Navigating Futures: Building Synergies for
Academia and Innovation

June 26-27, 2025
San Francisco Bay Area, CA

Dear scholars,

It is my pleasure to welcome you to “Navigating Futures: Building Synergies for Academia and Innovation” annual Forum of ANA, a much-anticipated event that unites scholars from diverse fields for meaningful conversations, collaboration, and exchange. This year’s conference provides a dynamic platform for academic leaders, researchers, and practitioners to come together to explore emerging research topics, share practical tools, and engage in thoughtful dialogue on how theoretical frameworks can be effectively translated into real-world impact.

Our overarching goal is to provide a dedicated venue for extensive scholarly discussions and to strengthen collaboration through the network of academics. We believe that by fostering cross-disciplinary collaboration, we can advance knowledge, generate new insights, and contribute to shaping the future of academia and innovation.

Thank you for being part of this important gathering. We look forward to insightful conversations and the opportunity to build lasting academic partnerships.

Warm regards,

Dr. Sevinj Mammadova

President of the US-Azerbaijan Network of Academics

Navigating Future: Building Synergies for Academia and Innovation aims to serve as a dynamic collaborative platform where academics, practitioners, and policymakers engage in meaningful dialogue to generate contextually practical recommendations and actionable solutions in the field of academia and innovation.

What to expect?

KEYNOTE SPEECHES

PANEL DISCUSSIONS

INTERACTIVE WORKSHOPS

Speakers and Contributors

  • Dr. Marguerite Gong Hancock

    Computer History Museum

  • Dr. Michael Feuer

    The George Washington University

  • Anar Ahmedov

    University of Minnesota

  • Dr. Masood Parvania

    The University of Utah

  • Sevinj Mammadova

    The George Washington University

  • Aykhan Yusifov

    University of California San Francisco

  • Dr. Ryan Watkins

    The George Washington University

  • Dr. Jamila Javadova-Spitzberg

    The University of Texas

  • Dr. Natalie Milman

    The George Washington University

  • Prof. Thomas Tomich

    UC Davis

  • Chris Surdi

    Poggio

  • Dr. Tural Sadigov

    MagicPort

  • Dr. Teymur Sadikhov

    Deloitte

  • Dr. Durdana Balakishiyeva

    Southern Methodist University

  • Dr. Nicole DelMastro-Jeffery

    University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

  • Anar Mammadov

    EtaVista

  • Mammad Karim

    Caucasus Ventures

  • Ulvi Aslanov

    Code Academy

  • Dr. Sevda Pouraghaei

    Amgen

  • Ayaz Bayramov

    Blue Origin

  • Adnan Akhundov

    Meta

  • Aytakin Aliyeva

    Femigrants Foundation

  • Vasif Eyvazzade

    Chartered Culture and Education Institute

  • Giovanni Martinez

    Mind the Bridge

  • Bakhtiyar Neyman

    Neurasium

  • Nina Hamidli

    Meta

  • Roman Ibrahimli

    UC Berkeley

  • Mahammad Valiyev

    USC

  • Fikrat Valehli

    UC Irvine

  • Ilknur Mustafazade

    Drexel University

Areas of Focus:

Academia and Innovation in a Changing World

  • Bridging Academia and Innovation: Exploring the intersection of research and technological advancement.

  • Enhancing Research Infrastructure & High-Impact Publishing: Best practices for securing research funding and increasing visibility.

  • Academia-Industry Collaboration for Innovation: Successful models, challenges, and opportunities.

  • Policy Reforms & Success Stories: Examining global case studies and policy shifts driving innovation.

  • Industry-Led Transformation of Academia & Innovation: How market demands are shaping research priorities and academic programs.

Start-up Ecosystem: From A to Z

  • Building a Robust Start-up Infrastructure: Policies, regulations, and funding opportunities.

  • Crafting Effective Start-up Narratives & Securing Investments: Accessing corporate, venture capital, and private funding.

  • Industry Expectations & Investment Criteria: What investors and stakeholders look for in start-ups.

  • Cross-Ecosystem Collaboration & Strategic Growth: How to leverage multi-sector networks for start-up success.

  • Case Studies of Funding Success: Learning from real-world start-up journeys and funding breakthroughs.

 Going Beyond Imagination

  • Quantum Computing: The Next Frontier: Opportunities and challenges in academia and industry.

  • Space Exploration & Emerging Technologies: How advancements in space research are reshaping industries.

  • Artificial Intelligence & Future Possibilities: Envisioning AI’s role in scientific discovery, business, and society.

Strategic Networking & Career Building

  • Mastering Academic & Industry Networking: Practical strategies for building meaningful professional connections.

  • Speed Networking & Peer Exchanges: Structured sessions for fostering collaborations and knowledge sharing.

  • Personal Branding for Researchers & Professionals: Enhancing visibility in the academic and corporate world.

Host Organizations

California Azerbaijan Friendship Association

Azerbaijan Network of Academics

Azerbaijanis @ Berkeley

Supporting Organizations

Azerbaijan Cultural Society
of Northern California

Caucasus Ventures

Femigrants Foundation

Forum Agenda

Agenda subject to change based on speaker availability and program updates.

June 26

June 27

Opening ceremony

Introduction by Aytan Nabiyeva

Welcome message by ANA President Dr. Sevinj Mammadova

Keynote address

Keynote speakers:

Dr. Marguerite Gong Hancock | vice president of innovation and programming at Silicon Valley’s Computer History Museum

Dr. Michael Feuer | Dean, Graduate School of Education and Human Development; Professor, Education Policy, GWU

9:00-9:30

Registration and Coffee

Panel Discussion:

The role of Academia in a Changing World

Focus: Transforming academia and educational systems to align with 21st-century demands through technological integration, inclusive education, and lifelong learning. 

Moderator:

Dr. Sevinj Mammadova | Associate Dean, Global Initiatives, GWU

Speakers:

Dr. Jamila Javadova-Spitzberg | Assistant Professor of Organ, UTA

Dr. Ryan Watkins | Professor, Educational Technology Leadership, GWU

Dr. Natalie B. Milman | Associate Dean, Professor of Educational Technology, GWU

Dr. Nicole DelMastro-Jeffery | Eco-equity Researcher & Queen Bee Farmery Owner, Central Illinois

9:30-10:20

10:20-11:30

Research for Common Good

Moderator:

Fikrat Valehli | PhD candidate, UC Irvine

Speakers:

Dr. Durdana Balakishiyeva | Professor,  Physics department, Southern Methodist University

Dr. Sevda Pouraghaei | Researcher, Amgen

11:40-12:20

Power talks and Discussion sessions

11:30-11:40

Coffee break and Family photo

Shaping the Future of Education Through Technology

Moderator:

Vasif Eyvazzade | Founder and Board Chair, Chartered Culture and Education Institute

Speakers:

Bakhtiyar Neyman | Founder and CEO, Neurasium

Ulvi Aslanov | Co-founder and CEO, Code Academy

12:20-1:00

Lunch break

1:00-2:00

Panel Discussion 2:

Bridging Academia and Innovation: Exploring the intersection of research and technological advancement

Focus: Strengthening academia and innovation nexus in developing countries and leveraging public-private partnerships for sustainable research and technological advancement. Experience of biotech giants.

Moderator:

Dr. Aykhan Yusifov | Researcher, UCSF

Speakers:

Dr. Anar Ahmedov | Professor, School of Mathematics, UMN

Dr. Thomas Tomich | Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Sustainability Science & Policy, University of California, Davis

Dr. Masood Parvania | Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering,
U of U

Dr. Tural Sadigov | Principal Machine Learning Engineer, MagicPort

Dr. Teymur Sadikhov | Global CTO - AI Factory, Deloitte

Chris Surdi | Enterprise Sales, Poggio

2:00-3:10

Coffee break

3:10-3:20

From pitch to Investment: Secrets of Ecosystem Developement

Moderator:

Aytakin Aliyeva | Founder, Femigrants Foundation

Speakers:

Anar Mammadov | Tech Founder, EtaVista

Mammad Karim | General Partner, Caucasus Venture

Giovanni Martinez | Lead MTB for Governments, Mind the Bridge

3:20-4:20

Power talks and Discussion sessions

What's different about (Big) Tech?

Moderator:

Adnan Akhundov | Software engineer, Meta

Speakers:

“Big Tech is Less Technical Than You Think”
Adnan Akhundov | Software engineer, Meta 

“Knowledge in Academia vs Industry – Opportunity for Innovation”
Ayaz Bayramov | Reliability Availability Maintainability Safety Lead, Blue Origin

“From Swimming Pool to Ocean: Road to Big Tech + (Some) Takeaways”
Ilknur Mustafazade | PhD candidate, Drexel University

4:20-5:20

Gala Dinner Featuring a Cultural Program

6:30-8:30

Panel discussion 3:
Empowering Connections in Academia and Innovation

Focus: Academic and Professional Community can amplify Innovation and Research Ecosystem Development in Azerbaijan

Moderator:

Dr. Jamila Javadova-Spitzberg | Assistant Professor of Organ, UTA


Speakers:

Dr. Anar Ahmedov | Professor, School of Mathematics, UMN

Dr. Sevinj Mammadova | Associate Dean, Global Initiatives, GWU

Dr. Durdana Balakishiyeva | Professor,  Physics department, SMU

Dr. Aykhan Yusifov | Postdoc researcher, UCSF

9:30-10:45

Coffee break

10:45-11:00

“Giving Back” to Community: Practical Cases

Speakers: 

Mahammad Valiyev | PhD candidate, USC

Nina Hamidli | Data engineer, Meta; Founder, Girls in AI Azerbaijan

Roman Ibrahimov | PhD candidate, UC Berkeley

11:00-11:45

General Discussion: Revamping ANA and Modalities of Networking

11:45-1:00

Lunch

1:00-2:00