The gift of giving: Meet Sami Azam

Sami is passing on his knowledge and skills as a CDU lecturer. With his PhD attracting media attention, his success is an inspiration to all.

Sami is dedicated to ensuring his students have the best experience. His forward-thinking approach to learning is reflected in the success and wellness of his students who carry his positive influence long after they graduate.

Learning curves

Since completing his PhD, Sami was promoted to senior lecturer and course coordinator in the College of Engineering and Information Technology, making significant contributions to learning and teaching, research and scholarship, community engagement and business development.

By introducing several teaching innovations to CDU, such as problem-based learning, two-tier teaching, and flipped classrooms, Sami has achieved high completion rates and good student evaluations.

“I wanted to make changes to create an inclusive environment for learning and wanted to make the best use of both student and faculty time and resources,” says Sami.

“I successfully included three Microsoft Certifications in the course and commissioned a Microsoft Testing Centre too.”

Giving back to others

In addition to his teaching commitments, Sami is an active member of several university associations and advisory panels and is one of the founding members of CDU’s Bangladesh Alumni Association.

Being so involved has further cemented his belief in CDU’s offerings.

CDU is a growing university and encourages people to grow as well.

“There are a lot of options and flexibility when it comes to study and the staff have always been helpful and supportive in making my dreams come true," he says.

"My study has opened up so many opportunities for me to build relationships and get involved in research but, for me, the best part has been becoming part of the community and being able to give back.”

An impressive portfolio

With the ability to turn his hand to anything, Sami’s research covers a broad range of disciplines, from IT and biomedical engineering to cutting-edge cybersecurity.

Over 60 of his publications have been indexed in Scopus, and he’s received external grants for projects developed at CDU. But his work is not done.

“My biomedical team and I are currently engaged in collaborative research with the Menzies School of Health, and I’m simultaneously supervising nine HDR students,” says Sami. “In the last five years, I’ve supervised more than 20 coursework thesis students.”

Sami and his team also lead the annual IT Code Fair, the largest and most significant community event for information technology in the Northern Territory. For this he’s previously received awards and recognition for outstanding contributions to student learning.

CDU has recognised Sami's contributions with an Alumni Award nomination.

Advice for his younger self

Knowing what he knows now, Sami has some solid advice for his younger self.

“Choose something that you’re motivated to study and listen to your heart," he says.

Always find ways to give back to your community wherever you are because that may have a positive impact on generations to come.

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