OGE visiting scholars

Rūta Gajauskaitė (Lithuania)

August 2024 - May 2025

Rūta Gajauskaitė is a PhD student at the Institute of Educational Sciences at Vilnius University, Lithuania, and a former middle-school teacher of English. Her work stems from posthumanist readings of Deleuze and Guattari’s philosophy and returns to the practical field of education. Researching the divide between theory and praxis, Rūta focuses on mapping the territories of lived and planned, creative and reactive curriculum: she puts to work the concept of the rhizome, or, more specifically, its lines of molarity, molecularity, and flight to make sense of the ways that lessons unfold in the classroom. During her time at ASU, Rūta will be working on dissertation, focusing on writing the theoretical framework and defining the research method. She has been practicing post-qualitative inquiry, which allows her to explore the ways to think, know, and act along and around the established binaries in research and education.

Elif Iliman Püsküllüoğlu (Turkey)

July 2024 - July 2025

Elif Iliman Püsküllüoğlu completed her bachelor's degree at Dokuz Eylul University. She received her master's and PhD degrees from Mugla Sitki Kocman University from the Educational Sciences Department, Educational Administration Division. Her research interests include organizational behavior (dissent, deviance, justice, democracy), higher education administration, educational supervision, economics of educations, administration of special education, lifelong learning, and adult education. On these topics, Dr. Iliman Püsküllüoğlu has published many articles and book chapters either with her colleagues or on her own. She has presented many proceedings on national and international conferences of education. She has completed many projects in educational sciences. She is currently a member of the research team for an Erasmus Project funded by the European Union. Dr. Iliman Püsküllüoğlu taught several courses, including Introduction to Education, Lifelong Learning and Adult Education, Sustainable Development, and Education.

At the beginning of her career, she was employed by the Ministry of National Education as a teacher of English. Then, she worked as a research assistant at Mugla Sitki Kocman University. She served in the Disabled Student Unit at Mugla Sitki Kocman University. Currently, Dr. Iliman Püsküllüoğlu holds the position of assistant professor in the Faculty of Education at Ege University at the Educational Sciences Department, Lifelong Learning and Adult Education Division.

During the 2024-2025 academic year, she will serve as a visiting scholar at Arizona State University's Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College. Her postdoctoral research is funded by the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye. During her visit to ASU, Dr. Iliman Püsküllüoğlu will collaborate and do research with scholars outstanding in their disciplines. She is confident that she will get significant insights from them, and her role as a visiting scholar here enhances her professional development and research.

Suzana Feldens Schwertner (Brazil)

September 2024 - December 2024 

Doctor Suzana Feldens Schwertner (PhD) is a Fulbright visiting scholar from Brazil at the Office of Global Engagement (OGE) at the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College. She has graduate studies in psychology and education and is a full professor at the Universidade do Vale do Taquari (Univates) Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Dr. Schwertner is leading the research group Youth, Images, and Education funded by the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) in Brazil. Her research interests include youth, schools, teaching, and visual culture, focusing on photovoice and photo-elicitation techniques. Additionally, she has a keen interest in understanding the diverse landscape of North American literature. During her four-month scholarship (August-December 2024), in collaboration with Dr. Gustavo E. Fischman will expand the analysis of the data of the project "Researching with youth and images: Experiences of being taught." To facilitate the expansion of collaborative research and the internationalization of graduate education of Univates and the MLFTC Dr. Feldens Schwertner will participate in classes and seminars and work with colleagues and students from ASU.

Dong Liu (China)

August 2022 - August 2024

Dong Liu is a Doctor of Philosophy in Education major in Physical Education and sport from University of Perpetual Help System DALTA. His research areas concentrate on physical education and health, and recreational sports. His published articles focused on the effects of exercise fatigue, exercise intensity on obesity in children and adolescents, and intervention methods for children's physical health. He has published two monographs exploring the holistic impact of active school travel on students. He has undertaken several children's physical education and health research projects and has research experience in children's physical health, mental health, and social adaptation. He currently revolves around the PLAYground project that an after-school playground curriculum intervention to improve children’s physical, social, and emotional health. During his time at ASU, he will learn from experienced professionals and teams and do research with them. He firmly believes that being a visiting scholar can enhance his expertise and contribute to research projects.

Abdullah Saykili (Turkey)

August 2023 - August 2024

Abdullah Saykili is a Postdoctoral Fellow funded through The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye. He is also an Assistant Professor in Lifelong Learning and Adult Education at College of Education, Anadolu University. Dr. Saykili is a seasoned educator, researcher, and scholar specializing in open and distance learning, educational technology, and language education. His current research interests include massive online open courses (MOOCs) for teacher development, artificial intelligence in education, learning experiences design, and learning analytics. Currently, Dr. Saykili is developing a MOOC to enhance techno-pedagogical skills of ESL/EFL teachers.

Beginning his career as an English language teacher, Dr. Saykili demonstrated a passion for inspiring students to broaden their horizons. His commitment to innovative teaching methodologies led him to explore the potential of social networking platforms to support foreign language learning, resulting in innovative research that has been disseminated through conferences, publications, and international collaborations. During his doctoral studies in Distance Education at Anadolu University, Dr. Saykili delved into the design and development of effective online learning environments, focusing on the integration of the Community of Inquiry Framework to engage students in collaborative learning experiences. Dr. Saykili's scholarly contributions extend beyond academia, with involvement in national and international projects aimed at advancing educational practices and addressing societal challenges.

Driven by a passion for transforming education through research and innovation, Dr. Saykili continues to inspire educators and learners alike, advocating for the responsible integration of technology and pedagogy to foster inclusive learning environments and empower individuals from all backgrounds. Dr. Saykili believes that his postdoctoral research at Arizona State University has offered a unique opportunity to expand his network, collaborate with leading scholars, and gain insights into cutting-edge research in educational technologies.

Mengying Peng (China)

September 2023 - May 2024

Mengying Peng is a Ph.D. student in Economics at Hitotsubashi University in Tokyo, Japan. Her research interests are in the fields of applied microeconomics, development economics, and the economics of education. Her work focuses on the challenges of educational inequality, particularly gender disparities and the barriers faced by disadvantaged students in India and China. She investigates the impact of educational policies, like affirmative action in higher education, on improving the educational outcomes of disadvantaged students. During her time at ASU,  she is expanding her studies to explore how race, ethnicity, and gender affect student achievement in the United States, aiming to bridge the gap in understanding educational inequalities in both developing and developed nations.

Jaciara de Sá Carvalho (Brazil)

January 2024 - July 2024

Jaciara de Sá Carvalho is a visiting researcher funded through the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq, Brazil). Dr. Carvalho has been a professor and co-coordinator in the Graduate Program in Education at Estácio de Sá University (UNESA, Rio de Janeiro). She brings a vast array of knowledge and experience in education and technology to ASU, underpinned by a solid commitment to critical thinking, equity, and social justice, developed over twenty years of studies and research. Dr. Carvalho came to MLFTC to engage in and discuss relationships between AI and pedagogical innovation initiatives, motivated by concerns over the potential worsening of the digital divide, the eventual precarization of education, and the devaluation of teaching. Given ASU's innovative stance among U.S. universities, her visit also aims to enhance her knowledge of developing creativity with AI. Dr. Carvalho is a scholar of Paulo Freire's theory, and her doctoral dissertation, supervised by Dr. Moacir Gadotti, was titled "Distance Citizen Education: An Emancipatory Perspective from Paulo Freire" (2015). During the pinnacle of virtual learning communities, her master's research explored elements that distinguish them from a learning network, emphasizing the teacher as a “robust node” (2009).

Also from the University of São Paulo (USP), one of the leading institutions in Latin America, Jaciara became a Communication Process Management/ Educommunication specialist. Since 2022, she has been supported by significant Brazilian funding bodies for her research, recognized as a Pq-2 Researcher by CNPq and as a "Young Scientist of Our State" by FAPERJ. Her experiences include administrative skills, leadership with diverse students and communities, ex-chief editor of a tiered academic journal, and working in civil society organizations like the Paulo Freire Institute Brazil. Dr. Carvalho leads the group “Connections: Studies and Research in Education and Technology,” which is affiliated with regulatory institutions in her country.

Dong Liu (China)

August 2022 - August 2024

Dong Liu is a Doctor of Philosophy in Education major in Physical Education and sport from University of Perpetual Help System DALTA. His research areas concentrate on physical education and health, and recreational sports. His published articles focused on the effects of exercise fatigue, exercise intensity on obesity in children and adolescents, and intervention methods for children's physical health. He has published two monographs exploring the holistic impact of active school travel on students. He has undertaken several children's physical education and health research projects and has research experience in children's physical health, mental health, and social adaptation. He currently revolves around the PLAYground project that an after-school playground curriculum intervention to improve children’s physical, social, and emotional health. During his time at ASU, he will learn from experienced professionals and teams and do research with them. He firmly believes that being a visiting scholar can enhance his expertise and contribute to research projects.

Abdullah Saykili (Turkey)

August 2023 - August 2024

Abdullah Saykili is a Postdoctoral Fellow funded through The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye. He is also an Assistant Professor in Lifelong Learning and Adult Education at College of Education, Anadolu University. Dr. Saykili is a seasoned educator, researcher, and scholar specializing in open and distance learning, educational technology, and language education. His current research interests include massive online open courses (MOOCs) for teacher development, artificial intelligence in education, learning experiences design, and learning analytics. Currently, Dr. Saykili is developing a MOOC to enhance techno-pedagogical skills of ESL/EFL teachers.

Beginning his career as an English language teacher, Dr. Saykili demonstrated a passion for inspiring students to broaden their horizons. His commitment to innovative teaching methodologies led him to explore the potential of social networking platforms to support foreign language learning, resulting in innovative research that has been disseminated through conferences, publications, and international collaborations. During his doctoral studies in Distance Education at Anadolu University, Dr. Saykili delved into the design and development of effective online learning environments, focusing on the integration of the Community of Inquiry Framework to engage students in collaborative learning experiences. Dr. Saykili's scholarly contributions extend beyond academia, with involvement in national and international projects aimed at advancing educational practices and addressing societal challenges.

Driven by a passion for transforming education through research and innovation, Dr. Saykili continues to inspire educators and learners alike, advocating for the responsible integration of technology and pedagogy to foster inclusive learning environments and empower individuals from all backgrounds. Dr. Saykili believes that his postdoctoral research at Arizona State University has offered a unique opportunity to expand his network, collaborate with leading scholars, and gain insights into cutting-edge research in educational technologies.

Mengying Peng (China)

September 2023 - May 2024

Mengying Peng is a Ph.D. student in Economics at Hitotsubashi University in Tokyo, Japan. Her research interests are in the fields of applied microeconomics, development economics, and the economics of education. Her work focuses on the challenges of educational inequality, particularly gender disparities and the barriers faced by disadvantaged students in India and China. She investigates the impact of educational policies, like affirmative action in higher education, on improving the educational outcomes of disadvantaged students. During her time at ASU,  she is expanding her studies to explore how race, ethnicity, and gender affect student achievement in the United States, aiming to bridge the gap in understanding educational inequalities in both developing and developed nations.

Olena Tanchyk (Ukraine)

Aug. 2021 - May 2022

Olena Tanchyk is a dean of the Faculty of Economics at Donetsk State University of Management (Ukraine, Mariupol city). Olena is a PhD in Economics, but her passion for the English language led her to teaching English as a second language. She has extensive experience working with different age groups, including abroad. Olena is involved in such projects as the Access Microscholarship Program and English for NGOs and Civil Society; she is a facilitator of the English for Media Literacy and Very Verified, a course on media literacy projects in Ukraine. In addition, Olena was an initiator and an author of the IMPULSE project for English teachers' skills enhancement in her community and an English teacher for the Ukrainian Academy of Leadership in Mariupol affiliate. Olena’s current research interests are in special and inclusive education. As a Fulbright Scholar, she aims to integrate individuals with disabilities into educational settings, revise current syllabi and study courses to ensure new learning environments for students, and learn new methods and knowledge to teach English as a second language for different learners. During her time at ASU, she aims to gain greater insight into the topic and empower educators to facilitate a transition towards a fully inclusive education system. Olena says: "The Fulbright experience will enhance me personally and professionally, molding from an educator-traveler to an educator-guide capable of adventuring and accompanying teachers in their remarkable professional journeys".

Carrie Karsgaard

Carrie Karsgaard is a Postdoctoral Fellow funded through Canada’s Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). Carrie brings and intersectional and anti-colonial lens to her research interests in epistemic, social, and environmental justice education, which she studies across formal education sites and on social media. Working across the disciplines of Educational Policy, Cultural Studies, and Digital Methods, Carrie is particularly dedicated to putting formal education into dialogue with current and future socio-ecological transformations in efforts to ensure education contributes to just repair and healthy relations among unevenly positioned human and non-human relations. Her MA thesis applied feminist standpoint theory to critique humanitarian literary study for critical global citizenship education (GCED), and she continues to collaborate with researchers in the field of GCED and inform global GCED policy at UNESCO. Her doctoral research, soon to be published as Instagram as Public Pedagogy: Online Activism and the Trans Mountain Pipeline, examined the resistant potential of social media for anti-colonial public pedagogy about an extractive and climate issue. At ASU, she is extending this research to explore social media public pedagogies surrounding forest fires to address public responses to intensifying climate heating and confrontation with colonial extractive policies through forest management. She is also working with Indigenous youth in diverse contexts globally to explore the impacts of biodiversity loss on young people and make recommendations for intergenerational education moving forward. She brings to her research her background working across the school system, including as a secondary school teacher, international higher education professional, teacher educator, and policy consultant for UNESCO in the Section for Global Citizenship and Peace Education.

Katia de Oliveira Lima

PhD student in Education- PPGE- UFAM; Master’s degree in Amazon Society and Culture, in search field of Networks, Processes and forms of knowledge (2017) at the Federal University of Amazonas- UFAM; An Expert in Management and teaching of higher education at Literatus University (2013); A degree in Pedagogy from the Centro Universitário do Norte University (2012). Researcher in the interface UFAM group. Collaborates on two internationalization projects, they are: the formation process of post-graduation mentors in Amazon, supported by a funding selecting examination from UK Academies 2019 Fapeam/COMFAP/CNPq that established a cooperation from Brazilian, Portuguese and British researchers from UFAM University,  Aberta University (UAb) and Hertfordshire University respectively; The classroom redesign for the 21st century student, financed by FAPEAM and developed by researchers from PPGE/ UFAM and the University of West London (UWL). Area of interest: Education policy and subjects such as basic education, democracy, education in Amazon, cultural diversity in Amazon and digital technology. A professor and pedagogue in Manaus city public education since 2014, a scholarship in FAPEAM/CAPES and currently being part of the Arizona State University academic exchange program.

Dong Liu (China)

Sep. 2022 - Aug. 2023

Dong Liu is a Doctor of Philosophy in Education major in Physical Education and sport from University of Perpetual Help System DALTA. His research areas concentrate on physical education and health, and recreational sports. His published articles focused on the effects of exercise fatigue, exercise intensity on obesity in children and adolescents, and intervention methods for children's physical health. He has published two monographs exploring the holistic impact of active school travel on students. He has undertaken several children's physical education and health research projects and has research experience in children's physical health, mental health, and social adaptation. He currently revolves around the PLAYground project that an after-school playground curriculum intervention to improve children’s physical, social, and emotional health. During his time at ASU, he will learn from experienced professionals and teams and do research with them. He firmly believes that being a visiting scholar can enhance his expertise and contribute to research projects.

Rubens Rodrigues Fernandes Junior

Rubens Rodrigues Fernandes Junior is a PhD student in the Graduate Program in Organizational Administration at the Federal University of Goias (Brazil, city of Goiania). His research interests include conceptions and measurements of equity and adequacy in the financing of Brazilian public schools, school financing formulas and debates about the monitoring and implications of some Brazilian educational public policies. During his master's degree at the same institution where he is now enrolled, he was a visiting scholar for 3 months at the National University of Litoral (Argentina), in the Faculty of Economic Sciences. During his time at ASU, his initial intentions include learning about Arizona's school finance formulas; updating of scientific and academic knowledge; and to reflect on the curricular base of Brazilian graduate courses through contact with the curriculum of a course of excellence.

Emi Haneda-Akahira

Emi Haneda-Akahira works at Meiji University in Tokyo, Japan. She is an assistant manager in the Academic Affairs office at the undergraduate school of commerce, and she belongs to the freshman and sophomore students’ section. This section organizes all student and academic matters for these students. She has over 20 years of experience as administrative staff at Meiji University. During her time there, she has worked under the school of business, the school of public policy, and the international collaboration division. Her current research focuses on organizational streamlining by comparing higher education administration systems and procedures in the US and Japan, with emphasis on decision-making processes, the use of IT resources, and the visualization of university administration tasks and workflow.

Another area of research interest is online courses. As the demand for online credit courses has increased in Japan due to the covid 19 pandemic, she hopes to explore topics related to the effective development and administration of online courses in order to enhance educational opportunities for students and diversify institutional revenue streams.

Hanan Mahmoud Ali Ati

Hanan is Assistant lecturer at the Psychiatric and Mental Health Department in the Faculty of Nursing, Mansoura University. She received a Bachelor’s of Nursing Science degree and has been recruited as an instructor (teaching and research assistant) since December 2011. She has conducted a practicum of psychiatric and mental health courses for undergraduate students at the Faculty of Nursing. In 2018, Hanan conducted masters’ research and published the findings in the International Journal of Nursing, examining the relationship between adaptive functioning and severity of symptoms among children with ADHD in Egypt, Mansoura University. The results revealed a significant negative relation among studied subjects’ adaptive functioning and ADHD severity, reflecting a lot of stressors on parents. This made Hanan passionate about pursuing a PhD program, which focuses on the development of a psychoeducational program to help ADHD parents cope with these stressors. Hanan says: "Visiting scholarship at ASU will enhance me personally and professionally. This opportunity will allow me to update my knowledge, practice, and research skills." During her time at ASU as a visiting scholar, she aims to gain greater insight into the topics of her PhD research.

Olena Tanchyk (Ukraine)

Aug. 2021 - May 2022

Olena Tanchyk is a dean of the Faculty of Economics at Donetsk State University of Management (Ukraine, Mariupol city). Olena is a PhD in Economics, but her passion for the English language led her to teaching English as a second language. She has extensive experience working with different age groups, including abroad. Olena is involved in such projects as the Access Microscholarship Program and English for NGOs and Civil Society; she is a facilitator of the English for Media Literacy and Very Verified, a course on media literacy projects in Ukraine. In addition, Olena was an initiator and an author of the IMPULSE project for English teachers' skills enhancement in her community and an English teacher for the Ukrainian Academy of Leadership in Mariupol affiliate. Olena’s current research interests are in special and inclusive education. As a Fulbright Scholar, she aims to integrate individuals with disabilities into educational settings, revise current syllabi and study courses to ensure new learning environments for students, and learn new methods and knowledge to teach English as a second language for different learners. During her time at ASU, she aims to gain greater insight into the topic and empower educators to facilitate a transition towards a fully inclusive education system. Olena says: "The Fulbright experience will enhance me personally and professionally, molding from an educator-traveler to an educator-guide capable of adventuring and accompanying teachers in their remarkable professional journeys".

Iva Boneva (Bulgaria)

Oct. 2021 - Feb. 2022

Iva Boneva, PhD, is the founder and CEO of the Association for Shared Learning ELA (formerly the Centre for Inclusive Education), a Bulgarian NGO working to support all children getting quality education. She is also a teaching fellow at Sofia University, Department of Education. Dr Boneva worked for UNDP, Catholic Relief Services and as an independent consultant. She was formerly Director of Save the Children UK in Bulgaria and has a PhD in Social Pedagogy from Sofia University, an MA in Social Policy and Social Development from the Institute for Development Policy and Management at University of Manchester in UK and MA in Librarian and Informational Sciences from Sofia University. Iva is one of the founders of the Bulgarian Platform for International Development, former Board member of the Bulgarian National Network for Children, Chevening Foreign and Commonwealth Office Scholar, German Memorial Marshall Fund Fellow. She is awarded the Honorary sign of the President of the Republic of Bulgaria for outstanding contribution and merit in protecting children's rights. As a Fulbright research scholar at ASU, Iva is exploring factors underlying attitude formation towards equity in teachers. Teachers are expected to redefine their roles and to share responsibility in finding a new standing point that will allow them to view every student as part of their class and as capable of achieving. Her research will contribute to the research gap in understanding of factors that form teachers’ positive attitudes towards equity and inclusion. This, in turn, will raise new research questions and create a basis for further qualitative and quantitative research, both in Bulgaria and USA.

Huiping Sun (China)

Sep. 2021 – Aug. 2022

Huiping Sun, currently a doctoral student working on her degree in Foundations of Educational Theories at East China Normal University. Her areas of theoretical research focuses on education policy, relationship between social ideology and social policy. During her Ph.D., she has published four academic papers. Recently she has been focusing on the policy of labor education, reconsidering Marx’s discussion on the need of labor. She is most interested in the following questions which are should measures be taken to prevent the commercialization, materialization and alienation of people, and what kind of freedom do we need? Over the past few years, she has held a few lectures regarding the topics of family education, rational freedom, volunteered in several extracurricular activities, and she is working on several projects related to her research interests. During her time at ASU, she is looking forward to learn from experienced professionals who will enhance and enrich her self-study and ambitions as well as doing research. She is always open-minded to all perspectives on her research interest because it will allow her to better understand her topic as well as gain enriching learning experiences. She believes her experience and strong motivation will have a valuable contribution.

Hanan Mahmoud Ali Atia (Egypt)

Mar. 2021 – Feb. 2022

Hanan is Assistant lecturer at the Psychiatric and Mental Health Department in the Faculty of Nursing, Mansoura University. She received a Bachelors of Nursing Science degree and has been recruited as an instructor (teaching and research assistant) since December 2011. She has conducted a practicum of psychiatric and mental health courses for undergraduate students at the Faculty of Nursing. In 2018, Hanan conducted masters’ research and published the findings in the International Journal of Nursing, examining the relationship between adaptive functioning and severity of symptoms among children with ADHD in Egypt, Mansoura university. The results revealed a significant negative relation among studied subjects’ adaptive functioning and ADHD severity, reflecting a lot of stressors on parents. This made Hanan passionate about pursuing a PhD program, which focuses on the development of a psychoeducational program to help ADHD parents cope with these stressors. Hanan says: "Visiting scholarship at ASU will enhance me personally and professionally. This opportunity will allow me to update my knowledge, practice, and research skills." During her time at ASU as a visiting scholar, she aims to gain greater insight into the topics of her PhD research.

Federico Vasen (Argentina)

Sep. 2021 – Dec. 2021

Federico Vasen is a research fellow at the Institute of Educational Research at the University of Buenos Aires and an Assistant Professor at the National Technological University – Buenos Aires Campus. His research focuses on higher education and science, technology and innovation policies. In particular, he has been researching the connections between research evaluation and social impact. He is currently analyzing how knowledge transfer and mobilization activities are evaluated within higher education institutions. He has previously worked on researcher evaluation and ranking systems in Mexico, Uruguay and Argentina. During his stay at ASU as a Fulbright visiting scholar, his focus was on the tenure-track faculty evaluation processes and their articulation with the "new American University" model. He holds a BA in Philosophy (University of Buenos Aires) and a Ph.D. in Social Science (National University of Quilmes) and has completed postdoctoral training at the National Autonomous University of Mexico in Mexico City

Omer Badawood (Saudi Arabia)

Jan. 2022 – Dec. 2022

Omer Badawood, EdD is the Founding Director of the Future Leaders Center at King Abdulaziz University (KAU), Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. He works as an Assistance Professor in Education at KAU and was the Head of the Educational Leadership Department for the past 6 years. Omer teaches ethics in education for graduate students and supervises many projects and thesis on Master degree level. Omer assisted in designing additional Master degree programs for his department related to HR in education. His interest in youth leadership is well known among KAU students via Future Leaders Program (FLP). This is a four levels developed program which runs every semester. Omer’s research interest areas are developing the current teacher education programs alongside the youth leadership programs.

Nan Qin (China)

Oct. 2019 – Oct. 2020

Nan Qin is a PhD student in Educational Principles at South China Normal University. Her research interests include principles of moral education, values education, and social identity. Her thesis project explores the development of juvenile's view of justice from the perspective of social psychology and value philosophy, paying attention to the social life of juveniles, interpreting the mechanisms of social identity, and describing the theoretical and practical prospect of justice education.

Dr. Nayif Awad (Israel)

Sept. 2019 – Aug. 2020

Dr. Nayif Awad is a lecturer in the area of science and technology, and is currently Head of the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Center and the Simulation Center at Sakhnin College for Teacher Education, Israel. He received his BSc degree in Computer Science from the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, and his MA and PhD degrees in Science and Technology Education from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, with acknowledgement of excellence in his final paper.

Nayif has rich experience in curriculum development and evaluation in areas such as sound waves and communication systems, robotics, image processing, programming and coding, including teachers’ pre-service and in-service training. Nayif has led many projects aimed at reducing the digital gaps between students. For about 17 years, he has taught computer science for high school classes and served as professional coordinator of the software engineering specialization. In addition, he teaches professional development courses, aimed at promoting innovative approaches to teaching for both pre-service and in-service teachers.

Nayif’s professional background is in computer and electrical engineering. His research area deals with promoting integrated learning of STEM subjects in computer-based learning environments, including subjects such as technology, engineering and science education, robotics, computer science education, collaborative learning, project-based learning, and problem solving using educational technology and creativity. In his efforts to make an original contribution to the field of science and technology education and promote a greater understanding of modern methods for teaching and learning, Nayif participates in international projects and conferences and publishes papers in professional journals.

Irene Cremades Soler (Spain)

Aug. – Feb. 2020

Irene Cremades Soler is a PhD candidate in Educational Sciences at the University of Granada and a primary school teacher of music education. She earned a Master's Degree in International Peace, Conflict and Development Studies at the University Jaume I of Castelló, specializing in Critical Pedagogy and Education for Peace. Currently she is doing her research on Learning Ecologies related to a Youth Association which overcomes inequality through education. This dissertation is part of the research project "Learning Ecologies in Multiple Contexts, Project Analysis and Citizenship Formation" founded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (2015-2018).

Geovana Lunardi (Brazil)

Oct. 2018 – Dec. 2019

Geovana Lunardi, a professor in the graduate program in education at Santa Catarina State University in Florianópolis, Brazil, is a researcher in special education and curriculum studies. Her work focuses on the curriculum and school practices fields, particularly on issues related to changes, new technologies and innovations within the school environment, and also on curricular practices aimed at inclusion of disabled people. She earned her postdoctoral degree in curriculum and new technologies at the University of San Andres in Buenos Aires and Ashland University in Ohio. Lunardi is currently the national coordinator of the Education and Diversity Consortium of the CAPES program of the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education.

Antonio Luzón-Trujillo

Antonio Luzón-Trujillo is Associate Professor at the University of Granada (Spain), where he teaches Comparative and International Education and Comparative Policies. He is a member of the Comparative Education Society in Europe (CESE) and President of the Spanish Comparative Education Society (SEEC). Coordinator of the Research Group "Educational Policies and Reforms" of the Junta de Andalucía, from where he collaborates and participates in various national research projects including, "Analysis and Evaluation of Basic Vocational Training Programs in the Transition of Youth Life to Adulthood" (National Research & Development Project) and “European Policies Supporting Young Adults in their Life Course”, and a “Comparative Perspective of Lifelong Learning and Inclusion in Education and Work in Europe” (Horizon 2020 Program), linked to education and comparative policies. He is director of the master’s degree in "Research, Social Development and Socio-educational Intervention" and director of the Chair "Education and Society" at the same University. He is also an associate editor of the Journal Education Policy Analysis Archives. He has been a visiting professor at European (France, Italy) and Latin American (Mexico, Chile, Brazil) universities. He is the author of numerous publications related to educational policy.

Dr. Marta Sandoval Mena (Spain)

Aug. – Nov. 2019

Dr. Marta Sandoval Mena is a professor in Teacher Training and Education Faculty at Autonoma de Madrid University. Her research interest is focused on Inclusive Education and the teachers’ support roles, co-teaching and using student voices for improving schools in an inclusive way. She has been special education teacher and counselor for ten years in Primary and Secondary schools in Madrid. She is one of coordinators of Inclusive Education Consortium. For several years she was involved in the Education Ministry for Teaching Inclusive Education to in-service teachers. Furthermore, she is a Teacher Training MOOC (edx)“ Equity, inclusion and diversity”.

She has participated in different national and international projects about inclusive education in Spain and Europe, such as: Teaching Diverse Learners in School Subjects (Tdivers), Responding to Diversity by Engaging with Students’ Voices: a Strategy for Teacher Development and Reaching the ‘hard to reach’: Inclusive responses to diversity through child-teacher dialogue.

Also, she has been an advisor of the European Agency for the Development of the Students with Special Needs and Inclusive education (2014-2017) has conducted two competitive studies, one entitled "Models of schools and teaching experiences in the processes related to support for students at risk of educational exclusion (2011-2013) supported by the Ministry of Education and "Universal Design of Instruction in University Teaching" supported by the Santander Bank (2014-2016).

Andrés Santos Sharpe (Argentina)

Sept. 2018 – Nov. 2018

Andrés Ignacio Santos Sharpe, a PhD candidate in social sciences at the University of Buenos Aires, has held internships at Sweden’s Uppsala University and the Higher School of Economics National Research University in Moscow. Sharpe’s research has included the projects, “Social representations over the professional practice of the Science of Communication graduate,” “Public university in Argentina: Studies on history, politics and everyday life” and “Public university in historical perspective: Institutional cultures, professors biographies and knowledge experiences.” Currently he is participating in “The frontiers of the public university: Institutions, subjects and knowledge” and “Time of definitions: Educative experience, citizenship and digital culture at the secondary school and higher education” at the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences.

Marcelo Caruso (Germany)

Oct. – Nov. 2018

Marcelo Caruso is Professor of History of Education at Humboldt University, Berlin. His research interests focus on technologies of compulsory schooling and their transnational circulation, the transformation of educational cultures, and the historical relations between politics and education.

Zeqir Veselaj (Kosovo)

Aug. 2018 - Dec. 2018

Zeqir Veselaj, a professor in the graduate program at University of Prishtina, Faculty of Education, is a researcher in environmental education and sustainable development. His work focuses on the curriculum development, research, developing teaching resources and introduction of adequate teaching methodologies in the field of sustainable development in teacher education sector in Kosovo, for pre and in-service teachers. He is one of the authors of “Green Pack- Kosovo edition”, a multimedia educational kit about sustainable development for the students of secondary education level in Kosovo. He earned a PhD in Biology in the University of Tirana (Albania). He is currently Member of Steering Board of the University of Prishtina.

Lucía Fernández Terol (Spain)

October 2018 - December 2018

Fernández Terol is a PhD student in Educational Sciences at the University of Granada and a primary school teacher of special education. Her research interests include student engagement, educational improvement, focusing on aspects of didactics and curriculum, inclusive education and pedagogical counseling. Her thesis project is entitled, “Active methodologies to school improvement in challenging context: Study of cases.”