Biographies

Professor Maja Pivec
Maja Pivec, Ph.D, is professor of Game Based Learning and Learning with Multimedia at the University of Applied Sciences FH JOANNEUM in Graz, Austria. For her research achievements Maja Pivec received in the year 2001 Herta Firnberg Award (Austria) in the field of computer science. In the 2003 she was awarded by European Science Foundation in form of a grant for an interdisciplinary workshop organisation in the field of affective and emotional aspects of human-computer interaction, with emphasis on game-based learning and innovative learning approaches. She is co-ordinator, scientific leader or partner in several EU or national founded projects. She is editor and co-editor of two book publications in the area of innovative learning approaches. She is guest editor of British Journal of Educational Technology, Special issue on learning from games, May 2007. Her research work is published and presented at more than 70 international conferences and publications. She is international advisory board member of MJET – Malaysian Journal of Educational Technology. She is Program Committee member of GAMEON conferences and F.R.O.G. conference.  She is reviewer for European Science Foundation and for British Journal of Educational Technology (BJET).

Maja Pivec

Professor Thomas M Connolly
Thomas Connolly is a Professor in the School of Computing at the University of the West of Scotland, having managed the Department of Computing and Information Systems for several years. Thomas worked for over 15 years in industry as a Manager and Technical Director in international software houses before entering academia. His specialisms are games-based learning, online learning and database systems. He has developed three fully online MSc programmes and developed and leads the undergraduate BSc Computer Games Technology programme. He is co-author of the highly successful academic textbooks Database Systems (now in its 4^th edition) and Database Solutions (in its 2^nd edition). He is a reviewer for several international journals and has been on the committee for various international conferences. He is a member of CPHC (Council of Professors and Heads of Computing) and member of the Higher Education Academy.

Thomas Connolly

Dr Mark Stansfield
Dr Mark Stansfield is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Computing at the University of the West of Scotland. He has a PhD in Information Systems and has written and co-written more than 70 refereed papers in areas relating to e-Learning, games-based e-Learning, information systems and e-Business. Journals in which papers have been published include the European Journal of Information Systems, Systems Practice and Action Research, the Journal of Further and Higher Education, the Journal of Electronic Commerce Research, the Journal of IT Education, and Computers and Education. Mark also serves on the editorial boards of several international journals that include the International Journal of Information Management, Journal of Information Systems Education, ALT-J and the Journal of IT Education. Mark was appointed Member of the International Association of Science and Technology for Development (IASTED) Technical Committee on Education for the term 2005-2008 and is a Registered Practitioner of the Higher Education Academy in the UK. He has presented papers at international conferences for over 15 years and has won Best Paper Awards at a number of conferences that include the UK Systems Society Conference in 1993 and the Informing Science and IT Education Conferences in 2003 and 2006

Mark Stansfield

Dr Tobias Bevc
Dr Bevc was awarded his PhD in 2004 in Augsburg, Germany in Political Theory. From  2004 - 2008, he has been a lecturer at the Lehrstuhl für Politische Wissenschaft at Technische Universität München. Since Spring 2008 he is lecturer at Goethe University of Frankfurt. One of his research foci since 2005 is the Construction of Society and Politics in Video Games. Further focus of research: Political Theory and History of Ideas, Visual Politics/Film and Politics. He was a consultant in the development of the 2007 published video game "Genius Politik" (Cornelsen Verlag). Recent Publications are: Tobias Bevc (ed.) (2007): Computerspiele und Politik. Zur Konstruktion von Politik und Gesellschaft in Computerspielen, Münster. ( Videogames and Politics) and Tobias Bevc (2007), Politische Theorie, Konstanz. (Political Theory).

Tobias Bevc

Professor David Brown
David J. Brown is Professor in Interactive Systems for Social Inclusion at Nottingham Trent University. He is International Project Coordinator for two EU Leonardo da Vinci projects to develop GBL approaches to develop vocational skills in people with learning disabilities and sensory impairments. David is also responsible for the research strategy development for Nottingham Trent’s new Centre for Contemporary Play - creating a world-class centre of excellence, forwarding the understanding and appreciation of computer and videogames by conducting and promoting dynamic, innovative and interdisciplinary research, and .developing new strategies for the embedding of informal learning into the everyday.

David Brown

Dr Hamish Macleod
Hamish Macleod is a member of the School of Education at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. He has a background in psychology, and a longstanding interest in learning technology, particularly exploratory approaches to learning supported by information and communication technologies. He is presently Co-Director of the University’s MSc in eLearning.

http://www.education.ed.ac.uk/e-learning/

Hamish Macleod

Elias Pimenidis
Elias Pimenidis is a Senior Lecturer at the University of East London in the UK. He has been the programme leader for the BSc (Hons) Computer Games at UEL from 2003 to 2006 and over the past three years he has been increasingly involved with research in and development of games for educational purposes both in a Higher Education environment and for vocational training. Following the successful implementation of a library induction game for use at UEL, Elias and his team are currently working on educational games targeting to develop specific work based skills for H.E. students and professionals alike.

Elias Pimenidis

Dr Genaro Rebolledo-Mendez
Genaro Rebolledo-Mendez is a researcher at the Serious Games Institute, University of Coventry. Previously, he was a Research Fellow at the London Knowledge Lab, University of London and the IDEAS Lab, Sussex University. Genaro’s interest is the design and evaluation of educational, game-based technology that adapts sensitively to affective and cognitive differences among students. To do so he studies how cognitive and affective differences impact students' behaviour while interacting with educational technology and how, in turn, technology impacts students' learning. To that end he uses techniques from Artificial Intelligence, Computer Science, Education and Psychology.

Genaro Rebolledo-Mendez

Dr Daniela Romano
Dr Romano conducts research in the area of Virtual Reality for educational purposes, otherwise known as technology Enhanced Learning, Game-based learning or “Serious Games”. This is a multidisciplinary research area that requires competences in 3D graphics as well as HCI, Psychology, Software Engineering, Education and AI. Currently she manages a research team within the Kroto Research Institute for Multidisciplinary Engineering Research, composed of 10 researchers. She has been awarded a PhD in Computer Based-Learning, Education Department, University of Leeds in January 2001. Prior to her academic career Dr Romano worked in the software industry for six years at leading international companies including Microsoft and Ford Motor company, where she managed European projects and teams of programmers. She has been working in academia for the past 12 years in a variety of research positions. She is currently a Lecturer in Computer Science at University of Sheffield.

Daniela Romano

Professor Penny Standen
Penny Standen is Professor in Health Psychology and Learning Disabilities at the University of Nottingham. Her main area of research is developing and evaluating virtual environments and interactive software for people with intellectual disabilities She is currently collaborating with colleagues on the use of VR in stroke rehabilitation.

Penny Standen