Speaker Biograghy: Gerard has been developing security screening technologies for the detection of weapons and explosives for over 16 years. For the past eight years he has been the Director of Global Certification for Rapiscan Systems, where he is responsible for delivering explosive-detection solutions that meet the exacting standards of ECAC and TSA. He leads a team of PhDs and engineers to develop operationally effective threat detection algorithms on a variety of x-ray-based platforms. He has also developed NQR and advanced metal detection systems for QR Sciences and Quantum Magnetics.


Day 1 - 14 March
Session: Aviation Security, Border Control & Facilitation

12:00 - 12:50 - Panel Discussion: Concept to deployment: the lifecycle of explosives detection
Synopsis: As new threats to aviation assets are discovered, new technologies are constantly being developed to thwart these developments. But at what cost, and how quickly can they be brought to market and be incrementally more effective while common standards throughout the EU and the rest of the world are constantly changing? This roundtable of explosives detection equipment manufacturers and industry experts will discuss the journey through the regulatory and acquisitions process, and the nuances of bringing new capabilities to fruition, from theory to development, testing and implementation.

Audience will learn:

• Internal R&D funding hindrances juxtaposed with outside funding constraints
• Challenges with the EU and US regulatory procurement processes
• Incremental, phased implementation of solutions with evolving requirements
• Speed, throughput and efficiency vs. detection capability
• Innovative opportunities for checkpoint and inline checked baggage inspection systems