Dr Masoud Shakiba is a Computing & IT senior lecturer and Industry Champion at the School of Computing, Electrical and Applied Technology, Unitec Institute of Technology, New Zealand. With a passion for fostering collaboration between academia and industry, Masoud also leads the IoT Impact Lab and Capstone Project in close partnership with industry stakeholders. He is honoured to have been awarded the Unitec Teaching Excellence Award for 2023, recognizing his dedication and efforts in coordinating the Capstone Project course. This recognition serves as a testament to the passion and commitment Masoud brings to fostering student success and academic excellence. In 2018, Dr Shakiba founded TechTALK, an initiative that he led with a dedicated team of volunteers to conduct seminars to bridge the gap between academia and industry. He brings a wealth of teaching and research experience, contributing to prestigious institutions such as the National University of Malaysia (UKM), Monash University, The University of Auckland, Massey University, Manukau Institute of Technology, Techtorium, and New Zealand Institute of Education. Masoud served as the chairman of the IT Professionals New Zealand, Auckland Branch and held esteemed positions on the industry advisory committees of Otago Polytechnic Auckland International Campus and Eastern Institute of Technology. His research interests span across cutting-edge fields like the Internet of Things, RFID technology, Smart Agriculture, Project-Based Learning and Industry-Based Learning. Masoud has contributed to the academic community as an avid researcher, having published multiple papers in renowned journals and international conferences. Additionally, as a researcher and principal investigator, he has participated in several research projects and fund applications. Masoud earned his academic degrees, a Master of Information Technology and a PhD in Computer Engineering, from the esteemed UKM in 2012 and 2015, respectively. While at UKM, he also served as a Technical Executive and Graduate Research Assistant at the Engineering Faculty. Furthermore, he actively participated as an executive committee member of the IEEE UKM Student Branch and assumed the role of President of the Iranian Students Association.

Title Talk: Revolutionizing Horticulture with Cloud and 5G Connected Autonomous AgriTech Vehicles