Curtin University Dubai

Higher education is in the midst of a revolution and Curtin is among those leading the challenge.

Professor Kaka before joining Curtin university, spent one year as the President of Applied Science University in Kingdom of Bahrain. Prior to this he served as the Provost and Vice Principal of Heriot Watt University Dubai, a position he has held since 2010. He led and grown the HWU Dubai campus to a student population of over 4000, 250 staff and a growing research culture. Prof Kaka’s contribution to the transnational education in general and to the Dubai’s education landscape in particular has been immense. Before this he spent 9 years at Heriot Watt Edinburgh campus and was involved in several senior roles including the Director of the MENA hub and the Director of Learning and Teaching. He was also the leader of the construction economics and management research group.

He started his academic career at the University of Liverpool where he spent 9 years there as a full time faculty member of the Liverpool School of Architecture and Building Engineering.

Prof Kaka is also a Professor of Construction Economics and Management and has an international reputation for research on the planning, management, and control of construction projects. Author of more than 150 publications, he has held numerous funded research grants with impact demonstrated by the extent of citation and direct industrial application. He is a fellow of the RICS and member of the editorial boards of a number of international academic journals. He has supervised more than 30 PhD students to completion, many of which have developed into senior roles in governments, industry and academia.

Dr Bilal Siddiqi has experience in both academic and operational spheres. He has a PhD in literature from the University College of London, where he was recipient of a three-year scholarship. During his PhD, he edited a cluster of articles on Fyodor Dostoevsky entitled, ‘Rethinking Dostoevskii: Literature, Philosophy, Narrative’ with the renowned Slavonic journal, SEER. He also co-wrote the introduction for this cluster. He taught undergraduate and postgraduate courses at UCL and supervised undergraduate theses in literature. He is also a qualified schoolteacher, with a Postgraduate Certificate in Education from Oxford University. He has taught at various secondary schools in London and Oxfordshire, teaching English Literature and Language to students in between the ages of 11 and 18.

On the administrative and operational side, Bilal has worked predominantly in the media and education sectors, serving as Executive Director for Samaa TV, one of the premier news channels in Pakistan, and as a Marketing and PR executive and later manager at Murdoch University Dubai.

Professor Chithirai Pon Selvan is an accomplished academic leader with over 27 years of experience in engineering education, research, and institutional development, including more than 17 years of significant contributions to the UAE higher education sector. He is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA), UK, and a Fellow of the Curtin Academy, Curtin University, Australia.

His research interests include machine design, optimisation techniques, advanced manufacturing, and renewable energy, with a strong focus on engineering for sustainable development. He has published over 175 research articles, authored multiple books, and presented widely at international conferences. He is an approved PhD supervisor at several universities, including Curtin University, Australia, and has successfully supervised multiple doctoral candidates to completion.