Having earned the Master of Applied Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania and a doctorate in Psychometrics from the University of Massachusetts, Dr Maggie Zhao is currently President of International Positive Psychology Association (IPPA) Education Division and Director of Teaching and Learning Evaluation and Measurement Unit at the University of Hong Kong. An academic and practitioner, Maggie has heavily engaged in leading large-scale educational projects from K-12 to higher education with a wide range of leading, teaching, research, and professional practice experience in the United States and China. Her research over the past decade has centered on the intersection of data science, learning sciences, and well-being science. Her work has appeared in refereed journals like Lancet Psychiatry, Journal of Positive Psychology, and Assessment. Maggie actively serves on advisory boards, professional committees, and professional consultations in student learning, well-being, curriculum, pedagogy, assessment, and quality assurance.

Mathew A. White, PhD, is Deputy Dean, International, for the Faculty of Arts, Business, Law, and Economics at the University of Adelaide in Australia, where he is an Associate Professor and Deputy Head of the School of Education. Mathew has taught and researched curriculum, pedagogy, wellbeing education, and teacher education. He has supervised higher-degree research students in these areas. He is passionate about educating the next generation of teachers and leaders committed to evidence-informed teaching practice to improve student wellbeing and learning regardless of circumstance. Before joining academia in 2018, Mathew was an award-winning secondary school English and French teacher for 20 years and had a decade’s senior leadership-level experience in schools. 2004 Mathew was awarded his PhD in Education from the University of Adelaide, Australia. He has published six books and numerous journal articles on wellbeing and education, including Transforming Teaching: Wellbeing and Professional Practice (2022), Wellbeing and Resilience Education COVID-19 and Its Impact on Education (2021), Critical Perspectives on Teaching, Learning and Leadership: Enhancing Educational Outcomes (2020), Future Directions in Well-Being: Education, Organizations and Policy (2017) and Evidence-Based Approaches in Positive Education: Implementing a Strategic Framework for Well-being in Schools (2015). He served joint terms as Interim Head of the School of Education and Acting Deputy Dean (Learning and Teaching) for the Faculty of Arts, Business, Law, and Economics. Mathew is also a principal fellow at the Melbourne Graduate School of Education at the University of Melbourne. Mathew has been awarded national education leadership awards and faculty and university teaching excellence commendations. He was President of the Education Division of IPPA (IPPAEd 2019-2022) and was conferred the title of IPPA Fellow in 2021. His next two books New Research and Possibilities in Wellbeing Education (in-press, Springer) and Integrating Wellbeing and Learning in Schools: Evidence-informed Approaches for Leaders and Teachers (in-press, Routledge), will be published in 2024.

Director for the Institute of Wellbeing and Happiness at Universidad Tecmilenio, with 60,000 students. She previously had the position of Vicepresident for High School Education. PhD in Humanistic Studies by Tecnológico de Monterrey in México and a Master of Applied Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania. Has 20 years’ experience on education and curriculum design. Has worked extensively in peace studies and conflict resolution

Dr Peggy (a.k.a. Margaret) Kern is an associate professor at the Centre for Wellbeing Science within the University of Melbourne's Graduate School of Education. Originally trained in social, personality, and developmental psychology, Peggy received her undergraduate degree in psychology from Arizona State University, a Masters and Ph.D. in social/personality psychology from the University of California and postdoctoral training in positive psychology at the University of Pennsylvania. Her research focuses on understanding, measuring, and supporting wellbeing across the lifespan. She works with schools and workplaces to examine strategies for supporting wellbeing, and bridging gaps between research and practice. She has published 3 books, over 100 peer-reviewed articles and chapters, and the freely available Palgrave Handbook of Positive Education. You can find out more about Peggy’s work at www.peggykern.org