Category: 2019 Speaker

Professor Muralidhar Miryala is Board of Councilor and former Deputy President at Shibaura Institute of Technology (SIT), Operational Board Chair, World Technology University Network and Professor at the Graduate School of Science and Engineering / College of Engineering.

Prof Miryala’s main task is to transform SIT into a high rank university. To accomplish this goal, he has been working and further designed several innovative programs to enhance global initiatives for SIT. For instance, global project based learning (gPBL), advanced project based learning (aPBL), Ph.D innovative program, publication based internship program, high school internship program as these programs are crucial towards global ranking projects.

On the other hand, interested in applications and technology of bulk single-grain superconductors; thus, Prof Miryala had developed a new class of mixed LRE-123 system which can be used up to 15 T at 77 K and high temperatures up to 90.2 K. He developed a novel technology to produce a RE-123 type silver sheathed wire on the basis of solid state / liquid phase reaction. Prof Miryala has developed bulk MgB2 with enhanced superconducting properties, paving the way to affordable superconducting magnets for medical and transportation applications. Successful in his intellectual mindset enabled him to produce a small type superconducting bulk magnet which is useful to magnetize both high-Tc superconducting materials and magnetic materials in a variety of industrial applications. Prof Miryala also contributed to develop technology for the development of DC Superconducting Cable for Railway system applications. Prof Miryala has authored and co-authored more than 500 research items including patents, books, review-articles, articles, press release etc., and delivered over 150 oral presentations including plenary and invited ones.

Prof Miryala holds several Japanese national and international patents. Awards: Young Scientist Project Award, DST-Govt. of India (1995), Director’s Award, SRL-ISTEC (1998 and 2003), 1999 PASREG Award of Excellence (1999), Best Presentation Award at the IWCC11 (2003), Best Researcher Award, ISTEC-SRL (2007 and 2008), Best Researcher Award, Railway Technical Research Institute (2012), the Amity Global Academic Excellence Award (2017), Engineering Education Award for Contribution in Higher Education (2018), SIT Excellent Education Award (2019) by President. IAAM Fellow (2020), Vebleo Fellow (2021), Best Faculty Award (2021), Pravasi Bharatiya Summan Award by President, Govt. of India (2021). SIT Chairman’s Award (2021), Incredible Academician of World Award (2022). He is an Editor-in-Chief and Editorial board member of several international journals. Currently I am adjunct professor, visiting professor and international advisor for several universities in worldwide.

Dr. Chiang has authored and co-authored over 50 referred international journal papers and international conference papers. His research expertise spans from acoustical design to building sustainability. Over the past 23 years at National Taiwan University of Science and Technology (Taiwan Tech / NTUST), he established a full range of acoustical testing and simulation facilities including laboratory testing chambers, field testing instruments, scale model testing devices, and computer modeling software packages. He has expanded his fields to include theoretical and practical research topics on passive and active control of cooling and ventilation since 2001. Current research facilities include an experimental radiant cooling system, an experimental ground source heat pump system, a remote thermal monitoring system with controls of shading and operable windows, and various thermal simulation packages such as Transys and scSTREAM CFD software packages. In recent years he has initiated emphasis on holistic approach that peruses technical excellence with thorough social-economic concerns. Long terms consequences have been considered involving building operation, renewal, and interactions among people and facility at a district level. Dr. Chiang currently serves as the Vice President of National Taiwan University of Science and Technology. He also supervises the Taiwan Building Technology Center that collaborates research teams from various departments of the university. He is a fellow of Architectural Institute of Taiwan.

Professor Lynne Jack PhD CEng FCIBSE FSoPHE FHEA
Lynne Jack is a Professor of Building Services Engineering and Director of the Built Environment Research Institute in the School of Energy, Geoscience, Infrastructure and Society at Heriot-Watt’s Edinburgh campus. She is also Associate Principal for International Research. From 2017-2020, Lynne was on long-term secondment as Director of Research at Heriot Watt’s Malaysia campus.

Lynne’s teaching background is in the field of building services engineering and architectural engineering, and her research focuses on modelling the flow characteristics of water supply and drainage systems for buildings.

She is a Chartered Engineer and is current Chair of the Scientific Committee of the CIB W62 Working Group; an international research organisation addressing Water Supply and Drainage for Buildings. She was also President of the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) from 2019 to 2020; the Institution’s first ever female President.

Professor Alex Zelinsky AO is Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of Newcastle. Prior to joining the University, Professor Zelinsky was Chief Defence Scientist, leading Defence Science and Technology. Prior to this, Professor Zelinsky was Group Executive for Information Sciences at CSIRO and was CEO and co-founder of Seeing Machines, a technology company focused on computer vision. Seeing Machines was a startup from ANU where he was a Professor of Systems Engineering. Professor Zelinsky’s career spans innovation, science and technology, research and commercial start-ups and education. Professor Zelinsky has a Bachelor of Mathematical Sciences (Honours), Doctor of Philosophy and Honorary Doctor of Science from the University of Wollongong, and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and has completed the Advanced Management Program from Harvard University. Professor Zelinsky has received numerous national and international awards, including being appointed an Officer in the Order of Australia (AO) in 2017.

Ari is a professor of Tampere University, Faculty of Information Technology and Communication Sciences. In January 2000 Ari joined Tampere University where he had been Head of Department and Vice-Dean. Before that he held positions at the Lappeenranta University of Technology (Associated Professor, Professor, Dean) and the Helsinki University of Technology (Assistant Professor). Ari is a professor in signal processing. He has supervised over 200 research students and 16 postdocs, published over 200 papers and books with over 3,800 citations, given tens of invited talks worldwide.. During his career he has consulted for various companies including ABB, Agco, Nokia, and RapidScan. He has advised organisations such as the EU, and Finnish government agencies. Ari was awarded a Knight SVR R I for services to higher education in the 2015.

Zainuddin A. Manan is a professor of chemical engineering and the Deputy Vice Chancellor of Academics and International of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM). He is the founding director of UTM Process Systems Engineering Centre (PROSPECT) and the founding Dean of UTM Faculty of Chemical and Energy Engineering. He started his career as an process engineer and has since then been an academic leader, educator, researcher, consultant and professional coach for more than 25 years. As the UTM Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic and International), Prof Zain founded the UTM Synergy 4.0 transformation program to advance the mission of widening access to UTM quality engineering education. UTM Synergy 4.0 involved the historic consolidation of 18 UTM subdiscipline-based faculties into 7 faculties based on UTM key thrust areas; advancing flexible & 4IR-ready curriculum, future-ready educators and life-ready graduates; and providing access to UTM lifelong education programs delivered through various digital and distance learning modes such as MOOCS, blended, fully online as well as remote supervision, apart from residential modes. Zain has been the chair of global/regional committees such as the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE) Global Award for Computer Aided Process Design, the Board of judges for ASEAN Energy Awards for commercial and industrial sectors, and the Chair of Energy Efficiency and Conservation Act Drafting committee under the Malaysian Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources. He has delivered over 400 invited talks in professional courses, conferences and seminars across the world and has coached professionals from more than 500 national and multi-national companies.

Prof. Vincent Chang is Vice-Chancellor and President of Brac University in Bangladesh. Previously he was founding an American style university in Oman. He was also the executive dean of Peking University’s HSBC Business School in China, a new full-English international business school; he was instrumental in building the school from scratch. His industry experiences span over engineering, energy, investment, marketing, and management consulting, with both top-Fortune multinational firms and startups in the US. Those institutions include Siemens, JP Morgan, McKinsey, ExxonMobil and the Federal Reserve. Prof. Chang holds advanced degrees from MIT (PhD Economics), Harvard (Government), Yale (Management), and Berkeley (PhD EECS). He received his bachelor degree from National Taiwan University.

Dr. Mullika Sungsanit is the vice rector for engagement, innovation and entrepreneurship, with more than 15 years of experience in HRD and entrepreneurship development. Dr. Sungsanit has developed many entrepreneurship development activities for SUT students and for other universities. Besides working for SUT, she served as the consultant for the InfoDev-Worldbank developing and delivering training programs for Women Entrepreneurs in the Mekong (Mekong Women Entrepreneurship Challenge Program: MWEC Program), the Caribbean (Women Innovator Network in the Caribbean: WINC, the GyB (Grow Your Business Program), and Nepal (Nepal Agri-Food Business Growth Program). Dr. Sungsanit holds a Ph.D. in Human Resource Development from the University of Minnesota, USA.

Dr. M. M. Ramya is currently a Professor in Centre for Automation and Robotics (ANRO) at the Hindustan Institute of Technology & Science. She has over 20 years of teaching experience. Her research activities focus on artificial intelligence and soft computing techniques, with particular emphasis on artificial intelligence and image processing applications. She has over 35 publications in academic journals and conference proceedings. She has received funds worth Rs. 150 lakhs for her research projects from different agencies like DRDO, UGC etc. She is frequently invited as a resource person to deliver lectures, to conduct training workshops, and chair track sessions at conferences. She regularly reviews manuscripts submitted to peer review journals and conferences. She is also an associate editor of an international journal “Image Analysis & Stereology”.

Professor Michael Fitzpatrick is Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Engineering, Environment and Computing) for the Coventry University Group, where he oversees the provision at the main Faculty campus in Coventry; the CU Group sites in Coventry, Scarborough, and East London, and the London Campus; and the trans-national education provision with our global partners. He is the lead for the establishment of collaborative links and joint activities with Universities in North America. He also holds the Lloyd’s Register Foundation Chair of Structural Integrity and Systems Performance. He is a Chartered Engineer, a Chartered Scientist, and a Fellow of the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining.

His research centres around the application of advanced experimental methods to materials engineering applications, particularly in the nuclear power and aerospace industries. He has been a user of the international neutron and synchrotron X-ray facilities for over 20 years. He has published over 250 research papers. He was the recipient of the Lidstone Medal of The Welding Institute in 2009; and the Tom Bell Surface Engineering Medal of the Institute of Materials, Minerals, and Mining in 2020.

Michael is a Non-Executive Director of Diamond Light Source Ltd, the UK’s synchrotron X-ray facility; and a Non-Executive Director of Feraru Dynamics Ltd, a University spin-out company developing wearable technologies for preventative safety in the manufacturing and construction industries.