Dr Marco Alfano

Dr. Marco Alfano is a Senior Researcher at IVI and lead of the IVI Digital Health & Wellbeing research cluster. He is also a visiting scientist at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) and is affiliated with Lero, the Research Ireland Centre for Software. He is currently working on responsible use of AI in health and wellbeing by facilitating person/patient empowerment and seamless communication within the digital health ecosystem (http://cohealth.ivi.ie/). His research interests include Responsible AI, Digital Health Transformation, Patient Empowerment, Human-machine communication, Data analytics, Semantic Web, Smart cities, Cybersecurity, and Open Data/Big Data. He has authored more than sixty peer reviewed articles for journals, books, and conferences. He has participated in several European projects and has received grants from international bodies, such as the European Union (under the FP7 and H2020 framework programs), and national bodies, such as Research Ireland, Enterprise Ireland, and the National Research Council of Italy.

Dr Mihai Bilauca

Dr. Bilauca is the most senior adviser to the Minister on ICT and Digital Transformation. Mihai is responsible for driving the government’s digitization agenda for DHLGH with in collaboration with local authorities and agencies under the DHLGH’s remit.

Mihai worked in various roles in ICT Management for UPC Romania and for Limerick City & County Council in various roles, heading the Digital Strategy, ICT, Change Management, Customer Services, Urban Innovation and EU Programmes departments.

In his spare time Mihai continues his academic research in smart cities, mathematical programming, optimization modelling methods and publishes in ACM and other leading computing science journals and conferences. Mihai received a Master of Science (M.Sc.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) from University of Limerick, Ireland and a software engineering degree from “Ștefan cel Mare” University of Suceava, Romania.

Natasha Browne

Natasha is a Climate Sustainability Technologist at Teagasc, working on AgNav, a digital sustainability platform for Irish farmers. She collaborates closely with the other AgNav partners the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF) and Bord Bia, as well as Teagasc researchers and advisors, to support the platform’s development and impact. Natasha also represents AgNav in the CEADS (Common European Agricultural Data Space) project and is part of the AgNav Data Governance Group, contributing to best practice in data governance and data management. Previously, she managed several EU Horizon 2020 projects for Teagasc and completed a PhD on lameness and pain management in dairy cows.

Dr. Ruth Buckley

Ruth Buckley is CIO of Cork city council and Chair of the LGI-ISAC (local government Ireland Information Sharing Analysis Group). She has a BSc in Computer Science from UCC, an MBA from Henley Management College and is currently progressing her PDEng with UL in the area of cyber situational awareness for ISACs.

Ruth has over 30 years working in the ICT sector in both the private and public service sectors and has program managed major digital transformation projects including the Cork city boundary extension, major ERP projects and the migration to on-line public services which is on-going. In 2015, she co-founded the iWish Stem company which actively encourages the uptake of STEM subjects to young transition year girls through collaborations with industry practitioners and third level institutions. Ruth has received several industry and academic awards including the 2017 Alumni award from UCC, the IT leaders award 2020 from it@cork and the 2023 award from Maynooth IVI (Innovation and Value Institute) for Digital Transformation for her work on ISACs in Ireland.

Dr. Gültekin Cakir

Dr Gültekin Cakir is a lecturer and academic programme coordinator at the Faculty of Business, Technological University Dublin, and a member of the Strategy & Leadership Group in the School of Management, People and Organisations. He holds a PhD in Business and Management from Maynooth University and a Master’s degree in General Management from the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Dortmund, Germany. He teaches modules on undergraduate, graduate, and executive levels in Strategy and Digital Innovation & Emerging Technologies. Before joining TU Dublin, Gültekin was a Research Fellow at the Innovation Value Institute, Maynooth, where he worked with companies, start-ups, other institutes and collaborators on diverse research projects centred around digital innovation and organisational digital maturity. Gültekin is a member of the Digital Retail Research Cluster at IVI and was a recipient of the EU Horizon Europe Marie Curie Skłodowska scholarship award within “PERFORM”, a European training project focusing on the digital transformation of the retailing industry, where he was also chair of the ESR Committee.

Dr. Tim Calahan

Audrey Comiskey

Further details to be confirmed soon

Nollag Conneely

Nollag is a strategic leader with experience in the private and public sectors in multiple industries and international organisations. Nollag has developed, delivered, and implemented Governance, Risk and Compliance programs with Healthcare, Insurance, Fintech, and Education organisations in the US, Europe and the Middle East. He is a retired Lt Col who has also lead Military risk and security programs in the Middle East, Africa and the Balkans. Nollag is a Lecturer and Course Coordinator for the Data Governance Syllabus at the European Security and Defence College, and a speaker at the United Nations General Assembly Health Symposium. He is a contributor to NATO’s PfP Cybersecurity and Hybrid Curricula. He holds a MSc in Cybersecurity Management, a MA in Ledership and Management and a MSc in HR, and is also Prince2 Project. Management qualified.

Dr Emer Coveney

Dr Emer Coveney is the National Programme Manager for Age Friendly Ireland, a local government shared service that works across all 31 local authorities to prepare society for population ageing under the World Health Organisation framework for developing Age Friendly Cities and Communities. Emer manages a network of 35 local programme managers who are working to develop inclusive services and accessible buildings and public spaces that support the inclusion and participation of older people. Emer manages AFI’s Research Unit which is operated in partnership with Maynooth University. Its aim is to generate new research relevant to demographic ageing and provide an evidence base to inform service planning and delivery.  She manages the consultation function for the shared service, engaging in co-design processes with Older People’s Councils to ensure that older people’s voices feed into national policy. Emer holds a PhD and Masters degree from Trinity College Dublin, and a Certificate in Healthy Ageing from the World Health Organisation, among other qualifications.  Her previous experience includes diverse roles in community development, social inclusion, research and public service administration.

Joep de Reuver

Joep de Reuver is a process mining consultant with a strong background in process improvement within the health care sector. He has worked extensively with hospitals and health insurance companies to identify operational bottlenecks, optimize patient pathways, and train professionals in applying LEAN methodologies to drive sustainable performance improvements. At Rabobank, Joep plays a key role in translating complex business challenges into actionable insights using process mining, enabling teams across the organization to uncover inefficiencies and enhance their processes. He works within the Process Intelligence Centre of Enablement, which supports all process mining initiatives throughout the bank—from early ideation to full-scale implementation—ensuring data-driven transformation and long-term impact.

Marc Einstein

Marc Einstein has over 20 years of telecommunications and media industry research expertise, which includes engaging with executive teams within the ICT industry to design, manage and enable Digital Transformation goals and roadmaps. His coverage areas include a wide range of technologies with a specific focus on IT and telecommunications, and his domain expertise spans the entire ICT ecosystem including AR/VR/MR, cloud services, 5G/6G networks, gaming, fintech and AI.

Marc started his career in the USA covering telecommunications and IT markets in Latin America. He later pivoted to Asia where he led APAC ICT research teams covering the industry from Hong Kong and later Singapore. In 2010 he relocated to Japan where he spent time conducting overseas expansion analysis for the largest mobile social game company in the country and now focused on emabling DX both in Japan and overseas. He currently serves as a startup advisor to the city of Kyoto.

An experienced speaker and presenter, he has spoken at major technology conferences around the world in addition to being featured in both print and broadcast media outlets such as CNN, CNBC, BBC Global, Al Jazeera Television and Channel News Asia. He is the co-author of the recently published book “Tech Native Company – 7 Strategies for Surviving in the Digital Age.”

Prof. Paul Ellwood

Paul Ellwood is the Director of the Doctorate in Business Administration (DBA) at Maynooth University. His research interests encompass both management education and technology innovation management. His early education was in the natural sciences, with the first 20 years of his career spent in industry. This included director-level positions in operations and business development. 

Ben Evans

Biography to follow

Her Excellency Ambassador Laryska Garasko

Dr Bruno Giesteira

He is Director of the Design Department and Director of the Doctoral Programme in Design at the University of Porto, where he coordinates advanced research and doctoral training in design. He also contributes to postgraduate programmes in Interaction Design, Games, and Design Technologies for Health.

His work explores how design knowledge can support the development of meaningful interactions with emerging technologies through Embodied Design approaches. He has extensive experience coordinating research teams in human–computer interaction and is a partner at 4humanz company – Human-Centred Design in Global Health – Digital Health; Wellbeing & Sustainability.

He is a researcher at ID+, within the Health + Design group. He participates in several international academic and professional networks, including the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (Europe Chapter) and the European University Alliance for Global Health (EUGLOH).

Kevin Gildea

‘Highly original and explosively funny’ –  The Sunday Times
He’s one of the most daring and committed comedians at work right now. Brave, unafraid and compelling…..and very, very funny.’  – Tommy Tiernan
‘Comedy on another level.’  – The Irish Times

Kevin has gigged all over Britain and Ireland and the rest of the known world – from Singapore to Sligo. He’s headlined gigs in Johannesburg and Cape Town and regularly plays all the major comedy festivals in Ireland – The Electric Picnic, ATN, The Paddy Power Comedy Festival in the Iveagh Gardens, The Galway Comedy Festival, Kilkenomics and more. He is a regular at The Edinburgh Fringe Comedy Festival.

Kevin has written and performed for film and television, including Father Ted and Irish Pictoral Weekly; written plays and short fiction, as well as reviewing for the Irish Times; and regularly interviews authors, actors and comedians (and once, Kermit the Frog). He also occasionally runs Kevin Gildea’s Brilliant Pop Up Bookshop in Dún Laoghaire, County Dublin.

Ben Hallinan

Ben Hallinan is VP Digital Enablement Commercial at Kerry Group, one of Ireland’s largest companies with over 23,000 people in its manufacturing, sales and technical centres worldwide. Specialising in using AI and data-driven design, Ben helps global commercial teams find insights faster, unlock hidden expertise, and drive customer-focused growth. With over 27 years’ experience across enterprise systems and digital transformation, he builds future ready digital capabilities that turn organisational knowledge into commercial advantage.

Dr Michael Hanley

Michael Hanley leads educational innovation initiatives, curriculum development, and strategic academic programmes at IVI. He is recognised for integrating research-based frameworks and data-informed processes into institutional practice. He is a specialist in digital and AI transformation in complex public and private sector organisations, with a track record of aligning organisational strategy with national and regional policy.

As well as his experience in higher education, he has worked previously as as Director of Online Learning at Cúram Software (an IBM Company), and Digital Media Manager at the Educational Multimedia Group. He is Course Director for the “Leading Digital Transformation in Organisations” micro-credential at Maynooth University and co-creator and lecturer on the MSc in Healthcare Transformation at the University of Limerick. He has directed multiple large-scale academic and industry collaborative projects, such as Grad2Work, the Tech Industry Alliance Sustainable Software Development Toolkit, and the DIGIFABS EU project.

Michael is a member of the Maynooth University Social Science Institute (MUSSI), serves on the Steering Board of the Irish Local Government Cybersecurity CORE programme (LG-CORE), and a Irish Digital Skills and Jobs Coalition Steering Group member. He is also a Fellow of the Learning & Development Institute. He has contributed to national and international academic and professional conferences, including addresses at the Maynooth University DEARS Symposium and workshop facilitation at the IVI Summit, and has been published in the International Journal for Digital Society and other journals.

Michael holds a Doctorate in Education Leadership from Maynooth University, and an MSc (Hons) in Education Technology from the National College of Ireland.

Research Interests:

• · Digital transformation in higher education
• · Academic–industry partnership and innovation
• · Organisational capability and change management
• · Post-digital education futures
• · Data-informed leadership, strategy, and governance in complex organisations
• · Sustainable digital & AI skills in professional education
• · Human capital policy development
• · Flexible pathways to education for adults

Billy Hann

Billy Hann is Chief Executive Officer of Bus Átha Cliath (Dublin Bus). Dublin born and raised, he began his career at the Irish Aviation Authority in 1994, progressing to Director of ATM Operations and Strategy, where he led a multi-disciplinary team in delivering a safe and efficient air traffic management service. Since joining Bus Átha Cliath in 2022, Billy has led the company through a period of growth and transformation. Focused on connecting more people to more places, he is committed to driving the organisation towards service excellence, delivering high-quality, sustainable bus services that keep Dublin moving.

Dr Rafiqul Haque

Dr. Rafiqul Haque is a research fellow at the Insight SFI Research Centre for Data Analytics at the University of Galway. He holds a PhD in Computer Science and Information Systems from the University of Limerick. He brings over 12 years of experience spanning academia and the IT industry, with expertise in data spaces, artificial intelligence, data management, and data governance. He currently co-leads the Data Space Centre Support Centre (DSSC), a European Union-funded project focused on the development and scaling of data spaces. His research explores data interoperability and value creation, with particular emphasis on how data spaces can be used to train and fine-tune generative AI models for developing high quality applications. His career includes four years in IT industry as a technical lead, designing AI-driven solutions for government, banks and telecommunication companies. He has held research roles at several European institutions including SAP Research, University of Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ), Claude Bernard University Lyon 1, Telecom St-Étienne, Tilburg University, and University College Cork. Dr. Haque has published in conferences and journals, contributing to the advancement of AI, data spaces , and digital innovation.

Geraldine Heavey

Geraldine Heavey is the Executive Director of the Enterprise Services Business Unit at ESB Group (the Electricity Supply Board). Enterprise Services is a centre of excellence, delivering a broad range of essential business processes and services that are critical to both day-to-day operations and the successful delivery of ESB’s strategic objectives.

In her role, Geraldine manages key professional service areas such as Procurement, Insurance, and IT, with a strong focus on strategic alignment and value creation. She also oversees the delivery of business-critical services that drive operational efficiency and effectiveness across the organisation, including People and Finance Operations. In addition, she leads ESB’s digital transformation agenda, harnessing the power of technology and data to modernise and future-proof the business. Before taking on her current role, Geraldine held a variety of finance and managerial positions within ESB. She is a qualified accountant and holds a Masters degree in Business Administration from Dublin City University (DCU).

Rory Hopkins

Rory Hopkins is the Head of Information Systems at Kildare County Council, where he leads the strategic delivery of ICT services with a strong focus on digital innovation and transformation. Based in Áras Chill Dara, he is responsible for technology governance, cybersecurity, and the adoption of modern digital tools that support efficient internal operations and high‑quality public services. He works closely with senior management and external partners to drive innovation, resilience, and continuous improvement across the organisation.

Dr Rehan Iftikhar

Dr Rehan Iftikhar is an Assistant Professor at DCU Business School, Ireland. He holds an MSc in Engineering Management from the University of Exeter, UK, and a PhD in Business and Management from Maynooth University, Ireland.

His research focuses on digital transformation, emerging and disruptive technologies, digital marketing, and digital retail. He actively engages in interdisciplinary collaborations, contributing to research at the intersection of technology and end-user experiences.

His work has been published in leading journals and conferences, including the Journal of Global Information Management, IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, Leisure Studies, Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, Journal of General Management, and the European Conference on Information Systems.

Dr Caroline Kiarie

Dr. Caroline Kiarie is an Assistant Professor at Aga Khan University’s Graduate School for Media and Communication with over two decades of experience in academia and industry. Her work spans corporate communication, public relations, human communication, and strategic use of AI in communication practice and research. Her research interests include AI in public relations, employee motivation, online collaborative learning, and digital conversations on platforms such as X.

Prof. Ashish Kumar Jha

Ashish Kumar Jha is a Professor in Business Analytics at Trinity Business School, Trinity College Dublin. He is the Director of Trinity Centre for Digital Business and Analytics and a funded investigator at ADAPT- Research Ireland. Ashish is the area chair of operations and analytics area and the founding director of M.Sc. Business Analytics. His research interests are in the field of AI and firm-user interaction on digital platforms. He is an associate editor for EJIS and I&M and has published in top journals of the field including JAIS, JMIS, I&M, DSS among others.

Margaret Laffan

Margaret Laffan leads Intel’s Cloud GTM function, where she drives strategy and execution across sales, marketing, product, and customer success to help transform the cloud and AI landscape. She has 20 years of experience in the tech industry, with expertise across AI and SaaS companies, spanning sales, partnerships, and marketing. Margaret’s focus is on revenue growth, budget optimization, and leading AI-enabled digital transformation initiatives, with particular focus in emerging areas such as agentic AI and AI agents for workplace productivity.

Glen Lally

Biography to be confirmed soon

Dr Helena Lim

Dr Helena Lim  is a higher education leader with 25 years’ experience spanning institutional research, teaching excellence, quality enhancement, and commercial partnership. She is a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (PFHEA). Currently Educational Excellence Lead at Queen Mary University of London, where she advises on institutional transformation and teaching excellence, and Academic Lead at evasys, supporting 60+ UK and Irish universities on student feedback strategy and institutional enhancement.

Earlier in her career, Helena served as Assistant Director at the Higher Education Academy where she shaped national policy on learning and teaching in Wales and Northern Ireland. She also founded the UK and Ireland Higher Education Institutional Research (HEIR) Network in 2009, growing it from inception to 500+ members before successfully transitioning its leadership. An established thought leader with publications across Wonkhe, HEPI, and peer-reviewed books, Helena has delivered keynotes and strategic workshops internationally. She brings to the GoGreenNext Advisory Board a career built on evidence-led change, cross-sector partnership, and a sustained commitment to equitable and sustainable futures.

Professor Eeva Leinonen

Professor Eeva Leinonen joined Maynooth University as President in October 2021, after five years of service as Vice Chancellor and President at Murdoch University, Perth, Australia.

Professor Leinonen was born and raised in Finland, where she completed her schooling. She and her two brothers were the first in their family to attend university. Her own experience has cemented her belief in the role of education as a social equaliser, with the power to transform for the better the lives of individuals, families and whole communities.

As part of her education in Finland Professor Leinonen spent a year as an exchange student in Michigan, USA, prior to entering university in England, where she studied linguistics and psychology. She obtained a BSc (Hons) in Linguistics and Psychology (First Class) from Aston University, UK; MPhil in Text Linguistics from Exeter University, UK: PhD in Clinical Linguistics from De Montfort University, UK; Docent (Higher Doctorate) from her hometown university, University of Oulu, Finland; and DSc (Honoris Causa) from Aston University, UK.

Professor Leinonen’s academic research focuses on pragmatic language processing deficits in children and young adults with autistic spectrum disorders. She collaborates with colleagues in Finland and Italy, including recent work on cross-cultural comparison of pragmatic development in typically developing children in these two cultural contexts. She also speaks and writes about higher education topics, including institutional leadership, curriculum and technology enhanced learning.

Professor Leinonen has extensive experience in higher education in the United Kingdom, Europe, Australia and internationally. Prior to joining Maynooth University, she spent over eight years in Australia, where she first held the position of Deputy Vice Chancellor (Education) at the University of Wollongong and then Vice Chancellor of Murdoch University.

Guilherme Luz

Guilherme Luz is a Process Mining Expert at SAP, where he works within the Corporate BPM team to leverage Signavio for optimizing SAP’s own internal processes. His path to process mining began during his previous role as a Procurement Specialist, where he discovered the transformative power of the technology, which he recognized as a game-changer for daily operations. This experience inspired him to transition into the field, leading him to contribute to the Celonis rollout at Nestlé before bringing his expertise to SAP.

Dr Tadhg E. MacIntyre

Tadhg E. Maclntyre PhD is an Associate Professor in Environmental Psychology at the Innovation Value Institute, Maynooth University where he has a leading role in three EU funded Horizon projects. Tadhg is also a funded investigator with Research Ireland Insight Centre for Data Analytics and has been a Visiting Professor at the Technical University of Munich (2019-2020) and Inland University of Applied Sciences (Norway) from 2022-2025. Tadhg graduated from UCD with a  PhD in psychology in 2007 focused on cognitive aspects of human movement. More recently his research has been focused on nature-based solutions and interventions for urban health. Tadhg currently coordinates the Horizon Europe GoGreen Next project (2024-2028)focused on urban health and climate change (€6 million). He recently led the Horizon 2020 project GoGreen Routes (2020-2024) which received €10.5 million  (2020-2024) directly from the EU. Since June 2025, he is a work package lead of Horizon Europe project Green Talent (2025-2029) where his work is concerned with developing a learning ecosystem for innovators in climate change and sustainability. He also is a reviewer for EU funding calls (e.g. ERC, EU Horizon proposals, and MSCA), in addition to national funding in the US, Norway, Czech Republic, Switzerland and Canada and the UK (e.g. Leverhulme Awards).

Kamil Mahajan

Kamil Mahajan is the CEO of Advice Bytes and founder of Sector8 AI, with over 15 years of global experience in cybersecurity, risk, and IT leadership roles at Meta, Quantcast, and Maynooth University. He advises organisations on AI security, compliance, and responsible innovation, drawing from both hands-on delivery and ongoing PhD research in AI security for SMEs at ATU Galway. A regular speaker at ISACA, Cyber Ireland, and public sector events, Kamil also delivers AI security masterclasses across Ireland’s innovation network. He holds an MSc in Digital Investigation & Forensic Computing, is CISM certified, and an ISO 27001 Lead Auditor and Implementer.

Prof. Craig Mahoney

Professor Craig Mahoney currently works in London with The Education Group London (TEG) on a range of projects including launching an Ed Tech startup designed to make learning English language simple.  He has been a twice-serving university President, at the University of the West of Scotland from 2013 – 2021 and the University of Law during 2022.  Previously he was CEO at the Higher Education Academy, a UK national agency overseeing the enhancement of pedagogy and the delivery of modern learning, teaching and assessment in universities.A dynamic public advocate of higher education, Craig is a research-active academic with a strong interest in topics covering differentiated student-centred learning, research informed teaching, e-learning; widespread use of open educational resources, teaching excellence and global engagement.  He is a passionate supporter of equality, diversity and inclusion and has developed many programmes, initiatives and change plans to remove discrimination and enable fairness by allowing every student and member of staff to be their true selves.

As a chartered psychologist, Professor Mahoney has been an internationally recognised performance psychologist for more than 30 years and is chairperson of the Advisory Board for GoGreen Next.

Craig is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, Fellow of the British Association of Sport & Exercise Sciences, an Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society and a Fellow of the Institute of Directors. He has been a Board member on the UK Quality Assurance Agency, a Board member for Glasgow City of Sciences, a Trustee on the Carnegie Trust for Universities of Scotland, Convener of Universities Scotland Climate Emergency and Efficiency Committee, a Board member for SportScotland, Chair of British Universities and Colleges Sport and a Board member of Converge Challenge.  He is currently Chair of Brooklands FE College Board in London and an adviser to several commercial bodies.

Dr Carla Mateus

Carla Mateus PhD is an Assistant Professor in the Geography Department at Maynooth  University. Her research interests mainly focus on climate science, namely climate change, extreme weather events and impacts, historical climatology and environmental history. A member of the ICARUS institute she is also interested in climate action, climate adaptation and climate mitigation topics. Passionate about teaching, outreach, public engagement and science communication Carla has contributed to RTÉ Brainstorm features and disseminated research to the public at science communication events (e.g. Pint of Science Ireland; Soapbox Science Dublin). Awarded a Public Engagement Grant from the European Geosciences Union to carry out the project ‘Prison talks: bringing climate change conversations into the Irish prisons’, Carla has also been awarded a Teaching and Learning Fellowship from the Centre for Teaching and Learning at Maynooth University. A native of Portugal she is  am interested in Portuguese current affairs and strengthening collaborations between Portugal and Ireland.

Dr Ciara McCormack

Dr Ciara McCormack is an Assistant Professor in Sport Science and Health at Maynooth University and a Clinical Exercise Physiologist. Her research focuses on the role of exercise and digital health in the primary and secondary prevention of chronic diseases, particularly cardiovascular and respiratory conditions. She is passionate about designing, delivering, and evaluating patient-centred, technology-enabled interventions that use physical activity to improve long-term health outcomes and healthcare delivery.

Ciara is currently embedded in the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, where she is leading a national programme to transform pulmonary hypertension (PH) research and rehabilitation services in Ireland. She is the lead researcher on an SFI CONNECT collaboration with Johnson & Johnson, delivered through the Innovation Value Institute (IVI), which is focused on digitising pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) pathways. This project is exploring how digital technologies can be integrated into routine clinical care to enhance patient monitoring, engagement, and access to exercise-based rehabilitation.

Her broader research spans hospital, home, and community settings, leveraging both quantitative and qualitative methodologies to examine how lifestyle and physical activity interventions—supported by digital tools—can impact disease progression, symptom management, and healthcare utilisation. She is particularly interested in creating scalable, technology-enabled models of exercise delivery for adults aged 40+ and people living with chronic diseases, with an emphasis on addressing health inequalities.

Ciara completed her PhD in Clinical Exercise Physiology at Dublin City University, where she developed, delivered, and evaluated a home-based physical activity intervention for PH patients, co-designed with patients and underpinned by behavioural science. This work, conducted in collaboration with respiratory consultants at the Mater Hospital, has informed similar programmes internationally.

She is currently involved in multiple national and international projects on exercise and rehabilitation for people living with pulmonary hypertension, heart failure, and vascular disease, and serves on the GoGreenNext Advisory Board, contributing expertise on inclusive methodologies and the integration of digital and lifestyle interventions into sustainable healthcare initiatives.

Beyond her academic and clinical roles, Ciara is committed to public engagement and health advocacy. She works closely with the HSE on Ireland’s Physical Activity Guidelines and contributes to national efforts to embed rehabilitation and physical activity pathways into chronic disease management. She also represents Ireland on the global Exercise is Medicine Emerging Leadership Programme, supporting the implementation of physical activity as a standard in clinical care.

Her work has been recognised through multiple awards from organisations such as the American Thoracic Society, the European Respiratory Society, and DCU Invent. Ciara regularly contributes to national health campaigns, appears on RTÉ Radio 1 as an expert on physical activity and health, and provides consultancy to healthcare, community, and corporate groups seeking to implement evidence-based, digitally supported physical activity programmes.

Martin McCormack

Martin McCormack is Chief Executive Officer of the College of Anaesthesiologists of Ireland and Chair of the National Learning Analytics Expert Advisory Group. He operates at the intersection of health system reform, digital strategy and corporate governance. Martin serves as a non-executive director on the HSE Board Strategy and Reform Committee and on the Audit and Risk Committee of the Royal Irish Academy, and has advised the Department of Health, the HSE, the Medical Council of Ireland, and the Irish Platform for Patient Organisations, Science and Industry.

A former Chief Information Officer at Beaumont Hospital, he brings deep operational experience in implementing digital systems within complex clinical environments. His work now focuses on the execution of data and digital strategy at system level, particularly the governance, legitimacy and stakeholder alignment required to scale innovation in healthcare.

Martin collaborates internationally with government, academic, and healthcare partners to advance patient safety, workforce planning, and data-informed decision-making.

He is a Chartered Director, a Fellow of both the Royal Academy of Medicine in Ireland and the Irish Computer Society, and an Adjunct Professor at Trinity College Dublin. His doctoral research examines strategic renewal and execution in multistakeholder health systems.

Brian McGeough

Brian has been in the tech sector for over 30 years. Prior to joining Creditsafe, he worked with Intel, Activision and Amazon Web Services. In his role as CIO at Creditsafe, Brian runs all technology across the business including internal IT Business Apps, Security and Customer Product development. The Technology organisation consists of approximately 450 highly technical engineers, mainly across Ireland, the UK and Hyderabad in India.

Brian was involved in the development of IVI’s ITCMF.

His current focus in on AI integration across the business, all about doing things responsibly at scale, hardening the governance model and security practices. Other priorities include targeted efficiencies for key business-driven workflows and processes, mostly around data transformation, admin functions, and sales enablement.

Nour Medini

Nour Medini is a Process Mining Consultant at Celonis, where she works across diverse business processes and applies AI-driven solutions to streamline operations and improve efficiency. Originally from Tunisia, she holds a degree in Software Engineering and a Master’s in Intelligent Systems from Paris. She also completed a final-year internship at Renault, where she worked on developing a system to support smoother driving experiences and detect anomalies. Outside of work, she enjoys reading, writing, and cooking.

Prof. Rosemary Monahan

Rosemary Monahan is a Professor in the Department of Computer Science and an affiliate of the Hamilton Institute at Maynooth University. She holds BSc and MSc degrees in Computer Science from UCD, a PhD from DCU and is the Maynooth University institutional lead for ADAPT, the SFI Research Centre for AI-Driven Digital Content Technology.

As a founding member of the Principles of Programming Research Group she specialises in the static and dynamic analysis of software. She has expertise in the modelling, analysis and verification of software, working with international academics and industry to develop and employ techniques increasing the dependability of software systems (such as those in the medical, automotive, and aerospace domains).

Professor Monahan is co-founder of the international VerifyThis competition series, bringing together both academic and industrial users of tools which guarantee the correctness and reliability of software systems. She is a Principal Investigator (PI) under the Science Foundation Ireland Frontiers for the Future Programme, working on verification and visualisation of AI based-systems (MAIVV, 2021-2025), and a Funded Investigator (FI) working on VERIFAI: Traceability and Verification of Natural LAnguage Requirements in ADAPT, the SFI Research Centre for AI-Driven Digital Content Technology.

Recent projects include research funded by Enterprise Ireland and H2020 ESCEL JU programme to improve workflows and tools for verification and validation of software systems (VALU3S, 2020-2023). She is passionate about providing solid mathematical foundations for software systems and in next-generation verification technologies applied to AI-based software. “Arís: Analogical Reasoning for reuse of Implementation & Specification” is a recent project concerning applying models of analogical reasoning to the domain of reliable software development and re-use.

Professor Monahan has been PI on two SFI Discover projects (InSPECT 2019-2022; CoCoA 2021-2023) producing educational resources that teach the science of problem-solving through computational thinking and she is currently a funded collaborator on CoCoA23 (2023 – 2025) improving scientific problem solving skills through co-creation, collaboration and active learning. She is a named supervisor in the SFI Centre for Research Training in Foundations of Data Science and the SFI Centre for Research Training in Advanced Networks for Sustainable Societies, and supervises PhD students funded by the Irish Research Council.

As the Director of the Erasmus Mundus MSc in Dependable Software Systems (2012-2018), she has secured and managed €2.5 million in EU funding, providing foundations for the subsequent DEPEND Erasmus Mundus programme. Recent collaborators include UTRC, Ireland; Microsoft Research, USA; Amazon Web Services, USA; and INRIA, France; with research funded via the Irish Research Council, Science Foundation Ireland, Enterprise Ireland, and Horizon 2020.

Prof. Rachel Msetfi

Prof. Rachel Msetfi is a higher education leader and an experimental psychologist. She joined Maynooth University in 2023 as Vice President for Research and Innovation, where she oversees research and development, technology transfer, graduate research, and strategy implementation. Her leadership includes chairing key committees such as the Research, Ethics, and Risk Management Committees, contributing to the university’s vision and governance.

Rachel’s research lies in the interdisciplinary space, integrating experimental psychology with applied fields, especially focusing on mental health and wellbeing. She has an international track record of peer-reviewed publications and research partnerships, combining psychology, computational science, and machine learning to understand psychopathology, particularly depression.

Previously, Rachel held leadership roles at the University of Limerick, where as Executive Dean of the Faculty of Education and Health Sciences, she lead strategic initiatives, expanded research capacity, and championed flexible, inclusive education. Under her leadership, the faculty received recognition for gender equality and achieved significant growth in student and research outputs.

Rachel remains passionate about advancing research, education, and innovation while fostering an inclusive environment where colleagues and students alike can thrive.

Dr. Matthew Mullarkey

Matthew T. Mullarkey is the Director of the Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) Program for the USF Muma College of Business and an Instructor in the School of Information Systems and Management (SISM). Mullarkey received a Ph.D. in Business Administration with a concentration in Information Systems from the University of South Florida, an MBA from the University of South Carolina, an MS in Systems Management from the University of Southern California, and a BS in Engineering from the United States Military Academy (West Point).

Mullarkey’s areas of research interest include design science research and action research in the evaluation and creation of information systems, smart cities, IoT, healthcare, social networking, and data science. Mullarkey teaches using case based discussions that engage Doctoral, MBA and MIS undergraduates in complex business decisions that typically involve a technology component. His case study based capstone courses emphasize critical thinking, business analysis, and the impact of information technology and systems on real‐world, business decision‐making. Mullarkey is the Editor‐in‐Chief of the USF Muma Case Review and an editor and reviewer for a number of academic journals.

Mullarkey is a 2019-2020 recipient of the Fulbright Scholar Award, 2018 recipient of the USF Faculty Externship Award, 2017 recipient of the USF Muma College of Business Outstanding Faculty Community Engagement Award, and 2015-2016 ISDS Undergraduate Teacher of the Year Award. Mullarkey was named a 2019-2021 Extraordinary Research Scientist at North West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa.

Michael O’Dwyer

Details to follow soon

Dr Siobhan O’Sullivan

Details to be confirmed shortly

Tiago Carneiro Peixoto

Further details to be confirmed soon

Dr Zohreh Pourzolfaghar

Zohreh Pourzolfaghar is Assistant Professor for the School of Business in Maynooth University. She is a members of Lero, the Science Foundation Ireland Research Centre for Software. Zohreh formerly has been Research Fellow at Innovation Value Institute (IVI), Maynooth University’s digital transformation research centre. She is a senior research member of the Business Informatics Group. She is the theme lead in a project investigating the application of Enterprise Architecture in Smart Cities, funded by Science Foundation Ireland (SFI). She has been Principle Investigator for an Industry Fellowship Programme, funded by SFI. Zohreh presented her work at international conferences and has published research in Journals and Conference Proceedings. Zohreh is also leading research within the Cost Action CA16222 (WISE-ACT), a European-wide network.  She has been thematic lead in a successful European Marie Curie PERFORM project. She is a member of the supervisory board of the EU project PERFORM, that focuses on Digital Retail. She has been awarded the SFI industry fellowship (2018) working with industry on topics related to Smart Cities and Building Information Management. She is the Co-PI for submitted H202 Techland proposal. Zohreh received her Ph.D. in Project Management in design process of building projects. Zohreh has years of experience working with project-oriented construction companies to improve organisatioanal productivity and their work processes.

Alistair Russell

Alistair is CEO of the management consultancy, Laing Russell. Laing Russell was established in 2018 as Alistair concluded the sale of his previous organisation, CIO Connect. Alistair and his colleagues work with organisations to develop their digital capability. At CIO Connect, Alistair was SVP, Advisory Services for over 15 years, leading the business and their work with Chief Information Officers and teams across Europe, Asia Pacific and North America. Laing Russell’s clients span all sectors.

Prior to CIO Connect, Alistair was Director for Executive Education at Durham University Business School. Alistair was with PA Consulting Group for 12 years. At PA, alongside practice leadership, he led consulting projects focused on organisational, systems and cultural change. Alistair qualified as a chartered engineer and started his career with ICI, holding a number of project and engineering management positions.

Alistair is business mentor to the CEO and Founder of a manufacturing sector tech. start-up, Business Growth Mentor to the CEO of a regional professional services firm, mentor to charity leaders through the Cranfield Trust and leadership mentor to students through the Durham Leadership Academy.

Prof. Rossano Schifanella

Prof. Rossano Schifanella is a researcher in computer science at the University of Turin and a researcher at ISI Foundation, where he is a member of the Data Science for Social Impact and Sustainability group. His research is highly impactful with a h-index of 34 and  embraces the creative energy of a range of disciplines across machine learning, urban science, computational social science, complex systems, and data visualization. He leverages data-driven approaches to model the behavior of (groups of) individuals and their interactions in space and time, aiming at understanding the interplay between online and offline social behavior. He is passionate about understanding the dynamics of complex phenomena in modern cities and building interactive web interfaces to explore urban spaces and access human knowledge through geography. Rossano is also a work-package lead in the GoGreen Routes Horison 2020 project and is an advisor on the IVI-led GoGreen Next Horizon Europe project, both of which focus on urban health.

Lorraine Smyth

Biography to follow

Dr. Christoph F. Strnadl

Dr. Christoph F. Strnadl is CTO and a Secretary General of the Gaia-X European Association for Data and Cloud AISBL, an international Brussels-based organization defining and implementing standards to enable federated and trusted data and digital service ecosystems.

Educated as a research scientist in Theoretical Physics he has been working as strategy consultant and business manager at Atos for 10 years. He then joined Software AG in 2005 where he held various technical leadership positions in central and eastern Europe, and at the global level, finally as Deputy CTO, playing a key role in global technology strategy development, cross-product innovation, and thought leadership. There Christoph contributed to large-scale, high-impact initiatives, including Gaia-X, Mobility Data Space (MDS), and various IoT and data space projects. Before joining the Gaia-X AISBL in 2024, he led the efforts of the IOTA Foundation, a Berlin blockchain/DLT association, of defining and implementing a technology adoption department.

An Austrian citizen, he holds a summa cum laude Ph.D. in theoretical physics from the Technical University of Vienna and a post-graduate certificate in management science from the University of Huddersfield, UK. He is a recognized public speaker with over 300 appearances and co-author of or contributor to several books on the cloud-to-edge (C2E) continuum and its monetarization, data and service platform concepts and implementations, business process management, and IT law.

Sanjay Singh

Sanjay Singh is a Corporate Data Analyst with Dublin City Council, where he also serves as the Council’s Open Data Liaison Officer within the Data & Analytics Unit. His work supports Dublin City Council’s wider Digital Transformation agenda, particularly the goal of getting better with data by improving how information is governed, shared, and used across the organisation.

In his role, Sanjay works closely with service teams to publish high‑quality open datasets and to strengthen data standards, transparency, and reuse. He supports colleagues in making better use of data for evidence‑based decision‑making, while ensuring alignment with national and EU open data legislation and good data governance practices. His work contributes to making city data more accessible, reliable, and meaningful for both internal users and the wider public.

Sanjay collaborates regularly with researchers, universities, and civic‑tech partners, including ongoing engagement with Maynooth University, to explore practical applications of open data in areas such as public services, urban research, and local policy development. Through this work, he supports Dublin City Council’s ambition to build a stronger data culture and to use data as a strategic asset in delivering better outcomes for the city and its communities.

Prof. Dr. Jörn von Lucke

Prof. Dr. Jörn von Lucke holds the Chair of Public Sector and Business Informatics at The Open Government Institute (TOGI) at Zeppelin University Friedrichshafen. His current research focuses on e-government, open government, open data, open social innovation, smart government (Internet of Things and Internet of Services in the public sector; Administration 4.0, Smart City), real-time government, and artificial intelligence in the public sector. At the same time, he represents the interests of the Gesellschaft für Informatik e. V. (German Informatics Society) within the framework of the German activities for the Open Government Partnership.

Prof. Dr. Jörn von Lucke studied business informatics at the University of Mannheim. He then completed his doctorate and habilitation at the German University of Administrative Sciences Speyer. After receiving his doctorate, he worked at the Research Institute for Public Administration in Speyer and at the Federal Office of Administration in Cologne. From 2007 to 2016, Prof. von Lucke was a senior researcher at the Fraunhofer Institute for Open Communication Systems (FOKUS) in Berlin. As founding director, he headed the Deutsche Telekom Institute for Connected Cities (TICC) at Zeppelin University in Friedrichshafen from 2009 to 2013. As holder of the Chair of Public Sector and Business Informatics, he was also active in the T-City Friedrichshafen smart city project. Today, he is Director of The Open Government Institute (TOGI) at Zeppelin University. His current research focuses on e-government, open government, open data, open social innovation, smart government (Internet of Things and Internet of Services in the public sector; Administration 4.0), real-time government and artificial intelligence in the public sector. At the same time, he represents the interests of the Gesellschaft für Informatik e. V. (German Informatics Society) in the context of the German activities on the Open Government Partnership.

Helmut Vossman

Helmut Vossman is an IT specialist, partner and Managing Director of agmadata GmbH, responsible for in-house development and distribution of an ERP solution for industrial food production. He is the International Data Spaces Association Ambassador for the Farm & Food community. He also has a Masters degree in animal husbandry.

Raymond Wu

Biography to follow