Patrizio Paoletti is the founder of the Research Institute in Neuroscience, Education and Didactics and the Paoletti Foundation for Development and Communication. He developed the Sphere Model of Consciousness, which has recently been considered the most advanced and elegant neuro-phenomenological model for consciousness. His research interests include the investigation of “consciousness-in-itself,” self-awareness and its neurophysiological correlates, sensorimotor paradigms aimed at the development of attention and willpower, and their educational applications. Paoletti has created several techniques aimed at enhancing brain functions, including Quadrato Motor Training, a motor training technique that has proven beneficial in developmental disorders and neurodegenerative states. In the educational field, through his numerous educational projects, Paoletti promotes a global approach to human development in terms of bodily experience, emotion regulation, and the enhancement of attention and self-awareness. The neuroscientific investigation of Paoletti and his Foundation aims to provide scientifically validated educational tools aimed at different age groups, ranging from children to adults, as well as educational professionals and non-specialized audiences. The Paoletti Foundation’s vision is embodied in education for Peace and Awareness as indispensable values for the future of humanity.

Tal Dotan Ben-Soussan, Ph.D., is the director of the Research Institute for Neuroscience, Education and Didactics (RINED) – Paoletti Foundation. Ben-Soussan leads international studies on training and neuroplasticity from neurophysiological and psychobiological perspectives. As a neuroscientist and bio-psychologist, she has published numerous articles on the importance of movement and meditation in improving cognitive and emotional well-being. Her pioneering work on Quadrato Motor Training has led to a significant understanding of the underlying neuronal and biological mechanisms that mediate cognitive improvement following movement meditation for healthy development and aging. Ben-Soussan is fascinated by the topic of consciousness, the enhancement of cognitive functions and their electrophysiological and molecular correlates. She has dedicated more than 20 years to understanding the mechanisms of wellbeing in children and adults and their application in different settings, including schools, hospitals and the workplace. Ben-Soussan is a member of the main think tank of the School Mental Health International Leadership Exchange (SMHILE). Her recent review on the electrophysiological correlates of different states of the self, in relation to different types of meditation and higher states of consciousness, emphasizes the importance of movement in accessing the embodied self, anchored in the here and now, while non-dual practices of transcending the self, allow for a greater state of empathy and connection with the other, such as Patrizio Paoletti’s Quadrato Motor Training and OMM One Minute Mediation. She acts as an editor and reviewer in several renowned journals and coordinates international conferences integrating theoretical, methodological and practical approaches on various topics, such as neuroplasticity, training and neuroeducation. She has edited 3 books on the topic of silence in Frontiers in Psychology and Progress in Brain Research.

Michael Ungar, Ph.D., is a Family Therapist and Professor of Social Work at Dalhousie University where he holds the Canada Research Chair in Child, Family and Community Resilience. Since 2002, Dr. Ungar has directed the Resilience Research Centre, designing multisite longitudinal research and evaluation projects in collaboration with organizations such as The World Bank, Save the Children, and national public health agencies. Dr. Ungar’s clinical work and research spans more than a dozen low, middle, and high-income countries, with much of that work focused on the resilience of marginalized children and families, and adult populations experiencing mental health challenges. He has published over 250 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters on the subject of resilience and is the author of 18 books for mental health professionals, researchers and parents. These include Multisystemic Resilience: Adaptation and Transformation in Contexts of Change, an edited volume with contributions from more than a dozen diverse disciplines studying resilience, The Limits of Resilience, a book for individuals and organizations experiencing stress, and Working with Children and Youth With Complex Needs: 20 Skills to Build Resilience, a book for mental health professionals. Dr. Ungar is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and past recipient of the Canadian Association of Social Workers National Distinguished Service Award. His blog, Nurturing Resilience, can be read on Psychology Today’s website. 

Giacomo Bono is a Professor of Psychology at California State University, Dominguez Hills. He has a Ph.D. in Applied Social Psychology from Claremont Graduate University. His research focuses on forgiveness, gratitude, well-being, mental health and development among youth and emerging adults. Dr. Bono is the author of Thanks! A Strengths-Based Gratitude Curriculum for Tweens and Teens, co-author of a book entitled Making Grateful Kids: The Science of Building Character, and co-author of the Gratitude Playbook with Character Lab. As director of the Youth Gratitude Project, he examines youths’ social emotional skills and wellbeing and develops assessment tools and interventions to promote student success and wellness in primary and secondary schools.

Grazia Serantoni is a RINED researcher, developmental and adult clinical psychologist and group psychotherapist, trainer and author of numerous scientific publications. Since the beginning of her professional activity, she has been involved in research, design and evaluation (of processes, impact and outcome) and training in the public and private sectors through collaborations with universities, ministries and private research organizations. In her almost twenty years of collaboration with the Faculty of Medicine and Psychology of the SAPIENZA University of Rome as a Subject Matter Expert (SME), she has participated in research in the areas of: education and promotion of health and positive resources (resilience, emotional regulation, self-efficacy, etc.) in developmental age in school and out-of-school settings; psycho-oncology in developmental age; evaluation of the effectiveness of health promotion interventions in the healthcare and educational fields with adults; evaluation of the effectiveness of clinical and rehabilitation interventions in the psychiatric field. She collaborates with the Patrizio Paoletti Foundation for Development and Communication, within the socio-neuropsychopedagogical area, dealing with the co-design and evaluation of the effectiveness of interventions in emergency, prison, and in particular, educational settings. For the latter area, she is involved in the study and analysis of positive resources in developmental age, such as: resilience, emotional regulation, self-compassion, self-determination, and coping.

Argyroula Kalaitzaki (BA, MSc, Ph.D., CPsychol), is an Associate Professor of Clinical Psychology, Social Work Department, Hellenic Mediterranean University (HMU), head of the Laboratory of Interdisciplinary Approaches for the Enhancement of Quality of Life, and head of the postgraduate program “Interdisciplinary Management of Chronic Diseases, Disability, and Ageing”. She is also an affiliated researcher at the “AgriFood and Life Sciences Institute”, deputy head of the Research Ethics Committee, and member of the Training and Lifelong Learning Center at HMU. She was the head of the Social Work Department from February 2022 to February 2024. She received a ΒΑ in Psychology (1992), an M.Sc. (1996), and a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology (2000) from the University of Crete, Greece, and a second Ph.D. (2005) from the University of Sunderland, U.K.  She has also been appointed the European Diploma in Psychological Therapies (European Institute of Psychotherapy). She has nearly 100 peer-reviewed papers and chapters in books, and over 150 presentations at scientific conferences, co-authored and co-edited books. She has participated in many research projects and has 24 years of educational experience in higher education. Her scholarly interests mainly include three applied clinical areas: (a) interpersonal relationships, (b) older people, dementia, and Alzheimer’s disease, and (c) traumatic experiences. Her work is informed by the combination of psychopathology and Positive Psychological concepts (e.g., resilience, positive emotions, relationships, well-being etc).

Aras Bozkurt is a researcher and faculty member at Anadolu University, Türkiye. With MA and PhD degrees in distance education, Dr. Bozkurt’s work focuses on empirical studies in areas such as distance education, online learning, networked learning, and educational technology. He applies critical theories like connectivism, rhizomatic learning, and heutagogy to his research. Dr. Bozkurt is also interested in emerging research paradigms, including social network analysis, sentiment analysis, and data mining. Dr. Bozkurt’s studies also cover the integration of artificial intelligence technologies into educational processes in the axis of human-machine interaction.

His dedication to advancing the field is reflected in his editorial roles as the Editor-in-Chief of Open Praxis and Asian Journal of Distance Education, as well as his roles as an associate editor for prestigious journals like Higher Education Research and Development, Online Learning, eLearn Magazine, and Computer Applications in Engineering Education.

Kaltrina Kelmendi, Ph.D., is an associate professor at the Department of Psychology, University of Prishtina, in Kosovo. Her research interests are domestic violence, gender-based violence, youth violence, and child protection. Recently she has been working on the issue of resilience in Kosovo and South-Eastern Europe. Kaltrina was a Fulbright Visiting Scholar during 2020/2021.

Sherry Hamby, Ph.D. is Distinguished Research Professor of Psychology at the University of the South and Director of the Life Paths Research Center. An influential researcher who focuses on trauma and resilience, she has been ranked in the top 1% among more than 6 million researchers in 22 disciplines based on citations to her more than 200 publications. Her awards include Outstanding Contributions to the Science of Trauma Psychology from the American Psychological Association (APA).