Future-Proofing Your Operations
Join industry leaders at our highly anticipated MIT Houston conference, Future-Proofing Your Operations, and gain the insights needed to navigate the dramatic changes driven by global economic forces, emerging technologies, and evolving government policies. This event will explore the transformative power of artificial intelligence (AI), essential workforce development strategies, groundbreaking advancements in manufacturing, shifting international trade patterns, and the impact of recent U.S. legislation on industrial policy.
Through a dynamic mix of keynote speeches from MIT faculty, panel discussions, and interactive sessions with startups, the conference provides valuable perspectives on forces reshaping the industry landscape. As the nation navigates deglobalization and makes significant investments in infrastructure and technology, it is imperative that business leaders anticipate and plan for these inevitable changes. MIT's thought leaders will share their knowledge and expertise to help leverage these shifts, ensuring operations are primed to thrive in this new environment.
Irina Sigalovsky works in the Office of Corporate Relations at MIT where she builds mutually beneficial partnerships between corporations and MIT. Dr. Sigalovsky comes to MIT with 10 years of international experience in innovation strategy, technology forecasting and external innovation. Prior to MIT, Irina worked at GEN3 Partners, Inc. as a senior principal collaborating with Fortune 1000 companies to focus their innovation investments, execute strategic innovation agendas, and develop business globally. Throughout her career, Irina has taught at Tufts University, MIT Sloan, X-Prize Lab@MIT, MIT HST, Boston and Harvard Universities.
Former Special Assistant to the President for Manufacturing and Economic Development Former Executive Director, MIT Task Force on the Work of the Future and IPC Professor of the Practice, MIT Department of Urban Studies and Planning
Elisabeth Reynolds is a Professor of the Practice at the MIT Department of Urban Studies and Planning. She was Special Assistant to the President for Manufacturing and Economic Development at the National Economic Council until October 2022. During her time at the White House, she helped lead the Administration’s work on supply chain challenges, national manufacturing strategy, regional economic development, and the broader industrial policy agenda. Before working in the Biden Administration, Reynolds was the executive director of the MIT Industrial Performance Center and co-led, with Professors David Autor and David Mindell, the MIT Task Force on the Work of the Future. In both roles, she worked on manufacturing-related issues including growing innovative firms to scale and technology adoption by small and large firms.
U.S. manufacturing is at a transformational moment as the country embarks on an ambitious agenda to rebuild its industrial base. Supply chain priorities, climate threats, a changing geopolitical landscape, technological advances, and a new trajectory in public policy are leading to breakthrough innovations and significant investments in domestic manufacturing. Across core industries – transportation, semiconductors, defense, energy, and materials– there is a generational shift in U.S. manufacturing toward greater resilience, digitalization, and sustainability. Liz Reynolds will provide an overview of the recent changes that are impacting the U.S. industrial base and the implications for U.S. manufacturing going forward.
Ben Armstrong is the executive director of MIT’s Industrial Performance Center, where he co-leads the Work of the Future initiative. His research examines how workers, firms, and regions adapt to technological change. His current projects include a working group on generative AI, as well as a book on American manufacturing competitiveness. His work has been published or featured in academic and popular outlets including the New York Times, Harvard Business Review, Forbes, Sloan Management Review, Times Higher Education, the Boston Review, Daedalus, and Economic Development Quarterly. He received his PhD from MIT and formerly worked at Google Inc.
Despite fears that new technologies will displace workers, the most common outcome is for new technologies to transform the jobs we do and how we do them. The question is: how can we use technologies to make jobs more enjoyable and more productive? With historical examples and recent data, MIT’s Ben Armstrong will identify strategies and opportunities for “positive-sum automation” that benefits firms and workers alike.
Executive Director, MIT Center for Collective Intelligence Senior Director, MIT Horizon
Kathleen has spent her career at the forefront of technology and innovation. Her current pursuits revolve around AI education, digital transformation, sustainable fashion and strategic organizational design in an AI driven world.
In her role as Executive Director of the MIT Center for Collective Intelligence, Kathleen collaborates with a multidisciplinary research team on Supermind Design—a methodology for generating innovative ways to organize people and technology. She applies this expertise at MIT Open Learning, where she leads MIT Horizon, a learning platform that enables organizations to scale their training in AI and other emerging technologies.
Kathleen is active in the innovation world. She is a venture partner at Good Growth Capital, a fund dedicated to supporting ambitious technology founders. Prior to that she played a pivotal role in successfully launching The Engine—a fund aimed at providing patient capital to tough tech ventures.
Throughout her career, she has led global businesses across five continents. Roles include President, Technology Review; President, MIT Enterprise Forum; and co-founder and board member, Hubweek.
Kathleen frequently speaks at global conferences, serves on the Eisenhower Fellowships selection committees, and mentors for MIT DesignX. Her work has earned her significant recognition, including being named to the Folio: 40 list of media industry leaders and one of Boston's Most Influential Women by the Women of the Harvard Club.
Executive Director, MIT Industrial Performance Center
TECH Recruiting, Training, and Development Manager, SLB
CEO, Leela AI
Dr. Cyrus Shaoul obtained his B.Sc. in Cognitive Science from MIT in 1993, and his Ph.D. from the University of Alberta in 2012. While at MIT he was an undergraduate researcher at the Media Lab. He co-founded one of the first Internet technology companies in Japan in 1994, called Digital Garage. Cyrus is a co-founder and the CEO of Leela AI. He and his team are laser-focused on building a scalable solution to the problem of building a new, more powerful kind of visual intelligence. Cyrus speaks Japanese, French, and Spanish. Dr. Cyrus Shaoul is an entrepreneur and computational neuroscientist with expertise in computational cognitive modeling. Cyrus was co-founder and CTO of Digital Garage, which he led from a start-up to a successful IPO. (BSc. MIT, PhD U Alberta).
Prior to joining MIT in September 2022, Olivier Cadet was Senior Vice President Global Operations, Americas, and President of Kongsberg Maritime Inc. located in Houston, TX and responsible for Kongsberg Maritime operations in the Americas region. Prior to assuming his role in July 2018, Olivier was Executive Vice President of Products & Services, based in Norway. In that role, Olivier was overseeing the teams managing Kongsberg Maritime’s products portfolio aligned with market demands and future trends, such as autonomous operations and digital performance. Olivier was also accountable for Kongsberg Maritime’s strategic initiative around Information Management System and Smart Data.
Olivier started his international career in the offshore drilling industry in 1998, working for Schlumberger/Transocean as a Controls Engineer where he was involved in the installation, commissioning and support of Dynamic Positioning and Automation systems on offshore drilling rigs. In 2004 Olivier joined Air Liquide, the world leader in industrial gases, where he served for 9 years in a variety of innovation management roles, including R&D Group Manager and Program Director, driving Air Liquide’s research efforts in the field of Advanced Process Control and Operations Research to support the company’s efficiency program.
A dual citizen (U.S./France), Olivier graduated from the Grenoble Institute of Technology (INP Grenoble) in France in 1998 with a Master of Engineering (Diplôme d’Ingénieur) in Electrical Engineering. He completed the Advanced Management Program with MIT Sloan Executive Education in June 2022.
Founder & CEO, iQ3 Connect
Ali Merchant is the founder and CEO of iQ3Connect. He brings 20+ years of experience in the development of 3D design and simulation software in the aerospace industry to the iQ3Connect team. Software tools and methods he has developed are used in the aerospace industry and education in universities. Ali holds a Masters and Ph.D. from the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Co-Founder & CEO, Active Surfaces
Shiv Bhakta, co-founder and CEO, is an MIT MS/MBA alum with a passion for climate solutions. His experiences at the Department of Energy, ExxonMobil, Verizon Sustainability, and MUUS Climate Partners,combined with academic pursuits in corporate sustainability, have equipped him with a nuanced understanding of deeptech commercialization in the climate space. Shiv is the public face of the company, forging key relationships for capital, customer acquisition, and talent recruitment. This year, Shiv was listed on the Forbes 30 under 30 list.
Dr. Cyrus Shaoul obtained his B.Sc. in Cognitive Science from MIT in 1993, and his Ph.D. from the University of Alberta in 2012. While at MIT he was an undergraduate researcher at the Media Lab. He co-founded one of the first Internet technology companies in Japan in 1994, called Digital Garage. Cyrus is a co-founder and the CEO of Leela AI. He and his team are laser-focused on building a scalable solution to the problem of building a new, more powerful kind of visual intelligence. Cyrus speaks Japanese, French and Spanish.Dr. Cyrus Shaoul is an entrepreneur and computational neuroscientist with expertise in computational cognitive modeling. Cyrus was co-founder and CTO of Digital Garage, which he led from a start-up to a successful IPO. (BSc. MIT, PhD U Alberta).
CEO, Prescient Devices
Dr. Andy Wang is the founder and CEO of Prescient Devices, Inc., a data technology company focused on scaling data and AI solutions for industrial and energy sectors. Prior to Prescient, Andy was the co-founder and CTO of GTI IoT Technology, which focusedon delivering large-scale, low-power wireless sensor solutions. Andy received his Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.s Institute of Technology.Dr. Kent Sorenson is a globally recognized expert with over 25 years of experience in innovative remediation technologies for water, soil, and sediments across North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. He has pioneered advancements in bioremediation, chemical oxidation, chemical reduction, thermal remediation, monitored natural attenuation, and more, and was honored by the American Society of Civil Engineers with the 2020 Henry L. Michel Award for Industry Advancement of Research. He holds six U.S. patents related to in situ bioremediation and technologies to install solid-phase amendments in the subsurface to treat low permeability sites, and is currently focusing on the development of technologies for treatment of PFAS-contaminated water.
Kent has worked at nearly 200 sites worldwide, and has coauthored over 40 scientific publications and over 180 presentations at various national and international conferences and symposia.
Executive Director of CAMS (Cybersecurity at MIT Sloan), MIT Sloan School of Management
Keri Pearlson is the Executive Director of the Cybersecurity at MIT Sloan: The Interdisciplinary Consortium for Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity (IC)3 at the MIT Sloan School of Management. She is also a Senior Lecturer at the MIT Sloan School.
Pearlson has held positions in academia and industry including Babson College, The University of Texas at Austin, Gartner’s Research Board, CSC, and AT&T. She founded KP Partners, a CIO advisory services firm and the IT Leaders’ Forum, a community of next-generation IT executives. She is the founding director of the Analytics Leadership Consortium at the International Institute of Analytics. Pearlson began her career at Hughes Aircraft Company as a systems analyst.
Pearlson's research spans MIS, business strategy, and organizational design. Her current research studies how organizations build a culture of cybersecurity and how organizations build trust to share mitigations for cyber breaches. She is the co-author of Managing and Using Information: A Strategic Approach 6thed and of Zero Time: Providing Instant Customer Value. Her work has been published in the MIT Sloan Management Review, The Academy of Management Executive, Information Resources Management Journal, and Harvard Business Publishing.
Pearlson holds a Doctorate in Business Administration (DBA) in MIS from Harvard Business School, an MS in industrial engineering, and a BS in mathematics from Stanford. She is the founding president of the Austin Society for Information Management (SIM) and was named “2014 National SIM Leader of the Year.”
The bad guys are relentless, armed with cutting-edge GenAI, trickier phishing schemes, and new attack vectors. Brace yourself for a wild ride where traditional protection takes a backseat, and cyber resilience steals the spotlight. No more waiting for breaches to happen – it’s time to take charge. From the desk jockeys to the big shots, everyone must be on the cyber resilience squad. Don’t just survive, use this opportunity to thrive in the chaos of cyber threats because, in this digital jungle, resilience isn’t an option; it’s the only way to play the game.
Associate Director, MIT.nano Director, Immersion Lab Co-Director, Advanced Manufacturing and Design Program Technology Director, MIT Center for Clinical and Translational Research
Dr. Anthony is an expert in designing instruments and techniques to monitor, measure, and control complex physical systems. His work integrates mechanical, electrical, and optical engineering with computer science and optimization to deliver innovative solutions across various manufacturing industries.
The core of Dr. Anthony’s research lies in computational instrumentation—the development of tools and methods to monitor and control intricate systems in fields like manufacturing and medical diagnostics. His work includes creating advanced measurement and instrumentation solutions for both manufacturing systems and medical imaging technologies.
Beyond academia, Dr. Anthony brings extensive experience in technology innovation, product realization, and business entrepreneurship, particularly at the convergence of information technology and advanced manufacturing. He has over 25 years of experience driving market-driven technology solutions from concept to commercialization. His achievements include winning an Emmy Award from the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for broadcast technical innovation.
In the classroom, Dr. Anthony focuses on teaching the modeling of large-scale systems for decision-making across various domains. He is also deeply involved in developing optimization algorithms and software for analyzing and designing these systems. His dual experience in academia and industry positions him as a leader in translating cutting-edge research into practical, impactful technologies.
The manufacturing industry is undergoing a major transformation, shifting from automated to autonomous operations. This change promises to speed up the process of turning ideas into real, market-ready products. The key to making this happen is the integration of digital technologies, including sensors, data, computing power, and information systems.
At the heart of this shift are digital twins—virtual models that represent not just the products but also the materials, manufacturing processes, supply chains, and production lines. These digital replicas allow manufacturers to simulate, monitor, and improve operations in real-time using sensor data. By combining physical and digital worlds, digital twins help bridge the gap between designing a product and bringing it to life. When digital twins are combined with real-time control systems and machine learning, factories become smarter and more adaptive. Real-time data flows from sensors to digital models and ML algorithms, enabling predictive maintenance, reducing waste, and optimizing production. This connected ecosystem creates a highly efficient, data-driven manufacturing environment. We’ll explore real-world examples of these technologies in action and how they are shaping the future of manufacturing today.
Pearlson has held positions in academia and industry including Babson College, The University of Texas at Austin, Gartner’s Research Board, CSC, and AT&T. She founded KP Partners, a CIO advisory services firm and the IT Leaders’ Forum, a community of next generation IT executives. She is the founding director of the Analytics Leadership Consortium at the International Institute of Analytics. Pearlson began her career at Hughes Aircraft Company as a systems analyst.
Pearlson's research spans MIS, business strategy, and organizational design. Her current research studies how organizations build a culture of cybersecurity and how organizations build trust to share mitigations for cyber breaches. She is the coauthor of Managing and Using Information: A Strategic Approach 6thed and of Zero Time: Providing Instant Customer Value. Her work has been published in the MIT Sloan Management Review, The Academy of Management Executive, Information Resources Management Journal, and Harvard Business Publishing.
Pearlson holds a Doctorate in business administration (DBA) in MIS from Harvard Business School, and an MS in industrial engineering and BS in mathematics from Stanford. She is the founding president of the Austin Society for Information Management (SIM) and was named “2014 National SIM Leader of the Year.”
Head of Expertise and Solutions, Technip Energies
Senior Director, Halliburton
Senior Director, MIT Horizon Executive Director, MIT Center for Collective Intelligence