Data Science and Machine Learning for Economic Research

Adriana AnaMaria Davidescu is a Full Professor at the Department of Statistics and Econometrics, Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Romania. She is the Head of the Data Science Research Lab, specialising in applications for business and economics, and a senior researcher at the Department of Labour Market Policies of the National Scientific Research Institute for Labour and Social Protection. With over 17 years of experience in socio-economic research, she has been deeply involved in various analytical pursuits.For over 17 years, she has delved into informality issues at both national and international levels. She has led various national research projects and served as a senior expert for the European Commission, specifically for the European Platform that addresses Undeclared Work. Prof. Davidescu possesses extensive expertise in the evaluation of public projects and programs. Her prowess in project team management is evident, having coordinated more than 14 national projects and played a pivotal role as a senior expert in over 50 national and international endeavours. She has showcased her expertise in counterfactual methods during the assessment process, especially in empirically testing causal chains in interventions related to the Operational Program Competitiveness 2014-2020 Evaluation Plan, the Human Capital Operational Program 2014-2020 Evaluation, and the Partnership Agreement Evaluation Plan. She held the esteemed position of a modelling key expert. She served as the team leader for the Operational Program Competitiveness 2014-2020 Evaluation Plan, focusing on evaluating POC interventions in research, development, and innovation. Additionally, she was a senior modelling expert, instrumental in assessing the impact of interventions for both the Human Capital Operational Program 2014-2020 Evaluation Plan and the Partnership Agreement Evaluation Plan, with an emphasis on economic, social, and territorial cohesion.

Results-driven IT professional with 18 years of experience as an entrepreneur and IT manager, having a proven track record of delivering successful projects for global clients. He holds a Ph.D. in Economic Informatics from the Bucharest University of Economic Studies and an Engineering degree in Computer Science from the POLITEHNICA University of Bucharest and possesses strong leadership, technical, and strategic skills. He is also skilled in talent development, financial management, and compliance.

Currently, he serves as a Teaching Assistant at the Cybernetics, Statistics, and Economic Informatics Faculty at the Bucharest University of Economic Studies. Additionally, he conducts research in Big Data and Artificial Intelligence with a focus on NLP, LLMs, RAG systems, and Autonomous AI Agents.

Kiran Sood is a Professor at Chitkara Business School, Chitkara University, Punjab, India, and a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Uşak, Turkey, where she specialized in ESG issues in the Insurance industry. She also serves as an Affiliate Professor at the University of Malta, Europe and is a Research Fellow at the Women Researchers Council at Azerbaijan State University of Economics. Dr. Sood acted as an International Mentor for the “Forensic Accounting and Financial Crime” course at the 2024 Kosovo International Summer School (ISS), organized by the Faculty of Accounting at the University of Prizren, Europe. In November 2023, she undertook an Erasmus-funded visit to the University of Malta, Europe delivering eight hours of lectures on “Insurance in Asia.” With over 19 years of experience, her expertise spans accounting, finance, and forensic accounting. Kiran has been an invited speaker at numerous international conferences and has served as a session chair and keynote speaker across various prestigious platforms. She has authored and edited more than 20 edited and one self-authored books focusing on blockchain, big data, insurance, and green finance, published by leading international publishers like Wiley, Emerald, and Elsevier. Her research contributions include 90 Scopus-indexed publications, primarily in financial risk management, digitalization in insurance, and sustainable development, blockchain technology. Her professional journey includes several accolades, including an Excellence Award from Chitkara University in 2023 and keynote invitations at global forums.