Jakarta. President Prabowo Subianto has appointed Brian Yuliarto as the first head of Indonesia’s newly established Mineral Industry Agency, a body tasked with managing strategic minerals critical to the defense sector and economic development.

Brian was sworn in at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Monday. He said the agency will oversee strategic materials that are essential for the nation’s sovereignty.

“This agency will manage strategic materials for the defense industry because these resources are vital for national sovereignty,” Brian told reporters after his inauguration.

While the agency’s primary mandate is linked to defense, Brian stressed that its work is expected to generate wider benefits for Indonesia’s economy. “Some of these minerals include radioactive materials,” he said.

Questions have been raised about how the new agency will divide responsibilities with the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM). Brian dismissed concerns, saying coordination between state bodies would ensure smooth operations. “Of course, we will coordinate with other agencies in managing these responsibilities,” he said.

Despite his new post, Brian also continues to serve as Higher Education, Science, and Technology Minister, a position he has held since February 19, 2025. 

He said the dual roles would not hinder his work but instead allow for stronger collaboration between academia and industry. “This can actually strengthen collaboration between universities and industry,” he said, adding that the new agency will focus on the application of research and innovation in mineral management.

Brian is widely recognized as both an academic and researcher. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Engineering Physics from Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) in 1999, where he later became a professor. He completed his master’s degree in Quantum Engineering and System Science at the University of Tokyo in 2002 and pursued his Ph.D. at the same institution, finishing in 2005.

His academic career includes serving as Vice Rector for Research and Innovation at ITB (2025–2029), Dean of the Faculty of Industrial Technology at ITB (2020–2025), and Head of the Center for Nanoscale Science and Nanotechnology at ITB (2018–2020). He has also been a lecturer and researcher at ITB since 2006.

Internationally, Brian has been a visiting professor at the University of Tsukuba since 2021 and previously conducted postdoctoral research at Japan’s National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) from 2005 to 2006. He also completed an executive course on strategic management and leadership at the Indonesian Defense University in 2024.

Other leadership roles include Head of the Advanced Functional Materials Research Group (2019–2020), Head of the Physics Engineering Study Program (2016–2020), and Head of ITB’s Student Affairs Office (2010–2016).

Brian said that the Mineral Industry Agency will encourage universities to translate mineral-related research into industrial applications. “We expect strong technological input so that developments at universities can be pushed further into real-world industry,” he concluded.