The Historic Academy of Medicine at Georgia Tech | March 26–28, 2025

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Registration is Closed!

Registration is now closed. If you have any questions or would like to check availability when space opens up, please contact Josh Tullis at josh@corporate.gatech.edu to be placed on the waiting list.

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EVENT OVERVIEW

March 26–27: AI in Industry, Government, and Research

Sessions will focus on AI’s role in industry and academia, featuring discussions on research developments, applications, and policy considerations. Speakers from government, universities, and leading companies will share insights through keynotes, panels, and case studies.

March 28: Georgia Tech AI

The final day will highlight AI research at Georgia Tech, with student presentations, an alumni networking reception, and the launch of Tech AI’s Alumni Group to strengthen industry-academic connections.

OUR SPEAKERS AND MODERATORS

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AGENDA

*Subject to change

Day 0: March 25, 2025 – OpenAI Forum (Workshop & Sora Shorts Event at GT)

Time	Speaker(s) / Event	Session	Location
3:30 PM – 5:30 PM	OpenAI Academy	Workshop: Details	Arch-East Building at Georgia Tech (123 Classroom)
6:00 PM – 8:00 PM	OpenAI Forum | Speakers Mark Riedl | Georgia Tech Professor Minne Atairu | AI Artist & Researcher, Columbia University Michaela Ternasky-Holland | Emmy Award-Winning Dir. Nik Kleverov | Creative Director, Entrepreneur, AI Specialist Ellie Foumbi | Filmmaker, Directors Guild of America	Film Event: Details	The Historic Academy of Medicine (Theater)

Day 1: March 26, 2025 – AI in Industry, Government, and Research

Time	Speaker(s)	Session	Location
8 AM		Registration/Breakfast & Coffee	Main Hall/Magnolia Room
8:30 AM – 8:33 AM	Tim Lieuwen | Georgia Tech EVPR	Opening Remarks	Theater
8:33 AM – 9:30 AM	Pascal Van Hentenryck | Georgia Tech, Tech AI, NSF AI4OPT Special Guest: Chaouki Abdallah | Lebanese American University President | Former Georgia Tech EVPR	Welcome Tech AI Intro Video (2:45 mins)	Theater
9:30 AM – 10:15 AM	Sophia Velastegui | Microsoft (Former)	Presentation	Theater
10:15 AM – 10:30 AM		Refreshment Break	Magnolia Room
10:30 AM – 11:15 AM	Sen. John Albers | State of Georgia Rep. Brad Thomas | State of Georgia Mary Ellen | Professor of Practice at Georgia Tech Moderator: Catherine Cooper | World Connections	Panel: AI & State of Georgia	Theater
11:15 AM – Noon	Konstantin Cvetanov | NVIDIA	Presentation	Theater
Noon – 1 PM		Lunch	Magnolia Room
1:00 PM – 1:45 PM	Zico Kolter | Carnegie Mellon University, Bosch USA	Recent Advances in AI Robustness	Theater
1:45 PM – 2:30 PM	Gelu Ticala | Kinaxis	Presentation	Theater
2:30 PM – 3 PM		Refreshment Break	Magnolia Room
3:00 PM – 3:45 PM	Sidney Rabsatt | MindsDB	Mind the Gap: Building Bridges Between AI and Enterprise Data	Theater
3:45 PM – 4:30 PM	Bob Friday | Juniper	Presentation	Theater
4:30 PM – 4:45 PM		Refreshment Break	Theater
4:45 PM – 5:30 PM	Bob Friday | Juniper Sidney Rabsatt | MindsDB Konstantin Cvetanov | NVIDIA Moderator: Jeffrey Young | Georgia Tech	Panel: AI Hardware & Software Infrastructures	Theater
5:30 PM – 6:30 PM	Chan Park | OpenAI Katie Kirkpatrick | Metro Atlanta Chamber	Fireside Chat	Theater
6:30 PM – 8:30 PM		Opening Reception	Magnolia Room

Day 2: March 27, 2025 – AI in Industry, Government, and Research

Time	Speaker(s)	Session	Location
8:30 AM – 9:15 AM	Ananth Kalyanaraman | Washington State	AgAID: Securing the Future of US Agricultural Production using AI	Theater
9:15 AM – 10:00 AM	Ananth Kalyanaraman | Washington State Frank Dellaert | Verdant Yongsheng Chen | Georgia Tech Moderator: Jordan Jode | AgAID Institute, Washington State University	Panel: AI in Agriculture	Theater
10:00 AM – 10:30 AM		Refreshment Break	Magnolia Room
10:30 AM – 11:15 AM	Irfan Essa | Google, Georgia Tech	Generative Media: Techniques, Opportunities and Responsibilities	Theater
11:15 AM – 12:00 PM	Peter Stone | University of Texas at Austin	Human-in-the-Loop Machine Learning for Robot Navigation and Manipulation	Theater
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM		Lunch	Magnolia Room
1:00 PM – 1:45 PM	Manuela Veloso | JP Morgan	Presentation	Theater
1:45 PM – 2:45 PM	Manuela Veloso | JP Morgan Mike Messner | Georgia Tech Sudheer Chava | Georgia Tech Moderator: Jonathan Clarke | Scheller College of Business at Georgia Tech	Panel: AI in Finance	Theater
2:30 PM – 3:00 PM		Refreshment Break	Magnolia Room
3:00 PM – 3:45 PM	Milind Tambe | Harvard University	AI for Social Impact: Deployed Resource Optimization and Future Acceleration with Foundation Models	Theater
3:45 PM – 4:30 PM	David Klein | Dandelion Science Corp	Redefining Industries with AI: Shaping the Future We Want	Theater
4:30 PM – 4:45 PM		Refreshment Break	Magnolia Room
4:45 PM – 5:45 PM	Christopher Rozell | Georgia Tech May Wang | Georgia Tech Milind Tambe | Harvard University Moderator: Sonia Chernova | Georgia Tech, AI-CARING	Panel: AI in Healthcare	Theater
5:45 PM — 6:30 PM	Anuj Saharan | OpenAI	Scaling Infrastructure for the Intelligence Age	Theater
6:30 PM – 8:00 PM		Georgia Tech Alumni Reception	Main Hall

Day 3: March 28, 2025 – Georgia Tech AI

*Lunch will be served in the Magnolia Room

8:30 AM – 9:15 AM	Mark Riedl | Georgia Tech	Theater	Presentation
			AI in Education:
9:15 AM – 10:00 AM	David Joyner | Georgia Tech	Library	Presentation
10:00 AM – 10:45 AM	Ashok Goel | Georgia Tech, NSF AI-ALOE		From AI to Education and Back
			AI in Science (I):
9:15 AM – 10:00 AM	Suresh Marru | Georgia Tech	Crystal Dining Room	AI4Science and Cyberinfrastructure
10:00 AM – 10:45 AM	Aaron Stebner | Georgia Tech		The AI Manufacturing Pilot Facility
			AI in Engineering:
9:15 AM – 10:00 AM 10:00 AM – 10:45 AM	Kamran Paynabar | Georgia Tech	Theater	Presentations
	Pascal Van Hentenryck | Georgia Tech, Tech AI, NSF AI4OPT
10:45 AM – 11:15 AM			Break
11:15 AM – 12:00 PM	Vijay Ganesh | Georgia Tech	Theater	Bridging Learning and Reasoning: From Solvers to LLMs
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM			Lunch
			AI in Science (II):
1:00 PM – 1:45 PM	Srinivas Aluru | Georgia Tech	Crystal Dining Room	Can AI predict gene function?
1:45 PM – 2:30 PM	David Sherrill | Georgia Tech		Presentation
			AI in Security:
1:00 PM – 1:45 PM	Srijan Kumar | Georgia Tech	Library	Presentation
1:45 PM – 2:30 PM	Robert Wright | GTRI		Superheroes or Villains: Exploring the Duality of Generative AI in Cybersecurity
			AI in Manufacturing:
1:00 PM – 1:50 PM	Steven Ferguson | Georgia Tech	Theater	Presentations and Q&A Georgia AI Manufacturing (Georgia AIM): Technology-Driven Economic Development Manufacturing is a major driver of global economies. However, AI innovations and technology adoptions in manufacturing have lagged compared with industries such as finance, consumer electronics, and more. In this presentation, current opportunities and maturity of AI technologies in manufacturing will be reviewed. Then, we will show projects and case studies that are being led by Georgia AIM, a coalition of more than forty universities, colleges, and non-profits funded at more than $100M to revolutionize the industrial economy of Georgia and the nation through the development and deployment of talent and innovation in AI for all manufacturing sectors
1:50 PM – 2:30 PM	Aaron Stebner | Georgia Tech
2:30 PM – 3:15 PM			Refreshment Break
3:15 PM – 4:00 PM	Christopher Rozell | Georgia Tech	Theater	Intelligent Brain Computer Interfaces: Providing Hope for Treatment Resistant Depression
4:15 PM	Pascal Van Hentenryck | Georgia Tech, Tech AI, NSF AI4OPT	Theater	Closing Remarks

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SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES AND TALK ABSTRACTS

Name/LinkedIn	Affiliation	Title/Abstract/Biography
Sen. John Albers	State of Georgia	Abstract Title: Georgia’s Advancements in Artificial Intelligence (AI)   Biography: Senator John Albers is a dedicated public servant, business leader, and fourth-generation firefighter with over 30 years of volunteer service. A national advocate for organ donation, he championed the Giving the Gift of Life Act after donating a kidney to his son in 2021.   With nearly three decades of business experience, he has led efforts in technology policy, most recently serving on Georgia’s Senate Study Committee on Artificial Intelligence. His leadership has earned numerous awards, including Legislator of the Year (2024) by the Technology Association of Georgia.
Srinivas Aluru	Georgia Tech	Abstract Title: Can AI predict gene function?   Abstract: Reverse engineering whole-genome networks from large-scale gene expression datasets and analyzing them to discover biological knowledge are important challenges in systems biology. While simpler models easily scale to a large number of genes and gene expression datasets, more accurate models are compute-intensive, limiting their scale of applicability. In this talk, I will present my group’s research over the past eighteen years in learning genome-scale networks and using them to extract new biological hypotheses. This includes network learning methods based on information theory, Bayesian networks, and deep learning, parallel algorithms to facilitate learning of large networks, and generating ensemble networks combining multiple approaches. The resulting networks can be used for predicting gene function and extracting context-specific subnetworks.   Biography: Srinivas Aluru is a Regents’ Professor and Senior Associate Dean in the College of Computing at Georgia Institute of Technology. His research focuses on high-performance computing, parallel algorithms, data science, bioinformatics, and applied algorithms. He has led major initiatives such as the NSF South Big Data Regional Innovation Hub, fostering collaborations across 16 Southern states, and the NSF Transdisciplinary Research Institute for Advancing Data Science.   Aluru’s career is marked by numerous accolades, including the NSF CAREER Award, IBM Faculty Award, and Swarnajayanti Fellowship from the Government of India. He has served as Chair of the ACM Special Interest Group on Bioinformatics and as Editor-in-Chief of the ACM/IEEE Transactions on Computational Biology and Bioinformatics. His contributions have earned him recognition as a Fellow of AAAS, ACM, IEEE, and SIAM, and he will receive the 2025 IEEE Computer Society Charles Babbage Award.
Sophia Velastegui	Microsoft (Former)	Biography: Sophia Velastegui is a leading AI business executive with over 20 years of experience in high-tech industries, spanning corporate strategy, product development, and artificial intelligence. She has held leadership roles at Microsoft, Google, Apple, and Aptiv, where she led multi-billion-dollar AI and self-driving car initiatives. At Microsoft, she played a pivotal role in developing the first wave of generative AI products, including integrations with OpenAI and ChatGPT. Her expertise in AI and emerging technologies has earned her recognition as one of the “Most Powerful Female Engineers” by Business Insider.   Beyond her corporate leadership, Velastegui serves on Georgia Tech’s President’s Advisory Board and is an AI advisor for the National Science Foundation. She is also a public board director at Blackline (NASDAQ: BL), where she chairs the Technology and Cyber Committee. A frequent speaker on AI, corporate governance, and innovation, she has been featured by the World Economic Forum, Financial Times, and Forbes. She holds degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Georgia Tech and UC Berkeley and has pursued further education in corporate governance at Stanford and Harvard.
Sudheer Chava	Georgia Tech	Biography: Sudheer Chava is the Alton M. Costley Chair and Professor of Finance at Scheller College of Business at Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta. He serves as the director of the Masters in Quantitative and Computational Finance (MS-QCF) program, Financial Services Innovation Lab and the Center for Finance and Technology at Georgia Tech.  Dr. Chava was a member of the Atlanta Fed’s Special Committee on Payments Inclusion. Sudheer received his Ph.D. from Cornell University and an MBA from Indian Institute of Management – Bangalore. His expertise is in Banking, FinTech and, Applications of AI in Finance. More than 50 undergrad, MS and Ph.D. students in Finance and Machine Learning conduct research in his Financial Services Innovation Lab. Dr. Chava has consulted for many major financial institutions. He teaches executive education programs on FinTech and is an advisor to FinTech startups.
Yongsheng Chen	Georgia Tech	Biography: Yongsheng Chen joined School of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology in 2009. Dr. Chen has served as principal and co-principal investigator on grants totaling about $10 million. He has also published more than 100 peer-reviewed journal papers.
Tim Lieuwen	Georgia Tech	Biography: Tim Lieuwen is the executive vice president for research (EVPR) at the Georgia Institute of Technology. In this role, he oversees the Institute’s $1.37 billion portfolio of research, economic development, and sponsored activities. This includes leadership of the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI), the Enterprise Innovation Institute, nine interdisciplinary research institutes (IRIs), and related research administrative support units.   In his 25-plus years at Georgia Tech, Lieuwen earned his master’s and Ph.D. degrees in mechanical engineering (1996 and 1999, respectively) and has held multiple leadership positions. He has been the executive director of the Strategic Energy Institute (SEI) since 2012 and began serving as the interim chair of the Daniel Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering in 2023.   Lieuwen has received numerous honors and recognition for his work in clean energy systems and policy, national security, and regional economic development. Additionally, he has been awarded the titles of Regents’ Professor and the David S. Lewis, Jr. Chair in AE. He is also a member of the National Academy of Engineering and is a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.
Frank Dellaert	Verdant, Georgia Tech	Biography: Frank Dellaert is a recognized expert in robotics and computer vision, currently serving as Chief Technology Officer at Verdant Robotics, where he is developing cutting-edge robotic farming tools to enhance the sustainability of food production. He joined Georgia Tech’s School of Interactive Computing in 2001 after earning his Ph.D. from Carnegie Mellon University, where he worked alongside leading researchers in robotics and computer science. His academic background includes degrees from Case Western Reserve University and The Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium.   Dellaert’s research focuses on graphical model techniques for solving large-scale challenges in mapping, 3D reconstruction, and model-predictive control. He is the creator of the GTSAM toolbox, which embodies many of his group’s research ideas. Beyond academia, he has contributed to industry-leading innovations, previously serving as Chief Scientist at Skydio and Technical Project Lead at Facebook Reality Labs. While on leave from Georgia Tech, he also worked on AI and robotics solutions at Google AI and Verdant Robotics. As Chief AI Officer at Verdant Robotics, he continues to leverage state-of-the-art computer vision and robotics to support farmers and improve global food sustainability.
Ashok Goel	Georgia Tech, NSF AI-ALOE	Abstract Title: From AI to Education and Back   Biography: Ashok K. Goel is a Professor of Computer Science and Human-Centered Computing in the School of Interactive Computing at the Georgia Institute of Technology and the Chief Scientist with Georgia Tech’s Center for 21st Century Universities. He is also the PI and Executive Director of the National Institute for Adult Learning and Online Education (aialoe.org), sponsored by NSF and headquartered at Georgia Tech.   He is a Fellow of the AAAI and the Cognitive Science Society, a recipient of AAAI’s Outstanding AI Educator Award, AAAI’s Distinguished Service Award, IBM’s Faculty Award, and the University System of Georgia’s Board of Regents’ Award for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. He is also an Editor-Emeritus of AAAI’s AI Magazine.
Vijay Ganesh	Georgia Tech	Abstract Title: Bridging Learning and Reasoning: From Solvers to LLMs   Abstract: From its inception, AI has had two broad sub-fields, namely, reasoning and learning, with little interaction between them. In recent years, there is a growing recognition that if our goal is to solve problems at the cutting-edge of AI (trustworthy AI, AI for Science, AI for Math), then we need to bring these sub-fields together. In this talk, I will present techniques and results showing how machine learning (ML) can be used in service of automated reasoning (a la, SAT/SMT solvers), and in the reverse direction, how symbolic reasoning engines can be used to improve LLMs. The key idea in both directions is the same: the ML model is viewed as a synthesizer that generates assignments/code/proofs/molecules/equations, while the reasoning engine acts as a verifier that provides corrective feedback to the model at various points (training, fine-tuning, or inference) in its life cycle.   Biography: Vijay Ganesh is a professor of computer science at Georgia Tech. Prior to joining Georgia Tech in 2023, Ganesh was a professor at the University of Waterloo in Canada from 2012 to 2023, co-director of the Waterloo AI Institute from 2021 to 2023, and a research scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology from 2007 to 2012. Vijay completed his PhD in computer science from Stanford University in 2007. Ganesh’s primary area of research is the theory and practice of SAT/SMT solvers, and their application in AI, software engineering, security, mathematics, and physics. In this context he has led the development of many SAT/SMT solvers, most notably, STP, Z3str family of string solvers, AlphaZ3, MapleSAT, AlphaMapleSAT, and MathCheck. On the theoretical side, he works on topics in mathematical logic and proof complexity. More recently he has started working on problems in AI that can be solved via combinations of automated reasoning and machine learning, notably the use of machine learning for efficient solvers and the use of solvers aimed at making AI more trustworthy, secure, and robust. For his research, Ganesh has won over 35 awards, honors, and medals, including an ACM Impact Paper Award at ISSTA 2019, ACM Test of Time Award at CCS 2016, and a Ten-Year Most Influential Paper citation at DATE 2008.
David Joyner	Georgia Tech	Biography: David Joyner is Executive Director of Online Education & OMSCS in Georgia Tech’s College of Computing. His research focuses on online education and learning at scale, especially as they intersect with for-credit offerings at the graduate and undergraduate levels. His emphasis is on designing learning experiences that leverage the opportunities of online learning to compensate for the loss of synchronous collocated class time. This includes leveraging artificial intelligence for student support and assignment evaluation, facilitating student communities in large online classes, and investigating strategies for maintainable and interactive presentation of online instructional material. As part of his work, Joyner teaches online versions of CS6460: Educational Technology, CS6750: Human-Computer Interaction, CS7637: Knowledge-Based AI, and CS1301: Introduction to Computing. He is also Vice-Chair of the Steering Committee for the ACM Learning @ Scale conference, as well as the General Chair for the 2019 and 2020 conferences.   Joyner has received several awards for his work in teaching online, including the 2019 USG Regents’ Teaching Excellence Award for Online Teaching, 2018 Georgia Tech Center for Teaching & Learning Curriculum Innovation Award, and the 2016 Georgia Tech College of Computing Lockheed Excellence in Teaching Award.
David Klein	Dandelion Science Corp	Abstract Title: Redefining Industries with AI: Shaping the Future We Want   Abstract: David J. Klein, CTO of Dandelion Science and an AI startup veteran, will explore his experiences harnessing artificial intelligence to build a future that prioritizes human and planetary health. Drawing from his experiences developing AI-driven tools for neurological therapy, infrastructure planning, pharmaceutical manufacturing, and biodiversity monitoring, David will highlight real-world applications of AI that are making a tangible impact, emphasizing the role of AI as a collaborative tool for human expertise. Attendees will gain insights into the significance of interdisciplinary collaboration in AI deployment and be inspired to think about how AI can be a catalyst for shaping the new industries we want.     Biography: David J. Klein is a Georgia Tech alumnus and leading expert at the crossroads of AI and neuroscience. As CTO of Dandelion Science, he is advancing Generative Neuromodulation™, an AI-powered approach to treating brain disorders. His career spans academia and industry, including leadership roles in Silicon Valley startups and contributions to AI-driven technologies used by billions.   Previously, he led AI development at Audience Inc., Volta Charging, and Phorum.AI, applying AI to fields ranging from speech processing to sustainable infrastructure. An advocate for planetary-beneficial AI, he has won the Bloomberg Data for Good Grand Prize and advises startups on AI innovation.
Zico Kolter	Carnegie Mellon, Bosch USA	Abstract Title: Recent Advances in AI Robustness   Abstract:  In order to prevent undesirable outputs, most large language models (LLMs) have built-in “guardrails” that enforce policies specified by the developers, for example, that LLMs should not produce output deemed harmful.  Unfortunately, using adversarial attacks on such models, it has been possible to circumvent these safeguards, allowing bad actors to manipulate LLMs for unintended purposes.  Historically, such adversarial attacks have been extremely hard to prevent.  However, in this talk I will highlight several recent advances that have substantially improved the practical robustness of LLMs. This work resulted in a recent competition where attackers were unable to break an LLM we have deployed after a month of attempts and has also led to new techniques to build “inherently safe” LLMs from scratch.  I’ll highlight the current state and challenges in the field and discuss the future of safe AI systems.   Biography: Zico Kolter is a Professor and Director of the Machine Learning Department at Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Computer Science. His research focuses on making deep learning algorithms more robust, safe, and interpretable. He has worked extensively on methods to assess and improve the robustness of deep learning systems, developing new architectures and integrating complex “modules” (such as optimization solvers) within deep learning frameworks to enhance their functionality and reliability.   Zico’s work addresses the real-world challenges of deploying machine learning systems by improving how models’ function, especially in safety-critical applications. His contributions span across the theoretical and applied aspects of machine learning, and he is dedicated to advancing the field in ways that ensure AI systems are both more effective and dependable.
Ananth Kalyanaraman	Washington State	Biography: Ananth Kalyanaraman is a Professor, Boeing Centennial Chair, and Interim Director at Washington State University’s School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. He leads the NSF-USDA NIFA AgAID AI Institute, focusing on AI-driven decision support and workforce transformation in agriculture. With a joint appointment at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and affiliations across plant and life sciences, Ananth develops scalable algorithms for data-intensive scientific applications.   A recipient of the DOE Early Career Research Award and multiple best paper awards, he is an influential figure in AI, parallel computing, and bioinformatics, shaping the future of AI applications in scientific research.
Konstantin Cvetanov	NVIDIA	Biography: Konstantin Cvetanov is a Senior Solution Architect at NVIDIA, leading the adoption of Enterprise AI and Generative AI solutions across North America. With deep expertise in MLOps, LLMs, and NVIDIA’s software ecosystem, he bridges the gap between customers and product innovation. Prior to NVIDIA, Konstantin held key roles in enterprise architecture, AI/ML strategy, and technical leadership at Computacenter and Citrix.
Manuela Veloso	JP Morgan, Carnegie Mellon	Biography: Manuela Veloso is Head of AI Research at JPMorgan Chase and Herbert A. Simon University Professor Emerita in Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University. Her research interests include core AI, particularly AI robots and digital agents with perception, cognition, and action, as well as seamless human-AI symbiotic interaction. Veloso is a member of the National Academy of Engineering for her contributions to artificial intelligence, robotics, and the financial domain. She is a past president of AAAI and a co-founder of RoboCup. Veloso is a fellow of AAAI, IEEE, ACM, and AAAS. She holds a BSc and MSc in Electrical and Computer Engineering from IST, an MA in Computer Science from BU, and a Ph.D. in Computer Science from CMU. Veloso has received honorary doctorate degrees from the Catholic University of Portugal, University of Bordeaux, ISCTE, and the University of Orebro.
Milind Tambe	Harvard University	Abstract Title: AI for Social Impact: Deployed Resource Optimization and Future Acceleration with Foundation Models   Abstract: For nearly two decades, my team’s work on AI for Social Impact (AI4SI) has focused on optimizing limited resources in critical areas like public health, conservation, and public safety. I will highlight field test results from our deployed work in India, demonstrating measurable improvements in effectiveness for the world’s two largest mobile health programs for maternal and childcare, which have served millions of beneficiaries. We have leveraged innovative restless and collaborative bandit algorithms to achieve these gains, revealing new technical directions in the process. Additionally, I will touch upon our previous work on influence maximization for HIV prevention among youth experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles. Deploying end-to-end AI4SI systems requires us to repeat three essential steps: understanding stakeholders’ resource allocation challenges, building a tailored model, and rigorously testing in the field. I’ll share initial results on how we can leverage foundation models and LLMs to accelerate this AI4SI process, potentially revolutionizing the speed and scale of social impact applications that focus on resource optimization.   Biography: Milind Tambe is Gordon McKay Professor of Computer Science and Director of Center for Research on Computation and Society at Harvard University; concurrently, he is also Principal Scientist and Director for “AI for Social Good” at Google Deepmind.  Prof. Tambe and his team have developed pioneering AI systems that deliver real-world impact in public health (e.g., maternal and child health), public safety, and wildlife conservation. He is recipient of the AAAI  Award for Artificial Intelligence for the Benefit of Humanity,    AAAI Feigenbaum Prize,   IJCAI John McCarthy Award,    AAAI Robert S. Engelmore Memorial Lecture Award, AAMAS ACM Autonomous Agents Research Award,  INFORMS  Wagner prize for excellence in Operations Research practice, Military Operations Research Society Rist Prize,  Columbus Fellowship Foundation Homeland security award and commendations and certificates of appreciation from the US Coast Guard, the Federal Air Marshals Service and airport police at the city of Los Angeles.  He is a fellow of AAAI and ACM.
Suresh Marru	Georgia Tech	Biography: Suresh Marru is a research professor at Georgia Tech with more than two decades of experience in advancing AI and cyberinfrastructure to accelerate and democratize computational science. He has developed science gateways and pioneered the Apache Airavata distributed systems framework, which has transformed scientific research processes.   Marru is also the director of Georgia Tech’s ARTISAN Center, where he leads efforts to integrate AI into various scientific domains. His team works to bridge the gap between theory, experimentation, and computation by developing open-source integration frameworks that automate research workflows and optimize complex models. He has collaborated with scientists and technologists in fields such as geosciences, neuroscience, and molecular dynamics, contributing to groundbreaking discoveries. In addition to his academic role, Marru is the chief technology officer at Folia, a company focused on enhancing the power of annotations.
Kamran Paynabar	Georgia Tech	Biography: Kamran Paynabar is a distinguished professor and researcher in the H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering at Georgia Tech. His research focuses on the analysis of high-dimensional, complex data from diverse domains, including manufacturing, aerospace, and healthcare. His work involves developing novel methodologies for system modeling, monitoring, diagnostics, and prognostics using both semi-parametric and nonparametric approaches.   Paynabar’s contributions to data mining have been widely adopted in industries such as automotive and medical device manufacturing, where they are used for enhancing system reliability and efficiency. He has received multiple prestigious awards, including the INFORMS Data Mining Best Student Paper Award, and has published extensively in top academic journals, cementing his reputation as a leader in the field.
Pascal Van Hentenryck	Georgia Tech, Tech AI, NSF AI4OPT	Biography: Pascal Van Hentenryck is the A. Russell Chandler III Chair and Professor at Georgia Tech, where he also serves as the director of the NSF Artificial Intelligence Institute for Advances in Optimization (AI4OPT) and the director of Tech-AI, the AI hub at Georgia Tech. His research focuses on the intersection of artificial intelligence and engineering, with particular attention to applications in energy, supply chains, manufacturing, transportation, and healthcare.   Earlier in his career, Pascal made significant contributions to the field of optimization, designing and implementing the widely used constraint programming language CHIP, which laid the foundation for modern constraint-programming systems. He also developed the modeling language OPL, now an IBM product. His ongoing work continues to advance the role of AI in solving complex, real-world problems, driving innovation in optimization and decision-making systems.
Mike Messner	Georgia Tech	Biography: Michael Messner is a highly experienced hedge fund manager and educator, co-founding Seminole Management Co., Inc. in 1995. As the Co-CEO and Chief Investment Officer, he has navigated the fund through both bull and bear markets, emphasizing capital preservation during downturns. Under his leadership, Seminole achieved a 19.5% gross annualized return, with consistent positive performance in 21 out of 23 years, even during the 2008 financial crisis.   In addition to his successful career in finance, Messner shares his expertise in equity investing and infrastructure finance as a professor at Georgia Tech. His wealth of experience in managing investments and teaching financial strategy makes him a valuable resource to his students and the broader investment community.
Christopher J. Rozell	Georgia Tech	Abstract Title: Intelligent Brain Computer Interfaces: Providing Hope for Treatment Resistant Depression   Abstract: Brain disorders are estimated to affect one in three people, causing enormous personal and economic suffering within families and communities. In particular, major depressive disorder is the leading cause of global disease burden worldwide but remains difficult to objectively diagnose and effectively treat for all patients. Simultaneous advances in neurotechnology and AI are creating unprecedented opportunities to better understand brain function and develop intelligent brain computer interfaces (BCIs) that enhance or restore quality of life. I will review the recent AI-driven acceleration of the field, highlighting our recent work developing psychiatric BCIs that target specific brain networks to offer a precise and personalized therapy for treatment resistant depression.     Biography: Christopher J. Rozell is a transdisciplinary researcher and educator advancing our understanding of brain function, the development of neurotechnology interventions, and the design of intelligent systems. His innovations include brain-computer interfaces to alleviate treatment-resistant depression, hyper-efficient neuroAI computing architectures, and creative works investigating the societal impacts of neurotechnology and AI. Rozell is a proud first-generation scholar who co-founded Neuromatch, Inc., a nonprofit building an accessible global community of collaborative computational researchers accelerating discovery and innovation.   Rozell is currently the Julian T. Hightower Chaired Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology, where he serves on the executive committee for the Neuro Next Initiative. He earned a B.S.E. in Computer Engineering and a B.F.A. in Music from the University of Michigan, an M.S. and Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Rice University and was a postdoctoral scholar in the Redwood Center for Theoretical Neuroscience at the University of California, Berkeley. His impact has been recognized in a U.S. Congressional briefing, the James S. McDonnell Foundation 21st Century Science Initiative Award (six international recipients), and The Neuro – Irv and Helga Cooper Foundation Open Science International Prize (Neuromatch).
Steven Ferguson	Georgia Tech, Georgia AIM	Biography: Steven Ferguson is a distinguished leader with over 28 years of experience in the technology, manufacturing, higher education, and workforce development sectors. Currently, he serves as a Principal Research Scientist and Managing Director of Georgia AIM (Artificial Intelligence in Manufacturing) at the Georgia Institute of Technology. In this role, Steven bridges the gap between industry leaders and emerging Industry 4.0 technologies, enhancing manufacturing processes through strategic AI integration. Additionally, he is the Executive Director of the Georgia Tech Manufacturing 4.0 Consortium, where he develops partnerships that help translate research into practice.   Previously, Steven dedicated 23 years to the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG), where he ascended to the role of Chief Information Officer. His tenure at TCSG was marked by numerous achievements, including architecting TCSG’s eCampus platform, pioneering the GEORGIA MATCH program, and launching the nation’s first micro-credential initiative for a 2-year college system.   Steven’s innovative contributions have earned him numerous accolades, including being named a 2024 and 2022 Georgia Titan 100 Honoree and a 2021 Technology Leader of the Year. He was also recognized as the 2019 Georgia CIO of the Year. His efforts in digital transformation have been acknowledged with several Georgia IT Innovation Showcase Awards, highlighting his work and commitment to the citizens of Georgia.   Educationally, Steven holds an M.S. in Information Technology from Southern Polytechnic State University, a B.S. in Information Technology from Columbia Southern University, and an A.S. in Engineering from Gainesville State College. He is also a graduate of TCSG’s Executive Leadership Academy.   Beyond his professional endeavors, Steven is an active community leader. He serves on the Board of Directors for the Technology Association of Georgia (TAG) and volunteers for various non-profit and educational organizations.
Bob Friday	Juniper	Biography: Bob Friday is an accomplished technology leader and innovator, currently serving as the Chief AI Officer at Juniper Networks. He is responsible for leading the company’s AI-driven self-driving networking solutions, including the development of Marvis, an AI-powered virtual assistant for network operations. Previously, he co-founded Mist Networks, which was acquired by Juniper in 2019. Under his leadership, Mist developed breakthrough technologies in AI and machine learning for networking.   Friday’s career spans decades in wireless technology, starting with his work at Metricom, where he helped deploy wireless mesh networks. Later, as CTO of Airespace, he developed solutions for managing the growing use of Wi-Fi technology in enterprises. His expertise and innovative contributions have made him a recognized leader in the wireless and AI industries, with over 15 patents to his name.
Sidney Rabsatt	MindsDB	Abstract Title: Mind the Gap: Building Bridges Between AI and Enterprise Data   Abstract: Enterprise data has been piling up for decades, yet much of its value remains untapped. AI promises to surface actionable and differentiating insights, but extracting real business value isn’t as simple as turning a LLM loose on the data. At MindsDB, we help organizations bridge the gap between their private data and AI, unlocking knowledge that drives revenue growth and cost savings. This talk will explore the real-world journey we see organizations taking, key lessons on AI adoption, and where we believe the future of Enterprise AI is headed.     Biography: Sidney Rabsatt is a seasoned technology executive and board member with nearly 30 years of experience driving product vision, strategy, and execution. As Chief Product Officer at MindsDB, he leads the Product team in delivering world-class solutions that bridge AI and data. Previously, he held leadership roles at Anyscale, Google Cloud, F5 Networks, and NGINX, specializing in AI platforms, cloud infrastructure, and modern application infrastructure. He also serves on the Board of Directors for Intelligent Protection Management, a cybersecurity services company. Sidney holds a B.S. in Computer Engineering from Georgia Tech and an MBA from the City University of NY.
Mark Riedl	Georgia Tech	Biography: Mark Riedl is a Professor in the Georgia Tech School of Interactive Computing and Associate Director of the Machine Learning Center. His research centers on human-centered artificial intelligence, developing AI and machine learning technologies that enhance human-computer interaction. His work in computational creativity explores AI-driven storytelling, enabling machines to generate and understand narratives in ways that align with human cognition.   Riedl’s recent research has expanded into explainable AI and safety in AI systems, ensuring that intelligent agents can communicate their decision-making processes transparently. By combining deep learning with narrative intelligence, he is helping shape the future of AI-human collaboration, making artificial intelligence more intuitive, creative, and accessible for users across various domains.
Robert Wright	GTRI	Abstract Title: Superheroes or Villains: Exploring the Duality of Generative AI in Cybersecurity   Abstract: Generative AI (GenAI) technologies, such as Large Language Models (LLMs), present enormous potential to both solve or exacerbate many existing cybersecurity challenges. In this talk, we will explore some of these challenges and discuss grounded examples of how GenAI is currently being used to make things much better or, in some cases, much worse. We will also investigate how GenAI is introducing novel cybersecurity challenges by fundamentally changing the ways in which we work and rely on computational systems. Finally, this talk will close with a call to action to collaborate, educate, and increase research supporting trustworthy and secure GenAI systems development.   Biography: Robert Wright is a Senior Research Scientist at the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI), where he leads research efforts in applied Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML) in cybersecurity. As the lead for GTRI’s strategic pursuit on Trusted AI for National Security, Dr. Wright is shaping the institute’s long-term research vision in this critical area. His expertise spans reinforcement learning, generative AI, multi-agent systems, and biometrics, with a focus on ensuring the reliable, sustainable, and trusted use of AI/ML for cyber protection. Dr. Wright has over 20 years of experience leading research efforts for: DARPA, the Intelligence Community, and the Air Force Research Laboratory. His research has resulted in over 20 peer-reviewed publications in prominent AI and cybersecurity conferences, and he holds multiple patents.
David Sherrill	Georgia Tech	Abstract Title: AI for Chemistry and Drug Design   Abstract: Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence hold great promise for faster and more accurate predictions in the field of computer-aided drug design.  This talk will introduce our group’s machine learning models of the interactions between drugs and proteins, based on data from quantum mechanics and experimental data.  Our recent work on developing a “computational chemistry assistant” chatbot will also be introduced; this project aims to help thousands of researchers who wish to use the modern tools of computational chemistry, but who need some assistance navigating the myriad tools and options.  In addition, a brief introduction to Georgia Tech’s Institute for Data Engineering and Science (IDEaS) will be presented.     Biography: C. David Sherrill is the Interim Executive Director of Georgia Tech’s Institute for Data Science and Engineering (IDEaS).  He is a Regents’ Professor in the Schools of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Computational Science and Engineering at Georgia Tech. He obtained his B.S. in Chemistry from MIT and his Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Georgia.  He has published over 200 articles on the development and application of theoretical methods and algorithms in computational quantum chemistry, with a specialization in high-accuracy computations, machine learning for chemistry, and applications to intermolecular interactions.   He is an elected member of the International Academy of Quantum Molecular Science, and a board member of the World Association of Theoretical and Computational Chemists.  In 2023, he was awarded the Herty Medal by the Georgia Section of the American Chemical Society.
Peter Stone	University of Texas at Austin	Abstract Title: Human-in-the-Loop Machine Learning for Robot Navigation and Manipulation   Abstract: While there have been huge advances in Machine Learning in recent years, many of the successes have relied on immense amounts of training data.  Especially for sequential-decision-making tasks (the realm of reinforcement learning), obtaining such data from online experience can take a very long time.  On the other hand, learning can often be dramatically accelerated by leveraging human input, for example as demonstrations of successful task executions, as interventions to correct mistakes, or simply as evaluative feedback separating “correct” actions from incorrect actions.  This talk focuses on such Human-in-the-Loop Machine Learning for robotics tasks, covering both navigations, especially in tightly constrained spaces, and manipulation in open-world settings.     Biography: Peter Stone is the founder and director of the Learning Agents Research Group (LARG) at the University of Texas at Austin, where he also serves as Associate Department Chair and Director of Texas Robotics. His research focuses on building intelligent agents with capabilities in adaptation, interaction, and embodiment, with applications in robotics, autonomous vehicles, and multiagent systems.   As Chief Scientist of Sony AI and co-founder of Cogitai, Inc., he has bridged academic research and industry applications, advancing AI-driven decision-making. His work has significantly impacted AI’s role in real-world automation and collaborative intelligence.
Irfan Essa	Google, Georgia Tech	Title: Generative Media: Techniques, Opportunities and Responsibilities   Abstract: I will overview current approaches in Generative Media aimed explicitly at Generating Images and Videos in the era of large language models (LLMs) and large vision models (LVMs). I will start with some history of visual content creation, leading to current approaches for image/video synthesis.  Then, I will cover some of our recent work on Generative Vision Transformer models and concepts like Masked Vision Transformers applied to image generation, style transfer (StyleDrop), and video generation (MagVIT, VideoPoet). Following this, I will cover how Diffusion Models, specifically Diffusion Transformer Models, are used for Video Generation (WALT) leading up to the current state of the art in video generation. I will then present a few applications of these generative models. In closing, I will discuss the societal challenges these advances can cause and how we need to be responsible for how these technologies are developed, trained, modeled, tested, and deployed.   Biography: Irfan Essa is a Distinguished Professor at the School of Interactive Computing in the College of Computing at the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. He is also the Director of the Interdisciplinary Research Center for Machine Learning at Georgia Tech (ML@GT). Finally, he is a Principal Research Scientist and Research Director at Google DeepMind, leading the Google Atlanta Research Office, which he established in 2019.   Professor Essa works in the areas of Computer Vision, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Computer Graphics, Computational Perception, Robotics, Computer Animation, and Social Computing, with potential impact on Autonomous Systems, Video Analysis, and Production (e.g., Computational Photography & Video, Image-based Modeling and Rendering, etc.), Intelligent and Aware Environments, Human-Computer Interaction, Computational Behavioral/Social Sciences, and Computational Journalism research. He has published over 250 scholarly articles in leading journals and conference venues on these topics, and several of his papers have also won best paper awards. He has been awarded the NSF CAREER award and was elected to the IEEE Fellow grade. He has held extended research consulting positions with Disney Research and Google Research and also was an Adjunct Faculty Member at Carnegie Mellon’s Robotics Institute.   He joined GA Tech Faculty in 1996 after earning his MS (1990) and Ph.D. (1994) and holding a Research Faculty position at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Media Lab) [1988-1996].
Gelu Ticala	Kinaxis	Biography: Gelu Ticala is Chief Technology Officer, and leads the charge in advancing Maestro, Kinaxis’ flagship product. With a rich background in engineering and innovation, he drives the next wave of advancements to ensure Maestro continues to be the premier solution for supply chain orchestration. Gelu actively works with cross-functional teams, aligning technology development with the changing needs of customers.   Throughout his career, Gelu has been instrumental in shaping the direction of product innovation, and as CTO, he continues to push the boundaries of excellence in supply chain solutions. His leadership ensures Maestro stays at the forefront of the industry, delivering cutting-edge capabilities to clients worldwide.
Jeffrey Young	Georgia Tech	Biography: Jeffrey Young is a principal research scientist at the Georgia Institute of Technology, working with the Partnership for Advanced Computing Environments (PACE) as their lead for next-generation computing. With a background in computer architecture, his main research interests have focused on the intersection of high-performance computing and novel accelerators including GPUs, FPGAs, SmartNICs, and next-generation processors.   Young is the director of Georgia Tech’s novel architecture testbed, the CRNCH Rogues Gallery, co-director of the Center for Scientific Software Engineering, and director of Georgia Tech’s Open Source Program Office. He received his PhD in computer engineering in 2013 from Georgia Tech’s ECE department.
May Wang	Georgia Tech	Abstract Title: Challenges and Opportunities in AI-Driven Healthcare and Generative Models   Abstract: The 21st century has witnessed major challenges caused by both COVID19 pandemic and aging society. First, I will discuss the grand challenges and opportunities in AI for healthcare. Next, I will present three award-winning studies in AI Foundation Models, AI Implementation Science, and Metaverse for Healthcare. OpenAI LLMs are susceptible to hallucinated information and lack of logical reasoning. Thus, the healthcare LLMs require more domain expertise, patient specific data, logical reasoning to handle complex inferences, and computation and transparency for broad adoption in clinical settings. Working with Microsoft Accelerating Foundation Models Research, we developed the first retrieval augmented generation (RAG) solutions that augment LLMs with the most recent domain-specific medical knowledge for clinics, followed by EHRAgent published in Association for Computational Linguistics and Empirical Methods in Natural Language Processing. We formulated a clinical problem-solving process as an executable action sequence code plan with a code executor to get environment feedback to improve code generation for tabular reasoning tasks. Our AI Implementation Science projects were accepted into AMIA 3-Tier AI Showcase, and our real-time Digital Twin and Metaverse for rehabilitation were published in IEEE International Conference in Intelligent Reality.     Biography: May Dongmei Wang is Wallace H. Coulter Distinguished Faculty Fellow and full professor of BME and ECE at Georgia Institute of Technology (GT) and Emory University (EU) in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. She received BEng from Tsinghua University China and MS/PhD from GT. She is Director of Biomedical Big Data Initiative, Georgia Distinguished Cancer Scholar, Board of Directors of American Board of AI in Medicine, Petit Institute Faculty Fellow, Kavli Fellow, AIMBE Fellow, IAMBE Fellow, IEEE Fellow, and ELATES Fellow. Dr. Wang works in Biomedical AI, Big Data, Health Informatics, and Metaverse for predictive, personalized, and precision health (pHealth). She published over 330 articles in referred journals and conference proceedings with over 18,000 Google Scholar citations, and has delivered more than 340 invited and keynote lectures. She was awarded GT Outstanding Faculty Mentor for Undergrad Research, and EU MilliPub Award for a high-impact paper cited over 1,000 times. Dr. Wang is the Senior Editor for IEEE Journal of Biomedical and Health Informatics (JBHI), an Associate Editor for IEEE Transactions on BME and IEEE Reviews in BME. She is a panelist for NIH CDMA Study Section, NSF Smart and Connect Health, and Brain Canada. Dr. Wang is ACM Special Interest Group in Bioinformatics (SGIBio) Chair, IEEE Future Directions Committee Member, and The International Academy of Med. and Bio. Eng. (IAMBE) Governing Council Secretary. She was 2014-2015 IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (IEEE-EMBS) Distinguished Lecturer, an Emerging Area Editor for Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences, 2022 GT President LeadingWomen, 2021 GT Provost Emerging Leaders, and 2018-2021 GT Carol Ann and David Flanagan Distinguished Faculty Fellow. She was 2015-2017 GT BMI Co-Director in Atlanta Clinical and Translational Science Institute (ACTSI), Director of Bioinformatics and Biocomputing Core in NIH/NCI-sponsored U54 CCNE, and Co-Director of GT Center of Bio-Imaging Mass Spectrometry. Her research has been supported by NIH, NSF, CDC, Georgia Research Alliance, Georgia Cancer Coalition, Shriners’ Children, Children’s Health Care of Atlanta, Enduring Heart Foundation, Coulter Foundation, Imlay Foundation, Carol Ann and David Flanagan Foundation, Horizon Europe, Microsoft Research, HP, UCB, and Amazon.
Rep. Brad Thomas	State of Georgia	Title: Georgia’s Advancements in Artificial Intelligence (AI)   Biography: Representative Brad D. Thomas’s journey began with his service in the US Navy, where he spent several years in Europe, the Baltic, and the Persian Gulf. After his honorable discharge in 2001, he utilized his GI Bill to pursue higher education and later became a partner in a local engineering firm. His entrepreneurial spirit drives his passion for growing private-sector jobs and supporting infrastructure development in his community. Thomas is deeply committed to his family, his faith, and local Christian non-profit organizations.   Inspired by a desire for more effective leadership, Thomas entered politics as a business-minded, solutions-focused advocate. Since taking office, he has worked on issues like tax reduction, election integrity, and private-sector growth, always with an eye on small government and strengthening local communities. Representative Thomas’s dedication to public service continues to guide his work, ensuring a prosperous future for all residents.
Aaron Stebner	Georgia Tech	Abstract Title: The AI Manufacturing Pilot Facility   Abstract: The 20k ft2 Advanced Manufacturing Pilot Facility (AMPF) operated by Georgia Tech is being renovated into a 75k+ ft2 AI Manufacturing Pilot Facility (AIMPF). Manufacturers cannot accept 100% of the risk and cost of maturing AI manufacturing technologies beyond proof-of-concept demonstrations without detriment to existing operations and supply chains. AIMPF will provide a world-leading environment for cooperative industry-academia-government pilot trials and innovation of new technologies, cybersecurity games, and workforce training to innovate, transition, and create AI manufacturing technologies and workforce without risk. AIMPF will operate reconfigurable, digitally integrated, automated test tracks for manufacturing with structural and energy materials spanning synthesis, semi-finished goods, finished goods, manufacturing quality systems, characterization and metrology, reducing energy footprints and CO2 emissions, resource management, recycling capabilities, data management, mm-wave wireless communications, and cyber-physical security. AIMPF extends the concept of “self-driving labs” to create a semi-autonomous user facility.     Biography: Aaron Stebner works at the intersection of manufacturing, machine learning, materials, and mechanics. He directs the Georgia Artificial Intelligence Manufacturing (GA-AIM) economic development corridor and is leading the design and implementation of the Georgia Tech AI Manufacturing Pilot Facility. Prof. Stebner joined the Georgia Tech faculty as an Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science and Engineering in 2020. He also served as the Deputy Editor for the journal Additive Manufacturing. Previously, he was the Rowlinson Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science at the Colorado School of Mines (2013 – 2020), a postdoctoral scholar at the Graduate Aerospace Laboratories of the California Institute of Technology (2012 – 2013), a Lecturer in the Segal Design Institute at Northwestern University (2009 – 2012), a Research Scientist at Telezygology Inc. establishing manufacturing and “internet of things” technologies for shape memory alloy-secured latching devices (2008-2009), a Research Fellow at the NASA Glenn Research Center developing smart materials technologies for morphing aircraft structures (2006 – 2008), and a Mechanical Engineer at the Electric Device Corporation in Canfield, OH developing manufacturing and automation technologies for the circuit breaker industry (1995 – 2000).   He has won numerous awards, including a National Science Foundation (USA) CAREER award (2014), the Colorado School of Mines Researcher of the Year Award (2017), a Long-term Invitational Fellowship for Research from the Japan Society for the Preservation of Science (JSPS, 2019), and the Associate Professor Research Award from the G.W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering at Georgia Tech (2023).
Srijan Kumar	Georgia Tech	Biography: Srijan Kumar is an assistant professor in the School of Computer Science at the Georgia Institute of Technology’s College of Computing. His research focuses on artificial intelligence, applied machine learning, and data mining, with expertise in graph learning, natural language processing, multimodal analysis, and adversarial learning. Using large-scale data from online platforms, he develops scalable methods to improve online safety by detecting and mitigating malicious actors—such as ban evaders, sockpuppets, coordinated campaigns, and fraudsters—as well as harmful content like misinformation, hate speech, and fake reviews. His work also advances the security and reliability of AI systems.
Chan Park	OpenAI	Biography: Chan Park is Head of U.S. and Canada Policy and Partnerships for OpenAI. Chan oversees OpenAI’s engagement with federal, state, provincial, and local governments, as well as third party groups. He previously worked at Microsoft, served as General Counsel for the Senate Judiciary Committee, and prosecuted federal crimes as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Maryland.
Anuj Saharan	OpenAI	Biography: Anuj Saharan is a member of OpenAI’s Compute & Infrastructure team, where he focuses on advancing large-scale computing systems. Before joining OpenAI, he spent over three years at Microsoft, where he played a key role in scaling Azure’s high-performance computing (HPC) and AI infrastructure. As a senior product manager, he helped extend Azure’s bare-metal platform for some of the world’s most powerful supercomputers. He also led initiatives that onboarded major partners, including NVIDIA’s Omniverse Cloud, and contributed to scaling workloads from concept to over a billion dollars in revenue within a year.   Earlier in his career, Anuj worked as a deep learning engineer intern at NVIDIA, focusing on autonomous machines, and as a computer scientist intern at Adobe, contributing to Creative Cloud innovations. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from the Georgia Institute of Technology, where he conducted research on active safety for autonomous vehicles.
Chaouki Abdallah	Lebanese American University President	Biography: Chaouki T. Abdallah became the tenth president of LAU on October 1, 2024. Most recently, he served as Executive Vice President for Research at The Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech), from September 2018 until September 2024.   Under Dr. Abdallah’s leadership, research expenditures at Georgia Tech increased significantly from approximately $850 million at the start of his term in 2018 to $1.45 billion as of December 2023. Dr. Abdallah previously served as the 22nd president of the University of New Mexico. His efforts there contributed to an 8% increase in first-year student retention and a 125% increase in four-year graduation rates. A prominent expert in control theory and systems engineering, he has authored eight books, serving as co-editor for three of them and co-author for five. Additionally, he has contributed to more than 400 peer-reviewed articles. Dr. Abdallah is deeply committed to guiding students and has personally mentored 36 Master’s degree and 16 Ph.D. candidates.
Katie Kirkpatrick	Metro Atlanta Chamber	Biography: Katie Kirkpatrick is president and CEO of the Metro Atlanta Chamber (MAC), a role she assumed after serving as MAC’s chief policy officer. Since joining in 2007, she has held leadership positions in environmental affairs and business-higher education. Previously, she was director of environmental engineering at Gold Kist, Inc.   Kirkpatrick serves on the GRACE Commission, working to combat human trafficking in Georgia, and is vice chair of the Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District. A registered professional engineer, she earned her degree from Auburn University and is a member of its 100+ Women Strong group. She is also an alumna of Leadership Atlanta.
Mary Ellen Callahan	Georgia Tech	Biography: Mary Ellen Callahan is a Professor of Practice at the Georgia Tech School of Cybersecurity and Privacy, writing on how data management lifecycle is integral to Artificial Intelligence Models. last year as DHS Assistant Secretary for Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction, she wrote the seminal paper on minimizing novel chemical and biological threats in AI.
Catherine Cooper	World Connections	Biography: Catherine Cooper guides executive teams through the complexities of supply chain resiliency and AI governance – balancing its opportunities and risks. She is a sought-after expert for her C-suite experience, engineering background, and deep logistics knowledge. She helps companies tackle today’s challenges and identify/mitigate tomorrow’s threats.
Sonia Chernova	Georgia Tech, AI-CARING	Biography: Sonia Chernova is an Associate Professor in the College of Computing at Georgia Tech and the Executive Director of the NSF AI-CARING Institute. Her work focuses on developing collaborative AI technologies designed to support older adults in maintaining independence and improving quality of life. She specializes in robotics and artificial intelligence, with a particular emphasis on designing autonomous systems that integrate seamlessly into everyday environments.   Her research spans interactive machine learning, robot adaptation, and human-robot collaboration, enabling AI-driven systems to better understand and respond to human needs. Through AI-CARING, she leads efforts to create socially assistive technologies that address challenges in aging, caregiving, and long-term health support, bridging the gap between AI research and real-world applications.
Jordan Jobe	AgAID Institute Washington State University	Biography: Jordan Jobe is the AgAID Institute Manager and a Research Associate Faculty member at Washington State University. With expertise in project and program management, community engagement, and sustainable food systems, she leads initiatives at the intersection of agriculture, natural resource management, and technology. Jordan has managed large-scale projects, including the Farming in the Floodplain Project, integrating agricultural needs with floodplain and environmental management. She collaborates with stakeholders to advance innovative solutions in water research, farmland conservation, and climate resilience.
Jonathan Clarke	Georgia Tech	Biography: Jonathan Clarke is the Senior Associate Dean for Strategic Initiatives and Associate Professor of Finance in the College of Business. He received his Ph.D. in Finance from the Katz Graduate School of Business at the University of Pittsburgh. His undergraduate degrees are in Mathematics and Economics from Indiana University in Bloomington.

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LOCATION AND PARKING

Directions to Historic Academy of Medicine

From I-75/85 North

1. Take Exit # 249D (Spring Street, North Avenue). 
2. At the top of the exit ramp, go through the first intersection (Spring Street).
3. At the next intersection (West Peachtree Street), turn left.
4. Continue on West Peachtree Street for approximately 0.7 miles.
5. The Historic Academy of Medicine is located on the right side of West Peachtree Street NW, between 6th Street NW and 7th Street NW.
6. Access the E84 parking lot by turning right onto 7th Street NW. The parking lot will be the first right (behind the Historic Academy of Medicine). 

From I-75/85 South

1. Take Exit # 84 (17th St/14th St/10th St). 
2. Keep left at the fork, follow signs for 14th Street/10th Street.
3. Keep left at the fork, follow signs for 10th Street/Eastbound.
4. Turn left onto 10th Street NW.
5. Turn right onto Spring St. NW.
6. Turn left onto Abercrombie Pl. NW.
7. Turn left onto W Peachtree Street NW and the Historic Academy of Medicine is located on the right side of the street.
8. Access the E84 parking lot by turning right onto 7th Street NW. The parking lot will be the first right (behind the Historic Academy of Medicine). 

Address

The address for the Historic Academy of Medicine is 875 W Peachtree Street NW, Atlanta, GA 30309. This is the front entrance of the building, which leads to the upper level Rotunda. The rear entrance to the building, located from the E84 parking lot, provides access to the lower level and staff offices. 

Parking

Access the E84 parking lot by turning right onto 7th Street NW. The parking lot will be the first right (behind the Historic Academy of Medicine). 

Pay for parking via the ParkMobile App on your smartphone. The parking zone for this lot is 8642. There is a $5 flat rate from 6 a.m. – 7:59 p.m. and $10 flat rate from 8 p.m. – 6 a.m.

Guests may also work with Georgia Tech Parking and Transportation on options that best fit their event parking needs.