Enrique Mallen, Ph.D.

Professor, Department of World Languages and Cultures, Sam Houston State University

Dr. Enrique Mallen earned his PhD in Theoretical Linguistics from Cornell University. He is Professor in the Department of World Languages and Cultures at Sam Houston State University. He has published numerous articles and books on linguistics, poetic language, semiotics and art history. Since 1997 he is director of the Online Picasso Project, a Digital Humanities publication dedicated to the analysis and dissemination of the works by the multilingual and multidisciplinary Pablo Picasso. Among his books are: Pablo Picasso: A Period of Transformation (1906-1916) (Liverpool University Press, Forthcoming 2023), Pablo Picasso and Dora Maar: A Period of Conflict (1936-1946) (Sussex Academic Press. 2021), Pablo Picasso: The Aphrodite Period (1924-1936) (Sussex Academic Press. 2020), Eduardo Espina: Poesía del Deslenguaje (Amargord Ediciones, 2019), Pablo Picasso: The Interaction Between Collectors and Exhibitions, 1899-1939 (Sussex Academic Press, 2018), Pablo Picasso: A Critical Chronology (Lumme Editor, 2017), La Pulsión del Lenguaje: Diálogos y Poemas de José Kozer (Lumme Editor, 2015), La Muerte y la Máscara en Pablo Picasso (Peter Lang, 2013), A Concordance of Pablo Picasso's French Writings (Edwin Mellen Press, 2010), A Concordance of Pablo Picasso's Spanish Writings (Edwin Mellen Press, 2009), Antología Crítica de la Poesía del Lenguaje (Editorial Aldus, 2009), Poesía del Lenguaje: De T. S. Eliot a Eduardo Espina (Editorial Aldus, 2008), La Sintaxis de la Carne: Pablo Picasso y Marie-Thérèse Walter (Red Internacional del Libro, 2005), The Visual Grammar of Pablo Picasso (Peter Lang, 2003) and Con/figuración Sintáctica: Poesía del Des/lenguaje (Red Internacional del Libro Editores, 2002).

Chinny Nzekwe-Excel, Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Faculty of Business, Law and Social Sciences, Birmingham City University

Dr. Chinny Nzekwe-Excel is an experienced academic with significant subject expertise in the broad areas of Management Development Initiatives & Repositioning Strategies; International Business; Leadership Concepts; Operations Management Research; Teaching & Learning Innovations; Work-based Learning; and Construction Management. She is also a Statistics Expert; a Senior Fellow of the Advance Higher Education, UK; a Certified Management & Business Educator; and a Leadership and Management Professional.

Chinny is an Associate Professor in Enterprise and Corporate Development. She is the Program Director of the Help to Grow Management, and the Program Director of the Senior Leader Apprenticeship at Birmingham City University, UK. She has strategic involvements with wider & global higher education platforms and has published well over 50 research outputs in leading academic journals & conference/ scholarly networks.

Chinny's research outputs have continued to gain wide attention and international recognition including the Highly Commended Emeralds Literati Networks award. She serves as an editor and a reviewer in several peer-reviewed journals including the Built Environment, Project & Asset Management; Innovations in Education and Teaching Journal; International Journal of Learning; Research & Development, Science Publishing Group.

Javier Cifuentes-Faura, Ph.D.

Researcher, Department of Financial Economics and Accounting, University of Murcia

Javier Cifuentes-Faura works in the Department of Financial Economics and Accounting at the University of Murcia (Spain). He graduated in Business Administration and Management from the University of Murcia with the Extraordinary End of Degree Award and the best grade of the promotion. He has completed postgraduate studies such as the Master in Business Administration MBA and the Master in Commercial and Marketing Management at the European Business School of Barcelona, both with Cum Laude recognition for academic excellence. He has been awarded the "Economics and Business 2018" prize by the Official Association of Economists. His lines of research include those related to public administration and economics, business, education, and those related to sustainability and environment. He is a member of the work plan of the EDINSOST2 project: Integration of sustainable development objectives in sustainability education in Spanish university degrees. He has published in JCR and Scopus impact journals, such as Educational Review, Social Indicators Research, Evaluation Review or Journal of Policy Modeling. He has participated in several international conferences, being invited to some of them as keynote speaker.

Nafhesa Ali, Ph.D.

Lecturer, Department of Social Sciences, Northumbria University

Dr. Nafhesa Ali is a Lecturer in Sociology at Northumbria University and is an interdisciplinary Sociologist with expertise in the everyday lives of racialized and minority communities. Nafhesa's interest include ageing, migration, sexualities and environmental sustainability. Her forthcoming book titled Older South Asian women's experiences of ageing in the UK: Intersectional feminist perspectives will be published with Palgrave Macmillan. Nafhesa's previous publications include on co-authored book Storying Relationships (2021), and edited collection A Match Made in Heaven: British Muslim Women write about Love and Desire (2020) and several journal publications in Sexualities, Ethnicities, Ethnic and Racial Studies and Cultural Geographies.

Nafhesa has previously worked at the various UK institutions which include the University of Huddersfield, University of Sheffield and the University of Manchester. Nafhesa's other roles include lead for the Power and Intersecting Identities (PII) Research Cluster Group at Northumbria University and Honorary SCI Fellow at the University of Manchester.

Johanna Waters Ph.D.

Professor of Human Geography & Co-Director of Migration Research Unit & International and Affiliate Tutor, University College London

Johanna Waters is Professor of Human Geography at University College London (UCL) and Fellow of the Learned Society of Wales. She is co-Director of the Migration Research Unit and International and Affiliate Tutor for the Department of Geography, UCL. She works on issues relating to student mobilities, international and transnational higher education and the educational migration of families from East Asia. Her forthcoming book (Waters, J. and R. Brooks, 2021) is entitled Student Migrants and Contemporary Educational Mobilities, published by Palgrave. She is also co-editing a book on Migration and the Family (forthcoming with B. Yeoh, published by Edward Elgar).

Title of Speech: Social Science Perspectives on Student Mobilities for Higher Education

Ben Fahimnia Ph.D.

Professor and Chair in Decision Sciences, The University of Sydney
Director, Supply Chain & Logistics Association of Australia (SCLAA)

Ben Fahimnia is a Professor and Chair in Decision Sciences at the University of Sydney. He also serves as Director for Supply Chain & Logistics Association of Australia (SCLAA). After receiving his PhD in 2011, Prof Fahimnia held various academic and leadership positions prior to his promotion to a Full Professor at the University of Sydney in 2016 - distinguishing him as the youngest Australian Full Professors. He has a multidisciplinary background with degrees in business/management, engineering, psychology, and dramatic arts. This diverse background has enabled him to lead a range of multidisciplinary projects with the overall goal of helping individuals, companies, and governments to make more systematic and informed decisions. Prof Fahimnia is frequently consulted by a range of businesses, from small and medium size companies to Fortune 500 corporations. His research has attracted substantial funding of over $120m from the governments, industries and universities. Professor Fahimnia has published over 100 articles in premier journals and is a regular speaker at academic conferences and industry events. He has been widely recognised and continuously awarded for his passion and contributions to practice-oriented education and innovative teaching approaches.

Title of Speech: Strength-Oriented Supply Chain Education

Jo Boaler Ph.D.

The Nomellini & Olivier Professor of Education (Mathematics) & Co-founder of youcubed.org, Stanford University

Dr. Jo Boaler is the Nomellini & Olivier Professor of Education at Stanford University. Her PhD won the national award for educational research in the UK. She is an elected fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (Great Britain), and a former president of the International Organization for Women and Mathematics Education (IOWME). She is the recipient of a National Science Foundation 'Early Career Award', the NCSM Kay Gilliland Equity Award (2014) and the CMC Walter Denham Mathematics Leadership award (2015). She is the author of fourteen books, numerous research articles and several online courses. She is a White House presenter on women and girls. She formed youcubed to give teachers, parents, and students the resources and ideas they need to inspire and excite students about mathematics. She was named one of the 8 educators "Changing the Face of Education" by the BBC. Her latest book is: Limitless Mind: Learn, Lead & Live without Barriers, published by Harper Collins.

Title of Speech: The Data Revolution. Ideas for Data Infused Teaching

Murali Nair Ph.D.

Adjunct Professor of Social Enterprise Administration, Columbia University

Over his 45-year academic career, Murali Nair has served as a BSW, MSW, and DSW professor and administrator at five universities in the United States and as a Distinguished Visiting Professor at three overseas universities. In his last positions, Nair was the Clinical Professor of Social Change and Innovation at University of Southern California (2012-2020) and a Professor and the Director of the School of Social Work at Cleveland State University (1992-2012). His areas of teaching expertise include macro practice, social enterprise, social responsibility, wellbeing innovation, harnessing technology for social good, advancing long and productive lives, and social responses to changing environments.

Nair has published extensively in the area of social development, including 13 books, nine short documentaries, and over 100 journal articles and peer reviewed paper presentations at national and international conferences. His latest books include Engaged Learning, Leading and Managing Human Service Organizations (4tth edition), and Evidence Based Macro Social Work Practice (2nd edition). He is a CSWE member of the Special Commission to Advance Macro Practice and an Associate Editor of the Oxford Encyclopedia of Macro Social Work.

Title of Speech: Engaged Learning For Professional Practice

Dave Delgado

Founder and Headmaster of Cambrian Academy

Mr. Delgado, a graduate of UC Berkeley, has 30 years of private school management experience including various levels of administration, school development and organization, multi-campus accreditation, quality assurance, curriculum development, teacher selection and training, student assessment, student counseling, teaching, and problem solving. He is the Founder and Headmaster of Cambrian Academy, a private college preparatory school in Silicon Valley serving local and international students in grades 6-12. His community involvement includes serving as Youth Services Chair and Board member with the Rotary Club of Saratoga, Andas Vice President and Board member with the Saratoga Chamber of Commerce.

Title of Speech: East Plus West a Recipe for Excellence, if Done Correctly

Aditya Vishwanath, Ph.D. Candidate

Co-founder of Inspirit, Knight-Hennessy Scholar at Stanford University

Aditya is a Ph.D. candidate in Learning Sciences and Technology Design and a Knight-Hennessy scholar at Stanford University. He is the co-founder of Inspirit, a company that develops virtual reality learning content, and his research focuses on developing technologies that support universal access to immersive learning content. Previously, he worked with the Google Education team where he explored strategies to integrate low-cost virtual reality toolkits into curriculums, and was a three-time recipient of the President's Undergraduate Research Award at Georgia Tech. Before Inspirit, he co-founded MakerGhat, a makerspace and incubator for youth from low-income communities in urban Mumbai.

Title of Speech: The Many Futures of Virtual Learning Environments

Daniel Vuillermin, Ph.D.

Associate and Honorary Lecturer, University College London (UCL), Section Editor, Palgrave Encyclopedia of Health Humanities (Springer Nature)

Lecturer and researcher specialising in cross-cultural medical humanities. Currently employed as a lecturer at the School of Health Humanities at Peking University. Diverse teaching and research experiences at leading universities in the UK, China, and Australia. Strong research skills cultivated through completing PhD research, professional research assistant and author. Currently researching narrative medicine in China, using art as research in medical/health education, Chinese cinemeducation, and a cultural history of diagnosis.

Title of Speech: Medical Art Projects: Using Art to Cultivate 'Medical Humanities Care' in Chinese Health Education

Syed Nitas Iftekhar, Ph.D.

Education Director & Co-Founder of Kidtopia Children's Museum

Dr. Syed Nitas Iftehkar has worked in the field of education for several years taking up many roles such as those of a professor, environmental campaigner, academic, policy analyst, and researcher. He was awarded a Ph.D. for his work on environmental pedagogies from Beijing Normal University, China. His published works focus on issues related to critical pedagogies, environment sustainability, and global citizenship education. Currently, he is the Education Director and Co-Founder of Kidtopia Children's Museum (KCM) in Beijing. KCM focuses on providing families with the best possible early childhood education and lifestyle services in China.

Title of Speech: Contestations of Global Citizenship Education in the Global South

Paul R. Goldin Ph.D.

Professor & Chair, Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations, University of Pennsylvania

Paul R. Goldin is a Professor in Department of East Asian Languages & Civilizations at University of Pennsylvania since 2007. He is also a Fellow in School of Historical Studies, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, from 2022-23. His main area of research is classical Chinese history and philosophy, i.e. from the Bronze Age to late antiquity. As the study of this period is necessarily interdisciplinary, his work also involves archaeology, art history, linguistics, literature, and religion. He has published more than 10 books and more than 50 articles, including: Lu Jia's New Discourses: A Political Manifesto from the Early Han Dynasty, The Art of Chinese Philosophy: Eight Classical Texts and How to Read Them and so on.

Title of Speech: How Classical Chinese Works

Enrico Palandri Ph.D.

Professor of Modern European Literature, SELCS, Faculty of Arts & Humanities, University College London

Enrico Palandri holds the posts of Writer in Residence and Professor of Modern European Literature at the UCL. He has given talks on literature at universities in South America, Russia, China. Palandri's novels, articles and essays have appeared in multiple languages and have received numerous prizes (Fenice Europa, Dessi', Mastronardi, etc.). For example, Pier (2005, on Pier Vittorio Tondelli) and Primo Levi (2011, on the Piedmont writer of the same name) are a monograph and an anthology respectively, with prefaces and commentaries which contextualize the corpus of work written concerning the two Italian authors. The volumes La deriva romantica (2002) and Flow (2011) are, instead, books with a very strong theoretical focus. In 2003, he was conferred the title of "Commendatore" in the Order of the Star of Italian Solidarity for his cultural contributions by Italian President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi.

Title of Speech: The Landscape Around the Teaching of Humanities

Eric Patrick

Associate Professor, Department of Radio-Television-Film, Northwestern University

Eric Patrick is currently an associate professor at Northwestern University. With over twenty-five years of experience in the entertainment industry, his commercial animation and independent experimental works have received a Peabody Award, a Guggenheim Fellowship, over 100 grants, fellowships, and awards at international film festivals, and several Emmy nominations. His additional work in information design has received grants from the National Institute of Health (Reproductive Health), and the Chicago Digital Media Production Fund (Citizen Primer). He has screened extensively both domestically and internationally at festivals, museums and on television, including screenings at the Rotterdam Film Festival, The Museum of Modern Art, the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, and the South by Southwest Film Festival. He was an animator for the seminal Nickelodeon program "Blues Clues," and has written several articles about independent animation.

Title of Speech: The Lost Art of Praxis in Contemporary Pedagogy