Simula's 2025 Knowledge Festival highlights
Published:
Late last week Simula hosted its second Knowledge Festival, an internal conference designed to share expertise, discuss strategy, and recognise achievements. The day was a good demonstration of the collaboration, excellence, and focus that drives our success at Simula.
The festival began with an opening address from Simula CEO, Lillian Røstad. She presented Simula’s revised strategy and highlighted our recent success in being chosen to lead a national AI research centre.
The event was also an opportunity to formally introduce our new leadership: Jostein Jensen, our new Director of Cybersecurity, and Klas Pettersen, the incoming CEO of SimulaMet, the research unit that is jointly owned by Simula and Oslo Metropolitan University.
Following the opening, our offices were a hub of activity as Simulites presented their work. Through a series of presentations, workshops, and demonstrations, the festival showcased the significant expertise within Simula, fostering new ideas and strengthening connections across our research units.
A highlight of the day was our awards ceremony, recognizing the significant contributions of our colleagues. We are pleased to congratulate the recipients:
- Researcher of the Year: Professor Aslak Tveito
- Early Career Researcher of the Year: Senior Research Scientist Vajira Thambawita
- Educator of the Year: Professor Xing Cai
- Communicator of the Year: Head of AI, Michael Riegler
The day of learning and collaboration concluded with a summer party, bringing everyone together to celebrate a successful year. We are pleased with the success of the Knowledge Festival and look forward to it becoming an annual tradition at Simula.