Company: Northeastern University

Position: Professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering; Program Director of the Master of Science in Robotics

Bio: Hanumant Singh is a Professor at Northeastern University. He received his Ph.D. from the MIT WHOI Joint Program in 1995 and then worked on the Staff at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution until 2016 when he joined Northeastern.

His research interests are in the area of field robotics, with an emphasis on SLAM, imaging, and mapping, particularly in the marine, polar and aerial domains. His group has designed and built the Seabed AUV and the Jetyak Autonomous Surface Vehicle, dozens of which are in use for scientific and academic research across the globe. He also has strong interests in small Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS).

He has participated in 60 expeditions in all of the world’s oceans in support of Marine Geology, Marine Biology, Deep Water Archaeology, Chemical Oceanography, Polar Studies, and Coral Reef Ecology. In collaboration with his students his awards include the ICRA Best Student Paper Award, the Sung Fu Memorial Best IEEE Transactions on Robotics Paper Award and Best Paper Awards at the Oceans Conference and at AGU. He is a recipient of the Distinguished Faculty Award from Northeastern for the 2024-25 academic year.

Company: STEAMBridge

Position: CEO & Founder

Bio: For over 20 years, Joel has fueled growth and innovation across diverse roles in public & private sectors. His expertise lies in the cutting edge: drones, cybersecurity, AR/VR, additive manufacturing, and the Internet of Things.
A retired Marine Corps Officer with 1,000+ flight hours and leadership across ranks, Joel honed his strategic mindset and dedication to service. These values shine through in his entrepreneurial ventures:

STEAMBridge: Igniting families' passion for STEM through interactive learning.

IVEA Consulting: Helping XR companies navigate the federal government securely.

Joel is a thought leader and active volunteer, inspiring others through conferences, STEM education advocacy, and cybersecurity advising.
As a Visionary. Innovator, and Future-builder, Joel inspires and empowers the next generation to shape a better world through responsible technology.

Company: Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division

Position: Lead System Engineer

Bio: Jeffrey M. Nachem is a Lead Systems Engineer at the Naval Surface Warfare Center – Dahlgren Division (NSWCDD). Jeff has provided project oversight, systems engineering and engineering support services to a variety of projects involving unmanned systems. This has included the development of platforms which are robotic, tele-operated, and autonomous.

Jeff’s Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV) projects focused on the navigation of off-road, unstructured environments, as well as employing UGVs to conduct Explosive Hazard Defeat (EHD) roles ahead of manned convoys. Jeff’s Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) projects have included weaponization of these platforms in a Human-In-The-Loop (HITL) fashion, as well as Human-On-The-Loop (HOTL) navigation.

In addition to his engineering background, Jeffrey has been licensed as an Attorney and Counselor at Law by the State of New York since 2004, and as a Patent Attorney by the United States Patent and Trademark Office since 2006.
Jeffrey holds a Juris Doctor, with a Concentration in Intellectual Property & Communications Law, from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in New York, NY (2003). Jeffrey also holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Civil Engineering from The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art in New York, NY (2000).

Company: KForm

Position: Chief Executive Officer

Bio: Callye Keen is the CEO of Kform, a defense innovation company specializing in defense technology commercialization. He has collaboratively developed 100s of products for clients, including innovative entrepreneurs, high-growth startups, and leading corporations. He has developed, launched, and sold his own products across several industries.

In 2015, Callye began working with founders to grow physical product brands. He has mentored startups, organized incubators, and spoken at national events. Callye hosts "The Startup Defense" podcast, where he engages with experts on topics such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, mission computing, autonomous systems, and manufacturing.