Canada West Defence & Dual-Use Research and Innovation Forum

With a doctoral degree in international affairs (Carleton University, 2017) and over a decade of professional experience in the Canadian defence and security sector, Gaëlle combines operational expertise, strategic leadership, and extensive research experience.

Prior to CDAI, Gaëlle was a strategic analyst with DRDC where she closely worked with the RCN, the Canadian Special Operations Forces Command, and the North American Aerospace Defense Command in Colorado Springs. She is an affiliated expert with the European Center of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats and was a Fulbright research fellow in the International Security Program at the Harvard’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs.

Major Dugald Thomson is a CAF officer and underwater acoustics specialist based in Victoria, BC. He joined the CAF in 2000, completed electrical engineering at the Royal Military College of Canada, and served in maritime air operations, including experience flying on the CP-140 Aurora. He later specialized in ocean acoustics, completing a Master’s in Acoustical Oceanography at the University of Victoria in 2012 and a PhD in underwater acoustics at Dalhousie University in December 2025. 

He currently works with DRDC on underwater sensing technology development, with a focus on passive acoustic monitoring, acoustic data exploitation, and machine learning. His work includes DeepPAM, a deep learning–based passive acoustic monitoring capability for maritime detection, classification, and analysis.He brings operational credibility and technical depth to discussions on maritime security, ocean technology, AI-enabled sensing, and responsible underwater operations in British Columbia and beyond.

Roz Seyednejad is an entrepreneur, investor, business leader, and advisor with over 25 years of experience in engineering, technology commercialization, government funding, and business growth. She is the Founder and CEO of Stratesol, a Canadian consulting firm that has helped innovation-driven companies with government funding and incentives, with expertise in SR&ED, grants, defence and dual-use programs, and Industrial and Technological Benefits.

Roz is also part of the leadership team at SenseNet, an AI-enabled wildfire detection and situational awareness company, and is a mentor with CDL, supporting companies in the defence and dual-use technology sector. A UBC engineering graduate with an Executive MBA from SFU, Roz serves as Chair of the Dean’s Advisory Council for UBC Applied Science and is actively involved in Canada’s technology, innovation, and defence ecosystems.