Conference Speakers

Dr. Rana Cheatwood

Rana holds a Master’s in Clinical Counseling, a Master’s in Teaching and Learning, and a Doctorate in Education. She is currently a school counselor in Southeast Asia. Her areas of interest include the Basic Psychological Needs Theory and the mental health and wellbeing of expatriates living and working in international K-12 schools.

Dr. Olga Kissová

Dr. Olga Kissová is an experienced university lecturer specializing in English for Specific Purposes (ESP) at the University of Žilina, Slovakia. She focuses on enhancing students’ communication, creativity, and presentation skills through innovative, practice-based teaching methodologies tailored to economics students. Actively involved in research and international conferences, she explores modern teaching practices, including the JobLab model. As a committed Erasmus+ participant, she has delivered teacher mobility training and taught business English at universities in Spain, Italy, Lithuania, and the Czech Republic. Her dedication to advancing language education and fostering international collaboration shapes her contributions to academic discourse.

Dr. Nadine Jaafarawi

Dr. Nadine Jaafarawi is a doctor of applied linguistics with an extensive teaching career of over 24 years. She is currently an assistant professor at Zayed University in Abu Dhabi, UAE. She has served on the EmSAT National Committee for Grade 1 Baseline Assessment at the Ministry of Education in Abu Dhabi. She is also a ‘fellow’ in the Higher Education Academy (Advance HE). She has been a trainer in the Child Protection Training Certification Program with Georgetown University and the Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Authority. Her research interests revolve around bilingual language acquisition from a combined linguistic and sociolinguistic discourse-based perspective. Her future goal is to highlight the “transformative” aspects of adopting best practices of certain language pedagogies to improve language learning, especially in countries within the Arabian Peninsula.

Dr. Kerri Ray Valencia

Kerri Ray Valencia, Ed.D., is the CEO of ConnectEd Consulting, LLC, and holds a doctorate in Leadership for Change with a concentration in Dual Language Education. With over two decades of experience in education, she specializes in multilingual learner support, instructional leadership, and curriculum development. She is passionate about equity, teacher development, and language education. Dr. Valencia was honored as the National Dual Language Teacher of the Month and has presented nationally on dual language pedagogy and socio-cultural competence.

Dr. Zaid Almajdoub

Dr. Zaid Almajdoub is currently at Emirates College for Advanced Education, where he enhances educational methods through research. An accomplished educator and psychologist with over 16 years of experience in various teaching and administrative roles, he holds a PhD in Psychological and Educational Counseling. He is certified in International Leadership Management (ILM). A Khalifa Award winner for Education, Dr. Almajdoub is an active member of CIS accreditation bodies and shares his expertise as a speaker at international conferences, contributing numerous articles to respected academic publications.

Ms. Erica Raina

Erica Raina is a PhD student enrolled in the National PhD Program in Artificial Intelligence, course on Health and Life Sciences, at the University of Eastern Piedmont (Alessandria, Italy). She had a Bachelor’s degree and a Master’s degree in Computer Science. Her research focuses on Artificial Intelligence and Medical Informatics, with particular emphasis on developing and evaluating methodologies in medical education.

Ms. Theresa Ebulley Quarm

Ms. Theresa Ebulley Quarm is a dedicated researcher and PhD candidate with a strong focus on education and socio-economic development. Her academic work explores learning barriers in rural communities, particularly in the Western Cape, South Africa. She has a background in education and policy studies, with extensive experience in research methodologies and data analysis.
Ms. Quarm has presented her findings at various academic conferences and has contributed to educational policy discussions aimed at improving access to quality learning resources in underprivileged areas. Her research emphasizes the need for infrastructural development, teacher support, and community involvement in education.
Beyond her academic pursuits, Ms. Quarm is passionate about mentoring young scholars and advocating for inclusive education. She continues to engage with policymakers and stakeholders to drive meaningful change in rural schooling systems.

Dr. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Diep

Dr. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Diep researches the fields of Traditional Fine Arts and Digital Graphic Design. Currently, she is working at the University of Greenwich (alliance with FPT education, Ho Chi Minh City campus, in Vietnam), and she is not only a lecturer but also a researcher in her aspirational field. In 2023, she published the book “Decorative arts communal houses in Binh Duong” with important content in historical research, traditional artistic values and vector images of 13 communal houses in Binh Duong.

Prof. Ahmed Hashash

Prof. Ahmed Hashash has completed his PhD from Manchester University, UK. He was a fellow of the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) and New York University Medical School (MSSM), USA. He joined the University of Edinburgh (UK)-Zhejiang Int. campus, as Associate Professor of Biomedicine (2017-2022). In August 2022, he has joined Texas A &M University as Associate Professor of Biomedicine.

Dr. Ana Mercedes Vernia-Carrasco

Ana M. Vernia Carrasco, is a PhD and professor at the Jaume I University (Castellón, Spain). Her research lines move between education, pedagogy, and quality of life, through music. She is coordinator of the Q-HEART research group and Director of the Project “L’Alcora for Musical Research and Quality of Life” . She has different awards related to education, quality of life and music. She is also president of the Society for Musical Education of Spain (SEM-EE). She is currently working on a project for the prevention of dementia and mental health through active musical practice.

Dr. David Murphy

David Murphy is a Senior Lecturer at Simon Fraser University (SFU), with a PhD in curriculum and pedagogy from University of British Columbia (UBC). His research and teaching are on media production as a pedagogical practice of literacy. With a background in sound design, music, and acoustic ecology, David emphasises listening as foundational to his approach to teaching and learning.

Dr. Evangelia Petraki

Evangelia Petraki received B.Sc.in Informatics, her M.Sc. in Information Systems as well as her PhD from the Athens University of Economics and Business, Department of Informatics. She has worked in the private sector and in public primary and secondary education as an ICT teacher. Since 2016 she teaches at the Department of Economics of National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. Her research interests lie in the field of databases, machine learning and ICT education.

Dr. Nawal Abuzwaid

Dr. Nawal Abuzwaid works for Qassim University, Saudi Arabia, in the English Language and Translation Department at Badaye College. As a holder of a PhD in Translation, she possesses substantial expertise in the fields of teaching and practicing, translation and interpretation, and research. She is well-equipped to contribute her knowledge and skills to our forthcoming conference by presenting a paper entitled: ‘Navigating the Enigmas of Language and Translation.’ During her professional journey, she has instructed advanced courses on translation between Arabic and English, the integration of technology in translation, and the resolution of ethical dilemmas. She is enthusiastic about sharing her perspectives and firsthand knowledge to foster intercultural comprehension and improve translation methodologies.

Dr. Luis Jorge Benítez Barajas

Luis J. Benítez Barajas is a PhD and professor at the National Polytechnic Institute, Mexico. His research lines move between artificial intelligence, philosophy of science and educational Physics. He is member of the American Association of Physics Teachers. He is currently working on a proyect related to the “Case method to learn physics.

Dr. Katica Pevec Semec

Katica Pevec Semec is an experienced educational consultant and researcher at the National Education Institute of Slovenia. She supports educators, leads projects, and contributes to national proposals. She researches multicultural and plurilingual theories and practices and is part of the national working group on language education strategy. Fluent in English, German, Italian, and Croatian, she applies national educational concepts to practical applications.

Dr. Birender Kaur

Birender Kaur is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Education, Akal University, Punjab, India. Her research areas are Teacher Education, ICT enabled Teacher Education and curriculum development. She was a recipient of Junior Research Fellowship in Humanities and Social Sciences from University Grants Commission, Government of India.

Prof. Maria da Conceição da Costa Marques

Maria da Conceição da Costa Marques holds a PhD in Management, Specialization in Accounting, Master in Accounting and Corporate Finance and a Degree in Management Control. She is Coordinating Professor of the Higher Institute of Accounting and Administration of Coimbra (ISCAC), Teaches courses in Bachelor, Masters and Post-Graduations and Associate Professor at the Faculty of Law of the University of Coimbra (accumulation).
She is the author of four Accounting books and co-author of two books, has published chapters in books, some of which are co-authored, and is the author of several articles published in Portugal and abroad, some in classified journals. She participated and participates in national and international congresses and invited as a speaker at seminars, conferences in Portugal and abroad.
She is a member of the Editorial board of Coimbra Business Review and Journal Management Studies.

Prof. Rita Friães

Teacher at the Escola Superior de Educação of the Politécnico de Lisboa, where she coordinates the Master’s program in Preschool Education. PhD in Education, specializing in Teacher Training. She is a member of the editorial board of the journal ‘Da Investigação às Práticas’. Her current areas of research are related to practicum and supervision in teacher training and play in childhood education.

Prof. Ana Chankvetadze

Ana Chankvetadze, holding position of Assistant Professor at ATSU Kutaisi, Georgia having 15 year teaching experience as an English language teacher at university and at schools in Georgia and in the UK. She is the author of round 15 articles, one monograph; her book of physiological units soon will be published. At the moment, Ana teaches practical English course, communicative grammar, vocabulary and academic writing at university. Her research field is phraseology, lexicology and teaching methods.

Ms. Hyo-Jin Kim

Hyojin Kim received a B.A. in Journalism and an M.A. in Educational Technology from Ewha Womans University, South Korea. She is currently a principal researcher at the POSTECH Institute of Artificial Intelligence. Her research interests include AI education and learner-centered education.

Ms. Ilenia Colamatteo

Ilenia Colamatteo is a second-year PhD candidate in Economics and Management of Sustainability and Innovation at the University of Cassino and Southern Lazio, Italy. She has a Master’s degree in Global Economy and Business. Her research sector is Commodities Science. Her areas of interest include quality management, with a particular focus on the food sector, food quality and market analysis, as well as quality management and assurance in higher education institutions.

Dr. Iva Klugová

Dr. Iva Klugová is an academic member of the Department of Pedagogy at Ambis University in Prague. Outside of academia, she works as an expert for the gifted of the Mobile Advisory Team, at the NPI ČR and as a member of the National Methodical Cabinet for the revision of educational programs. She has been working on the topic of talent identification and development for two decades and has spoken at many international conferences in Europe.

Mrs. Gelise Alfena

Gelise S. Alfena graduated in Modern Languages in 1998 and Psychology in 2014. She obtained her Master’s degree in Linguistics (Portuguese Language) in 2006 and has been a Ph.D. student since February 2024 at UNOESTE. She is a professor at the Faculty of Technology (FATEC) in Presidente Prudente city, São Paulo, Brazil, and she also works as a psychologist.

Ms. Chao Liang

Chao (Sally) Liang, born in Shanghai, associate professor of Applied English in Shanghai Construction Management Vocational College. Ms. Liang has more than 30 years’ experiences in English teaching, project management and public relations. She is a certified PMP (Project Management Professional) since 2008, an Elsevier Reviewer and won the Excellent Workshop Manager of the 46th World Skills Competition.

Miss. Halima Ferhah

Halima Ferhah is presently a doctoral student at the University of the West of Scotland. Her areas of interest are refugee education, and second language learning and teaching. She is conducting a study on the educational experiences of Syrian refugee students in Scotland and how they manage to overcome the challenges that they may experience in the school.
Halima has experience as an English tutor in a non-English-speaking country. She has taken part in several conferences on Research in Education, Teaching, and Learning.

Mrs. Maigi Lepik

Maigi Lepik is a Health Manager and holds a master’s degree in Andragogy. She works as a lecturer at Tallinn Health Care College, where she teaches the fundamentals of research, data analysis and nutrition. In addition to her qualifications, Maigi also holds a microdegree in Ethics from the University of Tartu. Her areas of interest include non-formal education and adult teaching/training.

Mrs. Yvette Kalubi Kashama

Yvette Kalubi Kashama is a Bachelor in Computer scientist in Analysis and programming, Rural Community Development Project Managerand and Webmaster within the Academy of Sciences & Engineering for Africa Development (ASEAD), works on education and empowerment projects for girls in peri-urban and rural areas of DR Congo and sub-Saharan Africa.

Mrs. Siret Piirsalu

Siret Piirsalu has been a lecturer of Estonian language at Tallinn Health Care College for 21 years and has served as the head of the Lifelong Learning Centre since 2015. She graduated from the University of Tartu in 1995 as an Estonian language teacher and completed her master’s studies in andragogy at Tallinn University in 2023. Her areas of interest include academic writing in Estonian, adult education, specialized training courses for healthcare professionals, elective healthcare courses for high school students, and project management.

Ms. Ashwaq Alshaikhi

Ashwaq Alshaikhi holds a BA in English Language from Tabuk University, Saudi Arabia, and an MA in TEFL from Swansea University, UK. Currently pursuing a PhD in TESOL at the University of York, she focuses on innovative teaching approaches, Second language acquisition, and English language teaching and learning.

Mrs. Marie Yvonne Ingabire

Marie Yvonne INGABIRE, a Ph .D. student and a Part-Timer Assistant Lecturer at the University of Rwanda/College of Education. Her academic area is quality of basic education. She has Published papers on (1) Contextual understanding of the influence of English language on teacher-learners’ classroom interactions in lower primary schools. (2)Pedagogical Strategies Employed in Teacher-learners Classroom Interactions through English at Lower Primary Levels. (3) Pedagogical Strategies Limitations towards Improved Teacher-learners’ Classroom Interactions through English in Lower Primary Schools of Rwanda.

Mrs. Sena Sayici

Sena Sayıcı graduated from Bogazici University, Foreign Language Education Department. She has an MA degree in the same field from Istanbul Medeniyet University with a thesis on “Communicative Orientation of EFL Instruction in Turkish Primary Classrooms”. As a passionate academic, she prepares for the PhD. applications in the coming year and her areas of interest are TESOL and applied linguistics.

Ms. Janine Bittner

Janine Bittner graduated in Geography, Biology (Major) and in Pedagogy (Minor) for Teacher Education at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology. She has worked as research associate and lecturer at several universities in Germany. Janine received intensive postgraduate training in research methodology, statistics, higher education teaching, science management. Since 2022 Janine has been working full-time on her phd thesis in geography.

Prof. Yenni Rozimela

Prof. Yenni Rozimela is a professor in Language and Literacy at the English Department of Universitas Negeri Padang. She earned her PH.D. and her M.Ed. at the University of Melbourne. She has been working with school teachers in several programs. Her research interest deals with methods/strategies/assessment of teaching EFL, EFL Writing, and teacher professional development.

Dr. Veronica Isabela Quandt

Dr. Veronica Isabela Quandt is a multi-talented professional with a strong background in teaching, research, and the IT and engineering industries. With a doctorate and two master’s degrees, she is currently a research associate at the Department of Computer Science, University of Applied Sciences Heilbronn. Her expertise lies in experimental teaching methods, student engagement, and exploring innovative learning formats.

Dr. Jana Luprichova

Dr. Jana Luprichova holds the position of Assistant Professor at the University of Ss. Cyril and Methodius in Trnava, Slovakia. Most of her teaching focuses on preparing both pre-service teachers and qualified specialists in English language, literature and culture. Before achieving the PhD degree, she worked as a Research and Development Manager at the Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra. After PhD study, her research interest is focused on implementing the CLIL methodology at all levels of education, as well as the internationalization process of higher education at non-philological universities. She has been involved in many national and international projects. Currently, she is a member of the COST project framework.

Dr. Ana Mercedes Vernia-Carrasco

Ana M. Vernia Carrasco, is a PhD and professor at the Jaume I University (Castellón, Spain). Her research lines move between education, pedagogy, and quality of life, through music. She is coordinator of the Q-HEART research group and Director of the Project “L’Alcora for Musical Research and Quality of Life” . She has different awards related to education, quality of life and music. She is also president of the Society for Musical Education of Spain (SEM-EE). She is currently working on a project for the prevention of dementia and mental health through active musical practice.

Dr. Grace Yuwono

Grace Yuwono received her PhD in education from The University of Sydney, Australia in 2008. Her research focused on English teacher professionalism in Indonesia. She has extensive teaching experience at tertiary institutions in both Australia and Indonesia. Her current position is a First Year Experience Coordinator at Western Sydney University where she provides academic and pastoral support for first year students. Her areas of interest include transition pedagogy and student support.

Mr. Gábor Gutai

Gábor Gutai is a second-year Ph.D. student at Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra. He holds a master’s degree in teaching English. His research interests include Artificial intelligence and its benefits for teaching English in EFL classes.

Ms. Tazila Parveen Ramputh

Tazila P. Ramputh, BSc (Hons) Biology, MA Higher Education, is an EdD candidate at Maynooth University Ireland. Co-founder of Liffey College Dublin where she is currently the QA Director, Tazila holds the NUI Dr Mary L Thornton Scholarship in Education Award. Her interests encompass transformative strategies that contribute towards advancing knowledge of pressing issues underpinning educational practice, policy and research.

Mrs. Božena Petrášová

Božena Petrášová graduated from the Faculty of Arts of the Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia. Later, she received her PhDr. in Didactics and PhD. degree in Translatology. Since 2002, she has been working at the Department of British and American Studies of the Faculty of Arts at UCM in Trnava. Her research focuses mainly on English Phonetics, Phonology and Morphology.

Mr. Valentine Joseph Owan

Valentine Joseph Owan is a dedicated researcher and postgraduate student at the University of Calabar. He specializes in Research, Measurement, and Evaluation, with interests spanning Educational Assessment, Multivariate Statistics, research impact assessment and more. A skilled communicator and collaborator, Owan is published widely in international literature. He founded Ultimate Research Network (URN) and Vinkwell Publishing Company Ltd.

Ms. Arusyak Ivanyan

Arusyak Ivanyan is an English Lecturer, International Researcher, Reviewer, author and bestseller on Amazon. She has an academic book “Dependent Presentations and Prepositional Phrases”. She is PhD candidate at European university in Armenia and working at Northern University as Head of International Relations and English Lecturer.

Dr. Harry Patrinos

Harry Patrinos is Adviser, Office of the Chief Economist for Europe and Central Asia at the World Bank. He specializes in the economics of education. He managed and led education operations in Europe, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East. He developed the Harmonized Learning Outcomes database, published in Nature. He has a D.Phil. from the University of Sussex.

Dr. Katrin Fritsche

Dr. Katrin Fritsche is a project coordinator and researcher at the Digital Humanities Department at the Friedrich Schiller University Jena, GER. She also works as a freelance consultant, lecturer, and author in the field of teacher education, vocational training, and digital skills.

Dr. Tamra Wilcox

Dr. Tamra Wilcox is an Ed.D. graduate of the Leading Language and Literacy specialization at the University of Calgary. As an elementary school principal with responsibility to lead teachers in literacy instructional development toward school and jurisdiction goals, she is interested in research that elevates the educator voice and focuses on enhancing children’s literacy development.

Dr. Naum Gregory Katz

Dr. Naum Gregory Katz has taught European Cultural History, World History, Art History, and East European Literature at Carnegie Mellon University since 1991. Before his university career, he had the opportunity to work as a high school teacher. Dr. Katz has worked in various countries in Europe and Asia and is an Honorary Professor at Beijing Jiaotong University (China).

Dr. Gülendam Akgül

Dr. Gülendam Akgül, had undergraduate education in psychology, graduate education in applied psychology and PhD education in educational psychology. She is assistant professor at Çankırı Karatekin University Social Works department for 3 years. Her research interest is focused on adolescents’ identity development, immigrant students, cyberbullying, and gifted children and their education.

Dr. Derya Atalan Ergin

Dr. Derya Atalan Ergin had undergraduate education in psychological counselling and guidance, graduate education and PhD education in educational psychology. She is assistant professor at Cappadocia University Psychology department. Her research interest is focused on adolescents’ mental health, problematic internet usage, parent training programs and immigrant students.

Prof. Jasmin Jusufi

Prof. Asst. Dr. Jasmin Jusufi is an English Language Professor at the University “Ukshin Hoti” Prizren. With a Doctorate in Philology and a degree in applied linguistics, his research on Multilingualism in Kosovo and minority languages has contributed significantly to promoting linguistic diversity. His research areas include ELT, Multilingualism, Language acquisition, Linguistic Landscape.

Mr. Victor Tan

Staying true to his internal calling, Victor earned his Bachelor’s and Master of Counselling from SUSS (Singapore University of Social Sciences) in 2015 before completing his DISE (Diploma in Special Education) in 2017 from NIE (National Institue of Education). His professional portfolio included working as a Special-needs Educator and an Educational Psychologist before pursuing further studies full-time. He is currently a doctoral candidate in the Doctorate of Applied Social Research program at the University of Stirling where he has also taken on Researcher and Tutor roles. His area of interest includes Special Education, Developmental and Educational Psychology.

Ms. Annie Kirsten

Annie Kirsten is currently employed as a full-time lecturer in the School of Education at the IIE MSA. She primarily lectures within the foundation phase band and has a keen interest in languages, movement, mathematics, and art education, and in particular learner support in the early years. She was formerly a Foundation Phase Teacher in the public basic education sector, she brings a wealth of knowledge to the higher education sector to equip students in their initial teacher training. She has obtained her Master’s degree in Learner Support and she is a registered Ph.D. student specializing in special needs education.