Mauro Vallati is professor of AI at the University of Huddersfield, where he leads the AI4UTMC research team. Vallati is also an ACM senior member and distinguished speaker, with expertise in applying AI to real-world challenges, including healthcare and train dispatching. Since 2016, he has led multiple research grants in urban traffic control, resulting in high-impact publications and patents in the UK, China, and the US. In 2021, Vallati received a UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship to develop AI systems capable of autonomously detecting traffic congestion and adjusting signals to optimise urban traffic flow.