TSUKUBA, Sept 30 – Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) continues to strengthen its international partnership with the University of Tsukuba (UT), Japan, through a working visit by representatives from the Malaysia-Japan International Institute of Technology (MJIIT) on 30 September 2025.
The UTM delegation was led by Dr. Syarifah Zyurina Nordin, Academic Manager (External Program), and Associate Professor Ir. Dr. Dayang Norulfairuz Abang Zaidel, Head of the Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, MJIIT UTM Kuala Lumpur. The visit aimed to enhance academic cooperation, student engagement, and collaborative research activities between both institutions.
A key highlight of the visit was a meeting with seven MJIIT UTM students currently undergoing a 12-week international research internship at the University of Tsukuba. The internship programme is jointly funded by the Young Talents Exchange and Capacity Development Program (NEXUS) and MJIIT UTM, as part of an ongoing collaboration between the two universities to provide students with meaningful international research exposure. The seven undergraduate students from the Bachelor of Chemical Process Engineering with Honours programme are Lim Yee Yang, Cheah Swee Feng, Muhammad Irfan Fakhri Muhammad Fadh, Ethan Thong Yi Hong, Mohamad Khairunnaim Ab Aziz, Nur Sabrina Adam Aiman Ng.
Dr. Syarifah Zyurina and Dr. Dayang Norulfairuz engaged with the students and their academic supervisors to discuss research progress, learning experiences, and opportunities for future collaboration. The students expressed their appreciation for the opportunity to work alongside Japanese researchers and highlighted how the programme has broadened their research skills, cross-cultural communication, and global outlook.
The visit also served as a platform to review the ongoing Joint Master’s Degree Programme (JDP) between MJIIT and the University of Tsukuba — the Master of Sustainable and Environmental Sciences (MMJJ) — which has been successfully conducted since 2017. This two-year programme allows students to spend one year at MJIIT UTM Kuala Lumpur and one year at the University of Tsukuba, providing a dual-campus experience that integrates academic excellence from both Malaysia and Japan.
Discussions during the meeting focused on strengthening the JDP’s implementation, exploring curriculum enhancement, co-supervision mechanisms, and expanding joint research collaborations in sustainability, environmental engineering, and green technologies. Both institutions also discussed ways to align the programme’s objectives with global sustainability goals and emerging industry needs. During the visit, the UTM delegation also met with MMJJ student Anis Shahirah Ghazaly and PhD student Mohamad Aizad Mohd Mokhtar, who are currently attached to the University of Tsukuba for their research activities.
The meeting and visit were hosted by Associate Professor Dr. Yoshiaki Maeda from the University of Tsukuba, who has been a long-standing collaborator and a key academic partner in advancing the UTM–UT partnership.
The delegation also visited several research laboratories at the Institute of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, to explore future areas of research collaboration, particularly in environmental systems and sustainable process development. Both universities reaffirmed their shared commitment to advancing innovation and sustainability through joint academic and scientific initiatives.
The visit concluded on a positive note, reaffirming the strong commitment of both UTM and the University of Tsukuba to continue fostering impactful international collaborations that enhance global academic excellence and contribute to sustainable technological development.
Prepared by Associate Professor Ir. Dr. Dayang Norulfairuz Abang Zaidel, Head of the Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, and Dr. Syarifah Zyurina Nordin, Academic Manager (External Program), MJIIT UTM Kuala Lumpur
