Roundtable Discussion: AI & Robotics. Are you ready?

George Georgiou is a robotics and artificial intelligence expert with more than 30 years of experience in industrial automation, intelligent systems, and European innovation initiatives. His robotics journey began in Manchester, where his early research focused on robotic assembly systems, laying a strong foundation in automation engineering and applied robotics.

In 1999, he founded NOVATEX SOLUTIONS LTD, delivering advanced technology solutions and digital innovation services. In 2020, he established the European Centre for Emerging Competencies and Technologies (ECECT), a non-profit research and educational organisation promoting STEM education, digital transformation, and European collaboration. He is also a co-founder and Board Member of the Cyprus Association of Research and Innovation Enterprises (CARIE), contributing to the strengthening of Cyprus’ research and innovation ecosystem.

Since 2013, he has served as European Robotics Week Coordinator and is President of the Scientific Committee of Robotex. His current work spans Artificial Intelligence, the Internet of Things (IoT), AI image classification, applied machine learning, and higher education initiatives exploring AI didactics and the transformation of classroom learning in the age of artificial intelligence.

Xenia Miscouridou is a Lecturer in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at the University of Cyprus and an Honorary Lecturer in the Department of Mathematics and the I-X Centre for Artificial Intelligence at Imperial College London. She holds a Marie Skłodowska-Curie European Fellowship to conduct research in Statistical Machine Learning.
Xenia completed her undergraduate studies at Imperial College London and the University of Cambridge, and obtained her PhD from the University of Oxford, during which she held research visits and appointments at New York University, the Alan Turing Institute in London, and Google Zurich.
She subsequently worked as a Machine Learning Scientist at Investments AI (AIG) and held postdoctoral research positions in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Oxford and the Department of Mathematics at Imperial College London.
Her research lies at the interface of Statistics and Machine Learning, with a focus on developing methodology for complex network modelling and spatiotemporal modelling. She was recently listed in the Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe in the Science and Healthcare category.

Jahna Otterbacher (Ph.D., University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, USA) is Professor and Dean of the Faculty of Pure and Applied Sciences of the  Open University of Cyprus (OUC). Jahna directs the Cyprus Center for Trustworthy AI (CyCAT), which conducts interdisciplinary research focused on promoting both technical and educational solutions for trustworthy and responsible AI-enabled systems. She holds a concurrent appointment at the CYENS Center of Excellence, a new center for research and innovation in Nicosia, in collaboration with two international Advanced Partners, UCL and MPI. The author of over 70 publications in the area of human-centered data science, she is included in Elsevier’s list of top-cited scientists, based on standardized citation indicators, one of a few women in Cyprus to have achieved this distinction. In December 2024, Jahna was appointed as Expert Advisor to the Minister of Education, Sport and Youth of the Republic of Cyprus, concerning the use of AI in the public education system.

Odysseas Economides is a Cypriot electrical engineer and hardware entrepreneur based in Cyprus, focused on building intelligent robotics and embedded systems—from rapid prototypes to production-ready devices. He is the founder and Managing Director of ROBO Educational & Research Robotics and HardwareX Engineering, where he leads R&D in low-power electronics, IoT sensing, edge AI, and custom embedded platforms for education, research, and industry. A SEMICON Europa “20 Under 30” awardee and a NASA Space Apps People’s Choice winner, Odysseas is also active in the local maker and startup ecosystem through mentoring, workshops, and hands-on STEM initiatives that help teams turn ideas into real, working hardware.

Panis has over 20 years of hands-on experience in data-driven digital marketing, growth marketing, media, startups, innovation, and technology. He is the founder and chief editor of the media outlet Panis.News, which focuses on AI news and stories. Keep Innovating 🚀