Keynotes Speakers and Tutorial Instructors - ICEDEG 2026
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Cansu is the Director of Responsible AI Practice at the Institute for Experiential AI and a Research Associate Professor at the Department of Philosophy and Religion. She is affiliated with the Ethics Institute in the College of Social Sciences and Humanities and the DATA Initiative at the D'Amore-McKim School of Business. Cansu has a doctorate in philosophy, specializing in applied ethics. She is the founder and director of AI Ethics Lab, one of the first initiatives focusing exclusively on advising practitioners and conducting multidisciplinary research on the ethics of artificial intelligence. She developed and implemented the Puzzle-solving in Ethics (PiE) Model, a dynamic, collaborative framework for integrating ethics into AI innovation, which now serves as the basis for EAI’s Responsible AI framework. She also works with the United Nations Center for AI & Robotics and INTERPOL as an AI Ethics and Governance Expert consultant, building guidelines and tools for Responsible AI in law enforcement. Cansu serves as an ethics expert on various ethics, advisory, and editorial boards. She serves as a member of the World Economic Forum’s AI Governance Alliance working groups, ethics advisor to Fortune 500 companies, founding editor for the international peer-reviewed journal AI & Ethics (Springer Nature), ethics expert for EU- and NIH-funded research projects focusing on the ethics of AI, robotics, and human enhancement, and chairs the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) AI Experts Network Criteria Committee. Before her work in technology, Cansu spent more than a decade in population-level bioethics, focusing on topics such as resource allocation and human subject research. She was on the full-time faculty at the University of Hong Kong Medical School and an ethics researcher at Harvard Law School, Harvard School of Public Health, Harvard Medical School, National University of Singapore, Osaka University, and the World Health Organization. Frequently invited to speak to leaders in industry and academia, Cansu has given over 100 talks on AI ethics, including keynotes at Harvard Business School, the U.S. Department of Justice, her TEDxCambridge talk How to Solve AI’s Ethical Puzzles, and several others. She received Mozilla's Rise25 Change Agent award, was recognized among the 30 Influential Women Advancing AI in Boston and the 100 Brilliant Women in AI Ethics, and was nominated for VentureBeat's Women in AI Award and AIMed's AI Champions in Healthcare Award.
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Qusai Al-Shatty is a technology and digital transformation leader with extensive experience in ICT strategy, public sector technology development, and organizational restructuring. As an Information and Communications Technology Consultant and Enthusiast, he has been actively contributing to promoting awareness, knowledge, and expertise in technology and innovation since 2019. His work focuses on strengthening digital ecosystems, advancing ICT capabilities, and enabling technology-driven transformation across organizations. Throughout his career, Qusai has held senior leadership roles in both government and corporate sectors. He served as Chairman of the Board of Directors at Automated Systems Company (ASC), where he led a major organizational restructuring, developed a new strategic vision, and improved financial performance by reducing overheads and driving the company toward breakeven after years of operational challenges. Prior to that, he served as Acting Director General at the Central Agency for Information Technology, where he played a key role in advancing Kuwait's national digital infrastructure and government technology initiatives. With a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering from The George Washington University, Qusai combines strong technical foundations with executive leadership experience. He is recognized for his ability to bridge technology and governance, drive large-scale transformation, and contribute to the development of modern digital ecosystems in both public and private sectors.
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In addition to the socioeconomic impacts of digital government, he has focused on digital government assessment, benchmarking, monitoring, and digital transformation strategies. His work combines empirical research, policy-oriented analysis, and practical support to governments in the design, assessment, and improvement of digital government initiatives. He has experience in consultancy and capacity-building projects for international organizations and governments, including UNDP, the Agency for State Technological Reform of Portugal, and the Digital Government Authority of Saudi Arabia. His research has been published in international journals including Government Information Quarterly, Information Economics and Policy, and Social Science Computer Review.
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Mariana Lameiras is a researcher at the Communication and Society Research Center (CECS), where she serves as co-coordinator of PolObs, the Observatory on Science, Communication, and Culture Policies, and at the United Nations University Operating Unit on Policy-Driven Electronic Governance (UNU-EGOV). She holds a PhD in Communication Sciences from the University of Minho, Braga, Portugal. Her research focuses on e-participation, community engagement for active citizenship, local e-government, digital media, media governance, regulation, and public policy. She co-leads the working group on “Policies, Regulation and Political Economy of Media” of the Portuguese Association of Communication Sciences (SOPCOM) and collaborates with the European Audiovisual Observatory and UNU-EGOV. Mariana has been actively involved in projects assessing e-government at national and local levels, including work on measurement frameworks, digital participation, and public-sector capacity development. Her experience combines academic research, applied assessment, and engagement with policymakers and public administration officials. |
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Luís Nuno Barbosa is a Research Assistant at the United Nations University Operating Unit on Policy-Driven Electronic Governance (UNU-EGOV). He holds a bachelor’s degree and a post-graduation in Economics from the University of Minho, Portugal.
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He has participated in several European-, Spanish-, and Catalan-funded research projects. He was the principal investigator in the URV of the EU Project SUAC3I, and LOCARD (under APWG),he was member of the Management Committee of the European CRYTACUS COST Action and principal investigator of the Spanish projects SIMPATIC and IoTrain. Currently, he is the PI in the Spanish Project CONDOR, and is a member of the Management Committee and Science Communication Manager for the GOODBROTHER COST Action 19121. He has authored over 150 publications and delivered several invited talks worldwide. He has served as chair, program committee member, and reviewer in several conferences and journals. He serves as an external expert reviewer for several National Councils for Scientific Research (e.g., the European COST Association, the Romanian National Authority for Scientific Research and Innovation, the Research Council of Norway, and the National Center of Science and Technology of the Republic of Kazakhstan). He is a senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). He has been listed amongst the 2% most influential researchers in his field by Stanford.
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Josep Maria López Besora is an established Catalan mathematician and academic who serves as an Associate Professor (Titular d'universitat) within the Department of Computer Engineering and Mathematics (DEIM) at the Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV) in Tarragona, Spain. With an academic career at URV spanning over three decades, Dr. López Besora has dedicated his professional life to higher education, foundational mathematics instruction, and interdisciplinary computational research. López Besora completed his undergraduate studies in Mathematical Sciences. He later advanced his academic training at URV, culminating in a PhD in Computer Science and Mathematics of Security. He formally joined the faculty at URV in 1990. Throughout his tenure, he has been a core member of DEIM's teaching staff, delivering lectures in Applied Mathematics, statistics, and foundational computational methods to multiple generations of students in computer engineering and technical sciences. Dr. López Besora integrates advanced mathematical theory with real-world health applications. He is a Senior Researcher affiliated with the ASCLEPIUS Research Group (Smart Technology for Smart Healthcare) and the Pere Virgili Health Research Institute (IISPV). His scientific work focuses heavily on mathematical modeling and virtual simulation, specifically applied to biological and medical scenarios. Key areas of his research include: Physiological Modeling: Developing algorithmic structures to simulate internal medical procedures, notably tracking mechanics during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).Biomechanical Engineering: Simulating structural stress, soft tissue behavior, and mechanical failure risks, such as abdominal wall mechanics and hernia repairs.Smart Health & Aging: Collaborating on modern initiatives, such as the Joan Pedrerol Gallego Award-nominated project focused on the algorithmic and privacy-preserving tracking of intrinsic capacity and aging (Seguiment Agentiu i Contextual de l’Envelliment).
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Dr. Joan Herrero Sabartés is a distinguished Associate Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at the Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV) in Tarragona, Spain, serving since 1992. He holds a degree in Industrial Chemistry (1986) and a PhD in Chemical Sciences (1992) from the University of Barcelona. Following an assistant professorship at the University of Barcelona, he moved to URV and completed a postdoctoral position at the University of California, Berkeley (1993-1994), focusing on fluid mechanics under the supervision of Prof. Joseph A. C. Humphrey. He secured tenure as an Associate Professor at URV in 1998. As a core investigator in the ASCLEPIUS Research Group, Dr. Herrero Sabartés specializes in Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), numerical solutions for partial differential equations (PDE), and transport phenomena. His recent research centers on biomedical engineering and biomechanical simulation, particularly using 3D finite element analysis to study abdominal wall mechanics, internal pressure, and surgical impacts. He operates from the URV Campus Sescelades.
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Prof. Dr. Ing. Hatem Ben Sta is Computer Science Engineering, PhD. He’s an academic Staff, Prof. Dr, at University of Tunis at El Manar, Associate Professor at Faculty of Science and Engineering, Laval University, Canada. He was a Visiting Professor at many Universities and Research Centers. Sabbatical year from September 1st 2015 to August 31st 2016 at Insight Centre, Galway, Ireland. He was involved to the follow project as an Expert for European Project FP7, H2020. The main tasks related to those projects are: Prepare the Works packages and Consortium Coordination (ARCADIA Project), To Conceptualize and design Ontology dedicated to the CityPulse Project, Design the Ontology dedicated to the Core Public Policies, Training in R and Python Language. He graduated as a PhD Student from Ecole Centrale of Paris, August 2006 on Computer Science. He’s research are focus on, Software Engineering, Knowledge Management, Semantic Web and Ontology, Interoperability Techniques, Smart Cities, e-gov, Machine Learning and Big Data. He’s author of several articles and Journals. He was the Co-chair and Chair of several international conferences. He has more than 40 papers published on very famous conferences and more than 10 papers published on journals. His last publication is on EDUCON 2022 conference that it will be held next March in Tunisia. He was/is the supervisor of more than 25 Master degree project and Supervisor and co-supervisor of more than 11 thesis. He made several scientific events; several scientific projects, mobilities and cooperation between universities. Participated in several studies on the world of Education and Artificial Intelligence. He has focused on the place of Education in the field of Artificial Intelligence, and more specifically in Africa continent. This has involved the design, testing and validation of frameworks dedicated to education using AI tools. Chair and member of Tunisian government committees whose work involves developing strategies in the following areas: e-government; e-pass; e-partici; smart cities, etc. This work has been ongoing since 2020. Much of it is already up and running.
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Estrella Luna Muñoz (she/her) is a researcher at the NOVA Institute of Communication in Lisbon, Portugal, with the CEMILLYA project - Civic Education through Media and Information Literacy Led by Young Adults. She specializes in utilizing media and arts to empower young people in civic participation and social integration in vulnerable contexts. She is a representative of the UNESCO Media and Information Literacy Alliance and a member of the North American and European Chapter. She is a member of the Portuguese team of the EU Kids Online network and of the research group of the PRODIGI- Promoting Resilience and Online Digital and Informational Skills European Project. With a Ph.D. in Education with Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and a master’s degree in Artistic Production, she has been working as a Media and Information Literacy Professor in educational institutions. She is also a trainer for teachers in the Plano Nacional das Artes in Portugal. She aspires to inspire, empower, and support young people to lead the way towards a more inclusive, fair, resilient, and regenerative society.
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Noura Aljizawi (she/her) is the co-founder and chairwoman of Start Point, a survivor-led, community-based organization dedicated to restoring dignity, healing, and justice for those impacted by torture, displacement, and state repression. As a human rights defender and scholar, Noura’s work is grounded in an ethics of care, resistance, and collective liberation, emphasizing trauma-informed, Intersectional, culturally responsive approaches. Noura’s research expertise sits at the intersection of technology, human rights, and global security. She works to advance digital rights for communities targeted by surveillance, censorship, and digital exclusion, while simultaneously investigating transnational repression and digital authoritarianism. Her recent ethnographic work centers on intergenerational oral literature and storytelling as tools for cultural survival and the preservation of collective memory in exile. Her current work explores how technology is being weaponized by perpetrators to erase the victims' digital narratives and how this systemic erasure disrupts the preservation of truth and the pursuit of justice for survivors. Noura holds a Master of Global Affairs from the University of Toronto. She is the recipient of the University’s Excellence Through Innovation Award and the Janice Stein Alumni Leadership Award. Her research has been featured in publications including Democratization, Internet Policy Review, and the Center for Long-Term Cybersecurity.
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Rama Salahat (she/her) is an AI specialist and Technology Officer at 7amleh. Her work focuses on building decolonial AI, auditing content moderation systems, and challenging power structures embedded in technology. She advocates for inclusive and justice-centered approaches to AI through interdisciplinary research and policy engagement, with the goal of ensuring that emerging technologies respect human rights and amplify underrepresented voices.
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João Martins is a Senior Research Associate at the United Nations University Operating Unit on Policy-Driven Electronic Governance (UNU-EGOV) and an Invited Professor at the Department of Economics at the University of Minho. He holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Minho, with a thesis titled Essays on the Socioeconomic Impacts of Digital Government.
Dr. Giulia Ajmone Marsan is an internationally recognised expert in innovation strategy and ecosystem development. With extensive experience in economic analysis, policy advisory, research, and capacity building, she specialises in innovation, technology, entrepreneurship, and startup creation. Throughout her career, she has advised a wide range of public- and private-sector leaders, including senior policymakers, government officials, international organisations, and key stakeholders worldwide. Her work spans Africa, ASEAN, the European Union, the Indo-Pacific, MENA, North America, and Latin America, and includes collaborations with Chambers of Commerce and Industry Associations, the OECD, UN agencies, the European Commission, the G20, and multilateral development banks. Giulia is the inaugural Secretary General of United Afro Experts for Innovation (UAEFI), a newly established organisation dedicated to fostering innovation and entrepreneurship across high-growth markets. Until 2026, she served as Head of Startups and Digital Inclusion at the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA). Prior to her roles at UAEFI and ERIA, Giulia worked as an Innovation Economist at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Giulia has been actively contributing to the G20 since Indonesia’s G20 Presidency in 2022. Since the establishment of the G20/Startup20 engagement group, she has played an active role in shaping its agenda and priorities. In 2022, she worked closely with the Indonesian Ministry of Communication and Informatics to lead the G20 Digital Innovation Network in Bali. 
Agusti Solanas is the head of the Smart Technologies Research Group and Professor in the Dept of Computer Engineering and Maths at URV. He obtained his M.Sc. degree in Computer Engineering from URV in 2004 with honors (Outstanding Graduation Award). He received a Diploma of Advanced Studies (M.Sc.) in Telematics from UPC in 2006, with a GPA of 9.57/10. He received a Ph.D. in Telematics Engineering from the Technical University of Catalonia in 2007 with honors (A cum laude). In 2012 and 2013, he was a visiting researcher in the Department of Mathematics and Physics of the University of Rome Tre (Italy) and in the Department of Mathematics of the University of Padua (Italy), respectively. His fields of activity are smart health, cognitive health, data privacy, ubiquitous computing, and AI.
Bushra Ebadi (she/her/ānhā) is a first-generation Afghan Canadian researcher, social innovator, and writer committed to nurturing and stewarding deeply rooted communities and transforming systems to promote individual and collective wellbeing, agency, and rights. Bushra uses a relational, liberatory approach in her artistic and research practice, crafting poetry, narratives, recipes, and spaces to imagine and co-create expansive futures and "Grow Gardens" rooted in anti-colonial justice and ecological wellbeing. At UNU-EGOV, she is leading policy-oriented research on climate justice and tech, digital rights, decolonizing technology, and safeguarding cultural heritage.
About ICEDEG
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ICEDEG 2026
8 - 10 July 2026
Lisbon, Portugal
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We are ICEDEG - a series of conferences organized annually in the area of eDemocracy & eGovernment.
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