Session 2 - From Private Innovation to Public Benefit—Conditions for Real Positive Impact, and Possible Risks

SPEAKER

Founder & President at Bayes Impact

Paul Duan is a social entrepreneur co-founder and president of Bayes Impact, an NGO pioneering the use of algorithms and big data to create social impact accepted into Y Combinator, the world’s most prestigious startup incubator. Before founding Bayes Impact, Paul was the first data scientist at Eventbrite, developing fraud detection algorithms. Recognized for his expertise in government modernization and public service improvement through technology, he was a member of the Action Publique 2022 committee, a think tank led by the French Prime Minister. Paul is listed by Forbes among the “30 Under 30” in digital technology and is the youngest Ashoka fellow in France.

SPEAKER

Data Strategy Consultant at CIVITEO

Aurélie Legrand holds a degree from the IEP of Paris with a DESS in "Information Management" and a master's in institutional communication from CELSA. She is currently pursuing a Specialized Master's in Creacity Smart and Sustainable Cities at Polytech Lille. She is a seasoned project manager with extensive experience in sectors such as healthcare, social housing, and industry, particularly in digital transformation contexts. She excels at aligning goals, methods, and stakeholders to foster creativity and collective intelligence. Specializing in data management and valorization, Aurélie currently assists local authorities with strategic planning, interoperability of practices and systems, and training to support their transitions.

SPEAKER

Full Professor at HEC Montréal & Google Research Staff Research Scientist

Carolina Osorio has joined the GERAD inter-university research centre in 2021 and holds the Scale AI Research Chair in Artificial Intelligence for Urban Mobility and Logistics at HEC Montréal. She is also a Staff Research Scientist at Google Research. Previously, she was a visiting associate professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Carolina's research focuses on simulation-based optimization (SO) with applications in urban transportation and logistics, integrating ideas from Bayesian optimization, black-box optimization, queueing theory, and traffic flow theory. She is dedicated to designing sustainable urban mobility systems that meet user needs and address energy, environmental, economic, and societal challenges. Her collaborations include work with the New York City Department of Transportation and Zipcar, the largest car-sharing operator in the US.

SPEAKER

Prof. of Computer Science (BigData & Data sciences) at Cheikh Anta Diop University

SPEAKER

Contact Center Director at Vlaams Agentschap Innoveren & Ondernemen