Governtment of Dubai - Organizer | Dubai World Congress For Self-Driving Transaport | Autonomous Vehicle Technology Exhibition
Roads & Transport Authority - Organizer | Dubai Congress For Self-Driving Transaport | Self-Driving Car Conference & Exhibition
Under The Patronage Of H.H. Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince Of Dubai And Chairman Of The Executive Council
Under The Patronage Of H.H. Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince Of Dubai And Chairman Of The Executive Council
Congress Speakers2023-05-26T11:12:52+00:00

Congress Speakers

Sam Roger

Test Pilot & Design Lead at Gravity Industries

View Profile

Dr. Marko Bjelonic

Founder, Swiss- Mile

View Profile

Aidan Ali-Sullivan

Head of State Political Strategy & Senior Manager, State Policy, Waymo

View Profile

Reuben Sarkar

CEO, American Centre for Mobility

View Profile

Sherry Colbourne

Executive Director of the Technology and Innovation Development Center for the Ontario Region

View Profile

Dr. Steven Shladover

International Expert in self-driving Transportation Technologies

View Profile

Dr. Ismail Zohdy

Smart Mobility Expert at RTA

View Profile

Michael Milford

Specialist and Director of Robotics Center at University of Queensland

View Profile

Prof. Venkat N. Krovi

Michelin Endowed Chair of Vehicle Automation in the Departments of Automotive Engineering and Mechanical Engineering at Clemson University

View Profile

Chris Gall

Group Engineering Director Alexander Dennis

View Profile

Cristian SANDU

Co-Founder & CEO – Quadribot, France

View Profile

Eng. Muammar Khaled Al Katheeri

Chief Office – Engineering and Sustainability, Dubai Integrated Economic Zones 

View Profile

Fash Shahrokni

Business Development Director – EMEA, Quadribot, France

View Profile

Frank Menchaca

President, Sustainable Mobility Solutions – SAE International

View Profile

Mike Paras

Business Development, Product & Strategic Partnerships Manager Sustainable Mobility Solutions – SAE International

View Profile

Robert (Bob) L. Galyen

Senior Strategic Consultant & Advisor Retired CTO of Contemporary Amperex Technology Company Limited

View Profile

Lukas Neckermann

Managing Director of Neckermann Strategic Advisors

View Profile

Dr. Abigail Copiaco

Assistant Professor at the University of Dubai (UD)

View Profile

Prof. Wathiq Mansoor

Professor of Computer Engineering, Dean of the College of Engineering and IT, and Director of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Free Zone at University of Dubai

View Profile

Hossam Yahia

CTO/CEO BrightDrive

View Profile

Dr. Shadi Atalla

Associate professor in Computing and Information Systems of the IT academic department at the College of Engineering and IT, University of Dubai.

View Profile

Dr. Husameldin Mukhtar

Associate Professor and Director of Research at UD

View Profile

Dr. Diana Dawoud

Assistant professor at the University of Dubai

View Profile

Ahmed Elsergany

Researcher M.S., American University of Sharjah, Sharjah, UAE, 2023

View Profile

Mamoun F. Abdel-Hafez

Professor Ph.D., University of California, Los Angeles, USA, 2003

View Profile

Dr. Mohammad A. Jaradat

A professor in Mechanical Engineering & Mechatronics Engineering programs – American University of Sharjah (AUS)

View Profile

Wasim M. F.  Al-Masri

Instructor MS, American University of Sharjah, UAE, 2016

View Profile

Ali Wadi

Lab Instructor M.Sc., American University of Sharjah, Sharjah, UAE. 2017

View Profile

Akbar Qamar

Electronics Student – University of Bolton

View Profile

Iftakhar Ahmed

Software Engineering student – University of Bolton

View Profile

Jainey Erum

Civil engineer – University of Bolton

View Profile

Muhammad Zaid

Software engineer – University of Bolton

View Profile

Mohammed Nihaal

Software Engineering – University of Bolton

View Profile

Zoe Varma

Computer Science student – University of Bolton

View Profile

Faiz Sami Syed

Robotics student – Heriot-Watt University

View Profile

Madihah Anaum

Robotics Engineering student – Heriot-Watt University

View Profile

Navya Thampan

EEE (Hons) – Heriot-Watt University

View Profile

Johan Thomas

Computer science student – Heriot-Watt University

View Profile

Joseph Abdo

Robotics student – Heriot-Watt University

View Profile

Majid Khonji

Assistant Professor – Khalifa University

View Profile

Riyadh

Research Engineer – Khalifa University

View Profile

Arjun

Research Engineer – Khalifa University

View Profile

Murad Smreteab

Master Student – Khalifa University

View Profile

Abiel Fissehatsion

Master student – Khalifa University

View Profile

Awet Mekonen

Master student – Khalifa University

View Profile

Alexander Nase

Managing Director of FEV Consulting

View Profile

Connect with us

Contact Us via Facebook | Self-Driving Transport Conference Contact Us via Twitter | Self-Driving Vehicle Congress Contact Us via YouTube | Dubai Autonomous Transportation Strategy Contact Us via Instagram | Automated Driving Dubai
#SDC2023

Sam Roger

Test Pilot & Design Lead at Gravity Industries

Sam leads the design and realisation of the Jet Suit from concept, to digital models, to 3D printed hardware. He is an expert in metal and polymer 3D printing with extensive experience in 3D printed liquid rocket engines & turbo-pumps, pyrotechnics, UAVs, andfilmmaking. Growing up Sam experimented fabricating his own fireworks, solid fuelled rocket motors, radio controlled aircraft, and homemade camera equipment. Sam designs, builds and test flies with the team at Gravity as they focus on the ‘productisation’ of the Jet Suit.

Dr. Marko Bjelonic

Founder, Swiss- Mile

Marko Bjelonic (born 1990 in Banja Luka, Yugoslavia) is an enthusiastic roboticist and future entrepreneur. During his doctoral degree at ETH Zurich under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Marco Hutter (ETH Zurich, Prof. Dr. Stelian Coros (ETH Zurich), and Prof. Dr. Sangbae Kim (MIT in Boston), Marko developed optimization-based methods focusing on motion control and planning for wheeled-legged robots over challenging terrain (2017 - 2021), which has more than a million views through prestigious news articles like Reuters, CNN, BBC News, IEEE Spectrum and more. Marko holds a Bachelor's and Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering from TU Darmstadt, Germany (2010 - 2013, 2013 - 2016). He spent the first year of his Master's degree at the Cybernetics department of NTNU in Trondheim, Norway (2013 - 2014). During his studies, he worked at the Mercedes-AMG GmbH in Affalterbach (Germany), Fraunhofer LBF in Darmstadt (Germany), and most notably at CSIRO in Brisbane (Australia) with Dr. Alberto Elfes and Dr. Navinda Kottege on multi-legged robots. Previous work during his Master's thesis consists of the development of the hexapod robot, Weaver, including its state estimation, perception, autonomy, and control algorithms. In 2020, he managed his family owned business with an annual sales of 350K USD and negotiated a company sale in 2021.

Aidan Ali-Sullivan

Head of State Political Strategy & Senior Manager, State Policy, Waymo

Over the last 15 years, Aidan Ali-Sullivan has worked at the confluence of business, politics, and policy, with a particular focus on the future mobility industry. Aidan currently leads state political strategy throughout the US, and manages state policy and government affairs in the western US for Waymo, an Alphabet Inc. company, ensuring regulatory and legislative environments encourage the growth of autonomous vehicle technologies. Prior to Waymo, Aidan served as the head of state policy at Nuro, leading state-level policy efforts throughout the country and spearheading Nuro’s effort to successfully secure the first autonomous vehicle deployment permit in California state history. Prior to Nuro, Aidan was a Manager of Future Mobility at General Motors in both Dubai, U.A.E and Detroit, Michigan. Aidan has experience in multiple levels of government, working for the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs as a Political Officer at multiple Canadian Missions throughout the US, at the time focused on Keystone XL and petroleum advocacy. He began his professional career in the California State Senate as a Capital Fellow. Aidan holds an M.P.P. from the University of Chicago Harris School, M.B.A from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business and dual B.A. degrees in Political Science and Urban Planning from the University of California, Berkeley.

Reuben Sarkar

CEO, American Centre for Mobility

Prior to joining ACM, Reuben was Chief Product Officer for Forge Nano, a venture-backed start-up focused on commercially scalable, precision nano-coatings for EV batteries and other industrial applications. Formerly, he was Deputy Assistant Secretary of Transportation for the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), where he oversaw more than $1.8B of R&D investments into the sustainable transportation sector through their Vehicle, Fuel Cell, and Bioenergy Technologies Offices. While at U.S. DOE, he established EERE’s focus on mobility systems, co-chaired the advanced materials workgroup, was executive director of the Clean Energy Manufacturing Initiative (CEMI) and established the Energy Materials Network (EMN).

Before joining EERE, Reuben worked at Proterra Inc., a leading manufacturer of electric buses, where he led the development of their 1st generation 35-foot all-electric bus and fast charging station as well as product planning for their 2nd generation 40-foot electric bus that are in transit fleets today. Prior to that, Reuben spent more than a decade at General Motors where he was the lead engineer on the 1st generation electric drive unit for the Chevy Volt.

Reuben is a Senior Fellow at the U.S. Council on Competitiveness, an advisor at the Center for Connected and Automated Transportation (CCAT), and an Operator Advisor at Assembly Ventures. He is also a senior advisor to the Michigan Council on Future Mobility and Electrification and a Board Member of the Zero Emission Transportation Associations Education Fund. He holds both Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in chemical engineering, as well as an MBA with high distinction, all from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

Sherry Colbourne

Executive Director of the Technology and Innovation Development Center for the Ontario Region, Canada

Sherry Colbourne is a Canadian entrepreneur with decades of experience in Ontario’s high-tech sector. Her career has taken her to the far corners of the world in pursuit of building strategic business relationships for the companies she has served. As CEO, Sherry guides the direction and growth of Spark Centre and advocates for an international approach to the development of Durham Region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Sherry is a strong believer that entrepreneurism brings diverse cultures and people together and that the opportunity for Durham Region lies in its roots as an innovative and diverse Region.

Dr. Steven Shladover

An international expert in self-driving transportation technologies and Chairman of the Challenge Jury in its first and second editions

Dr. Steven Shladover has been researching road vehicle automation systems since 1973, beginning with his masters and doctoral theses at M.I.T. 

He was the Program Manager, Mobility at the PATH Program of the Institute of Transportation Studies of the University of California at Berkeley, where he worked from 1989 until his retirement in November 2017. 

Dr. Shladover is an internationally renowned expert on both technological and policy issues associated with road vehicle automation and he led PATH’s pioneering research on automated highway systems

He chaired the Transportation Research Board (TRB) Committee on Intelligent Transportation Systems from 2004-2010, and the TRB Committee on Vehicle-Highway Automation from 2013-2019.

Dr. Ismail Zohdy

Self-driving Transportation expert at the Roads and transport Authority

Dr. Ismail Zohdy is a smart mobility expert with more than fifteen years of experience collectively between USA, Egypt and United Arab of Emirates, in Intelligent Transportation Systems, Shared Mobility, Future Mobility modeling, Autonomous/Connected Vehicles technology, Electric Mobility and all Smart City initiatives. He is currently an Agile Coach and the Program Manager of Self-Driving Transport strategy at Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), Government of Dubai, United Arab of Emirates. His role to manage/oversee technical implementation for smart mobility, electric vehicles and autonomous vehicles roadmap, maintain stakeholder engagement and engage/negotiate with transport technology providers for future mobility deployment in Dubai.

He previously supported many US federal clients, including Federal Highway Administration, US Department of Transportation and Advanced Research Projects Program for US Department of Energy. Dr. Zohdy is an author of 40+ peer-reviewed publications, and book chapters for Autonomous vehicles.

Michael Milford

Specialist and Director of the Robotics Center at the University of Queensland

Michael Milford conducts interdisciplinary research at the boundary between robotics, neuroscience and computer vision and am a multi-award-winning educational entrepreneur.

He has been a long-term international judge for the Dubai World Self-Driving Transport Challenge events (2018–21); a non-executive director on the board of the Qld Motor Trades Association Institute; Automation Technology Lead at Mining; and member of the National Transport Commission’s Automated Vehicle Industry Insights Group.

He has led or co-led industry projects with leading Fortune 100 and multinational companies in the autonomous vehicles space spanning automotive, mining and defense.

He currently holds the positions of Australian Research Council Laureate Fellow, Joint Director of the QUT Centre for Robotics, QUT Professor and am a Microsoft Research Faculty Fellow.

Prof. Venkat N. Krovi

Michelin Endowed Chair of Vehicle Automation in the Departments of Automotive Engineering and Mechanical Engineering at Clemson University

Prof. Venkat Krovi is an Associate Professor in the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department at SUNY Buffalo. He obtained his Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania in 1998 and joined SUNY Buffalo in 2001. Prof. Krovi directs the Automation, Robotics and Mechatronics (ARMLAB) Laboratory and co-directs the Medical Robotics and Computer-Integrated-Medicine (MRCIM) Laboratory. His research program focuses on the lifecycle treatment of mechanical and mechatronic systems, leveraging mechatronics and computer-aided engineering for implementation/validation. His research has received funding from federal, state, and industrial sources. Prof. Krovi's work increasingly focuses on developing improved design and implementation methodologies for bio-inspired machines/systems. He has served in technical program committees and editorial boards of several IEEE and ASME conferences and is an Associate Editor of the IEEE Transactions on Robotics. Prof. Krovi has served on several funding agency review panels and chaired the ASME Robotics Technical Committee.

Chris Gall

Group Engineering Director - Alexander Dennis

Chris Gall joined Alexander Dennis in August 2021 as its new Group Engineering Director, tasked with developing the company’s product range in new technologies and new markets. Chris joined ADL from Jaguar Land Rover.

In this role, Chris will leverage his vast experience to continue to develop and execute the company’s strategy and roadmap to deliver technically challenging engineering projects at pace. He leads ADL’s team of highly skilled engineering and support staff to shape the direction of technology development and respond to market demands as the bus industry transitions towards a zero-emission future. Chris also plays an active role in continuing to drive forward innovation and synergies between the various business units within the wider NFI Group.

A Chartered Mechanical Engineer, Chris joined ADL from Jaguar Land Rover where he most recently held the position of Chief Engineer for New Electrified Architecture following success in several key senior and strategic leadership roles over the course of the last decade, including three years on the board of a joint venture in China. Prior to Jaguar Land Rover, Chris spent seventeen years with Ford, rising through the ranks and holding several key engineering roles in across a variety of territories including the UK, USA, Turkey and Germany.

Cristian SANDU

Co-Founder & CEO – Quadribot, France

  • Before creating QuadriBot S.A.S, Cristian participated and led several R&D projects related to autonomous driving, solving issues related to automation, real time calculation, power management, renewable energy, mobility and urban micro-mobility through innovative projects at: INRIA (French Digital Science Research Institute), SAFRAN (French Aerospace & military leader) and PSA (French automotive leader).
  • Since 2014, QuadriBot developed different hardware and software modules related to smart and autonomous mobility for private and governmental clients.
  • In 2022 Quadribot developed R-Box, a brain for autonomous driving. R-Box is an all-in-one HPC (high performance computing system) optimized for autonomous driving offering ASIL-D safety level. This further lead to innovative products such as the Ryl autonomous personal shuttle and the Scargo autonomous delivery robot.
  • Cristian earned his MSc. Power Electronics from Institute of Energy Technology, Aalborg, Denmark in 2009

Eng. Muammar Khaled Al Katheeri

Chief Office - Engineering and Sustainability, Dubai Integrated Economic Zones

Eng. Muammar joined DSO in April 2006 as the Director of Planning and Construction Management Department, enriching DSO with his wide knowledge and experience in construction and project management.

In 2010, DSOA merged the Planning & Constructions Department with the Operations & Facilities department under one leadership. Following this, Eng. Muammar was appointed as Executive VP of Engineering Management. In 2014 Eng. Muammar was appointed as the chairman of the smart city project committee in DSO.

End of 2018, the Dubai Airport Free Zone (DAFZ) commenced with establishing the DUBAI COMMERCITY Project, the first and leading e-commerce free zone in the MEASA region. Following to his track record in the fields of leadership, engineering and smart city, Eng. Muammar Al Katheeri was assigned as the Chief Project Officer of DAFZ’s COMMERCITY with the responsibility of managing the project.

Prior to joining DSO, Eng. Muammar served with major real estate companies in the UAE, he was appointed as the Projects and Maintenance Director at Emirates Real Estate Corporation, where he worked on major projects including the Ministries Complex project AUH; the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Public Works, Ministry of Labor in Dubai; UAE Embassies in Germany and Australia, and the UAE Consulate in Munich, among other prestigious projects. He also served as a Design Engineer at the Ministry of Public Works in Dubai, and as a Project Design Manager at Etisalat in addition to being a partner at a local design consultancy.

Eng. Muammar holds a Master’s degree of Science in Innovation & Change Management from Hamdan Bin Mohammed Smart University in Dubai, and a Bachelor degree in Architectural Engineering from Al Ain University, UAE. In 2021, he successfully completed the Dubai Leadership Program from the Mohammed Bin Rashid Center for Leadership Development (Dubai Leaders Batch 1).

Fash Shahrokni

Business Development Director – EMEA, Quadribot, France

  • Fash Shahrokni started his career in the UK oil & gas industry at 21, at 24 he was one of the youngest international managers in the industry, covering Middle East, Eastern Europe and North Africa.
  • He progressed to General Manager of Gray Mackenzie Oil Services Company in Syria in 2001, where he doubled the sales within one year and was responsible for hiring 120 new engineers to meet the demands of this growth, making it the largest foreign company in the country.
  • In 2004 he was appointed Managing Director of Enerpac M.E (Dubai), covering 70 countries in Middle East, Africa and CIS. There, he led his team and transformed the struggling company within one year from negative sales & profits to becoming the most successful region worldwide year-over-year for the next 7 years.
  • He progressed to developing South America and Russia before his passion for autonomous vehicles lead to joining Quadribot (France), a technological leader in autonomous vehicles.

Frank Menchaca

President, Sustainable Mobility Solutions

SAE International

Frank Menchaca is President, Sustainable Mobility Solutions at SAE International, the oldest and largest technical organization for engineering in ground and air transportation. Frank incubated and developed SAE's work in sustainability and has also led the organization's product development, marketing, information publishing, professional learning, events and international business. Frank has a deep background in information products and served as Executive Vice President at Cengage Learning. Frank holds degrees from New York University and Yale University and is a candidate in the Chief Sustainability Officer certification program at MIT. A musician and artist, Frank has released ten records of original music under his own name and in the duo Hourloupe; his visual art practice includes painting and digital media.

Mike Paras

Business Development, Product & Strategic Partnerships Manager Sustainable Mobility Solutions

SAE International

Michael leads Business Development and Partnerships at SAE International in a newly created innovation unit, SAE Sustainable Mobility Solutions.  In this role, Michael develops partnerships across the corporate and academic markets as SAE International creates new technical research products and technical training programs to support SAE’s global stakeholder and member base.  Michael works closely with SAE’s Government Affairs team to support SAE’s work with the U.S. Departments of Transportation and Energy.  Prior to joining SAE International, Michael spent 10 years working in business development and sales in the private sector.   Michael brings unique educational perspective to SAE International as a student of the Liberal Arts, studying English Literature and History at the Pennsylvania State University.

Robert (Bob) L. Galyen

Senior Strategic Consultant & Advisor Retired Chief Technical Officer of CATL (Contemporary Amperex Technology Company Limited)

Robert (Bob) L. Galyen, age 68, is recognized as one of the top executives in the battery energy storage world and within science/engineering-based communities. He is a highly sought-after public speaker as a subject matter expert. His positions as CTO of CATL (the world’s largest battery manufacturer), Chairman of SAE International Battery Standards Steering Committee, also an SAE Fellow, Chairman Emeritus and CTO of NAATbatt International, provides him a unique leadership perspective in the global battery industry. His degrees in chemistry and biology, along with decades of engineering experience and executive roles, provides him a unique view in a leadership or consulting role in cross functional technology areas. He has patents, publications and participates on multiple BOD’s and TAB’s. The 48 years’ international work experience has given him a visionary perspective on worldwide business, making him uniquely qualified as a global energy storage and scientific/engineering community thought leader. His manufacturing experience qualifies him as one of the top Lithium-Ion Battery producers (CATL) and Lead Acid Battery producers (Delco Remy Division of GM) in the world. He presently works with over 8 different battery systems in his consulting roles.

Lukas Neckermann

Managing Director of Neckermann Strategic Advisors

Lukas is the Managing Director of Neckermann Strategic Advisors.  He has over 20 years of leadership experience in automotive, media, and financial services and has worked at BMW and Allianz Group, and recently served as interim COO of Splyt, a high-growth scale-up.

He is an advisor to investors, as well as scale-up companies across the mobility and urban ecosystems including NEXT Modular Transportation, MSCI Thematic Indexes, StreetDrone.

He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Science and Technology Studies from Cornell University, and an MBA from the NYU Stern School of Business. Lukas has been featured in the Financial Times, Wired, Fast Company, Trends.be, Robotics Tomorrow, Quattroruote, Fleet Management Weekly, Fleet Europe and other magazines and newspapers.

Books written or co-authored by Lukas:

The Mobility Revolution (Matador Business Press 2015)

Corporate Mobility Breakthrough 2020 (collaboration with the CVO 2016 and the Matador Business Press 2017)

Smart Cities, Smart Mobility (collaboration with the CVO 2016 and Matador Business Press 2017)

Being Driven (Matador Business Press 2019)

Dr. Abigail Copiaco

Assistant Professor at the University of Dubai (UD)

Dr. Abigail Copiaco obtained her PhD in December 2021 within the Artificial Intelligence, Signal Processing, and Machine Learning fields from the University of Wollongong (UOW) in Australia, garnering the “Examiners’ Commendation Award for Outstanding PhD Thesis”. Accordingly, she had also received her BEng. with Distinction from UOW Dubai in 2017, earning the “Top Graduate” award, which is given to the student acquiring the highest GPA from the graduates roll. Currently, she is an Assistant Professor at the University of Dubai (UD). Alongside this, she is also an active researcher working on international collaborative projects on various applications of Artificial Intelligence. Abigail has over 5 years of experience teaching Electrical, Computer, and Telecommunications engineering subjects. Passionate about teaching and research, she has co-authored 20 publications, and has received three research awards, including winning Best Paper award for two years in a row from a reputable conference. She is also a reviewer for various conferences. Within the duration of her career as an academic, she has received consistent top evaluation ratings, and several awards including Teaching Excellence Award - Highly Commended in 2019, Teaching Excellence Award - Winner in 2020, along with nominations for Passion and Research Excellence Awards in 2020 from UOWD. Further, she has also conducted activities in collaboration with industry companies, such as teaching Artificial Intelligence and Design Thinking workshops by IBM, and supervising interns with Software AG. She is also heavily involved in teaching community workshops aimed for early Engineering students. As a strong believer of continuous professional development, she had acquired two teaching certifications from Swinburne University, and instructor certifications in Artificial Intelligence, and Enterprise Design Thinking with IBM.

Prof. Wathiq Mansoor

Professor of Computer Engineering, Dean of the College of Engineering and IT, and Director of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Free Zone at University of Dubai

Prof. Wathiq Mansoor (Ph.D., M.Sc., B.Sc., IEEE) is a Professor of Computer Engineering, Dean of the College of Engineering and IT, and Director of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Free Zone at University of Dubai. He has an excellent academic leadership experience in well-known universities worldwide. He earned his Ph.D. in computer engineering from Aston University in UK. His doctoral work was on the design and implementations of multiprocessors systems and communications protocols for computer vision applications. He has published many research papers in the area of Artificial Intelligence, Neural Networks, Deep Learning, communication Security, Intelligent Systems, ubiquitous computing, web services. His current research is in Artificial Intelligence, innovation in technology and management, and smart cities focusing on Internet of Things and communications infrastructure and security. He has organized many international and national conferences and workshops. He is an executive member of IEEE UAE section.

Hossam Yahia

CTO/CEO BrightDrive

Hossam is the chief Technical Officer of BrightDrive (www.bright-drive.com), Before that he served as
the CTO of Brightskies (www.brightskiesinc.com) between 2016 and 2023. He has a total of 19 years of
professional experience, most of them in automotive software development. Hossam worked for Valeo
(www.valeo.com) between 2006 and 2016 where he was appointed as a functional safety expert since
2012. He started automotive engineering services in Brightskies by beginning of 2016 and initiated
product development for electrification (BrightBus) and autonomous driving (BrightDrive) programs by
2019 before he moved to be the CEO and CTO of BrightDrive.
Born in 1981 in Cairo, Hossam got his Bachelor of Engineering in Electronics and Electrical
Communications from Cairo University in 2003. He got his MSc. degree in Communications and
Information Technology –Software Engineering from Nile University in 2014.
Hossam authored six conference publications and gave two public speeches in international events
about software safety. He has been a Technical reviewer for safety critical systems at the US Society of
Automotive Engineers (SAE) world congress event since 2012. In addition, he is a worldwide trainer for
automotive functional safety in Egypt, France, Germany, USA, Ireland, Hungary, and Czech Republic.
His experience in automotive systems development and analysis Software, Systems, and functional
Safety engineering for domains like ADAS, Autonomous driving, Body & Chassis, Electric and Hybrid
Powertrain and others.

Dr. Shadi Atalla

Associate professor in Computing and Information Systems of the IT academic department at the College of Engineering and IT, University of Dubai

Dr. Shadi Atalla is an associate professor in Computing and Information Systems of the IT academic department at the College of Engineering and IT, University of Dubai. I am a Data science evangelist and certified big data trainer. I have more than 15 years of teaching and research experiences at university levels and product development in the industry. He has contributed to several European research projects where he played roles as Researcher and Data Product Engineer. My research interests focus on assessing the performance of big data platforms and data science algorithms, data science curriculum development and teaching, artificial intelligence, business intelligence and business case development, and Internet of Thing (the main topic of his Post-Doc research). I was Research Fellow with Pervasive Technologies Research Group, Istituto Superiore Mario Boella, Turin, Italy during 2012-2015. I have published several papers in international scientific journals and international conferences. AlI am also the chair of computer society of IEEE UAE. My primary area of research is in Computing Information Systems. I categorized my research interest into three streams - a) Internet of things, b) Data sciences, and c) high-performance networks. Majority of my research activities (published manuscripts and graduate supervision) are confined (but not limited) within these areas. These areas are my major research interest and expertise. The interest in these research streams were developed during my doctoral degree time, and since then I have expanded and explored richer problems within these streams. The effects of industrial revolution 4.0 are making these research areas relevant and opening more opportunities for future research. I also augment my research interest by serving as technical committee members and reviewers on several reputed Scopus journals such as – Journal of Network and Computer Applications, International Journal of Advanced Computer Science and Applications, International Conference on Data Science and Information Technology.

Dr. Husameldin Mukhtar

Associate Professor and Director of Research at UD

Dr. Husameldin Mukhtar (S’08–M’15–SM’19) received his Ph.D. degree in communication engineering from Khalifa University (KU), Abu Dhabi, UAE in 2015. He obtained the B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees in electrical engineering from the American University of Sharjah, UAE in 2004 and 2010, respectively. Prior to his graduate studies, he worked as a Project Engineer in the field of electronic security and video surveillance in Dubai, UAE from 2005 to 2008. After obtaining his PhD, he joined the Visual Signal Analysis and Processing Research Center at KU as a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow from 2015 to 2017. Dr. Husameldin joined University of Dubai (UD) as Assistant Professor in 2017. Currently, he is an Associate Professor and Director of Research at UD. He won several research awards of around as Principal Investigator for projects in Wireless Communications and Autonomous Vehicles. He is also a member of the supervisory team of UD research labs for remote sensing and cyber security. Dr. Husameldin is a Senior IEEE Member and is currently the IEEE UAE Section secretary. He was also the Chair of the IEEE Communications and Signal Processing Joint Chapter in UAE from 2018 to 2021. His research interests include wireless communications, error control coding, and image/video analysis and processing.

Dr. Diana Dawoud

Assistant professor at the University of Dubai

Dr. Diana Dawoud (linkedin.com/in/dianadawoud) is a University of Surrey PhD graduate whose current research interests are the physical layer aspects of optical communication systems, digital signal processing for communications and internet of things systems . Dawoud completed her bachelor in electrical engineering at the University of Jordan (UJ), Amman, Jordan. Then, she joined the department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) at Applied Science University, Amman, Jordan, as a laboratory engineer and started working toward her master degree at UJ. Prior to undertaking her doctoral studies at the Institute for Communication Systems (ICS) of the University of Surrey, Guildford, UK, she taught for four years at the EESC Department at Khalifa University, Abu Dhabi, UAE. Currently, she is an assistant professor at the University of Dubai. Dr. Dawoud has served as a reviewer of several manuscripts for IEEE transactions on communication, IEEE communication letters, and flagship IEEE conferences such as ICCC. She is a member of IEEE, IEEE women in engineering, IEEE women in communication engineering and Jordanian Engineers Association. As well as the IEEE educational activities chair at UAE section. Dr. Dawoud has a pending patent application on optical communication systems and authored and co-authored several research papers published in international high ranked journals and conferences

Ahmed Elsergany

Researcher M.S., American University of Sharjah, Sharjah, UAE, 2023

Ahmed Elsergany was born in 1998, in Alexandria, Egypt. He received his B.Sc. degree (summa cum laude) in Mechanical Engineering from the American University of Sharjah in 2020.

In September 2020, he joined the Mechanical Engineering master's program in the American University of Sharjah as a graduate research assistant. During his master's study, he co-authored two papers which were published in international journals and conferences. His research interests include, Sensor Fusion, Autonomous Vehicles, Dynamics and Control, Artificial Intelligence, and Estimation Theory in multidisciplinary setting.

Mamoun F. Abdel-Hafez

Professor Ph.D., University of California, Los Angeles, USA, 2003

Mamoun F. Abdel-Hafez received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Jordan University of Science and Technology in 1997, his M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee in 1999, and his Ph.D. degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in 2003. In 2003, he served as a Postdoctoral Research Associate with the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, UCLA, where he was involved in a research project on fault-tolerant autonomous multiple aircraft landing.

Dr. Abdel-Hafez is the author and co-author of 77 journal and conference papers. He received several international awards. He was among a research group who received the 2002 NASA Public Service Group Achievement Award. He also received the 2002 NASA Peer Award. He received two best presentation awards from the Institute of Navigation. Dr. Abdel-Hafez was among a group that won the 2nd place of the Dubai Self-Driving World Congress in 2021. Additionally, He was leading a team that was declared the national winner of the UAE Robotics/AI for Good Competition in 2017.

Dr. Abdel-Hafez is an IEEE senior member and a member of the UAE ASME section leadership team. Additionally, he is a member of the leadership team for the UAE IEEE section of the Robotics and Automation Society. He gave many invited and panel talks at local and regional conferences.

Dr. Mohammad A. Jaradat

professor in Mechanical Engineering & Mechatronics Engineering programs - American University of Sharjah (AUS)

A professor in Mechanical Engineering & Mechatronics Engineering programs - American University of Sharjah (AUS). received his master’s and Ph.D. degrees in mechanical engineering from Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA, and received his B.Sc. degree from Jordan University of Science & Technology (JUST), Jordan. His scientific experience has resulted in many projects, awards, patents, and publications, where he is an author and co-author of more than eighty journal and conference publications specialized in the following research tracks: developing innovative robotics solutions/ platforms; Intelligent robot path planning, motion control and obstacles avoidance; Intelligent sensor fusion, robot navigation and localization; Computational Intelligence and intelligent control. Dr. Jaradat scholarly activities and projects were continuously recognized, such as receiving the Arab Researchers Award by Abdul Hameed Shoman Foundation (AHSF), in the area of Robotics and Intelligent Systems within the engineering field, Jordan, 2015. He was among the team who won UAE- AI and Robotics for Good Awards, In-pipe Inspection Robot, national category, Dubai, UAE, 2016. Among the team who won the second place at self-driving transport world challenge- local academic robot category at the Dubai World Challenge for Self-Driving Transport, Dubai, 2021. And received Hisham Hijjawi Award for Applied Science in the Field of Information Technology & Communications/ Robotics & Control, Jordan, 2009. He also serves as an associate editor and referee for many journals, conferences and activities in his research areas.

Wasim M. F.  Al-Masri

Instructor MS, American University of Sharjah, UAE, 2016

Wasim Al-Masri received a B.S. degree in mechanical engineering (minor) in mechatronics from the Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan, in 2014, and an M.S. degree in mechatronics engineering from the American University of Sharjah, Sharjah, UAE, in 2016. He got professional training in King Abdullah II Design and Development Bureau, Amman, Jordan, in 2013. He is currently an Instructor with the Department of Mechanical Engineering, American University of Sharjah, Sharjah, UAE. His teaching areas include computer applications for mechanical engineers, dynamics and control lab, introduction to mechatronics, and programming. His current research interests include sensor fusion, state estimation, control theory, robotics, unmanned aerial vehicles, and mechatronics design.

Ali Wadi

Lab Instructor M.Sc., American University of Sharjah, Sharjah, UAE. 2017

Ali Wadi, an IEEE member, received his B.Sc. (cum laude) and M.Sc. degrees in Mechanical Engineering from the American University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, in 2015 and 2017, respectively.

He is currently a Laboratory Instructor with the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the American University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. He is involved in teaching at the undergraduate and graduate levels. He is responsible for the day-to-day activities of the mechatronics center. His teaching and research interests span the areas of robotics, modelling, nonlinear dynamics, control systems, drug delivery systems, stochastic estimation, and sensor fusion. He authored and co-authored over 25 papers that appear in leading refereed journals and conference proceedings.

Akbar Qamar

Electronics Student - University of Bolton

Akbar is an Electronics Student and Hobbyist with a passion for RF with RAHRF101 Certification, high-speed Hardware Design while having a passion for designing and building circuits. Experienced in PCB Design and Hardware testing of Circuits.

He has led many competitions ranging from robotics to innovation challenges. He is dedicated to finding practical solutions to real-world problems, and his passion for electronics drives him to keep learning and pushing the boundaries of what is possible.

Iftakhar Ahmed

Software Engineering student - University of Bolton

A passionate and motivated Software Engineering student with high expertise in web development technologies and programming languages. I have high expertise in web technologies including React JS, Node JS, Express JS, HTML, PHP, CSS, JavaScript and Tailwind CSS & programming languages such as Python, Java and C#.

Also experienced in DBMS technologies such as MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB and Supabase.

Jainey Erum

Civil engineer - University of Bolton

Jainey Ram Erum is a 19-year-old result oriented aspiring civil engineer that is precise and attentive to details on all aspects of her work. She is deeply committed to making a positive impact on the world through her work. She believes that engineering can be a powerful tool for creating sustainable and equitable solutions to global challenges and is dedicated to using her skills and knowledge to make a difference.

With her passion for learning, dedication to her field, and commitment to making a positive impact on the world, Jainey is sure to achieve great things in the years to come.

Muhammad Zaid

Software engineer - University of Bolton

As a software engineer, I possess a deep passion for technology and its potential to drive innovation and solve complex problems. I have a strong foundation in programming languages such as Java, Python, and C#.

In addition to my technical skills, I am a strategic thinker with a strong attention to detail. I have a keen ability to analyse and solve problems efficiently and creatively, and I am always seeking to improve my skills and knowledge through self-learning and collaboration with colleagues.

Overall, I am a driven and ambitious software engineer with a proven track record of success in academic and professional settings. I am eager to take on new challenges and contribute my skills and expertise to the development of innovative software solutions.

Mohammed Nihaal

Software engineer - University of Bolton

Nihaal is an ambitious Software Engineering student at the University of Bolton. With expertise in modern web app development and proficiency in backend languages like PHP and Python, he excels in building robust and dynamic web applications.

His skill set extends to various database management systems, ensuring efficient data storage and retrieval. With a passion for continuous learning and a drive to excel, he aspires to become a versatile full-stack developer, delivering innovative solutions that push the boundaries of web development.

Zoe Varma

Computer Science student - University of Bolton

An aspiring Computer Science student studying at the University of Bolton with a robust background in web development languages like PHP, HTML, SQL, JavaScript and CSS and has good expertise programming languages such as Python and Java. I am also skilled in creating user interfaces which are aesthetically appealing.

Driven to pursue a career in Ethical Hacking, I firmly believe in the importance of privacy and safeguarding personal information online. Always committed and striving to be the best, I aspire to contribute to the development in the field of Cyber Security.

Faiz Sami Syed

Robotics student - Heriot-Watt University

Faiz Syed, a 2nd-year Robotics student, is skilled in Java, Lua, C#, ladder programming, and C language. As TrackManiacks' president, he excels in technical sketch artistry, project oversight, idea analysis, and algorithm development. His expertise spans web development, industrial manufacturing machinery, API creation, and OpenAI software integration. Faiz-Syed's ambition is evident in his professional experience and a third-place finish at Abu Dhabi's 4x4 RC Yas Marina competition. He stresses the significance of secure technology, quoting Marc Kenigsberg: "Blockchain is the tech. Bitcoin is merely the first mainstream manifestation of its potential.

Madihah Anaum 

Robotics Engineering student - Heriot-Watt University

Madihah is a passionate third-year Robotics Engineering student at Heriot-Watt University. Her exceptional skills in programming, AI, and 3D modeling and design, drive her to create innovative and captivating projects. As the President of the Engineering Society at Heriot Watt, she excels at organizing informative and enjoyable events that fosters an environment that nurtures personal growth and professional development of her peers. Madihah's impressive problem-solving abilities were evident when she and her team secured a remarkable 3rd place in the prestigious 4x4 Car competition at Yas Marina. With a keen interest in IoT, Madihah actively contributes her talents and knowledge, particularly in enhancing user experience in self-driving buses. Her distinct perspective to improving existing systems make her an invaluable asset, as she looks forward to making an invaluable impact in her society.

Navya Thampan

EEE (Hons) - Heriot-Watt University

Navya Thampan is a recent EEE (Hons) Graduate from Heriot Watt who is skilled in Python, C, SQL, and has profound knowledge in mathematics. As a previous finalist of the GITEX x AI Everything HighFlyer 2021, she uses her extensive knowledge of AI to push through boundaries with innovation and creativity in technological implementations. She has successfully published conference papers in the field of Object Detection and Recognition and has completed her dissertation in the topic of Intelligent/Automation Systems, which won the Phoenix Contact Middle East Award. Her role within the team encompasses a variety of critical areas such as algorithm development, computer vision and interactions, as well as UNITY VR development. Navya is always eager to learn and explore new technology. She hopes to make significant contribution to the success of the project and set a standard for future challenges.

Johan Thomas

Computer science student - Heriot-Watt University

Johan John Thomas is a second-year computer science student with a strong programming background. With expertise in Java, JavaScript, C#, C, Dart, Python, and SQL, Johan has proven to be a versatile programmer. He focuses on designing engaging interfaces using Flutter and Unity, demonstrating his ability to work with different programming frameworks and tools. Johan is dedicated to learning and exploring new technologies, and greatly looks forward to displaying the best of his ability.

Joseph Abdo

Robotics student - Heriot-Watt University

Joseph is a second year Robotics student at Heriot Watt University. During his school years Joseph trained in Arduino, C++ and experimented with various sensor equipment, his team won with their canset second place in the worldwide iFest Competition 2020.  In the first year at Heriot Watt, Joseph and the trackmaniacs team competed in the 4x4 RC car competition and won 3rd place. Joseph has expertise in Java, Lua, C, C#, C++, 3d Modeling, Design and some experience in 3d Printing. Joseph has had experience in 3d modeling and has modeled and created renders of some of his models and is still continuing to learn more about the 3d software world. Joseph has also had some experience in coding and creating models in the software Unity.

Majid Khonji

Assistant Professor - Khalifa University

Majid Khonji is an assistant professor in the EECS department at Khalifa University, UAE, a Research Affiliate with MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL), USA, and leading research activities of the autonomous vehicle laboratory (www.avlab.io) at KUCARS. He received his MSc degree in Security, Cryptology, and Coding of Information Systems from Ensimag, Grenoble Institute of Technology, France, and PhD in Interdisciplinary Engineering from Masdar Institute, UAE, in collaboration with MIT in 2016. Previously, he was a visiting professor at MIT CSAIL, a senior R&D technologist at Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), and an information security researcher at Emirates Advanced Investment Group (EAIG). Email: majid.khonji(at)ku.ac.ae

Riyadh

Research Engineer - Khalifa University

Riyadh received his Bachelor of Computer Engineering degree from the University of Wollongong in Dubai and is dedicated to advancing the fields of autonomous vehicles, robotics and wireless communications. He is currently working on the development of an autonomous shuttle, this project involves the integration of risk aware planning and perception technologies to create a self-driving vehicle. His previous research work lies in the field of LoRa wireless communication resources optimization and improving channel allocation.

Arjun

Research Engineer - Khalifa University

Arjun is a Robotics Mechanical Engineer at Autonomous Vehicle Laboratory; He specializes in mechanisms and mechanical design of robotic systems. He graduated with an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Khalifa University. His research focuses on robotic systems’ design, testing, and operation. Arjun has led hardware development for several novel robotic systems, including intelligent loading and unloading mechanisms, a drive-by-wire robotic system, and many more. In addition, he has experience working in the international laboratory, such as the S2TS Lab for advanced microchannel heat exchangers at the University of Maryland College Park, USA.

Murad Smreteab

Master Students - Khalifa University

Murad Smreteab received his Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering from Khalifa University with the highest honors in January 2021. He is currently pursuing his master’s degree in computer science at Khalifa University. His main areas of research are Machine learning, Deep learning, and Autonomous driving. His master’s thesis is focused on pedestrian behavior prediction and safe navigation around pedestrians. Murad is a member of IEEE Eta Kappa Nu at Khalifa university since 2018 and a member of the Golden Key honor society since 2020. Outside the classroom, he occasionally participates in competitions. In 2018, he won second place in the National Huawei ICT competition in UAE and represented the UAE in the middle east ICT competition. Moreover, he won third place in capture the flag group competition in UAE. As an intern, he worked at Gamalearn as Microsoft PowerApps and flow developer. He also has experience as a teaching assistant at khalifa university working as a primary C++ lab instructor and assistant data structures lab instructor. Outside academia he is actively involved in sports, representing Khalifa university both in football and volleyball. In his free time he enjoys playing sports and watching movies.

Abiel Fissehatsion

Master Student - Khalifa University

Abiel Fissehatsion received his Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering from Khalifa University in May 2021. He is currently pursuing his master’s degree in computer science at Khalifa University. His main areas of research are Artificial intelligence, Machine learning, Deep learning, and Autonomous driving. His master’s thesis is focused on Deep reinforcement learning for autonomous vehicles safe behavioral planning. He is also actively engaged as a teaching assistant at Khalifa university working as a primary lab instructor.

Awet Mekonen

Master Student - Khalifa University

Awet Mekonen received his Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering from Khalifa University in May 2021. He is currently pursuing his master’s degree in computer science at Khalifa University. His main areas of research are Artificial intelligence, Machine learning, Deep learning, and Autonomous driving. His master’s thesis is focused on Multi agent constrained deep reinforcement learning for autonomous vehicles safe behavioral planning. He is also actively engaged as a teaching assistant at Khalifa university working as a primary lab instructor.

Alexander Nase

Managing Director of FEV Consulting

Alexander Nase is a highly accomplished professional serving as the Managing Director of FEV Consulting, a renowned global management consultancy specializing in the automotive, mobility and energy sectors.

Throughout his 20-plus years long career, Nase has been at the forefront of shaping the future of mobility. He has been instrumental in advising leading automotive companies on embracing emerging technologies such as electric vehicles, autonomous driving, and connectivity solutions.

Having earned a dual master’s degree in mechanical engineering and business administration from the Technical University of Darmstadt in Germany and being an Alumni of the Harvard Business School, Mr. Nase possesses a deep understanding of the technical as well as strategic aspects that drive innovation in the transport industry and beyond.

Prior to founding FEV Consulting, Mr. Nase was working as an Interim Manager for Airbus and Liebherr Aerospace. He started his professional career at Daimler in Research & Development.

Beyond his role as Managing Director, Mr. Nase is a sought-after speaker and thought leader in the automotive and mobility sectors.
He actively participates in industry conferences, sharing his expertise and insights on the future of transportation.