Keynote speakers

The Heartland AI Symposium is pleased to present three Keynote speakers for the 2026 event!

Vered Shwartz

Vered Schwartz Headshot

Keynote Session: Tuesday, Nov. 10th at 9am

Bio:

Vered Shwartz is an Assistant Professor of Computer Science at the University of British Columbia, and a CIFAR AI Chair at the Vector Institute. Her research in natural language processing focuses on testing and improving the capabilities of large language models and vision and language models, developing culturally-competent AI, and responsible NLP applications in sensitive domains (e.g., legal, medical). Before joining UBC, she was a postdoctoral researcher at the Allen Institute for AI (AI2) and the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering at the University of Washington. Prior to that, she received her PhD in Computer Science from Bar-Ilan University in 2019.

Website: https://www.cs.ubc.ca/~vshwartz/

Jonathan Herington

Jonathan Herington Headshot

Keynote Session: Tuesday, Nov. 10th at 4:30pm

Bio:

Jonathan Herington is an Assistant Professor of Health Humanities & Bioethics at the University of Rochester. His research focuses on the political philosophy of science, health and technology. More specifically, he uses the tools of political philosophy to interrogate the governance of health technologies, dual-use research, fairness in machine-learning algorithms, resource allocation during health emergencies, and secondary research ethics.

Dr. Herington is the Director of the Translational Research for Implementation of Augmented Decision-making (TRIAD) Project. This significant seven-year, NIH-funded initiative, supported by the University of Rochester’s Clinical and Translational Science Institute, focuses on identifying and resolving critical barriers to the successful implementation of clinical decision-support systems. In this capacity, he leads a multidisciplinary team of bioethicists, computer scientists, informaticians, and translational scientists.

His contributions to this area also include developing comprehensive ethical guidelines for AI in medical imaging that address the entire development and deployment lifecycle, analyzing the ethical implications of AI-powered psychotherapy chatbots in pediatric care, end-of-life decisions, and ambient intelligence systems. This approach reveals how seemingly neutral technical choices in AI development can have significant distributive consequences and how AI governance frameworks must address questions of justice alongside traditional concerns about safety and efficacy.

Between 2014 and 2019, Dr. Herington served as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy at Kansas State University. Prior to that appointment, he was a Research Fellow in the Medicine, Ethics, Society and History unit at the University of Birmingham. He completed his PhD in the School of Philosophy at the Australian National University.

Departmental website: https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/people/112363425-jonathan-c-herington

Google scholar profile: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=UsFWH5UAAAAJ&hl=en

Jared Cooney Horvath

Jared Cooney Horvath Headshot

Keynote Session: Wednesday, Nov. 11th at 9am

Jared Cooney Horvath (PhD, MEd) is a neuroscientist, educator, and best-selling author who specializes in human learning and brain development. He is the creator of The Learning Blueprint, an international award-winning program helping educators and students understand how learning actually works.

Jared has conducted research and taught at Harvard University, Harvard Medical School, and the University of Melbourne, and has worked with more than 1,000 schools around the world. He is the author of six books, including his newest, "The Digital Delusion". He has published over fifty research articles, and his work has appeared in The New Yorker, The Atlantic, The Economist, Harvard Business Review, and ABC’s Catalyst.

Jared currently serves as Director of LME Global, an organization dedicated to bringing cutting-edge brain and behavioral science to educators, students, and communities. To inquire about working with him, or to learn more about his international award-winning Science of Learning programs (The Learning Blueprint for Teachers & The Learning Blueprint for Students), visit www.lmeglobal.com.

Socials:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/jaredcooney

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jared-cooney-horvath-phd-med-730704b2/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jared.cooney.horvath/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lmeglobal.net