Associate Professor Dr. Ashardi bin Abas is the Director of the Centre for Teaching Practice and Industrial Training (PuLaMI) at Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI), Malaysia, and a senior academic in the Faculty of Computing and Meta-Technology. In his leadership role, he oversees teaching practice, industrial training, student placement, industry collaboration, international mobility, employability initiatives, and the digital transformation of professional training management at UPSI.

He holds a PhD in Machine Intelligence from the University of Bradford, United Kingdom, a Master of Science in Mechatronics from the International Islamic University Malaysia, and a Bachelor of Engineering in Electrical & Electronic (Honours) from the University of Hertfordshire, United Kingdom. He also possesses an NVQ Level 4 professional teaching qualification and has undertaken postdoctoral research at Liverpool John Moores University.

His areas of expertise include artificial intelligence, computer vision, embedded systems, the Internet of Things, educational analytics, teaching-practice management, and industrial-training optimisation. His research encompasses driver-behaviour prediction, fatigue detection, automatic licence-plate recognition, RFID-based access control, digital supervision, e-portfolios, and intelligent student-placement systems.

Dr. Ashardi has led the development of several digital innovations, including the PuLaMI Integrated Management System, which integrates student profiling, placement management, cloud-based learning, supervision, and industry engagement. His innovation achievements include a Gold Medal at ITEX 2023, alongside recognition at various national and international innovation platforms.

He is actively involved in international academic and institutional collaborations with partners across the United Kingdom, China, Finland, Uzbekistan, Indonesia, and other countries. Through his leadership, research, and innovation, Dr. Ashardi remains committed to integrating intelligent technologies with teacher education, professional practice, and industry engagement to enhance graduate employability, institutional governance, and the overall student learning experience.