The TU/e Young Academy of Engineering (EYAE) - a platform for young academics interested in thinking and advising on university policy, among other things - welcomes five new members: Simona Turco, Fons van der Sommen, Ruud van Sloun, Tommaso Ristori and Minha Lee. The new members will join the EYAE’s other 19 members for four years. Below, we briefly introduce them.
Simona Turco
Simona Turco is an Assistant Professor at the Biomedical Diagnostics lab in the department of Electrical Engineering. Simona is devoted to improving diagnostics and monitoring of patients by developing smart signal and image processing solutions, with a focus on oncology and perioperative care. As a researcher, she values honesty, curiosity and empathy.During her time at the EYAE, she aims to increase the visibility of EYAE’s initiatives, foster interdisciplinary collaboration, and support the improvement of university policies to promote diversity and inclusion as key drivers of excellence.
Fons van der Sommen
Fons van der Sommen is an Associate Professor at the Department of Electrical Engineering, specializing in computer vision and image processing. He likes to work on healthcare applications, where he, for example, develops Computer-Aided Diagnosis (CADx) systems that help medical doctors to find and characterize early cancer.As a member of EYAE, he wants to get new generations excited about engineering and show how it can be used for meaningful impact. He would like to ensure a strong fundamental foundation for engineers graduating from TU/e, as he believes that solid, well-trained engineers are needed when tackling fundamental problems.
Ruud van Sloun
Ruud van Sloun is an Associate Professor in the signal processing systems group in the Department of Electrical Engineering. His work focuses on the design of autonomous closed-loop imaging systems that actively pursue information gain and utility, with applications in diagnostic ultrasound imaging, MRI and automotive radar.Curiosity, creativity, eagerness, courage and loyalty are important values for Van Sloun. He aims to further encourage excellence, bold fundamental research and risky ideas within the TU/e ecosystem and culture.
Tommaso Ristori
Tommaso Ristori is an assistant professor in the department of Biomedical Engineering. In his research, he integrates computational modelling with experiments to deepen our understanding and control of blood vessel formation. Specifically, he focuses on the intricate mechanobiological mechanisms underlying this process.He values continuous learning, mutual respect, and open communication. These values drive his work and interactions. During his time at EYAE, Tommaso aspires to foster open discussion among the members of the TU/e community of young academics, enhancing the network possibilities and interactions of this vital community.
Minha Lee
Minha Lee focuses on how we can design interactions with conversational agents like robots or chatbots as our moral mirrors. Minha is an assistant professor at the department of Industrial Design. Her academic background spans philosophy, digital arts, and human-computer interaction.During her time as a member of the EYAE, Minha would like to take a transdisciplinary approach and include non-academics and academics from diverging fields to address issues that concern us, including social safety, diverse and inclusive representation in education, and more.
