Meet the Program Advisory Committees
Project Management
Nathalie Drouin
PhD, MBA, LL.B.
Nathalie Drouin is the Executive Director at KHEOPS, an International Research Consortium on the Governance of Large Infrastructure Projects, the Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Managing Projects in Business, a full professor at the Department of Management, École des Sciences de la gestion, Université du Québec à Montréal (ESG UQAM), Adjunct Professor at University of Technology Sydney (UTS), Australia and Associate Researcher at École nationale d’administration publique (ENAP), Canada. She teaches initiation and strategic management of projects in the Graduate Project Management Programs at ESG UQAM. Her research has been funded by various research councils. The result of her work has been published in major academic journals and presented at several international conferences. She is looking at organizational project management, leadership issues and megaprojects. She is a former member of the PMI Insight Academic Group. She is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Logistics and Transportation Metropolitan Cluster of Montreal (CARGO M) and an Audit Committee Member of Parks Canada Agency Audit Committee, Government of Canada. With Ralf Müller and Shankar Sankaran, she has won the 2019 Walt Lipke Project Governance and Control Excellence Award for the following paper: Müller, R., Sankaran, S., Drouin, N. (2019) A Model of Organizational Project Management and its Validation Project and Program Symposium Vol.2 Edition 1. 17 October p.5-20, as well as the 2019 International Project Management Association IPMA Research Award for the research work: Müller, R., Drouin, N., Sankaran, S. (2018) Balancing Person-Centric and Team-Centric Leadership in Projects. White Paper, Project Management Institute May.
Regulatory Affairs
Deborah Pinchev
Deborah is a Quality/Regulatory Affairs Manager at StarFish Medical, Canada’s largest medical device development company. Deborah has 5 years of Regulatory and Quality experience with a focus on the medical device industry. Prior to joining StarFish, she was a Laboratory Manager for a cell biology research lab at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto. Deborah earned her B.Sc. in Biochemistry at the University of Guelph, her M.Sc. in Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences at McMaster University, and has a graduate certificate in Regulatory Affairs at Humber College.
Golddy Kaur
Golddy Kaur has more than three decades of MedTech experience and held many positions including executive leadership roles. She has experience across general business management, strategy development, commercial functions, operations, engineering, quality, regulatory & clinical research. She possesses a unique blend of Med-Tech industry subject knowledge and business/financial acumen.
As part of the executive leadership roles, she coached a diverse group of individuals and personalities. She has a proven track record in consistently delivering business results, bringing innovations globally through research to commercialization stages, developing talent, and building winning teams. She focuses on achieving personal greatness and finding greatness in others to achieve business goals.
Golddy has a Bachelor’s degree with a major in biology and physics from Ranchi University, India. She started her MedTech journey in 1990 at C. R. Bard, Mississauga. She continued her education by attending several professional development programs in Canadian and US Universities including the Executive Development Program at the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University.
Leslie Madden
Leslie Madden is Senior Director and Head of Government Affairs at Moderna Canada, where she leads engagement to advance policies that support innovation in mRNA vaccines, therapeutics, pandemic preparedness, and the growth of Canada’s life sciences ecosystem.
Leslie brings more than 19 years of pharmaceutical industry experience in Canada and the US, with deep expertise in Regulatory Affairs. Prior to her current role, she served as Senior Director and Head of Regulatory Sciences & Quality Assurance at Moderna. In that position, she led the company’s regulatory strategy and execution during the COVID-19 pandemic, securing Canadian approvals for Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine and respiratory portfolio. She also contributed to building the company’s regulatory frameworks to support clinical development and rare disease programs in Canada.
Throughout her career, Leslie has held senior regulatory and commercial roles at organizations including Elvium Life Sciences, Biogen (US & Canada), Galderma, and GSK. She holds a B.Sc. from York University, an MBA from Rotman at the University of Toronto, and a Global Professional LLM from the University of Toronto. She also serves on the Rotman Healthcare & Life Sciences Advisory Board.
Ginny Kwan Gattinger
Ginny is a partner and instructor at SoftwareCPR, a regulatory and quality consulting firm specializing in software-based medical devices and other regulated products. Her experience in regulatory affairs and quality assurance spans over 15 years in the areas of medical devices, pharmaceuticals, and biotechnology. She has developed regulatory strategies and submissions for a variety of software-based medical devices and has supported a variety of quality audits and inspections throughout her career at start-ups, mid-sized companies, and global enterprises. Ginny is also a speaker and writer, including a publication in the Therapeutic Innovation & Regulatory Science journal. She currently serves as Vice-Chair of the RAPS Ontario Chapter, the local chapter arm of the Regulatory Affairs Professionals Society (RAPS). Ginny obtained a BSc in Biochemistry from Concordia University in Montreal and an MS in Regulatory Science from Johns Hopkins University. She also holds a Regulatory Affairs Certification through RAPS.
Danièle Thibodeau
PhD (Chemistry), PMP
Danièle Thibodeau, PhD, PMP has dedicated over 30 years to various leadership roles in the pharmaceutical industry. Since 2022, she has actively contributed to the Regulatory Affairs Program Advisory Committee at NEU. A passionate advocate and mentor, Daniele has consistently fostered and nurtured thriving communities of practice within her organizations. These communities have served as incubators for personal and professional growth . Today, Daniele brings her extensive knowledge and experience to her work with the PAC at NEU, and her advocacy efforts through Women Leaders in Pharma and other projects.
Joseph De Croos
Joseph De Croos is Director, Quality Assurance & Regulatory Affairs at Vena Medical, a medical device company based in Kitchener, Ontario. Joseph completed his PhD in Biology at Carleton University, his MSc at Trent and BSc at Dalhousie. After sitting on the Research Ethics Board at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto, where he was conducting preclinical research on bioengineered cartilage, Joseph saw many companies on the cusp of getting a drug or device approved. He then made the decision to switch careers and obtained a diploma in Regulatory Affairs at Humber College to help companies in their product development journey. Joseph immediately started in the medical device industry in regulatory affairs and quality assurance. Since that transition, Joseph has worked with several medical device companies in maintaining their quality management systems and getting novel devices to market. Joseph also participates in medical device standard development at both the national and international level.
Dr. Kinza Maxood
Director, Science and Regulatory at Klick Health
Kinza Maxood, a medical doctor with expertise in clinical and cognitive neuroscience research, is the Director of Science and Regulatory at Klick Health. With over a decade of experience in healthcare including clinical, medical, and regulatory affairs, Kinza leads a team of scientific experts that help ensure both promotional and non-promotional materials are not only scientifically accurate but also adhere to the stringent global regulatory requirements set by agencies such as the FDA standards. Her deep understanding of the regulatory landscape, along with her passion for medicine allows her to strategically partner with brand and MLR teams to help bring novel promotional ideas to market in a compliant manner. She has contributed to multiple successful launches of drugs and continues to work on products in a variety of disease areas, including rare diseases, neurology, oncology, pulmonology, endocrinology, and urology.
Charles Tam
Senior Director Regulatory Affairs at Edwards Lifesciences
Charles Tam is a medical device industry professional bringing near 20 years of progressive leadership across regulatory affairs, compliance, and quality in Canada and internationally. He is the Senior Director, Regulatory Affairs, EEMEA and Canada, based at the of Edwards Lifesciences’ Canadian head-office in Mississauga, Ontario, the leading global structural heart innovation company.
Charles brings a robust Canadian cardiovascular medical device specialization in Special Access, Investigational Testing, and high-risk Class IV regulatory commercialization including combination drug-devices and biological tissue heart implants. Internationally, he also leads the emerging focus business areas for the EEMEA international regulated markets spanning Eastern Europe, Middle East, and Africa. He is a long-standing member of the Regulatory Affairs Steering Committee and a Sub-committee Chair at MedTech Canada, the national association representing the medical technology industry. He is Regulatory Advisor at H2i (Health Innovation Hub), a part of the Temerty Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto and is also on the Institutional Advisory Board for the Institute of Circulatory and Respiratory Health at the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (ICRH-CIHR), Government of Canada’s primary agency for funding and investing in health research. He previously held progressive regulatory roles at Becton-Dickinson, Johnson & Johnson, and Abbott Laboratories. He holds a Honours B.Sc from the University of Toronto and an MBA from the Ted Rogers School of Management at the Toronto Metropolitan University in Canada.
Analytics
Sumair Sayani
Sumair is a seasoned executive who has held leadership roles at Fortune 500 companies across several markets over his 20-year professional career. In 2020, he decided to venture into the world of entrepreneurship and founded a number of start-ups. His most ambitious recent project is called PathosAI.io. Up until 2019, he led a global think tank that was based out of New York. He was on the Executive Committee and co-led the Consumer Dynamics Institute, jointly operated by Nielsen and The Conference Board. He has led several global projects for strategic clients including big data / AI. While in Dubai, Sumair led regional markets as Managing Director, as well as established a new business practice across 13 markets and developed a high-performing diversified team to deliver commercial success. Before moving to the general management, Sumair led those markets as the CFO. Sumair has travelled to more than 40 countries across 5 continents for work and is described as someone with an innovative mindset always seeking new ways to drive profitable growth and build new partnerships. He is currently living in Canada with his wife and 2 children. He is an avid 10k runner and enjoys playing Tennis. He is also a certified Tennis coach encouraging young Canadians to live healthier lives.
Gurbir Perhar PhD
Vice President of Data Technology at Compass Digital Labs
Gurbir is a seasoned machine learning professional, with a proven leadership record and over 10 years of experience. He’s currently Vice President of Data Technology at Compass Digital Labs, where he grew a data practice from the ground up (consisting of Data Science, Machine Learning Engineering, Data Engineering, Business Intelligence, and Decision Science). His previous work was in the online gambling space, where he developed real-time breaking news algorithms and real-time NBA wagering machine learning models. Gurbir’s Ph.D. and PostDoc work focused on modelling the impacts of polyunsaturated fatty acids on trophic transfer efficiencies in freshwater planktonic food webs. Starting with fundamental mechanistic models, his work culminated in a cybernetics approach. During this time, he also did consulting work for the governments of Canada, the USA, South Africa, and China on environmental and ecological model building.
Ning Kost
Senior Vice President, Consumer Intelligence and Data Analytics, NeilsenIQ
Ning has 18 years of experience in the tech industry, delivering automation solutions for operational efficiency; predictive analytics in price and promo, assortment and merchandising; commercial data APIs and data visualization tools for product location, consumer purchase behavior, omnishopper and ecom sales measurements.
A firm believer in lifelong learning, Ning understands that careers are not static and is passionate about helping her team seek opportunities to develop and grow their technical skills in big data, modelling, AI/ML, cloud computing that are increasingly in demand; and also soft skills such as collaboration, creativity, intellectual curiosity and adaptability. Ning supported many co-op students and capstone projects from various universities in Canada, many of which led to full time employment at Nielsen and NielsenIQ over the years. Ning holds a Computer Science and Mathematics degree from University of Waterloo, and trained at MIT Sloan School of Management on Digital Business Transformation.
Rohin Bansal
Head of Data Governance and Enablement, TELUS
Rohin Bansal is a purpose-driven leader with over 15 years of experience at the intersection of data governance, analytics, law, and technology. As Director at TELUS, he drives the company’s technology and data strategy, chairs the Enterprise Data Council and Health Data Council, and leads hundreds of data stewards to achieve excellence in governance and responsible data use. His leadership ensures TELUS leverages data as a strategic asset, fostering innovation through advanced analytics while maintaining rigorous ethical standards. In 2024, Rohin was recognized as a Top 40 Under 40 by Peak and one of Corinium’s Top 100 Innovators in Data and Analytics, underscoring his impact in shaping modern data governance practices.
Prior to TELUS, Rohin served as Director of Data Governance at CIBC, leading enterprise-wide initiatives that integrated governance with cutting-edge analytics to unlock business value. His career spans impactful roles at Capital One, Rogers Communications, and the City of Toronto. As Vice President on the Board of Directors for DAMA Toronto, he championed industry leadership in data governance. Rohin holds a Juris Doctor (JD) and a Master of International Business from Queen’s University’s Smith School of Business, alongside a Bachelor of Business Administration from York University’s Schulich School of Business.
Dr. Bart Gajderowicz
Dr. Bart Gajderowicz is a computer scientist and an Assistant Professor at the School of Computing, College of Engineering, at Utah State University. He holds a PhD in Industrial Engineering from the University of Toronto, and BS and MS degrees in Computer Science from the Toronto Metropolitan University. His research integrates artificial intelligence, computational social sciences, and knowledge representation, with a focus on modelling, simulating, and evaluating complex social systems to support sustainable communities and smart cities. He has served as the director of the SeMantIc roLe Extraction (SMILE) project, advancing explainable natural language understanding for impact modelling and lead development of tools such as PARLANCE for knowledge graph integration. He is a co-author on numerous publications, as well as several data modelling standards focusing on urban datasets and impact measurements and plays a key role in interdisciplinary initiatives, such as chairing the Ontologies for Services and Social Good Workshops. His work, supported by fellowships, awards, and over $500,000 in research funding, spans distributed decision support systems, focusing on AI-driven planning algorithms, ontology matching, and natural language understanding, with the long-term goal of enabling data-driven decision-making for healthier and more resilient communities.
Vera Cvetkovic
Head Marketing Operation, Data & Analytics at Canada Post
Vera is currently leading marketing operations, data and analytics at Canada Post Corporation. She is a seasoned technology expert with over 25 years of industry experience. She has managed various teams for global organizations and implemented innovative technology and data solutions for enterprise clients. Vera holds a Master of Science degree in Engineering from the University of Belgrade. Currently mentoring the Hatchery Program for UofT and actively participating in CMA MarTech Council for the last couple of years.
Informatics
Bryan Li
Founder of Cyber Tech & Risk and Cyber Career Center
Bryan has 20+ years of experience in the areas of enterprise solutions, information security, program management, software development, and IT consulting. His leadership and management experience include Head of Business Systems, Director of Product Development & Innovation, and Director of Program Management with multiple industry-leading companies.
Bryan is dedicated to addressing the growing concerns about cybersecurity via training, career development, and collaboration. Bryan is the founder of Cyber Tech & Risk (https://cybertechrisk.com), which is a platform for people who care about technology, risk, and security to get fresh ideas, learn the latest skills, and expand business/professional networks. Cyber-Tech & Risk organizes monthly industry events, People in Cyber Conference, and Cybersecurity Higher Education Contest. Bryan is the founder of Cyber Career Centre (https://cybercareercentre.com), which offers experiential learning, interactive hiring, and career events.
Bryan has delivered many cybersecurity seminars at the organizations such as RBC, CIBC, CPA Ontario, Ontario Centres of Excellence, EC-Council, ORION, University of Toronto Rotman School of Management, York University Schulich School of Business, Lambton College, ventureLAB, Acces Employment, City of Markham, Toronto Entrepreneurs Conference, CIFI Security Summit, CI Regulatory and Compliance Conference, CI Privacy and Data Security Conference, etc.
Bryan holds CISSP, CCSP, CEI, CEH, CND, CBP, PMP, CBAP, and several other professional certifications
Imran Ahmad
Partner, Head of Technology & Innovation, Co-Chair Data Protection, Privacy & Cybersecurity
Imran Ahmad is the Canadian head of our technology and innovation industry group and the Canadian co-head of our data protection, privacy, and cybersecurity practice. He is based in our Toronto and Montreal offices and is recognized as a leading cybersecurity lawyer by several legal directories.
Imran advises clients across all industries on a wide array of technology-related matters, including outsourcing, cloud computing, SaaS, strategic alliances, technology development, system procurement, and implementation, technology licensing and transfer, distribution, open-source software, and electronic commerce. As part of his cybersecurity practice, Imran works very closely with clients to develop and implement practical strategies related to cyber threats and data breaches. He advises on legal risk assessments, compliance, due diligence, and risk allocation advice, security, and data breach incident preparedness and response.
In addition, Imran often acts as “breach counsel” in the event of a cybersecurity incident, such as a data or privacy breach, and has extensive experience in managing complex security incidents and cross-border breaches. He also provides representation in the event of an investigation, an enforcement action, or litigation. Imran is the author of Canada’s first legal incident preparation and response handbook titled Cybersecurity in Canada: A Guide to Best Practices, Planning, and Management (LexisNexis, August 2017). In his private law practice, he advises clients on compliance with all Canadian federal and provincial privacy and data management laws.
He has a particular focus on cross-border data transfer issues and enterprise-wide governance programs related to privacy and information governance. Imran is the former chair of the Privacy and Access to Information Section of the Ontario Bar Association. Imran is an adjunct professor at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Law, where he teaches cybersecurity and privacy law.
Information Systems
Brian Orr
Chief Technology Officer, Perceptful.AI
Brian is a software engineering professional with over three decades of experience as an entrepreneur, engineering leader, coder, and UX designer. Brian is currently Chief Technology Officer at Perceptful.AI, a startup he co-founded in 2025. Prior to Perceptful.AI, he was the co-founder of the PlayStation office in Waterloo and spent over 20 years leading projects and teams across Sony.
When he’s not building and designing software, Brian enjoys spending time with his family, playing piano, and writing and recording music.
Sheri Ferko
Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Ferko Liblik Incorporated
Sheri Ferko is a co-founder and Managing Partner at Ferko Liblik Incorporated (FLI) a Toronto-based technology services company providing business consulting and technology solutions for enterprises of all sizes.
Sheri has over 20 years of business & technology expertise and holds a degree in Systems Design Engineering from the University of Waterloo. Sheri’s strengths revolve around her ability to transform business challenges into opportunities. She is a highly skilled solutions architect who delivers innovative, value-add systems to her clients. She has worked with numerous Fortune 500 companies across multiple industries on initiatives ranging from enterprise CRM and ERP installations to innovative and market-leading custom build and data solutions.
Sheri is also the COO of a leading-edge research and development firm Qiiu Systems Inc. Qiiu Systems partners with leaders across various industries to bring unique business and consumer products to market including String Masters, Artist Access, and Stratotask Vantage.
Garry Ma
CEO and Founder of Ample Insight, an AI and consulting firm based in Toronto. Previously, Garry co-founded Brilent, an AI SaaS company that transformed talent discovery. As an early data scientist at Meta (formerly Facebook), he established key data science practices. A serial entrepreneur with a degree from the University of Waterloo, Garry has been honored by IBM for his leadership and co-authored the textbook Software Engineering and Databases.
Kaliyur Sridharan M.Eng. P.Eng.
Senior Director – Strategic Growth Programs, Schneider Electric
Kaliyur is a global strategic and commercial leader with over 40 years of experience driving digital automation across the utility and industrial sectors. His expertise spans both organic and inorganic growth, with a focus on building new markets, developing customer strategies, and leading cross-functional global teams.
Since joining Schneider Electric Canada in 2018, Kaliyur has led growth initiatives for the company’s EcoStruxure Grid platform and energy business. He is passionate about advancing sustainability and digital transformation, frequently sharing insights through national media outlets and speaking engagements with organizations such as PLANT, IEEE, Globe & Mail, and the World Economic Forum.
Throughout his international career, Kaliyur has held senior leadership roles at ABB and GE, where he also served as an integration leader for multiple M&A initiatives. His current role at Schneider Electric focuses on supporting the Strategy, Sustainability, and Innovation team to accelerate the company’s long-term vision.
Kaliyur has lived and worked across Europe, Southeast Asia, China, India, and North America. He is a registered Professional Engineer, a Certified Greenbelt, and an experienced Ombudsman. He has authored over 40 publications and presented at numerous global industry events.
Jordan Goure
Jordan Goure is an entrepreneur and community leader with a career spanning multiple industries, launching his first business at just 19. His current business holdings include a winery, several resort properties, and a real estate development company. He is also the co-founder and CEO of Picsume, an award winning Canadian software company focused on building ethical AI and modern workforce solutions.
Rooted in Windsor-Essex, Jordan is deeply committed to community development. He also serves on the board of directors for Tourism Windsor Essex Pelee Island and has contributed as an advisor to the WETech board, supporting innovation and regional growth.
Jordan holds a degree in Political Science from the University of Windsor and recently completed an executive business program at Harvard in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning strategy. His work reflects both a passion for innovation and a dedication to building stronger communities.
Biotechnology
Dr. Mojgan Rezvani, PhD, MSc, MSc (Edu), BSc (Spec. Hon)
Executive Dean, Faculty of Health Sciences, Durham College
Dr. Rezvani has an extensive education, training, and research experience in some of the world’s most renowned universities and hospitals in USA and Canada, such as University of Toronto, Harvard Medical School, Duke University, Brigham & Women’s Hospital, University Health Network, and Sick Children’s Hospital. Through some of her training and career, she has been able to acquire numerous Merits, Awards, Fellowships, Scholarships, and Grants based on her excellent knowledge, communication skills, teaching ability, and research aptitude. Furthermore, she has had a long career as an educator complemented with a formal master’s degree in adolescence education. Mojgan has over 20 years of experience in healthcare and biomedical sciences industry.
Currently, Dr. Rezvani is serving as the Executive Dean of Faculty of Health Sciences at Durham College and previously she has held several academic and leadership positions as Associate Dean, Director and Program Coordinator.
Priya Vinod
Regulator Group Director at Hoffman LaRoche
Priya is an accomplished senior regulatory professional with over 25 years of international experience in leading and managing regulatory strategies for new product development and lifecycle management. She is currently working as Regulatory Group Director at Hoffman La Roche, leading teams providing CMC support for registration and maintenance of their products globally. She is also the Site Head for Pharma Technical Regulatory team based out of the Roche Canada campus. Prior to that for Apotex Inc, she managed their global international regulatory affairs teams supporting over 70 countries and was a part of their Site Leadership team. Priya holds a Bachelor of Pharmacy degree, a Master’s degree in Regulatory Affairs from Northeastern University., and a post graduate diploma in International Business.
Dr. Anil Kumar
Dr. Anil Kumar is a distinguished professional in the biopharmaceutical industry with approximately 15 years of leadership and management experience across interdisciplinary sciences, including protein biochemistry, peptide chemistry, analytical science, molecular biology, computational biology, and bio-organic chemistry. He currently serves as the Technical Training Manager at SGS Canada, overseeing the training and mentoring of new hires and employees across the biopharmaceutical, pharmaceutical, molecular biology, and support teams.
In his previous role, Dr. Kumar managed operations with a team of scientific professionals, focusing on analytical procedure validation, GMP release, stability testing, and protein/peptide characterization. His efforts significantly contributed to revenue growth and the establishment of strong client partnerships. He specializes in GMP practices, particularly in method development, validation, and transfer, ensuring compliance with FDA and ICH guidelines.
Dr. Kumar holds a Ph.D. in Bioorganic Chemistry from the ‘Indian Institute of Technology Bombay and has over six years of postdoctoral research experience at Washington University in St. Louis and the University of Toronto. His research concentrated on protein design, engineering, characterization, and folding using chemical biology and computational methods. Throughout his career, he has mentored scientists at various stages and secured funding for innovative protein design and engineering research, resulting in over 20 international publications, more than 30 conference presentations, and numerous national and international fellowships.
Before joining SGS Canada, Dr. Kumar played a pivotal role in establishing new labs and supporting product commercialization in the non-traditional life sciences industry. Beyond his scientific accomplishments, he is recognized for his leadership in mentoring cross-functional teams and fostering global interdisciplinary collaboration.
Amirtha Varshini Ramesh
Amirtha Varshini Ramesh is an Assay Development & Integration Technician at Vital Biosciences, where she works on the development and integration of clinical chemistry assays for a next-generation point-of-care diagnostic platform. She holds a Master of Science in Biotechnology from Northeastern University, Toronto, and a Bachelor of Science in Biotechnology from Lady Doak College, India. Amirtha’s experience spans fermentation science, molecular diagnostics, and bioprocessing, with a strong foundation in molecular biology, method development, and GMP/GLP practices. She is passionate about interdisciplinary collaboration and science communication.
Sean Thompson
Sean is experienced in biotechnology clinical research and business development. In 2018, he cofounded Psigryph with U of Guelph Plant Agriculture Professor, Gopinadhan Paliyath and founded Psigryph USA in 2024 Huntsville, Alabama. He was VP, Corporate Development for YM BioSciences leading negotiating teams for out-licensing, in-licensing and M&A transactions. He previously led Clinical Research for the company through successful studies globally. Under his watch, YM acquired companies identifying the asset that led to its 2012 acquisition by Gilead. He completed licensing transactions with Asia-based companies including a deal with Daiichi Sankyo netting $15M. YM also completed $120M in public offerings. He previously held Clinical Development and Marketing positions with GlaxoSmithKline and Roche where he led the Tamiflu® clinical team representing Canada on the Global Development, Flu Surveillance and Global Business Teams for the product.
Bioinformatics
Dr. Steven Wang
Dr. Steven Wang is a full Professor in Statistics at the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at York University. Dr. Wang’s research is quite versatile, with publications on likelihood inference, clustering, bioinformatics, disease modelling, high dimensional optimization and machine learning algorithms with application to EEG and ECG. A U.S. patent on an innovative parallel computing paradigm for machine learning was awarded in 2023. He received the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Award from the House of Commons of Canada in 2023 for his significant contribution to the community to fight COVID-19 using AI at the Long Term Care facilities. He is currently the Director of the undergraduate Data Science program at York University.
Cyber-Physical Systems
Walder Amaya
Walder Amaya is a seasoned executive with over 25 years of experience in advertising and web development, known for his dedication to hard work, innovation, and strategic leadership. Beginning his career in the early days of the internet, Amaya built a strong foundation in web development and cultivated a forward-thinking approach that has guided his professional growth. Over the years, he has played a pivotal role in driving the success of multiple organizations, blending technical expertise with visionary leadership to excel in the ever-changing advertising and technology industries.
As Chief Operating Officer and Co-founder of Apex Mobile Media, Apex Gaming Network, and The Altitude Platform, Amaya has been instrumental in establishing these companies as leaders in mobile marketing and advertising technology. Apex delivers cutting-edge solutions in in-app mobile gaming, geo-location services, mobile digital audio, and connected TV, offering tailored strategies to meet the diverse needs of its clients. Guided by Amaya’s focus on innovation and excellence, the company continues to push boundaries and set new industry standards. His commitment to hard work and transformative leadership has left a lasting impact on his organizations and the broader field of tech-driven advertising solutions.
Software Engineering Systems
Aryan Gulati
Aryan Gulati is an AI and Software Engineer with experience across cybersecurity, automation, and data science. He has contributed to digital transformation and security automation projects at organizations including Manulife, the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC), and Infosys. Aryan holds a Master of Computer Science with a concentration in Applied Artificial Intelligence from the University of Ottawa, where his work focused on applied machine learning and responsible AI. He was part of GitHub Universe 2024 and has mentored research interns through the Mitacs Globalink program. Aryan’s practice spans Generative AI, secure DevOps, and ethical AI deployment in enterprise systems. He is passionate about fostering collaboration between academia and industry to drive innovation in modern software engineering and data-driven solutions.
Niharika Annamraju
Niharika Annamraju holds a Master’s degree in Information Systems and brings over 11 years of experience in software development, with a focus on low-code solutions using Appian. She has designed and delivered enterprise workflow applications, system integrations, and process automation projects that improve efficiency and drive digital transformation.
With a foundation in .NET and modern web technologies, Niharika combines technical expertise with business insight to deliver scalable solutions. She is enthusiastic about contributing her industry expertise to curriculum development and supporting students, helping bridge the gap between real-world technology and academic learning.
Ali Fatolahi
Ali Fatolahi is originally from Iran and holds a PhD in Computer Science from the University of Ottawa. He has taught at Algonquin College and worked at Amazon and Okta. Currently, he is a Software Architect at Okta.
Data Architecture and Management
Yiguo (Gregory) Sun
Yiguo (Gregory) Sun possesses a strong interdisciplinary background in eHealth and Computer Science, and holds a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering. He currently works as a Software Engineer at DFNet Research. After transitioning from academic research to industry, he has accumulated over eight years of experience in software engineering and three years in artificial intelligence research and development. He is a Microsoft Certified Data Engineer Associate and AI Engineer Associate. Gregory specializes in healthcare informatics technology, particularly in building data-driven and intelligent systems to support clinical trial processes.
Lucas Qu
Senior Software Engineer at Amazon Canada
Lucas Qu is a Senior Software Engineer at the forefront of distributed systems and cloud computing. Currently serving as a technical leader at Amazon Ads, he architects and implements large-scale serverless applications that handle business-critical workloads. While driving innovation in his role at Amazon, he also serves as CTO of Sparklease Inc., demonstrating his ability to balance enterprise-scale challenges with entrepreneurial leadership.
Lucas has established himself as an authority in backend development, with expertise in AWS cloud services and distributed systems architecture. His technical leadership extends beyond implementation, having mentored numerous engineers and led high-performing teams across multiple organizations.
