Dr. Saiedeh Razavi is a Professor at the Department of Civil Engineering, the inaugural Chair in Heavy Construction, Co-Director of McMaster’s AI-enhanced Mobility Lab, and Co-Founder of Fluid Intelligence, a multimodal supply chain analytics unit through a strategic alliance with Hamilton-Oshawa Port Authority.
She is an Associate Member of the McMaster Institute for Transportation and Logistics (MITL) Associate Member and the School of Earth, Environment, and Society.
Dr. Razavi has a multidisciplinary background through several years of industrial experience and academic teaching and research.
Her formal education includes degrees in Computer Engineering (B.Sc), Artificial Intelligence (M.Sc), and Civil Engineering (Ph.D.).
Her research focuses on AI-enhanced and data-informed knowledge and solutions for intelligent transportation systems, supply chains and logistics, smarter construction, and infrastructure management.
Her interests outside of academia include painting, interior design, and traveling.
Join us as we explore the exciting opportunities and challenges within the dynamic field of Smart Mobility. Reflect on your career aspirations and embark on a journey of personal growth and professional development. Discover insights into the ever-evolving nature of the industry and learn strategies to thrive in this dynamic and fast-paced environment.
Saba Al-Rubaye, Canadian professional, currently serves as Professor Chair in Telecommunications and Autonomous Systems in the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science at Cranfield University.
With over 20 years of experience in both industry and academia, Prof Al-Rubaye has a proven track record in initiating innovative solutions across various domains, including design, testing, consultation, leadership, and program development.
She has actively participated in numerous projects sponsored by prestigious organizations such as Innovation UK, Research England, EPSRC, the Department for Transport, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), and the USA Government. An essential contribution made by Prof Al-Rubaye was her involvement in establishing the hardware in the loop testbed for smart grid communications and system integration at Quanta’s Sustainable Technology Integration Laboratory (QT-STIL) in Toronto, Canada.
These projects are significant steps towards expediting the adoption of emerging technology solutions and their integration into future communications networks. Prof Al-Rubaye actively participates in the development of industry standards, contributing as a voting member in IEEE P1932.1 standard for License/Unlicensed Interoperability and IEEE P1920.2 standard for Vehicle-to-Vehicle Communications for Unmanned Aircraft Systems. Her research work has been published in various prestigious IEEE journals and conferences, earning her the distinguished honour of receiving the best technical paper award in 2011 and 2015, respectively, in IEEE Vehicular Technology as well as best paper in IEEE DASC conference 2020 and 2021. Furthermore, Prof Al-Rubaye has taken on leadership roles in several international conferences, including serving as a general co-chair and TPC co-chair.
She has also delivered tutorials/Talk at esteemed IEEE conferences such as ICC and PIMRC, as well as delivering invited talks at reputable venues like the Communications Research Centre (CRC) of Canada, IEEE Toronto Chapter, and IEEE UK Chapter. Prof Saba Al-Rubaye is a distinguished professional Chartered Engineer (CEng), MIET, and a Life Senior member of IEEE.
The future of the industry envisions sixth generation (6G) as a transformative force, unlocking the full potential of smart connectivity to drive seamless, resilient, and sustainable mobility development.
6G will further empower vertical sectors, propelling their digital transformation forward.
To meet the diverse demands of vertical applications such as drones, eVTOLs, and air vehicles, 6G communication systems must support stringent performance requirements, ensure consistent service availability across all locations, provide precise environmental awareness, and offer dynamic Quality of Service mechanisms to guarantee safety and effectively support these use cases.
On the other hand, 6G’s non-terrestrial networks (NTNs), including satellite systems, high-altitude platforms (HAPS), and airborne platforms like drones, present significant opportunities to overcome these limitations.
NTNs can extend smart connectivity to rural and remote regions, bridging the digital divide while enhancing network capacity, energy efficiency, and sustainability by offloading traffic from terrestrial networks. Furthermore, 6G autonomy with NTN technologies offer global coverage and smart mobility support, making them particularly valuable for transportation and aviation domain, as well as supporting sustainable development goals through more efficient resource utilization.
Tara Remedios is a results-driven talent leader, currently serving as Director, Talent Strategy and Workforce Planning for the Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network, the Ontario government’s flagship initiative for the automotive and mobility sector, led by the Ontario Centre of Innovation. Tara has a strong focus on creating impactful candidate and employee experiences, from hire to retire, and is committed to enhancing organizational effectiveness through talent management and inclusive, equity-driven practices.
Throughout her career, Tara has excelled in building diverse and inclusive teams, advocating for equity, and implementing innovative approaches to global talent management strategies across early, experienced, and executive recruitment in various sectors. Her expertise extends to developing and delivering programs that not only foster the growth of talent across the province but also strengthen industry connections, thereby reinforcing Ontario’s position as a global leader in the automotive and mobility sectors.
These efforts directly align with her work in shaping the future of mobility by driving workforce development initiatives that address the evolving needs of the industry.
Amanda Kalhous has over 30 years of transportation industry experience from Military to Aerospace to Linehaul trucking including 19 years in the Automotive Industry across multiple domains.
Amanda is passionate about encouraging innovation – in people, processes, and products across domains.
A leading innovator herself, Amanda has 30 patents primarily around interactions between vehicles and smartphones. Amanda was a founding member of the BrightDrop team joining in Dec 2019.
In Dec 2022 she transitioned to lead a Software Engineering team in Data & Analytics and since April 2024 has been Head of Product for Enterprise Innovation.
Amanda is a graduate of Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston, ON (B. Eng Elec) and Dalhousie University in Halifax, NS (M.Eng Elec).
A registered Professional Engineer, Amanda also volunteers as the Engineer in Residence for Ontario Tech University’s Department of Automotive & Mechatronics Engineering.
Since Sep 2020, Amanda also hosts a podcast for women in leadership – Women’s Mentoring Network Canada.
As Director of Operations at Innovate Niagara, N’ora Kalb oversees Niagara’s Regional Innovation Centre, which provides advisory services, education and networking opportunities for innovative entrepreneurs.
N’ora runs the operations of the company and constantly looks for new ways to bring valuable services to innovative entrepreneurs that will give them a huge boost to getting their businesses off the ground, or to that next level. She is also the Chair of the Board for Rodman Art Institute of Niagara and the Chair of the Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce Women in Niagara (WIN) Council.
N’ora’s previous work experience includes management consulting for clients around the world of all types and sizes on software strategy and implementation.
Stephanie Thompson is a passionate engineer and community leader drives innovative ways of promoting science, technology and learning in the Niagara area.
With an extensive 23-year professional engineering career at General Motors of Canada, Stephanie leads diverse manufacturing engineering teams to launch world class production lines for engine and transmissions, while managing capital investment projects for future programs. With more than 15 years invested in volunteering for FIRST Robotics, as well as participating for GM’s STEM funding team, she draws energy from supporting grassroots programs in STEM, particularly for women in her community.
In 2018, Stephanie launched her social enterprise, STEM by Steph. These innovative projects break down barriers by making STEM subjects accessible to all women. Since its inception, Stephanie has run 15 STEM workshops for hundreds of women both virtually and in-person.
In 2023 as a 4-time Award winner, Stephanie was inaugurated into the Women’s Executive Network’s Hall of Fame as one of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women. She was the winner of the Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce Business Award for Science and Technology, and received from her alma matter, University of Waterloo, the Alumni Achievement Medal for Community Service.
In 2024, Stephanie won the Women Make Award Top 100 from the US Manufacturing Institute.
Stephanie holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in Chemical Engineering from the University of Waterloo, a Certificate of Professional Management from Brock University, and is a Professional Engineer in Ontario. In 2021, Stephanie joined Brock University’s Board of Trustees and is a Board member for Innovate Niagara.
She and her husband are raising their daughter to love STEM by exploring the unique eco-systems of Niagara.
Eileen Herbers is a Research Associate at the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI) in the Division of Freight, Transit & Heavy Vehicle Safety.
She received her B.S. in Engineering Sciences and Applied Mathematics at Northwestern University, and is currently a Ph.D.
candidate in the Biomedical Engineering and Mechanics department at Virginia Tech.
Her dissertation topic focuses on how to measure the potential safety impact of ADS and where connected vehicle technologies may be necessary.
Since 2019, Ms. Herbers has supported various projects at VTTI involving vehicle and pedestrian tracking, sensor fusion evaluation, measuring driver distraction, pedestrian safety near bus stops, and calculating and determining key safety surrogate metrics in crash and near-crash scenarios.
Hannah Barrett is a Researcher & Program Manager with the Traffic Injury Research Foundation (TIRF) since 2016.
She has a Master’s degree in Criminology and Criminal Justice Policy from the University of Guelph.
Hannah’s research includes work various areas of road safety, such as alcohol ignition interlocks, alcohol-impaired driving, cannabis impaired driving, distracted driving, safe rides, safe routes to school, and wildlife-vehicle collisions.
Research Associate, Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, USA
Researcher & Program Manager, Traffic Injury Research Foundation, Canada
Researcher & Program Manager, Traffic Injury Research Foundation, Canada
Director, Talent Strategy & Workforce Planning, Ontario Centre of Innovation, Canada
Director, Talent Strategy & Workforce Planning, Ontario Centre of Innovation, Canada
Head of Product, General Motors, Enterprise Innovation Naina Dewan, Manager, New Technology & Innovation, Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) N'ora Kalb, Director Operations, Innovate Niagara
Head of Product, General Motors, Enterprise Innovation Naina Dewan, Manager, New Technology & Innovation, Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) N'ora Kalb, Director Operations, Innovate Niagara
Professor and Chair in Heavy Construction, Department of Civil Engineering, McMaster University, Canada
Professor and Chair in Heavy Construction, Department of Civil Engineering, McMaster University, Canada
Register With Us as soon as possible