Category: 2020 Speaker

Dr. Yossapong Laoonual has recently served as an Assistant to the President for Sustainability, King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi (KMUTT) Thailand. He is an Associate Professor at the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, KMUTT. In addition he is also the Head of Mobility & Vehicle Technology Research Center (MOVE), KMUTT. He earned his first degree in Mechanical Engineering at Sirindhorn International Institute of Technology (SIIT), Thammasat University, Thailand. He continued his education and earned a master’s degree at the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST), now University of Manchester, followed by Imperial College London to gain his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering. He has produced and contributed to several research papers in connection with the powertrain, alternative fuels and policy for sustainable mobility and road transport technology. During March-September 2015, he was an adviser for sub-committee on alternative and renewable energy, and energy efficiency under the committee on energy reform, National Reform Council, Thailand. Currently he is a member of sub-committee on the electric vehicle under Committee on energy, Parliament, Thailand. He was President of the Electric Vehicle Association of Thailand (EVAT) between Nov 2015- August 2020 which was officially established by groups of academic and industry experts, with strong supports from the Thai Government. He is one of the founding members and the First Elected President of EVAT. He is also appointed as an expert committee member on Thailand’s National Electric Vehicle Policy Committee. He is also on a subcommittee as an industry expert on regulatory issues related to the control of air pollution from motor vehicles under pollution control committee and national environment board of Thailand.

Dr Nandakumar is the Director of Research at Hindustan Institute of Technology and Science,Chennai,India. He received his PhD in Propuslion from the Indian Institute of Technology,Chennai. Before joining Hindustan Institute of Technology anf Science in Jan 2019,he served as Head of the Combustion Research Group at the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre of the Indian Space Research Organisation. He has over 30 years of experience in the field of Combustion and Propulsion Research. He is a member of professional bodies like Combustion Institute, Astronautical Society of India, Aeronautical Society of India,Systems Society of India etc.

Theo Lynn is Associate Dean for Strategic Projects and Full Professor of Digital Business and at DCU Business School where he specializes in the role of digital technologies in transforming business processes. Previously, he was Director of the Irish Institute of Digital Business (2018-2019) and Principal Investigator of the Irish Centre for Cloud Computing and Commerce, an EI/IDA funded Cloud Computing Technology Centre (2011-2018). Professor Lynn is published widely in both business and computer science and is Series Editor on the Palgrave Studies in Digital Business & Enabling Technologies. He has won over 200 grants representing over €20m in total project funding. He was a PI on the Horizon 2020 CloudLightning Project (2015-2017) and Horizon 2020 RECAP Project (2017-2019); he is currently a PI on the Horizon 2020 RINNO project (2020-2023).

Professor John Ludden CBE John is Bicentennial Research Professor at Heriot-Watt University, following 13 years as Executive Director of the British Geological Survey. Drawing on his extensive experience as an international leader in the Earth and Environment sector, his current role focusses on science governance and diplomacy, with a remit to develop links across disciplines and strengthen communication with the public and policymakers. He has held numerous science leadership posts in the UK, France and Canada in the Earth and Environmental sector with a focus on resource development. He has worked as a professor and research scientist at the French National Research Centre (CNRS) where he was Associate Director for Earth Sciences, at the University of Montreal, Columbia University and MIT/WHOI. Experienced in the academic, government and research sectors he holds a doctorate from the University of Manchester, UK, and numerous visiting and honorary professor posts in UK and European Universities. He is a member of Academia Europaea, Foreign member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and Past President of the European Geosciences Union and EuroGeosurvey Organisation. In 2016 he was awarded a CBE for Service to Geoscience.

His background is an academic and entrepreneur in mineral engineering, energy storage systems and environmental technologies. He is a graduate of Imperial College (BSc (Eng), PhD) and has held posts at University of Manchester (UMIST),  University of Exeter (Camborne School of Mines), and as Pro Vice-Chancellor at the University of Leeds (2005-2011) and at the University of Birmingham (2011-2015). He has founded several innovation based business including two  PLCs.

He is a Fellow Academician of the Royal Academy of Engineering (UK), the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (Australia) and the Royal Society of Edinburgh. He is an Advisor to the UK Board of Trade. He has worked extensively in establishing new educational and research collaborations in Middle East, Africa, Singapore, Malaysia and China. He is a visiting professor at the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Beijing), Tianjin University of Finance & Economics and at Southeast University (Nanjing). He is an Advisory Board member of the Lloyds Register Foundation, Lloyds Register 100A1 Ambassador, a Non-Executive Board Director of the British Geological Survey, a member of the Converge Challenge Strategic Advisory Board and Chair and a Director of the Scottish Institute for Enterprise.

He is an editor of Minerals Engineering, Particuology and Institution of Chemical Engineering CHERD Journal.

Dr Gillian Murray joined Heriot-Watt University in October 2016 to lead on the development and implementation of the University’s Enterprise and Business Engagement Strategy, mobilising the University’s intellectual and capital assets to effect greater impact regionally, nationally and globally. The position leads the University’s strategic vision of being a world-leading institution developing entrepreneurial students and staff who addressing global challenges to drive transformational social and economic benefits. Gillian has a background in economic regeneration and is passionate about driving global innovation and skills development using new digital technology to break down collaboration barriers and facilitate co-invention. Whilst at the University of Liverpool, Gillian built innovative new models for Business/University collaboration, transforming the city region through strategic partnerships and supply chain development. Whilst at Heriot Watt, Gillian has led a number of major innovation and skills initiatives including, positioning the University as a leading provider of Graduate Apprentices in Scotland, building a global innovation ecosystem and partnership network (GRID), transforming online education and creating new flexible upskilling opportunities in key emerging sectors. She is a founding member of the Centre for Work Based Learning, working with partners in Scotland to enhance opportunity through work based learning.

Professor Mushtak Al-Atabi is currently the Provost and CEO at Heriot-Watt University, Malaysia. His research interests include thermofluids, renewable energy, biomechanical engineering, engineering education and academic leadership. He is an Honorary Chair at the School of Mechanical Engineering of the University of Birmingham (UK) and the Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Engineering Science & Technology. Professor Al-Atabi published three books, “Shoot the Boss,” “Think Like an Engineer” and “Driving Performance” and he has numerous research publications, awards and honours. He is a Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (FIMechE) and a member of the Global Engineering Deans Council. Professor Al-Atabi is an innovative educator, he pioneered the CDIO (Conceive, Design, Implement, Operate) and delivered the first MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) in Malaysia. Under his leadership, Taylor’s School of Engineering became the first non US school to have a Grand Challenges Scholar Programme aimed at developing graduates able to address the 14 Grand Challenges for engineers in the 21st Century. He trains executives from Multinational Corporations including banks and energy companies.

Professor Muralidhar Miryala is Board of Councilor and former Deputy President at Shibaura Institute of Technology (SIT) 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.

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.