Teaching and Visiting Staff
University of Malta - Project Coordinator
Prof Carmel Cefai, PhD
Director of the Centre for Resilience and Socio-Emotional Health, and Professor at the Department of Psychology, University of Malta. He has led various national, European and international projects in resilience and social and emotional education in schools, He is a member of the coordinating team of the European Commission Network of the Social Dimension in Education (NESET) and leading author of numerous books, journal papers, reports and book chapters on resilience, mental health in school, and social and emotional learning.
University of Malta
Prof Paul Bartolo, PhD
Professor at the Department of Psychology, where he is coordinator of the Master training programme of psychologists. Coordinated national and European projects in inclusive education and was one of authors of the report Inclusive Early Childhood Education by the EU SEN Agency. He has successfully coordinated a 3-year EU Project on Responding to Student Diversity.
University of Malta
dR MADELINE SULTANA DUCA , PhD
Madeline graduated with a Bachelor’s in Psychology (Hons.) from the University of Malta in 2012. She went on to complete a Doctorate in Professional Educational, Child and Adolescent Psychology at the UCL Institute of Education in London. After training and working in diverse London schools, she returned to Malta, where she has been practicing for the past eight years. Madeline supports children and adolescents with developmental and learning challenges, collaborating with families, schools, and professionals to provide effective interventions. Passionate about inclusion and helping individuals reach their potential, she also supports access to higher education. Madeline contributes to training and professional development in schools and organisations, supervises and examines dissertations at the University of Malta and Institute of Education, and lectures on Educational Psychology.
University of Crete, Greece
Prof Anastassios, Matsopoulos, PhD
Associate Professor of School Psychology and a bilingual permanently certified school psychologist in the US, Greece and Cyprus. He has considerable teaching, clinical and research experience in the US and Europe in the areas of mental health, resilience and prevention programmes in schools. He has been involved in various EU and international projects in resilience education, well-being, teacher consultation, parent education and family resilience. Dr. Matsopoulos has numerous publications in resilience and socio-emotional health, he is the Acting President of the Hellenic Association of School Psychology (HASP) and currently he is faculty at the University of Crete in Greece.
University of Crete, Greece
Prof Chris Perakis
Prof. Perakis, a 2024 UNESCO Inclusion Award recipient, is a dedicated consultant with 45 years of experience in Differentiation, Inclusion, student support, and best-fit learning practices. She has led professional development globally, founded Greece’s first Holistic Learning Support Center at ACS Athens, and organized the Annual Learning Differences Conference for a decade. Since 2010, she has chaired the Inclusive Education SIG at ECIS and contributed to various educational organizations. Passionate about lifelong learning, she mentors future professionals through the Erasmus Mundus Flourish program.
University of Macedonia Thessaloniki, Greece
Prof AnastasIA pSALTI
Anastasia Psalti is a Professor of School and Counseling Psychology at the University of Macedonia. Previously, she spent 21 years at the International University of Greece-Sindos. She holds degrees from Northeastern University (USA) and a PhD from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. A former school psychologist with a decade of private practice, she also consulted for Pinewood International School. She has taught widely in Greece, been a Visiting Professor abroad, and participated in numerous research and training programs. Her work focuses on gender equality, school bullying, digital parenting, and the role of school psychologists. She is an active member of the LGBTI+ Research Network and has published extensively.
University of Lisbon, Portugal
Prof Celeste Simoes, PhD
Associate Professor with habilitation at the Faculty of Human Kinetics. She lectures in , Human Development, Health Psychology, Health Education, Inclusive Educative and Research Methods. Lead Portuguese researcher on the Comenius LLP (RESCUR, 2013-2015) and the Erasmus + (ENRETE, 2016-2018, and PROMEHS, 2019-2022). Former chair of the European Network for Social and Emotional Competences.
University of Lisbon, Portugal
Prof Paola Lebre, PhD
Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Human Kinetics, Lisbon University. Coordinator of the Erasmus Mobility for Psychomotor Rehabilitation students and International Summer School on Psychomotor Rehabilitation. Deputy coordinator of the Master in Resilience in Education in Portugal.
University of Lisbon, Portugal
PROF ANA SOFIA PINHO, PhD
Assistant Professor at the Institute of Education, University of Lisbon, Portugal, for the research
and teaching fields of Curriculum and Teacher Education. She holds a Ph.D. in Didactics,
specialising in Teacher Education. Areas of interest include linguistic and cultural diversity in
education, particularly multilingual and intercultural practices schools, and teacher professional
development.
University of Lisbon, Portugal
PROF CAROLINA CARVALHO, PhD
Assistant Professor at the Institute of Education, University of Lisbon, Portugal, for the research and teaching fields of Psychology and Teacher Education. She has a degree in Educational Psychology and a PhD in Education. Areas of interest include students learning, social and emotional competences and teacher’s education.
Stefan cel Mare University, Romania
Prof Aurora Adina Colomeischi, PhD
Professor at Faculty of Educational Sciences with 20 years’ experience as a teacher, counsellor, teacher educator and researcher. Her teaching areas include emotional education, psycho-pedagogical counselling, giftedness education, and teacher education. She coordinates a Master program for teachers in counselling and emotional education.
STEFAN CEL MARE UNIVERSITY, ROMANIA
Prof PETRUTA RUSU, PHD
Associate Professor at the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Suceava, Romania. Dr. Rusu currently teaches courses in General Psychology, Family Psychology, Research Methodology, and Strengthening the Resilience of Educational Professionals. Her research focuses on how couples and families manage emotions and stress, focusing on relationship dynamics, dyadic coping, parenting, and the well-being of both adults and children. She is particularly interested in how supportive relationships contribute to personal/professional well-being and resilience.
STEFAN CEL MARE UNIVERSITY, ROMANIA
Prof MARIA-DOINA schipor, PHD
Dr. Maria-Doina Schipor is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Educational Sciences, “Ștefan cel Mare” University of Suceava, Romania. She specializes in Developmental Psychology, Educational Psychology, and Learning Difficulties, focusing her research on the psychological aspects of children’s interaction with technology and counselling for successful learning and flexible adaptation. Her expertise extends to computer-assisted speech therapy, touch input, and learning in motor and visual impairment conditions. She has authored three books and published over 50 research articles in scientific journals, contributing significantly to the understanding of educational psychology, inclusion, and learning adaptation. Her professional career reflects a deep commitment to education, inclusion, and human-computer interaction research. Beyond academia, Dr. Schipor is a licensed psychotherapist specializing in Ericksonian hypnosis, bringing a practical dimension to her expertise in child psychology and emotional development.
STEFAN CEL MARE UNIVERSITY, ROMANIA
Prof otilia clipa, PHD
Otilia Clipa is Associate Professor PhD in Science of Education Department, “Stefan cel Mare” University from Suceava. Otilia CLIPA has a BA in Pedagogy and Psychology and MD in Integrated Pedagogy. Her PhD thesis approached the theme of evaluation in Higher Education. She published or coordinated over 20 books and many articles in international journals (over 80 articles). Also, she is involved in many research projects (national or European) in science of education field. She is a member of ARACIS( National Agency for Quality Assurance), member and vice-president of CSA (National Committee for Accreditation) and CIET (National Committee for Early Childhood Education). Areas of interest: preschool and primary education, assessment in education, teacher education, and didactics for university teachers.
University of Dalhousie, Canada
Prof Michael Ungar, PhD
Founding Director of the Resilience Research Centre and Canada Research Chair in Child, Family and Community Resilience. Consults and trains with the World Bank, UNESCO, and the Red Cross. Author of 15 books translated into 5 languages, numerous manuals for parents, educators, and employers and more than 180 papers and book chapters.
University of Pretoria, South Africa
Prof Linda Theron, PhD
Professor in the Department of Educational Psychology. Her clinical and research interest is in child and adolescent resilience, with a focus on how situational and cultural contexts nuance the multisystemic resources for the resilience of young people from disadvantaged communities. Has authored 100+ peer-reviewed publications in the area.
Orebro University, Sweden
Prof Sevgi Bayram – Ozdemir, PhD
Associate Professor at the Department of Psychology. Research and teaching focus on understanding the roles of family and school in the development of inter-ethnic relationships among youth, and identifying risk and protective factors within family, peer, and school settings for youth from marginalised backgrounds. Member of the executive council of the European Association for Developmental Psychology
University of Sao Paolo, Brazil
Prof Marilene Proença Rebello De Souza, Phd
Director of the Institute of Psychology. Conducting postgraduate in the Graduate Program in School Psychology and Human Development. Coordinates the Interinstitutional Lab for Studies and Research in School Psychology and leader of the CNPq Research Group Psychology and Schooling.
University of Sao Paolo, Brazil
dr. MÁRCIA HELENA DA SILVA MELO, PhD
Professor at the Institute of Psychology at the University of São Paulo, Brazil, coordinating postgraduate programmes in School and Human Development Psychology and Education and Clinical Psychology. Researching social and emotional learning and resilience in education. Coordinator of the Laboratory for Research and Prevention in Education and Health (LaPPES)
European School Psychology Training Centre
Dr. Olanda Momcilovic, PhD
Co-director and registered trainer of teachers and schools in crisis management and trauma in schools at the European School Psychology Training Centre. Specialised in supporting refugees deal with trauma, grief and building up resilience, and children with behaviour and learning disability. Chair of the International Crisis Response Network.
European School Psychology Training Centre
Dr. Jan-Erik Schmidt, Phd
Registered trainer of teachers and schools in crisis prevention and intervention, and teacher health and wellbeing at the European School Psychology Training Centre, and coordinator of the local crisis-intervention-at the International School Psychology Association ISPA.
Fachhochschule Nordwestschweiz, Switzerland
Prof Wassilis Kassis, Phd
Professor at Fachhochschule Nordwestschweiz FHNW and leading researcher on resilience, with a particular focus on longitudinal approaches to resilience processes and resilience outcomes of adolescent students. Researching academic, personal, emotional, and social resilience in young people from adverse environments.
University of Rijeka, Croatia
PROF DARKO ROVIS, PHD
Darko Roviš, Phd, is Head of the Department of the Mental Health Promotion and Protection at the Teaching Institute for Public Health of the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, and Assistant Professor at the Department of Social Medicine and Epidemiology, Faculty of Medicine, and the Department of Public Health, Faculty of Health Studies, University of Rijeka, Croatia
Dublin city university, Ireland
PROF Paul downes, PHD
Paul Downes is Professor of Psychology in the School of Human Development, Institute of Education, Dublin City University, Ireland and Affiliate Professor, University of Malta. With over 120 peer-reviewed publications in areas of psychology, philosophy, education, law, anthropology and social policy, he has given keynote lectures and invited presentations in 30 countries, with invitations from 16 different countries’ official ministries to present his research on inclusive systems and relational spaces. Chair of the Editorial Board of the British Educational Research Journal (BERJ), he is lead editor of The Routledge International Handbook of Equity and Inclusion in Education. He has been involved in various expert advisory roles for the European Commission, including its School Policy Working Groups, the Pathways to School Success Expert Group and the European Education and Training Expert Panel. His book Reconstructing Agency in Developmental and Educational Psychology: Inclusive Systems as Concentric Space (Routledge 2020) was nominated for the American Psychological Association’s (APA) William James Book Award.