Meike Bartels
Meike Bartels is University Research Chair Professor in Genetics and Well-being at the Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. Her line of research focuses on the causes of individual differences in well-being by studying the complex interplay of genetic and environmental factors. Her master’s degree is in Physiological Psychology, with special focus on Behavior Genetics. She obtained her PhD degree in the field of behavior genetics and the development of children in 2003. She currently holds an ERC consolidator grant to study well-being.
Liam Bekirsky
Liam Bekirsky is an Intern for the Centre for Educational Research and Innovation’s 21st Century Children project. He holds both an honours B.A. and B.Ed. from York University, Glendon College, Canada, and is an Ontario Certified Teacher. Liam is currently pursuing a dual master’s degree in Digital and New Technologies and Public Policy at Sciences Po in Paris and in Global Affairs at the University of Toronto. He has also worked as a researcher on York University’s Globally Networked Learning and Bilingual Open Educational Resources projects.
Tracey Burns
Tracey Burns is a Senior Analyst in the OECD's Centre for Educational Research and Innovation. She heads a portfolio of projects including Trends Shaping Education, 21st Century Children and Innovative Teaching for Effective Learning. Her most recent OECD publication is "Trends Shaping Education 2019". Previous to her time at the OECD she led research investigating newborn infants' responses to language, and was an award-winning lecturer on infant and child development. Tracey holds a B.A. from McGill University, Canada, and an M.A. and Doctor of Philosophy in experimental psychology from Northeastern University, United States.
Catrin Finkenauer
Catrin Finkenauer is Professor Youth Studies at Interdisciplinary Social Science, Utrecht University, Netherlands. She is chair of the interdisciplinary research program Youth in Changing Cultural Contexts and scientific director of the Utrecht University interdisciplinary research center Dynamics of Youth. Her interdisciplinary work seeks to understand how we can strengthen lasting social connections and supportive relationships in adolescence, especially for the most vulnerable adolescents. As scientific director, she promotes interdisciplinary research efforts with and for children and adolescents to improve their health, reduce inequalities, and strengthen their capacities and resilience to navigate and meet future demands and challenges.
Francesca Gottschalk
Francesca Gottschalk is an Analyst for the Centre for Educational Research and Innovation’s 21st Century Children project. She recently published a working paper, looking at the impacts of technology use on children. Prior to working on the 21st Century Children team, she worked on the Innovative Teaching for Effective Learning pilot project. Francesca holds an honours BSc in human biology, psychology, and Buddhism, psychology and mental health from the University of Toronto and an M.A. in public policy and international affairs from the American University of Paris.
Ellen Johanna Helsper
Ellen Johanna Helsper is Professor in Media and Communications at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). Her research interests include the links between social and digital inequalities, interpersonal mediated communication, and methodological innovation in media and communications research. She is involved in the Global Kids Online, From Digital Skills to Tangible Outcomes, and Connected Communities and Inclusive Growth projects. Ellen has a PhD in Media and Communications (LSE) and an MSc in Media Psychology (Utrecht University). She consults for governments, third and commercial sectors around the world on the topic of (dis)engagement in digital societies.
Daniel Kardefelt-Winther
Daniel Kardefelt-Winther leads UNICEF’s research programme on Children and Digital Technology, at the Office of Research, and manages the Global Kids Online and Disrupting Harm projects. He works at the intersection of child rights and digital technology and has several years of experience in designing, implementing and managing cross-national comparative evidence generation projects. He also supports UNICEF offices around the world with research expertise, training, knowledge management and capacity building initiatives. Daniel holds degrees in Computer Science (BSc) and Psychology (BSc) from Stockholm University, as well as in Management (MSc) and Media & Communications (PhD) from the London School of Economics. He also holds a post-doctoral research position in the Department of Clinical Neuroscience at the Karolinska Institute.
Gustavo S. Mesch
Gustavo Mesch is a Professor at the Department of Sociology (University of Haifa), was the Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences and is currently the Rector of the University of Haifa. He was the Chair of the Information and Communication Technologies Section of the American Sociological Association and editor of the Sociological Focus. He co-authored the book “Wired Youth: The Social World of Adolescence in the Information Age” and has published extensively in the field of youth culture, technology and society, online communication, the interface of online and face-to-face social network and youth social capital. He has a Ph.D. in Sociology from Ohio State University.
Quynh Nguyen
Quynh Nguyen is a recent graduate from the master's program in Human Rights and Multi-level Governance from the University of Padua, Italy. She holds a B.A in Government from Smith College, USA. Quynh’s current research interests include multi-level governance in education and human rights education, especially in developing regions. She joined the 21st Century Children team as an intern in 2018 and worked on modern parenting and friendships.
Alejandro Paniagua
Alejandro Paniagua holds a PhD in Social Anthropology and a B.A. in Education. He has experience as a primary school teacher and teacher educator and currently works as an independent consultant for Brookings Institution and the OECD. He is a member of the network “Education, Public Policy and Equity” at Glasgow University and his last publications revolve around innovative pedagogies, early career teachers and initial teacher preparation.
Lisa Robinson
Lisa Robinson holds a Bachelors of Laws, a Masters in International Law and a LL.M in French and European Law. She worked for a period of approximately 10 years in Australia in the field child protection and access to justice, working on law reform projects and as a litigation lawyer, including the direct representation of children. Lisa has worked with both an International Child Rights NGO and the OECD on a number of rights and policy issues relating to children ranging from the children’s rights and protection needs in the digital space, children’s rights arising out of assisted reproductive technologies, providing for the needs of migrant and refugee children, and children’s care in emergency situations.
Elettra Ronchi
Elettra Ronchi, PhD, MPP, is Senior Policy Analyst at the OECD. Since 2015 she has been Head of Unit in the Division for Digital Economy Policy, and is currently leading the review of the implementation of the 2012 Recommendation on the Protection of Children Online, and of the 2013 OECD Guidelines on the Protection of Privacy and Transborder Flows of Personal Data. Since 2006 she has contributed to the organisation’s work on e-health, including the development of the 2016 OECD Council Recommendation on Health Data Governance. Elettra started her policy career in 1993 as consultant for the United Nations Development Programme, before which she held academic research and teaching positions in the U.S. and France.
Andra Siibak
Andra Siibak (PhD in Media and Communication) is a Professor of Media Studies and director of the doctoral program on Media and Communication at the Institute of Social Studies, University of Tartu, Estonia. She has published more than 70 international peer reviewed publications related to the opportunities and risks surrounding young people’s Internet and social media use; intergenerational relationships on social media; new media audiences and privacy. In her most recent projects, she has studied datafication of childhood, sharenting, young audiences of micro-celebrities, teacher-student interactions on social media, parental and sibling mediation and digital device use of toddlers.
Svetlana Smirnova
Svetlana Smirnova is a PhD candidate at the Department of Media and Communications at the London School of Economics and Political Science and a visiting lecturer at the University of Cambridge. Her current research interests include self-tracking and self-quantification, digital selfhood, research methods and design, and digital inequalities. She is currently completing her doctoral dissertation and publishing outcomes of her research on the topic of self-quantification’s contribution to our sense of the self. Svetlana holds postgraduate degrees in Sociology (MPhil, University of Cambridge), and Media and Communication (MSc, LSE & M.A., Simon Fraser University).
Madita Weise
Madita Weise is a PhD candidate at the University of Cambridge in Sociology. Her research focuses on social change and protection of vulnerable population groups, social resilience and community relations in the context of external crises in the Middle East. She is a 2015 graduate of Georgetown University’s Master of Science in Foreign Service program, where she specialised in International Affairs and Development Economics. She has worked previously at the World Bank and the German International Development Cooperation (GIZ) where she worked on perceptions of inequality, capital replenishment and addressing global challenges through the provision of regional and global public goods concerning migration and forced displacement.
Yayouk Willems
Yayouk Willems was granted the NWO research talent grant and works as a PhD-student at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. In her dissertation, she specifically focuses on adolescent self-control. She has published several meta-analyses highlighting how both genetic and environmental influences shape self-control across the lifespan. Additionally, she uses data from large twin-family databases (the Netherlands Twin Register) investigating gene-environment interplay. Before her PhD, she was closely involved in the project ‘no kids in the middle’ targeting families involved in high-conflict divorce. Yayouk holds a B.A. from Amsterdam University College, and a research MSc from the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.