iNASA Programme Book

YBhg. Dato’ Seri Ir. Dr. Zaini Ujang Secretary General, Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia KEYNOTE SPEAKER Dato’ Seri Ir. Dr. Zaini is an academic administrator, environmental engineer, and scientist who attempts to blend knowledge, skills, experience, and innovation harmoniously. He currently serves as Secretary General of the Ministry of Higher Education. Notably, this is his second tenure in this role, having previously served as Chairman of the Malaysia Higher Education Blueprint 2015–2025 task force. He also served as Secretary-General in the Ministry of Energy, Green Technology, and Water for two years. Dato’ Seri Zaini has authored over 250 scientific papers in leading academic journals and books on environmental engineering, water sustainability, higher education, and learning innovation. He is a registered Professional Engineer (Malaysia), Chartered Engineer (UK), Chartered Scientist (UK), and Chartered Water and Environmental Manager (UK). He is a Research Associate at MIT and has been affiliated with Imperial College London, Tsukuba, and Lund Japan. Additionally, he served as Vice-Chancellor of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) from 2008 to 2013 and was the first recipient of the prestigious Merdeka Award for Outstanding Scholastic Achievement in 2009. 6