THE TEAM
iium RECTOR
Osman Bakar
Professor Emeritus Datuk Dr
Professor Emeritus Datuk Dr Osman Bakar has been appointed the seventh rector of the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) for a two-year term, effective from Sept 23, 2024, to Sept 22, 2026. Prof. Osman is a prominent Islamic thinker renowned for his leadership and scholarship in Islamic Philosophy and Civilisation. His influence has earned him international recognition, including being named one of the 500 most influential Muslims in the world in 2009. Prof. Osman, who holds the Al-Ghazali Chair at the International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilisation ISTAC) at IIUM, earned his Bachelor and Master’s degrees in Mathematics from the University of London, UK and a PhD in Islamic Philosophy from Temple University, USA.
CHAIRHOLDER
Sohail Inayatullah
Professor
Political scientist and futurist scholar. He currently teaches at the Graduate Institute of Futures Studies College of Education, Tamkang University, New Taipei City, Taiwan. He is also an associate at Melbourne Business School, University of Melbourne, Australia as well as a researcher and instructor at Metafuture.org. Since 2016, he has been the UNESCO Chair holder, previously hosted by the Islamic University of Science Malaysia (USIM). He is a fellow of the World Futures Studies Federation, the World Academy of Art and Science, the International Advisory Council of the World Future Society, the Darwin Project, and the Lifeboat Foundation.
CO-CHAIRHOLDER
Ahmad Faris Ismail
Professor Datuk Dr
Professor and the Deputy Rector (Academic and Internationalisation) at IIUM. He was the Deputy Rector (Research & Innovation) from July 2009 until June 2013 at the same university. He served as the Dean of Engineering from 1997 until 2009 and as the Co-Chairman of the Malaysian Council of Engineering Deans from 2007-2009. He obtained his B.Sc. in Chemical Engineering, in 1988, from the University of Houston, Texas, USA, and his Ph.D. in Engineering from Rice University, USA, in 1993. Prof. Ismail received the Federation of the Universities of the Islamic World’s Tribute ‘Personality Having Contributed to the Development of Islamic University Education’ in 2008.
sejahtera centre director
Zainal Abidin Sanusi
PROFESSOR DR
Director of Sejahtera Centre for Sustainability and Humanity, IIUM. He is an Professor at the Department of Political Science, Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Science. Prior to this post, he served as Minister Council (Education) at Malaysian High Commission, London, and as Deputy Director, the Centre for Leadership Training at the Higher Education Leadership Academy of the Ministry of Education Malaysia. His area of academic specialization is governance and education for sustainable development. His current research interests are Sustainability Science, Education for Sustainable Development, and Public Policy Analysis.
unesco chair coordinator
Maulana Akbar Shah
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR DR
Maulana Akbar Shah (U Tun Aung), a Myanmar national, has been an Associate Professor at IIUM since 2013. His diverse career includes working for UN agencies (1989-1998) and teaching at Jamia Darul Uloom in Rangoon (1998-2007). From 2001 to 2007, he served as Secretary General at Jamiatul Ulama al Islam, Myanmar. An accomplished academic, Dr. Maulana has authored 22 books and over 50 articles, earning IIUM’s Golden Researcher Award in 2021. He represents IIIT for Myanmar, is CEO of International Intellectual College Myanmar, and currently coordinates the UNESCO Chair at IIUM, contributing significantly to international education and cultural exchange over the past three decades.
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