ECSM Biographies

Below are the ECSM Biographies of the Conference and Programme Chairs, Keynote Speakers and Mini-Track Chairs.

Conference and Programme Chairs

Dr Panagiotis Fotaris is Senior Lecturer and Course Leader for BSc Digital Games Development and BSc Computer Science for Games at the University of Brighton. He has previously held posts at the University of East London, University of West London, King’s College London, and Abertay University. Before entering academia, he spent a decade in the Creative Industries in a variety of roles including mashup artist, radio producer, DJ, graphic designer, web developer, and music journalist. When not playing adventure games, Panagiotis focuses his research on the pedagogical potential of escape rooms, games, and immersive technology in the context of computing and design education.

Key Note Speakers


Dr Tony D. Sampson is reader in digital communication at the University of Essex. His publications include The Spam Book (Hampton Press, 2009), Virality: Contagion Theory in the Age of Networks (University of Minnesota Press, 2012), The Assemblage Brain: Sense Making in Neuroculture (University of Minnesota Press, 2017) and Affect and Social Media (Rowman and Littlefield, 2018). His latest book, A Sleepwalker's Guide to Social Media, was published by Polity in 2020. He is currently writing a critical theory book on the pervasive influence of UX design principles on contemporary life from cradle to grave. The book is provisionally titled Ubiquitous UX: The Struggle for [USER] Experience. Tony is a co-founder of the Cultural Engine Research Group (CERG) and organizer of the Affect and Social Media conferences in East London

Dr Martin De Saulles is a Principal Lecturer at the University of Brighton where he teaches and carries out research in the areas of innovation and marketing. Martin has authored research papers and several books on these topics and is currently writing a book on the emerging data-driven AI revolution due for publication at the end of 2024. As well as his academic work, Martin helps B2B technology-based businesses with their marketing strategies.

Mini Track Chairs

Prof. Dr. Abbas Fadhil Aljuboori is working currently as Deputy Dean for Scientific Affairs at Alshaab University , Baghdad Iraq. He has a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Dongguk University, South Korea. Fulbright Visiting scholar – University of Central Oklahoma – Edmond – USA –2017. International Advisory Board Member for CT University in India. He worked as a Vise President for Administrative Affairs and Head of Smart Cities Center at University of Information Technology and Communications, Baghdad, Iraq. Faculty Staff Member at Al Zahra College for Women, Muscat, Oman. Researcher and Manager in the Advanced Institute of Convergence Information Technology (AICIT) – South Korea, Head of Computer Science Department – University of Kerbala. Vice President of Iraqi Universities Accreditation and Quality Assurance Council for Computer Science and IT. His field of Interest are in Data Mining, Web Applications, Big Data, Data Security, Information Systems, Social Media Analysis, and Smart Applications. He is a Member of several of Academic and Professional Societies. He is an Editor-in-Chief, Editorial Board Member and Reviewer of many eminent International Journals and Conferences worldwide.

Dr habil. Maria-Magdalena Popescu  is a Full Professor  and a doctoral coordinator at Carol I National Defense University in Bucharest, Romania. With a background in humanities and social sciences and extensive teaching and research experience in the realm of security and defence issues, she has also authored/co-authored more volumes and over 100 research papers and scientific publications. Dr POPESCU has given international lectures as a guest at universities in Switzerland, Italy and Belgium. She is one of the editors at Cogent Education, a Taylor and Francis publication, a scientific reviewer at European Journal on elearning, at the journal Armed Forces and Society, at Carol I National Defense Bulletin, while she is also a member of the scientific committees in more European Conferences: ECEL, ECGBL, GALA, ECSM, ECCWS.