Department: Integrated Science and Technology

Areas of expertise:

• AI and Innovation
• Systems Thinking
• Higher Education Institutions (Culture and Voice)
• Accessibility in STEM Education

Among the courses Zaini teaches are Introduction to Systems Thinking for Complex Problems, Using Generative AI to Extract Mental Models and Designing the University of the Future.

His research brings together his passion for systems thinking, technology and learning. Zaini explores space education, how generative AI can make learning and modeling more accessible, and how immersive environments can improve the way people learn and co-create. He studies how teams work, how organizations adapt and communicate and how ideas are created and shared. His work also looks at innovation, sustainability, strategies for universities and research organizations, and even how to model the dynamics of the human body.

Zaini earned a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering at KFUPM, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia,  a master's degree in aeronautical engineering at Purdue University and a doctorate in system dynamics and organization behavior at Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

Media contact: Eric Gorton, gortonej@jmu.edu.