Dr. Xiaotao Ren is an accomplished scientist and expert in automation, with a strong passion for railways. He holds a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the Paris-Saclay University and has over six years of academic experience, during which he conducted extensive research, mentored Ph.D. students, and played a key role in initiating and securing project funding while overseeing their execution. Additionally, he brings five years of practical engineering experience in automation and controls.

In Switzerland, he worked as a scientist at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) for more than four years. His passion for railway applications led him to Zurich. He fully embraces Switzerland’s multilingual culture, which has enriched both his professional and personal life.

You can learn more about Dr. Ren by visiting his LinkedIn profile.

Meissa lives in Lausanne with his family. Between October 2009 and April 2024, Meissa worked for Orange in Senegal. He started as a Customer and Telecom Network Field Technician, then moved on to roles as Transmission Network Supervision Technician, Compliance Controller, and in 2021, he took on a data analyst position. Meissa contributed to many projects, which motivated him to formalize his project management skills by obtaining his PMP certification. Meissa is currently on a professional break but remains open to job opportunities in the data and project management fields in general. He obtained his PMP certification and has since joined the PMP chapter Switzerland to further develop his project management skills and connect with other professionals in the field.

You can learn more about Meissa by visiting his LinkedIn profile.

Jay Prajapati is 31 years old. He comes from India and did his Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering in India. In March 2017, Jay moved to Germany for his Master's degree and successfully completed the degree in Mechanical Engineering at Kaiserslautern University of Applied Sciences. Jay has been working in the field of project management in the mechanical industry for 5 years. He is currently working as a project manager at Rota Verpackungstechnik GmbH & Co. KG in Wehr. Jay lives in Germany on the border with Switzerland. He speaks very good German and English and has German citizenship. His responsibilities as a project manager in the field of mechanical engineering include everything from the kick-off or handover meeting (from the customer/sales department) to commissioning in their workshop and commissioning at the customer's premises. Jay works in a traditional/hybrid project. His hobbies are badminton, volleyball and swimming.

Jay has recently passed his PMP exam and wants to expand his professional network, stay up to date with best practices and new trends and contribute to the development of the local and global project management community.

You can learn more about Jay by visiting his LinkedIn profile.

Lynn Sorrentino is a published scientist, author, Programme Officer managing multi-country plastic pollution projects at the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and a lifelong advocate for the environment. She holds an MSc in Marine Environmental Protection (with Distinction) from Bangor University, Wales. Her professional background includes 13 years in the environmental conservation field, as well as 10 years in software testing at Microsoft.

You can learn more about Lynn by visiting her LinkedIn profile.