School of Technology and Computing
Invited talks are recurring educational forums where industry pioneers, seasoned engineers, and specialized researchers are brought into the academic environment to share their frontline expertise. These sessions serve as a vital link between classroom theory and professional practice, offering students a window into the current state of the global technology landscape. By rotating speakers from diverse niches ranging from Artificial Intelligence to Cybersecurity the program ensures that students are exposed to the newest tools, methodologies, and ethical challenges that are currently shaping the industry.
Speaker: Max Chang
Max Chang spends much of his time connecting with people, particularly PhD students and postdoctoral researchers.
He is currently leading Go-to-Market (GTM) initiatives at Liner, an AI-powered search platform that helps users find credible information more efficiently. As one of the team members with the most direct interaction with end users, he focuses on bridging product capabilities with real-world needs, contributing to GTM strategy, business development, and market expansion.
His primary interests lie at the intersection of AI tools and knowledge workflows, particularly in academic and research environments. He is especially interested in connecting with undergraduate students, graduate students, PhD candidates, and postdoctoral researchers who are actively reading or writing academic papers, as Liner is developing tools designed to enhance and streamline the research process.
Time: 4:30 – 5:30 PM PT – Thursday, August 13th, 2026
Speaker: Scott Zhou
Scott Zhou is an Associate Faculty member in the School of Technology and Computing at City University of Seattle (CityU), where he is also a current Ph.D. candidate in the Doctor of Information Technology program. He currently works as a Cloud-Based Content Developer, focusing on integrating emerging technologies such as cloud computing and AI into curriculum development. In the past, he worked as a Software Engineer specializing in networking scripts for federal projects.
His teaching interests include cloud computing, programming, data science, and project management. Scott earned his master’s degree in Computer Science from CityU and a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from the University of Washington. He has also completed the Google Project Management Certificate, strengthening his expertise in managing technical and cross-functional projects.
During his graduate studies, Scott served as a student worker, tutoring students, assisting instructors with grading in computer science and cybersecurity courses, and presenting on programming challenges and system design.
Before joining CityU, Scott served in the United States Navy for four years as a Petty Officer, where he received multiple early promotable evaluations and was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal.
Time: 4:30 – 5:30 PM PT – Thursday, August 27th, 2026
Speaker: Maunik Shah
Maunik Shah is a Staff Software Engineer and Technical Lead Manager for Android Preload Safety at Google, where he spearheads global initiatives to protect billions of devices and users. A leading expert in Android platform security and AI-driven threat detection, he governs the security integrity of the global Android ecosystem through regulatory enforcement, foundational platform innovations, and strategic incident response. Maunik has architected industry-standard security infrastructure, including the Build Test Suite (BTS), which serves as a mandatory gatekeeper for global OEMs, and the Elma binary patch analysis framework, which revolutionized firmware integrity validation. Prior to Google, Maunik worked at Amazon, where he architected the core voice-to-intent pipeline for Alexa Video and led the systemic migration of the FireTV ecosystem into the Alexa platform, delivering a 5x performance gain. Beyond his professional work, Maunik serves as a Board Member and Director of Speakers for the ISSA Rainier Chapter.
Time: 4:30 – 5:30 PM PT – Thursday, July 23rd, 2026
Click Here to access the video recording of the talk.