Technical Talk 1 — Imagining foundational competencies for workplace in 2050
Ir. Ts. Shum Keng Yan
Ir Ts Shum Keng Yan is a professional chemical engineer by qualification and training. He specialized in the domain of Environmental, Health and Safety providing coaching to various countries in Asia Pacific. He is also a volunteer in various institutions of higher learning as an Industry Advisor, Specialist, former adjunct lecturer and Industry Panel Judge. He is also an IEM Engineering Competency Development mentor, Professional Interviewer (Chemical Engineering) and a member of the Professional Interview Advisory Panel. In his spare time, he writes on various safety topics or shares his insights in industry engagements.
Moderator: Prof. Ir. Dr. Ngoh Gek Cheng, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Malaya
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Technical Talk 2 — Unlocking the Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things (IoT)
Pauline Yeoh received B.Eng. degree (Hons.) and Ph.D. degree from the Universiti Malaya, Malaysia. She is currently a Postdoctoral Research Fellow with the Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Malaya, Malaysia. Her research interests include artificial intelligence, image processing, medical imaging, and healthcare analytics.
Moderator: Prof. Dr. Andri Andriyana, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Malaya
Dr. Pauline Yeoh Shan Qing
Post Doctoral Research Fellow, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Malaya
Forum — How Higher Education can adapt to the future of work?
Prof. Dr. Yvonne Lim Ai Lian
Associate Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Academic & International, Universiti
Malaya
Dr. Yvonne Lim Ai Lian is a professor at the Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur. Currently, she is the Associate Vice-Chancellor (Global Engagement), Universiti Malaya. She is also a University Senate Member and a Council Member of the Academy of Sciences Malaysia. Prior to this, she has taken on leadership roles as the Deputy Dean (Research) at the Faculty of Medicine and the Director of International Relations Office, Universiti Malaya. She was also a former president of the Malaysian Society of Parasitology and Tropical Medicine (MSPTM).
Her research focuses on understanding the host-parasite-environment interactions of diseases among the indigenous and underserved communities in attempting to provide multi-targeted solutions. In addition, she is also involved in studying the diversity of gut microbiome of communities from a range of socioeconomic and ecological gradients, namely from traditional to industrialized societies. Her work has been funded by various national and international grants (eg. US NIHR01 grant). She has published more than 230 scientific papers, 9 book chapters and 3 books. She has supervised more than 30 PhD and MSc students to completion. She also has a vast network of local and international partnerships. She was a visiting researcher at the Scottish Parasite Diagnostic and Reference Laboratory (formerly SPDL), Glasgow, Scotland, a visiting fellow at the Department of Veterinary Science, University of Melbourne, Australia and a visiting professor at the Department of Molecular Parasitology and Tropical Diseases, Taipei Medical University, Taiwan and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA.
She is a member of the International Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) in the Infectious Diseases Data Observatory Schistosomiasis and Soil-Transmitted Helminthiasis Data Treatment Platform. She was also involved in the formulation of the National Policy for the Development of Orang Asli
(Indigenous) with the Department of Orang Asli Development (JAKOA), Malaysia.
She has received numerous awards and recognitions, among which were the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene Centenary Scholarship, Malaysian Society of Parasitology and Tropical Medicine Medal for being an outstanding young scientist, the Universiti Malaya Excellence Award for outstanding achievement in the category of Excellent Lecturer (for Sciences) and the Top Research Scientists Malaysia Award. She was also awarded the Malaysian Society of Parasitology and Tropical Medicine Life Membership and was appointed a fellow of the Academy of Sciences Malaysia. She was featured as one of the 10 Science Stars of East Asia in Nature in 2019. She was also cited by Stanford University as one of the World’s Top 2% Scientists for the years 2019 and 2021. In 2021, she was awarded the Fulbright Scholar Award 2021/2022 for an attachment at the Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), National Institutes of Health (NIH), USA. Recently, she was appointed the co-chair of the APRU Asia Pacific Women in Leadership (APWiL) Program from 2022-2025.
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Dr. ZHANG Chuanjie is Secretary of the Asian Universities Alliance, a group of 15 leading Asian universities that was founded in 2017. He is the Associate Dean of Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School, overseeing international cooperation, global communications, and campus services. Dr. Zhang also serves as Executive Director of the Tsinghua University Center for Hong Kong and Macao Studies. Dr. Zhang received his Ph.D. in political science from Yale University. Before his current position in Tsinghua's Shenzhen Campus, he was Director of Global Communications and Associate Dean of the Office of International Cooperation and Exchange at Tsinghua University.
Dr. Zhang Chuanjie
AUA Secretary & Associate Dean Shenzhen International Graduate School of
Tsinghua University
Professor Ilesanmi Adesida
Acting President of Nazarbayev University
Professor Ilesanmi Adesida is a successful scientist/engineer and an experienced administrator in both scientific and educational circles. Prior to his appointment at Nazarbayev University, Professor Adesida previously served as the Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). He also served as the Dean of the College of Engineering and the Director of the Micro and Nanotechnology Laboratory at the same institution.
Professor Adesida has published over 350 peer-reviewed articles and has made more than 250 presentations at international conferences. He won many awards including the Oakley-Kunde Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Education and the 2016 TMS John Bardeen Award for outstanding contributions to electronic materials. He was named an outstanding graduate of the EECS Department at the University of California, Berkeley in 2009. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Award by IEEE Electron Device Society of which he served as President previously. He has served on many academic and industry Advisory Boards all around the world (US, Singapore, Hong Kong, etc.) and he is a member of the prestigious United States’ National Academy of Engineering.
Moderator: Prof. Dr. Andri Andriyana, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Malaya
Technical Talk 3 — Becoming a successful technopreneur
Mr. Albert Lau Pui-Sang
CEO and Founder Epro Advance Technology Ltd (EAT)
Albert graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Materials Science and Engineering, and a minor in Environmental Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University in 2002. After graduation, he returned to Hong Kong, and worked extensively in the field of energy and environment, ranging from silicon material synthesis, solid state hydrogen, photovoltaic as well as water systems. Albert is the co-inventor of several families of patents filed and granted in major countries.
Before co-founding EPRO Advance Technology, Albert has co-founded 2 manufacturing companies over a period of 16 years, and served as Director and COO in both companies, managing ~600 people across Hong Kong, China, Australia and USA.
Albert also holds a LLB degree from University of London.
Moderator: Associate Professor Ir. Dr. Teoh Wey Yang, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Malaya
Workshop — Introduction to Mobile App Development with Thunkable
Muhammad Zaki, a freelance mobile app developer, combines extensive industry experience with an entrepreneurial mindset in his projects. After graduating from the University of Malaya in 2007, he honed his skills and co-founded Wariscan Sdn Bhd in 2016—a technology company specializing in interactive experiences. At Wariscan, he played a pivotal role in mobile app development and the integration of Augmented Reality (AR) for exhibitions. Leveraging nearly 6 years of expertise, Muhammad now assists clients in bringing their mobile app visions to life as a skilled developer.
Mr. Muhammad Zaki bin Kamaruddin
Wariscan Sdn. Bhd.
Mr. Hilman Nordin
Senior Research Fellow, Sunway University's Centre for Research Creation in Digital Media
Hilman Nordin is a Senior Research Fellow at Sunway University's Centre for Research Creation in Digital Media. His career path is marked by his interests in technology, design, and art. Hilman co-founded Wariscan Sdn Bhd in 2016, an innovative company specializing in engaging and interactive experiences. Hilman is also a PhD student at the University of Malaya, researching the use of AI to characterize artwork defects.
Technical Talk 4: Self-leadership.What makes a good leader?
Professor Dr. Amit Agrawal
Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay
Prof. Amit Agrawal completed his BTech from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur (in 1996), and PhD from the University of Delaware, USA (2002) in Mechanical Engineering. He worked for two years in industry after BTech, and as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Newcastle, Australia before joining the faculty of IIT Bombay in 2004. He is currently an Institute Chair Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and JC Bose National Fellow. He has served as Dean (International Relations), IIT Bombay. His research interests are in Theoretical fluid mechanics, Understanding the transmission of coronavirus, Development of novel bio-microdevices, and Turbulent flows. He has successfully attracted research funding and provided consultancy service to companies and start-ups. He has graduated 36 PhDs, published 280+ journal papers and 1 textbook, and has 11 awarded patents. His most notable recognition is the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize in Engineering Sciences 2018, which is the highest scientific honour to an Indian scientist.  Further, he is an elected Fellow of all the National Engineering and Science Academies of India.
Moderator: Prof. Dr. Andri Andriyana, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Malaya
Technical Talk 5 — Enhancing Lifelong Learning in the AI Era: Leveraging Emotional and Social Intelligence
Dr. Zamzami Zainuddin is a senior lecturer at the College of Education, Flinders University, Australia. The central focus of his research centres around technology-enhanced learning. His scholarly contributions in this field have been showcased in prestigious international journals with high impact factors. His notable publications include articles in esteemed journals in Educational Research (SSCI) such as Computers & Education, Educational Research Review, and the British Journal of Educational Technology. He is currently coordinating and teaching topics in Educational Research and Educational Technology at Flinders University, including Approaches to Research, Research Design and Methods, Artificial Intelligence in Education, and Educational Practice and Technology (Postgraduate education courses).
He has been listed among the 2022 and 2023 World’s Top 2% Scientists Based on Scientific Impacts in the field of Education, announced by Stanford University.
Moderator: Prof. Ir. Dr. Ngoh Gek Cheng, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Malaya
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Dr. Zamzani Zainuddin
College of Education, Psychology and Social Work, Flinders University, Australia.
Technical Talk 6 — The art of pitching
Centre for Energy Sciences, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Malaya
Prof. Ir. Dr. Chong Wen Tong is currently a full professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Universiti Malaya (UM), Malaysia. He is also the Head of UM Centre for Energy Sciences. Prof. Chong joined UM after spending 10 years in various industries, including Dyson and Sony. He is a Chartered Engineer registered by the Engineering Council (UK) since 2014. His research interests are Sustainable Energy & Green Technology, Wind Turbine Technology, Industrial Aerodynamics, Green Building & Indoor Air Quality and Innovative Product Design. Prof. Chong is the Editorial Board Member of the International Journal of Green Energy & International Journal of Precision Engineering and Manufacturing - Green Technology. He was selected for the 2019 Top Research Scientists Malaysia by the Academy of Sciences Malaysia, and 2020, 2021, 2022 & 2023 World’s Top 2% Scientists by Stanford University. Prof. Chong won the First Prize of National-Intellectual-Property-Award 2016 and WIPO Medal for his invention, Cross-Axis-Wind-Turbine which his team is collaborating with PETRONAS to commercialize it. He has won more than 25 invention and innovation awards (12 Gold Medals / Prizes & 4 Special Awards) in MTE, ITEX, PECIPTA (Best Award), iENA (Germany), SIIF (Korea), WIAC, etc. He also won the Second Place in the Royal Academy of Engineering’s Leaders in Innovation Fellowships – Final Pitch Session 2016/17. He is the Conference Chair of International Conference on Sustainable Energy and Green Technology. With 30 years innovative research experiences in industries and academia, Prof. Chong was appointed as the Chief Juror of the International Innovation Awards in Malaysia Technology Expo, MTE 2023 & 2024. In 2023, he was elected as the Fellow, Academy of Sciences Malaysia (FASc).
Moderator: Prof. Ir. Dr. Ngoh Gek Cheng, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Malaya