The 8th IEEE International Conference on Universal Village
IEEE UV2026 Opening Ceremony & Plenary Session Agenda
Monday, October 19, 2026 · All times in EDT (UTC−4)
Opening Ceremony
Host: Ji Li (Tsingda, China)
8:05 – 9:10
| No. | Time | Name | Organization | Topic |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8:05 – 8:10 | Ji Li | Tsingda, Tsinghua University | Announcement |
| 2 | 8:10 – 8:20 | Roy E. Welsch | MIT Sloan School | Opening Remarks by Honorary Chair |
| 3 | 8:20 – 8:25 | Stephen Orlins | National Committee on United States–China Relations | Opening Remarks by Keynote Speaker |
| 4 | 8:25 – 8:40 | Ahmed Hussein | ITSS Vice President; IAV GmbH | Opening Remarks by IEEE ITSS President |
| 8:40 – 8:50 | Alberto Broggi | Former ITSS President | Opening Remarks by Former IEEE ITSS President | |
| 5 | 8:50 – 9:10 | Georgios Theodoropoulos | Southern University of Science and Technology | Opening Remarks by UV Advisory Board |
9:10 – 9:15 Break
Plenary 2
Host: Lin Zhang (University at Buffalo)
9:15 – 12:15
| No. | Time | Name | Organization | Topic |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 9:15 – 9:45 | Yasha Alex Yi | University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee | Integrated 3D Photonics with Artificial Intelligence Applications |
| 7 | 9:45 – 10:15 | Tobiloba Oni | Whitehead Institute, MIT | |
| 8 | 10:15 – 10:45 | Lei Chen | Beijing Boya Smart Technology Co., Ltd. | |
| 9 | 10:45 – 11:15 | Agnis Stibe | RMIT University; Riga Technical University; University of Pretoria; University of Oulu; MIT Media Lab (former researcher) | Human Artificial Intelligence for Hyper-Performance |
| 10 | 11:15 – 11:45 | Tongyu Zhu | Fudan University, Shanghai Medical College | |
| 11 | 11:45 – 12:15 | Liang Wang | Sun Yat-sen University |
12:15 – 13:00 Break
Plenary 3
Host: Longfei Zhou (University of North Florida)
13:00 – 15:40
| No. | Time | Name | Organization | Topic |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | 13:00 – 13:40 | Lu Gao | Shanghai Euhearing Therapeutics Co. Ltd. | |
| 13 | 13:40 – 14:20 | Julian Togelius | Professor, New York University Tandon | Can We Invent Problems Worth Solving? |
| 14 | 14:20 – 15:00 | Zong Ling | President, Silicon Valley Academy of Artificial Intelligence (SVAAI) | AI Status in Silicon Valley |
| 15 | 15:00 – 15:40 | Jose Campos | San Francisco Office of Community Investment and Infrastructure | City Building: Driving Vision Through Data |
15:40 – 16:00 Break
Plenary 4
Host: Viksit Kumar (Autonomus.AI)
16:00 – 18:00
| No. | Time | Name | Organization | Topic |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | 16:00 – 16:40 | Gene Fry | Global Warming Consultant, USA | Albedo Feedbacks: Why We Must Reverse Global Warming & How to Do So |
| 17 | 16:40 – 17:20 | Francisco Bozzano Barnes | Center for Media & Peace Initiative (CMPI), International Projects Director | AI, Democracy and Harmony with Nature |
| 18 | 17:20 – 18:00 | Jagannath Aryal | Associate Professor, The University of Melbourne, Australia | Geospatial Foundation Models and Digital Infrastructure for Smart City Solutions |
