Plenary Panel: AI Driven Applications Shaping the Future

Artificial Intelligence has been around for decades, but with rapid advancements in technology and adoption have become ubiquitous. It is not just AI but the intersections of all the distinct technologies that contribute to our world and humanity. These range from, but not limited to communications and networking, edge and cloud computing, digital twins, IoT, blockchain, AI and machine learning, intelligent data, and augmented and virtual reality. Non technological factors affect the application of technology like socio-economic, legal, and more. All these aspects can be attributed to what we call a megatrend.

Emphasis will be upon presenting practical applications and their implementations of interest to attendees. Subject matter expert speakers will comment on current and past implementations all towards development for a better future.

IEEE Future Directions has organized this panel.
Format: Participate in the discussion with a panel of industry experts from several distinct fields who will provide their perspectives, observations, and real-life world examples supporting public safety.

Session Outline (Total Time is 1.5 hours)
Louis Nisiotis
Christine Miyachi
May Wang
Moderated by Kathy Grise, IEEE, USA

Panelist

Christine Miyachi is a Senior Software Development Manager at Microsoft, US with experience
leading projects from conception to launch and maintaining until stable and mature, and weighing
design trade-offs against business requirements. Electrical engineering education and background,
knowledge of embedded systems to full stack development including web services, cloud computing, and software development methodologies. Leadership, management, mentoring, and organizational experience in the workplace and with professional activities that include writing,
running conferences, and assembling local affiliate groups. Current passion is AI and Machine Learning. https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-miyachi-a31835/
 

Panelist 

May Dongmei Wang is a Wallace H. Coulter Distinguished Faculty Fellow and full professor of Biomedical Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Computational Science and Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology (GT) and Emory University (EU). She is Director of Biomedical Big Data Initiative, Georgia Distinguished Cancer Scholar, Petit Institute Faculty Fellow, Kavli Fellow, AIMBE Fellow, IAMBE Fellow, IEEE Fellow, and Board of Directors of American Board of AI in Medicine.
Her research is in Biomedical Big Data with AI-Driven Intelligent Reality (IR) for predictive, personalized, and precision health (pHealth). She has 20+ years academic professorship and ~4 years industrial research experience, published 290+ articles in referred journals and conference proceedings with 15,000+ Google Scholar citations, and delivered 280+ invited and keynote lectures. Dr. Wang received BEng from Tsinghua University China, and MS with PhD degrees from GT. She is a recipient of GT Outstanding Faculty Mentor for Undergrad Research Award,
and EU MilliPub Award (for a high-impact paper that is cited over 1,000 times). At Georgia Tech, Dr. Wang is in 2022 President Leading Women Program and 2021 Provost Emerging Leaders Program. Before 2016, Dr. Wang was Director of Bioinformatics and Biocomputing Core in NIH/NCI-sponsored U54 Center for Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence, and Co-Director of GT Center of Bio-Imaging Mass Spectrometry for over 10 years. Dr. Wang is the Senior Editor for IEEE Journal of Biomedical & Health Informatics (J-BHI, Impact Factor 7.02), an Associate Editor for IEEE Transactions for BME and IEEE Reviews for BME, a panelist for NIH CDMA
(Clinical Data Management and Analysis) Study Section, NSF Smart and Connect Health, Brain Canada every year. She organized IEEE-JBHI Special Issue on AI-driven Informatics, Sensing, Imaging and Big Data Analytics
for Fighting the COVID-19 Pandemic. Dr. Wang has chaired IEEE Biomedical and Health Informatics (BHI) community and ACM Special Interest Group in Bioinformatics. Currently, Dr. Wang serves in both IEEE Future Directions Committee and International Academy of Medical and Biological Engineering (IAMBE) Executive Committee and is IEEE-Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (IEEE-EMBS) Vice President.
 
Dr. Wang’s research has been supported by NIH, NSF, CDC, VA, Georgia Research Alliance, Georgia Cancer Coalition, Shriners’ Hospitals for Children, Children’s Health Care of Atlanta, Enduring Heart Foundation,
Coulter Foundation, Imlay Foundation, Microsoft Research, HP, UCB, and Amazon. https://www.linkedin.com/in/may-dongmei-wang-8491379/

Panelist

Louis Nisiotis is leading research in innovation and application of eXtended Reality technologies to support and foster the ongoing digital transformation of a plethora of industrial, educational, entertainment and societal domains. His research interests include eXtended Reality (XR), the Metaverse, Cyber-Physical-Social Systems, Digital Twins, Serious & Entertainment Video Games, and Human Computer Interaction. He is particularly interested in leveraging XR and the convergence of emerging disruptive technologies, to create new types of Metaverse systems and applications that seamlessly blend the real with digital worlds and disrupt the way we (humans) interact with real and virtual
environments, with our surroundings, and with each other. He regularly shares academic insights, technical expertise, and innovative viewpoints at high-profile scientific panels and public forums, presenting cutting-
edge research, real-world applications, and forward-looking perspectives on the use and impact of emerging technologies shaping the Metaverse. He is an Assistant Professor at the University of Central Lancashire, Cyprus (UCLan Cyprus) leading the Games Development and Computer Graphics modules.

Dr Nisiotis is serving the scientific community through multiple volunteering positions and activities. He is currently the Programme Chair of the IEEE International Symposium of Emerging Metaverse (ISEMV 2025 and previously 2024), he was the General Chair of the IEEE International Conference on Intelligent Reality (ICIR 2022), and is a review editor and editorial member for prestigious scientific journals and conferences. Dr
Nisiotis is a Steering Committee Member of the IEEE Metaverse scientific community, and member of IEEE and IEEE Computer Society. He is also a Fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/louisnisiotis/

Panelist

Kathy Grise, Senior Program Director – IEEE Future Directions, supports new and emerging initiatives, including cloud computing, big data, digital realities, AI/ML, digital twins, digital transformation, and public safety, supports IEEE Future Directions, and manages the digital presence team for Future Directions. Kathy serves as the Technical Program Chair of the IEEE COMPSAC 2026 Symposium – Data Sciences, Analytics, & amp; Technologies (DSAT). Kathy received the 2024 IEEE Eric Herz Outstanding Staff Award, the highest recognition for a staff member.

Prior to joining the IEEE staff, Kathy held numerous positions at IBM, and most recently was a Senior Engineering Manager for Process Design Kit Enablement in the IBM Semiconductor Research and Development
Center. Kathy led the overall IT infrastructure implementation, and software development in support of semiconductor device modeling verification, packaging, and delivery; device measurement and
characterization data collection and management, and automation for device modeling engineers. Kathy is a graduate of Washington and Jefferson College, and an IEEE Senior member.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathygrise