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  • Ruwayda Mohamed

    Ruwayda Mohamed joins the IAU as an intern to work on communication. She holds and undergraduate degree in sociology with a focus on economics from the University of Oslo and is currently studying applied machine learning. Her previous roles include working as an intern at Norway’s permanent delegation to the OECD and UNESCO and as an intern at UNDPs Nordic Representation Office in Oslo.



  • Craig Pettifor

    Craig is responsible for the acquisition and maintenance of the Secretariat’s hardware and software requirements in their Paris office. Previously Craig took part in an internship assisting the WHED team on the Africa update.

    Before moving to France, Craig oversaw the governance of student clubs and societies at the University of New England in Australia. He is currently in his final year of a Bachelor Computer Science in Australia and studies via distance education.



  • Léa Romain

    Léa Romain is interning with the IAU for Higher Education and Research for Sustainable Development (HESD). Prior to beginning her internship, Lea completed her Bachelor’s degrees in Political Science and Languages and Literatures of Europe and the Americas with concentrations in Spanish and Latin American Studies at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. She will begin her master’s degree next September in International Relations, Human Rights and Gender Studies. She speaks French, English, and Spanish.



  • Kateryna Nakvatska

    Kateryna Nakvatska works as IAU Internationalization Intern. She is a second-year graduate student of the Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University, completing her master’s in International Relations and Action Abroad. She worked for the Ukrainian Red Cross and the Danish Red Cross in Ukraine, where she took part in humanitarian aid distribution projects and participated in negotiations with other international organizations. Being particularly interested in the activities of non-governmental organizations and their impetus to the promotion of cooperation and peace among nations, she worked as an Assistant to the National Platform project "Dialogue for Peace and Secure Reintegration", the EU-funded initiative in Ukraine. She speaks Ukrainian, English, French and Russian.



  • Balkhisse Aidara

    Balkhisse Aidara works as an accounting and administrative officer at AIU. Before taking up this current position, she assumed the role of administrative and accounting assistant in two companies. She holds a double master’s degree in Audit and Management Control from France and obtained her bachelor’s degree in Management Science in Senegal. Balkhisse is passionate about finance and management, and has demonstrated her skills in various administrative roles. Although originally from Senegal, Balkhisse has been living in France for several years, where she has honed her professional expertise and linguistic skills. She speaks French, English, Wolof, and Arabic.



  • Hans-Georg van Liempd

    Hans-Georg van Liempd has been the Secretary of the University at Tilburg University since February 15, 2021. In this role he has the responsibility in preparing and implementing decisions made by the Executive Board of the university, in constant consultation with the Deans, Schools, Divisions to optimally equip students and staff for their important work in research, education, and society.
    In addition to Hans-Georg van Liempd’s primary task as Secretary, he is also responsible as the Managing Director of University Services, to foster, coordinate, and safeguard the collaboration among the Divisions of the university on key policy themes and business operations.

    Hans-Georg van Liempd was previously the Managing Director of the Tilburg School of Social and Behavioral Sciences. He also served as interim Managing Director of the Tilburg Law School and of the Tilburg School of Humanities and Digital Sciences.

    From September 2010 until September 2014 he was (vice-) President of the European Association for International Education (EAIE). As such he was chair of the Editorial Board of the EAIE Handbook for Internationalisation. He was co-editor of the 25th-anniversary publication for EAIE, “POSSIBLE FUTURES, The next 25 years of the internationalisation of Higher Education” (2013).

    In the past he served as Director of the International Office van 2006 until mid-2010, when he became elected as Vice President of the EAIE. During his (vice-) Presidency for EAIE he worked as Senior Programme Manager at Tilburg on university wide programmes such as Internationalising the Campus and Corporate Social Responsibility. He also served as senior EAIE Trainer for International Strategy Implementation.
    In 2014 and 2015 he acted as Internationalization expert on international strategy for a project funded by the Romanian Government for internationalizing the strategy of 21 Romanian universities.

    In his role as an expert on international education and strategy he was and still is a frequent presenter at institutions and conferences around the world. Furthermore he is a member of several Advisory Boards in the area of culture, health and education in the Netherlands and abroad.



  • Saray Córdoba-González

    "Universities are one of the main research organizations in the world, this is the most relevant idea that the Expert Group must take into account to design and propose a roadmap based on UNESCO Toolkit."

    Saray Córdoba-González is a retired professor from the Universidad de Costa Rica (UCR). She holds a Master’s degree in Adult Education and in Library Science from the Universidad de Costa Rica. Saray’s research focuses on the areas of Scientific Communication, Open Science, and Open Access and teaches about journals’ scientific quality for scholars both in Costa Rica and Central America. She co-coordinates the CLACSO working group “Open Science as a common benefit”, and is a Latindex honorary member since 2017 and REDALyC Scientific Council member.



  • Sahida Amadou Djibo

    Sahida is currently interning under the Information Center, working particularly on updating and developing the WHED (World Higher Education Database) for universities in the African region. She is a junior at Cornell University where she is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Economics. This semester, she is completing a study abroad program in Paris at the Sorbonne Schools of Economics. Sahida’s career interests lie in the intersection of Economics, Development and Data Science.



  • Ignacio Sánchez Díaz

    UC Chile’s President Ignacio Sánchez is Associate Professor at the Faculty of Medicine of the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (UC). He completed his medical studies at UC and then majored in Pediatrics at the same institution. He completed a Pediatric Respiratory Disease Subspecialty Program at the University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada.

    He has been head of the Department of Pediatrics. In 2004 he became director of the School of Medicine, and in June 2008, he was elected Dean of the School of Medicine.

    He was appointed President of the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile in March 2010, succeeding Dr. Pedro Pablo Rosso. In 2015, he was confirmed for a second term, and on March 5, 2020, he assumed his third five-year term as President.

    His academic and research work has been focused mainly on the study of cystic fibrosis, asthma, and lung function in children. He has published the book "Clinical Approach to Child Respiratory Diseases" in two editions and several hundred scientific articles in international and national journals. He is also co-editor of the book "Pediatría de Meneghello," the primary publication in the area of ​​Spanish-speaking pediatrics.

    He has published a series of books on Higher Education issues and numerous reflection articles on challenges in specialized magazines in Chile and abroad in recent years. He is a permanent guest to speak at the most important forums on Higher Education.

    He presides over the Chilean Chapter of Catholic Universities. He is part of the Executive Committee of the Council of Rectors of Chilean Universities-CRUCH-, currently being its alternate vice president.

    In the past, he chaired the Network of Non-State Public Universities (G9). At the international level, he is Vice President for the Southern Cone Region of Oducal. He is a member of the Executive Committee at the Universitas 21 network and the International Federation of Catholic Universities (FIUC).



  • David Quigley

    David Quigley is provost and dean of faculties at Boston College where he is also professor of history. A scholar of the nineteenth-century American city, Quigley received his BA in American studies from Amherst College and his MA and PhD in history from New York University. His research explores the history of race and democracy in the urban United States between the Revolution and Reconstruction with a particular focus on New York City. Among his works are Second Founding: New York City, Reconstruction, and the Making of American Democracy and Jim Crow New York: A Documentary History of Race and Citizenship, 1777-1877. Between Amherst and NYU, Quigley taught high school social studies in the New York City public schools at John Jay High School in Brooklyn in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

    Quigley joined the Boston College History Department in 1998, and earned the University’s Distinguished Teaching Award in 2007. Between 2008 and 2014, he served as dean of the College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, during which time he oversaw the hiring of 160 new faculty colleagues and helped lead the design and construction of a new 180,000-square-foot humanities building.

    As provost, he has co-chaired the University Strategic Planning Initiative that resulted in Ever to Excel: Advancing Boston College’s Mission (2017) that identified academic priorities for this decade. Since the Board of Trustees approved the plan, over 250 new faculty have joined the University, a number of new programs have been launched including in engineering and public health, and the undergraduate core curriculum has been renewed.

    Quigley has initiated a bachelor’s degree program for the incarcerated at a prison in Massachusetts and is helping start a new two-year, residential associate’s degree program. He has chaired the New England Commission on Higher Education, the regional accrediting body for all colleges and universities in the New England states as well as more than a dozen international member institutions.



  • David Julien

    Dr David Julien currently acts as Secretary-General of the Inter-American Organization of Higher Education (OUI-IOHE) and Executive Director of the Conference of the Americas on International Education (CAIE). Based in Montreal, Canada, he coordinates a network of 350 higher education institutions across the Americas and speaks the four official languages of the continent (English, French, Portuguese and Spanish). He owns a Doctorate and a Master’s degree in Organizational and Intercultural Psychology from the University of Sherbrooke where he was appointed Ambassador of his Faculty in 2022. He also owns a Bachelor’s degree from Laval University and has taken courses in leadership and management at Harvard University and McGill University. He has accumulated 20 years of management experience in three distinct organizations including the IOHE, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), and UNESCO where he has been responsible for developing inter-governmental partnerships and different capacity building programs in education and sports. He has taught at the Confucius Institute in Montreal, University of Sherbrooke, Marie-Victorin College, Universidad del Valle (Colombia) and Kaifeng University (China). He has also offered training seminars in various Latin American universities where he travels frequently.



  • Wondwosen Tamrat

    Wondwosen Tamrat (PhD) is associate professor and President of St. Mary’s University (SMU) in Ethiopia. He has a PhD in Higher Education from the University of KwaZulu Natal, South Africa, three master’s degrees from Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia, University of Warwick, United Kingdom, University of Melbourne, Australia and a Graduate Certificate in Quality Assurance in Higher Education from the University of Melbourne, Australia. He has taught at tertiary level for more than two decades. He is strongly committed to the revitalization of the African higher education sector which is reflected in his writings and responsibilities at continental and global levels. He is an affiliate scholar of the Program for Research on Private Higher Education headquartered at the State University of New York at Albany, US, a board member of the International Network for Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education (INQAAHE) and coordinator of the sub-cluster for private higher education in Africa under the African Union’s higher education cluster of the Continental Education Strategy for Africa (CESA). He is a member of the Advisory Council of the Ministry of Education in Ethiopia, member of the International Advisory Board of the International Journal of African Higher Education and a jury at the Ethiopian Quality Award. He has published over 50 articles, and four books (two more in the pipeline). He contributes regularly to global higher education outlets such as University World News, Inside Higher Education and International Higher Education, with more than 100 commentaries to his name. He also reviews articles for several peer reviewed international journals. He recognizes the critical role of partnership and leadership in spearheading improvements in the sphere of higher education at local, regional and global levels. His scholarly output, network and wide experience in the sector can provide additional strength to the IAU Administrative Board.



  • Nana Aba Appiah Amfo

    Professor Nana Aba Appiah Amfo is the first female Vice-Chancellor at the University of Ghana. She is an experienced academic and university administrator, with over twenty years of experience in the higher education sector. She brings a lot of innovation, resourcefulness, and tact to her professional engagements. As Vice-Chancellor, Professor Amfo is driven by two key notions – technology as an enabler and a devotion to human welfare – in all the operations of the University. Prior to her appointment as Vice-Chancellor in October 2021, she served as Acting Vice-Chancellor from August 2021. She was Pro Vice-Chancellor with responsibility for Academic and Student Affairs from November 2019. Professor Amfo was founding Dean of the School of Languages (2014 – 2019), and Head of the Department of Linguistics (2013 – 2014). Professor Amfo’s professional expertise and leadership has been recognized by her peers. She serves on the Consultation Board of the International Pragmatics Association. She is an Assistant Secretary General of the Federation of Modern Languages and Literatures, FILLM (a UNESCO-affiliated scholarly association). She was the President of the Linguistics Association of Ghana. She is a pioneer fellow, senior scholar, mentor, and assessor of the African Humanities Program of the American Council of Learned Societies. She is the Founding President of the African Humanities Association (AHA), an off-shoot of the AHP. She is Co-founder and the Acting President of the African Pragmatics Association. Professor Amfo is a fellow of the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences, German Academic Exchange Services (DAAD), Commonwealth Professionals Fellowship, the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, and the nternational Women’s Forum Leadership Program. Professor Amfo was awarded as the GUBA (Grow Unite Build Africa) Nana Yaa Asantewaa Woman of Enlightenment for her resilience and work in academia which has created knowledge, built confidence and broken down barriers to opportunities.



  • Cristina Sarmento

    Cristina Montalvão Sarmento has been Secretary-General of the Association of Portuguese-Speaking Universities since 2006, founder and Director of the Political Observatory, Professor at the ISCSP of the University of Lisbon and guest researcher at the Laboratory of Power Networks and Cultural Relations at UERJ. Her main areas of investigation are Political Theory, Public Policy, Security Studies and Political Culture. A member of several Political Science Associations, she held academic management roles at FCSH-UNL where she was Deputy Assistant Director for Research and Assistant director of the Cultural History Center where she coordinated the research line in political studies.



  • Miquel Nicolau-Vila

    Dr Miquel Nicolau-Vila is Rector of the University of Andorra, and President of the Network of Universities of Small Countries and Territories (NUSCT).
    Born in 1962, Dr. Nicolau-Vila focused his professional career primarily on higher education, contributing to the field the expertise acquired through his PhD in Electronic Engineering (Ramon Llull University, Barcelona, 1995) and his three Master’s degrees in Science in Intelligent Systems and Parallelism (Ramon Llull University), in Computer Engineering (Polytechnic University of Catalonia) and in Philosophy (University of Barcelona).
    Miquel Nicolau-Vila’s 33-year career in higher education combined teaching and research (languages and computer science - University of Andorra, Polytechnic University of Catalonia, Open University of Catalonia, and Ramon Llull University) with managerial positions.
    Dr Nicolau-Vila’s academic experience as lecturer, full professor (up to present) and head of research groups afford him a comprehensive appreciation of the challenges facing academic practitioners which, in turn, has been an invaluable asset in executing managerial responsibilities ranging from Director’s positions (School of Engineering, and IT Department, Ramon Llull University,1995-2002 and 1994-2002, respectively), to member of Executive and Academic Councils (Ramon Llull University, 1998-2002), and Head of Research and Quality Councils (University of Andorra, 2006-2015).
    Leadership roles as Rector of University of Andorra (2015-current), President of the Network of Universities of Small Countries and Territories (2018-current), Andorran representative at the Ibero-American University Council (CUIB, 2016-current) and President of the Vives Network of universities (2017), have shaped and informed Miquel Nicolau-Vila’s vision of the role and responsibilities of higher education in society and in the global community.
    Dr Nicolau-Vila, who speaks more than 6 languages, is a strong advocate of international collaboration for global sustainability and mutual understanding to ensure peaceful coexistence and global prosperity. His commitment to these principles inspired him to lead the constitution of the NUSCT.



  • Henk Kummeling

    Henk Kummeling has been professor of Constitutional Law since 1995 at Utrecht University. As distinguished professor, since 2015, his research focuses on institutions in new democratic constitutional states and the role of international organisations. He has a strong interest in connecting his work with universities in different parts of the world as is visible in his role as extraordinary professor at the University of the Western Cape Town, South Africa, and his involvement in higher education and research in the Dutch Caribbean and with the Anton de Kom University in Paramaribo, Surinam. Between 2005 and 2017 he was president of the Dutch Electoral Council, and he has been Rector Magnificus since 2018.



  • Shahin Bayramov

    Shahin Bayramov has been Rector of Mingachevir State University, based in Mingachevir city, Azerbaijan since 2019. He received his Bachelor, Master and Doctoral Degrees in International Economics from Azerbaijan State University of Economics (1996-2012) and completed a graduate study programme in Higher Education Administration and Academic Leadership at Penn State University, USA in 2016. He has also completed Professional Development Programs at Indiana University (USA, 2009), University of Warwick (UK, 2015), and Cornell University (USA, 2016).
    Dr Bayramov has attended several conferences and forums held in Azerbaijan, Turkey, USA, China, Russia, UK, France, Finland, Belgium, Austria, Spain, Germany, Switzerland, Lithuania, Hungary, Bulgaria, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Thailand, Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan.
    He was Deputy Director of the Research and Higher Education Department at the Ministry of Science and Education of the Republic of Azerbaijan (2017-2019), and was Azerbaijan’s Country Coordinator for the BFUG (2017-2020) and a Twinning Project Country Leader on “Support to Strengthening the HE System in Azerbaijan” (2018-2020). He also served as Vice-Rector for International Affairs and Programs at Azerbaijan State University of Economics (2012-2017).
    While serving as an Expert of the Science and Education Committee at Azerbaijani Parliament, he took an active part in drafting the new Education and Science Laws (2006-2015).
    Shahin has been an Expert in several international projects financed by EU, UNIDO, WTO, USAID, USTDA, JICA, ADB, IDB, etc. (2003-2022), and was a Grant Manager of the TEMPUS Project on “Development and Improvement of the University Administration on International Affairs” (2013-2017). He as also received awards and grants from WTO, UNIDO, EU, and from governments of Azerbaijan, USA, Japan, China, and Switzerland.
    He has also been a Representative of Azerbaijan State University of Economics at IAU, EUA, and FUIW (2012-2017).
    Areas of his interest are HE Internationalization, Global Trends in HE, Bologna Process, EHEA, HE Administration, Multiculturalism in HE, University Rankings, International Economics, and Sustainable Development.



  • Peter Aronsson

    Peter Aronsson (born 1959) is a professor in history with sustained engagement in the role of the academy as an independent but central institution to promote a better world. As a professor he led large international comparative projects building an informed general understanding of the dynamics when cultural institutions like national museums interplay more – and sometimes less - successfully with the making of nation and states from 1750 to 2020s (EuNamus). Generalizing from this comes an engagement in the power of universities to contribute in both the more constantly relevant issues for humankind to empower new generations to take on their lives as individuals and citizens better equipped but also the urgent need for dealing with the complexities of Agenda 2030. To provide knowledge and interaction needed for a sustainable future needs a capacity for international collaboration which includes the urgent programmes for Open Science. This programme as formulated recently by among others UNESCO (https://www.unesco.org/en/natural-sciences/open-science) starts with important and basic opening of not only publication but also other resources as data and open educational resources. But it also needs to frame the ability to use and implement the potentiality in very divergent setting. New digital opportunities are powerful and instrumental in pursuing this internationalization by enhancing the role of technology in higher education. Exploring and promoting these capacities is contingent on a strong and independent academia and will use the priorities of IAU in promoting values-based leadership in higher education, gives an urgent motivation for the importance of fair and ethical internationalization of higher education. One of the main purposes and tools to reach out is to integrate sustainable development into higher education and research strategies.



  • Yoshiaki Terumichi

    Yoshiaki Terumichi, born in 1962, has served as the 16th president of Sophia University since April 2017. He graduated from Keio University in 1985 and earned his MD and Dr Eng from Keio University in 1990 and 1994 respectively, and became a professor at Sophia University in 2004. Dr Terumichi’s research field is multibody dynamics which is one of the numerical simulation theories for dynamic behaviors of mechanical systems. He has served in various managerial positions at Sophia University, including Director of the Center for Student Affairs, Director of the Admissions Office, Vice President for Academic Affairs, Executive Director for Global Academic Affairs and Director of the Human Resources Center for International Cooperation.
    Dr Terumichi has been active in taking different roles in promoting internationalization of universities, and currently serves as the President and Institutional Board Member of the Japan Network for International Education (JAFSA) (2016 to present), and from 2019, Vice President of the Japan Association of Private Universities and Colleges. He is also active in Catholic university networks such as International Association of Jesuit Universities (IAJU) and the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities in Asia Pacific (AJCU-AP), working closely with institutes of higher education.



  • Samit Ray

    Professor Dr Samit Ray is a well-known educationist and social reformer, the first educational model innovator and entrepreneur of Eastern India and the pioneer of professional training for competitive examinations for government jobs. Prof Dr Samit Ray is also the Founder-Chairman of RICE Group and the Founder and Chancellor of Adamas University. Prof Dr Ray envisioned for the upliftment of urban and rural youth by making them competent enough to face any competitive examination for government jobs. Thus, in 1985, Ray’s Institute of Competitive Examinations (RICE), was born. The rest is history. Today RICE is synonymous with Government or Public sector job preparation center in the East and has helped create ove 1,00,000 successful professionals in the arena of Government services.
    Professor Dr Ray dreamed of a utopia to provide a solution for all educational needs under one roof. It was with this idea that Adamas Knowledge City at Kolkata, India was established. The Knowledge City was built with the concept of a "City within a City" and holds an array of educational institutes - Adamas University, Adamas World School, Adamas Institute of Professional Studies etc. Located in an area of over 120 acres of lush green environment, Adamas Knowledge City has within itself a University and a School. Adamas Knowledge City also provides several facilities such as a guest house, amphitheatre, open air auditorium and a soon-to-be-set-up commercial center. Adamas University, since its inception in 2014, has pursued excellence not as a goal, but as a way of life. Professor Dr Samit Ray is the Chancellor of the University. Again, Adamas University portrays the lifelong values and ethics of its Founder-Chancellor. The university has a truly global outlook but is rooted in Indian ethos. Being a sports enthusiast, Prof Dr Ray has always promoted sports and Adamas University provides up to 100% scholarships to sportspersons. Prof Dr Samit Ray has been honoured with many awards such as ’Emeritus Professor’ by the Dnepropertrovsk University of Ukraine, special recognition as Education Entrepreneur of India by North America Bengali Conference, Mother Teresa International Award by Mother Teresa International Award Committee - 2018, WCRC- Leaders Excellence Award for Excellence in Education, Innovation and Leadership – in Asia region 2012-13, Global Indian Excellence Award - 2014 at London, Most Promising Leader - Consumer and Product Survey by WCRC – 2014 and many more. Most recently, Bath Spa University UK conferred Prof. Dr. Ray with Honorary Doctorate. At present, Prof Dr Ray heads several groups of organization directly employing around 2000 individuals and indirectly providing earning opportunities to more than 5000 people, dealing with Education, IT, Publication and many others. He is also associated with many benevolent social and cultural activities.



  • Hassan Al-Derham

    Dr Al-Derham assumed the position of President of Qatar University (QU) on 15 June 2015. He was previously Vice-President for Research from 2007 during which he guided QU to its current position as leader of research excellence in the GCC region, which was enhanced by its continuous success in winning the largest percentage of grants in the National Priorities Research Program (NPRP) and Undergraduate Research Experience Program (UREP) under the Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF).
    He also served in several earlier roles at QU including Associate VP for Research and Head of Civil Engineering at the College of Engineering. Dr Al-Derham holds a PhD and Post-Graduate Diploma in Construction Project Management from the University of Glamorgan (currently University of South Wales), UK which followed hsi obtaining a Master’s Degree in Civil Engineering from Georgia Tech, USA. His undergraduate is in Architectural Engineering from North Carolina Agriculture and Technical State University, USA.
    During his term as VP for Research, Dr Al-Derham successfully developed and implemented the organization’s research policies, procedures, and priorities, as well as an ambitious research roadmap fielding strategic national priorities.
    Additionally, under his leadership, several research centers were initiated including the Gas Processing Center, Qatar Transportation and Traffic Safety Center, Qatar Mobility Innovations Center, KINDI Lab for Computing Research, Laboratory Animal Research Center, and the Biomedical Research Center. He also led the inauguration of the university Research Complex.
    Dr Al-Derham’s research interests include construction productivity, project optimization, legal contracts and procurement. In 2009, along with his research team, he won Best Paper of the Year in the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Journal of Construction Engineering and Management. He is also a member of several professional international societies and organizations.



  • Fernando Leon-Garcia

    Dr. Leon-Garcia is President of the International Association of University President (IAUP) for 2021-2024. He has also been President of CETYS University since 2010, leading the institution to accreditation in the USA (WASC, ACBSP, ABET) and one of the most internationalized universities in Mexico. Prior to that, he served as Chancellor of City University of Seattle’s International Division, with a presence across the Americas, Europe and Asia.
    He currently serves or has served on boards and/or advisory groups: Commission on Internationalization and Global Engagement of the American Council on Education, Council of Presidents of the Association of Governing Boards, Western Association of Schools and Colleges, Council for the Advancement and Support of Education, NAFSA International Educators Association, Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, Mexican Federation of Private Universities, Santander Universidades-Mexico, and Consortium for North American Higher Education Collaboration.
    Dr. León-García holds a doctoral degree in Educational Administration and Policy Analysis and an M.A. in International Development Education from Stanford University, as well as a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from CETYS University. He has been named to the Top 300 Leaders in Mexico (Los 300) from 2019 to 2022. In addition, Dr. León García has received Honorary Doctorates from Vysoka Skola Financni a Spravni (Czech Republic), Dimitrie Cantemir Christian University (Romania), and Caucasus University (Georgia).



  • Mohd Hamdi Abd Shukor

    Prof. Dato’ Ir. Dr. Mohd. Hamdi was appointed the 13th Vice-Chancellor of Universiti Malaya in November 2020. Prior to the current appointment, he was the Vice-Chancellor of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. His academic career commenced in 1995 in Universiti Malaya as a tutor and he later became a lecturer in the Department of Engineering Design and Manufacture in 1997. He was then appointed as the Head, Department of Engineering Design and Manufacture (2003-2006). He was promoted to Associate Professor in 2006 and then served as a full Professor in 2010. He was also the former Dean, Faculty of Engineering, UM (2009-2011) and the former Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic and International), UM (2011-2014). On top of that, his service and expertise are also recognised internationally. He was a Visiting Professor at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in 2015-2016. Besides, Prof. Dato’ Ir. Dr. Mohd. Hamdi was appointed as AUA Executive Presidency 2021-2022 with unanimous approval from all fifteen members.
    Currently, he is sitting on the APRU (Association of Pacific Rim Universities) Steering Committee for Asia – Southeast Asia seat for a two-year term from 2022 – 2024 and Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) Council from 2022-2025.
    Prof. Dato’ Ir. Dr. Mohd. Hamdi will bring wealth, experience and leadership in the HEIs to promote collaborative activities with universities across world. He believes that his strong background plays a vital role in encouraging innovative, mutual learning and cooperation among institutions.



  • Patrick Deane

    Patrick Deane is currently Principal of Queen’s University, Canada, a position he has held since 2019. Before that he served nine years as President and Vice-Chancellor of McMaster University, Canada. He has also been Provost and Vice-Principal Academic at two Canadian institutions. Raised and educated in South Africa, he has a deep commitment to higher education as a force for social justice and transformation, and understands that the mission of universities must be understood in relation to their impact at both the local and global level. Deane’s commitment to global engagement comes together with his advocacy for academic freedom and autonomy in his work for the Magna Charta Observatory at the University of Bologna, where he currently serves as President of the Governing Council of the Observatory. He is one of the authors of the Magna Charta Universitatum 2020. He is also the recipient of numerous honours and awards, including the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for his service to higher education. Deane is Professor of English Language and Literature at Queen’s University. His research focus is on the relationship between politics and artistic production in Britain, 1914-1945.



  • Abdul-Rasheed Na’Allah

    Professor Abdul-Rasheed Na’Allah obtained a Bachelor’s and Masters’ degree in Literature-in-English from the University of Ilorin in 1988 and 1992 respectively. In 1999, he received a PhD in Comparative Literature from the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada, and was subsequently professor and chair of African-American Studies at Western Illinois University. He held the position of Vice-Chancellor in Kwara State University Malete, before assuming duty as the 6th substantive Vice-Chancellor of the University of Abuja. Not only is Prof Na’Allah a university administrator, but also poet, scholar and critical thinker, author of Africa Discourse (Routledge 2010), Africanity (Bayreuth series, 2009), Yoruba Oral Traditions (Routledge 2020), Ilorin Fa (Bookcraft, 2022), among others.



  • Jouhaina Gherib

    Jouhaina Gherib is a professor of Strategic Management at the University of Manouba in Tunisia. She holds a PhD from the university of Paris 1-Panthéon Sorbonne in France and has published over 30 scientific publications and conference papers. Her research interests include strategic decision making, corporate social responsibility, entrepreneurial orientation and sustainable development goals (SDG). She was elected as Vice-Rector for Research and International Relations in 2011, then, in 2014. She was later elected as the sixth Rector of the University of Manouba in 2017 and re-elected again in 2020 becoming the first women in Tunisia to do so. As Rector, Jouhaina Gherib devotes her efforts to making scientific research results of the university more visible and to align the quality of education with international standards and making so with a constant interest towards the well-being of the entire community. By relying on technology and culture as accelerators, she works to increase the societal impact of the university and open the way to a sustainable modernization of the Tunisian society as a whole by educating responsible and innovative citizens rooted in their context as well as connected to their global world.



  • Sunungurai Dominica Chingarande

    Sunungurai Chingarande is a professor of Sociology who holds a PhD in Sociology, a Master of Science in Sociology and Social Anthropology and a BSc Honours in Sociology from the University of Zimbabwe. She has been the Women’s University in Africa Vice-Chancellor since 2021. When she came to join Women’s University in Africa, she arrived from Zimbabwe Ezekiel Guti University where she was the Vice Chancellor. Professor Chingarande has also served as the Pro-Vice Chancellor for Zimbabwe Ezekiel Guti University and a lecturer and head of the Sociology Department at the University of Zimbabwe. She is Zimbabwe’s representative on the African Vice-Chancellors’ Forum as well as a gender resource person, facilitator and expert for the African Group of Negotiators, a think tank of experts and practitioners that provides evidence based technical support to African governments for effective engagement in the international and national climate change policy formulation. She is a gender expert with over 20 years of experience in gender equality, women’s empowerment and social inclusion programming in Africa. She has done gender and social exclusion assessments and evaluations for many international agencies in various sectors. Sunungurai is a renowned administrator and academic who is an external examiner and a board member for various institutions, including the Centre for Zimbabwean Studies at Rhodes University.



  • Jocelyne Gacel-Ávila

    Jocelyne Gacel-Avila holds a PH.D in International Education, presently vice-dean for social sciences and humanities, tenured researcher at the University of Guadalajara (Mexico) and a member of the national research system of Mexico. UNESCO Chair on “Internationalization of Higher Education and Global Citizenship”; President of the Consultative Board of the Mexican Association of International Education. Recipient of the CONAHEC Award of Distinction for her contribution to academic cooperation in North America and the AMPEI Award for her contribution to the Internationalization of Mexican Higher Education. Considered the expert in the internationalization of Latin America and the Caribbean.



  • Meg Harris

    Meg Harris works as IAU Communications and Media Officer. Prior to beginning her current position, she interned at the IAU. She has a masters degree from Sciences Po Paris School of International Affairs in Human Rights and Humanitarian Action with concentrations in the human right to education and project management. She has previously worked with numerous education-oriented NGOs to grow the access and quality of education in various environments. Meg grew up in the United States, but she has been living in France for the last five years. She speaks English and French.



  • Renée Barata Zicman


    Renée Barata Zicman is Executive-Director of the Brazilian Association for International Education (FAUBAI) and a former Professor in the School of Social Sciences at Pontifical Catholic University of Sao Paulo PUC-SP (1980-2017). She is the author of books and articles on the internationalisation of higher education and has been a member of the Academic Committee of the Latin American Memorial Foundation. She has been named Chevalier (Knight, 2020) of the Order of the Légion d’Honneur, the highest French decoration, and Officier (Officer, 2012) and Chevalier (Knight, 2002) of the French Order of the Palmes Académiques. She has served as Director for International Affairs at PUC-SP (1994-2012) and Vice-President of the Franco-Brazilian Center of Technical and Scientific Documentation (2010-2015). In addition, she has taken part in various programmes and projects focusing on the internationalisation of higher education and the Brazilian national internationalisation strategy.



  • Marcelo Knobel

    Marcelo Knobel was the Rector of the University of Campinas (Unicamp) in Brazil from 2017 to 2021, where he is a Full Professor of Physics (see www.unicamp.br). He held other leadership roles, including: Executive Director of the Unicamp Exploratory Science Museum, Vice-Rector for Undergraduate Programs, Vice-President of the Brazilian Physics Society, President of Insper and Executive Director of the Brazilian Nanotechnology National Laboratory (LNNano).

    Knobel has already published more than 300 scientific papers, in addition to numerous opinion pieces in both national and international newspapers and magazines. He is the editor-in-chief of the Journal of Magnetism and Magnetic Materials (Elsevier). Knobel is an Eisenhower Fellow (2007), Fellow of the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation (2009) and Lemann Fellow (2015). He is a Member of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences, Member (elect) of the Brazilian Society for the Advancement of Science (SBPC) and Member (elect) of the Governing Council of the Magna Charta Observatory.



  • Stephen Sterling

    Dr. Stephen Sterling is Emeritus Professor of Sustainability Education at the Centre for Sustainable Futures, University of Plymouth, UK. A former Senior Advisor to the UK Higher Education Academy on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), and a National Teaching Fellow (NTF), he has worked in environmental and sustainability education in the academic and NGO fields nationally and internationally for some four decades, including as a consultant and advisor on on UNESCO’S Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) programmes. Widely published, he was co-chair of the UNESCO-Japan Prize on ESD International Jury 2015-19, and is a Distinguished Fellow of the Schumacher Institute. At Plymouth University, he led whole institutional change towards sustainability.



  • Hans de Wit

    Hans de Wit is Professor Emeritus of the Practice, Distinguished Fellow and Former Director (2015-2020) of the Center for International Higher Education, Boston College, USA. Before joining CIHE, he was Director of the ‘Centre for Higher Education Internationalisation’ (CHEI) at the Università Cattolica Sacro Cuore in Milan, Italy, and Professor of Internationalization of Higher Education at the Amsterdam, University of Applied Sciences. He was Vice-President for International Affairs of the University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands, 1996-2003.

    He is founding member and past president of the European Association for International Education (EAIE). He is Founding Editor of the ‘Journal of Studies in International Education’ (SAGE), Consulting Editor of the journal Policy Reviews in Higher Education, Associate Editor of International higher Education, and Co-editor book series ‘ Global Perspectives in Higher Education, Sense Publishers.

    He publishes a blog in University World News, www.universityworldnews.com. He has (co)written books and articles on international education and is actively involved in assessment and consultancy in international education, for organisations like the European Commission, UNESCO, World Bank, IMHE/OECD, IAU, European Parliament. In 2021 he received the North Star Medal of Lifetime Achievement (A. Noam Chomsky Global Connections Awards) of STARScholars, society of transnational Academic Researchers.



  • Diana Camelia Iancu

    Dr. Diana-Camelia Iancu holds a PhD in public administration (2008) and is senior lecturer in comparative public management at the National University of Political Studies and Public Administration (Bucharest, Romania). She has previously worked for Radboud University, Nijmegen School of Management (the Netherlands) and assumed different academic assignments in Slovenia, France, Spain, USA and Greece. Since 2012 she is the Dean of the Faculty of Public Administration at the National University of Political Studies and Public Administration, Romania). Diana has worked as a quality assurance expert for the European Association for Public Administration Accreditation (EAPAA) and the Romanian Agency for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ARACIS) and starting with 2018 she serves a four years mandate as an independent expert of the Group on the European Charter of Local Self-Government of the Council of Europe. Her research interests include political-administrative relations in transitional democracies, local government development and sustainability in higher education. In preparation for the IAU 2020 General Conference, she contributes to the creation of the “IAU at 70” celebration publication.



  • Isabel Toman

    Isabel Toman is working as Programme Officer for Sustainable Development at the International Association of Universities (IAU), based in Paris at UNESCO. Higher Education and Research for Sustainable Development (HESD) forms one of the four strategic priorities of the Association. Amongst Isabel’s tasks at the IAU are the coordination of the IAU Global HESD Cluster, communicating with Members and partners on HESD, and creating content for the HESD Portal, as well as working on related events and publications. More recently, she coordinated the work on the 3rd IAU HESD Global Survey, conducted in 2022, with the report published in January 2023. Before coming to the IAU in 2019 and taking up her current position in 2020, she gained international experience during work placements in the higher education sector in Mexico and Germany, and her studies (politics, international relations, languages) in Germany, Spain and the UK.



  • Andreas Corcoran

    Dr. Andreas Corcoran took up the position as Deputy Secretary General of the International Association of Universities in 2019.

    For the last two decades, Dr. Corcoran has taken an interest in the role universities play in society – history, present, future. He is a keen believer in the transformative power of higher education as a driver of global development. He sees diversity, academic freedom and integrity as prerequisites for any form of academic enterprise and as the bedrock of progress. He is therefore proud to share the IAU’s mission and to be part of the IAU’s global network committed to the shaping of international higher education policy and the formation of a truly global scientific community.

    As Deputy Secretary General, he contributes to the organisation’s institutional development, the conceptual design of the IAU strategic plan, takes the lead on the thematic priority ‘Value-based leadership’, and the IAU cooperation with partners and members. He oversees the IAU university leadership programme and the strategic development of the reference publications, including the World Higher Education Database.

    Prior to joining the IAU, Dr. Corcoran was Director of Higher Education at SOFIA in Rome where he managed the higher education portfolio in charge of the financial, academic and institutional development of a university in Tanzania - spanning across strategy, governance, recruitment, and internationalisation.

    Previously, Dr. Corcoran worked for the University of Kent in the UK, the Federal Chancellor Willy Brandt Foundation and the German Historical Museum in Berlin. Dr. Corcoran has published and lectured on university management, history and epistemic culture and holds a PhD in intellectual history from the European University Institute in Florence and a Master’s degree in Reformation and Enlightenment Studies from Trinity College Dublin.



  • Jessica Huang

    Jessica Huang holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management from Shanghai Normal University and studied English at Shanghai International Studies University. After 8 years working experience in client services & events in the hotel industry in Singapore and China, Jessica joined IAU in 2019, as Assistant to the Secretary General and as Assistant, IAU Administration. In addition to her mother tongue Chinese, she speaks English, French and Cantonese.



  • Amr Ezzat Salama

    Dr. Amr Ezzat Salama is a Professor of Structural Engineering in Helwan University, Egypt. He received his PhD in Structural Engineering from Heriot Watt University, Edinburgh, UK, his Master’s degree in Maritime Civil Engineering from the University of Manchester, UK and his Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Cairo University. As the Counselor of The American University in Cairo, he was the focal point between the Egyptian Authorities and AUC Administration. Dr. Salama maintained excellent contacts with ministries, Egyptian universities and the Supreme Council of Universities in order to develop good relations with AUC and help implement the accreditation process for all AUC’s academic degrees. Dr. Amr has also served as the Minister of Higher Education, Scientific Research and Technology of Egypt. He was also the Former member of the Shura Council (upper house of the parliament of Egypt) and headed of its housing committee. Dr. Salama is currently the Chairman of the Management Engineering Society and the Chairman of the Board of Trustees and the President of the Executive Bureau of 57357 Foundation (Children’s Cancer Hospital). In addition, Dr. Salama is the Chairman of the Council of Housing and Building of Academy of Scientific Research and Technology, has served as Chairman of the Housing and Building National Research Centre and as President of Helwan University. Dr. Salama has worked as Professor of Civil Engineering and was also the Chair of the University’s Centre for Technology Development. He received the Excellency Award in 2006 and the State Award for Science in Engineering Science in 1012, an Honorary Professorship at the Lomonosov Moscow State University in 2020, and an Honorary Doctorate from Belgorod State University in 2021.



  • Justin Thorens

    Justin Thorens was the president of the University of Geneva between 1977 and 1983. Before that, he had hold various positions within the university, among others was he the dean of the Faculty of Law.
    He worked for a long time with and for the International Association of Universities. In 1984 he became a board member and only one year later was elected as president of the Association for the next five years. In 1990, he became honorary president. He contributed in particular to the foundational work on University and Academic Freedom.
    Following his appointment at IAU, he became president for the United Nations University in Tokyo and was the president of the European Centre for Higher Education (CEPES) of UNESCO.
    He studied and taught in many countries. During his own studies, he did an exchange semester in Berlin and London. Afterwards he thought and conducted research at the University of Stanford, and Munich.
    He recieved the first IAU President’s Award on 4 May 2018.



  • Eva Egron-Polak

    Eva Egron-Polak, former Secretary General of the International Association of Univeristies (IAU), was educated in the Czech Republic, Canada and France. Having studied French Literature, Political Science and International Political Economy, her post-graduate research focused on early stages of European Union policy in higher education. She held the position of IAU Secretary General from 2002 to 2017. Prior to joining IAU, for almost 20 years, she served in various senior positions at Universities Canada (former AUCC), including as Vice-President, International. As Secretary-General of IAU, Eva Egron-Polak launched a number of initiatives in various areas of higher education policy, positioning IAU as an important global actor in research and policy development concerning, for example, internationalization of higher education, provision of equitable access to and success in higher education, institutional autonomy and ethics in higher education as well as the contribution of higher education to sustainable development. She greatly expanded the Association’s convening role, consolidating the Association’s capacity as a clearing house of information on the systems and institutions of higher education around the world. Under her leadership IAU launched regular and systematic Global Surveys on internationalization, improved and expanded its communications with IAU Members and the higher education community, created the professional development program called LGEU and developed ISAS, an advisory service to review and assess institutional internationalization strategies. Eva Egron-Polak enlarged IAU partnerships to include many organizations and networks and made IAU highly visible.In addition to being an IAU Senior Fellow, Eva Egron-Polak is a member of many boards and advisory committees, including the Magna Charta Observatory, the GAPS initiative, and StudyPortals. She has written and presented many papers on higher education topics and continues to be actively involved in the field.



  • Madeleine F. Green

    Madeleine Green served as Vice President for International Initiatives at the American Council on Education, a membership association of U.S. higher education institutions, until 2010. Since then, she has served as an independent consultant and as a Senior Fellow at NAFSA: the Association of International Educators from 2011 until 2018. Her principal areas of expertise are policy and practice in internationalization and institutional leadership, management and governance. She is widely published in these areas. She has served as a member of the IAU Administrative Board and on the boards of several U.S. higher education institutions and organization. She currently chairs the board of ISEP (International Student Exchange Program), a global membership organization facilitating student mobility. Dr. Green holds a B.A. degree magna cum laude from Harvard University and a Ph.D. in French literature from Columbia University.



  • Saholi Andriambololo-Nivo

    Saholi Andriambololo-nivo graduated from Institut national des langues et civilisations orientales (INALCO-Paris) and holds a Master’s degree in Swahili and a Bachelor’s degree in Indonesian Language. After working 4 years with a French Group of Educational Publishers, she joined IAU in December 2006 and became part of the team maintaining and updating the World Higher Education Database (WHED), she is also in in charge of publishing News from IAU Members. She is from Madagascar. She speaks English, French, Indonesian, Malagasy and Swahili.



  • Samuel Pousson

    Samuel Pousson holds a Bachelor’s degree in English and German applied to Economics from Paris IV Sorbonne University. After experiences in the field of distribution and client files management, he joined IAU in June 2004 to work on reference publications published by the Association’s Information Centre, and in particular on the updating and development of the World Higher Education Database (WHED) and International Handbook of Universities (IHU). He contributes to IAU Lynx - the monthly electronic newsletter on the latest developments in Higher Education Reform and Policy worldwide - for which he monitors and collects news about the Asia-Pacific region and UNESCO. He also translates the first part of this publication from English into French - the Association’s second official language - as well as other IAU documents as required. He is a French national and speaks English.



  • Nicholas Poulton

    After graduating with a BA(Hons) in French and Russian, Nick came to France in 2002 where he worked as an English language assistant at the Université de Picardie Jules Verne, in Amiens. He came to work with IAU in 2005, and currently holds the post of WHED Operations Coordinator, working with the WHED Team on gathering and updating information on higher education systems and institutions around the world. Nick is the main contact for enquiries on institutions and systems as well extraction requests, and also the contact person for adding events to the IAU calendar of events. Nick also serves as Editorial Assistant to the Editor of the Association’s quarterly, peer-reviewed research journal, Higher Education Policy (HEP), where he is involved in the editing and proofing process. He was involved in the Working Group on ICT for Information Accessibility in Learning (ICT4IAL), which helped in setting out and trialling the Guidelines for Accessible Information, and also worked on the IAU-MCO Guidelines for an Institutional Code of Ethics in Higher Education, as well as the IAU project Innovative Approaches to Doctoral Education in Africa.



  • Giorgio Marinoni

    Giorgio Marinoni has been Manager of Higher Education and Internationalization at the International Association of Universities (IAU), since February 2015. He oversees Internationalization as one of the four strategic priorities of the Association.

    Among his responsibilities at IAU are research projects, the coordination of the ISAS (2.0) programme of advisory services for advancing internationalization, and external representation of the Association in internationalization. He has recently published the report of the 5th Global Survey on Internationalization of Higher Education. In addition, he is the coordinator of the Network of International Education Associations, NIEA.

    Before his current position at IAU, Giorgio Marinoni worked for UNICA, the Network of Universities from the Capitals of Europe, in the field of internationalization and higher education policy and reform at the European level and beyond.
    He has been an active member of the Erasmus Student Network (ESN) at local, national and international level, and served the ESN as its President in 2007 – 2008.

    He has ample experience in the coordination of multilateral international projects involving a variety of higher education stakeholders, including public and private higher education institutions (HEIs), networks of HEIs, student associations, national and regional governments.



  • Trine Jensen

    Trine Jensen leads the work on the strategic priority Higher Education & Digital Transformation at the IAU. She is spearheading projects spanning policy-shaping, strategy, advocacy, and monitoring of the digital transformation of HE with global partners and is the author of the IAU Global Monitoring Report on Higher Education in the Digital Era: the Current State of Transformation around the World (January 2020) and leads on the IAU Policy Statement: “Transforming Higher Education for the Global Common Good in a Digital World” in collaboration with an international Expert Advisory Group. In 2019, she launched a new IAU programme entitled: “Institutional site visits” fostering international peer-to-peer learning in relation to digital transformation of higher education institutions. She is also co-editor of the Associations’ magazine IAU Horizons . Finally, she works with the Secretary General on the IAU events and Administrative Board meetings. Trine Jensen worked several years for UNESCO as part of the Bureau for Strategic Planning before she joined the IAU in 2012.



  • Georgeta Sadlak

    Georgeta Sadlak is currently Manager, Information Systems at IAU. She is responsible for the overall technology needs and system requirements at IAU as well as technical support, troubleshooting and data protection and security measures. She holds a MSc. in Public Policy and Management (University of London, SOAS, UK), a BSc (Econ) in Politics and International Relations (London School of Economics, UK). She studied Economics and Computer studies (University of Toronto and the Institute for Computer Studies, Toronto, Canada). She joined the IAU in February 1993 as consultant, Oracle database development and starting 1998 as full time Systems Analyst. She has held her actual position since 2002. Prior to joining IAU she spent several years in different informational technology roles in a private company in Toronto, Canada.



  • Henrik Øregaard Dam

    Vice-Chancellor, University of Southern Denmark (SDU)

    Holding a Master of Law (1991), Henrik Dam received his PhD from the University of Copenhagen in 1996. After one year with the Ministry of Health, he returned to the University of Copenhagen where he received his Doctorate in Law (Dr. juris.) in 2005 and was the same year appointed as Professor of Tax Law. The following year Henrik became Dean of the Faculty of Law at the University of Copenhagen and a member of the University’s Senior Executive Board. In 2014 he took up office as Vice-Chancellor (Rector) at SDU. As Vice-Chancellor, Henrik is engaged in a wide range of International partnerships including cross-border collaborations and student exchange agreements.



  • Oleg SMESHKO

    Rector, Saint-Petersburg University of Management Technologies and Economics, Russia

    Oleg Smeshko is the Rector of Saint-Petersburg University of Management Technologies and Economics (UMTE), one of the largest private universities in Russia. Oleg Smeshko has started his work at the University in 2000 and became rector in 2014. Under his leadership, UMTE has developed effective system of continuous multilevel education: secondary vocational education - higher education (Bachelor, Master) – Ph.D. studies. The University has created and implemented new innovative training technologies of the educational process, including e-learning. Research and teaching work of Oleg Smeshko is successfully combined with being a member of the Advisory Board of the Leningrad Region Legislative Assembly; the Council of Rectors of Saint-Petersburg universities and the Public Council on the non-state sector of education of the Education Committee of the State Duma of the Russian Federation.



  • Mohammad Reza POURMOHAMMADI

    Chancellor, The University of Tabriz, I.R. of Iran

    Mohammad Reza Pour Mohammadi has been reelected as the chancellor of the University of Tabriz in 2013. He is a Professor of Urban Planning and has held several leading positions within the university, for example Vice Chancellor for Students Affairs and Vice Chancellor for Educational Affairs and Graduate Studies. He earned his M.Sc. and Ph.D. from UWCC – U.K. He has authored and co-authored 91 articles. He has been the member of Oxford Round Table since 2003, and the member of the Board of the Directors of International Universities Council (IUC), Caucasus Universities Association (CUA) and Eurasian Silk Road Universities Council (ESRUC) since 2013, and Deputy Board Member of IAU 2000-2004.



  • Hasan Sohaib MURAD

    Rector, University of Management and Technology (UMT), Pakistan

    Dr. Murad is the founding President of ILM Trust and the Rector/President of the University of Management and Technology (UMT). He received bachelor degree in Civil Engineering from NED University of Engineering and Technology, Karachi and an MBA from Washington State University, USA. He earned his doctorate in Management from the University of Wales, United Kingdom. He is also Chairperson of a nationwide network of colleges and schools consisting of about 200 institutions. The leading brands of ILM Colleges and the Knowledge Schools are serving the middle class by providing them high quality education. He is also founding Chairman of the Institute of Knowledge and Leadership (IKL), Dubai which offers executive development programs in MENASA region.



  • Constantinos CHRISTOFIDES

    Rector, University of Cyprus, Cyprus

    With undergraduate studies at the University of Grenoble I, University of Grenoble II and the National Polytechnic School of Grenoble (M.Sc. in Physics, 1983, D.E.A in Energy - Economics, 1984, D.E.A in Energy-Physics, 1984 and Ph.D. in Applied Physics, 1986), Prof. Christofides worked as Post-doctoral Fellow at the University of Sherbrooke, and as Research Associate & Lecturer, at the University of Toronto in Canada. In 1992 he joined the academic community of the Department of Physics of the University of Cyprus (UCY). As the UCY ViceRector of Academic Affairs (2006-2010), he played an active role in establishing the UCY in the research community worldwide and strengthening the university-industry collaboration. Prof. Christofides has been serving as UCY Rector for two consecutive terms (2010-2018).



  • Mosleh DUHOKY

    President, University of Duhok, Iraq

    Prof. Duhoky’s academic career spans 37 years. He graduated with a B.Sc. from the University of Sulaimani, the College of Agriculture, Department of Horticulture in 1976. He did his M.Sc. from the same university in 1978. He obtained his PhD with honor degree in Cytology form the University of Silesia, Poland. Since 2012 he has been the President of the University of Duhok. He has been active in promoting international standing of the University of Duhok by further cooperation with different European, American, Asian and Middle Eastern universities and centers of excellence. He is also member of the Board of Trustees at the American University in Kurdistan (AUK).



  • Pierre-André PIERRE

    President, Université Notre-Dame d’Haiti (UNDH)

    Under leadership of Msgr. Pierre since 2008, UNDH has grown to become a seven campus university, offering in seven different provinces a variety of teachings in different fields, to name a few: Medicine and Pharmacy, Nursing, Bio Science and Medical Biology, Education, Psychology and Humanities, Religious studies, Business and Administration, Social Sciences, Economics, Law and Politics, Engineering and Architecture, Agriculture, etc. Msgr. Pierre is a well-known academic and social figure in the country and he has brought UNDH to a number of associations of Universities in the Caribbean and around the world and developed partnerships with a great number of institutions of higher education, in the five continents



  • Mirta M. Martin

    President Fairmont State University, USA

    Dr. Martin was the first female president in the University’s 114 year history and the first Hispanic president in the great state of Kansas’ history. Dr. Martin holds a baccalaureate in psychology and political science from Duke University; a master of business administration from the University of Richmond; and a doctorate with an emphasis in strategic management and leadership from Virginia Commonwealth University. Dr. Martin’s career involves work in both the public and private sectors. As a senior banking executive, Dr. Martin was recognized as a highly effective and innovative practitioner, positioning companies for growth and profitability. She has served in various faculty and administrative positions in academia, establishing herself as strong advocate and a transformative leader for education.



  • Roberto ESCALANTE SEMERENA

    An Environmental Economist by training, Dr Roberto Escalante Semerena obtained his Bachelor’s degree at the National University of Mexico (UNAM) and did his postgraduate degrees at the University of London. He has been involved in academia for some 44 years.
    At the moment, he is a full time Professor at the Faculty of Economics at UNAM where he carries out teaching and tutoring of students from the Postgraduate Department within the Faculty. He also conducts research in topics related to communal management of natural resources, such as forests etc. He has also served in managerial roles within the university - from 2002 to 2010 he served as Dean of the Faculty of Economics. Having published extensively in international journals, he has been invited to speak and participate in conferences, forums and congresses in many countries in Latin America and beyond. He is currently the Secretary-General of the Association of Latin American and Caribbean Universities (UDUAL).
    He has been involved in IAU for over 10 years as a representative for the Latin American and Caribbean region, and having served as a Deputy Board Member was elected as a Full Board Member in 2016; he also sits on the IAU Executive Committee. He was elected for a second term as a Full Board Member in 2022.



  • Hilligje van’t Land

    Dr. Hilligje van’t Land serves the global higher education community as Secretary General of the International Association of Universities (IAU) - global NGO with UNESCO Associate Status. IAU celebrated it’s 70th Anniversary from 9 December 2020 to 9 December 2021. For the past two decades, she has fostered the key role of higher education in societal transformation. She supervises the overall programme activities of the IAU, develops the Association’s strategic plans and oversees the everyday work of the secretariat. She positioned the IAU as partner in UNESCO work on Education for sustainable development and in the UNESCO Futures of Education initiative, and higher education as a key stakeholder for the UN Agenda 2030 – Transforming our world. Hilligje van’t Land strongly believes in the importance of international cooperation and intercultural understanding and has developed multilateral projects related higher education and beyond.
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    She represents IAU in various working groups and expert committees including at the Council of Europe, UNESCO and the UN as member of the High Level Advisory Board to the UNESCO Futures of Education Initiative and Mission 4.7; the UNESCO ESD for 2030 Programme; the UNESCO and Bergen Expert Group on Universities and Sustainability; the Council of Europe (CoE) Ad hoc Working Group on the Local Mission of the University; the CoE Steering Committee for Best Practice Programme in Promoting Academic Integrity; the CoE Ad hoc Working Group on Competences for a Democratic Culture; the Advisory Board of UVED, OneHE and Sulitest; the Advisory Board of the Observatory of Academic Freedom (GOAF - Soros Foundation).

    Hilligje van’t Land holds a PhD in comparative francophone literature, speaks six languages and published on higher education issues of relevance locally and globally. Latest publications: The Promise of Higher Education; Higher Education’s Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic, Building a More Sustainable and Democratic Future, Book coedited by IAU, the Council of Europe et al. published as part of the Council of Europe Higher Education Book series. Higher Education and SDG 14: Integrating Ocean Research for the Global Goals, 2021; First Global Survey Report on the impact of COVID-19 on Higher Education around the World; IAU-UNODC Young Scholars Competition: Higher Education engages with SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions; IAU HESD global survey 2019

    For recent publications and conferences, please click on the links.

    For information on IAU Webinar Series on the Future of Higher Education, click HERE.



  • Zoltan DUBÉCZI

    Secretary General, Hungarian Rectors Conference, Hungary

    Dr. Zoltán Dubéczi graduated as a lawyer from the University of Miskolc in 1995 (legal bar exam 1998) and has been working as the Secretary General of the HRC since 2006. During the past 10 years, as the operative head of the unique representative body of the Hungarian Universities, he has been involved in all the strategic and legislation processes regarding higher education reforms in Hungary and gained comprehensive experience in international projects. Since 2014, he is honorary associate professor of Szent István University. In addition to his position at the HRC, since January 2015, he is the Director for Education at the Central Bank of Hungary, managing higher education programmes together with different universities in the fields of economics and social sciences.



  • Inga Žalėnienė

    Professor Dr Inga Žalėnienė has been Rector of Mykolas Romeris University (MRU) - the largest public university in Lithuania specialized in social sciences - since March, 2019. Inga started her academic career as a lecturer at MRU, defended her doctoral thesis "Representation in Civil Procedure (Theoretical and Practical Aspects)" and obtained a PhD in Law in 2006. In 2009, she was appointed as Vice-Dean of the Law Faculty at MRU and was responsible for the development of education policy, formation and coordination of research groups, organization of scientific project activities, planning and accounting of scientific results. Inga Žalėnienė was appointed as Vice-Rector for Research in 2010, for Research and International Relations in 2012, then, in 2017, as Vice-Rector for Education and Research. As Rector, Inga Žalėnienė devotes her efforts to implementing the whole institutional approach towards sustainability, to enhance the accomplishment of the University’s mission to promote socially balanced progress of society based on innovative science, to develop independent, creative, responsible, committed to critical thinking and lifelong learning individuals, to open the way to personal and professional success for every member of the community.

    Dr Žalėnienė completed traineeship courses in “Management and Leadership in Education” in Harvard Graduate School of Education (United States) and senior executive programme “Leadership in Higher Education” in Oxford Academy for Education and Development (United Kingdom) in 2013, and accomplished IAU program in “Leading Globally Engaged Universities,” (Ireland) in 2016. In 2022, Prof. Inga Žalėnienė was awarded a honorary title of Dongseo University’s (Republic of Korea) Doctor Honoris Causa. Inga Žalėnienė was first elected to the IAU Administrative Board in 2016, and she was re-elected for a second term in 2022. During this second term, she was elected as a Vice-President in 2023, and now supervises one of the IAU priority areas – Internationalization of Higher Education. She is also a member of the European Women Rectors Association (EWORA) Board of Directors since 2021. She has published over 40 scientific publications and conference papers. Her research interests include civil procedure law, education law, higher education management, gender equality studies.



  • Godehard RUPPERT

    Otto-Friedrich-Universität Bamberg - University of Bamberg, Germany

    After studies of theology, philosophy, pedagogics and media sciences he earned his Diploma-degree in theology from University of Bochum, his ThD from University of Würzburg and his PhD in educational science from University of Hannover. He was Lecturer, Senior Lecturer and Associate Professor of educational science at University of Hanover and since 1991 Full-Professor of religious education (Chair) at the University of Bamberg. Since 1996 Dr. Ruppert serves as member of the University Board, since 2000 as President of the University of Bamberg (four re-elections). Simultaneously he is President of the Virtual University of Bavaria (since 2002). As experienced expert in Higher Education policy and leadership he is member of several national and international organizations and boards



  • Daniel Hernandez RUIPEREZ

    Former Rector of the University of Salamanca

    Prof. Daniel Hernández-Ruipérez obtained his degree in Mathematics at the University of Salamanca in 1976. He gained a PhD with his dissertation Duality in Algebraic Spaces. He was then appointed as Associate Professor (1978-1982), Lecturer in Geometry (1982) and Associate Lecturer in Topology (1983), finally obtaining the Chair of Geometry and Topology (1983). Since 1984 he has held managerial positions. He was appointed Dean of the Faculty of Science and also a member of the Governing Board of the University. From 2009 till 2017, he was the Rector of the University of Salamanca. At present, he presides over the Internationalization Work Group of the Conference of Rectors of Spanish Universities (CRUE) and is leading the organization of activities.



  • Remus Pricopie

    Rector, National University of Political Studies and Public Administration, Romania

    Remus Pricopie is professor and Rector of the National University of Political Studies and Public Administration (SNSPA), Bucharest, since March 2012. From December 2012 to December 2014 he served as Minister of Education and Research. His activity within the Romanian Ministry began in 1996, and includes positions such as Spokesperson, Director, Secretary General and Deputy Minister (Secretary of State) for Higher Education, International Relations and Teacher Training. Also, he has extensively worked / collaborated with many international organizations - UNESCO, UNICEF, EU, OECD, World Bank, United Nation University, Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie - and ministries of education / higher education and research from more than 100 countries. Prof. Pricopie holds a PhD in Political Science at the SNSPA and he is a Fulbright New Century Scholar alumnus, a World Academy of Art and Science Fellow, a member of the Romanian Chapter of the Club of Rome, and a member of the Atlantis Group. His educational background includes a rich international experience, being educated and trained in five countries and nine higher education institutions, especially in the United States of America and European Union.



  • Maria de Fátima Marinho

    Former Vice-Rector for Cooperation and Culture, University of Porto, Portugal

    Maria de Fátima Marinho graduated in Romance languages from the faculty of Arts and Humanities at the University of Porto, where she has taught 19th and 20th century Portuguese literature since 1976. In 1987, she obtained her Doctorate with a thesis on Surrealism in Portugal. She is a Full Professor and has been Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (2010-2014). She was Vice-President of the University of Porto from 2014 to 2018 and has now returned to her duty as full Professor at the Faculty of Arts. She is also Visiting Professor for PhD in Portuguese Studies of the University of Etvös Lorand in Budapest, Hungary, and Visiting Professor of the University of Belgrade, Serbia.



  • Andrew Deeks

    President and Vice-Chancellor, Murdoch University

    Educated at the University of Western Australia (UWA), Andrew received a first-class honours degree in civil engineering in 1984. He worked in industry briefly, before returning to UWA to pursue his PhD and an academic career. He became Winthrop Professor, Civil and Resource Engineering, in 2004 and was Head of School from 2004 to 2009. In 2009, Andrew joined Durham University as Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Science where he led the development of the university’s global presence strategy and extensive international partnerships, particularly in China and Brazil. From 2014 to 2022 he was President of the University College Dublin (UCD), where he led a strategy which saw UCD establish itself as Ireland’s Global University. In March 2022 he returned to Western Australia to become the 8th Vice-Chancellor of Murdoch University. Andrew has been a member of the IAU Administrative Board since 2016 and was elected the 16th President of IAU at the 16th General Conference, held at UCD in October 2022.



  • Ranbir SINGH

    Vice-Chancellor, National Law University, Delhi, India

    Founding Vice-Chancellor of ’The National Law University, Delhi’ established by the Delhi Government in 2008, Prof. Singh has been re-appointed for a second 5-year term. Prof. Singh obtained his LL.M. and Ph.D. degrees from ’Kurukshetra University, Haryana’ and joined ’M.D. University, Rohtak’ in 1978 as founding Faculty of the ’Faculty of Law’. In 1996-97 he was invited to ’NLSIU, Bangalore’ as a Professor of Law. In 1998 appointed as founding Vice-Chancellor of ’NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad’, until 2008, when NALSAR was rated as the best law University in India. Prof. Singh is an institution builder and an effective administrator who is one of the longest serving Vice-Chancellors in any public funded Universities in India. He is also a Council member of the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU)



  • Mahmoud NILI AHMADABDI

    President, University of Tehran, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran

    Professor of the School of Metallurgy and Materials Engineering Prof. Nili Ahmadabadi got his BSc in Engineering and Sciences of Materials from Shiraz University and his MSc in Identification and Selection of Materials from Sharif University of Technology. He received his PhD degree in Materials Processing from the University of Tohoku, Japan. He has had many administrative managerial positions including: Head of the Metallurgical and Materials Engineers Society and Dean of College of Engineering, University of Tehran. He has gained many outstanding awards and titles such as Exemplary Professor of the University of Tehran, Exemplary Researcher, Winner of the COMSTEC award and Winner of the Second Rank in Khawrazmi Intentional Festival.



  • Pornchai Mongkhonvanit

    President, Siam University, Bangkok, Thailand

    Pornchai Mongkhonvanit is President of Siam University. Concurrently, he has also served as the Thailand Chapter’s Vice President of the Association of Southeast Asia Institutions of Higher Learning (ASAIHL) and board member of the World Association of Cooperative and Work Integrated Education (WACE). He earned his undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering from Kasetsart University in Thailand and Post Graduate Degree in Finance, Investment and Banking from University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is also a member of IEM’ 2000 of the Graduate School of Education, Harvard University. Pornchai is recognized as an expert on Higher Education Strategy with Emphasis on promoting sustainable relationship between University and Industry as evidenced by the Reward received by Siam University in 2012 as the Thailand best institution in Cooperative Education among all public and private universities.



  • Carmen LAMAGNA

    Vice-Chancellor, American International University - Bangladesh (AIUB)

    Born in Manila, Philippines, Dr. Lamagna is the first woman Vice-Chancellor in Bangladesh. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from Adamson University, Manila, obtained her Master in Arts from Rizal Technological University, Philippines and Doctor of Business Administration in California Coast University, California. Under her guidance, the University, from its inception in 1995 has earned eminences as a higher seat of quality education in Bangladesh. From 70 students, the current student population is more than 11,000 under the Faculties of Science and Information technology, Engineering, Business Administration and Arts and Social Sciences. Dr. Lamagna’s achievements as an educator and manager may be gleaned from the positions she has in prestigious international bodies.



  • Salim DACCACHE s.j

    Rector, Saint Joseph University of Beirut, Lebanon

    Prof Salim Daccache s.j. completed a DEA in philosophy at the University Panthéon Sorbonne 1 under the direction of Etienne Balibar. His thesis was entitled ‘Le concept de reconnaissance dans la philosophie du droit de Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel’. This dissertation was published in the Annales de philosophie de la Faculté des Lettres des Sciences humaines de l’USJ in 1987, volume 8 and 1988.
    He is the author of two theses. The first one is in philosophy and is entitled ‘The problem of the creation of the world in the kalam of Abu Mansur al-Makurdi (+ 944) and its historical and epistemological context’.
    His second thesis focuses on ‘Le pluralisme scolaire au Liban’ and was defended at the University of Strasbourg in 2016 under the supervision of Maurice Sachot.
    For ten years, Salim Daccache has studied in depth the educational systems of Christian and Muslim schools as well as public and private non-religious systems. He is the author of numerous works on the various fields of education and the meeting of cultures, and a specialist in themes relating to Syriac spirituality and studies in Islamic-Christian relations.
    He approaches the school as a "social microcosm" rather than a "learning space". Indeed, the school system in Lebanon is considered as a community system which is sometimes accused of rejecting the other, sometimes seen as an embodiment of pluralism and the acceptance of differences.
    Between 1991 and 2008 he was the rector of the Notre-Dame de Jamhour College of the Jesuits in Lebanon, and then became Dean of the Faculty of Religious Sciences at USJ between 2008 and 20121. On 1 August 2012 he was appointed Rector of the Saint Joseph University in Beirut and continues to serve in this capacity. He was first elected to the IAU Administrative Board in 2016, and was elected for his second term in 2022.



  • Etsuko KATSU

    Prof. Etsuko Katsu, Former Vice President, Meiji University

    Prof. Etsuko Katsu was appointed Vice President, International of Meiji University, one of the leading private universities in Japan, in April 2008 and made her duty in 8 years up to the end of March 2016. She currently serves as board member of the Japan-US Education Commission, and director of Center for Entrance Examination Standardization. Since her appointment, she has promoted the Internationalization of the university and the university reform to make Meiji University Open to the World. She contributed a lot to get grants from government, including Global30, Go Global Japan, Re-Inventing Japan Project ASEAN, and Top University Initiative to promote degree programs in English, students and faculty mobility, and advanced research in order to establish a leading university in Japan.



  • Marta Losada FALK

    President, Antonio Nariño University (UAN), Bogotá, Colombia

    President since 2010, Dr. Losada obtained her undergraduate physics degree and an MSc Physics from the National University of Colombia and her Ph.D. in Physics from Rutgers University, USA. From 1997 to 1999, she was a postdoctoral fellow at CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research), Switzerland. She has held positions as the National Director for Research at UAN from 2004 to 2014, and the Director of the Basic and Applied Science Research Center of UAN from 2000 to 2004. She is the group leader of the research groups in high energy particle physics focused on elementary particle phenomenology and cosmology as well as experimental high energy physics and has been a member of international collaboration efforts such as the ATLAS and NEXT Experiments



  • Stephen Freedman

    Provost of Fordham University, USA

    Provost of Fordham University, Dr. Freedman is professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. He leads the University’s schools and colleges, research centers and institutes, and other academic units. An experienced educator, researcher, and university administrator, Dr. Freedman earned his B.Sc. from Loyola of Montreal, his M.E.S. from York University in Toronto, and his Ph.D. in ecology and evolutionary biology from the University of California at Irvine. He also completed the United Nations Graduate Study Program in Geneva, Switzerland. Dr. Freedman’s research focuses on the interaction between humans and their environments from an ecological perspective. An active scholar, he has authored or co-authored more than 20 articles, and has received numerous grants to support his research in biology, curricular development and educational leadership.



  • Paul ZELEZA

    Vice-Chancellor, United States International University-Africa, Nairobi, Kenya

    Paul ZELEZA is the Vice-Chancellor, United States International University-Africa in Nairobi, Kenya. Prior to taking office in 2016, he was Vice President of Academic Affairs at Quinnipiac University in Connecticut, USA. Previously he was Dean of the Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts and President’s Professor of History and African American Studies at Loyola Marymount University. He also served as head of the Department of African American Studies and the Liberal Arts and Sciences, Distinguished Professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago, taught at the Pennsylvania State University, and was Director of the Center for African Studies and Professor of History and African Studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Since 2006 he is Honorary Professor at the University of Cape Town, South Africa. In 2015 he was a fellow at Harvard University



  • Ebenezer Oduro OWUSU

    Vice-Chancellor, University of Ghana, Ghana

    Professor of Entomology, Owusu pursued his undergraduate studies at University of Ghana where he received a Bachelor of Science degree. He obtained a Master of Science degree and a PhD in Entomology (gold medal award) from Kochi University, Japan in 1995. He has over 120 scientific publications and conference papers in internationally recognized journals. Prof. Owusu is a member of numerous local and international organizations/bodies such as the Entomological Society of Ghana, Entomological Society of America, Japanese Society of Applied Entomology and Zoology, Ghana Science Association, African Association of Insect Scientists, International Society of Pest information (ISPI), as well as fellow of Toyota Foundation.



  • Abdul Ganiyu AMBALI

    Former Vice-Chancellor, University of Ilorin, Nigeria

    Prof. Ambali studied at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria and University of Liverpool, UK for his undergraduate and postgraduate degrees respectively. Prior to his role as ViceChancellor of the University of Ilorin, prof. Ambali has held a number of academic and administrative positions, among which are: Head, Dept. of Vet. Medicine, Univ. of Maiduguri, (for 5years); Director, Veterinary Teaching Hospital, University of Maiduguri, (for 5years); member and/or chairman of various Council and Faculty committees; and the Foundation Dean of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Ilorin, Nigeria. These responsibilities afforded him the opportunity to serve in various committees including among others, Finance and general purpose committees, Staff recruitment and promotion committee.



  • Dzulkifli ABDUL RAZAK

    Vice-Chancellor, Albukhary International University Malaysia

    Currently, Dzulkifli Abdul Razak is the first holder of the Chair of Islamic Leadership at the Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM), and an Honorary Professor at the University of Nottingham. He was as the 5th Vice-Chancellor of Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) and held the office from 2000-2011. He was instrumental in introducing many new innovative ideas and concepts that led to USM being acknowledged by the United Nations University as one of seven pioneering Regional Centres of Expertise (RCEs) on Education for Sustainable Development in 2005, to mark the United Nations Decade on Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2014).



  • Pam Fredman

    Former Rector, University of Gothenburg, Sweden

    Pam Fredman served as Rector of the University of Gothenburg from 2006 until 2017. She is a Professor of Neurochemistry and has held several leading positions within the University, for example as Dean of the faculty of medicine at the University of Gothenburg – the Sahlgrenska Academy. Pam Fredman was the head of the University and its principal representative. Over the years, she has been active in a large number of scientific and scholarly contexts. Pam Fredman has for example been Chair of the European Society of Neurochemistry and she is a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences, IVA. Pam served as the President of the International Association of Universities from 2016 to 2022 and will serve as Immediate Past President for the period 2022 to 2026.

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