Professor Mahendhiran Sanggaran Nair is the Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research and Sustainability) at Sunway University. An econometrician and data scientist, he specialises in sustainable development, planetary health, economic modelling, and science & technology policy. He is a Fellow of CPA Australia and the Academy of Sciences Malaysia, and serves on Malaysia’s National Science Council, High Tech Council, the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network (Malaysia) and the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturing. Professor Nair is the architect of the 10-10 MySTIE Framework - Malaysia’s national science and technology plan under the 12th Malaysia Plan—and is widely recognised for advancing the 8R–8i nature-based ecosystem model and the Return on Values (ROV) framework to help organisations become high-performing and values-driven. A trusted adviser to government, industry, and community organisations, he frequently shares insights on national and regional development in both local and international media. He has also contributed to major national and regional plans and studies in science and technology, sustainable development, and planetary health.

Dr. Güven Güres brings 15 years of professional experience in managing peace, humanitarian, and development programmes, as well as extensive expertise in partnership building and advocacy across various international duty stations. Prior to this assignment, she served as the Country Programme Manager for UN Women Uzbekistan, where she successfully led the establishment of the Programme Presence Office. She also gained regional-level experience as Strategic Planning & UN Coordination Specialist at ECA Regional Office from May 2022 to April 2023, after initially joining the organization as a Programme Specialist in October 2021. Before joining UN Women, Dr. Güven Güres worked with UNICEF in several country offices with large and complex operations, including Türkiye and Germany, and with the UNICEF National Committee for Germany. She also held positions at the Council of Europe and the European Patent Office. Dr. Güven Güres holds a PhD in Business Administration from Gazi University, as well as two master’s degrees, one in Leadership and Change Management from Gazi University, and another in European Studies from Middle East Technical University, Türkiye.

is a leading geographer and geopolitical strategist shaping the intellectual map of the 21st century. His work bridges geography, geoeconomics, and sustainable global strategy. Former President of Board of John Von Neumann University, and he is Goodwill Ambassador of the Association of Universities of Asia and the Pacific (AUAP). As the author of the Geofusion series (Geofusion, Geovision and Geofuture), he advances a powerful vision where geography becomes the key to understanding power, sustainability, and the future of global development. His latest book: Future is Turquoise – The Geography of Turquoise Zones seeks to answer the question of “where the liveable, sustainable, peaceful, happy, and inspiring places” on our Earth can be found.

Mr. Altair Akhmetov is the Rector of Astana IT University, bringing a multidisciplinary background that combines legal education, public administration, and advanced expertise in project management. He holds a Bachelor of Laws, a Master of Public Administration, and a Candidate of Legal Sciences degree, and is a certified project management professional (IPMA Level B, PRINCE2) as well as a Bolashaq Scholar. With experience across academia, research, and the public sector, he is focused on transforming universities into innovation hubs that deliver practical IT solutions. His work centers on advancing digital transformation, integrating AI-driven approaches, and building ecosystems that connect education, science, and industry. Astana IT University is a forward-looking institution specializing in artificial intelligence, digitalization, and talent development for the digital economy, contributing to the formation of future experts for Digital Kazakhstan. Under his leadership, the university continues to strengthen its role as a platform for cutting-edge education and applied research in AI, data science, and digital public administration.

Wayne Holmes (PhD, University of Oxford) is a full Professor of Critical Studies of AI and Education in the UCL Institute of Education, University College London (UK). He also holds a UNESCO Chair in the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence and Education (IRCAI, Slovenia). His research explores the ethical, human rights, and social justice implications of education with and about AI (AI&ED). Wayne is also a lead member of the Council of Europe’s AI&ED expert group, which is developing legislation to protect the human rights of students and teachers engaging with AI-mediated systems. In addition, he is a consultant for UNESCO (for which he co-wrote ‘AI and Education: Guidance for Policy-makers’ and ‘Guidance for Generative AI in Education and Research’). Wayne has written more than a hundred other publications (including most recently ‘Critical Studies of Artificial Intelligence and Education: Putting a Stake in the Ground’) and has given AI&ED keynotes in more than 30 countries.

Martha C. Merrill, Ph.D. is Professor Emerita of Higher Education Administration at Kent State University, where she taught courses in international and comparative higher education and intercultural communication from 2008 – 2025. She is the recipient of three Fulbright grants for work in Central Asia, including one in January 2026 focused on changing accreditation standards in Kyrgyzstan, where she lived from 1996 to 2001, working on university reforms with several institutions. Dr. Merrill was the first Vice President for Academic Affairs at the American University in Central Asia and was one of the designers of the proposed first-year curriculum for the University of Central Asia’s campuses in Naryn, Kyrgyzstan, and Khorog, Tajikistan. Her 2016 sabbatical focused on the new independent accreditation processes in Kyrgyzstan. Her 2024 sabbatical research investigated the new private universities in Uzbekistan and the development of Ph.D. programs in Kyrgyzstan, as well as why the independence-era higher education systems in the two countries developed differently. A frequent external evaluator of dissertations for Nazarbayev University in Kazakhstan, she has published seven book chapters and 17 articles on topics related to education in Central Asia.
 

Bakhrom Mirkasimov has been appointed Deputy Rector on Research and Innovation of  Westminster International University in Tashkent (WIUT) from April 2024. Previously, he was the Rector at WIUT (2020-2024). He is the Managing Editor of the international peer-reviewed open-access journal - Silk Road: A Journal of Eurasian Development (www.silkroadjournal.online), published by the University of Westminster Press. He is also a Global Labor Organization Fellow. Previously, he visited CERGE-EI, Leibniz University Hannover, Leibniz Institute for East and Southeast European Studies and Leibniz Institute of Agricultural Development in Transition Economies (IAMO) as a Research Scholar, worked at the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW Berlin) and served as a consultant to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Asian Development Bank, World Bank, United Nations Development Programme, United Nations Population Fund, International Labour Organization and International Food Policy Research Institute. He studied economics at Humboldt University of Berlin, Duke University, Vanderbilt University and Boise State University.

Dr. Huseyin Atakan Varol is a full professor of robotics and the founding director of the Institute of Smart Systems and Artificial Intelligence (ISSAI) at Nazarbayev University. He holds a BS in mechatronics engineering from Sabanci University and MS and PhD degrees in electrical engineering from Vanderbilt University. Dr. Varol's research interests include generative artificial intelligence, natural language processing, soft robotics, sensor fusion, and biometrics. He has authored over 150 technical papers in leading international journals and conferences. Additionally, he holds multiple international patents in bionics, consults for major companies, and has secured competitively funded research grants from the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of Kazakhstan, the World Bank, and the Nazarbayev University Research Fund. Since 2019, his focus has been on establishing ISSAI as a world-class AI research institute in Kazakhstan. Under his leadership, the Institute developed the Kazakh Large Language Model (KAZLLM). He is currently spearheading the development of Kazakhstan's national generative AI stack, which includes models, products, and services such as Oylan language-audio-vision model, Beynele image generation engine, Tilsync real-time translation service, and Mangisoz foundational speech and text translator.

Dr. Emma Harden-Wolfson is Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Education and Associate Member of the Department of Equity, Ethics and Policy at McGill University, Canada. She is an award-winning international and comparative higher education policy specialist whose interdisciplinary research explores how and why higher education policy change happens across contexts, the consequences of educational policy change, and how to address the historic barriers and current challenges to equity in higher education systems. She aims to generate actionable, policy-relevant knowledge that bridges academic and practitioner communities. Dr Harden-Wolfson is the incoming President of the Canadian Society for the Study of Higher Education, a founding Advisory Board member of the World Access to Higher Education Network, and Associate Editor of the Q1 journal Studies in Higher Education. She was previously Head of Research and Foresight at UNESCO International Institute for Higher Education and has accrued over 20 years of policy expertise advising universities, governments, and international organizations in Canada, Central Asia, Europe, and Latin America.

Dr. Talgat Zhussipbek is the Vice-Provost for Academic Affairs at Cardiff University Kazakhstan. He earned his PhD in Education from the University of Sheffield and also studied as an Exchange Scholar at Michigan State University. Before joining Cardiff Kazakhstan, he worked as Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs at Karaganda Buketov University and as Dean of the Faculty of Education and Humanities at Suleyman Demirel University. He has strong experience in academic leadership and international education. Dr. Zhussipbek is dedicated to supporting students and building a high-quality academic environment.