UGraC 2024
Unicaf University Graduate Conference 2024
The Fourth Annual Online Unicaf University Graduate Conference (UGraC) attracted over 5000 delegates from over 130 countries. This year’s conference featured 55 oral presentations in English by doctoral students and graduates from 13 different doctoral pathways, 7 plenary presentations and 1 workshop.
The conference proceedings commenced on Monday, April 15th, 2024, with the keynote speech by Dr Nicos Nicolaou, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Unicaf, focusing on “AI in Education”.
The plenary presentations for this year’s conference offered insightful perspectives on cutting-edge topics, with a focus on the ongoing rise of Artificial Intelligence. Professor Hoshang Kolivand, Professor in AI and Mixed Reality at Liverpool John Moores University, delved into “Breaking Boundaries with AI: Current and Future of Mixed Reality”. Dr Selby Martin, Principal Lecturer at Liverpool John Moores University, explored “Student Experience and Student Engagement: Rethinking the theory and practice of being a student”.
Dr Slawomir Raszewski, Programme Director and Senior Lecturer in Oil and Gas Management at the University of East London, discussed “Resilience and Cybersecurity in the Changing Energy Sector”. Dr Entissar Elgadi, Lecturer in Accounting and Finance at the University of East London, presented on “Corporate Governance and Bank Risk: The Case of Sudanese Islamic Banks”. Following these presentations, Dr Daniel Mpolomoka, Dean of the School of Education, Humanities, and Social Sciences at Unicaf University in Zambia, conducted a workshop on “Advocacy for ‘Philosophy’ in a Doctor of Philosophy programme: Promoting innovation, entrepreneurship and development”.
Additionally, Dr Ivan Olier-Caparroso, Reader in Artificial Intelligence and Data Science at Liverpool John Moores University, explored “Artificial Intelligence with Applications in Medicine”. Professor Tony Wall, Faculty Associate Dean at Liverpool John Moores University, presented on “ChatGPT and research practice: Emergences across the ASEAN network”. Dr Siham Rizkallah, Faculty at Unicaf University, delivered a plenary presentation in French on ‘L’importance de la Responsabilité Sociale des Entreprises dans le monde des Affaires” (The Importance of Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainable Development Goals in Business).
Dr Francis Anno Ekiru, the winner of this year’s Doctoral Research Award, also presented on “The effects of traders’ competitive rivalry on livestock market access in pastoral areas: A case of Turkana County in Kenya”.
You can access video recordings of the conference and the abstract booklet, which contains the full programme, below.
