Title: Optimization, Modeling and Assessment of Smart Mobility Transportation Systems

Abstract: The transportation system has evolved into a complex Cyber Physical System (CPS) with the introduction of wireless communication and the emergence of connected travelers and Connected Automated Vehicles (CAVs). The talk will discuss the challenges associated with multi-modal transportation system optimization and modeling, the integrated modeling of the transportation and communication systems, some research in the area of multi-objective CAV optimization, some research in CAV-enabled traffic signal control, and finally research in the modeling and optimization of multi-objective and multi-modal passenger and freight transportation systems.

Title: High-Precision Navigation for Autonomous Mobility: Leveraging Terrestrial / Non-Terrestrial Networks and Perception Systems.

Abstract: This keynote speech presents the vision and recent advances from the Navigation and Instrumentation (NavINST) Research Lab toward achieving continuous, high-precision, and robust positioning, enabling autonomous vehicles operating in all environments. Supported by digital maps of the environment, a comprehensive multisensory fusion framework is introduced, integrating inertial motion sensing, LiDAR and radar perception, and camera-based localization, with terrestrial 5G/6G mmWave positioning exploiting large bandwidths and massive MIMO capabilities for enhanced precision. The presentation also explores how non-terrestrial networks (NTN), including high-altitude platform stations (HAPS), UAVs, and Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite constellations, are emerging as powerful enablers of robust, accurate positioning, extending resilient navigation coverage across all domains. The integration of these NTN signals with digital terrain maps allows autonomous vehicles to navigate with high precision, independent of GNSS, with context-aware, cooperative, and adaptive mobility. Recent results from real-time road testing in Kingston and Ottawa will be shared, showcasing the NavINST Lab’s new land vehicle testbed and its demonstrated ability to maintain uninterrupted, decimeter-level accuracy in various conditions.

13:00-14:00 Academia Panel Discussion: AI and Future of Mobility and Logistics

Moderator: Dr. Ansar Yasar, Head of the Business Development Unit, Transportation Research Institute (IMOB), Hasselt University

Panelists ordered alphabetically:

• Dr. Aboelmagd Noureldin, Tier I Canada Research Chair, Royal Military College of Canada
• Dr. Hesham Rakha, Director, Center for Sustainable Mobility at the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, Virginia Tech
• Dr. Kannan Govindan, Professor; Director, Centre for Sustainable Operations and Resilient Supply Chains,  Adelaide University
• Dr. Oussama Khatib, Professor of Computer Science and Director of the Stanford Robotics Center (SRC), Stanford University
• Mr. Saptarshi Bhowmick, Head- Digital Enterprise Solutions Sales, Yokogawa Saudi Arabia Company
• Dr. Teresa Senserrick, Director of the Western Australian Centre for Road Safety Research, The University of Western Australia

Time Slot: 14:00-14:20

Speaker: Saptarshi Bhowmick, Head- Digital Enterprise Solutions Sales, Yokogawa Saudi Arabia Company

Title: Being 'Digitally Wise’. Integrated Supply Chain and logistics 

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Time Slot: 14:20-14:40

Speaker: Murugesan Karuppiah, Assistant Manager, Yokogawa Saudi Arabia Company    

Title: OpreX RMC (Robot Management core) and PIA (Plant Image Analyzer)

09:40-10:20 - Eng. Ahmad Al-subaie, Mobility Engineer, Aramco Advanced Air Mobility

Title: SmartRide: Mobility for All Session

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09:40-10:20 - Eng. Mustafa Alnuwaysir, Mobility Engineer, Aramco Advanced Air Mobility

Title: SmartRide: Mobility for All Session

Title: OceanOne: A Deep-Sea Robotic Avatar

Abstract: Distancing humans physically from dangerous and unreachable spaces while connecting their skills, intuition, and experience to the task promises to fundamentally alter the future of work and remote robotic operations in extreme environments. This has been thoroughly illustrated during the recent expeditions of OceanOne, where its advanced autonomous skills for physical interaction in deep-sea have been effectively combined with the cognitive abilities of a human expert through an intuitive haptic/stereo-vision interface. During several archaeological expeditions in the Mediterranean, OceanOne demonstrated remarkable performance in operating at deep depths. These developments show how human-robot collaboration-induced synergy can expand our abilities to reach new resources, deliver medically care to distant patients, build and maintain remote infrastructure, and perform disaster prevention and recovery operations — be it deep in oceans and mines, at mountain tops, or in space.

Title: Future Mobility Research Outlook in Western Australia

Abstract: The Western Australian Centre for Road Safety Research was established on agreement between The University of Western Australia and the Road Safety Commission, Government of Western Australia (WA). Our aim is to eliminate road fatalities and serious injuries by 2050. To achieve this, we need to accelerate smart mobility options across the state. Challenges include being Australia’s largest state by land area, comprising ~2.5 million square kilometres (~976,000 square miles). Further, WA is home to just over 10% of Australia’s 28 million population, and approximately 90% of the WA population lives in and around the capital city area. This results in vast sparsely populated areas, and informal road networks (including unsealed and ‘orphan’ roads), alongside major highways. However, particularly due to the high speeds of WA’s road network, these regional areas are where the most severe crashes occur. This presentation will introduce the road safety context for WA within Australia, and provide highlights of our research program, including the focus of our smart mobility plans towards a safer WA for all road users.

13:00-13:20: Self-driving Vehicles, Francisco Sanchez, CTAG, Spain

13:20-13:40: Data Analytics, Tony Kakpovbia, BestCircle AI, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Sustainable Agrochains for a Greener Future Session

• Dr. Noha Mostafa, Associate Professor, The British University in Egypt, Egypt
• Dr. Amira Elnokaly, Associate Professor, University of Lincoln, UK
• Dr. Ashraf Bahraq, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, IRC for Construction and Building Materials, KFUPM
• Dr. Hicham Siboukeur, Associate Professor, Kasdi Merbah University of Ouargla, Algeria
• Eng. Ignacio Herraiz, Product ManagerAgro-Food, AGQ Lab, Spain
• Dr. Mahmoud Abdeldaiem, Professor Shaqra University, Saudi Arabia
• Eng. Manar Khaled Founder/CEO LeafShn

14:00-14:40 Industry Panel Discussion: Towards People-centric Software-defined Connected and Electric Mobility

Moderator: Dr. Alaa Khamis, Principal Investigator of the AI for Smart Mobility Lab, IRC for Smart Mobility and Logistics at KFUPM

Panelists ordered alphabetically:

• Ahmed I. Ibrahim, Passegner Rolling Stock Engineering Manager, Saudi Railway Company        
• Francisco Sánchez Pons, Electronics, ITS & Smart Mobility Director, CTAG Spain
• Eng. Myada Roshd, Senior Product Manager, Foxconn and General Manager of Mind Titan Development, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
• Dr. Teresa Senserrick, Professor, University of Western Australia
• Dr. Tony Kakpovbia, Co-Founder & CEO BestCircle AI, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Time Slot: 09:40-09:55   

Speaker: Ashrf A. Al Jabri, Planning & Technical Office Director and Board Member of the Saudi Railway Polytechnic, Saudi Railway Company

Title: Saudi Arabia’s Rail Transformation: A Strategy for Mobility-as-a-Service 

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Time Slot: 09:55-10:10   

Speaker: Gerard McFadden, Passenger Rolling Stock Director, Saudi Railway Company

Title: International Rolling Stock Standards: Why a TSI+ Framework Is the Right Fit for KSA 

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Time Slot: 10:10-10:20

Speaker: Ahmed I. Ibrahim, Passegner Rolling Stock Engineering Manager, Saudi Railway Company

Title: Passenger Rolling Stock: Technical Challenges and the Role of RCM in Improving System Reliability 

Title: From Seeing to Understanding: Rethinking AI for the Next Breakthrough in Road Safety

Abstract: For more than a decade, intelligent traffic systems have been built around perception. We taught machines to see: to detect vehicles, track pedestrians, count cyclists, and classify road users. And we succeeded. Today’s models can recognise what is present in a scene with remarkable speed and accuracy. Yet despite this progress, safety gains are plateauing. Because recognising what is in a scene is not the same as understanding what is about to go wrong. Road safety is not driven by objects alone. It is driven by interactions, context, intent, and constraints. A pedestrian stepping off the curb, a vehicle drifting across a lane line, or a cyclist changing trajectory can be harmless in one setting and a near-miss precursor in another. Current systems, however, still treat road users as isolated entities rather than participants in a dynamic, rule-bounded environment. This keynote argues that the next breakthrough in safety requires a shift from object-centric detection to grounded traffic scene understanding. Instead of producing only bounding boxes and trajectories, we move toward structured, evidence-based descriptions of what is happening: who is yielding to whom, which movements violate expectations, and which behavioural patterns quietly repeat before serious crashes occur. This reframing turns raw sensor data into reviewable safety events that support proactive risk intelligence, not just reactive enforcement. Recent advances in computer vision, especially vision-language models, make this shift practical for the first time, when used as constrained semantic layers anchored to visual evidence. The keynote closes with deployment priorities: privacy by design, auditability, robustness across locations, and evaluation based on real safety outcomes rather than detection accuracy.

Title: Reimagining Supply Chains in the Era of Industry 4.0: Sustainability, Circular Economy, and Digital Transformation

Abstract: Global supply chains are at a critical turning point. Traditionally, supply chain and logistics systems have been optimised primarily for cost, speed, and operational efficiency, moving products from raw materials to customers with minimal disruption. While effective from an economic perspective, this linear model has generated substantial environmental and social costs, including high carbon emissions, intensive resource depletion, and significant waste across production and distribution networks.Today, escalating climate risks, evolving regulatory frameworks, and growing stakeholder expectations are compelling organisations to fundamentally rethink supply chain and logistics design in alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The focus is shifting from purely efficiency-driven systems towards digitally enabled, net-zero, sustainable, and circular supply chain systems designed not only for economic performance, but also for environmental stewardship, regenerative value creation, long-term resilience, and data-driven transparency.This transition represents a paradigm shift from linear “take–make–dispose” models to digitally connected circular ecosystems, in which resources are retained in productive use for longer, materials are recovered and reintegrated, and digital technologies enable real-time visibility, traceability, and accountability across the entire value chain.This keynote examines the theoretical foundations, methodological approaches, and emerging empirical evidence at the intersection of supply chain management, logistics, sustainability, circular economy, and Industry 4.0. Drawing on selected case studies and recent research, the talk explores how digital technologies can act as key enablers of circular business models, decarbonisation strategies, and resilient supply network design. The presentation concludes by outlining critical research gaps and future directions for advancing sustainable and circular supply chains in an increasingly digital and uncertain global context.