Visiting Fellows - 2014

Name                          : Dr Zobaida Akhter
Institution                   : Bangladesh Open University, Bangladesh
Date of Visit(s)           : 26 April – 25 October 2013
                                       28 October 2013 – 27 October 2014
E-mail                         : zobaida@gmail.com

Brief Biodata
Zobaida Akhter, Ph.D,  is a Senior Visiting Research Fellow, Centre for Civilisational Dialogue, University of Malaya. She was working for Bangladesh Open University. Dr Akhter also worked as Social and Gender Development Specialist (National Consultant) for Public Awareness Campaign of Multi-Sectoral Programme on Violence Against Women in Bangladesh (MSP-VAW), Ministry of Women and Children Affairs; as Female Education Specialist for Female Secondary School Assistance Project (FSSAP-II), Ministry of Education and as Gender and Development Specialist for Second Primary Education Program (PEDP-II), Ministry of Primary and Mass Education, Government of Bangladesh, Secondary Education Sector Development Pro-gram (SESDP-11), Consultant of Royal Nethderland Embassy.She has many articles in National and International journals , her most of the writings are on women rights and gender issues. She always gives emphasis on socio-cultural impact on women against any mal practice. Dr Akhter presented papers in many International Conference on Gender issues towards women empowerment. In international platform, she always takes the opportunity to raise the voice on behalf of women in Bangladesh. She is also a member of “Women for Women” which is one of the largest research organization of Bangladesh. Dr Zobaida Akhter did her Ph.D. in “Women and Equality: The Context of Bangladesh” from the University of Dhaka and completed Post-Graduation course on Gender and Body Language from the University of Hannover, Germany. In Ph.D. dissertation she explained how education and culture affects women’s lives. She established in her thesis that mistaken education are the real cause behind women disempowerment. She did research based on case study on women empowerment in collaboration with International Research Foundation of Open Learning (Cambridge) She loves to teach, and to build awareness through research. She believes that research is the most essential and important vehicle for any educationist to enrich one’s own knowledge and she strongly believes that sharing that knowledge in international platform could enhance the experience of the researcher in a maximum level.

Name                         : Dr Hilal Ahmad Wani

Institution                   : University of Ilorin, Nigeria

Date of Visit(s)          : 22 October 2013 – 21 October 2014

E-mail                         : wanihilal@gmail.com

Brief Biodata

Dr. Hilal Ahmad Wani was born on 10 April, 1980, at Loliporapora, Pattan, District Baramulla, Jammu and Kashmir, in India. He obtained his Bachelor’s degree B.A. (Hons) in Political Science, with first class, at the Aligarh Muslim University in year 2005 and later Master degree in Political Science with first class, at the Aligarh Muslim University in 2007. Later he did his PHD in Political Science from the Department of Political Science, Aligarh Muslim University. After being awarded by his Doctorate degree in, July, 2012.His topic of PHD was ‘’Conflict Resolution in Jammu & Kashmir: Issues and Challenges’’. He also did his Certificate Course of Proficiency in Language [Kashmiri], Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, India in 2004. And Diploma of Proficiency Language [Kashmiri], Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, India, in 2006.

His field of research are Peace and Conflict Resolution, Conflict Management, Conflict Transformation, Kashmir Conflict, Federalism, Globalization, Minority Rights and Multiculturalism, Islamic issues, Ethnic Conflict and Management, Civil Society and Good Governance, etc.

He got an appointment as one year Post-Doctoral Fellowship, at the Centre for Peace and Strategic Studies, University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria in 2012 September. With his research at the CPSS, he is also teaching a paper “good governance and development. His title of Post Doctorate is ‘’Ethnic Conflict and Management in Federal Nations: A Comparative Study of Nigeria and India’’. He is a member of International Advisory Board, of the International Journal of Management Sciences and Business Research [IJMSBR], Manchester, England. He is also member of the Editorial Board, SOSIOHUMANIKA: Jurnal Pendidikan Sains Sosial dan Kemanusiaan (Journal of the Humanities and Social Sciences Education), Indonesia. Besides, he presented his papers in many conferences be it national and international. He has published about twenty papers in well reputed Journals. His PHD thesis is also going to be published from Germany very soon. He is also the member of the peace organizations such as Society for Peace Studies and Practice, (SPSP), Nigeria. Moreover, he participated in several workshops at different Universities.

Name                         : Dr Mohammad Ismath Ramzy
Institution                   : International Islamic University Malaysia
Date of Visit(s)          : 1 October 2012 – 31 May 2013 (Post-Doctoral Research Fellow)
                                       3 June 2013 – 2 June 2014 (Research Fellow)
                                       10 June – 9 December 2014 (Research Fellow)
                                       10 December 2014 – 9 June 2015 (Research Fellow)
                                       10 August – 9 November 2015 (Research Fellow)
E-mail                         : ismathramzy@gmail.com

Brief Biodata
Dr. Mohammad Ismath Ramzy received PhD in Comparative Religion from International Islamic University Malaysia in 2012. Ismath Ramzy’s publications cover women and peace, peace education, legacy of Ven. Walpola Rahula and Muslim-Buddhist co-existence. His interest extends over the aspects of peace, multiculturalism, co-existence, interfaith dialogue, contemporary Asian religious thoughts and Islamization of Knowledge.

Name                         : Prof Dr Jose Nandhikkara

Institution                   : Dharmaram College, Bangalore

Date of Visit(s)          : 27 April – 22 May 2014

E-mail                         : nandhikkara@dvk.in

Brief Biodata

Rev Jose Nandhikkara CMI is a Carmelite Priest residing at Dharmaram College, Bangalore. He is the Dean of the Faculty of Philosophy at Dharmaram Vidya Kshetram and Head of the Department of Philosophy at Christ University, Bangalore. He serves also as the Director of the Centre for the Study of World Religions and the Chief Editor of the Journal of Dharma and contributes in the fields of Comparative Religion and Religious Experience and promotes Faiths Seeking Harmony of Life and Fellowship in Religious Experience. He has an excellent academic record, with three Bachelor degrees in Philosophy, Geology, and Theology and MA in Philosophy and Theology from Oxford University and a Licentiate in Philosophy from Gregorian University, Rome. He holds a PhD in Philosophy from Warwick University, UK. His doctoral dissertation was titled ‘Being Human from a Religious Point of View, after Wittgenstein’. He taught various philosophical courses, both at the UG and PG levels, such as: Philosophical Anthropology, Philosophical Psychology, Philosophy of Religion, Religion in Contemporary India, Wittgenstein, Medieval Philosophy, Thomistic Theism, Analytic Philosophy, Hermeneutics, and Postmodernism. He has published a book titled Being Human after Wittgenstein: A Philosophical Anthropology and contributed twenty research articles in reputed journals and edited works both in India and abroad. He has also attended various National and International Conferences and presented research papers in the field of philosophy and religions.

Name                         : Prof Dr Sheng-Ju Chan

Institution                   : National Chung Cheng University, Taiwan

Date of Visit(s)          : 1 – 24 August 2014

E-mail                         : ju1207@gmail.com

Brief Biodata

Sheng-Ju Chan is Professor in the Graduate Institute of Education and Chief Executive Officer of International Master Program in Educational Leadership and Management Development at the National Chung Cheng University, Taiwan. His areas of special interests are higher education policy, comparative education and higher education management. He is author of over a dozen publications in Chinese and English, and also a policy advisor to the Ministry of Education in Taiwan for higher education. His recent articles focused on cross-border education, internationalization and student mobility in Asia and were published in well-known journals such as Asia Pacific Journal of Education, Higher Education Policy and Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management etc. Specialising in education in East Asia, Dr. Chan is the associate editor of international journal of Asian Education and Development Studies published by Emerald. He is also the co-editor of a book series, Higher Education in Asia, supported by Springer. Having heavily involved with comparative education studies and community, he has been the Secretary-General of the Chinese Taipei Comparative Education Society in Taiwan since 2010 and received Society's research award in 2011.

Name                         : Emeritus Prof Dr Shaharir Md Zain
Institution                   : University Kebangsaan Malaysia
Date of Visit(s)          : 12 January 2011 – 11 January 2012
                                       13 January 2012 – 12 January 2013
                                       4 February 2013 – 3 February 2014
                                       10 March 2014 – 9 March 2015
E-mail                         : riramzain@yahoo.com

Brief Biodata
2011- now: Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Civilisational Dialogue, UM 
1983-2008: Professor of Mathematics at UMT (2006-2008) and 
Professor of Mathematical Physics at Univ. Kebangsaan Malaysia since 1983 
1988-1994: Deputy Vice Chancellor at Univ. Kebangsaan Malaysia

Fellowship, Scholarship and Memberhip: 
2006: Felo Persatuan Sains Matematik Malaysia (Offered) 
1996: Felo Akademi Sains Malaysia 
1990: Fellow of the Institute Mathematics and Its Applications, UK 
1992:Honorary Member of The Muslim Assoc. for the Advancement of Science (MAAS) India 
1988: Felo Institut Fizik Malaysia 1987:Fellow of the Islamic Academy, UK 
1987: Listed as a Mathematician by IMU (International Mathematical Union) 
1985/86: Fulbright Scholar , USA 
1979: Commonwealth exchange scholar 
1967-1974: Colombo Plan Scholar 

Education: 
Received an education in a Malay Medium School up to Sixth Form (Arts Stream up to Form Five; Science Stream from Sixth Form onwards). B.Sc. Hons (in Pure and applied Maths) and Ph.D (in Quantum Mechanics) at Lat Trobe Univ. Melbourne, Australia under the Colombo Plan Scholarship 

General Aims and Purposes in Scientific Activities: 
To produce scientific knowledge based on local values and culture and to strengthen Malay as one of languages of science and mathematics. 

Scientific Products: 
Several yearly articles in Mathematical Physics, Finance & Management Science, History and Philosophy of Mathematical Science, Indigenisation & Islamisation of Mathematical Science, Mathematical Education, Discourses and Engineering in Malay Language, 

Have produced more than 30 university text and reference books in Malay, Hundreds of articles in Malay & English.