IMMS 2025 Invited Speakers
Assoc. Prof. William Hurst
Wageningen University & Research, The Netherlands
Dr. Hurst is an Associate Professor in Data Science and eXtended Realities in the Information Technology Group. He has over 100 international publications in the areas of data science, creative technologies, critical infrastructures, simulation and 3D graphics.
He has held several grants as Principal/Co-Investigator; some of which include EPSRC-funded 'Data Analytics for Health-Care Profiling using Smart Meters' (EP/R020922/1) and InnovateUK-funded Productivity Accelerator (https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=971582).s
Prior to working at WUR, he was an award-winning Reader (Associate Professor) in Creative Technologies in the Department of Computer Science at Liverpool John Moores University, where he worked for 6 years. During this time he taught a variety of subjects including Data Visualisation, Digital Games Content Production, Internet and Web Technologies, Research Skills, Interactive Multimedia Systems, Advanced Multimedia, Digital Storytelling and Interactive media and games development.
His education includes a PGCert (Distinction) in Higher Education, a PhD in Computer Science (scholarship - focusing on Critical Infrastructures), an MSc with Distinction in Web Computing and a BSc(Hons) in Product Design.
Assoc. Prof. Christian Kahl
Beijing Jiaotong University, China
Dr. phil. Christian Kahl studied at the Friedrich – Schiller University in Jena，Germany. He earned his Master in Education Science，Sociology and Psychology and his PhD. In Philosophy. He joined the Erasmus exchange program and studied for a year at Essex University Colchester，UK.
His PhD. thesis discover the boarding school teacher education and training for highly gifted children in Thuringia，Germany.
Since 2007 he is living and working in various Asian countries，where he has worked at Les Roches in Shanghai，China，Taylor’s University Subang Jaya， Malaysia，Almaty Management University Almaty，and currently at Beijing Jiaotong University Beijing，China. At BJTU he holds an Associate Professor position at the School of Economics and Management.
His teaching and interests over the last 15 years are connected education with management. His focus lies on Cross-cultural Management and Human Resource Management，where he is researching on Higher Education Development.
Dr. Xiaoyu Chen
Shanghai University, China
Dr. Xiaoyu Chen is Associate Professor at the School of Cultural Heritage and Information Management, Shanghai University. His research interests include “3U ―user information behavior, user cyberpsychology and user-generated content, particularly in the context of digital technologies. He is the author of the book Attraction of Knowledge Celebrities: How They Motivate Users to Pay for Knowledge (2023, Routledge). His prior research has been published at prestigious academic journals, such as Aslib Journal of Information Management, Behaviour Information & Technology, Computers in Human Behavior, Information Processing & Management, International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction, and Internet Research, among others.
Prof. He Zhou
University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, China
Zhou HE is a professor and doctoral supervisor at the School of Economics and Management of the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS). He is also a member of the Youth Innovation Promotion Association of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and a Xiaomi Young Scholar of UCAS. He has been dedicated to modeling and simulation research on complex management systems, including digital supply chains and the digital economy, for a considerable time. He has won three provincial and ministerial awards, including the Beijing Science and Technology Progress Award, as well as the Excellence Award of the Global Optimization Challenge, the Excellent Doctoral Paper of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the Huawei Collaborative Innovation Award. He is currently an editorial board member of journals such as Flexible Services and Manufacturing Journal and Humanities & Social Sciences Communications, Secretary-General of the Asian Social Simulation Association, convener of the ISO/TC 342/AHG 2 on Supply Chain Management Consultancy, and vice chairman of the Supply Chain Special Group of the Alliance of Industrial Internet.