Keynote Presenters
Dr. Michael Grieves, Executive Director, Digital Twin Institute
Dr. Michael Grieves is an internationally renowned expert on Digital Twins, a concept he originated, and Product lifecycle Management (PLM) a discipline he wrote the seminal book for. Dr. Grieves has over five decades of executive, board, and technical experience in both global and entrepreneurial technology and manufacturing companies. He has consulted and done research at some of the top global organizations (NASA, Boeing, GM, Unilever) and has served as a senior executive and/or board member at Fortune 1000 companies, entrepreneurial organizations, and a university.
Dr. Grieves is an author of highly cited books, chapters, and papers and frequent keynote speaker globally. He was the keynote speaker for ANNSIM and the Holst Memorial Award speaker in 2022.
Academically, he has had appointments and has done research and/or taught at the University of Michigan, Purdue University, and University of Iowa. He currently has an appointment at the University of Central Florida. Dr. Grieves has a BS Computer Engineering from Michigan State, and MBA from Oakland University, and his doctorate from Case Western Reserve University.
Dennis Dokter, Smart Cities Lead, Nexus
Dennis works closely with our members to understand their business needs and connects them with the academic expertise, facilities and talent across the University of Leeds and the wider Leeds City Region. Dennis has a wealth experience of working in funding fields and is an expert in the field of Research Methodology, Innovation and Data. He joined Nexus from Statistics Netherlands (CBS), where he worked as Grant Development Manager. He is passionate about research and innovation, and working on cutting-edge, cross-disciplinary projects.
Dr. Carlos Toro, Senior Manager (Digital Twins) – Digital Architecture, NTT Data
Dr. Carlos Toro, is Head of Data and Analytics at NTT DATA (Chile) and Digital Twin Coordinator for LATAM (NTT Data Global Innovation Center), he is also DTC Ambassador for the region.
Dr. Toro’s areas of expertise include Mining, Smart Manufacturing, Oil and Gas, Industrial Robotics, AR/VR, M2M Communication, AI, and Composable Digital Twins.
His experience spans for more than 20 years and includes different roles in applied research in Europe, APAC (Singapore) and LATAM with a more recent focus on the consulting sector.
He has been distinguished with a Marie Curie research visitor grant funded by the EU Commission and his publications record is represented in 70+ published articles in high impact Journals and conferences.
His work is centered on developing high impact solutions for customers of different domains such as: mining, telco, healthcare and utilities with state-of-the-art Machine Learning and AI approaches.
Dr. David Tennenhouse, Senior Advisor, National Science Foundation
David has a track record of driving innovation in multiple domains. He worked in academia, as a faculty member at MIT; in government, at DARPA and NSF; in industry at Intel, Amazon/A9.com, Microsoft and VMware; and as a partner in a venture capital firm.
At MIT, Dr. Tennenhouse led disruptive research related to software-based video, software radio and software-defined networks. In government and industry, he oversaw the strategic planning and execution of programs related to a wide range of technologies, including: data-intensive and cloud computing, AI/ML, semiconductors, networking, computer architecture, storage, digital assets and nano/bio-technology.
David holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Electrical Engineering from the University of Toronto and obtained his PhD at the University of Cambridge. He is a Fellow of the IEEE and a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering. In 2023, Dr Tennenhouse was awarded the National Academy of Engineering’s Arthur M. Bueche Award, in recognition of his pioneering new approaches to industry / government / academic collaboration, including an innovative open collaborative research model and multiple public-private partnerships.
Dr. Adam Drobot, President and Chair, Open Tech Works
Dr. Adam T. Drobot is a technologist with management expertise and over forty-five years of experience with business, government, and academia. Today his activities include strategic consulting, start-ups, and participation in industry associations and government advisory bodies. Previously he was the President of the Applied Research and Government Business Units at Telcordia Technologies and the company’s CTO from 2002 to 2010. Prior to that, Adam managed the Advanced Technology Group at Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC). He also served as Senior Vice President for Science and Technology as part of his 27 years of service at SAIC from 1975 to 2002.
Adam has been the principal or key participant in the development of several large, scientific code systems and software for managing the design and production of complex platforms. He has published more than 150 journal articles and is a frequent contributor to industry literature. He currently holds 27 patents. Adam is the 2007 recipient of IEEE’s Managerial Excellence Award. He also Chaired the Employee Benefits and Compensation Committee as well as the Awards Recognition Council for the IEEE. Recently he managed the IEEE Internet of Things Initiative and served as the Chair of multiple IEEE World Forums on IoT. He holds a BS in Engineering Physics from Cornell University and a PhD. in Plasma Physics from the University of Texas. He is currently a member of Several Corporate Boards, the FCC Technology Advisory Council.