2025 Weiser Fellows

Hrachya Astsatryan

Weiser Professional Development Fellow, Fall 2025

Hrachya Astsatryan (PhD Computer Science, MS Applied Mathematics) is the Director of the Institute for Informatics and Automation Problems at the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia, where he also leads the Center for Scientific Computing. His work lies at the intersection of high-performance computing, artificial intelligence, and scientific computing. He has authored over 100 publications in leading international journals, conferences, and workshops. In 2023, he was awarded the Commemorative Medal of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia, and in 2005, from the President of the Republic of Armenia for his outstanding work in Technical Sciences and Information Technologies. Professor Astsatryan is visiting U-M in October 2025 to work on his research project “Mathematical Tools and Machine Learning Methods for Scalable Health Data Analysis” with Kayvan Najarian, professor of computational medicine and bioinformatics; emergency medicine; and electrical engineering and computer science.

Driart Elshani

Weiser Professional Development Fellow, Fall 2025 and Winter 2026

Driart Elshani is professor of information and communication technologies at the American University in Kosovo. He has contributed to multiple projects focused on leveraging information technology for development across both government and industry sectors. Professor Elshani's areas of expertise include artificial intelligence (AI), e-governance, and cybersecurity. He was educated at the University of Brussels, where he earned his Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD in information sciences and technologies. Professor Elshani is visiting U-M in September 2025 to complete research on a project entitled “Impact of AI on conflict transformation and peacebuilding” in collaboration with Thomas Finholt, professor of information.  

Maksim Iavich
Weiser Professional Development Fellow, Winter 2025

Maksim Iavich is professor and head of the cyber security department at Caucasus University (CU). He leads the information technologies BA, IT management MA, and cyber security programs. Professor Iavich is also a director at the Cyber Security Center, CST (CU). He is CEO & President at the Scientific Cyber Security Association (SCSA) and was acknowledged in 2018 as Georgia’s best young scientist in the field of technology. He also works as a cybersecurity consultant in organizations in Georgia and internationally. Professor Iavich received numerous scientific awards in the field of cyber security and is the author of many scientific papers which cover topics like cyber security, cryptography, post-quantum cryptography, 5G security, mathematical models, and simulations. He is visiting U-M in January 2025 to work on his research project, “Post-quantum Digital Signature Cryptographic System Using Verkle Trees,” with Mingyan Liu, associate dean for academic affairs, College of Engineering and professor of engineering.

Darko Spasevski
Weiser Professional Development Fellow, Winter 2025

Darko Spasevski is a professor, legal consultant, and civic activist. He has been a member of the Law Faculty "Iustininus Primus" at "Ss. Cyril and Methodius University" in Skopje, Republic of North Macedonia since 2008, focusing mainly on business law. He teaches undergraduate and postgraduate courses on business law, bankruptcy law, and e-commerce law.

In addition to his academic role, Professor Spasevski has substantial practical experience. He was involved in drafting the new Law on Companies (2023) and actively contributed to the drafting of the Macedonian Civil Code concerning trade agreements. Professor Spasevski has served as a consultant and local legal expert for firms like White and Case and Wilmer and Hale on cases presented at various international forums. He is also actively involved in the civic sector, serving as the Secretary General of the Institute for Strategic Research and Education, collaborating with various donors such as the EU Delegation in Skopje, the U.S. Embassy in Skopje, and others. He is visiting U-M in February 2025 to work on his research project, “Analysis of the Chosen,” which aims to answer whether there exists a superior legal form of organization for social entrepreneurship, with John Branch, clinical associate professor of business administration.