Scholarship Winners

Ahmed Kamal Junina | Palestine | The ESOLSIG Champion Pauline Blake-Johnston Scholarship Winner 2026 

Ahmed Kamal is an Assistant Professor of Applied Linguistics and Head of the English Department at Al-Aqsa University, Gaza, Palestine. He is a Fellow at the University of Bristol’s CIRE and a MESA Global Academy Scholar (2025–2026). His teaching during wartime has been featured in CBC News. He researches resilience, translanguaging pedagogy, and academic freedom and leads RECONNECT to support Gaza’s students with global learning opportunities during the ongoing war.

Bruno Albuquerque | Brazil | IATEFL TEASIG First Time Delegate Scholarship Winner 2026

Bruno is an ELT professional who works as a teacher and teacher educator, materials writer and editor, writer, and speaker. Co-Founder of ELT in Brazil and Communications Director of BRAZ-TESOL. Holds a BA in English and Portuguese, the ECPE, the DELTA, and is currently taking an MA in ELT with the University of Chichester/NILE with a focus on teacher education and assessment.

Chang Liu 刘畅 | China/ UK | IATEFL ReSIG Scholarship Winner 2026 

Chang has been involved in ELT/EFL for over 12 years. She holds a PhD in Applied Linguistics from Newcastle University, where her research focused on thinking skills, practitioner research, and EFL writing. Her professional interests include critical thinking in language education, teacher research and evidence-informed practice, humanistic methodologies, mentoring teachers to conduct classroom-based research, and CPD. Chang has taught EFL at a Chinese university, worked collaboratively with Edinburgh Napier University, and she also held various academic roles including FHEA (Fellowship in Higher Education Academy), research associate, and editor for the ECLS Journal at Newcastle University. She is also a founding member of the SPROUT Collective, a cross-institutional initiative that supports sustainability in doctoral research. In 2023, she was awarded for the Teacher Education Awards for Outstanding Contribution to Teaching. Chang is also awarded for the Newcastle University Community Impact Awards 2024 in the Sustainability Champion Award category.

Chikh Drouiche | Algeria | Africa Winner 2026

Chikh is an experienced educator with a great passion for language teaching and learning. In addition to working with students, he is actively involved in training and mentoring  secondary school teachers, where he shares various teaching strategies and training sessions  and advocates for integrating a variety of issues into language learning.. Chikh values collaboration and always seeks meaningful connections with others who are dedicated to advancing education and cultural exchange.

Estelle Oghenekevwe Ejoh | United Kingdom | IATEFL TEASIG Scholarship Winner 2026

Estelle is an English teacher from Nigeria with experience in both primary and secondary education. She recently completed an MEd TESOL at the University of Exeter as a Hornby Scholar. Her interests include assessment literacy, feedback practices, and the impact of high-stakes testing in Nigerian classrooms. Estelle is active in local teaching associations, contributes to conversations on context-aware language assessment, and prepares Nigerian candidates for SELTs like IELTS and OET.

Farnaz Memari | Iran / Spain | IATEFL BESIG Facilitator Scholarship Winner 2026

Farnaz has taught English to all learner groups for over 27 years. She holds CELTA and DELTA qualifications and is a Cambridge Speaking Examiner. With 15+ years as a teacher trainer, she has spent the last 16 years focusing on Business English—her greatest passion—through teaching, training, writing, and speaking. She also volunteers as a mentor with EVE (Equal Voices in ELT), promoting equality and empowerment in language teaching.

Frank Bardol | Martinique | IATEFL PronSIG Classroom Research Scholarship Winner 2026

Frank is an Associate Professor of English Applied Linguistics and Phonology at the Université des Antilles, Martinique. He trains teachers to integrate phonology into their practice to improve communication skills, supports effective CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning) lesson planning, and promotes the inclusion of English Caribbean accents in teaching. Cambridge DELTA qualified, he collaborates with educational stakeholders to develop trilingual education—English, Creole, and French—in primary schools.

Ho Yuen Raymond Cheung | Hong Kong | IATEFL ESPSIG Mark Krzanowski Scholarship Winner 2026

As a college lecturer at HKU SPACE with four years of experience, Raymond coordinates EAP and Vocational English (VE) courses, developing teaching materials and overseeing regular course operations. He also collaborates with aviation and hotel companies to arrange experiential learning for VE learners. Passionate about literature, he teaches courses such as Dystopian Literature and Comparative Literature. Recently appointed as the training coordinator, he organizes professional development opportunities for the division. Raymond holds two Master’s degrees in English Literature from CUHK and LMU Munich and is CELTA and DELTA certified. In his leisure time, he enjoys watching good old movies at the cinema or getting lost in a novel at his favourite café, Elephant Ground, in Hong Kong.

Holly Hanson Güvenli | Italy | IATEFL MaWSIG Scholarship Winner 2026

Holly Hanson is the Director of Studies at International House in La Spezia, Italy where she has taught CLIL lessons and trained Italian teachers in CLIL methodology and materials creation over the past year. Her CLIL experience, 32 years of teaching English in multilingual contexts like Miami and London, and diverse experiences learning French, Russian, and Turkish, have fuelled her interest in using translingual materials in the ELT classroom.

Imre Fekete | Hungary | IATEFL Bill Lee Scholarship Winner 2026

Imre (PhD) is an assistant professor at Budapest University of Economics and Business, where he has worked for four years. His research and teaching focus on AI literacy in education and educational technologies. He designed a course on Technology in Teaching EFL, which he teaches at the University of Vienna. He is the author of the book Artificial Intelligence Literacy in Higher Education (2025, Multilingual Matters).

Indeewari Mendis | Sri Lanka | Cambridge University Press & Assessment Scholarship Winner 2026

Indee is an ELT professional who works as an Academic Manager and Teacher Trainer, with extensive experience teaching both young and adult ESL learners. She holds a CELTA, TYLEC, and DELTA, and is currently pursuing an MA in Education with the University of Chichester. Her research interests focus on autonomy-directed assessment, student progress, and learner engagement through context-informed pedagogical practices. She is committed to advancing learner-centered classroom practices and fostering dynamic, collaborative environments that empower both teachers and students.

Kandharaja K M C | India | Trinity College London Teacher Trainer Scholarship Winner 2026

Kandharaja is an Assistant Professor of English at IIITDM Kancheepuram, India. His research spans applied linguistics, with a focus on multilingual learning, teacher education, classroom discourses, language policy and planning, and inclusive education. He actively explores innovative practices for enhancing English learning in Indian ESL contexts.  

Kerstin Sandstrom | Canada | The Sheila Thorn Authentic Listening Scholarship Winner 2026

Kerstin has been an ESL professional for over 25 years. She has been teaching at the University of Toronto since 2010, and has been the Lead Instructor for Academic Listening and Speaking course with the University of Toronto’s IFP program for the past 10 years. In this role, she has developed a focus on curriculum and assessment design, particularly on the connection between vocabulary, listening skills and speaking skills. She has presented at IATEFL regularly over the past 8 years.

Lawrence Macharia | Kenya | IATEFL TDSIG Early Career Teacher Scholarship Winner 2026

Lawrence is a secondary school teacher from Kenya, currently working in Meru county. He holds a bachelor's degree of Education English literature from Meru university of science and technology. He is committed to enhancing students’ communication skills and confidence in English, particularly in multilingual and low resource contexts. His professional interests include learner-centered pedagogy and integration of technology in ELT.

Marilia Lemos | Brazil | IATEFL LTSIG Diana Eastment Roving Reporter Scholarship Winner 2026

Marilia is an English teacher from Brazil with over 10 years’ experience teaching young and adult learners in diverse settings. She completed a Master’s in Education in TESOL at the University of Exeter in 2025, supported by the Hornby Educational Trust Scholarship, researching out-of-class use of AI for language learning. She also volunteers at Cidadão Pró-Mundo, an NGO in Brazil that promotes access to English education for students from underprivileged backgrounds.

Marwan Abdi | Iraq | IATEFL LAMSIG Scholarship Winner 2026

Marwan Abdi is Chair of the English Department at the University of Duhok, College of Languages, in the Kurdistan Region–Iraq, and Chair-Elect of the Affiliate Network Professional Council (ANPC) at TESOL International Association (USA) for 2024–25. He is also the Executive Director of TESOL Kurdistan. He holds a PhD in World Literature and Cultural Studies, has earned a TESOL Certificate from Arizona State University (2016), and completed advanced ESL and teacher training at the University of Texas at Austin as a Fulbright Visiting Scholar (2018). His research interests focus on integrating critical and cultural literacy into EFL settings, alongside teacher development and curriculum design.

Natalia Wright | Kuwait | IATEFL TDSIG Michael Berman Scholarship Winner 2026

Natalia is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Liberal Arts, American University of the Middle East, Kuwait, where she has lived and taught for the past eight years. A passionate advocate against discrimination and prejudice towards non-native English-speaking teachers—and a non-native speaker herself—she actively promotes equity in English language education. Her research interests centre on teacher education, transnationalism, decoloniality, and sociolinguistics.

Ramkishan Baburao Bhise | India | IATEFL Ray Tongue Scholarship Winner 2026

Ramkishan is an Assistant Professor of Communication Skills at SIES Graduate School of Technology, Navi Mumbai, with 16 years of teaching experience. His interests include English Language Teaching, CALL, MALL, WALL, and curriculum development. He has published extensively, delivered talks at global forums, and earned honours such as the ISTAR International Luminary Award 2025 (Education Leadership and Innovation) and the MTC Global Teacher Award. Additionally, he is working as National Joint Secretary of ELTAI.

Robyn Stewart | Türkiye | IATEFL TTEdSIG Early-Career Teacher Educator Scholarship Winner 2026

Robyn is a teacher trainer and professional development consultant based in Istanbul, Türkiye. She holds BFA in Drama and MA in Intercultural Communication from New York University, along with Cambridge CELTA and DELTA, and has recently earned MA TESOL with distinction from the University of Nottingham. Her research interests include language teacher identity, teacher wellbeing and motivation, and she is passionate about supporting newly qualified teachers. 

Sandra Ojeda | Argentina | IATEFL TTEdSIG Gillian Porter Ladousse Scholarship Winner 2026

Sandra holds an M.A. in TEFL and she has  specialised in ICT, Teaching Practice, Research, Inclusive Education and Sexuality Comprehensive Education. She is an educator at Universidad Autónoma de Entre Ríos, I.S.P.I 4020 and IES Rca de Entre Rios in Argentina. She is an active member of the ELT community and  a passionate teacher devoted to improving education 

Tetiana Lesyk | Ukraine | IATEFL BESIG Facilitator Scholarship Winner 2026

Tetiana is a Cambridge-certified ELT educator with 23+ years of experience. She specialises in Business English and British English Pronunciation. Tetiana uniquely combines real-world business expertise (11 years in banking) with ELT. She teaches adults individually and in corporate settings. Passionate about empowering learners, she helps English users and teachers boost fluency, confidence, intelligibility and communication skills for global success.

Tram Nguyen | Viet Nam | IELTS Morgan Terry Memorial Scholarship Winner 2026

Tram is an English teacher with a passion for maths and natural sciences and is interested in integrating CLIL into her career. She applies her scientific knowledge to teach and train students for academic IELTS, especially in topics related to scientific research. She was thrilled when her original, math-derived approach to IELTS Writing Task 1 earned her the opportunity to present at the 59th IATEFL Conference this year.

Tuğçe Temir | Türkiye | Trinity College London Language Examinations Scholarship Winner 2026

Tuğçe is a lecturer and researcher in the Foreign Languages Department at the University of Turkish Aeronautical Association in Türkiye. She holds BA, MA, and PhD degrees in English Language Teaching. Her research and professional interests include reflective practices, peer interaction, student empowerment, assessment, professional development, and curriculum design in language education. She is passionate about fostering innovative pedagogical approaches and enhancing teaching and learning environments through collaborative and technology-enhanced practices. 

Vanessa Chi Sirri | Cameroon | IATEFL Gill Sturtridge First Time Speaker Scholarship Winner 2026

Vanessa is an early career English language teacher from Cameroon. She is deeply committed to continuous professional development to enhance both her teaching skills and student outcomes.

Eric Ho | Hong Kong | IATEFL TEASIG Scholarship Winner 2025

Eric is actively involved in teacher training with local educators, focusing on lesson preparation, delivery and assessments. Recently, he has collaborated with primary and secondary in-service teachers to develop AI-integrated language assessment practices. He is particularly passionate about creating assessment methods that integrate multiple competencies and foster reflective teaching practice.

Maria de la Caridad Smith Batson | Cuba | IATEFL PronSIG Classroom Research Scholarship Winner 2025

Maria de la Caridad is a professor at the University and the Arts Professional School “El Cucalambé” of Las Tunas. She has been an English teacher at different educational levels for many years, and a teacher educator with expertise in Integrated English Practice and Foreign Language Didactics with undergraduates in all the academic years of the Teaching Education Program. She also teaches postgraduates, in Master’s Degree Programs such as: Foreign Language Didactics, Educative Guidance, Educational Sciences, and Professional Pedagogy. 

Shaya Hosseini | Iran | Trinity College London Language Examinations Scholarship Winner 2025

Shaya is a PhD candidate in Education at Monash University, Australia, and holds a Master’s degree in Technology Enhanced Language Learning. Her research focuses on the role of educational technologies, with a particular emphasis on the use of AI in educational assessment and learner-centered feedback. In addition to her academic work, she has over 10 years of experience as an English teacher and examiner, working with learners from diverse backgrounds and proficiency levels.