Name and function 

Organisation 

Role/tasks

Professional profile and expertise

Manuel PALOMAR

University of Alicante (UA)

Project Manager

Head of the Digital Intelligence Center (CENID). Head of the Language Processing and Information Systems Research Group (GPLSI). Manuel Palomar holds a PhD and a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from the Polytechnic University of Valencia. He is a tenured full Professor in the Software and Computing Systems Department at the University of Alicante, where he has lectured since 1991. Manuel has held the following senior academic management roles: President of the University of Alicante (2012-2020); Vice President for Research, Development and Innovation (2005-April 2011); Director of the Department of Software and Computing Systems (2000-2004); Deputy Director-Coordinator of the Polytechnic School of the University of Alicante (1998-1999); and Deputy Director of Computer Science of the Polytechnic School of the University of Alicante (1996-1997). Manuel, acting as Project Coordinator, is responsible for the overall management and strategic direction of the EMJM program. His responsibilities include: Leading and coordinating all activities across partner institutions; serving as the main contact with the European Commission and other stakeholders; ensuring timely reporting, compliance, and implementation of project objectives; facilitating communication and decision-making within the consortium; and overseeing the governance and smooth operation of the program.

Armando SUAREZ

University of Alicante (UA)

Academic Coordinator / Head of Studies

Assistant Professor of Software and Computing Systems at the University of Alicante. Between 1998 and 2000, and since 2013, he has held various academic management positions at the University of Alicante’s Polytechnic School and the Department of Software and Computing systems. Armando, as Academic Coordinator / Head of Studies, ensures the academic integrity and smooth operation of the joint program. His responsibilities include: Designing and maintaining the joint curriculum across all partner institutions; coordinating teaching staff and supervising course delivery; Monitoring student progress and academic performance; and resolving academic issues and maintaining standards in line with ECTS and QA guidelines.

Rafael MUÑOZ

University of Alicante (UA)

Administrative Coordinator

Professor in the Department of Software and Computing Systems at the University of Alicante. He has vast experience in information retrieval and extraction, entity recognition, text mining and opinion mining. He has participated in 54 prestigious conferences in the field of Natural Language Processing.Rafael, acting as Administrative Coordinator, is responsible for ensuring the smooth operational and administrative management of the EMJM program. His responsibilities include: Coordinating day-to-day administrative tasks across all partner institutions; Managing schedules, meetings, and project documentation; Supporting the Project Coordinator in reporting and compliance; Facilitating communication between administrative staff, faculty, and students; and assisting with logistics for events, workshops, and program activities.

Elena LLORET

University of Alicante (UA)

Quality Assurance Officer

Full Professor in the Department of Software and Computing Systems at the University of Alicante, Spain. She has experience in Natural Language Processing (NLP), both in teaching and research. She has participated as a researcher in more than 40 research projects at a regional, national, and European level, including her role as Vice-chair of the European COST action in Multi3Generation. Elena, acting as Quality Assurance Officer, will ensure the EMJM program maintains high academic and operational standards. Her responsibilities include developing and implementing quality assurance procedures; Collecting and analysing feedback from students, staff, and alumni; Monitoring program performance indicators and recommend improvements; and preparing documentation for internal and external audits or evaluations.

Isabel ESPINOSA-ZARAGOZA

University of Alicante (UA)

Communication Manager

Senior collaborator at the Department of Computing and Information Systems at the University of Alicante (Spain). She holds a PhD in Linguistic Studies from the University of Alicante (Spain). Isabel will act as Communication Manager, responsible for the strategic planning, coordination, implementation, and monitoring of all communication, dissemination, promotion, and visibility activities of the ML3T-SCI Erasmus Mundus Joint Master. This includes coordinating partner-level dissemination actions, supporting international student recruitment and outreach activities, overseeing the Student Ambassador scheme, and monitoring key communication indicators. The role is essential to ensuring the programme’s international visibility, compliance with Erasmus+ communication requirements, and effective engagement with all target audiences.

Inmaculada CATURLA

University of Alicante (UA)

Financial Manager

Senior Financial Manager at the Institutional Project Management Office of the University of Alicante. She has been involved in managing multiple projects from different EU programmes such as FP7, Tempus, Edulink, Erasmus+, Erasmus Mundus, H2020, etc. She has vast experience in budget management, budget proposal preparation, financial control and financial EC reporting. Inma, as Administrative and Financial Manager, oversees all financial aspects of the EMJM project. Her responsibilities include: Managing the overall budget and allocation of funds to partner institutions; ensuring compliance with EU financial rules and Erasmus+ guidelines; Preparing financial reports, audits, and justification of expenses; and monitoring scholarships and student mobility funding.

Yoan Gutiérrez Vázquez

University of Alicante (UA)

Student Services Officer

Yoan Gutiérrez is an Associate Professor and member of the GPLSI research group at the University of Alicante. His research focuses on Natural Language Processing, particularly on semantic information retrieval, text mining, and knowledge discovery. He has extensive experience in R&D projects, scientific publishing, and technology transfer, and actively contributes to the academic community through teaching and research leadership in AI and data-driven knowledge extraction.Yoan, acting as Student Services Officer, provides comprehensive support to EMJM students. His responsibilities include: Assisting with admissions, enrollment, visas, housing, and onboarding; supporting student mobility between partner institutions; addressing student welfare, inclusion, and wellbeing issues; and serving as the primary contact for student queries and guidance.

Olga Francés Hernández

University of Alicante (UA)

Coordinator of Associated Partners

Lecturer and Researcher at the University of Alicante, specialising in innovation ecosystems, knowledge transfer, and scientific entrepreneurship. She holds a PhD in Computer Science and a degree in Chemical Engineering. With over 19 years of experience bridging academia and industry, she has led initiatives in technology transfer and innovation management, including as Director of the Alicante Science Park Foundation. Her research focuses on the application of Artificial Intelligence to decision-support systems and innovation processes. Olga, acting as Coordinator of Associated Partners, manages the collaboration with external organisations and associated partners. Her responsibilities include: Developing and maintaining relationships with industry, research, and internship partners; Coordinating joint activities, such as internships, workshops, and projects; Ensuring associated partners contribute effectively to the program; and integrating partner input into curriculum and mobility opportunities.

Yudivian ALMEIDA-CRUZ

University of Havana (UH)

Local Project Coordinator, regional administrative/financial officer

Full-time Professor at the University of Havana, Head of the Artificial Intelligence Research Group. PhD in Information Technology from the University of Alicante, and PhD in Mathematics from the University of Havana. His experience includes Natural Language Processing and Machine Learning, recently focusing on natural text generation and bias mitigation, among others. Responsible for coordinating programme implementation at the partner institution and acting as the local contact point for academic, administrative, and financial matters.

Suilan ESTÉVEZ-VELARDE

University of Havana (UH)

Academic and quality assurance regional coordinator; Regional student  service officer

Full-time Professor at the University of Havana, PhD in Information Technology from the University of Alicante and PhD in Computer Science from the University of Havana. She has experience in Automated Machine Learning applied to knowledge discovery, Metaheuristics, sentiment analysis in social media, and Ontology learning. Ensures the local delivery of the curriculum complies with agreed academic standards and quality assurance procedures of the joint programme. Provides local support to students regarding enrolment, mobility, accommodation, and administrative procedures in coordination with the consortium.

Alejandro PIAD-MORFFIS

University of Havana (UH)

Regional Communication Coordinator

Full-time Professor at the University of Havana. PhD in Information Technology from the University of Alicante and PhD in Computer Science from the University of Havana. He has experience in Neuro-symbolic approaches for knowledge discovery from natural text, Automated Machine Learning, active learning, sentiment analysis, and Metaheuristics. Supports the Communication Manager by adapting, translating, and disseminating promotional and dissemination materials within the regional and linguistic context.

Piedad ARENAS DÍAZ

Industrial University of Santander (UIS)

Local Project Coordinator, regional administrative/financial officer

Industrial Engineer, PhD in technological innovation management from the Universidad de los Andes, Colombia. Specialist in Production Management, and Specialist in Higher Education teaching at the Industrial University of Santander. Full-time Professor at the School of Industrial and Business Studies of the Industrial University of Santander. Member of the Innotec research group – Classified A by Minciencias. She was Head of Human Resources, School Director and Director of Planning at the Industrial University of Santander. Responsible for coordinating programme implementation at the partner institution and acting as the local contact point for academic, administrative, and financial matters.

Hugo ERNESTO MARTÍNEZ ARDILA

Industrial University of Santander (UIS)

Regional Communication Coordinator; Regional student  service officer

Electronic Engineer with PhD studies in Management and Technological Development UIS- Visiting Scholar University of Delaware. He is a Professor at the School of Industrial and Business Studies of the Industrial University of Santander.  He has participated in national and international projects such as SUMA (European Economic Community, around 30 countries), Iberincu (incubators of technology-based companies), Master Plan of the Guatiguará Technology Park (KOICA- Korea International Cooperation Agency), analysis of Ecopetrol’s R+D+i capacities, among others. Supports the Communication Manager by adapting, translating, and disseminating promotional and dissemination materials within the regional and linguistic context. Provides local support to students regarding enrolment, mobility, accommodation, and administrative procedures in coordination with the consortium.

Luis Eduardo BECERRA ARDILA

Industrial University of Santander (UIS)

Academic and quality assurance regional coordinator

Full-time Professor, Industrial Engineering, Industrial University of Santander. He has held various responsibilities in the fields of scientific research and administration, the latest as the General Director of the SUMA-ALFA III NETWORK, an administrative and financial management network in which 24 countries in Latin America and Europe are associated. Chair of Administrative and Financial Management, Dean’s Training program at the Universities of Saarlander (Germany) and University of Alicante (Spain). Ensures the local delivery of the curriculum complies with agreed academic standards and quality assurance procedures of the joint programme.

Konstantinos I. DIAMANTARAS

International Hellenic University (IHU)

Local Project Coordinator, regional administrative/financial officer

Professor in the Department of Information and Electronic Engineering, International Hellenic University, Greece. His main research interests include machine learning, natural language processing, signal processing, and image processing. He has served as Chairman and a Member of the Technical Committee for various machine learning, signal processing, and neural networks conferences, such as the Machine Learning for Signal Processing, IEEE Signal Processing Society. Responsible for coordinating programme implementation at the partner institution and acting as the local contact point for academic, administrative, and financial matters.

Michail SALAMPASIS

International Hellenic University (IHU)

Regional Communication Coordinator

Professor of Internet Technologies at the Department of Informatics; Electronics Engineering at the International Hellenic University. He is also the Director of the Intelligent Systems Laboratory and the MSc Course in Web Intelligence. His main research interests include applied and interdisciplinary studies in Information Science, including models and experiments related to information-seeking behaviour, among others. He has extensive experience in European/ national funded research programs (https://www.salampasis.gr/projects). Supports the Communication Manager by adapting, translating, and disseminating promotional and dissemination materials within the regional and linguistic context.

Charalampos

BRATSAS

International Hellenic University (IHU)

Academic and quality assurance regional coordinator

Assistant Professor in the Department of Information and Electronic Engineering of the International Hellenic University. He is the founder of Open Knowledge Foundation Greece and CEO. His main research areas are Open Data (creator of Greek Open Data Hub), Semantic Web, Social Semantic Web, Linked Data (Greek DBpedia Coordinator), Data Mining, Big Data and AI applications. He has participated in many European Committee research programs. He has more than 70 articles in the fields of Semantic Web, Big Data, and Artificial Intelligence. Ensures the local delivery of the curriculum complies with agreed academic standards and quality assurance procedures of the joint programme.

Stefanos OUGIAROGLOU

International Hellenic University (IHU)

Regional student  service officer

Assistant Professor in the Department of Information and Electronic Engineering, International Hellenic University, Thessaloniki, Greece. He holds a PhD in Computer Science from the University of Macedonia, focusing on efficient nearest neighbor classification. His research interests include Data Mining, Machine Learning, Data Reduction, Data Streams, and Web Application Development. He has published more than 60 papers in these areas and serves as a reviewer for international journals and conferences. Provides local support to students regarding enrolment, mobility, accommodation, and administrative procedures in coordination with the consortium.