Elena Fersman is a leading expert in the field of AI, serving as Vice President and Head of Global AI Accelerator at Ericsson. In addition to her role at Ericsson, Fersman is also a docent and adjunct professor specializing in Cyber-Physical Systems and Automation at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm.

A trailblazer in AI, she is a sought-after speaker, covering topics such as generative AI, remote robotics and AI, and the transformative role AI plays in telecom. Fersman is a fellow of the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences. She has co-authored over 50 patent families and a popular science book Confessions of an AI Brain, which offers an overview of AI technologies and applications.

Fersman holds a PhD in Computer Science from Uppsala University and completed her postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Paris-Saclay.

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Kathleen Fraser is a computer scientist at the National Research Council Canada’s (NRC) Digital Technologies Research Centre, specializing in AI. In 2024, she represented Canada as part of the NRC delegation at the inaugural meeting of the International AI Safety Institutes and participated in an international joint testing exercise presented at the AI Action Summit in Paris in early 2025, highlighting her leadership in AI safety and ethics.

Fraser’s research focuses on natural language processing (NLP), addressing biases and safety issues in AI. She has co-authored papers on racial and gender biases, human rights concerns in toxic language detection and mitigating stereotypes. She also explores NLP applications in healthcare.

Fraser earned her PhD in computer science from the University of Toronto, followed by a postdoc at the University of Gothenburg. She has been an Adjunct Research Professor at Carleton University since 2022.

Mary Kelly, Professor, Cognitive Science, Carleton University

Mary Kelly is an Assistant Professor in Carleton University’s Department of Cognitive Science and leads the ANIMUS lab, which studies cognition using computational models and artificial intelligence (AI).

With a background in machine learning, psychology and philosophy, Kelly examines how cognitive processes like learning, memory and language acquisition can inform AI. One focus of her and her team’s research at the ANIMUS lab is on ethical AI–exploring how current AI can make unsafe decisions and, by studying how humans cooperate, reason and empathize with each other, we can develop safer, more caring AI. By bridging human cognition and AI, she aims to develop fairer, more adaptable systems.

Kelly holds a B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Computer Science from Queen’s University and a Ph.D. in Cognitive Science from Carleton. She was previously a Researcher at Penn State and an Assistant Professor at Bucknell University.

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Kate Purchase, Senior Director for International AI Governance, Microsoft

Kate Purchase is the Senior Director for International AI Governance at Microsoft, based in Washington, D.C. where she leads Microsoft’s global AI governance work, shaping policy across international and multilateral forums. Prior to this, Purchase worked in the Office of the CEO at Microsoft, leading a team designed to consider the implications of technology, public opinion, strategy and corporate leadership.

Before Microsoft, Purchase spent 15 years in politics, specializing in foreign policy and communications strategy. She led Justin Trudeau’s communications through his Liberal Party leadership and 2015 election win, later serving as his Director of Communications—the youngest person to hold the role.

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Danielle Manley is the Director of Carleton University’s School of Nursing and a Registered Nurse specializing in healthcare innovation, curriculum development and AI in medicine and education. She has led efforts to optimize electronic healthcare charting systems and align nursing scope of practice with regulatory standards.

Her research focuses on AI’s role in reducing administrative burdens, supporting clinician and patient autonomy and improving medical education. She is actively involved in developing nursing curricula that bridge the theory-practice gap and address healthcare provider burnout.

Manley is a recognized speaker on AI in healthcare, serving as a plenary speaker at the SIMposium 2025 and joining Madison Industries Healthcare Townhall on Innovations in the International Medical Landscape. She led the creation of Ontario’s first new standalone university nursing school in over 20 years, driving innovation in nursing education and practice.

Majid Komeili, Director, Intelligent Machines Lab (iML), Carleton University

Majid Komeili is an Associate Professor at the School of Computer Science, a faculty member at the Institute for Data Science, a faculty affiliate at the Accessibility Institute, and the Director of the Intelligent Machines Lab (iML) at Carleton University. He conducts fundamental and applied research in machine learning and related areas in natural language processing and computer vision with a focus on AI explainability and transparency.

Komeili conducts interdisciplinary research on AI-driven solutions for real-world issues, including using machine learning to predict an individual’s risk of chronic homelessness to support early and effective intervention, developing AI-assisted assessment of disability and functional limitations in post-secondary settings, and exploring generative AI for communicating graphical information to persons with vision impairment—all with the goal of building intelligent systems that create social impact.

Before joining Carleton University, Komeili was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Toronto working jointly with Toronto Rehabilitation Institute and the Vector Institute, fostering innovation for public good.

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Sonya Shorey is the President and CEO of Invest Ottawa, Bayview Yards and Area X.O, leading strategic initiatives to drive AI innovation, smart mobility and economic growth. With more than 22 years of experience in technology, entrepreneurship and economic development, she specializes in corporate strategy, investment attraction and innovation-driven growth.

At Area X.O, Shorey oversees the advancement of AI-powered smart mobility, autonomous systems and next-generation connectivity. She has played a key role in securing over $203 million in funding for AI and technology initiatives. She also co-founded SheBoot, an investment-ready bootcamp for women tech founders, and leads programs accelerating AI-driven companies.

Shorey mentors AI entrepreneurs through Women in Cloud, AI North America and Technovation. She serves on multiple boards and holds a combined honours in English and Political Science from Carleton University.

Julien Kathiresan, Director of Finance, Mistral Venture Partners

Julien Kathiresan is the Director of Finance at Mistral Venture Partners, a venture capital firm based in Ottawa that seeks to make pre-seed and seed investments in companies that leverage innovation in “Smart Enterprise” (i.e. AI, Cloud Migration, Mobile, Blockchain and Internet of Things) across the United States and Canada.

With extensive experience in mergers, acquisitions and financial transactions, Kathiresan brings deep financial expertise to early-stage investing. He helps portfolio companies navigate the financial journey from zero to one, assisting founders with key hires, fundraising and investor reporting.

Before Mistral, Kathiresan served as Director of Finance at Macadamian Technologies and began his career as an Auditor at Deloitte. He holds a double major in accounting and finance from Concordia University and is a CPA.

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Previously, Ojo was a faculty at Maynooth University and led the E-Government Unit at the Insight Centre for Data Analytics, University of Galway. He also worked at the United Nations University in Macao, supporting governments in digital transformation. An associate editor for Government Information Quarterly, Digital Government: Research and Practice, and Information Polity, he holds a PhD in Computer Science (Artificial Intelligence) from the University of Lagos.

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Tony will give us a behind-the-scenes look at the making of this year’s conference, its theme and what students can take away from the conversation.

Tony Frost, Chief Communications Officer at Carleton Univerity, key organizer of the Challenge Conference series

Frost joined Carleton in 2020 from the University of Waterloo. He is a marketing and communications strategist who has worked in higher education for over 25 years with a singular purpose: to build a reputation and profile to drive institutional success. Frost holds a BA and MA in Communication Studies from Wilfrid Laurier University, where his thesis explored how contemporary universities were branded.

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