Associate Professor Dr. Riswadi Azmi specialises in Islamic heritage and Qur’anic manuscript studies and is currently attached to the Centre for Fundamental and Continuing Education (PPAL), Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT). After secondary school, he pursued higher education at Al-Azhar University, Egypt, where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts (Hons.) in al-Quran and Variant Readings (Qira’at) in 2003. He was subsequently awarded the Federal Training Award (HLP) by the Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia, which enabled him to further his studies at Universiti Malaya and earn a Master of Usuluddin in Quranic Studies in 2012 and then a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Islamic Studies in 2018. 

Dr. Riswadi’s research centres on Qur’an manuscript studies in Southeast Asia, particularly manuscripts dating from the seventeenth to nineteenth centuries. His work examines the historical, codicological, artistic, and textual dimensions of these manuscripts, contributing significantly to the understanding of the development of Islamic intellectual traditions in the Malay world.

A strong advocate of digital heritage preservation, Dr. Riswadi led the development of the Cultural Heritage Digital Gallery (CHDG), an innovative platform that showcases Malay-Islamic manuscripts through Augmented Reality (AR) technology. The application enables users to interact with rare cultural artefacts in immersive digital environments, making heritage more accessible to younger generations. The project has been featured at the My5G Portal, Tun Razak Exchange (TRX).

His expertise has gained international recognition through his appointment as a Visiting Researcher at the King Abdulaziz Foundation for Research and Archives (DARAH) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. There, he conducts comparative research on Qur’an manuscripts, examining the influence of Malay manuscript traditions within the broader Islamic world and fostering scholarly collaboration between Southeast Asia and the Middle East.

Beyond academic research, Dr. Riswadi actively engages in community development through education and social empowerment initiatives. He currently leads a consultancy grant funded by Yayasan Hasanah aimed at enhancing educational opportunities for 250 B40 children from coastal communities in Kuala Nerus, Terengganu. The programme integrates educational intervention, mentoring, and community engagement to improve learning outcomes and expand access to quality education.

Dr. Riswadi’s contributions to cultural heritage preservation have also had a lasting national impact. Through his research and advocacy efforts, four Terengganu Qur’an manuscripts have been successfully gazetted as Malaysian National Heritage. These manuscripts have subsequently been selected to represent Malaysia in nominations for the UNESCO Memory of the World Programme.

Through his interdisciplinary approach that bridges manuscript studies, digital innovation, heritage conservation, and community engagement, Dr. Riswadi continues to advance the understanding of Islamic civilisation while ensuring that valuable cultural legacies remain relevant and accessible to future generations.