Meet the world-renowned experts who deliver our transformative programs and events.
Trusted subject matter experts (SMEs) aligned with our key taxonomy areas. These distinguished professionals are available through our open enrollment program and our Speaker Bureau, offering organizations and event planners the opportunity to engage a Singularity Expert for speaking engagements, conferences, or specialized events.
You'll notice some of our Experts include the title of Fellow. Singularity Fellows are distinguished collaborators within the Singularity Expert community, recognized for their exceptional contributions to their respective areas of expertise. They play a vital role in advancing thought leadership, fostering community engagement, and expanding the network of experts, while also participating in speaking engagements and pro bono initiatives that further Singularity's mission.
Marian helps organizations thrive in the future as a senior advisor and guest lecturer on Corporate Innovation and Innovation Ecosystems, Future of Cities and Future of Work. She is a seasoned executive, educator, and author with in-depth experience digitally transforming public and private sector enterprises. She is a trusted advisor to heads of governments and Fortune 500 companies worldwide on strategy, innovation, technology and enterprise transformation. Currently, Marian serves as Principal at Slalom Consulting focusing on emerging technologies, innovation and digital transformation. She also leads a gubernatorial advisory board composed of heads of innovation from large corporations in the State of Illinois. Additionally, Marian serves as Head Learning Facilitator for MIT’s Blockchain Course, and the Corporate Innovation and Innovation Ecosystems course, offered on-line by the Sloan School of Management. Previously, Marian spent her career in senior executive roles working for and advising leading global organizations across multiple sectors. As a result, Marian was asked to serve as Chief Strategy Officer, Department of Innovation & Technology, for the State of Illinois, working for the Office of the Governor. There she led digital transformation strategic planning and initiatives that gained national recognition.
Mark Bonchek, a transformative thinker, empowers change through reshaping mindsets. As Shift Thinking's CEO, he guides organizations to shed outdated mental models, fostering growth, engagement and performance. Singularity University's faculty member, Mark ignites an exponential mindset, urging leaders to embrace transformative leaps for abundant possibilities. With nearly 50 articles in Harvard Business Review (HBR), he's a key voice in innovative thinking discourse. Mark's pioneering journey spans two digital decades, foreseeing trends and making them relevant. Roles like Strategos Institute's Director of Research, TomorrowLab@McKinsey's COO and Truman Company's CEO showcase his impact. Through Shift Thinking, he equips companies like SAP and ABC with tools for digital-era success. Originator of the Thinking Styles assessment, Mark also helps individuals gauge collaboration strengths. His HBR article on thinking styles ranked among the top ten in 2015. A captivating speaker, he tailors talks for maximum impact.
Dr. Mark Jackson is the Senior Quantum Evangelist at Quantinuum. He received his B.S. in Physics and Mathematics from Duke University and Ph.D. in Theoretical Physics from Columbia University. He then spent 10 years researching superstring theory and cosmology, co-authoring almost 40 technical articles.
Mark R. Hatch is an esteemed entrepreneur and speaker renowned for his expertise in advanced manufacturing, innovation, and digital strategy. He has held pivotal roles in various industries, including packaged goods, healthcare, and retail, focusing on disruptive technology and intrapreneurship. With a track record of raising significant investments, Mark has orchestrated strategic partnerships with major players like Autodesk, GE, and Ford. His insights have been shared at prestigious platforms such as the White House, Singularity University, TEDx, and the Council on Foreign Relations. Mark's prominence extends to major media outlets like ABC, CNN, and The New York Times, where he has been quoted. As an author, he has penned influential books on the maker movement, solidifying his reputation as a thought leader. Holding faculty positions at Singularity University and Pepperdine's Graziadio School of Business, Mark shapes minds and empowers organizations with his deep knowledge of innovation and strategy.
Massimo Canducci is an international expert on Innovation, Emerging Technologies and their concrete applications in the world we will have in the future. He works on innovation activities in one of the largest and most important Italian IT companies, and this has allowed him over the years to imagine and build highly innovative technological solutions in all market sectors and to guide many large companies in structured and great impact innovation processes. Among its primary activities is Future Scouting: building social and business scenarios in which future technologies will play a central role in changing people's lives for the better, both from a personal and professional point of view. Renowned for his thought leadership on innovation, digitalization, future scenarios, he often speaks at international conferences and is the author of several books, including "Augmented Lives: How we will live in the future thanks to technologies", a book that illustrates numerous future scenarios in which our lives will be largely influenced by the availability of increasingly impactful technologies. He is a professor at the Executive MBA Ticinensis, teaches Innovation Management at the University of Turin and Consultancy and Soft Skills at the MIBE of the University of Pavia, and is also part of the Steering Committee of many Italian universities. Massimo is part of the Advisory Group “Standardization for Emerging Technologies and Innovations” which directs ISO's strategic choices worldwide on emerging technologies and innovation.
Dr. Melanie Rieback is CEO/Co-founder of Radically Open Security (the world’s first not-for-profit cybersecurity company), and “Post Growth” startup incubator Nonprofit Ventures. She designed and teaches the Post Growth Entrepreneurship' class in the Business School at the University of Amsterdam, is a Cybersecurity lecturer at Singularity University, and is a former Assistant Professor of Computer Science at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. Melanie is a Fellow of the Post Growth Institute, and she was also named “Most Innovative IT Leader of the Netherlands” by CIO Magazine (TIM Award) in 2017, and one of the “9 Most Innovative Women in the European Union” (EU Women Innovators Prize) in 2019. She is also one of the 400 most successful women in the Netherlands by Viva Magazine (Viva400) in 2010 and 2017, and one of the fifty most inspiring women in tech (Inspiring Fifty Netherlands) in 2016, 2017, and 2019. Her company, Radically Open Security was named the 50th Most Innovative SME by the Dutch Chamber of Commerce (MKB Innovatie Top 100) in 2016.*
Melba Kurman writes about the ways in which new technologies impact our daily lives. She is the co-author of two books and several articles about driverless cars, artificial intelligence, and 3D printing. Melba is a veteran of the software industry and a graduate of Cornell University, the University of Illinois and the U.S. Peace Corps. She is currently working on a book about creative machines.
Mic as Ceo of Africarare, Co-Ceo of SingularityU South Africa and Mann Made is a storyteller, futurist, entrepreneur, investor and speaker on how exponential technologies can help to #futureproofAfrica. After completing his honours degree in scriptwriting, directing and producing film at AFDA, Mic joined as co-owner of the family business, Mann Made. Mic has 25 years of experience in the media, marketing and eventing industry doing 360’ marketing and sales campaigns for many global and local Fortune 500 companies. Mic and his partners brought Singularity University to Africa and over the last 9 years have been educating, inspiring and empowering South Africans through SU programmes, events and online in order to #futureproofAfrica and build a global community of change-makers that want to make a positive impact. Mic has been developing and making various types of online games for the last 19 years and is regarded as one of the leading experts in Virtual and Augmented Reality globally, developing some of the most exciting new digital spaces and environments with his studio and regularly speaks about AI, the metaverse, the future of work, the new online global economy, gaming, blockchain gaming, education and the changing role of professionals. Mic is an avid investor in web3, NFT’s, and various metaverses. In 2021 as co-founder Mic launched Africa’s first metaverse Africarare that is focused on unlocking African potential and connecting Africa to the global digital economy.
Michael Gillam, MD, FACEP, is CEO of HealthLab, a discovery automation company for "big data” in healthcare. He helped build and sell companies to both WebMD and Microsoft and is dual board certified in emergency medicine and medical informatics.
Dr. Michael Housman is the founder and CEO of AI-ccelerator where he helps organizations decipher and leverage advances in artificial intelligence. He's spent his career leading technology teams at early-stage companies, having architected platforms to hire job applicants, communicate more effectively with customers, catch fraudsters, and transact real estate. His research has been published in a variety of peer-reviewed journals, presented at dozens of academic and practitioner-oriented conferences, and profiled by such media outlets as The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, The Economist, and The Atlantic. Dr. Housman received his A.M. and Ph.D. in Applied Economics and Managerial Science from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and his A.B. from Harvard University.
Michael is a pilot, researcher and entrepreneur. He founded the Free Flight Research Lab to use non-rigid airfoil platforms to advance climate science, conservation and safety. He also developed robotic free flight platforms that would end up being the basis of Airbus’s Project Monark, which he led as Project Executive.
Naveen is an intensely curious entrepreneur who is focused on ideas that will push humanity forward. He is the author of the award-winning book Moonshots: Creating a World of Abundance. His current moonshot adventures are Viome and Moon Express. As a serial entrepreneur, he previously founded InfoSpace, Intelius, and TalentWise.
Neil Jacobstein is the Chair of the AI and Robotics Track at Singularity University and a respected Singularity Expert. As a MediaX Distinguished Visiting Scholar at Stanford University, he specializes in augmented decision systems. With a history as Teknowledge Corp's CEO, he's been at the forefront of AI application since its early days. Neil consults on AI/ML projects for major corporations, and his expertise extends to a broad range of partners from NASA to Deloitte. He contributes to the XPRIZE COVID Pandemic Alliance and serves on the Earth and Life Studies Committee for the US National Academy of Sciences. An interdisciplinary thinker, Neil's talks on AI, robotics and ethics have garnered global recognition. He's also a Henry Crown Fellow at the Aspen Institute, committed to sustainable technological advancement.
Nestor Maslej is a Research Manager at Stanford’s Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HAI). In this position, he manages the AI Index and Global AI Vibrancy Tool. In developing tools that track the advancement of AI, Nestor hopes to make the AI space more accessible to policymakers, business leaders and the lay public. Nestor’s work on AI, namely the AI Index, has been cited in newspapers across the globe including: The New York Times, Financial Times, Bloomberg, The Washington Post, The Guardian, Vox, Al Jazeera, Fortune, Forbes, San Francisco Chronicle, Politico, The Register, Der Spiegel, The Verge, IEEE Spectrum, VentureBeat and more. Nestor’s publications have likewise informed AI policymaking worldwide, having been referenced by policymakers in countries such as the United States, Canada, Germany, the United Kingdom, China, Japan as well as Korea.
Nichol Bradford, co-founder and executive director of the global non-profit and ecosystem Transformative Tech.org, works to empower the health, happiness, and fullest potential of every human by catalyzing new visions, opportunities, and wellbeing technologies for all. She ignites new ways to use technology to expand beyond our perceived limits and reach our fullest potential by working with talented researchers, founders, and investors across the globe who build exponential tech for human health and happiness that will redefine wellbeing for the next decade. As the largest and most respected authority on wellbeing technologies, Transformative Tech.org has members in 72 countries and 450 cities, and their tentpole events online or in-person attract 1K+ attendees.
Nick Davis is an influential figure in the realms of innovation, entrepreneurship and social impact. As the Faculty Chair of Corporate Innovation at Singularity University, he spearheads research and thought leadership in this domain. Nick is also a Venture Partner at Bold Capital and the Chief Platform Officer at the Mid-Ohio Foodbank, addressing food scarcity issues. A prominent author, his Amazon #1 Best Seller "Future Ready: A Changemaker's Guide to the Exponential Revolution" highlights the evolving business landscape. With a 15-year career spanning Executive Education, Corporate Innovation, Venture Capital and startups, Nick also possesses expertise in corporate innovation, social impact and entrepreneurship. He's adept at identifying trends, developing concepts and establishing innovation labs. Additionally, Nick's journey includes studies at The Ohio State University, UCLA Anderson School of Management, and The Esade Business School, along with service in the US Navy's Military Intelligence.
Nuno is a graduate of City University in London and a former HSBC Markets professional who transitioned into entrepreneurship over the last two decades. His ventures have spanned various industries, including hospitality, events, music (with Universal Music), and marketing. As an international coach, Nuno holds multiple certifications, including Strategic Intervention Coaching (Tony Robbins/Madanes), Emotional Intelligence (EQ-I & EQ-360), Leadership Circle Profile and NLP, among others. He is dedicated to empowering leaders with the skills necessary to drive their businesses forward, combining scientific principles with real-world experience. Nuno’s work emphasizes the gap between exponential business growth and linear human development, offering tailored coaching to help leaders thrive both professionally and personally. His ShredTech program is designed to enhance the health and fitness of busy executives, leading to transformative results. Additionally, as a disruptive innovation specialist, he is certified in ExO (Exponential Organizations) and contributes to OpenExo’s certification programs as a consultant, trainer, and sprint coach.
Ola is an entrepreneur and researcher focused on technological empowerment and the societal impact of algorithms. As co-founder of a quantitative investment fund in decentralized finance, she works at the forefront of new financial paradigms.
Onicio Leal has dedicated 14 years to developing data-driven innovation projects focused on exponential technologies and Artificial Intelligence across 15 countries on all continents. He is a certified global faculty member at Singularity University, specializing in data and digital health. Onicio holds a PhD in Epidemiology and serves as a professor at the University of Arizona’s Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, researching, and mentoring both undergraduate and graduate students. Previously, Onicio was a post-doctoral fellow at the University of Zurich’s Department of Economics and a senior researcher at ETH Zurich’s Department of Computer Science. He served as Director of Research and Development for the govtech Colab.re for two years and spent seven years as CEO of Epitrack. Onicio has also worked as a consultant and speaker for prominent national and international institutions, including Wired, Itaú, Braskem, SwissNext, Pernod Ricard, UNICEF, the Inter-American Development Bank, the World Health Organization, the Pan American Health Organization, the Institute for Scientific Interchange (Italy), among others.
Ozioma Egwuonwu is an internationally celebrated speaker, consultant, coach, and expert in Transformational Strategy and Systems Change. She is the Founder and Chief Strategic Transformation Officer of BurnBright International, a transformational training, coaching, and consulting company specializing in the development of transformational strategies that elevate consciousness, expand awareness, and activate human potential. As a strategic advisor, Ozioma consults on complex strategic problems and transformational initiatives for a diverse array of clients, including government’s, Fortune 100 companies, non-profit organizations, educational institutions, small business owners, growth and early-stage startups, and personal and leadership development clients seeking to reimagine possibilities, ignite action, and achieve breakthrough results. Before launching her consultancy, Ozioma served as a Vice President in the disciplines of Strategic Planning, Cultural Strategy, Cultural Insight, and Innovation for several internationally recognized advertising and marketing agencies. She has worked on brands in the portfolios of Proctor & Gamble, General Mills, Verizon, Ford Motor Company, Walmart, Sam’s Club, Target, Nestle, and many others. In 2012, Ozioma founded World Dream Day, celebrated annually on Sept 25th, it is the first-ever global holiday day dedicated to activating ideas, goals, and dreams. In 2024, World Dream Day established an estimated reach of over 1 billion.
Paola Santana is a lawyer, public procurement expert and tech entrepreneur, creating the next breakthrough in government systems. She's the founder and CEO of Social Glass, a software ecosystem using Artificial Intelligence to power high-performing governments.Previously, she co-founded Matternet, a Silicon Valley company pioneering drone logistics networks.
Pascal Finette is a Co-Founder at be radical, shaping innovative initiatives. As Singularity University’s Chair for Entrepreneurship & Open Innovation, he guides transformative business approaches. He's also a Venture Partner at BOLD Capital Partners, a $250M VC fund by Peter Diamandis. With leadership roles at Google.org, Mozilla and eBay, Pascal brings expertise in tech startups and Venture Capital. He leads TheHeretic.org, inspiring impactful change. Pascal's commitment to innovation drives his role in entrepreneurship and BOLD Capital Partners, amplifying his influence in revolutionizing business
Patricia Suflita Wilson is a highly successful chief executive, evangelist, chief marketing officer, board member, and public speaker committed to making the world a better place. Over two decades, Patricia has earned a reputation for her integrity, sound business judgment, demonstrated financial acumen, and superior communication skills. Formerly, she was CEO of Make-A-Wish, responsible for leading the overall direction of one of the largest chapters nationwide, and created a permanently restricted endowment for future sustainability. Her work helped to build one of the most recognized and respected brands. Prior to joining Make-A-Wish, Patricia held leadership roles at PBS/NPR stations WHRO and KQED, the 5th largest public broadcaster. She also produced several educational public TV series before serving as executive director of a science and wildlife environmental museum. Currently, Patricia is a frequent keynote speaker and consultant to several startups (marketing, branding, web architect, social media, community engagement, publicity, philanthropy plans, etc.) She also serves on the board of directors for Illuminate (Bay Lights) and Friends of the Urban Forest.
Patrick Halford specializes in cross-industry mobility and groundbreaking business models. He advises venture capitalists and holds board positions in startups focusing on drones, healthcare and AR/VR. With deep ties to government institutions, he contributes to Denmark's and Finland's drone innovation programs. A key figure in Denmark's 2016 national drone strategy, Patrick is now part of a team building a new airport and drone innovation hub in Finland. He passionately engages in education, lecturing at CBS and Hanken SSE on exponential technology trends, organizational challenges and business model innovation. Patrick's mentorship extends to life sciences networks and startup programs like the Nordic Mentor Network for Entrepreneurship (NOME). He's a prominent keynote speaker at robotics and drones conferences, moderating executive panels. Sharing Nordic growth insights on LinkedIn, Patrick fuels conversations about innovation and progress.
Guest contributors are industry professionals and thought leaders not formally affiliated with Singularity. While they may be invited to share valuable insights in specific programs, they are not part of Singularity's official Speaker Bureau and cannot be booked through our channels for external engagements.
Dr. Amber Straughn is an astrophysicist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, where she serves as the Deputy Project Scientist for James Webb Space Telescope Communications.
Andrew Yang is an American entrepreneur, philanthropist, and politician known for his 2020 presidential campaign as a Democrat, which was centered on a proposal for Universal Basic Income (UBI) dubbed the "Freedom Dividend."
Anousheh Ansari is an Iranian-American engineer and co-founder of Prodea Systems, a technology firm. She gained fame as the first female private space explorer when she flew to the ISS aboard Soyuz TMA-9 in 2006, a journey she funded herself.
Arianna Huffington is a Greek-American author, syndicated columnist, and businesswoman. She co-founded The Huffington Post, a popular news and blog site in 2005, which quickly became one of the most widely-read, linked, and cited media brands on the Internet.
Caroline Yap is the co-founder of Dryad Networks, an environmental IoT startup aimed at mitigating wildfire risks through ultra-early detection systems installed in forests. She has a background in business administration and has dedicated her career to sustainable environmental solutions through technology.
Cathie Wood is the Founder, CEO, and CIO of ARK Invest, an investment management firm that focuses on disruptive innovation and offers investment solutions to investors seeking long-term growth in the public markets
David Sinclair is a professor of genetics at Harvard Medical School, known for his research on aging and lifespan extension. His work focuses on understanding why we age and how to mitigate age-related diseases.
Deblina Sarkar is a nano technologist and an Assistant Professor at MIT Media Lab where she leads the Nano-Cybernetic Biotrek research group. Her work innovates at the nexus of technology and biology, creating new ways to interface with the human brain
Elon Musk is a billionaire entrepreneur and business magnate known for founding SpaceX and co-founding Tesla Motors and PayPal. Through SpaceX, he aims to reduce space transportation costs to enable Mars colonization.
Eric Schmidt is best known for being Google's CEO from 2001 to 2011, helping grow the company from a Silicon Valley startup to a global leader in technology. Under his leadership, Google dramatically scaled its infrastructure and diversified its product offerings while maintaining a strong culture of innovation.
Jared Kaplan is the co-founder of Anthropic, an AI safety and research company. Kaplan, who holds a PhD in physics from Stanford University, has focused his career on developing scalable, interpretable, and steerable AI systems.
Kai-Fu Lee is a Taiwanese-born American computer scientist, businessman, and writer, renowned for his work in artificial intelligence (AI). He has been a key figure in shaping the AI landscape in China and globally.
Martine Rothblatt is an American lawyer, author, and entrepreneur. She is the founder and former CEO of SiriusXM Satellite Radio and the current chairman and CEO of United Therapeutics, a biotechnology company she founded to save the life of one of her daughters.
Michael Saylor is an American entrepreneur and business executive who co-founded MicroStrategy, a company providing business intelligence, mobile software, and cloud-based services. Saylor is known for his strong advocacy of Bitcoin, having transformed his firm's cash reserves into a substantial Bitcoin portfolio starting in 2020
After 10 years running Second Life as CEO, I started several experimental new companies with two co-founders, including LoveMachine, Worklist.net, and Coffee & Power. In 2013, after experimenting with the mems gyro chips that would enable the Oculus Rift, we started High Fidelity to build a new open-source virtual world platform for VR Headsets. In 2019, with VR failing to gain wide consumer acceptance, refocused High Fidelity on spatial audio.
Raj Gokal is Co-founder of Solana, a highly functional open source project that banks on blockchain technology’s permissionless nature to provide decentralized finance (DeFi) solutions.