Prof. Irwin King, Fellow of ACM, Fellow of IEEE, Fellow of INNS, Fellow of AAIA, Fellow of HKIE

The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China

Professor Irwin King, a distinguished professor at the Department of Computer Science & Engineering, The Chinese University of Hong Kong. His research interests span machine learning, social computing, artificial intelligence, and data mining. Professor King’s extensive research has been recognized through numerous publications and awards in top-tier venues. He holds prestigious fellowships in the IEEE, INNS, AAIA, and HKIE, and is an ACM Distinguished Member. He serves as the Director of the ELearning Innovation and Technology (ELITE) Centre and the Machine Intelligence and Social Computing (MISC) Lab. Professor King obtained his Bachelor of Science degree from California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and his Master’s and Doctorate degrees in Computer Science from the University of Southern California (USC).

Prof. Kam Cheong Li
Dean of the School of Open Learning at Hong Kong Metropolitan University (HKMU);
The Director of HKMU’s Institute for Research in Open and Innovative Education.

Hong Kong Metropolitan University, Hong Kong

Prof. Kam Cheong Li is the Dean of the School of Open Learning at Hong Kong Metropolitan University (HKMU) and the Director of HKMU’s Institute for Research in Open and Innovative Education. He leads the university’s research in distance education and the development of big-data analytics.
In 2023, Prof. Li received two of the highest accolades in the field of distance education: the International Council for Open and Distance Education "Prize of Excellence" and the Asian Association of Open Universities (AAOU) "Meritorious Service Award." Each of these prestigious awards is conferred to only one distinguished individual in a year.
Prof. Li served as Secretary-General of AAOU for three years and is currently an Executive Committee Member and an International Accreditation Board Member of the association. He has also been a Visiting Professor at Middlesex University in the United Kingdom for over a decade, advising the university’s Doctorate of Professional Studies programme. Additionally, he has been appointed Visiting Professor at several institutions in China, including Hebei Academy of Social Sciences and Hebei University of Economics and Business.
A prolific researcher, Prof. Li is the Editor-in-Chief of the Asian Association of Open Universities Journal and serves as an Editor for the "Innovation and Technology in Education" section of SN Computer Science.

Prof. Yi Zhang
Central China Normal University

Central China Normal University, China

Zhang Yi graduated from the Department of Educational Information Technology of East China Normal University in 2003, graduated from the Department of Mathematics of Central China Normal University in 1989 with a bachelor's degree in computer science, and in 2014, he went to the University of North Texas to study technology for a year. He is currently a professor and doctoral supervisor of the School of Educational Information Technology of Central China Normal University, the head of the Department of Educational Technology, an adjunct professor of the National Digital Learning Engineering Technology Research Center, the deputy director of the China Education Informatization Research Center of Central China Normal University, a part-time graduate tutor of Wuhan University, and a visiting professor of Huanggang Normal University. She is currently a deputy to the 14th People's Congress of Hongshan District, Wuhan City, the chairman of the Central China Normal University Committee of the Chinese Peasants' and Workers' Democratic Party, and a member of the trade union of Central China Normal University. He is also an expert member of the International Organization for Standardization Digital Learning, Education and Training Technical Standard (ISO/IEC JTC1 SC36), a member of the Education Technology Committee of the National Information Technology Standardization Technical Committee, a member of the expert database of the "National Primary and Secondary School Teachers' Information Technology Application Ability Improvement Project", an editorial board member of the academic journal "Basic Education Reference", an external review expert of the journal "Electronic Education Research", and an expert of "Educational Technology Research and" Development", vice chairman of the Program Committee of the 4th Digital Gamified Learning Conference, and vice chairman of the Primary and Secondary School Teachers Forum of the GCCCE2014 Global Chinese Computer Education Application Conference.

Assoc. Prof. Hengtao Tang

University of South Carolina, China

Dr. Hengtao Tang is an Associate Professor and Program Director of Learning Design and Technologies at the University of South Carolina. His research lies at the intersection of self-regulated learning, multimodal learning analytics, and artificial intelligence in education. He examines how learners regulate their cognitive and metacognitive processes in intelligent online environments and how AI-driven adaptive supports can enhance their collaborative problem solving. Dr. Tang has published over 90 peer-reviewed journal and conference papers, with his research supported by organizations such as the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Education. His work has been recognized with several awards, including the USC Educational Foundation Research Award, Breakthrough Star Award, Garnet Apple Award, AECT Presidential Award, and the AERA Early Career Researcher Award.

Assoc. Prof. Christian Kahl

Beijing Jiaotong University, China

Dr. Christian Kahl is an accomplished Associate Professor of Business Administration and Deputy Director for Accreditation and Internationalisation at Beijing Jiaotong University. He is internationally recognised for his research on global graduate employability, cross-cultural management, and young adult learning, and has significantly contributed to EQUIS, AACSB, and AMBA accreditation. With leadership roles across Europe and Asia, extensive supervision of doctoral and master’s theses, and a strong publication record, he actively shapes quality standards and innovation in business and management education. His work consistently advances institutional excellence, student success, and the global dialogue on higher education development.