Keynote Speakers

Hanan Salam, Assistant Professor of Computer Science, NYU Abu Dhabi.

Title: From Context to Care: Building Socially Aware Cyber-Physical Systems for Human-Centered Intelligence

Abstract: As cyber-physical systems (CPS) become increasingly embedded in our social and cognitive environments, the ability to model and respond to human context—emotional, cognitive, behavioral, and environmental—becomes critical. In this keynote, I will explore the design of context-aware CPS that extend beyond traditional sensor-actuator paradigms to embody socially and emotionally intelligent behavior. Drawing on my lab’s research in robotics for neurodivergent populations and AI-powered coaching systems for individuals with ADHD, I will demonstrate how real-time adaptation to human state and metadata—such as personality, learning preferences, and affective cues—enables more effective and ethical human-AI collaboration. I will also discuss our use of large language models (LLMs) to drive context adaptation in situated agents, outlining both the opportunities and limitations of current LLM-based reasoning in dynamic, multi-modal environments. By bridging insights from affective computing, cognitive science, and prompt engineering, I propose a roadmap toward CPS that are not only intelligent, but also attuned to the diverse ways humans think, feel, and engage.

Bio: Hanan Salam is Assistant Professor in Computer Science at New York University Abu Dhabi. She is also the director of Social Machines & Robotics Lab (SMART) & affiliated with the Center of AI & Robotics (CAIR). She is the co-founder of Women in AI, an international non-profit Do-Tank whose mission is to close the gender gap in the field of Artificial Intelligence through education, research, and events. Hanan holds a PhD in Telecommunications, Information, and Communication Sciences and Technologies from CentraleSupélec in France, an engineering degree in Computer Science and Telecommunications from the Lebanese University, and a Masters degree in Control, Robotics, Signal and Image Processing from Ecole Centrale de Nantes, France. After spending three years as a researcher and lecturer at the University of Pierre and Marie Curie (Sorbonne), she worked in the robotics industry where she was an R&D Engineer in AI and Robotics at A.I.Mergence, a startup specialized in intelligent autonomous robots for home security. Following, she worked as an independent consultant in AI and Data Science, in parallel with part-time lecturing at different French universities and engineering schools. She then joined Emlyon Business School as an associate professor in AI before joining NYUAD. Her scientific interests include Artificial Intelligence for mental healthcare, Human-Machine Interaction (HMI), social robotics, computer vision, personalized machine learning, and affective computing. She has published several international peer-reviewed conference and journal papers on social robotics and intelligent affective computing. She is an advocate of technology for common good and an activist for women empowerment.

Huma Zia, Associate Professor, Abu Dhabi University

Title: Context-Aware Intelligence for Food Systems and Sustainability: Experimental Insights from Smart Agriculture

Abstract: In an era marked by climate uncertainty, population pressures, and resource scarcity, sustainable food systems are essential for long-term global resilience. This talk presents experimental insights from the development and deployment of AI-enabled IoT systems designed to support food and agriculture security through context-aware cyber-physical approaches. Drawing on real-world trials, we highlight three key innovations: an AI-driven irrigation decision support system that optimizes water use, an autonomous laser-based weed removal robot powered by computer vision, and a high-accuracy rice quality analyzer leveraging machine learning for rapid food assessment. Each system integrates environmental sensing, crop-specific data, and adaptive decision-making to demonstrate how context-awareness can enhance agricultural productivity, reduce ecological damage, and improve food quality monitoring. These efforts not only reduce manual labor and input waste but also empower farmers with timely, actionable insights. The talk concludes by reflecting on how such intelligent systems contribute to broader sustainability goals and how they can be scaled to create more resilient and efficient food ecosystems.

Bio: Dr. Huma Zia is an Associate Professor of Computer Engineering in the College of Engineering at Abu Dhabi University, where she is actively involved in both teaching and research. She brings over fourteen years of experience across academia and industry, and is affiliated with Abu Dhabi University’s Research Institute for Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technologies as well as the Research Institute for Sustainable Futures. Dr. Zia earned her Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Southampton, UK, under the prestigious Commonwealth Scholarship. Her research focuses on the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), and embedded systems for solving real-world challenges in smart agriculture, food security, water sustainability, and cybersecurity. She is an advisor in Crop2X, an award-winning AgriTech initiative that has been deployed across over 1,500 hectares, saving 1.6 billion gallons of water and improving the livelihoods of farming communities. Her projects have received funding from bodies, totaling over £200,000 in competitive research grants. Dr. Zia has published more than 50 peer-reviewed articles, regularly mentors undergraduate research teams, and actively promotes diversity in technology, notably through her leadership in organizing the Women in AI Forum in the UAE. She is also a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA).