Visiting Fellows

Christian Schachtner has been Professor of Information Systems with a focus on digitalisation in administration at RheinMain University of Applied Sciences since July 2023. His research focuses on smart systems for people and technology, innovation management, e-government, new work and sustainability management.

From May 2020 to June 2023, he was a professor and programme director in the Public Management department at IU International University. He has won several awards in the academic, didactic and transfer project-oriented cluster. He was also instrumental in developing the Bachelor's and Master's Public Management degree programmes and modules, including all appointment and accreditation procedures.

Schachtner completed a degree in public administration (Diplom-Verwaltungswirt (FH)) as well as a part-time Master's programme in European Public Management at the HWR Berlin. He completed a degree in public law at the Friedricht-Alexander University of Erlangen-Nuremberg and a postgraduate programme in adult education. 

He completed his doctorate at the Faculty of Economics at the KU Eichstätt-Ingolstadt on competence diagnostics procedures for innovation management in public organisations.

He is the institute director and managing director of the Society for Continuing Education, Innovation and UX-Public Services in Basel/Switzerland. As an in-house consultant and independent organisational consultant, he has many years of professional experience in the management of public institutions. In addition, he is regularly active as an adult educator and reviewer in the field of continuing education and training design and programme accreditation and has 10 years of experience as a lecturer. He is a regular academic reviewer for IAFOR and SAGE Publishing.

In addition to his more than 10 years of experience as a manager at state and municipal level, as an expert and advisory board member in various innovation circles and research projects at federal and state level and in a municipal context, he has also worked as a lecturer for many years. He is also a member of the Association of German Scientists (VDW), IRMA Regional Management Region 10 and the Society for Organisation (GfO).

Rosiane Alves Palacios is a Brazilian PhD Candidate in Strategy, Organizations and Society in the Administration Program at the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Brazil. She holds a Master’s Degree in Administration from PUCRS (2021), Specialization in Public Management from the Federal University of Pampa (UNIPAMPA) (2017) and Specialization in Teaching for professional education from SENAC (2023). She also is Graduate in Administration (2017) and Public Management (2014) both from UNIPAMPA.

Previously, she was a member of the PUCRS team for the CAP4CITY Project (Strengthening Governance Capacity for Smart and Sustainable Cities), and research fellowship at the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa, sponsored by CAPES through the COOPBRASS Project (Dynamics of Innovation Ecosystems in Developing Countries) of which she is a participant. She has lectured at the Federal University of Pampa (UNIPAMPA), Santana do Livramento, Brazil and taught at SENAC, Brazil.

Currently fellowship sponsored by CAPES Foundation in the program PUCRS CAPES-RINT to conduct part of her period studies abroad, Sandwich Doctorate at University for Continuing Education Krems, researching refugee reception governance in smart cities context.

You can see more information on the CNPq (Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development) Lattes Academic CV Platform http://lattes.cnpq.br/3753830977797247 or contact her in Research Gate profile https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Rosiane-Palacios  

Cláucia Piccoli Faganello is a PhD Candidate in Strategy, Organizations and Society in the Administration Program at the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Brazil.

She investigates digital transformation in citizen participation in public institutions.

She has a Master’s in Sociology and an MBA in Local Public Management at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Brazil. Specialized in Applied Social and Human Sciences and the World of Work at Federal University of Piauí (UFPI), Brazil. Bachelor in Law at Ritter dos Reis University Center (UniRitter) and Administration: Public Management at Rio Grande do Sul State University (UERGS).

Member of the organizations Red de Politólogas and the Colaboratoria – Para la Gobernanza Feminista.

Previously served as an Assistant Professor at the Senac University Center of Porto Alegre (SENAC), Brazil and Federal Institute Catarinense, Luzerna (IFC), Brazil.

Fellowship sponsored by CAPES Foundation in the program PUCRS CAPES-PRINT to conduct part of her Sandwich Doctorate at University for Continuing Education Krems.

More information can be found on the CNPq (Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development) Academic Curricula Platform. 

J. Ramon Gil-Garcia, Ph.D., MS is an Associate Professor of Public Administration and Policy and the Director of the Center for Technology in Government, University at Albany, State University of New York (SUNY).  

Dr. Gil-Garcia is a member of the Mexican Academy of Sciences and of the Mexican National System of Researchers as Researcher Level III, which is the highest distinction a researcher can obtain before becoming Researcher Emeritus as a result of a life-long career of research contributions.  In 2009, he was considered the most prolific author in the field of digital government research worldwide and in 2013 he was selected for the Research Award, which is “the highest distinction given annually by the Mexican Academy of Sciences to outstanding young researchers.”  More recently, Dr. Gil-Garcia was named “One of the World’s 100 Most Influential People in Digital Government” in 2018 and 2019 by Apolitical, which is a nonprofit organization based in London, United Kingdom. In 2021, he was one of the recipients of the two inaugural Digital Government Society (DGS) Fellows Awards.  Currently, he is also a professor of the Business School at Universidad de las Américas Puebla in Mexico.

Dr. Gil-Garcia is the author or co-author of articles in prestigious international journals in Public Administration, Information Systems, and Digital Government and some of his publications are among the most cited in the field of digital government research worldwide.  His research interests include collaborative digital government, inter-organizational collaboration and information integration, smart cities and smart governments, data and data analytics for decision making, artificial intelligence in government, adoption and implementation of emergent technologies, digital divide policies, information technologies in the budget process, digital government success factors, information technologies and organizations, and multi-method research approaches.

Dr. Gil-Garcia has extensive teaching experience and has collaborated with 12 universities, including departments of Public Administration, Government, Political Science, Social Science, Information Studies, and Management Information Systems. He has lectured on topics such as Public Management, Policy Analysis, Organization Theory, Database Applications, Statistics, Web Development, Quantitative Analysis and Modeling, Research Methods, Systems Analysis and Design, Public Administration Theory, Local Government Management, and Information Technologies in the Public Sector, among others.  Prior to his academic career, Dr. Gil-Garcia held several government positions, including systems analyst, responsible for the data processing system, and the director's Executive Assistant at the General Direction of Rural Development, Secretary of Agricultural Development of the State of Mexico.  Dr. Gil-Garcia also has many years of experience as a consultant for federal, state, and local government agencies.  He has been a volunteer and leader of several non-profit organizations and is an active member of professional associations in Digital Government and related fields such as Public Administration, Information Systems, Public Policy, and Political Science.

A former Fulbright Scholar, Dr. Gil-Garcia received his PhD in Public Administration and Policy from the University at Albany, MS in Public Administration and Policy from the Center for Research and Teaching in Economics in Mexico, and BA in Political Science and Public Administration from the Autonomous University of the State of Mexico

Dr. Gianluca Misuraca is a senior researcher, advisor and policy analyst in the area of Digital Transformation, foresight and governance of ICTs with over 20 years of professional experience at international level. Gianluca’s background is Economics and Business Administration, with focus on the interface between technology, innovation and governance.

Gianluca Misuraca holds a Phd in Management of Technology at the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) researching a thesis on 'Assessing ICT-enabled innovation for governance and policy-making', a Diploma of Specialisation in European Union Economics and Law, a specialisation in Security Management and an Executive Master in e-Governance.

He is a former Senior Scientist at the European Commission ́s Directorate General Joint Research Centre in Seville, Spain, where, since February 2009 until August 2020, he was part of the Growth & Innovation Directorate and coordinated research in the area of Digital Governance and Artificial Intelligence in the Public Sector, including being the Scientific Coordinator of JRC research on Digital Government transformation as part of the EU ISA2 Programme and acting as Task Leader on AI for the Public Sector for the AI Watch observatory established to monitor the implementation of the AI Coordinated Action Plan in collaboration with Member States and EC services. Prior to this he was coordinating research and policy support in the area of Social Innovation and Welfare systems reforms leading the multi-year research ICT-enabled social innovation (IESI) to support social investment in the EU. Before joining the European Commission ́s JRC Gianluca was the Managing Director and Scientific Coordinator of the Global Executive Master in Electronic Governance organized by the College of Management of Technology of the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in collaboration with prestigious academic and policy institutions worldwide, being also a Research Associate in Technology Foresight, innovation management and entrepreneurship.

His professional experience incorporates working for both the private and the public sector, with a demonstrated experience and capacity in supporting successful implementation of complex ICT-related projects and managing innovation, having been involved in several strategic consultancies activities worldwide in ICTs for public sector reform, regional development, e-Government, e-Governance and Information and Knowledge Society development.

Gianluca started his career working for the International Centre for Industrial Cooperation (APRI Spa), being a member of the “Task Force Innovation” at the Ministry of Research and Technological Development of the Italian Government (1996-1997), and then serving the European Commission at the Directorate General International Relations, Development and Cooperation with ACP countries (1997-1998). From 1998 to 2001 he worked for Ernst & Young International, as Senior Manager in Public Administration reorganisation, Strategic Planning and Management, Technical Assistance, Monitoring, Evaluation and Financial Control of public investments financed by central and local Administrations and with specific regard to the interventions co-financed by the EU.

From 2002 to 2004 he served the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA), as Associate Expert in ICTs and Networking acting as Liaison Officer for the Africa Region, seconded to the African Training and Research Centre in Administration for Development (CAFRAD) in Tangier, Morocco, where he also designed and coordinated the e-Africa Initiative for good governance, placed under the banner of NEPAD, and the LOG-IN Africa Research Network, of which he has been the Project Leader on behalf of the International Development Research Centre of Canada (IDRC) in the period 2005-2006. Since 2005, in addition to working at EPFL in Switzerland, Gianluca has conducted several consulting assignments worldwide including, for example, being the Principal Expert in designing the “e-Algèrie 2015: Strategic Plan for the development of the Information Society in Algeria” on behalf of the EU.

In 2008 Gianluca has also been the co-founder of KITE International, a Strategic consultancy active in the area of ICTs innovation and knowledge sharing for local development, acting as CEO and Vice President responsible for Corporate Strategy, Innovation & Networking Management, as well as the co-founder of INNOVA UK Ltd a company specialized in technology transfer and valorisation, being also involved in various start-up ventures in diverse areas of business. Gianluca has written many publications in the area of ICTs, e-Government, e-Governance and Information and Knowledge Society, being a pioneer in pointing out the paradigm shift from e-Government to e-Governance and the need for new institutional designs for enabling a Knowledge Society. In particular, he advanced an innovative theoretical framework for Governance “with and of” ICTs, presented in his book: “e-Governance in Africa, from theory to Action: a handbook on ICTs for local governance” (AWP/IDRC 2007). He is regularly invited as visionary speaker to conferences and workshops worldwide, and he is a member of several Scientific Committees and Guest Editor and reviewer of prestigious scientific Journals in the area of ICTs and Governance.

Having worked and lived in various countries worldwide Gianluca has a strong capacity in adapting to multicultural and rapidly evolving environments, with a proactive attitude in enabling change, and leading to success projects with multi- disciplinary teams. In addition to Italian (his mother tongue), he is fluent in English, French and Spanish, and he has a basic knowledge of Arabic, Dutch and Portuguese.

Publications 2020

• Original articles in SCI, SSCI and A&HCI journals: van Noordt, C.; Misuraca, G. (2020). Exploratory Insights on Artificial Intelligence for Government in Europe. Social Science Computer Review (SAGE Journals). DOI: 10.1177/0894439320980449

• Original articles in compilations: Misuraca, G. (2020). Rethinking Democracy in the “Pandemic Society” A Journey in Search of the Governance with, of and by AI. In: Feletig, P.; Loreggia, A.; Resca, A.; Quintarelli, S.: Proceedings of the First International Forum on Digital and Democracy. Towards A Sustainable Evolution 2020 (IFDaD2020), 10-11 December 2020, Venice, Italy. 1-13, CEUR WS Proceedings, Vol-2781.

Lectures

• Rethinking Democracy in the “Pandemic Society”
  IFDaD2020, 11/12/2020

• Governing in the Digital Age (Keynote)
  EURAM Online Conference Keynote at the Public and Non-Profit Management SIG, 05/12/2020

• Digital Europe 2040: AI & Public Sector Innovation in a Data-Driven Society
  EPFL-TRIGGER Online Conference on Governance Of and By AI, 18/11/2020

• AI for the public sector
  SISCODE Online Workshop on Co-design on RRI integration and technological challenges, The Ethical and Social Implications of using AI in Smart Information Systems (SIS), 27/10/2020

• AI & Digital Transformation in the public sector: a view from the EU
  Major Cities of Europe Webinar (Online Webinar), 14/10/2020

• AI use and impact in public services
  Second European AI Alliance Assembly (Online Event), 09/10/2020

• AI & public sector innovation in a data-driven society: Shaping Digital Europe 2040: Governance of Digitally Transformed Societies (Online Conference), 07/10/202

Prof. Edimara Mezzomo Luciano 

(Sept - Oct 2019)

Professor on Management Information Systems (MIS) in the Business Administration Graduation Program at the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Brazil, and Head of Governance and Digital Society Research Group.

IT Governance and Architecture Minitrack Co-Chair at Americas Conference on Information Systems.

Program Co-Chair at a Brazilian Conference of Graduation Programs in Business Administration.

Consultant for the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) Governance Steering Committee of Rio Grande do Sul State and Co-Leader of the Digital Transformation Work Group at the National Council of Management States Secretaries.

Masters and PhD. in Administration at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Visiting Researcher in the Information Systems and Innovation Research Group at the London School of Economics and Political Science, UK.

Published over a hundred academic articles on MIS and the use of ICT to improve private and public organizations’ governance and management. Research interests include digital governance, smart cities, open government and ICT and e-governance mechanisms to reduce the levels of corruption.

Curriculum Vitae - Prof. Edimara Mezzomo Luciano

Professional Website

Fellowships sponsored by PUCRS PRINT (http://www.pucrs.br/print/)

David Duenas-Cid (May - June 2022)

David Duenas-Cid is an H2020 MSCA Widening Fellow and Assistant Professor at Gdansk Tech (Poland). Previously served as a Researcher and Assistant Professor at the University of Tartu, Tallinn University of Technology (Estonia), and Kozminski University (Poland).

His recent research is related to the development of trust and distrust in implementing internet voting. He co-chairs the conference E-Vote-ID, the worldwide leading conference in e-voting and internet voting, and is President of the Thematic Group in Digital Sociology at the International Sociological Association.

Felipe Vogas
(September 2021 - February 2022)

Felipe Vogas has a master's degree in Business Administration from COPPEAD/UFRJ. He is a doctoral candidate in business administration also at COPPEAD/UFRJ and investigates governance mechanisms in the process of public value creation in digital platforms. He is also a federal government civil servant with over fourteen years of practical experience in Brazil. Fellowships sponsored by COPPEAD/UFRJ/CAPES PRINT.