Dr George Palattiyil is Head of Social Work at the University of Edinburgh and a Senior Research Associate at the University of Johannesburg, South Africa. His teaching and research interests are in the area of forced migration, refugees and asylum seekers, human rights, individuals affected by HIV/AIDS and older people. Much of his research over the past 15 years have focussed on the social sciences aspects of refugee health, with research undertaken in Scotland, Uganda, Jordan and Bangladesh. He is the founding Convenor of the Global Refugee Health Research Network, which aims to promote collaborative research and knowledge exchange activities. He has published widely in international journals and coedited ‘Social Work in a Global Context – Issues and Challenges (Routledge, 2016), and ‘Practice – Social Work in Action’ special issue on Global Agenda for Social Work and Social Development (2024). He is a ‘member at large’ on the International Consortium for Social Development governing board; Board Member of Social Work Scotland and Institute for Research and Innovations in Social Services, and one of the three inaugural Trustees of the Joint Universities Social Work Association, the Learned Society for Social Work that provides strategic leadership to social work education and research in the UK. He has recently been commissioned as a consultant to support Jordan’s Ministry of Social Development’s project for the professionalisation of social work in Jordan (2024-2028). He is also a Senior Fellow of the UK’s Higher Education Academy. For more info: https://www.sps.ed.ac.uk/staff/george-palattiyil

Dr Dina Sidhva is a Lecturer in Social Work at the University of the West of Scotland. Originally an academic from India, Dina got her PhD from the University of Edinburgh to. Her research over the past 27 years has always sought to amplify the voices of marginalised people. Her current research in in Scotland and Jordan primarily explores the challenges faced by forced migrants, in areas such gender-based violence, refugee women’s livelihoods and care. Recent projects include a study on the impact of COVID-19 on family carers of care home residents in Scotland funded by the Chief Scientist Office and looking at the lived experiences of family carers of people living with dementia. Dr. Sidhva has published widely in international journals and books over her career and has also been an active participant in global health discussions, contributing to WHO working groups and multiple research initiatives concerning public health and migration.

Gordana Berc, Ph.D. is a full professor at the University of Zagreb, Faculty of Law, Department of social work, Croatia. She is a social worker and has a long-term experience in teaching micro social work area: counseling, social work in education, and family issues. She teaches on undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate social work programs. Berc published more than 30 scientific articles and reviews in national and international journals, books and other publications. Her current research interests are related to families and youth issues, spirituality, and social services (such as counseling). Gordana Berc in 2008 completed a six-month Junior Faculty Development Programme, funded by the United States Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. In 2012 she was a KAKI fellowship awardee, of the Council of Social Work Education and she spent a summer semester at the University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, USA as a teacher of social work. She is a member of International consortium of social development where she serves as a member of the Executive committee and as the president of ICSD European Branch. Currently she serves as a head of department in second term.

Dr. Asok Kumar Sarkar presently serves as Professor at the Department of Social Work, Visva-Bharati, Sriniketan-731236, West Bengal, India. He is also Chairperson of the International Consortium for Social Development -Asia Pacific branch. He is an alumnus of Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai and Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. Among the administrative responsibilities, he served as Head, the Department of Social Work and Principal (Dean of Faculties), the Institute of Rural Reconstruction, in the Visva-Bharati University, Santiniketan, West Bengal. Prior to it, he was Head at the Department of Social Work, Assam University, Silchar, Assam. He has authored and edited books such as NGOs: The New Lexicon of Health Care (Concept), NGOs and Globalization: Developmental and Organizational Facets (Rawat), Human Development and Sustainability: Challenges and Strategies (Atlantic), Welfare of Disadvantaged: Exploring Community Development Approach (Concept), and Contextualizing Peace - Experiences of Contemporary India and Neighboring Countries (Manak). His forthcoming co-edited book is ‘Understanding Women’s Empowerment in South Asia - Perspectives on Entitlements and Violations’ (Palgrave Macmillan). He is the founding editor of Journal of Social Work and Social Development, a UGC-CARE-listed journal (of India) and served from 2010 to 2017. His areas of research interests include maternal morbidity, reproductive health, health care, NGOs and social development.

Lea Caragata joined the School of Social Work at the University of British Columbia in January of 2021. She assumed the role of Director of the school in 2023. Prior to coming to UBC, Lea was Professor and Associate Dean at the Faculty of Social Work at Wilfrid Laurier University in Ontario. Dr. Caragata blends academic and research interests with her commitment to public policy change and community development. Her book Not the Whole Story: Challenging the Single Mother Narrative illustrates the participatory, activist work that underpins her research program, broadly oriented to the inclusion of the voices of equity-denied groups. Areas of research and specialization include gender, poverty, and marginalization, including in international contexts. Her research has examined welfare and labour market changes, critical constructions of resilience, and the provisioning roles played by children and youth in low-income families. Other research has focused on citizenship, social movements, gender and social exclusion. Dr Caragata has maintained a continuously SSHRC-funded research program for over 15 years. She currently has 4 research projects, 3 as PI and as a Co-investigator on a 7-year SSHRC Partnership Grant exploring precarious labour and its impacts. Lea’s academic career followed almost 20 years of work in senior positions in government and the non-profit sector.

Dr. Vikash Kumar currently serves as an Assistant Professor at Northern Michigan University, within the Social Work Department (SWD). His expertise primarily focuses on health and social welfare policies. Dr. Kumar earned his doctoral degree in Global Health from Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh. His research during this time concentrated on implementing health programs targeting mental health issues and non-communicable diseases. His fieldwork, conducted across various public hospitals in Bihar, India, challenged entrenched old-world mentalities and introduced significant innovations. Dr. Kumar also holds a Master's degree in Social Work from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS). He is currently exploring ways to integrate technology and artificial intelligence into social work education and practice, enhancing the capacity of frontline workers, and advocating for policy improvements in nonprofit organizations. Dr. Kumar collaborates closely with students and colleagues to develop interventions that address current social issues. He serves as Director of Information Technology at the International Consortium for Social Development. His commitment to advancing social work is reflected through his dedicated career in research, education, and practice.

Olivier Grand holds a bachelor's and master's degree in social work from the University of Applied Sciences of Western Switzerland (HES-SO). He has worked in social work, first in the field of disability, then in a public employment agency. He then spent several years as Secretary General of AvenirSocial, the Swiss professional association for social work, before becoming a professor at the HES-SO and Dean of the Faculty of Social Work in 2018. His interests include the history of social work and innovation in the social field.

Dr Edson Munsaka is a passionate and self-driven advocate for disability and social justice, with over a decade of university teaching experience at various universities in Zimbabwe. His qualifications include a Diploma in Special Needs Education (Zimbabwe), Master of Science Degree in Disaster Management and Sustainable Development (University of Northumbria - UK) and a Doctoral Degree in Sociology and Social Policy from University of Durham (UK). He is a Board Member of the ICSD Africa Branch and a Senior Research Associate at the Centre for Social Development in Africa (University of Johannesburg, South Africa). Dr Munsaka is also a founder member and the Executive Director of Kujwe Development Organisation, a private voluntary organisation in Zimbabwe. His research interests and expertise include Disability, Social Policy and Disaster Risk. Dr Munsaka has published in peer reviewed journals and has also presented research at local and international relevant conferences.

Manish K. Jha is a Professor of Community Organisation & Development Practice and former Dean of the School of Social Work, Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai. His research interests include Urban Poverty, housing, Migration, Political Economy of Development, Social Justice, Humanitarian & Disaster response, and New Middle Classes. He contributes to critical governance studies, urban studies, Migration, and critical democratic processes through his research, writings and field engagements. He teaches Social and Public Policy, Social Action, Advocacy and Movements, Community Organisation, and Migration and Politics courses. He has been a visiting Fellow at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University College Dublin (UCD), University of Chicago, University of Durham, UK, Gothenburg University, Sweden and other places. He has extensively contributed to international journals and edited volumes on migration, disaster, community organisation, politics, populism and social justice. His recent books include Beyond Consumption: India's New Middle Class in The Neo-Liberal Times published by Routledge (2022) and Data Centres as Infrastructure: Frontiers of Digital Governance in Contemporary India, published by Orient BlackSwan (2022) and Traversing Bihar: Politics of Development and Social Justice, published by OBS. He is the Editor of the Indian Journal of Social Work (TISS) and Co-editor of the International Journal of Community and Social Development (Sage). He has led several international and national collaborative projects sponsored by the British Council, Erasmus, the University of Chicago, ICSSR, etc. He is an honorary member of governing boards of research organizations and NGOs. His collaborative research project on Urban resettlement and Housing with the University of Chicago has resulted in many significant publications.