Keynote Speakers

Presentation Topic

Threat to Life: The Unacknowledged Dangers of Marginalised Women in Japan

Dr. Gavan Patrick Gray is a Professor at Tsuda University’s College of Policy Studies in Tokyo, one of Japan’s oldest private women’s universities. He holds a Ph.D in Politics and International Relations from Leicester University and is currently engaged in a Japanese government-supported, multi-year research project comparing responses to gender violence in Japan and other countries. His latest writing on the subject appears in ‘Gender Violence, the Law, and Society’ (Emerald, 2022).

Presentation Topic

Sex and love: differences in orientation and activation of the dopamine and serotonine systems

Dr. Andreas Aceranti is a Professor at LIMEC University in Milan, one of Italy’s most exclusive private universities. He holds a Ph.D in Neuroscience of human Behavior from trinity College and is currently engaged in a multi-year research project investigating the different aspects of human sexuality and, especially, sexual orientation. He’s an international congress speaker and has written, so far, more than 23 books.

Highlighted Speakers

Dr Gabriel Knott-Fayle is a Postdoctoral Scholar of Masculinities Studies in Education at the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary. His research primarily addresses gender, body image, allyship, masculinities, sport, and communication with a particular interest in challenging prejudice and discrimination.

Dr. Abdelnacer Ben Abderrezak is an Associate Professor in English department at Mohamed Khider University, Biskra: Algeria. He holds PhD in gender studies and sexualities from the University of Djillali Liabes, Sidi Bel Abbes, Algeria. He publishes a number of articles and participates in different inter/national conferences and study days.

Dr. Shiho Hansen has a PhD in International Health, Graduate School of Medicine, Tohoku University Her current Position is Research & Development Advisor, Sámi Norwegian National Advisory Unit for Mental Health and Substance Use (SANKS), Finnmark Hospital Trust Her areas of Interests are adolescent sexual and reproductive health in Central America (Guatemala & Nicaragua)

Dr Dale Moodley is a registered psychologist and lectures in the Department of Psychology, Stellenbosch University. His collective research output addresses the politics of formal and informal sexual socialisation practices such as sexuality education and popular music, respectively, and their role in promoting norms and values that police gendered sexualities.

Mrs. Linda Catalina Villamarín is a graduate in fine arts with a master’s degrees in creative writing and in performing arts. Furthermore, she is actively pursuing a PhD in Art and Heritage at the University of Seville. Linda is the creator of the project Artistas Lunáticas where she publishes research on art and its effects due to the menstrual cycle, and the author of the novel Atadas.

MSC. Jordan Donovan (MSc) recently graduated from the University of Glasgow. She is currently working as a development manager and youth programs lead at a nonprofit organization that offers arts-based wellness and social justice programming to equity-deserving youth. Her work often centers on youth participatory action, resistance, and queer joy.

Ms. Amelyn Laro is a social worker, educator, researcher, and gender advocate who has traveled extensively throughout the Philippines and has been a delegate to Kazakhstan, Canada, Hong Kong, Sri Lanka, South Korea, the United States, and Germany for her work on gender and women’s issues. She specializes in issues concerning women and girls, as well as refugees and internal displacement. She is a Community Solutions Fellow through the US Department of State, an ASIAN Gender Trainer through the Korean Institute for Gender Equality Promotion and Education, and a Fellow at the International Sustainable Academy in Hamburg, Germany, for her project Teach for Gender Equality. She previously founded the Advocacy on Women’s Education and Empowerment (AWE) Project, a capacity-building leadership development project for young women social work students and professionals in the Philippines’ Davao region. In 2019, she began the Social Work Program at the Southern Philippines Agribusiness Marine and Aquatic School of Technology. She is frequently invited to give presentations as a resource person on Gender Responsive Case Management, Gender Sensitivity, Handling Violence Against Women, and Creating Safe Spaces.

Mr. Semih Yararoglu graduated from Kocaeli University, and received his MA degree at Yeditepe University, Department of English Language and Literature in July, 2022. Also, he pursues his doctorate in the same department at Yeditepe University. His current academic interests are gender (queer) studies in English literature, philosophy and rewritings.

Mr. José Baptista has a Masters in Organizational and Work Psychology from the University of Coimbra. He is a PhD Candidate in HR Development Policies at the University of Lisbon, studying the integration of trans people in the labour market in Portugal. His main areas of interest are D&I and LGBTQIA+ Studies.

Ms. Corinna Canali is currently a research associate and PhD candidate at UdK Berlin/Weizenbaum Institut, working with multidisciplinary methodologies developed from critical theory and artistic practice, after an MPhil at UCL’s History of Art Department. Her research traverses digital technologies, gender and sexual bias, censorship, biopolitics, and visual culture studies.

Ms.Hanane Benchama holds an MA in English literature and civilization. In 2020, she joined the university of Strathclyde as a PhD student. Her PhD was funded by the Algerian Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research. Her main focus is on (comparative)literature, translation, feminist studies, gender studies and violence, and film studies. For the last two years, Hanane worked as a tutor of Arabic and Art in Glasgow. Hanane is currently analysing Algerian films and novels.

Ms.Wirunphat Manitsorasak is currently a PhD candidate at the College of population studies of Chulalongkorn university. She has experience in academic research and population studies. Wirunphat is passionate about exploring new tools with which social papers can be analyzed and seeking new opportunities to expand her academic network.” Please kindly find the photo attached.

Ms.Cecilia Heil is a graduate student of Gender Studies at Utrecht University in the Netherlands, after previously completing a Bachelor and Master in Global and Comparative Philosophy. She is interested in theoretical and practical approaches to creating inclusive and accessible environments, for instance for queer bodies in binary gendered spaces.

Khadija Karimi, with a bachelor’s degree in computer science and women’s studies A master’s student in women’s studies in Iran and training manager in an online institution. Interested in researching Afghan women. Winner of two international essay prizes. School principal and women’s rights activist in Afghanistan. When the Taliban attacked Afghanistan, she came to Iran.

Ms. Arpita Wadhwa is a Senior Research Associate at J-PAL South Asia, where she works on generating evidence for policies through rigorous field-based research. She read Political Science and International Relations at Ashoka University, and has been published by multiple journals including E-IR and Yale. Her research interests include digital democracy, political violence, and critical theory.

Mrs. Joyce Pires is currently a doctoral student in Social Sciences at the São Paulo State University, Faculty of Philosophy and Sciences of Marília (UNESP), where she develops research with FAPESP support. Her research interest is especially related to feminist field studies of gender and religion.

Mr.Alexandre Almeida is a PhD candidate at the Doctoral Program in Cultural Studies at the University of Aveiro (Portugal). Researcher at the Languages, Literatures and Cultures Research Centre (CLLC/UA) with a scholarship from the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (UI/BD/151280/2021). His academic interests intersect Cultural Studies and Queer Studies.

Past Speakers

Topic: Cross-Cultural Sexual Encounters & Sexual Migration

Keynote Speaker

Assistant Professor, Dr. Jessie André, PhD, LCSW-S, MEd, is a clinical social worker, professor, and sexuality advocate. Born in Port-au-Prince, she cites her experiences as a first-generation immigrant as having profound impact in both her professional and personal experiences. After the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, Jessie leaned into her calling as a social worker and graduated from Temple University with an MSW. Like a lot of things in Dr. Andre’s life, after a chance interaction while working with juvenile sex offenders in Philadelphia, she found a PhD program that combined a topic that she has been passionate about since she was 7, sexuality & education.

In her career Dr. André has practiced micro, mezzo and macro social work in North America, Europe, Asia, and parts of Africa. Dr. André ‘s approach to health, mental health, and sexual health stems from a holistic and inclusive approach. Her work aims to address the unique sexual and cultural needs of first- generation immigrants and people with bicultural identities. She is currently an Assistant Professor at Our Lady of the Lake University in the Worden School of Social Service and developing her clinical mental health private practice catering to clients with bicultural identities and sexuality related concerns.

Dr. Zsuzsa F. Lassú PhD is an associate professor of Psychology at Eötvös Loránd University and also a practising sexual psychologist working with childhood sexual trauma survivors. Her academic interest and counseling practice both focus on importance of sexual education in childhood sexual abuse prevention.

Dr. Cecilia Herles, the Assistant Director of the Institute for Women’s Studies, earned her Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University of Georgia. She is the recipient of the Service-Learning Teaching Excellence Award, the Creative Teaching Award, and the Sustainable UGA Outstanding Faculty Award.

Dr. Maria Aragonés-González is a Doctor in Gender Studies from the University of Alicante; Social worker; Master in Equality and Gender (Jaume I University). Her current Position is Gender Equality Technician at the Mancomunitat Marina Baixa; and external collaborator in the project: Women in Health Sciences Research (University of Valencia). Also, her areas of Interests are Promotion of gender equality through education.

Dr. Robert O’Mochain is an Associate Professor at Ritsumeikan University’s College of International Relations in Kyoto. His doctoral thesis focused on masculinities and the experiences of LGBT+ stakeholders in education. He is an applicant for an Open Research Area (ORA) for Social Sciences grant to research issues surrounding voyeuristic sexual harassment.

Dr. Gavan Patrick Gray is a Professor at Tsuda University’s College of Policy Studies in Tokyo, Japan. He is currently engaged in a Japanese government-supported, research-project comparing responses to gender violence in Japan and other countries. Other research interests include language acquisition, international security, and political propaganda.

Dr. Helena Louhela is a postdoctoral researcher in Gender Studies, University of Oulu, Finland. Her research focuses on a sexual violence experienced by children and youth. Louhela develops the conceptual framework further by tackling the multi-layered relational aspect of sexual violence, sexual consenting and sexual risky behaviour among adolescent girls.

Dr. Giuseppina Scotto di Carlo is currently researcher in English Linguistics at the University of Naples “L’Orientale” (Italy). Her research interests cover institutional discourse, gender studies, and science popularisation. Among her works: A Discourse Analysis of the ‘Trumpusconi’ Phenomenon: Is Trump our contemporary Berlusconi? (CSP 2021) and “An Analysis of Self-Other Representations in the Incelosphere: Between online misogyny and self-contempt” (Discourse & Society 2022).

Assistant Professor Natanaree Posrithong has obtained her Ph.D. from the Australian National University, Australia with the awarded Mahidol Scholarship. Her recent publications have been focused on pivotal roles and voices of women in politics of contemporary Thailand. She is currently teaching gender studies and serves as Program Director at Mahidol University International College, Thailand.

Dr. Ly Quyet Tien is a Lecturer and Researcher at Eastern International University (Binh Duong), Doctor Ly Quyet Tien has been guest lecturer at many universities in Vietnam. He holds bachelor’s degrees in History & in English from University of Social Sciences and Humanities. He also holds M.A. degrees in FLE from University of Rouen, in Vietnam History from the Southern Institute of Social Sciences and Humanities in HCMC. In 2008, he received his Ph.D. in Oriental Studies and Humanities from University of Paris 7- Diderot. Specialist in Vietnamese studies, he has participated as presenter in international conferences since 2014

Dr. Maria Nikkie Saldivar Hodgson is a native of the Rio Grande Valley and currently resides on South Padre Island, Texas, USA. She has a Ph.D. in Business and Leadership Studies and has over 30 years of experience in higher education in the Rio Grande Valley. Her roles in higher education have included faculty, student enrollment, student retention, recruitment, employee development and training, organizational development, and organizational operations as director, executive director and associate Vice President. She returned to the classroom as a professor of communication studies Fall of 2016. Her research interest are gender studies, nonverbal communication studies, small group communication, mother-daughter relationships, etc. She is a first-time children’s book author of “Ricky the Raindrop” and is currently working on a sequel. In addition to her passion for writing, she provides consulting services to local businesses and non-profits in the RGV. She is involved in her community by serving as a board member for the Glady’s Porter Zoo and Sea Turtle, Inc. and in her spare time, she enjoys yoga, running, hiking, gardening and most importantly, spending time with her two young adult children, Giselle and Miguel.

Dr. Fatma Yaşın-Tekizoğlu, Ph.D., now is in the Department of Psychology at the University of Edinburgh as a post-doc researcher and an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology at Ankara Medipol University. Her work focuses on gender, manhood, dehumanization and sexual aggression.

Dr. Sucharita Majiis an assistant professor (Psychology) at the Indian Institute of Technology Dhanbad. She received her doctoral degree from the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, India. Her research interest broadly lies in the area of the social psychology of gender. Her recent projects incorporate topics such as 1. Cyberbullying experienced by LGBT youth in India, 2. Workplace discrimination experienced by Indian LGBT youth, and 3. Gender in STEM education.

Prof. Dr. Ruth Lucas-Dominguez is Doctor in Pharmacy from the University of Valencia (UV) (2002).Since 2018 she is associate professor in the Department of History of Science and Information Science (Faculty of Medicine, UV). Currently her research is developed in the field of scientific activity evaluation, data sharing and gender studies.

Dr. Letsoalo Daniel is a Clinical Psychologist and a Lecturer at the North-West University in South Africa. He holds B.A., B.A. Hons, M.A. (Clinical Psychology) and Doctorate. Areas of interest are Mental Health, Indigenous Knowledge Systems, and Sexuality.

Dr. Sibusiso Mkwananzi is a Demographer and Senior Researcher at the Institute for Gender Studies at the University of South Africa. She holds a PhD in Demography, Masters in Epidemiology & Biostatistics, postgraduate qualifications in gender, public policy and analysis, project management, marketing management, and employee health and wellness, as well as an undergraduate degree in Dentistry. Her research interests include SRHR, youth-related studies, GBV, menstruation, teenage pregnancy, the application of quantitative research methods to contextual analysis of phenomena as well as the health of vulnerable populations.

Ms. Anna Caterino holds a BA and MA in European and American languages and literatures. She specialized in English literature and is now pursuing a PhD in Shakespeare studies at Milan State University. Her research interests include: Early Modern drama, Early Modern medical diatribes, Anglo-American poetry, and Eric Kripke’s Supernatural.

Ms. Brigitta Tóth is currently assistant professor and PhD student at Faculty of Primary and Pre-school Education in Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE) Budapest, Hungary. Her research project is about parents’ views on pre-school children’s gender socialisation and media consumption, focusing on Disney Princess movies.Her areas of Interest are pre-school children, gender differences, media culture, social learning

Ms. Mikayla Roell graduated Spring 2022 with her Master of Arts in Communication from University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Edinburg, Texas, USA. She graduated with a 4.0 GPA. She also have a bachelor’s in media arts from Texas A&M-Corpus-Christi with a 3.95 GPA. She was a student athlete while being an undergraduate and graduate student.She ran four total years of Division I track. She was a sprinter, so She ran the 100, 200, and the 4X1 relay. Being a part of track team for over a decade, has made her think about if she would possibly want to coach the sport within her future.

Mrs.Ranin Daas is a high school educational counselor and a Ph.D student at the Department of Education at Ben Gurion University, Israel. Her Ph.D thesis examines how Arab educational counselors perceive and work with LBGT adolescents and how they negotiate Western, individual professional norms in a conservative, collectivist society.

Ms. Lukyantseva Polina A. is a Ph.D. student at the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures, The Graduate School of Letters, Kyoto University (Japan) & had Master’s degree, same university, and same department. She has a Bachelor’s degree at Ryukoku University (Japan), The Department of Intercultural Communications. She is currently, work as a “global leader” for the international project “Global Citizenship Program Kurdistan” and the local ISA program in Japan (focusing on SDG5 discussing and teaching high school students about gender inequality and gender-related problems in Japanese society) Her areas of Interest: Two of my most significant interests are gender-related problems and the problem of DV in international marriages in Japan. I love reading about the history of feminism in Japan and reading novels of Japanese female authors like Enchi Fumiko, Tsushima Yuko, and others.

Mr. Jiru Zeng (Edward) is a Yenching Scholar of Peking University with research interests in identity & body politics and women’s political participation. He also had a first-class Bachelor’s degree at Beijing Foreign Studies University in journalism. Meanwhile, he was a member of Peking – Lund joint master’s programme in Human Rights, and a visiting student at Lancaster University. Now, he served as an assistant to Lanyuan Centre for Women Studies at Peking University.

Ms.Salome Thomas have completed post graduate and post graduate diploma in research at Christ (Deemed to be University). She has done her bachelors in Sociology from Stella Maris Chennai and her schooling from Sishya, Chennai. Her area of studies is gender divide in workspace and households, women empowerment, women and child rights.

Mrs.Birgit Schoeppl Fischer, is an Executive PhD Student at the University of Antwerp. She is researching the gender quotas in the corporate context and their impact on gender equality in corporations. She started her academic endeavors at the University of Vienna and University of Santa Clara. Currently she is a Sales Director at a multinational FMCG corporation based in Austria.

Mr.Melusi Mntungwa is a Communications and Gender Lecturer at the University of South Africa. He is currently reading for his PhD on Queer sonic cultures and communities in South Africa. His areas of interest are Black queer identities, visibilities, subjectivities and media representations of the Black queer experience.

Mrs. Huan Xie’ s research interests focus on gender studies on television and social media, with a specialization on female teenager happiness on live-stream variety shows. She now works as a lecturer at Pingxiang university and continues to conduct research on the teenager social media usage, especially their well-being and self-perception in China.

Mr. Melvin Shery graduated with an average CGPA of 9.00 and ranked 2nd in the batch. He has also worked with professors of renowned institutes of India like TISS. His research focuses on the life of transgenders and the policies implemented for their welfare in the state of Kerala, India.

Mr.Gilson Oliveira da Silva Junior is a Business Administration undergraduate at the University of São Paulo, and a Law undergraduate at the University of Ribeirão Preto. Also, he is a scientific researcher with a scolarship by the brazilian governmental institution ‘Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico’ (CNPq).

Miss. Yang Yiyun (Yolanda) is a Yenching Scholar of Peking University with research interests in social inequalities and intimate relationships. She received her bachelor ‘s degree from Beijing Foreign Studies University, where she majored in English and international studies. She also dedicates herself to community service, social entrepreneurship, and leadership development.

Mr. Marton Viktor Zala is a PhD student at Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary. His research topic is sex education in Hungary (experiences and beliefs of the actors). He learnt at the University of Pecs and ELTE, Hungary, University of Salford, UK. He is a psychologist, focuses on sexual psychology.

Ms. Lee Moon-Woo is a Ph.D. student at Yonsei University, South Korea. Her master thesis was about 1980s Korean queer films and she keeps studying Korean contemporary queer films. She works with Seoul International Pride Film Festival and published Korean Queer Film History and Korean Lesbian Film History.

Ms.Sanjana Chakraborty, Bachelors (2013-2016) and Masters (2016-2018) of Arts in English from Banaras Hindu University, India, NET (2019), is a Research Scholar in Department of Humanities and Social Sciences of National Institute of Technology Sikkim, India under the guidance of Dr. Dhananjay Tripathi. The field of interest is Gender Studies, Masculinity Studies, South Asian Literature, LGBTQA+ Studies.

Mr. Elio Iannacci is an award-winning arts reporter and graduate student at York University whose research interests include ethnomusicology and gender studies. Iannacci has contributed to more than 80 publications worldwide, profiling icons such as Barbra Streisand, Lady Gaga, Aretha Franklin and Beyoncé. He is supported in part by funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.