Lydia Cao earned her PhD in Education from the University of Cambridge, England. Her research is situated at the intersection of innovative design, climate consciousness and the potential of technology, with interests that encompass climate education, design thinking, dialogue, technology that includes generative AI, and teacher education. 

Lydia is currently studying the implications of generative AI for education and supporting teachers to navigate it in learning and teaching settings. Her ongoing research also includes redesigning climate education, understanding the role of “regenerative hope” as a vital resource to sustain climate actions, developing earth-centred design thinking, and harnessing dialogue to power environmentally conscious behaviours. In her doctoral studies, Lydia co-designed a professional development program with teachers in Pakistan that integrated mixed-reality simulations to foster dialogic teaching in science classrooms. Prior to pursuing research, she taught math and science in middle and high school in Canada.

For 22 years, Chris Dede was the Timothy E. Wirth Professor in Learning Technologies. His fields of scholarship include emerging technologies, policy and leadership. From 2001-2004, he was chair of the HGSE Department of Teaching and Learning. In 2007, he was honoured by Harvard University as an outstanding teacher, and in 2011 he was named a fellow of the American Educational Research Association.  
In 2020 Chris co-founded the Silver Lining for Learning initiative (https://silverliningforlearning.org). He is currently a member of the OECD 2030 Scientific Committee and an advisor to the Alliance for the Future of Digital Learning, sponsored by the Mohammed bin Rashid Global Initiative (MBRGI). Chris is also Co-Principal Investigator and Associate Director for Research of the NSF-funded National Artificial Intelligence Institute in Adult Learning and Online Education.
His most recent co-edited books include: Teacher Learning in the Digital Age: Online Professional Development in STEM Education; Virtual, Augmented and Mixed Realities in Education; Learning Engineering for Online Education: Theoretical Contexts and Design-Based Examples; and The 60-Year Curriculum: New Models for Lifelong Learning in the Digital Economy.