Medlir Mema

ACADEMIC COORDINATOR

Prof. Medlir Mema is the Head of Programme for Artificial Intelligence and Global Governance at the Global Governance Institute. He is also Professor of International Relations at the Brigham Young University Idaho in the United States. Previously, he was an Associate Professor of Political Science at Tokyo International University in Japan, Adjunct Faculty at Vesalius College, and a Senior Associate Researcher at the Institute for European Studies - VUB in Brussels, Belgium. Medlir holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from the George Washington University, and a MA in European Studies and International Economics from Johns Hopkins University—School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). As co-founder and co-host of the “Age of AI” podcast, Medlir spends a lot of time, reading, researching, writing, and discussing topics related to the impact of emerging technologies, including AI on global governance and the future of education.

Prof. Justin Bullock is a Non-Resident Senior Fellow in the AI and Global Governance Programme. He is also an Associate Professor Affiliate of Governance at the University of Washington in the Evans School of Public Policy and Governance and a world-renowned scholar in Public Policy, Public Administration, Governance, and Artificial Intelligence. Dr. Bullock is also a Senior Researcher at Convergence Analysis where he leads the research of Project AI Clarity. Dr. Bullock has  recently published two books, an experimental work co-authored with ChatGPT titled "Conversations with a Machine Oracle: Exploring Life, Culture, and Knowledge" and a science fiction book titled "Lo Wainwright: The Last Homo Superior."

Caryn Lusinchi is a Non-Resident Senior Fellow in the AI and Global Governance section. Caryn stands at the forefront of AI governance and risk management, most recently supporting the US Federal Government in line with the President's Executive Order 14110, OMB 24-10 and NIST AI Risk Management 1.0 and 2.0 frameworks, to foster safe and trustworthy AI development in the US. A globally recognized speaker and thought leader, Caryn is also FHCA certified under the EU AI Act, GDPR, and NYC Bias Law, with a specialized certificate in the Foundations of Independent Audit of AI Systems (FIAAIS).

Risto Uuk is the EU Research Lead at the Future of Life Institute in Brussels, spearheading research efforts on EU AI policy to maximise the societal benefits of increasingly powerful AI systems. He is also a PhD Researcher at KU Leuven, where he researches the assessment and mitigation of systemic risks posed by general-purpose AI. Finally, he runs the biweekly EU AI Act Newsletter with over 30,000 subscribers, and has set up a website that is one of the top hits if you search for the AI Act. Previously, he worked for the World Economic Forum on a project about positive AI economic futures together with Stuart Russell, Daniel Susskind and others, and did research for the European Commission on trustworthy AI. He completed a master’s degree in Philosophy and Public Policy at the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Maria Santacaterina is a Global Strategic Leader & Board Executive Advisor who has worked in the luxury industry, in 100+ markets, with over 25+ years international experience, creating and implementing innovative solutions, while strengthening Enterprise resilience to boost profits and create enduring value.

Prof. Joachim Koops (BA, LPC Oxon, MSc Turku, PhD Kiel) is Chair of the Board of Directors at the Global Governance Institute and a Senior Expert in the Peace and Security and Global Education sections. He is also Professor of Security Studies at the Institute of Security and Global Affairs (ISGA) at Leiden University. Joachim’s research focuses on Global Security Governance, European foreign policy and diplomacy and inter-organizational relations in peace and security (including peacekeeping, peacebuilding, crisis management and the responsibility to protect) with particular emphasis on the role of the European Union, NATO and United Nations.

Elena Ardelean is a seasoned international leader in Artificial Intelligence, digital transformation, and innovation. With over 12 years of experience, she has spearheaded strategic reforms and technological advancements across Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. As the Head of Digital Transformation and Innovation at the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, Elena advised high-ranking government officials on digital development, AI adoption, and public sector innovation. At Dalberg, she championed AI applications in agriculture, health, and education across Africa. Her earlier roles at the World Bank and European Investment Bank focused on public sector reforms in Europe, Central Asia, and the MENA regions. Elena also co-chaired the UN initiative 'United for Smart Sustainable Cities' experts' group on AI governance and founded AI4DA, a non-profit empowering youth through AI education and research.

Melanie Rideout is a Fellow in the AI and Global Governance section. She brings almost a decade of professional experience in sustainability, climate and humanitarian / development work. Her current professional focus is on green tech and sustainable finance. Melanie has a Masters in Environmental science from Uppsala University, and a diploma in AI & Business from Hyperisland. Her areas of interest are in advocacy, governance, just transitions and climate justice. Melanie is co-host of the Mad & Dumb Podcast, and advises for Mastercard Lighthouse's accelerator programme.

Nancy W. Gleason, PhD is Professor of Political Science at New York University Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. She is also Executive Director of the Hilary Ballon Center for Teaching and Learning. Her research focuses on the Fourth Industrial Revolution’s impact on higher education, and the future of work, with an emphasis on generative AI.  She considers societal impacts of education, employment disruption, continuous reskilling, and the role of industry in supporting upskilling of adults. She is the editor of Higher Education in the Era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (Springer, 2018). She is the co-editor, Diversity and Inclusion in Global Higher Education: Lessons from Across Asia (Palgrave March 2020). Her forthcoming edited volume is titled, Humans PLUS Technology: Global Youth Insights on the Future of Work (December 2024 release).

Dr. Mihalis Kritikos is a Policy Analyst at the Ethics and Integrity Sector of the European Commission (DG-RTD) working on the ethical development of emerging technologies with a special emphasis on AI Ethics and author of the book Ethical AI Surveillance in the Workplace (Emerald, 2023). His work is focused on developing the policy dimension of responsible innovation and embedding the ethics-by-design approach in the AI ecosystem.Before that, he worked at the Scientific Foresight Service of the European Parliament as a legal/ethics advisor on Science and Technology issues (STOA/EPRS) authoring more than 50 publications in the domain of new and emerging technologies and contributing to the drafting of more than 15 European Parliament reports/resolutions in the fields of artificial intelligence, robots, distributed ledger technologies and blockchains, precision farming, gene editing and disruptive innovation.

Anastasia Karagianni, co-founder of DATAWO, a civil society organisation based in Greece for the advocacy of gender equality in the digital era, is a digital rights activist, MozFest Ambassador 2023, and Mozilla Awardee for the project “A Feminist Dictionary in AI”– of the Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence working group. Anastasia holds an LL.M from the department of International Studies of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. A former visiting researcher at iCourts research team of the University of Copenhagen, she is a doctoral researcher at the Law, Science, Technology, and Society (LSTS) Research Group of the Law and Criminology Faculty of the VUB, with a background in International and European Human Rights Law.