Keynotes and Plenary Sessions

Nicolas Martin holds a Master's degree and PhD in Materials Science and Engineering. He leads a technical team supporting academics worldwide across multiple areas of engineering physics in research and teaching. He is Secretary of the International Materials Education Symposium, held annually at the University of Cambridge. His current work focuses on the use of materials knowledge in circular engineering design and sustainable development, both in education and research.

Chris Bradshaw brings together Bentley Systems' sustainability and education initiatives with the objective of empowering Bentley's users to achieve sustainable and resilient outcomes, while ensuring that the next generation of engineers has the tools and knowledge needed to succeed.

Xavier Fouger is an industrial engineer and former Science Attaché at the French Embassy in Vienna. He joined Dassault Systèmes in 1990 and has since developed innovation and learning initiatives with industry, universities and educational institutions around the world.

He founded the company's organisation dedicated to academia and later created the Learning Lab, which evolved into 3DEXPERIENCE Edu. He now works on industry-inspired learning centres and educational programmes for governments and engineering education communities. Xavier is also a founding member of IFEES and GEDC, an expert for the French engineering accreditation agency CTI, and a Fellow of both ASEE and SEFI.

Tanya Morton is Global Director of Customer Success Engineering at MathWorks, the makers of MATLAB and Simulink. She has worked at the forefront of innovation, engineering and science for over 30 years, including more than two decades in customer-facing roles at MathWorks.

She is passionate about sustainability and supports engineers and scientists working to understand and tackle climate change. Tanya holds an MA in Mathematics from the University of Oxford and a PhD in Mathematics and Computer Science from Vanderbilt University, where she focused on the mathematical foundations of AI.

Martin Koczmann works in Global Future Workforce Engagement at Siemens Digital Industries Software, focusing on building the world's future workforce. He develops and supports global programmes that bridge the skills gap between education and industry, helping students and universities prepare for the changing needs of the engineering workforce and digital transformation.

Dr Harry Day is Director of Education for Multidisciplinary Engineering Education and Senior University Teacher in Aerospace, Civil and Mechanical Engineering at the University of Sheffield. A Chartered Engineer with a multidisciplinary background spanning structural, mechanical and aerodynamics engineering, he has experience in both industry and academia.

His work focuses on bringing real-world engineering practice into education and creating engaging, inclusive and collaborative learning experiences. He teaches across a range of engineering disciplines and is particularly interested in practical and laboratory learning, engineering simulation, and the development of transferable competencies such as problem-solving, teamwork, confidence and autonomy.

Mauro Cimini is an Electrical Engineering student at the University of Rome Tor Vergata and President of the XXXIX Board of BEST. He is actively involved in advocacy, external relations and initiatives supporting students' transition from higher education to the labour market.

Teodora Maric leads the strategic development of educational initiatives for a network of more than 8,000 Industrial Engineering and Management students across Europe. Alongside her role in ESTIEM, she is completing her Master's degree in Industrial Engineering and Management, specialising in Organisation and Management of Enterprises, at the Faculty of Technical Sciences, University of Novi Sad.

Tatiana Vakhitova is a sustainability strategist with over a decade of experience in software product development and collaborative academic R&D, specialising in engineering teaching and research. She holds a PhD from the University of Cambridge Centre for Sustainable Development.

Her work has included the development of methodological frameworks and tools within Ansys Granta EduPack. Combining academic and commercial experience, she focuses on topics including design for sustainability, social life cycle assessment, circular economy and engineering education. Tatiana serves on the SEFI Board of Directors and co-leads SEFI's Corporate Committee.

Sonia M. Gómez-Puente is a Strategic Advisor for Innovation in Teaching and Learning and Program Manager of the TU/e Academy of Teaching and Learning at Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e). She has extensive experience in educational policy, curriculum development, and the design and implementation of educational innovation initiatives in higher education. Her research and professional interests include engineering education, academic staff development, curriculum design, coaching, and challenge-based learning. Through her research and educational practice, she contributes to advancing teaching excellence and fostering innovation in engineering and higher education.

Andrew Gunn is a lecturer at the University of Manchester, United Kingdom. He is a higher education specialist and the author of two books: ‘Teaching Excellence?: Universities in an Age of Student Consumerism’, published by Sage, and ‘Public Policy and Universities: The Interplay of Knowledge and Power’, coauthored with Michael Mintrom of Monash University in Australia and published by Cambridge University Press. Prior to joining the University of Manchester, Andrew was based at the University of Leeds, United Kingdom, for many years where he completed his doctorate in the School of Politics and International Studies, before undertaking postdoctoral research in the School of Education. He has held numerous visiting positions at universities internationally, most notably being Worldwide Universities Network Visiting Researcher at the University of Auckland, New Zealand. Andrew is known for authoring the first academic publication on the European Universities Initiative, published in 2020, where he coined the phrase ‘network of networks’ to describe the distinctive structure of the alliances.

Christian Lerminiaux is President of ParisTech and Director of Chimie ParisTech – PSL. He previously served as Director of the University of Technology of Troyes (UTT), President of CDEFI – the Conference of French Engineering School Directors – and Executive Director of the French National Association for Research and Technology (ANRT).

Before moving into higher education leadership, he worked in industry at Corning, where he held senior research and technology management positions in optical technologies.

Throughout his career, Christian Lerminiaux has been closely involved in the development of engineering education, research and innovation, with a strong focus on cooperation between higher education institutions, industry and international partners. As President of ParisTech, he contributes to strategic collaboration among leading French engineering schools and to their engagement in European higher education.

Professor Lindsay is the Professor of PBL and Digitalisation in Engineering Education at the Aalborg Centre for Problem Based Learning in Engineering Science and Sustainability (UCPBL). Euan's academic career has been spent at the frontiers of the discipline of engineering education. He is best known for his work in developing pioneering new models of engineering education that combine the authenticity of work- and problem-based learning with the flexibility of digitally enabled curricula. He has two decades’ experience in the digitalisation of engineering education, exploring what and how student engineers learn in digitally supported environments.

During his academic career, Euan has held a number of leadership roles in engineering education, serving as Dean, Head of School and Foundation Professor. He has been invited to give keynote presentations around the world, ranging from the UK to China to Bahrain. He is frequently invited to speak at panel sessions with themes like “Dangerous Ideas” or “Great Leaps Forward”. He serves on a number of advisory boards related to innovation and quality assurance in Engineering education, and is a Fellow of both Engineers Australia and the UK Higher Education Academy.

Euan believes most major challenges facing society today can be solved by engineers, including providing clean drinking water, energy sustainability or communications technology to keep people connected. He is excited about developing new engineering programs with a focus on making a difference, not just solving problems and making things, and hopes to inspire students to move forward in their careers with passion.

Full Professor at the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Politecnico di Milano, where she also serves as Rector’s Delegate for International Networks and Head of the PhD Programme in Environmental and Infrastructure Engineering. In 2025 she was elected to the European Academy of Sciences and Arts (EASA), and in 2026 she was appointed Dean of Class IV (Natural Sciences) of EASA. She has held leadership positions within the European Geosciences Union, the International Society for Porous Media (InterPore), the ENHANCE European Universities Alliance, and the T.I.M.E. (Top International Managers in Engineering) Association.

Her research focuses on groundwater hydrology, stochastic hydrogeology, porous media, uncertainty quantification, and sustainable management of water resources under changing environmental and climatic conditions. She has made pioneering contributions to the development of theoretical and computational methods for modeling groundwater flow and transport in heterogeneous porous media, with applications ranging from groundwater protection and contaminant transport to environmental risk assessment, water quality, and energy-related subsurface processes. Her recent work also addresses multiscale hydrological modeling, groundwater-surface water interactions, and nanoscale characterization of the time-space evolution of mineral surfaces under reactive transport conditions.

Prof. Riva has led numerous national and European research projects. She is founder and scientific leader of the MIPORE (Porous Media across Scales@Polimi, www.mipore.polimi.it) research group, effectively promoting an international and interdisciplinary research environment.

Timothée Toury is Secretary General and founding architect of the European University of Technology Alliance. An Associate Professor at Université de technologie de Troyes (FR), he is a graduate of ENS Paris and Paris-Saclay. He has authored over 45 peer-reviewed publications, patents, and book chapters, is editor of a journal and has led seven European research and innovation projects. He serves on the board of the French quality assurance agency CTI and acts as an expert advisor to international bodies on university governance and pedagogical reform.