Biography

Dr. Craig Ramlal

Dr. Craig Ramlal is the Head of the Control Systems Group in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and the Principal Investigator of the Intelligent Systems Laboratory (https://intelsyslab.com), at the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine. In 2023, the United Nations recognized him as a preeminent AI leader (https://www.un.org/en/ai-advisory-body/about), appointing him to the United Nations Secretary-General's High-Level Advisory Body on Artificial Intelligence. The body's recommendations on governing AI for humanity formed Objective 5 of the Global Digital Compact, which was adopted by member states in September 2024 during the 79th UN General Assembly.

He currently serves as a United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Global Policy Network’s AI Expert, as a lead on the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Global Initiative on the Ethics of Autonomous and Intelligent Systems 2.0, on the CARICOM's Security Strategy Steering Committee, the Caribbean Telecommunications Union's (CTU) Taskforce on AI, and as an advisor to the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) on regional AI education policy matters.

Previously, he served on the Caribbean Development Bank's technical subcommittee on IRC/RDA, collaborated with CARICOM IMPACS on the regionally adopted Autonomous Weapon Systems Declaration, and acted as a regional coordinator for open data strategy development across Caribbean nations in partnership with the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and NASA. He developed and authored the founding vision, operational modalities, and strategic focus of the newly formed UWI's Institute for Intelligent Systems, Governance and Human-Centred Technology (INSIGHT), served on the AI subcommittee for writing the adopted AI policy for all of UWI’s campuses and was also an invited peer reviewer for UNESCO's AI Policy Roadmap for the Caribbean. Finally, he led the development of several UWI postgraduate degrees at the UWI, including the Postgraduate Certificate (PGCert) in AI, Postgraduate Diploma (PGDip) in AI, Master of Applied Science (MASc) in AI, Master of Philosophy (MPhil) in AI and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in AI.

Through his lab, he has established collaborative partnerships that have led to advancements across multiple fields, including the development of advanced robotics with Rutgers University; deep learning-based auto-diagnostics for asset management with Elering AS and Tallinn University of Technology; blockchain-based systems for water management with the Global Water Partnership-Caribbean; and ventilation systems developed in collaboration with the Trinidad and Tobago Ministry of Health, GoRTT and researchers from the University of Florida to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19. These initiatives have resulted in several implemented systems, as well as numerous technical reports, peer-reviewed journal articles, and conference papers. Dr. Ramlal earned his BSc, MASc, and PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering through split-site by the University of the West Indies, Trinidad and Tobago, and King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Saudi Arabia. His research focuses on control strategies, artificial intelligence, and game-theoretic systems.

Engagements

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Engagements

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Engagements

03/03 Written Material, including Reviewed and Acknowledged (Non-Technical)


Research

Personal

I believe that research is the cornerstone of any region or civilization. It is how a people solve their own problems and, in doing so, achieve the independence necessary for regional sustainability.

For this reason, I consider researchers to be public servants. I care deeply about my region and my core research focusses on creating systems that are not only practically useful but also grounded in rigorous mathematical foundations. I believe that sustainable AI ecosystems are impossible without developing sovereign AI systems and history has taught us that implementing systems without proper theoretical guarantees often leads to unsafe outcomes which can stagger progress and innovation.

The real challenge, then, is this: how do we develop, implement and advance sovereign AI systems within the constraints and realities of our current contexts? My current research focus includes:

  1. Advanced Reasoning and Planning Systems in feedback
  2. Low Compute-Capable Intelligent Systems
  3. Adaptive Hardware-Aware AI Pipeline Optimization for Heterogenous Systems
  4. Autonomous Intelligent Interacting Agents
  5. Open Semiconductor AI Frameworks
  6. Algorithmic Safety for AI Systems
  7. Governance and Regulatory Frameworks for AI
Intelligent Systems Centre

The Intelligent Systems Centre is the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine’s official AI campus centre. In our region, collaboration is not just ideal, it is essential. We do not have the financial or human resources to operate in silos or to compete on parallel tasks. I envisioned INSIGHT (the Institute for Intelligent Systems, Governance and Human-Centred Technology) as a regional hub that brings together impartial experts from across all UWI campuses to support regional governments in matters of policy, governance, and ethics, rather than focusing on technology development alone.
INSIGHT takes its name from the Intelligent Systems Laboratory (ISL), which was established with a mandate to develop enabling technologies for the region, focusing on AI-driven industry creation and capacity development with tagline "Impact through Systems Learning".
I founded the ISL in 2018, rooted in my own research, as an informal research group of just three individuals operating within the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. In 2022, it was formally recognized as a departmental research group, and later elevated to a Faculty-level research unit. Between 2023 and late 2024, the lab experienced rapid growth in both projects and personnel, locally and internationally. In 2025, it was officially upgraded to a campus centre to more effectively fulfill its mission, with name change to the "Intelligent Systems Centre" and tagline "Advancing AI for Humanity".

Teaching

ECNG 6617:
Artificial Intelligence
Systems

(postgrad)

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ECNG 6802:
Intelligent Systems
& Control

(postgrad)

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ECNG 6803:
Automated Reasoning
& Planning Systems

(postgrad)

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ECNG 6613:
Modern Control
Strategies

(postgrad)

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ECNG 6711:
Adaptive Control

(postgrad)

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ECNG 6710:
Linear Control
Systems

(postgrad)

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ECNG 3019:
Advanced Control
Systems Design

(ugrad)

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