Dr. Stephen Law
University of Oxford, UK
Biography: Dr Stephen Law is currently Director of the CertHE and Director of Studies, Philosophy at Oxford University Department of Continuing Education. He was previousl Reader and Head of Department at heythrop College, University of London. He holds B.Phil and D.Phil degrees from The University of Oxford, where he held several lectureships and a three year stipendiary Junior Research Fellowship. He has published research in metaphysics, philosophy of language, later Wittgenstein and philosophy of religion. He is perhaps best-known for his popular introductory books on Philosophy, including The Philosophy Gym: 25 Short Adventures in Thinking.
Prof. William Hurst
Wageningen University & Research, Netherlands
Biography: Dr. Hurst is an Associate Professor in Data Science and eXtended Realities in the Information Technology Group and Head of the Social Creative Technologies Lab at Wageningen University in the Netherlands. With over 100 international publications, his research spans a wide range of areas, including data science, creative technologies, critical infrastructures, simulation, and 3D graphics. Dr. Hurst’s work focuses on the intersection of emerging technologies and their applications in real-world problems, exploring how XR can enhance fields such as education, agriculture, and environmental sustainability. In 2024, he led several grant-funded projects, including pioneering work on virtual reality for data science education, gamification techniques for agricultural applications, and the development of software for immersive environments. His educational background includes a Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education, a PhD in Computer Science, an MSc in Web Computing, and a BSc (Hons) in Product Design.
Prof. Hua Dai
California State University Channel Islands, USA
Biography: Hua Dai is a Professor of Management Information Systems at Martin V. Smith School of Business & Economics of California State University at Channel Islands, USA. Her research interests include electronic commerce, eService, big data and business analytics, blockchain and metaverse, outsourcing, IS cross-cultures, and recently, AI applications in business. Dr. Dai’s research has been published in European Journal of Information Systems, Information & Management, Decision Support Systems, The Data Base for Advances in Information Systems, Electronic Markets, ACM Transactions on Software Engineering and Methodology, Journal of Computer Information Systems, Journal of Electronic Commerce Research, among others.
Dr. Sepi Chakaveh
University of Oxford, UK
Biography: Dr Sepi Chakaveh is a Departmental Lecturer in Data Science & Course Director of Undergraduate Advanced Diploma in
IT Systems Design, Department for Continuing Education, and a Research Member of Wolfson College, University of Oxford, UK.
Dr Chakaveh has a BSc in Electronic Engineering and a PhD in Experimental Astrophysics and Space Sciences from the University of Kent. She has extensive experience as a Senior Scientist/Academic working both in the UK and Germany, including Imperial College London, Max Planck Institute in Heidelberg, University of Göttingen, Fraunhofer Society and the University of Southampton where she was the co-founder and the former Director of Southampton Data Science Academy, the first UK online data science academy. She has recently received the Research Common Room Membership at Wolfson College.
Dr Chakaveh research focus is to design and engineer end-to-end, holistic data and AI-driven applications which solve real-life problems. In this context, she has developed many AI-based applications - for one of which she has won the Everywoman Innovator Award 2020 and ConnectTVT Technology Game Changer 2021. And in particular, her software innovation for Row4Ukraine supported an extraordinary Atlantic rowing mission. Her PixselChat, enabled clear communication between a team of injured British and Ukrainian servicemen as they set off to row 3,000 miles from Gran Canaria to Barbados.
Shuliang Li
PhD, Fellow (Life member) of the British Computer Society,
Reader in Business Information Management & Systems,
University of Westminster, United Kingdom
(Also Sichuan 100-Talent Scheme Visiting Professor at Southwest Jiaotong University, China)
Invited Speakers
Dr. Evgeny Pyshkin
University of Aizu, Japan
Biography: Dr. Evgeny Pyshkin is a senior associate professor in the School of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Aizu, where he primarily teaches courses on programming, software design, and data management. His professional background in digital systems design, software engineering, and human-centric computing formed a firm foundation for his current research in digital humanities. His contribution to a number of cross-disciplinary projects includes developing intelligent computer-assisted language learning environments, applying linguistic and computational approaches to modeling music perception and understanding, 3D modeling connected to traditional arts and crafts, as well as natural language and speech modeling. These projects explore the rich possibilities for fusion of the technology disciplines with arts-inspired knowledge and techniques. Beyond his academic pursuits, Dr. Pyshkin has delivered numerous cross-cultural invited talks to share his passion for music, visual arts, and architecture.