Shahnawaz
Director (S & SE Asia)
UNIGIS International
Austria

Biography
Dr. Shahnawaz has an MA in Geography and Ph.D in Regional Development. He started teaching at the University of Salzburg, Austria in 2000 and assumed the position of Director (S & SE Asia), UNIGIS International in 2002. He has established international cooperation for GIScience education with numerous leading universities in Southeast Asia and started UNIGIS joint-study programmes with many of them. He is also adjunct / visiting faculty at 4 reputed universities in the region and implemented several projects focussed on capacity building in Geospatial education and research. Among other activities, his major aim is to integrate all the major countries of Southeast Asia in the UNIGIS International network.

Abstract
UNIGIS International network

UNIGIS is the world’s premier distance education initiative and only sustainable network of higher education institutions offering masters and diploma programs in Geographical Information Science and Systems. Initially conceived by European universities in Manchester, Salzburg and Amsterdam, its study programmes now are offered in multiple languages through partner universities worldwide - sharing curricula, online learning platforms and the didactic approach to distance education. Since the inception of UNIGIS, more than 6,000 alumni have graduated from the study programmes at partner universities with MSc degrees or postgraduate diplomas - making this the largest GIS education programme worldwide. The UNIGIS alumni “community of practice” has grown into a global network of professionals sharing experiences, leads and skills as well as collaborating in all things concerning geospatial.