Conference Chairs
Conference Co-Chairs
Prof. Dr. Mukhtar AhmedChairman, Higher Education Commission of Pakistan, Islamabad
Prof. Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed was the executive director of HEC, serves as the chief executive officer of the organisation. He was also the principal accounting officer of the commission. Being the HEC ED, Dr Ahmed was responsible for the implementation of reforms initiated by the Government of Pakistan in higher education sector.
Before joining the HEC, Dr Ahmed was deputy director general of Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Isesco) in Rabat, Morocco, and was responsible for the Directorates of Education, Science, Culture and Communication, ICPSR, CPID (Planning and Strategic Division) and Isesco regional centres. He persuaded Isesco’s agenda in all OIC conferences, conventions, including the Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers and also various ministerial conferences in specified various areas of Isesco’s mandate.
Dr Ahmed was also responsible for preparing short-term and long-term programmes, including three-year action plans for the Isesco. He was also the Editor-in-chief, Isesco Journal of Science and Technology.
With a Bachelor and Master of Science from the University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, and Masters in Business Administration and PhD from the University of California, Riverside, USA, he has over 25 years of educational development and management experience at national and international levels, including teaching, research, academic administration, policy development, linking educational research to industry, commercialisation, introducing entrepreneurial approaches to education and a diverse range of educational development programs.
His career is enriched with diverse academic, research and administrative experience, both in public and private sectors of higher education in Pakistan. He has worked with numerous educational and other institutions in different capacities at national and international levels as lecturer, associate professor, professor, chairman/head of departments, dean, consultant, coordinator, project director, director student affairs, director campus, rector, acting executive director HEC, member (Operations and Planning) HEC, deputy director general Isesco and the executive director of HEC.
Prof. Dr. Anwar-ul-Hassan GilaniChairman, Pakistan Council for Science and Technology, Islamabad
Prof. Anwar Gilani’s career is that of a distinguished Pharmacologist, combining novel discoveries and distinctive mentorship roles, who won merit scholarship from primary school to PhD. He obtained his BSc Agri (Hon)-Nutrition (1975) and MSc in Pharmacology (1978) with distinction from University of Agriculture, Faisalabad and PhD (Pharmacology) from the University of Sydney, Australia in 1985. Dr. Gilani returned home and joined the Aga Khan University as lecturer and rose to full Professor in 1997, through accelerated promotions, where he occupied multiple leadership positions which include, Vice Chair, Research and Graduate Studies, Director, PhD Program in Health Sciences and Chair, Board of Graduate Studies, in addition to overseas positions (Tandem Dean, College of Health Sciences at the Mekelle University, Ethiopia) before occupying his current position, Chairman, Pakistan Council for Science and Technology in Jan 2015.
Prof. Gilani also occupies the positions of Adjunct Professor at the International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences, University of Karachi, and holds the title of HEC Distinguished National Professor, in addition to Visiting Professor at a couple of overseas Universities.
Prof. Gilani also occupies the positions of Adjunct Professor at the International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences, University of Karachi, and holds the title of HEC Distinguished National Professor, in addition to Visiting Professor at a couple of overseas Universities.
Honorary Chair
Prof. Dr. Naveed A MalikRector, Virtual University of Pakistan
Professor Dr. Naveed A. Malik is the founder-Rector of the Virtual University of Pakistan. Dr. Malik obtained his Master’s degree in Physics from the University of the Punjab, Pakistan and the Doctor of Science degree from M.I.T. in the field of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science specializing in Digital Signal Processing.
Dr. Malik established the Spark Source Mass Spectroscopy laboratory at the Center for Solid State Physics, University of the Punjab and later became the founder chairman of the Department of Computer Science. He was the designer and developer and of the Punjab University’s computerized examination system and was also responsible for the design and implementation of the University’s fiber-optic campus-area network. He has been associated with the Virtual University project from inception to date and is the principal architect of its highly innovative and acclaimed ICT-based e-assessment system. He has lectured extensively, has been an active systems and software development consultant and has published several papers on various technical subjects.
Dr. Malik is also currently coordinating an IDRC (Canada) funded Asia-wide research effort in distance learning technologies focused on openness and quality in Asian distance education. He is also the BLOSSOMS (MIT, USA) Project Manager for Pakistan. He is a life member of the Pakistan Institute of Physics and was awarded the Sitara-e-Imtiaz in 2008 for services to education.
Program Chair
Prof. Dr. Masroor Ellahi BabarVirtual University of Pakistan
Professor Dr. Masroor Ellahi Babar, is currently Registrar and Dean Faculty of Science and Technology in the Virtual University of Pakistan. He has been contributing actively in teaching and research from more than 25 years in the field of Livestock Production, Molecular Biology, Biotechnology and Functional Genomics. He did post-doctoral trainings from Canada and USA. He has received many awards and distinctions including Star Award, Excellence Award from Prime Minister of Pakistan, Excellence award from Chief Minister of the Punjab, Quaid-e-Azam Gold Medal, Best University Teacher Award from Higher Education Commission-Pakistan for outstanding teaching and research and Research Productivity Award from Ministry of Science and Technology-Pakistan. In recognition of my services the President of Pakistan honored me with Tamgha-i-Imtiaz.
He has published more than 200 research papers and supervised 88 post-graduate students. His research group is leading in animal genomics in Pakistan.