Resume

Ingrid Pappel is a Professor and Vice Rector for Academic Affairs at Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech), and a leading expert in digital governance, artificial intelligence, and next-generation digital state development. Her work focuses on the intersection of technology, policy, and society, with a particular emphasis on how emerging technologies can be applied to build more transparent, efficient, and resilient public sector systems.

In her role as Vice Rector, Ingrid is responsible for shaping TalTech’s educational strategy and advancing innovation in teaching and learning. She actively promotes interdisciplinary collaboration across engineering, information technology, and social sciences, ensuring that education keeps pace with rapid technological change.

Ingrid’s research addresses complex challenges such as knowledge management in AI-augmented environments, digital transformation of public services, and the governance implications of large-scale technological shifts. She has been involved in several international research and innovation initiatives, contributing to the development of digital public infrastructure, data-driven governance models, and AI-enabled decision-making.

She collaborates closely with academic, governmental, and industry partners across Europe, bridging the gap between research and real-world implementation. Ingrid is also a strong advocate for building innovation ecosystems that connect universities, industry, and the public sector.

As a speaker, she brings a unique perspective that combines academic depth with practical leadership experience in education, policy, and innovation. She is particularly interested in how societies can navigate technological change responsibly while maintaining trust, accountability, and long-term sustainability. She is also strongly focused on integrating a challenge-based learning approach into TalTech’s educational strategy, as it enhances collaboration with industry and enables students and researchers to contribute more directly to societal needs.

Resume

Anastasija Nikiforova is an Associate Professor of Applied AI and Information Systems at the University of Tartu (Institute of Computer Science, Chair of Software Engineering). Her research focuses on data governance, digital transformation, and the responsible adoption of emerging technologies, particularly Artificial Intelligence (AI). She examines AI’s role in optimizing processes, improving data governance and quality, and addressing ethical implications within (public) data and digital ecosystems. Her work also includes developing AI-powered user–system interaction tools aimed at enhancing user experience and decision-making. By exploring the intersection of technology, society, and policy, her research contributes to the resilience, sustainability, and inclusivity of complex socio-technical systems.

She collaborates with the Austrian KNOW Center on advancing research in Green AI and serves as an expert for the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre on the future of proactive public services. She serves on the editorial boards of several academic journals, including International Journal of Information Management (IJIM), Government Information Quarterly (GIQ), IEEE Transactions on Technology and Society, and Data & Policy (Cambridge University Press). She is also a track chair for leading conferences in information systems, AI, and public administration, such as IFIP EGOV-CEDEM-EPART, the International Conference on Digital Government Research (dg.o), HICSS, ICA, and workshops at ECAI, IJCAI, PRICAI, and CBI-EDOC etc.

Anastasija is a part of European Open Science Cloud “FAIR metrics and digital objects” Task Force, an associate member of the Latvian Open Technology Association, a member of IFIP WG 8.5 on ICT and Public Administration, the Digital Government Society (including its Chapter on Governing Smart Sustainable Cities), and Women in AI among others.