A.I. Uprising

Dr. Salim Al-Barami

Salim Albarami is a strategic visionary and digital transformation expert currently pursuing his Doctorate in Business Administration at Hult International Business School, focusing on Leveraging AI for Workforce Development Enhancing Employability in Qatar’s Private Sector. As Strategic Planning and Digital Transformation Advisor to Qatar’s Ministry of Labour, Salim has driven multiple award-winning initiatives, including an AI-based Nationalization algorithm and platforms recognized for their transformative social impact. Recently, his efforts led to the Ministry winning the Best Transformative AI Solution for Social Impact at the Middle East Enterprise AI and Analytics Summit.

Among Salim’s significant contributions is the establishment of Qatar’s Labour Market Information System (LMIS), a groundbreaking tool that integrates advanced AI and data science to monitor and analyze employment trends. This system enables precise skill gap analysis and strengthens Qatar’s labor market infrastructure, supporting informed decision-making across public and private sectors.

Salim also launched Ouqoul, an innovative AI-powered employment platform that connects Qatar’s private sector companies with expatriate graduates from Qatar based universities. Designed in collaboration with Google Cloud, Ouqoul covers the entire employment process, featuring tailored interfaces for graduates and companies and a centralized matching system to optimize skill alignment with market demands.

In addition to his governmental impact, Salim’s entrepreneurial pursuits include founding Gulflytics, a data consultancy in Oman, and leading strategy at DeepTechSolutions in Switzerland. Fluent in Arabic and English. Salim’s expertise in AI, data science, and strategic development positions him as an influential figure in technology-driven public sector innovation in the Middle East.

Dr. Muez Ali

Muez Ali is a Research and Policy Lead at Earthna: Center for a Sustainable Future at Qatar Foundation and an Honorary Research Fellow at the Bartlett School of Environment, Energy and Resources at UCL, London. His research activities and interests span food security, climate change in the MENA region and Sub-Saharan Africa, electrification and energy access, and the political economy of knowledge production and development. On Sudan, his research focuses on social and economic policy, and civil society and governance.

Georgios Dimitropoulos

Georgios (George) Dimitropoulos is an Associate Professor of Law, as well as Associate Dean for Research and S.J.D. Program Coordinator at HBKU College of Law. He is also an Adjunct Associate Professor at Georgetown University in Qatar (GU-Q). He holds the position of Vice Chair of the American Society of International Law (ASIL) International Law & Technology Interest Group.

George studied law at the University of Athens, and holds an LL.M. and J.S.D. from Yale Law School, as well as an LL.M. and Ph.D. summa cum laude from the University of Heidelberg. Before joining HBKU he was a Senior Research Fellow at the Max Planck Institute Luxembourg and a Hauser Research Scholar at New York University (NYU) School of Law. He has held visiting positions at the Athens Public International Law Center (AthensPIL), Singapore Management University (SMU), the Université Catholique de Lyon (UCLy) and the Jigme Singye Wangchuck (JSW) School of Law in Bhutan. A major focus of his work has been the rise of new digital technologies and their interaction with traditional models of internal law. His work has appeared in journals such as the Washington Law Review, the University of Pennsylvania Journal of International Law, the Northwestern Journal of International Law & Business, the World Trade Review, and the Journal of International Economic Law. His recent books include Regulating Blockchain: Techno-Social and Legal Challenges (with Philipp Hacker, Ioannis Lianos and Stefan Eich eds. – Oxford University Press, 2019) and Digitilization, New Technologies and International Investment Law (with Panos Delimatsis and Anastasios Gourgourini eds. – Cambridge University Press, forthcoming 2025).

Dr. Pawel Gmyrek

Pawel Gmyrek is a Senior Researcher in the Effective Labour Institutions unit of ILO’s Research Department. His current work is focused on the impact of generative AI on employment and occupational structures and on the use of generative AI tools and large unstructured datasets for research purposes. He is a co-chair of the new AI for Good series on AI and Work. Pawel holds a Ph.D. in Political Science and International Relations from University of Geneva, Switzerland, and a Master’s degree from Warsaw School of Economics, Poland. He has been staff member of the International Labour Office since 2008 and published on topics related to multilateral funding, aid effectiveness, human rights and technology and jobs.

Dr. Moriba Jah

Dr. Moriba Jah is an internationally recognized, award-winning scientist, educator and MacArthur fellow acknowledged for his work in space environmentalism. With his extensive expertise in space situational awareness and astrodynamics, Dr. Jah has dedicated his career to addressing the environmental challenges posed by human activities beyond Earth.

As a sought-after speaker, consultant and educator, Dr. Jah is known for his ability to bridge the gap between scientific research and public understanding, making complex concepts accessible and engaging no matter the audience. His work has not only contributed to the advancement of space science but also inspired individuals, governments and organizations to embrace sustainable practices and work towards a harmonious coexistence with the cosmos.

Dr. Jah has given hundreds of lectures, speeches and invited talks, such as testimony for hearings of U.S. Congressional committees, keynotes, plenary lectures for scientific conferences, lecture series for NATO’s Science and Technology Organization, TED and TEDx talks and the Air Force Research Laboratory’s INSPIRE series.

Dr. Jah has served as a member of the U.S. delegation to the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UN-COPUOS). Along with Steve Wozniak, he is also the co-founder and chief scientist for Privateer Space Inc., a company focused on delivering bespoke decision intelligence at the speed of relevance addressing humanity’s problems.

Dr. Jah’s expertise, opinions and research have been featured in many media outlets, including NatGeo, TIME, NPR, BBC, ABC, CNN, WSJ, SpaceWatch Global, Space News, Wired, ROOM and others.

Dr. Jah is the director of the Computational Astronautical Sciences and Technologies (CAST) group within the Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences at The University of Texas at Austin, where he is also an associate professor of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics in the Cockrell School of Engineering. He holds the Mrs. Pearlie Dashiell Henderson Centennial Fellowship in Engineering and trains a new generation of astrodynamicists and space traffic leaders through research and education at the intersection of engineering, policy and commercialization. He has authored more than 100 scientific articles, columns, books, chapters and op-eds.

Dr. Jah founded the American Astronautical Society’s (AAS) Space Surveillance Technical Committee and Chaired the AIAA Astrodynamics Technical Committee. He is a member of the Space Security and Space Traffic Management Committees of the International Astronautical Federation (IAF) and a permanent member of the Space Debris Committee of the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA). Dr. Jah is an elected member of Scotland’s National Academy of Science and Letters as a Corresponding Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE), the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA), a TED Fellow, a MacArthur “Genius Grant” Fellow and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), the International Association for the Advancement of Space Safety (IAASS), the AFRL, the AAS and the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS), as well as an IEEE Senior Member, Associate Editor of Elsevier’s Advances in Space Research, Acta Astronautica and Space Safety Engineering Journals.

Dr. Jah’s groundbreaking research and compassionate, collaborative global relationship-building have positioned him at the forefront of the field. With a holistic scientific approach, he has established himself as a visionary thinker in space exploration and its environmental impact.

Douglas Little

Douglas Little is the Chief Information Officer at Georgetown University. In this role, he partners with campus stakeholders and leads a diverse and dynamic team of technology experts to implement a vision for the continual modernization of the technological infrastructure that supports Georgetown’s academic mission of teaching, learning and research in our increasingly connected world. Doug and the UIS team work to uphold the UIS mission of a commitment to service excellence, achieved through collaboration with the diverse Georgetown community to foster innovative solutions that improve our world.

Prior to joining UIS, Doug served in a variety of roles across functional areas within higher education, including serving as the Director of First Year Experience and Director of the Thomas P. Johnson Student Resource Center at Rollins College, the Director of Orientation and Family Programs and Services at George Mason University, and the Senior Assistant Dean of Academic Affairs for the Georgetown University School of Nursing & Health Studies, where he helped launch the university’s first online degree program. Within these roles, Doug has provided organizational leadership in the areas of technology innovation, advising, enrollment services, admissions, leadership development, and international service learning.

Doug began his partnership with UIS in 2016 when he was selected as the academic co-sponsor for the groundbreaking Georgetown360 project which modernized Georgetown’s advancement systems and achieved an integrated, campus wide approach to alumni and donor engagement in advance of the Office of Advancement’s Called to Be campaign.  

Since joinoing UIS full time in 2018 Doug has provided strategy and leadership around major projects including de-customizing and modernizing the Banner student information system, leading the university’s transition to remote learning and work during the Covid 19 crisis, enhancing the Georgetown Management System (GMS) and Business Intelligence (BI) systems, and developing a roadmap for increased research support.

Dr. Saurabh Mishra

Saurabh is the Founder and CEO of Taiyō.AI, leading the evolution in the global construction, infrastructure, and government spending sectors by introducing a novel data and AI platform designed to streamline efficiency and improve outcomes.

Dr. Mishra’s career has spanned diverse roles that integrate research, teaching, policy with a focus on AI, AI policy, megaprojects, risk management, and decision-making. His research is focused on a systems architecture approach to Artificial Intelligence (AI) and how such systems can help humans make more sustainable investment and policy decisions. Previously, he served as the Director of the AI Index at the Stanford University’s Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HAI). He has taught various business and policy programs including at UC Berkeley, University of San Francisco. Prior to these roles, he served at the World Bank, International Monetary Fund (IMF), and the International Finance Corporation (IFC) leading key projects in emerging markets and leading economic research exploring topics of economic growth, technology, inequality, economic development.

He currently serves as a Visiting Fellow at the Bank for International Settlements (BIS), non-resident fellow at the Brookings Institution, OECD.AI member of AI experts. He received a PhD in Reliability Engineering from the Clark School of Engineering at the University of Maryland, College Park.

Dr. Mishra’s research has been published in various journals including Scientific Reports – Nature, Journal of Risk Analysis, Journal of Service Research, Journal of International Money and Finance, Open Economies Review, Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, books by Oxford University Press, as well as numerous World Bank and IMF Policy Papers. He’s a frequent keynote speaker and guest lecturer at business, policy, and academic forums.

Rika Nakazawa

Rika is a technology leader, VC investor, best-selling author, and frequent public speaker on technology-powered industry transformation. She is Chief Commercial Innovation at NTT, a leading technology and business services and solutions provider with more than 340,000 innovators around the world.  Her current focus is on advancing commercial and sustainability applications of Space & Satellite innovations and orchestrating impact initiatives across global public and private sectors for the next World Expo in Osaka 2025.  Recognized by Forbes for their 2025 50>50 list for Women in Innovation, Rika has also received “Power 70” and “Power 80” accolades from The Channel Co’s CRN network and is ranked among the “Top 100 in Emerging Tech” by Women of the Future.

Trilingual in Japanese, German, and English, Rika grew up in Japan and moved to the US to attend Princeton University. Rika has since worked internationally in senior executive roles in strategy, business development, consulting, and marketing with Fortune 500 companies – NVIDIA, Accenture, Capgemini, Sony – and Silicon Valley startups. She is a digital innovation veteran and has served on multiple boards in AI, Next-Gen Computing, XR/VR/AR and Cybersecurity ecosystems.  Rika was co-founder of STRIDES AI and is currently a board director of Venus Shell Systems – a regenerative blue economy enterprise.Rika is the best-selling author of “Dear Chairwoman” – featuring the trials and triumphs of women corporate board leaders.  Her next book, featuring the intersection of sustainability, digital innovation, and the pandemic, called “Beyond the Black Swan: How the Pandemic and Digital Innovation Intensified the Sustainability Imperative – Everywhere”, was released by business/academic publisher Taylor & Francis earlier this year.

Alessio Terzi

Alessio Terzi is an economist working at the intersection of academia, think-tanks, and policy. He is an Assistant Professor in Public Policy at the University of Cambridge and an Adjunct Professor in Economics at Sciences Po in Paris. He is the author of Growth for Good (Harvard University Press): a Foreign Affairs Best Book of the Year, and a Financial Times summer reading favourite.

Over more than 5 years at the Directorate General for Economic and Financial Affairs of the European Commission, he helped design the overall economic strategy associated with the European Green Deal. Prior to that, he was a Fellow at Bruegel, the leading European economic think-tank, and a Fulbright Scholar at the John F. Kennedy School of Government of Harvard University. He has work experience from the European Central Bank and BMI Research (Fitch Ratings). In the past, he taught at HEC Paris and Sciences Po Lille.Alessio carried out his studies at the London School of Economics, Bocconi University, the Hertie School, and Dartmouth College. His policy work and commentaries have been featured on leading media outlets including the New York Times, the Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal, BBC World News, and Bloomberg.

Dr. Sahana Udupa

Sahana Udupa is Professor of Media Anthropology at LMU Munich; Berkman Klein Fellow and Joan Shorenstein Fellow at Harvard University; and founder of the Center for Digital Dignity. Author of several books, she researches online extreme speech, AI and disinformation, content moderation, global digital cultures, and platform governance. Her recent article, “Ethical scaling: Extreme speech and the (in)significance of artificial intelligence”, which she co-authored with Antonis Maronikolakis and Axel Wisiorek, won the 2023 Outstanding Article Award at the International Communication Association. Udupa is the recipient of the Franqui Chair award in Belgium and numerous grant awards. She recently gave a keynote address at the UN Peacekeeping symposium on digital transformation based on the UN commissioned research paper on digital technology and online hate that she has authored. She is currently setting up a new multiyear project on contentious speech on small social media platforms, funded by the European Research Council Consolidator Grant.