Zuruzi (Zu) Abu Samah studied materials for his undergraduate degree. Upon graduation, Zu joined the Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE) as a junior staff to pursue his interest in materials research. A chance meeting at IMRE led him to the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) for doctoral studies. Zuruzi earned his doctoral degree for work on nanostructured titania which involved collaboration with faculty in engineering, physics and chemistry departments. While at UCSB he was a teaching assistant for undergraduate classes in materials and microsystems fabrication, and mentored undergraduate students in research projects. After obtaining the PhD, Zu moved to Palo Alto for post-doctoral training at Agilent Laboratories and, later, to Phoenix to join Intel as a technical staff.

Before joining SUTD, Zuruzi served as a senior academic staff at a polytechnic. At Nanyang Polytechnic, he was involved in teaching and, later, in administration. He assisted its senior management plan and develop R&D and educational capabilities in materials. Zuruzi facilitated the rollout of the Diploma in Nanotechnology and Materials Science, and supervised the operations of a team of academic, research and support staff. Passionate about teaching, Zuruzi has supervised more than 20 final year project students. He was singularly proud when a team of 4 project students won the Platinum medal (Senior Category) at the Singapore Chemical Science Fair.

Zuruzi is married and enjoys spending time with his son, daughter and wife Wati. His hobbies include reading, listening to music and jogging.