Dr. Bela Joshi is currently a senior systems engineer at Boeing where she is a digital engineering capability and workforce transformation leader. She has a background in electrical engineering, and her PhD is in engineering management with a focus on operations research. Her industry experience traces the arc of digital engineering from the early days of computer-aided drafting, to encompass advanced technologies such as physics-based modeling, multi-disciplinary analysis and optimization and more recently, digital thread enablers. She has made multiple technical contributions in diverse industries such as aerospace engineering, airline and space operations and power plant safety monitoring. Over the years, she has held numerous technical leadership positions while also leading workforce transformation and process improvement efforts. She has developed and taught courses and conducted workshops on subjects such as systems engineering processes and model-based systems engineering practices. Dr. Joshi has also authored several papers, which have been presented at conferences organized by AIAA, IEEE and I/ITSEC.

Rama Koganti earned his MS in mechanical engineering from Montreal’s Concordia University, and received an MS in industrial technology (majoring in Advanced Statistics and Total Quality Management) from Eastern Michigan University. Koganti’s commitment to operational excellence is exemplified by his certifications as a Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt and Six Sigma Black Belt. As a systems engineer, Koganti has worked in various industry sectors, including automotive manufacturing (Ford Motor Company), the US Army, and healthcare institutions such as Baylor Scott and White, JPS Health Network, Cook Children’s Healthcare System, and UT Southwestern. He holds five patents in automotive engineering, with several more pending. Koganti has authored more than 100 articles covering topics in automotive engineering, process optimization, product design and manufacturing, vehicle safety and data analytics.

Erik Reynolds is a seasoned systems engineer and entrepreneur with a strong academic foundation. Holding aerospace engineering and engineering systems management degrees from Texas A&M University, he is a licensed professional engineer and certified functional safety expert. His career trajectory spans from developmental engineering in the US Air Force, where he contributed to flight testing advanced UAV and air-to-air missile systems, to executive leadership roles in the private sector. As director of regulatory and compliance at Atmos Energy, he oversaw a substantial team and budget dedicated to integrating cutting-edge safety technologies into the energy industry. His entrepreneurial spirit led to the founding of Reynolds & Moore and Fennec Engineering, where he focuses, respectively, on system safety and development of specialized engineering tools. A dedicated educator, Reynolds has taught systems engineering and safety courses since 2018. His current research, funded in part by Amazon Robotics, delves into the trustworthiness of autonomous safety systems, aiming to advance the field through rigorous analysis, industry collaboration and standards development.

Dr. James Yurkovich is a researcher and educator with a focus on the intersection of biology and computer science. Following a BS in electrical engineering from the University of Notre Dame, he deepened his expertise through a PhD in bioinformatics and systems biology at the University of California San Diego and a faculty fellowship at the Institute for Systems Biology. His academic journey transitioned into industry when he led a systems biology division at Biosplice Therapeutics, dedicated to understanding musculoskeletal health and aging. Currently, as a research assistant professor at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging, he spearheads efforts in machine learning and artificial intelligence applied to biological systems. Yurkovich’s academic appointments at UT Dallas as an adjunct professor and lecturer, coupled with his passion for teaching, have allowed him to mentor students at various levels and inspire the next generation of biomedical innovators. His research is grounded in a strong foundation of mechanistic modeling, machine learning, network analysis and dynamical systems theory.