Saurabh Sinha obtained his B.Eng, M.Eng, and Ph.D. degrees in Electronic Engineering from the University of Pretoria (UP), South Africa (ZA). Prof Sinha is also a graduate of Wharton’s Advanced Management Program, University of Pennsylvania, USA (alum status). As an established researcher rated by the National Research Foundation, ZA, he has authored or co-authored over 140 publications in peer-reviewed journals, books and proceedings of international conferences. Prof Sinha served UP and the University of Johannesburg (UJ), ZA, for over 22 years – initially as an academic (at various tiers), and then as institute director, executive dean and deputy vice-chancellor. Prof Sinha moved to New Zealand in mid-2023, retaining visiting affiliations at both UJ (Business School and Engineering) and Princeton University (Engineering), USA. At the University of Canterbury, NZ, reporting directly to the vice-chancellor and principal, Prof Sinha leads the Faculty of Engineering as Executive Dean. Among his many achievements, Prof Sinha is a Fellow of the IEEE, recipient of a prestigious U.S. Fulbright grant, and has formerly served as IEEE Board of Director and Vice-President. He is registered as a Chartered Professional Engineer with Engineering New Zealand.
Prof. Zehui Zhan is a Professor at the School of Information Technology in Education, South China Normal University. She holds a Ph.D. in Educational Technology from South China Normal University and Florida State University. With a strong background in Physics and Digital Media, Prof. Zhan has led numerous funded projects and published extensively in the fields of educational technology, computational thinking, and innovative talent development. Prof. Zhan’s research has significantly contributed to the understanding of STEM education and pedagogical strategies in smart classrooms.
Xuesong Michael Zhai is a Distinguished Research professor and Director of the Program of Science and Technology Education at the College of Education, Zhejiang University. He also served as the director of Zhejiang Higher Education Digitalization Pilot Group. His research interests encompass Artificial Intelligence in Education, Educational Applications of the Metaverse, and Educational Data Analysis and Measurements. In 2023, he was honored with the Distinguished Researcher Award by the International Engineering and Technology Institute (IETI). Dr. Zhai currently serves as an Associate Editor on the section of Technology and Learning for the Nature Portfolio journal, Humanity and Social Science Communications(SSCI,A&HCI), and as an Associate Editor for the IEEE Transactions on Learning Technologies(SSCI,SCI,EI) , and the area editor of International Journal of Computational Intelligence Systems(SCI,EI) handling the area of information system in Education. He has authored over 80 research papers in indexed journals, including Humanity and Social Science Communications, Educational Technology & Society (ET&S), Educational Technology Research and Development (ETR&D), Interactive Learning Environments (ILE), Higher Education, and the Journal of Computer Assisted Learning.