IREG 2025 Conference
University Rankings - Guardian of Quality in Research and Teaching
at Abu Dhabi University, UAE
PROGRAM
(as of 10 June 2025)
Main IREG 2025 Sessions
9 December 2025 (Tuesday)
Venue: Emirates Palace Hotel
4:00 – 5:00 PM IREG Executive Committee (close meeting)
6:00 – 8:00 PM Welcome reception for IREG 2025 participants
10 December 2025 (Wednesday)
Venue: Emirates Palace Hotel
10:00 Grand Opening of the IREG 2025 & the ICASF 2025
IREG Panel A
Meet the Global and Regional Rankers – Gain Insight into Their Strategic Priorities
University leaders from different parts of the world will discuss how to navigate rankings challenges in designing a sustainable strategy for their university. Some universities have expressed their disapproval of rankings, others look for new approaches to evaluation of research. The Session will provide opportunity to present and discuss different opinions.
Chair: Mr. Waldemar Siwinski, President of IREG Observatory (Poland)
Speakers:
- Prof. Ghassan Aoud, Chancellor, Abu Dhabi University (UAE)
- Mr. Ben Sowter, Vice President, QS (UK)
- Mr. Minchun Zh, Data Scientist, Shanghai Ranking (China)
- Mr. Robert J. Morse, US News & World Report, (USA)
- Mr. Isidro F. Aguillo, Head of Cybermetric Lab, Webometrics (Spain)
IREG Panel B
Do Rankings Affect University Strategy? Looking for Solutions, Avoiding Mishaps
Regardless their shortcomings, rankings have become an important part of the higher education landscape. Authors of global and regional university rankings will present their rankings characteristics and directions. There will be time for “challening” questions from the audience.
Chair: Alex Usher, President of Higher Education Strategy Associates (Canada)
Speakers:
- Prof. Anas Ratib Alsoud, Executive Director, Association of Arab Universities (Jordan)
- Prof. Levent Kandiller, Rector, Rector Yaşar University, Izmir (Turkiye)
- Prof. Piotr Stepnowski, Rector, University of Gdansk (Poland)
- Prof. Komiljon Karimov, Rector, Westminster International University, Tashkent (Uzbekistan)
- Dr. Bibi M. Alajmi, Assistant Vice President for Planning, Kuwait University
- Mr. Nick Davis, President, Middle East & Africa, THE (UK)
6:00 – 8:00 PM Conference Gala Dinner
11 December 2025 (Thursday)
Venue: Emirates Palace Hotel
IREG Panel C
Reimagining Rankings – Supporting a University’s Place and Direction with a Focus on Sustainability and Innovation
The panel is aimed primarily at university officers responsible for analyzing and interpreting rankings, collecting data and answering surveys or questionnaires sent out by ranking organizations. Experts with long career will share their professional experience in advising university leadership on how rankings help define the current university position and set goals for strategic development.
Chair: Prof. György Fábri, Professor at Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE) in Budapest (Hungary)
Speakers:
- Dr. M’hamed El Aisati, Vice President, Elsevier (Netherlands)
- Dr. Habib Fardoun, Excellence Consulting for Education, (Spain)
- Ms. Birte Hornemann, Director, Quality Assurance and Ranking, Aalborg U. (Denmark)
- Dr. Narimane Hadj-Hamou, Founder and CEO, Center of Learning Innovations and Customized Knowledge Solutions (CLICKS)
3:00 – 4:00 PM IREG General Assembly of IREG Observatory (close meeting)