Humanities & Social Sciences

Esteemed speakers contributing their insights into human culture, behavior, and societal development

Rebecca Grier

Rebecca Grier

Rebecca Grier, Ph.D. is a behavioural scientist with 20 years experience in product development across various business sectors. Most recently she was the lead for Customer-Driven: EMEA at Microsoft, with the goal to change product making culture to be more customer obsessed. Previously she moved Ford to consider people with disabilities in the design of their autonomous vehicles and the US DoD to include user experience in testing of systems. She currently lives in Dublin with her husband and son.

Rebecca Grier, Ph.D. is a behavioural scientist with 20 years experience in product development across various business sectors. Most recently she was the lead for Customer-Driven: EMEA at Microsoft, with the goal to change product making culture to ... Show more

Anastasiya Zhu

Anastasiya Zhu

Synergy creator | Initiator Generalist | All-rounder | With people. For people.
I am an Employer Branding Specialist & your personal HR Business Partner. I stand for diversity, equity & inclusion. Passionate about exploring future trends, digitalization & technologies, and their innovational potential for business developments and society.

Synergy creator | Initiator Generalist | All-rounder | With people. For people. I am an Employer Branding Specialist & your personal HR Business Partner. I stand for diversity, equity & inclusion. Passionate about exploring future trends, digitaliza... Show more

Adit Gupta

Adit Gupta

Adit Gupta is a seasoned design leader and entrepreneur with a deep-rooted passion for mathematics and philosophy. For over 15 years, he has driven high-impact design initiatives across a wide spectrum of industries — from education and travel to payments, retail, finance, health, and customer experience.
As Director of Product Design at ServiceNow, Adit built and scaled world-class design teams while shaping products that serve millions of users globally. Today, he's the founder of BookStates—a reading companion that helps people track and discover books through intelligent, intuitive design.Adit believes the most meaningful products emerge where

Adit Gupta is a seasoned design leader and entrepreneur with a deep-rooted passion for mathematics and philosophy. For over 15 years, he has driven high-impact design initiatives across a wide spectrum of industries — from education and travel to pay... Show more

Sam Cranford

Sam Cranford

Long-time agile jiggler, eXtreme programmer and agile catalyst, amateur bon vivant. Bilingual EN/FR - fr_US

Long-time agile jiggler, eXtreme programmer and agile catalyst, amateur bon vivant. Bilingual EN/FR - fr_US Show more

Lana Lesik

Lana Lesik

With my two core strengths - I'm a psychologist and a full-stack developer - I have a keen eye for both technical aspects and team dynamics. In startups or large-scale projects, my contribution extends beyond code — I’m dedicated to accompanying organizations through their digital and cultural transformations.
Passionate about DX and designing solutions that empower users and adapt to diverse environments.

With my two core strengths - I'm a psychologist and a full-stack developer - I have a keen eye for both technical aspects and team dynamics. In startups or large-scale projects, my contribution extends beyond code — I’m dedicated to accompanying orga... Show more

Justin Paluku Mbunzule

Justin Paluku Mbunzule

Justin Paluku is an IT Specialist and currently taking the MIT MacroMasters Data science course. Justin was born in May 1991, in Butembo, eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo where he was forced to flee to Uganda in 2012 looking for safety.

To support refugee and low income communities to access quality education and advanced technology in Africa, Justin has founded an organisation named Up With Africa based in Uganda.

About his work engagement, Justin has worked as a Research Enumerator with the University of Oxford - Refugee Study Center on a Refugee Economy Study in Uganda in 2018, where he successfully conducted interviews with 123 adult refugees from different slums and households.

Justin has also worked on many projects with the University of Toronto (for 6 years) in Uganda such as: refugees reproductive health, stress management and Virtual Reality as an mental health intervention, managing communication from online systems to refugees' WhatsApp massaging as part of the study.

Additionally, Justin has worked in refugee settlements in Uganda like Nakivale, Kyaka II, Bidibidi and Kiryandongo where he supported the creation of ICT, Entrepreneurship and Conflicts Resolution online course contents for refugees to learn remotely.

Justin Paluku is an IT Specialist and currently taking the MIT MacroMasters Data science course. Justin was born in May 1991, in Butembo, eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo where he was forced to flee to Uganda in 2012 looking for safet... Show more

Kim Escobedo

Kim Escobedo

Kim es una ingeniera con una visión holística del liderazgo. Su enfoque se centra en el desarrollo integral de las personas, combinando habilidades técnicas con habilidades blandas como la comunicación efectiva, la resolución de conflictos y la inteligencia emocional. Con más de 17 años de experiencia en la industria IT y certificaciones en la metodología Agile y una maestría en Neuroliderazgo y Coaching Cognitivo, Kim ha demostrado su capacidad para transformar equipos y organizaciones.

Kim es una ingeniera con una visión holística del liderazgo. Su enfoque se centra en el desarrollo integral de las personas, combinando habilidades técnicas con habilidades blandas como la comunicación efectiva, la resolución de conflictos y la intel... Show more

Frank Köhne

Frank Köhne

Frank Köhne is co-head of viadee's Data Science division. He has a research background and has spent the last 15 years coordinating the company's collaborations with universities in the region, but he has also spent a lot of time on software development and architecture, often in insurance or logistics.
He is currently leading a BMBF-funded consortium with the goal of leveraging process workarounds in the context of Industry 4.0 for process innovation.

Frank Köhne is co-head of viadee's Data Science division. He has a research background and has spent the last 15 years coordinating the company's collaborations with universities in the region, but he has also spent a lot of time on software developm... Show more

Vijeta Pai

Vijeta Pai

I'm a Program Manager and Technical Evangelist with experience implementing strategies and trainings globally to provide competitive edge to organizations in diverse, evolving customer environments. Championing a personal brand of empathy, trust and reliability, I've managed cross-functional teams in India and the US to deliver operational excellence on mission-critical programs and drive innovation using adaptive communications. Currently I'm working on my passion to demystify Cloud technologies using web comics, animated videos; harnessing the power of storytelling and analogies. A storyteller and technical enthusiast by heart, I want to use my experience to grow, give back to the profession and make technology accessible, fast, scalable and reliable.

I'm a Program Manager and Technical Evangelist with experience implementing strategies and trainings globally to provide competitive edge to organizations in diverse, evolving customer environments. Championing a personal brand of empathy, trust and ... Show more

Prashanthi Matam

Prashanthi Matam

Hi everyone, I’m Prashanthi Matam. I have 7 years of experience as a senior software engineer having worked at companies like Discover, Goldman Sachs, Capgemini, and Enel X, where I leveraged cutting-edge technologies such as AWS, JavaScript, and Python. My background in Computer Science, combined with hands-on expertise in building ML model tracking systems, dynamic logging frameworks, and automated credential management, has equipped me with a comprehensive understanding of AI-enhanced testing frameworks. Additionally, as the former Vice-Chairman of ACM, Mentor for Mozilla Firefox, Redhat.I developed strong leadership skills that I bring to every project. Today, I'll be discussing how AI-driven testing frameworks can revolutionize real-time data analysis and ML model deployment, monitoring.

Hi everyone, I’m Prashanthi Matam. I have 7 years of experience as a senior software engineer having worked at companies like Discover, Goldman Sachs, Capgemini, and Enel X, where I leveraged cutting-edge technologies such as AWS, JavaScript, and Pyt... Show more

Arthit Suriyawongkul

Arthit Suriyawongkul

I'm a PhD candidate in topic of AI governance at Trinity College Dublin, funded by Research Ireland Centre for Research Training in Digitally-Enhanced Reality (d-real). I also volunteer for Thai Netizen Network, a digital civil rights group based in Bangkok, and help maintain SPDX system bill of materials projects.

My interest is in software engineering standards and how it can facilitate interactions between the technical layer and the legal layer for an accountable AI. Part of my PhD work is around system trustworthiness and accountability vocabulary.

I'm a PhD candidate in topic of AI governance at Trinity College Dublin, funded by Research Ireland Centre for Research Training in Digitally-Enhanced Reality (d-real). I also volunteer for Thai Netizen Network, a digital civil rights group based in ... Show more

Massimiliano Luca

Massimiliano Luca

I am a Senior Researcher at Bruno Kessler Foundation and Chief Scientific Officer at Pulse.io. I obtained my PhD in November 2023 from the Faculty of Computer Science at the Free University of Bolzano. During my PhD, I was a Visitor Researcher at MIT Connection Science and a Visiting Ph.D. Student at CSIC-IFISC. I am currently working on socially aware foundation models, human-intelligent agents cooperation and spatially-aware deep learning for urban, transportation and mobility.

I am a Senior Researcher at Bruno Kessler Foundation and Chief Scientific Officer at Pulse.io. I obtained my PhD in November 2023 from the Faculty of Computer Science at the Free University of Bolzano. During my PhD, I was a Visitor Researcher at MI... Show more

Oliver Larsson

Oliver Larsson

My PhD journey in the cold of northern Sweden has led me down a path to much of the latest cloud-native tech. Between that and my somewhat alarmingly high interest in homelabbing, I really live in the cloud-native ecosystem. But those are just side-hustles, cat-dad is my main occupation.

My PhD journey in the cold of northern Sweden has led me down a path to much of the latest cloud-native tech. Between that and my somewhat alarmingly high interest in homelabbing, I really live in the cloud-native ecosystem. But those are just side-h... Show more

James Donahue

James Donahue

Raise in Nashville, Tennessee, settled in Hamburg, Germany, with a few other continents in between. My academic background is macroeconomics, with a focus on Bayesian methods and labor market dynamics. I am currently working with AWS Cloud applications, trying to find a good compost system, and still drinking too much coffee.

Raise in Nashville, Tennessee, settled in Hamburg, Germany, with a few other continents in between. My academic background is macroeconomics, with a focus on Bayesian methods and labor market dynamics. I am currently working with AWS Cloud applicatio... Show more

Andrea Civile

Andrea Civile

Andrea Civile is a Ph.D. candidate in Linguistics and Language Teaching at the University for Foreigners of Perugia. His research focuses on pragmatic competence and cultural shock in the teaching of Italian as a foreign language, with a cross-cultural approach involving data collection in Brazil and Japan. He is a member of the Grupo de Pesquisa "Pragmática (inter)linguística, cross-cultural e intercultural" at the University of São Paulo and participates in the Online Courses in Italian Language and Culture research group at the University for Foreigners of Perugia. Andrea has extensive experience in Italian language education, having taught at institutions such as the Italian Cultural Institute of Tokyo and the University of Tokyo. He currently serves as a Language Expert at the University for Foreigners of Perugia.

Andrea Civile is a Ph.D. candidate in Linguistics and Language Teaching at the University for Foreigners of Perugia. His research focuses on pragmatic competence and cultural shock in the teaching of Italian as a foreign language, with a cross-cultur... Show more

Christopher Nocera Walg

Christopher Nocera Walg

Christopher ist maßgeblich am Aufbau sowie an der Entwicklung der ONE Business & Technology GmbH beteiligt und verantwortet dort die methodischen Beratungsschwerpunkte. ONE ist eine innovative Beratung, die in außergewöhnlichem Maße von seiner Begeisterung für moderne Organisationsformen und agile Führungsstile profitiert. Agilität begleitet Christopher schon seit mehr als 10 Jahren, vom Startup bis zum Großkonzern. Als Berater und Organisationsentwickler begegnet er heute unterschiedlichen Organisationsmodellen und ist somit von Haus aus dem ständigen Perspektivwechsel ausgesetzt. Mit Leidenschaft begleitet er Transformationen hin zu Agilität und Selbstorganisation, gestaltet digitale Produktorganisationen und berät Führungskräfte im strategischen Management.

Christopher ist maßgeblich am Aufbau sowie an der Entwicklung der ONE Business & Technology GmbH beteiligt und verantwortet dort die methodischen Beratungsschwerpunkte. ONE ist eine innovative Beratung, die in außergewöhnlichem Maße von seiner Begeis... Show more

Dr. Amanda Fernandez

Dr. Amanda Fernandez

Dr. Amanda Fernandez is a seasoned education leader with a dynamic career spanning traditional district and county office roles, charter schools, and higher education. She brings extensive experience in designing and leading programs that elevate student achievement, educator development, and organizational effectiveness.

Dr. Fernandez has successfully led cross-functional departments, developed teacher mentoring programs, and collaborated with the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) as part of a multi-industry task force to design innovative credentialing pathways. Her work reflects a deep commitment to building sustainable systems that support both teaching and leadership pipelines.

Currently serving as Chief Fiscal Officer for a network of charter schools, Dr. Fernandez oversees financial operations, strategic budgeting, and alignment of fiscal resources with educational priorities. She also leads the Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) process and facilitates the Parent Advisory Committee, ensuring inclusive engagement and data-driven decision-making.

A Board Certified Coach (BCC) and ACSA Leadership Coach, Dr. Fernandez is passionate about empowering education leaders to create cultures of trust, learning, and impact, where feedback is valued, teams are developed, and every dollar advances student success.

Dr. Amanda Fernandez is a seasoned education leader with a dynamic career spanning traditional district and county office roles, charter schools, and higher education. She brings extensive experience in designing and leading programs that elevate stu... Show more

Simon Juma

Simon Juma

I'm an renowned author in biology mainly specializing in botany. Additionally I'm also a cyber security authentic mainly specializing in penetration testing and nertwork security.

I'm an renowned author in biology mainly specializing in botany. Additionally I'm also a cyber security authentic mainly specializing in penetration testing and nertwork security. Show more

Matthew Oluwaniyi

Matthew Oluwaniyi

Matthew is passionate about helping individual and organizational talent unlock their full potential and embrace the transformative power of digital innovation. With over a decade of experience in cloud architecture, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence, he specializes in the design and implementation of digital ecosystems driven by efficiency, security, and data-driven decision-making.
Matthew is an experienced consultant and trainer dedicated to capacity development, helping organizations and teams succeed in today's fast-changing digital environment with the necessary tools and strategies. With postgraduate degrees in Project Management and Manpower Training and Development, his holistic approach assures the achievement of sustainable progress and a competitive advantage, whether leading cloud migrations, improving cybersecurity frameworks, or driving the adoption of artificial intelligence. He is dedicated to transforming digital landscapes and helping organizations stay ahead of the curve.

Matthew is passionate about helping individual and organizational talent unlock their full potential and embrace the transformative power of digital innovation. With over a decade of experience in cloud architecture, cybersecurity, and artificial int... Show more

Falene McKenna

Falene McKenna

Falene McKenna is a product manager with a strong background in software development, conversational experience design, and data analysis. Specializing in Robot VUIs, she is passionate about using technology, particularly social robots and Conversational AI, to improve people's lives.

Coming from a background Linguistics, Falene began her Social Robotics career at Intuition Robotics, working on their flagship project ElliQ—an AI-powered social companion robot for older adults—and developing in-car voice experiences. She later collaborated on a proof-of-concept for Fur Hat Robotics and Microsoft PVA before serving as the Head of Product for Aico, an AI-driven early childhood learning robot by Curiosity Robotics.

In October of 2023, Falene started her own company, Lingua Robotica, with the hopes of bringing ethical and holistic design into multimodal development.

A voice in the conversational AI space, Falene has presented at various events, including the Conversation Design Festival 2022, emphasizing the importance of bot building standards, language expertise in AI experiences, and persona building. She is also an active member of Women in Voice, promoting gender diversity in the voice technology industry.

Falene McKenna is a product manager with a strong background in software development, conversational experience design, and data analysis. Specializing in Robot VUIs, she is passionate about using technology, particularly social robots and Conversati... Show more

Alena Holligan

Alena Holligan

For over 20 years, Alena has built technical solutions that inform decisions and solve problems across diverse industries. She enjoys both the creativity of programming and the thrill of solving a puzzle. As a leader in the community, a technical trainer, and a mom, she is passionate about providing the tools and mindset required for everyone to learn and succeed.

For over 20 years, Alena has built technical solutions that inform decisions and solve problems across diverse industries. She enjoys both the creativity of programming and the thrill of solving a puzzle. As a leader in the community, a technical tra... Show more

Omid Motamedisedeh

Omid Motamedisedeh

Phd student in QUT, Australia and author of book : The Ultimate Guide to Functions in Power Query: Turn Raw Data into Actionable Insights

Phd student in QUT, Australia and author of book : The Ultimate Guide to Functions in Power Query: Turn Raw Data into Actionable Insights Show more

Gwénaëlle Hirrien

Gwénaëlle Hirrien

After an atypical career in law, the arts and video games, I chose to retrain in development. My desire to promote continuous improvement and communication led me to become a Scrum Master, Agile Coach, Systemic Professional Coach and Responsible Digital Lead. As a professional facilitator for the Fresque du Climat et du Numérique, I am constantly learning about the ecological transition, responsible digital technologies and sociology. Involved in Time For The Planet and supporting women in the digital world. As a theater practitioner, I find it a way of creatively exploring and communicating. What drives me: helping companies and individuals to integrate climate and social issues into their practices.

After an atypical career in law, the arts and video games, I chose to retrain in development. My desire to promote continuous improvement and communication led me to become a Scrum Master, Agile Coach, Systemic Professional Coach and Responsible Digi... Show more

Ewelina Kurasz

Ewelina Kurasz

Senior Business-Systems Analyst & Product Owner. In love with IT. Fascinated by the process of coding. Speaker at international conferences. I truly believe that communication matters.
When I'm not at work, you can find me at IT conferences, meetup’s, volunteering somewhere, or spot me when enjoying nature in the middle of mountains or forests.
I'm usually the one, who will challenge your idea to make it bulletproof!

Senior Business-Systems Analyst & Product Owner. In love with IT. Fascinated by the process of coding. Speaker at international conferences. I truly believe that communication matters. When I'm not at work, you can find me at IT conferences, meetup... Show more

Ghizlane Aroussi

Ghizlane Aroussi

Hi there !
For the past five years, I've been on a rewarding journey as an engineering manager—leading teams, learning continuously, and striving to make work just a little more human (and fun!).
Before stepping into management, I rolled up my sleeves as a 3D developer then a full stack engineer, building web and mobile experiences and solving bugs :)

Today, I have the joy (and sometimes the challenge!) of managing both a vibrant team of software engineers and a dynamic group of RPA engineers. My mission? To design reliable and scalable systems and to foster a culture where experimentation is encouraged and where everyone feels they’re in the right place.

People, communication patterns, and the ever-evolving world of work fascinate me. I’m especially intrigued by how AI will reshape our jobs.

At PayFit, I’m currently navigating our transition to Domain-Driven Design while experimenting with team topologies, the 360 impact on the organization business, people and tech wise is fascinating.

I believe in tackling technical debt gracefully and my goal is to do so while delivering business value and empowering teams to take ownership and make decisions.

More than happy to share my learnings and acquire new ideas on the way!

Hi there ! For the past five years, I've been on a rewarding journey as an engineering manager—leading teams, learning continuously, and striving to make work just a little more human (and fun!). Before stepping into management, I rolled up my sl... Show more

John Geraghty

John Geraghty

John Geraghty is an Optimal Performance Coach, Speaker, and the author of The Prism of Perspective as well as the host of its accompanying podcast.

But before becoming the leader people turn to for growth, he faced life-threatening challenges that forced him to rethink everything. His journey led him to rebuild his health, reshape his mindset, and redefine success—learning hard-won lessons in business, relationships, and personal mastery that aren’t typically discussed online.

Now, John helps seasoned business leaders align their decisions, relationships, and well-being with a long-term vision of fulfillment and impact. He challenges limiting beliefs about aging, proving that peak performance isn’t just for the young—it’s a lifelong pursuit. As the creator of Fitness Presence, he’s also redefining how we approach exercise, making it more effective, efficient, and injury-free.

Through his coaching, speaking, and The Prism of Perspective podcast, John inspires others to tap into their full potential, cultivate deeper connections, and step into a life of purpose, joy, and impact.

John Geraghty is an Optimal Performance Coach, Speaker, and the author of The Prism of Perspective as well as the host of its accompanying podcast. But before becoming the leader people turn to for growth, he faced life-threatening challenges that... Show more

Ayobami ⚡

Ayobami ⚡

Ayobami Atolagbe
Founder & Executive Director, BitKwa | Co-Founder & CEO, Demohub

Ayobami Atolagbe is a visionary entrepreneur, educator, and growth marketing executive on a mission to empower 10 million Africans through Bitcoin, education, and technology. He is the Founder and Executive Director of BitKwa, a nonprofit organization driving Bitcoin education, adoption, and circular economy initiatives across Africa. Through BitKwa, Ayobami has educated over 10,000 individuals and empowered grassroots movements via merchant onboarding programs, community workshops, and strategic partnerships that advance financial inclusion.

He is also the Founder and CEO of Demohub, an AI-powered EdTech platform making globally relevant digital skills accessible to African youth. Ayobami’s leadership bridges education, innovation, and economic empowerment at the grassroots level.

Ayobami previously served as Head of Growth at Paycrest (San Francisco), helping build fintech products for the Global South, and held key roles at Paxful and NoOnes, where he expanded Bitcoin’s reach across Africa through ambassador programs, market expansion strategies, and community-driven campaigns. He also volunteered with Built With Bitcoin to support the construction of a school in Kaduna, Nigeria, demonstrating Bitcoin’s real-world impact on education and community development.

Personal Philosophy: Always Thrive Towards Greatness

Ayobami Atolagbe Founder & Executive Director, BitKwa | Co-Founder & CEO, Demohub Ayobami Atolagbe is a visionary entrepreneur, educator, and growth marketing executive on a mission to empower 10 million Africans through Bitcoin, education, and t... Show more

Jihan Johnston-McGlotten

Jihan Johnston-McGlotten

Jihan Johnston-McGlotten is a visionary Cultural Technologist, Entrepreneur, and Senior Ph.D. Researcher specializing in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI). As the founder of BeatBotics, she leads research-driven, human-centered technology initiatives that integrate emerging tech, AI, and digital media to create experiences that are both innovative and empathetic. Passionate about making technology more humane, Jihan explores how culture, media, and research can inform design that truly serves people. A mother, mentor, and thought leader, she also lends her expertise to initiatives across the tech ecosystem, helping expand access, opportunity, and human-focused innovation.

Jihan Johnston-McGlotten is a visionary Cultural Technologist, Entrepreneur, and Senior Ph.D. Researcher specializing in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI). As the founder of BeatBotics, she leads research-driven, human-centered technology initiatives ... Show more

Suvarna Kulkarni

Suvarna Kulkarni

Suvarna is an experienced agile enthusiast supports organisations in unlocking their full potential and elevating their impact and success using agile ways of working, a blended methodology of Mindset-maps, Emotional Intelligence, Neuroscience, NLP, and Positive Psychology.
As a certified coach, she's dedicated to fostering a culture of innovation and continuous improvement, empowering teams to deliver results consistently. Her commitment, authenticity, and trust values have proven invaluable in facilitating successful transformations for high-impact projects, establishing psychologically safe environments, and collaborating with leaders to ensure seamless alignment between strategy and execution.

Suvarna is an experienced agile enthusiast supports organisations in unlocking their full potential and elevating their impact and success using agile ways of working, a blended methodology of Mindset-maps, Emotional Intelligence, Neuroscience, NLP, ... Show more

Imani Sankofa

Imani Sankofa

Imani Sankofa is a clarity coach, author, and creator of Spiritual Frequency Hopping™, a transformative method that helps women align their energy, elevate their vibration, and lead from inner sovereignty. Through her talks, Imani blends science, spirituality, and practical wisdom to guide audiences into conscious creation, emotional mastery, and authentic leadership. Her work inspires women to remember who they are and rise into the highest expression of their purpose and power.

Imani Sankofa is a clarity coach, author, and creator of Spiritual Frequency Hopping™, a transformative method that helps women align their energy, elevate their vibration, and lead from inner sovereignty. Through her talks, Imani blends science, spi... Show more

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