Physical & Life Sciences

Scholars dedicating their careers to the study of living organisms and non-living systems

Jennifer McGee

Jennifer McGee

Jennifer McGee is a Water Resources Engineer (PE) at WSP USA E&E in the Herndon VA office. Possessing a diverse interdisciplinary background, including expertise in GIS analysis, database design, and python programming, she serves as a consultant, providing a range of flood risk analysis services to meet the regulatory needs of clients. Utilizing Microsoft Office 365 and other digital technologies, she develops data science solutions for both business operations and engineering projects. In addition, Ms. McGee plays a leadership role within the company, heading WSP's "Low Code: Apps, AI, and Workflow Automation" Practice Area Network (PAN), to share training and project applications for the Microsoft Power Platform across the organization.

Jennifer McGee is a Water Resources Engineer (PE) at WSP USA E&E in the Herndon VA office. Possessing a diverse interdisciplinary background, including expertise in GIS analysis, database design, and python programming, she serves as a consultant, pr... Show more

Roger Haueter

Roger Haueter

Roger delivers smart, strategic Microsoft 365 solutions that connect technology, organization, and culture. As a Senior Cloud Advisor specializing in Copilot, Modern Work, Security, and Compliance, he helps businesses navigate their digital transformation—with clear strategy, hands-on expertise, and a sharp focus on what really matters. His home base? techtask consulting, a boutique Swiss IT consultancy.

Roger delivers smart, strategic Microsoft 365 solutions that connect technology, organization, and culture. As a Senior Cloud Advisor specializing in Copilot, Modern Work, Security, and Compliance, he helps businesses navigate their digital transform... Show more

Luis Fernandez

Luis Fernandez

With a broad, multidisciplinary background in software development, architecture, product ownership, and marketing, Fernandez is a gifted technology leader. He holds degrees in informatics and computer science and a Master’s in Finance, which shaped his combined expertise in technical and business realms.

Over the past 20 years, Fernandez has overseen more than 250 projects across four continents and 25 countries, delivering technical solutions in content, commerce, mobile, and martech for some of the world’s most renowned companies. From writing code as a developer and designing systems as an architect to training teams, serving as a CTO, advising global enterprises, defining product roadmaps, and developing marketing strategies, he has taken on nearly every role in technology and digital innovation.

Fernandez has led multicultural teams of managers, content experts, engineers, strategists, and architects (he is fluent in Spanish, Portuguese, and English). His professional mission is to constantly close the gap between business vision and technical execution. His work in media, retail, banking, hospitality, telecoms, and technology has given him a comprehensive view of the possibilities and challenges businesses face in the digital age.

Currently serving as Executive Director of Technology in VML, Fernandez is focused on the future of content, marketing, and automation platforms, investigating how companies can produce, distribute, and profit from emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, composable architectures, and data-driven personalization.

With a broad, multidisciplinary background in software development, architecture, product ownership, and marketing, Fernandez is a gifted technology leader. He holds degrees in informatics and computer science and a Master’s in Finance, which shaped ... Show more

Christoph Kofler ⛰️

Christoph Kofler ⛰️

FutureHabits is my counter-design to the usual self-optimization:

🔹 No “more discipline” slogans

🔹 No 10-step morning routine for people with 2 hours of free time

I work with people who carry a lot of responsibility and that’s exactly why they fail at habits:
because stress eats behavior.

I combine behavioral science principles (how behavior is formed and why it breaks), clear structure, and pragmatic execution:

🔹 small interventions you can actually stick to in real life
🔹 focus on everyday problems: overwhelm, sleep, digital stress, distractibility, and the feeling of constantly falling behind
🔹 nature as your supporter

Right now I’m turning FutureHabits into a book, building on my online course, community, and coaching experience.

🔗 Book: https://book.futurehabits.guide
🔗 Community & Online Course: https://community.futurehabits.guide

Topics
🔹 Habits & intentional behavior change
🔹 Stress & performance (without hustle)
🔹 Focus & energy management
🔹 Resilience
🔹 Self-leadership
🔹 Sustainable energy
🔹 Closeness to nature

Audience
🔹 Professionals
🔹 Leaders / executives
🔹 Tech leads
🔹 People in high-pressure roles

Not for: people who only want inspiration but don’t want to change anything

FutureHabits is my counter-design to the usual self-optimization: 🔹 No “more discipline” slogans 🔹 No 10-step morning routine for people with 2 hours of free time I work with people who carry a lot of responsibility and that’s exactly wh... Show more

Alexander Opalic

Alexander Opalic

Alexander Opalic is a Senior Full Stack Developer from Germany. He writes at alexop.dev about Vue, TypeScript, and AI in software. He speaks at international conferences on local first apps, testing, and building better developer experiences.

Alexander Opalic is a Senior Full Stack Developer from Germany. He writes at alexop.dev about Vue, TypeScript, and AI in software. He speaks at international conferences on local first apps, testing, and building better developer experiences. Show more

Jamie Willis-Rose

Jamie Willis-Rose

I joined Microsoft in 2021 after 2+ years as a consultant with Microsoft Partners. Power Platform enabled me to make a career change in 2019 after 10+ years working in the broadcast industry where I was a SharePoint site collection admin and Power Apps Champion. I am passionate about the Power Platform, especially PowerApps and Power Automate.

I co-organize the Washington DC Power Platform user group and I've presented at GlobalCon, Community Summit North America, SharePoint Saturday DC, the Power Platform World Tour, the Baltimore SharePoint User Group and the Power Platform Virtual Conference.

I joined Microsoft in 2021 after 2+ years as a consultant with Microsoft Partners. Power Platform enabled me to make a career change in 2019 after 10+ years working in the broadcast industry where I was a SharePoint site collection admin and Power Ap... Show more

Deniz Mutlu

Deniz Mutlu

Deniz "Den" Mutlu is a Senior Cyber Security Engineer, Microsoft Security MVP and Director, member of the ext-board at Swiss Post cybersecurity in Switzerland. He specializes in Blue Teaming strategies, SOC implementation, SIEM architectures, and deploying Microsoft Security solutions.

Previously, Deniz worked as a System & Network Engineer, managing various projects with Microsoft Solutions for 10 years. For nearly a decade, he has specialized in cybersecurity, consulting to improve clients' security posture and implement robust security solutions.

In 2020, Deniz joined Hacknowledge, establishing its first Microsoft Team. He is passionate about Microsoft security solutions, particularly Microsoft Defender XDR, Microsoft Sentinel. Deniz supports clients with a practical, threat-based approach, helping them audit, configure, and improve their security environments.

Additionally, Deniz enjoys sharing his cybersecurity and Microsoft solutions expertise as a lecturer at various universities and schools.

Deniz "Den" Mutlu is a Senior Cyber Security Engineer, Microsoft Security MVP and Director, member of the ext-board at Swiss Post cybersecurity in Switzerland. He specializes in Blue Teaming strategies, SOC implementation, SIEM architectures, and dep... Show more

Ellen Shapiro

Ellen Shapiro

Ellen Shapiro is an iOS and Android developer who's been building native apps since late 2010. She works for Figma on their iOS app. She lives in Rochester, New York. When not coding or talking about coding, Ellen can generally be found traveling, biking and kayaking all over the place, playing sous-chef to her wife Lilia, and relentlessly Instagramming their cats.

Ellen Shapiro is an iOS and Android developer who's been building native apps since late 2010. She works for Figma on their iOS app. She lives in Rochester, New York. When not coding or talking about coding, Ellen can generally be found traveling, bi... Show more

Özgün Kültekin

Özgün Kültekin

Hey! I’m Ozgun (aka ozzy), a 25-year-old security researcher. By day, I’m trying to live as a penetration tester. By night? Well, it’s a mix—sometimes hunting web bugs, sometimes sneaking around in red team ops, and sometimes just trying not to lose all my chips at poker.

I’ve spoken at several conferences, including Hacktivity, BsidesPrague, and DEFCON. Lately, I’ve picked up a new hobby—studying LLMs and AI. Not the hype, but the scientific magic side of things. I’ve been exploring how to blend them into cybersecurity in smarter, more effective ways.

Hey! I’m Ozgun (aka ozzy), a 25-year-old security researcher. By day, I’m trying to live as a penetration tester. By night? Well, it’s a mix—sometimes hunting web bugs, sometimes sneaking around in red team ops, and sometimes just trying not to lose ... Show more

F. Ariel Shadrac Ouedraogo

F. Ariel Shadrac Ouedraogo

A medical student and self-taught AI engineer at Joseph Ki-Zerbo University (Burkina Faso), I build open-source medical tools at the intersection of computer vision and clinical practice. Creator of EyeTrace, an eye-tracking toolkit for detecting fatigue and cognitive load, published on PyPI and submitted to the Journal of Open Source Software. Speaker at SEINAR 2024 and Google DevFest Francophone Africa on AI for healthcare in low-resource settings. My work involves designing technically rigorous and clinically grounded solutions tailored to the realities of healthcare systems in sub-Saharan Africa.

A medical student and self-taught AI engineer at Joseph Ki-Zerbo University (Burkina Faso), I build open-source medical tools at the intersection of computer vision and clinical practice. Creator of EyeTrace, an eye-tracking toolkit for detecting fat... Show more

Vinod Tiwari

Vinod Tiwari

Vinod has spent the past decade working in cybersecurity across financial services, government, and tech sectors. Currently a Staff Security Engineer at PIP Labs, he navigates the intersection of traditional enterprise security and the emerging world of Web3 and blockchain infrastructure.

His journey has taken him through companies like Amazon, Zapier, and HackerOne, where he's gained hands-on experience in penetration testing, cloud security architecture, and application security. He works with AWS, GCP, and Azure environments, focusing on threat modeling and secure DevOps practices while approaching security as an enabler rather than a blocker.

He shares his experiences and lessons learned through writing on Medium, breaking down complex security topics and exploring practical approaches to building security programs that work in real-world environments. Outside of his day job, he participates in bug bounty programs, mentors aspiring security professionals, and continues researching emerging threats and technologies in both traditional and Web3 security landscapes.

Vinod has spent the past decade working in cybersecurity across financial services, government, and tech sectors. Currently a Staff Security Engineer at PIP Labs, he navigates the intersection of traditional enterprise security and the emerging world... Show more

Giuseppe Fazio

Giuseppe Fazio

A Physics graduate from the University of Milan, he has been working in the semiconductor industry since 2000. Throughout his career, he has worked in various aspects of manufacturing science, gaining extensive experience and expertise in the field.

A Physics graduate from the University of Milan, he has been working in the semiconductor industry since 2000. Throughout his career, he has worked in various aspects of manufacturing science, gaining extensive experience and expertise in the field. Show more

Mohamed Ashraf Kottilungal

Mohamed Ashraf Kottilungal

Mohamed Ashraf Kottilungal
Founder and CTO - TCG CertifAI Labs & Anoth International ,TCG global Middle east

An expert in Cloud Architecture AI Governance and IT/OT Cyber Security with 33 years of experience across globe - Verizon Communications, Nokia -Edennet , Lucent Technologies & Orange Telecom .

With a distinguished 33-year career at the intersection of industrial engineering and cutting-edge technology, Ash is a visionary "Architect of the Future." As the Founder of CertifAI Labs, he leads the mission to standardize AI reliability, safety, and compliance through advanced testing and certification frameworks.

Ash currently serves as the lead AI Consultant for one of the largest industrial manufacturing companies in Sharjah, UAE, where he orchestrates the integration of AI, Digital Twins, and the Industrial Metaverse. His strategic footprint includes providing the Deep Vision for over 100 AI tech startups globally and collaborating on the development of the world’s largest AI Health ecosystem.

A prolific innovator with multiple patents in Cognitive Edge and Sustainability automation, Mohamed bridges the gap between complex cloud-native infrastructure (AWS, Azure, GCP) and the practical needs of Fortune 100 enterprises. He is a frequent global speaker and mentor, dedicated to transforming "black-box" AI into transparent, high-value business assets.

Mohamed Ashraf Kottilungal Founder and CTO - TCG CertifAI Labs & Anoth International ,TCG global Middle east An expert in Cloud Architecture AI Governance and IT/OT Cyber Security with 33 years of experience across globe - Verizon Communication... Show more

Valdemar Carøe

Valdemar Carøe

Security researcher with a passion for dissecting software to understand its inner workings as well as an odd habit of optimizing proof-of-concept code for no apparent reason.

Security researcher with a passion for dissecting software to understand its inner workings as well as an odd habit of optimizing proof-of-concept code for no apparent reason. Show more

Veronica (Vee) Schmitt

Veronica (Vee) Schmitt

Veronica started her forensic career in 2008. Veronica is also the Interim Programme Lead for Digital Forensics and Incident Response at Noroff University in Norway, where she replaced a warm climate with a more adventurous one. Veronica holds a Master in Science at Rhodes University in Information Security with a specialisation in the forensic analysis of malware. She is currently doing her PhD in cybersecurity at the University of Plymouth in the UK. Her PhD is about designing robust logs for medical devices. She prides herself on keeping patients safe, as this is something close to her heart (quite literally). She is also a cyborg, sporting an embedded medical device herself. She is also a DEF CON goon, and she is the founder of DC2751, and the OWASP Kristiansand project. She has a love for all things ransomware and understands the low level details forensically.

Her particular research interests include research into security vulnerabilities in medical devices forming part of the Internet of Things, and how these could be exploited by malicious attackers, as well as what types of forensic artefacts could be identified from any attacks. She believes that incident response should be something that is continuously done and improved on. She is extremely passionate about protecting people whose lives depend on these medical devices, and her passion led her to become a researcher within an MDM. She is also developing a digital forensics and incident response approach dealing specifically with implanted medical devices and medical devices installed within a healthcare setting. At her core, Veronica is a forensicator and hacker, in love with every bit, byte, and nibble of knowledge she has obtained. She has a strong belief that the o in logs stand for observability. Knowing what is a problem is half the battle won she believes.

Veronica started her forensic career in 2008. Veronica is also the Interim Programme Lead for Digital Forensics and Incident Response at Noroff University in Norway, where she replaced a warm climate with a more adventurous one. Veronica holds a Mast... Show more

Vivek Kale

Vivek Kale

Vivek Kale is a Principal Member of Technical Staff at Sandia National Laboratories, where he does research and development for HPC profiling and monitoring tools. Vivek specializes in building the infrastructure for performance analysis, focusing on automated tuning through AI/ML techniques and capabilities from LLVM.

Vivek Kale is a Principal Member of Technical Staff at Sandia National Laboratories, where he does research and development for HPC profiling and monitoring tools. Vivek specializes in building the infrastructure for performance analysis, focusing on... Show more

Mayuri Lahane

Mayuri Lahane

Software engineer focused on boosting developer productivity with generative AI. Actively engaged in tech communities and passionate about sharing knowledge.

Software engineer focused on boosting developer productivity with generative AI. Actively engaged in tech communities and passionate about sharing knowledge. Show more

Rohit Phatak

Rohit Phatak

I’m a Staff Software Engineer at LogicMonitor, focused on designing scalable observability for Kubernetes and multi-tenant platforms. I work on agent architecture, telemetry pipelines, and performance at scale. I care about making monitoring intentional — not reactive — and this talk shares real-world lessons that help developers, SREs, and architects build smarter, more resilient systems.

I’m a Staff Software Engineer at LogicMonitor, focused on designing scalable observability for Kubernetes and multi-tenant platforms. I work on agent architecture, telemetry pipelines, and performance at scale. I care about making monitoring intentio... Show more

Thomas Grundnigg

Thomas Grundnigg

I am a researcher and entrepreneur with a focus on memory systems, cultural evolution and rhetoric.

I am a researcher and entrepreneur with a focus on memory systems, cultural evolution and rhetoric. Show more

J Matthew Saunders

J Matthew Saunders

Matthew started working on the Web in '95 at an experimental dance company in Ottawa Canada. This became an obsession with bleeding edge technologies. His decades of experience in the technology sphere as a project manager and Web application architect segued into joining the Drupal community in 2007. He has spoken at numerous tech conferences. Saunders was on the Drupalcon Denver organizing committee, is Director of Drupalcamp Colorado, and helped found the Drupal Event Organizing Working Group. Matthew recently left Pfizer as Delivery Lead for the Health Care Provider Portal and is looking for his next challenge. He runs a consultancy at https://www.jamesmatthewsaunders.ai. He is an activist in neurodiversity. Matthew recently joined amazee.io as their AI Ambassador.

Matthew started working on the Web in '95 at an experimental dance company in Ottawa Canada. This became an obsession with bleeding edge technologies. His decades of experience in the technology sphere as a project manager and Web application archite... Show more

Kasper Kalfas

Kasper Kalfas

Kasper is a Cloud Data Architect specializing in modern data platforms, AI infrastructure, and MLOps. He has delivered large-scale projects for international clients across life sciences, aquaculture, retail, and fintech, focusing on turning raw data into business value. He frequently speaks at conferences and hackathons, sharing practical insights on Databricks, Snowflake, and AI-driven analytics.

Kasper is a Cloud Data Architect specializing in modern data platforms, AI infrastructure, and MLOps. He has delivered large-scale projects for international clients across life sciences, aquaculture, retail, and fintech, focusing on turning raw data... Show more

Arjen Wiersma

Arjen Wiersma

Arjen is a seasoned Cybersecurity professional, passionate about guiding developers and organizations in using the power of AI responsibly and securely. With a career spanning over three decades in the software industry, he brings a wealth of hands-on experience to the discussion on secure coding in the age of AI.

His diverse background includes pivotal roles such as working on analytical products in Silicon Valley, reverse engineering chat protocols at eBuddy, and shaping the next generation of tech professionals as Chief of Product at NOVI Hogeschool. Arjen also was the Dutch ambassador for HackTheBox, fostering a community around ethical hacking and security practices.

Arjen is a seasoned Cybersecurity professional, passionate about guiding developers and organizations in using the power of AI responsibly and securely. With a career spanning over three decades in the software industry, he brings a wealth of hands-o... Show more

Christian Del Monte

Christian Del Monte

Christian Del Monte is a software architect and engineer with many years of experience. In the course of his various projects in the B2B and B2C area, he has worked with a variety of software architectures implemented with different IT technologies and frameworks. He is particularly interested in data lakes as well as highly available, near real-time software systems and their implementation using means such as cloud, microservices and event-driven architectures. Currently he is working for adesso SE.

Christian Del Monte is a software architect and engineer with many years of experience. In the course of his various projects in the B2B and B2C area, he has worked with a variety of software architectures implemented with different IT technologies a... Show more

Egor Tarasenko

Egor Tarasenko

I'm an experienced Data & AI Engineer with over five years of industry experience. Currently, I work at Ponder, where I help deliver data and AI services tailored for educational institutions. My passion lies in building practical, impactful solutions that make data more accessible and valuable.

I’m also deeply engaged in the open source community through our work at Ponder. This includes developing AI and data libraries, creating plugins and integrations for tools such as Superset, Airflow, dbt, and others, as well as building innovative solutions for technologies like Trino and Apache Iceberg.

I'm an experienced Data & AI Engineer with over five years of industry experience. Currently, I work at Ponder, where I help deliver data and AI services tailored for educational institutions. My passion lies in building practical, impactful solution... Show more

Siri Yellu

Siri Yellu

Siri Yellu is a Research Assistant and Computer Science professional specializing in Data Science and Machine Learning. Her work focuses on building reliable and interpretable machine learning systems, with experience spanning feature engineering, evaluation-driven modeling, and applied AI system design.

She is the first author of peer-reviewed publications in IEEE and Springer conferences, where her research explores handcrafted image features, Bayesian optimization, ensemble learning, and generative models for medical image analysis, computational pathology, and multimodal AI applications. Her work emphasizes bridging rigorous evaluation with practical system design to ensure models are not only accurate, but trustworthy and maintainable.

Siri enjoys working at the intersection of theory and practice, translating research insights into real-world AI systems. She is particularly interested in applied machine learning architectures, system reliability, and building AI solutions that can be confidently deployed and maintained by engineering teams.

Siri Yellu is a Research Assistant and Computer Science professional specializing in Data Science and Machine Learning. Her work focuses on building reliable and interpretable machine learning systems, with experience spanning feature engineering, e... Show more

Matthias Rochtus

Matthias Rochtus

Matthias Rochtus, experienced public speaker and Data Scientist.
Main fields of expertise are Geospatial research, data engineering & CI/CD , Predictive Maintenance and Retrieval Augmented Generation (LLMs)

Matthias Rochtus, experienced public speaker and Data Scientist. Main fields of expertise are Geospatial research, data engineering & CI/CD , Predictive Maintenance and Retrieval Augmented Generation (LLMs) Show more

Piotr Rogala

Piotr Rogala

As a Principal Architect Azure at Nordcloud, I lead the development of advanced, optimized cloud solutions, primarily leveraging the Microsoft Azure platform. My core focus is empowering clients through their digital transformation journey, helping them maximize business potential and operational efficiency by designing highly optimized architectures.

My expertise and dedication to the community have been repeatedly recognized by Microsoft with the prestigious MVP (Most Valuable Professional) and MCT (Microsoft Certified Trainer) titles. Although I currently focus on architecture, I previously spent many years sharing my proprietary knowledge by conducting postgraduate courses at Polish universities.

Driven by a passion for promoting new technological solutions, I actively engage with the IT community: I organize specialized Azure workshops, speak as a presenter at conferences and meetups, and run my technical blog, https://justcloud.pl. My goal is to provide substantive support to fellow specialists advancing their career paths.

Away from the cloud, I am passionate about Japanese motoring and the thrill of car racing. In these pursuits, just as in code and architecture, I value the relentless pursuit of the highest quality and efficiency.

As a Principal Architect Azure at Nordcloud, I lead the development of advanced, optimized cloud solutions, primarily leveraging the Microsoft Azure platform. My core focus is empowering clients through their digital transformation journey, helping t... Show more

Liza Katz

Liza Katz

I’m a seasoned consultant with 20+ years of experience in large-scale software development, with a strong foundation in data engineering, observability, and search — including deep expertise in Elasticsearch and OpenSearch, specifically in the context of AI and search-driven applications.

I’m a seasoned consultant with 20+ years of experience in large-scale software development, with a strong foundation in data engineering, observability, and search — including deep expertise in Elasticsearch and OpenSearch, specifically in the contex... Show more

Francesco Panico

Francesco Panico

Francesco Panico is a Senior IT Consultant at Imola Informatica with 16+ years of experience in enterprise architecture, application integration, and IT process automation.
His work focuses on DevOps, API governance, and security within large-scale banking and insurance ecosystems.

Francesco is currently researching how LLMs can automate and standardize the API lifecycle, improving consistency, cost-efficiency, and policy enforcement.

He likes speaking about AI-driven innovation in enterprise IT, with a focus on practical applications and real-world adoption.

Francesco Panico is a Senior IT Consultant at Imola Informatica with 16+ years of experience in enterprise architecture, application integration, and IT process automation. His work focuses on DevOps, API governance, and security within large-scale ... Show more

Shivam Tawar

Shivam Tawar

AI Engineer Intern at CredX Group with hands-on experience in building AI/ML-driven solutions and modern Android applications. A 3× National Hackathon winner and GDG Android Lead, passionate about Kotlin, Jetpack Compose, and applying AI to solve real-world problems. Always exploring scalable, impactful tech.

AI Engineer Intern at CredX Group with hands-on experience in building AI/ML-driven solutions and modern Android applications. A 3× National Hackathon winner and GDG Android Lead, passionate about Kotlin, Jetpack Compose, and applying AI to solve rea... Show more

Please note that Sessionize is not responsible for the accuracy or validity of the data provided by speakers.

Join Speakers Directory

Join our Speakers Directory today and amplify your reach! Showcase your expertise to a global audience hungry for your insights. Let your voice be heard!

Create Profile