Event Chairs

Markus Helfert Innovation Value institute, Maynooth University Ireland

Brief Bio
Markus Helfert is a Professor at Maynooth University, Innovation Value Institute (Ireland) and the Director of the Business Informatics Group at Maynooth University. He is a Principle Investigator at Lero – The Irish Software Research Centre and at the Adapt Research Centre. His research is centred on Digital Service Innovation, Smart Cities and IoT based Smart Environments and includes research areas such as Service Innovation, Intelligent Transportation Systems, Smart Services, Building Information Management, FinTech, Data Value, Enterprise Architecture, Technology Adoption, Analytics, Business Process Managem ent. Prof. Helfert is an expert in Data Governance Standards and is involved in European Standardisation initiatives. He advises small and medium sized Enterprise in relation to Innovation and IT Management. Helfert has received national and international grants from agencies such as European Union (FP7; H2020), Science Foundation Ireland and Enterprise Ireland, was project coordinator on EU projects, and is the Project coordinator of the H2020 Projects: PERFORM on Digital Retail. ... More >>

Maria Teresa Restivo Mechanical Engineering Department, FEUP Portugal

Brief Bio
Maria Teresa Restivo has a degree in Solid State Physics and a PhD in Engineering Sciences. Her research and teaching activities, both at under and postgraduate level, are accomplished within the Automation, Instrumentation and Control Group of the Mechanical Engineering Department (DEMec) of the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto (FEUP). These activities are related with the intelligent control of laboratory/industrial systems, development of sensors/transducers/devices also concerning health area applications, virtual instrumentation, wireless sensorization as well as the use of ICTs in online ex perimentation and haptic devices interaction in training and in education.
She is author (or co-author) of over 60 international journal articles, 5 book chapters (international edition) and 7 eBooks, two of them with an international edition. She has prizes both in R&D areas. She has been project leader and team member at national level, as well as in European projects. She has supervised a number of theses. She has four patents and one pending (at national and international level).
She is coordinator of the System Integration and Process Automation Research Unit at Institute of mechanical Engineering (IDMEC-Polo FEUP) also integrated in the Associated Laboratory for Energy, Transports and Aeronautics (LAETA). She is member of scientific boards of FEUP, DEMec, LAETA and IDMEC.
She is member of the R&D&I University of Porto Coordination Board.
She is Institutional member of Global Online Laboratory Consortium (GOLC).
She is EC Member of the International Society for Engineering Education (IGIP) and Vice-President of IEEE Edu. Soc. PT. She was the first President of the Portuguese Society for Engineering Education (SPEE).
She has the International Engineering Educator (ING-PAED IGIP) qualification. She is Individual and Institutional Member of the VIT@LIS network and of the ELTF Task Force - EUNIS (European University Information Systems Organization) and of “IT in Engineering Education” and “Tools to Develop Higher Order Thinking Skills”, both SPEE working groups ... More >>

Susan Zvacek SMZTeaching.com United States

Brief Bio
Susan Zvacek is Associate Provost for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning at the University of Denver, where she oversees the Office of Teaching and Learning. She has worked in higher education as a faculty member, dissertation advisor, and administrator. Her publications are in the areas of distance education, instructional design, and faculty development and she is co-author of a distance education textbook (Teaching and Learning at a Distance, currently in its fifth edition) and Blackboard for Dummies. She was a Fulbright Senior Scholar in the Czech Republic and has also worked with the University of Port o (Portugal) to integrate higher order thinking skills into online and f2f engineering education. ... More >>

James Uhomoibhi Ulster University United Kingdom

Brief Bio
James Uhomoibhi, a native born of Nigeria is an academic of strong international standing in Physics, Computing and Engineering. He has a first degree in Physics from Nigeria, a BPhil degree from Italy and moved to the UK where he completed his MSc in Optoelectronics and Optical Information Processing and a PhD in Laser Physics. Following his initial appointment as lecturer in Queen’s University Belfast he completed a PGCHET in Higher Education. Today he is at University of Ulster where he was Faculty e-learning coordinator (2004-2015) and now lectures in Engineering whilst researching in computer science and edu cation. He is a visiting Professor of Physics, Computer Science and IT in two Nigerian Universities. He is also a visiting Professor of Science, Technology and Environmental Studies at the Open University in Tanzania. James is a Chartered Physicist and a member of the Institute of Physics; He is a Chartered IT Professional and a Fellow of BCS and also a Fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy. James Uhomoibhi is the African Laser Centre Representative in Europe and has served as Head of SEFI Task Force on European Cooperation with Africa. SEFI is the European Society for Engineering Education. He also sits on the Board of the International Network for Engineering Education and Research (iNEER). He is a member of Council of SEFI and of the BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT. James Uhomoibhi is a member of the Diversity and Inclusion Committee (DIC) and the International of the Institute of Physics (IoP). He is the founder and current Chair of the BCS e-Learning Specialist Group. In 2011 James Uhomoibhi was appointed a LEADS Scholar by the Nigerian National Universities Commission (NUC), charged with the responsibility of linking experts and academics in the Diaspora to the country. He is a recipient several academic and community awards including amongst others, the iNEER Global Achievement Award in Engineering Education (2011), Belfast Ambassadors Award (2012), BCS Long Service Award and the Distinguished Service Award of the Powerlist All Ireland African Leadership Excellence Award Programme, which he received in 2012. James Uhomoibhi very recently received the Sentinus Ambassador of the Year 2016 Award for outstanding works and contributions to STEM Education and Research Development and Implementation in Northern Ireland, UK. ... More >>