Past Speakers
Dr. Winsome Alston
Winsome Alston works in the field of higher education at a local college in New York and holds a PhD from Pacifica Graduate Institute in the field of depth therapy with a specialization in integrative therapy and healing practices. She is a researcher with a degree in mental health counseling and holds varied research interests. The lived experiences of elder Jamaicans during colonialism was her dissertation topic. Winsome has a passion for helping and serving others, particularly the elderly, the underserved, the marginalized, and the disenfranchised. She is also an advocate for social justice issues. Winsome’s vast research interest has allowed her to present at conferences nationally and internationally.
Dr. Vlatka Njari Galić
She is a dentist and PhD candidate at the School of Dental Medicine, University of Zagreb, at the Department of Pediatric and Preventive Dentistry. Her professional interests include children’s oral health, preventive dentistry, and contemporary approaches in dental care and education. She is involved in both academic and clinical work, with a focus on research and promoting preventive oral health practices.
Dr. Farzana Yasmin
She is an Associate Lecturer in Health and Social Care at the UK Management College. She holds an MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery), an MPH in Reproductive and Child Health (RCH) from Bangladesh, and an MRes in Public Health with Distinction from the University of Wolverhampton, UK. Her research interests focus on mental health, psychology, and ageing, with a particular interest in promoting wellbeing through research and education. Dr Yasmin combines clinical and public health expertise with academic teaching, contributing to interdisciplinary discussions on contemporary health and social care challenges. She is passionate about supporting student learning and advancing research that improves individual and community well-being.
Dr. Rodrigo Landabur Ayala
Dr. Rodrigo Landabur Ayala is a Chilean researcher at the University of Atacama with a background in social and legal psychology. He earned his bachelor's degree and doctorate in psychology from the University of Chile. He is interested in the factors that predict prosocial and antisocial behavior at the individual and group levels. His current projects focus on identity fusion, prosocial behavior, and discriminatory behavior. Rodrigo is the principal researcher of the Fondecyt national research project N° 11241482 about attitudes toward immigrants in a Chilean sample.
Dr. Alyssa Ferns
Dr. Alyssa Ferns, B.A., M.A., Ph.D. (University of Guelph, Carleton University) is an applied research psychologist who has studied at the Police Research Lab in Ottawa, worked for Correctional Services Canada, and has been a Program Coordinator for the Bachelor of Social Science (Criminal Justice) at Humber ITAL in Toronto. Her police research projects have been funded by SSHRC to work with Peel Regional Police, the RCMP, and the Toronto Police Services evaluating the Neighbourhood Policing Program. Since 2019, she has worked at the Victimology Research Centre on projects related to Vicarious Trauma and Resilience of Victim Service Providers. She currently holds a Canadian Institutes of Health Research Grant to explore Concussion Recovery Technology for Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) Survivors. Most recently, she received Public Health Agency of Canada funding to Investigate Attachment Interventions in Children who have been Impacted by IPV. She teaches police and paramedic students on topics related to psychology, criminology, victimology and psychopathology.
Mr. Tikhon Glinka
Tikhon Glinka is a fourth-year undergraduate student at Plekhanov Russian University of Economics in Moscow, where he is studying Management in Innovative Entrepreneurship. His academic interests focus on nutrition science, the psychology of eating, and eating behaviour. He is the author of three academic papers on food categorisation, the moralisation of eating, and experiences of guilt and shame related to eating behaviour. He is also the founder of a corporate preventive service aimed at improving employees’ eating habits.
Ms. Zeynep sıla Gümüşcü
Zeynep Sıla Gümüşcü is a second-year undergraduate student in the Department of Psychology. She has demonstrated a strong academic performance with a GPA of 3.79. Her academic interests focus on clinical psychology, particularly substance use and its psychological effects. She delivered an oral presentation at the 8th International Positive Psychology Congress at Üsküdar University, titled “The Path to Loneliness: Synthetic Cannabinoids.” In addition, her research on the psychotic effects of synthetic cannabinoids is currently under peer review for publication in an FSI-indexed journal. Zeynep has also completed a clinical psychology internship at TCN Group, where she gained practical experience in applied psychological settings. She aims to further specialize in clinical psychology and contribute to research on addiction and mental health.
Ms. Holly Stocks
Holly Stocks is an early career researcher and Teaching Fellow in the School of Psychology, Sport, and Wellbeing at the University of Lincoln, UK. She is currently in the final year of her PhD and aims to submit her thesis in October of this year. Holly is primarily a quantitative researcher in the field of social psychology, with research interests including morality, decision making, prosocial behaviour, hypothetical scenarios, positive self-views, and psychological distance. She is currently working towards her first publication and has two papers under review, which she hopes will be published in the coming months.
Mr. Troy Speirs
Troy is a registered clinical psychologist. He is a full Member of the Australian Psychological Society and it’s College of Clinical Psychologists. He has graduated from the University of Western Sydney with postgraduate qualifications comprising a Master of Psychology (Clinical) and Master of Education (Counselling Psychology). He is the clinical lead at Headz Up Health Psychological Assessment and Therapy Centre in Sydney, Australia. He has extensive clinical experience and expertise in providing both psychological assessment and treatment services for complex mental health disorders, supporting individuals, couples, and families. He is skilled in providing comprehensive educational assessments to school age students and psycho-legal assessments for forensic clients. He has also worked across private and public mental health, youth health, and aged care service systems during the last twenty years as manager, advisor, clinician, and educator.
Ms. Gabriela Neves Rodrigues da Silva
She is a Brazilian psychotherapist and researcher. Gabriela graduated in Psychology at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) in 2023, and she has just finished her Master's program at the same institution in February 2026. Her Master's focuses on psychometrics, differentiation of self and psychological flexibility. As a clinical therapist, Gabriela works with both Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and she has been a member of the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science (ACBS) for 2 years.
Ms. Evgeniia Nikulina
Evgeniia Nikulina is the founder and author of the Trinity Transmission Therapy method, that integrates energy-based and mental therapeutic practices. She holds a Master’s degree in Public Relations and Advertising and has been working for many years in the field of consciousness studies, energy practices, and integrative therapeutic methods. Evgeniia leads international training programs and courses in quantum therapy, meta-session facilitation, and energy activation practices. Her work focuses on the practical application of Kundalini activation and its potential influence on neurophysiological processes, including the hypothalamic-pituitary axis and stress-related hormonal regulation. She conducts trainings and therapeutic sessions internationally and continues to explore the intersection of consciousness, energy practices, and human physiology.
Ms. Anna Speirs
Anna is a specialist child psychotherapist and a full member of the Australian Counselling Association. She is trained in the application of Child-Centred Play Therapy and Cognitive Behavioural Play Therapy matched to children with differing functional abilities. She has graduated from the Australian Institute of Professional Counsellors with a Bachelor of Counselling. She has a strong commitment to continuing her professional development with near thirty years of experience working with children. She also has qualifications and experience across communications and multimedia design. Anna has specialist skills in supporting children and families from diverse cultural backgrounds, having bilingual proficiency across English and Indonesian language groups. She has lived internationally across five of the seven continents that span the globe. She has a keen interest in working with neurodivergent children to improve their social-emotional skill development.
Ms. Dana Mukanova-Khurshudyan
Dana Mukanova-Khurshudyan (Dana Celeste) is an independent researcher, artist, and biologist based in Kazakhstan. She holds a Candidate of Biological Sciences degree from the I.M. Sechenov Institute of Evolutionary Physiology and Biochemistry in Saint Petersburg and is currently enrolled in a professional retraining program in Practical Psychology of Personality: Assessment and Counseling at the Moscow Institute of Psychoanalysis. She is the founder of the Second Wave / Age Architecture framework, an interdisciplinary model of adult transformation as a threshold-based reorganization of life structure. Her work integrates neurophysiology, complex systems theory, psychology, and visual practice to explore adult development, identity transformation, and personal metamorphosis. She is a member of the Union of Artists of Kazakhstan and Armenia. Her current research focuses on a morphology of adult metamorphosis as a structured threshold process.
Ms. Cecelia August
With a Master of Arts in Forensic and Legal Psychology from Marymount University and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Ave Maria University, Cecelia August is passionate about advancing research in maternal mental health, the psychology of the postpartum period, and infant attachment. Drawing from hands-on experience as a postpartum doula, Cecelia has supported mothers during the transition to parenthood and developed a strong interest in the emotional and psychological factors that shape early bonding and family well-being. Her work aims to bridge research and practice to better support mothers and infants. She hopes to contribute to evidence-based approaches that strengthen support systems for families during the postpartum period and promote healthier outcomes for both mothers and children.
Dr. Martha Höfler
Dr. Martha Höfler is working as a researcher, consultant and coach in Bonn, Germany, at ResilienzExpertise (https://www.resilienz-expertise.de). Since 2010 her research focus is on psychology, education and resilience topics. In 2016, she did her doctorate on promoting resilience in adults.
Dr. Roni Gez-Langerman
Dr. Roni Gez-Langerman is a lecturer at Kaye Academic College of Education, teaching in Early Childhood and Special Education programs.Her Ph.D. at Bar-Ilan University (2014) dealt with the resilience of Israeli society in crises.Current research explores listening skills and empathy in early childhood education.Her work provides comprehensive insights into educational and psychological processes affecting children, educators, and families.
Dr. Aishath Ali Naaz
Dr. Aishath Ali Naaz, has a PhD in Clinical Psychology from The University of Manchester, U.K, M. Phil Clinical Psychology, NIMHANS, MSc, Psychology, (B.A), India, Diploma in Hypnotherapy, UK, CBT certification from Oxford CBT Training Centre (2010), UK. DBT and EMDR level one training, UK. She is the first licensed clinical psychologist of the Maldives and has received National Award in recognition of her services in developing Mental Health Services in the Maldives (2012).
Romualda Rimasiute-Knabikiene
Romualda Rimasiute-Knabikiene is a lecturer and PhD student at the Institute of Psychology at Mykolas Romeris University in Vilnius, Lithuania. She is a clinical psychologist holding the EuroPsy certificate in health and clinical psychology. Her areas of interest include the relationship between mental and physical health, educational processes, and peer-to-peer confirmation.
Zainab Muhammad
Zainab Muhammad is a master's student in Defense, security, and crisis management at IRIS SUP. She is writing her dissertation on brain weaponization in digital cognitive warfare. She is also a project management apprentice at Holcim in the Security & Resilience department and head of the cyberspace research lab at CEDIRE. Ms. Muhammad has a keen interest in the geopolitics of South Asia and the Middle East as well as influence cyber operations and cognitive warfare.
Severin Hornung
Severin Hornung, co-founder of University of Innsbruck’s Group on Critical Research in Work and Organizational Psychology (I-CROP) and international Future of Work and Organizational Psychology (FoWOP) network, researches neoliberal degradation and envisioned socio-ecological transformation of work, organizations, and employment, focused on power and control, inequality and justice, mental health, and ethical concerns, aimed at promoting critical and radical humanist perspectives.
Wern Tje Lim
Wern Tje Lim (BSc [Hons]) is New Zealand-born Malaysian Chinese. She is a Doctor of Clinical Psychology candidate at the University of Auckland, New Zealand. Her thesis is on non-Māori (non-indigenous) clinical psychologists’ experiences of seeking cultural competency and working with Māori clients. She is interested in the impact race and culture has on the personal and professional lives of psychologists.
Dr. Hila Cohen
Dr. Hila Cohen is a researcher, therapist, and lecturer at the Kaye Academic College of Education in Israel. She teaches mindfulness, organizational, developmental, and social psychology courses, and Resilience Care Coordinator. She holds a PhD and postdoctoral fellowship from the Department of Business Administration at Ben Gurion University of the Negev. Specializes in personality and individual differences, psychological aspects of the world of work, and entrepreneurship.
Prof. María Josefina Escobar holds a Ph.D. in Psychotherapy from the collaborative program of Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (PUC), the University of Chile, and the University of Heidelberg, Germany. She has furthered her academic achievements with a Master’s degree in Psychotherapy from PUC and a Master’s degree in Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology from the University of Chile. She takes on a leadership role by spearheading the research team dedicated to the areas of parenting, caregiving, and childhood within the School of Psychology. Dr. Escobar’s dedication to research extends globally as she actively participates in the international research network “International Investigation of Parental Burnout (IIPB),” which is led by the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium. Her contributions to the field are evidenced by her authorship of more than fifteen scientific articles. Her research lines revolve around parenthood, parental burnout, neurodevelopment, and childhood care quality.
Dr. Agnese Venskus (BSc, MSc, Ph.D., FHEA) research lies within the area of cognitive neuropsychology and forensic psychology. Currently, she is focusing on exploring cognitive and neural processes underlying hallucinations and delusions in schizophrenia spectrum disorders, and interventions alleviating these symptoms.