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QUB’s Blockchain Initiative - 1st Summit, 14 February 2025

14 February | Belfast
Distributed Ledger Technology AI Policy

The Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) Policy Panel and QUB’s Blockchain Initiative brought together leading academics, industry experts, and technology practitioners to explore the evolving landscape of blockchain and distributed ledger technologies. Hosted at Queen’s University Belfast and organised by Dr Vishal Sharma, the event featured a series of expert panels, discussions, and networking sessions focused on current developments, practical use cases, and policy considerations surrounding DLT. The initiative aimed to foster collaboration between academia and industry while highlighting Queen’s growing role in advancing blockchain research, innovation, and real-world adoption.


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Timeline & Schedule

...
Registration
10:00 — 10:30

Arrivals and Registration

QUB Team

Computer Science Building, Queen's University Belfast

Opening
10:30 — 10:45

Introductions and QUB’s Blockchain Initiative

Mr Gavin McWilliams and Dr Vishal Sharma

Software Studios, Computer Science Building

Panel - 1
11:00 — 11:45

UK DLT Policing – Current Landscape and Roadmap

Prof Bill Buchanan (Edinburgh Napier University)
Mr Fergal Downey (Rakuten Blockchain Lab)
Dr Tong Wang (University of Edinburgh)
Prof Hans Vandierendonck (Queen's University Belfast)

Moderators: Prof Jesus Martinez del Rincon, Mr Gavin McWilliams

Panel - 2
11:45 — 12:30

What’s Missing – DLT’s Secret Sauce and Use Cases

Prof Kevin Curran (Ulster University)
Prof Atanu Chaudhuri (Durham University)
Dr Ayesha Khalid (Queen's University Belfast)
Dr Stefanos Leonardos (King's College London)

Moderator: Mr Michael Davis

Panel - 3
12:30 — 13:15

Global Perspective – What’s Working and What’s Not

Prof Muhammad Zeeshan Shakir (UWS)
Pytilia (Belfast)
Dr Stephen McCabe (Momentum One Zero)
Mr Philip McDonough & Mr Richard Newman (PwC)

Moderator: Dr Ciara Rafferty

Lunch
13:15 — 13:45

Lunch and Demonstrations

First Floor Foyer, Computer Science Building

Workshop
13:45 — 14:45

Questionnaires and Group Discussions

Mr Michael Davis
Dr Ayesha Abdul Madjeed
Dr Teik Guan Tan (pQCee, Singapore)

Interactive group discussions exploring DLT opportunities, challenges, and future collaboration pathways.

Three panels

UK DLT policing

Our current landscape and roadmap

What’s missing

DLT’s secret sauce and use cases

Global Perspective

What's working and What's not?

1st NI-Blockhain Summit - Committee

General Chairs

Vishal Sharma, QUB

Technical Co-Chairs

Gavin McWilliams, QUB

Michael Davis, QUB

Jesus Martinez del Rincon, QUB

Organising Committee

A Abdullah, QUB

Ayesha Abdul Majeed, QUB

Fannya Ratana Sandjaja, QUB

Gyan Wickremasinghe, QUB

Mark Megarry, QUB

Kammy Fong, QUB

Siofra Frost, QUB

Nicola Minish, QUB

Karen Rafferty, QUB

Event Recap



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