ECEL 2026
25th European Conference on e‑Learning
ECEL Biographies
Below are the ECEL Biographies of the Conference and Programme Chairs, Keynote Speakers and Mini-Track Chairs.
Conference and Programme Chairs
Nam Aghaee is a Senior Lecturer in Informatics at Lund University School of Economics and Management in Sweden, specializing in digital learning technologies, user experience design within education and eHealth, and digital transformation. She received her PhD in Computer and Systems Sciences from Stockholm University in 2015, with a focus on Interaction Design and Learning. Dr. Aghaee teaches courses in digital innovation and transformation, designing digitalization, and managing information system; she supervises thesis projects in information system, educational technology, innovation in education and healthcare, and system design. Her current research work frequently examines how digitalization and AI tools can enhance educational settings. She has contributed to projects that integrate design-oriented perspectives, gamification, AI-supported project-based learning, and AI-resilient assessment. She plays an active role in shaping educational initiatives related to digitalization; also contributes to a range of departmental responsibilities at the Department of Informatics.
Paul Pierce is a Senior Lecturer in Informatics at Lund University School of Economics and Management in Sweden. Dr. Pierce received his PhD in Information Systems in 2013, concentrating on how alliances can enhance organizational ICT capabilities. His research examines digitalization and sustainability, with a particular emphasis on Smart Cities, healthcare systems, and supply chain transparency. He has participated in international and interdisciplinary collaborations that connect technological and organizational viewpoints. At Lund University, he leads the Master’s Programme in Information Systems and frequently serves as a track chair at academic conferences. His work integrates research, teaching, and industry engagement to explore how digital technologies shape societal and organizational transformation.
Keynote Speakers
Stefan Hrastinski is Professor, Deputy Head of Department for Research, and Director of Research Education at the Department of Learning at KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden. He leads the Digital Learning research group. His research interests include the design and evaluation of emerging methods and technologies for learning, online collaborative learning, human and artificial tutoring, and education futures.
Md Saifuddin Khalid is Associate Professor at the Department of Applied Mathematics and Computer Science (DTU Compute), Technical University of Denmark, where he leads LearnT – Centre for Digital Learning Technology and teaches introductory statistics and digital learning technology and entrepreneurship. His research concerns the development, integration and adoption of digital systems in education and training, with a current focus on the responsible use of generative AI in assessment and feedback. He coordinates the Erasmus+ KA2 project HEGenAI and contributes to MixAP-EU, and he has previously led or partnered in Danish Innovation Fund’s NURSEED, Erasmus+ EdViCon, MeCaMind, \& BLTeae and three Danish DIREC projects. He holds a PhD in Human-Centered Communication and Informatics from Aalborg University and was elected Teacher of the Year by the students of AAU’s Faculty of Humanities in 2016. He has published over 70 peer-reviewed papers, supervised 70+ Master theses, two PhD students as principal supervisor and two as co-supervisor.
Amin Jalali is an Associate Professor of Computer and Systems Sciences at Stockholm University, specializing in the development of IT systems for business process modeling, analysis, and management. His research emphasizes business process analysis through model-based and data-driven techniques, with particular focus on process simulation, process mining, event knowledge graphs, and object-centric process mining. He has led numerous research projects across healthcare, education, and finance, bridging academic and practical insights. Alongside his research, he serves as a board member of the department and manages three graduate courses: Business Process Design and Intelligence, Business Process and Case Management, and Data Warehousing. He also brings extensive industry experience in designing and implementing Business Intelligence and Big Data Analytics solutions.
Mini Track Chairs
Dr. Prakruthi Hareesh serves as the Smart Manufacturing Domain Lead at BITS Pilani, Work Integrated Learning Programmes (WILP). She holds a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Maryland, College Park, USA, with expertise in Mechatronics and MEMS transducer development. With over a decade of academic and industry experience, she has led more than 50 turnkey projects in the semiconductor and manufacturing sectors. At BITS Pilani, she leads Smart and Digital Manufacturing initiatives, developing industry-relevant curriculum with cutting edge experiential learning modules and learning factories in emerging areas like Cyberphysical systems and Digital twins, machine vision, autonomous and collaborative robots and extended reality. Her work bridges applied research and industrial practice, fostering innovation and workforce transformation in next-generation manufacturing.
Prof. Dr. Abbas Fadhil Aljuboori is working currently at Gulf College, Department of Computing Sciences, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman. He is also worked as a Deputy Dean for Scientific Affairs at AlShaab University, Baghdad, Iraq. He has a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Dongguk University, South Korea. Fulbright Visiting scholar – University of Central Oklahoma – Edmond – USA. International Advisory Board Member for CT University, India. He worked as a Vice President for Administrative Affairs and Head of Smart Cities Center at University of Information Technology and Communications, Baghdad, Iraq. Faculty Staff Member at Al Zahra College for Women, Muscat, Oman. Researcher and Manager in the Advanced Institute of Convergence Information Technology (AICIT) – South Korea, Head of Computer Science Department – University of Kerbala. Vice President of Iraqi Universities Accreditation and Quality Assurance Council for Computer Science and IT. His field of Interest are in Data Mining, Big Data, Artificial Intelligence, Cyber Security, Information Systems, Social Media Analysis, and Smart Applications. He is a Member of several of Academic and Professional Societies. He is an Editor-in-Chief, Editorial Board Member and Reviewer of many eminent International Journals and Conferences worldwide.