KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

Anvar Azamov is the current Rector of the University of Innovation Technologies, bringing over 16 years of professional experience, including 9 years in higher education. His career began at the Tashkent Institute of Textile and Light Industry, where he served in various academic and administrative roles, including Deputy Dean and Assistant to the Rector. A prolific scholar, Mr. Azamov has authored over 10 textbooks and monographs, along with numerous scientific articles published in internationally recognized journals. He is a recipient of multiple awards, including recognition from the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Karakalpakstan for his contributions to youth development and education. As a champion of international cooperation, he has initiated partnerships with 23 leading universities in 16 countries and has represented the university in over 30 institutions across Europe, Asia, and the CIS. Under his leadership, the University of Innovation Technologies achieved “Reporter” status in the Times Higher Education World and Asia University Rankings 2025, as well as placements in 17 global subject rankings. He was named among the top three in the “Rector of the Year 2024” competition by Education TV Channel and was voted first in a national online poll on Kruz.uz. A certified expert in education quality management, Mr. Azamov has completed professional development programs in Turkey, Moldova, and Latvia. Respected for his integrity, dedication, and leadership, Anvar Azamov continues to drive innovation, excellence, and global engagement in higher education.

Ilithya Guevara is a social anthropologist with a Ph.D. in Rural Development. She has been a full-time Research Professor at UAQ since 2020 and has over ten years of experience teaching undergraduate and graduate courses. She belongs to the National System of Researchers in Mexico at Level 1 and has the PRODEP recognition by the Secretaría de Educación Pública. As the digital age advances, she explores ways to incorporate blended learning, eLearning, and the flipped classroom into bachelor's degree programs, inspiring students to think beyond the classroom. She is a professor in the online Criminology master's program at UAQ-Mexico and the online Magister in Gender and Social Intervention program at Universidad O’Higgins in Chile. She recently participated in the Twentieth International Conference on Interdisciplinary Social Sciences. Minds and Machines: Artificial Intelligence, Algorithms, Ethics, and Order in Global Society. The primary topic of discussion at the conference was the incorporation of AIG into education and research. Her experience in social research spans more than two decades and focuses on migration, rural development, interculturality, identity, gender, and gender violence. She is interested in digital education as a new way to provide educational access to everyone. Her dedication to social issues has led her to collaborate with various non-governmental organizations that are committed to defending human rights, promoting sustainability, and achieving equity. Her work has been published in academic journals and book chapters.

Dr Solomon Arulraj David is an associate professor of education at the British University in Dubai. He is also an honorary visiting fellow at the University of Glasgow, UK and a visiting research associate at the University of Johannesburg, South Africa. He has a PhD and M.Ed., in education from Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium and other degrees from Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, India. He has 14 years of post-PhD and 23 years of experiences in teaching, research and administration in education. He worked in India, and South Africa prior to the current position in the UAE. He has been an intern at UNESCO (Paris, France), a trainee at European Commission (Brussels, Belgium), has been a volunteer and consultant to various organisations. He received many fellowships, awards and research grants; including the prestigious doctoral scholarship from Belgian development cooperation, post-doctoral research fellowship from the University of Johannesburg, South Africa and others. He serves in the editorial board of several international journals, and as external examiner for universities in different countries. His key research interests are comparative international higher education, educational management, leadership, and policy. His other research interests include curriculum/instruction, teacher education, sociology of education/knowledge, professional ethics, intercultural, peace, value and citizenship education. He conducts high quality research and actively publishes in scientific journals. He has a strong publication record (60 journal articles (22 in Q rated journals), 6 book chapters, 3 books, 4 edited books, 8 conference proceedings, and several abstracts in conference proceedings) and focus to publish in high impact factor journals. He is rated among top 3% of researchers in education by academia. He has supervised 25 doctoral, 5 Mphil., 80 masters’ students and currently supervise several doctoral and masters’ students. He is passionate about teaching. He has been invited as a guest & keynote speaker at various occasions/places. He is also a TEDx speaker. He is a licensed (by CAA-UAE) higher educational institution and programme reviewer.  

Kristóf Fenyvesi, Ph.D. is a Senior Researcher in STEAM education at the Finnish Institute for Educational Research, University of Jyväskylä, where he coordinates the international activities of the Innovative Learning Environments research group. He holds adjunct, associate, and visiting professorships at the Korea National University of Education, Indonesia University of Education, University of Milano-Bicocca, Tallinn University, Hang Seng University, and Hong Kong Metropolitan University. As the Overseas Director of the International Society for the Advancement of STEAM (ISAS), Dr. Fenyvesi promotes integrated, creative, and inquiry-based learning. He is a core member of the STEM Special Interest Group at the Education University of Hong Kong’s Global Research Institute for Finnish Education. He also contributes to digital transformation initiatives in education as Assistant to the UNESCO Chair on Digital Platforms for Transforming Economies at Lappeenranta University of Technology in Finland. He actively contributes to international science outreach, serving on the European Mathematical Society’s Committee for Raising Public Awareness. He is also the founder of Experience Workshop—Global STEAM Network, which bridges mathematics, the arts, and education to inspire innovation in teaching and learning. Dr. Fenyvesi has served as an evaluator for the European Commission, the Slovak Accreditation Agency for Higher Education, and the Science Fund of Serbia. He is a regular keynote speaker at global conferences and a contributor to numerous scholarly publications, advancing the discourse on interdisciplinary and creative approaches to STEAM education.

Prof Dr. Masanori Fukui has been an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Software and Information Science, Iwate Prefectural University, Japan, since April 2024. He obtained his Ph.D. of Engineering degree from Hiroshima University in March 2021. Additionally, he is scheduled to assume the position of Professor at the Faculty of Engineering, Mie University, Japan, in July 2025. His research areas include computational thinking, creativity, teacher education/training, AI education, programming education and so on. His research methods are grounded in data science and educational psychology, and he flexibly uses social science and information science methodologies. Over the past five years, he has published over 70 peer-reviewed papers and conference presentations. Recently, he has been collaborating with researchers in Indonesia, Malaysia, and India on research related to teacher education and creativity education. He has also conducted numerous lectures at local schools in Indonesia. To date, I have secured approximately 50 million yen (approx. 5 billion IDR) in external research funding within Japan and received over 20 awards. 

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ng Miew Luan, a distinguished academic and seasoned professional in the realms of education, journalism, and social sciences. Dr. Ng served as the Dean of the Faculty of Education and Liberal Arts at INTI International University, Malaysia from 2022-2024. With a rich background encompassing various roles in academia, she has previously held positions such as Acting Deputy Dean and Head of School of Communication, along with serving as a Senior Lecturer and Lecturer in several esteemed private higher institutions across Malaysia. Dr. Ng’s expertise extends beyond academia, having made significant contributions to the field of journalism as the former Head of Southeast Asia Regional News and senior writer for prominent Chinese language newspapers, Sin Chew Daily in Malaysia. Her multifaceted career also sees her actively involved in professional bodies, where she currently holds the position of Assistant General Secretary for the Malaysian Social Sciences Association. As a Program Assessor for Communication & Media with the Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA), Dr. Ng ensures the quality and standards of communication and media education in Malaysia. With over two decades of teaching experience spanning from primary school to tertiary level, she brings a wealth of knowledge and insight to her areas of expertise, including education, journalism practice, media studies, media education, and critical discourse analysis.

Dr. Haida Umiera Hashim is a passionate educator and researcher in Technology-Enhanced Language Learning (TELL), with a Ph.D. in TESL from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. Currently serving as a lecturer at Universiti Teknologi MARA, she has extensive teaching experience across foundational and advanced English courses in higher education. Her research focuses on inclusive and innovative digital pedagogies, with a particular emphasis on EdTech applications for special education and ESL learners. Dr. Haida is the co-creator of award-winning innovations such as AReal-Vocab, an augmented reality mobile app designed to support English vocabulary acquisition for children with autism, which has earned gold medals at international invention competitions. She has developed micro-credential courses, supervised interdisciplinary research on AI, AR/VR, and gamification, and actively contributes to the academic community as a keynote speaker, journal editor, and reviewer. Her work bridges the gap between inclusive education and digital innovation, making her a valuable contributor to discussions on equitable and technology-driven learning environments.  

Dr. Nur Syafiqah Yaccob is a faculty member at the Centre for Innovation in Teaching and Learning, Faculty of Education, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) and a research cluster member of EMPOWER:  Global Education for Sustainable Futures, Central Queensland University. Her research focuses on GCED, global competence, teachers’ professional development, and TESL.