Debra Myhill is Professor Emerita of Language and Literacy Education at the University of Exeter, UK. She was the Associate Dean for Research and Knowledge Transfer at the College of Social Sciences and International Studies, serving as the Subject Leader for English with Media. Her research focuses on language and literacy, particularly the teaching of writing, grammar instruction, and the role of metalinguistic understanding in writing development. She has explored the composing process across different age groups, the impact of talk on writing, and how teachers and students engage as writers. A key aspect of her work emphasizes functionally oriented grammar, linking language use to meaning-making in writing.

Myhill has worked extensively with colleagues on large-scale studies, influencing policy and classroom practice. Her work continues to shape discussions on writing instruction, fostering deeper metalinguistic awareness in learners and teachers alike. Myhill is a Fellow of the British Academy (elected 2023) and UKLA President & Committee Chair (United Kingdom Literacy Association). Her research is widely recognized for its contributions to writing pedagogy and its emphasis on writing as a pathway to empowerment.

Montserrat Castelló is a Professor at the Faculty of Psychology, Education, and Sport Sciences Blanquerna at Ramon Llull University and holds a PhD in Psychology from the Autonomous University of Barcelona, where she received the Extraordinary Doctorate Award. She was also honored with the Rosa Sensat Pedagogy Award for her book Instantànies: projectes per atendre la diversitat educativa [Snapshots: Projects to Address Educational Diversity]. Currently, she serves as the Director of the Research Institute in Psychology, Learning, and Development (Re-Psy). She leads the research group, "The Construction of Knowledge in Socioeducational Settings," within SINTE.

Castelló served as Vice Dean of Research and Doctorate (2002-2009) and directed the interuniversity doctoral program Culture, Education, and Semiotic Systems (2002-2008). Additionally, she is the editor of the Journal of Writing Research and has previously directed the journal Cultura y Educación. Her distinguished career was recognized with her induction as a full member of the Institut d'Estudis Catalans (IEC) [Institute for Catalan Studies] in 2024. A specialist in the psychological processes involved in writing, her work has contributed to new perspectives in education and psychology. Among her notable publications are University Writing: Selves and Texts in Academic Societies and Aprender a escribir textos académicos.

Peter Smagorinsky is a Distinguished Research Professor Emeritus in the Department of Language and Literacy Education at the University of Georgia and a Distinguished Visiting Scholar at the Universidad de Guadalajara, Mexico. His research focuses on literacy, teacher education, and mental health, often examining these topics through a sociocultural lens influenced by L. S. Vygotsky. During his tenure at University of Georgia, he served as the faculty advisor for the Journal of Language and Literacy Education from 2012 to 2020, mentoring numerous scholars in the field. His scholarship has led to several influential publications, including Learning to Teach English and Language Arts: A Vygotskian Perspective on Beginning Teachers’ Pedagogical Concept Development and Developing Culturally and Historically Sensitive Teacher Education, coedited with Yolanda Gayol and Patricia Rosas.

Smagorinsky examines how literacy is taught and learned in schools, as well as how teacher education can better support diverse learners. His recent work focuses on neurodiversity in education, coediting Creativity and Community among Autism-Spectrum Youth (Palgrave Macmillan) and Dismantling the Disabling Environments of Education (Peter Lang). His research continues to shape discussions on literacy instruction, inclusive education, and teacher development worldwide, contributing to the advancement of equitable and effective teaching practices.

Jozef Colpaert is a professor emeritus at the University of Antwerp, with ongoing academic engagements worldwide. He is the editor of Language and Motivation (launching October 2024) and an adjunct professor at Ontario Tech University (2024-2027). Previously, he served as Editor-in-Chief of Computer Assisted Language Learning (2002-2023), overseeing its rise to a 7.0 impact factor. He remains actively engaged in academic publishing, serving on various editorial boards and reviewing for significant journals in language education and technology.

Colpaert has played a pivotal role in advancing computer-assisted language learning (CALL), having organized the International CALL Research Conferences from 2002 to 2022. His recent research focuses on the impact of AI on foreign language education, with involvement in a Practice-oriented Scientific Research Project (2025-2027) at University College Leuven-Limburg (UCLL), one of the major universities of applied sciences in Flanders, Belgium. He co-chaired the TELL sub-conference at the 32nd International Conference on Computers in Education (November 2024, Philippines) and delivered a seminar at the University of Granada on evaluating educational technologies. His latest publications explore the intersection of AI and virtual reality in education, offering insights into the evolving role of EdTech in language learning.

Antónia Coutinho is an Associate Professor with the academic title of aggregate (Professora Associada com Agregação) at Faculdade de Ciências Sociais e Humanas, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa (NOVA FCSH, Linguistics Department) and member of CLUNL - Centro de Linguística da Universidade NOVA de Lisboa. She holds a PhD in Linguistics, with a focus on Text Theory, and is developing research in Text and Discourse Linguistics within the Grammar & Text research group, which she currently coordinates. She has been coordinating the PhD course in Linguistics since 2015, coordinated the master’s courses in Portuguese and Portuguese and Foreign Languages Teaching between 2012 and 2017.

Coutinho was president of the CLUNL’s Director Board between 2010 and 2017, and held the position of Vice-Dean for Students, at NOVA FCSH, between 2017 and 2021. She has supervised several PhD theses and Master's dissertations on topics in Text and Discourse Linguistics and Portuguese Didactics and published in international and national contexts. She is primarily interested in the Socio-Discursive Interactionism theoretical and epistemological framework, which deepens the perspectives of Saussurean linguistics. Additionally, she is interested in specific research topics, including writing, formulation and reformulation, didactics (L1), and gender-inclusive language.

Melanie Shoffner is a professor at James Madison University, specialising in English language arts teacher education, with a focus on ELA methods, curriculum theory, and preservice teacher development. She teaches courses on these subjects, including a student teaching internship and an English course on resistance and power. Dr. Shoffner is the editor of English Education, a member of the IFTE Advisory Board, and a former Fulbright Scholar in Romania. Her research explores reflective practice, teacher dispositions, and international study. She holds a PhD from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and degrees in English, history, and education from Duke University. Additionally, she contributes as a vocabulary researcher for The Henry Ford’s Innovation Nation with Mo Rocca.

Shoffner has published extensively, including Reconstructing Care in Teacher Education after COVID-19: Caring Enough to Change (2022), which examines care in education, and Teacher Representations in Dramatic Text and Performance: Portraying the Teacher on Stage (2020), which explores depictions of teachers in media. She has also written chapters on argumentation in ELA classrooms and teacher preparation, as well as essays such as "The Education of Loss" (2022) and "Where We Are Is Who We Are" (2020). Her scholarship reflects a commitment to improving teacher education and fostering critical reflection in preservice teachers.

Ana Luísa Costa is an Associate Professor at the Higher School of Education of the Polytechnic Institute of Setúbal (ESE-IPS) and a researcher at the Linguistics Center of the University of Lisbon (CLUL). Her work focuses on educational linguistics, grammar pedagogy, writing, and teacher training. She holds a PhD from the University of Lisbon (2010) and has published 25 articles, 17 book chapters, and one book, as well as participated in 12 funded projects. She is the coordinator of the Department of Language and Communication Sciences at ESE-IPS, as well as the master’s program in Teaching for the 1st Cycle of Basic Education and the Teaching of Portuguese, History, and Geography in the 2nd Cycle.

Costa coordinated the bachelor’s degree in Basic Education between 2017 and 2022 and currently coordinates the Master's in Primary Education. She is a member of the Technical-Scientific Council and the General Council of IPS and is also responsible for internships within an alternative training model. In 2021, she was awarded a sabbatical year to develop an academic writing project. She has participated in pedagogical innovation projects and international cooperation initiatives in Angola and Guinea-Bissau, with teacher training programs funded by the World Bank, the Gulbenkian Foundation, the Camões Institute, and governmental institutions.