Lieutenant General Susan Coyle AM CSC DSM

Chief of Joint Capabilities, Australian Defence Force

Lieutenant General Susan Coyle was appointed Chief of Joint Capabilities in July 2024, becoming the first woman to lead an operational domain within the Australian Defence Force. In this pivotal role, she oversees Australia’s Space, Cyber and Logistics Capabilities, ensuring the nation’s defence readiness across multiple domains.

Her distinguished military career spans more than three decades, with senior leadership appointments including Head of Information Warfare, Commander of Forces Command, Commander Joint Task Force 633, Commander of the 6th Brigade, and Commanding Officer of the 17th Signal Regiment. She has deployed on operations in Timor-Leste, the Solomon Islands, Afghanistan and the Middle East.

Lt Gen Coyle holds three master’s degrees, is a Distinguished Graduate of the U.S. Army War College, and an alumnus of the Harvard Advanced Management Program. Her keynote at PNT 2026 will explore the evolving intersection of space, cyber and logistics, highlighting the essential role of resilient PNT in enabling information advantage and operational superiority.

Prof Zak Kassas

TRC Endowed Chair in Intelligent Transportation Systems, The Ohio State University (USA)

Professor Zak Kassas is a global leader in resilient and alternative PNT. He directs the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Center for Automated Vehicle Research with Multimodal AssurEd Navigation (CARMEN+) and leads the Autonomous Systems Perception, Intelligence & Navigation (ASPIN) Lab at The Ohio State University.

His research focuses on navigation in GNSS-challenged environments, sensor fusion, and signals of opportunity. A Fellow of IEEE and the Institute of Navigation, Professor Kassas has authored over 200 publications and holds multiple patents. He was awarded the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) and the IEEE AESS Richard Kershner Award for his pioneering contributions to resilient navigation technologies.

David Ball

With over 25 years of experience in the space, communications and defence sectors David has spent a significant portion of his career specialising in satellite communications and has held senior positions with several commercial satellite communications operators, including Intelsat and PanAmSat. David’s previous roles encompassed sales management, business development, customer service engineering, space systems design and spacecraft and launch vehicle acquisition.

David has also had significant involvement in satellite frequency coordination activities, spacecraft insurance placement and capital raise processes.

Earlier in his career David was an electronics engineering officer in the Royal Australian Air Force and was responsible for the engineering management of Defence communications systems with his final posting focused on military satellite communications systems.

David holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree (Communications Engineering), a Graduate Diploma in Business Management and a Graduate Diploma in Applied Finance. David is a graduate member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Chris Shaw

Dr Alison Brown

Dr Brown grew up in Edinburgh Scotland and has a PhD in Mechanics, Aerospace, and Nuclear Engineering from UCLA, an MS in Aeronautics and Astronautics from MIT, and an MA and BA in Engineering from Cambridge University.

She is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, a fellow of the Institute of Navigation, an Honorary Fellow of Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge and a member of the Defense Science Board. She has previously served three terms on the Air Force Science Advisory Board and one term on the Defense Science Board. In 2023 she was awarded the UCLA Samueli Professional Achievement Award as an internationally acclaimed expert in positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) technologies.