MEET THE KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
Dr Bart Wernaart
Fontys University of Applied Sciences | Netherlands
Keynote presentation
Crowd Sourced Ethics: How Can We Involve Citizens in The Co-Design of New Technology?
Explores practical approaches to engaging citizens directly in the ethical co-design of emerging technologies, ensuring that technological progress aligns with human-centered values.
About the speaker
Bart Wernaart is a Professor of Moral Design Strategy and Chair of the Center of Expertise for Sustainable and Circular Transitions at Fontys University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands. As an author and researcher specializing in international human rights law, moral design, and business ethics, he focuses on developing innovative methodologies for crowd-sourced co-design of new technology based on value friction. In addition to his academic work and his role as a member of the Ethics Committee for the urban region of Brabant, he is also a professional drummer, conductor, and composer.
Boris Eldagsen
Photographic & media artist | Germany
Keynote presentation
Authenticity: The AI-Antidote?
Addresses the rapidly shifting boundaries between traditional photography and AI-generated media, examining how the concept of authenticity serves as a critical framework in an era dominated by synthetic images.
About the speaker
Boris Eldagsen is an internationally acclaimed Berlin-based photographic and media artist and a leading global expert in AI-generated imagery („promptography”). Having studied fine arts and philosophy, his award-winning work has been exhibited at major international institutions, galleries, and festivals worldwide. Named the „poster boy of the AI debate” after declining a Sony World Photography Award in 2023 to spark a global conversation on synthetic media, he is an appointed member of the DFA and DGPh, a founding member of the German Photographic Council’s AI working group, and an active educator teaching the master „AI for Creatives” at LABASAD Barcelona.
Nathalie Dalle Molle
Politecnico di Milano · POLI.design | Italy
Keynote presentation
Why Matter (Still) Matters: Materials, Meaning, and Transition
Delves into how emerging materials connect to cultural meaning, and how hands-on material practice can drive more meaningful systemic transitions.
About the speaker
Nathalie Dalle Molle is a Brazilian Industrial Engineer, innovation consultant, and PhD Candidate at Politecnico di Milano, affiliated with the Department of Management Engineering and the Department of Design. Building on a decade of industry experience consulting for clients ranging from multinational corporations to social entrepreneurs, she now contributes to academia through the coordination team of the Master in Design for Sustainability and Regeneration at POLI.design. Her research focuses on biofabricated materials, supporting their strategic transition from laboratory development to industrial scale without compromising their environmental benefits.
Dr Borjanka Đerić-Dragičević
University of East Sarajevo | Bosnia and Herzegovina
Keynote presentation
One Classroom, Many Englishes: Language, Inclusion and Belonging in a Superdiverse Medical Classroom
Highlights how linguistic and cultural diversity shapes classroom communication, participation, and a sense of belonging in modern multicultural higher education.
About the speaker
Borjanka Đerić-Dragičević is an Assistant Professor of English at the Faculty of Medicine Foča, University of East Sarajevo, specializing in English for Specific and Medical Purposes (ESP/EMP). Working extensively with international students within English-medium medical programs, her teaching and research focus on language in academic and clinical contexts, English-Medium Instruction (EMI), inclusive pedagogy, and culturally responsive teaching. Alongside her work in applied linguistics, she also conducts research in contemporary British literature and narratology.
Dr Bogdan Pătruț & Dr Ionuț Virgil Șerban
Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iași · University of Craiova
Joint keynote presentation
Beyond the Paper: AI, Diversity, Ethics, and New Ways of Sharing Research
Their joint presentation explores the future of academic publishing and discusses how artificial intelligence and digital connectivity can transform static research papers into dynamic, interconnected knowledge environments.
About the speakers
Bogdan Pătruț is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Computer Science, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iași, and Editor-in-Chief of BRAIN. Broad Research in Artificial Intelligence and Neuroscience. Holding doctorates in both Computer Science and Accounting, he has published extensively on deep learning, decision-support systems, and digital education, with a focus on transforming traditional publishing into interactive knowledge ecosystems. He is joined by Ionuț Virgil Șerban, a Professor of Social Sciences at the University of Craiova and a member of the Doctoral School in Social Sciences at the University “G. d’Annunzio” of Chieti-Pescara. Prof. Șerban brings an interdisciplinary perspective spanning sociology, criminology, artificial intelligence, and digital society, researching the social implications of technological change and the interaction between technology and human behavior.