Keynote Speakers

Professor BaoHui Zhang, Shaanxi Normal University, China

Prof. ZHANG BaoHui is Qujiang Scholar professor, former dean at the School of Education (SOE), Shaanxi Normal University (SNNU), Xi’an, China. He is president of the International Council of Associations for Science Education (ICASE) (2020-2023). He is East-Asia Association for Science Education (EASE) 2021 Distinguished Contribution Award winner. He also has work experiences in Beijing Normal University, Nanjing University, China, University of Pittsburgh, Michigan State University (USA), and Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. Prof. Zhang has supervised post-doc fellows, doctoral, master, and undergraduate students from a number of countries, such as Russia, USA, Canada, China, Singapore, the Philippines, Indonesia, Tanzania, the Netherland, Pakistan, among others. His teaching and research is at the intersection of science education, educational technology, learning sciences, and teacher education. A study released in Jan. 2019 by the Research Center of China Science Evaluation (RCCSE) based on the biggest Chinese electronic academic journal database CNKI revealed that he ranked the 3rd on the top 50 Chinese Education Researchers (2006-2019). He has presented education research work of his and his collaborators’ in 19 countries and regions.  More information about him can be found here: http://zhangbaohui.snnu.edu.cn.

 

Professor Hassan Hamid Tairab, The United Arab Emirates University, UAE

Prof Hassan Tairab has been in the field of education since 1985 as a science teacher, an educator, a curriculum and a program developer and an administrator in various academic settings. He currently works as a professor of science education with a responsibility of developing and implementing science education academic programs both graduate and undergraduate levels in addition to his supervisory role of PhD MEd students. Prof Tairab has published and presented science education research in various international journals and meetings. His research interest focuses on issues related to teaching and learning of science at all grade levels in addition to STEM education and science teachers’ professional development and learning. He has successfully obtained and executed research grants on various perspectives of science education.

Prof Tairab is currently a chair/member of several national educational committees and works as a consultant and as a reviewer for several national and regional research foundations.

Prof Tairab received his BSc & Education (Distinction) from the University of Khartoum, Sudan, and MEd (Distinction) and PhD in Science Education from the University of Hull in the United Kingdom.

Dr. Khalid Al Marri, The British University in Dubai, Dubai, UAE

Dr Khalid is an associate professor of project management at the Business and Law department of the British university in Dubai. Dr Khalid is proclaimed for setting high standard of accomplishment by holding the first PhD award in Project Management in the region. Dr Khalid has an undergraduate degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Arizona and master’s degree in Engineering Management from the Catholic University of America. Following which he commenced his engineering career in 1996 in the Dubai Municipality and has been in the government services in the Sewerage & Irrigation Department and the Roads Department as Head in the Roads Construction Section. Dr Khalid holds the credential of having produced, through a doctoral program, the first framework for developing projects through public private partnerships (PPP) in the UAE. This framework is the first to lay the foundations for a standardized PPP practice in the UAE for practitioners. It highlights the most important factors for the success of PPP projects, such as value for money, risk sharing and allocation, renegotiations, and the roles of the public and private parties. Dr Khalid is also credited for developing a framework for establishing a nuclear research reactor project in the UAE through the utilization of public private partnerships, which was one of the first frameworks for PPPs in research reactor projects in the world and followed strict safeguards and required full awareness of nuclear safety, security & control of nuclear materials handling.

 

Professor Fazal Malik, Vice Chancellor, Amity University Dubai

Prof. Fazal Malik is the Pro Vice Chancellor at Amity University Dubai. He earned a PhD from Nottingham Trent University in the UK and Master’s Degree in International Journalism from City University, London. He also has a post-graduate diploma in Business Administration and Certificate in Public Relations Practice from George Washington University. Before joining Amity University Dubai, he worked as Associate Dean at Higher Colleges for Technology, United Arab Emirates.  

With nearly three decades of international experience, Dr. Fazal has developed and delivered a range of programs at a number of universities in the UK, UAE and India. He successfully launched flipped learning project at Amity University to enable students to access learning anytime, anywhere which proved very useful in remote learning during the Covid-19 pandemic.  A prolific researcher, he has authored scores of publications, presentation and commentaries on the relationship between media, place and identity. Dr. Fazal is the Editor of the Global Media Journal (Arabian editions), and a Board member of the Journal for Content, Community and Communication. A known commentator on Higher Education, Creative Industries and innovative disruption, he writes Oped-Columns in Gulf News and Khaleej Times and The National Newspapers in the Dubai.

Before making transition to academia, Dr. Fazal worked as Broadcast Journalist for the BBC in the UK, researching, reporting news and producing current affair programs from across the world. He also set up a range of community-based projects in the UK, including community radio stations to create lifelong learning opportunities for disadvantaged communities in the UK.

 

Professor Sibel Erduran, University of Oxford, UK

Sibel Erduran is a Professor of Science Education and Fellow of St Cross College at University of Oxford, United Kingdom. She is also Professor II at University of Oslo, Norway. She is the President of the European Science Education Research Association; Editor-in-Chief of Science & Education and an Editor for International Journal of Science. Her work experience includes positions in the USA, Ireland as well as the UK. Her research interests focus on the infusion of epistemic practices of science in science education and she has a keen interest in the professional development of science teachers. Her work on argumentation has received international recognition through awards from NARST and EASE. She is currently working on two funded projects: FEDORA (EU Horizon 2020) and SciKids (UAEU). Her books published in 2019 are entitled Argumentation in Chemistry Education: Research, Policy and Practice (Royal Society of Chemistry) and Transforming Teacher Education through the Epistemic Core of Chemistry: Empirical Evidence and Practical Strategies (Springer).  

 

Professor Christiana Omoifo, University of Benin, Nigeria

Dr. Christiana Omoifo is a Professor of Science Education/Curriculum since 2005. She has 32 years of teaching, supervision, and research experience in higher education, She, also had ten-year experience at the junior and senior secondary school. Dr. Omoifo served as a  Fulbright scholar, George Washington university, USA (1999-2001), postdoctoral fellow, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Hiroshima university (2001–2002), and visiting DAAD research fellow, University of Kassel, Germany (August, 2001), focusing on science curriculum development, higher education research, teaching of science and research and data analysis respectively. She served as Director, Centre for Record Processing Unit, Assistant Dean, School of Postgraduate Studies, Chair, Faculty of Education teaching practice committee and Head of Department, Educational Psychology and Curriculum Studies, University of Benin. She is a fellow of Science Teachers Association and Gender Studies Association of Nigeria. She is also, member of Nigerian Academy for Education, Organisation for Women in Science in Developing countries and immediate past chair, ECRA, NARST, USA. Dr. Omoifo won several academic awards and is Association of African Universities and Nigerian Universities Commission grantee. She served as research consultant for UNICEF, UNESCO, World Bank, Federal Ministry of Education, Nigeria, and many others. She has 90 publications.

Professor Piet Kommers –UNESCO, Holland

Piet Kommers is pioneer in media education and leader of NATO Advanced Research Workshops on Cognitive Learning Tools. UNESCO professor and scientific leader with extensive experience in educational technology and social media. ” …. Media prove to be instrumental to emancipation, equity and societal evolution: the smart phone, virtual reality, interactive video, hypermedia, expert systems, modelling and simulations.” He is Ph.D. holder in Educational- and Media Design, with a Master in Pedagogy and a Bachelor degree in Teacher Education. Received the prestigious academic award for innovative ‘Experimental Design’ and was offered a research position in collaborative group problem solving wherein he designed the ‘Concise Urban Planning Task’. Long-term experience at management level coupled with a strategic appreciation and vision. Methodical in evaluation and systematic implementation. A strong work ethic with a high level of personal integrity (leading by example); able to create trust in teams.

The Dennis Chisman Oration

Professor Jack Holbrook, University of Tartu, Estonia