Invited speakers
Professor Tang Tong Boon
Tang Tong Boon received both BEng and PhD degree in Electronic Engineering from The University of Edinburgh in 1999 and 2006, respectively. He is now the Dean, Faculty of Engineering and a full professor at the Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS. He is also the Program Director on Shape Memory Technology (SMT) under the Future Positioning Program sponsored by PETRONAS, Malaysia. Tang is instrumental in creating various engineering systems, namely Lab-in-a-Pill, implantable drug delivery device, fNIRS-based adaptive cognitive training system (FACTS) and resilience assessment system for mind (RASMi). He received several international and national accolades such as IET Mountbatten Medal, IET Nanobiotechnology Premium Award, Lab on Chip Award and Top Research Scientists Malaysia Award by Academy of Sciences Malaysia. He has previously served as the Chair of IEEE Circuits and Systems Society (Malaysia Chapter), Board Member of International Neuroinformatics Coordinating Facility (Karolinska Institute), and Secretary of Malaysia Higher Institution Centres of Excellence (HICoE) Council. He now serves as a member of the Dr Ranjeet Bhagwan Singh (RBS) Trust Fund Programme Committee and the Talent Committee under Academy of Sciences Malaysia. He is also a Fellow of IET (UK) and a Chartered Engineer (UK Engineering Council).
Mr. Mohd. Safuan Mohd. Zairi
With a distinguished career marked by passion, creativity, and a drive for innovation, Safuan is a respected leader within the technology and innovation ecosystem. His extensive experience spans various organisations, and he holds a particular enthusiasm for drone technology (DroneTech). Currently, he is dedicated to advancing Malaysia’s DroneTech industry in collaboration with MRANTI’s ecosystem partners.
Leveraging over 28 years in the field, Safuan actively supports Malaysia’s technology and innovation community through initiatives such as MOSTI’s National Technology and Innovation Sandbox (NTIS) programme, MRANTI’s Global Accelerator Programme (GAP), Autonomous Vehicle Experiential Lab (AVXL), Drone Development Centre (Area57) and Healthcare Technology (HealthTech).
In his role as Chief Ecosystem Officer at MRANTI, Safuan champions both the developmental and sustainability mandates. His focus is on accelerating the commercialisation and maximising the “Return On Ideas” for local technologies and innovative solutions. This is achieved through MRANTI’s strategic partnerships, demand-driven programmes, and forward-thinking initiatives. Safuan holds a Bachelor of Law and an MBA.
Professor Junzo Watada
Junzo Watada has been a Specially Appointed Professor since April 2024,
Invited Researcher, IPS Research Center, Waseda University, Kitakyushu, Japan, since April 2016, and Professor Emeritus, Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan, since April 2016.
Dr. Watada was born in 1945. He received the B.Sc. and M.Se. degrees in electrical engineering from Osaka City University, (currently renamed Osaka Metropolitan University since 2024), Osaka, Japan 1970 and 1972 respectively, and the Ph.D. degree from Osaka Prefecture University, (currently renamed Osaka Metropolitan University since 2024), Sakai, Japan in 1983. Until March 2016 in retiring, he was a Professor of management engineering, knowledge engineering, and soft computing with the Graduate School of Information, Production, and Systems, Waseda University, Kitakyushu, Japan. He is currently an invited researcher as well as a Professor Emeritus with Waseda University, Japan and he also serves as a Research Professor for the Research Institute of Quantitative Economics, Zhejiang Gongshang University, Hangzhou, China, and for the Indian Institute of Finance, Delhi, India.
Dr. Watada was a Full Professor with the Department of Computer and Information Sciences, Universiti Teknologi Petronas, Malaysia till April 2020 recently after retiring Waseda University.
His research interests include big da ta analytics, soft computing, deep learning, tracking systems, knowledge engineering, and management engineering.
He is an IEEE life senior member, a Life Fellow of the Japan Society for Fuzzy Theory and Intelligent Informatics and the Bio-Medical Fuzzy System Association. He has also been the President of the Forum of Interdisciplinary Mathematics based in India, since 2019 through 2024 and the President of the International Society of Management Engineers, since 2003. He received the Henri Coanda Medal Award from Inventico, Romania, in 2002, and the GH Asachi Medal from the Universitatea Tehnica GH Asachi, IASI, Rumania, in 2006. He is also the Principal Editor, a Co-Chief Editor, and an Associate Editor of various international journals, including ICIC Express Letters, Information Sciences, Journal of Systems and Control Engineering (Proc. IMechE), International Journal of Innovative Computing, Information and Control, and Fuzzy Optimization.