Past Speakers
Prof. Stefán B. Gunnlaugsson
He is Professor of Business Administration at the University of Akureyri, Iceland. He holds a PhD in buisness and has research interests in finance, fisheries economics, natural-resource management, and the Icelandic economy. His research focuses on investment, asset allocation, financial markets, fisheries management, and the economics of Iceland's individual transferable quota (ITQ) system. He has published research on strategic asset allocation, investment returns, fisheries economics, sustainability, and economic policy. His work combines empirical financial analysis with applied economic research, with particular attention to the challenges facing small open economies such as Iceland. Gunnlaugsson teaches finance and economics, including corporate finance, investment analysis, and financial decision-making. He has also undertaken applied economic analysis and consultancy. His research aims to connect economic and financial theory with practical questions in investment, resource management, and public policy.
Assoc. Prof. Jahnabi Deka
Jahnabi Deka is an Associate Professor in the Department of Philosophy, Gauhati University, Assam, India. She completed her
postgraduation and Ph.D. from the same University. Her research areas of interest are: Analytic Philosophy, Philosophy of
Education, Logic, Philosophy of Mind, Metaphilosophy and History of Philosophy. She is now one of the Board of Directors of
the Bertrand Russell Society (BRS). Her edited anthology titled Bertrand Russell Today: Philosophy and Politics, Papers on the
50th Anniversary of the Bertrand Russell Society (Spokesman Books) is going to be released in August, 2026.
Dr. Uranus Saadat
Dr Uranus Saadat is a Senior Lecturer in Education at INTI International University, Nilai, Malaysia. She holds a PhD in Education (TESL) from Universiti Putra Malaysia, along with an MEd in TESL and a BA in English Language Translator Training. With twelve years of English language teaching experience and four years in higher education teaching and supervision, she delivers undergraduate, Master's, and PhD courses in Academic Writing, Educational Psychology, and Research Methodology. Her research interests include English for Academic Writing, educational psychology, and technology-enhanced teaching and learning, including AI in education. She has authored peer-reviewed publications in Scopus-indexed journals, supervises Master's and PhD candidates, and serves as an internal examiner for postgraduate proposal defense and viva voce examinations across Malaysian institutions.
Dr. Usman I. Dabai
He is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Sociology, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, Nigeria. He holds a PhD in Sociology and Anthropology (Industrial Sociology and Organisations) from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (2024). His research interests include Industrial Sociology, Sociology of Organisations, Development, Religion, Work and Inequality, conflict, displacement, security, and community resilience. His research employs qualitative, ethnographic, and mixed-method approaches to examine social institutions, livelihoods, organisations, and community responses to social and economic challenges. He has received several awards, including the Excellent Thesis Writing Award (2024), Graduation on Time (G.O.T) Award (2024), Award of Distinction (2024) from UKM, the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) PhD Scholarship Award (2021), and the Most Accommodative Lecturer Award (2021). He has published in academic journals and presented research at national and international conferences.
Dr. Rahme Sadikoglu
She s a Lecturer at ARU London. She holds a PhD in Sociology from Goldsmiths, University of London, an MA in International Journalism from London Metropolitan University, and a BA in Television Journalism from Middlesex University. Her research interests span postcolonial identity, hybridity, belonging, migration, divided societies, media representation, and academic integrity in the age of artificial intelligence. She is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, with extensive experience in teaching, research methods, academic development, and academic support within UK higher education. Her published research has examined Turkish Cypriot identity, cultural events, dialogue, and social inclusion. Her current work also explores responsible and transparent uses of generative AI in higher education.
Mr. Ifeanyi Maduka
Ifeanyi is a behavioural science doctoral researcher at Lagos Business School. His research investigates the psychological mechanisms underpinning socioeconomic inequality and organisational leadership. He holds an MSc in Economics from Birkbeck, University of London, and an MSc in Psychology from Liverpool John Moores University.
Miss. Bijoysri Deka
She is a Ph.D. research scholar in the department of Philosophy at Gauhati University, Assam, India. She is a Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) holder and her area of interest are philosophy of education, analytic philosophy, epistemology, metaphysics, ethics.
Mr. Derek Barker-Ciganik
Derek Barker-Ciganik is a Senior Research Fellow in the Department of
African Studies at the University of Vienna. His research focuses on
identity, discourse, power, and social organisation. He is the developer
of Identity Group Theory (IGT), a framework that conceptualises
identities as dynamic systems of allocation, regulation, and value
distribution. His current work explores identity economies, digital
identity formation, recognition, and the relationship between identity
structures and social behaviour across cultural, political, and
institutional contexts.
Dr. Monica Potsangbam
She is an accomplished academic and researcher currently serving as an Assistant Professor at Yairipok Universal College in
Manipur, India. She earned her PhD from Manipur International University in Ghari, Manipur, establishing a strong foundation
for her career in higher education. She holds a Master’s degree from the University of Mysore and is a recipient of Junior
Research Fellowship from UGC, India.
Throughout her academic journey, she has been recognised with prestigious honors for her dedication and excellence. She was
awarded the T.S. Rangaswamy Award, which included a cash prize, from the University of Mysore. Additionally, her
contributions to her field earned her the esteemed Rabindra Ratna Puraskar Award from the Veyil Foundation.
Prof Dr. Leonid Tutov
Professor, Head of the Department of Philosophy and Methodology of Economics,
Faculty of Economics, Lomonosov Moscow State University. From 2013 (current position)
Vice-Dean, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Faculty of Economics. From 2008 till 2014
Founder and editor-in-chief of the journal "Scientific Research of the Faculty of Economics. Electronic magazine".
Prof. Dr. Shakeeva Chinara Asanovna
Rector of the Kyrgyz-Russian Academy of Education, Doctor of Psychology, Professor, Academician of the International Aitmatov Academy, Honorary Professor of Soka University in Tokyo, Japan, President of the National Society of Psychologists of Kyrgyzstan.
Currently, she is a leading specialist in the field of psychology in Kyrgyzstan and the only specialist in the republic with a basic education in social psychology.
Professor Shakeeva is a member of the dissertation council of the Kazakh National University named after al-Farabi, the Kyrgyz National University named after J. Balasagyn and the Kyrgyz State University named after I. Arabaev.
The result of her successful scientific research are numerous scientific works on the problems of the media, television, radio, culture and youth policy, as well as problems of higher education.
Ass. Prof. Yeliz Usta
Dr. Yeliz Usta, Assistant Professor in the Department of History at Recep Tayyip Erdogan University in Turkey, earned her Ph.D. in Modern History from Istanbul University. She works on Ottoman social and cultural history, with a focus on women’s history, charitable organizations, and modernization processes. She has received academic scholarships for her undergraduate and graduate studies and currently teaches undergraduate and graduate courses. Within these research areas, she has produced a range of peer-reviewed articles and scholarly studies, contributing original insights to the field.
Dr. Steven Killings
Dr. Steven Killings, Director of Humanities and Philosophy Programs, University of Maryland Global Campus since 2017 earned his doctorate in Medieval Studies at the University of Toronto in 2003 and has been working in the field of Digital Humanities and Medieval Studies for more than 25 years.
Dr. Uma Rani A Rethina Velu
Dr Uma Rani A Rethina Velu holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) from University Putra Malaysia, Master’s Degree and PhD in Linguistics, University of Malaya. Has Teacher Trainer Certificate from Regional Educational Language
Centre, Singapore and ‘Multi-camera Television Production’ Certificate from Deutshe Welle, Berlin, Germany. Experience teaching students and trained teachers in creative ESL. Worked with Technology Division Malaysia as TV producer producing educational talk shows and children’s programmes. Lectured in Malaysian private and public universities. Awarded ‘Master Teacher Award’ for excellence in teaching, and ‘Innovative Creative Teacher’s Award’ for her ‘Walking Dictionaries Programme’ in Malaysia also recognised by British Council. She has several publications and conference proceedings with interest in media and linguistics apart from publication works in writing creative stories for children. Presently, lives in Italy with interest in singing, yoga, voluntarily helping children to read while contributing continuously to academic interest.
Dr. Atiyeh Ebrahimi
Dr. Atiyeh Ebrahimi is currently working as a Doctor in Emergency Medicine. She graduated from medical school in Iran in 2019 and has since pursued both clinical and academic interests. Alongside her medical training, she has actively worked as part of research teams since graduation, contributing to several projects and earning an MD in Research.
Her clinical practice in Emergency Medicine has equipped her with strong skills in acute care and decision-making under pressure. Outside of work, she maintains a passion for fitness, regularly going to the gym, and enjoys listening to music as a way to unwind.
Prof. Dr. Rona Bušljeta Kardum
PhD is an Assistant Professor at University of Zagreb, Faculty of Croatian Studies, Department of Educational Sciences. At present, she leads the lifelong learning program focused on the development of teaching competencies. She presented different papers at many scientific conferences in Croatia and abroad and published scientific articles in domestic and international journals, most of which in the field of educational sciences. She is the co-author of three school textbooks which are currently used in primary and secondary schools and the co-author of a university handbook. During her professional career she spent some research time at Pädagogische Hochschule Freiburg, Germany and Georg-Eckert-Institut für Internationale Schulbuchforschung, Germany. Her research interest includes educational theories, lifelong education, teaching methodology, curriculum, and all aspects of developing and researching textbooks.
Prof. Dr. Antonia Ordulj
Antonia Ordulj holds a PhD in Glottodidactics. In February 2021 she was appointed Assistant Professor at the Centre for Croatian Language Learning, Faculty of Croatian Studies, University of Zagreb. Her main research interests include acquisition of Croatian as first and second or foreign language (vocabulary learning strategies, foreign language anxiety, collocations, corpus analysis, writing, reading, and listening in foreign language etc.).
Prof. Dr. Monika Komušanac
Monika Komušanac is an assistant professor at the Faculty of Croatian Studies, University of Zagreb, in the Department of Demography and Croatian Emigration. She specializes in general and applied demography, as well as spatial and regional development in the Republic of Croatia, with a particular research focus on contemporary migrations within Croatia and the Croatian ethnic space. She is the leader of several research projects addressing Croatia's demographic challenges and the impact of demography on public national systems.
Prof Dr. Ledys Hernández Chacón
Doctor of Humanistic Studies with an educational focus. Psychologist by profession, with a master's degree in Educational Sciences and a diploma in neurolearning. Professional background of 15 years of experience in university teaching. Researcher with 21 published works including books, chapters and high-impact articles. Lecturer and speaker at national and international events. Member of several research associations and networks. Qualities for organizational teamwork, organizational leadership and management of high-level academic groups. Organizational performance in senior educational management positions as dean and vice-rector. Social and environmental responsibility and positive aptitudes for learning new skills.
Dr. Suzan Al-dababsa
Dr. Suzan Al-dababsa, a lecturer at the University of Jordan in philosophy, logic, and philosophy of science, holds a BA, MA, and PhD in philosophy with honors, specializing in the philosophy of science, specifically the principle of causality. She has published numerous scientific papers on the philosophy of science and philosophy in general.
Dr. Mohammad Altaf Hossain
Dr. Mohammad Altaf Hossain is a postdoctoral research fellow at the Geary Institute for Public Policy, University College Dublin, Ireland. His current project, funded by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA), investigates the housing precarity experienced by Bangladeshi migrants living in Dublin. Prior to his postdoctoral position, he taught anthropology at the University of Rajshahi, Bangladesh, his home country. He was awarded the John & Pat Hume scholarship for his doctoral studies in anthropology at Maynooth University in Ireland. He completed his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in anthropology at Jahangirnagar University, Bangladesh. His research interests encompass housing precarity, migration, public policy, and disaster vulnerability.
Dr. Sonia Mairos Ferreira
Keynote Speaker
Currently serving as a PME (Research Specialist) at UNICEF Lesotho, she brings over 20 years of experience as an accomplished Assistant Professor and researcher
Empowering Voices, Building Futures: UNICEF Lesotho's Journey for Gender Equality and Inclusive Growth
Her expertise lies in assisting populations affected by crises, disasters, and/or conflicts. She has a strong background in capacity building, training, and applying anthropology to humanitarian contexts. Her work has spanned various nations, including, among others, Lesotho, Yemen, Ethiopia, Somalia, South Sudan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Nigeria, Venezuela, Colombia, and Ukraine. With a Ph.D. in Permanent Education and Adult Training, complemented by degrees in Educational and Psychological Sciences, she has also pursued postgraduate studies in crucial areas such as Gender Equality, Human Rights, and Crisis Intervention.
Dr. S. Krishna
Analytical English Professor with outstanding analysis, critical thinking, and writing skills. Anchored in Strong philosophy of classical teaching and knowledge of various methods to excite students about literature, language, and communications Area of Specialization and Interest: Cultural Studies, Indigenous Literature Feminist Writings, ELT, Eco Criticism, Personality Development, Media and Film Studies.
Prof. Ricky Munyaradzi Mukonza
Prof Ricky Munyaradzi Mukonza is an Associate Prof in the Department of Public Management and the current Academic Manager in the Faculty of Humanities, Polokwane Campus at Tshwane
University in South Africa. He is a member of the South African Association of Public Administration and Management (SAAPAM); his areas of interest in research include E-government, Intergovernmental Relations, Public Financial Management, Local Government, Public Policy,
Migration, Public Administration and Governance. Prof Mukonza has successfully supervised over 80 Master’s students and over 10 Doctoral students. He also has attended and presented academic papers at both national and international conferences. He has presented papers at Public Administration conferences. His publications include numerous conference proceedings, over to 60 journal articles in peer reviewed journals and 3 book chapters. In addition, Ricky has been appointed a reviewer by five local journals and seven international ones. He has received numerous awards from his University for his research work. Currently he has been nominated for the TW Kambule-
NSTF Researcher Award ( a South African national research award). Ricky’s views on governance and politics are sought out by many media houses.
Tatiana Bolshova
Tatiana Bolshova,Final year PhD Student at Aston University, UK.
She is PhD research area is International commercial law, particularly how business laws in French-speaking African countries can be changed to open access to finance for smallholders. Research interests include the application of soft and hard law norms in international commercial law and concepts of path dependency and legal evolution.
George Gabedava
George Gabedava is a Associate Professor and Deputy Rector for Academic Affiars at the Batumi Navigation Teaching University (Georgia) with eigth of experience. Holding a PhD in Business Administration from Georgian Teachnical University, He specializes in Management; Maritime Transport Management and Economics. Mr. George is an Expert in Accreditation of Educational Programs of Higher Educational Institutions.
Isabel Epistelomogi
Isabel Epistelomogi is a USC student studying Computer Science and Business. She is the VP of Education Research & Analytics at the Institute for Youth in Policy. She is the first and corresponding author of a study exploring the efficacy of discourse and was an invited speaker at College Board events. Her research interests include civics, polarization, media, and AI.
Maryam Zoweil
Maryam Zoweil is a freshman at UT Austin studying Business Honors. She serves as the Director of Education Data Analytics at the Institute for Youth in Policy. She is the secondary author of a study exploring the efficacy of discourse in civics curriculum and has been featured in national civics events. She is interested in civics education and depolarization.
Mr. Razique Anwar
Razique Anwar, a final-year Ph.D. Scholar in Economics and Public Policy at Indian Institute of Management Kashipur, India. Before enrolling in the doctoral program, he completed my MBA and MA in Economics. His areas of research interest include Monetary economics, Developmental economics, and public policy. He has two publications in ABDC-indexed journals.
Ms. Thi Dinh Mai
She holds a Master's degree in English Linguistics from Hanoi University of Industry, Vietnam. She is currently an English
lecturer at FPT University. Her academic and professional interests include Critical Discourse Analysis, Applied Linguistics, and
Intercultural Communication. Her current research focuses particularly on how educational institutions construct and
communicate their global selves through discourse, with particular attention to the Discourse-Historical Approach (DHA).