Sponsored by Dream Sports, India's foremost sports technology company, the symposium is our flagship annual convening where cutting-edge AI converges with immersive fan experiences, data-driven strategy, performance optimization, computer vision, and biomechanics to redefine the future of sport. The symposium convenes leading researchers, industry leaders, and innovators to explore how AI is transforming the way fans engage, how organizations make strategic decisions, and how technology is reshaping competition and performance across sports.
Hosted by the Columbia–Dream Sports AI Innovation Center, the event highlights breakthrough academic research alongside real-world applications from the global sports industry. Through keynote talks, lightning research sessions, and interactive panels, participants will gain a front-row view of the ideas, tools, and collaborations shaping the next era of sport and entertainment.
Agenda
8:30–9:00 AM | Registration, Check-in, Breakfast
9:00–9:10 AM | Intro & Welcome Remarks Dean Prof. Shih-Fu Chang, Vice Dean Prof. Vishal Misra
9:10– 10:00 AM | Opening Keynote Prof. Priya Narasimhan, Carnegie Mellon University
10:00 –11:15 AM | Industry Panel: From Insight to Impact: AI’s Role in Reimagining the Fan Experience & the Business of Sports. Mark Floriani, CEO FloSports, Julie Souza, Gloal Head of Sports, AWS
Saj Cherian, Chief of Staff, Fanatics Head of Fanatics Ventures; Shripal Shah, Chief Digital Officer, Next League
11:15 –11:45 AM | Coffee Break & Networking World Room
11:45 –12:30 PM | Lightning Talks 1: Sponsored Research Presentations - Prof. Yunzhu Li – Physics-Informed Neural Simulators for Dynamics Modeling in Complex Sports Systems; Parth Gami, Konofagou Lab – Monitoring Cardiovascular Health in Athletes during Exercise with Ultrasound/PWI
12:30–1:15 PM | Lunch Break & Networking - World Room
1:15–2:00 PM | Industry Fireside: John Nicastro, Chief Technology Officer, MLS, AI as a Competitive Edge: Major League Soccer’s Vision for Intelligent Sport
2:00–2:30 PM | Lightning Talks 2: Sponsored Research Presentations: Prof. Lydia Chilton, Simulating Fan Experiences with Multi-Agent LLMs
2:30–3:30 PM | Panel: Data Science & Analytics Across Sporting Ecosystems - Nilesh Patil Principal Research Scientist, Dream 11; Ozan Adiguzel; Konstantinos Pelechrinis, University of Pittsburgh
3:30–4:00 PM | Closing Reflections