Keynote Speakers

Systems engineering is pervasive across industries because understanding how various systems intersect and influence one another is crucial for designers. Furthermore, considering how humans integrate into a system significantly impacts the design of engineering products. Some of the most challenging systems involve moving entities that can pose safety hazards for users. Therefore, this presentation aims to explore how concepts and perspectives from systems engineering can enhance applications involving moving systems, particularly robots that interact with humans. 

Specifically, we will delve into developing solutions for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs), self-driving vehicles, and human-machine interaction with vehicles and robotic arms. Additionally, we will highlight the utilization of artificial intelligence and machine learning within systems engineering, focusing on deep learning and reinforcement learning. The impact of employing these data-driven approaches to systems engineering will be discussed. Furthermore, illustrative examples will be provided in key areas such as automated infrastructure maintenance, human-machine interaction, communications, and sensing and control.

In systems engineering, the establishment of order is foundational to the success of diverse enterprises. This keynote talk approaches the concept of systems order via a theoretical framework, methodological advances, and real-world applications. System orders encompass various elements, including asset allocation, resource management, investment strategies, locational logistics, policy formulation, requirements/specifications, control systems, and team dynamics. Critical to this discussion is the impact of disruptive forces—such as emerging technologies, market shifts, obsolescence patterns, regulatory changes, behavioral trends, environmental regimes, mission transformations, workforce evolution, and more. We will explore how risk assessment, resilience planning, and security countermeasures can guide systems through periods of disruption and maintaining order over several time horizons. The presentation will address the challenge of accounting for order amid ambiguities that arise both within and at the intersections of various technology disciplines. Contextualizing the discussion, we will provide illustrative examples from a range of sectors: Maritime commerce and logistics, economic and infrastructure development, human-automation trust dynamics, airport operations, decarbonization of the aviation industry, and the roles of 5G communications in emergency management.