Dr. Rahmin Bender-Salzar
University of Galway
Rahmin Bender-Salazar is an Entrepreneur, Social Psychologist, Advisor, and Academic focused on the application of design research and creativity on innovation, business, systems change, and policy that is socially and ecologically sensitive in a global context. He is a lecturer and researcher at the University of Galway focused on sustainable futures, entrepreneurship, behavioural change, and socio-ecological systems. His current project is BlueAdapt focused on the decision-making supports and information that helps people make decisions on getting into the ocean for recreation, health, and wellbeing. He is also the founder of Creativo Design, a design thinking consultancy, which works at the crossroads of management consulting, policymaking, social psychology, and design to engage in the co-creation of products and services on all levels for social impact. His passion is learning, working with diverse people around the world, and elevating the voices of underrepresented populations in entrepreneurship, technology, and innovation within global discourse.
Dr. Josh Fisher
Ball State University
Joshua A. Fisher is a digital media designer, developer, and educator specializing in interactive narrative, applied AI, and community storytelling. As a tenured Associate Professor at Ball State University’s Center for Emerging Media Design and Development, he teaches human-centered design with a focus on community well-being. His students have developed games for charitable organizations such as the Economic Awareness Council and Child’s Play. Fisher’s research explores storytelling through AI and XR. He is the editor of Augmented and Mixed Reality for Communities and An Educator’s Guide to Interactive Digital Narrative. A proponent of Digital Humanism, he focuses on spatial justice and the civic implications of AI. He views storytelling as vital infrastructure for a more equitable world.
Dr. Breanne Pitt
Trinity College Dublin
Breanne Pitt is a researcher at Trinity College Dublin’s (TCD) School of Computer Science and Statistics, and a Research Fellow at the World Economic Forum. She obtained her MSc in Interactive Digital Media from TCD and her Bachelor of Science (B.Sc) in Communication Studies from Boston University. Breanne has 10+ years of experience in secondary education and broadcast media. She presently works with the World Economic Forum’s Strategic Intelligence (SI) Platform, focusing on harnessing systems thinking to cultivate strategic intelligence. This work involves developing the Strategic Intelligence Academy, a comprehensive resource platform for systems thinking that supports teaching and learning.
Dr. Christian Roth
HKU University of Arts Utrecht
Christian Roth advocates for positive change through immersive narrative experiences that encourage experimentation, perspective-taking and systems thinking. As a psychologist specializing in human-computer interaction (HCI), he combines diverse disciplines and creative approaches to engage learners effectively. Currently based at the University of the Arts Utrecht in the Netherlands (www.hku.nl), Dr. Roth contributes to the HKU research group (Dis)connected Technology & Creativity and the Artistic Extended Reality Lab (AXR) while teaching at the HKU Games academy. His expertise spans interactive narrative, educational games, and transformative design. As founder of DELTA Innovative Learning, he provides consultancy for transformative learning experiences. His work bridges academia, education, art, and practical application by exploring how interactive narratives and extended realities foster personal growth and transformative learning. He also creates transformative experiences himself as a narrative designer using immersive media and applied psychology.