Htut (James) Wai Yan
Academic CV · for September 2027 entry
htutwaiyan.hwy98@gmail.com · linkedin.com/in/htutwy98 · htut.life · London
Profile
I grew up in Yangon and studied architecture at Yangon Technological University until the 2021 coup, when I joined the Civil Disobedience Movement and left the programme without the degree. Since then I have built and run education for people the formal system shut out: a fully online university that reached 25,000+ students, an offline learning device for conflict-affected regions, and a medical university's learning platform. I hold a Master of Public Policy from Chiang Mai University (CGPA 3.85), where my independent study examined eduLamp as a grassroots response to digital inequality.
I learned to build real systems with AI: I now design and ship university platforms by directing AI coding agents through workflows I set up myself. That work showed me how fast AI changes who can build, and how much depends on people using it effectively and safely. I want to move from using AI to shaping how it is used, building on my MPP's work on digital inequality, so that the rules around it widen access.
Everything I have built tries to make learning easier and more accessible for people fitting it around work, conflict or poor connectivity: SUM's online courses, eduLamp's offline box, LUMNHS's competency-based platform. I want to study how technology can guide and support learners so they can do their jobs well, and bring that evidence back into the platforms I build.
Before agentic AI, my part was to imagine systems and coordinate the engineers who built them. Now I build them myself with AI agents I direct, and this year I shipped production platforms for two universities. Computing will keep moving, and I want the formal grounding in computer science to understand what I build and help shape what comes next.
Co-founding eduLamp and Vincentt taught me that innovation counts when it gives people access they did not have: a classroom in a village with no internet, a camera experience anyone can make. Accessibility is the key. I want to learn how to build and run ventures that keep access at their centre as they grow.
Education
2024
Master of Public Policy · School of Public Policy, Chiang Mai UniversityJun 2024 to Aug 2025
- CGPA 3.85. Governance, policy analysis, and the role of data and technology in public decision-making.
- Independent study: Digital Inequality in Crisis: Analyzing the eduLamp Project as a Grassroots Response to Connectivity Gaps in Myanmar.
- IDRC Graduate Fellowship, Canadian Embassy.
2022
NCC Education Level 5 Diploma in Computing and Business Management · KMD CollegeMar 2022 to Dec 2023
- Computing, digital systems, business strategy and project management.
2015
Bachelor of Architecture programme · Faculty of Architecture and Planning, Yangon Technological UniversityDec 2015 to 2021
- Studied for four and a half years. After the February 2021 coup I joined the Civil Disobedience Movement and left without taking the degree.
- Urban design projects, student competitions and conservation work (see Architecture and design).
Leadership and activities
2024
International Visitor Leadership Program, U.S. Department of State · Mar 2024. Selected as a Myanmar delegate on "Education in the Digital Age", meeting educators, policymakers and technology leaders in five US cities.
2020
International Development Field Camp, Japan and Myanmar. Myanmar Representative, then President of the Myanmar Committee, moving the exchange online during Covid (Feb 2020 to Jan 2021).
2019
President, Association of Architecture Students, YTU. Launched the association's website, weekly student-led articles and online seminars through Covid, and contributed to the YTU Master Plan (Dec 2019 to Nov 2020).
Leadership and activities, continued
U-Report Myanmar (UNICEF) · Jul 2018 to Jan 2021 · Task Force Member from Jul 2018, then Team co-Lead of the Media Team, 2019 to Jan 2021 · Youth campaigns and dialogues between young people and Members of Parliament, including travelling to meet internally displaced youth.
Campus Chapter Director, MYEO (Myanmar Youth Empowerment Opportunities), YTU · Dec 2017 to Nov 2018
Myanmar Representative, AIT-Tiger Leong International Innovative and Leadership Camp, and participant in the Innovative Marketplace, Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand · Jul 2018
Delegate, Model United Nations · Apr 2018
Academic Officer, YTU Students' Union · Feb 2016 to Sep 2018 · Student welfare, academic coordination and the union election committee.
Internships · DeArch, Apr to May 2018 (prefabricated meditation cabin for retreats in Sagaing) · Women for the World, Oct 2018 (low-cost housing and drainage plan for North Oakkalapa)
Experience
2026
Consultant, Digital Learning and Infrastructure Development · Laukkai University of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences (LUMNHS)Mar 2026 to present
- Designed and delivered LUMNHS Learn, a competency-based learning and assessment platform for medicine, nursing and health sciences, live August 2026.
- Built the digital side around it: public website and content management, online applications and admissions.
- Set up access control, data protection and backups for staff and student records.
2026
Volunteer Development Coordinator (part-time) · St Christopher's Hospice, LondonMar 2026 to present
- Operate the volunteer management platform and keep volunteer records accurate.
- Own volunteer data, reporting and impact measurement.
- Develop and deliver volunteer onboarding and training.
- Write the monthly Volunteer Newsletter and coordinate communication with volunteers across services.
2025
Co-Founder · VincenttDec 2025 to present
- Co-founded Vincentt with three colleagues from rangoon.tech, where I had been Product Manager for its AR product, Vincentt Mirror (Jun 2024 to May 2025).
- Led go-to-market and the October 2026 launch.
- Lead the business side: commercial model, pricing and partner conversations.
- Set product direction with the technical founders: feature priorities, templates and use cases, shaped by creator feedback.
Experience, continued
2021
Spring University Myanmar (SUM)
Consultant, Digital Learning and Infrastructure Development (part-time)Dec 2025 to present
- Lead the new SUM Learn, built from scratch in 2026 to replace the old platform. It goes live in November 2026 and will grow into student and academic management.
- Oversee the digital estate and the Technology Systems Management team: website, learning platform, conferencing and email.
- Sit on the Academic Board and the University Management Board.
Director of Academic ManagementMay 2021 to Nov 2025
- Part of the co-founding team of a fully online university, set up after the 2021 coup closed Myanmar's campuses.
- Ran 850+ course deliveries across 11 schools with 136+ faculty, reaching 25,000+ students.
- Set up and ran SUM Learn on Moodle: 60+ self-paced and hybrid courses, 2,000+ enrolled students.
- Designed micro-credentials (4 to 12 weeks) and diplomas (6 to 9 months), and led academic policy, credit systems and ethical review.
- Co-led partnerships with the University of Arizona, Arizona State University and Chiang Mai University, and set up SUM's first Virtual Student Exchange in 2024.
2023
Head of School, STEM School (voluntary) · SUMSep 2023 to present
- Launched the Diploma and Higher Diploma in Computer Science, plus short courses in data science, web development, databases, programming and cybersecurity.
- Led partnerships with the Center for International Private Enterprise and Victoria University of Wellington.
2022
Co-Founder and Lead Strategist (part-time) · eduLampFeb 2022 to present
- Co-founded eduLamp to answer one question: how do you deliver a full course to learners with no internet at all?
- Designed eduLamp's offline device, which serves 15 to 20 learners at once over its own Wi-Fi, with no app needed.
- Grew it to 42 boxes in six conflict-affected regions of Myanmar, reaching 2,600 learners through 40+ courses with 15+ partners, including USAID, International IDEA, Digital Public Square, Center for Social Integrity and LinQ Foundation.
- Led software and hardware development, including remote content sync and learner analytics.
2020
Phandeeyar Foundation
Business Development SpecialistFeb 2023 to Feb 2024
- Supported SME Hub Asia's work with early-stage entrepreneurs in Myanmar and Cambodia.
- Drafted grant proposals and handled donor relations with partners in the US, Australia and the EU.
- Advised the eLearning team on platforms and direction, and tracked programme needs, partner engagement and progress.
Programme Officer, eLearningAug 2020 to Oct 2020
- Coordinated production of 20+ self-paced courses on entrepreneurship, marketing and digital skills, and launched a chatbot for learner support.
- Coordinated the Startup101 incubation programme, and contributed to training in Fiji, Samoa and Papua New Guinea with GSMA and AusAid.
2020
Research Assistant · AGC Asia PacificNov 2020 to Jan 2021
- Researched green buildings and sustainability standards in Southeast Asia, and proposed a Green Building Rating System for the region, supervised by Dr Hidefumi Odaka.
Awards
- Speaker, RightsCon 2025, Access Now, Taipei · Feb 2025 · on the digital divide in post-coup Myanmar and eduLamp's offline learning
- IDRC Graduate Fellowship, Canadian Embassy · 2024 to 2025
- Second Runner-up, Futuristic Home Design Competition, Embassy of Design · Oct 2020 · entry "The Private House"
- People's Choice Award, 2nd Inter-Universities Impromptu Talk Show · Jul 2018
- Winner, Yetagun Youth Innovation Program · Feb 2017 · playground design for primary schools
Architecture and design
- The KORU, meditation cabin · Meditation Cabin Competition, Bee Breeders, New Zealand · Jun 2021
- Theingyi Market · building preservation survey · Sep to Oct 2019
- Thar Mine Kham · heritage conservation documentation, Aung Ban, Southern Shan State · Apr to May 2019
Press
- Straits Times, "In Wartorn Myanmar, Students Find New Ways to Learn" (2024)https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/in-wartorn-myanmar-students-find-new-ways-to-learn
- The Diplomat, "Myanmar's Non-Government Education Sector Needs Urgent Help" (2021)https://thediplomat.com/2021/08/myanmars-non-government-education-sector-needs-urgent-help/
- Frontier Myanmar, "The Emerging Alternatives to Military-Slave Education" (2021)https://www.frontiermyanmar.net/en/the-emerging-alternatives-to-military-slave-education/
- kr-Asia, "Can Online Learning Fill the Gap in Myanmar" (2021)https://kr-asia.com/as-teachers-and-students-boycott-classes-in-myanmar-can-online-learning-fill-the-gap
- BBC Burmese, "interview clip" (2021)https://www.facebook.com/BBCnewsBurmese/videos/575790840495459
Languages
Burmese (native), English (fluent)
References
References available on request.