Prof. Mouin Hamze (Chairperson of Management Board) from Lebanon obtained his “Doctorat d’Etat – Es Sciences” from the University of Montpellier, France. He started his academic career at the Lebanese University where he established the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences and acted as its Dean from 1985-1997. He was concurrently acting as Chairman of the Lebanese Agricultural Research Institute. In 1998, M. Hamzé was appointed Secretary General of the CNRS-L, where he has given special attention to the launching of research and capacity building programmes including: the Ph.D. Scholarship Program, the Joint Grant Research Program, the Associated Research Units Programme, and the Research Excellence Award in Lebanon. Since 2006, he has developed and implemented a fundamental science policy programme for Lebanon, while in 2016 he has led an initiative to develop the Charter of Ethics and Guiding Principles of Scientific Research in Lebanon, which was later confirmed as the basis for a regional Arab charter. M. Hamzé has authored several books and scientific papers, led EU and international projects, chaired numerous international and regional meetings, and has been actively involved in several international organizations, including: CIHEAM, IAEA, COMEST-UNESCO, ICARDA, ESCWA Technology Centre (ETC), AUF, PRIMA-EU and most recently (in 2019) joined as member of the EMUNI Management Board. In recognition of his work, M. Hamzé received two “Doctor Honoris Causa” from the University of Haute Alsace and from the University of Montpellier in France and was awarded the “Chevalier de l’Ordre du Mérite Agricole” and the “Chevalier de l’Ordre National du Mérite” (France), the “Chevalier de l’Ordre du Mérite” (Italy) and the “Chevalier dans l’Ordre National de la Légion d’Honneur” (France).
After a career as international researcher in Mathematics and full professor of Algebra at the University of Trieste, Maria Cristina Pedicchio (Vice Chairperson of Management Board) from Italy has dedicated herself to the management of public and private research institutions, developing strong skills in the field. She is President of the FVG Maritime Technological Cluster, Marefvg, in Italy. She has held various positions, including as former President of the National Institute of Oceanography and Experimental Geophysics (OGS), and of the Area Science Park in Friuli Venezia Giulia. She is Chairman of the Scientific Technical Committee of the National Agency for the Promotion of European Research (APRE) and a member of the ISPRA SC. She has been collaborating with the European Commission for years and is an expert in the “Seas and Oceans” Mission (Starfish Mission) Board. Prof. Pedicchio is also Secretary General of the Environmental Marevivo FVG Association, and is the recipient of Commander, Order “of Merit of the Italian Republic”.
Prof. Hassan Nadir Kheirallah from Egypt is a Professor of microwave engineering at the faculty of engineering, Alexandria University. Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Alexandria University. Master and PhD degrees from Carleton University, Canada. Former president of Alexandria University and of the French University in Egypt and of Senghor University. Former member of the board of trustees of the bibliotheca Alexandria and of the Egypt-Japan University for Science and technology (EJUST). Former chairman of the Projects Management Unit at the Ministry of Higher Education in Egypt. Expert in Higher Education and Internationalization. Member of the management board of EMUNI University. Currently Counsellor for the president of Alexandria University for international relations. Holder of the Scientific Research prize from Alexandria university. Holder of the Taha Hussein prize from Alexandria University. Holder of “Chevalier de l’Ordre National du Mérite Français”.
Ambassador Hatem Atallah from Tunisia (chairperson) is coming from a rich diplomatic background that encompassed over 35 years, Ambassador Atallah was the Tunisian Ambassador in several countries including the US, the UK, South Africa and Ethiopia, He was also the Permanent Representative of Tunisia to the Organization of American States, the African Union, the Economic Commission for Africa, UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme), UN-Habitat, and the International Maritime Organization. He was appointed Diplomatic Advisor to the Head of the Tunisian Government until February 2015. Ambassador Atallah participated in numerous summits, ministerial meetings and high level conferences of the African Union, the United Nations and the Union for the Mediterranean. He gave numerous conferences on political, diplomatic and cultural themes in several universities in the United States and the United Kingdom. From March 2015 to December 2017 he served as Executive Director of the Anna Lindh Foundation for Dialogue between Cultures in the Euro-Mediterranean Region. Ambassador Atallah serves on the Board of Governors of the Gorée Institute in Sénégal and is a founding member of « AVASP » (Institute for Strategic Analysis and Prospective Studies – Tunis). He is also member of the Association of International Studies and teaches at the Diplomatic Institute in Tunis.
Prof. Moustafa Bousmina is the President of the Euro-Med University of Fez. Professor Bousmina is presently the Chancellor of the Hassan II Academy of Science and Technology in Morocco and responsible for the Euromed University project. In 2008, he created the Institute of Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology (INANOTECH) in Morocco and acted as the General Director of the Institute from 2008 to June 2011. His work has brought crucial contributions in the field of Chemical Sciences. Prof. Bousmina also built the sole instrument in the world that combines rheometry with x-ray, ultrasound, light scattering, birefringence, dichroism, dielectric measurements, magnetorheology, electrorheology and in-situ visualization. He also derived a well-known equation that allows extracting the shear rate and the stress (and thus the viscosity) from a batch mixer with any geometry. This equation is now installed on the entire commercial batch mixers sold worldwide by ThermoHaake and Brabender, and other companies.
Prof. Rado Pišot from Slovenia, is director of the Science and Research Centre Koper. He is a professor and scientific councillor in the field of Kinesiology, He was one of the initiators who designed the bases for the establishment of the University of Primorska (UP) as well as the initiator for the foundation and the first dean of the Faculty of Education of the UP, Koper(2003–2007). (2007-2011) he was the Vice Chancellor in the field of scientific, research and developmental work of the UP. Since the establishment in 2004 and until March 2013, he was the head of the Institute for Kinesiology Research at the Science and Research Centre, and a member of the Scientific Council of the UP SRC as well as the member of the Senate of the UP. He was a director of the UP Science and Research Centre (UP SRC) (2013 – 2016). After establishment of the new, independent public research Centre by the Government of Slovenia – Science and Research Centre of Koper (SRC KP), Slovenia, he become a director of the new SRC KP (2017-). His priority research areas include the study of motor development and motor learning, as well as the diagnostics and research of skeletal muscles, where emphasis is put on monitoring adaptive capacities of skeletal muscles in diverse environments and life characteristics. His research achievements have been published in many internationally known journals (123 scientific papers; 800 citations). He is author of many scientific monographs, manuals and textbooks. He was invited as a guest professor at many universities and international conferences worldwide. He managed (PI) and collaborate in several national and international projects. Some of them: Bed Rest The Impact of Simulated Weightlessness on Human Organism (6 studies financed by European Space Agency; Italian Space Agency); international scientific project: Metabolic Detection of Insulin Abuse in Sportsmen, financed by the World Anti-Doping Agency; international scientific project: Adaptation of Muscle Tissue, Central and Peripheral Oxidative Stress in Bodybuilders financed by the Universities of Udine and Manchester; Interreg Slovenia Italy PI: PANGeA – Physical Activity and Nutrition for Quality Ageing, and MEMORI-net–Mental and Motor Rehabilitation of Ictus-Network financed by the EU;… . He is a head of research programme Kinesiology for the Quality of Life, editor of many conference proceedings and member of editorial committees of several international scientific journals. For his research, work and contribution, he was awarded at national and international level.
João Lobo is Project Analyst at the Higher Education and Research Division of the
Union for the Mediterranean since 2019. He coordinates the UfM Higher Education
Stakeholders’ activities (e.g., Public Consultations, meetings with relevant institutions
and networks) and monitors project work plans and progress. He has more than ten
years’ experience as Officer in Higher Education, Research and Culture of the
Euroregion Pyrenees-Mediterranean: building up networks of higher education and
cultural stakeholders, drafting successful applications, managing, and monitoring
European projects and specific Calls for Proposals in the fields of Higher Education
[Double Degrees, Jointly Supervised Theses] and Culture [support to territorial
cooperation projects]. Previously, he had worked for many years on intercultural and
interreligious dialogue, as manager of youth events.
Prof. Lola Bañon Castellón from Spain holds a PhD (cum laude) in Journalism from the Universitat de València and a degree in Information Sciences from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. She is a lecturer in television journalism at the Faculty of Philology, Translation and Communication at the Universitat de València and a Collaborating Lecturer in Corporate Communication at the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya. She is also co-director of the postgraduate course in Mediterranean Societies – Citizenship and socio-political changes in the Mediterranean at the Universitat de València.
Prof. Bañon Castellón teaches on the Master in New Journalism, Political Communication and Knowledge Society and is a visiting lecturer on the Master in International Relations at the University of Bedfordshire in England and on the Master in Conflict Management and Alliance of Civilisations at the Euro Méditerranéenne University in Fès, Morocco.
She has been a practising journalist for 25 years at the Valencian regional television station, where she has worked mainly on international news. She has been special envoy for coverage of conflicts in the Middle East and the Maghreb and at diplomatic summits of the European Union. In the field of international relations, she has been director of the Fundación Asamblea Ciudadanos y Ciudadanas del Mediterráneo (FACM) and lecturer in International Mediation in the Master’s Degree in Mediation at the International University of Valencia. Prof. Bañon Castellón was coordinator of the Committee of Experts that advised the Valencian Parliament in the process of drafting the Law for the restitution of the public radio and television service in the Valencian Community.
She is the author of the book Palestinos ( Planeta) and of several publications in the field of research and dissemination. Her lines of work are television legislation, international information, the Arab and Mediterranean world, mediation and gender.
She is a member of the Prospective and Research in Communication, Culture and Cooperation group (LAPREC) attached to the Department of Journalism at the Autonomous University of Barcelona. as well as a member of the International Jury of the Al Jazeera Documentary Festival.
Prof. Bañon Castellón has received several awards and serves as a member on the boards of several institutions.
Augusto Santos Silva was born in Porto, Portugal, in 1956. He holds a PhD in Sociology (1992) and is full professor at the Faculty of Economics, University of Oporto. His research interests cover a broad range of social sciences, from sociology to political science and international relations. He was the speaker of the Portuguese Parliament (2022-2024), minister of Foreign Affairs (2015-2022), minister of Defence (2009-2011), minister for Parliamentary Affairs (2005-2009), minister of Culture (2001-2002), and minister of Education (2000-2001) He was also member of the Parliament (2002-2005, 2011, 2022-2024).
He authors several books on sociology of culture, political theory, and methodology of social sciences.
Jernej Širok is a secretary at the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation where he held the position of Director General of the Directorate for Higher Education in 2023. He is representing Slovenia in the High Council of the European University Institute, the Bologna Follow-up Group and in the European Quality Assurance Register for Higher Education. His decade long previous professional experience is from the field of external quality assurance in higher education. He holds a PhD in
Sociology of Culture and an M.Sc. in German language and literature, both from the University of Ljubljana.
Lina Kaldana from Slovenia (representative of EMUNI employees) has been serving as the Secretary General of EMUNI since April 2024. With over 15 years of diverse experience in business consultancy and higher education, her career spans roles from operational management in IT companies to university lecturing. Lina specializes in business reorganization for small enterprises and has a deep expertise in finance and management.
Prior to marrying HRH Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein, Princess Rym worked extensively for international broadcasters including CNN, where she began as a producer in 1998 and later worked as a Baghdad correspondent from 2001 until 2004. She had developed her portfolio working for the BBC, Dubai TV, Bloomberg TV, Radio Monte-Carlo Moyen-Orient and United Press International-UPI.
A graduate of Columbia University’s School of Journalism, Princess Rym Ali also holds a MPhil in Political Science from the Institut d’Etudes Politiques in Paris and a MA in English Literature from the Sorbonne.
Princess Rym Ali received a prestigious Alumni Award from the Columbia University School of Journalism in April 2011. In July 2011, she was also awarded the “Best International Journalist” prize at the 32nd Ischia International Journalism Awards Ceremony, one of the most renowned journalistic awards in Italy.
In September 2011, Princess Rym Ali received the French Knight of the Legion of Honor decoration from the French government.
In October 2012, the Global Thinkers Forum awarded Princess Rym Ali the Excellence in Media Award. In November 2013, Princess Rym Ali received a PhD honoris causa from Coventry University – England, for her contribution to the field of Journalism and Media and as founder of the Jordan Media Institute.
Tasnim Dar Yousef is the Student Representative at EMUNI University. She is a development and innovation professional with extensive experience supporting micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), digital transformation, and inclusive economic growth.
She currently serves as Chief of the “Monshati” Unit at the Central Bank of Palestine, where she leads national platforms and programs focused on MSME financing, capacity building, and private-sector development, with a strong emphasis on women- and youth-led enterprises.
Tasnim holds a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Systems Engineering from Birzeit University and is pursuing her Master’s in Intercultural Business Communication at EMUNI University. She is a Professional Member of the ESG Business Institute, reflecting her engagement in sustainability, governance, and responsible business practices. Her work bridges technology, policy, and entrepreneurship, with a strong commitment to sustainability, good governance, and regional cooperation.
Ioannis Panagiotopoulos from Greece has been active in recent years as a Primary Education Teacher and as a Professor of Management and Economics in Adult Education. He has over twenty years of professional experience as a Department Manager in industry sectors such as metallurgy, chemical industry and FMCG.
His academic profile consists of undergraduate and postgraduate studies in Business Administration, undergraduate and postgraduate studies in Management of Education. Currently, he is a postgraduate student in the IBC Master’s programme of EMUNI University.
His interests are History, Geography, Management, Education, Marketing and Artificial Intelligence. His next goal is to complete a Ph.D.