzhou

🎓 Education

  • PhD in Information and Communication Engineering (2014.9 – 2021.6)
    • Sun Yat-sen University
    • Supervisor: Professor Ni Jiangqun
  • Master’s in Communication and Information Systems (2011.9 – 2014.6)
    • Jinan University
    • Supervisor: Professor Junkai Huang
  • Bachelor’s in Telecommunications Engineering and Management (2007.9 – 2011.6)
    • Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications

 Work Experience

  • Lecturer (2021.6 – Present)
    • School of Artificial Intelligence, Guangzhou University
    • Yuan Rao conducts research, supervises projects, and inspires students in the evolving fields of AI and media forensics.

🔍 Research Interests On Computer Science

Yuan Rao’s primary research interests focus on:

  • Media Forensics: Detecting and localizing image forgeries using deep learning and self-supervised techniques.
  • AI Security: Exploring vulnerabilities and robustness of AI models in practical scenarios.

🏆 Awards

  • 🥇 Champion and 3rd Place in “Guangzhou Pazhou Algorithm Competition” – Algorithm Safety Track, 2023
  • 🥇 First Prize in the National “Challenge Cup” Black Science and Technology Special Competition, 2023
  • 🏅 6th Rank out of 1471 in “Secure AI Challenger Program: Tamper Detection for Forged Images,” 2020

📚 Publications

1. A Deep Learning Approach to Detection of Splicing and Copy-Move Forgeries in Images

  • Authors: Y. Rao, J. Ni
  • Publication Year: 2016
  • Citations: 590

2. Deep Learning Local Descriptor for Image Splicing Detection and Localization

  • Authors: Y. Rao, J. Ni, H. Zhao
  • Publication Year: 2020
  • Citations: 104

3. Multi-semantic CRF-based Attention Model for Image Forgery Detection and Localization

  • Authors: Y. Rao, J. Ni, H. Xie
  • Publication Year: 2021
  • Citations: 53

4. Block-based Convolutional Neural Network for Image Forgery Detection

  • Authors: J. Zhou, J. Ni, Y. Rao
  • Publication Year: 2017
  • Citations: 46

5. Self-supervised Domain Adaptation for Forgery Localization of JPEG Compressed Images

  • Authors: Y. Rao, J. Ni
  • Publication Year: 2021
  • Citations: 29

6. Towards JPEG-Resistant Image Forgery Detection and Localization via Self-Supervised Domain Adaptation

  • Authors: Y. Rao, J. Ni, W. Zhang, J. Huang
  • Publication Year: 2022
  • Citations: 13

7. High-accuracy Current Sensing Circuit with Current Compensation Technique for Buck–Boost Converter

  • Authors: Y. Rao, W.L. Deng, J.K. Huang
  • Publication Year: 2015
  • Citations: 5

8. A Trigger-Perceivable Backdoor Attack Framework Driven by Image Steganography

  • Authors: W. Tang, J. Li, Y. Rao, Z. Zhou, F. Peng
  • Publication Year: 2024
  • Citations: – (Recent publication, citation data unavailable)

9. Dig a Hole and Fill in Sand: Adversary and Hiding Decoupled Steganography

  • Authors: W. Tang, H. Yang, Y. Rao, Z. Zhou, F. Peng
  • Publication Year: 2024
  • Citations: – (Recent publication, citation data unavailable)

10. Exploring the Vulnerability of Self-supervised Monocular Depth Estimation Models

  • Authors: R. Hou, K. Mo, Y. Long, N. Li, Y. Rao
  • Publication Year: 2024
  • Citations: – (Recent publication, citation data unavailable)

11. MKD: Mutual Knowledge Distillation for Membership Privacy Protection

  • Authors: S. Huang, Z. Liu, J. Yu, Y. Tang, Z. Luo, Y. Rao
  • Publication Year: 2023
  • Citations: – (Recent publication, citation data unavailable)

12. Deep Multi-image Hiding with Random Key

  • Authors: W. Zhang, W. Tang, Y. Rao, B. Li, J. Huang
  • Publication Year: 2023
  • Citations: – (Recent publication, citation data unavailable)

Research Projects

Yuan Rao has led multiple projects as Principal Investigator (PI):

  1. National Natural Science Foundation of China: Research on Self-supervised Transfer Learning Based Image Forgery Forensics.
  2. Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation: Image Forgery Localization Combining Self-supervised Learning and Knowledge Distillation.
  3. Science and Technology Foundation of Guangzhou: Verifiable Robustness of Object Detection Models Using Domain Knowledge.
  4. Science and Technology Foundation of Guangzhou: Short-term Heavy Precipitation Forecasting with Super-resolution Reconstruction.

📝 Conclusion

Yuan Rao is a prominent researcher and educator in media forensics and AI security. With a robust academic background, impressive research achievements, and numerous accolades, she is committed to advancing technologies that ensure the integrity and security of digital media.