RESEARCHERS
Anna Mroz
Anna Mroz – PhD, adjunct at University of the National Education Commission, Krakow.
Pedagogue, educational and vocational adviser, Polish Philologist, speech therapist. Author of two monographies and over 60 scientific papers, reviewer at international scientific journals, promoter of master’s theses. She took part in projects: BALT (Beliefs about Learning and Teaching, cooperation with the University of Adelaide), SELI (Smart Ecosystem for Learning and Inclusion) and several Erasmus + Projects. Has teaching experience Smart Ecosystem for Learning and Inclusion acquired during didactic
trips to the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Lithuania. Her research interests focus on issues related to teacher professional and personal development, shaping key competences among students, sustainability development, new media as a new educational environment. She is a Secretary of the Polish Pedagogical Society – Department in Krakow
Mariya Aleksieva
is a professor at Burgas Free University (BFU) and the Vice-Rector of the institution. She graduated in Preschool and Primary School Pedagogy from BFU and began her academic career at the same university in 1999. During her two terms as Dean of the Center for Humanities and Program Coordinator of the Pedagogy Program Council, Prof. Aleksieva demonstrated a strong commitment to the development and modernization of educational practices.
Prof. Aleksieva is the head of the PhD program in Preschool and Primary School Pedagogy and the Department for Qualification, Requalification, and Acquisition of Professional-Qualification Degrees for pedagogical specialists at BFU. She has extensive experience and a wide range of expertise in the field of education, including the application of innovative methods, digitalization, gamification, organization, and management of the educational process.
Panayiota Metallidou
a Professor of Cognitive Psychology and Applications in Education in the School of Psychology of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. She teaches among other courses Research Methodology in Behavioral and Social Sciences, Cognitive Psychology, and Critical Thinking since 2006. She has more than 20 years of research experience in the field of Cognitive and Educational Psychology in the School of Psychology and in Educational Departments in Greece. Her research interests include metacognition and self-regulated learning and critical thinking, attention development and meta-attention, social cognition, epistemological thinking in children and adolescents, achievement emotions, coping strategies and affect regulation in educational settings. She has supervised several doctoral and master thesis. She has participated in international and European funded research projects and she is the author and/or co-author of more than 60 scientific publications in international and Greek journals and books as well as of more than 100 presentations in international and Greek conferences. She is at the Editorial Board of the Journals “Metacognition and Learning” and “New Ideas in Psychology” and reviewer in several international journals.
Natalia Twardosz
is a doctoral student at the University of the National Education Commission
with a specialization in pedagogy. Graduate of three specializations at the Faculty of
Pedagogy: educational and vocational counseling, social and welfare pedagogy with a
teaching specialization, and preschool and early childhood pedagogy. Assistant professor,
lecturer at the University of the National Education Commission in Cracow. Her research
interests revolve around the socio-professional adaptation of teachers, social-emotional
competence and support for teachers at the professional start. On a daily basis, she is
passionate about sketchnoting.
Veselina Zhecheva
Assoc. Prof. Veselina Zheceva, PhD is a high-profile expert on ICT and platforms for training young and low-skilled people. Her research interests include information security, software engineering, e-learning, while teaching activities cover programming, information security, web and desktop applications development, data analysis.
Zlatina Dimitrova
Assoc. Prof. Zlatina Dimitrova PhD is an academic at Burgas Free University, where she teaches and conducts research in the Center for Humanities. Her work focuses on educational development, digital pedagogy, and the professional skills of future teachers. She has contributed to studies on the digital socialization of children, the application of project-based learning in literature classes, and the integration of technology in education. Dimitrova is recognized for her expertise in innovative teaching methods and her active participation in both national and international academic projects
Kameliya Staneva
Assist. Prof. Kameliya Staneva is a lecturer at Burgas Free University, specializing in psychology and educational sciences. She is actively involved in research and academic projects, contributing to studies on empathy, positive social relationships, and teacher training in the 21st century. Staneva is also listed as part of the university’s academic team in the Center for Humanities, supporting both teaching and research activities at the institution
Krasimira Minerva
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Krasimira Mineva is part of the academic staff of Burgas Free University, Burgas, Bulgaria. She has supervised 3 Ph.D. students and more than 50 MA students, has participated in more than 25 research and educational projects and has published 2 books and more than 40 papers in the field of personality characteristics and typologies in drug dependence, identity, social adaptation, autonomy, psychological counselling of young people from vulnerable groups and adolescent mental health and well-being.
Milen Baltov
Prof. Milien Baltov, PhD is the rector of Burgas Free University. He is an expert both in scientific and in capacity building terms on labour markets, local development, public-private partnerships and projects, cross-border cooperation and on the economic aspects of the immigration. He has a long track under FP7 and Horizon 2020 and had trained groups on cross-cultural management and diversity management issues.
Gergana Kirova
is a lecturer of English at the Foreign Languages Department of Burgas Free University and Erasmus+ administrator. She has worked intensively on labour related issues and social issues, inclusive education and innovative learning methods. She has participated in various national and international projects and training courses in the field of distance learning for foreign language teachers, the transformation of a traditional lecture course into an online one through the use of various LMS (Learning management systems). She is experienced in developing e-learning courses for the teaching of English as a foreign language, teaching English for specific Purposes (ESP).
István Zsigmond
is assistant professor at Sapientia University, Romania. He is graduated in psychology, and special psychopedagogy. He also has an MD in Institutional Communication and Educational Management. His research activity is oriented toward developing and testing new educational methods, aimed at improving learning-centered communication in classroom settings. He has 15 years of experience in teaching psychology and related disciplines like educational psychology and developmental psychology. He has also experience in elaborating and accrediting training courses for in-service teachers. He has worked as a monitoring and facilitating expert in several school-development programs in Hungary and Romania. He also has five years’ experience in monitoring national-level EU projects (PHARE program) working as Local Implementation Agent for external monitoring companies contracted by the Romanian Ministry of Education. He is the author of 4 books (two of them in the area of metacognition), 6 book chapters and 24 scientific articles.
He has developed several programs for improving metacognitive thinking in educational settings, and also elaborated an evaluation method for measuring metacognition in thinking.
Remigijus Bubnys
is a professor, chief researcher of Vilnius University Šiauliai Academy. Main fields of research interests are higher education didactics; culture of reflection and leadership in the organization; reflective learning and experiential (self-)education methods; specialist training at the higher education institution, modelling reflective study practice; quantitative and qualitative research methodology.
Published 4 science studies (together with co-authors), 8 methodological aids for students of higher education institutions, more than 70 scientific articles in peer-reviewed publications in Lithuanian and international databases, etc. This year Prepared an e-learning tool for students Methodology of Science and Scientific Research.
Participated in more than 60 national and international scientific conferences, read more than 80 papers, presenting results of conducted research, related to specialist training issues. Gave lectures, went on internships in Latvia, England, Finland, Germany, Spain, Ireland, Switzerland, Portugal, Greece, Turkey, South Korea, India, Sri Lanka, Brazil, Japan, the USA and other countries. Conducted over 20 authorial workshops, improved qualification in more than 100 trainings and other events. Together with others, he implemented around 19 projects. Remigijus Bubnys is a member of the Lithuanian Scientific Society, of the Lithuanian Educational Research Association, and of the editorial board of 6 scientific journals in Lithuania and abroad.
Aušra Kazlauskienė
Prof. Dr. A. Kazlauskienė’s field of scientific interests is teacher training, teaching and learning processes. The researcher supervises doctoral theses, involved in the activities of the international network of researchers "Curriculum Framework for Sustainability" (how to enable school communities to participate in the change of educational content). With Iceland, Ireland, etc. Lithuanian researchers conducted research activities analyzing the change in the role of pedagogues in the aspect of personalized education (the research results were published in publications and UNESCO education documents). She heads the General Education Network of the Lithuanian Educational Research Association, is a member of the editorial board of international
scientific journals and scientific associations, has published more than 60 scientific publications, more than 20 methodological publications, created the qualitative research open coding program.
Odeta Šapelytė
Odeta Šapelytė is a lecturer at the Institute of Education at the Vilnius University (Siauliai
Academy) (Lithuania). The field of scientific interests: empowering pedagogical psychological support and support system for families raising children with SEN; pedagogues’ coping with stress.
She has published more than 40 scientific publications, as a researcher has participated in research commissioned by local authorities and governmental institutions (was a leader of two national researchers). In recent years, she worked in two international projects as researcher, also in two national projects funded by ERSF, she was a coordinator of projected implemented together with partners and Lithuanian Academy of Sciences “Publication and Coordination of Scientific Periodicals, 2016–2022” (funded by ERSF). She is a member of the editorial board as coordinating editor of the scientific journals (Social Welfare Interdisciplinary Approach; Special Education). Gave lectures in Belgium, Denmark, Latvia, Ireland, Finland, Portugal and other countries. Is interested in innovations at higher education, took a participation in trainings of innovative study methods, of assessment – opportunities and challenges in higher education, started participation in the train
for trainers courses.
