Work with thought leaders and academic experts in innovation

Orin Davis earned the first doctorate in positive psychology, and is a self-actualization engineer who enables people to do and be their best. He consults for companies from startups to multinationals on hiring strategies, culture, innovation, diversity/equity/inclusion, and employee well-being, and coaches people at all levels on building self-knowledge and developing personal and professional growth trajectories. As the principal investigator of the Quality of Life Laboratory, he conducts research on flow, creativity, hypnosis, and mentoring. Dr. Davis teaches business at Columbia University and Fordham University, and gives workshops and lectures globally about human capital, creativity and innovation, and positive psychology. He is a startup advisor who helps early-stage companies enhance their value propositions, pitches, culture, and human capital, and writes and speaks avidly about human capital, creativity and innovation, and positive psychology.

Dr. Ryan Howell is an Associate Professor at San Francisco State University. His research interests include the psychology of goals and how people pursue and achieve them. Dr. Howell received his PhD in Social/Personality Psychology from the University of California, Riverside in 2005.

Jim Samuel is an Associate Professor of Practice and Executive Director of the Informatics Program at the Bloustein School. He is an information and artificial intelligence (AI) scientist, with significant industry experience in finance, technology, entrepreneurship and data analytics. Dr. Samuel’s primary research covers human intelligence and artificial intelligences interaction and information philosophy.  Dr. Samuel’s applied research focuses on the optimal use of big data and smart data driven AI applications, textual analytics, natural language processing and artificially intelligent public opinion informatics. His expertise extends to socioeconomic implications of AI, applied machine learning, social media analytics, AI education and AI bias. Dr. Samuel completed his Ph.D. from the Zicklin School of Business, Baruch College – City University of New York, and he also has M.Arch and M.B.A (International Finance) degrees.  Dr. Samuel has worked with large multinational financial services corporations, and advises businesses and organizations on data analytics and AI driven value creation strategies. He is passionate about research driven thought leadership in AI, information philosophy, analytics and informatics. 

James C. Kaufman is a Professor of Educational Psychology at the Neag School of Education at the University of Connecticut. He has written or edited more than 50 books. These include: the recently published *The Creativity Advantage* (Cambridge); the forthcoming *Lessons in Creativity from Musical Theatre Characters* (with Dana P. Rowe; Routledge); two editions of *Cambridge Handbook of Creativity* (with Robert J. Sternberg) and five other Cambridge Handbooks; two editions of *Creativity 101* (Springer); and a book on terrible baseball pitchers with his father and a book on pseudoscience with his wife. James has developed many theories, most notably the Four C’s (with Ron Beghetto). He has developed several self-report measures of creativity and is currently focusing on positive outcomes of creativity. James has won many awards, including Mensa’s research award, the Torrance Award from the National Association for Gifted Children, the World Council for Gifted and Talented Children’s International Creativity Award, and APA’s Berlyne, Arnheim, and Farnsworth awards. He co-founded two major journals, *Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts* and *Psychology of Popular Media Culture* and is the current Senior Associate Editor for *Creativity Research Journal*. He has tested Dr. Sanjay Gupta’s creativity on CNN; written the book and lyrics to the musical *Discovering Magenta* (which played NYC and has a cast album); and appeared onscreen, complete with white lab coat, in the comic book documentary *Independents*.

Mengying Li is an Assistant Professor at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. She received her Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from University of California, San Diego in 2018. Her research interests include predictive modeling, design optimization, and machine learning. She is also an expert in passive cooling devices.

Catherine Tucker is a Professor of Economics and Data Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She is also a member of the MIT Sloan School of Management's faculty. She is a world-renowned expert in the fields of big data, machine learning, and consumer behavior. She has worked extensively on the use of data science to improve public policy and has been a consultant to government agencies and businesses around the world. In addition to her academic work, she is a popular speaker and has been featured in many media outlets, including The Economist, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Wired.

Employee Rewards & Recognition, Employee Engagement & Retention, Team Dynamics, Multi-team Systems, and Innovation!

Tensie Whelan is the Director of the NYU Stern Center for Sustainable Business, where she is bringing her 25 years of experience working on local, national and international sustainability issues to engage businesses in proactive and innovative mainstreaming of sustainability. Tensie has been recognized by Ethisphere as one of the 100 Most Influential People in Business Ethics and was a Citi Fellow in Leadership and Ethics at NYU Stern. Her research interests include ESG investing and sustainable business.

John Shim is an assistant professor of finance at Notre Dame. He received his Ph.D. in finance from the University of Chicago in 2019 and his BS in statistics from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 2006.

Dr. Abiodun (Abbey) Alao holds a Ph.D. in Information Systems from the University of Cape Town and is a dedicated researcher and teaching fellow with a strong academic background. Her passion for research is evident, and she currently serves as a research associate at the University of Johannesburg. Throughout her career, Abiodun has actively mentored and supervised projects spanning diverse fields such as Management Information Systems, Information and Communication Technology for Development, Sustainable ICT, Development Communication, Innovative Management, Health Informatics, Information Learning, and Work Integrated Learning (WIL). She has made significant contributions to academia through her publications, which include journals, chapters, and conference papers. Her approach is characterized by a multidisciplinary investigative perspective, with a focus on Information Communication Technology (ICT) as a catalyst for information and knowledge management. Her work addresses various social implications of ICT, and organization development with a particular emphasis on their impact on the well-being of individuals and society as a whole.

Crowdsourcing,machine learning, databases,Online Labor Markets,Social Media Analytics,Data Mining,Information Retrieval

Ramy Ayoub is a marketing professional, entrepreneur, and digital transformation expert. In 2007, he founded the Red Sea Academy for Tourism & Entertainment Services, which quickly became a trusted provider of entertainment services for over 20 upscale hotel groups in the EMEA region. Throughout his career, Ramy has consistently demonstrated his marketing prowess, managing operations and serving as a marketing consultant for leading branding activation campaigns globally for art & cultural festivals, hotels, and regional companies. He has a proven track record of generating remarkable results and has helped many organizations achieve their business goals through effective marketing strategies. Ramy‘s exceptional skills and marketing acumen have earned him a reputation as a thought leader in the industry. He is passionate about helping businesses adapt to the rapidly changing digital landscape and has played a key role in driving digital transformation across various sectors. Ramy possesses a rare mix of strategic marketing acumen with excellent leadership, change management, and business process abilities. He has worked with key stakeholders to maximize external relationships with the government and allies to attract fresh business opportunities. Ramy has demonstrated a track record of developing creative marketing strategies and solutions that enable multiple successes through multi-channel sales-driven and customer-centric activities. He has also maximized profitability through sponsorships, loyalty programs, and partnerships with local and international entities. Ramy Ayoub has a proven track record of leading cross-functional teams to support effective communication and result-driven revenue growth Throughout his career with Hilton Hotels, IHG, Sun International Hotels & Casinos, Port Ghalib Resort, UNWTO, Porto Marina, Porto El Soukhna, Jaz Hotels Group, Thomas Cook, TUI Group, TEZ Tours, Odeon Tours, Vodafone Group, Zain Telecom, Raya Telecom, FTV, Ministry Of Sound, Red Bull, Heineken, Bitburger Beer, Al Ahram Beverages, OBOUR LAND, Domty and much more…