Dr. Amir Khajepour

Dr. Khajepour is a leading expert in the modeling and control of dynamic systems, and holds the Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Mechatronics Vehicle Systems. He has developed an extensive research program that applies his expertise in several key multidisciplinary areas including additive manufacturing, vehicle systems, and high-speed robotics. His research has led to several patents, over 300 journal and conference publications, five books, and seven book chapters. He is a recipient of the Engineering Medal from the Professional Engineering Ontario, three best paper awards, a fellow of the Engineering Institute of Canada, the American Society of Mechanical Engineering, and the Canadian Society of Mechanical Engineering.

Topic of Keynote: Modeling and Real-time Control of Laser Metal Additive Manufacturing

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Dr. Robert Langlois

Dr. Langlois is an expert in the areas of applied dynamics, mathematical modelling, and computer simulation. He is the founder of the Carleton University Applied Dynamics Laboratory (ADL) and Associate Director of the Carleton University Centre for Visualization and Simulation Research (VSIM). Prior to joining the Carleton University Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, he was the Senior Dynamicist and Manager of Dynamic Analysis at Indal Technologies Inc. (now Indal Technologies – Curtiss-Wright Defense Solutions), a world leader in the area of shipboard aircraft handling equipment. He has been actively involved with research and development relating to shipboard aircraft operation over the past two decades; and was the lead developer of the widely-used Dynaface software for determining shipboard aircraft securing requirements. Other current research foci include the dynamics of high-speed craft suspension seats, development of cost-effective and edge-of-envelope flight simulators, and human performance at sea. In addition to analytical and simulation-based work, Dr. Langlois leads an active experimental program with recent projects including a heavy-weather sea trial, a transit vehicle ride quality trial, an off-road tracked vehicle trial, high-speed craft seat testing, as well as flight testing. Dr. Langlois has an extensive publication record and three best-paper awards.

Topic of Keynote: Shipboard Helicopters, Sea Monsters, Safety ... and Engineering

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Dr. Andrew D. Lewis

Andrew D. Lewis attended the University of New Brunswick, where he received a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1987. He attended graduate school at Caltech in Pasadena, CA, receiving his PhD in 1995, under the supervision of Richard Murray. After a postdoctoral appointment of one year at Caltech, Dr Lewis was a postdoctoral researcher in the Mathematics Department at the University of Warwick in Coventry, UK, from 1996-1998. In 1998, Dr Lewis joined the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at Queen’s University, where he now holds the position of Professor. He has held visiting appointments at the Centre de Recerca Matemàtica in Barcelona and at the University of Hawai’i, Manoa.

Dr Lewis’s research began in the areas of mechanics and control theory for mechanical systems. His more recent research activity is in the area of geometric control theory, with an emphasis on understanding system structure using methods from geometric functional analysis.

Topic of Keynote: Control Theory Might be Different than You Think It Is

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Dr. Goldie Nejat

Goldie Nejat, PhD, P.Eng. is the Canada Research Chair in Robots for Society and the Director of the Institute for Robotics and Mechatronics (IRM) at the University of Toronto. She is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering and the Founder and Director of the Autonomous Systems and Biomechatronics Laboratory (asblab.mie.utoronto.ca). She is also an Adjunct Scientist at the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute.

Prof. Nejat’s research focuses on developing intelligent service robots for applications in health, elderly care, emergency response, search and rescue, security and surveillance, and manufacturing. Her research is leading the development of intelligent assistive robotic aids that can meet the challenges posed by an aging population. Prof. Nejat has over 110 international publications in both the natural and health sciences domains. She has been invited to speak about her research to researchers, scientists, and healthcare professionals at many events and institutions around the world. She has served on the organizing and program committees of over twenty international conferences on robotics, automation, human-robot interaction and medical devices. Prof. Nejat is also an Associate Editor for IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters. Her team's work has been focused in numerous media outlets including Time magazine, The Naked Scientists, Reader's Digest, the National on CBC, Zoomer magazine, and the Discovery Channel. In 2013, she received the Engineers Canada Young Engineer Achievement Award and in 2012, she received the Professional Engineers of Ontario Young Engineer Medal.

Topic of Keynote: Can I be of Assistance?: Socially Assistive Robots as the Next Generation of Health Care Helpers

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