Professor of the Faculty of Engineering (FT) Universitas Indonesia (UI), Prof. Ir. Mohammed Ali Berawi, M.Eng.Sc., Ph.D., received an Honorary Doctorate from Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University (SPbPU). The title was given to Prof. Ali Berawi for his contribution to the development of SPbPU and his great support for research in the fields of sustainable development, smart cities, civil engineering, and economics.
“I am very grateful for this award. I see this as a form of our appreciation for the academic field. This is a positive indicator to continue developing international cooperation in the fields of education, research, and especially science and technology,” said Prof. Ali Berawi.
Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University (SPbPU) is one of the oldest and most prestigious campuses in Russia. SPbPU has produced many great figures including Nobel Prize winners such as P.L. Kapitsa, N.N. Semyonov, Z.I. Alferov, A.F. Ioffe, and many more. Since 1984 until now, SPbPU has awarded Honorary Doctorate degrees to more than 70 people from all over the world. Through an official letter received by Prof. Ali Berawi on Wednesday, October 30, he was the first person from Indonesia to receive the degree from SPbPU.
Meanwhile, the collaboration between FTUI and SPbPU began in 2019. At that time, Prof. Ali Berawi was asked to be a Keynote Speaker at the International Scientific Conference on Innovations in Digital Economy: SPBPU IDE-2019 held by SPbPU. In the conference, Prof. Ali spoke about the development of mega infrastructure project concepts, increasing project feasibility, and the value-added process.
In the same year, Prof. Ali Berawi was also asked to be a Visiting Professor at the Graduate School of Industrial Economics, SPbPU. The collaboration was continued with the signing of a PKS (Cooperation Agreement) between FTUI and SPbPU in the form of an exchange professor. Through this collaboration, every year Prof. Ali Berawi gave a lecture at SPbPU for a course related to Value Added Engineering. The results of this collaboration, scientific works were also published in the form of scientific books, special issues, and journals.
In addition, in the Q1 scientific journal published by the Faculty of Engineering of Universitas Indonesia, called the International Journal of Technology (IJTech), Prof. Ali Berawi also became the Editor-in-Chief and became one of the media for publishing the scientific work. “Our task is to create science and develop technology. As academics, we must have commitment and consistency for this and we can do it together with all academics in the world. I hope that the collaboration that has been carried out so far can have a positive impact on Indonesia and Russia,” said Prof. Ali Berawi.
Dean of FTUI, Prof. Dr. Ir. Heri Hermansyah, S.T., M.Eng., IPU said, “We are very proud of Prof. Mohammed Ali Berawi’s achievement as a recipient of an Honorary Doctor from Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University. This award is not only an acknowledgment of his dedication and contribution in the field of engineering and innovation, but also an inspiration for all of us at FTUI to continue to excel at the international level. Hopefully, this achievement will further strengthen global collaboration in the development of science and technology, and bring Indonesia’s name to greater recognition in the academic and research world.”
Prof. Mohammed Ali Berawi, M.Eng.Sc., Ph.D. is a Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering, FTUI. In 2002, he earned a Master of Engineering Science degree from the University of Malaya, and successfully earned a Ph.D in value engineering from Oxford Brookes University UK, in 2006. And, in 2022, he was confirmed as a Professor at Universitas Indonesia.
Various national and international awards have been given to Prof. Ali, among others as the Dosen Peneliti Muda Terbaik dan Dosen Peneliti Terbaik Universitas Indonesia 2009 (Best Young Research Lecturer and Best Research Lecturer at Universitas Indonesia 2009), Finalist for the UK Alumni Award (2008) and the Toray Science and Technology Award (2014), Top Indonesian Scientists in the international database, Webometrics (2015-2017), 500 Best Indonesian Researchers according to the Indonesian Ministry of Research and Technology (2020), and World’s Top 2% Scientists by Stanford University (consecutively from 2021 to 2023).
Prof. Ali currently serves as Deputy for Green and Digital Transformation of the Indonesian Capital City Authority (IKN). Previously, he was the Head of the Coordination of Technology Transformation and Innovation in the IKN Authority Transition Team. He was also involved in the 2022 Indonesian G20 Presidency as Alternate Chair of Science 20. Prof. Ali also holds the position of Director of the Center for Sustainable Infrastructure Development (CSID) at Universitas Indonesia and Director of the ASEAN University Network – Sustainable City and Urban Development (AUN-SCUD).
