Marc Maußner is Senior Consultant at infoteam Software AG, Germany. He is working as consultant in the fields of Functional Safety, Cybersecurity and Quantum Computing. He likes to work at the intersections of the domains resulting in combining Functional Safety and Cybersecurity requirements during product and project life cycle and Cybersecurity aspects in Quantum Computing, especially in Quantum Machine Learning. Beginning with Deloitte’s Quantum Climate Challenge in 2023 he started to get curious about chemical simulations on quantum computers. He also enjoys investigating in the cybersecurity aspects of quantum computing and quantum machine learning.

I’ll bring my long-term, in-depth experience in nuclear physics, combined with skills in control systems and electronics, including radiation detector development, mathematical modelling, and Monte Carlo simulations of particle interactions with matter. Due to my passion for new technologies (especially quantum technologies and artificial intelligence) and my understanding of physics, including quantum algorithms and machine learning techniques, I am able to provide professional judgments on new solutions and methods. Longing for knowledge of the latest scientific achievements in my field and I’ll acquire new skills and pick up technologies in different fields. Last but not least, as a strong and effective communicator, I both support and coordinate the information flow among all involved parties.

Dr.Muhammad Saeed is a Research Coordinator at ARENA2036 e.V., Germany, holding a dual doctorate from the University of Stuttgart (Germany) and Swinburne University of Technology (Australia). He is also pursuing an Executive MBA at Washington University in St. Louis, USA. His research spans Quantum Machine Learning, hybrid quantum-classical AI, Physical AI, embodied intelligence, engineering foundation models, and AI-driven digital engineering. At ARENA2036, he leads strategic initiatives in Industrial AI and contributes to the European AI-MATTERS Testing and Experimentation Facility, supporting the validation and industrial deployment of trustworthy AI. He holds research appointments at Swinburne University of Technology, UNSW Sydney, and RMIT University, fostering international scientific collaborations. His work combines quantum-enhanced optimization, simulation-driven engineering, generative CAD, industrial digital twins, explainable AI, and intelligent manufacturing systems, bridging advanced scientific research with real-world industrial applications.

Today, I am a Quantum Algorithm and Application Scientist at Quandela. Alongside developing quantum algorithms and applications, I actively support business development and technology adoption, representing the company in conferences, workshops, and pre-sales activities. Through these interactions with researchers, industrial partners, and customers, I help bridge cutting-edge quantum technologies with real-world applications.

Dr. Calvin Jefferson, DHSc, MBA, BSHA, RADT, is a healthcare executive, researcher, consultant, and U.S. Navy Veteran with more than 20 years of experience navigating complex healthcare systems, including the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, one of the largest integrated healthcare systems in the nation. I am also the Founder and CEO of TRUST AI IQ™, an AI powered trust intelligence platform designed to assess credibility, bias, misinformation risk, and trust signals within healthcare and public facing communications. I am passionate about advancing healthcare innovation while ensuring that trust, transparency, and evidence based decision making remain at the center of healthcare transformation. I welcome opportunities to collaborate on healthcare strategy, market access, digital health, AI governance, healthcare innovation, research, advisory boards, consulting engagements, and speaking opportunities.

Ahmed Bello is a research software engineer at Illinois State University working at the intersection of artificial intelligence and cybersecurity. His research focuses on developing transparent, trustworthy, and privacy-conscious AI systems for cyber defense. His interests include agentic AI, applied AI and machine learning security, responsible AI, cyber threat intelligence, risk management, data privacy, threat detection, trustworthy machine learning, AI enabled cyber defense, privacy-preserving machine learning, MLOps, and rigorous model evaluation. His work examines how organizations can translate technical threat intelligence and model outputs into explainable, defensible, and actionable security decisions while addressing uncertainty, privacy, reliability, and operational risk in practice. Ahmed has published his research work in many top Q1 journals such as IEEE, Springer, and Inder-science and has also presented his work at many top conferences in the United States.

Raj Jain is currently the Barbara J. and Jerome R. Cox, Jr., Professor of Computer Science and Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis. Dr. Jain is a Life Fellow of IEEE, a Fellow of ACM, a Fellow of AAAS, and a recipient of the 2018 James B. Eads Award from St. Louis Academy of Science, and the 2017 ACM SIGCOMM Life-Time Achievement Award. Previously, he was one of the Co-founders of Nayna Networks, Inc., a Senior Consulting Engineer at Digital Equipment Corporation in Littleton, Mass, and then a professor of Computer and Information Sciences at Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. With 49,000+ citations on Google Scholar, he is among the highly cited authors in computer science.

Daphne Damons works at the intersection of governance, privacy, and operations in high-risk sectors. Where most POPIA conversations stop at policy, Daphne goes further — building systems that actually change behaviour on the ground in law firms, security organisations, and high-risk professional services. Currently serving as a Strategic Advisor for the G100 Security Wing, I am dedicated to elevating security standards and empowering leaders through specialised training and thought leadership.

I am the director of the Interdisciplinary Research Cetner for Intelligent Secure Systems (IRC-ISS) at KFUPM. I am an assistant professor with the Computer Engineering Department and the Information and Computer Science Department at KFUPM. My research focuses on Cybersecurity. In particular, I work on research problems related to data privacy. More recently, I started to develop some interest on research relating data security and privacy and quantum computing. For more details, see my research interests. I earned my PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Purdue University in 2018. My advisor was Prof. Arif Ghafoor. Prior to that, I earned my MS degree from KAUST and Bachelor degree from KFUPM in 2008 and 2011, respectively. I am a member of the Dependable and Secure System Lab at KFUPM.

Çiğdem Avcı is an Assistant Professor of Computer Engineering at TOBB University of Economics and Technology (TOBB ETÜ). Her career spans over 15 years of experience bridging advanced software systems research with high-stakes industrial engineering in the defence, aerospace, and safety-critical sectors.Her work typically implements strict verification and validation protocols necessary for civil, defence, and space applications. Her research specializes in data-intensive systems, exploring how complex modern software infrastructures can stay robust against structural errors and targeted cyber threats.

I am a passionate cryptography and cybersecurity expert, researcher and seasoned academic with over 15 years of experience in cryptography, quantum-safe security, and biometric authentication protection systems. Currently serving as a Senior Lecturer and Researcher at King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM), I specialize in post-quantum cryptography, quantum cryptography, quantum computing, and the security of authentication protocols of emerging technologies like IoT, IoMT, and IoD. My work bridges the gap between advanced cryptographic theory and real-world applications. I have led KFUPM and national-level, funded R&D projects—driving innovations in authentication methods and quantum-resilient security frameworks. My research contributions have earned U.S. patents and numerous publications in Q1 journals such as IEEE and Springer, reflecting global impact and recognition.

Dr. Khaoula ElBedoui is an Associate Professor and researcher in Computer Science at the National Engineering School of Carthage, University of Carthage, Tunisia. She is a co-founding member of the Q-AI Hub which is dedicated to advancing research, training, and innovation at the intersection of artificial intelligence and quantum technologies. Her research interests include artificial intelligence, deep learning, computer vision, medical image analysis, explainable AI, federated learning, generative AI, agentic AI, and quantum machine learning. She holds two PhDs in Information Technology and Computer Science from INSA Lyon, France, and Tunisian academic institutions. Dr. ElBedoui is actively involved in national and international research projects, academic supervision, scientific collaborations, and professional training. She is also a certified NVIDIA Deep Learning Institute instructor in deep learning, generative AI, and agentic AI. Her work focuses on developing trustworthy, innovative, and impactful AI solutions while promoting interdisciplinary collaboration and knowledge transfer.

Dr. Haythem Ghazouani is an Associate Professor of Computer Science at the National Engineering School of Carthage (ENICarthage), University of Carthage, Tunisia, and a researcher with the LIMTIC Laboratory. His research focuses on Artificial Intelligence, Explainable AI (XAI), Machine Learning, Deep Learning, Cybersecurity, Computer Vision, Health Informatics, and Intelligent Decision Support Systems. He has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications in leading international journals and conferences and serves as reviewer and guest editor for several high-impact journals. Dr. Ghazouani is currently leading and participating in several international collaborative research projects involving Tunisia and international partners, particularly in AI for healthcare, precision agriculture, cybersecurity, and digital innovation. His recent work includes explainable deep learning for medical image analysis, trustworthy AI, AI-assisted virtual autopsy, membrane fouling prediction using explainable AI, and intelligent precision farming systems. He also teaches graduate courses in Artificial Intelligence, Generative AI, Machine Learning, Deep Learning, Python for Data Science, and Software Engineering.