Dr. David Perry is the President of the Canadian Global Affairs Institute, host of the institute’s Defence Deconstructed Podcast and a co-director of the Triple Helix MINDs Collaborate Network.

He is the author of multiple publications related to defence budgeting, transformation and procurement and a columnist for the Canadian Naval Review. He received his PhD in political science from Carleton University where his dissertation examined the link between defence budgeting and defence procurement.

He is an adjunct professor at the Centre for Military and Strategic Studies at the University of Calgary and a research fellow of the Centre for the Study of Security and Development at Dalhousie University.

He was previously the Senior Security and Defence Analyst of the Conference of Defence Associations Institute and Deputy Director of Dalhousie University’s Centre for Foreign Policy Studies. Embassy Magazine and The Hill Times has named him one of the “Top 100 Influencing Canadian Foreign Policy.”

Dr. Susan Skone is a researcher and innovator with over 25 years of experience in space-based technologies, specializing in space environment threats to satellite navigation systems, non-terrestrial networks, and high-frequency applications across aerospace and maritime domains.

As a Professor of Geomatics Engineering and Associate Vice-President Research at the University of Calgary, she has led more than 50 international and government-sponsored research projects. Her pioneering contributions include globally adopted licensed software for secure satellite services, and the founding of companies delivering electromagnetic spectrum management and quantum-resistant satellite signal technologies under NATO DIANA.

She led the development of low-cost GPS payload solutions for the CanX-2 nanosatellite, now deployed in missions worldwide, and has shaped policy on space domain awareness for U.S. national risk strategies and action plans.

In parallel, Dr. Skone served for 27 years as a Maritime Surface Officer in the Royal Canadian Navy (Reserves), holding key operational roles aboard minor warships. As co-lead of Space-Defence Technologies Alberta, she now drives collaboration between academia and industry to advance dual-use technology readiness and grow capacity of Alberta’s aerospace sector.

Chris Lohmann leads innovation and market development for aerospace energy systems and sustainability in Canada for Boeing. Over a twenty-year career he has worked on energy transition challenges in renewable fuels, waste-to-energy, energy storage, EV infrastructure, and microgrids.

Prior to Boeing, he led the performance warranty group at Energi Insurance, underwriting and insuring the technical and engineering risk of emerging energy technologies to support project financing. At the U.S. Department of Energy he served as a Senior Finance Policy Advisor, addressing the hurdles faced by technologies bridging the gap between government R&D funding and private capital. He began his career in the US Marine Corps as an F/A-18D Weapons and Sensors Officer.

He holds an MBA from the University of Southern California, earned a BA from Yale University, and graduated high school at Lisgar Collegiate in Ottawa.

Joy Romero is a metallurgical engineer with over 30 years of experience in the energy sector. She is currently Executive Advisor, Innovation at Canadian Natural Resources Limited, Past President of the Clean Resource Innovation Network (CRIN), member Co-Lead for the Pathways Integrated Emissions Strategy Working Group, advisor at the University of Alberta and Southern Alberta Institute of Technology and serves on the Boards of Calgary’s Heritage Park.

She is an inductee of the Canadian Petroleum Hall of Fame, was recognized by Foresight Canada as one the top 20 women leading clean tech in Canada, a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee Medal, an Honourary Doctor of Science from Athabasca University, a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering and member of the Institute of Corporate Directors.

Dr. Jonathan M. Morris is a Professor in the Departments of Radiology, Otolaryngology, Neurosurgery, and Anatomy at Mayo Clinic. He earned his M.D. from Howard University College of Medicine, followed by an internship at Washington Hospital Center and research fellowships at NIH/NINDS/NLM. He then completed his radiology and neuroradiology fellowships at Mayo Clinic. Dr. Morris serves as the Medical Director of the 3D Printing Anatomic Modeling Unit and the Center for Biomedical and Scientific Visualization, as well as the Executive Medical Director of Immersive and Experiential Learning at Mayo Clinic. His expertise spans Point-of-Care manufacturing for digital twinning, preoperative and virtual surgical planning, and the development of patient-specific surgical devices.

A recognized leader in extended reality (VR/AR/MR), Dr. Morris is driving innovation in medical education, clinical applications, intraoperative navigation, workforce training, and medical capital equipment training. Clinically, he specializes in minimally invasive thermal ablation of tumors affecting the neuroaxis and musculoskeletal system. With over 270 published articles, multiple books, and book chapters, Dr. Morris is regarded as an international authority in his fields. He has been married to his wife, Trina, since 1996, and together they have four sons.

Dr. Emma Spanswick is an Associate Professor and Canada Research Chair in Geospace Dynamics & Space Plasma Physics at the University of Calgary. She is an international leader in the development of space remote sensing infrastructure, with her science and space weather collaborations spanning the globe, involving national agencies such as NASA, ESA, the Canadian Space Agency, DRDC, DND, and the US Navy.

She has delivered on >$75M worth of sponsored projects related to dual-use technology development, autonomous remote sensors for northern environments, satellite sensor design, operational system development, and key scientific outcomes. She currently operates more than 120 sensors across Canada’s north, Alaska, and Greenland designed to remote sense the space environment and support strategic applications related to Canada’s needs in the Arctic.

Dr. Spanswick is also co-lead of Space-Defence Technologies Alberta, an initiative that aims to increase technology readiness within the academic research environment, supporting commercialization of relevant technologies in the space and defence sector.