Session
✅ Included for all participants
Building on EAIE conference feedback and high-impact pilots, this session will take a practical deep dive into how artificial intelligence can be effectively integrated into international student services. Learn how to deploy chatbots, automate admin tasks and deliver policy-safe content. Walk away with tools, examples and a pilot plan to enhance student support across the full international student life cycle, all while 'keeping the human in the loop'.
Virginia van der Ster‑van der Wel is a policy advisor at Nuffic in the Netherlands. She has extensive experience in international higher education, with a strong focus on digital transformation, international mobility, and the development of innovative and inclusive cooperation models across educational sectors.
At Nuffic, Virginia has been responsible for developing and implementing a cross-sector digitalisation strategy within the Dutch National Agency in the context of the Erasmus+ programme. In addition, she is leading efforts to design and implement a national strategy for the Green Transition within Erasmus+. She serves as the National Agency’s Digital Contact Point and contributes actively to European initiatives. Notably, she was the squad leader of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Squad in the European Digital Education Hub. Alongside her work in digitalisation and mobility, Virginia has developed expertise in impact, delivering several workshops in recent years focused on measuring and enhancing the outcomes of international education projects.
Before joining Nuffic, Virginia worked for 16 years at Breda University of Applied Sciences (BUas) as Project Manager and Policy Advisor Global Engagement. In this role, her core responsibility was managing and monitoring international cooperation with partner universities worldwide and ensuring that the mobility goals outlined in the institution’s international strategy were successfully achieved.
Virginia was also actively engaged from 2016 to 2022 as an elected Steering Group Member of the EAIE Expert Community in Mobility Advising. In this role, she contributed to knowledge exchange, professional development, and the advancement of best practices in international mobility across Europe.
She is known for her ability to translate complex policy frameworks into practical solutions and for building bridges between institutional practice, national strategy, and European collaboration.
Cato Rolea is a UK-based digital-transformation strategist with 10 years’ experience delivering AI-driven solutions for government, higher education and commerce. He leads AI for Global Education (AFGE), a charity advancing ethical AI literacy worldwide. As Assistant Director for Digital Transformation at ECCTIS, he has led technology, automation and AI initiatives supporting the UK Home Office and Department for Education. He also founded UniGlobal Technologies, creators of the first AI-powered Career Toolkit for international education professionals. A globally in-demand keynote speaker, Cato advises policymakers and executives on responsible AI adoption and measurable impact.
