Graduated in Social Sciences in 1997 from Åbo Akademi University, Ida has pursued a career in high-tech and education.
After a long time as an Education Policy Manager in Nokia headquarters until 2012, Ida changed radically her career to a more hands-on job at Apple, where she worked directly with schools in order to enhance the usage of technology in learning.
Since 2019 Ida has joined Aalto University and is the project manager for DigiEduHack. She proudly contributed to the success of the first and second edition!
Dr. Shima Barakat, MBA is an entrepreneur, director and academic obsessed with making the world a better place. Her experience is in how the environment (planet) as a strategic issue is understood and integrated into organization strategy through how people understand and interact with it. Shima has spent the last 25 years helping companies (from startups to MNEs) as well as governments and international funding agencies to improve their performance on sustainability. In good sustainability practice, Shima is a repurposed Engineering, having started her career working for the consortium that built the channel tunnel. She’s personally supported more than 200 start-ups. Shima is one of the founders and the Managing Director of Value in Enterprise, the responsible business consultancy company. She has also been among the founders of several organisations that aim at engaging communities in their own development in Egypt and the US. One of these ventures (Nahdet El Mahrousa) became the first and arguably most successfully Social Enterprise Incubator in the Middle East and recently launched the first social investment fund in the MENA region. She most recently co-founded the Impact Women’s Network to raise the visibility of enterprising women and enabling the creation of greater impact through the power of the collective leadership. Academically, Shima has held an appointment at the University of Cambridge for 14 years. She is currently Director of the Entrepreneurship for Sustainability Programme at the Centre for Industrial Sustainability where she leads a portfolio of courses, summer school, professional development academies, and the UK Hub of the Food Accelerator Network. Before that, she was the Head of Entrepreneurial Learning Programmes at the Entrepreneurship Centre of the Judge Business School until 2017. Shima is an experienced board member and chair, including as a Trustees of the Institute of Small Business and Entrepreneurship in the UK. Shima has a particular interest in exploring how and why people do or don’t do things, especially in terms of mindset and competences. Recently her work focuses on global challenges, and the networks and education/training needs of entrepreneurs and their ventures in providing solutions to such big challenges. As part of this, Shima leads the Mentor and Educator Academies for EIT Food.
Dr. Rajiv Vaid Basaiawmoit is currently the Head of Sci-Tech Innovation & Entrepreneurship at Aarhus University, Denmark. He is an award-winning Entrepreneurship Educator and works at the intersection between innovation, entrepreneurship, interdisciplinary-collaboration and gamification. He has a bit of a polymathic background with a PhD in Biophysics (2007) and a double Masters in Biotechnology (2001) and in Business Administration (MBA – 2011). He has straddled various disciplines across the years and spent various amounts of time in various fields such as Nanoscience, Molecular Biology, Organizational Psychology, Environmental Sustainability, Marketing, Social Entrepreneurship, Gamification, Ludology, and Philosophy. In parallel, he also started specializing in Analogue Game Design and Gamification since 2014 and together with his wife and business partner started a game-design studio called Biosymfonix EduGames. The flagship product that the studio has produced, amongst other titles, include the award-winning board game ESHIP:NavigatingUncertainty, which in just over 30 months is currently in use in over 50 different institutions across 18 different countries.
Owing to his multi-disciplinary background and ability to innovate as well as coach on “how to” innovate, he is an invited speaker and thought leader at many conferences, events and institutions around the world from TedX to NATO and many others. Rajiv’s multi-specialty achievements and interests have spawned various inter-disciplinary collaborations with disparate entities and individuals that range from artists to scientists, to philosophers to entrepreneurs as well as Museums, Communication agencies, Game studios and of course universities and schools.
Professor Mark Brown is Ireland’s first Chair of Digital Learning and Director of the National Institute for Digital Learning (NIDL) at Dublin City University. Mark is an EDEN Fellow and serves on the Executive Committees of the European Distance and eLearning Network (EDEN) and the European Association of Distance Teaching Universities (EADTU). He continues to maintain strong “down under” connections and is also Vice-President of the Open and Distance Learning Association of Australia (ODLAA). In 2017, the Commonwealth of Learning recognised Professor Brown as a world leader in open and distance education and only weeks before the outbreak of the Coronavirus, in November 2019, Mark was Chair of the ICDE World Conference on Online Learning in Dublin.
See for more information: https://www.dcu.ie/nidl/director-nidl
Since April 2020, Celine is Director of Education at EIT Health, one of the largest healthcare initiatives worldwide with 150 leading organizations spanning key areas of healthcare such as Pharma, MedTech, Payers, Research Institutions and Universities. Celine is overseeing the EIT Health Education Portfolio, co-created with the EIT Health Network of Partners, leading the EIT Education supporting more than 500 startups with close access to all leading players in health industry.
From 2005 to 2020, Celine has worked at the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) initially collaborating with the UEMS (uems.eu) for accreditation and certification related initiatives, then in 2010 she became the Head of the ESC Education Department. During that time, she has led several initiatives that have led to the evolution of the educational offer, as well as a shift in mindset around medical education at ESC, from traditional didactic programmes to evidence-based, needs-driven educational interventions. She was at the inception of the ESC eLearning platform as well as the first ever clinical trial in medical education with the STEEER-AF study. She also collaborated in two updates of the European Curriculum for the Cardiologists (4th edition published on 30/8/2020). Prior joining the ESC, Celine has travelled extensively, working in the UK and the Gulf Region, on a variety of teaching engagements and international project management initiatives.
Since 2010, Celine has actively engaged in volunteering, mostly with the Global Alliance for Medical Education (GAME), where she has held several leadership positions on the GAME Board and other Committees. She took on volunteering and speaker positions at UEMS, Biomed Alliance and AC Forum, collaborating in task forces, working groups and workshops on medical education and learning translation themes.
After graduating in Economics and Statistics from Université Aix-Marseille, Celine moved to the UK, where she took on further studies at SOAS – School of Oriental and African Studies – London University, majoring in Economics, Sinhalese and Classical Arabic. This is when she had her first encounter with adult learning, through her teaching business French; a domain she would specialize into and find fulfilment.
Links:
Bio coming soon.
Georgi Dimitrov is responsible for the newly created unit Digital Education in the European Commission, Directorate General for Education and Culture. He joined the European Commission in 2008 and was first involved in various roles in setting up the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT). He then helped to develop and launch HEInnovate, an initiative by the European Commission and the OECD aimed at supporting universities to become more entrepreneurial. He led the development of the first Digital Education Action Plan adopted in January 2018 and also of the new Digital Education Action Plan 2021-2027 that was adopted in September 2020. Before joining the Commission, Georgi worked for a leading multinational telecommunication company and in a software start-up in Germany. Georgi studied at the University of Bonn (M.A.), the University of Erlangen-Nürnberg (PhD) and the Open University UK (MBA in Technology Management).
John is a Professor of Computer Science at the Open University, Director of the Knowledge Media Institute [1], the OU’s technology research and innovation centre, and the President of STI International [2], a semantics focused networking organization. He has published over 280 refereed articles (h-index 58) in the areas of semantics, the Web, distributed ledgers and eLearning. His current work focuses on how a combination of blockchain and Linked Data technologies can be used to process personal data in a decentralised trusted manner and how this can be applied in the educational domain [3].
Prof. Domingue served as the leader of the first of five themes, on University Learners, for the £20M funded Institute of Coding [4] which aimed to increase the number and diversity of computing graduates in the UK as well as enhancing the connection between university teaching and corporate training.
In 2017 Prof Domingue’s research in blockchains and education was referenced in the Joint Research Centre Policy Report Blockchain in Education for the European Commission [5]. Prof. Domingue has given many talks on his work including at the Royal Institution in 2018 [6] and at TEDx [7].
In 2019, he became a Fellow of the British Blockchain Association [8].
1. http://kmi.open.ac.uk/
2. https://www.sti2.org/
3. http://blockchain.open.ac.uk/
4. https://instituteofcoding.org/
5. https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/bitstream/JRC108255/jrc108255_blockchain_in_education%281%29.pdf#page=66
6. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wwYDMdji3k
7. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPefcmWFWyM&t=6s
8. https://www.britishblockchainassociation.org/fellowship
Sandra has a background on food science and engineering and is currently enrolled as a phd students at the department of food material science. There she has a special scope in the functionality and interactions of alternative plant‑based and meat proteins. Besides, she and two of her co-workers have founded a food tech startup that is targeting the global food waste challenge. ZBS Food offers innovative products made from upcycled ingredients from the food industry and food-tech consulting services for small and medium sized food companies in order to support a resource efficient product development.
Mona Hakim is Strategy Lead for Content and Partnerships at FutureLearn. Her drive is to understand whatpeople want to learn about, what will help them advance in their careers and how we can all use learning to live more fulfilling lives. She enjoys understanding how cultural and internet trends affect people’s learning habits.
Márton Herczeg is the Head of the Strategy and Impact Unit, leading several strategic initiatives and actions enhancing the impact of the EIT.
Prior to joining the EIT, Mr. Herczeg was Head of EU and International Consulting with the Copenhagen Resource Institute (now part of NIRAS Gruppen A/S) in Denmark for more than eight years, where he led teams involved in strategic planning and solutions for better policy applications for clients.
Mr. Herczeg has over 15 years of experience advising EU and national policymakers and other decision makers on science and evidence-based strategies, initiatives and policies on sustainable management of natural resources and waste, eco-innovation, resource efficiency and productivity.
He is author and co-author of more than 70 publications, including several analytical papers, policy reports and briefs, research reports, books and articles in professional journals.
Mr. Herczeg holds an MSc in Bioengineering and a PhD in Economics and Management from BME.
After more than 12 years working as a European Affairs professional in a range of policy areas including agriculture, research & innovation, regional development and the circular economy, Jean-Paul founded NOWMORE in 2019, specialising in online & offline moderation, the production of digital content & online events, and the facilitation of stakeholder engagement initiatives.
He is half-English, half-French, and faithful to his dual nationality he holds a degree in Politics & Sociology from Royal Holloway University (London, UK) and a Masters in European Affairs from Sciences Po (Paris, France).
As a moderator, his vision is to bring sociology centre-stage, allowing issues to be addressed in an inclusive and rigorous manner.
Christophe is the co-founder and CEO of Bodyswaps, a groundbreaking learning solution that uses VR and AI to transform how soft skills training is experienced. A big believer in the potential of technologies to unlock human potential at scale, Christophe is an international speaker and regular podcaster on VR and learning. He has recently delivered talks for EdtechX, the International Labor Organisation and the European Training Foundation.
Filippo is Community Manager for EPALE – Electronic Platform for Adult Learning in Europe, an online community on adult learning with more than 100.000 members.
He has more than 15 years of working experience as Project Manager and Communication Specialist in the field of social innovation, ICT and communication. Throughout the years he has planned and developed several projects and initiatives with a particular focus on the development and moderation of educational digital platforms.
Michał Mijal, Ph.D. – project leader in numerous EU-funded projects (Operational Program Human Capital, 7. Framework Program, EIT-Food, Climate KIC) with over a decade of experience in this field, supervisor of many experimental research initiatives, author of numerous scientific papers on games and simulations.
Leonel Morgado is Associate Professor with Habilitation, at Universidade Abert (the Portuguese Open University), where he lectures on research methods, programming, and immersive environments. He is also board member and Vice-President for Scientific Quality of the international research association, Immersive Learning Research Network, and Secretary of the Assembly of the Portuguese Society of Videogame Sciences. His main research interest is the use and development of immersive environments as tools for learning and business, which he pursues since 2000. He authored over 200 papers, in journals, conferences, and as book chapters. Before pursuing an academic career, he was business and technical manager of an hardware import, distribution, and retail company, terminologist for the localization teams of MS Office 97 and Oracle InterOffice, language quality specialist for IBM/Lotus, a coordinator of Web-development teams for heritage sites and software deployment teams for government health directorates, and manager of a 120-people cooperative extension team fighting the digital divide in rural villages. On his spare time we was a volunteer firefighter, ambulance driver, electric guitar player, and still plays Portuguese guitar and tries to learn trombone.
Simona joined the Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture of the European Commission in 2017 and since then she has been working on innovation in education and digital education. She is part of unit ‘Digital education’, which is in charge of the implementation of the Digital Education Action Plan 2021-2027, the Commission strategy to support effective and sustainable digital transformation in education and training.
Currently Simona is working on different actions under the Digital Education Action Plan, such as the development of common guidelines for teachers and educators on digital literacy and tackling disinformation through education and training and the Digital Education Hackathon, an initiative crowdsourcing solutions for challenges in digital education. Her other tasks include outreach and stakeholder engagement, including work with the European Education Technology sector. Previously, Simona was in charge of the stakeholder consultations and communications in preparation of the Digital Education Action Plan, and worked on pilot projects exploring the potential of Artificial Intelligence for education and training.
Prior to joining the Commission, Simona gained experience in other international organisations, where she worked on initiatives promoting gender digital equality. Simona has MSc in Media and Communications Governance from the London School of Economics and Political Science and BSc in Media Studies and Sociology from City, University of London.
Cristina Riesen is a seasoned entrepreneur with 20 years of experience in the fields of strategic communications, innovation, technology and education. A lifelong learner by design, she is an EMScom graduate, and a certified strategic foresight and design thinking professional. In recent years, Cristina was General Manager EMEA at Evernote, managed the launch of the Swiss Edtech Collider at EPFL Lausanne, worked with the Strategic Development team at ETH Zurich and founded Educreators Foundation, an impact organization supporting systemic change in education.
Her current activities range from being an edtech expert to the European Commission to advisory and board functions for edtech start-ups and scale-ups. Since 2019, she is also on the steering board of DigiEduHack, an EIT initiative under the European Commission’s Digital Education Action Plan, led by EIT Climate-KIC and coordinated by Aalto University.
Cristina was named Digital Shaper by the leading Swiss economic magazine Bilanz in 2019 and 2020.
More information: cristinariesen.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cristinariesen/
Piret Liv Stern Dahl is EIT Climate-KIC Learning Technologies Strategy Developer and EIT Cross-KIC Human Capital project manager. She is active in the space of education digital transformation through projects such as DigiEduHack and fostering Cross-KIC collaboration and co-creation to scale impact KICs are delivering individually in the education innovation space.
Piret has a long history in the sustainability and climate change theme. Piret has a master’s degree in environmental economics from Copenhagen University and has been a long-term member of Energy Crossroads Denmark, a small NGO focusing on bringing stakeholders from different parts of society to discuss the most pressing energy and sustainability topics. Piret is excited about alternative learning methodologies and has been facilitating variety of serious games on energy topic. Currently she is exploring the powers of the hackathon concept and especially the impactful learning experiences for both – hosts and participants.
Bio coming soon.
Dr Maarten van der Kamp is EIT Food’s Director of Education. He is passionate about developing entrepreneurs that are equipped to respond to current and emerging environmental and social challenges to create a more sustainable society. As part of his role at EIT Food, Maarten is responsible for the creation and implementation of a robust portfolio of innovative educational programmes offered at postgraduate, professional development and VET levels, and a portfolio of public education MOOCs.
Before joining EIT Food, Maarten taught entrepreneurship, social entrepreneurship and sustainability at Cranfield School of Management and Hult International Business School. He did his PhD on the standardisation of sustainability at Lancaster School of Management. Before then, he worked as a senior engineer and team leader in Philips Medical Systems, and ran a network of entrepreneurship centres in support of excellent entrepreneurship education.
Solveig is an experienced project manager specialised in education, facilitation and entrepreneurship. For the last 6 years, she’s been involved in projects themed around educational processes, process facilitation and facilitation of learning environments. She has extensive experience teaching, coaching social and sustainability-minded startups within business development, team leadership and strategy.
Bio coming soon.
Dr Maarten van der Kamp is EIT Food’s Director of Education. He is passionate about developing entrepreneurs that are equipped to respond to current and emerging environmental and social challenges to create a more sustainable society. As part of his role at EIT Food, Maarten is responsible for the creation and implementation of a robust portfolio of innovative educational programmes offered at postgraduate, professional development and VET levels, and a portfolio of public education MOOCs.
Before joining EIT Food, Maarten taught entrepreneurship, social entrepreneurship and sustainability at Cranfield School of Management and Hult International Business School. He did his PhD on the standardisation of sustainability at Lancaster School of Management. Before then, he worked as a senior engineer and team leader in Philips Medical Systems, and ran a network of entrepreneurship centres in support of excellent entrepreneurship education.
Dr Maarten van der Kamp is EIT Food’s Director of Education. He is passionate about developing entrepreneurs that are equipped to respond to current and emerging environmental and social challenges to create a more sustainable society. As part of his role at EIT Food, Maarten is responsible for the creation and implementation of a robust portfolio of innovative educational programmes offered at postgraduate, professional development and VET levels, and a portfolio of public education MOOCs.
Before joining EIT Food, Maarten taught entrepreneurship, social entrepreneurship and sustainability at Cranfield School of Management and Hult International Business School. He did his PhD on the standardisation of sustainability at Lancaster School of Management. Before then, he worked as a senior engineer and team leader in Philips Medical Systems, and ran a network of entrepreneurship centres in support of excellent entrepreneurship education.
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