Speakers

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  Anastasia Tzima Graduate of the School of English Language and Literature at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
  

  Anastasia Tzima

  Graduate of the School of English Language and Literature at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki

  Anastasia Tzima is a graduate of the School of English Language and Literature at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and is currently pursuing a postgraduate degree in the field of Education and Digital Media. She has gained international experience through the Erasmus program in the Netherlands, where she developed intercultural skills and independence. She serves as Vice President of the Erasmus Student Network (ESN AUTH), playing an active role in human resources management and the organization of initiatives.

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  Heather Hyde
  

  Heather Hyde
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  Zacharoula Andreopoulou Professor of Environmental Informatics and Technologies for Green Regional Policies, Aristotle University
  

  Zacharoula Andreopoulou

  Professor of Environmental Informatics and Technologies for Green Regional Policies, Aristotle University

  Prof. Zacharoula Andreopoulou, in Environmental Informatics and Technologies for Green Regional Policies, AUTH. BSc in Mathematics AUTH, BSc & PhD in Forestry & Natural Environment, AUTH, Postdoc Univ of East London UK. Director in Lab of Forest informatics, Director in PostGraduate Program “Tourism and Local Development”, member of International Relations Committee of AUTH, member of Sustainable Development Committee of AUTH, f.Director of PostGraduate Program “Sustainable Management of Forest and Natural Ecosystems”. Chair of Scientific Council of Mediterranean One-Health Innovation Centre MED-OHC. Coordinator of SUN and UniAdrion Universities network for AUTH. Scientific interests include environmental informatics, green Informatics, e-innovation for sustainability, green transition, smart green society, green ICTS, IoT apps and databases for natural resources, for SDGs, for Climate change mitigation, e-environment, smart green regional policies, eTourism, smart green Tourism. She has published more than 110 papers in Intl. Sc Journals, 6 books and more than 200 conference papers. .Award of excellence from AUTH, 2016 and 2019

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  Nicolas Foroglou Professor of Neurosurgery, School of Medicine of Aristotle University
  

  Nicolas Foroglou

  Professor of Neurosurgery, School of Medicine of Aristotle University

  Nicolas Foroglou, MD, PhD Professor of Neurosurgery, has graduated from the Medical School of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in 1993. Following his military service in the General Hospital of Hellenic Air Force for 2 years and his community medical service in the mountains of North Greece for one year, he trained in Neurology and graduate with the Diploma of Clinical Neurology from the Institute of Neurology, National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, UCL, Queen Square, London. Thereafter he returned in Thessaloniki, Greece to complete his neurosurgical residency in the AHEPA University Hospital. After being certified from the National Board in Neurosurgery and the European Board (EANS) in 2001 he moved to Boston, USA for a yearly fellowship on neuroncology at the Brigham & Women Hospital, affiliated hospital Harvard University, where he was trained in awake craniotomy, intraoperative imaging and neuromonitoring. After that he did a second fellowship in Functional Neurosurgery (epilepsy, movement disorders, pain, and spasticity) in the University Hospital of Lausanne, Switzerland (CHUV) under the guidance of Professor JG Villemure (2002).
  Elected in the Aristotle University School of Medicine as Lecturer in 2003, he is appointed currently as Professor in Neurosurgery and chair the Department of Neurosurgery at AHEPA University, Thessaloniki, Greece. His clinical activity is focused on brain tumors, aneurysms and pituitary adenomas. He is on of the founders and currently coordinator of the English speaking undergraduate program of the Medical School.
  He is currently leading 3 research programs (brain mapping, glioma properties on nanoscale and intraoperative ultrasound), has published 70 articles in international peer reviewed journals and authored 46 chapters book in international editions. He has been invited lecturer in more than 125 international congresses and Institutions (Montpellier, Burdenko Institut, Istanbul, Toledo in 2017)
  Nicolas Foroglou is member of many international neurosurgical societies (Congress of Neurological Surgeons-USA, member of the Tumor section of CNS/AANS-USA, Societe de Neurochirurgie de langue francaise, European Society of Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery, European Association of Neuro-Oncology, Low Grade Glioma European Network). He served as President of the Hellenic Neurosurgical Society and Treasurer of The European Association of Neurosurgical Societies.

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  Artemis Zenetou Executive Director, Fulbright Foundation
  

  Artemis Zenetou

  Executive Director, Fulbright Foundation

  Artemis A. Zenetou is Executive Director of the Fulbright Foundation in Greece, a nonprofit educational organization established in 1948 to advance academic and cultural exchanges between Greece and the United States. She is the first Greek citizen and the first woman to lead the Foundation.
  Educated in Greece and the United States, she holds degrees in History of Art and Business, as well as Museum Studies and Management of Nonprofit Organizations. Her career spans positions at institutions including the World Bank, the Smithsonian Institution, and the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston.
  She has published in English and Greek, with a focus on cultural diplomacy, international academic collaboration, cultural exchange, and the Greek diaspora. Zenetou has served on many boards and advisory bodies, contributing to public service and civic initiatives.
  Fulbright Greece provides scholarships to Greek and U.S. citizens and serves as the official advising center for study in the United States and Greece. It supports students, scholars, artists, teachers, and professionals of all backgrounds to study, teach, and conduct research, helping to build mutual understanding and find solutions to critical international concerns. Since 1948, the Foundation has awarded more than 6,500 scholarships, creating a vibrant, diverse, and interconnected network of alumni.

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  Dongmei Yin Chair of the University Council of Shanghai International Studies University
  

  Dongmei Yin

  Chair of the University Council of Shanghai International Studies University

  Professor Dr. YIN Dongmei was appointed Chair of the University Council of Shanghai International Studies University in December 2023. Prior to this, she held the position of Deputy Chair of the University Council of Fudan University from September 2013 to December 2023. Also, she served a temporary position of Secretary of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Youth League from October 2016 to November 2018

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  Johannes Orphal Head of Division IV "Natural and Built Environment“ at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)
  

  Johannes Orphal

  Head of Division IV "Natural and Built Environment“ at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)

  Prof. Dr. Johannes Orphal is Head of Division IV „Natural and Built Environment“ at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), since 2020. He graduated in Physics at Humboldt University in Berlin, Germany, in 1991. After his PhD in 1995 at the Université de Paris-Sud (Orsay, France), he worked for 5 years as a Postdoctoral Assistent in the Institute of Environmental Physics at University of Bremen, Germany, on atmospheric remote-sensing from space. In 1999, he became CNRS researcher in Orsay, and then Full Professor of Physics at Université de Paris-Est, Créteil, in 2005. From 2009 to 2020, he was Full Professor of Physics and Director of the Institute of Meteorology and Climate Research at KIT. He is author and co-author of over 200 scientific publications, and has received prestigious international awards, most importantly the “Gay-Lussac – Humboldt” Prize of the French Académie des Sciences (Paris) in 2018.

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  Lars Rehmann Professor in the Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering at Western University in London, Ontario, Canada
  

  Lars Rehmann

  Professor in the Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering at Western University in London, Ontario, Canada

  Dr. Lars Rehmann is a Professor in the Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering at Western University in London, Ontario, Canada. He is also affiliated internationally as a visiting professor at RWTH Aachen University in Germany. He is currently serving as Associate Dean responsible for Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies at Western Engineering. His work focuses on biochemical engineering, bioprocess development, and sustainable technologies for the production of biofuels and biobased chemicals.
  Dr. Rehmann received his Diplom (equivalent to M.Sc.) in Biotechnology from TU Braunschweig in Germany. He later completed his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering at Queen’s University in Canada, where his doctoral research focused on microbial fermentation and biomass conversion technologies. Following his Ph.D., he held a NSERC Postdoctoral Fellowship at University of Manchester in the United Kingdom, where he expanded his expertise in industrial biotechnology and fermentation systems.
  At Western University, Dr. Rehmann leads a research group specializing in biochemical and bioprocess engineering, with a particular emphasis on the sustainable conversion of renewable biomass into fuels and high-value chemicals. His research addresses key challenges in the bioeconomy, including biomass pretreatment, microbial fermentation optimization, metabolic pathway development, and process scale-up for industrial biotechnology applications.
  A major focus of his work has been the development of advanced fermentation processes for biofuel production, including ethanol and butanol derived from lignocellulosic biomass. His laboratory also investigates microalgae-based biotechnologies, exploring their potential for producing renewable fuels, nutraceuticals, and specialty chemicals. Through interdisciplinary collaborations, his research integrates microbiology, chemical engineering, and environmental sustainability.
  Dr. Rehmann has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals in the fields of biochemical engineering, biotechnology, and renewable energy, and he has supervised numerous graduate students and postdoctoral researchers. His work contributes to advancing sustainable industrial bioprocesses and the transition toward a circular bio-based economy.

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  Ilias Tsitsios EMBRAER 135/145 Captain, Flight Instructor and Test Pilot
  

  Ilias Tsitsios

  EMBRAER 135/145 Captain, Flight Instructor and Test Pilot

  Ilias Tsitsios is an EMBRAER 135/145 Captain, Flight Instructor and Test Pilot with 5 years of experience in NATO, where he was allocated the tasks of Air Liaison Element and Air Operations Subject Matter Expert. He possesses a MSc in “Human Factors in Aviation” from Coventry University/UK and a LLM in “Legal Theory & Interdisciplinary Legal Studies” from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH). Currently, he is a PhD candidate in Space Law in AUTH and at the same time an undergraduate with full scholarship in European Law & Governance School’s “LLB in EU Law”, a Program offered by the European Public Law Organisation.

  Ilias Tsitsios under his capacity as a University Teaching Assistant he lectured Space and Space law in AUTH’s Postgraduate Program “Information & Communication Technologies: Law & Practice” from 2024 until 2025 and since 2024 until now he lectures the same courses in the contest of AUTH – Hellenic Supreme Joint War College Postgraduate Program “Strategic Studies”. Since 2024 he is accredited as a European Security & Defence College (ESDC) Doctoral School on Common Security & Defence Policy (CSDP) PhD Fellow. He has attended the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Executive course in Space Law & Regulations, a Specialisation course in Artificial Intelligence from the University of Patras/Greece and several other courses related to General International Law, Space Law, Cybersecurity and New Technologies. Finally, he has also lectured during several conferences while last year he was awarded a special Prize from European Space Agency for the proposal submitted by the team he lead and was related to the legal framework of suborbital flights, in the context of the Student Aerospace Challenge 2025 international contest.

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  Aikaterini Myrto Koliousi Mechanical Engineering graduate from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
  

  Aikaterini Myrto Koliousi

  Mechanical Engineering graduate from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki

  Aikaterini Myrto Koliousi is a Mechanical Engineering graduate from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, ranked at the top of her cohort, with a focus on computational mechanics and design. Her academic work centers on finite element analysis, biomechanics, and data-driven engineering. Her diploma thesis, supported by BETA CAE Systems, explored the biomechanical behavior of the human temporomandibular joint. Her work has led to a peer-reviewed publication in the IEEE 2025 International Conference on Bioinformatics and Bioengineering (BIBE).
  An element of her academic development has been her participation in the Erasmus+ Program, through which she studied at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) as part of the EPICUR (European University alliance) initiative. This experience allowed her to engage in a research-oriented program on digital entrepreneurship in global health, strengthening her interdisciplinary thinking, international collaboration skills, and adaptability in diverse academic environments. In addition, she broadened her academic perspective through an exchange at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), focusing on biomechanics for impact and crash safety.
  She is currently active in iGEM Thessaloniki, where she leads the dry-lab workstream, running computational analysis and contributing to interdisciplinary collaboration and outreach. She has also served as a reviewer for the 25th IEEE 2025 international conference BIBE.
  Her technical skill set includes programming in Python and MATLAB and the use of engineering tools such as Abaqus, ANSA, ANSYS, and SolidWorks, complemented by hands-on experience in manufacturing and materials testing.

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  Adam Fenech Provost of Research at the Canadian University Dubai
  

  Adam Fenech

  Provost of Research at the Canadian University Dubai

  Dr. Fenech has worked extensively in the area of climate change since the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change First Assessment Report in 1988. He has represented Canada at international climate negotiating sessions; written climate policy speeches for Canadian Environment Ministers; and authored Canadian reports on climate change to the United Nations. Dr. Fenech has taught at the University of Toronto as well as the Smithsonian Institution for over 20 years, and lectures regularly at universities across Canada and around the world. Working as a climate researcher for over 25 years at Environment Canada, Canada’s National Environmental Agency, Dr. Fenech shared in the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize for his work with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
  At the University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI), Dr. Fenech created and launched the first Bachelor of Science programme in Applied Climate Change and Adaptation. Garnering funding for the building and launching of the Canadian Centre for Climate Change and Adaptation in St. Peter’s Bay, Prince Edward Island, Dr. Fenech was the inaugural Associate Dean of the new School of Climate Change and Adaptation at the University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI). He was also the director of UPEI’s Climate Research Lab that conducts research on the vulnerability, impacts and adaptation to climate change, where his virtual reality depiction of sea level rise has won international awards, including one from MIT, for communicating coastal science. His visualization of coastal change, known as CLIVE (CoastaL Impacts Visualization Environment), was also launched as a commercial entity exporting internationally including to the city of Los Angeles, California, USA. He maintains the largest fleet of drones at a Canadian university including the largest drone in the country with a four metre wingspan. Dr. Fenech is featured as one of forty brilliant and influential Canadians in a book titled Inspiring Canadians: Forty Brilliant Canadians and their Visions for the Nation.
  Dr. Fenech was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal (Prince Edward Island) (2023) created to celebrate the 70th anniversary year of Queen Elizabeth’s Accession to the Throne, for his “positive impact on the preservation of the environment.”
  In creative works, Dr. Fenech has recently co-authored a play A Climate Carol, (2022) a re-imagining of Dicken’s famous Christmas classic with climate change themes and messaging, which was staged for the first time in 2025. As a movie producer of PEI Climate Stories, (2021-2025) a new series of short films exploring the impacts of climate change on Prince Edward Island and the adaptation strategies being implemented by Prince Edward Islanders, Dr. Fenech’s films have been accepted to the Charlottetown Film Festival, the SIFF – Switzerland International Film Festival, and was a semi-finalist at the Better Cities Film Festival 2021 in Detroit, Michigan, USA.
  He is presently the Provost of Research at the Canadian University Dubai where he continues his climate change work in the Middle East North Africa (MENA) region.

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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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  Despina Papadopoulou Professor of Linguistics in the Department of Linguistics, School of Philology, at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH)
  

  Despina Papadopoulou

  Professor of Linguistics in the Department of Linguistics, School of Philology, at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH)

  Despina Papadopoulou is Professor of Linguistics in the Department of Linguistics, School of Philology, at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH), Greece. Her research expertise lies in psycholinguistics, first and second language acquisition, bilingualism, language processing, migrant education, and language disorders.
  She received her PhD in Psycholinguistics and Neurolinguistics from the University of Essex (2002). She also holds an MA in Language Acquisition (University of Essex, with distinction), an MA in Teaching Greek as a Second/Foreign Language (University of Athens, with distinction), and a BA in Linguistics (University of Athens).
  Professor Despina Papadopoulou has held academic appointments at the University of Essex, the University of Crete, the University of the Aegean, Cyprus College, and AUTH, where she has progressed through the ranks of Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, and, since 2019, Full Professor. She has extensive experience teaching at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels in general linguistics, psycholinguistics, second language acquisition, bilingual development and education, language processing, and research methods in linguistics.
  Her research combines experimental psycholinguistics, corpus-based approaches, and educational applications. She has led and participated in numerous nationally and internationally funded research projects. She currently serves as Coordinator and Principal Investigator of the European AMIF-funded project “ACT & Connect for Integration (ACTIN)” (2024–2027), which promotes the integration of migrant children and adolescents in education. She has also acted as Principal Investigator of the “Teach4Integration” training programs for educators working with refugee and migrant populations, and as Principal Investigator within the Horizon 2020 Marie Skłodowska-Curie project “The Multilingual Mind (MultiMind)”, focusing on grammatical and lexical development in migrant primary school children.
  Professor Despina Papadopoulou has authored and edited several books and has published extensively in leading international journals, including Studies in Second Language Acquisition, Journal of Linguistics, Lingua, Journal of Child Language, International Journal of Bilingualism, Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, The Modern Language Journal, and Glossa. Her work addresses sentence processing, ambiguity resolution, morphological and aspectual development, bilingual acquisition, language disorders, and pedagogical translanguaging.
  She has supervised numerous doctoral and postdoctoral researchers, with several PhD dissertations completed with distinction, and has served on advisory and examining committees in Greece and internationally. She has delivered invited lectures and plenary talks at universities and conferences across Europe.
  Her research advances theoretical models of language processing and bilingual development while informing evidence-based language teaching practices, particularly in multilingual and migrant educational contexts.
  Since 2023, she has served as Chair of the Supervisory Committee of the School of Modern Greek and as Coordinator of the Scientific Committee of the Child Rights Center at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.

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  Vasso Kindi Professor Emerita of Philosophy of Science at the Department of History and Philosophy of Science of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA)
  

  Vasso Kindi

  Professor Emerita of Philosophy of Science at the Department of History and Philosophy of Science of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA)

  Vasso Kindi is Professor Emerita of Philosophy of Science at the Department of History and Philosophy of Science of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA), Greece. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and a PhD in Philosophy and History of Science from the National Technical University of Athens. She is the author, editor, co-author, and co-editor of books and articles on philosophy of science, T. S. Kuhn’s work, Wittgenstein’s and Collingwood’s philosophy, philosophy of history, philosophy of language, and ethics. Her most recent book is Philosophy of History (in Greek, 2021; English translation forthcoming with Bloomsbury). She is Editor-in-Chief of International Studies in the Philosophy of Science (2019–2026), national representative on the Steering Committee of the Fédération Internationale des Sociétés de Philosophie (2024–2029), a member of the High-Level Advisory Committee to the Greek Prime Minister on AI (2023–present), and President of the State Scholarships Foundation in Greece (2024–2028).
  Previously, she served as Greece’s national representative to the European Research Council (2021–2023) and to the Council of Europe’s Platform on Ethics, Transparency and Integrity in Education (2020–2024). She was a member of the National Council of Research, Technology, and Innovation (2019–2023), chaired the Master’s Program in the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology at NKUA (2022–2024), and led the Philosophy Division in the HPS Department (2017–2019). She was also elected to the Governing Board of the University of Athens, where she served from 2013 to 2016. A founding member of the Hellenic Society of University Women, she served on its board from 2011 to 2023. She is a frequent contributor to the press, writing on philosophical issues of public concern as well as on academic policy and university reform.

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  Alexandros Triantafyllidis Professor of Animal Population Genetics, School of Biology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
  

  Alexandros Triantafyllidis

  Professor of Animal Population Genetics, School of Biology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki

  Biologist with PhD studies on “Population genetics of animal organisms”. Academic member of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece since 2003 and vice deputy chair of the School of Biology since 2025. He has published >100 scientific papers in international peer-reviewed journals (H-index =26). He has followed sabbatical studies on bioinformatics in Katholieke Universitet Leuven (2010) and University of Oxford (2019-2020). He has collaborated with Greek and European researchers in National and EU projects on food traceability and biodiversity conservation of Greek animal species using genetic and genomic tools. He has been a member of School of Biology and Aristotle University Committees on Programmes of Studies, Evaluation, Accreditation, Erasmus, ECTS and international mobility and affairs. Since 2019, he represents an interdisciplinary team of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in the program (H2020-MSCA) INSPIREUROPE-“Initiative To Support, Promote, And Integrate Researchers@Risk In Europe” and since 2020, he is the Chair of the network of Greek Universities supporting threatened Academics and Researchers. Also, by the decision of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki Senate 3158/19-3-2025, he is Institutionally Responsible for the acquisition of the “Human Resources Strategy for Researchers” (HRS4R) logo by the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.

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  Ivan Svetlik Secretary general of the Rectors Forum of Southeast Europe and Western Balkans
  

  Ivan Svetlik

  Secretary general of the Rectors Forum of Southeast Europe and Western Balkans

  Ivan Svetlik is professor emeritus of the University of Ljubljana. Currently he serves as a Secretary general of the Rectors Forum of Southeast Europe and Western Balkans, and is involved in the EUTOPIA MORE European university alliances’ project.. His professional field is social sciences (sociology). His research and teaching has been focused on labor market policies, quality of life, education, human resources, social policy and sustainable development. He was rector of the University of Ljubljana and minister of labor and social affairs in the Slovenian government.

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  Wang Shaodi Chinese director of Confucius Institute AUTh
  

  Wang Shaodi

  Chinese director of Confucius Institute AUTh

  Dr. Wang Shaodi, PhD, associate professor, Chinese director of Confucius Institute AUTh. She is deputy chairman of the Shanghai International Studies Division of China Democratic National Construction Association, a member of the Youth Committee, Shanghai Municipal Division of CDNCA, and a member of Translators Association of China. She has been a visiting scholar at Leeds University in the UK, McMaster University in Canada, and Oregon States University in America. Her teaching is focused on English language and literature, and the courses she has rendered include comprehensive English, English reading, audio-visual-oral English, translation studies, etc. Her academic interest is focused on literary translation and cross-cultural studies. She is author of three monographs, co-writer and chief editor of books, dictionaries, anthologies in the fields of literature, translation and cross-cultural studies. She has published about 30 academic papers in international and domestic core journals. She has been the leading researcher of five funded academic projects supported by Ministry of Education, Shanghai Municipal government and Shanghai International Studies University. In 2017 she was granted financial support by the Pujiang Talent Project in Shanghai. Dr. Wang has been awarded some honors such as the Best Doctoral Dissertation, awards in teaching and research, the highest level of academic publication by Shanghai International Studies University, etc.

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  Sungdon Hwang Dean of the School of Asian Studies at Canadian University Dubai
  

  Sungdon Hwang

  Dean of the School of Asian Studies at Canadian University Dubai

  Dr. Hwang is a Korean, the founding Secretary-General of the Sillk-Road Universities Network (SUN) and Dean of the School of Asian Studies at Canadian University Dubai. He has been a professor at his alma mater, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Seoul, Korea since 1997. Being appointed as professor emeritus of public administration in 2022, he was invited to the Samarkand International University of Technology as Dean of the Korean Institute of Technology and Culture in Uzbekistan. After completion of his mission to open the institute in 2025, he was invited to the Canadian University Dubai as Dean of the School of Asian Studies.
  He earned his Ph.D. degree in Political Science at University of Minnesota, U.S.A. in 1991. Returning to his homeland Korea, Dr. Hwang was scouted by the President Yongsam Kim of Korea to serve as his policy secretary. He served two positions consecutively at the Office of the President of the Republic of Korea: Secretary to the President on Government Reform (1995~1996) and Secretary to the President on Social Policies (1996~1997). Modernization of the government personnel administration and revolutionary changes in managing government affairs using information and communication technologies (ICT) in Korea was his major contributions. Dr. Hwang served as a member of the Presidential Commission on Policy Planning under President Daejung Kim in 2002. In the same year, he was awarded the Red Stripes Order of Meritorious Services for these contributions by the President Daejung Kim. He was also inducted into the Hall of Fame of the 50 founding fathers of Korea’s e-Government for his contribution.
  Professor Hwang devoted himself to enhancing public causes. He founded the Citizens’ Coalition for Better Government in 1997. Professor Hwang founded an internal organization named the Silk-Road Universities Network (SUN; http://www.sun-silkroadia.org) in 2015 in collaboration with thirty universities located along the land and maritime Silk Roads from Portugal to Japan and has served as the Secretary-General of this organization since then. SUN is now composed of eighty seven universities located at 65 cities and 26 countries along the Silk Roads. The network is comprised of more than 800,000 students, professors, and researchers.
  Professor Hwang as Secretary-General has executed diverse programs enhancing academic as well as cultural co-operations among member universities of SUN. They include the annual general general assemblies; international academic conferences by the International Association for Silk-Road Studies (IASS; international join-research by the researchers of member universities to which SUN Secretariat channels research funds; development of courses to be taught jointly by professors of member universities; exchanges of professors and students among member universities; the annual contests for the students of member universities such as PHOCOS (Photo Contest of SUN), WRICOS (Writing Contest of SUN), and S-DECOS (Speech and Debate Contest of SUN); annual concerts by the Silkroadia Philharmonic Orchestra; and “Amazing Silk Roads” which is an expedition program for the students and professors of the member universities to travel and study diverse parts of the land and maritime Silk Roads. (https://sun-silkroadia.org)

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  Lisa Pawloski Professor of Anthropology and Senior Associate Dean for International Programs, Administration, and Finance in the Barefield College of Arts and Sciences (BCAS) at the University of Alabama (UA)
  

  Lisa Pawloski

  Professor of Anthropology and Senior Associate Dean for International Programs, Administration, and Finance in the Barefield College of Arts and Sciences (BCAS) at the University of Alabama (UA)

  Lisa Pawloski, Ph.D., is a Professor of Anthropology and Senior Associate Dean for International Programs, Administration, and Finance in the Barefield College of Arts and Sciences (BCAS) at the University of Alabama (UA). In her role overseeing international programs, Dr. Pawloski supports all international activities including student mobility, international high-impact practices, international student and scholar needs, international research and travel, and international partnerships and MOUs. Dr. Pawloski is also responsible for facilitating A&S’s major international initiatives in Greece (Alabama Greece Initiative), Cuba, and most recently Southeast Asia. These initiatives send faculty to and from UA’s partner institutions each year to engage in collaborative research. Dr. Pawloski has throughout her career conducted research projects related to health, anthropology, and nutrition in multiple international locations including (but not limited to) Mali, Iraq, Nicaragua, and most recently Thailand. Dr. Pawloski has extensive experience as an administrator and overseeing international programming at UA and at her previous institution, George Mason University, where for close to 12 years she served as the Chair of two Departments; Nutrition Food Studies and Global and Community Health. Dr. Pawloski also served as the founding Dean of Academic Affairs on the Mason Korea campus where she oversaw faculty hiring, development, and student affairs. Dr. Pawloski is the recipient of four Fulbright grants to conduct research in Mali, Thailand, and Myanmar, as well as a program to bring the first Fulbright cohort from Iraq to the United States. Dr. Pawloski has been funded by HRSA, the Department of State (DOS), and USAID to engage in international research and training. She most recently received a Public Diplomacy grant from the US Embassy Thailand to develop student mobility programs partnered with multiple Thai universities with a focus on global health, the environment, and climate change.

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  Els Hanappe Coordinator of the Fulbright Scholarship Program for Greek citizens,
  

  Els Hanappe

  Coordinator of the Fulbright Scholarship Program for Greek citizens,

  Els Hanappe is the Coordinator of the Fulbright Scholarship Program for Greek citizens, administering awards for study, academic research and/or lecturing, and professional development across all disciplines at U.S. educational, cultural, and research institutions. The programs support Greek faculty, researchers, arts professionals, Ph.D. candidates, graduate students, and educators. She also acts as an EducationUSA Advisor, providing guidance on study in the United States and information on the U.S. higher education landscape.