IAFOR > The Asian Conference on Education (ACE) > ACE2025 > Speakers

Speakers

Keynote, Featured and Spotlight Speakers will provide a variety of perspectives from different academic and professional backgrounds. This page provides information about presenters. For details of presentations and other programming, please visit the Programme page.

Plenary Speakers

  • Hongmin Ahn
    Hongmin Ahn
    Inter-University Center for Japanese Studies, Japan
  • Umberto Ansaldo
    Umberto Ansaldo
    University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
  • Karin Avnit
    Karin Avnit
    Singapore Institute of Technology, Singapore
  • Danny Bielik
    Danny Bielik
    Digital Education Council, Singapore
  • Laura Bronstein
    Laura Bronstein
    Binghamton University, United States
  • Héctor G. Ceballos
    Héctor G. Ceballos
    Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico
  • Susie Kung
    Susie Kung
    Manukau Institute of Technology, New Zealand
  • Kenneth Lo
    Kenneth Lo
    Singapore University of Technology and Design, Singapore
  • Leandro Loyola
    Leandro Loyola
    Conestoga College Institute of Technology and Applied Learning, Canada
  • Sean McMinn
    Sean McMinn
    The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), Hong Kong
  • James W. McNally
    James W. McNally
    University of Michigan & NACDA Program on Aging, United States
  • Keith W. Miller
    Keith W. Miller
    University of Missouri – St. Louis, United States
  • Murielle El Hajj Nahas
    Murielle El Hajj Nahas
    Lusail University, Qatar
  • Sela V. Panapasa
    Sela V. Panapasa
    University of Michigan, United States
  • Kylie Smith
    Kylie Smith
    Manukau Institute of Technology, New Zealand
  • Ya-Ling Wang
    Ya-Ling Wang
    National Taiwan Normal University, Taiwan
  • Fiona Westbrook
    Fiona Westbrook
    Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand
  • Yanhua Zhou
    Yanhua Zhou
    University of Arizona, United States

Become a Speaker

Excellent plenary speakers are central to our conferences, ensuring that timely, innovative and engaging content is presented to our audiences around the world. If you would like to be considered for a speaking slot at one of our conferences, please apply below.

Apply to Speak

Previous Speakers

View details of speakers at past ACE conferences via the links below.

ACE2023
ACE2022 ACE2021 ACE2020
ACE2019 ACE2018 ACE2017
ACE2016 ACE2015 ACE2014
ACE2013 ACE2012 ACE2011
ACE2010 ACE2009
Hongmin Ahn
Inter-University Center for Japanese Studies, Japan

Biography

Hongmin Ahn is an incoming student at the Inter-University Center for Japanese Studies in Yokohama, Japan (2024-25). He holds a Master of Theological Studies in Buddhism from Harvard Divinity School at Harvard University, United States, and a Bachelor of Arts in Religion from Bard College, also located in the United States. As an interdisciplinary scholar, Mr Ahn’s research focuses on modern transnational Buddhism in Korea and Japan, exploring their history, culture, practices, gender dynamics, and institutions such as clerical marriage and the popularisation of Buddhism through military chaplaincy.

Supported by IAFOR grants, Mr Ahn’s forthcoming ethnographic study on Japan’s Shikoku Island will examine Buddhism's socio-economic and demographic changes, particularly evolving female leadership and ageing, declining populations. His work seeks to bridge the gap between academic research and contemporary religious realities, offering insights into how Buddhist communities navigate and adapt to rapid social changes throughout East Asia.

Panel Presentation (2024) | TBA
Umberto Ansaldo
University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong

Biography

Professor Umberto Ansaldo is currently an Honorary Professor at the University of Hong Kong (HKU), Hong Kong. He recently served as Head of the School of Media, Creative Arts and Social Inquiry at Curtin University, Australia from 2021 through 2023. Previously, he was the Head of the School of Literature, Art and Media at the University of Sydney, Australia from 2018 through 2020, and Head of the School of Humanities at HKU, where he taught from 2009 to 2018.

Professor Ansaldo’s disciplinary roots are in linguistics, specifically in the study of language contact, linguistic typology, and language documentation. He is the author of four books to date (with CUP, OUP, Routledge, and Stockholm University Press), has edited or co-edited 11 volumes and journal special collections, and has authored multiple journal articles and book chapters. His most recent publication is the co-editorship of The Routledge Handbook of Pidgin and Creole Languages (Routledge, 2021).

At HKU, Professor Ansaldo led the Humanities Area of Inquiry on the Common Core Curriculum Committee in HKU’s major revision of its curriculum (2010-2013), a time when, along with the University of Melbourne, Australia, HKU was leading in reimagining undergraduate curricula. As Chair of Linguistics, he was instrumental in establishing the Department within the top ten programmes in Linguistics (QS rankings), with the programme ranking at number one in Hong Kong.

At the University of Sydney, Professor Ansaldo sat on the University Executive Research Committee and led his School through a transformative period in terms of curriculum innovation and research engagement. He was in charge of overseeing the incorporation of the Sydney College of the Arts into the Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences.

Professor Ansaldo has secured competitive research grants and leveraged industry funding for the advancement of the humanities and social sciences throughout his career. One of his proudest achievements was his role in securing financial support to develop and host an exhibition on language and the brain, the ‘Talking Brains’ exhibition at the CosmoCaixa in Barcelona, Spain in 2017. This type of engagement and championing of the Humanities is what Umberto is most passionate about.

Professor Ansaldo has lived and worked in Sweden, The Netherlands, Singapore, Australia, and Hong Kong. and speaks seven languages, including Mandarin. He is well-acquainted with Asia and has conducted fieldwork in Muslim communities of the Indian Ocean, and has developed strong international networks in Southeast Asia, Japan, and Europe.

Featured Workshop (2024) | Developing Academic Skills for a Successful Academic Career
Karin Avnit
Singapore Institute of Technology, Singapore

Biography

Karin Avnit is an Associate Professor at the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT), Singapore. She is a faculty member in the university’s Infocomm Technology cluster as well as Deputy Director (EdTech) in the SIT Teaching and Learning Academy (STLA), where she works with a team of educational developers, educational technologists, and software developers to support and equip educators in the adoption of technologies for teaching and learning. Professor Avnit advises the university on the framework, policies, and practices related to the use of generative Artificial Intelligence in the university. Her research and work as an educator at STI has garnered awards: she is the recipient of SIT’s Teaching Excellence Award (2015, 2017, 2019) and a member of the Teaching Excellence Award Honour Roll (2018, 2020).

Panel Presentation (2024) | Navigating AI in Higher Education: Multiple Perspectives from Policy to Practice
Danny Bielik
Digital Education Council, Singapore

Biography

Danny Bielik is the President of the Digital Education Council in Singapore and is passionate about access to high quality education and the positive impact that technology can have to achieve this.

His work currently involves assisting universities and governments to better understand governance approaches to Artificial Intelligence (AI) in higher education. He believes that institutions of higher education should embrace datafication as one strategy to create stickier and more value-driven relationships with industry.

Mr Bielik has over 25 years of experience in leadership positions in higher education and technical and vocational training (TVET) organisations. He has extensive experience in strategy development, governance, and partnerships in higher education having run three tertiary organisations, as a director at peak bodies and serving as Ministerial Adviser in Education to the New South Wales Government in Australia.

Panel Presentation (2024) | Navigating the Hype and Reality of Generative AI in Higher Education: Opportunities, Challenges, and Emerging Trends
Laura Bronstein
Binghamton University, United States

Biography

Laura Bronstein, ACSW, LCSWR, PhD is Dean of the College of Community and Public Affairs, Professor of Social Work, Director of the Institute for Justice & Well-Being, and Founding Director of Binghamton University Community Schools, State University of New York (SUNY), United States. Prior to entering academia, Professor Bronstein worked as a practising social worker in a range of settings. Since entering academia, Laura has published over 70 peer-reviewed research articles and chapters and two books, and her leadership has been instrumental in various teams being awarded over 20 million dollars in federal, state, and foundation grants. She has an international reputation for her research on collaboration, including having created the widely used Index for Interdisciplinary Collaboration. In 2010, her article on which the Index was based, A Model for Interdisciplinary Collaboration, was the eighth most highly cited publication in the social work literature. Professor Bronstein received the John A. Hartford Foundation Outstanding Dean for Aging Education award in 2011 and was Binghamton University’s inaugural recipient of the Lois B. DeFleur Faculty Prize for Academic Excellence “for scholarship that spans boundaries” the following year. She was awarded the Esther W. Couper Memorial Award for “outstanding service and dedication to the children and families of our community” in 2017. Most recently, Professor Bronstein has built Binghamton University Community Schools into a nationally and internationally renowned entity and is currently leading its adaptation across SUNY’s 64 campuses. In 2023, Laura was cited among the top 2% of scholars in her field in the Stanford World Scientist and University Rankings.

Keynote Presentation (2024) | University-Assisted Community Schools: An Interdisciplinary, International Movement to Promote Equity and Transform Education
Héctor G. Ceballos
Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico

Biography

Dr Héctor G. Ceballos is Director of the Living Lab & Data Hub of the Institute for the Future of Education (IFE) at Tecnologico de Monterrey, Mexico. He was previously head of the Scientometrics Office at the Research Vice-Rectory of Tecnologico de Monterrey for 18 years. Dr Ceballos received a master’s degree and doctorate degree in Intelligent Systems from Tecnologico de Monterrey in 2010. He is currently a faculty member of the university’s Computer Science Graduate Program (DCC) and is ascribed to the IFE's Research Unit on Engaging and Motivating Learning Models. Dr Ceballos is a member of the Mexican National System of Researcher (SNI) and an adherent member of the Mexican Academy on Computing (AMEXCOMP). He is an Organizing Committee Chair of the Special Interest Group in Learning Analytics in Latin America (LALA-SIG), the Society for Learning Analytics Research (SOLAR), and a member of the QS EduData Summit Advisory Committee. His main research interests include machine learning, data science, process mining, and causality, applied to research and learning analytics. He has authored more than 70 papers in journals and conferences worldwide and has worked as an expert consultant for bank and IT companies.

Panel Presentation (2024) | Navigating the Hype and Reality of Generative AI in Higher Education: Opportunities, Challenges, and Emerging Trends
Susie Kung
Manukau Institute of Technology, New Zealand

Biography

Susie Kung has been in education since 1980 and in teacher education for over 26 years. She has been teaching within the Bachelor of Education programme at The Manukau Institute of Technology, New Zealand, since 2006. She is a Senior Lecturer attached to the School of Education and is also the Academic Lead overseeing the provision of pastoral care, as well as the retention and success of four programmes in the Institute’s School of Education. She has substantial experience in the field both in Malaysia and New Zealand.

Ms Kung’s passion for teacher education includes her research on effective tertiary teaching-learning spaces and, more recently, blended teaching-learning environments during the COVID-19 pandemic; teacher identity and teacher motivation, preparing student teachers for a fast-changing, diverse world, and a reconsideration of teacher education as a holistic endeavour. Case study and narrative approaches to research are her methodologies of choice, but she has a special interest in the Appreciative Inquiry approach to research and has used this methodology for a number of her research projects. She is currently investigating the role of teacher identity, teacher motivation, and the teacher’s perception of advocacy in the teaching role.

Panel Presentation (2024) | Navigating AI in Higher Education: Multiple Perspectives from Policy to Practice
Panel Presentation (2023) | No One Left Behind: Advocating for Equitable Opportunities for
Success in Tertiary Education
Kenneth Lo
Singapore University of Technology and Design, Singapore

Biography

Dr Kenneth Lo is Director of the Office of Digital Learning and leads Cyber-Physical Learning (CPL) innovations at Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD), Singapore. His research involves digital learning technologies, innovative pedagogies, and ethics. Under the CPL Lab, Dr Lo is innovating and developing competency, tools, and systems for the future of education and sustainability in order to advance SUTD as a future-ready university that nurtures lifelong tertiary learners and innovators with its recent Education Design.AI.Technology (D.AI.Tech) initiative. Dr Lo has extensive experience in technology innovations, predictive machine learning, and designing engineering systems.

Panel Presentation (2024) | Navigating the Hype and Reality of Generative AI in Higher Education: Opportunities, Challenges, and Emerging Trends
Leandro Loyola
Conestoga College Institute of Technology and Applied Learning, Canada

Biography

Dr Leandro Loyola is Professor of International Business Management at the School of Business of Conestoga College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning in Ontario, Canada. He previously served as a Learning and Organizational Development Specialist at Grand River Hospital in the Waterloo Region of Ontario. Before moving to Canada, Dr Loyola was an Associate Professor in the Department of Management and Organization at the College of Business of De La Salle University, Philippines, where he also held the position of Director of College Student Affairs at its Laguna Campus. With nearly 20 years of experience in academia, Dr Loyola has shown dedication to his role as an educator and leader: he has made notable contributions to academic and organisational development, including his tenure as National President of the Philippine Association of Practitioners of Student Affairs and Services (PAPSAS), Inc. Internationally, he has served as the Regional Director for Asia of the International Association of Student Affairs and Services (IASAS) and as President-elect of the Asia Pacific Student Services Association (APSSA). Throughout his career, Dr Loyola has developed impactful programmes for student welfare and development and has contributed to national policies and guidelines for student affairs and services. His research on student development and organisational leadership highlights his commitment to fostering socially responsible global citizens and leaders. Dr Loyola’s career is marked by his passion for education, leadership, and creating inclusive learning environments that promote excellence.

Panel Presentation (2024) | Blended Learning: Overcoming Challenges and Implementing Solutions
Sean McMinn
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), Hong Kong

Biography

Dr Sean McMinn is the Director of the Center for Education Innovation at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), Hong Kong. Previously, he served as Associate Professor and Director of the English Language Centre at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (2020-2022) and held various academic roles at HKUST, including Associate Professor of Language Education and Co-Academic Director of the MA in International Language Education programme. As an early adopter of educational technologies, he has led initiatives in AI in education, blended learning, and fully online teaching modes. He currently serves on several international committees, including the AI and Education International Panel, Digital Education Council, Cyber-Physical Learning Alliance, and EduTech Asia organising committee.

Panel Presentation (2024) | Navigating the Hype and Reality of Generative AI in Higher Education: Opportunities, Challenges, and Emerging Trends
Panel Presentation (2023) | Unleashing the Potential: The Impact of AI and ChatGPT in Revolutionising Education
James W. McNally
University of Michigan & NACDA Program on Aging, United States

Biography

Dr James W. McNally is the Director of the NACDA Program on Aging, a data archive containing over 1,500 studies related to health and the aging life course. He is also a Senior Advisor for the National Institute on Aging (NIA), Division of Behavioral and Social Science (DBSR/ODRA). He currently does methodological research on the improvement and enhancement of secondary research data and has been cited as an expert authority on data imputation. Dr McNally has directed the NACDA Program on Aging since 1998 and has seen the archive significantly increase its holdings with a growing collection of seminal studies on the aging life course, health, retirement and international aspects of aging. He has spent much of his career addressing methodological issues with a specific focus on specialised application of incomplete or deficient data and the enhancement of secondary data for research applications. Dr McNally has also worked extensively on issues related to international aging and changing perspectives on the role of family support in the later stages of the aging life course.

Previous Presentations

Special Seminar Session (2024) | Writing a Successful Grant Application: Mastering Significance, Innovation and Approach for Your Career
Special Seminar Session (2023) | Writing a Good Grant Application: Mastering Significance, Innovation and Approach for Your Career
Featured Presentation (2017) | The Use of Archival Data Resources for Generating Original Research, Thesis Development, Teaching and Knowledge Generation
Keith W. Miller
University of Missouri – St. Louis, United States

Biography

Keith W. Miller is the Orthwein Endowed Professor for Lifelong Learning in the Sciences at the University of Missouri – St. Louis, United States. In that position, he is partnering with the St. Louis Science Center. Dr Miller’s research interests are in computer ethics, online learning, and software testing. He is a past editor-in-chief of IEEE Technology and Society Magazine. He was awarded the 2011 Joseph Weizenbaum Award in Information and Computer Ethics by the International Society for Ethics and Information Technology (INSEIT), and is currently the President of that society. He has been a principal investigator of grants from the US National Science Foundation to study the effects of ethics education for computer science students, and to encourage scientists to become teachers.

Featured Workshop Presentation (2024) | TBA

Previous Presentations

Keynote Presentation (2018) | Sophisticated Machines and Innovative Education: Who (or What) Will Thrive?
Murielle El Hajj Nahas
Lusail University, Qatar

Biography

Dr Murielle El Hajj Nahas holds a PhD in French Language and Literature from the Lebanese University, Lebanon. She is currently Assistant Professor and Director of Lusail University Press (LU Press) at Lusail University, Qatar. She also serves as Associate Editor of the IAFOR Journal of Literature & Librarianship and the IAFOR Journal of Education (Language Learning in Education issues), The International Academic Forum (IAFOR), Japan, as well as Editorial Board Member of In Analysis, revue transdisciplinaire de psychanalyse et sciences, Elsevier Masson SAS, France. Her domain of research focuses on psychoanalysis of literature, the perspective on the unconscious in literary study, the roles of the instances involved in analytical/critical praxis, and the relation between literature and psychoanalysis. Her research interests include analysis of written narrative structure and focalisation; comparative studies of literary genres; discourse analysis and semantics; French linguistics, literature, modernism, and postmodernism studies; gender studies; literary semiotics and semiology; psychoanalysis; psychoanalytic criticism and textoanalysis; rhetoric and stylistics; and schizoanalysis. She has published book chapters, original articles, academic interviews, translated articles, book reviews and analyses, as well as poems. She has also authored a contemporary theatre book titled Fragments chaotiques published by Les impliqués Éditeur, France. (ORCID Link)

Panel Presentation (2024) | Blended Learning: Overcoming Challenges and Implementing Solutions

Previous Presentations

Panel Presentation (2023) | Unleashing the Potential: The Impact of AI and ChatGPT in Revolutionising Education
Panel Presentation (2022) | Mental Health in Action: Strategies to Build Teacher and Student Capacity
Roundtable Presentation (2021) | Being Resilient: Finding Ways to Publish in Difficult Times
Sela V. Panapasa
University of Michigan, United States

Biography

Dr Sela V. Panapasa is an Associate Research Scientist at the Institute for Social Research, United States. An active researcher and leader in developing scientific research methods to address data limitations and persistent health inequities in hard-to-survey populations, she has extensive experience conducting, analyzing, disseminating, and translating findings from mixed-methods research projects on Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) populations in the United States and independent Pacific nations. Dr Panapasa’s work has influenced policy development for these populations, from greater coverage of NHPI populations in the US Census to the use of racial categories in the American Community Survey and technical assistance in Pacific data collections. She developed and administered the successful collection of epidemiology as part of the Pacific Islander Health Study (PIHS), leading to a collaboration with the NCHS to develop and implement the 2014 NHPI National Health Interview Survey (NHPI NHIS). Dr Panapasa is the PI on 'Mechanisms of Diabetes and Diabetic Complications in a Multiethnic Population and a co-investigator for the Guam National Health Interview Survey (GNHIS)'.

Workshop Presentation (2024) | Writing a Succesful Grant Application: Mastering Significance, Innovation, and Approach for Your Career
Featured Presentation (2017) | Teaching Health Equity at the Community Level: Engaging Faith Based Organizations in Teaching Community Based Nutritional and Health Behaviors
Kylie Smith
Manukau Institute of Technology, New Zealand

Biography

Dr Kylie Smith is Head of School – Education and Social Work at Manukau Institute of Technology (MIT), New Zealand. She has dedicated over 25 years to education and teaching, beginning her career as a teacher of children before transitioning to teaching adults MIT for the past 13 years. Her academic journey and research interests have consistently centred around fostering her own love of learning and supporting others in their own educational pursuits. Dr Smith’s Master of Education thesis focused on the practical implementation of mixed-age communities of learning. She is deeply committed to the Māori values of whakamana (empowerment/enablement) and pono (integrity); these principles guide her educational approach, fostering genuine and connected relationships with students and colleagues. As the current Head of School – Education and Social Work at MIT, she leads a diverse group of tertiary educators. Her leadership focuses on bringing out the best in each team member, creating a high-performing, goal-oriented team that places ākonga (students) at the heart of all they do while aligned to the same core values. Dr Smith is passionate about promoting excellence and ensuring that ākonga are well-prepared for their professional journeys.

Panel Presentation (2024) | Navigating AI in Higher Education: Multiple Perspectives from Policy to Practice
Ya-Ling Wang
National Taiwan Normal University, Taiwan

Biography

Dr Wang is currently a Distinguished Associate Professor in the Department of Adult & Continuing Education at the National Taiwan Normal University, Taiwan, and the Director of National Taiwan Normal University Online. Her primary research interests are the psychology of the elderly, digital learning, and social psychology. She is dedicated to applying theories and techniques related to social cognition and digital technology to adult education and better living. When it comes to the field of adult education and learning, learners and autonomous motivation, both intrinsic and extrinsic, are prefactors for explaining various conditions of adult learning. Accompanying the increasing demand and acceptance of digital technology among adult learners, Dr Wang’s current research advocates for older learners to achieve better learning effectiveness and psychological adjustment via digital technology or information media. Aside from this, her research also focuses on promoting intergenerational learning and sharing through the use of board games.

Panel Presentation (2024) | Blended Learning: Overcoming Challenges and Implementing Solutions
Fiona Westbrook
Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand

Biography

Dr Fiona Westbrook is an Early Childhood Education (ECE) Lecturer at Auckland University of Technology (AUT), New Zealand. Her research focuses on ECE teachers’ political dialogues, marginalised voices, satire and workforce political issues, guided by Mikhail Bakhtin’s dialogism. Dr Westbrook explores these dynamics through social networks and digital visualities, contributing to visual pedagogies and post-digital possibilities. She is also developing research projects on AI image creation as narrative storytelling, engaging with symposiums, talks, and podcasts to explore AI’s intersection with education. This work aims to integrate AI technologies into visual pedagogies, enhancing narrative techniques and educational practices.

Dr Westbrook currently serves as Vice President of the Association for Visual Pedagogies, co-edits the Video Journal of Educational Pedagogy (VJEP), and has developed initiatives like the AUT-ECE Newsletter to strengthen sector partnerships.

Panel Presentation (2024) | Navigating AI in Higher Education: Multiple Perspectives from Policy to Practice
Yanhua Zhou
University of Arizona, United States

Biography

Dr Yanhua Zhou is currently a Professor of Art History at the Research Center for Visual Art, Sichuan Fine Arts Institute, China. She is also affiliated as a Professor of Contemporary Chinese Art and Gender and Associate Director of Wanwu Art Research Lab at the Department of East Asian Studies, University of Arizona, United States. Born in Chongqing, China, Dr Zhou completed her PhD in East Asian Studies with a focus on Chinese Anthropology from the University of Arizona and her MA in Art History from the University of St Andrews, United Kingdom. Taking an interdisciplinary approach combining art history, anthropology, area studies, and cultural studies, her research focuses on the issue of art and geographic politics of contemporary art in Asia, global socially engaged art in a transnational context, affective infrastructural studies, and non-human agency in art.

Featured Workshop (2024) | Teaching Ethnography by Walking: Pedagogy in Action