EWORA 8th Conference

Biljana Angelova

Rector, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje (UKIM)

Biljana Angelova was born on May 21, 1965 in Skopje. In 1987 she earned a Bachelor’s degree  from the Faculty of Economics at Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje (UKIM), where she continued her graduate studies. She enrolled in the master’s program in 1988 and earned her M.A. in 1993 in the stream Marketing and External Trade. She submitted her Ph.D. dissertation proposal in 1994 and defended the thesis in 1999, earning a doctoral degree in Economic Sciences.

She has been employed at the Institute of Economics since 1992, where she has been on a tenured track, being elected in all academic ranks. In 2007, she was elected for the first time in the highest academic and teaching rank - scientific adviser / full professor in the area of  Business Finance and in 2012 she was re-elected as a full professor in the area on Financial Management.

She is the author of more than 80 published scientific articles and papers presented at conferences and published in international journals. She has published 10 textbooks, teaching aids and manuals, as well as participated in the implementation of a large number of scientific-research and application projects. She has attended a number of international conferences abroad. She has actively collaborated in and spear-headed several international projects in cooperation with renowned foreign universities and international institutions.

She has carried out study stays at universities and institutions in many countries, namely Austria, Great Britain, Italy, Germany, Czechia, China, Slovenia, Serbia, etc.

During the 2006-2008 period, she was the head of the second cycle studies in International Management, and from 2008 until today she is the head of the Financial Management stream.

She was the first head of the third cycle studies in Organizational Sciences – Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje (2012-2016), organized by the Faculty of Economics, the Institute of Economics and the Institute of Sociological, Political and Juridical Research at UKIM.

During a seven-year period (November 2009 - September 2016), she was the director of the Institute of Economics at Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje.

In 2013, Angelova initiated the reconnection and networking of the economic institutes from all of the former Yugoslav republics. She renewed the cooperation and established the International Association of Economic Institutes of the countries of Southeast Europe, and  became its first president.

From 2016 until 2023, she held the post of Vice-Rector for Finance, Investment and Development at the Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje. She was elected for the first time to this position in June 2016 for a four-year term. Then, she was re-elected to the same position in 2020, for the term period of 2020-2023.

During her seven-year term as the Vice-Rector for Finance, Investment and Development, she performed various other duties within the scope of her mandate. From 2016 to 2023, she was the Chair of the Finance Committee and the Publishing Committee of the Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje.

From 2016 to 2023, she was a member of the Board of Directors of the Confucius Institute at UKIM and actively promoted the academic cooperation between the Southwestern University of Finance and Economics in Chengdu, People’s Republic of China and Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje. She initiated international academic conferences with representatives from both countries and has realized several academic visits to the Partner University in the People’s Republic of China.

In 2018, with a Decision of the University Senate she was appointed as the president of the Supervisory board of the University Center for Technology Transfer and Innovations of Technologies "INNOFEIT", a position she held until September 2023.

Since 2018, she has been actively involved in all the activities undertaken by UKIM for the establishment, promotion and support of the Business Accelerator UKIM, where UKIM has the largest share. She has actively followed and participated in all the activities of the Accelerator since its establishment five years ago.

She was a member of the Ministry of Education and Science Commission for the Validation of Foreign Higher Education Degrees in the field of social and humanistic sciences.

In 2016, she was elected as an independent member of the Supervisory Board of Halkbank AD Skopje by the Shareholders' Meeting of the Bank, with a license issued by the National Bank. Angelova is also a member of the Audit Committee of the Bank. In 2014 she  participated in the establishment of the Academy of Banking and Information Technology, recognized for conducting professional training for employees in the banking sector, where she was appointed as a member of the Academic Board.

She has had an active involvement in the process of transformation of enterprises with state capital since the beginning of the process in 1994. In 2011 she participated in the drafting of the Appraisal Law and she is the author of several legally adopted methodologies for the assessment of capital of trading companies, intellectual property rights and information technology. She was a trainer and president of several commissions appointed by the Ministry of Economy for the implementation of trainings and professional evaluation exams. As continuation of this, she was also appointed by the Ministry of Justice as the president of the Commission Implementing the Professional  Material and Financial Forensics Exam and was a member of the Supervisory Board of the Chamber of Forensic Experts.

Angelova has also actively worked and was the implementer of a number of international projects in cooperation with the World Bank, European Bank for Reconstruction, USAID, UNDP, JICA, Cooperacione Italiana, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation SDC, and other international institutions. She has also collaborated with the business sector in the areas of business development, feasibility of investment projects, as an expert and other professional engagements as part of her field of expertise.

She has been involved in the work of the  Securities Commission, where she was the Chair of the Committee for the implementation of trainings and the specialized exam for certified brokers and investment advisers from 2013 to 2017.

From 2014 to 2018, she was the President of the State Awards and Recognitions Committee in the Cabinet of the President of the Republic of Macedonia.

She has played a vital part in the drafting of the Self-evaluation Report of UKIM, as well as in preparing various analysis of the conditions in higher education related to funding, academic research, digitalization and international cooperation, which has enabled her to have profound insight in all the segments of the operation of the University.

Hong Jiang

President, Southern University of Science and Technology

Professor Hong Jiang was appointed as the current Chairperson of University Council of Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech) in June 2023.
Prior to joining SUSTech, Professor Jiang has served in several leadership roles, including as President and Chairperson of University Council of Shantou University
from 2017 to 2023, and Vice President and Vice Chairperson of University Council of Southern Medical University from 2008 to 2017.

Professor Jiang earned her Ph.D. in Management from Jinan University. Her research interests focus on capital operations and financial management, auditing theory and
application, internal control and risk management, as well as public health policy and management. She also holds concurrent posts as Vice Chairman of China Health Law
Society, Vice Chairman of Guangdong Social Sciences Association, member of the Asian Science Camp International Committee (ASCIC), and has been appointed by
China Education Association for International Exchange as one of the founding members of the Special Committee of Education, Women & Sustainable
Development.

Emmanuelle Gardan

Director Coimbra Group Office

Emmanuelle Gardan is the Director of Coimbra Group’s Brussels Office since 2020. She has more than 20 years’ experience in international academic cooperation built through leading positions in the public, private and non-profit sectors. She previously worked as Head of Sector for Higher Education and Research at the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM), an inter-governmental organization fostering regional integration and cooperation between 42 Mediterranean countries. Before that she developed innovative ways to strengthen university-business cooperation across the four missions of universities.

The first decade of her career was spent at the French Erasmus+ National Agency where she was successively in charge of policy support, programme management, international cooperation and foresight. She notably served as national contact point for the Erasmus Mundus programme. She holds a Master’s degree in European Studies from the University of Strasbourg Political Science Institute and has since then upgraded her skills in science diplomacy.

The Coimbra Group is an association of 40 long-established European multi-disciplinary universities committed to universities’ internationalisation, academic collaboration,
excellence in learning and research, and service to society. Its cooperation activities are driven by twelve Working Groups among which one dealing with Equality and Diversity
issues.

Bertil Emrah Oder

Prof. of Constitutional Law and Dean, UNESCO Chair, Gender Equality&Sustainable Dev., Koc University

Bertil Emrah Oder is the Dean and Professor of Constitutional Law at Koç University Law School, received her Ph.D. from University of Cologne
(Germany). She holds the UNESCO Chair for Gender Equality and Sustainable Development. Professor Oder’s research focuses on human rights, comparative constitutional law, gender studies, European Union law. She is a full member of the Science Academy Turkey and All European Academies of Sciences and Humanities (ALLEA), Science and Ethics WG. She has served as an international consultant of UNWomen and Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and published five books, dozens of articles, editorials and book chapters on various subjects in public law with a focus on constitutionalism, gender equality, human rights, and judicial review. She has been selected as Henry Morris Lecturer of International and Comparative law in 2012 (Chicago-Kent School of Law) and Distinguished Research Fellow in Constitutional Studies in 2023 (University of Texas at Austin, School of Law). She holds various scholarly awards including the Outstanding Research Award (Koç University, 2011) and the Defender of Constitutional Democracy (Global Summit on Constitutionalism, 2020). She was an academic consultant of the Constitutional Conciliation Committee (Turkey), 2011-2013. She served as the co-president of the Law Schools Global League, 2015-2018. Fluent in English, German and Turkish. She holds also LLB and MA/LLM degrees from the University of Istanbul and Marmara University (Turkey).

Najat Aoun Saliba

Professor of Chemistry at American University Beirut, Member of the Lebanese Parliament

Najat Khattar AOUN was born in Damour, district of Chouf, in 1961. She studied at the school of Frères Maristes Rmeileh; she then pursued her university studies at the Lebanese University where she obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry. She later obtained a Master's degree in Analytical Chemistry from the
University of California, and a PHD in Physical Sciences from the University of South California.

She has held several renowned positions since 2004, such as: Head of the Committee of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences; Head of the Research Committee of the Environmental Protection Center at the American University of Beirut; Head of the Faculty of Chemistry; team leader on the solid waste
management crisis at the American University of Beirut; Director of the research unit of the National Council for Scientific Research CRNS, on air quality, which includes several researchers from the American University of Beirut, Saint Joseph University, and the University of Notre Dame de Louaize; Director of the Center for Nature Conservation at the American University of Beirut AUB NCC; Member of the jury for the L’Oreal competition on the role of women in science; Member of the council of several
scientific journals; Co-executive director of the grassroots initiative “Khaddit Beirut”; Director and co-founder of the Environment Academy; Head of the Technical Advisory Group for the WHO Platform on Total Air Quality and Health ; Member of the Scientific Council of the World Basic Sciences program at UNESCO; and deputy of the caza of Chouf in the Lebanese parliament.

She has received several prizes, including: the prize for the best woman of science in Africa and the Middle East by L’Oreal and UNESCO; The National Council for Scientific Research Prize; The annual award for excellence in environmental research; she was also awarded the Cedar Medal of Honor by the President of the Lebanese Republic and the Speaker of the Parliament of Lebanon ; Nominated by the BBC as one of the 100 most influential people of the year, and by Apolitical as one of the 100 most influential people on gender politics, as well as one of the 12 most influential people on climate justice.

She ran for the 2022 parliamentary elections and won the Maronite parliamentary seat of the Chouf District. She has been an environmental protection activist for several years, and has organized protests against incinerators; after the October 17 revolution, she created with a number of protesters the "Taquaddom" party, whose principles are: progressiveness, democracy, the intersection of rights, social justice and its values of responsible citizenship, equality, transparency, environmental awareness, and pacifism.

She has been instrumental in advising many regulators/governments around the world on policy development related to improving indoor and outdoor air quality, through her publications, and international meetings with global organizations such as the WHO, the UNESCO, and the IPCC.
She is the wife of Mr. Issam SALIBA.

Chen Weijia

Executive Vice Chairperson, WWUPF Organizing Committee

Chen Weijia, born in Chongqing, China in 1953 and graduated from the Department of Economics of Sichuan University in 1981 with a master degree in economics. She worked as a lecturer and then assodiate professor in the Department of Economics at Sichuan University from 1981 to 1992; director and deputy director-general in the Depatment of the Ministry of Education of China from 1992 to 2006; the chairperson of University Council of Communication University of China from 2006 to 2008 and the Director of the Work Department of Universities Directly under the Ministry of Education of China from 2008 to 2011; the Counselor for Education at the Consulate-General of the People's Republic of China in Chicago from 2011 to 2013; Ms. Chen retired in 2014. Presently, she is the Executive Vice Chairperson of the Organizing Committee of the World Women University Presidents Forum.

Federica Rosetta

Vice President, Academic & Research Relations, EU Elsevier

Federica Rosetta, Vice-president of academic and research relations, EU & Nordics

In her current role, Federica Rosetta is responsible for external relations and strategic collaborations with policy and research communities in the EU and Nordics. In this capacity, her primary focus is on key developments around the European research and innovation agenda, with a keen interest in developing partnerships to advance open science, gender equality, sustainability and science communications. Her experience in scholarly communications, developed over 19 years at Elsevier, spans marketing communications, publishing, business development and policy. Her enthusiasm for publishing traces back to her studies in literature, press and publishing history.

Eeva Leinonen

President, Maynooth University

Professor Eeva Leinonen joined Maynooth University as President in October 2021, after five years of service as Vice Chancellor and President at Murdoch University, Perth, Australia.

Professor Leinonen was born and raised in Finland, where she completed her schooling. As part of her education in Finland Professor Leinonen spent a year as an exchange student in Michigan, USA, prior to entering university in England, where she studied linguistics and psychology. She obtained a BSc (Hons) in Linguistics and Psychology (First Class) from Aston University, UK; MPhil in Text Linguistics from Exeter University, UK: PhD in Clinical Linguistics from De Montfort University, UK; Docent (Higher Doctorate) from her hometown university, University of Oulu, Finland; and DSc (Honoris Causa) from Aston University, UK.

Professor Leinonen’s academic research focuses on pragmatic language processing in children and young adults with autistic spectrum disorders. She collaborates with colleagues in Finland and Italy.

Prior to moving to Australia in 2012, Professor Leinonen held the position of Vice-Principal (Education) and Professor of Clinical Linguistics at King’s College London. She has been Deputy Vice-Chancellor at the University of Hertfordshire, UK, in addition to holding a number of other academic leadership positions, including Dean of Faculty of Health and Human Sciences, Head of School of Psychology, Head of School of Humanities and Director of Health and Human Sciences Research Institute.

Professor Leinonen has been actively involved in national and international higher education policy discourse and implementation through her roles on numerous boards and advisory bodies, including: Universities UK; Universities Australia; Irish Universities Association, Trustee of IntoUni Charitable Trust; Trustee of Schools Competition Settlement Trust; Chair of the UK Higher Education Funding Council/ Quality Assurance Agency advisory group into Employer Engagement in Learning; Chair of Innovative Research Universities Network in Australia; President of Australian Higher Education Industrial Association; Director and Board Member of Future Directions International; WA Health Translation Network Board Member; Governor of Forrest Research Foundation; Member of Teacher Education Ministerial Advisory Group Australia; Member of National Priorities Industry Linkages Board, advising Australian Federal Minister for Education; Chair of Irish Research e-Library Governing Board; Vice Chair of Universities Ireland.

Mihnea Costoiu

Rector, University Politehnica of Bucharest

Mihnea COSTOIU is the Rector of the University POLITEHNICA of Bucharest and General Secretary of the Romanian National Council of Rectors since 2012.
He held several political positions between 2001 to 2014, including Secretary General, State Secretary, and Minister Delegate for Higher Education and Research with the Romanian Ministry of Education.

In 2012 he was elected Senator in the Parliament of Romania and in 2016 he was re-elected senator and member of the Committee for Education, Science, Youth, and Sport and member of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Senate. Since 2017 Mr. Costoiu is a Member of the Board of Directors of CESAER (Conference of European Schools for Advanced Engineering Education and Research), while in 2020 he was elected Vice-president of CESAER and re-elected in 2022. He is also a member of the Council of Administration of Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF) since 2017, actively promoting the academic Francophonie.

Silvia Lenearts

Rector Magnificus, TU Eindhoven

Silvia Lenaerts (1966) has always been a pioneer. She was the first Chemist to obtain a PhD at IMEC and KULeuven.

She then founded Heraeus Sensor-Nite where gas sensors were developed. This technology was successfully acquired by Bosch. Then at Seghers bettertechnology she initiated the air purification technology program. To improve her overall strategic skills and broaden her view she moved to Lloyd’s Register of Shipping where she acquired the Lead Assessor certificate and learned a lot about high tech companies. Since 2002 she has been working for the EC as expert, reviewer, innovation radar expert, advisor for the framework programs and as member of the EUA expert groups on innovation ecosystems and on the green deal task and finish group. She has joined the EIT as board member in 2022.

Back in the academic world, at the University of Antwerp, in 2008 she founded the research group DuEL “Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology” from scratch. She became full professor, guided 25 PhD’s at her group and the Antwerp Maritime Academy. The research team acquired 12 mio euro in the last 5 years and counts more than 50 members. She took the lead in the refurbishment of the Department of Bio-science Engineering with an innovative cooperation model for the Bachelor’s degree, resulting in the biggest bachelor’s degree at the faculty of Science. In 2022 a new master’s degree in Sustainable Urban Engineering, together with KULeuven and UGent was initiated. For seven years, she was the president of IMDO, the interdisciplinary institute on environment and sustainable development and the Belgian coordinator of SDSN.

As Vice-rector Valorisation & Development at UAntwerpen (2016), together with Antwerp’s strong stakeholders in industry, society and government she selected 3 priority
multidisciplinary valorisation domains and realized for each of them a dedicated open innovation hub: The Beacon for digitalisation, BlueApp for sustainable chemistry and materials and Vaccinopolis for infectious diseases. She has put Uantwerpen on the map concerning valorisation, with 34 active spinoffs and a tripling in industrial cooperation.
Since May 15 th 2023, she has become the Rector Magnificus at the Technical University in Eindhoven. TU/e offers a unique cradle to educate and train the professionals of the future, to dive deep into ground-breaking research, to collaborate in research for solutions to new and unexpected challenges and to deliver socio-economic value by valorisation. Silvia’s track record covers achievements in industry, academia and government/public sector. Discovery, invention and innovation are intertwined, though happen in different worlds.

The culture of collaboration is key in everything she has achieved. She has always reached out towards other stakeholders in industry, government and public sector or philanthropic organisations. Only by creating long term strategic partnerships, connecting people over the borders of their own organisation and attracting more young people, long lasting socio- economic impact can be achieved.

Şirin Karadeniz

Rector, Bahcesehir University

Prof.Dr. Şirin Karadeniz is the President of Bahçeşehir University (BAU) since July 2019. She is also the vice-chairman of International Training Center for Authorities and Leaders, CIFAL Istanbul, an affiliated center of United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR). In her prior roles, she has served as Dean of Faculty of Educational Sciences at BAU, chairman of Innovative Education & Research Center, and chairman of Center for Teaching & Learning. She has also served on the boards of Turkish Industry & Business Association, Association of the Future of Education and Foundation of Bahçeşehir Uğur Educational Institutions.

Prof. Karadeniz is an educational technologist. She has earned her bachelor’s degree in Computer System Education, master’s degree in Computer Education and Ph.D. in Educational Technology. Prof. Karadeniz has published books and articles and conducted classes and seminars on the integration of emerging technologies into education, learning designs for 21stcentury competencies and STEM education.

Prof. Karadeniz has led projects on developing computer science education frameworks and curricula for Bahçeşehir Uğur Education Institutions. She has also served as Academic Commission Member to develop Computer Science and Software curricula for primary, secondary and high schools for the Ministry of National Education of Turkey in 2016-2017. She has served as the head of Research & Development of Harezmi Educational Model of Istanbul Directorate of National Education since 2016. She headed the coding and robotics training project for disadvantage children planned with the cooperation of Bahçeşehir College & Garanti Bank. In light of her efforts and dedication to developing the quality of and increasing inclusion in education, she was awarded as the Woman Educator of the year in Women’s Leaders of Technology prize organized by Microsoft and The Women Entrepreneurs Association of Turkey in 2016, and BAU Social Benefit Award in 2018.

Prof. Karadeniz has served as a consultant, researcher, and leader of national and international projects for Scientific Research Council of Turkey, Ministry of National Education, UNICEF, World Bank and European Union. She is also a board member of the Turkish Basketball Federation.

Attila Dikbaş

CEO, ITU ARI Technopark

Prof. Atilla Dikbas earned his PhD from the Faculty of Architecture at Istanbul Technical University (ITU) in 1995. From 1995 to 1997, he served as a guest lecturer and Advisor to the Rector at Eastern Mediterranean University in Cyprus, establishing the Construction Management Research and Practice Center in the same institution. During this period, in 1996, he also conducted research at Stanford and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

In 1998, he was appointed as an Advisor to the Rector at ITU and, with the support of the university's rector, Prof. Gulsun Saglamer, he founded the ITU Project Management Center. Within this center, Prof. Dikbas managed fundraising efforts for construction projects and took the lead in R&D and training activities in IT-based construction management.

Prof. Dikbas also pioneered the establishment of the ITU Informatics Institute, serving as its Vice-Principal from 1998 to 2001. During this time, he launched a Master's program, ' IT-Based Construction Management' in 2000.

While playing a key role in establishing ITU ARI Teknokent between 1999 and 2002, he conducted research on 'Product and Process/Information Modeling (BIM)' and 'Competitiveness and Innovation in the Construction Sector' as a Visiting Lecturer at Dresden Technical University in Germany in 2002 and the University of Reading in England in 2005.

Prof. Dikbas has been a board member of the European Association on Product and Process Modeling (EAPPM) since 2002. In 2004, he took on the the leading role of organizing the bi-annual conference of the European Conference on Product and Process Modeling (ECPPM) held in Istanbul.

In 2005, as a Turkish stakeholder in the 7th Framework European Union projects, he founded TechnoBee Academic Corporation. Besides engaging in construction projects, the organization has also produced two key reports in the construction sector: the 'Turkey Informatics Valley Feasibility Report' and the 'TRB2 Region Life Sciences Technopark Feasibility Report.'

Between 2005 and 2008, Prof. Dikbas initiated and led the Young Entrepreneur Development Program (G3P) for two terms. The project gained recognition as one of the most impactful initiatives for entrepreneurial growth in Türkiye, paving the way for its inclusion in The Technology Development Foundation of Türkiye’s (TTGV)'s Successful Projects list.

Additionally, in 2015, he acted as the Founding Dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts, Design, and Architecture at Istanbul Medipol University. He has established the MSc and PhD programs in 'Construction Management and Law' and 'Built Environment and Health' and supports the university's Technopark and Technology Transfer Office (TTO) structures.

He continues to serve as the CEO of ITU ARI Teknokent since 2020, a pioneering ecosystem that has evolved into a significant force on a global scale, enriching both Türkiye and the world through technology-based development.

Mattias Björnmalm

Secretary General, CESAER

Mattias Björnmalm, PhD, is an experienced scientist and policy professional. As of 1 January 2023, he will serve as Secretary General of CESAER – the strong and united voice of universities of science & technology. His other engagements include as an Honorary Research Fellow at the Bionics Institute, as an invited member of the World Economic Forum Expert Network and in the Marie Curie Alumni Association. Previously, he led the project qBionano at Imperial College London and was an editor in science & policy for the journal Angle.

In addition to his advocacy and policy experience, Mattias has an extensive scientific background in engineering, nanoscience & biomedicine, with dozens of publications in peer-reviewed journals.

In 2017, he was awarded a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowship from the European Union; during this process he was selected as one of Europe’s thirty most ‘highly promising researchers’ out of the 8,916 funding proposals submitted.

In 2019, he was awarded an Imperial College London President’s Award: ‘recognised for outstanding achievements in policy engagement’.

Mattias is originally from Stockholm (Sweden) and following some years in Melbourne (Australia) and London (United Kingdom), he is currently based in Leuven (Belgium).

Silvia Gomez Recio

Secretary General, YERUN

Silvia Gómez Recio is the first Secretary General of YERUN since October 2016, when the network opened its Brussels office. She is responsible for the strategic leadership, networking actions and the implementation of the network’s strategy and objectives. Various are the groups that the network has established among its members to support and exchange best practice sharing on topics such as EU Policy, Careers, Research Collaboration, Open Science, and Sustainable Development, among others. 

The Young European Research University Network (YERUN) is a group of like-minded young research universities in Europe that strengthens and facilitates cooperation in the areas of research, education and services which benefit society. Before YERUN, Silvia worked as the representative of Coventry University in Brussels and as EU Policy Adviser at the European Federation of Nurses.

Amanda Crowfoot

Secretary General, EUA

Amanda Crowfoot has been Secretary General of the European University Association – the collective voice of Europe’s universities, with over 850 members – since January
2020. She is responsible for implementing the Association’s strategic plan, acting as an ambassador for its members, and leading a Secretariat of over 40 staff members.

Amanda previously served as Director of Science Europe, the association representing major public research funding and performing organisations in Europe. As Science Europe’s first Director, she was responsible for establishing its office in Brussels in 2012, as well as developing and implementing its policy agenda.

From 2001 to 2012, Amanda worked at the UK Research Office – the Brussels office of the UK research councils – first as a European Advisor and then as Director of the
Office. In these roles she worked closely with universities in the UK and beyond, assisting them in accessing EU funding and defining their strategies for European
engagement.

With a background in linguistics, Amanda taught and researched at several UK universities, and was Projects Manager at the Centre for Research and Policy in
Disability at Coventry University.

Hilligje van’t Land

Secretary General, IAU

Dr. Hilligje van’t Land serves the global higher education community as Secretary General of the International Association of Universities (IAU) - global NGO with UNESCO Associate Status. For the past two decades, she has fostered the key role of higher education in societal transformation. She supervises the overall programme activities of the IAU, develops the Association’s strategic plans and oversees the everyday work of the secretariat. She positioned the IAU as partner in UNESCO work on Education for sustainable development and in the UNESCO Futures of Education initiative, and higher education as a key stakeholder for the UN Agenda 2030 – Transforming our world. Hilligje van’t Land strongly believes in the importance of international cooperation and intercultural understanding and has developed multilateral projects related higher education and beyond.

Hilligje van’t Land holds a PhD in comparative francophone literature, speaks six languages and published on higher education issues of relevance locally and globally. Learn more on recent publications and conferences.

Snježana Prijić Samaržija

Rector, University of Rijeka

Snježana Prijić-Samaržija was born in Rijeka in 1964. She graduated philosophy at the University of Belgrade, earned her Master’s Degree in philosophy at the University of Ljubljana, completed her postgraduate research project "Social Epistemology for Open Society" at the Central European University in Prague, earned her Ph.D. in philosophy at the University of Zagreb and completed her postdoctoral research project "Abortion - pro et contra" at the Central European University, Prague, Czech Republic. She is a full professor at the Department of Philosophy at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Rijeka, where she is the holder of many courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels.

From 2003 to 2008 she was the Director of the University of Rijeka Foundation, from 2009 to 2013 Vice-Rector for Teaching and Student Affairs, and from 2013 to 2017 Vice-Rector for Studies and Students. Since 2013, she acts as one of the Directors of the Centre for Advanced Studies of South East Europe of the University of Rijeka. In 2017 she was elected to the position of the University of Rijeka Rector, as only the second woman to be elected to that position. In February 2021, she was unanimously elected for her second and final term in office.

Professor Prijić-Samaržija is a recipient of many awards and recognitions, including the Certificate of Appreciation awarded by the Inter-University Centre, Dubrovnik, for the support and contribution to the development of international academic programs (2006) and the City of Rijeka Award for the development of higher education (2008). In December 2019, Prof. Prijić-Samaržija received the "Krunoslav Sukić" Award, awarded by the Center for Peace, Nonviolence and Human Rights in Osijek, for her valuable contribution to recognizing the need for and opening up the space and atmosphere of the academic community’s cooperation with society in the processes of creating, preserving and promoting peace.

Professor Prijić-Samaržija is the author and co-author of many publications, and she frequently participates in various projects promoting gender equality and equity in academia, e.g. SPEAR (Supporting and Implementing Plans for Gender Equality in Academia and Research), as well as other praiseworthy projects conducted in partnership with international partners (e.g. SHEFCE, TEFCE, YUFERING, etc.).

As the University of Rijeka is becoming increasingly recognizable in the European Higher Education Area, Rector Prijić-Samaržija argues for initiatives promoting the development of European universities. She is either the president or member of numerous international committees and boards. Since 2018 she serves as Vice-Chair of Advisory Board at Inter- University Centre, Dubrovnik (IUC). In 2020, she was elected to the Governing Council for the drafting of the European University Association (EUA) Strategy, and she was elected to the Bureau of the Steering Committee for Education Policy and Practices (CDPPE) at the Council of Europe, as a representative of the academic community. Professor Prijić- Samaržija is also a member of the YUFE Strategy Board, and in September 2021, she commenced her two-year term as YERUN President.

Elizabeth (Beth) J. Stroble

Chancellor, Webster University

Elizabeth (Beth) J. Stroble is the Webster University Chancellor, having served as Webster's Chief Executive Officer since 2009. As a global university system, Webster educates students at residential campuses as well as through online offerings at the main campus in St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. as well as multiple locations in the U. S., Europe, Asia, Africa, and Central Asia.

During a decade of her leadership, Webster has more than tripled its endowment, substantially increased private scholarship funding for students, and strengthened Webster's global diversity. Across her career at public and private institutions, Stroble has emerged as a nationally recognized champion of expanding access to higher education through need-based student aid, while also advocating vigorously for federal support of university-based research. She is an experienced leader in American higher education, known for her commitment to increasing educational access and success for students worldwide, catalyzing academic innovation, and encouraging universities' civic engagement and service to society.

During her tenure, Webster has engaged in a period of transformation, with an increased focus on overall institutional excellence, which resulted in increased funding from private donors, government agencies and businesses, creation of several endowed professorships, and improving academic facilities and technologies necessary for Webster’s programs. Webster's place in the annual U. S. News & World Report "Best Colleges" ranking has risen from 33rd to 16th among Midwestern Regional universities and gained recognition for economic diversity, social mobility, and service to veterans. She launched Webster's Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and highlighted its mission as a cornerstone of the university's excellence. In March 2019, she was named by Diverse Issues as one of the top 35 women making an impact in higher education. Most recently, she was a 2022 recipient of the St. Louis NCAAP Frankie Muse Freeman/Norman Seay Commitment to St. Louis Award.

Stroble's current research focuses on the relationships among place, identity, and community. She advocates for global inclusion and leadership, innovative public-private partnerships, and the value of independent universities through publications, invited presentations, and service to international and national organizations of university leaders and heads of corporations and government agencies. As higher education co-chair for the African Renaissance and Diaspora Network, she engages colleagues and students worldwide in popularizing the advancement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals with a specific focus on achieving gender equality. As a member of the board for the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis, she chairs the education committee. She is a member of the Executive Committee of the International Association of University Presidents.

Stroble holds a bachelor of arts in history and English from Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois, and two master of arts degrees, one in history and one in American and English literature, from Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville. She received her Ph.D. in curriculum studies from the University of Virginia. Prior to Webster, she held academic and administrative appointments at the University of Akron, the University of Louisville, and Northern Arizona University.

Chryssi Vitsilaki

Rector, Agean University

Professor Chryssi Vitsilaki received her Β.Α in Sociology from Trinity College, Hartford, Ct. and her M.A. and Ph.D. from the Dept. of Sociology, Univ. of Chicago. She has been teaching at the Dept. of Preschool Education & Educational Design of the UofAegean, Greece since 1999  and responsible for designing and directing the M.A. program "Gender & New Educational & Work Environments in the Information Society" (2004-14) which was awarded the “2009 Award for Quality in eLearning” by EFQL. Since 2014 she organized and is Director of the M.A. "New Forms of Education & Learning". Her academic work focuses on gender and new forms of education with the use of technology. She has published 10 books and more than 50 articles, has directed and participated in a great number of European and co-funded research and intervention programs, and has served as member of national and international scientific committees. She has served as Dean of the School of Humanities (2004-6), Vice-Rector of Finance & Development, President of the Research Committee of the UofAegean (2006-10), Chair of the Department of Preschool Education & Educational Design (2014-18) and is presently the Rector of the UofAegean (2018-22).

Sondan D. Feyiz

Rector, Kadir Has University

Prof. Sondan Durukanoğlu Feyiz graduated from the Physics Department of Istanbul University’s Faculty of Sciences in 1989. She completed her Master’s in Physics at the University of Wisconsin (1992), and her Ph.D. at the Physics department of Kansas State University (1999). During her doctoral studies, Feyiz served as a teaching assistant at Kansas State University from 1994 to 1997, as a research assistant at the same university from 1997 to 1999, and as a postdoctoral researcher during 1999 and 2000.  From 2000, she continued her academic career as an assistant professor at Istanbul Technical University, becoming an associate professor there in 2006, and in 2011 she became a full professor at Sabancı University. Between 2010 and 2018, she served as the Vice Rector of Sabancı University responsible for Education, International Relations, Individual and Academic Support and Summer Schools.  She was then appointed as the Rector of Kadir Has University in 2018.

Durukanoğlu Feyiz has held numerous positions such as Member of the Senate Accreditation Committee of Istanbul Technical University (2002-2006); Visiting Scientist at Kansas State University (Summer 2002); Associate Editor in Chief of Istanbul Technical University Bulletin (2002-2007); Visiting Assoc. Prof. of Physics at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) (2007-2009); Senior Researcher at Feza Gürsey Institute (2007-2009) and, co-translator of Introduction to Quantum Mechanics by David J. Griffiths (2010). She served as an Executive Board Member of the Nanotechnology Research and Application Center at Sabancı University (2014-2016), as the Chair of the Quality Assurance and Strategy Committee of Sabancı University (2015-2018).

Durukanoğlu Feyiz, who was the only female in 1991 to receive the Ministry of Education scholarship to study abroad in the field of physics (1991-1995), was also a recipient of the TUBİTAK (The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey) Research Fellow Support Funding (BİDEP scholarship) and

Maria Helena Nazaré

Former Rector, University of Aveiro

mhnazare@ewora.org

Maria Helena Nazaré was trained as a physicist, graduating (Master of Science), in 1972, from University of Lisbon, PhD from the University of London (King’s College London) in 1978. Obtained her habilitation from University of Aveiro in 1989 and a full professorship in 1990. In 1986, she took up leadership of the research group in Spectroscopy of Semiconductors in the Department of Physics at the University of Aveiro. She worked and taught at different countries/continents: Africa (Mozambique and South Africa), Europe (several countries) and USA.

She has been developing a long-standing activity in higher education management, be it at the University of Aveiro, as well as in national and international positions. She has been Head of Department between 1988 and 1990, Vice-President of the Scientific Council in 1990-91 and Vice-Rector of the University of Aveiro, a position held until 1998. In 2002 she was elected Rector of the University of Aveiro for the first time and reelected for a second mandate in 2006-2010. She served the Portuguese National Education Council as Chair of its Higher Education Commission 2009-2012.

She has been the chair of the Portuguese Rectors Conference Committee for research and knowledge - transference, and a Member of the Research Working Group of the European University Association. Member of the EUA Institutional Evaluation Pool, since 2004, she has participated in the evaluation of universities in Spain, Turkey, Palestine, Slovenia, Kazakhstan, Romania and Ghana. She has been appointed Vice-President of the EUA in 2009-2011 and elected President in 2011, a position held until July 2015.

She has also participated in OECD lead projects: in Catalonia, Lombardy and HE Innovate in Bulgaria and Ireland, ENQA evaluations in Galiza and Finland and World Bank projects evaluation in Nigeria.

Outside academia she served as member of the Administration Board of Portugal Telecom 2008- 2015, President of the Advisory Board of Fundação Galp Energia and President of the Portuguese Physics Society (2009-2013).
 

Currently is a Member of Board of Trustees of Fundação Francisco Manuel dos Santos in Portugal since 2013 and a member of the Board of Universidade Nova de Lisboa since 2014.

Chair of the Higher Education Council in March 2016.

Honorary distinctions:

Grã Cruz da Ordem de Instrução Pública (April 2015). Chanceler das ordens de Mérito (March 2016). 

Inga Žalėnienė

Rector, Mykolas Romeris University

Inga Žalėnienė is an alumna of Mykolas Romeris University (MRU), Vilnius (Lithuania), where she finished her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Law. After graduation she joined the Department of Law at Lithuanian Savings Bank and worked as legal adviser. In parallel, she lectured the discipline of Family Law at Mykolas Romeris University and started her academic career as university lecturer at MRU. Inga Žalėnienė defended her doctoral thesis "Representation in Civil Procedure (Theoretical and Practical Aspects)" and obtained her PhD in Law, in 2006. She was appointed as Vice-Dean of Law Faculty of MRU in 2009 and was responsible for the development of education policy, formation and coordination of research groups, organization of scientific project activities, planning and accounting of scientific results. Inga Žalėnienė was appointed as Vice-Rector for Research in 2010, for Research and International Relations in 2012, then, in 2017 – as Vice-Rector for Education and Research, taking responsibility for development and supervision of the quality assurance system, development of priority research and innovation areas, provision of support for research groups and establishment of structures to reinforce them, she presided over the evaluation of University’ staff research activities, organized doctoral studies, engaged in the formation and development of the University’s publishing policy. Since March 2019, Inga Žalėnienė holds the position of Rector of Mykolas Romeris University.

She completed traineeship courses in “Management and Leadership in Education” in Harvard Graduate School of Education, Massachusetts (United States) in 2013, accomplished senior executive programme “Leadership in Higher Education” in Oxford Academy for Education and Development, Oxford (United Kingdom) in 2013, and completed International Association of Universities program in “Leading Globally Engaged Universities,” Dublin (Ireland) in 2016.

Inga Žalėnienė is an Administrative Board Member at the International Association of Universities (IAU) since 2016, and a member of European Women Rectors Association (EWORA) since 2019. She has published over 40 scientific publications and conference papers. Her research interests include civil procedure law, education law, higher education management, gender equality studies.

Carmen Fenoll

Former Vice-Rector, University of Castilla-La Mancha

Carmen.Fenoll@uclm.es 

Carmen Fenoll is Full Professor of Plant Biology since 2000 at the Universidad de Castilla-la Mancha, where she was Director of the Institute of Environmental Sciences and now leads an active research group on Plant Biotechnology. Principal Investigator of over 25 competitive European or National projects, has published over 65 scientific papers in reputed journals, directed 8 Doctoral Theses and is the inventor of an international patent, having gained the Spanish Ministry Accreditation for 30 years of research achievements. She advises regularly academic institutions and research funding and policy agencies in Spain and abroad (the NSF and the Department of Energy in USA, the National Funding Agencies of Spain, Argentina, Austria, France, Poland, British Columbia and Flanders and the DGs of Agriculture and Science of the European Commission, or the L’Oreal-UNESCO program For Women in Science). She eagerly collaborates in science divulgation activities and publications, and teaches molecular biology, genomics and biotechnology from undergrad to doctoral levels. A member of the Spanish Association of Women Scientists since its foundation, she participates regularly in women for science activities.
 

Prof. Fenoll has a PhD in Biological Sciences (Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 1980) and has been Postdoctoral Fulbright Fellow at the University of California-San Diego, Visiting Scientist at the Salk Institute in La Jolla, CA, Tenured Associate Professor at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid and Tinker Full Professor of Plant Biology at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
 

She was Coordinator of the National Team of Bologna Experts in Spain and Erasmus Coordinator and has participated in research projects and publications on Higher Education Innovation and Bologna Issues. She regularly acts as evaluator for University Quality Assurance Agencies in Spain and other European Countries. Prof. Fenoll is an active member of the Pool of Experts for the Institutional Evaluation Program of the European University Association since 2007.

Professor Carmen Fenoll was Vice-Rector of Academic Affairs and Quality Assurance at the Universidad de Castilla-la Mancha. At the Spanish Ministry of Education, she was Secretary General for University Coordination.
 

Born in Madrid, in 1956, she is the mother of two daughters.

Birgit Riegraf

President, Paderborn University

Prof. Dr. Birgitt Riegraf, born 1961, studied political science, sociology, psychology and religious studies as well as the interdisciplinary supplementary course "Qualitative Methods in Social Sciences" at the Free University of Berlin. She did her doctorate in 1995 at the Free University of Berlin and completed her habilitation in 2004 at the Faculty of Sociology at Bielefeld University. After visiting professorships and interim professorships at the University of Duisburg-Essen, the Technical University Carolo-Wilhelmina in Braunschweig and the Georg-August University in Göttingen, she has been Professor of General Sociology at Paderborn University since 2009. She has been President of Paderborn University since April 2018. Research Priorities
 

Research Priorities

Social, justice and state theories, inequality, work and organizational sociology, science and university research, theories and methodologies of women and gender studies

Current Functions, Shortlist:

From 2021, board member of EWORA (European Women Rectors Association)

Since 2021, member of the working group “Research-Oriented Equal Opportunities Standards” of the DFG

Since 2020, Member of the speaker group of the LRK NRW

Since 2020, member of the "Expert advisory committee for cooperation between Qingdao and Germany"

Since 2019, Shandong Province Ambassador of Friendship

Since 2019, Member of the advisory board of the Sino-German Eco Parc Qingdao

Since 2019, chairwoman of the University Alliance (UA) 11+ / German University Alliance

Since 2018, Member of the HRK's Permanent Commission for Organization and Governance

Since 2018, Member of the Board of Trustees of the Johannes Rau Research Association
 

Since 2018, Member of it's OWL's Cluster-board
 

Since 2018, Elected member of the board of the Digital University of NRW
 

Since 2018, board member of the OWL Employment Initiative
 

Since 2018, member of the board of the association "Economy and Science for OWL e.V."
 

Since 2018, President of the University of Paderborn
 

Since 2018, Member of the Board of Trustees of the Heinz Nixdorf Institute
 

Since 2015, board member of the Gender Center of the University of Paderborn
 

Since 2014, member of the executive board of the NRW Research College Light - Efficient - Mobile
 

Since 2010, member of the women's and gender research network in NRW

Current publications, Shortlist:

Riegraf, Birgit (in collaboration with Lena Weber) (2021): FEMEN’s transnational fight for women’s rights: multiple modernities, transnational spaces, and plural gender orders. In: Winkel, Heidemarie and Angelika Poferl (ed.): Multiple Gender Cultures, Sociology, and Plural Modernities, Routledge, 252 S.

Riegraf, Birgit (in collaboration with Beate Kortendiek and Katja Sabisch) (ed.) (2019): Handbuch zur Interdisziplinären Geschlechterforschung, Reihe Geschlecht und Gesellschaft Band 65, Grundlagenwerk mit 168 Artikeln, sowohl in Print-Version als auch Online, ISBN: 978-3-658-12500-4 (Print); 978-3-658-12500-4 (Online), 1566 S.

Riegraf, Birgit (in collaboration with Barbara Rendtorff and Claudia Mahs) (2019): Struktur und Dynamik – Un/Gleichzeitigkeiten im Geschlechterverhältnis, SpingerVS, 185 S.

Riegraf, Birgit (in collaboration with Martina Althoff, Magdalena Apel, Mechthild Bereswill and Julia Gruhlich) (2017): Feministische Methodologien und Methoden. Traditionen, Konzepte, Erörterungen. Lehrbuchreihe zur sozialwissenschaftlichen Frauen- und Geschlechterforschung der Sektion Frauenforschung in der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Soziologie Band 2, (2. erweiterte und aktualisierte Auflage) (1. Auflage 2001), Wiesbaden, 442 S.

Riegraf, Birgit (in collaboration with Romy Reimer) (2016): Geschlechtergerechte Care-Arrangements? Zur Neuverteilung von Pflegeaufgaben in Wohn-Pflege-Gemeinschaften, Reihe Arbeitsgesellschaft im Wandel, Weinheim/ Basel, 137 S.

Sijbolt Noorda

President emeritus, Universiteit van Amsterdam

Sijbolt Noorda is president emeritus of Universiteit van Amsterdam and a former president of Universities of The Netherlands. He has been a Board
member of the European University Association as well as Chair of ACA and the Magna Charta Observatory Council.

Dr Noorda writes and lectures on teaching and learning in Higher Education, about ideals and practices of internationalization, on open science, core values and governance issues in HEIs. He reviews and gives advice to individual universities and national systems in the European Higher Education Area, and is a member of advisory university boards in various countries.

Louise Morley

Professor of Education, University of Sussex

Louise Morley AcSS is a Professor of Education and Director of the Centre for Higher Education and Equity Research (CHEER) (http://www.sussex.ac.uk/education/cheer/) at the University of Sussex, UK. Louise has an international profile in the field of the sociology of gender in higher education studies. Her research and publication interests focus on international higher education policy, gender, equity, micropolitics, quality, leadership and power. She is an Academician of the Academy of Social Sciences, a Fellow of the Society for Research into Higher Education, a Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Gender Excellence, University of Örebro, Sweden, and the 2013-2014 Inaugural Chair, Women’s Leadership Centre, Universiti Kebangsaan, Malaysia. 
 

She is currently conducting research on women and leadership in higher education in South Asia for the British Council. She has also completed research for the Leadership Foundation for Higher Education on women and leadership, and on Widening Participation in Higher Education in Ghana and Tanzania (www.sussex.ac.uk/education/cheer/wphegt) for the ESRC/DFID. She has held research grants from the Economic and Social Research Council, the UK Department for International Development, the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the British Council, and the Higher Education Funding Council for England. She is on the editorial boards for Studies in Higher Education, Gender and Education, Teaching in Higher Education and Higher Education Research and Development. Recent publications include: Morley, L. (2014). “Lost Leaders: Women in the Global Academy.” Higher Education Research and Devel opment. 33(1): 111–125; Morley, L. (2012). “The Rules of the Game: Women and the Leaderist Turn in Higher Education “ Gender and Education. 25(1). For further details of publications, please see Sussex Research Online- http://sro.sussex.ac.uk/view/creators/461.html

Isabel Capeloa Gil

Rector, Universidade Católica Portuguesa

Isabel Capeloa Gil is the Rector of the Catholic University of Portugal (UCP) and President of the International Federation of Catholic Universities. She is a Full Professor of Culture Studies at the School of Human Sciences. Having grown up in China, she studied in Lisbon (U. Lisbon), Munich (Ludwig Maximilian University) and Chicago and holds a PhD in German Studies (UCP). Previously, she was Vice-Rector for Research and Internationalization (2012-2016) and the Dean of the School of Human Sciences (2005-2012) of the Catholic University of Portugal (UCP). Isabel Gil has been especially interested in researching issues of diversity and conflict and has structured her work around the exploration of the disciplinary boundaries between the arts and other disciplines.
 

She is a passionate advocate of international education and works consistently to develop international research networks, exploring the different ways in which the practice of the arts and humanities is pivotal to advance a more sustainable and intellectually robust global education agenda. Her research is currently published in Portuguese, English, German, French, Italian and Spanish. She is the author of over 182 publications, bridging cultural theory, interarts studies, visual culture, culture and conflict. Her latest books are Hazardous Future: Disaster, Representation and the Assessment of Risk (with Christoph Wulf, New York, 2015) and The Ballets Russes. Modern Times After Dhiaghilev (with PcPinto, Lisbon, 2018) . She was a founding member and is a senior researcher at the Research Centre for Communication and Culture (CECC), where she coordinates the research group Culture, Art and Conflict (CAC). As an international scholar, Prof. Gil has held numerous visiting professorships at prestigious universities such as LMU University, Munich, Hamburg University,Ca’Foscari University, Venice, the Houston School of Film at the National University ofIreland, PUC Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), and USJ (Macao). She was a Visiting Fellow at the Wissenschaftskolleg (Berlin) and Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (U. Stanford). Amongst her honours are a Fulbright Fellowship, and DAAD, FLAD and Gulbenkian Scholarships.

 

Isabel Capeloa Gil has been a regular consultant for research foundations such as the Danish Research Council, FAPESP (Brazil), the FCT and FLAD in Portugal as well as the Luso-American Comission (Fulbright). She was an evaluator of the prestigious Excellence Initiative of the Germnan Federal Government and the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft and is Chair of the Humanities panel at the Danish Research Council.

Isabel Capeloa Gil is furthermore Honorary Fellow at the IGRS, School of Advanced Studies, University of London. In 2018, she became Chair of the Research Leadership Forum of the Global Federation of Competitiveness Councils. She is also a Member of the European Council of Foreign Relations, as well as a member of the Advisory Board of the Gulbenkian Foundation. Since 2016, she has been the President of the Board of the UCP Foundation.

Gulsun Saglamer

Founding Honorary President, EWORA (2015-2023)

Prof. Dr. Gulsun Saglamer, Former Rector of Istanbul Technical University (1996-2004) is a professor of architecture at Istanbul Technical University. She graduated from Istanbul Technical University with a Master of Architecture degree in 1967 and received her PhD from the same university in 1973. She became Associate Professor in 1978, Full Professor in 1988 at ITU.  She taught Architectural Design, Computer Aided Architectural Design, Logic Model of Design, Architectural Design Methods and Theories at ITU since 1973 until she retired in 2012.

She carried out her post-doctoral studies at the Martin Centre, Department of Architecture, University of Cambridge, UK 1975-1976 and continued her studies at the Martin Centre for short periods in 1987 and 1989.  She was a member of the Scientific Committee of TUBITAK (The Scientific and Technical Research Council of Turkey) INTAG between 1990 and 1996. Prof Sağlamer was invited to Queen's University of Belfast as a Visiting Professor between 1993 and 1996 and was also invited to be an external examiner at the same university for four years between 1999 and 2003.  She is a member of the Editorial Boards of “Open House International”, “International Journal for Housing Science and Its Applications”, “ITU Journal AZ/ Architecture Design” (in Turkish). She has been on numerous architectural competition juries at national  level and also at international level such as the jury for the prestigious Daimler-Chrysler-UNESCO Mondialogo Engineering Prize 2005.

She was a Board Member of EUA (European University Association) (2005-2009) and a member of the Steering Committee of the EUA’s Institutional Evaluation Programme (IEP) (2009-2013), a chair of evaluation teams in IEP evaluations since 2011 and a member of the Research Policy Working Group of EUA since its establishment in 2005 till 2017.  She has been an Executive Committee Member (2003-2021) of the International Association of University Presidents (IAUP) and the President of CMU (Community of Mediterranean Universities) (2012-2016). She was invited to the Marie Curie People Programme (EC) Advisory Group for five terms: 2006-2018 and has been the Chair of the Marie Sklodowska Curie Actions Advisory Group in Horizon 2020 (2013-2016). She was invited to the” Expert Working Group on The External Research Funding of Universities”, established by the EC (2007-2008). She was a member of the Steering Committee of the OECD/IMHE Quality Teaching Project (2009-2012).

She is a Member of the Board of Trustees of Kadir Has University (2006-2014)(2020-2024) and the President of the Council for Technology and Technoparks in Turkey (2006-2010). She is the Founder and a Board Member of ITU’s Technology Park and Incubation Centre, ARI Techno-City and a Board Member of ITU Development Foundation (2009-2021). She is the founder of ITU Development Foundation’s K12 Schools: Nursery (1998), Primary School (2001), High School (2006) to provide better work-life balance for ITU academic staff. She was the Chair of the Academic Council of these schools for 8 years (2000-2008)

Professional experience

Gulsun Saglamer is a registered architect at the Chamber of Architects of Turkey, Istanbul. She designed several important architectural projects and received awards at national and international levels such as First Prize in the Architectural Competition of the Aydin-Kusadasi Tourism Complex, Organized by the Ministry of Public Works, 1982; Best Buildings of the Year 2000 by Kolleksiyon, ‘Sedat Üründül Nursery’. Same project also received a prize from OECD PEB 2nd Compendium of Exemplary Educational Facilities, 2000.  She designed a five-star hotel building with 320 beds (Trabzon-Grand Zorlu), a housing group with 360 dwelling units (Trabzon-ATAŞEHİR), a research centre, and villas in different parts of Turkey.  She has served as jury member in many national architectural design competitions. She is the founder and president of “the Association for Architectural Education” (MIMED)(ArchED)(1997-2019) MİMED has been organizing very prestigious “Architectural Students Projects Competitions” since 2001 at National level.  She is the first female Vice-Rector (1992-1995) and the first female Rector (1996-2004) of Istanbul Technical University since its establishment in 1773.

Research interests and experience

Major research areas are Computer Aided Architectural Design (CAAD), Architectural Design Theories, Computer Applications in Housing, CAAD of Dwelling Units, Morphological Studies of House Forms, Housing for Low Income Groups,Immigration from Rural to Urban Areas, Squatter Settlements, Comparative Studies in Housing, Space Syntax in Housing, CAAD in Housing, Higher Education and Research Management, and Women Academics in Science and Engineering. She did her PhD in CAAD in 1973. She is the pioneer of the CAAD courses at undergraduate and graduate levels at ITU and supervised 11 PhD theses together with 25 master theses at ITU Graduate Schools.

She coordinated a Med Campus Project titled “Housing for Low Income Groups in Turkey” under the 4th Framework Programme in 1995 and established “The Housing Research Centre” at ITU in 1997. This centre has taken part in many research projects and has organised international meetings for international networks. This centre also designed a master degree programme for “Earthquake Resistant Housing”(2000- ).

Prof. Saglamer established a centre at Istanbul Technical University titled “Women Studies in Science Engineering and Technology“ in 2009 and served as the director of this centre 2009-2012. She organised the “European Women Rectors Conferences” at ITU in Istanbul four times (2008, 2010, 2012 and 2014). Prof.Saglamer also chaired the “European Women Rector Platform” (EWRP) that was established in 2010. She has led the ITU team in 5 of the EC funded (FP6 and FP7) projects on Women in STEM (2006-2017). In December, 2015 European Women Rectors Association (EWORA) has been established under the Belgian Law in Brussels and Prof. Saglamer is the founding Board member and the President of EWORA. She is re-elected as the President of EWORA for the second period of 2019-2023. She has been representing Turkey in ERAC Standing Working Group on Gender in Research and Innovation (Former Helsinki Group) since 2o18. She has been  an “External Assessor of Senior Academic Leadership Initiative 2020” of the Ireland Higher Education Authority.

Prof. Saglamer has a great interest in graduate programmes and under her leadership all the graduate programmes of ITU were restructured and new graduate programmes were created on “Advanced Technologies in Engineering” in 2000. The aim of these programmes was to train doctoral candidates for employment not only in academia but also in industry. This project was funded by the State Planning Organisation of Turkey and was successful in attracting funds from industry as well.

She has continued her work on graduate programmes after stepping down from her rectorship and established a research group on “Doctoral Education in Architecture”, and organised the first Conference on “Doctoral Education on Housing Studies” in 2008. After completing the pilot study at international level on “Doctoral Education in Architecture” she co-chaired the first international workshop on this subject at ITU in November 2011. She has established a research group on “Doctoral Education in Architecture and co-authored the book titled “Doctoral Education in Architecture” by Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2015.

She is also representing Turkey in the network titled “European Research in Architecture and Urbanism” and chaired the EURAU 2014 Conference on “Composite Cities” and Co-authored a book titled “Reinterpreting and Restructuring Composite Cities” (2016).

She has given over 90 keynote speeches and invited lectures on architecture and different aspects of higher education (such as research policy, doctoral education, quality assurance, quality enhancement, funding) at international meetings besides her keynotes on gender equality in HE&R, that has been her major research area since 2008. 

Other significant events and prizes

• Honoris Causa by
  • Carleton University, Canada (2001),
  • Universitatea de Nord Din Baia Mare University, Romania (2002),
  • Ovidius University of Constantza in Romania (2009),
  • Queens’ University Belfast (2018)
• American Institute of Architects (AIA) Honorary Fellowship (Hon FAIA) in 2006
• “Leonardo da Vinci Medal” by SEFI (Société Européenne Pour la Formation Ingénieurs - European Society for Engineering Education) in 2005-2006
• Founding Board Member, Global Relations Forum (2009-2017)
• Member of European Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters since 2011
• Member of the Selection Committee for Fulbright Prize 2014
• Chair of the Selection Committee of the Vehbi Koç Educational Prize, 2015.

She has led the ITU team in 5 of the EC funded (FP6 and FP7) projects on Women in STEM (2006-2017)

1. UNICAFE–Survey of the University Career of Female Scientists at Life Sciences versus Technical Universities, funded by European Commission, 2006-2008

2. Meta Analysis – Meta-analysis of gender and science research, funded by European Commission, 2008-2010:

3. SHEMERA–Euro-Mediterranean research cooperation on gender and science: SHE Euro Mediterranean Research Area, funded by European Commission, 2011-2014

4. FESTA–Female Empowerment in Science and Technology Academia, funded by European Commission, 2012-2017 http://www.festa-europa.eu/

FESTA Resistance Handbook on Resistance to Gender Equality in Academi a (www.resge.eu)

Authors: Gülsün Sağlamer, Mine Tan, Hülya Çağlayan, Nina Almgren, Minna Salminen-Karlson,Liv       Baisner, Eva Sphia Myers, Gitte Toftgaard Jorgensen, Manuela Aye, sabine Bausch, Pat O’connor,          Clare O’Hagan, Ita Richardson,Mario Conci, Georgi Apostolov, Irina Topuzova

5. COST Gender STE, Science, Technology, Environment. genderSTE is a network of policy makers and experts committed to promoting fair representation of women and better integration of gender analysis in research and innovation http://www.cost.eu/about_cost/strategy/targeted_networks/genderste

Ana Costa Freitas

Rector, University of Evora

Prof. Ana Costa Freitas is the Rector of the University of Évora (Portugal), elected on April 23rd 2014 and re-elected for a second term on March 22nd 2018. She has been Associate Professor with Aggregation in the Department of Plant Sciences at the University of Évora, since 2004. She received an engineering degree in Agronomy from the Institute Superior of Agronomy (School of Agriculture), UTL (former Universidade Técnica de Lisboa, current University of Lisbon), completed her PhD in Food Biotechnology by the University of Évora in 1988, and in 2002 obtained the Habilitation in Chromatographic Methods applied to the Food Industry by the same University. Her area of expertise is Chromatography, Sensory Analysis, Enantioselectivae and multidimensional chromatography, and Analysis of flavors. Currently, her research is especially directed towards the analysis of Mediterranean food products with special emphasis on wines and olive oils; identification of compounds present in the extract of the aroma and determining the relationship between the chemical compounds and sensory impact; identification of enantiomers, determination of enantiomeric excess using enantioselective chromatography; application of chirality in determining the authenticity and fraud detection; limits of detection and olfacto detection of enantiomers; the relationship with the aroma of food products; and the usage of comprehensive multidimensional chromatography. She participated in many research projects and scientific meetings and authored numerous publications both in national and international peer review journals. Since August 2015, she is a high-level expert of Horizon 2020 Policy Support Facility (PSF) and between 2011 and 2013 she worked as Adviser in the Bureau of European Policy Advisers of the European Commission. At the University of Évora she occupied many important positions: Member of the General Council of the University of Évora (December 2012 - October 2013), Vice-Rector, responsible for the Academic sector (2006- 2010), Vice-President of the Scientific Council of the University of Évora (2005-2006), Vice-President of the Institute of Mediterranean Agricultural Sciences (2004-2006), Vice-President of the Executive Council of the Department of Agricultural Sciences (2004-2005), Vice-President of the Scientific Council of the Department of Agricultural Sciences (2004-2006), president of the Department of Plant Sciences (2004-2006). She was also the Director of Research in Bioorganic and Analytical Chemistry of the Chemistry Department of the Center of Fine Chemistry and Biotechnology (CQFB - Centro de Química Fina e Biotecnologia) of the Faculty of Sciences and Technology of Universidade Nova de Lisboa, between 1999-2002.

Kerstin Tham

Vice Chancellor, Malmö University

Short bio Kerstin Tham Professor Kerstin Tham is since November 2015 the first female Vice Chancellor of Malmö University, Sweden. She previously served as Deputy Vice Chancellor at Karolinska Institutet (KI) in Stockholm. She has extensive experience from research, teaching and academic leadership positions within the field of health sciences.

Professor Tham is professor in occupational therapy (2009) and has a doctoral (phd) degree in Neurology (1998). Her research focuses on aspects of rehabilitation after stroke and the overall aim is to build knowledge, develop and evaluate personcentered health services for people with stroke and their families. Professor Tham has conducted internationally unique research identifying the lived experience of individuals with neuropsychological impairments after stroke, as unilateral neglect, by applying an occupational science perspective. The research has contributed to the development of new models, methods and strategies for rehabilitation after stroke. Professor Tham has extensive numbers of scientific publications and has served as supervisor of 15 doctoral students at Karolinska Institutet.

Professor Tham has lead the strategic development of Malmö university which is the youngest university in Sweden. When the Swedish government decided on giving Malmö university the full research university status 2018, she has focused her work on strengthening the research and research education in interdisciplinary research centers and programs addressing complex societal challenges such as sustainable city development, migration and integration, life- and material sciences, internet of things and people and learning for change.

Malmö university has a strong global and societal engagement and has during the years built and extensive experience in widening participation in higher education. Collaboration with different societal stakeholders within public, private and the nonprofit sectors is very important for the further development of the university and professor Tham is therefore involved in several national, regional and local boards.

Pamela Gillies

Vice Chancellor, Glasgow Caledonian University

Professor Pamela Gillies CBE, has been President and Vice-Chancellor of Glasgow Caledonian University since 2006. She is a member and trustee of many boards including: the Board of Trustees of the British Council from 2008 to 2014 and currently the Global Advisory Board of the African Leadership University, Board of the Grameen Scotland Foundation and of the Grameen Caledonian College of Nursing. Pamela was awarded the honor of CBE for services to education and public health in December 2012. She is an elected Fellow of a number of professional bodies including the Faculty of Public Health of the Royal College of Physicians of London and was elected to Scotland’s National Academy, the Royal Society of Edinburgh, in 2015. Past work experience includes: Pro-Vice Chancellor at the University of Nottingham, the World Health Organisation’s Global Programme on AIDS (1989-90) and as the first Executive Director of Research at the Health Education Authority for England (1996-99). She is a founding patron of a school for children of sex workers in Domjur, Kolkata and has researched and written widely on HIV/AIDS, health development, and inequalities in health focusing on the potential of social action for health.

Fanny M.C. Cheung

Former Pro Vice Chancellor, The Chinese University of Hong Kong

BA (UC, Berkeley); PhD (Minn)

Former Pro-Vice-Chancellor / Vice-President
Choh-Ming Li Professor of Psychology 

Professor Cheung is currently Choh-Ming Li Professor of Psychology and Co-Director of the Hong Kong Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies at CUHK. She was formerly Dean of the Faculty of Social Science and Chairperson of the Department of Psychology. Professor Cheung was appointed Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research in 2013. As Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research, Professor Cheung is the Chairperson of the Research Committee and oversees the governance of interdisciplinary research institutes as well as knowledge transfer at CUHK. An active advocate for promoting women’s status through scientific research, Professor Cheung established the Gender Research Centre in 1985, and initiated the Gender Studies Programme at the University. Over the years her efforts have led to an increased awareness of gender issues in academia as well as the community at large. From 1996 to 1999, Professor Cheung served as the Founding Chairperson of the Hong Kong Equal Opportunities Commission, setting up the mechanism to eliminate discrimination and promote equal opportunities for women and men, and for people with disabilities.
 

Professor Cheung obtained her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of California, Berkeley, and PhD in Psychology from the University of Minnesota. Her research expertise lies in cross-cultural personality assessment and psychopathology, personality and vocational behavior, gender equality, and women leadership. Professor Cheung is Past President of the International Test Commission, a Fellow and former President of the Hong Kong Psychological Society, and a Fellow of the American Psychological Association (APA) as well as the Association for Psychological Science (APS).
 

Professor Cheung is dedicated to public service and has served on many government committees and advisory bodies, including the Electoral Affairs Commission, Advisory Group on Eliminating Discrimination against Sexual Minorities, the Women’s Commission, and the Independent Police Complaints Council,. She was invited as a special delegate to the 7th to the 11th Sessions of the National Congress of Chinese Women. In recognition of her contributions to the community, she was appointed Justice of the Peace in 1988 and a Hong Kong Affairs Advisor from 1995 to 1997. She was made an Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1997.
 

Professor Cheung’s academic publications total over 180 internationally refereed journal articles, book chapters, books and monographs. Her research on Chinese personality assessment has raised international attention on the need to mainstream culture in psychology. Her academic honours and awards include the IAAP Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award 2014, APA Award for Distinguished Contributions to the International Advancement of Psychology 2012, Distinguished International Psychologist Award of APA Division 52 (2005), and Distinguished Leadership Award for Internationals from the University of Minnesota (2003).

Krista Varantola

Former Rector, University of Tampere

Chancellor Krista Varantola received her PhD in English from the University of Turku, Finland in 1985. She worked as a senior lecturer at the same university until 1989 when she moved to the University of Tampere to become Professor of English. She has published widely on technical English usage, as well as the use of dictionaries and the use of electronic text corpora as translation tools. She is member of the Finnish Academy of Science and Letters.

Alongside her scholarly pursuits she has held several administrative positions at the university of Tampere and has served as Head of Department, Dean, Vice-Rector and Rector. During 2006-2007 she served as Vice-Chair and during  2008-2009 as Chair of the  Finnish Council of University rectors.
 

After her five-year term as Rector she was appointed Chancellor of the University of Tampere in 2009.

Krista Varantola has been member of  a number of national and Nordic academic boards, research councils and foundations. She served twice on the Science and Technology Policy Council of Finland. From August 1, 2014 she is Professor and Chancellor emerita of the University of Tampere.
 

She is currently Chair of the National Advisory Board on Research Integrity in Finland  and Board member of the University Board of the University of Jyväskylä, Finland and member of ALLEA (All European Academies)  Standing Committee on Science and Ethics 2010- .
 

Leadership positions at the University of Tampere

• II Vice-Rector, University of Tampere,  August 1, 1996 – December 31, 1997
• I  Vice-Rector, University of Tampere,  January 1, 1998 – July 31, 1999

• Rector of the University of Tampere, 1.8.2004-31.7.2009
• Finnish Council of University Rectors, Vice-Chairman 2006-2007, Chair 2008-2009
• Chancellor, University of Tampere, 1.8.2009-31.7.2014
• Chancellor emerita, professor emerita at the University of Tampere (agreement-based) 1.8. 2014-

SCHOLARLY AND PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES AND POSITIONS OF TRUST

• Member of the University Board of the University of Jyväskylä 1.8 2014- 31.12. 2017

• National Advisory Board on Research Integrity in Finland. Chair 2010-

• Member of the Council of Finnish Academies 2011-  (Vice-Chair 2011-2013)

• Board Member, Emil Aaltonen Foundation, Finland 2009-

• Member of the Finnish Academy of Science and Letters 2005- Board Member of the Finnish Fulbright Commission FUSEEC (Finland  -U.S. Educational Exchange Commission) 2002-2009

• Member, Research Council for Culture and Society, The Academy of Finland 2001-2004

• Member of the Science and Technology Policy Council of Finland under the Prime Minister of Finland 1999-2002, 2005-2007

• NordForsk. (Nordic Funding Agency for Research under the Nordic Council of Ministers) Board Member 2006 - 2013

• NordForsk. Chair of the Steering Committee of the thematic programme “Education for Tomorrow” . 2012-

• University of Gothenburg, Sweden.  Member of the Advisory Board 2008-2015

• The Nordic Centre at Fudan University, Chair 2006-2011

• ALLEA (All European Academies), Member of the Standing Committee on Science and Ethics 2010-

• EUA (European University Association)  The Standing Sub-Committee of Council on Nominations  2010- 2013

• Member of the evaluation team pool of  EUA/IEP 2012-

• Board member of  HÖGUT, (Steering Group for Higher Education, Nordic Council of Ministers) 1999-2007.

CURRENT RESEARCH INTEREST AND PUBLICATIONS

Lexical knowledge management, the use of text corpora  in translation, dictionary use in translation,  translation-related research, lexicography and terminology, electronic translation tools.

Christina Ullenius

Former Rector, Karlstad University

Christina Ullenius was recruited in 1994 to lead the development of the former polytechnic institution Högskolan Karlstad to a full university in 1999. Under her leadership Karlstad University developed into a strong academic institution of international standing in strategic areas for regional development, life-long learning, flexible and distance education. She left Karlstad after 12 years.
 

Ullenius is a chemical engineer by training and has had a long research and teaching career in organic chemistry at Chalmers University of Technology. She was vice rector at Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg 1989 – 1994. She has also spent periods of research in the United States, eg at Princeton University. She is a member of the Royal Swedish Academy for Engineering Sciences.

Presently Christina Ullenius is working as an expert for the KK-foundation Stockholm and the University Skövde.

She has previously served as

• President of the board of the Swedish Research Council for Engineering Sciences, 1996 - 2000
• President of the Swedish Association of Higher Education, 2001 – 2004.
• Vice president of the European University Association, 2005 – 2009.
• University of Stavanger, Stavanger, Norway, member of the board, 2003 - 2011
• President of the board, the Swedish Defence Research Agency, 2004 – 2009
• President of the board for the KK-foundation
• President of the board for Luleå Technical university
• Member of the board for the Hasselblad Foundation

She has also been a member of various expert groups in the European commission.

Special interest

Promoting equal opportunities for women and men in an academic career and leadership.

She has been chairing two program committees for the Swedish research agency Vinnova.
The programs have been designed to identify and support women in their research careers.