P R O G R A M   C O - C H A I R S  

DARREN COFER is a Principal Fellow at Collins Aerospace. He earned his PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering from The University of Texas at Austin.  His area of expertise is developing and applying advanced analysis methods and tools for verification and certification of high-integrity systems. His background includes work with formal methods for system and software analysis, the design of real-time embedded systems for safety-critical applications, and the development of nuclear propulsion systems in the U.S. Navy.

Dr. Cofer has served as principal investigator on government-sponsored research programs with NASA, NSA, AFRL, and DARPA, developing and using formal methods for verification of safety and security properties.  He served on RTCA committee SC-205 developing new certification guidance for airborne software (DO-178C) and was one of the developers of the Formal Methods Supplement (DO-333). He is a member of SAE committee G-34 for Artificial Intelligence in Aviation, the Aerospace Control and Guidance Systems Committee (ACGSC), and a senior member of the IEEE.

SANDEEP NEEMA is a Professor with the Department of Computer Science, and Director of the Institute for Software Integrated Systems, Vanderbilt University. He served a Program manager at DARPA’s Information Innovation Office (I2O) from July 2016 till September 2022. In his tenure at DARPA he conceived, developed, and managed influential programs at the intersection of Artificial Intelligence and Cyber Physical Systems, that included programs such as Assured Autonomy, Symbiotic Design of Cyber Physical Systems, and Assured Neurosymbolic Learning and Reasoning. His research interests include Cyber Physical Systems, Model-based Design Methodologies, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, and Distributed Real-time Systems. Dr. Neema has authored and co-authored more than 100 peer-reviewed conference, journal publications, and book chapters. 

Dr. Neema holds a Doctorate in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from Vanderbilt University, and a Master’s in Electrical Engineering from Utah State University. He earned a Bachelor of Technology degree in Electrical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi, India.

 P R O G R A M   C O M M I T T E E  

PERRY ALEXANDER, The University of Kansas       
JUNE ANDRONICK, Proofcraft        
KATHLEEN FISHER, DARPA       
JOHN HATCLIFF, Kansas State University        
JOHN LAUNCHBURY, Galois, Inc.       
PATRICK LINCOLN, SRI International       
STEPHEN MAGILL, Sonatype       
BRAD MARTIN, National Security Agency

 MARTIN, National Cyber Security Centre       
LEE PIKE, Amazon Web Services        
RAY RICHARDS, Leidos       
WILLIAM SCHERLIS, Carnegie Mellon University       
ERIC W. SMITH, Kestrel Institute       
SEAN WEAVER, DARPA      
MATT WILDING, DARPA
KRISTIN YVONNE ROZIER, Iowa State University

  O R G A N I Z E R S   

KATIE DEY, Vanderbilt University    
ANNE DYSON, Cyber Pack Ventures       
AMY KARNS, Vanderbilt University       
REGAN WILLIAMS, Vanderbilt University