Research and education in spotlight as Staffordshire University Pro-Vice Chancellor meets with the President of Pakistan

Staffordshire University’s Pro Vice-Chancellor, Professor Raheel Nawaz PFHEA NTF, met with Pakistan President Dr Arif Alvi to discuss Artificial Intelligence, and Higher Education.

He presented the President with a copy of his latest book and Professor Nawaz also updated the President on the ongoing research partnership between Staffordshire University and the National University of Science & Technology (NUST), Pakistan’s top-ranked university.

During the meeting, Professor Nawaz – who is among the top-10 most cited scholars in the world in Applied AI, Digital Transformations, and Educational Data Science – discussed the book, Visual Pollution: Concepts, Practices and Management Framework, (co-authored with Dr Khydija Wakil), which links the rise in visual pollution with rapid global urbanisation.

This research originated in Pakistan and went on to delve deeper into the subject of visual pollution after hearing people refer to “eyesore” buildings in some of Europe’s most beautiful cities.

The meeting was also attended by Engr Javed Mahmood Bukhari, Rector of the National University of Sciences & Technology (NUST), based in Islamabad, which rated the top Pakistani university in the QS World Rankings 2021 and is recognised globally for its research excellence.

Professor Nawaz is a NUST alumnus and was the driving force behind the research collaboration between the two institutions.

Professor Nawaz said: “It was a great honour to meet President Alvi and discuss the future of Higher Education and Digital Technologies in Pakistan. It was also a great opportunity to discuss the relationship between Staffordshire University and NUST. The two universities share similar values and ambitions to drive real-world impact and change as well as a commitment to ensure our graduates are both world-ready and work-ready to take advantage of the jobs of tomorrow.”

Lt Gen (Retd) Engr Bukhari, who has been Rector of NUST since December 2020, said: “We spoke to President Alvi about the opportunities that NUST and Staffordshire University are exploring together. This partnership continues to blossom, and I am delighted that in March this year six of our academics from NUST will be travelling to Staffordshire for short secondments as part of a knowledge exchange programme.”

President Alvi said: “It was a very productive meeting, and I would like to thank Professor Nawaz, one of the most distinguished Pakistani academics, for his longstanding services to Pakistan, and congratulate him on his global achievements in research and education. I enjoyed watching his recent TEDx talk on how giving and happiness are intrinsically linked. This is a message close to my heart and is deeply rooted in Islam and Pakistani culture.

“It was encouraging to hear about the work that both NUST and Staffordshire University are doing, and I look forward to hearing more in the future on how these two institutions will work more closely together as they explore their academic links.”