VOLCANIC Project

The founding president of the Tamkine Foundation, an organization devoted to pioneering change in Morocco’s education sector as well as globally. Through his visionary leadership, he has introduced groundbreaking initiatives aimed at enhancing educational standards and fostering universal access to learning opportunities. His resolute efforts to address educational disparities have rightfully established him as an iconic figure in the landscape of educational reform.

The Head of the Research Authority at The MOFET Institute in Tel Aviv, Israel. She is a lecturer at David Yellin Academic College of Education, as well as in the Department of Education at the Hebrew University, both located in Jerusalem, Israel. Her main fields of interest are teacher educators’ professional development as well as cognitive development in early childhood.

Associate Professor and head of the Institute of Education Sciences at the University Mohammed 6 Polytechnic in Morocco. Previously, he was a faculty member at the Industrial and Systems Engineering Department at Khalifa University in Abu Dhabi, UAE and at The Petroleum Institute in Abu Dhabi. Prior to moving to the UAE, he was an Associate Professor of Engineering, and Engineering Program Head at Piedmont Virginia Community College in Charlottesville, VA, USA.

Dr. Bouabid’s holds an Engineer degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers (CNAM), France, and an MSc and PhD in Systems Engineering from the University of Virginia, USA. His research interests include engineering education and academic effectiveness in higher education.

Ana works in higher education since 2005, serving in various units including Study and Planning, Pedagogical Council, and Academic Development. She held senior roles like Project Manager in International Affairs and leader of the staff training unit at IST. Ana specializes in Project Management, particularly in Quality Assurance and Monitoring tasks.

At a youthful age of 25, Aya is the Chief Operating Officer COO of the Tamkine Foundation. Her fervent dedication to education and unwavering commitment to sustainable development have positioned her as a pivotal figure in the realm of education, both within Morocco and on a broader scale.

A full Professor and Serra Húnter fellow at the Department of Information and Communications Technologies (DTIC) at UPF, and head of the Interactive and Distributed Technologies for Education group (TIDE).

Her research focuses on the interdisciplinary field of learning and collaboration technologies, with emphasis on learning design (technology) computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL), community platforms, applied artificial intelligence, and learning analytics.

Associate Professor at John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, Poland. She specializes in research on needs assessment of students with special educational needs, strategies of deaf and hard of hearing students learning foreign languages (surdoglottodidactics) and quality of higher education, especially for disadvantaged groups. She has been leading several project teams, e.g. in inclusive academic excellence and employability, teacher mentoring, digital inclusion at universities and enhancing education of students who are deaf and hard of hearing.

So far, she published more than 130 papers and chapters on education, and authored, edited and co-edited several books.

An expert lecturer with extensive experience in informal education and innovative pedagogy. Holds an MA in educational administration and policy and a BA in special and non-formal education. Idan has significantly impacted the field by training young academic Bedouins in informal education in the Negev, fostering cross-cultural understanding. At VOLCANIC, his goal is to empower Bedouin educators to use future-oriented pedagogy and new technologies, creating better learning environments that prepare young students for future challenges.

Isabella joined higher education in 2023 and has experience in developing, monitoring and completing projects. Her expertise includes specialized training in standards and management systems, improving compliance and efficiency in project management.

Techno-pedagogical Expert at the Mofet Institute, with over 10 years of experience developing digital courses, implementing pedagogical principles in teaching and learning, and providing techno-pedagogical consultancy to facilitators.

Assistant Professor at John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, Poland. Psychologist and researcher with an international educational background. Holds an MSc from University of Bedfordshire and a BSc from University of East London. Focuses on positive psychology applied in educational & organisational settings, especially the role of psychological resources in the attainment of academic or professional goals. Mainly interested in mental toughness, emotional intelligence, well-being, and employability of students. She is part of various European research projects (e.g. developing best practices of mentoring and tutoring in HE). She gained her tutoring professional training at the University of Groningen (The Netherlands), runs a counselling practice and provides trainings for improving performance in various organisational settings.

Head of the International Office at Sapir College, Israel.

Holds an M.Sc. in Environmental Engineering, and a B.A. in German language & literature, and Geography.

Limor is a member of the Israeli team and the stirring committee of the Volcanic project.

Head of the International Academic Relations Office at Kaye Academic College of Education. Dr. Ohayon Shokty has previously served as the Coordinator of two Erasmus+ Key Action 2 projects at Kaye College: Tempus IRIS and IN2IT, as well as the Head of the English Department at Kaye College. Dr. Ohayon Shokty’s fields of interest, teaching, and research include discourse analysis, linguistics and semiotics, integration of ICT in the EFL classroom, and teaching English as a second (or other) language.

Holds a Ph.D. in Technology Enhanced Learning. She is a Tenure Track professor and Ramon y Cajal fellow, senior researcher and project manager, member of the Interactive and Distributed Technologies for Education group (TIDE) at the ICT Department of UPF. Her research focuses on leveraging technology to enhance learning experiences, with a particular emphasis on the design and implementation of innovative educational tools. Through her work, she explores the intersections of learning design, learning analytics, and Human-Computer Interaction, with a keen interest in the application of Human-Centered Design principles to support learning technologies.

Researcher and lecturer at the Dept. of Emotion and Motivation Psychology in The John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin. Holds a post-graduate Polish-American Master of Business Administration A certified and experienced coach and trainer of soft skills. Graduated the commercialization and management studies at Stanford University under Top 500 Innovators Program. Completed research and scientific internships at various universities and research centers, and the tutoring program at University College London. Manager of R&D projects in ‘gamification’. Head of post-graduate studies in Psycho-traumatology, Psychology of Transport and Psycho-oncology with 15 years of psychotherapeutic and diagnostic experience. Senior researcher in the Work and Organization Laboratory at KUL and is involved in international projects on Human Performance Optimization.

The head of the European Union unit for projects’ coordination at Mofet Institute. She has extensive experience in management of EU-funded large-scale European projects and other complex inter-institution collaborations.

Rui has worked in higher education since 1999, with roles in planning, international affairs, and project management. He is highly experienced in EACEA Project Management and Coordination, focusing on budget development, quality assurance and monitoring. Rui is an accredited trainer and frequent speaker at conferences on HEIs internationalizing. Additionally, he serves in the Cascais Parliament, coordinating commissions for health, social work, and labor, and has previously led commissions for education, sports, youth, and culture.

A lecturer and pedagogical instructor in the Kindergarten Training Program for the Arab Bedouin Society at Kaye Academic College. As a member of the Computer Initiatives Center, she promotes e-learning and techno-pedagogical education. With extensive experience in early childhood education, Samar focuses on innovative pedagogical approaches and literacy programs for Arab and Bedouin communities. She has an M.A. in special education, and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Education at Ben-Gurion University.

At Volcanic, Samar aims to empower Arab Bedouin educators and children through future-oriented pedagogy that integrates technology in education. Her goal is to enable the Arab Bedouin community to leverage technology for diverse learning experiences and self-expression, preparing them for future challenges.

Head of the Center for Digital Educational Initiatives at Kaye Academic College in Beersheba, Israel, where he also teaches in the History Department.

In addition to his work in ICT teacher training, he is a scholar of early and medical rabbinic literature and the Digital Humanities.