Category: 2016 Delegate

Professor Hua Zhao is currently the Vice Dean (Research) of the College of Engineering, Design and Physical Science at Brunel University London. He is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering and Chairman of the CEFG Board of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. He graduated from Tianjin University China and obtained his PhD at the University of Leeds in 1989. He then worked as a research fellow at Cambridge University and Imperial College in London. Since 1994 Professor Zhao has been working at Brunel University and was the Head of Mechanical/Aerospace Engineering between 2010-2014.

Professor Zhao has collaborated closely with the automotive industries in UK and China and established strong academic links with many universities overseas. He has published several books and over 300 papers and was awarded a DSc in 2009.

Dr Ruibo Yuan received B.S. and M.S. degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Kunming University of Science and Technology and Ph.D. degree in Mechanical-Electronical Engineering from Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, China, in 1990, 2001, and 2006, respectively. He has eight years of corporate experience in mechanical design work from 1991 to 1998. His primary research interest is in the field of Fluid Power Transmission and Control. He is currently mainly engaged in Electro-hydraulic Proportional/Servo Control System.

Dr Yuan is Deputy-Director and Professor, Department of Science and Technology, Kunming University of Science and Technology and Vice-Dean, Chinese Association of Fluid Power Control Engineering.

Dr Nordin is the Director for Higher Education Leadership Academy (AKEPT), at the Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia since May 2019 where he is responsible to develop higher education leaders who are competent, agile, with high calibre and values through leadership advancement initiatives for national and international needs. Previously, he was the Pro Vice-Chancellor (International) of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) where he was responsible for planning, strategising and executing the internationalisation policies and initiatives as well as global reputation at UTM. Currently, he is a Member of Board of Governor for Tunku Abdul Rahman University College (TARUC), the Vice President for Ge4 Network and a member of the International Advisory Board for Amity University, India. Among other porfolios he previously held were the Advisory Board of Swiss-ASEAN Learning and Teaching (SALT) Network, the Operational Board of the World Technological Universities Network (WTUN), Board Member of APAIE and the Chairman of Executive Committee for Asia Technological University Network (ATU-Net). He is a regular speaker in many national and international forums related to international education and globalisation of higher institutions. He also involved in many strategic talent management initiatives for higher education institutions, including capacity building for young leaders. He has received international recognitions including the Global Academic Excellence Awards 2017 by the Amity University and the World Education Congress Award 2018 (for Eduation Leadership), India.

Nordin graduated with BE (Hons) in Civil Engineering from Salford University (1988), MSc. in Offshore Engineering from Cranfield University (1992) and PhD in Civil and Offshore Engineering from Heriot–Watt University, United Kingdom (1999). He has been with UTM for more than 30 years (since 1988). At UTM, he has performed several senior administrative responsibilities including the Senior Director for UTM International Affairs, Dean of School of Graduate Studies, Elected Senate Member, Deputy Director for the University Marketing Unit. He has served at other positions such as the Manager of International Students Affairs, Deputy Dean and Head of Department at UTM. Currently, he is a Professor in Structural Engineering, and a founding Head of Reliability Engineering & Structural Assessment (RESA) Research Group at the School of Civil Engineering and has published more than 100 papers. In his area of expertise in structural integrity, he is working very closely with oil and gas industry, particularly in pipeline integrity and risk management.

Dr Xing Wu received Ph.D. degree from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China, in 2005. He has worked for over 20 years at KUST. His current research interests include modern signal processing theory and method, and their applications on fault feature extracting, Internet-based mechanical fault remote diagnosis technology and expert system, etc.

Dr Wu is Professor, Dean, Faculty of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, and Director, Key Laboratory of Vibration and Noise under Ministry of Education of Yunnan Province.

Alastair joined Bradford from the University of Manchester in 1987, having spent 2 years previously working at the Universidade de Lisboa in Portugal.

Alastair is an applied numerical analyst by background, obtaining a PhD at the University of St. Andrews under the CASE Award system (with British Gas) before developing an classical research and teaching based academic career in modelling, simulation, and optimisation, that includes significant work with industry partners over the years. He has taught in Portugal, Canada, Pakistan, and China, activities that helped to develop a passion for TNE of all descriptions.

Having been Dean of the School of Engineering, Design, and Technology, Alastair is now using contacts and experience gained to support the University’s internationalisation mission, as chair of Academic Partnerships Sub-Committee and lead for his Faculty’s international developments.

Shelagh Whittleston is the European Representative for Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Brisbane, Australia. She also undertakes some consultancy projects.

Shelagh has established a QUT presence in the office of Trade and Investment Queensland in the Australia Centre, London. Her role is to lift the institutional profile of the University through strengthening and further developing QUT’s strategic engagement in Europe, with universities, research institutes, government and industry partners in Europe and especially Germany, UK and France. She also supports the Vice Chancellor in organising QUT leadership and participation in key international education events.

Prior to joining QUT in 2015, Shelagh was the Australian Government Department of Education representative located in the Australian Embassy to Belgium and Luxembourg and Mission to the European Union. She managed the Australian education and skills relationship with the European Commission, the OECD and UNESCO. She also had responsibility for the bilateral education relationships with the UK, the British Council and other governments and associations in Europe.
Shelagh played an active role on the OECD Education Policy Committee and in November 2014 was elected to the position of Chair of the Committee by her peers from OECD Member States. She was a member of the OECD CERI Governing Board, the IMHE Governing Board and was active in the OECD South East Asia Regional Programme. She has recently been a member of an OECD expert panel to review the national education system in Chile.

Shelagh has had a long career in the Australian Federal Department of Education and held a number of senior positions across the three education sectors: schools, higher education and vocational education and skills as well as international education.

Shelagh managed the establishment of the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) in 2010. She became the Deputy Chief Executive Officer and contributed to strategic leadership and management ensuring accountability and arrangements for the new organisation. She was also responsible for the development of the AITSL professional standard for principals and school leaders.

This built on significant work in the policy areas of schools, teacher education and teacher quality where she led and contributed to national objectives including the Digital Education Revolution Taskforce, implementing a national policy and program for computers in schools across Australia and providing advice to Government on funding for government and non-government schools, a National Partnership on Teacher Quality and the development of national professional standards for teachers.

Shelagh has a very strong commitment to equity in education and in particular the education of young women and young people at risk. In 1999-2000 she led a Prime Minister’s Taskforce on Youth Pathways, managing a major consultation round with key community groups including the Salvation Army, state and territory education, health and welfare agencies, industry and parents, young people and the indigenous community. She developed a national transitions policy (school to work) and the first national careers education policy for students and school leavers.

Shelagh has worked on the personal staff of five Australian Government ministers responsible for education.

Ilkka Virtanen is currently working as International Relations Manager at Tampere University. His task is to create and manage university’s strategic research partnerships and networks and to facilitate the creation of new active research collaboration. In his work, he works closely with university’s top management and management of research and international offices across the world. Prior to his current post, he headed seven years university’s Research and Innovation Services, where he gained in-depth experience of research funding, research collaboration mechanisms, agreements and intellectual property rights. His unit also supported commercializing research results and the creation of new businesses and entrepreneurship. Virtanen has over 19 years’ experience of diverse research collaboration and research funding and of the support of prominent research groups. Previously he has also worked in support of business information management, medicine and biosciences.

Kathie’s primary role is to facilitate major events and functions for the Vice-Chancellor, including speech notes, presentations, briefings and coordination of strategic University events.

Kathie has worked on a number of high profile events, including co-ordination of visits by heads of state during the G20 Summit in Brisbane, including the Prime Minister of India and the President of the Philippines.