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# 2025 Vocadian |
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Vocadian offers a predictive fatigue-monitoring platform using voice biomarkers, circadian science, and machine learning. Workers complete short speech tasks before shifts, generating real-time fatigue scores that act as fit-for-duty screening and safety coaching. Embedded seamlessly into frontline workflows, the system enables proactive scheduling and risk prevention in safety-critical sectors like aviation, road transport, and construction. Validated in large-scale pilots, it provides a scalable, non-intrusive, and cost-effective approach to saving lives and improving workforce health and performance
Yujie is an AI product leader, HCI researcher, and serial entrepreneur with backgrounds in Design Engineering and Human-Computer Interaction from Harvard and MIT, focusing on wearable computing, Brain-Computer Interfaces, digital biomarkers, and circadian science. His work shapes human relationships with machines and the environment, and he builds products that cultivate empathy, trust, and care. Yujie has research experience at MIT Media Lab and Harvard Medical School, and professional experience building category-defining AIoT products and predictive analytics software across healthcare, supply chain, smart home, precision agriculture, and autonomous driving, in organizations such as Philips Healthcare, IKEA Home Smart, Maersk, and FaunaPhotonics.more
Adolphus Lau is the Co-Founder of Vocadian, where he leads business strategy and operations. Prior to founding Vocadian, he was an award-winning serial entrepreneur, co-founded a digital music therapeutics venture, and served as a consultant at McKinsey & Company, advising clients in the public-sector domains. He also held research and policy roles at leading think tanks in Hong Kong, contributing to studies on social innovation and regional development across the Asia Pacific. He holds a Master of Public Health in Health Economics and attends the Centre for Evidence-Based Healthcare at the University of Oxford.more
Sherman Charles, PhD, is a linguist and speech scientist harnessing the power of speech technology to improve lives. As Head of Science at Vocadian, he leads the development of innovative speech solutions that bridge cutting-edge research and real-world impact. Dr. Charles earned dual PhDs from Indiana University, where his fascination with how we communicate sparked groundbreaking work in speech analytics for neurological diseases. As Principal Investigator, he led a $1.4M NIH-funded project developing tools that help clinicians better serve patients. Sherman also founded Carmen Scoring, blending scientific excellence with entrepreneurial spirit to make a meaningful impact through the remarkable gift of human speech.more
Julie focuses on design’s role in humanizing technology. She is a UX researcher at Vocadian who bridges the understanding of people and technological feasibility through strong business acumen. With a background in industrial design at OCAD University and service design at Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts (HSLU), she brings a multi-disciplinary lens to product and experience development. In her broader practice, her experience spans co-design, cultural experience design, and storytelling, mapping the dynamics between people and message, and shaping the patterns between message and behaviour.more
Bowen is a service and interaction designer based in San Francisco. With five years of design experience and three years in the technology industry, she has developed strong skills at the intersection of design and technology. She specializes in Interaction and Service Design and Design Research, working across numerous UX and service-focused products. Bowen is dedicated to creating seamless, thoughtful user experiences across diverse touchpoints. She holds a Master’s degree in Information and Management Systems from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Bachelor’s degree in Computing from the National University of Singapore.more
Ratna Prakarsha Kandukuri is an AI engineer and interdisciplinary researcher passionate about building technologies that improve safety, well-being, and human performance. She earned her Master’s in Computer Science from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, where she developed simulation and autonomy tools for underwater vehicles. Her work spans machine learning research, voice-based safety systems, and agentic AI platforms, contributing to both early-stage startups and scientific innovation initiatives. She focuses on translating advanced AI research into meaningful societal impact and fostering richer, more valuable human connections through intelligent systems.more
Dr. Czeisler is the Frank Baldino, Jr. Professor of Sleep Medicine at Harvard Medical School and a Senior Physician at Brigham and Women's Hospital. He is a leading researcher and author in the fields of basic and applied research on human circadian rhythms and sleep-wake function, the impact of sleep loss on vigilance, neurobehavioral performance, and health. Dr. Czeisler has been a leading advocate for the development of sleep-related public policy that promotes safety and occupational health. His work has heightened awareness of the dangers involved with drowsy driving, and his research has been influential in shaping medical policy. more
