From humble beginnings as an electrical engineer in Kuala Lumpur to an innovator in renewable energy in Qatar, it is safe to say Dr. Mohd Zamri’s passion for what he does has taken him far. Through groundbreaking projects in both Malaysia and Qatar, Dr. Zamri has not only transformed the renewable energy landscape but also paved the way for future talent to build upon what he has created.
This is the story of how he turned his passion into a fulfilling career and how he finds ways to give back to his home country from abroad.
Sparking a Passion & Seizing Opportunities
Dr. Zamri’s interest in renewable energy took root during his postgraduate studies at Curtin University in Australia. There, he was introduced to photovoltaic (PV) and wind energy technologies, which inspired him to explore sustainable solutions for energy production.
His desire to deepen his expertise led him to pursue a Ph.D. at Universität Duisburg-Essen in Germany—a global leader in renewable energy at the time—where he gained invaluable insights into advanced energy technologies.
The potential he saw, as well as a unique saying, sealed his determination to explore a career in this field. “I came across this idea that renewable energy, (whether it’s) wind or solar, is all energy from Heaven, so (I thought) why not I keep continue working with something from Heaven?”, said the scientist.
After obtaining his Ph.D., Dr. Zamri was seconded to Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) Research as a Principal Researcher by the National University of Malaysia (UKM), where he had been an Electrical Engineering professor since the year 2000.
From 2012 to 2014, Dr. Zamri led various projects on the integration of renewable energy to the power system, as well as consulted on renewable energy integration. Upon returning to UKM, he sought funding to continue his work. It was then that a dean at UKM suggested he apply for a grant from the Qatar National Research Fund.
As one of the grant’s requirements was to have a Qatari partner, Dr. Zamri attended a conference there to meet with a scientist from the Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute (QEERI). It proved to be a fortuitous connection, as the scientist proposed for Dr. Zamri to work at QEERI and conduct his research in Qatar instead.
“I saw it as an opportunity and accepted the offer to do research in microgrids and advanced power system,” he said.
Driving Innovation Across Borders
At QEERI, Dr. Zamri has spearheaded several impactful projects, including the development of microgrids to integrate renewable energy into Qatar’s power systems.
One notable initiative was a microgrid designed to power a remote desert farm, which incorporated PV, microturbines and energy storage to create a sustainable energy solution.
Since joining QEERI, Dr. Zamri has facilitated partnerships between the company and Malaysian organisations like TNB, resulting in valuable knowledge exchanges.
“When I first came to QEERI, I realised they have no expertise in power systems. I then reached out to TNB to share the technology from them,” he explained.
At the same time, he has continued to work on the ideas that he first began developing at TNB, at QEERI, and shares whatever he has developed with the former.
Expanding Opportunities to Give Back
Besides renewable energy, Dr. Zamri has also had a hand in advancing Malaysia’s agricultural sector. With QEERI, he has managed to secure a substantial research grant on Smart Farming and facilitate a major investment worth RM1.5 billion by Agrico Qatar in Malaysia for smart and modern agriculture.
“Instead of being limited to only the power sector, I like to see more Malaysians engaging with Qatar in other sectors that are of mutual interest to both countries,” said Dr. Zamri. The catalyst was a fertiliser invented by Universiti Malaysia Pahang (UMP), which Agrico Qatar decided to use in their farms after discovering it improved the quality of their produce.
Looking ahead, Dr. Zamri hopes to eventually return home and work with TNB or Gentari, an independent clean energy solutions entity that was founded by PETRONAS.
MyHeart aims to ease the return of Malaysians abroad such as Dr. Zamri through incentives offered by the Returning Expert Programme (REP) and providing career facilitations via MyHeart CaFe. Having filed a few patents on grid management and software, his ultimate goal is to establish a startup in which he can commercialise them.
Supercharging the Future of Renewable Energy
To young Malaysians who hope to break into the renewable energy sector, Dr. Zamri advises them to not settle for just a bachelor’s degree, but advance to a master’s or even a Ph.D.
“In renewable energy, there are a lot of skills required to advance your career like programming skills, especially with AI developments,” he explained. He also stressed the importance of opening one’s minds to different cultures, as working in the field requires cooperating with people from all walks of life.
Having conducted many talks on renewable energy integration online to local institutions like UKM and Universiti Tun Hussein Onn (UTHM), he now hopes to conduct them in person with the help of MyHeart. Malaysians abroad who wish to explore collaboration opportunities in Malaysia or with other Malaysians worldwide may do so by utilising MyHeart’s collaboration module.
Reflecting on the future of renewable energy in Malaysia, Dr. Zamri hopes to see the modernisation of our power grid and more Malaysians educated on the importance of energy transition.
“The idea of saving the planet for our future generation motivates me to keep working in this field.”
Are you a Malaysian abroad hoping to connect with industry peers from around the world or back home? Join MyHeart and reach out to a global network of Malaysians working to make a difference.
