Speakers
Juergen Schmidhuber (CH)
Juergen Schmidhuber is an internationally acknowledged artificial intelligence expert. He has published scientific works on topics such as machine learning, artificial recurrent neural networks, adaptive robotics and digital physics. He also developed a formal theory of fun, curiosity and creativity to build artificial scientists and artists. …
Juergen Schmidhuber is Director of the Swiss Artificial Intelligence Lab IDSIA (since 1995), Professor of Artificial Intelligence at the University of Lugano, Switzerland (since 2009), and Professor SUPSI (since 2003).
He helped to transform IDSIA into one of the world's top ten AI labs (the smallest!), according to the ranking of Business Week Magazine. His group pioneered the field of mathematically optimal universal AI and universal problem solvers. The algorithms developed in his lab won seven first prizes in international pattern recognition competitions, as well as several best paper awards.
Since 1990 he has developed a formal theory of fun and curiosity and creativity to build artificial scientists and artists. He also generalized the many-worlds theory of physics to a theory of all constructively computable universes - an algorithmic theory of everything.
He has published nearly 300 peer-reviewed scientific works on topics such as machine learning, artificial recurrent neural networks, fast deep neural nets, adaptive robotics, algorithmic information and complexity theory, digital physics, the formal theory of beauty & humor, and the fine arts.
In 2008 he was elected member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts.
Priya Parker (USA)
Priya Parker is an advisor to leaders and organizations on strategy, vision and purpose. Her company works with individuals and teams to help them identify what they care about most and align it with market realities. Her research includes identifying what are the driving factors that lead people to thriving and what blocks them from it. …
Priya Parker is an advisor to leaders and organizations on strategy, vision and purpose. Her company, Thrive Labs, works with individuals and teams to help them identify what they care about most and align it with market realities. Her research includes identifying what are the driving factors that lead people to thriving and what blocks them from it. She helps organizations keep and grow their culture and values as they scale. Drawing on 10 years of conflict resolution facilitation in the United States, India and the Middle East, Priya designs visioning and innovation labs that help organizations grow from the root.
She has run her signature Labs for leading global firms as well as startups from a variety of disciplines. Her clients include disruptors from the fields of fashion, technology, design, development, film, comedy and government. Priya is an expert in innovative facilitation and process design and incorporates creative visioning and movement techniques into her work. Her goal is to help people spend more of their time building things that make them and others come alive.
Priya received her B.A. in Political and Social Thought at the University of Virginia, Phi Beta Kappa, and an M.B.A. from MIT Sloan and an M.P.A. from the Harvard Kennedy School, where she received the Public Service Fellowship.
Marc Buelens & Nele Snoeck (BE)
Marc Buelens is professor of organisational behaviour at the Vlerick Leuven Gent Management school. He will take Nele Snoeck, a professional actress, writer and director, with him on stage for a unique talk. …
Marc Buelens & Nele Snoeck (BE)
Marc Buelens
Marc Buelens is professor of organisational behaviour at the Vlerick Leuven Gent Management school. Marc is known for his passionate teaching style, his original and fresh approach to new and old management problems.
He is a weekly columnist for the leading Flemish business magazine 'Trends'
Nele Snoeck
Nele Snoeck studied theatre in Ghent, London and Los Angeles.
Her speciality is 'Shakespeare as dramaturge'. This resulted in different productions onder the 'Shakespeare in het park' umbrella.
Nele is passionate in writing and directing theatre. And… theatre is everywhere. 'Life is theatre, everyone plays his role and gets his part'. She has learned to translate her theatre skills to professional environments, especially for presenting, teaching and launching new products. She coaches eight docents, politicians and managers.
Her basis principle is simple: your body has already brought the message before you have said a word.
Javier de la Torre (ES/USA)
Javier de la Torre is CEO and co-founder of Vizzuality. Javier has a strong interest in the distribution and conservation of species on Earth and how we can help to conserve them through the use of technology and collaboration over Internet. …
Javier de la Torre is CEO and co-founder of Vizzuality. Over the past 10 years has been working on the field of biodiversity Informatics. First on the academia side, working at different research institutions, and later from the private side. During this time he gained strong experience in the social and technical aspects of data sharing while mobilizing bast amounts of Biodiversity on Internet.
He is a recognized expert on biodiversity standards, and is well-known on the geospatial community, specially on Open Source. He is frequently invited to speak on topics including biodiversity, data visualization, conservation, citizen science, open data and web GIS and has presented at Geoweb, FOSS4G and TDWG.
Javier has a strong interest in the distribution and conservation of species on Earth and how we can help to conserve them through the use of technology and collaboration over Internet.
Javier studied Agriculture Enginner in the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid and the Freie Universität Berlin. He is aprofessor at the Master on Global Environmental Change at the IE University on Data Analysis and Data Visualization.
Jan Scheele (NL)
Jan Scheele is a Dutch entrepreneur running an online marketing agency and an event agency. He is involved in several TEDx events, head of the worldwide TEDx IT community and co-founder of three startups. He is also member of the Sandbox Network, a global community of extraordinary young achievers below 30, and mentor at Rockstart Accelerator. …
Jan Scheele is a Dutch entrepreneur who started with his first business when he was 13. Now running a full service online marketing agency and an event agency.
Furthermore involved in several TEDx events, head of the Worldwide TEDx IT community and co-founder of three startups. He is also member of the Sandbox Network, a global community of extraordinary young achievers below 30, and mentor at Rockstart Accelerator.
Peter Gregson (UK)
Peter Gregson is cellist and composer. Recently, he has premiered works by composers including Tod Machover, Max Richter and Steve Reich; he collaborates with many of the world's leading technologists, including Microsoft Labs, UnitedVisualArtists and the MIT Media Lab. …
Born in Edinburgh in 1987, Peter Gregson is a cellist and composer. Recently, he has premiered works by composers including Tod Machover, Max Richter and Steve Reich; he collaborates with many of the world's leading technologists, including Microsoft Labs, UnitedVisualArtists and the MIT Media Lab.
Peter developed and was commissioned to compose 'The Listening Machine' in collaboration with Daniel Jones and Britten Sinfonia for the BBC/Arts Council's "The Space", where it runs continuously between May-November 2012.
In May 2012, Nonclassical released 'Cello Mulitracks', a cello suite written for Peter by Gabriel Prokofiev, and has since been choreographed by English National Ballet.
Performance highlights for 2012/13 include The Royal Festival Hall, La Gaite Lyrique, SXSW, Aldeburgh as well as conference appearances including 'Thinking Digital', 'Shift Happens' and 'FutureEverything'.
Throughout 2012, Peter is the Artistic Advisor to the Innovation Forum at the New England Conservatory, Boston.
Nik Baerten (BE)
Nik Baerten co-founded Pantopicon, a studio for futures exploration and envisioning, where he guides both public and private organizations in exploring long term challenges through alternative future scenarios, in building visions and strategies, in designing concepts for new products, services and experiences. …
Nik Baerten was trained as a knowledge engineer at Hasselt and Maastricht University. For several years he was active as a multidisciplinary researcher at the Digital Culture department of the Maastricht McLuhan Institute, where he blended insights across disciplines such as history, design, architecture, new media, philosophy, intelligent systems, organic systems, etc.
In 2004 he co-founded Pantopicon, a studio for futures exploration and envisioning, based in Antwerp where he guides both public and private organizations in exploring long term challenges through alternative future scenarios, in building visions and strategies, in designing concepts for new products, services and experiences.
The future is in many ways about today and today should always be a bit about the futures we want. The ways in which we envision the future and render it tangible for debate, define our options as much as our options define the future.
Thijs De Vries (NL)
Thijs de Vries M.Sc. is designer, facilitator and speaker on the intersection of engagement design, gamification and serious gaming. He has worked on many innovative designs in the field of engagement design and persuasion. This led to his expertise on incorporating gamification into products and services for education, health care and sustainability. …
Thijs de Vries M.Sc. is designer, facilitator and speaker on the intersection of engagement design, gamification and serious gaming.
After graduating at the Technical University Delft in the masters program Design for Interaction, Thijs founded the engagement design studio Creative Seeds. As a user experience designer Thijs has worked on many innovative designs in the field of engagement design and persuasion. This led to his expertise on incorporating gamification into products and services for education, health care and sustainability.
Besides running his own studio, Thijs is CTO of EduApp, an educational platform for promoting educational apps in the classroom. He is also one of the co-founders of Game Driven Innovation which aims to inspire companies about the possibilities of gamification.
Thijs has previously been interviewed on his expertise about gamification in education and business.
Anders Sandberg (UK)
Anders Sandberg's research centres on societal and ethical issues surrounding human enhancement, new technology and global catastrophic risks. He has a background in computational neuroscience and philosophy. …
Anders Sandberg's research centres on societal and ethical issues surrounding human enhancement, new technology and global catastrophic risks. He has a background in computational neuroscience and philosophy.
Anders is James Martin Research Fellow at the Future of Humanity Institute at Oxford University, as well as associated with the Oxford Neuroethics Centre, the Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics and the Programme on the Impacts of Future Technology.
Jee Kast (BE)
If there is one name you have to remember when speaking of Belgian poetry slammers, it's Jee Kast. He produces language msitakes, puns, Never-to-be-used pick-uplines, (slam) poetry and spoken words, ... and actually everything related with words. …
If there is one name you have to remember when speaking of Belgian poetry slammers. It's Jee Kast. Mr. who? Mr. Closet, you know, the thing with mostly books in them. He produces language msitakes, puns, Never-to-be-used pick-uplines, (slam) poetry and spoken words, ... and actually everything related with words. For ten years, he roams from small stages to big ones in the Benelux. He ended up twice highly ranked in the Dutch National slampionship and well, he can say that he is one of the most booked slam-artists in Belgium.
"(ik hoor) stemmen in de leeszaal" (poetry booklet), "ik wou iets liefs tegen je zeggen" (pick-up lines) and "stockholm" (CD, 2012) are just few of his various productions and there is bound to come more your way.
Willem Ombelet (BE)
Willem Ombelet co-founded The Walking Egg non-profit organisation, which strives to implement accessible infertility programmes in resource-poor countries. In cooperation with the ESHRE Special Task Force on "Developing countries and infertility" and the WHO, it gathers medical, social and economical scientists and experts along with artists. …
Willem Ombelet (MD, PhD) is the founder of the Genk Institute for Fertility Technology. He became the Head of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology of the ZOL Hospitals in Genk in 1999.
In 2010 Willem Ombelet co-founded The Walking Egg non-profit organisation, which strives to implement accessible infertility programmes in resource-poor countries. In co- operation with the ESHRE Special Task Force on "Developing countries and infertility" and the WHO, it gathers medical, social and economical scientists and experts along with artists. The project aims to raise awareness surrounding childlessness in resource-poor countries and to make infertility care in all its aspects, including assisted reproductive technologies, available and accessible for a much larger part of the population. While recognising the importance of prevention and education, Willem Ombelet believes that for reasons of social justice infertility treatment in developing countries requires greater attention at national and international levels. Together with Koen Vanmechelen he has since long transgressed the boundaries of conventional medical practice to explore unexplored dimensions and affinities with other medical disciplines as well as with the world of art.
Willem Ombelet has been the President of the Flemish Society of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (VVOG) from 2001 until 2004. Since 2002 he is the chairman of the Scientific Committee of the VVOG. Until 2008 he was the editor of "Gynaïkeia", the official journal of the Flemish Society of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. In 2009 he became the "Editor in Chief" of the International scientific journal Facts, Views & Vision in ObGyn. He is also a board member of the Belgian College of Reproductive Medicine and the Belgian Society of Reproductive Medicine.
Since 2006, Willem Ombelet is the co-ordinator of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology Special Task Force on "Developing countries and infertility", which aims to encourage more and affordable infertility diagnosis and treatment in developing countries.
Nicolas Kint (BE)
Nicolas Kint is Chief Parking Facilitator at Carambla and a passionate business developer with experience in IT project management. He will talk about the biggest challenges he faced during his first year as a start-up entrepreneur and share tips with the audience on how to deal with them. …
Nicolas Kint is Chief Parking Facilitator at Carambla and a passionate business developer with experience in IT project management. At the age of 20, while finishing his studies in Leuven, he co-founded Academics For Companies, a Junior Enterprise and student organization (NPO) providing consultancy to SME.
After working at Dialog Solutions, a social software company in Brussels, for one- and a half years, he decided to leave the company for his own startup, Carambla (June 2012), which he co-founded in October 2011.
Many people are dreaming of building a company from zero which…
…Disrupts a traditional industry
…Without large capital needs
…With a potential world domination scenario
…Starts from Belgium
However, that's not going to be easy. Nicolas will talk about the biggest challenges he faced during his first year as a start-up entrepreneur and share tips with the audience on how to deal with them.
Koen Olthuis (NL)
Architect Koen Olthuis believes today's designers are an essential part of the climate change generation and should start to enhance their perspective on urban components to become dynamic instead of static. In 2007 he was chosen as nr. 122 on the Time Magazine list of most influential people in the world due to the worldwide interest in water developments. …
Koen Olthuis (1971) studied Architecture and Industrial Design at the Delft University of Technology. In 2007 he was chosen as nr. 122 on the Time Magazine list of most influential people in the world due to the worldwide interest in water developments. The French magazine Terra Eco chooses him as one of the 100 green persons that will change the world in 2011.
In his vision today's designers are an essential part of the climate change generation and should start to enhance their perspective on urban components to become dynamic instead of static. His solution called City Apps, are floating urban components that add a certain function to the existing static grid of a city. Using existing urban water as building ground offers space for new density, offering worldwide opportunities for cities to respond flexibly to climate change and urbanization.
A sustainable future lies beyond the waterfront!
Pol Van Dorpe (BE)
Pol Van Dorpe is active as a principal scientist at Imec, Leuven and part time professor at the physics department of the KULeuven. Currently he is active in the bio-nano-electronics department of Imec and his main research focus is applying nanophotonics concepts to create new ways to unravel the sequence of the DNA, i.e. the genetic code. …
Pol Van Dorpe is currently active as a principal scientist at Imec, Leuven and part time professor at the physics department of the KULeuven. In 2006, he obtained his PhD at the faculty of engineering of the KULeuven in 2006, after which he was appointed as a postdoctoral fellow of the FWO-Flanders (2006-2012), based in Imec, and focused on metal based nanophotonics, or plasmonics for biosensors and energy harvesting. During this period he worked for some time in Stanford University and he set up world-wide collaborations with renowned scientists in this field.
His work has led to over 50 peer-reviewed papers in high impact factor journals and has attracted more than 1000 citations. Currently he is active in the bio-nano-electronics department of Imec and his main research focus is applying nanophotonics concepts to create new ways to unravel the sequence of the DNA, i.e. the genetic code.
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