Prof. Dr. Bohinc is a full professor of comparative business and European law, and principal researcher at the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ljubljana in Slovenia, (UL FDV) and at the Scientific Research Center in Koper (ZRS), the latter which already closely collaborates with EMUNI. He researches EU law, comparative business law, corporate governance and social responsibility.
Prof. Dr. Bohinc has published several publications and monographs and has lectured at many universities abroad (USA – Fulbright, Germany, Spain, Italy, Austria, Czech, Sweden, Norway, Russia, India, Nepal, South Korea, and New Zealand) while he has been a speaker at numerous national and international scientific conferences and symposiums. For more on the new President’s background, go to: www.radobohinc.si
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. HamzĂ© 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. HamzĂ© 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. HamzĂ© 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 MĂ©rite Agricole” and the “Chevalier de l’Ordre National du MĂ©rite” (France), the “Chevalier de l’Ordre du MĂ©rite” (Italy) and the “Chevalier dans l’Ordre National de la LĂ©gion d’Honneur” (France).
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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”.
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Dušan Lesjak, Ph.D., professor of Management information system (2000) and Management of Education (2010), began teaching at the University of Maribor, Slovenia in 1985, and has been an active researcher, scholar and manager for more than 30 years focusing on Management and Funding of Higher Education, e-Learning, e-Business and Digital Marketing. He was a Fulbright Scholar, conducting Ph.D. in the USA. In recent years he is engaged in many international research projects dealing with education, higher education and e-learning in the EU, Western Balkans and Middle East. He was a State Secretary at the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology from 2006 until 2008 and a special advisor to the minister, responsible for higher education and science from 2012 till 2013. He was an acting president of EMUNI from 2013 till 2014. He is the Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Management in Education. He was awarded »Computer Educator of the year 2003« by the IACIS, received a Golden plate from the University of Primorska in 2005 and EMUNI Seal for the Euro-Mediterranean Partnerhip in 2018.
Alaa Abdelwahed Abdelbary has a PhD in Applied Mathematics from Zagazig University, Faculty of Science, in Egypt. He is Vice President of Postgraduate Studies and Scientific Research at the Arab Academy for Science, Technology, & Maritime Transport, Alexandria, Egypt. With a strong focus on applying innovative mathematical and computational approaches to solve complex physical problems, Prof. AbdelBary has made significant contributions to the field.
His expertise extends to the use of machine learning techniques for decision support systems, where he has demonstrated a keen ability to integrate cutting-edge technologies into practical applications. As the Vice President at AASTMT, he leads a dedicated team in the sector of higher studies and scientific research, overseeing numerous national and international projects in the field of science and technology.
Prof. Abdelbary’s influence in the academic community extends beyond his institutional role. He is an active member of the Naqaa Nanotechnology Network and the International Leadership Association, highlighting his commitment to fostering collaboration and advancing knowledge in his field. Additionally, he serves on the editorial boards of prestigious journals such as the Journal of Applied Science Research, Australian Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences, and International Journal of Renewable Energy Technology Research.
Prof. Dr. Abdelbary was Lecturer of Mathematics from 1998 – 2003 across the three colleges of the Arab Academy for Science, Technology, & Maritime Transport (the College of Business Administration, the College of Maritime Transport, and the College of Engineering and Technology). He is a distinguished academic and researcher with more than 300 research papers in reputable journals and conferences to his name.
He is also the legal representative for the Arab Academy for the EU, USAID, WFP, UfM, Unimed and EMUNI.
Karim Moustaghfir is Associate Professor of Human Resource Development, Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs, and Coordinator of the Mediterranean Program at Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane. He is also Visiting Research Fellow at the Centre for Business Performance – Cranfield School of Management (UK) and Visiting Professor at the International School for Social and Business Studies (Slovenia), the University of Salento and the University of Basilicata (Italy). Karim Moustaghfir is also member of the Senate and Chair of the Student and Study Affairs Committee of the Euro-Mediterranean University (EMUNI). After completing his Masters and Ph.D degrees, he worked as Research Fellow at the University of Salento (Lecce – Italy). He published different articles and papers in the fields of knowledge asset management, strategic human resource development, entrepreneurial learning, innovation, organizational behavior and performance. He also coordinates different national and international research/consulting projects in knowledge management, human resource development, knowledge and innovation, e-business management, e-Learning & distance education, and quality assurance in higher education. Karim Moustaghfir is member of several journal editorial boards and conference boards and also member of different professional associations in Morocco, Europe, and the US. Prior to his academic career he held management positions in the banking and management consulting fields. Karim Moustaghfir speaks four languages (Arabic, French, Italian and English).
Luigia Melillo, Ph.D. is the Rector of Pegaso International in Malta and Head of UNESCO Research Office for Ethics Lifelong Learning of European Center for Bioethics and Quality of Life. From 1980 to 2015 Professor of History of Medicine and Intercultural Bioethics at University “L’Orientale” of Naples, where she was Vice-Rector for University relationship with School and Adult Educational System and also President of Center of LifelongLearning, the first in Italian Universities.
Currently she is Professor of Medical Statistics at Università Telematica Pegaso, where from 2014 she has been directing the Euro-Mediterranean Center for Lifelong Learning (C.E.L.L.) and is the Dean of the Master’s Degree programme in Management of Sport.
Constantly involved in international meetings and conventions. She has been an active member of several national and international research bodies and commissions and coordinated many cooperation and mobility E.U. projects held in Euro- Mediterranean area, specifically about UAM (Unaccompanied Minors Migrants) and topic Towards an Euro-Mediterranean Lifelong Learning Community.
She published several papers and books about History of medicine, Intercultural Bioethics, migrants and human rights. She promoted the signature of a Manifesto/Declaration entitled “Lifelong learning as an emerging human right in Euro-Mediterranean Area” as deliverable of an EMUNI Think-Tank, organized by her in Naples at University l’Orientale eight years ago.
Rony Darazi holds a PhD in Engineering Sciences from the Ecole Polytechnique de Louvain in Belgium. He is the Vice-Rector for Cooperation and Internationalization at Antonine University in Lebanon, and has been Full Professor at the Faculty of Engineering since 2019. He was previously Associate Professor and Dean of the same Faculty. Prof. Dr. Darazi is the Higher Education Expert for the UNESCO Regional Office in Beirut, and has been a European Project Manager in multiple capacity-building projects since 2017. He is a member of the Technical Committee of the Higher Education Council for the Lebanese Ministry of Education and Higher Education and is a member of the Executive Board at the Universities Association of Lebanon (UAOLB) as well as an International Expert at the National French Agency for Quality Assurance. Prof. Dr. Darazi has published approximately 17 articles as author or co-author, spoken at numerous conferences, and has received several awards for his work, including from the Grant AUF-PCSI Inter-university Scientific Cooperation Project (2020-2022).
Jaka Vadnjal is Head of Academic Affairs at the Euro-Mediterranean University (EMUNI), Slovenia. His topics of teaching and research are entrepreneurship and linked topics, family business management, managing growing business, business environment and business and managerial economics. He has presented at prominent research conferences including Babson, Kaufmann, ISBE, ISPIM, Rent etc. worldwide. Having published over forty papers in scientific journals and four chapters in scientific books, Prof. Dr. Vadnjal is also co-author of several text-books on entrepreneurship.
As well as heading Academic Affairs at EMUNI, Prof. Dr. Vadnjal is also Managing Editor of the International Journal of Euro-Mediterranean Studies. He has experience in external quality assurance in education: participation as a representative of the accredited HEI in different positions (dean, president of senate, director of research, teacher) in the different accreditation procedures provided by Slovene accreditation agency NAKVIS and by international agencies AACSB, EQUIS, AMBA and FIBAA at different HEIs. His international experience in external quality assurance in higher education include membership of outside expert groups at the Croatian national accreditation agency AZVO, and ARACIS, the accreditation agency of Romania.
Jaka Vadnjal was born in 1965 and graduated in mechanical engineering before gaining a Masters in entrepreneurship and a PhD from the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia. Prof. Dr. Vadnjal has been visiting professor at several foreign universities. He also teaches part time at the Faculty of Economics of University of Ljubljana and Faculty for Accounting and Finance and at three universities outside Slovenia: Switzerland, Northern Macedonia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. He is also experienced in teaching online courses. He has 28 years of teaching experience in higher education institutions, including classroom and online teaching as well as mentoring final theses on all three levels.Â
At the end of 2019, he finished his mandate as CEO of a small bank, prior to which, he was dean at GEA College of Entrepreneurship, where he is elected full professor in entrepreneurship, teaching mostly courses related to entrepreneurship and small business management. He has been teaching there for more than two decades and managed and participated in several research, development and demonstration projects (FP, Tempus, Phare, Interreg, Leondardo, Erasmus etc.).
Rosario Sinatra, Ph.D. is full professor of Mechatronics and Applied Mechanics at the University of Catania, Italy. Deputy Rector for policies in the Mediterranean area; president of engineering courses; coordinator of various cooperation projects with Mediterranean countries. Member in various committees in the management of academic affairs, at regional and national level. It has many collaborations with many universities throughout the world and in particular with the MED countries. He is author of over 110 works, including those published in specialized journals, and presented at international conferences.
Prof. Lola Bañon CastellĂłn 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 FundaciĂłn 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 CastellĂłn 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 CastellĂłn has received several awards and serves as a member on the boards of several institutions.Â
Saša Pišot graduated in 1996 at University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Social Sciences in the field of Sociology (HRM). In 2008, she obtained Master of Cultural Studies and Anthropology at the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Primorska. In 2018 received her PhD in the scientific field: Sociology of Everyday Life at the University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Social Sciences, Slovenia.
Her basic research covers sociology of sports and sociological aspect of contemporary lifestyle and it impact on human activity or inactivity (focus on social factors in shaping lifestyles, physical performance of the studied populations, as well as other social phenomena related to kinesiology).
She is engaged in several scientific research projects, funded by European, national and private funds and regularly presents the research results at international conferences and published her scientific work in renewed international scientific journals with IF. Since 2010 she has recorded over 120 scientific and professional units (SICRIS units) in her bibliography (285 citation WOS and 308 88 citation Scopus)
She was a member of the group creating new study programs Applied Kinesiology 1st and 2nd cycle at the University of Primorska and from 2010-16 she taught seminars and practicum with social topics as Assistant at Faculty for Education and at study program Applied Kinesiology. She was visiting professor at the Faculty of Physical Education and Sport, University of Novi Sad (Serbia) in 2019.
Mounir Ghribi is Director of the Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence on Sustainable Blue Economy at the Euro-Mediterranean University (EMUNI), Slovenia.
Dr. Ghribi holds a PhD. in methods for monitoring environmental change from the University of Trieste; a Masters in Open Innovation and Knowledge Transfer from the Politecnico di Milano; a MSc in Environmental Management from the Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Chania, Crete; and an Engineering degree from the ESAM School of Engineering, Tunisia.
Dr. Ghribi is Director of International Cooperation and Research Promotion (ICAP) at Istituto Nazionale di Oceanografia e di Geofisica Sperimentale (OGS) in Trieste, Italy. He is also Director of the Advanced Masters in Sustainable Blue Economy jointly organised by OGS and the University of Trieste as well as the Coordinator for the Blue Skills Project for Developing Skills in the Blue Economy Sector in the Mediterranean, a project labelled by the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) in 2019 and winner of the Best Project Award in 2021. Dr. Ghribi is also Professor of Sustainable Development and Science Diplomacy at EUCLID Intergovernmental University.
A former United Nations Officer, Dr. Ghribi was in charge of capacity building and the fellowship programme at ICS-UNIDO (UN Industrial Development Organisation). He is a member of the UfM advisory board on Mediterranean for Jobs Initiative (Med4Jobs), and represents Italy in various other international initiatives, namely the intergovernmental forum for the Western Mediterranean Forum (5+5 Dialogue) for Research, Innovation and Higher Education, as well as the G7 Future of the Seas and Oceans Initiative. Dr. Ghribi also coordinates the internationalisation of the national Blue Italian Growth (BIG) cluster.
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Prof. ddr. Edvard Kolar is a senior research associate at the Institute of Behavioural Economics of the ZRS Koper. He received his PhD from the Faculty of Sport (2005) of the University of Ljubljana and from Faculty of Commercial and Business Sciences in Celje (2025). He also completed a master’s degree in sport management (2012) and Specialist studies in Project Management (2010) at the Faculty of Economics of the University of Ljubljana. His research interests include sports management, sports training, general and strategic management, and currently cognitive processes in decision-making processes, which was also the topic of his second doctoral thesis. As a coach, he won two world championship titles and four European championship titles with his athlete. In various roles, he was an active participant in 4 Olympic Games, 12 World Championships and 15 European Championships. Professionally, he has held several management positions, including Director of the sports directorate at the Ministry of education, science and sport, General secretary of the Slovenian Olympic Committee (OKS) and President of the Managerial board of Slovenian Sports Lottery. Currently he holds the positions of Vice-President of European Gymnastics and Slovenian Gymnastics Federation. In the past he was also a member of the Executive Committee of OKS, President of Expert Council of the Slovenian Government for Sport and member of the Council of the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG). He lectures at the Faculty of Organization Science and Faculty of Education at the University of Maribor, and he use to lecture also at Faculty of Economics of the University of Ljubljana. He has led more than 20 processes of preparing organizational strategies and national sports programs in different countries in public, private and volunteer sports organizations.
Luca De Cerreto is a Lecturer of French Language at the University of Urbino Carlo Bo (Italy), where he also teaches History of French Culture. He is concurrently a Lecturer in French at EMUNI University (Slovenia).
Dr. Dorsaf Ben Malek is an Assistant Professor of English didactics and pedagogy in the University of Tunis. She has built a distinguished academic career in higher education, with extensive experience in curriculum design, teacher training, and the development of innovative virtual learning environments. Her scholarly work centers on intercultural communication, instructional methodologies, and the integration of technology into language education.
Dr. Ben Malek has contributed to several national and international research initiatives and has participated in collaborative academic projects with institutions across different regions. She is the author of various publications and has presented her work at numerous conferences, seminars, and scientific gatherings. Her commitment to advancing pedagogical practices is reflected in her active involvement in workshops, training programs, and international academic networks.
In addition to her research and teaching responsibilities, Dr. Ben Malek serves as the coordinator of English programs and training at the Virtual University of Tunis, where she oversees program development, pedagogical strategy, and the enhancement of digital learning experiences for diverse student populations.
Moayad Hudhud is a second-year Master’s student in Kinesiology in Slovenia. He holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Health Sciences in Turkey and has completed approximately four years of clinical training across various hospitals in Istanbul. His academic interests focus on human movement science, functional assessment, and rehabilitation.
Moataz Samir was born in Egypt, He is a Master’s student in Intercultural Business Communication at EMUNI University. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce in Accounting and Business Administration from Cairo University. With a diverse professional background, Moataz brings valuable experience from both the marketing and banking sectors. Beyond his professional pursuits, Moataz is a dedicated advocate for student development. As a co-founder of “ELDER Cairo University,” a student activity aimed at bridging the gap between academia and industry, he actively contributes to preparing students for successful careers. Upon completing his studies at EMUNI, Moataz aspires to contribute to the Egyptian economy through consulting services for startups and corporates, while also exploring opportunities to share his knowledge and innovative teaching methodologies at Egyptian universities.