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.
Ms. Josette Farrugia is a Senior Lecturer in science education and former Head of the Department of Mathematics and Science Education within the Faculty of Education of the University of Malta. She started her career as a chemistry teacher, has taught at secondary and post-secondary levels and has also worked as Principal Subject Area Officer for Science within the MATSEC Examinations Board before joining the Faculty of Education on a full-time basis. Her research interests and teaching areas in science education include pedagogy, assessment and curriculum; problem-solving and inquiry based learning; teachers’ beliefs and professional development. She is involved in initial teacher education for secondary school science teachers and also teaches and tutors on a number of post-graduate programmes. She has participated in a number of European projects aimed at improving science education in Europe and is the University of Malta’s representative in the International Consortium for STEM Education.
Dr. Mark Antony Joseph de Boer is an Assistant Professor at Akita International University in Japan and is a co-editor of the volume Assessment and learning in content and language integrated learning (CLIL) classrooms: Approaches and conceptualisations. He has a background in biochemistry, but obtained his MA in TESOL from Birmingham University, U.K. after moving to Japan. He is a Ph.D. candidate at the Universidad de Jaén, Spain and his thesis examines the teacher’s orchestration of the CLIL classroom in higher education to make the students’ learning visible. He has published articles and given talks on teacher training and praxis, assessment, cognitive discourse functions (CDFs), CLIL in higher education, and his current research is on Legitimation Code Theory and semantic waves in CLIL classrooms. He is also involved with various CLIL and CEFR research groups in Europe.
Dr. Roger Zoorob, M.D., MPH, FAAFP, has served as the Richard M. Kleberg, Sr. Professor and Chair of the Department of Family and Community Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine for the past ten years. Dr. Zoorob is board-certified in family medicine, with over 25 years of experience in leadership in clinical practice, research, and teaching. Dr. Zoorob oversees the Center for Prevention and Population Health Research at Baylor. He has led multiple federally and statefunded grants and has authored over 180 publications and book chapters, and presented his work nationally and internationally.
Dr. Maria Katsipataki (BA, MSc, PhD), is a Research Associate at the Durham University, School of Education, UK. She is involved in the development and updating of the Sutton Trust Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) Teaching and Learning Toolkit. The Toolkit is a summary of educational research that provides guidance to educators on how to use their resources to improve outcomes for learners. Her research interests focus on the use of evidence-based research in education to support policy and practice. In addition, she is also interested in the fields of developmental psychology and learning difficulties.
Maria has also been awarded the Inspiration for Government award for her work on the Toolkit.
