Vision Conference 2026

Artificial Intelligence
2026-10-14 12:01 - 13:01 (America/Toronto)

Digital Media
2026-10-14 12:02 - 13:02
This seminar will look into how technology is used in the creative space, including visual effects, post-production, AI, and how these tools connect to content we already know, such as film, series, entertainment, and social media.
Ryan Stasyshyn
Ryan Stasyshyn brings a wealth of experience leadership, and a commitment to fostering artistic excellence. He has been a part of the production teams for some of the industry’s most recent and iconic projects, including WandaVision, HBO’s Watchmen, John Wick: Chapter 4, The Handmaid’s Tale, 1923, and priscilla. As head of the Toronto Rodeo FX studio, he supervised many of its latest creations, including Mark Wahlberg’s The Family Plan 2, Bob Odenkirk’s Normal, and the upcoming Hershey movie.
Throughout his career, Ryan has gained invaluable on-set experience serving as the Head of Production, Head of Operations, and Managing Director. His tenures at various high-profile studios gave him a deep understanding of virtual production an affinity for leadership roles that challenge the status quo and a contagious enthusiasm.

Discover the Invisible World That's Shaping Your Future
2026-10-14 12:03 - 13:03
What if the future of medicine, energy, AI, electronics, and computing all depend on things too small to see or handle? Imagine a technology reaching the infinitesimal and transforming the world from the ground level up – that’s nanotechnology engineering—and it’s driving some of the biggest breakthroughs of our time.
Professor Guo-Xing Miao, Director of the Nanotechnology Engineering Program at the University of Waterloo, will reveal how working at the nanoscale leads to innovations like nm transistor processes, ultra fast electronics, precision drug delivery, green energy, and advances in AI and quantum computing. Rooted in chemistry, physics, biology, and materials science, nanotechnology engineering connects the quantum world with real technologies that shape everyday life.
If you’re curious about technologies, excited by cutting-edge discoveries, or eager to help solve global challenges, this talk will show you how the smallest technologies are shaping the future.

Dr. Guo-Xing Miao
Dr. Guo-Xing Miao is Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, member of the Institute for Quantum Computing (IQC), Director of Nanotechnology Engineering (NE), and Director of Quantum Information (QI) Graduate program at the University of Waterloo.
Professor Miao’s research group concentrates on a specific quantum property of electrons—their spin degrees of freedom. Spin-based information can be stored, transmitted, and manipulated across both classical and quantum regimes. In nanoelectronic systems, the interplay between spins and ions – central to spin-iontronics – offers a powerful platform for precise spin control and dynamic monitoring.

Fusion
2026-10-14 12:04 - 13:04
Dr. Spencer Pitcher
Dr. Charles Spencer Pitcher brings deep expertise in fusion science and technology, and management of large-scale fusion project delivery. Before establishing Stellarex, he was Fusion Technology Principal Engineer at the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) in France.
Dr. Pitcher has held scientific and engineering roles at the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority, the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics, the MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center, and the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, where he contributed to the first production of fusion power using deuterium and tritium on the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor (TFTR).
He has authored or co-authored over 200 research publications and collaborated on major tokamak and stellarator programs across Europe and North America.

Smart Lighting and Bug Battles: Inside the World of High-Tech Greenhouses
2026-10-14 12:05 - 13:05
Learn about how fruits and vegetables are grown in high-tech greenhouses year-round in Ontario. We will discuss state-of-the-art technologies, including advanced lighting and pest management techniques using natural enemies.
Dr. Fadi Al-Daoud and Cara McCreary
Dr. Fadi Al-Daoud is the greenhouse vegetable specialist at the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness. His portfolio includes fruits and vegetables grown in controlled environments, such as greenhouses and vertical farms. After earning his doctorate from the Department of Biology at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada with a specialization in molecular plant pathology, Fadi worked at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and the University of Guelph. He has over 20 years of experience conducting applied and fundamental research on horticultural and field crops, and communicating his research to the scientific community and agricultural producers. Today, he collaborates with producers, researchers, and industry to advance controlled environment agriculture in Ontario.
Cara McCreary is the Greenhouse Vegetable IPM Specialist with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness (OMAFA) and is working out of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Harrow Research & Development Centre. Cara joined the ministry in January 2015 from a position as a Research Associate in the Edible Bean Program at the University of Guelph Ridgetown Campus. Prior to joining the University of Guelph, Cara was the Acting Field Crop Entomologist at OMAFA. She also has several years of experience as a greenhouse scout and supervisor, and as a horticultural advisor. Cara has a Master of Science in Environmental Biology from the University of Guelph, a Bachelor of Commerce in Business Administration from the University of Windsor, and an Associate Diploma in Horticulture from the University of Guelph. During her master’s degree, she studied the life cycle, temperature-dependent development and economic impact of an agricultural pest, the bean leaf beetle. In her current role with the ministry, Cara has worked extensively on emerging pest issues, such as pepper weevil and tomato brown rugose fruit virus. Pest management has been her focus and passion through both work experience and education.

Health Care
2026-10-14 12:06 - 13:06

Indigenous Holistic Health and Wellness
2026-10-14 12:07 - 13:07
This seminar will discuss Indigenous approaches to health and wellness and will examine the ways that identity and connection to the lang informs Indigenous health and wellness. This seminar will also explore holistic health and working with Indigenous peoples in healthcare systems.
Jessica Bomberry, M.Ed., Assistant Professor at Wilfrid Laurier University.
Jessica is from the Cayuga Nation and Turtle Clan family at Six Nations of the Grand River Territory.

Life, Energy, Environment: Global Solutions Through Chemical Engineering
2026-10-14 12:08 - 13:08
What if you could help power cities, develop biomedical devices and vaccines, clean the planet, and design the next viral skincare product—all with the same career? Sounds wild, right? Welcome to chemical engineering.
Ever wonder how your shampoo is made at a massive scale, or why your snacks stay fresh for months, or how engineers run entire factories?
Chemical engineering mixes chemistry, physics, biology, math, and a whole lot of creativity to design the processes that make modern life possible. Chemical engineers don’t just make things—they design safe, efficient, eco-friendly ways to turn raw materials (and even waste!) into valuable products.
If you want a career that’s hands-on, world-changing, and connected to all 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals, this talk will show you how chemical engineers are shaping the future one reaction, one innovation, one breakthrough at a time.
They dive into everything from thermodynamics and fluid mechanics to biochemical engineering, materials science, and process control—the field that uses simulations, optimization, and machine learning to solve real-world problems.
Professor Mario Ioannidis, Chair of Chemical Engineering at the University of Waterloo, will take you inside this world of transformation—where chemical engineers scale up ideas from “cool experiment” to “global impact.”

Prof. Mario Ioannidis
Mario Ioannidis is the Chair of the Department of Chemical Engineering and a Professor at the University of Waterloo.
Professor Ioannidis and his students research fundamental aspects of multiphase flow and transport of solutes and nanoparticles in porous materials of different kinds (fibrous or granular, loose or consolidated, natural or man-made, etc.). The ultimate goal of their research is to enable engineering applications ranging from contaminant hydrology, groundwater remediation and petroleum production to environmental sampling, fuel cell performance optimization and oil spill response.

Quantum Biology
2026-10-14 12:09 - 13:09
Dr. Nirosha Murugen

STEM Cells
2026-10-14 12:10 - 13:10
The Future of Medicine: How Stem Cells Could Change Everything
Everywhere we look today — online and in the media, among patient groups, families and health care providers — stem cells and regenerative medicine have become synonymous with the promise of better health as people seek out new therapies for what ails them.
Regenerative medicine is changing the game by unlocking leading-edge treatments for diseases such as, type 1 diabetes, retinal degeneration, muscular dystrophies, lung and heart disease, as well as for neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s and multiple sclerosis.
Traditionally powered by stem cells, regenerative medicine focuses on replacing, repairing, or regenerating human cells, tissues and organs. It is considered by investors, economists, and health policy experts to be the next frontier of modern medicine.
This seminar will dive into the world of stem cells and regenerative medicine, exploring a future where diseases may be halted or even cured.
Alexandra Kozlov, Ph.D.
Alexandra Kozlov joined the Stem Cell Network (SCN) in 2024. As the Research Specialist, she supports the delivery of SCN’s research funding programs and the development and roll-out of research symposia and scientific programming.
Prior to joining SCN, Alexandra worked extensively with human pluripotent stem cells, where she researched the relationship between metabolism and cell fate and state. Alexandra holds a Ph.D. in Biology, with a specialization in Developmental Biology, from Western University.
With almost a decade of experience in life sciences, Alexandra is dedicated to ensuring SCN’s research program runs efficiently and effectively to power the translation and commercialization of regenerative medicine research in Canada.
Danielle Spice, Ph.D.
Dr. Danielle Spice is a Scientist and Science Communicator who, by day, drives the development of cutting-edge cell therapies in biotech, and by night educates her community of over 77,000 social media followers about cool and interesting science.
Dr. Spice earned her PhD from Western University, and after a short post-doctoral fellowship at SickKids Hospital transitioned into biotech where she uses her expertise in genetic engineering and human stem cells to develop cell therapies.
During her academic training, Dr. Spice fell in love with teaching, and she knew that the best way to reach as many “students” as possible was to start her social media channels: Science with Spice. Dr. Spice loves to bring her love of biology and science to everyday people through short-form videos and podcasting to make science fun and accessible. Dr. Spice proves that science and education don’t just exist in an academic classroom but is out in the real world with real people.
