Andrew McIntyre, Ph.D.

Director and Data Scientist, Acadia Institute for Data Analytics

E-mail: andrew.mcintyre@acadiau.ca

Andy completed a Bachelor of Science degree at Mount Allison University in 2000 and continued his academic pursuits at Dalhousie University, enrolling in the Masters of Computer Science Program and later graduating with a Ph.D. in the field in 2007.  Andy’s focus has been Machine Learning (ML) with specific interest in Evolutionary Computation algorithm development with ML tasks being the focus. His work has most recently included a 10-year role as senior researcher with the Network Information Management and Security group at Dalhousie, working on behaviour mining applications. Andy previously worked as a postdoc with the department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science and had further postdoctoral collaborations with National Research Council Canada Institute for Biodiagnostics Atlantic at the Neuroimaging Research Laboratory, developing models of functional connectivity and brain imaging.  Andy currently holds an adjunct professor designation at Dalhousie University and an adjunct position with the Jodrey School of Computer Science at Acadia University. Andy has 19 publications and has been named on five US patents as of 2022.  Andy joined AIDA as a Data Scientist in October of 2018 and in October 2021 was promoted to the role of Associate Director.

 

Leigh Huestis

Director, Office of Industry and Community Engagement, Acadia University

As Director of Acadia’s Office of Industry and Community Engagement (formerly the Office of Technology Transfer and Innovation), Leigh is responsible for commercialization and industry liaison activities, intellectual property management and preparation and negotiation of a wide variety of research and commercialization agreements. Leigh has been a recipient of the Acadia President’s Award for Innovation and a team finalist for a Nova Scotia Discovery Award. She also sits as an Advisory Member on several Boards, including the Acadia Center for Social and Business Entrepreneurship (ACSBE) and the Jodrey School of Computer Science, and is actively involved in coordinating activities of the Springboard Network as a member of the Network Coordination Committee and the Technology Assessment Committee.

Paul Richards

Regional Manager, Innovacorp

Paul Richards is an accomplished economic development professional with a proven track record of accelerating business growth. As Regional Manager for Innovacorp, Nova Scotia’s early-stage venture capital organization, Paul focused on enabling knowledge-based companies to accelerate the commercialization of their technologies and to create a dynamic high-growth entrepreneur culture in Nova Scotia.