Hasrizal Abdul Jamil speaks on inclusive education, neurodiversity, character-based pedagogy, and contemporary Islamic thought. Nine carefully crafted keynotes across three themes, available as keynotes, workshops, webinars, or podcast conversations — in Ireland, the UK, Malaysia, and online globally.
Hasrizal Abdul Jamil is an educator, author of 29 books, and inclusion advocate based in Naas, Co. Kildare, Ireland — bringing scholarly rigour and lived experience to every platform he steps onto.
A PhD candidate at Trinity College Dublin, awarded the Trinity Research Doctorate Award as the highest-ranked applicant among all 2026/27 candidates, his research explores how Muslim educators' philosophical identities shape their engagement with Universal Design for Learning in Irish educational settings.
As Director of Education at the Khalifah Education Foundation (Malaysia) and one of eight LaunchPAD Ambassadors with AHEAD Ireland, he bridges Islamic educational tradition with contemporary inclusive pedagogy, neurodiversity advocacy, and design-thinking approaches to school improvement.
He has served as an Expert Member of Malaysia's National Education Policy Review Committee, written for publications in two languages, and spoken to audiences across Ireland, Malaysia, and the wider Muslim world. He writes in both English and Bahasa Melayu, and his blog saifulislam.com has been active since 1997.
InstitutionTrinity College Dublin — School of Education
SupervisorDr. Joanne Banks
AwardTrinity Research Doctorate Award — ranked highest among all 2026/27 applicants
FocusUniversal Design for Learning (UDL) · Muslim educator identity · Inclusive education in Ireland
Available to speak on the intersection of faith identity, inclusion policy, and classroom practice for academic, faith-based, and professional audiences.
Speaking engagements welcomed from schools, universities, faith organisations, NGOs, and professional development bodies.
Each keynote is tailored to the audience and context. All formats listed below are available. Contact Hasrizal to discuss content adaptation, co-facilitation, or multi-session delivery.
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is not a compliance framework — it is a philosophy of education that starts with the learner, not the curriculum. Drawing on his doctoral research at Trinity College Dublin, Hasrizal introduces UDL as a practical and principled approach to designing schools where all learners, regardless of ability, background, or identity, can access, engage with, and demonstrate their learning. This keynote moves from the theory of UDL to the everyday decisions of teachers, school leaders, and policymakers.
What does it mean to learn differently in a school system designed for uniformity? As an ADHD advocate, advisor to the Malaysian Adult ADHD Society, and a person with lived experience of neurodiversity, Hasrizal offers a perspective that is both personal and evidence-informed. This keynote explores how ADHD and other neurodiverse conditions shape learning identity, how schools can move beyond deficit framing, and what genuinely inclusive classrooms look and feel like — for students, teachers, and families alike.
Every classroom contains children carrying experiences that the register does not record. Trauma-informed education asks teachers and schools to look beyond behaviour and attainment, to understand the conditions under which children can — and cannot — learn. This keynote introduces the principles of trauma-informed practice, explores the neuroscience of stress and learning, and offers practical strategies for building school cultures that are safe, relational, and genuinely responsive to the whole child.
Decades of cognitive science and neuroscience research have transformed our understanding of how people learn — yet much of this knowledge rarely reaches the classroom. This keynote translates the science of memory, attention, retrieval, and motivation into practical teaching strategies that any educator can apply. Hasrizal bridges research and classroom reality, helping teachers understand why some approaches work, why others fail, and how small changes in instructional design can yield significant improvements in student learning.
What is a school for? This foundational question is too rarely asked — and too quickly answered with targets, tables, and test scores. Drawing on Islamic educational philosophy, virtue ethics, and contemporary character education research, this keynote makes the case for placing character at the heart of school design. Hasrizal explores what character-based schools look like in practice, how values can be taught and modelled rather than merely prescribed, and why schools that prioritise character ultimately produce better academic outcomes too.
Design thinking is not a methodology for product developers — it is a mindset for anyone who wants to solve complex human problems with empathy, creativity, and rigour. This keynote introduces educators to the design thinking process and demonstrates how it can transform the way schools approach curriculum design, professional development, school improvement planning, and community engagement. Participants leave with practical tools and a renewed sense that innovation in education is both possible and achievable.
What does it mean to live as a Muslim in pluralist, secular societies — navigating questions of identity, belonging, and practice in a world that is simultaneously more connected and more polarised than ever before? This keynote draws on Hasrizal's experience as a practising Muslim, an educator, and a researcher living in Ireland to offer a thoughtful, non-polemical exploration of contemporary Muslim life. Topics include Muslim identity formation, the role of faith communities, interfaith dialogue, and how Islamic principles can guide engagement with the challenges of modernity.
Parenting has always been complex, but the speed of cultural and technological change in the twenty-first century has created challenges that no previous generation of parents has faced. This keynote addresses the tensions between tradition and modernity that many Muslim families navigate — from screen time and social media to questions of faith identity, peer pressure, and academic pressure. Drawing on Islamic parenting principles, child development research, and his own experience as a father and educator, Hasrizal offers practical, compassionate, and culturally grounded guidance.
With 29 published books across two languages, Hasrizal brings hard-won insight into what it means to write with intention, authority, and a sense of responsibility. This keynote explores the craft of writing as a form of da'wah and educational service — how a writer's philosophical commitments shape every sentence, how to build an audience without compromising on depth, and how to sustain a writing life in parallel with professional and family commitments. Practical, reflective, and deeply personal, this session is for anyone who writes — or wants to write — to make a difference.
All nine topics are adaptable to the format that best suits your audience and context. Reach out to discuss custom length, co-facilitation, or multi-session programmes.
Hasrizal brought a rare combination of academic rigour and genuine warmth to our staff development day. His UDL keynote left our teachers energised and equipped with strategies they could use the very next morning.
His talk on ADHD and identity was transformative. He spoke with authority, empathy, and humour — and the feedback from parents was overwhelmingly positive. Looking forward for his book on ADHD in Malay language.
Rarely have I heard a speaker who can move between Islamic educational philosophy and modern learning sciences with such fluency. Hasrizal is a genuine bridge-builder — and a compelling storyteller.
Whether it's a keynote for your school's staff development day, a workshop for Muslim community organisations, or a podcast conversation on inclusive education — let's start the conversation.