Below, we introduce the driving forces behind ACRAI.
Manon Reusens (email: Manon.Reusens@uantwerpen.be)
Meet Dr. Manon Reusens, Research Manager at ACRAI. She is a postdoc at the department of engineering management specializing in Responsible AI, with a strong focus on bias and fairness in Natural Language Processing. Her research centers on the real-world impact of Large Language Models, aiming to foster positive societal outcomes through their responsible deployment. Manon obtained her PhD in Business Economics at the KU Leuven, where she is currently also Guest Lecturer for the course Principles of Database Management. She has several highly cited journal and conference publications and regularly delivers invited talks at academic and industry events.
David Martens (email: David.Martens@uantwerpen.be)
Meet Prof. Dr. David Martens, one of the initiators of ACRAI. David is a full professor at the University of Antwerp and research director in the Applied Data Mining research group. His work in data science for business and Responsible AI has resulted in numerous publications in top-tier journals and has earned him several prestigious awards. Together with Prof. Dr. Foster Provost, he pioneered the introduction of counterfactual explanations in AI, a technique that is now widely used. David also wrote the book Data Science Ethics, which is used by six universities and he was the first to teach a course on this subject in Flanders
Toon Calders (email: Toon.Calders@uantwerpen.be)
Meet Prof. Dr. Toon Calders, one of the initiators of ACRAI. Toon is a pioneer in the field of Responsible AI and a leading researcher in the area. He is a supervisor in the ADReM Data Lab of the Department of Computer Science at the University of Antwerp with a research focus on fair machine learning, trustworthy and responsible AI. This work has resulted in numerous publications in top-tier journals and conferences. He has secured substantial research funding and received several prestigious awards, including the 10-Year Most Influential Paper Award at the renowned ECML/PKDD conference.
Nathalie Dens (email: Nathalie.Dens@uantwerpen.be)
Meet Prof. Dr. Nathalie Dens, one of the co-promotors of ACRAI and Vice Rector at the University of Antwerp. As a full professor in Marketing at the Faculty of Business and Economics, Nathalie has developed extensive expertise in persuasive communications effectiveness for different communication formats and strategies. Her current research interests also include public health and social profit marketing, as well as stakeholder engagement for sustainable innovation. Her international leadership in the field is further shown by the numerous prestigious research grants and awards she has secured.
Kris Laukens (email: Kris.Laukens@uantwerpen.be)
Meet Prof. Dr. Kris Laukens, one of the co-promotors of ACRAI and Full Professor in bioinformatics at the ADReM Data Lab of the University of Antwerp. His research focuses on developing data science methods that transform biomedical data into actionable insights. With over 180 papers in the field of bioinformatics, several life science domains, and data mining methods, Kris secured substantial research funding and received several prestigious distinctions, including the FWO FNRS AstraZeneca Award. His research has also led to two successful spin-offs: ImmuneWatch and Innocens
Anne Van de Vijver (email: Anne.Vandevijver@uantwerpen.be
Meet Prof. Dr. Anne Van de Vijver, one of the co-promotors of ACRAI and Dean of the Faculty of Law at the University of Antwerp. Holding a Master’s and PhD in Tax Law, as well as a Master’s degree in Psychology, Anne’s research sits at the interface between tax law, ethics and psychology with a focus on digitalization. In addition to her impressive publication record, her international leadership in the field of taxation and fairness is further demonstrated by the appointment as Public Sector Expert by the European Commission. Her work has also been cited by the Belgian Council of State in parliamentary documents.
Dirk Van Rooy (email: Dirk.Vanrooy@uantwerpen.be)
Meet Prof. Dr. Dirk Van Rooy, one of the co-promotors of ACRAI and supervisor of the Principal Design Lab at the University of Antwerp. His research lies at the intersection of psychology, design sciences, behavioral research and AI, with a particular interest in human-machine interaction. Beyond his numerous publications in leading journals, Dirk has secured significant private and public funding in the US, UK, Australia and Europe. He also leads the Adaptive Human Operator Interaction with Autonomous Systems consortium dedicated to fostering trust and effective communication in human-machine interactions.