Exploring Artificial Intelligence for Small Island Nations Pathways to Sustainable Development

Dr. Ali Fawaz Shareef is a prominent Maldivian academic and higher education leader with over two decades of experience in teaching, research, and institutional development. He holds a Ph.D. in information systems from Massey University, New Zealand, and has served in key leadership roles including the vice chancellor and deputy vice chancellor (academic affairs) at the Maldives National University, Rector at Cyryx College, and the executive director at Villa College. His academic expertise spans data science, research methods, database design, and big data analysis, and he is widely recognized as a national expert in eLearning and information and communication technology (ICT) integration in education. Dr. Shareef has played a pivotal role in shaping the educational and digital landscape of the Maldives, having led the expansion of distance education, the development of national ICT infrastructure for learning, and contributing to curriculum development and educational policy.

Yoosuf Nizam is currently an assistant professor in the Faculty of Engineering, Science and Technology, Maldives National University. He obtained his doctoral degree in electrical engineering from the Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, Malaysia. His research interests include embedded computing systems, remote sensing, and assistive rehabilitation devices and robotics. He has published widely in international journals and conference proceedings and is also the author of several book chapters.