AN AI CONVERGENCE SUMMIT FOR UTAH
June 23 / 24 2026
ABOUT THE CONVERGENCE
Building on the success of last year's inaugural Utah AI Summit, the John and Marcia Price College of Engineering will host Utah AI Convergence , a two-day convening exploring how artificial intelligence is advancing research, innovation, education, and society. The event will bring together faculty, students, industry leaders, and innovators to forge new research and industry partnerships.
The program will feature faculty research presentations, industry speakers, a student poster competition, and workshops designed to encourage interdisciplinary collaboration across the region.
Location
📍SJ Quinney College of Law Conference Center Moot Courtroom, Salt Lake City, UT
Our Sponsors
Thanks to the exceptional generosity of our sponsors, registration for the 2026 Utah AI Convergence is being offered entirely free of charge to all attendees.
LEAD PLATINUM SPONSORS
GOLD LEVEL SPONSORS
SILVER LEVEL SPONSORS
Program At-A-Glance
June 23 — Day 1
Registration, Meet and Greet
Morning networking, credentials pickup, and check-in.
Opening Remarks
Official summit opening and welcome address by Steve Price.
Keynote: Dr. Girija Narlikar
Building AI That Powers and Protects the Digital Workplace
Dr. Girija Narlikar (Director of Engineering, Head of AI Safety and Security at Google), Introduction by Sneha Kumar Kasera
Curricular Response to AI
Moderator: Vivek Srikumar (U of U Kahlert School of Computing)
Stephanie Menhart (U of U Price College of Engineering, CLEAR), John Regehr (U of U Kahlert School of Computing), Swomitra Mohanty (U of U Chemical Engineering), Vineet Pandey (U of U Kahlert School of Computing)
Boxed Lunch & Workshop: AI + Advanced Manufacturing
Workshop Moderator: Ashley Spear (U of U Mechanical Engineering)
Victor Walker (Idaho National Labs), Ben Garcia (Weber State/MARS Center), Eric Mortenson (Northrup Grumman)
* Lunch will be available for everyone attending the convergence thanks to our generous sponsors.
Advanced Manufacturing Academic Panel
Moderator: Ashley Spear (U of U Mechanical Engineering)
Long Luo (U of U Chemistry), Sterling Baird (BYU Mechanical Engineering), Yongzhi Qu (U of U Mechanical Engineering)
AI in Energy
Moderator: Salah Faroughi (U of U Chemical Engineering)
Chris Ritter (Idaho National Labs), Masood Parvania (U of U Electrical and Computer Engineering), John Hedengren (BYU Chemical Engineering), Kody Powell (U of U Chemical Engineering)
AI in Health
Moderator: Karli Gillette (U of U Biomedical Engineering)
Jake George (U of U Electrical and Computer Engineering), Yue Lu (U of U Pharmacy), Ravi Ranjan (U of U Cardiovascular Medicine), Tucker Hermans (U of U Kahlert School of Computing), Florian Solzbacher (Blackrock Neurotech, U of U Electrical and Computer Engineering)
Day 1 Adjournment
End of daily tracks.
June 24 — Day 2
Registration, Meet and Greet
Morning networking and daily program check-in.
Industry Panel Focus
Moderator: Sneha Kasera (U of U Kahlert School of Computing)
Pierre Emmanuel Gaillardon (ChipNexus), Porter Jenkins (Enzy), David Williams (Lease End), Royal Hansen (Google), Jodee Varney (Cisco)
Revolutionizing Utah’s AI Infrastructure
William Miller (Scientific Computing and Imaging Institute, University of Utah), Greg Jones (Director of Corporate Engagement for Scientific Computing, Technology, and AI, University of Utah)
Boxed Lunch & Workshop: AI-Supported Socratic Activities
Swomitra Mohanty (U of U Chemical Engineering)
* Lunch will be available for everyone attending the convergence thanks to our generous sponsors.
AI Systems
Moderator: Kenneth Marino (U of U Kahlert School of Computing)
Luis Garcia (U of U Kahlert School of Computing), Mary Hall (U of U Kahlert School of Computing), Ganesh Gopalakrishnan (U of U Kahlert School of Computing), Jacob Austin (Anthropic)
Break & Student Poster Competition
Networking session paired with our custom poster exhibition.
Ethical AI
Moderator: Sadia Khan (U of U Responsible AI Initiative)
Zachary Boyd (State of Utah AI Policy Office), Eliane Wiese (U of U Kahlert School of Computing), Heather Holmes (U of U Chemical Engineering), Thi Nguyen (U of U Philosophy)
Closing Remarks & Awards
Concluding remarks followed by announcement of student poster and lightning talk winners.
Summit Adjournment
Official conclusion of the AI Convergence.
* Note: Student lightning talks highlighting regional research developments will be interspersed throughout the main program modules across both days.
View Full Program
Registration is now Closed.
Our Sponsors