Alumni Week: What if AI innovations from space reshape life on Earth?
Tuesday 6 October | 19:30-20:30 CEST | Online
- Date
- 6 October 2026
- Time
- 19:30 -20:30
Want to join? Sign up here straight away!
What you will learn:
- The NASA years: An insight into Sierhuis’s 12-year career as a Senior Research Scientist, during which he developed intelligent systems for space exploration.
- The move into entrepreneurship: How he co-founded Ejenta and translated aerospace research into practical applications in healthcare.
- The future of mobility: How, as Head of the Nissan Advanced Technology Center in Silicon Valley, he is helping to lead the way in autonomous driving and AI-driven transport.
Sierhuis offers a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at life in Silicon Valley, the challenges ahead for self-driving cars, and the ways in which AI is actively changing how we live and travel.
Following the presentation, Yunqi Xue, Chair of the UvA Alumni Hub San Francisco, will moderate a live Q&A session. Don’t miss this engaging conversation about ambition, innovation, and the technologies transforming our world.
Speakers
Dr. Maarten Sierhuis is VP at Nissan, creator and leader of the Advanced Technology Center Silicon Valley, focusing on AI for autonomous vehicles, robotics, and human-machine interaction. Previously, he spent 12 years at NASA developing intelligent systems for space missions and co-founded Ejenta, a healthcare AI company. His career began in the Netherlands with an award-winning expert system for HEMA. He holds a PhD in Cognitive Science/AI from the UvA and received multiple NASA awards.
Dr. Yunqi (QiQi) Xue is currently a Tech Lead Manager at Google Search. She received her PhD in Computer Science at The City University of New York, and holds an MSc in Logic and a BSc in Economics from the University of Amsterdam. As an alumni ambassador, she chairs the UvA Alumni Hub San Francisco Bay Area.