Category: ESI Fellows October 2024 - September 2025

Doctor of Social Sciences. A graduate of the University of Warsaw and post-graduate studies- Executive Master of Business Administration MBA, Master of Laws (LL.M.)/Collegium Humanum. She has many years of experience in implementing innovative research and training projects. She specializes in creating a safety culture in governmental and commercial flight organizations. Research Topic: Don’t avoid the travel: it is easy and safety with us. Host University: University of Catania, Italy Research Advisor: Dr.Emanuele Coco, University of Catania, Italy

Dr. Saima Siddiqui is currently Director and Professor at the Centre for Integrated Mountain Research (CIMR) at the University of the Punjab, Lahore, with extensive experience in geography, remote sensing, and mountain research. She holds a Ph.D. in Earth System Sciences from the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Italy, and has published widely in international journals. Dr. Siddiqui is recognized for her work on environmental management, remote sensing, and water resource conservation, and she has received numerous awards, including the Young Geomorphologist Award from the International Association of Geomorphologists and the Giannino Bassetti Foundation Award. Research Topic:  Assessing the Potential Impact of Climate Change on Food Security in Southern Punjab, Pakistan: Challenges and Mitigation Strategies. Online module. Research Advisor:/    

Dr. Iliana Valiullina holds two Ph.D. degrees in Law. In 2021 she defended her first Ph.D. thesis in International and European Law at the Kazan Federal University and received a title ‘Candidate of Legal Science’. In 2023 the University of Seville awarded her a title ‘Doctora en Derecho Internacional Público y Relaciones Internacionales’ and an outstanding mark for her Ph.D. defense. Additionally, she completed a Ph.D. thesis in Linguistics at the Institute of RAS in 2022. Dr. Iliana published 4 monographs and more than 37 articles. Previously, she has worked at the University of Maryland, and the Institute for Philosophical Studies. At present Dr. Iliana is a Research Assistant in International Law at the University of Arizona. Research Topic: The medical Al, standard of care, and patient safety in tort law of the European Union. Host University: University of Catania, Italy Research Advisor: Dr.Agata Polizzi – University of Catania, Italy      

Valentina Lucia La Rosa is a postdoc research fellow at the Department of Educational Sciences of the University of Catania. She earned her PhD in 2023, focusing on developmental challenges and resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic. Graduated in Psychology with honors in 2011, she also holds a specialization in psychotherapy and a Master’s in Biostatistics. She is a member of several scientific associations, including the Italian Psychological Associations and the American Psychological Association. Her research interests focus on the perinatal period and the development of adolescents and young adults. Research Topic: Analysis of Future Orientation in Adolescence and Youth in a Post-Crisis Period: A Network Analysis and the Development of a New Scale for Assessing Future Concerns During Global Crises. Host University: Saint Joseph University (USJ), Macao, China Research Advisor: /

Dr. Syed Far Abid Hossain is currently working as an Assistant Professor at BRAC Business School, BRAC University. He has obtained PhD in Management Science from the School of Management (AACSB Accredited), Xi’an Jiaotong University, PRC. He holds an MBA (Management) degree from the University of Sunderland, UK and a BBA (Marketing) degree from Dhaka University. During his PhD, he received the best publication award by the Chinese government. Dr. Abid currently has 65+ publications in SSCI, Scopus, ABDC and EI indexed journals with 2500+ citations. His main research interest is women entrepreneurship, technology, variety seeking & market turbulence. Research Topic: Effects of Stereotypical Challenges on Venture Performance: A mixed method analysis on Asian Women CEOs. Host University: University of La Laguna, Spain Research Advisor: Dr. Francisco Flores, University of La Laguna, Spain

Robert Kalima is a Centre Manager at the Centre of Open, Distance and eLearning (CODeL) at Mzuzu University in Malawi. He has previously worked as the Student Support Services Manager at CODeL. He has also worked as a lecturer in Instructional Media and Technology at Domasi College of Education in Malawi after serving as a secondary school teacher. Robert Kalima’s research interest is in distance education particularly in pedagogy in nontraditional settings including distance education. Research Topic: Leveraging the affordances of “WhatsApp” in online peer tutoring: Implications for mobile learning pedagogy. Online module. Research Advisor: /

Dr. Rafidah Abd Karim is a senior lecturer at Academy of Language Studies, Universiti Technology MARA (UiTM), MALAYSIA. She obtained her PhD in TESL which specialized in Mobile Language Learning from Sultan Idris Education University (UPSI), Malaysia. Her area of study is TESL; digital mind mapping; mobile learning; artificial intelligence; educational technology; women and indigenous studies. She serves an editorial board, and she is also an active reviewer for more than 10 international journals.  She has published more than 60 publications in both national and international levels. She has received and conducted several research grant projects at national levels. She has given more than 40 presentations and invited talks including guest speakers, plenary speakers and keynote speakers. She is also an inventor of multiple innovative products, and she was awarded for more than 50 awards in national and international innovation competitions. She received the Open Education System Individual Fellowship from Anadolu University, Turkey (September-November 2023). She served as a guest lecturer at Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember (ITS), Indonesia and Anadolu University, Turkey. Research Topic: Exploring the Role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Promoting Gender Equality and Women Empowerment in Academic Field. Host University: University of Catania, Italy Research Advisor: Dr.Claudia Cantale, University of Catania, Italy

Dr. Nermin Siphocly was born in Cairo, Egypt. She obtained her B.Sc. , M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees with specialization in Computer Science from Ain Shams University in 2008,  2013 and 2021 respectively. In 2023, she was the advisor of the NEXUS student club. She supervised the “Social Informatics Workshop” club event. Dr. Nermin also has a considerable research experience. She participated in collaborative research projects between her university and industrial companies. In addition to her M.Sc. and Ph.D thesis, she has a growing list of published papers. Dr. Nermin received an International Publication Award from Ain Shams University in 2022. Research Topic: Intelligent Energy Conservation: A Smart Monitoring System for Optimizing Electricity Consumption. Online module. Research Advisor: Dr.Omar Dominguez Ramirez, Autonomous University of the State of Hidalgo, Mexico

Dr. Muhammad Imran is working as a researcher in the Education Research Lab at Prince Sultan University and an Adjunct Professor at Khazar University, Azerbaijan. He completed his PhD in English Language and Literature from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China. He has over ten years of teaching and research experience in Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, China, Azerbaijan, and the USA. He has published over 50 research articles in Scopus and Web of Science indexed journals. Moreover, he is the editor of International Review Literary Studies and an associate editor for PloS One (Q1) and Sage Open (Q1) journals. His research expertise includes English language teaching, AI and language education, ChatGPT and academic writing, digital literacy, educational technologies, literary criticism, and critical discourse analysis. Research Topic: Language Education in the Artificial Intelligence Era: Preparing Grounds for Future Learning and Teaching Host University: Saint Joseph University (USJ), Macao, China Research Advisor:  Dr.Jana Ho,  University of Saint Joseph, Macao, China

Dr. Mario Chauca is Fellow member at IEOM Society, winner of the “Global Engineering Education Award, 2021” of the IEOM, IFEES vice president, AOTS-Peru director; he has participated as a speaker, author, adviser, member of the technical committee, organizer, and session chair in conferences, with proceedings indexed in Scopus, WoS, and journals. scholarship Japan (AOTS) and Korea (NIPA). Researcher and advisor for the first prize work at CONEIMERA 2018. First place at INTERCON and CONEIMERA, he teaches at the graduate and undergraduate levels, with 33 years of experience. He graduated as an electronic engineer with a master’s and a doctorate. Research Topic: Spaced repetitions of active activity and disruptive strategies in engineering education focused on the publication of articles. Host University: University of La Laguna, Spain Research Advisor: Dr.David Perez, University of La Laguna, Spain Dr.Carlos Mora, University of La Laguna, Spain

Psychologist, psychotherapist and researcher at the Transplant Center of the University Hospital of Catania, Italy. My research interests mainly concern the psychological aspects of organ transplantation: attachment, parental bond, psychopathology and quality of life, as risk and protective factors of therapeutic adherence. Another important research topic concerns the psychological aspects of living donation: identify any risk factors or psychological contraindications to donation, investigate the awareness and motivations of the donor-recipient couple, know the type of family relationships and dynamics, with particular attention to the quality of the donor-recipient relationship. I believe it is essential to work in a multidisciplinary perspective. Research Topic: Parental Bonding, Adult Attachment, Psychopathological Symptoms and Treatment adherence as Protective – and Risk-Factors in Kidney Transplant Recipients. Online module. Research Advisor: / Don Martin, Youngstown State University, USA Magy Martin, Walden University, Minneapolis, USA