Prof. Dr. Carinda Christien Williams, PhD in Marketing Management at the North-West University, Associate Professor at the North-West University, South Africa.
Prof Carinda Williams holds a PhD in Marketing Management and is focused on research in Consumer behaviour, International marketing and project-based research in Higher education. She has international collaborations with several international institutions and has contributed to global academic projects. She is also a co-editor and author of a consumer behaviour textbook and is the recipient of the most innovative lecturer award of the NWU in 2023.
Prof. Dr. Maria Agorastou holds a PhD in Education, along with Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees in Clinical Social Work. She is a licensed clinical social worker and psychotherapist certified in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Internal Family Systems (IFS Informed). Specializing in trauma-focused care, Dr. Agorastou teaches courses in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Psychotraumatology, with a focus on integrative approaches to researching and healing trauma, particularly complex trauma. Her professional interests extend to educational system reform, with a focus on creating and implementing trauma-informed curricula that promote resilience and mental and emotional well-being in secondary and higher education settings. As the Director of the University Counseling Center, Dr. Agorastou oversees all clinical aspects of the center, bridging evidence-based practices with holistic methodologies. Her work fosters innovation in therapeutic and educational settings, aligning clinical practice with transformative educational approaches.
Dr. Vishal Ramjattan is an Assistant Lecturer at the University of the West Indies in the areas of curriculum, educational foundations and qualitative research. Dr. Ramjattan has participated in and led curricula writing projects for tertiary and government institutions. He is actively involved in the support, monitoring, and evaluation of curriculum implementation in Trinidad and Tobago. His Doctoral research focused on the use of Garden-based learning to support thematic curriculum implementation in elementary schools. Dr Ramjattan has co-authored several papers in the areas of Garden-based learning, Neo-tropical animals, and education assessment. With twenty years of experience as an educator, Dr Ramjattan is passionate about education and has continued to form synergistic partnerships among stakeholders in the education system in the Caribbean region.
Dr. Champa Das holds an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership and is a Researcher and Adjunct Professor at Central Connecticut State University, New Britain, USA. With a background of MTech., BTech. in Information Technology.
Her interests span education policy, international student experiences, and data analysis. She has published widely and received recognition for her research, including a best paper award at ICACNI 2014. Dr. Das is passionate about inclusive education and advancing student success in higher education
Dr. Osama I. Alwassil is an Associate Professor at the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He holds a Ph.D. in Medicinal Chemistry from Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU, USA) and an M.Sc. in Medical Education from KSAU-HS. His research interests include drug design using molecular modeling, psychostimulants, antimicrobial agents, and student-centered learning. He is a recipient of the Preparing Future Faculty Program certificate from VCU and has contributed to educational innovation and curriculum development in pharmacy education.
Mr. Abraham Bello Osagie is a 300-level undergraduate of Information Technology at the National Open University of Nigeria. He is interested in applying Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) to detect cheating and fraud in technology-driven learning environments. Abraham’s research focus is on how AI-based solutions can combat academic dishonesty and financial fraud, particularly in Nigeria’s digital learning space. His interests align with new research that points to the significance of AI and ML in fraud detection and prevention across all industries, including education. Abraham wishes to assist in designing intelligent systems that render digital learning platforms more secure and of greater integrity.
Mari Carmen Suárez-Figueroa, PhD. is a senior lecturer at the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Department in the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) since 2008 and a senior researcher at the Ontology Engineering Group since 2002.
Her research is focused (a) on applying AI to achieve cognitive accessibility in texts in Spanish and (b) on investigating different aspects of Inclusive AI. In these areas she has led 7 projects in collaboration with different organizations such as University of Oxford and Fundación ONCE.
Dr. Deborah Bell is a Lecturer in International Initial Teacher Training (IITT) in the School of Education at the University of Sunderland, United Kingdom. Her research include support mechanisms for distance learning students, and she is currently collaborating on a paper exploring support mechanisms for students. This research was awarded Vice Chancellor Teaching Fellowship Award in 2024-25. Deborah completed a professional doctorate titled Collapsing Hierarchies and Dissolving Dichotomies in Higher Education through Subject Specific Communities of Practice. Her research examined the working relationships between academic and administrative staff in a Higher Education Institution (HEI) in England.
Ms. Irina Samoshkina is an educator with over 20 years of teaching experience in higher education. She holds a degree in Applied Linguistics and is currently working as a Senior Teacher at RANEPA, Moscow. As a researcher and author of teacher development courses, her work focuses on effective methodologies for enhancing English language acquisition at the tertiary level.
Mr. Ross Pululu Kusonga is an aspiring PhD candidate currently employed at West Durban College in South Africa as a research assistant. He is deeply passionate about education, sustainability, and fostering digital inclusion in under-resourced communities. His interests encompass innovative teaching methods, environmental education, and community development. Recently, Ross received a departmental award for academic excellence and remains actively involved in research projects aimed at enhancing learning outcomes and promoting environmental awareness throughout South Africa.
