Maissa AZAB · Bibliotheca Alexandrina (BA), Alexandria, Egypt
Head of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina Cultural Outreach Sector Publications Unit since 2013, after leading the Publications Team at the Planetarium Science Center since 2006. She graduated from the Faculty of Fine Arts in 1999 and has a diversity of interests that combine the artistic with the realistic; she thus uses the art of the written word and graphic design to deliver science to the general public. Maissa is the Executive Director of the North Africa and Middle East Science centers network (NAMES).
Sophie BIECHELER · Universcience, Paris, France
Biecheler worked in different cultural and technological institutions in France before joining Universcience in 2009 as HR Manager and Director. Since 2015, she has become the Head of Institutional and International Relations in
charge of national and international affairs.
Carlos CATALAO ALVES · Ciencia Viva, Lisbon, Portugal
Joined the founding team of Ciencia Viva, Portugal, in 1996, and is currently part of its Board of directors. He teaches Science Communication and Education, Universidade Nova, Lisboa. He holds a PhD in Education, by the University of Cambridge.
Alain COINE · Universcience Partenaires, Paris, France
Alain is General Delegate of Universcience Partenaires since 2006. He has a rich international career in business and finance in Canada, Thailand, UK, US, Japan and S. Korea. He is Chairman of the French External Trade Advisers
Asia Pacific Committee, Vice-President of the Franco-Japanese Exchange Committee, and sits on several Directors and Supervisory boards of French and Japanese companies.
Amedeo COLELLA · Speaker of Mediterranean Bites: Savour and Learn
Amedeo Colella is a professional writer and storyteller who studies Neapolitan history. He wrote several books in which some of the less known stories and anecdotes about Naples, its culture, food and traditions are described.
Mariangela CONTURSI · Campania NewSteel Incubator, Naples, Italy
Mariangela has 20 years of experience in enterprise creation, development, innovation and internationalisation. Before heading the Campania Newsteel, she was the manager of Città della Scienza’s Business Innovation Centre. She
was also Head of Development Department of Naples Municipality.
Brigitte COUTANT · Ecsite Honorary Fellow, Paris, France
Brigitte was director of national and international affairs at Universcience. Coutant worked in Cité des Sciences, with expertise ranging from outreach programmes and travelling exhibitions to consultancy for designing new exhibitions, and institutional relations. She is a founding member of Ecsite and an Ecsite Honorary Fellow.
Flora DI MARTINO · Città della Scienza, Naples, Italy
Graduated in Earth Sciences, Flora Di Martino started working with Città della Scienza in 1999. She is currently head of the Unit of education and works on developing new activities about use of Information & Communication Technologies in the classrooms.
Hoda ELMIKATY · Bibliotheca Alexandrina (BA), Alexandria, Egypt
Hoda received her BSc in Electrical Communication from the University of Alexandria, and her Master’s degree in Parallel Processing from the University of Liverpool, UK. She joined the BA as part of the Construction Monitoring
Unit and in 2000, she took over the management of the Planetarium Science Center, where she introduced the first hands-on informal science education facility in Alexandria. She is the founder and 1st president of NAMES. Her main interest is in educational reform and the dissemination of science. She is a firm supporter of women empowerment, especially in the field of science.
Esraa ELREFAAY · Bibliotheca Alexandrina (BA), Alexandria, Egypt
She has been working at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina since 2008. Her career and academic plans focus on promoting cultural knowledge and public awareness. She started her career path as a Fundraising Specialist, then as a Publications Editor, giving her experience in the arts, history, heritage, and science communication. She is a team member of two significant projects: HE Funding and SCIplanet. She holds a BA in linguistics and translation, and is pursuing an MA in the history and civilisation of the Mediterranean.
Shahenda ELSAYED · Bibliotheca Alexandrina (BA), Alexandria, Egypt
A 2009 graduate of the Faculty of Arts, Shahenda joined the PSC in 2007 as a volunteer; she joined the PSC editorial team in 2008 as an outsource translator, becoming a full-time editor in 2011. She is one of the managing editors of the popular science magazine SCIplanet. She believes in the importance of relaying scientific information to readers in a simple, interesting manner. Working in a cultural hub like the Library of Alexandria, she enjoys being constantly introduced to interesting fields of science, heritage, and art.
Carla GIUSTI · Città della Scienza, Naples, Italy
Architect, exhibition designer, specialist in museology and science museums and expert in the development of ways to “translate” complex concepts into captivating experiences. As a Director of the Exhibition Team of Città della Scienza, she has been involved in the design of national and international museums and exhibitions.
Christian GOMARASCA · MUSE, Trento, Italy
Christian Gomarasca has graduated in Telecommunications Engineering. He has been working for Muse – Museo delle Scienze of Trento as a scientific explainer since 2005. He plays improvisation theatre and likes sports and technology.
Khaled HABIB · Cairo, Egypt
Khaled is a senior management and HR executive and an academic with a rich profile of regional and global expertise. He held leadership positions in multinational firms for many years. He is also a motivational speaker with high
credibility and influence in Egypt. Khaled is a professor of management and marketing and is one of few certified management consultants in MENA.
Mariano IADANZA · Città della Scienza, Naples, Italy
Mariano Iadanza is currently the Head of the Business Innovation Centre in Città della Scienza. He is in charge of the supervision of the processes related to the incubation and acceleration of innovative SMEs. He is also the responsible for the Advanced Training Centre.
Lourdes LOPEZ · Parque de las Ciencias, Granada, Spain
Lourdes is an International Ph.D. in Social Sciences and Master in Science Communication at University of Granada. She has a Master in Marketing from ESIC Business School. Since 2006 she has been working as Communications Officer for Parque de las Ciencias.
Guglielmo MAGLIO · Città della Scienza, Naples, Italy
Graduated in Natural Sciences, he has carried out Zoological surveys in Italy and abroad. He has been working at Città della Scienza since 1996, and currently he is the Manager of Exhibitions. He has experience in science education and communication, and has been lecturer in several Masters courses in Italy.
Mikko MYLLYKOSKI · Heureka, the Finnish Science Centre, Finland
Mikko Myllykoski is the experience director of Heureka. Mikko is a historian and has worked in science engagement since 1990. Heureka’s exhibitions travel worldwide and they’ve been seen by over 26 million people in 25 countries on 4 continents. Mikko is responsible for exhibitions, events, education and the planetarium of Heureka.
Kua PATTEN · Città della Scienza, Naples, Italy
Kua is the former Director of Exhibit Services at the Exploratorium. He currently operates his own consulting practice and sharing his expertise in exhibit development, fabrication, project management, administrative consulting and professional development with clients worldwide.
Amleto PICERNO · Città della Scienza, Naples, Italy
Amleto is an architect who currently is the FabLab Director at Città della Scienza and a lecturer in Computational Design at the University of Naples Federico II. He is the founder and scientific Head of Medaarch-Mediterranean
FabLab, visiting lecturer in Athens and Madrid, and scientific head and lecturer on the Digital fabrication and parametric design of the Italian National Institute of Architecture.
Pasquale RUSSIELLO
Expert in planning and monitoring of EU funds and financial instruments, has supported Regione Campania in evaluating the strategic plan and the budget of Teatro di San Carlo, Fondazione Donnaregina (Madre Museum), Teatro Trianon and others.
Rosalia VARGAS · Ciência Viva and Pavilhão do Conhecimento, Lisbon, Portugal President of Ciência Viva and Director of Pavilhão do Conhecimento, the Lisbon Science Centre. Since 1996, she has been leading the creation of a network of 20 science centres in Portugal. She was President of Ecsite – European Network of Museums and Science Centres, from 2013 to 2015.
Ayah YOUNIS · The Children’s Museum, Amman, Jordan Ayah Younis (B.Sc. Industrial Engineering- University of Jordan) is the Education and Programs Manager at the Children’s Museum Jordan, where she works with the team on producing and implementing interactive learning experiences through the mediums of programmes and exhibits.