Dr. Jaspinder Komal
Assistant Deputy Minister Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC),
Department of National Defence, Canada
Opening Remarks
Dr. Jaspinder Komal graduated from the Faculté de médecine vétérinaire at
the Université de Montréal in Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec, with a degree in
Veterinary Medicine and a post-graduate degree in Veterinary Microbiology.
In 1994, Dr. Komal joined the Public Service as a Veterinary Inspector as
well as a Laboratory Supervisor in Atlantic Canada. Dr. Komal and his
family moved to Ottawa where he held various positions of increasing
responsibility within the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and
other departments, such as Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) and
Health Canada. Over the course of his long career, Dr. Komal has gained
extensive and diversified experience as a senior scientific leader,
having advanced key Government of Canada priorities, and building
collaborative partnerships within government, academia, and industry.
Major General Karsten Stoye
Head of Civil-Military Cooperation Military Advisor to the Director General EUROCONTROL Civil-Military Cooperation Division Brussels, BelgiumMajor General Karsten Stoye assumed his position as Head of Civil-Military Cooperation and Military Advisor to the Director General at Eurocontrol after his previous assignment as Chief of Staff at NATO’s Headquarters Allied Air Command at Ramstein Air Base, on 1 October 2021.
After studying economics and administrative science at the University of the German Federal Armed Forces in Hamburg, General Stoye has served in various operational and staff positions. As a senior operations officer and command pilot in the Tactical Reconnaissance Wing 51 ‘Immelmann’, he contributed from 1995 to 1996 to the United Nations and NATO missions during the conflict in the Former Yugoslavia. In 1998 he graduated from the Command and General Staff Officer Course at the Federal Armed Forces Command and Staff College in Hamburg.
Until 2000, General Stoye served as a Branch Chief at the NATO Combined Air Operations Centre 4 (CAOC 4) in Messstetten, Germany, where he was responsible for training and exercises. In 1999 he contributed to the NATO Operation in Kosovo as Chief Air Task Order Planner at the Balkan CAOC in Vicenza.
From 2000 to the end of 2003, he was Commander of the Flying Group of Fighter Bomber Wing 31 “Boelcke” in Nörvenich. The following year, he was assigned to the German Ministry of Defence as Assistant Branch Chief at the Air Staff, responsible for concepts and requirements for Air Force Operations. After a follow-on assignment at the Air Force Command from 2005 to 2006, he served at the Ministry of Defence as Military Assistant to the Parliamentary State Secretary.
At the end of 2007, he assumed command of the Tactical Reconnaissance Wing 51 “Immelmann” in Schleswig, Northern Germany until 2010. During this time he was appointed as Base Commander at the Operation Wing Mazar-e-Sharif in Afghanistan for operations under NATO International Security Assistance Force from 2008 to 2009. As Base Commander and command pilot, he was responsible for all flying operations of the Reconnaissance Tornados, the Transall C-160 transport aircraft and the CH-53 helicopters as well as for the entire force protection and combat support operations.
Next, General Stoye went through two assignments at the Ministry of Defence, first as Branch Chief responsible for Concepts and Requirements for Air Force Operations (in 2011), and subsequently as Branch Chief, Department of Defence Plans & Policy (in 2012), where he was responsible for the capability management of information, surveillance and reconnaissance affairs of the DEU Armed Forces.
From 2013 until 2015 he was the Deputy Commander at NATO’s Deployable Air Command and Control Centre in Poggio Renatico, Italy.
General Stoye had been the Commander of the NATO E-3A Component in Geilenkirchen, Germany, from 2015 until 2018, where he led an international military and civilian staff, representing 16 NATO nations which provide an airborne early warning, command and control and battle management capability in support of NATO commanders. In 2018 General Stoye began his assignment as the Deputy Chief of Staff Operations at NATO’s Headquarters Allied Air Command and 2019 as Chief of Staff.
General Stoye has flown more than 3,000 flying hours primarily on the TORNADO weapon system, including more than 70 operational missions.
Major Awards and Decorations
- Gold Cross of Honour of the Bundeswehr
- Bundeswehr Foreign Duty Medal UNPF
- Bundeswehr Foreign Duty Medal IFOR
- Bundeswehr Foreign Duty Medal SFOR
- Bundeswehr Foreign Duty Medal ISAF
- NATO Medal for the former Yugoslavia
- NATO Non-Article 5 Medal for ISAF
- NATO Meritorious Service Medal
- Knight of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Italy
- Spinoza Medal of the German War Graves Commission
- Second Lieutenant 1986
- First Lieutenant 1989
- Captain 1992
- Major 1996
- Lieutenant Colonel 2000
- Colonel 2008
- Brigadier General 2013
- Major General 2019
Major General Kathryn Toohey (Rtd)
Australian Army
Kathryn Toohey retired from the Australian Army at the rank of major general in late 2022. As a senior Army officer, Kathryn specialised in Defence capability and was appointed the first Head Land Capability within Army Headquarters where she was responsible for the modernisation and sustainment of Army capability; including helicopters, tanks, communication systems and uniforms. In her last role as Head Force Integration, she was responsible to provide test and evaluation advice to the Defence Investment Committee. In 2021, her team released the Defence Test and Evaluation Strategy. Kathryn holds an Executive Master in Business Administration (MBA), a Master of Management in Defence Studies; a Graduate Diploma in Information Technology and a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering (Honours). Since retiring from the Army, Kathryn provides a range of mentoring and advisory services and is a member of several boards, including the Swinburne Defence Advisory Board.
Air Marshal Mel Hupfeld (Rtd)
Royal Australian Air ForceMel Hupfeld was appointed as a member of the Air Services Australia Board in August 2023 as a non-Executive Director. He also has roles on the Air Force Association Board, the Spitfire Association Advisory Council, the Swinburne Research Institute Advisory Board and is a member of the Public Service Advisory Board to provide strategic advice to Government and Industry clients.
Mel was born in Sydney in 1962 and grew up in Broken Hill, New South Wales until moving to Semaphore, South Australia with his family. He completed his final two years of High School at Le Fevre High in Port Adelaide. He joined the Royal Australian Air Force as an Academy Cadet in January 1980, graduating as a pilot, with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1983.
During his Air Force career, he flew Mirage, Classic Hornet and Super Hornet fighter aircraft in several of the Air Force’s fighter squadrons and achieved over 3,500 flying hours. In 2001 Mel took command of No 75 Squadron (75SQN) and led the Squadron in operations in the Middle East on Operations BASTILLE and FALCONER, as a part of Australia’s contribution to Operation IRAQI FREEDOM in 2003. He completed several staff appointments including in the capability development and force design areas and completed the Royal Air Force Advanced Command and Staff Course, graduating with a Master of Arts in Defence Studies from King’s College in London in 1998.
Mel commanded at every level within Air Force and notably, on promotion to the rank of Air Marshal, was appointed as Chief of Joint Operations in May 2018 and subsequently Chief of Air Force in July 2019. He transitioned to the Air Force Reserve in July 2022, and retired to the South Coast of New South Wales. Since then, he has assisted the Minister for Home Affairs and Cyber Security as a member of the Expert Advisory Board to develop a National Cyber Security Strategy. As part of his transition to civilian life he has ambition to contribute to various Boards and Advisory Councils.
Vice Admiral Michael Noonan (Rtd)
Royal Australian Navy
Vice Admiral Mike Noonan retired from the Royal Australian Navy in mid 2022 after over 38 years service. In his last role, as Chief of Navy Australia, he was entrusted by government to be its principal naval advisor, and to raise, train and sustain Australia’s naval forces. His Command of the Royal Australian Navy spanned a critical period where Australia’s strategic environment underwent rapid and unanticipated deterioration, described as the most consequential strategic realignment since WWII – with the Indo-Pacific at its centre. His tenure was characterised by a focus on, and genuine respect and care for, the people he led, and he determinedly worked to expand the Navy and secured the government’s commitment to grow to 21,000 by 2035. He oversaw the introduction into service of a number of new naval capabilities, and personally led a small team that transformed the idea of nuclear powered submarines for Australia to an attainable capability outcome.
When not tending to his small herd of cattle in south-east Queensland, Admiral Noonan now supports industry and academia on a broad range of defence and maritime issues, and sits on a number of related boards. He holds Masters degrees in Maritime Policy, Business Administration, Marketing Communication, and International Relation. He has also completed the Advanced Management Program at the Harvard Business School, and is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. In 2022, he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Laws by the University of Wollongong for his contribution to the maritime security of Australia and the Indo-Pacific region.
Mr. Pete JW Saunders
Director General NORAD Continental Defence Modernization OfficeMr. Saunders enrolled in the Canadian Forces 23 March 1990. Over the span of his somewhat atypical and discontinuous career, Mr. Saunders enjoyed operational postings flying and instructing on his beloved Sea King Helicopters at 443 (MH) Sqn in Pat Bay, British Columbia; 423 (MH) Sqn, and 12 Wing Operations in Shearwater, Nova Scotia; culminating in Command of 406 (M) OTS. Throughout this period, he has served in HMCS Annapolis, HMCS Iroquois, HMCS Fredericton and HMCS Toronto and has deployed throughout the Middle East.
Staff postings to date include two stints in the Career Management shop, the last being a two-year sojourn as DMilC4; responsible for guiding, managing and, at times, cajoling some 300 high-maintenance LCols and overseeing the management of almost 10,000 other members of the RCAF. He also spent three years on a self-imposed educational posting (yes, self-posted) to the Chief of Programme office learning the corporate side of the Department of National Defence and working upon, among other things, analysing financial risk to the Departmental Investment Plan and taking a lead in drafting the next iteration of this document for governmental consideration. For the past six years, Mr. Saunders has ensconced himself in the Air Staff responsible for the management and development of a number of contracted training solutions for the RCAF. In his current role, Mr. Saunders retains oversight of RCAF contracted training programs whilst standing up and leading the RCAF component of NORAD modernization.
Mr. Saunders is a graduate of the Joint Command and Staff Program at the Canadian Forces College and the Senior Course at the NATO Defence College. He holds a bachelor’s degree in science from Acadia University, a Certificate in Adult Education from Dalhousie University, a master’s degree in business administration from Heriot Watt University and a master’s degree in Defence Studies from the Royal Military College of Canada.
Siegfried USAL
VP, Digital Innovation, Thales North America General Manager and General Manager of Thales Digital Solutions
n 2017, Siegfried Usal co-founded cortAIx in Canada, Thales’ operational centre for research and technology in intelligent and expert agents. Today, he is CEO and founder of Thales Digital Solutions, an industrial laboratory responsible for designing and developing human-centric AI in the defence and aerospace sectors. In this capacity, he guides and directs the technology development strategy towards applications specific to collaborative combat and autonomous systems for ethical and responsible use of defence and aerospace assets.
A graduate of the French Air Force Academy and the Canadian Forces College, Siegfried holds a degree in Aeronautical Engineering, a Master’s degree in Aeromechanics and a Master’s degree in Defence Studies. A fighter pilot in France and Canada, Siegfried has over 2,500 hours of flying time on Mirage 2000 and CF-18 aircraft and has flown 75 war missions. A former colonel in the French Air Force, he has held several senior positions in the presidential cabinet of the French Republic and at the French Embassy in Canada.
Siegfried Usal is a Knight of the Legion of Honour, Officer of the National Order of Merit, Croix de Guerre in the order of the Air Division, holder of the General Service Medal (Canada) and the General Campaign Star (Canada).
Dr. Edward Tunstel
Chief Technical Officer, Motiv Space Systems, Inc. US
Dr. Edward Tunstel is the CTO at Motiv Space Systems, Inc., a space robotics and motion control company following several years as Robotics Associate Director and Group Leader at Raytheon Technologies Research Center. He spent a decade at Johns Hopkins APL leading robotics and autonomous systems RandD for national security and space applications as both a Senior Roboticist in its Intelligent Systems Center and Space Robotics and Autonomous Control Lead in its space department. He was with NASA JPL for 18 years as a Senior Robotics Engineer and Advanced Robotic Controls Group Lead where he worked on NASA Mars rover missions as flight systems engineer. He has also chaired advisory boards for academic research focused on test and evaluation, and on secure and safe assured autonomy within urban air mobility vehicle systems. He is a past President of the IEEE SMC Society, an IEEE Fellow, and AIAA Senior Member with over 180 publications in his areas of research interest including autonomous, cooperative, and human-collaborative robotics.
Saeid Nahavandi
Associate Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research and Chief of Defence Innovation,
Swinburne University, Australia
Distinguished Professor Saeid Nahavandi is currently Swinburne University of Technology’s inaugural Associate Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research and Chief of Defence Innovation. He previously served as Pro Vice-Chancellor (Defence Technologies) and Founding Director of the Institute for Intelligent Systems Research and Innovation, Deakin University. Saeid Nahavandi received a Ph.D. from Durham University, U.K. in 1991. His research interests include autonomous systems, modeling of complex systems, robotics and haptics. He has published over 1000 scientific papers in various international journals and conferences.
Professor Gary Hogan AM, CSC
Moderator
Gary is a former Head of Military Intelligence and Director-General of Scientific and Technical Analysis in the Australian Defence Department. He is a graduate of the Chinese National Defence University and taught China Studies on faculty at the US National Defense University, Washington DC. He was Australia’s first Defence Attaché to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the first foreigner to graduate from Indonesia’s National College of Governance. He served three years as Defence Head at the Australian Embassy in Jakarta. He speaks Mandarin, Vietnamese, and Bahasa Indonesia. Gary is a member of the Order of Australia and was awarded the Conspicuous Service Cross while on operational service in the Middle East with US Special Operations Command. His foreign decorations include the US Legion of Merit and the Grand Meritorious Military Order of Indonesia. Following a distinguished military career, Gary served seven years on the Council of Australia’s largest tertiary institution, the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology. He worked as Senior Adviser for Defence and National Security at professional services firm KPMG, before joining the staff of Victoria’s then Defence Advocate, Greg Combet. He was appointed Enterprise Professor for Industry Engagement at the University of Melbourne, where he ran Australia’s only national PhD internship program, placing more than 400 PhD candidates from 32 universities into internships with over 120 government and industry partners. As a member of Melbourne-based consultancy CIS, Gary was Interim CEO of a CRC proposal in the “Care Economy”, helping to build a consortium across six universities and 80 industry partners, attracting over $100M in cash and in-kind funding. As manager of the Health Centre of Excellence at the Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade), he led the areas of MedTech, Digital Health and Military Medicine, assisting Australian companies seeking offshore markets and overseas companies seeking Australian partners. He has served on the Northern Territory Government’s Defence and National Security Advisory Group and as an adviser at market intelligence house, DefenceConnect. He is currently Professor of Business Analytics at the University of Newcastle and Managing Director of space exploration company “Lunaria.One”. Gary’s superpower is utilising his linguistic experience to translate between the cryptically unintelligible languages of government, the private sector and Higher Education.
Lieutenant-Colonel David Dunwoody
Deputy Director for Data & Analytics Enablement, Royal Canadian Air Force
Lieutenant-Colonel David Dunwoody joined the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1991 as a reservist and Aircraft Instrument Electrician with 402 Squadron. In 1998, he transferred into the regular force as an Air Navigator. Upon earning his wings in 2002, he was posted to 14 Wing Greenwood, Nova Scotia to serve on the CP-140 Aurora as an acoustic sensor operator. In 2007, he attended the Aerospace Systems Course at the Canadian Forces School of Aerospace Studies (CFSAS) at 17 Wing Winnipeg and authored a technical paper on a Human Centred Approach to Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle Operations. In 2008, LCol Dunwoody was posted to 14 Software Engineering Squadron as the Senior Operational and Liaison Acceptance Officer supporting the maintenance of the CP-140 mission software. 2012 saw him posted to 1 Canadian Forces Flying Training School (1 CFFTS) at 17 Wing Winnipeg. In 2013, he was promoted to major and served as the school’s Operational and Technical Support Flight Commander. In 2016, LCol Dunwoody was posted to the Canadian Forces School of Aerospace Studies as the chair for the Department of Aerospace Capability Development and the Deputy Commandant. 2020 he was posted to the Chief of Force Development coordinating the defence capability board and the future force for joint targeting. In 2022, LCol Dunwoody was assigned as the Senior Aide-de-Camp to the Governor General of Canada. 2023, he was promoted to his current rank and posted to the Digital Transformation Office as the Deputy Director for Data & Analytics Enablement. LCol Dunwoody has deployed twice to Afghanistan for Operation ATHENA and once to Kuwait for Operation IMPACT. During his second tour with Op ATHENA, LCol Dunwoody operated the CU-170 Heron flying over 450 hours of in theatre operations. LCol Dunwoody has a master in Information Systems from Athabasca University and is beginning his PhD studies at the University of Toronto with an aim to research AI Trust in human-machine systems.
Lieutenant-Colonel Jean Leymarie
RCAF Aerospace Warefare Center Concept DevelopmentOVERSEAS OPERATIONS AND INTERNATIONAL EXERCISES
- Operation “Pamir” – Kandahar, Afghanistan 2008
- Exercise “Green Flag” – Barksdale AFB, USA 2010
- Exercise “Tactical Leadership Program” – Albacete AFB, Spain 2011
- Operation “Harmatan” – Souda AFB, Greece 2011
- Operation “Chammal” – BAP H5, Jordan 2016
DECORATIONS
- Knight of the Légion d’Honneur
- Officer of the Ordre National du Mérite
- Cross for military valor with one silver gilt, one silver and two bronze stars
- Commendation, Strategic Air Forces, Bronze
- Combatant’s cross
- Overseas medal with “Middle east” clasp
- National defence medal gold grade with “French Air Force” and “Overseas Operations” clasps
- Medal of the nation’s gratitude with “Overseas Operations” clasp
- French commemorative medal with “Libya” and “Afghanistan” clasps
- Medal for the military protection of the territory with Jupiter clasp;
- NATO non-article 5 medal with “OUP Libya” clasp
- NATO non-article 5 medal with “ISAF Afghanistan”
Maj Cody “Pinky” Carignan
Royal Canadian Air ForceMaj Carignan is an RCAF Air Battle Manager with over 1,500 combat hours supporting coalition operations in the Middle East. He has served as the Squadron Weapons and Tactics Officer for the Canadian Air Defence Sector (CADS), as the Chief of Training and Chief of Standards and Evaluations for the 729th Air Control Squadron, and has executed the duties of the CENTCOM Regional Air Defence Commander in his role as a Mission Commander with the 727th Expeditionary Air Control Squadron. Maj Carignan is a graduate of the RCAF Fighter Weapons Instructor Course (FWIC) and a USAF CAF Mission Commander. He is currently assigned to the NORAD-Continental Defence Modernization Office as the Deputy Project Director for the RCAF’s Future Combined Air Operations Centre Capability (FCC) Project.
LCDR Joseph Geeseman
Co-Chair, Human-Autonomy Teaming Specialist Team, NATO Joint Capability Group Unmanned Aircraft Systems, Medical Service Corps,
United States Navy
Lieutenant Commander (LCDR) Joseph Geeseman is an accomplished Aerospace Experimental Psychologist in the U.S. Navy continuously serving since his commissioning in 2012. His extensive experience includes serving as program manager during the highly visible development of a fully-autonomous MQ-9 system in an effort called “Smart Sensor” at the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office (CDAO) in Washington, D.C. Currently, he holds the critical role of military deputy for the establishment of the Live, Virtual, and Constructive (LVC) aviation training environment for the Naval Aviation Training Systems and Ranges Program Office (PMA-205) within NAVAIR. Additionally, LCDR Geeseman contributes his expertise as the Co-Chair of the Human-Autonomy Teaming Specialist Team for the Joint Capability Group Unmanned Aerial Systems (JCGUAS) for NATO, shaping the future of human-autonomy teaming in aerial operations.
King Ma
Complex System Inc. (CSI)
King Ma has been overseeing the integration and development of artificial intelligence/machine learning approaches for industrial/defense applications at Complex System Inc. He has been leading projects for the development of a multi-satellite analytic platform for maritime surveillance, machine learning for smart manufacturing, and an edge-server processing framework for smart-city and defense applications. He received the MSc. Degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Calgary. His research interests include applications of machine learning and data analysis in areas such as defense, space, smart-city and infrastructure monitoring systems.
Dr. Shadi Ghajar-Khosravi
Head, Intelligent, Influence and Collaoration Section, DRDC Toronto
Dr. Shadi Ghajar-Khosravi is a scientist at DRDC Toronto Research Centre. She has a PhD in Mechanical and Industrial Engineering (human factors) from the University of Toronto, and a Master’s of Information Systems from the Faculty of Information at the University of Toronto. Her research interests include social network analysis, information systems design and analysis, user-centered design and evaluation of interfaces, and more recently explainable artificial intelligence.
Dr. Aren Hunter
Head, Maritime Command Team Support Group, DRDC Atlantic
Aren Hunter, Ph.D. in cognitive psychology since 2011, brings over a decade of expertise to her role as Group Leader of the Maritime Command Team Support Group at DRDC Atlantic Research Centre. Her career is dedicated to addressing human factors problems for the Canadian Armed Forces, particularly the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN). Joining DRDC marked a pivotal moment for Aren, applying her academic insights to practical challenges. Immersed in the RCN’s field settings, from submarines to aircraft, she gained crucial hands-on experience, cultivating a profound understanding of military complexities and empathy for those navigating these environments.
Jack Collier
Head, Autonomous Systems Operations Ground Group, DRDC Suffield
Jack Collier, M.Sc., is a Defence Scientist at DRDC Suffield Research Centre, where he is the Group Head for the Autonomous Systems Operations Ground Group. His research focuses on Human-Robot interaction, and Mapping and Navigation in GPS-Denied environments. Recently, he has been exploring the use of Convolutional Neural Networks for gesture and voice control. Mr. Collier received a Bachelor’s degree in Electronic Systems Engineering (2002) from the University of Regina and a Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering (200
Dr. Wenbi Wang
Defence Scientist, DRDC Toronto
Wenbi Wang is a defence scientist from DRDC which is the Canadian national leader in defence science and technology. He has been a member of the Human Effectiveness section at the Toronto Research Centre since 2003. He received his Ph.D. in Mechanical and Industrial Engineering with specialization in human factors from the University of Toronto. His current research focuses on computational human performance modelling and human-autonomy teaming, including the development of modelling and simulation technologies to address human systems integration challenges in military applications
Dr. Geoffrey Ho
Defence Scientist, DRDC Toronto
Dr. Geoffrey Ho received his PhD in Psychology from the University of Calgary, completing a dissertation on the topic of trust in automation. He has over 20 years of research and professional experience in the field of Human Factors and Cognitive Psychology. He is currently a Defence Scientist in the Human Technology Interaction Group at DRDC Toronto Research Centre. He has authored and co-authored several scientific publications and reports and has applied this knowledge to a wide array of domains including surface transportation, medicine, process control, home and building controls, and military applications. At DRDC, he has focused on the operational use of automated and autonomous systems, including unmanned systems, data fusion for tracking targets, blue force tracking devices, and intelligent missile defence systems.
Scott Fang
Defence Scientist, DRDC Toronto
Dr. Scott Fang received his Ph.D. degree in electrical engineering from Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada in 2018. He is currently a Defence Scientist at DRDC Toronto Research Center. His research interests include areas of human-autonomy teaming (HAT), and related team trust, team training, team collaboration and team effectiveness, as well as decision support in command and control (C2) for HAT and human-swarm teaming systems.
Dr. Daniel Lafond
Human Factors and Cognitive Engineering, Thales Research and Technology Canada
Daniel is a human factors and cognitive engineering expert at Thales Research and Technology Canada with over 20 years of experience in basic and applied research in cognitive science. His main R&D areas of expertise include judgment and decision making, cognitive assistants, team cognition and computational modeling of human decision processes. His work aims to advance decision support systems for tactical coordinators in naval air defence and in maritime patrol contexts. He has also collaborated on sonar operator cognitive modeling and assistance using AI-based solutions. He was previously a visiting fellow at Defence R&D Canada – Valcartier (2008-2012). He holds a PhD in experimental psychology from Laval University (2007) where he received the gold medal of the Governor General of Canada and the Best Doctoral Thesis award of the Faculty.
Professor Ljiljana Trajković
Simon Fraser University, Canada
Keynote Speaker, May 16th
Ljiljana Trajković received the Dipl. Ing. degree from University of Pristina, Yugoslavia, the M.Sc. degrees in electrical engineering and computer engineering from Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, and the Ph.D. degree in electrical engineering from University of California at Los Angeles. She is currently a professor in the School of Engineering Science at Simon Fraser University. Her research interests include communication networks and dynamical systems. Dr. Trajković served as IEEE Division X Delegate/Director, President of the IEEE Systems, Man, and Cybernetics Society, and President of the IEEE Circuits and Systems Society. She was General Co-Chair of SMC 2020, SMC 2016, and HPSR 2014, Technical Program Co-Chair of ISCAS 2005, and Technical Program Chair and Vice General Co-Chair of ISCAS 2004. A fellow of the IEEE, Dr. Trajković serves as Editor-in-Chief of the IEEE Transactions on Human-Machine Systems and served as Associate Editor-in-Chief of the IEEE Open Journal of Systems Engineering. She was a Distinguished Lecturer of the IEEE Circuits and System Society and a Distinguished Lecturer of the IEEE Systems, Man, and Cybernetics Society.
Professor Missy Cummings
George Mason University, the United States
Keynote Speaker, May 17th
Professor Mary (Missy) Cummings received her B.S. in Mathematics from the US Naval Academy in 1988, her M.S. in Space Systems Engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School in 1994, and her Ph.D. in Systems Engineering from the University of Virginia in 2004. A naval officer and military pilot from 1988-1999, she was one of the U.S. Navy’s first female fighter pilots. She is a Professor in the George Mason University College of Engineering and Computing and is the director of the Mason Autonomy and Robotics Center (MARC). She is an American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Fellow, and recently served as the senior safety advisor to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Her research interests include the application of artificial intelligence in safety-critical systems, assured autonomy, human-systems engineering, and the ethical and social impact of technology.