Speakers

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  Domna Kakana Professor of Educational Sciences at the School of Early Childhood Education at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH)
  

  Domna Kakana

  Professor of Educational Sciences at the School of Early Childhood Education at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH)

  Domna Kakana is a Professor of Educational Sciences at the School of Early Childhood Education at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH), Greece. She previously served as Professor at the Department of Early Childhood Education of the University of Thessaly (1991–2015).
  At AUTH, she has held several academic leadership positions, including Dean of the School of Education (2020–2023), Vice-Chair of the School of Early Childhood Education (2017–2019), and Director of the Master’s Programme “Educational Sciences” (2016–2020). She has also served as Editor-in-Chief of the academic journal Dialogues! Theory and Practice in Education Sciences and Education (2018–2020).
  She currently serves as Coordinator of the Center for Teaching and Learning (KEDIMA) at AUTH and Chair of the Gender Equality and Anti-Discrimination Committee (GEADC) of the university. She has also chaired the Scientific Committee of the AUTH Childcare Center (2019–2025).
  Her teaching and research focus on teacher education and professional development, collaborative and action research, innovative teaching and learning environments, play-based learning, curriculum development, and educational evaluation. She has extensive experience in the design and implementation of educational and research projects at the national and European levels.
  She has published widely in Greek and international journals and edited volumes.and has coordinated or participated in numerous research and educational projects. Her work particularly emphasizes the development of collaborative professional learning environments and innovative pedagogical approaches in education

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  Vassilis Tsafos Professor of Pedagogical Theory and Curriculum Studies in the Early Childhood Education Department, Dean of the School of Educational Studies National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
  

  Vassilis Tsafos

  Professor of Pedagogical Theory and Curriculum Studies in the Early Childhood Education Department, Dean of the School of Educational Studies National and Kapodistrian University of Athens

  Vassilis Tsafos, Ph.D., is a Professor of Pedagogical Theory and Curriculum Studies in the Early Childhood Education Department, Dean of the School of Educational Studies National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece. He has worked as a teacher in Secondary Schools in Greece (1989-2004), as a Deputy Councillor of the Pedagogical Institute of Greece (2004-2007), as a Temporary Lecturer, Department of Philosophy, Pedagogy and Psychology, School of Philosophy, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (2000-2004). His research and writing is particularly informed by curriculum studies, qualitative education research (action research, narrative research), teacher development and teacher education. His current areas of research interest include topics about curriculum, methods of teaching, educational research methods, teacher development, as well as pre-service and in-service teacher education. He has written and edited books and articles in Greek and English journals on the curriculum studies, the teachers’ role in the curriculum development and evaluation, Sciences of Education, Practicum in teacher education and action research method.

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  Thanassis Karalis Professor, Coordinator of the Center for Teaching and Learning, University of Patras
  

  Thanassis Karalis

  Professor, Coordinator of the Center for Teaching and Learning, University of Patras

  Thanassis Karalis is Professor of Lifelong Learning and Adult Education at the Department of Educational Sciences and Early Childhood Education of the University of Patras. He has collaborated with many educational institutions as trainer, consultant, coordinator and evaluator of adult education programs. He was the coordinator of the National Program for Education of Educators (General Secretariat of Lifelong Learning – 2014), where more than 4.200 adult educators of Greece were trained on a hybrid program. At the University of Patras he is coordinator of the Center for Teaching and Learning, former member of the Board of Directors of the Center of Lifelong Education, coordinator of the Child Rights Center (established by UNICEF Greece Country Office and University of Patras), former member of Quality Assurance Unit, and of COVID-19 CMC (Crisis Management Committee). He is founding member and vice president of the Hellenic Adult Education Association, member of the Commission of Professors of Adult Education / American Association for Adult and Continuing Education. He is founding member of the Hellenic Network for University Pedagogy and member of the steering committee of the Balkan Network of University Pedagogy. Since 1995 has participated in 49 national and European research and development projects, being scientific coordinator in 28 of them. He is author or co-author of more than about 200 works in English, French and Greek, including twelve books. His research interests include adult and higher education, university pedagogy, planning and evaluation of non-formal education programs, learning, participation of adults in educational programs. In 2022, he was awarded the “Evangelos Papanoutsos” Award for Excellence in Teaching by the University of Patras. In 2025, he was honored by UNICEF for his contribution to the promotion of children’s rights in academia.

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  Georgios Kountios Assistant Professor at the Department of Agriculture of the International Hellenic University (IHU)
  

  Georgios Kountios

  Assistant Professor at the Department of Agriculture of the International Hellenic University (IHU)

  Dr. Georgios Kountios is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Agriculture of the International Hellenic University (IHU), specializing in Agricultural Advisory through Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). Based in Thessaloniki, his work focuses on the digital transformation of the agrifood sector, bridging the gap between scientific innovation and sustainable farming practices.
  Dr. Kountios holds high-level strategic positions within the Greek agricultural ecosystem. He is a Member of the National AKIS Committee, where he contributes to the development of the national Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation System. At IHU, he serves as the Coordinator of the Center for Teaching and Learning (KEDIMA), leading initiatives to enhance pedagogical methods and instructional support across the university. His leadership extends to professional bodies as a Board Member of the Hellenic Association of Agricultural Economists (ETAGRO) and the Hellenic Association for ICT in Agriculture (HAICTA).
  He earned his PhD and MSc in Agricultural Economics from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTh). His research portfolio focuses on Precision Agriculture, Agricultural Education, and the adoption of digital tools in farm management.
  His academic career is reinforced by extensive professional experience across both public and private sector positions. He is a certified Agricultural Consultant, dedicated to bridging the gap between scientific research and industry practice to support the agrifood sector. Fluent in English and German, Dr. Kountios is committed to fostering resilient rural economies through digital innovation, lifelong learning, and expert advisory services.

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  Angeliki Agorogianni Director of the Digital Governance Unit at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
  

  Angeliki Agorogianni

  Director of the Digital Governance Unit at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki

  Angeliki Agorogianni is the Director of the Digital Governance Unit at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. She oversees a team of more than 100 members, delivering end-user services and support effectively within a high-pressure IT environment for a wide range of IT services and infrastructures. She cooperates closely with the Digital Governance Committee in the design and implementation of the University’s digital transformation plan. She graduated with an integrated Master’s degree from the Department of Electrical Engineering at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece, and also holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of Macedonia, Greece. Furthermore, she has vast experience in learning technologies, digital transformation, and student mobility, participating in numerous projects, both on national and European level. Since October 2024, she has been a member of the EUNIS Board of Directors, serving as Treasurer. LinkedIn profile.

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  Maria Menegaki Professor at the School of Mining and Metallurgical Engineering of the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA)
  

  Maria Menegaki

  Professor at the School of Mining and Metallurgical Engineering of the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA)

  Maria Menegaki is a Professor at the School of Mining and Metallurgical Engineering of the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA). She received her Diploma in Mining and Metallurgical Engineering from NTUA in 1996 and her PhD in the same field from NTUA in 2003.
  Her academic and research work includes more than 70 publications in peer-reviewed international and Greek journals and conference proceedings. She has participated in more than 40 research projects and has delivered over 10 invited lectures in Greece and internationally. In addition, she has contributed to six book chapters and has served as editor for five academic publications.
  In 2009 she has organized educational seminars at the Technical Chamber of Greece on Engineering Education in Information and Communication Technologies and has authored the corresponding educational material.
  She has extensive experience in academic administration and curriculum development. From 2010 to 2019, she served as a member of the NTUA Undergraduate Studies Committee and, since 2020, she has been serving as its Vice-Chair. At the School of Mining and Metallurgical Engineering, she was a member of the School’s Undergraduate Studies Committee from 2008 to 2019 and has served as its Chair since 2020.
  Since 2021, she has participated in workshops and professional development seminars focusing on teaching methodologies in higher education. Since 2022, she has been the Coordinator of the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) at NTUA.

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  Nick Bassiliades Professor in the Department of Informatics at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH)
  

  Nick Bassiliades

  Professor in the Department of Informatics at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH)

  Nick Bassiliades is a Professor in the Department of Informatics at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH). He serves as Chair of AUTH’s Digital Governance Committee and of the Digital Transformation Committee of the Universities under the Rectors’ Conference. His research and teaching interests include the following subfields of Artificial Intelligence: Knowledge Systems, Logic Programming, the Semantic Web and Ontologies, Intelligent Agents, Constraint Satisfaction Problems, and Explainable Artificial Intelligence.
  He has published more than 270 scientific articles in international journals, conferences, and book chapters, has authored five books, and has edited eleven collective volumes, with approximately 7,000 citations (h-index: 38). He has served on the scientific and organizing committees of around 200 conferences and has been Program Committee Chair for 11 international conferences. He has participated in 50 research projects (serving as principal investigator in 17 of them). He has served as Secretary General of the Hellenic Artificial Intelligence Society, is a member of the Board of Directors of the international scientific organization RuleML and is a Senior Member of IEEE and ACM.