He is a Principle Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (PFHEA) and holds adjunct professorships in seven universities and scientific/technical directorships in five research organisations. He is an active participant in international policy forums on the future of education, especially in the context of 4th Generation Universities and industry-academia collaborations for co-designing and co-delivering high-impact curricula.

Dr Nawaz has led over 30 funded projects in the UK, European Union and Asia, including projects with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), Commonwealth, and the European Commission. He has published over 100 research articles in leading journals and conferences and has delivered keynote and invited talks at prestigious conferences and venues including European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), Microsoft and Facebook. He makes frequent media appearances as an expert on AI, Digital Technologies, Industry 4.0 and Digital Education.