Academic Leadership

Dr. Priti Verma is an academic leader in Early Childhood Education and teacher education with over 23 years of experience in higher education teaching, research, and academic administration. She currently serves as the Executive Dean for Education Programs at the Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT), where she leads the development and implementation of early childhood teacher education programs aligned with national workforce priorities and global best practices. Holding a PhD in Child Development with a focus on Early Childhood Education, Dr. Verma has played a pivotal role in advancing innovative teacher preparation programs that integrate evidence-based practices, culturally responsive pedagogy, and technology-enhanced learning environments. Her work supports the preparation of competent early childhood educators equipped to meet the diverse learning needs of young children in the UAE. Dr. Verma has led several internal and externally funded research projects aimed at improving the quality of early childhood education, including studies on self-regulation in young learners and stakeholder perceptions of early childhood education. Her contributions have informed curriculum design, teacher preparation, and policy development across the sector. She collaborates with international partners, UAE government entities, and educational organizations to strengthen early childhood education sector. Dr. Verma is recognized as an ECA Childhood Champion (2022) and is an active member of NAEYC and SRCD.

Prof. Stijn Van Der Krogt holds a Ph.D. in Economics and Econometrics from the University of Amsterdam, Netherland. He started his career path as a Director at the International Institute for Communication and Development, where he managed over 120 ICT for development programs in agriculture, education and health care industries in 15 countries in Africa and Latin America. He gained industry experience as a Consultant in the Telecommunications Sector and as a Director of Changing Values International, an advisory company that supported over 130 SMEs in strategic development and social and digital innovation. Prof. Krogt’s experience in the education sector started 10 years ago as the Dean of Business Sciences and Business Informatics of the Universidad Paraguayo Alemana, set up by German-based SRH Higher Education and the Paraguayan private sector. He returned back to the Netherlands to set up the SRH University of Applied Science as the Chief Academic Officer. He combined this with the development of an internationalisation strategy and business incubation strategy for SRH. Recently, Prof. Krogt holds the position of Business Executive Dean at the Higher Colleges of Technology. Previously, he held the position of the Dean of the Amsterdam School of International Business at Amsterdam University of Applied Science. Prof. Krogt publishes and speaks at international conferences on topics such as internationalisation, mobility, business intelligence, and recently focuses on Twin green and digital innovation.

Dr. Liew Beng Keat has over 20 years of senior academic leadership and management experience in applied learning institutions. His academic background is complemented by several years of experience in the ICT sector, where he founded an ICT start-up involved with the development of enterprise solutions for clients such as Chevron Texaco, Singapore Telecommunications and others. He was also the former President of the Python User Group (Singapore) and the founder of the PyCon Asia Pacific (APAC) conferences, which have been running since 2010 across various Asia-Pacific countries. He is also the main author of three books on computer programming, published by Simon & Schuster/Prentice-Hall. His post-graduate qualification is in the field of Artificial Intelligence, and he earned both his PhD and MSc in Computing from the National University of Singapore (NUS). He obtained his BSc in Computing and Information Systems from the University of Bradford, UK.

Dr. Rachel Bentley has successfully combined academic and industry expertise with innovation and creative development, research, and teaching in creative arts, media production, design and television fields. As a curriculum and partnership pedagogy leader, her objective is to facilitate transformative learning experiences and industry engagement and employment for HCT students in applied learning, and apprenticeship programs. Dr. Bentley has over 30 years' experience as a senior academic and researcher in design, journalism, media production and interactive design in Australia. It is Dr. Bentley's aim to design innovative programs that engage students in active, authentic, and personalized learning experiences that enable students to contribute creatively through participatory filmmaking and lived experience research within their communities. Previously, Dr. Bentley served as Deputy Dean at Western Sydney University (WSU), School of Humanities and Communication Arts, Australia. In addition, Dr. Bentley was the Chief Executive Office and Executive Producer of Television Sydney, the university-owned, free-to-air 24-hour television station, Director of Digital Content video and media content and Director of e-Support.

Dr. Erin Lim brings extensive experience in teaching, leadership, and research. She is a passionate advocate for academic excellence and student success, with a strong track record of fostering positive industry networks and advancing educational innovation. Before assuming her current leadership role, Dr. Lim served as the Academic Program Chair for Medical Laboratory Science across two of the largest campuses within the Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT) network. Her extensive academic management experience has been pivotal in shaping curriculum, guiding faculty, and ensuring the delivery of world-class education in health sciences. Dr. Lim’s commitment to enhancing student learning extends beyond the classroom. She focuses on fostering strong industry partnerships to meet the Emiratisation needs of the UAE healthcare sector, creating meaningful opportunities for students, and improving healthcare outcomes in the region. As a mid-career scientist, Dr. Lim is deeply engaged in both national and international research. Her work spans several key areas of health sciences, where she collaborates with international researchers and supervises postgraduate students. She has won multiple prestigious awards, including the Khalifa International Award for Date Palm and Agricultural Innovation (2024), in recognition of her pioneering contributions to development and productive projects in the agricultural and healthcare sectors. She earned her PhD in Medical Biotechnology in 2010 and a BSc (Hons) in Microbiology in 2006, both from Universiti Putra Malaysia.