John Attard, founder, Showdog Studios: Award-winning VFX Artist, developer, Supervisor and Producer John Attard has been a principal figure in the visual effects community for over twenty years. His expertise in Stereo 3D production, virtual production and digital production pipeline architecture has been reflected in work done for major companies such as Warner Brothers, Disney, Nissan and Toyota. Attard has lent his expertise to some very significant blockbuster films A few of his credits include The Avengers, Gladiator, Blackhawk Down, Jungle Book, Pitch Black, Minority Report, and Holes.

Rachel Joy Victor is the co-founder of FBRC.AI, a company focused on creating AI-supported tools for the future of content production--from films to games to location-based experiences. Rachel's work as a designer, strategist, and worldbuilder for emerging technologies (XR/AI/web3) focuses on creating cohesive narrative, brand, and product experiences. She designs for a range of applications: from multiplatform narratives and gaming experiences, to tools and platforms, to spaces and cities. She draws from her education in computational neuroscience and spatial economics to facilitate the creation of data-informed emergent experience where world simulation, systems design, and cognitive architectures intersect. Rachel’s clients have included Disney, HBO, Technicolor, Vans, Ford, Nike, Havas, Meow Wolf, Niantic, and many more.

Shaun Foster is a highly experienced Director of 3D Digital Design and Professor at the Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, NY, with a passion for next-gen interactive 3D and education. With 20 years of experience in 3D graphics and interactive educational design, Foster has led multiple teams and worked on numerous award-winning national TV, advertising, and interactive education projects. Foster's work is at the intersection of next-gen interactive 3D, education, and interdisciplinary collaboration. His expertise in technology, tools, and training is the result of his work on multiple grants, including a NY State Augmented Reality tourism (2013-14), NSF BioFuel Education (2015), VR HTC Vive grant (2016), VR Cary (2017), URMC VR Steroid Pathways Learning (2018), EpicMegaGrant Online Learning (2019), EpicMegaGrant Virtual Production (Co-PI, 2020), VR Eye Tracking NVidia & IBM-Notre Dame (2022), and Meta (2023) grants. Foster is an Authorized Unreal Instructor (2021-Present) and the recipient of the EPIC Games ICVFX Fellowship (2022) and the Provost Innovative Teaching with Technology Award (2023) for pushing the boundaries of technology and education. Foster is an RIT CTL Faculty Fellow of Generative AI (2024). He is currently focused on XR/VR eye tracking, AI, virtual production, and collaborative 3D through UEFN (Unreal Engine Fortnite). This summer, he is working on an international collaboration using Unreal Engine Fortnite, dealing with the convergence of 3D digital design with emerging generative AI, collaboration, and education.

Mary T Duda, AI XR: VR/AR, Pioneer, Futurist: Duda lectures worldwide on AI/XR, Animation, Digital Games, and Advanced Learning Systems. She consults for current technology adaptation. She is a leading proponent of non-violence in digital games and ethics in AI and XR simulations. As a fine artist, she has exhibited world-wide and has a book on the history of Art and Tech and its influences on society in development for 2025. Duda is doing her Ph.D. dissertation on AI XR Ethical Frameworks in Education & the Arts. She has coined the acronym IXR, Intelligent Extended Reality, which is the convergence of extended reality (XR) technologies with artificial intelligence (AI). XR encompasses augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and mixed reality (MR) Duda has been a multimedia technology leader, fine artist, author, and forward thinker for over three decades. Starting out with the tech explosion in the 1980s, Duda developed a reputation as an authoritative voice in the development and application of multimedia technology. After founding her own digital media company, Duda Design, she quickly gained acclaim as technical director for Disney World’s EPCOT Grand Opening, which utilized displays and animation in ways never before realized. After Disney, Duda became the leading multimedia architect for the Los Angeles Olympic Committee. Duda then went on to work with AFI (American Film Institute), the US, Canadian, and Indonesian Governments and to develop next-generation ‘edutainment’ programs for publishers such as Houghton Mifflin. In the 1990s, Duda worked to improve and establish computer graphics, animation, and interactive media certificate programs at UCLA. In 1996, Duda pioneered the team responsible for “A Virtual Day in Paris,” one of the first live tourist cybercasts in history with APPLE Paris. In 2000, Duda established Virtue Arts, a technology software company. As CEO of Virtue Arts, Duda has used her extensive knowledge of multimedia software to develop industry-leading production tools. In 2003, Duda launched VirtuePlay, a digital game developer dedicated to virtual reality applications. In 2006, VirtuePlay released the first VR simulation of the 3D Lunar surface using NASA’s data to run on consumer computers with HP Labs, which included D-Box motion seats and military-grade HMDs. In 2013, Duda created the MoonPlay brand to merge VR games with simulation using NASA’s planetary data. In 2020, SciOart was launched to combine science learning and virtual world (metaverse) simulations for fun experiences and 'stealth' education: the Art of Learning through Fun. To connect: linkedin/in/marytduda

Hassan Farhat, an AI Engineer and Solutions Architect, has a background in psychology before transitioning to engineering. He has assisted with neuroscience research at La Trobe University in Australia, contributing to motor skills studies, vision research, and co-authoring several publications. He has developed AI applications to treat children with developmental disorders by integrating motion capture technology with entertainment and game development, creating patented adaptive systems. He has also helped build and architect remote patient monitoring tools for researchers working with adults with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and built solutions for vision and brain imaging studies using AI to analyze the data. Currently, Hassan is developing and further enhancing tools that are being used in production. He focuses on production, production pipelines, and automation of processes, aiming to create tools that allow artists to focus more on their creative work while reducing the technical burden. Additionally, he is exploring Mixture of Experts (MoE) frameworks/systems for AI and investigating how to build innovative tools using this approach to further democratize AI.