Director (Institute for Data Innovation and Artificial Intelligence)

Dr Mohd Saberi completed his Ph.D. in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning at Osaka Prefecture University, Japan, in 2010 in 2.5 years, producing 29 publications. He holds a Bachelor and Master of Computer Science in AI and Cybersecurity with research focused on AI, Machine Learning and Data Science. Dr. Mohd Saberi is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Institute for Data Innovation and Artificial Intelligence (IDEA-AI). He also serves as an Adjunct Professor at Multimedia University (Malaysia), United Arab Emirates University (UAEU), and Brawijaya University (Indonesia). He brings two decades of expertise in Artificial Intelligence, IT, Data Science, and Digital Health, focusing on their applications in healthcare, public health, medicine, biotechnology, etc.

Dr. Saberi was honoured with Malaysia’s 2018 Research Star Award in the young researcher category, an esteemed recognition presented by the Ministry of Education Malaysia (MEM) and officiated by the Minister of MEM. This prestigious award is conferred based on selections by international organisations, namely Elsevier (Scopus) and Clarivate Analytics (ISI-Web of Science), underscoring his impact and contribution to research. In addition to this award, he has received several accolades throughout his career, including recognition as an outstanding reviewer for high-impact journals like Journal of Neurocomputing and Journal of Artificial Intelligence in Medicine, both ranked in the top quartile of their fields. He has also been awarded multiple university excellent service awards, best paper honours at several international conferences, and scholarships that supported his Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctoral studies. These honours reflect his commitment to advancing research and scholarship, qualities he brings to his teaching and mentorship roles.

He has extensive teaching experience, having instructed 15 different courses at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels in areas such as Artificial Intelligence, Big Data Analytics, Bioinformatics, and Programming. Dr. Saberi was appointed as the coordinator for the Biomedical Data Science Track, leading the development of the Bachelor of Biomedical Engineering and Informatics program. This role involved collaboration across several faculties, including Engineering, Medicine, IT, and Science, to create a program that equips students with skills in Biomedical Data Science, bridging healthcare and technology. Simultaneously, he served as the head of the development committee for the Master of Bioinformatics program, overseeing curriculum design and ensuring alignment with market needs. He has also held key roles as an advisor and head of curriculum development for IT academic programs at both undergraduate and postgraduate (Master’s and Ph.D.) levels. These IT programs, focusing on AI, Data Science, IoT, Data Analytics, and Bioinformatics, reflect his commitment to preparing students for the technological demands of today’s interdisciplinary workforce. In his role as program coordinator for the Bachelor of Computer Science (Bioinformatics), Dr. Saberi successfully launched an Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program. This initiative enabled students to conduct meaningful research during their studies, resulting in publications in peer-reviewed journals and presentations at international conferences. Notably, about 50% of these students continued into Master’s and Ph.D. programs, reflecting the program’s success in fostering academic growth and research potential. He has also contributed his expertise as a member of the accreditation panel for the Malaysia Qualifications Agency (MQA) since 2013, reviewing and accrediting both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. His experience with curriculum design, program coordination, and accreditation highlights his capability to enhance academic standards across multiple disciplines, making him a valuable asset to faculties in IT, healthcare, and interdisciplinary studies.

He was the Director of the Health Data Science Lab at the College of Medical and Health Sciences, UAE University (UAEU), where he also led the Human Variant Database Development and Bioinformatics Computing Infrastructure projects. Additionally, he served as a Scientific Board Member for the Big Data Analytics Centre at UAEU. At a national level in the UAE, Dr. Saberi contributed to key health initiatives: he was appointed by the Ministry of Health and Prevention as a member of the Working Team for Artificial Intelligence Applications in Health and Medical Research, and by the Abu Dhabi Department of Health as a member of the UAE Reference Genome Project Working Group. In Malaysia, Dr. Saberi held several prominent roles, including Director of the Institute for Artificial Intelligence and Big Data, Head of the Artificial Intelligence and Bioinformatics Research Group, and Founder of the Department of Data Science. He also served as Deputy Director (Academic) at the Centre for Communication and Informatics and held the position of IT Manager. He led task forces to establish a university innovation centre and fostered academic-industry partnerships. Notably, he spearheaded collaborations with Microsoft Corporation and Huawei Technologies to integrate professional certification programs in Data Science, AI, Big Data, and Digital Entrepreneurship into the curriculum. This initiative enabled graduates of the Bachelor of IT Program (specialised in AI and Data Science) to earn both a degree and professional certifications, enhancing their industry readiness and employability.

In recognition of his leadership and contributions, Dr. Saberi was appointed as a member of the University Senate, where he played a key role in shaping academic and institutional policies. On the international stage, he has served as an advisory board member for two prominent research and innovation organisations in Europe since October 2018: the Artificial Intelligence Research Institute and the Digital Innovation Hub. Dr. Saberi’s extensive committee work spans 65 academic and research committees, including 29 at the faculty level, 30 at the university level, seven at the national level, and three at the international level. He has also chaired 13 conference committees and contributed as a member to 56 others across regions including Europe, ASEAN, Japan, the US, Australia, China, and Malaysia. His international engagement extends to student mobility initiatives, where he led several inbound and outbound student exchange programs, fostering global academic collaboration and cultural exchange.

He has also gained international recognition through invitations to speak as an invited speaker, as well as talks, lectures, and keynote speeches. Recently, he was invited as a speaker at the 2024 Brawijaya International Conference (BIC 2024) in Indonesia on 22 November 2024, where he presented on "AI and Data Science for Public Health" under the conference theme, “Artificial Intelligence at the Crossroads: Building a Sustainable Future”. Additionally, he delivered a keynote presentation titled "Health Data Science for School of Medicine & Health Science" at the Digital Futures International Congress 2024 (DIFCON 2024) at Multimedia University, Malaysia, on 23 July 2024. This congress centred on the theme “Intelligence for Sustainable Futures: A Journey Towards Society 5.0”. He was invited as a speaker entitled Big Data Analytics for AMR Surveillance Applications at the 7th UAE International Conference on Antimicrobial Resistance (ICAMR) (Dubai, UAE). He has also been invited as a guest speaker at two events to give a talk entitled Health Data Science for Rare Diseases at the 1st International UAE Rare Disease Society Congress (Dubai, UAE) and another lecture entitled Health Data Science for Precision Medicine at International Precision Medicine Exhibition & Summit 2023 (Dubai, UAE). At the United Nations level, he was invited as a panellist for the Workshop on Teaching and Learning Competencies for Artificial Intelligence held at UNESCO Headquarters (Paris, France) in 2019. Besides, he was invited as an invited speaker/talk/lecture/keynote at the Scientific Workshop of the EU-ASEAN Computational Biology (Malaysia) in 2011, at the German-ASEAN Science & Technology Network Workshop (Singapore) in 2012, at the International Seminar of Robotic for Bio-production Systems and Agriculture ((Indonesia) in 2013, and at the Department of Statistics Malaysia in 2018. Apart from that, he has been invited as an invited speaker for eight events/seminars/workshops related to the 4th Industrial Revolution. Besides that, he also became an invited speaker/panel for another 13 events/seminars/workshops. Not only being the invited speaker in those academic workshops, he was also delivering lectures to students and staff at academic seminars at The University of Queensland (Australia), RMIT University (Australia), Osaka Prefecture University (Japan), Osaka Institute of Technology (Japan), The University of Canterbury (New Zealand), Auckland University of Technology (New Zealand), and Massey University (New Zealand).

He has secured 21 research grants as a project leader and contributed as a team member on 20 additional projects, with funding from government agencies, industry partners, and universities. His research collaborations span internationally, involving partners from Japan, Australia, and Spain. These grants focus on advancing the application of Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, and Machine Learning across multiple fields, including healthcare, medicine, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, and energy. He has an extensive publication record, with 151 articles in refereed journals, 102 conference papers, 69 book chapters, five research books, one original book, and 13 edited books. His research impact is reflected in my H-index scores: 34 on Google Scholar, 22 on Scopus, and 17 on ISI-Web of Science. Additionally, he serves as a dedicated reviewer for 35 ISI-indexed journals and evaluate submissions for 32 international conferences held in regions such as Europe, ASEAN, the US, China, Japan, Australia, and Korea.

In addition to his teaching responsibilities, he has provided significant mentorship and supervision at various academic levels. He has served as the primary supervisor for seven PhD students and co-supervised three others, all of whom successfully graduated. At the Master's level, he was the main supervisor for nine research students and co-supervisor for five, along with one mix-mode Master's student, all of whom also graduated. He has guided numerous undergraduate students, serving as the main supervisor for 60 undergraduates and jointly supervising an additional 23. His mentorship extends to hands-on industry experience, where he has supervised 35 students in practical and industrial training across various ICT sectors. This extensive supervisory experience underscores his commitment to nurturing academic growth and preparing students for both research and industry roles.