CO-FOUNDER AND DIRECTOR

Natalia is Professor of Early Childhood Development in Norway and UK. She has conducted foundational and empirical research on EdTech for the past ten years. In addition, she has developed apps and worked directly with EdTech companies, NGOs and investors to support the integration of learning sciences into practice.

HEAD OF QUALITY ASSURANCE

Professor Pitchford specializes in developmental psychology and education, focusing on how cognitive processes that underpin learning develop in childhood. Her recent research explores the use of innovative mobile technology to support literacy and numeracy in primary school children in Malawi and the UK.

SENIOR STRATEGIC ADVISOR

Michael H Levine, PhD is a globally recognized leader in the educational media and digital technology fields. He has led innovative and transformational educational initiatives at Sesame Workshop, Paramount, Asia Society and Carnegie Foundation and is frequently consulted by policy and philanthropic leaders. He is the author of over 50 publications on children's learning and development and serves on several nonprofit and for-profit boards.

Ghaida is a researcher and assistant professor at Oakland University, specializing in digital learning and literacies. Her work focus on integrating innovative technologies with educational practices to promote inclusion and equity in education, especially in resource-limited settings. Her work is focused on foundational education in reading literacy and computer science.

RESEARCH FELLOW

Jimmie is a researcher with deep expertise in child development, education technology, and family poverty. With extensive experience in field research, mixed-method evaluations, and implementation, Jimmie has supported edtech scaling and research initiatives across Sub-Saharan Africa.

Grace designs and delivers large-scale education initiatives that integrate policy, technology, and teacher development across Sub-Saharan Africa. Her work strengthens governments’ and institutions’ capacity to measure and scale impact, from digital literacy frameworks to actionable classroom toolkits. She has served as co-investigator for Kenya’s national ICT e-readiness survey under the Department of Special Needs Education, shaping the Ministry of Education’s emerging strategy for learners with special needs.

Natalia is a statistician based in Colombia with expertise spanning applied mathematics, spatial statistics, Bayesian methods, R programming, data visualization, and quantitative reasoning. She has served as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at Universidad del Norte and has held methodological advisory roles for national initiatives, including the Coding for Kids program led by the British Council and the Ministries of Education and ICT.

Miracule is researching technology and committed to supporting teacher educators, teachers and students to use ubiquitous technologies to develop knowledge and experience. His experience and expertise cuts across the study of technology in learning and teaching, designing digital media and artefacts that change the way people think and construct knowledge across disciplines. UCL Institute of Education.

Dragisa has been working as a policy researcher and development consultant, providing services to development organizations such as the European Commission, UNDP, USAID, OECD, GIZ, Sida, OSCE, ADA, JICA, OSI, IOM, as well as to national, regional and local governments, universities, private sector entities and civil society organizations across the Southeast Europe. He has an excellent research and publication portfolio in the broad field of local and regional development, decentralization & governance, business support infrastructure, strategic planning, as well as in the field of efficient use of development aid and public expenditures through evaluation processes.

SOCIAL IMPACT SPECIALIST

Saila is is an expert in economics and social sciences who specializes in impact-driven development and management. She works with clients such as ministries, municipalities, public administrations, and organizations, while also offering mentorship and training in various business accelerators.

BOARD MEMBER

Kari is member of the Board and provides expertise on business development and management. She has experience in marketing, sales, concept development and technology. Kari works at Valide, at the TTO (technology transfer office) team identifying new concepts from researchers; working on protecting technologies through patents and copyrights; forming development and commercialization strategies.

CHAIRMAN

Trond co-founded WiKIT and today is the Chairman of the Centre and WiKIT Services. In the past, Trond has founded, managed and worked in a number of tech companies, both within prop tech, software and energy. He is a qualified economist has a master's degree from UiS in economics and management, and from NHH in Bergen in innovation management.

QUANTITATIVE ANALYST

Marta is a data-driven researcher with a PhD in Human Communication Sciences from Sheffield University. Dr Ciesielska has profound quantitative expertise and specializes in understanding the behavioral, cognitive, and neurological mechanisms involved in learning.

Duja holds an MSc in Economics for Development from the University of Oxford and a BA in Economics and Urban Studies from the University of California, Berkeley. Duja’s research spans randomized controlled trials evaluating digital learning interventions, qualitative studies of teacher and caregiver experiences, and investigations into how caregivers can be supported to facilitate early learning in low-resource environments.

Joyce has extensive experience in impact evaluation research, with a focus on early childhood in Arabic-speaking countries. She conducted and supervised large-scale randomized control trials. She also has experience designing psychometric assessments and assisting in checking their validity and reliability.

Dr. Xiaolu Rui is a learning sciences researcher with a background in English literature and secondary teaching in China. She completed a master’s in Learning Science and Educational Technologies in Finland and is now pursuing a PhD at Eindhoven University of Technology. Her work focuses on supporting teaching teams and fostering professional development in multidisciplinary, student-centred learning environments.

Athina is a Computer Engineering graduate and a Master’s degree in Learning and Educational Technology at the University of Oulu, Finland. Her work focuses on Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning and Technology-Enhanced Learning, where she aims to combine her technical background with emerging insights from education research to design inclusive and impactful learning experiences. She serves as a project manager for ICEI on multinational evaluation studies and for Eduevidence, the global certification organization for evidence-based EdTech quality.

Dr. Layachi holds a PhD in Disability Inclusion and Special Needs from the University of Birmingham. She contributed to the onebillion project, focusing on teachers’ practices, learners with special needs, and scaling EdTech solutions across countries, with significant applied research experience in Malawi.

EVIDENCE SYNTHESIST

David is a seasoned product, strategy, and operations leader with deep expertise in education, educational technology, and the development of innovative products and services. David has led market strategy and product planning for education-focused AI start-ups, driven product-market fit for online tutoring platforms, and supported investor strategy in education sector acquisitions. His experience extends to non-profit management, where he has played key roles in operations, staff development, and strategic planning.

LEAD RESEARCHER

Phil began his career as a software engineer and manager at FileMaker Inc., an Apple subsidiary, before shifting his focus to the intersection of technology and education, leading him to pursue a PhD in Learning Sciences at UC Berkeley and leadership roles at SRI Education and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Phil leverages his extensive experience to guide organizations in research-based design for education, with a focus on diverse learners, AI integration, and impact measurement.

CHILDREN'S MEDIA UXD/LXD

Taleen Alexander is a research professional with 12+ years of experience in edtech, social gaming, and mobile applications. She built and refined her research skills at companies such as Game Show Network (acquired by Sony), Crowdstar (acquired by Glu), Zynga, Epic, and Rebel Girls. She has a B.A. from UC Berkeley in English Literature and a J.D. from UC Hastings College of the Law.

HEAD OF PARTNERSHIPS

Nora is a passionate impact and partnerships professional with work experience in the philanthropy, investing as well as bilateral and multilateral cooperation space. She's experienced in setting up and advising evidence-informed education and EdTech initiatives, and has worked in different global contexts (Syria, Mexico, Uganda, NYC/US, Greece). She holds a MA in Anthropology, a MAS in International Development Cooperation and an MBA.

EDTECH INDUSTRY EXPERT

Esben is a serial entrepreneur with over three decades of experience in the global publishing and edtech industries and as an eco-system builder. He’s also been involved in the formation of the European Edtech Alliance alongside the national associations EdTech Denmark and EdTech Ukraine, and is involved in ICEIE, the International Certification Of Evidence Of Impact In Education.

RESEARCH ASSOCIATE

Danial is passionate about social mobility through education and the use of technology. He holds a bachelor's degree from UCL, during which he conducted research on commercial partnerships between EdTech and Digital Media companies in the UK and USA. Danial previously worked as a tuition coordinator for a Norwegian tutoring firm, and has experience from consulting. He is now pursuing a master’s degree in Sustainability and Finance at Imperial College Business School.

HEAD OF LXD

Lisa is an education technology consultant and learning designer who specializes in technology strategic planning, professional development and curriculum design for K-12 schools, and UX/UI research and design for education companies. She is a Teaching Fellow at Harvard Graduate School. Lisa holds a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science from the University of Notre Dame and a Master's in Educational Technologies from Harvard University.

As a longtime lecturer at Harvard Graduate School of Education, David teaches Innovation by Design, with a focus on scaling and sustaining impact in edtech across diverse learning contexts. For ICEI, he was involved in the production of materials for Playbook with Owl VC and selected reports.

Professor Jasińska is a cognitive neuroscientist at the University of Toronto and a Research Scientist at Haskins Laboratories. Her work applies advanced neuroimaging methods, including fNIRS and MRI, to understand how children learn to read and how the brain adapts during literacy development. For ICEI, she is leading projects focused on impact evaluations in LMICs.

Dr Wolf is an Associate Professor in Human Development and Quantitative Methods at the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education. Trained as an applied developmental psychologist, Sharon studies how young children’s social environments shape their development, and how early childhood educational interventions can promote development and reduce inequalities. For ICEI, Dr Wolf has supported initiatives around outcomes-based evaluations in LMICs.