Keynote Speakers

Professor Peter Groumpos, Emeritus

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
University of Patras, Patra, Greece

PLENARY TALK

“The Cybernetic Artificial Intelligence -(CAI): A New Mathematical Theory for Modelling Complex Dynamical Systems”

Abstract: Modeling is a fundamental task that serves as the starting point for analyzing and studying any physical or human-made system, including complex dynamical systems (CDS). The study of CDS has become a challenging new approach to science over the last few decades, investigating how relationships between system components give rise to collective behaviors, and how the system interacts and forms relationships with its environment. Over the past 70-80 years, artificial intelligence has (AI) dominated all scientific fields, promising to solve all of society’s problems. Read More

Short bio: Prof. Peter P. Groumpos is an emeritus professor since 2017 at the department of Electrical and Computer Engineering of the University of Patras. He was born in Greece in1950 at the small town of Xylocastron, Corinthia. At the age of 18 years old, he went to USA with the primary goal to do his university studies. He did his undergraduate and graduate studies at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the SUNYAB. He received his Ph.D. in 1978. He joined as an Assistant Professor, Cleveland State University, Ohio in 1980 and he was promoted to Associate professor in 1985. He was Vice President of the Advanced Manufacturing Center of Cleveland, Ohio (1983-1988). In 1990, he returned to his motherland Greece, been elected as a full Professor at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering of the University of Patras. Read More

Ioannis Stamelos,

Professor and Head, School of Informatics, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece 

Open Source Software Policies and New Research Directives: Recent Advances”

Abstract: The first part of the speech will present some basic concepts on open source software (OSS) and recent developments on open source policies worldwide. There is increasing interest in OSS both from the public and private sector point of view, while related policies are continuously updated and enhanced
in favor of OSS. A major driver that haw emerged in recent years is the need for OSPOs, Open Source Program Offices. OSPOs are dedicated units within large organizations (public institutions, large enterprises) that offer consultancy on OSS adoption practices and community building, along with high level technical support.

The second part will be dedicated to research directions, in order to meet the requirements of the new OSS policies and advance the state of the art in OSS engineering. Among other, OSS ecosystem analysis, OSS best practices, and OSS education are research areas of paramount importance.

Short bio:
Ioannis Stamelos is a Professor at the School of Informatics of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece, where he carries out research and teaching in the area of Software Engineering and Information Systems. He holds a diploma of Electrical Engineering (1983) and a PhD in Computer Science by the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (1988). He has published approx. 250 articles in refereed international journals, conferences, etc. He is/was the scientific coordinator or principal investigator for his University in over 30 research and development projects in Information & Communication Technologies with funding from national and international organizations. Part of his research is in the field of open source software engineering.

He is currently the Head of the School of Informatics, he is directing the Center for Open Technologies at the Aristotle University and is also President of the Board of Directors of the Hellenic Alliance for Open Technologies (GFOSS).

Eleni Stroulia,

Professor in the Department of Computing Science, at the University of Alberta, Canada

“Games for Cognitive Health and Improved Mobility”

Abstract: Mobility and cognition decline with illness and age. My team has been pursuing two parallel projects to investigate how games can offer an engaging method for older adults to exercise their cognitive and physical abilities. Specifically, the first project, called ”VibrantMinds”, offers a number of well-known entertaining games that challenge the user’s perception, attention, language, and memory. The second project, called ”VirtualGym”, is a 2D and an immersive VR exergames platform, offering exercise routines adjustable to the user’s mobility and, at the same time, challenging. In this presentation, we discuss the two systems, the key premises underlying their design, and some initial findings from our studies

Short bio:
Dr. Eleni Stroulia is a Professor in the Department of Computing Science, at the University of Alberta. From 2011-2016, she held the NSERC/AITF Industrial Research Chair on Service Systems Management, with IBM. Her research focuses on addressing industry-driven problems and interdisciplinary challenges, using AI and machine-learning methods. She has played leadership roles in the GRAND and AGE-WELL Networks of Centres of Excellence. In 2018 she received a McCalla professorship, and in 2019 she was recognized with a Killam Award for Excellence in Mentoring. From 2020 to 2023, she was the Director of the University of Alberta’s AI4Society Signature Area, and since 2021 she is serving as the Vice Dean of the Faculty of Science.