Invited Speakers

Theme: New Technologies in STEM Education: from GenAI to Extended Reality

Dr. Oto-obong Inyang
Department of Physics, Durham University, UK

Oto-obong Inyang is a dynamic educator and researcher whose work focuses on pedagogy research in Physics and STEM education. Currently serving as an Assistant Professor at the Department of Physics, Durham University, Oto-bong is actively involved in exploring students' research experience and engagement. She has been involved in the integration technological tools to create innovative teaching material and dynamic laboratory experience.

Furthermore, Oto-obong Inyang is particularly interested in the interception of AI and education, having published an article on "the dead of short-form essay writing in Physics". Other interests include mentoring on the PRO:NE mentoring scheme and helping raise awareness on the translation of academic skills to employability skills among students.

Prof. Gildo Girotto Júnior
Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), Brazil

Dr. Gildo Girotto Júnior is an Associate Professor at the Institute of Chemistry of the State University of Campinas. He obtained his Master's and PhD in Chemistry Teaching from the Interunit Postgraduate Program in Science Teaching at the University of São Paulo. He worked as a research collaborator (postdoctorate) at the University of Porto - Portugal during the years 2023 and 2024. He acts as a mentor for students in teacher training courses. He has current research in the following areas: Training and development of professional and technological knowledge; Development and analysis of teaching materials for teaching chemistry using technology; Research on scientific dissemination; STEAM projects and Artificial Intelligence Systems.

Prof. Jochen Kuhn
Faculty of Physics, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU), Germany

Jochen Kuhn did his PhD in Physics (2002) and his Habilitation in Physics Education (2009) at University of Koblenz-Landau (Germany). He held a full professorship for physics education for 10 years at the Kaiserslautern University of Technology (2012-2022) and was headhunted by the LMU Munich (Germany) as a LMUexcellent Professor for Physics Education Research in 2022. Since then, he has been leading the Chair of Physics Education in the Faculty of Physics at LMU Munich.

His research primarily focuses on R&D in multimedia learning using advanced educational technology (XR, AI) to provide different types of visualizations, so called multiple external representations (MERs), for a more intuitive access to abstract concepts in physics education. To measure the effects of multimedia (XR-based) learning environment and create intelligent, AI-based systems, he develops, applies and combines different formats of measures and instrumentations for studying cognitive effects, such as classical concept inventory on learning outcome level and physiological measures (e.g. with eye tracking). First, focus more on topics related to high school curriculum he has been expanding his research efforts on more complex topics in secondary and tertiary education, such as QST, Astrophysics or Biophysics.

Dr. Stephen E Potts
Department of Chemistry, University College London, UK

Dr Stephen Potts graduated from UCL with an M.Sci. degree in Chemistry (2005) and stayed on to undertake a PhD in Inorganic & Materials Chemistry. In 2008, he moved to the Netherlands for a postdoctoral position at the Eindhoven University of Technology in the Plasma & Materials Processing group.

He returned to the UK in 2013 to shift into a more teaching-focussed role in 2013 as a Lecturer in Inorganic Chemistry at Queen Mary, University of London. His pedagogical research included increasing student and staff awareness of laboratory skills and the impact of the introduction of tablets to see if undergraduate chemistry teaching could be made paper-free. He joined UCL in 2016 as a Lecturer (Teaching) and was promoted to Associate Professor (Teaching) in 2021. He is currently Director of Education & Student Experience for the Department of Chemistry, with responsibility for guiding teaching strategy in the department. His research has largely focussed on e-learning and more recently perceptions on the use of generative AI in higher education.