Avi Staiman is the founder and CEO of Academic Language Experts, an author services company dedicated to leveling the research playing field for ESL scholars. Avi is involved in the scholarly publication community as a chef at Scholarly Kitchen, co-host of the New Books Network ‘Scholarly Communication’ Podcast, and a reviewer for Wiley’s Learned Publishing journal. Avi is a thought leader on AI tools for research, bridging the gap between publishers and authors and how to support and empower ESL researchers. He is a core member of CANGARU, where he represents EASE in creating legislation and policy for the responsible use of AI in research. He has been a guest lecturer at NYU’s Master’s Program in Translation & Interpreting and the University of Tokyo. His essays have appeared in the Cambridge University Press Blog, The Scholarly Kitchen, Multilingual, and Times Higher Education.

Evan serves as Executive Director of SRAI and brings over 20 years of experience across the full spectrum of RMA. He has served as Co-PI on multiple NSF-funded projects and led transformative initiatives including SRAI’s LevelUP program, research security training, and the development of a national undergraduate minor in research administration. He is also a SRAI Distinguished Faculty member.

Maéva Vignes is a data scientist with a background in academic research, who worked in research management for the past 8 years. At the University of Southern Denmark, she co-led an interdisciplinary team that developed data-driven tools to enhance grant applications and research collaborations. She has expertise in EU funding and science policy, as well as scholarly metadata and AI applications

Simon Porter is VP of Research Futures at Digital Science. He has spent 25 years committed to transforming university practices in how data about research is used, both from administrative and eResearch perspectives. As well as making key contributions to research information visualization, he is well known for his advocacy of Research Profiling Systems and their capability to create new opportunities for researchers. Prior to joining Digital Science, Simon worked at the University of Melbourne, where he worked for 15 years in roles spanning the Library, Research Administration, and Information Technology.

Eleonora Zuolo has been working as a Research Manager, supporting researchers both at the research unit level and within central RSO across four French HEI and research institutions, over the past 16 years. Currently, she works at the Department for Research and Innovation at Sorbonne University in Paris as Head of the Office Research Projects, Funding and Strategy. From 2022 to 2024, she was seconded to the French Ministry for Higher Education and Research, where she contributed to shaping Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) strategies and participation at the European level in infrastructures and Horizon Europe. Over the last few years she has also been active in R&I activities of the 4EU+ European Alliance on behalf of Sorbonne University.  She has been the French contact point for the Action 17 and now the Action 8 on Research Management. She has been an active member of EARMA and Board member since 2020.

Alasdair is CEO of ARMA (UK). He works closely with the Board and leads the Exec Office Team in delivering ARMA’s strategic plan.

Alasdair started his career in industry before moving into economic development and then the HE sector. Prior to joining ARMA, he was Director of the West of Scotland KTP Centre and Director of Strategic Engagement with PraxisAuril (now Knowledge Exchange UK).

Ludovic Thilly is Full Professor of Physics at the University of Poitiers and, since 2012, Vice-Rector in charge of European Strategy (fourth Vice-Rector mandate). Member of the Coimbra Group Executive Board since 2015, he was elected Chair in June 2017 and re-elected in 2020 and in 2024. Professor Thilly is also the Coordinator General of the EC2U European University Alliance and co-coordinator of FOREU4ALL, the community of practice of the 65 selected Alliances.

Professor Thilly is still teaching and supervising PhD students. In his research, he works on the deformation mechanisms of (nano-)materials. He has co-authored 80+ publications in international peer-reviewed journals (incl. 4 book chapters) and given 60+ invited lectures at international conferences and institutions.

Adéla Jiroudková is a Research and Development Manager with over 14 years’ experience in research management, strategic development, and international academic cooperation (currently Head of Research Support Office at Charles University). She has designed and implemented research support structures, led diverse teams, and helped foster a culture of responsible innovation across institutions. Adela has played an active role in European university alliances, contributing to policy discussions and building capacity for research support professionals. She is also a strong advocate for the responsible and effective use of AI in academic administration.