About Me

My name is Masoud Shakiba, a Computing & IT senior lecturer, Industry and Alumni Champion at the School of Computing, Electrical and Applied Technology, Unitec Institute of Technology. With a passion for fostering collaboration between academia and industry, I also lead the AIoT Impact Lab and Capstone Project in close partnership with industry stakeholders at Unitec. I am honoured to have been awarded the Unitec Research Excellence Award for 2025 and the Teaching Excellence Award for 2023, recognising my dedication and efforts in impactful research and coordinating the Capstone Project course. This recognition serves as a testament to the passion and commitment I bring to fostering student success and academic excellence.

In 2018, I founded TechTALK, an initiative I led with a dedicated team of volunteers to host seminars that bridge the gap between academia and industry. I bring a wealth of teaching and research experience, contributing to prestigious institutions such as Monash University, The University of Auckland, Massey University, The University of Waikato, National University of Malaysia (UKM), Manukau Institute of Technology, Techtorium, and New Zealand Institute of Education (Avonmore). I am an Executive Council Member of the IoT Forum New Zealand, have served as chairman of the ITPNZ Auckland Branch, and have held esteemed positions on the industry advisory committees of Otago Polytechnic Auckland International Campus and Eastern Institute of Technology Auckland Branch.

My research interests span cutting-edge fields such as the Internet of Things, RFID technology, Smart Agriculture, HealthTech, Project-Based Learning, and Industry-Based Learning. As an avid researcher, I have contributed to the academic community through multiple publications in renowned journals and at international conferences. Additionally, as a researcher and principal investigator, I have been a part of several research projects and funding applications.

I earned my academic degrees, a Master of Information Technology and a PhD in Computer Engineering - Software, from the esteemed UKM in 2012 and 2015, respectively. While at UKM, I also served as a Technical Executive and Graduate Research Assistant at the IT and Engineering Faculties. Furthermore, I actively participated as an executive committee member of the IEEE UKM Student Branch and assumed the role of President of the Iranian Students Association. 

Before joining UKM in 2009, I co-founded the Shakiba Data Processing Company and the Shakiba Open Technical and Vocational Institute. Notably, I held the esteemed position of CEO of the company for seven years and Academic Director of the institute for two years.