Prof. Dushan Boroyevich
Virginia Tech – CPES, USA
Dushan Boroyevich received his Dipl. Ing. degree from the University of Belgrade in 1976 and his M.S. degree from the University of Novi Sad in 1982, in what then used to be Yugoslavia. He received his Ph.D. degree in 1986 from Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, USA. From 1986 to 1990, he was an assistant professor and director of the Power and Industrial Electronics Research Program at the University of Novi Sad. He then joined the Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Virginia Tech as associate professor. He is now University Distinguished Professor and Associate Vice President for Research and Innovation in Energy Systems at Virginia Tech. He was the president of IEEE Power Electronics Society for 2011-12.
Prof. Boroyevich is a member of the US National Academy of Engineering and is recipient of 4 honorary professorships in China and Taiwan, as well as numerous other awards, including the IEEE William E. Newell Power Electronics Technical Field Award and the European Power Electronics Association Outstanding Achievement Award. His research interests include electronic power distribution systems, multi-phase power conversion, power electronics systems modeling and control, and integrated design of power converters. Dushan advised almost 50 Ph.D. and 50 M.S. students.
Ms. Bezos-O’Connor
NASA, USA
Ms. Bezos-O’Connor has over 4 decades of project management and R&D experience delivering high-risk, high-pay-off aerospace solutions for NASA in partnership with the FAA, the aerospace industry and academia. A highly collaborative leader, she brings a solid history of success in public-private partnerships and innovative project management strategies.
For the past decade and a half, Ms. Bezos-O’Connor has been at the forefront of enabling Sustainable Aviation through NASA’s Environmentally Responsible Aviation Project, and Advanced Air Transport Technology Project and the FAA CLEEN Program. Currently she is the Project Manager of NASA’s aviation industry-led MW-class electrified powertrain flight demonstration project that could transform the aerospace industry and result in a dramatic reduction of aircraft emissions and enable sustainable aviation.
Mr. Matthew Potter
John Deere Intelligent Solutions Group, USA
Matthew Potter is the Head of Engineering for electrification modules and advanced technology in the Intelligent Solutions Group at John Deere. His teams lead research, development, and deployment of power dense, ruggedized motor drives, power converters, and electric machines in support of vehicle programs throughout the Deere enterprise.
Throughout his career, he has worked in many advanced robotics technologies in the defense and mobility industries. He’s developed products in stabilization, electric drives, robotics, and self-driving. In his over 10-year career with John Deere, Potter has led various teams that deliver products in satellite-enabled guidance, hybrid-electric drivetrain, machine learning, and computer vision. In his prior role, he served as Senior Director of Engineering at Blue River Technology, acquired by John Deere in 2017, and launched See & Spray Ultimate, a first-of-its-kind AI-based computer vision system for agriculture.
Matthew earned his bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from the University of Nebraska, a master’s in mechanical engineering from the University of Minnesota, and a master’s in engineering management from the University of Wisconsin.
Dr. Olga Spahn
ARPA-E, USA
Dr. Olga Spahn currently serves as a Program Director at the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E). Her focus at ARPA-E is on grid resiliency, power management and distribution, aviation and instrumentation for harsh environments leveraging optical and semiconductor device technologies.
Before joining ARPA-E, Dr. Spahn managed Advanced and Exploratory Systems at Sandia National Laboratories where she oversaw new system development and technology maturation activities for Nuclear Deterrence applications. Prior to that, she managed the Semiconductor Material and Device Sciences department where she focused on advancement of wide- and ultrawide-bandgap semiconductor devices and applications, which earned an R&D 100 Award. Her experience as a principal investigator spans technology development for nuclear non-proliferation, photonics and optoelectronics, optical MEMS, and laser material processing.
Dr. Spahn holds her B.S. in Electrical Engineering from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, M.S. and Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from University of California, Berkeley. She has published more than 90 publications, holds 3 patents, and is a co-author of several book chapters.
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