How Artificial Intelligence (AI) Shapes Research

About the Event

Artificial Intelligence (AI) continues to permeate all aspects of life, and the world of research is no exception. This diverse panel of experts will explore AI’s impact across the many dimensions of the research enterprise. 

• How can AI accelerate research?
• How can AI be applied in socially and ethically responsible ways? 
• What are the promising new applications of AI in research?

Refreshments will be provided.  Walk-ins welcome!

The Thunder Bay community is encouraged to attend in person. Please join us in the Faculty Lounge at Lakehead University. For those of you attending online, you will receive the webinar link the morning of the event. 

Registration

To register, please click here.

Panelists

Dr. Atif Shamim: Dr. Atif Shamim (PhD, Carleton University) is a Full Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Principal Investigator of the IMPACT Lab at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). An Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Fellow, he is currently the Editor-in-Chief of the IEEE Journal of Electromagnetics, RF and Microwaves in Medicine and Biology. With over 400 publications and 40 patents, his work in wireless sensing has earned numerous awards, including the Kings Prize for best innovation of the year and the Ottawa Centre for Research Innovation (OCRI) Researcher of the Year and Entrepreneur of the Year. His research bridges innovative antenna designs and their integration with circuits and sensors for flexible and wearable wireless sensing systems.

Dr. Mark Daley: Mark is the Chief AI Officer at Western University and a Professor in the Department of Computer Science with cross-appointments in five other departments, The Rotman Institute of Philosophy, and The Western Institute for Neuroscience. He is also a faculty affiliate of Toronto's Vector Institute for Artificial Intelligence. Mark was named in the Maclean's magazine "Power List 2024" of the top 100 Canadians shaping the country and in Constellation Research's AI150, a list of the 150 top global executives leading AI transformation efforts. In October 2024, Mark was appointed the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Scholar in Residence in Artificial Intelligence. Mark has previously served as the Vice-President (Research) at the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research(CIFAR), and Chief Digital Information Officer, Special Advisor to the President, and Associate Vice-President (Research) at Western. Mark is the past chair of Compute Ontario and serves on a number of other boards.

Mr. Dylan McKibbon: Dylan is a graduate student in the MHSc Biomedical Ethics program at the University of Toronto. His academic focus involves understanding how Privacy and Bioethics can learn from and support one another. Dylan serves as a non-scientific member / ad-hoc privacy and AI advisor for the William Osler Research Ethics Board, and is a member of the Canadian Bioethics Society (CSB) AI and Healthcare Ethics Special Interest Group. Dylan has also presented on the institutional implications of AI-generated research at the 2024 International Conference on Clinical Ethics Consultation (ICCEC), and most recently as a keynote panelist during the 2025 CAREB-ACCER conference. As he strives to bridge the gap between biomedical ethics & privacy, Dylan is constantly thinking about how emerging technologies challenge fundamental assumptions about oversight, accountability, and ethical deliberation, and believes artificial intelligence is the mechanism through which bioethics and privacy will rapidly, and sometimes violently, collide.

Dr. Christina van Barneveld: Dr. Christina van Barneveld is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Education at Lakehead University, specializing in educational measurement and evaluation. Her recent research explores student perspectives on the use of AI in university learning and its implications for their future roles as teachers in K–12 education, contributing to evolving conversations in teacher preparation and assessment.

Moderator

Dr. Langis Roy: Dr. Langis Roy is Lakehead University’s Vice-President, Research and Innovation. He has held academic appointments at the University of Ottawa, Carleton University, and most recently at Ontario Tech University, where he served terms as Dean of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (2015–2021) and Deputy Provost (2020–2023). Dr. Roy holds a PhD in Electrical Engineering from Carleton University. With more than 150 peer-reviewed publications and three patents in radio-frequency system-on-package designs, Dr. Roy’s interdisciplinary research spans microwave components, wireless sensor and power harvesting technologies, and next-generation system integration with applications in 5G/6G, autonomous vehicles, biomedical monitoring, and more. His recent work focuses on AI-assisted design and control.  A globally engaged researcher, Dr. Roy has held visiting appointments at institutions in Finland and France.