YOGYAKARTA, July 26 — Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) recently celebrated a significant achievement in its international standing by actively participating in the 8th Biennial International Group Theory Conference (BIGTC 2025). This event took place at Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, from July 26 to 29, 2025.
Founded in 2011, BIGTC is a prestigious platform that unites esteemed researchers in the field of group theory. It provides valuable opportunities for knowledge exchange, networking, and collaboration. UTM has a notable history with BIGTC, having initiated and hosted the very first conference at the Ibnu Sina Institute for Scientific and Industrial Research in Johor Bahru in February 2011. The university also hosted the conference again in 2017, solidifying its role as a pioneer of this biennial event.
The conference aims to promote global engagement in group theory by encouraging fundamental research, inspiring postgraduate students, and fostering enduring research partnerships. Since its inception, BIGTC has grown into a highly anticipated international event, with previous editions held in Türkiye, Iran, Indonesia, India, and South Africa.
This year, the 8th BIGTC brought together 115 participants from several countries, including Malaysia, Indonesia, India, Pakistan, Iran, Türkiye, South Africa, Germany, Italy, and the United States. Among the 81 presenters, UTM made a significant impact with strong representation from its academics, alumni, and a postgraduate student. Malaysia was proudly represented by six speakers affiliated with UTM, who delivered insightful talks during various parallel sessions.
Professor Dr. Nor Haniza Sarmin, a Mathematics professor at UTM, was one of the eight invited speakers at the event. Her presentation, titled “Structure-Preserving Transformations: Recent Updates on the Homological Analysis of Bieberbach Groups,” focused on recent advancements in the study of group extensions and algebraic invariants related to crystallographic symmetries.
Several alumni from UTM played active roles at the conference. Dr. Ghazali Semil Ismail, Dr. Siti Norziahidayu Amzee Zamri, and Dr. Siti Afiqah Mohammad presented their latest research and chaired sessions. Their involvement highlights the ongoing academic influence of UTM’s postgraduate programs in pure mathematics.
Hemappriya Shanmuganathan, a current PhD student at UTM, presented her research on Cayley graphs, emphasizing the university’s support for early-career researchers. Additionally, Associate Professor Dr. Nor Muhainiah Mohd Ali joined virtually to deliver a presentation on algebraic graph theory.
The conference concluded on July 29, 2025, and a short video recap was screened to showcase the highlights of the event. Closing remarks were given by Prof. A. Erfanian from Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Iran. He proposed the establishment of a “BIGTC Society” and suggested several enhancements for future events, including the addition of workshops for doctoral students and improved publication strategies.
Prof. Nor Haniza supported these suggestions, highlighting the importance of connecting conferences to high-impact research outputs. She stated, “In Malaysia, every conference is expected to result in indexed publications. These proposals are worth considering for future BIGTCs.”
It has been officially announced that the 9th BIGTC will be hosted in 2027 by the Manipal Academy of Higher Education in India.
UTM’s active participation and representation at BIGTC 2025 reaffirms the university’s status as a leader in mathematical sciences and its dedication to international collaboration and research excellence.
Conference website:- https://bigtc2025.math-ugm.id/