SPEAKERS
Mirjana Pović is a Serbian-Spanish astrophysicist who works as a researcher at the Institute of Astrophysics of Andalucia in Spain and as an associate professor at the Space Science and Geospatial Institute in Ethiopia on galaxy formation and evolution. She is also an honorary lecturer at the Mbarara University of Science and Technology in Uganda. She received several awards and recognitions for her scientific achievements and contribution to society for her work in Africa, including the 2018 inaugural Nature Research Award for Inspiring Science and the 2021 inaugural European Astronomical Society Jocelyn Bell Burnell Inspiration Medal.
She works on development in astronomy, science, and education in different parts of Africa, through different projects and initiatives related to research collaborations, education, institutional development, human capacity building, policy development, and women in science.
Vira worked on studying brain development disorders using stem cells at the University of California, Berkeley (USA). Vira researches the development of the human cerebral cortex, genetic diseases associated with the development of the cerebral cortex, and the use of stem cells as a model for studying the physiological and pathological processes of human cerebral cortex development. Since 2014, Vira has been a member of the Stem Cell Network NRW, since 2017 — the German Stem Cell Network (GSCN), and since 2019 — the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR). Ultragenyx is an American biotechnology company specialising in the development of innovative treatments for rare and ultra-rare genetic diseases. The company focuses on gene therapy, stem cells, and biological drugs that have the potential to change the quality of life for patients for whom there is often no effective treatment.
In her role, she works at the intersection of cutting-edge technology and real-world impact — from rapid prototyping to scaling AI responsibly in high-stakes environments.
Viktoriia has background in Maths and Computer Science and holds an MBA from the University of Oxford.
Before joining OpenAI, Viktoriia spent over six years at QuantumBlack, AI by McKinsey, designing and deploying AI solutions in advanced industries, healthcare, telecommunications, and financial services. Among her most rewarding projects were building an AI assistant for an international space agency to support mission operations and developing highly explainable machine learning models that help doctors improve treatment for chronic diseases.
Viktoriia is passionate about startups and the deeptech ecosystem. As a Director at the Oxford Seed Fund, Europe’s largest student-led VC fund, she backed founders at the very start of their journeys.
Beyond tech, she co-founded Doobeegood, and organised educational summer camps for disadvantaged children in Ukraine, combining her drive for innovation with a commitment to social impact. In her spare time, Viktoriia enjoys DJing, classical music and hiking.
Сспеціаліст у сфері робототехніки – розпочав свій професійний шлях у Львові у 2003 році, отримавши ступінь магістра з прикладної математики у НУ «Львівській політехніці». З того часу він активно веде наукову та викладацьку діяльність, зокрема чотири роки є професором НУ «Львівська політехніка».
Останні шість років Любомир працює в ІТ-компанії SoftServe – спочатку він приєднався до неї у ролі інженера-дослідника (Research Engineer). Особливу увагу в роботі Любомир приділяє інтелектуальним системам керування, інтернету речей (IoT) та робототехнічним системам. З 2018 він допомагав розвивати щойно започаткований відділ робототехніки у SoftServe, а в серпні 2022 він очолив цей відділ. Любомир захоплюється технологіями освоєння космосу, поєднуючи цей інтерес зі своєю професійною діяльністю.
Oleg is an experienced specialist in software development and data science with extensive experience in software engineering. He works with computer vision systems for medicine and solutions for analyzing data from multiple cameras (multi-camera environments). Oleg is also involved in developing intelligent systems for the energy sector, creating mathematical models for extraction logistics, and designing chatbots for the financial and banking sectors, as well as agent-based data processing systems.
Dr. Kateryna Potapova, MD, MHA, PhD is a neurologist and assistant professor at Bogomolets National Medical University, where her PhD research examines the role of the gut microbiome and nutrition in influencing the course of multiple sclerosis. An active advocate for healthy living as a foundation for brain longevity, cognitive performance, and resilience, she integrates scientific insights into clinical neurology and education. She has completed an international clinical training program in the USA, Spain, and Turkey. Beyond academia, she serves as Director of Strategy and Partnerships at the Global Medical Knowledge Alliance (GMKA), where she leads initiatives to improve healthcare quality and develops the HealUA app, connecting Ukrainian doctors with global experts.
Iryna Volnytska, President of SET University, founder of IronCyber.
Develops innovative technological education in Ukraine. Has over 15 years of experience managing technology teams in executive and C-level positions in deep-tech companies and business consulting.
SET University is a non-profit technological university that focuses on science, entrepreneurship, and technology. SET University’s goal is to provide world-class higher education for future leaders in technology and accelerate Ukraine’s recovery. The university was established just two months before the start of full-scale war in Ukraine.
Under Iryna’s leadership, the university is implementing innovative approaches to higher education in Ukraine and collaborating with global experts and organisations. In three years, more than 2,000 Ukrainians and over 300 startup founders have completed various programmes at SET University.
Iryna is a well-known speaker and advocate for the Ukrainian technology sector and education around the world.
Head of the Science Kids STEAM programme at INSCIENCE. Author of training courses for educators in STEAM education, curator of cultural projects and author of books about Ukrainian artists
Нейробіологиня, досліджує ефективні підходи до навчання та як мозок засвоює інформацію — чому інколи запам’ятовуємо мем краще за формулу. Також вивчає, як мозок обробляє емоціогенні стимули: як страх, цікавість чи радість можуть підсилювати або гальмувати навчання. Викладає в Київському національному університеті ім. Т.Шевченка курси “Анатомія і фізіологія центральної нервової системи”, “Фізіологія та анатомія людини”, “Нейробіологія навчання”. Викладачка фізіології та анатомії людини, авторка навчально-методичних матеріалів з викладання фізіології, численних науково-популярних лекцій з нейробіологічної тематики, розробниця онлайн-курсу “Neuroeducation”, наукова редакторка українського перекладу бестселерів Д.Іглмен “Секрети нейропластичності”, Л.Дженова “Пам’ятати”.
Director of Technological R&D at MacPaw. He has been working on developing and implementing innovations for the Apple ecosystem for over 15 years. His achievements include integrating complex technologies into MacPaw products, collaborative projects with MIT, and mentions in the Release Notes of new versions of macOS operating systems. He founded and manages the Technological R&D Centre at MacPaw, where the team explores innovations at the intersection of engineering and science. Areas of interest: On-device LLM inference, Code Generation & Validation, HCI.
Мікробіологиня, основний напрямок наукових досліджень — екологія мікроорганізмів. Вивчає різноманіття, поширення та функції мікроорганізмів у довкіллі, зокрема в Антарктиці. Досліджує взаємодію рослин Антарктики з їхнім мікробіомом — бактеріями, що колонізують внутрішню частину та ризосферу рослин, адже такі бактерії можуть мати велике значення для адаптації та виживання рослин за несприятливих умов. Також вивчає як змінюється різноманіття та активність мікроорганізмів суходолу Антарктики внаслідок зміни клімату.
Стипендіатка SCAR Fellowship (2020) та EURIZON Fellowship (2024).
Barbara Oakley is a Distinguished Professor of Engineering at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan. Her work focuses on the complex relationship between neuroscience and social behavior. She created and teaches, with Terrence Sejnowski, Coursera’s “Learning How to Learn,” one of the world’s most popular massive open online course with some four million registered students, along with other popular “Top Online Courses of All Time.” Barb is a New York Times best-selling author who has published in outlets as varied as the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times—her book A Mind for Numbers has sold over a million copies worldwide. She is the winner of the McGraw Prize—the colloquial “Nobel Prize for Education” and is a Fellow of both the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering.
Yurii Mokrushyn is the CTO of the Kiss My Apps platform company with over 10 years of experience in the tech industry. For the last 6 years, he has been managing technical teams as CTO. Under his leadership, Kiss My Apps scaled its portfolio from 15 to 30+ applications in a year, while the technical team grew by only 15% thanks to the implementation of AI infrastructure. He joined the company in 2024. For the past 1.5 years, Yurii’s team has been responsible for developing KMA’s technological ecosystem. The Kiss My Apps product engine includes development process automation, AI tool integration, deployment testing, analytics, payment and marketing solutions for launching future 8 and 9 figure companies.
Ukrainian chemist and professor at the Faculty of Chemistry, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. Her research focuses on the chemistry of oxide nanomaterials, luminescent glasses, and phosphor-in-glass composites, with an emphasis on understanding structure–property relationships and developing functional materials for photonic and energy applications. She has received several awards and honors for her scientific achievements, including the Ukrainian L’Oréal–UNESCO For Women in Science Award (2024), the President of Ukraine Award for Young Scientists (2024), the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Scholarship, and the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine Scholarship for Young Scientists. Beyond her scientific work, she is deeply committed to teaching and mentoring young researchers, as well as promoting science communication and public engagement with chemistry. Through her activities, she strives to make advanced materials science accessible and inspiring to a broader audience.
She has a legal background with a specialisation in international commercial and investment arbitration. At Kiss My Apps, she is responsible for developing strategic partnerships with Meta, Google, TikTok, and others, as well as scaling the compliance system that ensures products comply with platform policies and regulatory requirements. Under her leadership, the team integrates compliance requirements into business processes and minimises regulatory, reputational, and financial risks.
An experienced research engineer (R&D Engineer) with in-depth knowledge of artificial intelligence and computer vision. He has over eight years of practical experience in computer vision, 3D technologies, generative AI, and high-performance programming (C++, CUDA, Python). Gained international academic experience while studying in South Korea, where he expanded his knowledge in engineering, computer vision, and modern artificial intelligence methods. He has implemented complex research and engineering projects in the fields of industry, healthcare, and robotics, combining fundamental algorithmic approaches with applied solutions for real business challenges. In his work, he is actively involved in scientific research, writes articles and technology reviews, and develops new methods for data analysis, optical inspection, modelling, and simulation of complex systems.
Mary Knapp is a research scientist at MIT Haystack Observatory. Her research interests include radio detection of exoplanets, development of space-based radio telescopes, and CubeSats mission design and instrumentation for novel science applications.
Dr. Knapp is a NASA NIAC Phase I/II Fellow for GO-LoW (Great Observatory for Long Wavelengths). She also serves as project manager for NSF-funded SpectrumX Flagship Projects 1 and 2, which focus on the many facets of spectrum monitoring and coexistence between spectrum users including astronomers, weather forecasters, cellular providers, wireless communications, and satellite communications.
Previously, Dr. Knap was deputy PI and PM for NASA-funded AERO-VISTA CubeSat mission. AERO-VISTA’s science objective is mapping Earth’s auroral radio emission from low Earth orbit using two-spacecraft vector sensor interferometry. She also served as project scientist and operations team member of ASTERIA CubeSat mission.
Dr. Knapp’s PhD thesis research focused on interferometric imaging to search for Jovian-like radio emission from extrasolar planets. She obtained her PhD in 2018 from MIT’s Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Science department and BS in 2011 from MIT’s AeroAstro department.
Biotechnologist and head of the biolaboratory at the Pole/Metalab Product Design Centre, where she coordinates research activities aimed at creating sustainable technologies and solutions in the fields of biotechnology, cosmetology, pharmacy, perfumery, household and veterinary products. She has many years of experience in pharmaceutical and cosmetic development, as well as in the creation of innovative products under private labels. Her work combines scientific research, raw material processing and the development of new biotechnological materials with the practical design of products focused on environmental friendliness, efficiency and sustainable development. Tetiana actively develops sustainable innovation by implementing interdisciplinary approaches that combine biotechnology, design and responsible production, shaping a new culture of conscious consumption.
Доктор технічних наук, професор, академічний директор магістерської програми Безпілотні літальні апарати Київської школи економіки. Віталій фахівець у галузі авіаційного виробництва, безпілотних літальних апаратів, автоматизації технологічних процесів та розвитку кластерного руху. Понад 20 років успішного досвіду з підготовки кадрів для авіаційно-космічної галузі України.
Понад 30 років досвіду науково-педагогічної діяльності, керівництва освітніми установами, впровадження інноваційних технологій, реалізації інжинірингових проєктів та експертизи інноваційних проектів та стартапів.
Виконавець 7 державних науково-дослідних робіт, керівник проєктів у співпраці з підприємствами ПАТ «ФЕД», АТ «Мотор Січ», ДП «Антонов». Підготував трьох кандидатів технічних наук за спеціальністю
innovation and development executive with over 15 years of international experience in economic growth, digital transformation, and ecosystem building. She currently serves as Team Lead of Ukraine’s WINWIN Global Innovation Strategy, overseeing 14 priority sectors including AI, MedTech, AgriTech, GreenTech, and SpaceTech. Previously, she managed multimillion-dollar economic growth portfolios at USAID, advancing financial sector reforms and SME competitiveness, and later led StrategEast, a regional NGO, where she launched digital transformation initiatives and built international partnerships. Her work focuses on positioning Ukraine as a regional and global innovation hub, integrating advanced technologies into industries, and driving sustainable competitiveness in emerging markets.
He oversees strategic reforms, international partnerships, and European integration. Under his leadership, over 1.4 billion USD in international support has been mobilized for the development and recovery of education. He holds a PhD in Economics from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv and a Master’s degree in Global Studies and Diplomacy from Tufts University (USA). Previously, he worked at the Junior Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, led the establishment of the Science Museum and the Museum of Mathematics, and coordinated the student experiments program aboard the International Space Station and the Genius Olympiad. He represents Ukraine at UNESCO, CERN, and international educational and scientific forums.
Recently, he has focused on implementing evidence-based tools and neurobiological methods in mental health and marketing. He believes that scientific development should be directed not only towards increasing technological capabilities but also towards researching and enhancing human and societal potential.
Експерт у сфері освіти, співзасновник і CEO української edtech-компанії EdEra. Команда з понад 50 експертів вже 11 років працює над створенням онлайн-продуктів повного циклу — від R&D та продакшну до комунікацій та PR.
Окрім роботи в EdEra, займається розвитком дистанційної освіти як експерт у проєктах ОБСЄ в Україні, радник заступника Міністра економіки та лектор Української академії лідерства. Потрапив до списку Kyiv Post “30 under 30”, а у 2024 році разом з EdEra — до рейтингу Forbes “Next 250” найперспективніших компаній малого й середнього бізнесу. Також є випускником Aspen Institute. У 2025 році став випускником програми Leadership in Education Transformation в University of Warwick
Комерційний директор ІнтерПроІнвест, Магістр МВА, Серійний підприємець, BizDev, GR, Інтегратор Grow Up стратегій
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5th-grade student at the Lithuanian-Ukrainian Lyceum No. 1. Studies vocals and piano at the Max Levin Children’s School of Arts. Passionate about music, creativity, and history. An active participant in the Science Kids lecture series.
Principal Software Engineer at DataRobot, a multi-billion dollar American AI company. Pioneer of Engineering Productivity, which combines the principles of effective engineering, automation, and high technology availability. Author of patents in the field of AI (hardware/software) that are used in large-scale industries. Participated in interdisciplinary technology initiatives aimed at addressing crisis challenges with the involvement of US government agencies during the COVID-19 pandemic. Co-founder of the defence technology company Rovertech (specialising in the development of innovative mine clearance systems and unmanned ground systems for the Ukrainian army and humanitarian demining), he has experience in developing engineering solutions in the field of artificial intelligence, infrastructure systems and military technologies.
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