Our Speakers
UNESCO Keynote
Dr. Abdulaziz Almuzaini
Director, UNESCO
F.O.R.M. Keynote
Director General, Arab League Educational,
Cultural and Scientific Organisation (ALECSO)
Dr. Abdulaziz Almuzaini
Director, UNESCO
Welcome
Dr. Tarek, Shawki
Former Minister of Education and Technical Education,
and Supervisor of Egyptian Knowledge Bank Project (EKB)
**Page is updated on a rolling basis.
Honourary Speaker
HE Sheikh Salem Bin Khalid Al Qassimi (Minister of Culture and Youth, UAE)
His Excellency Salem Bin Khalid Al Qassimi was appointed the Minister of Culture and Youth in February 2023. In his current role, His Excellency is responsible for the strategic and policy direction of the UAE's culture and youth sectors. He leads the Ministry's initiatives to enable a robust cultural and creative ecosystem in the country and ensure its sustainability and active contribution to the local economy. Helming multilateral engagements with the UAE's global and regional partners on international platforms, His Excellency represents the country on high-level global fora related to culture and creativity and heritage preservation. His Excellency was the Permanent Delegate of the UAE to United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization "UNESCO" where he contributed to highlighting the country's efforts and success endeavors, in addition to strengthening relations with other permanent delegates and overseeing the implementation of many joint projects that aims to enhance human and cultural cooperation. He has previously served as the Assistant Undersecretary for Arts and Heritage at the Ministry of Culture and Youth, where he led the implementation of high-level projects on national identity, Arabic language, Islamic arts, theatre, literature, archaeology, film and architecture to name few. His Excellency holds a Bachelor of Science in Design Management from the American University of Sharjah, as well as a Master of Public Administration in Environmental Science & Policy from Columbia University and a Master of Urban and Regional Planning from Paris Sorbonne University, Abu Dhabi/Paris.
Keynotes
HE Dr Ahmad Belhoul Al Falasi (Minister of Education, UAE)
His Excellency E Dr Ahmad Belhoul Al Falasi has been named the Minister of Education since May 2022, taking ultimate responsibility for the prosperity and progression of the UAE’s Education sector. His Excellency also holds the position of Deputy Chairman at Emirates Development Bank, as well as the position of First Vice of the National Olympic Committee since June 2021, which aims to raise the level of the Olympic teams technically and administratively, thus enhancing the regional and international position of the UAE at the sports arena, that places it with the highest-ranking countries. In addition, His Excellency was the Minister of State for Higher Education during which he supervised the development of higher education and scientific research in the UAE. He also formulated new policies for the sector as well as streamlined the work of higher education institutions to ensure quality outputs that match the requirements of the labor market.
Amanda Stevens
Associate Director of Publishing Services and Support
Public Knowledge Project (PKP)
Amina Itani
E-Resources Expert, Content & Scholarly Communication
United Arab Emirates University
Dr Asmaa Alfadala
Director of Research & Content Development
WISE Qatar
Dr Batool Almarzouq
University of Liverpool and King Abdullah International Medical Research Center (KAIMRC)
Cable Green
Founder & CEO
Creative Commons
Dr Emily Choynowski
Head of Publishing
Knowledge E
Dr Ezra Clark
Policy and Capacity Building Division Director
UNESCO
Heather Joseph
Executive Director
SPARC
Professor Kamel Belhamel
Professor of Chemistry
University of Bejaia
Kamran Kardan
CEO & Founder
Knowledge E
Nazar Hassan
Senior Specialist at Cairo
UNESCO
Dr Raed AlZoubi
Library Director
Arab Research & Education Network (ASREN), Jordan University of Science and Technology
Dr Tariq Shawki
Former Minister of Education in Egypt
Dr Yousef Torman
Secretary General
Arab Research & Education Network (ASREN)
Yvonne Campfer
Founder
OA Switchboard
Rania Abdulghani | Associate Professor | Al Azhar University
Ahmed Abdullah Nasser | Senior Library System Administrator | Galala University
Mariam Al Jaberi | Unit Head of Digital Services | United Arab Emirates University
Dr. Alwaleed Alkhaja | Senior intellectual Property Librarian | Qatar National Library
Dr. Batool Almarzouq | Founder | Open Science Community Saudi Arabia (OSCSA)
Dr. Rabab Almuqahwi | Arabic Languages Course Coordinator | RCSI Bahrain
Ra’ed Al-Zoubi | Library Director | Arab Research & Education Network (ASREN), Jordan University of Science and Technology
Menna Bahloul Emam | Specialist Librarian | Galala University
Ahmed Bawa | CEO | USAF | Tokyo University
Dr. Kamel Belhamel | Managing Editor | Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ)
Bakheet Beshtawy | Specialist Librarian | Medical Library, Dubai Health Authority (DHA)
Yvonne Campfens | Founder | OA Switchboard
Dr. Emily Choynowski | Organiser | Forum for Open Research in MENA (F.O.R.M.)
Dr. Ezra Clark | Policy and Capacity Building Division Director | UNESCO
Stephanie Dawson | CEO | ScienceOpen
Dr. Victorien Dougnon | Associate Professor | University of Abomey-Calavi, Benin
Dr. Tosin Ekundayo | Assistant Professor | Synergy University Dubai
Prof. Amr Ezzat Salama | Secretary General | Association of Arab Universities
Dr. Cable Green | Director of Open Knowledge | Creative Commons
Dr. Yousra Hamdaoui | Post-doctoral Fellow | Cape Town University
Nazar Hassan | Senior Science Specialist at Cairo | UNESCO
Rebecca Hill | Strategic Partnership Manager | F1000
Hagar Hussein Ashour | Libraries Director | Galala University
Tiberius Ignat | Director | Knowledge Services
Amina Itani | E-Resources Expert, Content & Scholarly Communication | United Arab Emirates University
Dr. Reem Jamil Younis | Senior Specialist | UAE Ministry of Education
Dr. Sherif K. Shaheen | Dean of Faculty of Special Education | Misr University for Science and Technology
Kamran Kardan | CEO & Founder | Knowledge E
Dr. Galina Kedrova | Professor | Lomonosov Moscow State University
Dr. Danny Kingsley | Library Services Director | University of the Sunshine Coast
Carolyn Kirby | Director of Open Research | Taylor & Francis
Nabil Ksibi | Engagement Lead | ORCiD
Dr. Yrjo Lappalainen | Assistant Professor and Data Services Librarian | Zayed University Library & Learning Commons
Paloma Marín-Arraiza | Engagement Manager | ORCiD
Dr. Nada Messaikeh | Adjunct Faculty | Alliance Manchester Business School
Tom Mosterd | Community Manager | OAPEN
Dr. Mootaz N. Elnozahy | Professor of Computer Science | King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST)
Khalid Pasha | Librarian Specialist | United Arab Emirates University
Johan Rooryck | Executive Director | cOAlition S
Mohamed Sayed Ibrahim | Senior Library Specialist | Galala University
Dr. Khalid Shaalan | Research Solutions | Elsevier
Amanda Stevens | Associate Director of Publishing Services and Support |Public Knowledge Project (PKP)
Isaac Tabor | Head of Digital Learning | Knowledge E
Dr. Yousef Torman | Secretary General | Arab Research & Education Network (ASREN)
Heather Joseph (Executive Director, SPARC)
Sharing knowledge is fundamental to the progress of society. Fast, barrier-free or “open” access to knowledge accelerates discovery, fuels innovation and improves both the reliability and quality of research and education. It also facilitates collaboration; as we saw during the COVID-19 pandemic, interdisciplinary teams composed of scientists from around the world can solve pressing, complex problem much faster than those working in isolation. We have a unique opportunity to make choices that can radically improve how knowledge is both produced and communicated. This talk will examine opportunities for actions that individuals and institutions can take on a local level to contribute to creating systems for sharing research and education that function more effectively and more equitably for all members of the global community.
Dr. Salvatore Arico (CEO, International Science Council)
Dr Salvatore Aricò was appointed as the Chief Executive Officer of the International Science Council in January 2023. He has 30 years of scientific experience at the international and intergovernmental level including as Head of Ocean Science at the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Secretary-General’s Scientific Advisory Board, Senior Research Fellow at the United Nations University, Chief of Programme at the Convention on Biological Diversity, Researcher at the University of Delaware, and professor at universities in Italy and Malaysia. Salvatore's knowledge and skills focus on the organization of large science endeavors and the brokerage between science and policy.
Welcome Session
HE Sheikh Salem bin Khalid Al-Qassimi
UAE Minister of Culture and Youth
Ministry of Culture and Youth, UAE
Dr. Arif Sultan Al Hammadi
Associate Professor
Khalifa University of Science Technology, UAE
Kamran Kardan
CEO & Founder
Knowledge E
Regional Strategy Panel
Exc. Prof. Amr Ezzat Salama
Secretary General, Association of Arab Universities
Former Minister of High Education & Scientific Research, Egypt
Dr. Emily Choynowski
Director of Operations
Forum for Open Research in MENA
Prof. Mahmoud Sakr
President
Egyptian Academy for Scientific Research and Technology
Prof. Seteney Shami
Director-General
Arab Council for the Social Sciences
Dr. Yousef Torman
Managing Director
Arab Scientific Research and Education Network (ASREN)
Panellists
Dr. Aftab Ara
Assistant Professor
University of Hail, Saudi Arabia
Dr. Ali Saleh Alkhabti
Associate Professor
University of Business & Technology, Saudi Arabia
Prof. Ali Shehadeh
Professor
United Arab Emirates University
Alkasim Hamisu Abdu
Branch Libraries Coordinator
Yusuf Maitama Sule University Kano, Nigeria
Dr. Alwaleed AlKhaja
Head of Open Access & Copyright
Qatar National Library
Ameneiha Itani
E Resources, Content, Scholarly Communications Expert
United Arab Emirates University
Dr. Anthonia Akhidenor-Bamidele
Lecturer & Academic Researcher
University of Technology, Bahrain
Dr. Arif Sultan Al Hammadi
Executive Vice President
Khalifa University of Technology, Bahrain
Dr. Batool Almarzouq
Research Project Manager
The Alan Turning Institute
Prof. Bronwyd Wood
Associate Professor
United Arab Emirates University
Carolyn Kirby
Vice President & Commercial Lead
F1000
Dr. Ciraj Ali Mohammed
Professor
National University of Science & Technology, Oman
Dr. Danny Kingsley
Community Manager & Researcher
OAPEN Foundation
Dr. Saad Ibrahim Yaaqeib
Abu Dhabi Department of Community Development
Ebtsam Abdullah
Graduate Student
Bursa Uludag University, Turkey
Prof. Elomari Driss
Professor
Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University, Morocco
Dr. Faisal Albakeri
Education Specialist
Ministry of Education, UAE
Dr. Glenn Muschert
Professor
Khalifa University, UAE
Dr. Haleama Al Sabbah
Associate Professor
Abu Dhabi University, UAE
Dr. Imad Bachir
Dean of Libraries
American University of Iraq – Baghdad (AUIB)
Jessica Maluch
Director of Strategy, Research & Impact
Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi Foundation for Policy Research
Jo Havermann
Trainer & Consultant in Open Science
AfricArxiv
Johanssen Obanda
Community Engagement Manager
Crossref
Jordan Bass
Coordinator of Research Services and Digital Strategies
University of Manitoba, Canada
Prof. Kamel Belhamel
Professor & Director
Directory of Open Access Journals
Prof. Habibul Knondker
Professor
Zayed University, UAE
Prof. Menna Bahloul Emam
Professor
Galala University, Egypt
Mohamad Mostafa
Regional Engagement Specialist
Datacite
Mohamed Boufarss
Head of Library Operations
House of Wisdom
Mohamed Salah Eldin Mohamed
Researcher; Information and Library Specialist
Dubai Health Authority (DHA)
Mohit Garg
PhD Scholar
Indian Institute of Technology
Moumita Koley
Consultant
International Science Council
Nabil Ksibi
Engagement Lead
ORCiD
Nada Al-Shammari
Educator & Space Tech Entreprenuer
Higher Colleges of Technology, UAE
Dr. Nada Jammoul Messaikeh
Higher Education Consultant & Adjunct Faculty
Alliance Manchester Business School, UK
Nick Sheppard
Open Research Advisor
Leeds Knowledge Network
Nikesh Narayanan
Information Technology Librarian
Zayed University, UAE
Dr. Rabab Almuqahwi
Arabic Language Programmes Coordinator & English Lecturer
RCSI Bahrain
Raed Al-Zoubi
Library Director
Jordan University of Science and Technology
Reem Jamil Younis
Research Consultant
Rick Anderson
Senior Librarian
Birgham Young University, UK
Rodrigo Pinto
Head of Technology
Zendy
Salha Abdo
Key Partner
Leeds Knowledge Network
Sarah Logan
Regional Sales Manager
The Company of Biologists
Prof. Sami Boudelaa
Assistant Dean for Research
United Arab Emirates University
Saurabh Khanna
Junior Research Fellow
Public Knowledge Project (PKP)
Sayeed Choudhury
Researcher
Carnegie Mellon University, USA
Sosil Somokian
Academic Manager
Box Hill College, Kuwait
Dr. Tatiana Karabchuk
Associate Professor
United Arab Emirates University
Tatiana Usova
Director
Carnegie Mellon University, Qatar
Dr. Tosin Ekundayo
Senior Lecturer
Synergy University Dubai, UAE
Dr. Victorien Dougnon
Associate Professor
University of Abomey-Calavi, Benin
Yrjo Lappalainan
Data Services Librarian
Zayed University, UAE
