- Julia (Maria) González Ferreras is Vice-Rector for International Relations at the University of Deusto in Bilbao, Spain. She studied History and Geography at University College Dublin, Anthropology in Italy and Geography at Oxford (D. Phil in Migration Studies). She teaches postgraduate courses in Migration and Intercultural Communication and Higher Education. She was promoter and coordinator of the thematic network, HumanitarianNet; European Joint Masters on Humanitarian Action and Human Rights, and of Joint Doctoral Programmes and Marie Curie Networks on Migration and Diversity and in Peace and Conflict Studies.

Together with Robert Wagenaar, Julia elaborated, designed and now coordinates the innovative project Tuning Educational Structures in the World. Based on close cooperation of hundreds of academics from Europe and around the world, Tuning has contributed to the modernisation of higher education by developing an approach for designing and implementing curricula using the student-centred approach and the concept of key competences and learning outcomes as focal points.

Julia’s innovative work on Tuning has put European ideas on the map in the higher education sector around the world.

Robert Wagenaar is a historian and, at present, Director of Undergraduate and Graduate Studies at the Faculty of Arts, University of Groningen in the Netherlands. He is an external higher education expert for the European Commission and has been involved in many initiatives to harmonise European Higher Education, such as the development of a European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) since 1988, the Qualifications Framework for the European Higher Education Area and a European Qualifications Framework for LLL. He also chairs the Dutch team of experts for the implementation of the ‘Bologna Process’ in Dutch higher education institutions.

Together with Julia Gonzalez, he elaborated, designed and now coordinates the innovative project Tuning Educational Structures in the World. Based on close cooperation of hundreds of academics from Europe and around the world, Tuning has contributed to the modernisation of higher education by developing an approach for designing and implementing curricula using the student-centred approach and the concept of key competences and learning outcomes as focal points.

Stephen Wilkins

Stephen Wilkins has worked as a lecturer in Business and Management for over 15 years. His positions have included Head of Retail Education and Training at Greenhill College, London, UK and Director for Professional Management Programmes at Dubai University College, UAE. He is currently a PhD candidate at the International Centre for Higher Education Management, University of Bath, UK.

The common denominator of Stephen’s work as a PhD student is to apply insights from business studies – particularly marketing and strategy – to the field of higher education. Stephen carries out conceptual and empirical research that also has a spin-off for practitioners. His research shines a light on the dynamics of competition between home and international branch campuses. His research on student choice (how will the next generation of students in the UK and abroad make their choices regarding higher education?) will have a practical impact for institutional marketeers and strategy-makers and for national policy-makers, in light of the current trends in higher education.

His recent articles demonstrate innovativeness, influence and impact on the theory and practice of internationalisation of higher education.

Laura Paternoster studied Law in Trento, and did an internship at the Ministry of Education and Research in Stuttgart. She later worked in Stuttgart/Sindelfingen at the Italian-German Chamber of Commerce. Laura has been involved in the international field for more than twelve years, mainly as expert in the management of joint and double degree programmes with both European and non-European countries. In 2008, Laura took up the role of Head of the International relations Division of the University of Trento.

Laura is an enthusiastic member of the EAIE who has in a very short time become active within our organisation. She is a MOPILE board member, a trainer at one of the EAIE training courses and has been a speaker at sessions and workshops at our own conference and at meetings and conferences of other international organisations such as AIEA and APAIE. By doing so, she not only represents herself and her institution, but also puts the EAIE at the forefront.

Simone Ravaioli was born and raised in Italy, Simone Ravaioli holds a Bachelor and Masters Degree in Management Information Systems from Loyola University in Chicago, USA. After a corporate experience in the USA he returned to Italy in 2006 through CINECA, the leading consortium of Italian universities dedicated to developing software for higher education. He currently holds the position of International Affairs Manager and Country Manager KION Turkey Ltd. Simone is founding member of RS3G - an international group of higher education implementers focusing on data exchange standards. He also represents RS3G in the European Standardization Committee (CEN).

Simone Ravaioli is a young and enthusiastic member of the EAIE who has in a very short time become active within our organisation. He currently acts as chair of DSDP - Digital Student Data Portability, a new EAIE Task Force.

Léa Senn has a BS in Languages and Linguistics and an MA in Communication, Culture and Technology from Georgetown University, US. During her MA studies, Léa focused her research on intercultural communication and its applications in the field of international higher education. She worked for the International Student Exchange Program (ISEP) in Washington, DC from 1997 until 2005. Upon completion of her Master’s degree, she moved to Italy in 2007 to take a position at Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Milan. Her responsibilities were to develop and implement a number of projects including the improvement of inbound services; the development of an undergraduate curriculum taught in English for inbound students first, then extended to local Italian students. As of 2010, Léa has taken on the role of Head Manager Inbound Programs and International Communications.

Léa Senn is a young and enthusiastic member of the EAIE who has in a very short time become involved within our organisation. She is an active board member of SAFSA and she has been speaker at sessions at our own conference and at meetings and conferences of other international organisations such as AIEA, AIEC and NAFSA.

Fred Paats is a graduate from Wageningen Agricultural University the Netherlands. He worked for 8 years in Liberia and Zambia for the United Nations and Dutch development assistance. Upon his return from Zambia, he joined the International Institute for Aero Space Survey and Earth Science, now a Faculty of the University of Twente, where he started as a lecturer in regional/rural development planning. Fred is presently Head of Education responsible for the implementation of all education programmes, education support services (such as social and administrative) and educational innovation (e-learning). Fred has been a member of the EAIE since 1995, he was the Chair of SAFSA 2001-2004 and the Chair of the Professional Development Committee 2005 to 2011.