Our people

My research is focused on the application of complexity science to the solution of engineering problems. I've been working in using AI, particularly intelligent systems, to modeling and simulation of industrial processes, smart grids, and other systems.

Pedro was born in Ponce and raised in Coamo, on the island of Puerto Rico. After completing his Ph.D. in Telematic Engineering from Universidade de Vigo (Spain) in 2017 he returned to the University of Puerto Rico’s main campus (Río Piedras) as an Assistant Professor of Computer Science (2017-2019), where he had taught Computer Engineering at UPR-Mayagüez in 2008. He was an Associate Researcher and later a Postdoctoral Fellow (2020-2023) at the Center for Complexity Sciences (C3) of the National Autonomous University of México (UNAM), specializing in Self-Organizing Systems and Complexity-Based Telecommunications Systems, under the supervision of Prof. Carlos Gershenson García. His Ph.D. dissertation focused on the use of Probabilistic Boolean Networks and a means of modelling Manufacturing Systems, especially those under preventive maintenance. This dissertation obtained the prestigious Doctoral Excellence Award (Premio Extraordinario de Doctorado) and the ‘Doctor Internacional’ distinction. He has a professional experience spanning more than 20 years, that includes working for the aerospace, biopharmaceutical and other manufacturing industries, as an engineer.

Pedro holds a B.Sc. in Computer Engineering from the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez (2001), a Graduate Certificate in Project Management (University of Wisconsin, 2004), a M.Sc. in Engineering Management (University of Wisconsin, 2005), a Master of Telematic Engineering (2008), Diploma of Advanced Studies, (2008), and Ph.D. in Telematic Engineering (2017) from Universidade de Vigo, Spain, a Master of Computer Engineering (2021) and a Master of Telecommunications Engineering from Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (2022) and is working towards a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya. He is a licensed telecommunications engineer in Spain, and a member of the Official College of Telecommunications Engineers since 2018 (COIT). He collaborates with scientists from the US, Puerto Rico, Spain, Cuba, Mexico and Brazil.

Publications

• Rivera Torres, P.J., Chen, C., Macías, J.E., Rodríguez, S., Prieto, J., Llanes, O., Gershenson, C., Kanaan, S., A learning Probabilistic Boolean Network model of a smart grid with applications to system maintenance., 2024, MDPI/Energies, https://doi.org/10.3390/en17246399
• Rivera Torres, P.J., Gershenson, C, Kanaan, S. Fault Detection and Isolation in Smart-Grid Networks of Intelligent Power Routers Modeled as Probabilistic Boolean Networks, 2023, Wiley/Complexity, https://doi.org/10.1155/2023/6690805.
• Rivera Torres, P.J., Gershenson García, C., Kanaan, S. Reinforcement Learning with Probabilistic Boolean Network Models of Smart Grid Devices. 2022, Wiley/Complexity,
• Guerrero, D., Rivera Torres, P., Febres, G. L., Gershenson García, C. Towards a Measure for Characterizing the Informational Content of Audio Signals and the Relation Between Complexity and Auditory Encoding, 2021.

Awards & Recognitions

• Maria Skłodowska Curie Actions Fellow - University of Salamanca, Spain (2024 to present).
• 2020 Technical Sciences Award, National Academy of Sciences of Cuba. Research Team Member.
• Premio Extraordinario de Doctorado - 2017 Universidade de Vigo
• "Las 20 mejores de 2012" – Awarded #10 of 20 among the best musical productions of 2012 for the album “Café Colao Orchestra, Vol. 1”, by Fundación Nacional para la Cultura Popular de Puerto Rico, 2012.
• "Las 20 mejores de 2016" – Awarded #14 of 20 among the best musical productions of 2016 for the album “Yo no quiero… ser normal”, by Fundación Nacional para la Cultura Popular de Puerto Rico, 2016.

Javad Shamsi is deeply interested in light-matter interactions, particularly in tiny semiconductors known as Quantum Dots (QDs), which possess intriguing properties for lighting technologies such as LEDs, lasers, and quantum light sources.

Javad completed his undergraduate studies in Chemistry at the University of Tehran, where he undertook a research project under the supervision of Prof. Mohammad Reza Ganjali. He then pursued a PhD at the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT) and the University of Genoa, focusing on semiconducting nanocrystals and their optoelectronic properties. Following his PhD, Javad joined the Hyperion ERC project led by Prof. Sam Stranks at the Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, where he researched quantum-confined perovskite nanoplatelets for lighting technologies, including LEDs and quantum lighting, from 2018 to 2022. After completing his postdoctoral research in September 2022, he stepped away from intensive research roles and accepted a position as the EPSRC Programme Grant Manager in the Department of Physics at the University of Cambridge. Although he initially intended to take a brief break of about a year, his plans were disrupted in October 2023, when he tragically lost his mother in an accident. This profound loss had a significant emotional impact, leaving him unable to re-enter the research sector immediately.

Recently, Javad began teaching energy materials courses to MPhil students in the Department of Materials and Physics at the University of Cambridge. He also took on a part-time lecturing role at Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge. In 2019, he joined St Edmund’s College, University of Cambridge, initially as a PDRA, and later as a Tutor and Bye-Fellow, providing pastoral support to approximately 40 students each term. He has also delivered several public lectures on his research, making it more accessible to a wider audience and contributing to broader societal benefits. Additionally, Javad is the director of ShamsLab, a consultancy specialising in energy, energy materials, nanotechnology, and quantum technologies, with a focus on tackling the pressing challenges within the energy sector.

At the college, aside from engaging in intellectual discussions with peers and providing pastoral support to students in their academic lives, Javad is keen to explore his interest in understanding the nature of light - something beyond the ripples of the electromagnetic field. This work bridges his expertise with his religion, which to some extent aligns with the philosophy of Ishraq. Inspired by Georges Lemaître, he believes St Edmund’s College is the ideal place to contemplate the connection between science and religion.

Academic Profile

My research interests lie in health law and ethics, particularly informed consent, doctor-patient relationship, and reproductive ethics widely considered.

Dr Milo is Lecturer in Law at the School of Law, University of Sheffield, where she leads the Health Law Research Group. Before joining Sheffield, she was College Assistant Professor and Fellow in Law at Robinson College-University of Cambridge, and previously Lecturer at the University of Exeter Law School. She holds a PhD in Health Law from Durham Law School; a MA in Bioethics and Medical Law (St Mary’s University-Twickenham); an integrated MA in Law (University of Siena, Italy); and a Diploma in Legal Studies (University of Oxford).

Academic Profile

My work focuses on inequalities in education, intergenerational income mobility, and policies to narrow the socio-economic gap in education and the labour market. I am currently working on evaluating the My Village programme delivered by the People’s Action for Learning (PAL) Network.

Yuyan is a Research Associate at the Faculty of Education, working on the evaluation of the My Village programme. Yuyan’s research interests include educational inequalities, social mobility, and policy interventions to reduce socio-economic disparities in education and the labour market. She is an ONS Accredited Researcher, proficient in analysing large longitudinal datasets. Her PhD research focused on intergenerational income mobility in England, exploring the impacts of educational achievement, bursaries, and the COVID-19 pandemic on social mobility.

Academic Profile

Liam is Director of Studies for Geography

Malcolm Cameron is a consultant Head and Neck Maxillofacial Surgeon and clinical lead at Addenbrooke’s, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Trust where he has worked for over two decades.  He qualified in Medicine from St Bartholomew’s Hospital after his Dental degree at Guy’s Hospital, London.

His training involved time at The Royal Marsden Hospital and completed at University College Hospital in London including Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital and Queen Victoria Hospital in East Grinstead.

Within Oral and Maxillofacial surgery, his special interests are head and neck oncology with special reference to mouth cancer and reconstruction. Additionally, he manages adult and paediatric facial trauma and he also looks after salivary gland pathology and complex cutaneous malignancy.

At Addenbrooke’s he is a trainer for medical and dental core trainees plus surgeons in higher training.  He hosts student selected components (SSP’s) for clinical medical students at the University of Cambridge Medical School and is the supervisor for head & neck anatomy at St Edmunds College, Cambridge.

He is a contributing author to the medical text books: Essential Surgery, Maxillofacial Trauma and Aesthetic Reconstruction.