Alexei Kisselev
Chris Eliasmith
Chris is the co-inventor of the Neural Engineering Framework (NEF), the Neural Engineering Objects (Nengo) software environment, and the Semantic Pointer Architecture (SPA), all of which are dedicated to understanding how the brain works. His team has developed the Semantic Pointer Architecture Unified Network (Spaun) which is the most realistic functional brain simulation yet developed. He won the prestigious 2015 NSERC Polanyi Award for his research.
Chris is the Canada Research Chair in Theoretical Neuroscience. At the University of Waterloo, Chris is jointly appointed in the Philosophy and Systems Design Engineering departments, as well as being cross-appointed to the Computer Science department. Chris has supervised students in each of these departments as well as in Biology and Psychology. Chris is the director of the Centre for Theoretical Neuroscience (CTN) at the University of Waterloo. The Centre brings together researchers across many faculties as diverse as math, engineering, arts and science who are interested in computational and theoretical models of neural systems.
The Computational Neuroscience Research Group (CNRG) is Chris’ research lab which is associated with the CTN. The CNRG site contains the most up-to-date information on Chris’ team’s research. Chris has published two books: How to Build a Brain (Oxford University Press) and his seminal Neural Engineering.
When he is not pushing the boundaries of theoretical neuroscience forward or hanging out with his team at the CNRG, Chris spends time with his family and occasionally straps on the blades for a game of hockey near his home in Waterloo. He has a Bacon-Erdos number of 8.
George Minassian
Dr. George Minassian has been a co-founder and CEO of Crossbar since 2010. A seasoned veteran of the semiconductor memory industry, Dr. Minassian brings Crossbar 25 years of experience in systems, logic design, new business development, and product development. Over his extensive career, Dr. Minassian has a proven track record of developing commercially successful, leading-edge products.
From 2002 to 2010, Dr. Minassian held a variety of positions at Spansion, a leading innovator of Flash memory solutions, most recently as vice president of System and Software Engineering where he led the $1.2 billion Flash Memory business targeting the cellular wireless market segment. While at Spansion, he developed and established new industry standards in emerging technologies such as PISMO and achieved a successful track record for large-scale product development and management. From 1999-2002, Dr. Minassian was director of Wireless Engineering at Advanced Micro Devices, a microprocessor leader, where he developed the industry’s first CMOS RF process and complete 802.11b/a chipset and reference designs. Dr. Minassian holds a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from the University of Texas at Austin.
Sylvain DuBois
Sylvain Dubois joined the Crossbar management team in 2013 as Vice President of Strategic Marketing and Business Development. With over 17 years of semiconductor experience in business development and strategic product marketing, he brings a proven ability to analyze market trends, identify new, profitable business opportunities and create precise product positioning that is in perfect sync with market demands to drive market share leadership and business results.
Prior to joining Crossbar, Mr. Dubois led strategic product positioning and market engagement for developing new products at Spansion. Responsible for identifying new growth opportunities and expanding the product portfolio, Mr. Dubois was instrumental in defining the Spansion Flash memory product roadmap.
From 2002-2006, Mr. Dubois was a System-on-Chip architect of OMAP application processors at Texas Instruments. Mr. Dubois was in charge of the architecture and technology roadmap of DRAM and Flash memory controllers, and developed strategic relationships with major DRAM and Flash memory suppliers.
Sylvain Dubois holds a Master of Science in Microelectronics from E.S.I.E.E. (Paris), University of Southampton (UK) and Universidad Pontifica Comillas (Spain).
Paul Brasnett
Matt Evans
Matt currently serves as Vice President of Business Development for Implus, an innovative leader in the fitness category with brands such as SKLZ, TriggerPoint, Harbinger, RockTape, and Balega. In this role, he manages the company’s mergers and acquisitions, along with related integrations, and also oversees Implus’ international operations in Australia, Canada, and Latin America.
Prior to joining Implus, Matt ran mergers and acquisitions for Driven Brands, a portfolio of automotive aftermarket service centers with locations throughout North America. Before Driven Brands, he was part of the Consumer Group of Robert W. Baird, an investment bank with a focus on Active Lifestyle and Fitness brands.
Matt has a BS in Business Administration with a Concentration in Finance from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and resides in the Raleigh-Durham area.
Shari Castelli
Shari Castelli has a deep understanding of the fitness market, having spent the past five years supporting boutique studios and gyms as the Director of National Accounts at ClassPass. In this role, Shari consulted with studios of all sizes to implement yield management systems that optimize revenue, and drive more business to each studio. Due to the massive impact Shari made on studios, she was promoted to Director of Partner Expansion, where she has spearheaded the ClassPass Empowerment Program. This initiative offers in depth regional analysis and expansion plan support for eligible studios. The program has already helped 35 fitness partners to develop launch and expansion plans throughout the US and UK. Shari also has firsthand studio experience from her time as a boutique fitness instructor, where she taught at As One Fitness in New York City and earned her Precision Nutrition Level 1 Certification. Shari holds a B.A. from New York University and currently resides in Orange County, California.