Panel on Economic Development
Panelists
James Fanbumi
Panelist
Dr. James A. Fabunmi obtained his Ph.D. in Aeronautical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1978, and has been a Research Engineer at Kaman Aerospace Corporation, Faculty member of Aerospace Engineering at University of Maryland College Park, Founder/Owner of the Advanced Engineering Design and Research (AEDAR) Corporation and Consultant to Major Industry, Government Agencies, Innovation Companies and Universities. He has provided scientific and technical advisory services to various program elements of the United States Department of Defense, and developed initiatives and participated in the conduct of Scientific and Engineering Research and Development in collaboration with Industry, Academia and Government. He is currently the Chief Operating Officer of the American Heritage Defense Corporation (AHDC), a Washington DC 501(c)3 think tank engaged in consulting and advocacy on innovation driven entrepreneurship and diversity. He is the founder of the Adulawo Institute and a co-founder of AWENI the Association of Western Nigeria Innovators – “The Game Changers” for Innovation and Economic Development of Western Nigeria. He is the author of the book “From Brain Power to Economic Power” available on Amazon at:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1796347728
Radu Andrei
Panelist
Mr. Radu Andrei is a Primary Examiner with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in Alexandria, Virginia, U.S.A. His primary focus is on examining patent applications in the area of Business Methods, which deals, among others, with a series of emerging technologies, including Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), Blockchain technologies and Smart Contracts. By now, he has been with the USPTO for over ten years.
Radu has degrees in Electric Engineering and Business Administration (Henley Management College, UK), and has worked for several decades in the private industry for semiconductor companies (Hitachi and Motorola), a micro-display company (Three-Five Systems), a semiconductor distribution company in Europe and a series of market research companies in the U.S.A. Radu also has significant expertise and experience in developing computer and microcontroller architectures and configurations. Totally, he has more than two decades of management experience, having been in several executive positions and having worked for companies in three countries, on three different continents: Germany, U.S.A., and Japan. Radu has been a presenter at numerous conferences throughout continental Europe, as well as in Silicon Valey (U.S.A.), Dallas (Texas, U.S.A), Edinburgh (UK) and Istanbul (Türkiye).
Mike Smith
Panelist
Michael H. Smith (Senior Member, IEEE) received the first M.S. degree in engineering, the second M.S. degree in business administration, and the Ph.D. degree in engineering from the University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA, in 1976, 1976, and 1994, respectively.,He is currently the Chairman of the Board of Furaxa, Inc., Orinda, CA, USA, a biotech company. His research interests include brain–computer interface systems, AI, and robotics.,Dr. Smith was a recipient of the IEEE SMC Joseph G. Wohl Outstanding Career Award. He has served as the Honorary General Chair, Chair, or the Co-Chair of the first ten IEEE SMC Workshops on Brain–Machine Interface Systems. He serves on the Advisory Board of UC Berkeley’s Center for Neural Engineering and Prostheses. He is also a Senior Advisor of the IEEE Brain Initiative. He served as the President of the Intelligent Robotics Corporation, the IEEE Systems, Man, and Cybernetics Society from 2002 to 2003, and the North American Fuzzy Information Processing Society
Kathy Grise
Panelist
Kathy Grise, Senior Program Director – IEEE Future Directions, supports new and emerging initiatives, including cloud computing, big data, digital realities, AI/ML, digital twins, digital transformation, and quantum, supports IEEE Future Directions, and manages the digital presence team for Future Directions. Ms. Grise serves as the Technical Program Chair of the IEEE COMPSAC 2024 Symposium – Data Sciences, Analytics, & Technologies (DSAT). Prior to joining the IEEE staff, Ms. Grise held numerous positions at IBM, and most recently was a Senior Engineering Manager for Process Design Kit Enablement in the IBM Semiconductor Research and Development Center. Ms. Grise led the overall IT infrastructure implementation, and software development in support of semiconductor device modeling verification, packaging, and delivery; device measurement and characterization data collection and management, and automation for device modeling
engineers. Ms. Grise is a graduate of Washington and Jefferson College, and an IEEE Senior member.
Okyay Kaynak
Panelist
Okyay Kaynak received the B.Sc. degree with first class honors and Ph.D. degrees in electronic and electrical engineering from the University of Birmingham, UK, in 1969 and 1972 respectively.,From 1972 to 1979, he held various positions within the industry. In 1979, he joined the Bogazici University, Istanbul, Turkey, where he is currently a Professor Emeritus. He has hold long-term (near to or more than a year) Visiting Professor/Scholar positions at various institutions in Japan, Germany, U.S., Singapore, and China. His current research interests are in the broad field of intelligent systems. He has authored three books, edited five and authored or co-authored more than 450 papers that have appeared in various journals and conference proceedings.,Dr. Kaynak has served as the Editor in Chief of IEEE Trans. on Industrial Informatics and IEEE/ASME Trans. on Mechatronics, as well as the Co-Editor in Chief of IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics. He presently serves as the Editor in Chief of the Springer Journal; Discover Artificial Intelligence and IEEE Trans. on Industrial Cyber-Physical Systems.,Dr. Kaynak received has received several awards, including the prestigious Humboldt Research Prize (2016). Most recently, in 2020, he was awarded the Academy Prize of Turkish Academy of Sciences.