Keynote Speakers
Day 1- August 4, 2026 (Tuesday) – InterContinental Hotel
8:30 am – 8:40 pm – ULatina President
8:40 am – 9:20 am: Keynote 1
Dr. Ying Xie
Director of Logistics Cluster
University of Central Florida (USA)
Ying Xie is currently the Director of the Logistics Cluster at the University of Central Florida. She was a Professor of Supply Chain Analytics at Cranfield University, United Kingdom. She is an internationally recognized leader in supply chain management, operations research, machine learning, big data analytics, and intelligent decision-support systems. She has held numerous senior academic leadership positions, including Director of the Centre for Intelligent Supply Chain and Head of School at Anglia Ruskin University, where she led strategic initiatives in research, education, and international partnerships. A Principal Fellow of Advance HE, Prof. Xie has successfully led and managed research and innovation projects funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), Innovate UK, the European Union, and major industry partners. Her research focuses on digital supply chains, sustainable aviation, logistics, maritime systems, artificial intelligence, and supply chain resilience. She serves on several national strategic advisory boards and is widely recognized for fostering collaboration among academia, industry, and government to develop innovative, data-driven solutions that enhance global supply chain performance and sustainability.
Dr. Xie earned her Ph.D. in Supply Chain and Operational Research from Coventry University, United Kingdom, and a Master of Science with Distinction in Intelligence Engineering from the University of Liverpool, specializing in Artificial Intelligence, Control Theory, and Fuzzy Systems.
9:20 am – 10:00 am: Keynote 2
Dr. Luis Rocha Lona
Professor in Operations Management, Business School
National Polytechnic Institute of Mexico
México City, Mexico
Tec de Monterrey, Campus Santa Fe
Luis Rocha-Lona is a professor in Operations Management at the Business School at National Polytechnic Institute of Mexico and at Tec de Monterrey, Campus Santa Fe. Luis Rocha graduated from the National Polytechnic Institute of Mexico (IPN) as Automation Control Systems Engineer. Then, he pursued an MSc in Control Systems with a major in information systems/manufacturing at the University of Sheffield, UK. He holds a PhD in Operations Management from The Manchester Business School. Dr Luis Rocha-Lona has eight years of working experience in the public and private sectors. He has lead several projects involved with service and manufacturing organisations and is currently supervising Master and PhD students at National Polytechnic Institute of Mexico.
10:00 am – 10:40 am: Keynote 3
Dr. Ivan Garibay
Associate Professor
Industrial Engineering and Management Systems
University of Central Florida
Orlando, Florida, USA
Director, UCF Artificial Intelligence and Big Data Initiative
Director, Master of Science in Data Analytics
Director, Complex Adaptive Systems Laboratory
Founding Director, UCF I-Corps program
Affiliated appointments to Computer Science and Modeling and Simulation
Dr. Ivan Garibay is an Associate Professor at the Department of Industrial Engineering and Management Systems, University of Central Florida. He is the Director of UCF Artificial Intelligence and Big Data Initiative, Director of Master of Science Program in Data Analytics, and the Director of the Complex Adaptive Systems Laboratory. He is also the Founding Director of the UCF I‐Corps program. His interests lie in studying complex socio‐technical systems such as social media and artificial social intelligence. He received Ph.D. in Computer Science and M.S. in Computer Science from University of Central Florida, P.E. in Electronic Engineering (Titulo Profesional) and B.S. in Electronic Engineering from Ricardo Palma University, Peru.
10:50 am – 11:30 am: Keynote 4
Dr. Juan Marcos Castillo
Professor
Universidad Tecnológica de Panamá (UTP)
Panama
Title of Presentation: The Potential Title: Uncertainty Management in the Supply Chain: Math, Tech, and Wisdom
Dr Juan Marcos Castillo holds a PhD in Industrial Engineering from the University of Texas at Arlington, he is a professor at the Universidad Tecnológica de Panamá (UTP) and directs a Panama & Perspective Analytics, a Think Tank in Logistics, and the Smart Logistics Lab which is attached to the C TASC AIP, a Center of Education, Research, Development and Innovation in Semiconductors. Dr Castillo is a Husband, a Father, a visionary and Christian leader.
11:30 am – 12:10 pm: Keynote 5
Mr. Cristian Rincon
Associate Professor and Researcher
UNIMINUTO
Colombia
Title keynote: “Manufacturing in a VUCA World: Evolving from Resilience Recovery to Antifragile Advantage”
Bio: Cristian Rincón-Guio is an Industrial Engineer and a PhD candidate in Engineering – Industry and Organizations at Universidad Nacional de Colombia. He serves as Associate Professor and researcher at UNIMINUTO, where he leads research projects on resilience in manufacturing. Classified as Senior Researcher by MINCIENCIAS (2025), he has authored over 20 Scopus-indexed publications and delivered more than 15 presentations at international conferences including IEOM, POMS, DSMIE, and ICIEN. His current research focuses on how manufacturing firms build resilience capabilities to adapt to volatile disruptions in VUCA environments.
12:10 am – 12:50 pm: Keynote 6
Dr. Miguel Torres Miranda
Director of CITEP, the Center for Innovation in Technology and Electronics of Panama
Panama City, Panama
Presentation Title: Technological Development in Panama: A Perspective from Engineering, Microelectronics, and Innovation
Miguel Torres Miranda holds a BSc in electronic engineering from the Technological University of Panama, an MSc in Microelectronics from the University of Grenoble, France and a PhD in MicroElectronics from the Sorbonne Université in Paris, France. He has worked with different hardware technologies: designing and manufacturing integrated circuits with flexible materials at Ecole Polytechnique in Paris and Joanneum Research in Graz, Austria, and testing novel X-Ray detector chips at CEA Leti in Grenoble, France. He has also developed a career in the technical side of medical devices, designing and testing brain and heart monitors and microfabricating brain-computer interfaces with graphene materials. After several years, he decided to focus on commercializing hardware technologies in different companies and earned an MBA from ESADE Business School. He is currently the director of CITEP, the Center for Innovation in Technology and Electronics of Panama, a new private project fostering technical education for industries and professionals focusing mainly on IoT and edge AI.
Day 2- August 5, 2026 (Wednesday) – InterContinental Hotel
8:30 am – 8:40 am: Quality Leadership University President
8:40 am – 9:20 am: Keynote 7
Mariana Leon
Academic Vice President, Researcher, and Professor
Quality Leadership University – University of Louisville Panama
Researcher at Centro de Investigación Educativa (CIEDU)
Panama
9:20 am – 10:00 am: Keynote 8
Dr. Maria Auxiliadora Cannarozzo Tinoco
Associate Professor in Industrial Engineering
Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Brazil
Maria Auxiliadora Cannarozzo Tinoco is an Associate Professor in Industrial Engineering at the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Brazil, where she currently serves as Chair of the Department of Industrial Engineering and Transportation. She holds a Ph.D. and M.Sc. in Industrial Engineering from UFRGS and a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering. Her academic trajectory includes leadership roles in undergraduate program coordination and active engagement in the university’s innovation ecosystem.
She is an active researcher affiliated with the Organizational Engineering Research Group (NEO/UFRGS) and the Innovation and Sustainability Center (NIS/UFRGS), leading projects on digital technologies for vocational and training education, as well as new business design based on public data. She currently leads initiatives focused on the modernization of engineering education, supported by CAPES and the Fulbright Commission, involving benchmarking with North American universities. Her research interests include Service Management, Quality Management, Sustainable Product-Service Systems, Innovation, and Engineering Education, with a recent emphasis on the integration of Artificial Intelligence.
10:00 am – 10:40 am: Keynote 9
Dr. Waldemar Karwowski
Pegasus Professor and Chairman
Department of Industrial Engineering and Management Systems
University of Central Florida
Orlando, Florida, USA
Waldemar Karwowski is Pegasus Professor and Chairman, Department of Industrial Engineering and Management Systems, University of Central Florida, USA. He holds an M.S. in Production Engineering and Management from the University of Technology Wroclaw, Poland, and a Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering from Texas Tech University, USA. He was awarded D.Sc. in management science by the Institute for Organization and Management in Industry, Warsaw, and received the National Professorship title from the President of Poland (2012). Three Central European universities also awarded him Doctor Honoris Causa degrees. Dr. Karwowski served on the Board on Human Systems Integration, National Research Council, USA (2007–2011). He currently is Co-Editor-in-Chief of Theoretical Issues in Ergonomics Science journal, Editor-in-Chief of Human-Intelligent Systems Integration journal, and Field Chief Editor of the Frontiers in Neuroergonomics. Dr. Karwowski has over 550 research publications, including over 200 journal papers. He is Fellow of the Ergonomics Society (U.K.), Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES), Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE), and the International Ergonomics Association (IEA), and served as President of both HFES (2006-2007) and IEA (2000-2003). He received the William Floyd Award from the Chartered Institute of Ergonomics & Human Factors, the United Kingdom in 2017, and the David F. Baker Distinguished Research Award. Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers, Atlanta, USA, in 2020. He was elected to Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine of Florida (ASEMFL), Orlando, Florida, USA, November 2020.
10:50 am – 11:30 am: Keynote 10
Manny Urquieta, M.D., M.S., FAsMA
Vice Chair of Aerospace Medicine and Associate Professor of Medicine
University of Central Florida – College of Medicine
Emmanuel Urquieta, M.D., M.S., FAsMA, is the Vice Chair of Aerospace Medicine and Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Central Florida – College of Medicine.
In his role at UCF, he oversees the development of research, education, and partnerships in the domain of aerospace medicine.
Prior to joining UCF, Dr. Urquieta served as the Chief Medical Officer at the NASA-funded Translational Research Institute for Space Health where we managed a multimillion-dollar portfolio of medical research for missions to the Moon and Mars, the commercial spaceflight program EXPAND, and analog capabilities, including partnerships with the Australian Antarctic Division.
Dr. Urquieta has extensive experience providing medical care in austere and remote environments serving as a flight surgeon in Mexico City’s Police Department Helicopter Emergency Medical Services, participating in hundreds of rescue missions and aeromedical evacuations. He has volunteered in medical missions around the world. In 2017, Dr. Urquieta was selected as a crew member of the Human Exploration Research Analog (HERA) XI mission at NASA Johnson Space Center, spending 30 days in a capsule simulating a deep space long-duration mission. He is a Fellow of the Aerospace Medical Association, and an academician of the International Academy of Astronautics, and has authored and co-authored dozens of publications in peer-reviewed scientific journals.
Dr. Urquieta holds a medical degree and specialty in emergency medicine from Anahuac University in Mexico City and an M.S. in aerospace medicine from Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio. Dr. Urquieta frequently appears at scientific meetings and connects with reporters to discuss the effects of space on the human body and potential interventions to promote human space exploration.
11:30 am – 12:10 pm: Keynote 11
Fernando Gonzalez Aleu, Ph.D. CPEM
Professor and Researcher
Engineering Department
Universidad de Monterrey (UDEM)
Monterrey, NL, Mexico
Fernando Gonzalez Aleu is a Professor and Researcher at the Universidad de Monterrey (UDEM) in Mexico. He received a BS in Mechanical and Management Engineering at UDEM, a MS at ITESM in 1999, and both an MS and PhD in Industrial and Systems Engineering from Virginia Tech in 2015 and 2016, respectively. His research focuses on the applications of continuous improvement projects. Prior industry experience includes 15 years implementing quality systems, environmental systems, and management systems. He is member of the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers, the American Society for Engineering Management, and the American Society for Quality.
12:10 pm – 12:50 pm: Keynote 12
Dr. Alfonso Sarmiento
Associate Professor
Industrial Engineering
Faculty of Engineering
University of La Sabana
Chía, Colombia
Presentation Title: From Single-Paradigm to Hybrid Simulation: Methodologies for Integrated Modeling
Dr. Sarmiento is currently a professor and researcher in the Industrial Engineering program at the University of La Sabana. Dr. Sarmiento received his PhD in Industrial Engineering from the University of Central Florida (Orlando, USA) with emphasis in simulation of systems applied to the supply chain. His master’s degree was from the University of Florida (Gainesville, USA) with a specialty in Operations Research focused on Logistics. His professional career combines the experience gained over several years as a consultant in industrial engineering (process improvement, production line balance, facility layout, costing, etc.) with teaching in the academic area in courses on quantitative decision-making methods and operations management. His current lines of research include the application of different simulation paradigms (system dynamics, discrete event and agent simulation) and reinforcement learning to model and analyze complex systems.
Day 3- August 6, 2026 (Thursday) – U Latina Learning Villa
8:45 am – 8:55 am: UTP Representative
8:55 am – 9:10 am: Conversation
Manny Urquieta, M.D., M.S., FAsMA
Vice Chair of Aerospace Medicine and Associate Professor of Medicine
University of Central Florida – College of Medicine
Emmanuel Urquieta, M.D., M.S., FAsMA, is the Vice Chair of Aerospace Medicine and Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Central Florida – College of Medicine.
In his role at UCF, he oversees the development of research, education, and partnerships in the domain of aerospace medicine.
Prior to joining UCF, Dr. Urquieta served as the Chief Medical Officer at the NASA-funded Translational Research Institute for Space Health where we managed a multimillion-dollar portfolio of medical research for missions to the Moon and Mars, the commercial spaceflight program EXPAND, and analog capabilities, including partnerships with the Australian Antarctic Division.
Dr. Urquieta has extensive experience providing medical care in austere and remote environments serving as a flight surgeon in Mexico City’s Police Department Helicopter Emergency Medical Services, participating in hundreds of rescue missions and aeromedical evacuations. He has volunteered in medical missions around the world. In 2017, Dr. Urquieta was selected as a crew member of the Human Exploration Research Analog (HERA) XI mission at NASA Johnson Space Center, spending 30 days in a capsule simulating a deep space long-duration mission. He is a Fellow of the Aerospace Medical Association, and an academician of the International Academy of Astronautics, and has authored and co-authored dozens of publications in peer-reviewed scientific journals.
Dr. Urquieta holds a medical degree and specialty in emergency medicine from Anahuac University in Mexico City and an M.S. in aerospace medicine from Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio. Dr. Urquieta frequently appears at scientific meetings and connects with reporters to discuss the effects of space on the human body and potential interventions to promote human space exploration.
9:10 am – 9:50 am: Keynote 13
Dr. Luis Rabelo
Professor
Department of Industrial Engineering & Management Systems
University of Central Florida
Orlando, FL, USA
Dr. Luis Rabelo received the BS in Electro-Mechanical Engineer from the Technological University of Panama in 1983, an MS in Electrical Engineering from the Florida Institute of Technology in 1987 Master’s and Doctorate in Engineering Management from the University of Missouri. He was a Postdoc at the University of Missouri in Nuclear Engineering. Dr. Rabelo received a dual MS in Systems and Management from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He has worked for the Advanced Technology Group (Goodrich) and Honeywell Laboratories. Dr. Rabelo was a NASA Fellow from 2002 to 2005, and a Project Manager at NASA from 2009 to 2011. He is currently Professor in the Industrial Engineering and Management Systems Department at UCF. He is also the Undergraduate Coordinator. He has written more than 300 articles and a book in Artificial Intelligence. He has been the principal advisor for 39 Master’s students and 29 PhDs. He received the award for the Best Scientific Article of the Year 2004 from the Society of Automotive Engineers, received the distinction “ONE NASA” in 2006. He was the recipient of the Fulbright Distinction in 2008. In November 2008, he received the honor of the Technological University of Panama (UTP) of being the 2008 Distinguished Alumni. In 2011, he was the Henaac Award Winner in Education. In 2013 and 2018, he received the Forest R. McFarland Award from the Society of Automotive Engineering (SAE). Lately, he received the SAE Russell S. Springer Award for his article on the modeling of space operations systems in 2017.
9:50 am – 10:25 am: Keynote 14
Dr. Lindsay Alvarez-Pomar
Associate Professor of Industrial Engineering
Universidad Distrital Francisco José de Caldas
Bogotá, Colombia
Dr. Lindsay Álvarez-Pomar is an Associate Professor of Industrial Engineering at Universidad Distrital Francisco José de Caldas in Bogotá, Colombia, where she is also an active researcher. She holds a Ph.D. in Engineering with an emphasis on Information and Knowledge Science, a Master’s degree in Industrial Engineering, and a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering.
Dr. Álvarez-Pomar’s research focuses on collective intelligence, urban mobility, simulation, knowledge management, and production management. Throughout her academic career, she has contributed to the development of interdisciplinary research addressing complex socio-technical systems and organizational challenges.
She is the co-founder and researcher of the SES (Business and Social Systems) Research Group at Universidad Distrital Francisco José de Caldas, where she leads and collaborates on research projects aimed at advancing knowledge in industrial engineering and systems thinking. Her work has been presented at national and international conferences and has contributed to the academic discussion on innovation, organizational learning, and sustainable development.
10:25 am – 11:00 am: Keynote 15
Charles Davis and Edgar Gutierrez
Dr. Charles W. Davis, Jr.
Associate Professor of Engineering
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Daytona Beach
Edgar Gutierrez-Franco, PhD
Associate Professor
Externado University of Colombia
Edgar Gutierrez-Franco, PhD, is an associate professor at the Externado University of Colombia and an Affiliated Researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is a supply chain management analyst with experience leading and developing data-driven strategies and models for corporate organizations. His focus is on the creation of optimization and simulation models, machine learning algorithms, and strategic management methodologies to drive efficient and sustainable operations in the supply chain and omnichannel channels, thereby supporting managerial decision-making processes.
He has experience in various aspects of the supply chain, including network design, last-mile logistics, capacity planning, inventory control and allocation, omnichannel sales strategies, and digital supply chain models. He has held leadership roles in cross-functional corporate teams, ensuring the successful delivery of projects within established deadlines and budgets. His communication skills and strong stakeholder relationships have allowed him to manage large-scale projects while fostering a collaborative work environment.
His work experience spans several industries, including retail, beverage, agribusiness, and consulting. In academia, he has advised projects and led courses related to Systems Engineering, Operations Research, Simulation, Machine Learning, and Supply Chain Management in the United States and Latin America since 2003. He is also the author and editor of books in the field of Supply Chain Analytics, including “Engineering Analytics: Advances in Research and Applications” (Taylor and Francis, 2021) and “Artificial Intelligence: Advances in Research and Applications” (Nova, 2018).
11:00 am – 11:50 am: Conversation
Leadership at the Highest Level: A conversation with two of Latin America’s most influential CEOs
Contact: info@ieomsociety.org