Vincent Zakka | Human Behaviour Analysis | Young Scientist Award

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Mr. Vincent Zakka | Human Behaviour Analysis | Young Scientist Award

Postgraduate Research Student of Aston University, United Kingdom

Vincent Gbouna Zakka is a Ph.D. candidate in Computer Science at Aston University, specializing in human behavior analysis in smart environments. His research has applications in ambient assisted living, human-robot collaboration, and user-centered building system control. With a Master’s in Mechatronic Engineering from Zhejiang University and a Bachelor’s in Electronics Information Engineering from Liaoning University of Technology, Vincent has gained valuable experience as a Research Assistant at institutions like The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and Westlake University. His expertise spans activity recognition, vision-based monitoring technologies, and smart building systems. He has received several awards, including Best Paper Runner-Up at the International Conference on AI in Healthcare (2024), and has contributed to numerous publications in high-impact journals. ✨🤖🏠

Publication Profile : 

Scopus

 

🎓 Educational Background :

Vincent Gbouna Zakka is a Ph.D. candidate in Computer Science at Aston University, where he focuses on human behavior analysis in smart environments, with key applications in ambient assisted living, human-robot collaboration, and user-centered building system control. He holds a Master of Engineering in Mechatronic Engineering from Zhejiang University (2018-2021) and a Bachelor of Engineering in Electronics Information Engineering from Liaoning University of Technology (2014-2018).

💼 Professional Experience :

Professionally, Vincent has been a Postgraduate Teaching Assistant at Aston University since October 2022, where he also mentors students and engages in research. Prior to this, he served as a Research Assistant at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (2021-2022) and Westlake University (2021). His dedication to academia is reflected in his contributions to several high-impact conferences and journals, earning recognition such as the Best Paper Runner-Up Award at the 2024 International Conference on AI in Healthcare and the Best Paper Award at the 22nd International Conference on Construction Applications of Virtual Reality in 2022.

📚 Research Interests : 

Vincent’s research interests include activity recognition, user trust in monitoring systems, vision-based technology acceptance in home environments, human-robot collaboration, and smart building systems. His innovative work spans publications on privacy-preserving ambient assisted living, thermal comfort modeling, and IoT-enabled robot skin systems. He actively reviews for leading conferences and journals in his field, such as IROS and ISIE.

📝 Publication Top Notes :

  1. Darras, K., Balle, M., Xu, W., Yan, Y., Zakka Gbouna, V., Toledo, M., Sheng, D., Lin, W., Zhang, B., Lan, Z., Li, F., & Wanger, T. (2024). Eyes on Nature: Embedded Vision Cameras for Multidisciplinary Terrestrial Biodiversity Monitoring. Method in Ecology. Accepted.
  2. Zakka Gbouna, V., Dai, Z., & Manso, L. J. (2024). Hierarchical Temporal Convolution Network: Towards Privacy-Centric Activity Recognition. 16th International Conference on Ubiquitous Computing and Ambient Intelligence. Accepted.
  3. Zakka Gbouna, V., Lee, M., Zhang, R., Huang, L., Jung, S., & Hong, T. (2024). Non-invasive vision-based personal comfort model using thermographic images and deep learning. Automation in Construction, 105811. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.autcon.2024.105811
  4. Zakka Gbouna, V., & Lee, M. (2024). A generalized thermal comfort model using thermographic images and compact convolutional transformers: Towards scalable and adaptive occupant comfort optimization. Building and Environment, 112118. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2024.112118
  5. Zakka Gbouna, V., Dai, Z., & Manso, L. J. (2024). Action Recognition for Privacy-Preserving Ambient Assisted Living. International Conference on AI in Healthcare, 15. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-67285-9_15
  6. Xie, K., Lee, M., Khalid, R., & Zakka Gbouna, V. (2023). The impact of personal environmental control on the performance of thermal systems: Building energy consumption, occupant thermal comfort, and productivity. Energy and Buildings, 113552. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2023.113552
  7. Zakka Gbouna, V., & Lee, M. (2022). An Integrated Design of Energy and Indoor Environmental Quality System for Effective Building Performance Management. Proceedings of the 22nd International Conference on Construction Applications of Virtual Reality.
  8. Zakka Gbouna, V., Pang, G., Yang, G., Hou, Z., Lv, H., Yu, Z., & Pang, Z. (2021). User-interactive robot skin with large-area scalability for safer and natural human-robot collaboration in future telehealthcare. IEEE Journal of Biomedical and Health Informatics, 3082563. https://doi.org/10.1109/JBHI.2021.3082563 (Featured on Cover Paper)
  9. Zakka Gbouna, V., Hou, Z., Pang, G., Yang, H., & Yang, G. (2021). IoT-Enabled Robot Skin System for Enhancement of Safe Human-Robot Collaboration. International Conference on Intelligent Robotics and Applications, 43. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-89098-8_43
  10. Heng, W., Pang, G., Zakka Gbouna, V., Pang, Z., Yi, K., & Yang, H. (2019). Facile Fabrication of Highly Soft Tactile Sensor based on Porous Sponge with Geometry Effect on Sensing Characteristics. 2nd IEEE International Flexible Electronics Technology Conference. https://doi.org/10.1109/IFETC46817.2019.9073774

 

 

 

 

Gonzalo Pérez Serrano | Artificial photosynthesis | Young Scientist Award

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Mr. Gonzalo Pérez Serrano | Artificial photosynthesis | Young Scientist Award

PhD at IMDEA Nanociencia, Spain

Gonzalo Pérez Serrano is an Assistant Researcher at IMDEA Nanoscience in Spain, specializing in ultrafast phenomena at the nanoscale. He holds a Master’s degree in Biotechnology from Universidad Autónoma de Madrid and a Bachelor’s degree in Biology from Universidad Complutense de Madrid. His research focuses on artificial photosynthesis, specifically the design of structural modulators for photosystems, where he studies the impact of protein dynamics on chromophore function.

Publication Profile : 

Orcid

 

🎓 Educational Background :

Gonzalo Pérez Serrano completed his undergraduate degree in Biology at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid in 2022. During his studies, he gained valuable experience at the Veterinary Health Surveillance Centre (VISAVET), specializing in molecular techniques such as genetic material extraction and purification, molecular diagnosis, and data analysis. His Bachelor’s thesis focused on the molecular detection of Rickettsia bacteria in ticks from wild animals in the Madrid region. After completing his Bachelor’s, Gonzalo pursued a Master’s degree in Biotechnology at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (2022-2023), where he conducted his Master’s thesis on the design of artificial photosystems, under the supervision of Dr. Sara Hernández Mejías at IMDEA Nanoscience.

💼 Professional Experience :

Following the completion of his Master’s, Gonzalo Pérez Serrano was appointed as an Assistant Researcher at IMDEA Nanoscience in October 2023. He has been involved in various significant research projects, including a project funded by the LaCaixa Foundation focused on photochemical energy conversion using biohybrids with proteins and nanoclusters, and another research grant from the BBVA Foundation on optimized photochemical conversion. His work spans artificial photosynthesis, light energy conversion, and nanotechnology, contributing to a deeper understanding of the mechanistic role of protein dynamics in chromophore function. Prior to his current position, he gained practical research experience as a trainee student at IMDEA Nanoscience while completing both his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees.

📚 Research Interests : 

Gonzalo’s research interests are centered on the fields of artificial photosynthesis, light energy conversion, and nanotechnology. He focuses on the study of protein engineering and physical chemistry, with a particular emphasis on pump-probe spectroscopy. His work aims to advance our understanding of how proteins and chromophores interact to enhance light-harvesting efficiency. He is passionate about using cutting-edge techniques in nanoscience to develop sustainable and efficient systems for energy conversion. 🌱🔬💡

📝 Publication Top Notes :

  1. Serrano, G. P., Echavarría, C. F., & Mejias, S. H. (2024). Development of artificial photosystems based on designed proteins for mechanistic insights into photosynthesis. Protein Science, 33(10). https://doi.org/10.1002/pro.5164