Dr Randa Grob-Zakhary
Founder and CEO, Education.Org
Randa Grob-Zakhary, M.D., PhD, is the Founder and CEO of Education.org (EO). Motivated by training in medicine and neuroscience, she moved into global education to contribute to reducing the gap between knowledge and practice and has worked closely with ministries of education and other education leaders. She is a former Board Member with the Global Partnership for Education, and the former Chair of its Strategy and Impact Committee. Prior roles include: CEO, LEGO Foundation; Global Head of Education, Porticus; High-Level Working Group OECD Education 2030; Senior Fellow, Brookings Institute; Management Consultant, McKinsey. She holds an M.D. and PhD in neuroscience from Johns Hopkins University (USA).
Keynote
Topic: The Future of Schools Is Human: Neuroscience, AI, and the New Role of Leadership
AI is accelerating faster than any shift schools have ever faced—yet the science of learning and neuroscience remind us that the most powerful technology in education is still the human brain. This keynote explores what happens when these forces converge, and what this new landscape demands of school leadership.
Dr Randa Grob-Zakhary will unpack the latest insights from the science of learning and neuroscience: how the brain builds knowledge, why emotion and safety determine whether learners can think at all, and how stress can instantly shut down the circuits needed for reasoning, creativity, and memory. She will also challenge common assumptions about AI—clarifying where it can genuinely enhance learning, where it risks working against how the brain learns, and how it can enhance inclusivity and free teachers for the relational and regulatory work only humans can do.
For educators across roles—teachers, school leaders, and system partners, the opportunity is profound: to design environments that are emotionally safe, cognitively rich, and technologically intelligent. Participants will leave with practical, evidence-aligned principles to strengthen teaching and learning for all students.