With effect from 30 November 2025, the following appointments have been made to the Board of Trustees: Vice Chairpersons of the Board, new Trustees, and Co-Chairpersons of the Board Relations Committees.
Vice Chairpersons
General Dr. Boonsarang Niumpradit
Former Supreme Commander of the Thai Armed Forces, Former President of the AIT Alumni Association, and AIT Hall of Fame inductee
General Boonsrang holds a Doctor of Engineering in Structural Engineering from the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT, 1978) and a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT, 1972). His distinguished military career includes serving as Supreme Commander of the Royal Thai Armed Forces and as Force Commander of the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (2000–2001), where he commanded over 8,000 peacekeepers from 36 countries and spent 410 days in what he calls the most memorable period of his life. He has also held key leadership roles in Thailand’s legislative and defense sectors,
including positions at the Royal Thai Military Academy, as Director of the Strategic Research Institute, and as Director of the National Defence College. General Boonsrang continues to contribute to international cooperation through parliamentary diplomacy and remains a respected figure for his patriotism, service, and global engagement.
Prof. Worsak Kanok-Nukulchai
Former AIT President, AIT Hall of Fame Inductee, and AIT Professor Emeritus
Prof. Worsak Kanok-Nukulchai is a distinguished figure in Structural Engineering and Construction, receiving his B.Eng. from Chulalongkorn University in 1971, M.Eng. from the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) in 1973, and Ph.D. in Structural Engineering and Structural Mechanics from the University of California at Berkeley in 1978 under a Fulbright Scholarship. A pioneer in the early development of the Finite Element Methods, he contributed to the field between 1974–1978 under the mentorship of Prof. R.L. Taylor and Prof. T.H.R. Hughes, and has since built extensive research contributions in Computational Mechanics with over 240 publications. He joined AIT as faculty in 1979 and went on to serve as Professor, Dean, Vice President, and ultimately as AIT President, initially as Interim President
appointed by the AIT Board of Trustees in 2013, and subsequently as President from 2014 to 2018. After retiring on 1 August 2017 and being appointed Emeritus Professor, he joined TEAM Group as Senior Advisor on Digital Transformation, and later returned from retirement on 1 July 2019 to serve as the Founding Executive Director (Dean) of the newly established Chulalongkorn School of Integrated Innovation (ScII), focused on shaping global citizens of the future. In recognition of his contributions, he received the IACM Fellows Award in 2006 from the International Association of Computational Mechanics and the first Fumio Nishino Medal in 2008, and he is currently a Fellow of the Academy of Science, Royal Society of Thailand.
Dr. Bindu Lohani
Chancellor of the University of Nepal, Former Ranking Vice-President, Asian Development Bank (ADB), and AIT Hall of Fame Inductee
Dr. Lohani has extensive expertise in development and financing across the clean energy, transport, urban, and water sectors, as well as in sustainable development and environmental and climate change issues, and he remains actively engaged in academia. He has served on numerous international boards and advisory committees as Chairman, Founding Board Member, and Committee Member. At the Asian Development Bank (ADB), he was Ranking Vice-President for Knowledge Management and Sustainable Development until June 2015, and previously served as Vice-President for Finance and Administration. His other senior roles at ADB included Secretary of the Board and the Board of Governors, Director General of Regional Sustainable
Development, Chief Compliance Officer, and Chair of the Investment Committee of the ADB Pension Fund. Prior to joining ADB, Dr. Lohani was Head of the Environmental Engineering Department at AIT. He holds a Doctor of Engineering degree from AIT, a Master of Civil Engineering from North Carolina State University, and a Bachelor of Engineering (Honors) from the Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani. He has received four Honorary Doctoral Degrees from universities in Australia, India, and the Philippines, and has been appointed Professor at Tongji University and Shenzhen University in China, as well as Visiting Faculty at Tsinghua University. Dr. Lohani is an elected Foreign Associate of the United States National Academy of Engineering (NAE), a Diplomate of the American Academy of Environmental Engineers, and a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (FAAAS). His awards include the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Nepal Engineers’ Association and the China Green Award.
New Trustees
Mr. Chettaphan Maksamphan
Deputy Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Mr. Chettaphan Maksamphan, born in 1968, is a senior Thai diplomat currently serving as the Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand. In this role, he oversees the Department of International Economic Affairs, Department of International Organizations, Department of Asean Affairs, and Thailand International Cooperation Agency (TICA). He also serves as the Ministry’s Chief Information Officer (MCIO), playing a key role in advancing digital transformation and enhancing operation efficiency within the Ministry.
He holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Fordham University, USA, and a Bachelor of Political Science (International Relations) from Chulalongkorn University, Thailand. His advanced executive training includes the Thailand Energy Academy (2024), National Defense College (NDC Class 65), and Senior Executive Development Program (SEDP Class 82).
Since joining the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1991, he has held key positions in bilateral, multilateral, consular, and public diplomacy.
His domestic assignments include roles in the Department of Political Affairs, Department of East Asian Affairs, Department of South Asian, Middle Eastern, and African Affairs, Department of Information, Information and Communication Technology Center, Minister’s Office (Chief of Office), Office of Policy and Planning (Director), Department of International Organizations (Deputy Director-General), and Department of American and South Pacific Affairs (Director-General). Internationally, he has served in New York Consulate-General (1995-1999), Royal Thai Embassy in Beijing (2001-2004), Royal Thai Embassy in Vienna, Austria (as Minister Counsellor between 2012-2015), and Royal Thai Embassy in Warsaw, Poland (as Thai Ambassador to Poland and Ukraine between December 2019-March 2022).
Dr. Jiraporn Sirikum
Former President, Electricity Generating Public Company Limited (EGCO) and President, AIT Alumni Association, Thailand Chapter
Dr. Jiraporn Sirikum has extensive expertise in the power sector, energy innovations, and strategic business planning. Prior to serving as President of EGCO Group, she served as EGAT’s Acting Governor and Deputy Governor, Power Business and Deputy Governor, Strategy, and also acting as EGAT’s Spokesperson. She holds a PhD in Industrial Engineering and Management and a Master’s in Energy Planning and Policy from the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), as well as a Bachelor’s in Industrial Engineering from Khon Kaen University. She has completed advanced executive training at leading institutions in Thailand and abroad.
Dr. Siri Jirapongphan
Executive Director of the Petroleum Institute of Thailand (PTIT), and Chairman of the Audit Committee and Independent Director, Bangkok Bank PLC
Dr. Siri Jirapongphan is a highly accomplished executive and academic with deep expertise in Chemical Engineering, holding a Doctor’s Degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and an Honors Bachelor’s Degree from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). His career is distinguished by significant public service and leadership roles across the energy, finance, and transportation sectors. Notably, Dr. Siri served as the Minister of Energy from November 2017 to July 2019. He also played a critical role as Plan Administrator for Thai Airways International PLC from June 2021 to October 2022. In the energy and petroleum industry, he was the Chairman, Board of Directors,
IRPC PLC, from April 2022 to March 31, 2024, and has held a long-term position as an executive and director for the Petroleum Institute of Thailand. His financial governance experience is highlighted by his current roles at Bangkok Bank PLC, where he has been an Independent Director since April 2022 and currently serves as Chairman of the Audit Committee. Earlier in his career, he held roles in Merchant Banking at Bangkok Bank PLC, as well as management and planning positions at the National Petrochemical Corporation and the Petroleum Authority of Thailand.
Prof. Dr. Chen-Fu Chien
President of Zhen Ding Technology Group (ZDT)
Dr. Chen-Fu Chien received his B.S. with double majors in Industrial Engineering and Electrical Engineering with the Phi Tao Phi Honor from the National Tsing Hua University in 1990. He received his M.S. and Ph.D. in Decision Sciences and Operations Research from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, in 1994 and 1996, respectively. He was a Fulbright Scholar at UC Berkeley, from 2002 to 2003 and received Executive Training at Harvard Business School in 2007. Before joining the Zhen Ding Tech. Group as President, he has served as a professor in NTHU since 1996, while on-leave serving as the Deputy Director of Industrial Engineering Division in TSMC from 2005 to 2008.
Dr. Chien has 24 invention patents for intelligent manufacturing, published more than 230 journal papers (Google citations 13050, H-index 59), and a number of books. Dr. Chien has been the world Top 2% Scientist and has received many awards including the National Innovation Award (2020), the Executive Yuan Award for Outstanding Science & Technology (2016), the National Quality Award from the Executive Yuan (2012), Distinguished Research Awards (2016, 2011, 2007), and Future Tech Awards (2024, 2021, 2019) from the National Science and Technology Council, University Industrial Contribution Award from Ministry of Economic Affairs for Individual Contribution (2009), Distinguished University-Industry Collaborative Research Award from the Ministry of Education (2001), the 2011 IEEE Transactions on Automation Sciences and Engineering Best Paper Award and the 2015 IEEE Trans. on Semiconductor Manufacturing Best Paper Award. Dr. Chien is the President of Asia Pacific Industrial Engineering & Management Systems Society (APIEMS), Accreditation Body Council Member of Asian Productivity Organization (APO), a fellow of APIEMS, CIIE, and CSMOT.
Co-Chairpersons of Relations Committees
The appointments listed below have been made to the position of Co-Chairperson.
(Note: The Board of Trustees oversees three Relations Committees: Faculty, Student, and Staff Relations Committees. Trustees H.E. Mr. Dhan Bahadur Oli, Ambassador of Nepal, and H.E. Mr. Nagesh Singh, Ambassador of India, serve as Co-Chairpersons of the Student Relations Committee. Trustees Dr. Bindu N. Lohani and H.E. Mr. Tumur Amarsanaa, Ambassador of Mongolia to Thailand serve as Co-Chairpersons of the Faculty and Staff Relations Committees, respectively).
H.E. Mr. Faiyaz Murshid Kazi
Ambassador of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh to Thailand
Co-Chairperson, Faculty Relations Committee
Dr. Roshan Raj Shrestha
Deputy Director, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
Co-Chairperson, Staff Relations Committee
