ECGBL 2026
20th European Conference on Games Based Learning
Biographies
Below are the ECGBL Biographies of the Conference and Programme Chairs, Key Note Speakers and Mini-Track Chairs.
Conference and Programme Chairs
Stefan Göbel holds a diploma, Phd and habilitation in Computer Science. Since 2008 Stefan is heading the Serious Games research grout at TU Darmstadt, beforehand he researched in the field of (Geo-)Graphic Information Systems and Interactive Digital Storytelling. He is the initiator and annual host of the GameDays, taking place as Serious Games science meets business event since 2005 as well as Steering Board member of the Joint Conference on Serious Games and co-author of the first Serious Games textbook (2016).
Christian Hoppe studied educational science with a focus on media and adult education in Mainz and Frankfurt/Main. Between 2006 and 2012, he worked as a research assistant at Goethe University Frankfurt in the field of digital education. In 2012, he moved to Technical University of Darmstadt, where he has been head of the Unit “Digital Teaching and Learning” at the Center for Educational Development and Technology since 2014. His interests lie particularly in the areas of media didactics and innovative learning scenarios.
Florian Horn earned his master’s degree in computer science in April 2023 within the Serious Games research group at Technical University of Darmstadt. He joined the Serious Games group as a research assistant in March 2023 and has since been researching the intersection of serious games, AI, and educational technologies.
Mini Track Chairs
Michael Kickmeier-Rust is Professor of Psychology at the University of Teacher Education St. Gallen, Switzerland. Michael is holding a PhD in Cognitive Psychology and a background in software development. His research focuses on pedagogical diagnostics, competence assessment, serious games, and embedded, game-based training. His work aims to translate psycho-pedagogical understanding of learning processes into personalized training and individual support, grounded in frameworks such as Competence-based Knowledge Space Theory and Cognitive Diagnostic Models.
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Florian Mehm is a Professor of Game Development at Wilhelm Büchner Hochschule and former Technical Studio Director at Limbic Entertainment. He earned his PhD at Technische Universität Darmstadt on authoring adaptive educational games and has worked extensively on serious games, VR applications, and advanced game-development technologies. His research spans game AI, interactive learning environments, and the design of authoring tools for educational games. Florian has led several industry–academic projects and served on program committees for conferences on games and game-based learning.
Nour El Mawas is a Full professor at Université de Lorraine and CREM Laboratory (Pixel team). Her research is in the Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) Field. She is also member of Ikigai scientific committee. The Ikigai consortium gathers operators in education, cultural mediation and research aiming at revitalizing teaching and mediation through gamification. It builds and distributes educative games, provides large scale usage datasets and is involved in the development of new digital
Dr. Panagiotis Fotaris is a Principal Lecturer at the University of Brighton, UK, specialising in Game, Narrative, and User Experience Design. His research explores the use of escape rooms, generative AI, and immersive technologies in higher education, with a focus on enhancing game-based learning. Dr. Fotaris has authored over 40 publications, with more than 2,000 citations, and has led innovative projects on cybersecurity awareness and information literacy through educational escape rooms.
Francesca Dagnino is a senior researcher at CNR-ITD. Her research work is mainly related to game-based learning and gamification, learning design, and e-inclusion. She has led and worked in the research teams of several national and international projects on Game Based Learning.
Marcello Passarelli is a researcher at CNR-ITD, focusing on game-based learning and quantitative methods in education. He participated in multiple research projects on games, including Gaming Horizons, a H2020 project investigating the educational, psychological, and ethical implications of games and gamification.
Luke West is a postdoctoral associate at the University of Tübingen. His work includes research, teaching, and networking to better equip educators and students for creating and implementing effective Game-Based Learning interventions.
Sónia Pais, PhD in Education, is an Associate Professor at the Polytechnic of Leiria. She is a researcher at CiTUR – Centre for Tourism Research, Development and Innovation. Her research interests are in educational sphere, including how best to teach math subjects. She has interest in Mathematical Education, Educational Technology, Pedagogical Innovation and Game Based Learning.