Speakers

Prof. Rui Wang

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, China

Speech Title: Did You Miss the Ride? Housing Boom and Household Wealth in China

Rui Wang is a Suzhou Industrial Park International Leading Academic Talent and a Publishing Mentor for the Urban Affairs Association. He has been included in Stanford's List of World's Top 2% Scientists (career-long impact) since 2022. The List has also ranked him among the 16 most impactful urban & regional planning academics in Greater China since 2022. Professor Wang specializes in the public policy analysis for efficient, sustainable and inclusive urban development. His research appears in multiple disciplinary areas and has been covered in the Atlantic, Harvard Business Review, Los Angeles Times and New York Times. Professor Wang gave talks at the China Finance 40 Forum, Hong Kong Monetary Authority, Los Angeles World Affairs Council, RAND, World Bank, and numerous academic conferences and institutions. He is an editorial board member of journals such as the Journal of Urban Affairs, Transport Research Part D, and has also consulted for Beijing Municipal Institute of City Planning and Design, US Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the World Bank.

Prof. AMIT KUMAR

Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, China

Speech Title: Greenhouse gas emission from Hydropower Reservoirs: Present and future challenges

Prof Kumar is an Environmentalist cum hydrologist and has worked on wide areas such as sources, fate and transport of carbon in water, air, and soil; GHG emission from reservoirs/ Lakes/ forest etc. Prof Kumar completed his M.Tech & Ph.D from IIT Roorkee under the umbrella of MHRD fellowship, Postdoc research from Hohai University (College of Hydrology and Water Resources). Since then (Nov. 2019), working with Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, School of Hydrology and Water Resources, Nanjing, China, as a Professor. During his academic career, Dr Kumar edited 5 books, published more than 150 research/review articles of international repute and attended several training and conferences with due fellow of ICAR, ETH, CAS, MOEF, DAAD etc. Apart from academic life, Prof Kumar is an honorary Associate editor in Frontier in Environmental Science, Frontier in Microbiology, Applied Water Science (Springer), Advisory board member (Ecological Indicator, Elsevier) and IJRBM (Taylor & Francis)). Till now, Prof. Kumar has completed 2 young scientist projects, 1 consultancy project and 1 NSFC project.

Assoc. Prof. Tarawut Boonlua

Mahasarakham University, Thailand

Speech Title: Smart City Planning Platform (SCPP) as a Catalyst for Sustainable Urban Development: Insights from Thailand's Experience

My research experience spans over two decades, focusing on urban planning, geographic information systems (GIS), and sustainable development. Through academic works and hands-on research, I have explored various dimensions of urban development and planning to create impactful, real-world solutions.

In academia, I authored two significant teaching materials: Urban Development Process towards Sustainability (2011) and Geographic Information System for Urban Analysis (2022), laying the foundation for understanding sustainable urban practices and the use of GIS in urban contexts. My publications delve into critical areas, from sustainable transit area development to applications of UAVs in urban data collection, as well as innovative city data platforms supporting smart city development. These works emphasize interdisciplinary approaches to addressing urban challenges while fostering resilience and sustainability.

My research projects include master planning, GIS data system improvements, and the integration of digital tools for urban management. Notable examples include developing GIS for Nakhon Ratchasima Municipality, enhancing the efficiency of urban planning, and preparing a master plan for That Phanom District's World Heritage nomination. These efforts reflect a strong commitment to using technology for sustainable urban development and heritage conservation.

Furthermore, I have provided extensive academic services, including urban design projects and capacity-building initiatives for local administrative organizations, advancing urban planning practices in Thailand's Northeastern provinces. My research consistently emphasizes bridging theory and practice to create solutions that address urban growth, heritage conservation, and sustainability.

Assoc. Prof. Noha Essam Khamis

Effat University, Saudi Arabia

Speech Title: From Space to Place: Human Geography influence in shaping the futures of spatial Design and Planning

Dr. Noha Essam is a global Award-winning Design Academic & A Futurist. A prestigious board member of AJMIRI/US. Dr. Noha is a member of African Circular Economic Network (ACEN). A Global Ambassador & Advocate of Sustainability at the Ministry of Planning & Economic Development (MPED), a social scholar and educator whose work is linked to representing utopian, dystopian and heterotopian narratives of cities and communities with an emphasis on transdisciplinary approaches, experimental and sensory experiences. She is a diversity & inclusion researcher and one of the contemporary voices regarding the question of how we can make our society fit for the future. Dr. Noha has accomplished her postdoctoral studies at the University of Applied and Arts Northwestern Switzerland while she received her Ph.D. with honor from Faculty of Fine Arts in Cairo, and two Masters degrees, M.Sc. Environmental Psychology from St. Lawrence College, Canada and M.A. interior architecture, Faculty of Fine Arts in Cairo, Egypt. Her work confronts prejudices and advocates against social inequality, empowering underrepresented communities. She has an experience in instructional design and designing study plans in higher education. 

Her projects revolve around design perception, behaviour, anthropology, future narratives and hidden features of societal traits. She examines notion of inclusion in the city, and gender issues in space allocation. Dr. Noha's work is based on critical thinking, questions and exploration, and aims to create a multicultural dialogue that supports cooperation. She has been selected to receive the international CA – Cumulus association/Finland Accolade for design Academics 2021 coordinated by Sapienza University- Rome. She serves as a design professor and an educational consultant at a number of reputable universities in Egypt, Gulf Region and UK. She received the leadership accolade of WDO for excellence in the design driven foresight in the education context in alignmen