Ligia DECA, PhD

Minister of Education, Romania

Ligia Deca is the Presidential Adviser for Education and Research and coordinator of the National Project “Educated Romania” initiated in 2016 by the President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis. She graduated a PhD program in Political Sciences and Educational Policies at the University of Luxembourg with research on the internationalization of higher education and furthered her studies on the same topic as postdoc research fellow at the „New Europe College”. Author of several papers and studies in the field of educational policies, approaching topics that ranged ranging from the internationalisation of higher education to adaptive educational practices in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, Deca also worked as an expert for the Council of Europe, European Commission, EQAR, DAAD etc. In 2014, she was a member of the ‘Science in Education’ Expert Group set-up by the European Commission. Ligia Deca was also a member of the Board of Directors at Fulbright in Romania (2017-2020).

Bogdan CRISTESCU

State Secretary, Ministry of Education, Romania

Bogdan CRISTESCU was appointed Secretary of State in the Ministry of Education on June 26, 2022.
Until his appointment as Secretary of State, he was director of the National Center for Policy and Evaluation in Education. He has over 25 years of professional experience in pre-university education in Romania, being a mathematics teacher, mathematics inspector and deputy general school inspector within the Iași County School Inspectorate. He participated as an expert in over 20 reform projects of the Romanian educational system. He has expertise in curriculum development, teacher training and quality assurance.
In 1997, he graduated from the "Alexandru Ioan Cuza" University in Iasi, majoring in Mathematics. He has a doctorate in mathematics obtained in 2007 at the University of Pitesti. He also completed a master's program at Ca'Foscari University, Venice, Italy and at "Alexandru Ioan Cuza" University in Iasi.
In 2022 he graduated from the Cycle des Hautes Etudes Européennes, organized by the National School of Administration in France.
He was a member of the delegation of the Ministry of Education at Skills Summit 2022 – Strengthening Skills for Equity and Sustainability, Cartagena, Colombia and is a member of the working group of the Ministry of Education for the organization of the structured dialogue with the European Commission on education and digital skills.
He elaborated the mathematics section of the TIMSS 2019 Romania report (Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study), is Math Team Leader for Romania in PISA 2022 (OECD's Program for International Student Assessment – PISA).
He coordinated for Romania the UNESCO report on STEM education (Situational Analysis of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Education Policy and Data: Central and Eastern Europe Region – country profile Romania) and was co-rapporteur for Romania in several reports of European Schoolnet related to STEM education (for example, Efforts to increase students' interest in pursuing Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics studies and careers, National measures taken by 30 Countries – 2015 Report). Since 2017, he is a member of the Working Group of the Representatives of the EU Ministries of Education for STEM education (MoESTEM WG) within the European Schoolnet.
He is interested in inclusive education, participating in several projects of the Roma Education Fund as an expert and in bilingual education, acting as a trainer following training courses attended at the Institut Universitaire de Formation des Maîtres d'Alsace and at the Center International d 'Études Pedagogiques, Sevres, France.

Sorin RADU, PhD

Professor

Rector of the Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu, Romania

Sorin RADU - Professor at Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu (Romania) and, currently, Rector of the University. He is a convenor for Romania at the International Commission for the History of Representative and Parliamentary Institutions and member of European Information and Research Network on Parliamentary History. Also, he is chief editor of the journal Studia Universitatis Cibiniensis. Series Historica, and member of the Editorial Boards of Komunizm.net.pl (Poland), and Parliaments, Estates and Representation (UK). His fields of research contain Romanian and East European history in the 19th and 20th centuries, history of the political parties, political culture and modernisation in modern and contemporary Eastern Europe.

Anca-Denisa PETRACHE, PhD

Director, Project Manager Profesionalizarea carierei didactice - PROF

Ministry of Education, Romania

Anca Petrache, PhD, is the Director of the Department for Continuous Professional Development of Teachers, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Education, and the Manager of the Project Profesionalizarea carierei didactice - PROF. She has extensive experience in education and training, as coordinator or member of national and international working groups and commissions. She has significantly contributed to the development of the education networks such as the European Schools and eTwinning, as well as to the development of pedagogical high schools. She has coordinated large scale projects on teacher education and training, development of life skills, curriculum for teacher training, curriculum for Romanian language and other topics with the view to increase the quality of the education.

Olaya ALVAREZ-GARCÍA

Tenure-track lecturer, PhD

University of the Balearic Islands, Spain

Olaya Álvarez-García (European PhD. in Environmental Education) is currently tenure-track contract Lecturer at the University of Balearic Islands (UIB) (Spain). She as a bachelor in Environmental Science and Masters Degree in Secondary Education Teacher Training. Her research activity is focused in teacher training in Environmental Education and Climate Education for global citizenship. She has 10 years of experience in teaching environmental education in pedagogies and social work degree. She has also experience in training teachers and educators in environmental education. She has participated or is participating in national research projects in environmental education but also in vocational education and training. She is author of at least 10 articles related to the EE research field in prestigious international journals; as well as some book chapters.

Cristina Elena ANTON

Headmaster of The Teaching Staff's House Brăila and Pre-university Regional Coordinator in the PROF project

Teaching Staff's House Brăila, Romania

Cristina Elena ANTON is Headmaster of The Teaching Staff's House Brăila and Pre-university Regional Coordinator in the PROF project, teacher of Computer Science and ICT, PhD in Computer Science.
Professional expertise: scientific research, educational projects, initial and continuous training of teachers as organizer, trainer and assessor, educational counseling and career guidance, member of the National Commission for Informatics and ICT, member of the Organizing Commissions of the National Olympiads Informatics and ICT, member of the Specialized Commission for Accreditation of Continuing Education Programs, coordinator of the Erasmus + mentoring project “From start to success!”.
Research and publishing fields: IT skills training, Curricular skills, Online education, Management and communication, Quality assurance in education, Educational management, Teaching career mentoring.

Mușata BOCOȘ

Professor Ph.D.

Babeș-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania

Mușata Bocoș is a Ph.D. professor at the Department of Education Sciences, Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences of Babeș-Bolyai University of Cluj-Napoca, Ph.D. supervisor in the field of “Education Sciences”, founder and editor of the journal “Education 21”, coordinator of the collection “Paedagogia” of the University Press of Babeș-Bolyai University of Cluj-Napoca. The main scientific fields addressed are theory, methodology, and management of instruction; theory, methodology, and management of curriculum; interactive pedagogy; didactics of pedagogical disciplines. In these fields he has produced numerous specialist works - single-authored, coordinated, and collaborative, aiming to support the work of teachers and educators.

Davide CAPPERUCCI

Professor Ph.D.

University of Florence, Italy

Davide Capperucci (Ph.D. in education) is Associate Professor of Experimental Pedagogy at the Department of Education, Languages, Interculture, Literatures and Psychology of the University of Florence (Italy) where he teaches Experimental Pedagogy, Theories of instructional design and assessment methods, Evaluation and Self-evaluation of Educational institutions.
His research focuses on quantitative and qualitative methods of educational research, prevention of drop-out and early school leaving, school curriculum, learning assessment and certification of achievements, social inclusion, school self-evaluation and quality assurance. He directs the Master's degree program in School Management and Pedagogy for Inclusion. He has participated in several local, national and international research projects funded by the Italian Ministry of Education, Unesco and European Union (RESPOND, DIGI ESSA 4 SCHOOLS, SENSEI Projects).
He is the author of 7 books, 6 edited books, 65 book chapters, and 46 scientific articles. in the field of teaching and learning for competences, headmaster and teacher training, formative assessment, learning and organizational evaluation. He is a member of the Italian Society of Pedagogy (SIPED), Italian Society of Educational Research (SIRD), European Educational Research Association (EERA), Scientific board of CRESPI Research Center.

Rossella CERTINI

Professor Ph.D.

University of Florence, Italy

Rossella Certini (Associate Professor of Pedagogy) is Phd researcher in Educational Sciences. She teaches epistemology and general pedagogy at the University of Florence and deals with the training of teachers, in every school level. Furthermore she teaches in the University course for educators, who work in non-formal educational systems. She has more than 50 scientific publications of a theoretical-pedagogical nature and her main field of study is “educational care”. She has participated in several national and international projects, such as the PRIN (Research Project of National Interest), the Erasmus+ Partnership for Excellence – Erasmus+ Teacher Academies (WIN – Writing for Inclusion project). She is the Erasmus delegate of the School of Humanistic Studies and Education and effective member of the Scientific Committee of the University of the Free Age (UEL).

Margarita COSMEN GARCÍA

Professor PhD

University of Leon, Spain

Margarita Cosmen García is Secondary school teacher, educational guidance specialty at Junta de Castilla y León (Spain). She is graduate in Psychology, and she has a degree in Clinical Psychology. She works in a psychopedagogical team as responsible for attention to diversity of the students in infant and primary schools in León (Spain). She has also developed similar tasks with secondary school students trhoughout my professional experience. My professional career has focused on the presence, participation and learning of all students in public schools, especially students with special educational needs, advising and collaborating with teachers, families and educational centers so that all students can develop their potential to the best of their ability. I am a collaborating professor of the University of León as a practices tutor for the students of the Master of Educational Guidance. I have also been the coordinator of an Erasmus project on inclusive education.

Christian DISTEFANO

Ph.D. Student

University of Florence, Italy

Christian Distefano is a PhD Student in Educational Sciences and Psychology at the University of Florence, with research entitled "Survey and analysis of students with Special Educational Needs in an internal area of ​​Tuscany (Union of Municipalities of Val di Bisenzio)".
He is a Junior member at the Italian Society of Pedagogy (SIPED) and expert of the subject in General and Social Pedagogy.
He graduated in Pedagogical Sciences and won a research grant on the Erasmus KA2 WIN (Writing for Inclusion) project.
His research interests and his publications concern the theoretical-methodological models aimed at the age of development (especially adolescence), the various special educational needs and the enhancement of the role of the pedagogist in different educational contexts.
He also had experience as a pedagogist in extra-curricular services and as an educational planner.

Martin DODMAN

University Lecturer

University of Florence, Italy

Martin Dodman is Lecturer in Ecology in the Department of Human Sciences, Degree Course in Education, at the University of the Valle d’Aosta, Italy. He is also Project Manager for the RESPOND (Sustaining the Professional Development within Schools as Professional Learning Environments) Erasmus+ KA220-SCH - Cooperation Partnerships in School Education project coordinated by the University of Florence, Italy. His interests include the relationship between ecology, biocultural diversity, and sustainability. His research involves the ecology of language and multilingualism, the ecology of human development, learning processes and learning environments and the ecology of teacher professional development. He has published many articles, books, and chapters in books in these areas and is joint editor of the international scientific journal Visions for Sustainability.

Călin ENACHESCU

Professor Ph.D.

“G. E. Palade” University of Medicine, Pharmacy, Sciences and Technology of Tirgu Mures, Romania

Călin ENACHESCU is a Ph.D. professor and vice rector at the Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology “G. E. Palade” University of Medicine, Pharmacy, Sciences and Technology of Tirgu Mures.
His current research interests include mathematical foundation of artificial neural networks, approximation capabilities of artificial neural networks, learning strategies and applications of neural computing in engineering and pedagogy, software engineering and time series prediction.
He participated in several international and national projects in various fields of artificial intelligence with a special focus on developing computational intelligent techniques based on artificial neural networks. He has published more than fifty papers in various peer-reviewed journals and international conferences and four books, being editor of ten books.

André EPP

Professor Ph.D.

Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg, Germany

Dr. André Epp is a substitute professor at the Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg at the department of Educational Science. He studied at the University of Göttingen music- and educational science and graduated with a thesis about effects in cultural child and youth work. His doctorate he received at the University of Hildesheim on subjective theories of teachers. Besides he successfully completed the doctoral programme Qualitative Social and Educational Research at the University of Magdeburg. He received his habilitation at the University of Education Karlsruhe on a comparative analyses of the biographical professionalization of teachers and (youth) social workers. Furthermore, he is one of the chairs of the subdivision Biographical Research in Education of the German Educational Research Association and board member of the RN03 Biographical Perspectives on European Societies of the European Sociological Association. Research interests: Teacher education research, biographical research, methodologies and scientific theoretical foundations of qualitative research, educational theory and research, comparative pedagogical professional research, transitions in the educational system, non-formal and informal learning.

Massimiliano FIORUCCI

Professor Ph.D.

Rector of Roma Tre University, Italy

Massimiliano Fiorucci, Rector of Roma Tre University, is Full Professor of Social and Intercultural Education. In the same Department, he is also Coordinator of CREIFOS (Center of Research on Intercultural and Development Education) (www.creifos.org) and Director of the Master program in "Intercultural Education". From 2007 to 2013 he has been coordinator of the PhD program in Education. From 2006 to 2013 he heas been Secretary of the Italian Pedagogical Society (SIPED) and in 2017 he was elected as member of the SIPED Board. In January 2019 he has been appointed Vice President of CUNSF (National Conference of the Heads of Departments of Education). His research interests focus mainly on intercultural education with particular reference to the issues of intercultural mediation and migrant literature. It also deals with social pedagogy, general pedagogy, adult education, analysis of cultural needs, quality of education and education in organizations.

Romiță IUCU

Professor Ph.D.

University of Bucharest, Romania

Professor Romita IUCU is the President of the Board of Trustees at the University of Bucharest and a professor of higher education and Pedagogy at the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences. With an important experience in international cooperation in the field of education, professor Iucu is, currently, the Coordinator of UNICA EduLAB Group, the Co-Chair of the FOREU European Degree subgroup of European Universities, and a member of the European University Association (EUA) Learning & Teaching (L&T) Steering Committee. He has been appointed as a Magna Charta Observatory Ambassador from April 2022 and broaden rewarded as a member of The International Adult and Continuing Education Hall of Fame (IACEHOF). Professor Iucu held several university-management positions (former Acting Rector of the University of Bucharest, and Vice-Rector for Academical Affairs for more than 16 years), with an important role on designing, managing, and validating higher education and adult education policies at different level. He is a former President of ENTEP (European Network on Teacher Education Policies) and was the national’s representative in the BFUG (Bologna Follow-up Group). Professor Iucu had worked for many years at the European Network of Country Experts in Education (ENCEE), and as a member of the Expert Group on Improving the Education of Teachers & Trainers. He also worked for the European Commission, Eurydice, World Bank, and UNICEF in several educational programmes. As a recognition of his professional activity, he was inducted as a member of The International Adult and Continuing Education (IACE) Hall of Fame (UO-OCCE). His main fields of scientific interest are educational policies in the higher education area, higher education pedagogy and teacher education policies

Susanne JONSSON

Professor Ph.D.

Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, Norway

Susanne Jonsson is an assistant professor at Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences. She teaches courses on mentorship and guidance for newly qualified teachers, and is doing research within comparative studies of mentoring education regarding development of professional mentors. Jonsson also participates in the national network for newly qualified teachers. In the regional network in Inland Norway, she is responsible for collaboration, information and motivational work aimed at metors, school leaders and school owners, regarding guidance of newly qualified teachers. There is also an ongoing international development work with the project group Respond - Erasmus+, in which she participates. The topic deals with the theme of sustainable development in schools, particularly aimed at the mentoring of newly qualified teachers, as well as peer-to-peer mentoring.

Ana JUAN-GARCÍA

Associate Professor Ph.D.

University of Valencia, Spain

Ana Juan-García is Associate Professor of Toxicology in the Faculty of Pharmacy at University of Valencia (UV), Spain. She holds a degree in Pharmacy from UV, and received her International European PhD (PhD summa cum laude, University of Valencia) in Food Science with training in Universities from Italy and Ireland. She was Postdoctoral Fellow at Purdue University (IN, USA) in Bindley Bioscience Center – Purdue University Cytometry Laboratories (BIND-PUCL). She has been a Visiting Scholar at Harvard University (MA, USA), a Visiting Fellow at the University of Jyväskylä (Finland), and recently she has been Invited Researcher at the prestigious Spanish Center for Research in Cancer (Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Oncológicas – CNIO) in Madrid (Spain).
Prof. Juan-García focuses most of her research on toxic effects of contaminant compounds present in food and feed, and more specifically with mycotoxins. Highlight that her research effort is addressed on evaluating mycotoxin toxicity and risk assessment through majorly in vitro but also in vivo assays by using different techniques and biological models. The focus of her research is involved in studying the implications of mycotoxins in neurodevelopment diseases, the effect on breast cancer cell lines, and the implications of mycotoxins in the environment. All this has brought her to publish her studies in high-impact journals in the toxicology field, participate in more than 150 posters, presentations, and communications at national and international conferences, and serve as Guest Editor in Special Issues.
She is an active member of the Spanish Society of Toxicology (AETOX) and belongs to several toxicology-scientific societies (ESTIV, ESCCA, ISAC, SOT, HOT). Recently she has been elected to be a Board Member in the Special Interest Group of the Hispanic Organization of Toxicology at the American Society of Toxicology (SOT). She is passionate for her work and has the enthusiasm of printing her passion and energy to the broad community of toxicologist and scientists.

Cristina JUAN GARCÍA

Associate Professor Ph.D.

University of Valencia, Spain

Cristina Juan García is Associate Professor of Food Science in the Faculty of Pharmacy at the University of Valencia. Graduate in Pharmacy in 2002 and European PhD in Pharmacy (Cum Laude) in the University of Valencia in 2008 with periods of research at: University of Coimbra- Portugal by means a Predoctoral Research Grant from Ministry of Science and Technology; “Università degli Studi di Napoli “Federico II” in Italy (2010-2012) by means a Postdoctoral Research Grant from Generalitat Valenciana.
Her research interests are focused in food safety and more specifically in the field of food contaminants. Her active research concerns to develop and performance analytical methods to quantify and identify the presence of contaminants and nutrients in different matrices (food, feed, biological matrices and culture cells) using LC or GC coupled to different mass spectrometry equipment (QqQ, Qtrap and QTOF). She has wide experience in the analysis of nutrients components (carotenoids or polyphenol between others), and contaminants in food, feed and biological matrices (urine and milk), such as residue of veterinary contaminants (https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8923-3219 She is the author of 75 scientific articles (30 h-index) and 5 book chapters.

Maria-Ana GEORGESCU

Professor Ph.D.

“George Emil Palade” University of Medicine, Pharmacy, Sciences and Technology of Târgu Mureș, Romania

Maria-Ana GEORGESCU, professor at G.E. Palade University of Medicine, Pharmacy, Science, and Technology of Târgu Mureș, Romania, graduated the Faculty of Philosophy-History (1993) at “Babes Bolyai” University (BBU), Cluj-Napoca, Romania. She holds a PhD in Sociology at BBU (1998). Her interests cover interdisciplinary issues as education and communication in the digital age, socioeconomics, organizational social responsibility. She has published 6 books as sole author, 21 chapters in books and 94 studies and articles in ISI or BDI journals or proceedings. She has also participated in 21 research and development projects and in numerous Erasmus or exchange experience academic missions. She is a member of the Society of Sociologists from Romania, the Scientific Society of Management, the Romanian Agency for Quality Assurance in Higher Education. Through active citizenship, she is socially involved in Rotary actions and volunteers in other NGOs.

Lene Joensen KJÆR

Professor Ph.D.

University of South-Eastern Norway

Lene Joensen Kjær is Assistant professor in education. Has taught elementary school for 20 years. Now works in teacher education at the University of South-eastern Norway. Also teaches master modules in mentoring. Fields of interest: Teacher Education, Pre-service teaching, Coherence in Teacher Education, Professional Development and Mentoring of Student Teachers and Newly Qualified Teachers.

Daniel MARA, PhD

Professor Ph.D.

Dean, Faculty of Social and Human Sciences, Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu, Romania

Daniel Mara is a Ph.D. professor and dean at the Faculty of Socio-Human Sciences of the “Lucian Blaga” University of Sibiu, qualified to conduct Ph.D.s in the field of “Education Sciences”.
The main scientific fields he deals with are inclusive education, non-formal education, differentiated pedagogy, curricular adaptation, cognitive and metacognitive intervention, social inclusion, and training of trainers.
In these fields, he has held positions as project manager, member of research or training teams of projects, and coordinator of ERASMUS+ programs, as well as a member of national and international associations and societies. He has also produced numerous scholarly works - single-authored, coordinated, and collaborative, aiming to support the work of teachers and educators.

Massimo MARGOTTINI

Full Professor

Roma Tre University, Italy

Massimo Margottini is full professor of "General Education", "Orientation Education in a European perspective" and "Educational planning for e-learning and media education" at the Department of Education, Roma Tre University. He is Director of CAFIS (University Center for the Training and Professional Development of High School Teachers), President of the Roma Tre Education Foundation, coordinator of the Degree Course in E-learning and media education (LM93). He carries out research on the topics of scholastic and professional orientation and on the integrated use of ICT in the organization of teaching. He has participated with his own scientific reports in national and international conferences and is the author of numerous publications, including monographs, essays, articles and multimedia products.

Simona MARIN

Professor Ph.D.

“Dunărea de Jos” University of Galati, Romania

Simona Mioara MARIN - Professor at ”Dunărea de Jos” University of Galați, Ph.D. in Science of Education, head of Teacher Training Department, Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Education and Interinstitutional Center for Counseling and Vocational Guidance. Professional expertise: scientific research, educational project, initial and continuous training for teacher educational staff as organizer, trainer and assessor, educational counselling and career guidance, expert evaluator of Romanian Agency for Insurance and Evaluation Quality on High Education. Domains of research and publication: pedagogy, quality education, educational management, educational research methodology, projects management, school organization development, educational policies, strategies for training human resources, elaborating and accrediting training courses for teachers.

Giovanni MORETTI

Full Professor

“Didactic and Special Pedagogy” at Roma Tre University, Italy

Giovanni Moretti is full professor of “Didactic and Special Pedagogy” at Roma Tre University, Department of Education; he is Titular Professor of “Didactic organization and evaluative processes” and “Didactic of Reading” courses; he is Director of the II level Post-graduate course in “Leadership and management in education” and of the “Laboratory of Didactic and Evaluation of Learning and Attitudes”. The research lines on which he is involved concern the processes of teaching-learning in presence and at a distance; the didactic-educational planning and the evaluation of learning with reference to reading skills; the initial and in-service teacher training; the exercise of educational leadership in schools.

Mercè MOREY-LÓPEZ

Contract Lecturer, PhD

University of the Balearic Islands, Spain

Mercè Morey (Ph.D. in Education) is Lecturer at the University of the Balearic Islands (UIB), Department of Applied Pedagogy and Educational Psychology. She has a degree in Social Education and, later, she graduated in Pedagogy. The focus of her research is on intercultural education and academic integrity. She has 15 years of experience in university teaching, particularly teaching information literacy and intercultural education in Social Work, Pedagogy and Social Education degrees. She also has more than 10 years of teaching experience in the Master's Degree in Teacher Training at the UIB, of which she is currently the Director. She has participated in numerous national research projects, including "Family participation and involvement in primary schools. Families of foreign origin: diagnosis and design of proposals for improvement", currently in progress. She is the author of around 30 book chapters and a total of 25 scientific journal articles.

Kelly O’HARA

Full Professor , PhD

University Beira Interior, Portugal

Kelly O’Hara is Professor at University Beira Interior, with a PhD in Sport Science.During the last years, she has been involved in the Physical Teacher Master degree as director, school supervisor and teacher. She was Head of Department and Director of Physical Education Teachers Master Degree. Dr O’Hara has been involved in several projects, such as: Responsible for the University team for the development of a Science Center – related to Mountain and community, Expert consultation in some Erasmus projects (Keep Youngsters Involved. Erasmus+ Sport Collaborative Partnerships 579647-EPP-1-2016-2-NL-SPO-SCP Or EriceiraWSR+10 nº 622982-EPP-1-2020-1-PT-SPO-SNCESE, Team leader of a project – Skiils4geniuns from Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation (GRANT_NUMBER: 240991), Erasmus ActiveGames4Change - Sports and Physical Activity Learning Environment for Citizenship, Emotional, Social e-Competences. EACEA 10/2018 – Erasmus+ Key Action 3 – Support for policy reform – Initiatives for policy innovation. All project work with children, most of them at risk situation. One of the main goals is to develop competences (citizenship, social and emotional, soft skiils, etc.) for a better society integration. Kelly is part of several national and international organizations such the Portuguese Society of Educational Sciences or HEPA Europe (Health-enhancing physical activity) , WHO O’Hara, has several publications in the field.

Raquel Lucía, PÉREZ BRITO

Professor Ph.D.

University of La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain

Raquel Lucía (Ph.D. in Philosophy of Law) is an associate professor in the Faculty of Law at the University of La Laguna in the Canary Islands, Spain. She holds degrees in Law, Economics and Business Administration and Political Science and Sociology. She holds a Master's degree in Teacher training and also in Business Management. She is the author of 1 books, 8 book chapters, and 15 scientific articles in indexed reference journals. Her publications and research have focused on the impact that technological development and the use of artificial intelligence should have on teaching methods in order to achieve personalized and, at the same time, universal training. She has 8 years of experience in teaching psychology and related disciplines like Theory of Law. She also has more than 25 years of experience outside academia as a general manager in different public and private companies. She also has experience in politics as a representative of her region in the Spanish Congress of Deputies.

Manuel PESTANO

Professor Ph.D.

Tenerife Science and Technology Park, Spain

Manuel Pestano (PhD International mention in Educational Innovation). Executive Digital Business. Innovation Project manager and consultant specialised in e-learning methodologies. Professor at the European University of the Canary Islands (Spain) and member of the Scientific and Technological Park of Tenerife (Spain). Research collaborator at the Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distance (Spain). Graduate in Pedagogy, especially in educational organization and quality, with an M.D., in Research and Innovation in Social and Educational Management. Postgraduate in Digital Business and Project Management with emphasis on the technology that is currently impacting and developing new models, characterised by placing the user at the centre, by the intensive use of technology to provide solutions to their needs and by the generation and exploitation of data for business decision-making. His research activity is oriented toward developing and testing new educational methods for the understanding and integration of technology in the classroom, from a perspective of integration and inclusion, focusing on the key competences of the European Union. He has 12 years of experience in teaching quality management in education systems, professional development and innovation management in business ecosystems. He is also a trainer of new teachers in Spain in all 16 professional families. During his professional career, he has been mainly responsible for executing the activity of the Science and Technology Park of Tenerife in its role as the island's innovation agency, especially the projects and actions aimed at promoting scientific and technological vocations, the training of professionals in high-tech sectors, the dissemination of innovation, and responsible for providing advanced services linked to specialised training in digital and technological profiles. He is the author of 12 book articles, 10 scientific papers, and numerous contributions to national and international conferences. He is currently lecturing nationally and in Italy on the role of innovation management in social and business actors.

Robert PFÜTZNER

Lecturer, PhD

“Lucian Blaga” University of Sibiu, Romania

Robert Pfützner is a university lecturer for “General Pedagogy", "History of Education", and "General Didactics" at "Lucian Blaga" University of Sibiu, Department of Teacher Training. Aside from his academic research he is working as conflict mediator and pedagogical adviser for teams in schools and kindergarten. The research fields he is working on covers ethics of pedagogical relations, initial and in-service teacher and educator training; theories of solidarity and education, history of socialist education, and alternative models of schooling and kindergarten.

Haridian RODRÍGUEZ

Innovation Project manager and consultant

Tenerife Science and Technology Park, Spain

Haridian Rodríguez (Graduate in Physical Sciences and Astrophysics). Innovation Project manager and consultant specialised in e-learning methodologies. Advisor and consultant to companies for the management of digital competences and collaborator of research centres for the promotion of creativity through science. Advisor and consultant to companies for the management of digital competences and collaborator of research centres for the promotion of creativity through science. Graduate in Physics, specialising in Astrophysics, with a Master's degree in Renewable Energies. She has an executive programme in Technology Park Management for a greater impact on society. Agent for the Training of Innovation Managers programme. His doctoral thesis research is oriented to the didactics of physics for the learning of digital competences, applying the scientific method as an instrument of improvement and competence growth. She has 7 years of experience in developing innovative sustainability strategies in organisations in Tenerife. She is also responsible for reporting on the quality management of online training programmes. She is the author of 2 book articles, 2 scientific papers, and numerous contributions to national and international conferences.

Rosa Eva VALLE FLÓREZ

Professor Ph.D.

University of Leon, Spain

Rosa Eva Valle Flórez is Professor of the Department of Didactics at the University of León (Spain). I have a PhD in Education Sciences on the subject of teacher training. I works attempts to explore connections between inclusive education, teacher development and school improvement. My areas of interest in teaching, research and publications are related to the following topics: professional development teacher who teaches in context of diversity, teaching strategies for children with special educational needs, educational leadership, ICT and collaborative work environments. I´m a member on the Network of Universities and Inclusive Education (RUEI) and of the European Network of Inclusive Education. I have also held positions of responsibility in institutional management of my university.

Jordi VALLESPIR-SOLER

Contract Lecturer, PhD

University of the Balearic Islands, Spain

Jordi Vallespir (Ph.D. in Educational Sciences) is retired Senior Lecturer at the University of the Balearic Islands (UIB), Department of Applied Pedagogy and Educational Psychology. He has a degree in Philosophy and Arts and his doctoral thesis was on the anthropology of education. The focus of her research is on intercultural education and lifelong learning and adult education. He has 30 years of experience in university teaching, particularly teaching intercultural education in Pedagogy and Social Education degrees. He also has more than 20 years of teaching experience in Master's Degree (Master in Inclusive Education and Master in Early Childhood Care) During his academic career, he has been head of department for more than 9 years and is currently a member of the Instituto Paulo Freire España. He has participated in numerous national and international research projects, including "Adult Education in Comparative Regional and European Legislation" and "Cultural Diversity in Schools: Discourses, Policies and Practices". He is the author of about 50 book chapters and a total of 30 academic journal articles.

Mihaela-Alina VANU, PhD

non-tenured Assistant Professor,
Head of the Structural Program Office at

Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu

Mihaela-Alina Vanu: holds an Sc.D. in engineering and defended a doctoral thesis entitled: Contributions to the sustainable development of an industrial organization (Sibiu, 2009), holds two degrees: a BSc in Engineering and a BA in Psychology, a MA degree in Clinical Psychology; head of the Structural Program Office at Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu; non-tenured assistant professor at Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu. Fields of competence: sustainable development; industrial engineering, social process modelling. Scientific activity: articles published in ISI proceedings:5; books published by national or international press: 2 – C. Oprean, M.A. Vanu (2006; 2021) Dictionar Explicativ pentru stiinta si tehnologie: managementul integrat al calitatii Ed. AGIR; Articles published in B+ indexed journals: 7; papers delivered at national or international scientific events: 9; national research contracts: 4; member of editorial boards: managing editor of the „Management Sustainable Development” journal; Affiliation to organizations: member of the Quality Research Centre at LBUS; chartered accountant – member of CECCAR Sibiu.

Paolo VITTORIA

Associate Professor Ph.D.

University of Naples Federico II, Italy

Paolo VITTORIA is associate professor of “Social and General Pedagogy” at Federico II University of Naples, Department of Human studies; he was Professor of “Philosophy of Education” at Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (2010-2017); he is Co-Director of International Journal Educazione Aperta – Rivista di Pedagogia Critica. The research issues concern the processes of popular education, critical pedagogy, social movements. His books are published in several languages, also in Romanian such as Paulo Freire Viata si opera pentru o pedagogie a dialogului (Translation by Daniel Mara) Editura didactica si pedagogica, 2009. Among last publications: Critical Education in international perspective, New York: Bloomsbury, 2021 (with Peter Mayo). ΠΑΟΥΛΟ ΦΡΕΙΡΕ - Η ΑΦΗΓΗΣΗ. ΠΡΟΣ ΜΙΑ ΠΑΙΔΑΓΩΓΙΚΗ ΤΟΥ ΔΙΑΛΟΓΟΥ. Athens: Epikentros, 2023. Paulo Freire. Un alfabeto di speranza. Roma: Tab, 2023.

Mihaela VOINEA

Associate Professor Ph.D.

Transilvania University of Brașov, Romania

Dr. Mihaela Voinea holds a PhD in Education Sciences from the University of Bucharest, Romania. She is an associate professor at Transylvania University, in the Psychology and Education Sciences Department and has more than 20 years of experience in the educational field. Her research interests focus on the field of teacher education, intercultural education and critical thinking. She was involved in various educational projects, funded by the Ministry of Education and Research as a researcher or a trainer (e.g., “Professionalization of the teaching career – new competences for the educational actors” “Reconstruction of the national curriculum in secondary education”; “The counselled student – an excellent future employee”) and in international projects (e.g., Evolution of reading in the age of digitisation -E-READ)She is the author of more than 70 scientific papers published in volumes of international conferences, journals and books. She is involved as an educational specialist in the development of the new curricula for social education for second level and supervises methodical-scientific thesis for obtaining the first teaching degree. She has good teaching and training skills gained though professional experience, participating as a trainer and assessor in workshops or in Romanian private companies. Currently she is head of the Department of Psychology, Education and Teacher Training, from Transylvania University of Brașov and member of national educational organizations.

Catharine STRIMAS

Associate Professor, Pedagogy

University of South-East Norway, Notodden Norway

Catharine Strimas is Associate Professor of Pedagogy at the Department of Education, Sports and Humanities at the University of South-East, Norway where she is has taught pedagogy for 2 years and cross-campus coordinator for Pedagogy for Teachers’ Certificate for Education Catharine’s present research focuses predominately on qualitative methods of educational research, including program coherence and mentoring. Catharine has participated in a 3- year national project for the development of a national digital learning platform (National Digital Learning Arena (ndla.no)) funded by the Norwegian government. International projects include an international cooperation with The American University in Beirut, Lebanon, and projects focusing on micro-integration, funded by Erasmus+.

Margareta M. THOMSON

Professor Ph.D.

NC State University, USA

Dr. Margareta M. Thomson, Ph.D. is a Full Professor in Educational Psychology at North Carolina State University, in the USA. Her research, funded by major federal agencies, such as the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), investigates teacher and student motivation with the aim of improving instructional practices and student outcomes. Additionally, she mentors doctoral students and teaches courses in Educational Psychology and related areas. Dr. Thomson is a recipient of several prestigious professional awards, including the U.S. Fulbright Scholar Award and the University Faculty Scholar Award. Webpage: https://ced.ncsu.edu/people/mmpop/