Convergence Innovation Competition (CIC) - Asia Faculty Fellows

CIC Asia Faculty Fellows are faculty members recruited from IPaT’s strategic partners and anchor universities across Asia. Faculty Fellows are experts in their field who have agreed to give advice and mentorship to interested student teams participating in CIC. The inaugural group of Faculty Fellows represent institutions across Asia and are passionate about nurturing students’ innovative mindsets and entrepreneurial confidence. Faculty Fellows meet each month to share and learn innovation leadership techniques and best practices in creating an innovative spirit among colleagues and students.

CIC Faculty Fellow Academic Program - Year 2024

 

  • May 29  – CIC Faculty Fellows Introduction 
    Michael Best, Georgia Tech, Executive Director for the Institute for People and Technology 
  • June 26 – Innovation Programs at Georgia Tech 
    Rahul Saxena, Georgia Tech, Director for CREATE-X
  • July 31 – CIC Fellows Team Cultivation Updates  
  • August 28 – Previous CIC Participants  
  • September 25 – Topic and speaker to be announced  
  • October 30 – Partnerships 
    Debra Lam, Partnership for Inclusive Innovation, Founding Executive Director
  • November 20 - International Innovation Cultivation 
    Speaker to be announced
  • December 8 – Faculty Fellows innovation workshop
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CIC Asia Faculty Fellows 2024 Cohort

Alex Wei

Alex Wei, Ph.D., 
Yuan Ze University, Taiwan,
Dean, Industrial Academy

Alex Wei, Ph.D.

Yuan Ze University, Taiwan
Dean, Industrial Academy

Education: 
BSEE, CCIT
MBA, NTUST
Ph.D. in MOT, NCTU

Career:
Current – Dean, Industrial Academy, Yuan Ze University, Taiwan

  • Project Leader, CSIST
  • President, CHC(SBIP, microwave Amplifier, GaAs device packaging)
  • President, RTI(Founder, MCU company)
  • President, Schmidt Scientific Taiwan(Professional Distribution House)
  • Managing Director, Asia, RVSI, (Long Island, New York, NASDAQ ROBV, semiconductor AOI, Handler, BGA/CSP Attachment)
  • GM, Asia, Midas Vision System, Inc..(Startup company in LTCC/HTCC/MLCC, Machine Learning, Deep Learning AOI)
  • VP, S&M, GC, Amkor(NASDAQ AMKR, world #1 semiconductor packaging and testing house)
  • VP, B/D, GC, Country Manager, TWN and CHN, Tessera(NASDAQ TSRA, IP company)
  • VP, B/D, Attolight(Geneva, Switzerland, EPFL span off, Metrology Material Science Company) 
  • VP, B/D, GM Asia, Silex, Sweden (MEMS foundry)
  • Business Executive, CDA, Germany(Optronics Company)
  • VP, B/D, GM Asia, ViaGaN, Israel (Co-Founder, Lighting, LED MEMS/Wafer Level packaging)
  • CEO, GLORIA, NTUST, MOST, Taiwan
  • Vice CEO, IHQ, Director, International Collaboration Office,, NCKU, Taiwan 
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Iskandar Ishak
Iskandar Ishak, Ph.D., 
Universiti Putra Malaysia,
Associate Professor, Computer Science
 

Iskandar Ishak, Ph.D.

Universiti Putra Malaysia
Associate Professor, Computer Science

Iskandar Ishak, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in the discipline of Computer Science at Computer Science Department, Faculty of Computer Science, and Information Technology (CSiT). He holds a PhD in Computer Science from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), Malaysia. He also obtained his B.IT (Hons) from Universiti Tenaga Nasional (UNITEN) and MTech. (Information Technology) from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology University (RMIT). Currently he has been appointed as the Deputy Dean (Research and Innovation) at the Faculty of Computer Science and Information Technology, UPM.

His current research interests are Big Data Analytics, Data Quality, Data and Knowledge Engineering, Database Systems and Mobile Application system.

Iskandar has supervised several Bachelor, master’s, and PhD students. Currently, he is supervising 6 PhD and 1 Master students as main supervisor, and 11 PhD students and 1 Master students as co-supervisor. Under his supervision, 1 PhD and 1 master’s student have completed their studies. His primary teaching interest is in Big Data, database, and data analytics. Courses that he teaches for undergraduates are Computer Programming, Database Application Development, Database Systems and Big Data Analytics as well as Big Data Technology and Big Data Technology courses for the postgraduates.

He has been instrumental in organizing several conferences, workshops, and training programs both locally and internationally. He has been involved in providing professional services of journal reviewer, conference reviewer, a representative on the editorial board of several conferences, and consultation works.

He also involved as committee, speaker and trainer in several workshops and forums organized by entities within UPM as well as outside UPM such as InfoComm Development Center UPM (IDEC), Kementerian Pendidikan Malaysia, Akademi Sains Malaysia and Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) and internationally with Kyushu University of Japan and Institut Pertanian Bogor Universiti (IPB) of Indonesia.

Iskandar is associated with several professional bodies in the area of Computing Science and Information Technology such as Malaysian Board of Technologies and is also actively involved in student development activities such as been appointed as Coordinator for Credited Curricular Courses at the Curricular and Student Development Center, Universiti Putra Malaysia and involved in volunteering activities with NGOs such as Institut Onn Jaafar (IOJ) in helping homeless people in the streets of Kuala Lumpur. One of the highlights of his involvement with IOJ is organizing Malaysian United Run 2016 in which 40,000 participants were involved and 5,000 were from UPM in which he arranged. Through his involvement with IOJ, UPM has received RM20,000 of fund to organized engagement activities with underprivileged community around Malaysia in 2018.

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Jack Hsu, Ph.D.
Jack Hsu, Ph.D., 
National Sun Yat-Sen University, 
Chair, Information Management

Jack Hsu, Ph.D.

National Sun Yat-Sen University 
Chair, Information Management

Education
* 2008 Ph.D., MIS Department, University of Central Florida, USA

Experiences
* 2016- Director, International Business MBA Program
* 2013- Associate Professor, Department of Information Management, National Sun Yat-sen University
* 2008-2013 Assitant Professor, Department of Information Management, National Sun Yat-sen University
* 2006-2007 Instructor, University of Central Florida
* 2004-2008 Research Assistant, University of Central Florida
* 2004-2006 Teaching Assistant, University of Central Florida
* 2003-2004 Instructor, Ling-Tong University, Taiwan
* 2000-2001 Teaching Assistant, National Chung Cheng University, Taiwan

Academic Services
* ICSSI 2022 Program Chair
* ICIS 2016 Track Chair
* PACIS 2016 Track Chair
* Program committee, BIS 2009, 2010
* Reviewer of several International journals and conferences

Award & Honors
* 2016 Outstanding Young Scholar, MOST, Taiwan
* 2016~now Outstanding Young Scholar, NSYSU
* 2013~now Oustanding Research Aware, NSYSU
* 2009 Distinguished Paper Award, DSI 2009
* 2002 An honorary member of "The Phi Tau Phi Scholastic Honor Society of The Republic of China,"

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Lan Phan
Ms. Lan Phan, 
Fulbright University Vietnam,
Head of the Center, Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation

Lan Phan, M.Sc.

Fulbright University Vietnam
Head of the Center, Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation

Lan Phan is currently the Head of the Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (CEI) at Fulbright University Vietnam. She graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Smith College and later obtained her Master degree in Economics for Development at the University of Oxford, UK. 

With 10 years of experience in the field of entrepreneurship and innovation development, Lan took on several strategic roles including the Head of Startup Ecosystem Development at the National Agency for Technology Entrepreneurship and Commercialization (NATEC) under the Ministry of Science and Technology, and recently the Head of Exploration at UNDP Viet Nam Accelerator Lab. Lan was the co-founder and one of the main organizers of the first national startup event – TECHFEST Vietnam – since 2015, attracting hundreds of startups and investors as well as thousands of participants every year. She is one of the main authors of the National Program to Support Startup Ecosystem in Viet Nam until 2025. In 2018, she made it to the Forbes Vietnam 30 Under 30 list as well as Apolitical’ s list of 100 most influential young people in government in the world.

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Nur Laila Ab Ghani
Nur Laila Ab Ghani, Ph.D.,
Universiti Tenaga Nasional,
Lecturer, Infomatics

Nur Laila Ab Ghani, Ph.D.

Universiti Tenaga Nasional
Lecturer, Infomatics

Nur Laila Ab Ghani is an academic at Universiti Tenaga Nasional (UNITEN) in Malaysia, where she serves as a lecturer in the Department of Informatics within the College of Computing and Informatics. Laila is currently completing her PhD in Information Technology at Universiti Teknologi Petronas, Malaysia, where her thesis explores innovative methods for handling high-dimensional data streams, aiming to enhance the efficiency and accuracy of clustering techniques in dynamic environments. She holds an MSc. in Information Technology and Quantitative Sciences and a Bachelor of Computer Science (Hons.) with First Class Honors, both from Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia. Before her tenure at UNITEN, she was an Assistant Lecturer at Universiti Teknologi MARA, where she taught various computer science courses. Her research interests span data analytics and machine learning, with a notable focus on practical applications to real-world problems. 

She has led and participated in various data analytics projects, securing multiple grants, including projects funded by UNITEN, Malaysia’s Ministry of Higher Education and Tenaga Nasional Berhad.  She has published her work in reputable journals and conferences, contributing to the fields of data science and information technology. Her dedication to teaching and mentoring is reflected in her active role in supervising undergraduate projects and her administrative duties at UNITEN, where she has served as the Head of the Undergraduate Final Year Project Committee, and is currently the Head of College Visibility Committee. 

Laila is also involved in professional development and training, having completed numerous courses in data science. She is an active member of the Association for Computing Machinery and the Association of Human-Computer Interaction Malaysia, and is recognized as a Professional Technologist by the Malaysia Board of Technologists.

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Putri Syaidatul Akma
Ms. Putri Syaidatul Akma,
Multimedia University,
Deputy Director, Alumni Engagement

Putri Syaidatul Akma, J.D.

Multimedia University
Deputy Director, Alumni Engagement

Putri Syaidatul Akma is currently the Deputy Director at the Alumni Engagement, Career and Entrepreneurship Development (ACE) taking care of the Entrepreneurship Development Centre (EDC) in Multimedia University, Malaysia (MMU). She was previously the Deputy Director of EDC and the Deputy Dean (Research and Development) at the Faculty of Law, MMU. Prior to joining MMU, Putri practiced as a litigation and corporate lawyer. Although she is now the Deputy Director of ACE, as a lecturer, she teaches and researches at Faculty of Law, MMU. 

Her main areas of research include company law, corporate governance, and social enterprises, especially to help in addressing challenges in empowering local communities and generating economic and social value. In championing entrepreneurship, Putri actively works on inculcating, nurturing, and fostering entrepreneurship culture in MMU. She helps to develop entrepreneurship programs and build connections with ecosystem builders while grooming students’ entrepreneurial mindset and enhancing their skillsets. Putri is trained in Entrepreneurial Leaders and Educators, a certified Micro and Small Business Advisor and TRIZ Level 1 & 2. 

She is actively involved in training, coaching and mentoring start-ups in transforming their ideas into commercially viable startups. In grooming student entrepreneurs, Putri believes in the alignment of growth in the startup and founder. She recently won Best Mentor Award (3rd place) at the Malaysia’s Ministry of Higher Education Entrepreneurial Award 2023 held in March 2024.

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Richard Wang, Ph.D.
Richard Wang, Ph.D.,
Fudan University,
Associate Director, Visiting Associate Professor, Fintech Research Center

Richard Wang, Ph.D.

Fudan University,
Associate Director, Visiting Associate Professor, Fintech Research Center

Richard Wang, Ph.D.,  is currently the Associate Director of the Fudan Fintech Research Center and Faculty Advisor for the FMBA L.I.T.E. (leadership, innovation, teamwork, ethics) courses at Fudan University, International School of Finance (FISF).  Prior to this, he was a fulltime Visiting Associate Professor of Practice and Director of LIVE (Learning Through Integrated Vocational Experience) Learning Center at the Shanghai Advanced Institute of Finance (SAIF), Shanghai Jiao Tong University and taught management at Chihlee University of Technology, Taiwan.  He is the founding partner and COO of a private equity firm based in Taiwan.

Wang has over 20 years of experience working in the financial and investment industry.  He previously worked at UBS in New York in risk management, Blackstone in Hong Kong evaluating real estate investment opportunities in Asia, and a listed non-life insurance company in Taiwan responsible for business strategy and development.   As an entrepreneur, he participated in startups ventures in family entertainment/F&B, real estate, insurance, private equity, education, and mobile app industries.

Wang received his Ph.D. in Risk Management and Insurance from Nankai University and an MBA from University of Texas – Arlington.

He has been a member of the Entrepreneurs’ Organization since 2003 and was the founding President of Greater China Bridge Chapter from 2020 – 2022.

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Temsiri Sapsaman, Ph.D.
Temsiri Sapsaman, Ph.D.,
King Mongkut's University of Technology North Bangkok,
Lecturer, Department of Production and Robotics Engineering

Temsiri Sapsaman, Ph.D.

King Mongkut's University of Technology North Bangkok
Lecturer, Department of Production and Robotics Engineering

Temsiri Sapsaman, Ph.D., graduated from Georgia Tech in 2009 with a minor in management and an entrepreneurship certificate. Temsiri has been interested in entrepreneurial education since started her academic career at KMUTNB. She has gained entrepreneurial experience from several hackathon participation and organization. During 2020-2021, she co-organized two hackathon with New Energy Nexus, Co, Ltd., in which students ideated solutions to the energy crisis and the climate change. During the same time, for National Innovation Agency’s program, she also advised middle and high school students to generate ideas and prototypes that help waste-to-energy process. Her entrepreneurial teaching experiences are Design Thinking course for Robotics Engineering students, Innovation for Industrial Digital Transformation short courses (6 cohorts) for industry personnel, and an elective course on Innovation for 3rd- and 4th-year Undergrads. As direct entrepreneurial experiences, she had co-founded 4EV Global Co. Ltd., originally attacking the lack of ecosystem for electric vehicle charging station in Thailand, and KNB Engineer and Service Co. Ltd., providing robotic and automated solutions in healthcare and manufacturing industry.

Temsiri was a director of Robotics Engineering Program for PRE department, and Associate Dean for Research and Innovation, Faculty of Engineering, KMUTNB.