Speakers

Industry 4.0 and Sustainability Panel

• Ahmad Barari
  Dr. Ahmad Barari is a Professor at the Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, and director of Advanced Digital Design, Manufacturing, and Metrology (AD2MLabs), at Ontario Tech University. Dr. Barari is an expert in digitalization in product life cycle including design, manufacturing, inspection, and maintenance.
  He developed methodologies for various industrial applications in product development, process control, prognostics and health monitoring, and prescriptive and predictive maintenance. His contributions include over 200 publications in highly-ranked journals and conference proceedings.
  Dr. Barari has closely collaborated with various industries in projects funded by various national and international sources of funding. Dr. Barari has been a member in international scientific committees for various organizations including the American Society of Mechanical Engineering (ASME) and the International Federation of Automatic Control (IFAC). He has been on the editorial board of various high-prestige journals and proceedings. He organized, chaired, or administrated over 25 academic national or international events, conference topics, invited sessions, and seminars. Dr. Barari serves currently as vice-chair academic Technical Committee on Manufacturing Plant Control and the chair of Intelligent Manufacturing Systems Working Group in IFAC.
• Karen Chan

  Karen Chan, P.Eng, is a founding member of the ADAPTOVATE Toronto leadership team and advises enterprise clients on business agility, transformation, and new ways of working. An engineer by training, Karen’s career spans the automotive, digital media, financial services, and advisory industries. In all of her roles, with organizations that have included GM, Rogers, Deloitte, TD, and ADAPTOVATE, Karen has been recognized for her expertise in transforming organizations through operational and process optimization, scaling agile ways of working, and technology and digital innovation. Karen received her Bachelor of Engineering Science (BESc) and Bachelor of Arts (BA) from the University of Western Ontario and her Master of Business Administration (EMBA) from the Richard Ivey School of Business. 

  Karen volunteers extensively in engineering, technology and leadership, and her roles include the Industry Advisory Committee for Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering at Ontario Tech U, the Women for STEM Advisory Council at Ontario Tech U, OSPE Past President and Chair, PEO Lake Ontario Chapter Past Chair, and SWE Global Ambassador (Canada). For her contributions, Karen is recognized as a Fellow of Engineers Canada (FEC), Member of the Order of Honour (PEO), and 2022 WXN Canada Top 100 Most Powerful Women. 

• Allison Cooperman

  Allison Cooperman was appointed to her current role as Director, of CTC Operations in 2023. Allison oversees the operations of our engineering center in Canada, which includes managing our labs, garages, and test tracks. Additionally, she facilitates collaboration between the software and services production teams, creating a unified approach within our Canadian ecosystem, both internally and externally. In this role, she reports directly to Sara LeBlanc, Executive Director VMEC – Core Business, and indirectly to Kristian Aquilina, President and Managing Director, GM Cana

• Dwight Corcoran
  Dwight Corcoran is an experienced executive in the construction, agricultural, land development and manufacturing industries, holding various senior roles in growing organizations, including Sales, Operations and Customer Support. A proven CEO and experienced board member, Dwight has led each organization he has been with through tremendous revenue and profit growth and successful exiting of businesses. While an Executive with John Deere, Dwight received his MBA focusing on International Business through the Richard Ivey School at Western University. Dwight has successfully completed a variety of business transactions including business exits. Currently, Dwight is a co-founder and CEO of Cormor Inc. a General Contractor utilizing 3D Construction Printing technology in Canada and the US.
• Jens Helbig

  Jens Helbig studied materials science at the university in Erlangen with a diploma degree in Ceramics, Polymers and Process Engineering. He received his PhD on the topic “Wet Processing of Nanosized Ceramic Particles” from ETH Zurich under the supervision of Prof. Ludwig Gauckler.

  After his PhD, he assumed a position as head of the research group for Ferroelectric Materials at the Fraunhofer-Institute for Silicate Research. The R&D in his group concerned the development of new piezoelectric materials and sensors/actuator made of these as well as the scale up of production processes for their manufacturing. From the Fraunhofer Society he switched to a spin-off company of the institute, where he was responsible for the development of new polymeric compounds and materials development for smart materials systems. After a few years, he joined the start-up company FutureCarbon and helped to establish the production processes for carbonaceous nanoparticles such as CNT (from synthesis to compounds) and advised customers in the application of CNT containing materials.

  At FutureCarbon he received the invitation to join the Technische Hochschule Nurnberg as the manager of the Competence Center for Analytics, Nano and Materials Technology and later as the general manager for the Institute of Chemistry, Materials and Product Development. He is co-author of several scientific papers in the field of nanomaterials and materials science and is co-inventor of 16 patents.

Energy Supply and Electrification Panel

• Jerry Hopwood
  

  Mr. Jerry Hopwood was appointed on September 25, 2023, as a permanent, part-time Commission member for a 5-year term.

  Since 2016, Mr. Hopwood has served as President of the University Network of Excellence in Nuclear Engineering (UNENE), leading Canada’s university-industry partnership in nuclear research and education.

  Mr. Hopwood was educated at Oxford University, where he studied applied physics, and he has over 4 decades of extensive experience in the nuclear industry. After starting out in the nuclear field in Great Britain, he moved to Canada to join Atomic Energy of Canada Limited as a reactor safety specialist. After secondments to Point Lepreau during its initial operation and later to South Korea as technical director for AECL, Mr. Hopwood held progressively senior positions in design, product development and business development with AECL. From 2011 to 2015, he worked with SNC-Lavalin (now AtkinsRéalis) CANDU Energy as Vice President for Product Development. He has published more than 40 journal articles and conference papers covering all aspects of nuclear technology.

  Mr. Hopwood is active internationally, consulting with the IAEA and with the Canadian Nuclear Society. He also serves as the chair of the International Nuclear Education Networks Association, covering networks of educators on all continents. In June 2019, he received the CNS/CNA Harold Smith Outstanding Contribution Award for services to the nuclear community.

• Ivano Labricciosa
  Ivano Labricciosa, in his latest assignment as the President and CEO of Oshawa Power and Utilities Corporation (Oshawa Power), was instrumental in supporting the energy and communication service needs of Oshawa, Durham Region, and parts of the GTA. As CEO of Oshawa Power, Ivano played a pivotal role in the overall strategic planning of the company and its subsidiaries involved in energy distribution, energy generation, and telecom ventures. His background in engineering, business development, and strategic planning combined with his international experience with alternative and renewable energy brings innovative leadership to not only Oshawa Power, but to Ontario’s energy sector.
• Brendan MacDonald
  Dr. Brendan MacDonald's research centres around solving problems where he believes he can have the highest impact. He is also keen to develop technology that can be applied now, which can include field testing, prototyping, and some entrepreneurship. Currently, He's focused on developing sustainable energy technology that can tackle climate change. The work in his lab features a multidisciplinary integration of fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, physics, and chemistry. A combined theoretical and experimental approach is used.
  
  His research has focused on Stirling engine design, biomimicry of human perspiration for efficient cooling, energy transport in evaporating sessile droplets, the development of microfluidic devices for water purification and point-of-care diagnostic devices for the developing world (in partnership with a hospital in Vietnam), paper-based tests for arsenic contamination in tubewells in Bangladesh, and hydrogen storage in metal hydrides. Dr. MacDonald is also the Co-Founder/President of Ekstera Inc., a Renewable Energy Equipment Manufacturing company.
• Jovica Riznic
  Jovica Riznic, P.Eng., PhD., FASME, works as a technical specialist with the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission. Within the International nuclear regulatory community, Dr Jovica Riznic is best known for his contribution to research and application of effective regulation of nuclear power plants, particularly related to steam generators as one of the key safety significant components.   Active in professional societies, particularly in ASME, Jovica Riznic has served the engineering profession and community with distinction and exceptional dedication; he is currently the Past Chair of the ASME Nuclear Engineering Division’s Executive Committee.  One of his most prominent recent ASME activities has been with the International Conference on Nuclear Engineering (ICONE) where he served as a track lead organizer since 1998 and currently is the Conference Steering Committee Chair for the ICONE-31 to be held in Prague, Czech Republic.   
• Rick Szymcyk
  Rick Szymcyk is a Professional Engineer with extensive experience in Automotive and Energy industries. He has a Systems Engineering and Masters of Business degree and has been awarded multiple patents across industries for his innovative work.
  Sensing a shift towards Electrified vehicles and renewable energy, Rick established Upstartz in 2007 and incorporated Upstartz Energy in 2017 helping develop and deploy novel EV Charging technologies across Canada while collaborating with partners locally and globally. Rick’s current focus under Upstartz Energy is on developing the enormous potential for distributed intelligent solar-based charging systems that are more efficient, effective and provide opportunities particularly for smaller participants in our power distribution system. In addition, Rick serves as Senior Manager at the Ontario Tech. Automotive Centre of Excellence and Software team collaborating with Industry and research partners to advance development and learning at every opportunity.
• Akira Tokuhiro
  Dr. Akira Tokuhiro's contributions to the American Nuclear Society’s President’s Committee on the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident in Japan led him to co-author a book on the disaster. With an interest in big data analytics, he has been instrumental in guiding global nuclear energy design, engineering and safety research with U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) support, and at the Japan Atomic Energy Agency, and Switzerland’s Paul Scherrer Institute. Most recently he served as Senior Principal Engineer of NuScale Power LLC, a nuclear energy startup company in Corvallis, Oregon, funded by the DOE and Fluor Corporation. In this role, he developed the technical basis of the Emergency Planning Zone of the NuScale Small Modular Reactor, which led the company to complete the first-ever submission of the Design Certification Application to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (USNRC) in January 2017. From 2007 to 2014, he served as Professor of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering, and Director of the Nuclear Engineering Graduate Program at the University of Idaho in Moscow, Idaho. Previously, he was an Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering at Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas; as well as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Nuclear Engineering, and Director and USNRC Senior Reactor Operator of the research reactor at the University of Missouri in Rolla, Missouri. Dr. Tokuhiro has earned numerous awards for contributions to his field, and for his mentorship of graduate students. He holds great interest in developing computational methods and experimental validation of nuclear reactor accidents, and energy systems analysis. His research has been published in more than 150 journal and conference papers. He completed his Bachelor of Science in Engineering (Engineering Physics) at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, then earned his Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Rochester in New York State. His interests shifted to nuclear energy and he returned to Purdue to obtain his Doctorate in Nuclear Engineering. Dr. Tokuhiro is the interim Graduate Program Director for the department of Energy and Nuclear Engineering in the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science.

AI and Mobility Systems Panel

• Homeira Afshar
  Homeira Afshar is the Research and Insight Analyst at Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network (OVIN), the Government of Ontario’s flagship initiative on the future of automotive and mobility. With a background in Mechanical Engineering, she received her Master of Global Affairs from the Munk School of Public Policy & Global Affairs. With ten years of experience in the mining sector, she has conducted research on decarbonization initiatives in Canadian steel industry and reaching net-zero goals in the mining and Electric Vehicle sectors. Her current focus is on the new initiatives in the Electric and Autonomous vehicles, in Ontario, Canada and globally.
• Amanda Kalhous

  Amanda Kalhous has over 25 years of industry experience from Aerospace to Trucking and Delivery including over 18 years in the Automotive Industry at General Motors of Canada across multiple domains. Amanda is passionate about encouraging innovation – in people, processes, and products across domains. A leading innovator herself, Amanda has 30 patents including vehicle-to-phone communication and mobility solutions. Amanda was part of the BrightDrop team from late 2019 growing into the Head of Product role, for an integrated suite of products from full-size commercial electric delivery vans to motorized Trace electric carts and the software solutions that connect them. Since late 2022 she has been part of the Software & Services organization as Engineering Manager for Data Recording Software.

  
  Since July 2023, Amanda has served in a volunteer capacity as Engineer in Residence for the Department of Automotive & Mechatronics Engineering at Ontario Tech University and is also a Sessional Lecturer in the department.

• Alaa Khamis
  Dr. Alaa Khamis works as AI & Smart Mobility Technical Leader at General Motors Canada. Additionally, he holds positions as an Adjunct Professor at Ontario Tech University, a Lecturer at the University of Toronto, and an Affiliate Member of the Center of Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence (CPAMI) at the University of Waterloo. Dr. Khamis is the Vice-chair of the Connected and Automated Vehicles Advisory Council (CAVAC) at the Canadian Standards Association (CSA). He is also an accomplished author with books such as "Smart Mobility: Exploring Foundational Technologies and Wider Impacts" and "Optimization Algorithms: AI techniques for design, planning, and control problems" to his credit. His research interests include smart mobility, connected and automated vehicles, software-defined vehicles, intelligent data processing and analysis, machine learning and combinatorial optimization. He published 5 books, an IEEE Standard and over 180 scientific papers in refereed journals and international conferences. He also filed 58 US patents, trade secrets and defensive publications. For more detailed information, please visit his website: www.alaakhamis.org.
• Masoud Makrehchi
  

  Dr. Masoud Makrehchi holds a BSc degree in electrical engineering from Iran University of Science and Technology, an MASc degree in Computer Engineering from Shiraz University, Iran, and a PhD degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Waterloo. Between 2008 and 2012, he served as a senior research scientist at Thomson Reuters R&D. In 2012, he joined the University of Ontario Institute of Technology, where he currently serves as an associate professor. His research focuses on Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Network Science, and Natural Language Processing. Masoud is recognized as a senior member of IEEE and a licensed professional engineer in Ontario.

  Over the past 12 years, Masoud has secured multiple research grants, including two NSERC-DG grants, one SSHRC grant (as Co-PI), and three NSERC Engage grants in collaboration with industry partners. These grants supported research initiatives in the realms of Machine Learning, Network Science and Complex Systems, and Natural Language Processing. Throughout these research programs, Masoud has mentored four PhD students and six MASc students.

• Shabnam Pejhan
  Dr. Shabnam Pejhan is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Automotive and Mechatronics Engineering at Ontario Tech University. Her academic background includes degrees in Mechanical Engineering, with a specialized focus on biomechanical and biomedical applications. Following the completion of her PhD, Dr. Pejhan pursued Postdoctoral Fellowships at the University of Waterloo, where she delved into the biomechanics of human mobility, and at Ontario Tech University, engaging in collaborative research with General Motors on active urban mobility. Her research focuses on initiatives to improve human mobility capacity by developing active, assistive, and augmentative mobility devices. As a member of the Public, Active, Clean, and Equitable (PACE) Mobility Group at Ontario Tech University, Dr. Pejhan contributes to research that offers evidence-based solutions, ensuring healthy, active, age-friendly, sustainable, and barrier-free mobility alternatives. Her primary goal is to drive innovation in safe and inclusive mobility solutions, fostering the integration of human and robotic systems.
• Reza Zarringhalam
  Dr. Reza Zarringhalam is the Global Technical Lead of Active Safety and Automated Driving control at General Motors. He joined GM Canada in 2015 and is currently leading the development of software and control algorithms for GM's global portfolio of ADAS systems, including the award-winning Super Cruise hands-free driving technology. Reza has over 15 years of research and teaching experience in industrial, R&D, and academic settings. His research interests include advanced controls, vehicle dynamics, autonomous driving, fault-tolerant systems, robotics, and artificial intelligence. He holds a Ph.D. degree in Mechanical and Mechatronics engineering from the University of Waterloo.
  Reza has published 25 technical papers, holds 75 records of invention and trade secrets, has delivered 10 keynote presentations in global automotive forums, and is a reviewer of multiple international journals and conferences. He is driven by a strong passion for technology to help build a better future, today.

Pathways Towards Net-Zero Emissions Panel

• Karen Chan

  Karen Chan, P.Eng, is a founding member of the ADAPTOVATE Toronto leadership team and advises enterprise clients on business agility, transformation, and new ways of working. An engineer by training, Karen’s career spans the automotive, digital media, financial services, and advisory industries. In all of her roles, with organizations that have included GM, Rogers, Deloitte, TD, and ADAPTOVATE, Karen has been recognized for her expertise in transforming organizations through operational and process optimization, scaling agile ways of working, and technology and digital innovation. Karen received her Bachelor of Engineering Science (BESc) and Bachelor of Arts (BA) from the University of Western Ontario and her Master of Business Administration (EMBA) from the Richard Ivey School of Business. 

  Karen volunteers extensively in engineering, technology and leadership, and her roles include the Industry Advisory Committee for Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering at Ontario Tech U, the Women for STEM Advisory Council at Ontario Tech U, OSPE Past President and Chair, PEO Lake Ontario Chapter Past Chair, and SWE Global Ambassador (Canada). For her contributions, Karen is recognized as a Fellow of Engineers Canada (FEC), Member of the Order of Honour (PEO), and 2022 WXN Canada Top 100 Most Powerful Women. 

• Mona Eghanian
  Mona Eghanian is Assistant Vice-President for the Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network (OVIN), the Government of Ontario’s flagship initiative on the future of automotive and mobility. Mona received her Bachelor of Engineering (Chemical Engineering) from Western University, and her M.B.A. from the Richard Ivey School of Business. Mona has an extensive background in strategy development, technology transformation and data insights, and prior to working at OCI, she worked in the financial services and industrial manufacturing sectors.
• John Froats
  

  John Froats is a recognized leader in the CANDU Nuclear Industry. With over 41 years of experience in reactor design, start-up and operation, John has an extensive knowledge and experience base in all aspects of Nuclear Generation. He is known for his passion in leading people and for high standards of technical performance.

  In 2005 John was awarded the OPG “Power Within” Achievement Award for “Leadership”. In 2009, he received the Canadian Standards Association Award of Merit for improvements in the Canadian Nuclear Standards Program. In 2015, John received the prestigious John Jenkins Award, the CSA’s highest recognition for outstanding contribution to standards development in Canada. In 2016 he received recognition from the CNS for Outstanding Contribution to the nuclear industry.

  John held the role of President and CEO of the CANDU Owners Group (COG) from 2006 to 2010. During his four years as President and CEO, he lead the Company to grow and become a highly respected provider of R&D, operating experience and highly leveraged products and services to CANDU operators worldwide. During his tenure, COG provided increased Industry collaborative focus on several key technical issues and facilitated a change in the perspective of the CANDU void coefficient.

  Prior to his role at COG, John held a number of key leadership positions at Ontario Power Generation (OPG). As Chief Nuclear Engineer & VP Engineering and Modifications he lead a team of over 1600 people to improve performance in the OPG Engineering program across the fleet, and in delivery of approximately $500M of services annually. John lead changes including establishment of the Conduct of Engineering Program and the Advanced Operations Overview for Managers. He introduced fundamental changes to enhance the quality and predictability of delivery of plant modifications and was instrumental in establishing a highly respected program for the recruitment and development of between 100 and 200 new engineers annually.

• Amanda Kalhous

  Amanda Kalhous has over 25 years of industry experience from Aerospace to Trucking and Delivery including over 18 years in the Automotive Industry at General Motors of Canada across multiple domains. Amanda is passionate about encouraging innovation – in people, processes, and products across domains. A leading innovator herself, Amanda has 30 patents including vehicle-to-phone communication and mobility solutions. Amanda was part of the BrightDrop team from late 2019 growing into the Head of Product role, for an integrated suite of products from full-size commercial electric delivery vans to motorized Trace electric carts and the software solutions that connect them. Since late 2022 she has been part of the Software & Services organization as Engineering Manager for Data Recording Software.

  Since July 2023, Amanda has served in a volunteer capacity as Engineer in Residence for the Department of Automotive & Mechatronics Engineering at Ontario Tech University and is also a Sessional Lecturer in the department.

• Marko Kroenke
  Marko Kroenke has more than 25 years of experience in the railway business on a global scale. He started at Deutsche Waggonbau, which was later taken over by Bombardier Transportation, leading the independent and certified testing facilities for railways. Afterwards, he was responsible for global standardization in the headquarter, managing engineering for locomotives and production optimization. In 2012 he was appointed to Product Management of fully automatized and driverless transport systems. He led all research developments, including innovative autonomous People Mover. Finally, he was overall responsible for global technology, innovation, and research. In recent years he founded his own company, KroenkeConsulting, with service and project delivery for airports, battery technology, and autonomous systems. In addition, he is co-founder and CEO of iMRail (Innovative Monorail Technology) developing a new and total turnkey Monorail System. He was then responsible for Ricardo Rail building and leading business activities in Canada and is now working as Principle Consultant. Further on, he is President of the International Monorail Association.
• Ivano Labricciosa
  Ivano Labricciosa, in his latest assignment as the President and CEO of Oshawa Power and Utilities Corporation (Oshawa Power), was instrumental in supporting the energy and communication service needs of Oshawa, Durham Region, and parts of the GTA. As CEO of Oshawa Power, Ivano played a pivotal role in the overall strategic planning of the company and its subsidiaries involved in energy distribution, energy generation, and telecom ventures. His background in engineering, business development, and strategic planning combined with his international experience with alternative and renewable energy brings innovative leadership to not only Oshawa Power, but to Ontario’s energy sector.