Dr. Georges Aoude is CEO and co-founder of Derq, an award-winning MIT-spinoff making roads safer, smarter, and autonomous vehicle ready. Through its proprietary and patented technology, Derq provides cities and fleets with an artificial intelligence (AI) platform that powers advanced analytics and connected & autonomous vehicle (CAV) applications to help them improve road safety and better manage traffic. Derq is a Techstars Mobility alumnus, has been recognized as an industry leader by the WEF and has received a number of awards including AI company of the year at SXSW 2019, Top Road Safety Innovator for Vision Zero in 2020 by Together for Safer Roads, and Global ITS Innovation Prize by the ITS World Congress in 2022.Dr. Aoude holds a Ph.D. and M.S. in Aerospace Engineering from MIT, where he worked closely with NASA, US Navy, and Ford. His expertise includes autonomous & connected technologies and intelligent transportation systems. Dr. Aoude's work has been published in leading academic journals and featured in global press outlets. His space satellite research has also been tested by astronauts in the International Space Station in collaboration with NASA. Dr. Aoude's inventions have been patented, and he founded Derq to commercialize them. After MIT, Dr. Aoude has advised governments, multinationals, and startups in North America and the GCCs in transportation and aerospace industries. He is a frequent speaker at AI, mobility and smart city conferences, including CES and WEF.