Plan your 2025 Immersion Week!
From keynote talks and expert panels to networking socials and showcase displays, Immersion Week is packed with moments you won’t want to miss. Taking place at the iconic UBC Robson Square, explore our agenda below to map out your Immersion Week experience! Keep your phone handy, we'll be using Slido for Q&A, polls and quizzes throughout the event using code #IW25.
Day 1: Tuesday, September 23
| Time | Location | Event | Speakers |
| 8:30 - 9:15am | HSBC Hall & Theatre Foyer | Registration & Networking Breakfast | |
| 9:15 - 9:45am | Theatre | Welcome and Grounding Ceremony | Grounding Ceremony Leader: Elder Roberta, Member of the Coast Salish Snuneymuxw and Cowichan Nations, Elder Adviser and Research Partner at UBC Welcome Remarks and MC Introductions:
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| 9:45 - 10:45am | Theatre | Opening Keynote AI, Security, and the Next Generation: Opportunities and Challenges for Innovators: Exploring data, policy, talent and the future of work in an AI-driven world | Moderator: Sean Silcoff, Technology Writer, Globe and Mail Panelists:
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| 10:45 - 11:30am | Theatre | Panel AI & Robotics Security: Scaling the Next Frontier: Opportunities, ethics, and innovation in a world shaped by intelligent machines | Moderator: Chang Han, Lead Entrepreneur in Residence, Innovation UBC Panelists:
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| 11:30 - 12:00pm | Theatre Foyer | Networking Break Meet innovators from across the ecosystem at our Showcase Displays! | Connect with our team, CENGN, Sarcomere Dynamics, UBC Land and Food Systems and more! |
| 12:00 - 1:00pm | Theatre | CENGN Announcement  CENGN will announce a special partnership with UBC through its CENGN Living Lab Initiative. Learn how this partnership stands to supercharge innovation in BC and Canada, and how you can participate in CENGN’s national innovation strategy! | Speakers:
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| 1:00 - 1:15pm | Theatre Foyer | Networking Break Meet innovators from across the ecosystem at our Showcase Displays! | Connect with our team, CENGN, Sarcomere Dynamics, UBC Land and Food Systems and more! |
| 1:15 - 2:00pm | Theatre | Afternoon Keynote AI, Security & Policy in Canada: Balancing Innovation and Trust: Opportunities, frameworks, and scaling the next generation of AI companies | Moderator: Akshay Singh, Director, Research Security, University of British Columbia Panelists:
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| 2:00 - 2:45pm | Theatre | Panel Disrupting the VC Model | Moderator: Vivian Wang, Board of Director, VEF Panelists:
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| 2:45 - 3:15pm | Theatre Foyer | Networking Break Meet innovators from across the ecosystem at our Showcase Displays! | Connect with our team, CENGN, Sarcomere Dynamics, UBC Land and Food Systems and more! |
| 3:15 - 3:45pm | Theatre | Innovator Spotlights Hear from faculty members and innovators from across the university driving change through research and innovation! | Moderator: Lynn Kulli, Senior Manager, Program Operations, Innovation UBC Spotlights:
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| 3:45 - 4:30pm | Theatre | Closing Panel NextGen Farmer What role will technology play in ensuring a food-secure future, and how will this impact next-generation farmers?
| Moderator: Dr. Sean Smukler, Director, Centre for Sustainable Food Systems at UBC Farm, UBC Panelists:
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| 4:30 - 6:00 pm | Theatre Foyer | VEF Networking Reception Connect across the community in advance of our session with ecosystem partner, VEF! | |
| 6:00 - 7:30 pm | Theatre | VEF Panel AI Unplugged: Conversations on the Future of Tech. Under the expert moderation of renowned tech journalist Sean Silcoff, dive into the broad impact of AI — from cutting-edge innovations and ethical questions to the transformative opportunities shaping industries today. | Moderator: Sean Silcoff, Technology Writer, Globe and Mail Panelists:
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| 7:30 - 8:00 pm | Theatre Foyer | VEF Networking Reception (continued) Connect across the community in advance of our session with ecosystem partner, VEF! |
Day 2: Wednesday, September 24
| Time | Location | Event | Speakers |
| 8:30 - 9:30am | HSBC Hall & Theatre Foyer | Registration & Networking Breakfast | |
| 9:30 - 10:15am | Theatre | Opening Keynote Love Our Monsters: AI Risk and Adaptation AI reshapes security from cultural sovereignty and intellectual property to misinformation and financial systems. This talk presents fractal antifragility as a way to see these connections, showing how cross-domain patterns of risk and resilience can guide us toward AI systems that are secure, equitable, and capable of evolving through crisis. | Keynote speaker: Genevieve Ennis Hume, Fractal Adaptive Intelligence |
| 10:15 - 11:00am | Theatre | Panel AI & the Future of Work: Rethinking People, Skills, and Culture: Exploring ethics, recruitment, retention, and the evolving workplace in Canada | Moderator: Andrea Lloyd, Head of Engagement, Innovation UBC Panelists:
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| 11:00 - 11:15am | Theatre Foyer | Networking Break Meet innovators from across the ecosystem at our Showcase Displays! | Connect with our team, CENGN, Sarcomere Dynamics, UBC Land and Food Systems and more! |
| 11:15 - 12:15pm | Theatre | Panel AI, Security & the Future of Health - Opportunities, Ethics, and Innovation in Canada: Exploring how AI is reshaping healthcare while protecting trust and patient safety | Moderator: Jonathon Jafari, Entrepreneur in Residence - Human Health, Innovation UBC Panelists:
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| 12:15 - 1:00pm | Robson Square | Networking Lunch Explore Robson Square’s own ecosystem of food trucks, then bring your lunch back to the theatre to connect and check out our Showcase Displays! | Connect with our team, CENGN, Sarcomere Dynamics, UBC Land and Food Systems and more! |
| 1:00 - 1:30 pm | Theatre | Innovator Spotlights Hear from faculty members and innovators from across the university driving change through research and innovation! | Moderator: Lynn Kulli, Senior Manager, Program Operations, Innovation UBC Spotlights:
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| 1:30 - 2:30pm | Theatre | Panel Indigenous Perspectives on AI, Security & Sovereignty: Exploring ethics, data governance, and opportunities in Canada’s AI future | Moderator: Marissa Nobauer, Director, Reconciliation, Community Engagement & External Relations Panelists:
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| 2:30 - 3:00pm | Theatre Foyer | Networking Break Meet innovators from across the ecosystem at our Showcase Displays! | Connect with our team, CENGN, Sarcomere Dynamics, UBC Land and Food Systems and more! |
| 3:00 - 4:00pm | Theatre | Closing Keynote Who’s Watching the Machines? AI, Security & Ethics in an Uncharted Future: Exploring ethics, explainability, privacy, and inclusion in Canada’s AI future | Moderator: Dr. Carol Liao, Associate Professor, UBC Allard School of Law + Co-Director Academic, Centre for Climate Justice Panelists:
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| 4:00 - 4:15 pm | Closing Remarks |
