Scientific Board

Our Scientific Board

The Scientific Board of Gemmes was established in July 2024.

The objective of this new body is to enable us to scale up sustainably through a commitment to excellence, supported by research. Our aim remains the development of the psychosocial skills of adolescents and their teachers and we are keen to measure our impact in a meaningful way.

Members of the Scientific Board

Grégoire Borst

Grégoire Borst is a Professor of Developmental Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience of Education at the University of Paris and Director of the Laboratory of Child Development and Education Psychology (CNRS). He obtained his PhD at the University of Paris-Sud and then joined LaPsyDÉ after a post-doctorate at Harvard University. His research focuses on the role of high-level cognitive functions (metacognition, resistance to automatisms, emotional regulation) in cognitive and socio-emotional development and in school learning among children, adolescents, and young adults by combining behavioral and neuroimaging approaches. 

Author of over 90 scientific articles, he is also the author of pedagogical works and popular science books. Grégoire is a senior member of the Institut Universitaire de France (IUF), a member of the International Science Council (ISC), and a member of the youth expert committee at ARCOM. Additionally, he leads the "Research on Education Issues" Pluridisciplinary Thematic Network at CNRS and the PPR "Sciences for Education". In 2021, he received the Dagnan-Bouveret Prize from the Academy of Moral and Political Sciences (Institut de France) for his research program on contemporary cognitive and educational psychology. 

"I have agreed to join the Scientific Board of Gemmes because educational success for all necessarily involves identifying action levers to promote the well-being and psychosocial skills of children and adolescents."

Sara Clarke-Habibi

Sara Clarke-Habibi is an educational researcher, curriculum developer, and trainer. She specializes in intercultural dialogue, peacebuilding, and reconciliation, particularly in conflict-affected regions. For the past 20 years, she has enjoyed guiding teachers and youth to become agents of social transformation. She currently works at the Peace Division of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) in Geneva. Previously, Sara was a 2021 Senior Fellow on education for sustainable peace at the Georg Eckert Institute. She earned her PhD in Education from the University of Cambridge.

"I deeply believe in the transformative vision and methodology that Gemmes offers to young people and the adults who support their development."

Claude Pereira Leconte

Having successively been a primary school teacher, specialized teacher, school principal, master trainer, educational advisor, and head of digital training offers, Claude Pereira Leconte has been committed for over 20 years to young people and their families in achieving their academic and personal projects. For the past 10 years, she has focused her professional activity on supporting the professional development of teachers based on the principles of activity clinic and teacher training paths.

"I love this quote from René Char: 'Impose your luck, tighten your happiness and go towards your risk. By watching you, they will get used to it.' I think young people are full of great ideas and capable of changing things as long as we give them the keys and the means to do so and believe in them. In my opinion, this is exactly what Gemmes does!"

Sherif Rushdy

With a background in systems science and international development, Sherif Rushdy has over 40 years’ experience of consulting work in local, national and international educational and social and economic development projects in four continents. He has focused mainly on process and impact evaluation of many projects and country programs, as well as helping organizations develop their strategic plans, their organizational structures and their monitoring and evaluation systems. He has, for example, helped agencies like UNICEF and UNDP develop their country programs and impact measurement systems and monitor their progress towards global impact indicators; helped all UN agencies and 200 partners develop a regional coordinated strategy for enhancing and measuring the resilience of individuals, communities and institutions in response to the Syrian crisis; or helped UNESCO in evaluating progress towards the global “Education for Democracy” program.

Mr. Rushdy also has an enduring interest in educational system transformation and teacher training, having established a teacher training institute in India with an innovative program combining teacher education and community development, helped the Indian Government in developing a national value education program for all Indian schools, and developed and published innovative curriculum for value-based teacher training.

“I am happy to join the Scientific Board of Gemmes because I have always been passionate about releasing those gems that reside in adolescents and youth and thus allowing them to become active promoters of social transformation. To me, this is the mission of Gemmes!”

Missions of the Scientific Board

Maintaining the rigor of Gemmes' pedagogical approach

• Examine Gemmes’ pedagogical tools to ensure they reflect the latest academic/scientific research on the topics addressed. If necessary, propose improvements, to be implemented by the operational team.

• Help adapt the educational tools according to age, environment, and objectives pursued.

Supporting impact measurement

• Support the operational team and members of the Board of Directors involved in setting up a robust impact measurement for the actions carried out by Gemmes.

• Examine the collected data to ensure that Gemmes provides an innovative response to key issues in the educational world, particularly regarding the improvement of well-being at school, mental health, and the school climate.