“I am deeply grateful for this honour. I see it as a form of appreciation for the academic field. This is a positive indicator for continuing to enhance international collaboration in education, research, and especially in science and technology,” said Prof. Ali Berawi.
Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University (SPbPU) is one of Russia’s oldest and most prestigious institutions. It has produced many notable figures, including Nobel Prize winners such as P.L. Kapitsa, N.N. Semyonov, and Z.I. Alferov, and A.F. Ioffe. Since 1984, SPbPU has awarded Honorary Doctorates to over 70 individuals worldwide. Through an official letter received by Prof. Ali Berawi on Wednesday (30/10), he became the first Indonesian to receive this title from SPbPU.
Collaboration between FTUI and SPbPU began in 2019 when Prof. Ali Berawi was invited as a Keynote Speaker at the International Scientific Conference on Innovations in Digital Economy: SPBPU IDE-2019. At the conference, he discussed the development of mega infrastructure project concepts, enhancing project feasibility, and value-adding processes.
The same year, Prof. Ali Berawi was invited to serve as a Visiting Professor at SPbPU’s Graduate School of Industrial Economics. This collaboration was further solidified by signing a Cooperation Agreement (PKS) between FTUI and SPbPU, involving professor exchanges. As part of this partnership, Prof. Ali Berawi delivers annual lectures at SPbPU on Value-Added Engineering. The collaboration has also resulted in the publication of academic works, including scientific books, special issues, and journals.
Additionally, Prof. Ali Berawi serves as the Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Technology (IJTech), a Q1 scientific journal published by the Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Indonesia, which serves as a platform for disseminating academic research. “We must create knowledge and develop technology. As members of the academic community, we must be committed and consistent in pursuing this, and we can achieve it together with academics worldwide. I hope that this collaboration will continue to positively impact both Indonesia and Russia,” said Prof. Ali Berawi.
The Dean of FTUI, Prof. Dr. Ir. Heri Hermansyah, S.T., M.Eng., IPU, stated, “We are immensely proud of Prof. Mohammed Ali Berawi’s achievement in receiving the Honorary Doctorate from Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University. This recognition not only acknowledges his dedication and contributions to engineering and innovation but also serves as an inspiration for all of us at FTUI to excel on the international stage. May this achievement further strengthen global collaboration in advancing science and technology and elevate Indonesia’s recognition in academia and research.”
Prof. Mohammed Ali Berawi, M.Eng.Sc., Ph.D., is a Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at FTUI. He earned his Master of Engineering Science from the University of Malaya in 2002 and a Ph.D. in Value Engineering from Oxford Brookes University, UK, in 2006. In 2022, he was formally appointed as a Professor at Universitas Indonesia.
Prof. Ali has received numerous national and international accolades, including Best Young Researcher and Best Researcher at Universitas Indonesia (2009), UK Alumni Award Finalist (2008), Toray Science and Technology Award (2014), recognition as one of Indonesia’s Top Scientists in the international Webometrics database (2015-2017), inclusion among Indonesia’s Top 500 Researchers by the Ministry of Research and Technology (2020), and being listed in Stanford University’s World’s Top 2% Scientists from 2021 to 2023.
Currently, Prof. Ali serves as the Deputy for Green and Digital Transformation at the Nusantara Capital Authority (IKN). Previously, he was the Coordinator for Technology and Innovation Transformation at the IKN Transition Team and participated in Indonesia’s G20 Presidency in 2022 as the Alternate Chair of Science 20. He also holds positions as the Director of the Center for Sustainable Infrastructure Development (CSID) at Universitas Indonesia and the Director of the ASEAN University Network – Sustainable City and Urban Development (AUN-SCUD).
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