Dana Anafina is a second-year master’s student in the Department of Communication. Her research focus is health communication, specifically how social norms influence an individual’s behavior. She is interested in exploring how persuasive messages can challenge and reshape existing social norms for positive health outcomes. Inspired by current fellows, Dana is excited to work with and learn. As a leadership fellow, she aims to create an environment for international students where their voices are heard and to ensure each individual feels valued and supported.

Dr. Anwar is a Senior Lecturer and Programme Leader for MSc Information Science (Data Analytics and Library Management) in the Department of Computer & Information Sciences, Northumbria University, UK. He received his PhD in Computing (Data Mining) from University of Sunderland, UK. He has done his MSc and BSc in Computer Science from University of Karachi, Pakistan. He has been working in academia for the last many years at different national and overseas universities. He had been a Research Ethics Lead / Deputy Lead for the Department of Computer & Information Sciences at Northumbria University. He is a Fellow of Higher Education Academy (FHEA), and also a member of FHEA applications’ review committee at Northumbria University. Before joining the Northumbria University, he worked at The Open University, UK as a Research Fellow. He had also worked as a Post-doctoral Research Associate at University of Sunderland, Knowledge Media Institute (KMi) and The Open University Business School, UK. Previously, he was also a full-time Lecturer at Department of Computer Science, University of Karachi, Pakistan. He is also an external examiner at various universities.

Dr Anwar combined his knowledge and research in data mining in the form of a book based on medical data. He has published his research work in many international conferences’ proceedings and journals. Previously he had obtained grants as a Principal Investigator from SAMS (Society for the Advancement of Management Studies), UKCES (UK Commission for Employment Skills) and ESRC (Economic and Social Research Council), UK, and as a Co-investigator from Research Beacon, University of Sunderland, UK. He is a Member of the Economic & Social Research Council (ESRC) UK Peer Review College to review reports and bids/proposals for their schemes and programmes. He has also reviewed many national and international bids. He supervises PhD students, and has chaired and examined many PhD students. He is also a reviewer for many international journals and has been a Technical Programme Committee member for many international conferences.

Dr Anwar is involved in quantitative and qualitative research. His research interest includes qualitative and quantitative data analysis, big data analysis, data mining, business intelligence, digital methods and machine learning, health informatics, intelligent hybrid systems (using a combination of machine learning techniques), information systems, decision support systems, international businesses/entrepreneurship, online businesses/entrepreneurship, online home-based businesses, entrepreneurial marketing, and digital social media. He is open for discussion for research with prospective self-funded postgraduate researchers (MPhil/PhD and Visiting Scholars) or businesses/companies/organizations who are interested in above areas.

Alberto Aziani is an Assistant Professor of Criminology at Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Milan, where he specializes in illegal markets, trafficking activities, organized crime, and illicit financial flows. His work on these topics has been widely published in leading scientific journals. He holds a PhD in Criminology from Università Cattolica, an MSc in Economics and Social Sciences and a BSc in Management from Bocconi University, Milan. Over the years, he has overseen numerous projects for international and supranational organizations and funding institutions, such as the European Commission and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.

Dr. Xuemei Bian is Professor in Marketing at University of Northumbria, EDI Lead of MOS and Innovation Fellow of the British Academy 2022/23. She is an advisor to the UK Intellectual Property Office (IPO), the national government agency, which operates and maintains a clear and accessible intellectual property system in the UK to encourage innovation and helps the economy and society to benefit from knowledge and ideas. Between November 2020 and June 2021, she served IPO’s Exhaustion of Intellectual Property Rights evidence sub-group in her capacity as advisor. She currently holds the visiting professor role at Tianjin University and is also Adjunct Professor at Michigan State University. Her main research interests are in consumer behavior, branding and advertising, with a focus on how judgments, evaluations and choice vary as a function of different decision-making strategies. She has established and sustained an international reputation and recognition in three main research areas: 1) consumption behavior; 2) branding and brand management, and 3) effective advertising with a focus on the influences of advertising appeals on brands, consumer well-being, and behavioral tendency.

She is one of the leading scholars in the field of consumer and counterfeit studies. Her research has appeared in many journals of international repute, such as Journal of Business Research, European Journal of Marketing, Marketing Letters, British Journal of Social Psychology, International Business Review, Journal of Brand Management, International Journal of Consumer Studies, Journal of Consumer Behavior, Advances in Consumer Research, Journal of Product and Brand Management, and The Marketing Review among others. Her paper titled “New Insights into Unethical Counterfeit Consumption” was selected and included in Elsevier’s Newsletter for Science Journalists (2016) and is the “Top Rated” paper in the Journal of Business Research.

Her research has attracted media attention in recent years and has featured in national and international popular outlets and trade magazines such as Huffington Post, Marie Claire, BBC Radio Kent, Refinery29, Fućsia (Colombia), The World Trademark Review, Luxury Daily (USA), and numerous online news websites. She is a regular contributor to national and international popular outlets, including The Sunday Times and BBC Radio Kent, commenting on consumer related topics.

Jay Choi is a University Distinguished Professor of Economics at Michigan State University. His research is in industrial organization, with a focus on intellectual property rights, economics of network effects, and antitrust economics. He holds a Ph.D. in economics from Harvard University and a BA from Seoul National University.