Blockchain for Industry 4.0

Anoop V. S. is a Postdoctoral Fellow at Smith School of Business, Queen's University, Ontario, Canada. Previously, he worked as a Senior Scientist (Research and Training) at Kerala Blockchain Academy, Kerala University of Digital Sciences, Innovation, and Technology, Thiruvananthapuram, India. He received his Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) and Master of Philosophy (MPhil) from Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT), Kerala. He has also worked as a Senior AI Data Scientist with Dubai Future Accelerator for implementing AI solutions for Etisalat and Etihad Airways. He is an experienced software engineer with more than 5 years of experience working with US-based multi-national companies in Technopark, Thiruvananthapuram. He has completed several industry internships in data science and AI that helped him implement intelligent algorithms for many organizations to solve their complex business problems. He has over 10 years of overall experience in teaching, research, and industry. His research interests are in text mining, natural language processing, computational social sciences, and blockchain. He has published papers in journals of national and international repute, book chapters, and conference proceedings in major venues of AI and knowledge management.

Asharaf S. is a computer engineer/scientist with extensive exposure in algorithms for machine learning. In addition to his current role as a Dean (R&D) and Professor at Kerala University of Digital Sciences, Innovation, and Technology, he also serves as a visiting faculty for MDP programs at the Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode and as a Mentor in Kerala Startup Mission. He received his PhD and Master of Engineering degrees in Computer Science from the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. He graduated in Computer Engineering from Cochin University of Science and Technology. After B.Tech, he has worked as a lecturer at T.K.M. College of Engineering, Kollam, and after PhD, he has worked as a Research Scientist at America Online (AOL) R&D Labs and as an Assistant Professor at the Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode. He is a recipient of IBM outstanding PhD student award 2006, IBM Shared University Research Grant 2015, IBM Open Science Collaboration Program Grant 2017, and DBT/BIRAC/Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Research Grant under the Grand Challenges India program in 2019. He has published three books and more than 50 research papers in international journals and conferences. He served as the founding professor-in-charge of Maker Village Cochin (https://makervillage.in/people.php) and currently serves as the Professor-in-Charge of Kerala Blockchain Academy (https://kba.ai/team/). His areas of interest include technologies and business models related to data engineering, machine learning, information retrieval, and blockchains.

Justin Goldston is a Professor of Project and Supply Chain Management at Penn State University, where his research is focused on blending the practices of supply chain management, emerging technologies, and sustainability to create positive global change. Dr. Goldston is a research faculty affiliate for the Center for the Business of Sustainability at the Smeal College of Business at Penn State as well as an active contributing faculty member of The Sustainability Institute at Penn State. Outside of the institution, Goldston is an Executive on the International Supply Chain Education Alliance's (ISCEA's) International Standards Board (IISB) and is the author of the forthcoming book AI for Good: Achieving Sustainability Through Citizen Science and Organizational Citizenship.

Dr. Goldston has over 20 years of experience working with organizations around the world such as Intel, Siemens, and Blue Buffalo on business performance improvement, organizational change, and enterprise-wide digital transformation initiatives. Goldston has also led and assisted in the development of Supply Chain Management, Sustainability, and Business Analytics programs and courses at Georgetown University, Texas A&M University, Rasmussen University, Davenport University, and North Carolina Wesleyan College and has evaluated doctoral programs for the Department of Higher Education. Goldston serves on the Management Advisory Board at various higher education institutions; is the author of multiple peer-reviewed journal articles on supply chain management, sustainability, and innovative technologies of Critical Success Factors in ERP Implementations; and is a five-time TEDx speaker where he discussed emerging technologies such as blockchain and AI.

Samson Williams is an Adjunct Professor at Columbia University in NYC and the University of New Hampshire School of Law, where he teaches on the blockchain, cryptocurrencies, and the space economy. He is also a serial entrepreneur and accidental investor and the President of the Crowdfunding Professional Association and investor into two investment crowdfunding platforms Brite.us - CrowdInvesting Done B_rite and GoingPublic.com. Samson is a senior emergency and finance strategist specializing in operations and technology, healthcare, and financia service crisis management. As a globally recognized expert on technology and crisis communications, Samsons strive to develop compelling content and deliver a message through distinct, actionable, and measurable campaigns. Previously, he worked with Fannie Mae as part of the emergency management team assembled to help pull the nation out of the housing crisis. Ultimately, he spent the last 2 years leading internal communications, workforce development, and organizational resiliency for Fannie Mae's Operations and Technology Division. Prior to investing in Brite.us and creating The Space Economy show, Samson served as the Principal Consultant for Axes and Eggs, a global technology advisory building relationship beyond tech in Dubai and Riyadh and throughout the Middle East North Africa region. There, Mr. Samson oversaw education, messaging, communication strategy, and media planning for finance, fintech, and government agencies throughout the Middle East, executing events and relationships with government agencies from the United Arab Emirates, Kingdoms of Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, Mauritius, and India. Samson has authored several books such as Raising Money -Understanding Cryptocurrencies, Crowdfunding, Startup Capital, Blockchain and The Space Economy, The Space Economy -Book Zero of The Space Economies Series, Lifestyle Money: Blockchain, Cryptocurrencies, Crowdfunding, and The Future of Money and Wealth, Stop Sucking Up to VCs, and Race and Space -Racial Equity and Justice in the Space Economy.