Speakers
Conference Co - Chairs


PROF. EUGENE P. SHEEHAN
Emeritus Professor
Psychological Sciences College of Education and Behavioral Sciences
University of Northern Colorado
USA
Profile
Prof. Eugene is the Former Dean of the College of Education and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Northern Colorado. As the Dean he was responsible for the administration of one of the largest education programs in the Rocky Mountain Region of the United States, with about 100 full time faculty and about 3,500 teacher candidates. Prof. Eugene received his undergraduate degrees from the University of Dublin and Trinity College, Ireland. He received his Master’s degrees from Trinity College and from the Queen’s University of Belfast. He obtained his PhD from the University of California, Santa Cruz. He has been recognized for excellence in teaching and research, earning the University of Northern Colorado’s Distinguished Scholar Award. He has worked collaboratively with several universities around the world. In 2011 he received an Honorary Doctorate from Burapha University. Additionally, he has given keynote addresses at important conferences around the world. Prior to his career at the University of Northern Colorado, Prof. Eugene worked as a personnel psychologist for the Irish government and as a vocational evaluator in California.


Keynote Title: “Bridging the Gap between Research and Practice in Education: Fostering Creativity, New Curriculum, and Entrepreneurial Skills for Learners and Educators”
Prof. Dr. Marcel Köhler
Nord University
Faculty for Nursing and Health Sciences
Norway
Profile
Dr. Marcel Köhler is Professor for Pedagogy and Health Sciences at Nord University/Norway. He held the chair for Nursing and Health at the University of Applied Sciences Dresden (FHD)/Germany from 2019-2022. He studied medicine pedagogy, philosophy and vocational education. Dr. Marcel Köhler received his doctorate from the Technical University of Dresden/Germany. In his PhD thesis he integrates theoretical approaches from didactics, action theory and cognitive psychology as well as linguistics. He has expertise in questions of curriculum development, empirical educational research, evaluation and quality management. His key activities focus on vocational and university didactics, examination in theoretical vocational education and institutional teaching/learning processes. Currently, he is working in the fields of interdisciplinarity in nursing and health care professions as well as student active teaching-/learning methods and simulative learning environments of these professions. Dr. Marcel Köhler supports and contributes national and international research projects on the aspects of current vocational and tertiary education issues. Before he accepted a professorial position, he has worked for more than 9 years as a researcher and lecturer at the Institute for Vocational Education and Didactics at the Technical University of Dresden/Germany. He was responsible for national and international research projects with stays abroad in China, Thailand, Laos and Sweden. From 2014-2021 he was the executive director of the association for the promotion of education and training for professional educators at the TU Dresden e. V.
Keynote Speakers


Keynote Title: “Teaching what matters – transforming education for the 21st century.”
Dr. Manoj Krishna
Founder and CEO,
HumanWisdom Project & HumanWisdom app
United Kingdom
Profile
Dr. Manoj Krishna worked as a spine surgeon for 25 years. He left the profession early to set up the HumanWisdom Project – to help reduce suffering and help each person shine in the world. He is the author of two books – Understanding Me, Understanding You and Stress Free.
The HumanWisdom App for adults was launched in 2023. The app for teenagers will launch this autumn. He believes that understanding ourselves & how our minds work awakens our inner intelligence, which leads to wisdom, and this can lead to transformation. This understanding can prevent and more easily address many problems which begin in our thinking: stress, anxiety, depression, relationship breakdown, violence, addiction, and climate change.
A deeper self-awareness can also help with the development of soft skills – like critical thinking, collaboration, communication, leadership, integrity, courage, resilience and empathy – all of which are vital for organisations to flourish.
By realising that deep down we are the same human being, we can live with compassion, goodness, and a sense of peace. By understanding ourselves, we can understand others better, leading to fulfilling relationships. Rather than just deal with the symptoms of stress, this approach uncovers the root of it in our thinking, and can end it completely.
Dr. Manoj has spoken at over 50 offline events and a few hundred virtual events on the topics of emotional intelligence, leadership, communication skills, mental health, stress and anxiety, relationships, addiction, understanding your ego, and more.
Here is a video of Manoj delivering a speech at the Sixth Form CollegeAssociation https://youtu.be/Pot852qY8vM
This is a link to the events section of the HumanWisdom app, featuring some of the live events he has spoken at – https://humanwisdom.me/adults/events
This is a link to some feedback from his talks: https://bit.ly/47iYPTh


Keynote Title: “Policy Frameworks for Enhancing Educational Resilience in an Ever-Changing Global Economy”
Prof. H.D. Karunaratne
Vice Chancellor
University of Colombo
Sri Lanka
Profile
Professor Karunaratne earned his PhD in Economics from the Graduate School of International Development (GSID) of Nagoya University, Japan in 2000. He also holds MA in Economic Policy from Nagoya City University, Japan (1997), MA in Economics from the Department of Economics from the University of Colombo (1992), and BA (with specialization in Economics) with First Class honors from the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka (1990). His academic research focuses chiefly on Entrepreneurship, International Business, International Migration, Labour Markets, Income Inequality and International Trade. According to ResearchGate, Prof. H.D. Karunaratne has more than 126 research items and over 246 Google scholar citations.
On international front, he is a recipient of Japanese Government Postgraduate Research (Monbusho) Scholarship for Seven Years (1993-2000). He was an Invited Professor in the Faculty of Economics of Hosei University, Tokyo in 2006-2008 and 2016/2017. The Japan Foundation in Tokyo awarded him a Senior Researcher Fellowship to conduct research at the University of Tokyo in 2016-2017. In recognition of overall academic and socio-cultural exposure to Japan, he was appointed as the Director of the University of Tokyo Sri Lanka Office by the University of Tokyo in October 2019. He was awarded the Foreign Minsters’ Commendation by the government of Japan in August 2021.
Senior Professor Hettige Don Karunaratne is the Chair Professor of Business Economics in the Faculty of Management and Finance, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka. He completed 31 years of service in academia and professional career by September 2021. Additionally, he serves as the Director, Institute of Human Resource Advancement, University of Colombo (IHRA-UOC) and Chairman of the Governing Council of the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS), the Vice President of Sri Lanka Economic Association (2018 – to date), President of Japanese Graduates’ Alumni Association of Sri Lanka (2012-2014 and 2018 – to date). At the University of Colombo, Professor Karunaratne has held many academic positions during his 30-year stint there to date. They include Senior Professor (2017-to date), Professor (2009-2017), Associate Professor (2007-2009), all in the Department of Business Economics, Associate Professor (2003-2007) and Senior Lecturer (2000-2003) in the Department of Commerce of Faculty of Management and Finance and Lecturer (1990-2000) in the Department of Commerce and Management Studies of the Faculty of Arts. Professor Karunaratne has also held multiple administrative positions at the University of Colombo; as the Dean of the Faculty of Management and Finance (2011-2014), Acting Vice-Chancellor (April 2014), Acting Director of the Institute of Human Resource Advancement (January-May 2015), Acting Dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies (December 2013), Chairman of the Sports Board (2011-2014), Head of the Department of Commerce (2005-2006), Head of the Department of Business Economics (2010-2011, 2014-2016), Acting Director of Studies in the Faculty of Graduate Studies in 2009. Also, he carried out roles as the Chairman of Summit Finance PLC (2016).


Keynote Title: “Fostering Cross-Cultural Competence in Modern Education: Global Perspectives and Practices”
Prof. Rui Yang
Dean of the Faculty of Education,
University of Hong Kong,
Hong Kong.
Profile
Rui Yang obtained his PhD from the University of Sydney in 2001 and is now Professor and Dean of the Faculty of Education at the University of Hong Kong. He once worked as Director of Comparative Education Research Centre at the University of Hong Kong and Chairman of Comparative Education Society of Hong Kong. He has established extensive academic connections in North America, Europe, Australia, Chinese Mainland, Taiwan, Hong Kong and other Asian countries and regions, enjoying renowned international reputation. His latest book The Chinese Idea of a University: Phoenix Reborn (Hong Kong, Hong Kong University Press, 2022) is the first in English to systematically explore the theme. His monograph Third Delight: Internationalization of Higher Education in China (New York: Routledge, 2002) is still one of the most important English works on China’s higher education internationalization. He writes extensively in the fields of education policy, sociology of education, global and comparative studies of education and cross-cultural education, international higher education, education development in Chinese societies, and international politics in educational research. His scholarly publications include over 70 chapters and more than 200 journal articles in Chinese or English, of which dozens are SSCI-indexed.


Keynote Title: “Language Education and Inclusion: Strategies for Fostering Equity in Diverse Classrooms”
Assoc. Prof. Emad A. S. Abu-Ayyash
The British University in Dubai
UAE
Profile
Emad A. S. Abu-Ayyash is an associate professor of education/TESOL at the British University in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. He achieved his Ph.D in Education/TESOL from the British University in Dubai, in 2016, his M.A. degree (Hons) in translation from Yarmouk University, Jordan in 2007 and his B.A. degree (Hons) in English literature and linguistics from Yarmouk University, Jordan in 1996. His research interests and publications include areas such as TESOL, discourse analysis, teaching and learning, translation, assessment, and online education. Throughout his career, he provided training for hundreds of teachers on teaching methods and curriculum design. He participated in several local and international conferences in education.
Plenary Speaker


speech Title: “Ensuring the human right to self-determination through helping relations: Emphasizing educative spaces for transforming students understanding of professionalism.”
Assoc. Prof. Hilde Guddingsmo
Faculty of nursing and health-sciences
Nord University
Norway


speech Title: “Teaching pharmacy students supervising skills”
Assoc. Prof. Linda Amundstuen
Faculty of Nursing and Health Sciences
Nord University
Norway
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