Christos Frangonikolopoulos
Professor of International Relations at the School of Journalism and Mass Communications, Aristotle University and Holder of the Jean Monnet Chair on European Integration Journalism

Christos Frangonikolopoulos is Professor of International Relations at the School of Journalism and Mass Communications, Aristotle University and holder of the Jean Monnet Chair on European Integration Journalism (http://jeanmonnetchair.jour.auth.gr/?page_id=2112). He is also the Director of the English-taught Master of Arts (MA) in Digital Media, Communication and Journalism (http://media.jour.auth.gr) at the University of Aristotle is the first of its kind among Greek public Universities (http://media.jour.auth.gr), He studied Politics and Government (BA Honors) and International Relations (PhD) at the University of Kent at Canterbury (England).

Nikos Panagiotou
Associate Professor, School of Journalism and Mass Media Communication, Faculty of Economic and Political Sciences, Aristotle University and DAAD Scholar to Deutsche Welle

Dr. Nikos S. Panagiotou is Associate Professor, School of Journalism and Mass Media Communication, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. He has been a DAAD Scholar at Deutsche Welle, Chevening Scholar of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office UK, RCAP Scholar from APU University Japan, Scholar to Beijing Foreign Studies University, Scholar at Sabanci University (Turkey), Scholar of the State of Luxembourg. He has an extensive research work which has been funded from Google (DNI Initiative fund). He is the initiator and organizer of Thessaloniki International Media Summer Academy and in charge of Digital Communication Network Global and Director of Peace Journalism Lab School of Journalism and Mass Media Communication, Aristotle University. He has a track record research and project work regarding disinformation, Fake News Hunters, Refugees against disinformation etc.

Shin Dong Kim
Professor, The Media School, Hallym University, Chuncheon, Korea & Chief Director, Knowledge Cooperative for Good Governance, Seoul, Korea

Shin Dong Kim is a professor at the School of Media and Communication, Hallym University, Korea. He founded the Institute for Communication Arts and Technology (iCat) and served as the Vice President for International Affairs for the university. He has been an active advocate and innovator for the globalization of higher education throughout his professional career. His area of research and teaching covers culture and creative industries, media policy and political economy, global communications, and film studies. He is currently leading a five-year national research project on modeling the Korean ICT developments. He is preparing a book on the political economy of the Korean media industries and culture, and writing on colonial experiences represented on the Korean cinema. Dr. Kim has also been teaching at many universities globally including Dartmouth College, Sciences Po Paris, Peking University, City University of Hong Kong, University of the Philippines, Shanghai University, etc. Dr. Kim earned his PhD from Indiana University in Mass Communications.

Aphrodite Salas
Associate Professor, Concordia University - Department of Journalism

Aphrodite Salas is a journalist and professor at Concordia University in Montreal, Canada, where her research focuses on mobile journalism, constructive journalism, collaborative journalism with Indigenous communities and more specifically, the decolonization of journalism education.

She is currently co-leader on the planning and governance theme of Volt-age, a 123-million dollar research project called “Electrifying Society” at Concordia University.

Her most recent work created exclusively with mobile journalism is called “Arctic Shift to Clean Energy.” The multimedia project shares a story of Inuit climate leadership and was screened at both the UN Climate Conference COP 27 and the UN Biodiversity Conference COP 15 alongside Indigenous partners. Aphrodite continues to work with partners in Inukjuak and in Kiashke Zaaging Anishinaabek-Gull Bay First Nation on various multimedia collaborations. A veteran journalist with decades of experience in news and feature reporting,

Aphrodite spent most of her on-air career at CTV, Canada's largest privately owned network. She has worked as a national correspondent, anchor, video journalist and assignment editor in small, medium, large and national markets and her industry honours include six RTDNA awards for excellence in news reporting.

Holger Briel
Professor of Cultural Theory and Media Studies at BNU-HKBU-UIC

Professor Dr Holger BRIEL is Professor of Cultural Theory and Media Studies at BNU-HKBU-UIC. He holds a Ph.D. in Cultural Theory from the University of Massachusetts and an M.A. in Comparative Literature from the University of Michigan. Dr Briel has taught at many international universities, including New York University, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Aristotle University Thessaloniki, the University of Innsbruck, the University of Surrey, Indiana State University and Xi'an Jiaotong Liverpool University. He has held numerous Visiting Professorships and lectured at Oxford University, UC Berkeley, CUNY, Ateneo de Manila, the National University of Malaysia, the National University of Singapore, and many others. He has published copiously in media and cultural studies, philosophy, the social sciences, and international management studies and remains active as a journalist for several international newspapers. His latest co-authored book is The Piracy Years: Internet File Sharing in a Global Context (University of Liverpool Press, 2023). For many years, he has also been the Editor-in-Chief of the Scopus-listed IAFOR Journal of Cultural Studies and sits as an Editor and Joint Editor on many journal boards. Dr Briel is the recipient of numerous prestigious research grants and fellowships, most recently the endowed National South Korean Senior Fellowship in Cultural Studies. In recognition of his expertise in global education, he has been elected to several national higher education supervisory bodies, including those of Greece, Hungary and Spain, and the EU Council for Higher Education.

B. William Silcock
Emeritus Assistant Dean for Doctoral Studies and Global Programs Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, Arizona State University

Dr. B. William Silcock is a scholar and leading global innovator in journalism education. The U.S. State Department named him a Fulbright Specialist, whose status continues in 2024. Previously, he was selected twice as a Fulbright Scholar (Ireland, 1992; Sweden, 1997). Bill was named to the Emeritus faculty at Arizona State University in December 2020. For twenty years prior, he held various leadership roles at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University, including as the former Assistant Dean for Research and International Programs. In 2023, he led U.S. State Department projects in Albania, The Republic of Georgia, and North Macedonia in 2024,  a joint project with FPZG in Croatia and an ASU Study Abroad Program to Cuba. Dr. Silcock led the doctoral program at the Cronkite School and continues to serve on dissertation committees. He has published over 30 peer-reviewed academic research articles and co-authored two textbooks. "News Now: Visual Storytelling in the Digital Age" (second new edition, 2025) has gained wide adoption as a digital media textbook.

"Dr. Bill" is the Founding Curator of the Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship program at Arizona State and led that U.S. State Department program for over a decade. As the Director of Cronkite Global Initiatives, he conducted workshops in over 25 nations. With a passion for international broadcast news, "Dr. Bill," as he was known around the halls of the Cronkite School, continues to train journalists globally, most recently in Croatia (2024), Sri Lanka (2023), Albania (2023), the Republic of Georgia (2023), North Macedonia (2023). He's trained virtually in Pakistan (2022), China (2022), and Saudi Arabia (2021) for the U.S. State Department and private companies in America and abroad. In addition, he's conducted over 50 workshops for journalists on leadership, news, social media, and ethics in the last decade. His passion is to build bridges across cultures.

Satomi Sugiyama
Professor of Communication and Media Studies, Franklin University Switzerland

Satomi Sugiyama (Ph.D. Rutgers University) is Professor of Communication and Media Studies at Franklin University Switzerland. Her research and teaching interests include emerging communication technologies and interpersonal relationships, culture, and fashion studies. Throughout her career, she has been presenting her research widely in international conferences and events. Her work has been published in such journals as New Media and Society, Fashion Theory, First Monday, and International Journal of Social Robotics, as well as in edited books by Palgrave-Macmillan, Springer, Peter Lang, and Transaction. Her recent publications include: Sugiyama, S. (2021). The Apparatgeist of Pepper-kun: An exploration of emerging cultural meanings of a social robot in Japan. In J. E. Katz, J. Floyd, & K. Schiepers (eds.), Perceiving the Future through New Communication Technologies: Robots, AI and Everyday Life (pp. 113-128). Palgrave-Macmillan.

Sherri Hope Culver
Professor

Sherri Hope Culver specializes in developing creative content and conducting research to better understand new digital audiences, with a focus on children and youth. Sherri serves as Director of the Center for Media and Information Literacy (CMIL) at Temple University, USA where she is associate professor in the Klein College of Media and Communication. The CMIL is a founding member of the UNESCO university network in Media and Information Literacy and Intercultural Dialogue (MILID). Sherri served as vice chair of the Global Media and Information Literacy Alliance, a UNESCO-initiated alliance of over 600 organizations from 80 countries and as president of the National Association for Media Literacy Education. Her consulting projects have provided content development, project evaluation, educational development and strategic executive management with a focus on children’s media and media literacy. She has consulted for TIME Studios, Google Kids and Family, PBS Kids, Agents of Change video game, Digital Communications Network, Maryland Public Television, Thessaloniki International Media Summer Academy, Public Journalism Club of Armenia, and the National Association for Media Literacy Education. Sherri is recognized as a Fulbright Global Scholar for 2022-2023. Her research explored best practice in developing quality media content for children with a focus on Brazil, Australia, United Kingdom and USA. She was a visiting professor at Western Sydney University, Australia in 2022. Sherri produces and hosts the podcast Kids Talk Media.

Eleni Siapikoudi
PhD Candidate, University of Macedonia

Eleni Siapikoudi holds a BA in Balkan, Slavic, and Oriental Studies and a MA in Politics and Economics of Contemporary Eastern and Southeastern Europe (University of Macedonia) and in International Politics (Newcastle University).

She is a PhD Candidate in the University of Macedonia, with the topic “The role of Media and civil society on Energy Transition”. Her academic interests focus on contemporary Balkan and European politics, international relations, social issues, Communication, and Media.

Evlambia Angelou
Sign Language Interpreter - independent researcher

Evlambia Angelou is a Greek Sign Language Interpreter since 2013 and an independent researcher. She has a MA in Contemporary Journalism Studies. Her research interests are journalistic translation, accessibility in media, simple and easy language in the news, sign language interpretation and the news for young audiences.

Ioanna Georgia Eskiadi
Ph.D. Candidate in New emerging technologies, Communication and Journalism, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki

Ioanna Georgia Eskiadi is a PhD candidate at Aristotle University and a researcher at the Peace Journalism Laboratory, Department of Journalism and Media, AUTH, in important research projects. Her PhD thesis and writing work is about innovation, new technologies, and their introduction in news organizations. She is a research fellow at the Portulans Institute, and has been a fellow of the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung and other organizations. She holds a master's degree in risk communication and crisis journalism and a bachelor's degree in journalism and mass media from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. She speaks English, Spanish, Italian, Arabic and German. Her main research interests are new technologies, innovation in news organizations, and the role of journalists.

Neofytos Aspriadis
Research Affiliate, Center of Information, Technology and Public Life, UNC at Chapel Hill

Aspriadis Neofytos, Ph.D., Research Affiliate at the Center of Information, Technology and Public Life at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researching Disinformation. He is also Strategic Communication Advisor at the Hellenic Parliament. Former Adjunct Lecturer of Strategic Communication at the Department of History and Archeology of the University of Patras. Previously, he worked as a Visiting Research Fellow at the Department of Political Science and International Relations of the University of Peloponnese conducting research on Strategic Communication in International Crises with a focus on domestic home front management. He got his Ph.D. with a scholarship from the State Scholarship Foundation of Greece (IKY) from the Department of International and European Studies of the University of Piraeus. He has also worked for the private sector in Corporate and Political Communication agencies and at the Public Affairs and Strategic Communication Advisor’s Office of the President of the Military Committee at NATO HQ in Brussels. His research interests are in Strategic Communication, Crisis Management and Communications, nation branding, public diplomacy, Strategy, information warfare, psychological operations, Fake news, disinformation, character assassination, Public Diplomacy and rhetoric.

Marko Skoric
Associate Professor

Marko M. Skoric is Associate Professor at the Department of Media and Communication. He holds a Ph.D. in Communication from the University of Michigan, and a B.Sc. in Psychology from the University College London, UK. Marko’s teaching and research interests are focused on new media and social change, with a particular emphasis on the civic and political implications of new communication technologies.

Wendy Su 
Associate Professor, Department of Media and Cultural Studies, University of California Riverside

Wendy Su is an Associate Professor of the Department of Media and Cultural Studies at the University of California Riverside. Her research falls along the intersections of global communication, Chinese media studies, and cultural studies. Specifically, she is interested in China’s communication and cultural policy study, cultural industries research, transnational film studies, audience research, youth culture, and Asian modernity. She is the author of China’s Encounter with Global Hollywood: Cultural Policy and the Film Industry, 1994-2013 (University Press of Kentucky, 2016), and co-editor of Asia-Pacific Film Co-productions: Theory, Industry and Aesthetics (Routledge, 2019). Her publications can be found in a number of high-ranking academic journals, including Pacific Affairs, International Journal of Cultural Policy, Critical Studies in Media Communication, Continuum: Journal of Media and Cultural Studies, Journal of International and Intercultural Communication, Global Media and Communication, etc., and in edited books including The Routledge Companion to Media Industries and The Routledge Handbook of Digital Media and Globalization. She was a winner of the 2014 William L. Holland Prize for the best article granted by Pacific Affairs. She sits on the editorial board of Global Media and China and is a manuscript reviewer for many academic journals and two publishers, Routledge and Palgrave McMillian.

Before pursuing her Ph.D., she was a long-time journalist in mainland China and Hong Kong, publishing numerous articles in news outlets both in and outside China.

Éva Gajzágó
Associate Professor, Budapest Business School University of Applied Sciences (BBS)

Éva Gajzágó is an associate professor at the Budapest Business School University of Applied Sciences (BBS). She has a Master’s degree in Economics and Marketing and a Ph.D. in Regional Science. Since 2017, she examines the cultural and creative industry (CCI), focusing on the South Korean CCI and implemented two Hallyu-related research projects in Hungary; both examining the diffusion of Hallyu and consumer behavior of Hallyu fans. In 2022 she gained a research scholarship of OBIC  and spent one month in Seoul examining the South Korean CCI development policies. She published several articles about the CCI and Hallyu in Hungarian journals. She has experience in research project management and in 2018, she was the leader of a research group examining the CCI in Budapest, Hungary. She is the founding member and the manager of the BBS Creative Research Group. She reviewed several articles for Hungarian journals, and one article for The Journal of Arts Management, Law, and Society.

Hakkı Kahveci
Assistant professor

Hakkı Kahveci received his B.A. and M.A. from Eskişehir Osmangazi University, Primary School Teaching Department, and his Ph.D. from Ankara University, Philosophy of Education Department. He worked as a primary school teacher between 2004 and 2019. Since 2019, he has been working as an assistant professor at Eskişehir Osmangazi University, Department of Educational Sciences. His research interests are the impact of neoliberalism on education, teacher training, and education journalism. 

Leonor Lopez-Hernando
Assistant Professor

Dr. Leonor Lopez-Hernando is a full-time faculty member at the Department of Communication at Ateneo de Manila University, Philippines. She earned a Bachelor of Mass Communication degree and graduated Cum Laude from Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (University of the City of Manila). She earned her Master of Arts in Communication from Ateneo de Manila University. She graduated with her Doctor of Philosophy in Communication from the University of the Philippines, Diliman. After a decade of working as the TV and Radio Commercial Unit Head for Associated Broadcasting Company Channel 5, now TV-5, she decided to switch careers to teaching. Her professional skills include curriculum development for communication and journalism programs, teaching and mentoring students about communication theories and research, and coordinating and training faculty members and staff.

She is currently the Vice President of the Philippines Communication Society and an active member of the Journalism Studies Association of the Philippines.

She presented her research studies at various prestigious conferences in the Philippines and overseas. Her journal articles were published by the Philippine Communication Society and the Office of Research and Publication at Colegio de San Lorenzo. One of her research papers was awarded as a finalist in the Graduate Paper Competition of the 5th National Communication Research Conference organized by the Communication Research Department of the University of the Philippines (UP), Diliman. She has evaluated textbook and journal articles for publication by the College of Mass Communication of UP, Diliman, the Philippines Communication Society, and research abstracts for Asia-Philippine Association conferences spearheaded by the Ateneo de Manila and De La Salle University, Manila. 

Her research interests are journalism, media, education and culture, organizational communication, social development, science communication, risk and disaster management, family, and gender.

Valentina Marinescu
Professor, Faculty of Sociology and Social Work, University of Bucharest  

Valentina Marinescu holds a Ph.D. in Sociology (University of Bucharest, 2000). Currently, she is based at Faculty of Sociology and Social Work of the same institution. She is interested in communication, mass media, methodology of social research, with a special focus on Eastern Europe, with a special focus on Romania. Her recent publications include: Marinescu, V. Food, Nutrition and the Media. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham (2020), V., Balica E. (eds.) “Migration and Crime: realities and media representations”, Palgrave (2018); Marinescu, V., Mitu, B. (eds.) “The Power of the Media in Health Communication”, Routledge (2016); Marinescu, V., Mitu, B. (eds.) “Health and the Media: Essays on the Effects of Mass Communication”, McFarland (2016); .Marinescu, V., (ed.) The Global Impact of South Korean Popular Culture: Hallyu Unbound, Lexington Books (2014). 

Jeton Mehmeti
Chairman of the Independent Media Commission

Jeton Mehmeti is currently serving as the Chairman of the Independent Media Commission, Kosovo's national regulatory authority. He is the author of several studies on media, disinformation and hate speech. Since 2010 he has been country author of the annual report Vibrant Information Barometer and Media Sustainability Index published by IREX, USA. Jeton has been awarded with many outstanding fellowships, including the Marshall Memorial Fellowship (USA), OeAD research fellowship (Austria), fellowship for the Leadership Academy for Development (Stanford University) and the Balkan Fellowship for Journalistic Excellence. He has completed his studies in Austria, USA and Malaysia. Jeton teaches undergraduate courses at the Rochester Institute of Technology Kosovo (RITK).  

Ines Kožuh
Assistant Professor / Researcher

Dr. Ines Kožuh is an Assistant Professor and the Head of the Study Programme Media Communications at the University of Maribor in Slovenia. She is also the Deputy Head of the Institute of Media Communications. She gained her Ph.D. at the same university in cooperation with the University of Education, Heidelberg, Germany. In 2013, the German Academic Exchange Service awarded her for research in Germany. Her undergraduate study was financed by the Radio and Television Corporation in Slovenia, and the Slovenian Research Agency funded her Ph.D. study. She also works as a European Commission expert in evaluating project proposals. Her bibliography comprises over 100 items, with around 20 original scientific papers. In her research, she deals mainly with user audiences and their perceptions of using contemporary digital technologies. Her research addresses various types of user audiences, such as children, students, and persons with hearing loss, along with multiple types of media/technologies, such as social media as well as media literacy and fake news.

Alaaddin F. Paksoy
Academic

Alaaddin F. Paksoy holds B.A. degree in Journalism from Anadolu University, Türkiye. He finished his M.A. degree at Stockholm University, Sweden. He completed his PhD in Journalism Studies at the University of Sheffield, UK. His recent research and publications are about Turkish-Greek relations, Syrian refugees in Türkiye, and education reporting. Paksoy works as a lecturer at the Department of Journalism, Anadolu University.

Nicolas Piccato
International expert of cultural and creative industries

Nicolas Piccato is an international expert of cultural and creative industries. Having founded an arthouse movie theatre in Mexico and a media company in Seoul, Korea, he combines entrepreneurial spirit with deep industry knowledge. Twice serving as an embassy attaché, in Korea and Canada, he fostered French media industries abroad. He set foot in the comics and publishing industry in 2021 as a Festival director in Lyon, France and championed innovative, international projects. Now independent, he recently enjoyed leading a team of twenty young professionals from the French publishing world on a learning trip in Korea, in the depths of the webtoon and manhwa scenes.
A cinephile with a passion for culture in all its forms and from various countries, Nicolas loves to bring together creators and to build sustainable business models for cultural content and the cultural industries in general. Aware of the weight on mainstream content on the industry as well as of the potential influence of the independents’ creative power, he loves to mix and match talents and investors to form innovative cocktails and new ways of creation.
As a believer in education and mentorship he seeks out emerging talents and currently studies the potential of AI in the creative economy, as well as its statistical limits. Daily, he consults, teaches, loves to listen to new ideas and possibly to accompany them in their making. 

Shane Krista Yumikura
Senior Gender and Development Specialist

Shane Yumikura is a graduate student at the Asian Center, University of the Philippines, taking Asian Studies major in Northeast Asia and a specialization in China. Her electives include the political economy of pop culture in Northeast Asia, as well as Philippine development and its connections to geoeconomic relations with China. She took her Bachelor's in Consular and Diplomatic Affairs at the De La Salle College of Saint Benilde. Her stint in multidisciplinary studies have been dedicated to integrating global affairs and its links to political economy, cultural relations, and inclusive development, which she applies in her profession as a civil servant in the national government of the Philippines. Currently, she is at the early stage of her career as a Senior Gender and Development Specialist at the Philippine Commission for Women where she develops strategies and technical support for the gender mainstreaming and gender equality initiatives of national and local government agencies. She also served as a Trade and Industry Development Specialist at the Department of Trade and Industry, focusing on exports and international trade promotions. Aside from trade and gender, Ms. Yumikura was a part of her country's delegation for the World Expo in Dubai, UAE 2021-2022, where she led media relations and public affairs as the Philippines Media Liaison Officer. Before joining the World Expo, she started her career in civil service as a researcher and community relations officer at the Department of National Defense. Her research interests include Philippines-China relations, international relations and political economy, and cultural studies focusing on Northeast Asia. 

Bahra Siddiq Mohammed
Head and coordinator of Arabic discourse and media at the Office of Media and Information – Council of Ministers Kurdistan Governmental Region

I’ m (Bahra Siddiq Mohammed) i am a dedicated professional with a rich background spanning various sectors including media, human rights, and civil society organizations. Born on October 9th, 1988, in Erbil, Iraq, I am holding a B.Sc. in Media from Salahuddin University and a Diploma in Media from the same institution. With a strong communication and persuasion skill set, I have excelled in my roles across different platforms. My professional journey includes significant experiences such as working as a reporter for Rudaw Media Network and Warvin Magazine, serving as the Head of the Social Department for the Kurdistan Women's Union's magazine, and contributing to various publications including Gulan and Sardam Business Newspaper. I have also been instrumental in founding and contributing to publications like Lialina magazine. Currently, I serve as the head and coordinator of Arabic discourse and media at the Office of Media and Information – Council of Ministers Kurdistan Governmental Region. My expertise extends beyond journalism into civil society, where I have served as an International Election Observer and held positions in organizations such as the Iraqi National Union and the National Emergency Organization. I have also been recognized with several awards for her contributions to media and human rights activism. My dedication to social activities is evident through my involvement with the Time Center and the Organization of Gender, where I play a crucial role in educating and training young individuals in Erbil. With expertise in project management, public relations, and electoral monitoring, I stand as an inspiration of change, leveraging my skills to advocate for justice, equality, and transparency in society.

Jeta Abazi Gashi
Associate Professor and Chair, Department of Communication Research, University of the Philippines Diliman

My academic journey includes twelve years of teaching and assisting experience at the Journalism Department of the University of Prishtina. I have also taught in summer programs at the University of Trento and the American University of Kosovo. I have interdisciplinary experience in political communication and political science. I have been awarded the Fulbright Visiting Scholarship at the School of Media and Public Affairs, University of George Washington in Washington, DC, USA. My Ph.D., submitted in April 2024, is awaiting defense at the University of Leipzig, Germany. Prior to that, I spent time as a Research Visitor under a grant from OeAD-GmbH, the Austrian Agency for Education and Internationalization, (Communication Department, University of Vienna). I also conducted research visits at École Normale Supérieure (ENS) in Paris, France.
I hold dual Master's degrees: one in Political Sciences from the University of Pristina, and the other in Communication and Journalism from the Kosovo Institute for Journalism and Communication in collaboration with Nebraska University (Lincoln) and Gimlekollen School of Journalism and Communication. My academic journey began with a Bachelor's degree in Political Sciences from the University of Pristina, followed by another Bachelor's degree in Journalism Studies. Before entering academia, I worked in the civil society sector with organizations such as the European Commission, GIZ, and NDI, and served as an investigative journalist with the Balkan Investigative Research Network.

Ioanna Georgia Eskiadi
Ph.D. Candidate in New emerging technologies, Communication and Journalism, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki

Dr Connie Chan is a PhD in communication. She holds an MA in Journalism and completed MPhil in 2013. Before teaching at the Hang Seng University of Hong Kong, Dr Chan was a part-time lecturer at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and journalist in TV broadcasting industry. She has worked for three broadcasting news stations in Hong Kong: Television Broadcasts Limited, Asia Television Broadcasts Limited, and Phoenix TV. Her duties included 24 hours news reporting, financial programme anchoring, international news, and health programme hosting. She took part in some major news events, for example NPC Opening Meeting, Hu-Lien Talks, WTO conference in Hong Kong and Land Auctions. Dr Chan is an author who writes the Chinese book "Famous Hong Kong Enterprises", published in 2003. In addition, she has conducted exclusive interviews with senior managements from international institutions. Her research interests are New Media, Media Ethics, Corporate Communication, Financial Journalism, Journalism, Financial Information Communication, Cultural Studies, Health Communication and Public Relationship. 

Jovito Jose Katigbak
Lecturer

Jovito Jose Katigbak is a lecturer in the Department of Political Science and Development Studies of the College of Liberal Arts of De La Salle University (DLSU) – Manila. He has a degree on Master of Arts in Development Policy from DLSU and took his undergraduate studies at the De La Salle – College of Saint Benilde on Consular and Diplomatic Affairs (Magna cum laude). Jovito has participated in various local and international conferences and has published articles on topics related to international relations, diplomacy, governance, and sustainable development, among others. He was a former Chief Research Officer at the Center for International Relations and Strategic Studies of the Philippine Foreign Service Institute and currently works as a Senior International Finance Specialist at the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (Central Bank of the Philippines). Jovito also manages the Manila-based VIKAT Research Consultancy Services.

Peter Čakš
Researcher / Teaching Assistant

Peter Caks, MSc, is a teaching assistant and researcher at Media Communication Studies (University of Maribor). His research interest ranges from media convergence and journalism practice, media literacy, and local media, to media policy. He has been a member of several project teams ranging from accessibility in higher education, and digitalization of language accessories to most current dealing with media literacy. His teaching field ranges from communication and media studies to practical courses in preparing media content. He is a PhD student of Communication Science (University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Social Science) and guest lecturer of radio journalism. His PhD field is changes in radio news production practices in the digital age. Before his academic career, he worked in the media and PR industry in several working positions, from junior journalist to head of corporate communications and consultant to program director and management. 

Bin Chen
PhD candidate at Technische Universität Dresden / freelancing broadcast journalist 

• Bin Chen is a seasoned broadcast journalist and communications specialist with over eight years of experience in TV and online media. He adeptly combines academic research with media practice.

• Bin holds an MA in TV Journalism from Hochschule Hannover and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Communication Studies at Technische Universität Dresden, focusing on cross-country media quality analysis.

  Excelling in field reporting, editing, and video production, Bin demonstrates strong organizational skills. He has produced journalistic films for prominent media outlets across China and Europe, streamlining operational processes to enhance team performance and resource allocation.

  Since 2019, Bin has been the sole Europe news content provider for Shanghai Media Group (SMG). He oversees the production of inclusive journalistic content in collaboration with freelancers across major European cities. He successfully manages the production crew, budget, and operations, enhancing SMG's influence in the European media landscape and positioning SMG as a key participant in global discussions.
  

Dejan Oblak
Teaching Assistant (PhD Candidate)

Dejan Oblak was born on October 26, 1987, in Zagreb, where he completed his Master's in Journalism at the University of Zagreb in 2013. He is a PhD candidate in Information and Communication Sciences at University of Zagreb. Currently he serves as an assistant lecturer and research assistant at the Department of Journalism and Media Production at the Faculty of Political Science. He worked as a multimedia specialist at the Faculty of Political Science where he contributed to development of TV Student, a student media focused on training and development of young journalists in Croatia, followed by a role as a News graphic editor at Croatian Radio Television. His research interests are innovation of multimedia storytelling, particularly in emerging formats such as infographics and animation in journalism. With over a decade of experience in media work and education, he has conducted multiple trainings and workshops in Mobile Journalism and Data Journalism. Dejan also works as a freelance motion designer and video editor.

Katerina Chryssanthopoulou
Post Doc Researcher, AUTH

Katerina Chryssanthopoulou is Post Doc Researcher in Media & News Literacy (AUTH), Media & News Literacy Consultant & Educator in the Private Sector, Founder of Media Literacy Matters (www.medialiteracymatters.org) and Co-Founder of Readers Next (www.readersnext.org). She is MIL Expert Advisor on European Projects and Instructor at Pierce College Junior MIL Club. She has also worked as Adjunct Researcher at the Athens University of Economics, the Institute for Language and Speech Processing and the National Kapodistrian University of Athens. She holds PhD in Media & News Literacy (AUTH); MA in Cognitive Sciences (NKUA); BA in English Literature & Linguistics (NKUA) and BA in Applied Informatics (AUEB). She is also  Published Writer of fiction and non-fiction books & IMF-Qualified Conference Interpreter. Her research topics include media & information literacy, news literacy for young audiences, digital reading, learning from multimedia, cognition & digital media, human & machine learning systems. She is based in Athens, Greece.

Janice Wong
Education

Dr. Janice Wong has been a communication professional with years of experience at leading academic and commercial institutions in Hong Kong. She worked at Radio Television Hong Kong as a journalist and thereafter specialised in service learning and student development. She has been taught in different tertiary institutions in Hong Kong such as The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Baptist University, The Education University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Metropolitan University and now the Hang Seng University of Hong Kong.

Her research interested are Masculinity and the media, Comparative studies between traditional and new media, New media usage and effects, Corporate communication, Conflict and negotiation, Cultural studies and Rhetorical criticism. She also got a professional qualification as a member of Hong Kong Professional Mediation Associations (HKPMA).

Anna G. Orfanidou
Journalist - PhD candidate

Anna G. Orfanidou is an active journalist, member of the Editor's Union, who hosts a two-hour daily radio show. She holds both Bachelor's and Master's degrees with honors in Journalism & Mass Media (Aristotle University of Thessaloniki). She is a PhD candidate (field of expertise: Media Literacy). She has been teaching Journalism & Mass Media Communication at Public Vocational Training Institutes for the past 9 years and she is, also, an adjunct lecturer at University of York's Europe campus (Humanities Department). She has participated as a speaker in numerous conferences both in Greece and Europe and she has published two research articles in international scientific journals. She is fluent in English, French, German, and Spanish.

Dimitris Giannakoudis
Ph.D. Candidate A.U.TH. / Director at Xanthi American Space

Dimitris Giannakoudis is the Director of one of the most active and visible American Spaces in Greece, a role facilitated by a partnership between the Xanthi Cultural Center and the Athens U.S. Embassy. This collaboration has launched educational programs focusing on new technologies, educational robotics, women's empowerment, soft skills, and youth entrepreneurship for young people across the wider region. Under his leadership, the center successfully organizes the First Lego League Regional Competition in collaboration with eduACT, the Democritus University of Thrace, and local associations. This effort earned him congratulations from the President of the Hellenic Republic, Mr. Prokopios Pavlopoulos.

The Xanthi American Space, was ranked fourth in the Start-upper Awards 2018 under the category of Public-Private Initiative and Structures. It was also honored in the Bravo Sustainability Awards in 2019, 2021, and 2022 for its impactful partnerships and projects that have significantly contributed to the local community. Dimitris collaborates with various organizations including university student associations, the DCN SE Hub Thessaloniki, DUTH, the Fulbright Foundation, American College of Thessaloniki, Creative BizzLab, American Farm School, The Mindspark, First Lego League Greece, public and private organizations, IEEE, DIR, DRT, Europe Direct EMT, The Hellenic Initiative, Fulbright Greece, Envolve Entrepreneurship, and the Hellenic U.S. Alumni Association, of which he is a member. He has successfully completed the "American Spaces Workshop I: Introduction" and "Advanced American Spaces Tradecraft," organized by the U.S. Department of State.

Dimitris holds a Bachelor of History and Ethnology and a Master's degree from the Department of Law at the Democritus University of Thrace, specializing in South-Eastern Europe. He also possesses a Diploma in Negotiations & Conflict Management from the Athens University of Economics and Business and is a member of the Negotiator’s Association of Greece. Additionally, he is a Ph.D. candidate in Public Diplomacy.

Hyrije Mehmeti 
Journalist

Hyrije Mehmeti is a teaching assistant at the Department of Journalism, University of Prishtina “Hasan Prishtina”. She also serves as a PR & Communications Specialist for the Citizen Engagement Activity, a five-year partnership between USAID Kosovo and Kosovar Civil Society Foundation.

Ms. Mehmeti has been part of the media sector for more than 10 years now, of which for almost 8 years she worked at the Kosovo Law Institute, where she served in various positions, starting as a journalist and ending there as a responsible editor and manager of the “Media” program.

In 2018, she participated in an International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP), U.S. Department of State’s premier professional exchange program, which made her grow even more professionally. She's also a volunteer mentor for informal education programs - Mentorship Scheme Project Ponder (Critical Media Literacy Workshop) and Podium (Social advocacy workshop). 

Ms. Mehmeti is also a KAS Kosovo Alumni and since 2019, she regularly participates in several events of KAS Media Programme South East Europe.

Kaltrina Jashari 
Teaching Assistant 

Kaltrina Jashari is a skilled communicator who specializes in marketing and social media. She currently works at Hallakate as the social media manager and at the University of Prishtina's Faculty of Philology as a teaching assistant. She directed communications for PBC IBAS and PBC Academy, supervised the marketing department at PBC Group.

Kaltrina was a standout student at the University of Prishtina, obtaining both an MSc and a BSc in journalism and public relations.

She presented at the 3rd International Conference on Communication and Media Studies in November 2022. She has also been recognized with a number of awards, such as a Certificate of Recognition from Arizona State University's USAID "TLP" Program and a WikiGap Editor designation from the Swedish Embassy in Kosovo.

Mi Sook Park
Independent Researcher

“International film Co-Production as a new harbour of Nationalistic Communication Amid regional “Imagined community, the case of China and Korea” in Asia-Pacific Film Co-Production:Theory, Industry and Aesthetics (2019)

“A study of transnational cultural flows in Asia through the case of Hallyu in Vietnam” in Yoon and Jin (eds), The Korean wave: Evolution, fandom, and transnationality. Lexington Books (2017)

 “South Korea cultural history between 1960s and 2012” in International Journal of Korean Humanities and Social Sciences, Vol 1 (1). 71-118. 

Jasdeep Kaur Chandi
Research Scholar 

Jasdeep Kaur Chandi is a full time research scholar, pursuing her doctoral degree from the University School of Mass Communication, Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University. Her research interests include East Asian popular culture, online fandoms, digital cultures and popular media. She has co-authored three research articles on anime and K-pop fandom in India as well as contributed a book chapter in the edited volume - Korean Wave in South Asia, published by Springer Palgrave. She has presented at several renowned conferences across the globe, including ICA, IAMCR, SWPACA, ECAH-IAFOR , World Congress of Korean Studies by AKS. 

Naya Kalfeli
Post-Doctoral Research Fellow

Naya Kalfeli holds a PhD in Journalism (Aristotle University), a MA in International and European Studies with a specialization in International Law and Diplomatic Studies (Panteion University) and a BA in Journalism and Mass Communications (Aristotle University). Her research intends to answer questions on how the media portray conflicts, crises and diversity and how these portrayals affect people’s perceptions, attitudes and emotions about the world we live in and about the “Others”. At the moment, she is an Adjunct Lecturer at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki teaching media diversity. At the same time (2023-2025), she is a Hellenic Foundation for Research and Innovation Research Fellow working on a research project called ‘Stigma in the media: Investigating journalists’ perceptions and attitudes towards stigmatized minorities and developing an anti-stigma intervention’, implemented at the School of Journalism & Mass Communications of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece (Horizontal support for all Sciences), National Recovery and Resilience Plan (Greece 2.0). In the past (2020-2021), she has been a European Social Fund Research Fellow in the project ‘Effects of Media Representations of the Immigrant and Refugee Crisis on Intergroup Perceptions and Attitudes between Greeks and Immigrants’ (MediaRefugees), co-financed by Greece and the European Union (European Social Fund – ESF) within the framework of the Operational Programme Human Resources Development, Education and Lifelong Learning 2014-2020 under the theme “Support of Researchers with an Emphasis in Young Researchers”. She is the author of many scientific papers in peer-reviewed journals.

Sherri Hope Culver
Professor

Sherri Hope Cylver serves as Director of the Center for Media and Informa/on Literacy (CMIL) at Temple University, USA where she is associate professor in the Klein College of Media and CommunicaCon. 

Sherri’s teaching and consulCng focuses on media literacy and media industries, with focus on children's media content. She has consulted with Google Kids & Family, PBS Kids, the Digital CommunicaCons Network, Public Journalism Club of Armenia, Thessaloniki InternaConal Media Summer Academy, and the NaConal AssociaCon for Media Literacy EducaCon. Sherri recently served as vice-chair of the UNESCO InternaConal Steering CommiSee for the Global Media and InformaCon Literacy Alliance and is a collaborator with the Center for Scholars and Storytellers. 

Sherri is a Fulbright Global Scholar for 2022-2023. She is conducting research among scholars and media industry leaders in Brazil, Australia, and the United Kingdom regarding best practice in developing media content for children. 

Sherri’s recent publicaCons include a co-authored chapter in Media Literacy in a Disrup/ve Media Environment (2020) Ctled, “A Snapshot: the state of media literacy educaCon in the US”; and a chapter in the latest ediCon of 20 Ques/ons about Youth and the Media (2019) Ctled, “How are the needs of children considered in children’s media?”. 

Sherri talks with kids about the influence of media in their lives on her podcast Kids Talk Media. She has given talks and presentaCons on five conCnents and over 19 countries on media literacy and children’s media topics and has been interviewed by major news outlets including Variety, Los Angeles Times, ChrisCan Science Monitor, Philadelphia Inquirer, Radio Times (NPR), and KQED Mindshig. Sherri was a 3-term president of the Na/onal Associa/on for Media Literacy Educa/on.

Sherri began her career as a television producer. She held various producCon and management posiCons over twenty-five years, including CEO of Independence Public Media in Philadelphia.

Christina Angeli 
PhD candidate - Researcher 

Christina Angeli is a PhD candidate at the School of Journalism and Mass Communications of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. Her research focuses on media and health diplomacy with special emphasis on the health aspect of refugee and migration crisis in Greece. She graduated with a Bachelor Degree in "Political Sciences" from Aristotle University, holds a MA in "Journalism and New Media" (Aristotle University) and a Master’s Degree in International Studies with specialization in "Strategic Studies and International Politics" from the Department of International and European Studies of the University of Macedonia. Christina Angeli was a "Junior Visiting Fellow" in the Global Health Centre at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva. She was a Research Fellow in the research program “Effects of Media Representations of the Immigrant and Refugee Crisis on Intergroup Perceptions and Attitudes between Greeks and Immigrants: An Experimental Approach”, Aristotle University. Now she is a researcher in the research project: “Stigma in the media: Investigating journalists’ perceptions and attitudes towards stigmatized minorities and developing an anti-stigma intervention”. This research project is funded by the Hellenic Foundation for Research and Innovation within the framework of call “Basic Research Financing (Horizontal support for all Sciences), National Recovery and Resilience Plan (Greece 2.0)”.

Georgia Gioltzidou
Dr. of Journalism and Political Communication

Georgia Gioltzidou is Dr. of Journalism and Political Communication, Department of Journalism and Mass Media, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. She is Adjunct Lecturer at the Hellenic Open University and post-doctoral researcher at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, funded by EL.ID.EK.  Through her teaching and engaged research, she explores relationships between journalism, political communication and social media, while her doctoral thesis concerns the Political Communication through Social Media in times of crisis. She has been a lecturer at the University of Western Macedonia since 2014, while she has participated in a number of European research projects (G4SD, OLIVE – Erasmus+, GRASP EU, Kostis Palamas, etc.). She is a professional journalist for more than 20 years.

Fotini Gioltzidou
Journalist

Fotini Gioltzidou is a journalist of Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT) and a member of journalistic association (ESIEMTΗ).

He has been working for 20 years in television, radio and newspapers. Her work experience includes, among others, reporting and production of documentaries and other television programs, as well as production and presentation of a daily radio newscast and a television newscast. She studied Journalism and Mass Communication at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Greece), at undergraduate and postgraduate level.

Renu Deshwal
Student

Hello, I am Renu Deshwal a Dynamic communication advisor with a passion for leveraging media and communication strategies to drive impactful outcomes. Currently pursuing a master's degree in media and communication, blending academic insights with practical expertise to deliver compelling messaging and foster meaningful connections.  My degree is heavily focused on media soft power, risk society in media, international communication, media diversity, public diplomacy and media ethics. My final project includes investigating and assessing the gender stereotypes on organizational reputation and employee perception in India.