Professor of Data Science
Faculty of Engineering & Information Technology
University of Technology Sydney, Australia
Keynote Title: Intelligent Systems in Practice
Dr. Amir H. Gandomi is a Professor of Data Science at the Faculty of Engineering & Information Technology, University of Technology Sydney. He is also affiliated with Obuda University, Budapest, as a Distinguished Professor. Prior to joining UTS, Prof. Gandomi was an Assistant Professor at Stevens Institute of Technology and a distinguished research fellow at BEACON Center, Michigan State University.
Prof. Gandomi has published over 400 journal papers and 12 books, cited 70,000+ times (H-index=115). He has been recognized as a Highly Cited Researcher by Web of Science for six consecutive years and ranked 24th most impactful researcher in AI and Image Processing (Elsevier, 2023). His prestigious awards include the 2025 Sigma Xi Young Investigator Award, 2024 IEEE TCSC Award, 2023 Achenbach Medal, and 2022 Walter L. Huber Prize. He also serves as an editor and associate editor in leading journals like IEEE Networks and IEEE IoTJ. His research focuses on global optimization and data analytics using machine learning and evolutionary computation.
CEO – Equinox Group
Chairman – Mediterranean Institute of Innovation, Communications and Technology (MIICT)
President – Institute for the Research and Improvement in Social Sciences (IRISS)
Keynote Title: From Googling to Guided Choice – Designing One Shot Conversational Recommender Systems
Dr. Bernard Mallia is a senior technology strategist with over two decades of experience at the intersection of Artificial Intelligence, data analytics, infrastructure, and public policy research. As CEO of Equinox Group, he leads a consultancy that advises private sector clients on technology and European institutions on large scale funding programmes (EU COST, Horizon Europe, CINEA).
He also chairs the Mediterranean Institute of Innovation, Communications and Technology (MIICT) and presides over the Institute for the Research and Improvement in Social Sciences (IRISS), where he drives interdisciplinary research on AI-enabled recommender systems, digital governance, and sustainable development. His expertise spans telecommunications, energy, transport, and IoT, complemented by a strong background in regulatory compliance (GDPR, e-Privacy, AML) and advanced statistical modelling (time series forecasting, Bayesian inference).
Bernard has authored peer reviewed papers on sentiment analysis, LLMs, AI-driven recommendation, contributed to EU funding policy reports, and delivered workshops and keynote speeches at conferences across Africa and Europe, including the European Commission’s DG CNECT, Mediterranean Institute of Innovation events, and industry forums for telecoms and energy. His recent research delves into recommender systems, sentiment analysis, LLM hallucinations, self-driven laboratories, AI in Earth Observation datasets, and AI-driven business transformation.
Through this talk, Bernard will share practical insights from his prototype implementation, highlight design principles that can be adopted across domains (e-commerce, media, education), and outline pathways for future research to advance one-shot conversational AI in real world applications.
President – Mediterranean Institute of Innovation, Communications and Technology (MIICT), Malta
Chairperson – Institute for the Research and Improvement in Social Sciences (IRISS)
EU Next Generation Internet Ambassador – European Commission
Funding Programmes Validated Expert – WestMed Blue Economy, European Commission Stakeholder
Keynote Title: Engineering Trust: The Human-Centered Approach to Validate AI and Blockchain Framework is Building a Probable Future in the Green and Blue Economies
Rossana Caputo is a dynamic and compassionate author of impactful solutions in the fields of Green and Blue Economy. As the Chairperson | President of the Mediterranean Institute for Innovation, Communications and Technology (MIICT), she goes beyond traditional management to actively create and implement projects that address pressing environmental challenges with empathy and innovation.
With over 20 years of experience in project management, particularly with EU-funded Programmes, Rossana’s expertise lies in building bridges between cutting-edge technology and sustainable practices. She is a recognized expert in agrifood, smart cities, clean technologies, and circular economy, consistently authoring frameworks that leverage innovation for the greater good.
Currently, Rossana Caputo's work is focused on the VISTA (Visual Imaging for Satellite Tracking and Analysis) project based on the paper “Satellite-Based Detection of Microplastics in Aquatic Environments: A Review of Current Approaches, Challenges, and Future Directions“. She drives a vast consortium of 23 international partners. VISTA is a project to create the first end-to-end evidence pipeline for marine pollution. It fuses multi-sensor data from satellites and drones to produce calibrated maps of plastic aggregates and co-pollutants. The goal is to provide legally and regulatorily defensible evidence to address the pollution crisis. The project is a collaboration between the European Union and India to ensure global portability and reliability.
Her leadership is best exemplified by her role in authoring and directing two key projects that merge blockchain with the green and blue economies:
Trublo CERES Project (https://www.trublo.eu/ceres/): As the Project Coordinator, she authored the vision for CERES, a solution designed to bring transparency and fairness to the agricultural supply chain. By utilizing georeferencing, AI, and blockchain, she created a system that ensures equitable profitability for all stakeholders while promoting responsible resource management.
Trustchain AGRI.LINK Project (https://trustchain.ngi.eu/agri-link/): Serving as Project Coordinator and Communications Expert, Rossana authored a solution proving how Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) can deliver tangible benefits and foster sustainable resource use in agriculture. This initiative, under her guidance, showcases real-world traceability and efficiency improvements, demonstrating her commitment to creating scalable, trustworthy systems.
The contribution lies in demonstrating that advanced technology, like artificial intelligence and blockchain, isn't just a matter of innovation—it's a fundamental tool for building trust. Through a human-centered approach and data validation, Rossana Caputo's work shows how it's possible to transform ambitious visions into concrete, reliable solutions. Ultimately, the message is that technology is truly powerful only when it's used to create a future where people, the environment, and governance can trust one another, creating sustainable and transparent solutions that resonate with the values of a more equitable and greener world.
Full Professor
Portucalense University, Portugal
Dr. Fernando Moreira established the Science and Technology Department at Portucalense University, where he created the first engineering degrees and served as department head from May 2018 to February 2022. He earned his Bachelor's degree in Computer Science (1992), a Master's degree in Electronic Engineering (1997), and a PhD in Electronic Engineering (2003), all from the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Porto. In 2018, he achieved his Habilitation. He has been a dedicated member of Portucalense University since 1992, where he currently serves as a Full Professor. He is also a visiting professor at several international universities.
His teaching portfolio spans undergraduate and post-graduate studies, and he supervises both PhD and Master’s students. He has significantly contributed to his field with over 300 peer-reviewed publications indexed in Scopus. He is a member of several Editorial Advisory Boards and has organized numerous special issues for JCR journals including Telematics and Informatics, Future Generation Computer Systems, Cluster Computing, and Expert Systems.
Dr. Moreira has held key leadership roles such as MSc in Computation coordinator for a decade, and is an active member of the REMIT research centre steering committee. He has also co-edited multiple books and continues to serve in program and scientific committees of leading international conferences. His professional affiliations include NSTICC, ACM, and IEEE.
His primary research interests encompass Mobile Computing, AI in Higher Education, Machine Learning, and Digital Transformation. In recognition of his contributions, he received the prestigious Atlas Elsevier Award in April 2019.