SPEAKERS

Mr. HEM Vanndy’s career spans across the private sector, the United Nations system, multilateral development bank and government. He is the Minister of MISTI, and concurrently chairs the National Council of Science, Technology & Innovation, the National Council of Standards, and National Council of Accreditation of Cambodia. He also chairs the Board of Trustees of Khmer Enterprise and is a member of the Supreme National Economic Council.

Prior to his appointment as Minister of MISTI, he served as Secretary of State at the Ministry of Economy and Finance, looking after development financing, coordination and management of official development assistance, public debt management and supporting Cambodia’s key policy agenda. He was former Chair of the Country Coordinating Committee for the Global Fund program to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. In his early career, he was auditor at PricewaterhouseCoopers, national officer at UNFPA, and country officer at the Asian Development Bank—Cambodia Resident Mission.

He obtained his Mid-Career Master of Public Administration (Mason Fellow) from Harvard Kennedy School of Government, Master of Arts in International Development from International University of Japan, and Bachelor of Business Administration from then National Institute of Management (Cambodia). He is married with two daughters.

His Excellency Dr Khieng Sothy is the founding President of Cambodia University of Technology and Science and advises the National Council of Science, Technology, and Innovation, with the rank of Secretary of State. He served as the Vice President (Research and Administration) at Kirirom Institute of Technology between 2019-2021. He is an experienced and accomplished scholar, educator, and higher education administrator. Before joining KIT, he spent ten years at Cambodia’s leading research think-rank, Cambodia Development Resource Institute (CDRI). At CDRI, he co-founded and was the Head of Education Unit from 2014-2018 where he was a co-editor of Book on Cambodia Education 2015: Employment and Empowerment. He is also the author of a book on “The dawn of social enterprise in Cambodia?” which was published because of his doctoral research. His interdisciplinary research interests include post-secondary education, social entrepreneurship and innovation, and science and technology. He has held several research fellowship appointments, including at Griffith University, and University of Melbourne (Australia), and Swiss Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (Switzerland). Dr Khieng publishes peer-reviewed articles in various international journals. He co-founded the Comparative Education Society of Cambodia and is currently serving as a board member in this society and as an international advisory board member in Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education (UK). He has a PhD in Organization Sciences from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Netherlands, and an MA in International Development Studies from Ohio University, USA, under the Fulbright Scholar Program during which he was the President of Ohio University Fulbright Association between 2007-2008.Previously, he served as Vice President (Research and Administration) at Kirirom Institute of Technology and spent a decade at Cambodia’s leading research think tank, the Cambodia Development Resource Institute (CDRI). At CDRI, Dr. Khieng co-founded and led the Education Unit, co-edited several books on Cambodian education and science and technology, and authored the book The Dawn of Social Enterprise in Cambodia, based on his doctoral research. His interdisciplinary research interests include post-secondary education, social entrepreneurship and innovation, and science and technology. Dr. Khieng has held research fellowships at Griffith University and the University of Melbourne (Australia), and the Swiss Federal university for Vocational Education and Training. He is a co-founder and President of the Comparative Education Society of Cambodia (CESCam) and serves on the boards of CESCam and Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education (UK). 

Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology  / Korea

PhD in S&T Policy and Technology Management, University of Manchester

Senior Researcher, Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology

Served as a President of Daejeon Institute of S&T for Enterprise and People(DISTEP)

Member of Presidential Committee of Intellectual Property and other related committees

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Academician Seeram Ramakrishna: is a world-renowned professor at the National University of Singapore (NUS). He is a Chair Professor of Tsinghua University and Xinghua Distinguished Chair Professor, China; a Distinguished Professor of IIT Hyderabad, India; and an Everest Chair of MBUST, Nepal. He is a recipient of the China Government Friendship Award and Chang Jiang Scholar of Ministry of Education, China. He is among the top four scientists of Singapore (Stanford | Elsevier). He is named among the World’s Most Influential Minds (Thomson Reuters) and a Highly Ranked Scholar (Scholar GPS) with more than 500 Q1 journal papers, 217 H-Index, and 220,500 citations. His contributions also appeared in Nature, Nature Reviews Methods, Nature Communications, Matter, so on journals. Highest professional distinctions include Fellow | Academician of Chinese Academy of Engineering; UK Royal Academy of Engineering (FREng); Singapore Academy of Engineering; Indian National Academy of Engineering; ASEAN Academy of Engineering & Technology; International Academy of Engineering and Technology; International Academy of Bionic Science; and World Academy for Artificial Consciousness. He is also an elected Fellow of AAAS, ASM International, ASME, AIMBE, USA; IMechE and IoM3, UK; ISTE, India; and IUBSE (FBSE). He is also a Senior Chartered Engineer (Sustainability) of the Institution of Engineers Singapore. His senior academic leadership includes NUS Vice-President (Research Strategy); Dean of NUS Engineering; Director of NUS Enterprise; Chairman of Solar Energy Institute of Singapore (SERIS); Director of NUS Bioengineering Initiative; Director of NUS Nanoscience & Nanotechnology Initiative (NUSNNI); and Co-Founder of the Global Engineering Deans Council.  He received advanced research experiences from MIT and Johns Hopkins University, USA and KIT, Japan.  He received a PhD from the University of Cambridge, UK, and TGMP from Harvard University, USA. 

Chen Sovann received his B.Sc. degree in Electrical and Energy Engineering from the Institute of Technology of Cambodia, Phnom Penh, Cambodia, in 2015. He earned an M.Eng. in Electrical Engineering from Chulalongkorn University, Thailand, in 2017, and completed his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering through a joint program between Chulalongkorn University, Thailand, and Hokkaido University, Japan, in 2022. His research interests include computer vision, machine learning, and video coding. He has published 11 papers related to AI in international journals and conferences. Currently, he serves as the Director of the Department of Science, Technology & Innovation Data Management at the Ministry of Industry, Science, Technology, & Innovation (MISTI).

 Mr. Anandha Khaou is a professional in investment management, venture development, and real-estate strategy, with a focus on strengthening Cambodia’s innovation and entrepreneurial landscape. His work spans the private sector, corporate development, and the startup ecosystem, where he has contributed to both large-scale projects and early-stage venture building.

He serves as a member of the Investment Committee of Canadia Impact Fund Co. (CIFC), the corporate venture capital affiliate of Canadia Group, where he helps shape portfolio strategy and supports the growth of Cambodia’s emerging innovation ecosystem. In parallel, he works with Overseas Cambodian Investment Corporation (OCIC) on business development across real estate—particularly within Koh Pich—and on structuring cross-border collaborations and joint-venture initiatives.

A published author and former e-commerce founder, he also brings hands-on experience from accelerator programs in both the United States and Cambodia. He has mentored and advised startups across multiple sectors on fundraising readiness and scaling strategies—bridging the gap between corporate resources and entrepreneurial talent.

He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Public Policy and Political Science from City University of Hong Kong and a Master of Science from the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California.

She is CEO of Asia Digital Technology Innovation (ADITI), ADITI Academy and co-founder of Tech for Kids Academy. She drive technological advancements and foster innovation. Omuoy holds master's degree in Science and Technology and have participated in leadership programs in Japan and business innovation programs in the United States. I also had the privilege of being part of the IVLP program in the United States, which focused on entrepreneurship for prosperity and sustainability. 

Dr CHHEANG Vannarith is an expert in public policy analysis, behaviour insights, government relations, and international relations with a focus on the geopolitical and geoeconomic aspects of Southeast Asia and the Asia-Pacific. He has over 15 years of handson experience across the academic, public, and private sectors. He was honoured Emerging Leader by the Asia Foundation in 2010, Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in 2013, Asian Public Intellectual by the Nippon Foundation in 2013, and Southeast Asian Young Leader by IISS-Shangri-La Dialogue in 2016. He served as Executive Director of the Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace from 2008 to 2013. From 2013 to 2016, he was a Lecturer in Asian Studies at the University of Leeds. Between 2016 and 2018, he worked as a Southeast Asia Consultant for the Nippon Foundation. He then served as President of the Asian Vision Institute from 2019 to 2023. Currently, he is the Chairman of the Advisory Council of the National Assembly of Cambodia and also holds the position of Deputy Secretary-General of the National Assembly.