Keynote Bios
Prof. Takako Hashimoto
Prof. Takako Hashimoto is the IEEE Region 10 Director for 2025-2026. She has served as a Board Member of the Database Society of Japan, Chair of IEEE Japan Council, BoG of IEEE Computer Society and the Past Chair of IEEE Women in Engineering (2015-16). In 2019, she received the IEEE 2019 MGA Larry K. Wilson Transnational Award, and Fellow of the Information Processing Society of Japan. She is also currently the Vice President and Professor of the faculty of Commerce and Economics at Chiba University of Commerce. Prof. Hashimoto has focused on data mining research and social media analysis, especially topic extraction from millions of tweets related to disasters and topical problems like COVID-19.
Prof. Hashimoto graduated from Ochanomizu University in Japan. She received a Ph.D. in computer science, specialising in multimedia information processing, from the Graduate School of Systems and Information Engineering at the University of Tsukuba in 2005. She worked at Ricoh Co. Ltd. ‘s software R&D center in Japan for 24 years, and participated in the development of many software products as a technical leader. From April of 2009, she was involved in Chiba University of Commerce and in 2015 was a visiting researcher at the University of California, Los Angeles.
John McDonald
John D. McDonald, P.E., is Founder & CEO of JDM Associates, LLC. John has 50 years of experience in the electric utility transmission and distribution industry. John received his B.S.E.E. and M.S.E.E. (Power Engineering) degrees from Purdue University, and an M.B.A. (Finance) degree from the University of California-Berkeley.
John is a Life Fellow of IEEE (member for 54 years), member of IEEE-HKN (inducted 54 years ago) and Tau Beta Pi (inducted 52 years ago), member of the Delta Sigma Phi Fraternity, and was awarded the IEEE Millennium Medal, the IEEE Power & Energy Society (PES) Excellence in Power Distribution Engineering Award, the IEEE PES Substations Committee Distinguished Service Award, the IEEE PES Meritorious Service Award, the 2024 CIGRE US National Committee (USNC) Philip Sporn Award, the 2016 CIGRE Distinguished Member Award, the 2016 CIGRE USNC Attwood Associate Award, the 2021 CIGRE Honorary Member Award, the Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative (SECC) Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Delta Sigma Phi Fraternity Career Achievement Award.
John is Past President of the IEEE PES, the VP for Technical Activities for the USNC of CIGRE, the Past Chair of the IEEE PES Substations Committee, the IEEE Division VII Past Director, and a member of the National Academy of Engineering. John was on the Board of Governors of the IEEE-SA (Standards Association), is an IEEE Foundation Director and Vice President of Development, is a Governor At-Large on the IEEE-HKN Board of Governors and is a Founding Board Member of the SECC.
John received the 2009 Purdue University Outstanding Electrical and Computer Engineer Award and the 2023 Purdue University Distinguished Engineering Alumni Award. John teaches Smart Grid courses at the Georgia Institute of Technology and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, and Smart Grid courses for various IEEE PES local chapters as an IEEE PES Distinguished Lecturer (since 1999). John has published one hundred fifty papers and articles, has co-authored five books and has one US patent.
Dr Thomas Coughlin
Tom Coughlin, President, Coughlin Associates is a digital storage analyst and business and technology consultant. He has more than 40 years in the data storage industry with engineering and senior management positions at several companies.
An IEEE Life Fellow, Dr. Coughlin has many publications and six patents. He is also the author of Digital Storage in Consumer Electronics: The Essential Guide, which is now in its second edition with Springer. Tom is a regular storage and memory contributor for forbes.com and media and entertainment organizations. Coughlin Associates consults and publishes books and market and technology reports, including The Media and Entertainment Storage Report and an Emerging Memory Report, and puts on digital storage-oriented events.
Tom has served in numerous IEEE volunteer leadership roles, including 2024 President & CEO of IEEE, President of IEEE-USA, Director of IEEE Region 6, Vice President and Board member of the IEEE Consumer Technology Society, Chair of the Santa Clara Valley IEEE Section, and Chair of the Consultants Network of Silicon Valley. He is also active with the Storage Networking Industry Association (SNIA) and the Society of Motion Pictures and Television Engineers (SMPTE).
Prof. Saurabh Sinha
Prof. Saurabh Sinha is a Professor and Executive Dean of Engineering at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand. With over 20 years’ experience in academia and industry, he has a passion for advancing scholarship, innovation, and collaboration in mm-wave microelectronics, and enabling technology for 5G and 6G telecommunications.
Saurabh is an active member and leader of IEEE where he has contributed to its strategic vision, governance, and editorial activities. As a Visiting Professor and Research Collaborator at institutions in South Africa and the US, he supervises and mentors’ postgraduate students and fellows, and fosters international partnerships. His mission is to leverage his expertise and network to empower the next generation of engineers and researchers, and to address the global challenges and opportunities in the field of engineering.
He obtained his B.Eng, M.Eng, and Ph.D. degrees in Electronic Engineering from the University of Pretoria (UP), South Africa (ZA). Saurabh is also a graduate of Wharton’s Advanced Management Program, University of Pennsylvania, USA (alum status). As an established researcher rated by the National Research Foundation, ZA, he has authored or co-authored over 140 publications in peer-reviewed journals, books and proceedings of international conferences. Saurabh served UP and the University of Johannesburg (UJ), ZA, for over 22 years – initially as an academic (at various tiers), and then as institute director, executive dean and deputy vice-chancellor.
Saurabh moved to New Zealand in mid-2023, retaining visiting affiliations at both UJ (Business School and Engineering) and Princeton University (Engineering), USA. At the University of Canterbury, NZ, reporting directly to the vice-chancellor and principal, he leads the Faculty of Engineering as Executive Dean. Among his many achievements, Saurabh is a Fellow of the IEEE, recipient of a prestigious U.S. Fulbright grant, and has formerly served as IEEE Board of Director and Vice-President. He is registered as a Chartered Professional Engineer with Engineering New Zealand | Te Ao Rangahau.
Prof. Lance Fung
Emeritus Professor Chun Che Lance Fung, IEEE R10 Past Director (2023-2024), was trained and worked as a Marine Radio and Electronic Officer in Hong Kong during the 70’s. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree with First Class Honours and a Master of Engineering Degree from the University of Wales in the early 80’s. His Ph.D. Degree was awarded by the University of Western Australia, with a thesis on Artificial Intelligence and Power System Engineering, under the supervision of late Professor Kit Po Wong. Lance has taught at Singapore Polytechnic (1982-1988), Curtin University (1989-2003), and Murdoch University from 2003 where he was appointed Emeritus Professor in 2015. His roles included Associate Dean of Research, Postgraduate Research Director, and Director of the Centre for Enterprise Collaborative in Innovative Systems. He has supervised to completion over 31 doctoral students and published over 338 academic articles in the Murdoch University Research repository. His contributions can be viewed at IEEE Xplore, ResearchGate, Google Scholar and Scopus. Lance has been a dedicated volunteer for the IEEE for nearly 30 years in various positions in Chapters, WA Section, Australia Council, Region 10 Executive Committee, the IEEE SMC Society Board of Governors plus many other IEEE committees
Technical Tracks
Track 1: Artificial Intelligence & Digital Information
Advanced AI applications, Machine Learning, IoT, Big Data, 5G networks, Cloud Computing, AR/VR, Computational Social Science, Digital Twins, and Smart City Technologies.
Track 2: Biomedical Engineering, Health Tech & Resilient Communities
Topics: Biomedical Signal Processing, Wearable Sensors, Biomedical Imaging, Computational Systems, Nanobiotechnology, Resilient Healthcare Systems, Disaster Response Technologies.
Track 3: Communications & Aerospace Systems
Satellite Communications, Spacecraft Systems, RF, Microwave, Millimeter Wave, Antennas, IoT for Space Applications, Remote Sensing, Aerospace Electronics, Advanced Communications for Aviation.
Track 4: Control, Robotics, and Agritech
Robotics and Automation in Agriculture, Precision Farming Technologies, AI-driven Agricultural Systems, Intelligent Instrumentation, Control Systems, UAVs/Drones for Agritech.
Track 5: Power, Energy & Sustainable Transport
Renewable Energy Systems, Electric Vehicles, Charging Infrastructure, Smart Grids, Energy Storage, Advanced Hydrogen Solutions.
Track 6: Nanotechnology & Materials for the Future
Nanoelectronics, Biomaterials, Nanostructures, Additive Manufacturing, Advanced Materials for Aerospace and Biomedical Applications.
Special Track: Women in Engineering, Students / Young Professionals, and Diversity in STEM
Promoting inclusivity and diversity in STEM, career development for young professionals, and networking opportunities
