Assoc. Prof. Ts. Dr. Siti Khairunniza Bejo is an Associate Professor at the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM). She is also the Head of the Smart Farming Technology Research Center (SFTRC) and a research associate at the Institute of Plantation Studies of UPM. Dr. Bejo's outstanding accomplishments related to the applications of Imaging Technology and Remote Sensing to agriculture afforded her the SEARCA Regional Professorial Chair Grant.
Her research specialization includes imaging technology, precision agriculture, remote sensing, artificial intelligence, and the internet of things. Demonstrating how digitalization can make the agricultural sector more resilient to future challenges, she has inspired many individuals through her public lectures, publications in reputable journals, and engagements with the agricultural community.
As a highly respected academician, Dr. Bejo believes that education is key to success. She wanted to help the next generation develop their future career and achieve their highest potential. Teaching is a good platform for this goal because she can teach using her own experiences as a student. She also encourages everyone to meet challenges, and develop soft skills, as these skills are essential for personal and professional success.
Dr. Bejo finished her Bachelor of Computer System and Communications Engineering degree at UPM in 2001. Her career as a lecturer began the next year when she was appointed first as a Tutor at the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering. Dr. Bejo's role was to modernize agriculture through ICT and she taught Tutorials for Mathematics Engineering. A year later, in 2003, she was sponsored by the Malaysian Government and UPM to pursue her PhD in Image Processing at the University of Surrey, United Kingdom under the supervision of the late Prof. Maria Petrou. Dr. Bejo's supervisor inspired her to become a good and highly reputable academician, and after three years, she completed her PhD and was subsequently appointed as a Lecturer in 2006. She initially taught Computer Programming for first-year students but as she became a senior lecturer, she taught final-year students courses such as Remote Sensing Applications, Precision Agriculture, and Artificial Intelligence.
Throughout her career from being a Tutor until her present post as an Associate Professor, Dr. Bejo learned the importance of collaboration, patience, understanding, compassion, and flexibility. She is also committed to lifelong learning and expanding her knowledge base. This commitment led to Dr. Bejo's significant contributions to her field, particularly in the discipline and profession of agricultural engineering. She was the Head of the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, UPM from 2016-2020. She is also active in curriculum development and program accreditation process under the recognition of the Washington Accord, USA, and the Engineering Accreditation Council (EAC), Malaysia. Furthermore, Dr. Bejo provided her expertise to the Bachelor of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering and Bachelor of Smart Farming Technology programs at UPM. She was the Chairperson of the 5th International Conference on Agricultural and Food Engineering (CAFEi2020) which saw 485 paper presentations from 13 different countries, including Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, India, Vietnam, Japan, Iran, Nigeria, Kazakhstan, Germany, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The said conference surpassed the record for the most number of participants in the conference's history.
