Dr Zairi Zaidi

Let’s Live Life with Greater Purpose

This Is My Story

I was born just like most people. But when I was around 6 years old, something happened that changed my life forever. My eyes got infected, and because of that, I lost most of my ability to see properly.

My vision became limited, and it made life harder compared to other people. That’s when my journey as a visually impaired person began. With the abilities I still have and the motivation to chase my dreams and goals, I kept moving forward in life.

From there, I learned that to achieve success, inner strength is really important to help us face any challenge in life. That’s why I show up on social media, to remind all of us. Physically, I may look like everyone else. But the truth is, I live with visual challenges.

Where a Dream Was Born

Ever since I was a kid, I really cared a lot about doing well in school. Back then, I believed that academic success was the key to achieving bigger things in life.

After finishing secondary school, I continued my studies at Mara University of Technology, taking a bachelor’s degree in applied mathematics.

That’s where my journey in higher education really began. Even though I faced many challenges as a visually impaired student, I managed to push through and successfully graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Management Mathematics.

A Journey to the UK

Ever since I was in school, it had always been my dream to experience studying overseas. Even though I knew there would be challenges living abroad as a person with a disability, I stayed strong and pushed myself to try and experience what others do.

I flew to the United Kingdom to continue my master’s studies, focusing more deeply on applied mathematics. Studying overseas not only expanded my knowledge, but also gave me a much wider perspective on the world beyond my comfort zone.

I completed my master’s degree at the London School of Economics and graduated with a Master of Science in Management Science (Operational Research).

Climbing Higher

After completing my master’s degree, I continued on to pursue a PhD at an Australian university that has a campus in Malaysia. With the knowledge and skills I gained from my previous studies, I carried out research on the application of artificial intelligence for smartphone security systems. I successfully completed the research and was awarded a PhD in IT from Monash University.

Thesis

From Passion To Profession

I later founded a digital solutions provider that focuses on helping SMEs prepare themselves to face the fast-growing digital world.