Prof. Xiao Li

Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (IEEE Fellow)

Biography:  Xiaoli is currently the Department Head and Senior Principal Scientist at the Institute for Infocomm Research, A*STAR, Singapore. He also serves as an adjunct full professor at the School of Computer Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. With a diverse range of research interests, Xiaoli focuses on cutting-edge areas such as AI, data mining, machine learning, and bioinformatics. His contributions to these fields are evident through his extensive publication record, boasting over 370 peer-reviewed papers, and the recognition he has received, including over ten best paper awards. He has been serving as Editor-in-chief of the Annual Review of Artificial Intelligence and an Associate Editor for prestigious journals like IEEE Transactions on Artificial Intelligence and Knowledge and Information Systems, as well as conference chairs and area chairs of leading AI, machine learning, and data science conferences, such as AAAI, IJCAI, ICLR, NeurIPS, KDD, ICDM etc. Xiaoli is an IEEE Fellow and Fellow of Asia-Pacific Artificial Intelligence Association (AAIA). He has been recognized as one of the world's top 2% scientists in the AI domain by Stanford University, and Clarivate's Highly Cited Researcher. Beyond academia, Xiaoli possesses extensive industry experience, where he has successfully spearheaded over 10 R&D projects in collaboration with major industry players across diverse sectors, such as aerospace, telecom, insurance, and professional service companies. In addition, he has been a member of Information Technology Standards Committee (ITSC) from Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) since 2020. Moreover, he serves as a health innovation expert panel member for the Ministry of Health (MOH), expert panel member for Ministry of Education (MOE), as well as an AI advisor for the Smart Nation and Digital Government Office (SNDGO), Prime Minister s Office, highlighting his extensive involvement in key Government and industry initiatives.

Speech Title:  Transforming Industries with the Power of AI

Abstract:  This presentation explores how artificial intelligence is reshaping industries by delivering actionable insights and driving operational transformation. We will examine AI’s growing impact across manufacturing, aerospace, professional services, and transportation. In manufacturing and aerospace, AI-powered time series analytics enable predictive maintenance and real-time condition monitoring—reducing unplanned downtime and enhancing overall productivity. In professional services, AI supports intelligent decision-making by boosting auditor efficiency and predicting staff attrition with greater accuracy. Meanwhile, in transportation, smart AI systems optimize traffic light control to reduce congestion and improve urban mobility. Through real-world examples and emerging use cases, this talk highlights how AI is not just augmenting workflows but fundamentally transforming how industries operate, innovate, and evolve.

Associate Prof. Pavel Loskot

ZJU-UIUC Institute, Canada

Research Areas: Signal processing, mathematical modelling, statistical and causal inference

Biography: Pavel Loskot joined the ZJU-UIUC Institute in January 2021. He received his PhD degree in Wireless

Communications from the University of Alberta in Canada, and the MSc and BSc degrees in Radioelectronics and Biomedical Electronics, respectively, from the Czech Technical University of Prague. He is the Senior Member of the IEEE, Fellow of the HEA in the UK, and the Recognized Research Supervisor of the UKCGE. Recently, he was elected the IARIA 2025 Fellow. In the past nearly 30 years, he was involved in numerous industrial and academic collaborative projects in the Czech Republic, Finland, Canada, the UK, Turkey, and in China. These projects concerned wireless and optical telecommunication networks, and also genetic regulatory circuits, air transport services and renewable energy systems. This experience allowed him to truly understand interdisciplinary workings, and crossing disciplines boundaries.

Speech Title: Exploring economies of large AI systems

Prof. Hongbing Cheng

Zhejiang University of Technology, China

Biography:  Cheng Hongbing, Doctor, professor, doctoral supervisor, postdoctoral fellow of the Department of Computer Science and Technology of Nanjing University (State Key Laboratory of New Software Technology), CCF outstanding member, IEEE member, Jiangsu Province "Six talent peak" high-level talent training and funding object, Jiangsu Province "blue Project" academic training object, Xinjiang "Tianchi Talents" special expert. Huawei Network security foreign training special professor. Postdoctoral fellow at University of Manchester, University of Stavanger, Norway and Visiting scholar at Deakin University, Australia. Head of the Information and Privacy Protection Research team. Research areas mainly include software technology and theory, cryptography technology and application, big data security, network and information security, cloud computing privacy protection, blockchain technology, etc.

Speech Title:  Blockchain and Data security : From Theory to Application 

Abstract:  Blockchain is a chained data structure consisting of blocks linked in chronological order. Each block needs to maintain an identical, continuously growing, and immutable ledger backup locally; blockchain is a technology that enables the secure sharing of information. Data, obviously, is stored in a database. Transactions are recorded in an account book called a ledger. In this report, we will explain blockchain technology and preliminarily explore its potential application data security areas.