Malcolm Payne has honorary professorial posts at Manchester Metropolitan University and Kingston
University, London. He was formerly the director of psychosocial and spiritual care, St Christopher’s Hospice, London, and has worked in many different forms of social work practice. His recent books include: An A-Z of social work theory (Sage, 2021), How to use social work theory in practice (Policy Press, 2020); Modern Social Work Theory (Red Globe, 5th edition, 2021).

Payne’s work is characterized by its theoretical rigor and its focus on the practical application of social work theory. He is a leading figure in the development of critical social work theory, and his work has been influential in shaping the way social work is taught and practiced around the world.

Liliana Rodrigues is Associate Professor with Aggregation at the University of Madeira (UMa) in Portugal. She has a Doctorate and Master in Education and Degree in Philosophy by FCSH at UNL.

She is President of the Faculty of Social Sciences since 2022 and Interim President of the Ethics Committee. She was Scientific Coordinator of Education at UMa. She is also Vice-President of the Canter for Research in Education/FCT (CIE-UMa) and responsible for the line of research in Community Development.

Liliana assumes the direction of the Doctoral Courses in Curriculum and Pedagogical Innovation and the Master’s course in Education and Community Development. She taught, as a guest, at Spanish universities, in Brazil and Lithuania. She is a researcher at CIE-UMa/FCT and was a research fellow in Austria.

She was a member of the European Parliament between 2014-2019. She remains linked to European policy at FMAEP. He is a member of the Independent Experts Group of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe.

She is Coordinator of the Education, Science and Higher Education Observatory at SEDES Madeira.

I am an ardent advocate for excellence in higher education, driven by a relentless pursuit of quality, recognition, and innovation. As the Manager of HE Higher Education Ranking, I lead initiatives that play a crucial role in shaping the landscape of academia.

My journey in academia started with a Master’s in Quality Management and Evaluation in Higher Education from Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, followed by a Ph.D. in Quality Management from Azteca University. These academic pursuits have laid a strong foundation for my expertise in Accreditation, Quality Assurance, and Higher Education Rankings.

As an entrepreneur, researcher, translator, and publisher, I am deeply involved in various facets of the academic world. My diverse interests encompass Management, Translation, Interpretation, and Academic consulting, contributing to a well-rounded understanding of the industry.

Throughout my career, I have made significant contributions to academic literature, with more than 20 published papers and 7 book chapters to my name. Additionally, I take pride in having translated 5 books, bridging language gaps, and promoting knowledge exchange on a global scale.

In recognition of my expertise, I hold key affiliations with esteemed institutions. I am privileged to be a part of the British Accreditation Council’s Accreditation Committee, the Slovenian Quality Assurance Agency as an International Expert, and the Agency for Control and Quality Assurance of Higher Education AKOKVO as an Accreditation Expert. My international engagements also include being an expert for the Kosovo Accreditation Agency KAA and the ECBE – European Council for Business Education, and Lead Auditor at the Centre of Assessments for Excellence (COAE).

My dedication to advancing knowledge and excellence in academia has not gone unnoticed. I am humbled to have been recognized with prestigious awards, including the International Institute of Organized Research (I2OR) National Eminent Young Researcher Award in 2020.

I am committed to fostering positive change in higher education and contributing to its continuous improvement.

Andrzej, PhD, is a sociologist and public policy expert, Assistant Professor in the Department of Public Policy of the Collegium of Socio-Economics at the SGH Warsaw School of Economics, Poland. He worked as the external expert of institutions such as the European Commission, URBACT Programme, Interreg CENTRAL EUROPE Programme, and Fondazione Cariplo.

Member of various scientific organizations such as the European Sociological Association, International Sociological Association, European School of Social Innovation, International Political Science Association, European Citizen Science Association, and Human Development & Capability Association.

Author of many scientific publications in the fields of gerontology, labor economics, public management and social policy, e.g., books: “Economic Foundations for Creative Ageing Policy”, the two-volume set, Palgrave Macmillan, New York 2015, 2017; “Generations, Intergenerational Relationships, Generational Policy: A Multilingual Compendium” (co-edited with K. Lüscher and M. Sanchez), Universität Konstanz, Konstanz, 17 languages, editions 2015, 2016 and 2017; and “The Sharing Economy in Europe: Developments, Practices, and Contradictions” (co-edited with V. Česnuityte, C. Miguel and G. Avram), Palgrave Macmillan, Cham 2022.

He is a Sections Editor in the “Encyclopedia of Gerontology and Population Aging” (Springer Nature, Cham 2021).

Dr. Begüm Burak is an independent researcher, currently based in Turkey.

In 2015, Ms. Burak got her PhD degree. During her occupation as a teaching assistant, she engaged in short-term academic activities in Italy, the United Kingdom, Bosnia, and Spain.  

The subject areas she is most passionate about teaching, researching, and writing about are democracy, free speech, political culture, critical discourse analysis, Turkey’s domestic politics and human rights violations in Turkey along with cyberspace debates, and media and politics relationships. 

Dr. Burak worked as a freelance researcher for several international projects including serving as a country expert for Sweden-based V-Dem Institute. She currently serves as an editorial board member in  international journals including Journal of Applied Learning and Teaching that is published by Kaplan Singapore and publishes articles for several local and global platforms both on a paid and voluntary basis.

Dr. Teresita Cruz-del Rosario was formerly Visiting Associate Professor at the New York University in Abu Dhabi and also at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore. She is currently affiliated with the Asia Research Institute at the National University of
Singapore where she is a senior research associate.
She has written and published four books all written in the tradition of political sociology and public policy. Her latest book “Far from my Hospital Bed: Reflections on the Pandemic and Society” (Penguin 2022) departs from traditional academic writing. She employs literary non-fiction as a writing genre to explore various pandemic-related themes, among them, altruism, racism, religion, and sexuality. In this book, she describes her writing style as part story-telling, part autobiography, part meditation, part memory, part history, part sociology, and part manifesto.

She has a background in Sociology, Social Anthropology, and Public Administration from Boston College, New York University, Harvard Kennedy School, and Harvard University Faculty of Arts and Sciences.

Sofia Bakirli is a Human Resource Educator and Consultant. She holds a BA in Educational Psychology, an MSc in International Human Resources, and a PG certificate in Adult Learning.

She worked in Spain, Sweden, Germany, Greece, and the UK, in European organizations (EPO, EPALE), Academia (Complutense, Linköping, Aristotle), multinational companies (Inditex S.A), international organizations (IOM), educational charities (UK charity commission).

She took positions as an Organization Manager, Education Research Assistant, Curriculum Developer, People Management Leader, Project Bid Coordinator, and Talent Acquisition Consultant. Sofia is a current Business Mentor at Women on Top, and at PWN Global, a Student Mentor at the University of Roehampton, an HR and Communications Lecturer at EUBS Munich, an HR Module leader at Derby University, and a Doctoral Researcher in Business Administration at the European University of Cyprus.

Miguel is a father of two and a Social Worker with 20+ years of experience in Portugal and the UK. His experience is both in academia (teaching and directing social work degrees) and in professional practice (he’s currently an Operational Senior Manager at FEVACA in the UK, overseeing all the residential children services of the company).

Was part of various committees of scientific events, and participated in several scientific events at a national and international level, publishing articles in areas of research within the domain of Social Work and Criminology.

His hobbies include traveling, sports, and watches, and has a very special interest in motorsports.