IAFOR > The European Conference on Education (ECE) > ECE2025 Overview

ECE2025 Overview

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Join us in London (and online) for ECE2025!

July 10–14, 2025 | SOAS & University College London, UK

Welcome to The 13th European Conference on Education (ECE2025), held in partnership with Birkbeck, University of London, the IAFOR Research Centre at the Osaka School of International Public Policy (OSIPP) at Osaka University, and in affiliation with University College London (UCL).

ECE2025 encourages academics and scholars to meet and exchange ideas and views in an international forum stimulating respectful dialogue. This event will afford an exceptional opportunity for renewing old acquaintances, making new contacts, networking, and facilitating partnerships across national and disciplinary borders.

Since its founding in 2009, IAFOR has brought people and ideas together in a variety of events and platforms to promote and celebrate interdisciplinary study, and underline its importance. IAFOR continues to engage in many cross-sectoral projects across the world, including those engaging leading universities (Virginia Tech, University College London (UCL), Singapore Management University (SMU), University of Belgrade, Lingnan University, University of Barcelona, and the University of Hawai’i), think tanks, research organisations and agencies (the East-West Center, The Center for Higher Education Research, The World Intellectual Property Organization), and collaborative projects with governments, and international governmental organisations (Government of Japan through the Prime Minister’s Office, the United Nations in New York), media agencies (The Wall Street Journal, JWT, HarperCollins).

With the IAFOR Research Centre at Osaka University, we have engaged in a number of interdisciplinary initiatives we believe will have an important impact on domestic and international public policy conversations and outcomes.

IAFOR's unique global platform facilitates discussion around specific subject areas, with the goal of generating new knowledge and understanding, forging and expanding new international, intercultural and interdisciplinary research networks and partnerships. We have no doubt that ECE2025 will offer a remarkable opportunity for the sharing of research and best practice and for the meeting of people and ideas.

The 13th European Conference on Education (ECE2025) is an interdisciplinary conference held alongside The 13th European Conference on Arts & Humanities (ECAH2025) and The 5th European Conference on Aging & Gerontology (EGen2025). Registration for any of these conferences will allow delegates to attend sessions in the others.

We look forward to seeing you in London and online!

– The Conference Committee

Key Information
  • Venue & Location: SOAS & University College London, United Kingdom
  • Dates: Thursday, July 10, 2025 ​to Monday, July 14, 2025
  • Early Bird Abstract Submission Deadline: February 14, 2025*
  • Final Abstract Submission Deadline: April 18, 2025
  • Registration Deadline for Presenters: May 23, 2025

*Submit early to take advantage of the discounted registration rates. Learn more about our registration options.

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Speakers

  • Jun Arima
    Jun Arima
    University of Tokyo, Japan
  • Anne Boddington
    Anne Boddington
    Middlesex University, United Kingdom & IAFOR, Japan
  • Evangelia Chrysikou
    Evangelia Chrysikou
    University College London, UK
  • Joseph Haldane
    Joseph Haldane
    The International Academic Forum (IAFOR), Japan
  • Li Wei
    Li Wei
    UCL Institute of Education, United Kingdom

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Featured Presentations

To be announced

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Conference Committees

Global Programme Committee

Dr Joseph Haldane, IAFOR and Osaka University, Japan, & University College London, United Kingdom
Professor Jun Arima, President, IAFOR & University of Tokyo, Japan
Professor Anne Boddington, Executive Vice-President and Provost, IAFOR & Middlesex University, United Kingdom
Professor Barbara Lockee, Virginia Tech, United States
Professor Donald E. Hall, Binghamton University, United States
Dr James W. McNally, University of Michigan, United States & NACDA Program on Aging
Dr Grant Black, Chuo University, Japan
Professor Dexter Da Silva, Keisen University, Japan
Professor Baden Offord, Centre for Human Rights Education, Curtin University, Australia & Cultural Studies Association of Australasia
Professor Frank S. Ravitch, Michigan State University College of Law, United States
Professor William Baber, Kyoto University, Japan

Members of the IAFOR Board of Directors and The Academic Governing Board are standing members of the Global Programme Committee.

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Conference Programme Committee

Professor Anne Boddington, Executive Vice-President and Provost, IAFOR & Middlesex University, United Kingdom
Dr Evangelia Chrysikou, Bartlett School of Sustainable Construction, University College London, United Kingdom
Dr Mehmet Demir, University of Birmingham, United Kingdom
Professor Jean-Marc Dewaele, Birkbeck, University of London, United Kingdom
Dr Joseph Haldane, IAFOR and Osaka University, Japan, & University College London, United Kingdom (Conference Co-chair)
Professor Donald E. Hall, Binghamton University, United States
Dr Jacqueline Lottin, Higher Colleges of Technology, United Arab Emirates
Dr David Mallows, University College London Institute of Education, United Kingdom
Professor Andrea Révész, University College London Institute of Education, United Kingdom
Dr Ian Scott, University College London, United Kingdom
Dr Marcelo Staricoff, University of Sussex, United Kingdom

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Conference Review Committee

Dr Akeem Adekunle, University of Lagos, Nigeria
Dr Samra Afzal, National University of Modern Languages, Islamabad, Pakistan
Dr Pallavi Aggarwal, University of Missouri-Sanit Louis, United States
Professor Adelina Asmawi, Universiti Malaya, Malaysia
Dr Chahra Beloufa, Arab Open University, Saudi Arabia
Dr Sook Fui Chin, Quest International University, Malaysia
Dr Trinette Colina, University of the East Manila, Philippines
Dr Hazel Diaz, Central Luzon State University, Philippines
Dr Doaa Hamam, Higher Colleges of Technology, United Arab Emirates
Dr Wendy Hiew, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Malaysia
Dr Aderinsola Kayode, Durban University of Technology, South Africa
Dr Lewis Teo Piaw Liew, Politeknik Kuching Sarawak, Malaysia
Dr Christopher Martin, Birmingham City University, United Kingdom
Dr Hiea Mizyed, Higher Colleges of Technology, United Arab Emirates
Dr Angela Mary Nicol, All Saints' College, Australia
Dr Obianuju Okeke-uzodike, Durban University of Technology, South Africa
Dr Catherine Phillips, Lakehead University, Canada
Professor Alexandra Sofia Rodrigues, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, Portugal
Dr Dilnoza Ruzmatova, Uzbekistan State University of World Languages, Uzbekistan
Dr Ying Wu, University of Dundee, United Kingdom
Dr Cordelia Yates, Morningside University, United States
Dr Yvonne, Chin Chen Yong, Ministry of Education, Brunei

IAFOR's peer review process, which involves both reciprocal review and the use of Review Committees, is overseen by the Conference Programme Committee under the guidance of the International Academic Board (IAB). Review Committee members are established academics who hold PhDs or other terminal degrees in their fields and who have previous peer review experience.

If you would like to apply to serve on the ECE2025 Review Committee, please visit our application page.

Apply to Join the Review Committee

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IAFOR's Conference Themes for 2025-2029

IAFOR Themes 2025-2029
Our selected themes for 2025-2029 bring together ideas and encourage research and synergies in the following areas:

  • Technology and Artificial Intelligence
  • Humanity and Human Intelligence
  • Global Citizenship and Education for Peace
  • Leadership

    • Our four themes can be seen as standalone themes, but they are also very much in conversation with each other. Themes may be seen as corollaries, complementary, or in opposition/juxtaposition with each other. The themes can be considered as widely as possible and are designed, in keeping with our mission, to encourage ideas across the disciplines.

    IAFOR Research Centre (IRC) – “Innovation and Value Initiative”

    The IAFOR Research Centre (IRC) is housed within Osaka University’s School of International Public Policy (OSIPP), and in June 2018 the IRC began an ambitious new “Innovation and Value Initiative”. Officially launched at the United Nations in a special UN-IAFOR Collaborative Session, the initiative seeks to bring together the best in interdisciplinary research around the concept of value, on how value can be recognised, and measured, and how this can help us address issues and solve problems, from the local to the global.

    Learn more about the Innovation and Value Initiative

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    Jun Arima
    University of Tokyo, Japan

    Biography

    Professor Jun Arima is the President of IAFOR, and the senior academic officer of the organisation. In this role, Professor Arima is the Honorary Chair of the International Academic Advisory Board, as well as both the Academic Governing Board and its Executive Committee. He also sits on the IAFOR Board of Directors.

    Jun Arima was formerly Director General of the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), UK from 2011 to 2015 and Special Advisor on Global Environmental Affairs for the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), Japan, from 2011 to 2015. He has previously held various international energy/environment-related positions, including: Head of Division, Country Studies, International Energy Agency (IEA); Director, International Affairs Division, Agency of Natural Resources and Energy, METI; and Deputy Director General for Environmental Affairs at METI’s Industrial Science and Technology Policy and Environment Bureau. In the COP (UN Convention on Climate Change) 14, 15 and 16, he was Japanese Chief Negotiator for AWG-KP.

    Since 2015 Jun Arima has been a Professor at the University of Tokyo, Japan, where he teaches Energy Security, International Energy Governance, and Environmental Policies in the Graduate School of Public Policy. (GraSPP). He is also currently a Consulting Fellow at the Japanese Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry (RIETI). He is also Executive Senior Fellow at the 21st Century Public Policy Institute, Principal Researcher at the International Environmental and Economic Institute (IEEI), Distinguished Senior Policy Fellow, at the Asia Pacific Institute of Research (APIR), Senior Policy Fellow on Energy and Environment, Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA), and was the Lead Author, the 6th Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change (IPCC).

    Panel Discussion (2025) | TBA
    Anne Boddington
    Middlesex University, United Kingdom & IAFOR, Japan

    Biography

    Professor Anne Boddington is Executive Vice-President and Provost of IAFOR, and oversees the academic programs, research and policies of the forum.

    Anne Boddington is Professor Emerita of Design Innovation and has held executive and senior leadership roles in Higher Education including as Dean of Arts & Humanities at the University of Brighton, Pro Vice Chancellor for Research, Business & Innovation at Kingston and Pro Vice Chancellor for Research and Knowledge Exchange at Middlesex University.

    In 2022 she concluded chairing the Sub Panel (32) for Art & Design: History, Practice & Theory as part of the Research Excellence Framework (REF2021) and has extensive experience in the governance and conduct of peer review, research evaluation and assessment in REF2014 (Sub Panel Deputy Chair and Equality Diversity Advisory Panel [EDAP]) and RAE2008. A former member of AHRC’s Advisory Board, she is the current Chair of the Advisory Board for the UKRI’s National Interdisciplinary Circular Economy Research (NICER) programme (£30M), Deputy Chair and a Trustee of the Design Council, the government’s strategic advisor for design, and a member of both the InnoHK Scientific Committee (Hong Kong) and the Hong Kong Council for Accreditation of Academic and Vocational Qualifications (HKCAAVQ).

    Since the 1990’s Anne has worked across the UK and internationally with a wide range of quality assurance, professional, statutory, and regulatory bodies in the UK, Europe, the Middle East, Hong Kong, and India.

    As an independent consultant she now works as a strategic advisor and mentor and is committed to promoting equity, diversity, and inclusion in practice, developing effective governance, supporting career development, reducing bureaucracy, and improving organisational design, integrity, and productivity in the changing workplace.

    Previous Presentations

    Plenary Panel (2020) | Embracing Difference? Adaptive Lifelong Learning
    Plenary Panel I (2017) | Think Like a System, Act Like an Entrepreneur
    Evangelia Chrysikou
    University College London, UK

    Biography

    Dr Evangelia Chrysikou is a registered architect and senior research fellow at UCL. She owns the award-winning SynThesis Architects (London – Athens), that specializes in medical facilities. Her work received prestigious awards (Singapore 2009, Kuala Lumpur 2012, Brisbane 2013, Birmingham 2014, London 2014). Parallel activities include teaching at medical and architectural schools, research (UK, France, Belgium, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Greece and the Middle East) and advisory. She advised the Hellenic Secretary of Health and is the author of the new national guidelines for mental health facilities. Dr Chrysikou is the author of the book ‘Architecture for Psychiatric Environments and Therapeutic Spaces’, healthcare architecture editor, reviewer, active member of several professional and scientific associations and a TED-MED speaker. She is a Trustee, Member of the Board and Director of Research at DIMHN (UK) and Member of the Board at the Scholar’s Association Onassis Foundation.

    Joseph Haldane
    The International Academic Forum (IAFOR), Japan

    Biography

    Joseph Haldane is the Founder, Chairman and CEO of IAFOR. He is responsible for devising strategy, setting policies, forging institutional partnerships, implementing projects, and overseeing the organisation’s global business and academic operations.

    Dr Haldane’s research and teaching is on history, politics, international affairs and international education, as well as governance and decision making, and he is a Member of the World Economic Forum’s Expert Network for Global Governance. Since 2015 he has been a Guest Professor at The Osaka School of International Public Policy (OSIPP) at Osaka University, where he teaches on the postgraduate Global Governance Course, and, since 2017, Co-Director of the OSIPP-IAFOR Research Centre, an interdisciplinary think tank situated within the University.

    In 2020 Dr Haldane was appointed Honorary Professor of UCL (University College London), through the Bartlett School of Sustainable Construction. He holds Visiting Professorships in the Faculty of Philology at the University of Belgrade, and at the Doshisha Business School in Kyoto, where he teaches Ethics and Governance on the MBA, and is a member of the Value Research Center. He is also a Member of the International Advisory Council of the Department of Educational Foundations at the University of Hawaiʻi Mānoa.

    Professor Haldane has given invited lectures and presentations to universities and conferences globally, including at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, and advised universities, NGOs and governments on issues relating to international education policy, public-private partnerships, and multi-stakeholder forums. He was the project lead on the 2019 Kansai Resilience Forum, held by the Japanese Government through the Prime Minister’s and Cabinet Office, and oversaw the 2021 Ministry of Foreign Affairs commissioned study on Infectious Diseases on Cruise Ships.

    Dr Haldane has a PhD from the University of London in 19th-century French Studies, and has had full-time faculty positions at the Université Paris-Est Créteil, Sciences Po Paris, and Nagoya University of Commerce and Business, as well as visiting positions at the French Press Institute in the Université Paris-Panthéon-Assas, and the schools of Journalism at both Sciences Po Paris, and Moscow State University.

    From 2012-2014, Dr Haldane served as Treasurer of the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan (Chubu), and since 2015 has been a Trustee of HOPE International Development Agency (Japan). He was elected Fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society in 2012 and the Royal Society of Arts in 2015. He lives in Japan and holds a black belt in Judo.

    Previous Presentations

    Featured Interview (2021) | A Life in Language: Lessons in Language and Language Learning
    Panel Presentation (2020) | Embracing Difference? Adaptive Lifelong Learning
    Panel Presentation (2020) | That's NOT Online Learning!: The Difference Between Emergency Remote Teaching and Online Learning
    Li Wei
    UCL Institute of Education, United Kingdom

    Biography

    Li Wei is Director and Dean of the UCL Institute of Education, where he also holds a Chair of Applied Linguistics. He is Fellow of the British Academy, Academia Europaea, Academy of Social Sciences (UK), and Royal Society of Arts (UK). He is Editor of the International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism and Applied Linguistics Review

    Keynote Presentation (2025) | TBA

    Previous Presentations

    Keynote Presentation (2020) | Multi-Competence, Translanguaging and Multimodal Learning