DYAN GIBBENS

Day 1 Speaker

Dyan Gibbens, a Senior Advisor at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, previously advised the innovation arms of the U.S. Air and Space Forces, AFWERX and SPACEWERX. Dyan studied engineering, instructed skydiving, and learned to fly at the U.S. Air Force Academy with experience in autonomy, aerospace, and AI.
The White House selected Dyan to support the Global Partnership on AI (GPAI), G7 I7’s future of work and AI as 1 of 5 U.S. delegates, and American Leadership CEO roundtable. Dyan was also selected for Google’s “AI Council” as 1 of 8 globally. As a Veteran Fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution, Dyan focused on AI in space and completed Wharton’s CTO Program. After earning her MBA from OSU, she studied industrial engineering focused on computer vision and optimization.

ERIC LARSON

Day 1 Speaker

Dr. Larson is the Bobby B. Lyle Endowed Professor in Engineering Innovation and an Altshuler Distinguished Teaching Professor. He is an Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Science at SMU with courtesy appointment in the Department of Operations Research and Engineering Management. He joined SMU in August 2013 after he received his PhD from the University of Washington. He is a member of the Darwin Deason Institute for Cyber-security, Center for Global Health, SMU AT&T Center for Virtualization, and Academy of Distinguished Teachers. He is also a fellow of the Hunt Institute for Engineering Humanity. His research explores the interdisciplinary relationship of machine learning and signal/image processing with the fields of security, mobile health, education, and ubiquitous computing. Like most academics, he has a passion for teaching and mentoring, and views research as an ideal opportunity to instruct the next generation of computer scientists and engineers. He has positioned himself (with plenty of help from others) in a unique role, supporting different research applications via the integration of machine learning and ubiquitous sensing. He has become increasingly interested in sensing markers of health and context awareness using commonplace sensors. His research supports many healthcare, educational, and security initiatives by creating applications that (1) manage and diagnose chronic/infectious ailments, (2) help learners master educational topics, and (3) investigate security and privacy through the lens of machine learning, especially side channels, information leakage, and anomaly detection. Dr. Larson has published numerous papers at top journals and conferences, one textbook, and two book chapters, garnering over 6,500 citations (Google Scholar H-index of 35). He has established grant funding for projects as PI and Co-PI with funding from a variety of sources including private contracts and government agencies, in excess of $12M. Dr. Larson has received federal grant funding from the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, Department of Education, National Institutes for Standards and Technology, Department of Homeland Security, Office of Naval Research, United States Air Force, and Army Research Labs.

GEORGE BRODY

Day 1 Speaker

After briefly retiring from corporate life after a 43-year career that included 26 years of Big Company life mixed in with an exciting 17-year entrepreneurial journey, George is currently the Founder and CEO of InfoNet of Things LLC, an IoT solutions company and also serves as the Chairman of the Board of Turbostart Global , a global venture fund and accelerator focused on investing in and enabling early-stage tech-driven startups. Prior to that, as Founder, President, and CEO of GlobeRanger, George was responsible for growing the company from a venture-backed start-up based in Dallas to a global player in the RFID and IoT markets. GlobeRanger was acquired by Fujitsu in May 2014. George continued to serve as its CEO, guiding the company through its integration phase and global growth. George’s vision of the ‘enterprise edge’, born out of his pioneering work in the wireless world, is the foundation of GlobeRanger’s market leading iMotion platform. Prior to co-founding GlobeRanger in 1999, Brody served as Vice President and General Manager of Nortel Networks’ Wireless Network Solutions division where he managed a series of entrepreneurial start-ups including Wireless New Business Ventures, a business incubator. During his tenure at Nortel, as Vice President of Wireless Technology, Brody was responsible for its global wireless product development programs and the management of the Bell Northern Research Labs in Richardson Texas, a world-class research and development organization that employed more than 4000 professionals. Brody holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India. He also earned master’s degrees in electrical engineering and computer science from the University of New Brunswick, Canada. Brody is a member of the advisory council for the Jindal School of Management at The University of Texas at Dallas, a Charter Member and Board Member of TiE Dallas and a founding member of its flagship Angel Network called TiE Dallas Angels. Brody currently serves as the President and Director of IISc Foundation dedicated to helping his alma-mater, the Indian Institute of Science. Brody was inducted into the Tech Titans Hall of Fame and was awarded the Distinguished Alumnus Award from his Alma-Mater, the Indian Institute of Science, both in 2024. His current professional interests lie in the areas of entrepreneurship, angel investment and the creation of new ventures at the intersection of wireless technology with medical and enterprise applications involving IoT, 5G, AI as well as Augmented Reality/Virtual reality.

WALTER VOIT

Day 1 Speaker

Dr. Walter Voit is a tenured associate professor at UT Dallas and Director of the Center for Applied AI with UTD Expertise (CAIQUE) which showcases emergent applied AI research at the University to engage companies, win extramural grants, strengthen international partnerships, and provide a global network for affiliated students to excel as UTD alumni. Walter also co-built and manages both the Center for Engineering Innovation and the Advanced Polymer Research Lab which together boast a comprehensive grant portfolio (NSF, NIH, DARPA, FDA, corporate sponsorship), mentor graduate students and post docs and explore the thermomechanics of shape memory polymers, flexible bioelectronics, next-generation neural interfaces, 3-D printing, degradable polymers and the effects of ionizing radiation on polymers.   Dr. Voit is a seasoned entrepreneur, co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of startup company Syzygy Memory Plastics, which has licensed intellectual property from both Georgia Tech and UT Dallas in pursuit of next-generation acoustics and electronics products based on shape memory polymers. Voit also co-founded Adaptive 3D Technologies and Ares Materials in 2014 and co-founded Pascalor, Qualia and Polycraft World in 2015. In 2016 Qualia nucleated several new subsidiaries including the Qualia Foundation, Qualia Labs, Myelife Solutions, and Skin Aware.   Dr. Voit is on the Executive Committee and the Science and Technology Chair of the Council on Ionizing Radiation Measurements and Standards through the National Institute of Standards and Technology and an International Atomic Energy Agency consultant in the field of radiation crosslinked shape memory polymers. Voit is a DARPA Young Faculty Awardee and DARPA Director’s Fellow and works closely with industry including Texas Instruments, GlaxoSmithKline, Halliburton and Honeywell.   Voit graduated high school valedictorian and was recruited to UT Dallas through the Eugene McDermott Scholars Program. As a McDermott Scholar, Voit worked at Los Alamos National Labs and at Dallas nanotechnology startup company Zyvex. Voit received a B.S. in Computer Science in May 2005 and a Masters in Artificial Intelligence from UT Dallas in August 2006. Voit’s Master’s thesis work was conducted under the mentorship of Prof. I. Hal Sudborough where their team helped improve the upper bound of the pancake problem which has not been beaten since (Bill) Gates and Papadimitriou published on the subject in 1979. Dr. Voit was named a Presidential Scholar at Georgia Tech and was selected to the prestigious TI:GER program, a partnership with the College of Management and Emory Law School. Voit performed doctoral work under the guidance of Prof. Ken Gall. Voit has authored more than 100 manuscripts and book chapters, is inventor on multiple patents and enjoys basketball, soccer, snowboarding, rafting, hiking, reading, parenting and travelling.  

SONG FU

Associate Chair for Research
Department of Computer Science & Engineering
Director, NSF eCAT Mobility Center at UNT
Director, Vehicle and Edge Computing Laboratory
University of North Texas

DENISE CANALES

Day 1 Speaker

In her role as Executive Director Innovation & Industry Relations for Texas A&M-Fort Worth, Denise Canales identifies and pursues strategic opportunities across the Texas Triangle, proactively identifying private sector market challenges and creating partnerships with Texas A&M faculty and facilities which will provide commercially valuable solutions. She is honored to be a member of the founding leadership team bringing Texas A&M-Fort Worth to life and enjoys leading the Entrepreneurial, Startup, and Commercialization Hub of the Fort Worth Tarrant County Innovation Partnership. Denise has founded multiple companies. Including taking software she designed while at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, from idea to industry through a tech transfer spinout. She served as President of that company for several years. Her company’s technical awards included: Microsoft, MSD2D People’s Choice Award for .Net Workflow, BRAAN V2; Microsoft, Best of Tech-Ed Award, Software Components & Middleware Category, BRAAN V2; BioITWorld, Best Practice Award, Grand Prize Winner, Clinical Trials Category, BRAAN V1; and Health Improvement Institute, Award for Excellence in Human Subject Protections, BRAAN V1.

GAUTAM DAS

Associate Dean For Research
College of Engineering
Distinguished University Chair
Professor Computer Science and Engineering
Director of Center for Artificial Intelligence and Big Data (CARIDA)
and
Database Exploration Laboratory (DBXLAB)
University of Texas at Arlington

MICHAEL SHERWOOD

Day 1 Speaker

Michael Sherwood is the Senior Business Manager for State and Local Government at NVIDIA Corporation, specializing in Agentic AI, smart cities, and public sector innovation. Formerly the Chief Innovation and Technology Officer for the City of Las Vegas, Sherwood brings extensive expertise in digital transformation across state, local, and county government sectors. Earlier in his career, he held leadership roles with the City of Irvine, the City of Oceanside, and private sector firms including Moreland & Associates, Stoorza, Ziegaus & Metzger, and Smith & Nephew plc. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management from Pepperdine University and an MBA from the University of Southern California.