Wan Mohd Nor Wan Daud received his early education at Sultan Ismail College, Kelantan, Malaysia. He obtained his B.Sc. in Biology and M.Sc. Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction from Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, Illinois. In 1987, he obtained his Ph.D. in Islamic Thought from University of Chicago, under the supervision of the late Prof. Dr. Fazlur Rahman.

He has taught at the Faculty of Islamic Studies, UKM and worked at the Educational Planning and Research Division of the Ministry of Education Malaysia. He is one of the pioneering members of ISTAC and is currently the Deputy Director of ISTAC, responsible for academic and student affairs. He is also the Deputy Editor-in-Chief of al-Shajarah, the journal of ISTAC, and has been actively involved in many conferences and seminars at home and abroad.

In total, he has written more than thirty articles and chapters in books and seven books and monographs in English and Malay. His books include The Concept of Knowledge in Islam: Its Implication for Education in a Developing Country, The Beacon on the Crest of a Hill: A Brief History and Philosophy of ISTAC , An Elaboration on the Culture of Knowledge, written and published in Malay by Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, Kuala Lumpur in 1991, and The Educational Philosophy and Practice of Syed Muhammad Naquib al-Attas: An Exposition of the Original Concept of Islamization. His most recent book is Pembangunan di Malaysia: Ke Arah Satu Kefahaman Baru Yang Lebih Sempurna, {Development in Malaysia}, (ISTAC, 2001).

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