Bangkok, 3 December 2025 – AIT President Prof. Pai-Chi Li met with Dr. Sorapop Kiatpongsan, Director of the MIT ASEAN Office, at the MIT regional office in Bangkok to explore areas of mutual interest and potential collaboration.
Joining the meeting from the MIT ASEAN Office were Ms. Pimchanok Worawattananon, Head of Programs, and Mr. Krit Woramontri, Office Manager and Program Coordinator. From AIT, the delegation included Dr. Natthachet Tangdamrongsub (Water Engineering and Management), Dr. Kuo-Chieh Chao (Geotechnical and Earth Resources Engineering), and Institute Secretary Mr. Karma Rana.
The MIT ASEAN Office, which opened its regional office headquarters in Bangkok in October 2024, serves as a hub for Southeast Asia, strengthening MIT’s presence and engagement in the region, a bridge connecting MIT and regional stakeholders, and a convener for innovation and impact.
Dr. Sorapop outlined MIT’s key strategic focus areas, including climate (e.g., energy, sustainability, and disaster resilience), generative AI (e.g., productivity, future of work and future of education), health sciences (e.g., life sciences, biotechnology, and aging populations), advanced manufacturing (e.g., resilient supply chains and advanced processes), as well as the human and social dimensions of technology (e.g., entrepreneurship and governance).
President Li shared updates on AIT’s ongoing academic and administrative transformation, emphasizing AIT’s 66-year mission to serve Asia through applied education, research, and capacity building. He highlighted the strong alignment between AIT and MIT in technology and management disciplines, noting that AIT’s diverse student body from over 40 countries helps extend the Institute’s impact throughout the region, as most of the graduates return to their home countries. He added that AIT is actively pursuing emerging fields such as artificial intelligence and semiconductors, which are closely linked to the region’s changing economic landscape and development priorities.
Several action-oriented areas for potential collaboration were discussed, including energy, disaster resilience, water, and a possible partnership in MIT’s upcoming Energy Conference planned for early next year. President Li noted that with MIT’s strength in action learning and AIT’s deep regional knowledge, AIT could serve as a platform or hub for ASEAN-focused, long-term collaborative research.
Dr. Natthachet and Dr. Chao further proposed additional collaborative areas such as air pollution, innovation infrastructure laboratories, and AI applications in geotechnical and construction engineering. Dr. Sorapop also introduced the MIT Generative AI Impact Consortium (MGAIC), which brings together faculty, students, and industry partners to apply generative AI for the public good. He affirmed that the MIT ASEAN Office would be pleased to facilitate linkages with relevant MIT faculty once specific areas of cooperation are identified by AIT.
The meeting concluded with agreement that a planned joint workshop could serve as an effective launch platform for deeper collaboration between AIT and MIT in the near future.
President Li and the AIT delegation also thanked AIT Board of Trustee Member Dr. Siri Jirapongphan, former Minister of Energy, Executive Director of the Petroleum Institute of Thailand (PTIT), and Chairman of the Audit Committee and Independent Director of Bangkok Bank PLC, as well as an MIT alumnus, for his instrumental role in facilitating the linkage between AIT and the MIT ASEAN Office.
