Keynote Speakers

Prof. Dr. Paloma Diaz is a Full Professor of Computer Science and Engineering at the University Carlos III de Madrid, and has been a visiting scholar at Penn State, British Columbia, and Stuttgart Universities. She was the first female Dean of Engineering, Vice-rector of the Colmenarejo Campus, and Scientific Manager at the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation. She chairs the Global Engineering Deans Council and directs the UC3M-Telefonica Chair on Women and Technology. Her research spans crisis informatics, e-learning, health, data visualization, and cultural heritage, while her teaching covers creativity, ethics, and human-computer interaction. She is a Distinguished Lecturer of the IEEE Education Society, an IEEE Senior Member, and an IEEE-HKN Professional Member.

Geraldine Gooding, D.Eng., is an engineer, educator, entrepreneur, and change agent with more than 15 years of experience across urban planning, engineering, and education. She serves as Director of Engineering Education & Outreach at the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), where she leads global initiatives supporting K-12 and higher education through curriculum innovation, educator and student development, scholarships, inclusive programming, and engineering accreditation. Passionate about equity in STEM, Dr. Gooding works to expand access to meaningful, hands-on engineering learning experiences. Through G3 Innovations, she has developed culturally responsive elementary and middle school lesson plans that help teachers bring engineering concepts to life regardless of classroom resources. As a speaker, mentor, and coach, she integrates systems thinking with real-world application to inspire students and professionals to engineer solutions for tomorrow’s challenges. She holds a Doctorate in Engineering Management, multiple master’s degrees, and a bachelor’s degree in Applied Mathematics and Statistics.

Jessica Silwick is CFO and COO for ABET. As CFO, she manages financial strategy, budgets, forecasting, financial integrity, and strategic investments. As COO, she oversees communications, marketing, professional assessments, office operations, Human Resources, and serves as Lead Internal Auditor ensuring ISO compliance. Previously, Silwick worked in manufacturing, pharmaceutical, and energy sectors. She holds a bachelor’s in Accounting from the University of Notre Dame of Maryland and an MBA from the University of North Carolina, Kenan-Flagler Business School. She is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), a Certified Association Executive (CAE), and holds certificates from Yale and Cornell Universities. In 2015, she received the AICPA’s Women to Watch Emerging Leader Award. Outside of work, Silwick enjoys yoga and hiking with her family and dogs.

Dean of the Faculty of Engineering at FASTA University. President of International and Interinstitutional Relations for the Federal Council of Engineering Deans of Argentina (CONFEDI). Member of the Executive Committee of the Ibero-American Association of Engineering Education Institutions (ASIBEI).

President of the International Federation of Engineering Education Societies (IFEES) and Full Professor at the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV), where he lectures Aerospace Engineering. He has served as UPV Director of Programs with USA/Canada and Asia/Pacific, Vice Dean of International Relations at ETSID, and Director of Research and Innovation Programs, among other leadership roles. Currently, he is International Representative at UPV and coordinates the UPV Group of Innovative Methodologies for Engineering Education (GRIM4E). His recent research focuses on innovative learning methodologies, continuous assessment of competencies, blended learning, and AI competency assessment and ranking in higher education.

Dr. Kathir has 33 years of engineering experience, retired professor from George Mason University, currently an ABET Commissioner and ASCE Fellow.

Dr. Ivan Esparragoza earned his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Universidad del Norte in 1987, and his M.Sc. (1993) and Ph.D. (1998) from Florida International University. After serving as a Visiting Assistant Professor at FIU, he joined Penn State Brandywine in 2001, advancing to Professor in 2017. He served as Director of Engineering Technology and Commonwealth Engineering (2013–2022), Interim Director of Academic Affairs (2019–2020), and was appointed Assistant Dean for Curricular Innovation and Program Assessment in 2021. His research focuses on engineering education, design, sustainability, and global collaboration. He has received numerous honors, including the Penn State Teaching Fellow Award and the IGIP International Engineering Educator distinction. Dr. Esparragoza has an extensive service record with professional organizations, including leadership roles on the LACCEI board and serving as VP for the Americas and First VP for IFEES.

Engineer Humberto Gómez is an associate professor and Director of Graduate Programs in the Mechanical Engineering Department at Universidad del Norte, where he also serves as Executive Director of the Integrated Materials and Manufacturing Center (CIMM). He holds a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of South Florida and a M.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering with an emphasis in design and materials from Uninorte. Dr. Gómez makes ongoing contributions to engineering education internationally. He is a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), an ABET program evaluator for mechanical engineering, a member of the Colombian Society of Engineers (SCI), Education Committee Chair at UPADI, and President of the Colombian Association of Corrosion and Protection (ASCOR).

Originally from Mexico City, she holds a degree in Educational Administration from UPN, with specializations in Labor Rehabilitation and Virtual Learning Environments. She holds master’s degrees in Educational Communication and Technology (ILCE) and Educational Sciences (UAQ), and a Ph.D. in Educational Sciences from Universidad Cuauhtémoc. She is an SNII-recognized researcher. She currently serves as Director of CIIDET (TecNM), where she has been a full-time research professor since 2015. Her expertise includes consulting, project management, and curriculum design. Her research focuses on technological education (engineering), basic sciences, and the competency-based approach.

Ph.D. in Education with an Emphasis in Organizational Leadership from NOVA Southeastern University (USA), with a postdoctoral fellowship in International Education from ITESCAM (Mexico). Master’s degree in Education from Universidad de La Salle. Electronic Engineer with specializations in Microelectronics from the Technical University of Sofia (Bulgaria) and Mobile Telecommunications (UDFJC). Complementary training in Standardization, University Standards, and Quality (Spain); Competency-Based Curriculum Design for Higher Education (Argentina); Leadership and Executive Management (Chile); and Transformational Leadership (Panama). Peer evaluator for the Ministry of National Education for the verification of conditions under Decree 1330 of 2019.

PhD Electrical Engineering, currently Emeritus Professor of Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman of Malaysia. Current Chair of the Africa, America’s and Asia and the Pacific (A3P) Accord Engineering Education Council.

Ir. Associate Professor Ts. Dr. Leong Kah Hon is the Director, Division of Sustainability and Strategic Management and Deputy Dean at the Lee Kong Chian Faculty of Engineering and Science, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR). He obtained his Doctor of Philosophy (Civil and Environmental Engineering) from Universiti Malaya and professional qualifications from the Board of Engineers Malaysia and Malaysia Board of Technologists. Dr. Leong has received numerous prestigious awards, including the Belt and Road Young Scientist Award Shanghai China, ASEAN Green Award (AGA) Country Winner 2024, the Grand Winner Award from the ASEAN Academy of Engineering and Technology (AAET), and the National Outstanding Young Educator Award 2022 at the Private Education Excellence Awards.

María E. Gavilán Alfonso is a Principal Product Marketing Manager at MathWorks, where she works with engineering and technical leaders to advance the use of MATLAB in commercial, industrial and academic applications. A customer-facing technical expert in simulation, AI, and numerical computing, she helps organizations connect MATLAB with modern engineering workflows, alongside other tools and ecosystems. María brings experience spanning computational fluid dynamics projects in the automotive and aerospace sectors, with research interests in autonomous systems, turbulence modeling, and climate technologies. She holds a B.Sc. in Physics from the National University of Colombia, an M.Sc. in Aerospace Engineering from Purdue University, and an MBA from the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign.

Gaby Arellano Bello is a Principal Customer Success Engineer on the Education Team at MathWorks. With over seven years of experience in this role, she partners with faculty, researchers, and students to support the effective use of MATLAB and Simulink in teaching and research. Her work focuses on providing technical guidance, pedagogical support, and strategic recommendations to help academic institutions achieve meaningful and lasting impact with MathWorks tools. She also partners with MathWorks distributors throughout Latin America to accelerate market development, identify growth opportunities, and advance the adoption of MathWorks technologies across the region.

Head of Planning, ITA-TecNM (Mexico). Facilitated AI for Academic Leaders at ACOFI 2026; designed the Executive Program on AI for Higher Education.

He is an Electronic Engineer, a Specialist in Development Projects, and holds a Master of Science in Biomedical Engineering. He is currently pursuing a PhD in Educational Sciences at Universidad Simón Bolívar. He has experience in university teaching, research, and public administration, particularly through the Planning Secretariat of the Municipality of Tame, Arauca, Colombia.

He is an Industrial Engineer from Escuela Colombiana de Ingeniería Julio Garavito and a territorial development project manager, with more than 20 years of experience in economic, environmental, and social integration processes. From the municipality of Tame, Arauca, Colombia, he has worked to transform rural production systems, particularly in the livestock sector, integrating engineering, innovation, sustainability, and territorial management. His career has been characterized by connecting local needs and opportunities with public, industry, academic, and scientific stakeholders at both national and international levels. He has promoted the engagement of leading experts in livestock farming and meat value chains from countries such as Uruguay and Brazil in initiatives in Tame, as well as knowledge-exchange processes with specialized institutions such as AINIA in Spain.

Attorney from Universidad Santo Tomás, with a specialization in Mining and Petroleum Law from Universidad Externado de Colombia, and 25 years of experience in litigation and advisory services for private companies and organizations such as the Colombian Geological Survey Union (Sindicato del Servicio Geológico Colombiano), the Colombian Geological Society, and the Colombian Professional Council of Geology. She has been serving as the Executive Secretary of the latter entity since 2020.

Electronic Engineer by UTN (Argentina), M.Sc. in Information Technologies by Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (Spain) and PhD in Education by UBA (Argentina). Researcher and Director of the Center for Educational Research and Innovation at UTN. 1st Vice-President, Treasurer and Senior Member of IGIP (International Society for Engineering Pedagogy). Member of Institute of Education in Engineering, National Academy of Engineering. Associate Director of InnovaHiEd. Former President of the International Federation of Engineering Education Societies (IFEES). Honorary Professor at Universidad Ricardo Palma (Perú). IEOM Distinguished Educator Award (EUA). IGIP International Engineering Educator Award and Adolf Melezinek Meritorious Service Award (Austria). IFEES Duncan Fraser Global Award for Excellence in Engineering Education. Fellow of the International Engineering and Technology Institute (IETI).

Civil Engineer with postgraduate studies in Design, Construction, and Maintenance of Roads. He currently serves as the Executive Director of the Colombian Association of Engineering Faculties (ACOFI) and Executive Secretary of the Ibero-American Association of Engineering Education Institutions (ASIBEI). He has led national and international initiatives aimed at strengthening engineering education, academic cooperation, and innovation.

Ph.D. in Computer Science and Engineering. Associate Professor at the School of Science and Engineering at Universidad del Rosario, in Bogota, Colombia. Chair of the EPICS in IEEE Committee. IEEE Senior member. Senior researcher of MinCiencias. More than 16 years of experience in academia, research, and consultancy. Expert in digital transformation, data privacy and engineering education quality. Program evaluator of ABET, CNA (Colombia), DEAC. ABET IDEAL Scholar.

PhD in History from the University of Buenos Aires. Professor and researcher focusing on the history of Argentine and Latin American engineering at the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Buenos Aires. Coordinator of the project “A History of Ibero-American Engineering,” promoted by ASIBEI. He is currently a visiting researcher at the Ibero-Amerikanisches Institut in Berlin and the History of Technology research group at the Technische Universität Berlin.

Dr Dean Thompson is Head of Education and Skills Policy at the Royal Academy of Engineering, where he leads the Academy’s work on education and skills policy affecting the UK’s engineering education community and engineering profession, with a focus on workforce development, vocational and higher education systems and qualifications. He joined the Academy in May 2024, having previously held policy leadership roles in social enterprises and think-tanks. He has worked across UK and Australian government, including the UK Cabinet Office and the Australian Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Dean holds a PhD in law and sociology from the School of Advanced Study, University of London, is a qualified solicitor and barrister.

Aryanne Quintal is a Specialist in the Section of Competitiveness, Innovation, and Technology within the Department of Economic Development at the OAS. She has over 15 years of experience in international affairs, governance, and multilateral cooperation. She coordinates regional initiatives in science, technology, and innovation, including the OAS Youth Academy on Transformative Technologies—which has benefited more than 40,000 participants—the OAS Network of Centers of Excellence, and projects focused on Artificial Intelligence governance. Additionally, she coordinates the Meeting of Ministers of Science and Technology of the Americas and serves as the primary liaison with national authorities in science and technology. Between 2024 and 2026, she served on the Board of Directors of AAAS and the Advisory Technical Committee of the Latin American Artificial Intelligence Index. She holds a Master’s degree in International Relations and is fluent in Spanish, English, and French.

Roberto Zanino is a Full Professor of Nuclear Engineering at Politecnico di Torino, with 40+ years of academic experience. He leads the NEMO (Nuclear Engineering MOdelling) research group, specializing in thermo-hydraulic modeling of superconducting magnets for global fusion projects like ITER. A key figure in international academic cooperation, he serves as Secretary General of the CLUSTER consortium and President of the Magalhães Network, linking elite European and Latin American technical universities. He also advises the Rector on university alliances and coordinates corporate partnerships with advanced nuclear technology companies like NEWCLEO.

Engineer, speaker, and communicator specializing in artificial intelligence, the future of work, leadership, and women in STEM. She is President of the Somos Lideresas Hemispheric Network and founder of the Matilda and Women in Engineering Latin American Open Chair. Her career integrates technology, education, professional development, and female leadership. She has driven training and outreach initiatives aimed at strengthening the capabilities of professionals and organizations in the face of technological changes. She is the creator of IAvanza and author of the blog “Descubriendo la IA en el trabajo” (Discovering AI at Work), where she analyzes the impact of artificial intelligence on labor, professional transformation, and human judgment and autonomy.