Bangkok, Thailand

Sarawoot Watechagit was appointed Director of the Mahidol University Library and Knowledge Center in Bangkok, Thailand, in 2024. He has held leadership and faculty roles at Mahidol University since 2004, most recently serving two consecutive four-year terms as Head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering in the Faculty of Engineering, and previously served as Deputy Dean. His academic background is in modern control systems and automotive engineering, with research published in international conferences and journals, including the American Control Conference and SAE Technical Papers. He is also the founder and director of the Center for Energy Research and Testing Laboratory, which focuses on developing national plans and regulations to improve energy efficiency in Thailand.

His career bridges engineering research and academic library leadership. Among his areas of focus are the evolving role of academic libraries in open research and how strategic partnerships can enhance visibility, impact, and collaboration at institutional and regional levels. He is also actively involved in academic and professional communities, with a focus on open access publishing and library innovation. Mr. Watechagit was a featured speaker at the Southeast Asia Libraries of the Future Summit 2025, where he positioned Mahidol's library initiatives in a broader regional context. He has shared insights on scholarly communication and library–publisher collaboration as a guest speaker at publisher summits and professional seminars, including events organized by ScienceDirect, American Chemical Society, and Wiley. Mr. Watechagit has served on Leaders Council since 2025.