2025 Annual Conference
2025 CAST-GNY Annual Conference
AI Frontier Forum
AI is reshaping our world at an unprecedented pace. In this era of technological revolution, are you prepared to lead the change?
Connect face-to-face with top experts and scholars, and explore the limitless possibilities of artificial intelligence!
Location: The Grove School of Engineering, City College of New York
Time: 9:00 am ~ 5:00 pm, November 1st
Days
Our Conference is on!
Conference Agenda
9:00 am – 9:30 am
Opening Remarks
9:30 am – 12:00 pm
Session 1: AI in Robotics & Bio Engineering
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Lunch Break
1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Session 2: AI in Investment & Entrepreneurship
3:00 pm – 4:30 pm
Session 3: AI in Education & Career Development
4:30 pm – 5:00 pm
Conference Closing
Guest Speaker Overview
Session 1: AI in Robotics & Bio Engineering
Xianfeng (David) Gu
SUNY Empire Innovation Professor, Stony Brook University
Dr. Xianfeng (David) Gu is the SUNY Empire Innovation Professor at Stony Brook University and a distinguished disciple of renowned mathematician Shing-Tung Yau. A pioneer of Computational Conformal Geometry, he integrates geometry, topology, and optimal transport theory into computer graphics, AI, and biomedical engineering. His recent works include innovative methods for text-to-3D generation and speech-driven avatars, supported by a Google research gift. A recipient of the Morningside Gold Medal and the NSF CAREER Award, Dr. Gu’s cross-disciplinary research continues to shape both foundational theory and practical applications.
Yunzhu Li
Assistant Professor, Columbia University
Yunzhu Li is an Assistant Professor of Computer Science at Columbia University. Yunzhu earned his PhD from MIT under the guidance of Antonio Torralba and Russ Tedrake. His work has been recognized with the Best Paper Award at ICRA, the Best Systems Paper Award, and as a Finalist for the Best Paper Award at CoRL. He is also a recipient of the AAAI New Faculty Highlights, the Sony Faculty Innovation Award, the Amazon Research Award, the Adobe Research Fellowship, and the First Place Ernst A. Guillemin Master’s Thesis Award in AI and Decision Making at MIT. His research has been published in top journals and conferences, including Nature and Science, and featured by major media outlets such as CNN, BBC, and The Wall Street Journal.
Jin Kim Montclare
Professor, New York University
Dr. Jin Kim Montclare is a Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at NYU, heading the Protein Engineering & Molecular Design Lab. Her work focuses on designing artificial proteins that mimic or surpass natural functions, for applications in drug delivery, tissue regeneration, and biomaterials engineering. Her team recently developed self-assembling, self-illuminating therapeutic proteins that both deliver cargo and can be tracked noninvasively via MRI. Professor Montclare is a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors, AIMBE, and a recipient of the AAAS Leshner Leadership Fellowship, among other distinctions.
Guiling (Grace) Wang
Distinguished Professor, New Jersey Institute of Technology
Dr. Guiling “Grace” Wang is a Distinguished Professor of Computer Science at NJIT, the Associate Dean for Research & External Relations, and founding Director of NJIT’s AI Center for Research. Her research spans AI, intelligent transportation, fintech, and blockchain, with standout contributions in traffic intersection control via reinforcement learning, decentralized vehicle credential systems, and deep-learning–based system optimization. Dr. Wang is NJIT’s first female IEEE Fellow and serves as the academic voice on AI policy, fairness, and legal-technology advisory committees at state and judicial levels.
Session 2: AI in Investment & Entrepreneurship
Tianyi Peng
Assistant Professor, Columbia Business School
Dr. Tianyi Peng is an Assistant Professor in the Decision, Risk & Operations division at Columbia Business School. His research centers on applying AI, reinforcement learning, and generative models to optimize real-world decision systems and experimental design. He is a founding member of Cimulate.AI, applying generative AI to e-commerce, and his work on an experimentation platform for Anheuser-Busch InBev earned the Daniel H. Wagner Prize. Beyond academic contributions, his work bridges AI with engineering practice and entrepreneurial innovation, offering impactful solutions for intelligent business and industrial transformation.
Jamiel Sheikh
Founder and CEO of Chainhaus
Professor Jamiel Sheikh is the Founder & CEO of Chainhaus, Digital Currency Think Tank, and Modelex.AI, focusing on distributed AI, payments, blockchain, and finance. He has over 20 years of Wall Street experience at JPMorgan, Citi, Bank of America, and other major banks. A bestselling author, TED speaker, and Forbes contributor, he leads AI NYC and Blockchain NYC—communities of over 40,000 members—and organizes flagship industry events. He has taught blockchain and AI at Columbia Business School, NYU, CUNY, and Sun Yat-sen University in Taiwan, and serves as Innovation Fellow at Columbia’s Lang Center for Entrepreneurship. He is the author of Mastering Corda (O’Reilly) and is writing new books on generative AI and stablecoin design. Jamiel holds an MBA from Columbia Business School and a BBA from Baruch College, and is completing a Master’s in AI at Georgia Tech.
Jim Zhao
Founding Managing Partner of LiquidMetal Ventures
Dr. Jim Zhao is the Founding Partner of Liquidmetal Ventures, a specialist in energy storage and nanomaterials, an entrepreneur, and a community builder in the East Coast venture ecosystem. He earned his B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Tsinghua University in 2005 and co-founded Avanti Battery, a next-generation energy storage company, during his time at MIT in 2020. In 2022, he launched Liquidmetal Ventures, focusing on early-stage deep tech investments in North America, with emphasis on biomedicine, renewable energy, and AI/robotics. To date, he has invested in over 20 startups, several of which have collectively raised more than $100 million in subsequent rounds. Liquidmetal Ventures is recognized as one of the most active early-stage hard-tech funds on the U.S. East Coast.
Session 3: AI in Education & Career Development
Ping Ji
Professor, City University of New York
Dr. Ping Ji is a Professor of Mathematics and Computer Science and the Chair of the Computer Science Department at CUNY Hunter College. She received her B.Sc. from Tsinghua University and her Ph.D. in Computer Science from UMass Amherst. A leading advocate for AI and data science education, she played a pivotal role in establishing CUNY’s Master’s program in Data Science and the Digital Forensics/Cybersecurity program, integrating AI into interdisciplinary teaching and research. Her work spans network measurement, security, wireless and IoT systems, and she is dedicated to cultivating the next generation of AI talent and advancing an open, collaborative AI education ecosystem.
Charles Lang
Senior Executive Director of Digital Futures Institute, Columbia University
Charles Lang is the Senior Executive Director of the Digital Futures Institute (DFI) at Teachers College, Columbia University, and a professor in education. He holds an Ed.D. in Human Development and Education from Harvard University and dual bachelor’s degrees in Bioinformatics (Hons.) and Political Science from the University of Melbourne. His expertise lies in educational technology, learning analytics, adaptive learning systems, and predictive modeling of student performance. As one of the editors of The Handbook of Learning Analytics, he has helped shape the field’s discourse. He leads DFI’s mission to integrate scholarship, pedagogy, and public engagement, driving AI-informed educational innovation and equity. Under his direction, DFI has supported projects like Elevate, which constructs interpretable learner models from diverse data sources, to advance personalized learning and data‐driven educational assessment.
Alex Rudniy
Associate Professor, Drew University
Dr. Alex Rudniy is an Associate Professor of Computer Science at Drew University. He earned his Ph.D. in Computer Science from the New Jersey Institute of Technology in 2012. Before joining Drew University, he taught at the University of Scranton and Fairleigh Dickinson University. He holds both an M.S. and a B.S. in Applied Mathematics from the National University of Radio Electronics in Ukraine. Dr. Rudniy’s research focuses on artificial intelligence, machine learning, and their applications. In the classroom, his AI course is popular among students, and he actively encourages use of AI tools—e.g. code generation, analysis assistance—to enrich learning. He has developed AI systems for automated scoring and feedback, demonstrating how intelligent algorithms can augment educational evaluation. He is committed to training students with AI thinking and applied skills, advancing the integration of AI education across undergraduate and graduate levels.
Andrew Zhang
Co-Founder and CEO of Azure Partners
Andrew Zhang co-founded and leads Azure Partners, specializing in Go-to-Market strategy for AI startups and scaling emerging technologies. He serves as a partner at YC-backed Epsilla, focusing on RAG and AI Agent development. With experience as a tech lead at a major global internet platform and AI leadership roles at Amazon, IBM, and Silicon Valley startups, Andrew now runs Columbia University’s AI Mastery program and teaches at Rutgers Business School. Author of Hyperledger Cookbook and the upcoming A Practical Guide to Ollama (Q4 2025), Andrew also conducts AI education programs for high school students and financial professionals.
Ticket Information
Early Bird: $38.00 (Due on Oct. 13 23:59 EST)
Regular: $58.00 (Starting on Oct. 13 23:59 EST)
Student: $8.00 (Register with school email address and check-in with school ID)
Lunch is included in the ticket.
Ways to register: Click this link: https://luma.com/castgny2025