Dr. Eric Jensen

Dr. Eric Jensen is an internationally-recognised social scientist specializing in innovative methods of conducting impact evaluation research in informal learning and public engagement contexts.

Dr Eric A. Jensen is a social scientist with a PhD from the University of Cambridge in sociology. Author of Doing Real Research: A Practical Guide to Social Research (SAGE), Dr Jensen brings extensive methodological expertise in quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods social research and evaluation. Jensen has been working in science communication research and practice since 2001, beginning with a National Science Foundation-funded project on International Ethics and Equity Issues Relating to Biotechnology. ensen has delivered hundreds of training workshops on evaluation methods and evidence-based science communication, as well as leading and consulting on projects large and small on public engagement with research, impact evaluation, socially responsible research and environmental communication. Jensen’s latest book is Science Communication: An introduction. He works on the Responsible Research and Innovation Networking Globally social research project as a Senior Research Fellow at ICoRSA. He is part-time professor at the University of Warwick and visiting Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for Psychological Research of Sigmund Freud University.

Alessandra Bizerra Professor

Professor at the University of São Paulo, Alessandra holds a bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences, a Master’s degree in Biological Sciences (Zoology) and a PhD in Education, all from the University of São Paulo.

She is currently a professor at the Institute of Biosciences of the University of São Paulo and treasurer of the Brazilian Association of Teaching of Biology (SBEnBio - National).

She has experience in Education, working mainly in the following subjects: non-formal education, scientific dissemination, learning and teaching of science, production of didactic materials.

Judy Mann Conservation Strategist

Judy is passionate about marine conservation and has focused her career on helping people to care for the oceans. She has worked for the South African Association for Marine Biological Research (SAAMBR) in Durban since 1992. She was the Director of Education for 10 years, the uShaka Sea World Director and the first woman Chief Executive Officer of SAAMBR.

She is currently the Conservation Strategist of the Association. Judy holds a PhD from the University of Queensland in Australia, where she studied how best to inspire visitors from multiple cultures to care for the environment. She holds a Master’s Degree in Ichthyology (Fish) and a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration. She was the international advisor to the American Zoo and Aquarium Association Conservation Education Committee and serves on the IUCN Commission on Education and Communication. Judy is currently the President Elect of the International Zoo Educators Association.

Brady Wagoner Professor

Professor Brady Wagoner (University of Aalborg) is a world-leading expert in idiographic methodology and memory. He is Director of the Cultural Psychology MA programme at Aalborg University. He did his PhD at the University of Cambridge, where he developed innovative new methods to study cultural and constructive processes.

In particular, he has done work on conversational remembering, impact evaluation in zoos and art museums, therapeutic encounters, among others. Additionally, he has devised research strategies that synthesise qualitative and quantity methods by using the latter to situate and contextualise cases analysed qualitatively.

Camila Martins Coordinator of Education Department

Coordinator of the Education Department at Parque das Aves (Brazil). She leads a team of educators and mediators that engage in connecting people with nature through educational activities based on social learning. She is a biologist, with a master’s degree in Wildlife Conservation from the Federal University of São Carlos/São Paulo Zoo (Brazil). She has a Ph.D. in Science Education at the University of São Paulo (Brazil), where she investigated the connection between zoos and school through environmental education training programs for teachers.

She is a biologist, master in Wildlife Conservation by Federal University of São Carlos/ São Paulo Zoo (Brazil) and currently a Ph.D. student in the Science Education Post-Graduation Program at University of São Paulo (Brazil), investigating the connection between zoos and school through environmental education training programs for teachers. Contributes as a member of the Environmental Education Department of São Paulo Zoological Society and has great interests in environmental education research and learning process in informal contexts. She is part of the GREEN Group – Research Group on Environmental Education and in 2014 she created the Research Group on Environmental Education at Zoo.

Jessica Norberto Research Fellow

Jessica has a Ph.D. in Education from the University of São Paulo (USP) and a Master's Degree in Scientific and Cultural Communication from the University of Campinas (Unicamp). Currently, she is a Science Communicator at the Foundation Science Centre and Higher Distance Education of the State of Rio de Janeiro (Cecierj Foundation), Research Fellow of the Institute for Methods Innovation (IMI), and Researcher of the National Institute of Public Communication of Science and Technology (INCT-CPCT / Brazil).

She has practical experience in science outreach programmes, such as in the management of mobile science centres and museums and as a teacher in training courses, and in the works developed at the Centre of Science Dissemination from the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), at the projects of implantation Espaço do Conhecimento da UFMG and of PONTO UFMG Itinerant Museum, at the Natural History Museum in London, and as a member of the organizing and judge committees of several National and International Science Fairs.

Eric Kennedy

Assistant Professor, Disaster & Emergency Management School of Administrative Studies, York University.

Eric Kennedy is an Assistant Professor of Disaster and Emergency Management at York University, where his research uses survey and interview-based research methods to increase disaster preparedness, help inform science policy and support public engagement with science. Currently, he is leading the national COVID-19 Social Impacts Survey in Canada, a longitudinal project tracking impacts of the coronavirus through survey and interview-based methods. He also runs an International coordination working group on best practices in COVID-19 survey research.

Paloma Zubieta López Head of the Department of Science Communication, Institute of Mathematics UNAM

Paloma Zubieta works as a Science Communicator in the Institute of Mathematics of the Autonomous National University of México (UNAM), where she leads a communication project known as "Festival Matemático" (Math Festival), that has the objective of positively changing the public perception of mathematics.

With more than 30 years of experience as a teacher, Paloma started in 2010 with the Math Festival project as an effort of showing to the non-scientific population, who in general don't like mathematics, that maths are involved in our every day and that they are more than just numbers, showing the "fun side" of mathematics. With the six editions of the festival, she has tried to develop with her team an evaluation for each activity, by now, there are more than 30. Also, she has recently focussed on how to evaluate the volunteers and the public impact of the Festival. The festival takes place once per year in México City, but it also goes as often as possible to other cities or communities in México. She teaches young students how to correctly communicate sciences and math and they also help her in this task. Paloma also led the implementation of "Pi Day" five years ago, which takes place each year in the fourteen high schools of the UNAM and some faculties. She has a sponsored project for 2017 with the International Mathematical Union about encouraging women in math.

Kathayoon Khalil

Dr. Kathayoon Khalil is the Conservation Impact Manager for the Oregon Zoo. She also serves as an Adjunct Professor of Biology for Miami University of Ohio. She is the author of numerous articles and book chapters on empathy for animals, and the book “Practical Evaluation for Conservation Education and Outreach”. Kathayoon received her PhD from Stanford University in Environmental Education and her Masters of Environmental Science from Yale University.

Maria Antonieta Costa Head of Education of Lisbon ZOO since 2007. Vice Chair of the EAZA EAZA (European Association of Zoos and Aquaria) Education Committee since 2012.

Dr Maria Antonieta Costa is Head of Education of Lisbon ZOO since 2007. She is a Pedagogy expert with more than 25 years’ experience and a strategic conservation education manager with 12 years’ experience in environmental education.

Started her professional career as Assistant Professor at Lisbon University in teachers training degrees in Education. Her passion about how people learn led her to the master degree in Psycholinguistics in the area of learning acquisition and then to a PhD in Pedagogy.