MALANG, Jul 14 – Prof. Dr. Fahrul Zaman Huyop from the Department of Biosciences, Faculty of Science, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), has successfully completed his appointment as a Visiting Lecturer at the Graduate School of Universitas Brawijaya (UB), Indonesia, after receiving an official invitation from the university in recognition of his international academic standing and expertise in biotechnology and environmental microbiology. The appointment represents another significant milestone in UTM’s internationalisation agenda, reinforcing the University’s commitment to strengthening strategic partnerships with leading universities in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region through academic excellence, research collaboration, postgraduate education, and knowledge transfer.

Throughout his appointment, Prof. Fahrul successfully fulfilled and exceeded the key performance indicators (KPIs) outlined by UB. He completed more than 100 hours of academic engagement, comprising postgraduate lectures, scientific mentoring, and collaborative academic activities involving postgraduate students and academic staff. His lectures covered topics on livestock biochemistry and translational biosciences, relevant to undergraduate training.

Beyond academic-related teaching, Prof. Fahrul actively contributed to strengthening the research ecosystem between UTM and UB. One of the major outcomes of this collaboration was the publication of the article entitled “Physicochemical Characteristics, Antioxidant Properties, and Sugar Composition of Honeys from Selected Southeast Asian Regions in Relation to International Honey Quality Standards,” published in All Life, an international journal published by Taylor & Francis and indexed in Scopus Q1/Q2. The publication involved researchers from UTM and several Indonesian institutions, demonstrating the success of collaborative international research in advancing scientific knowledge on Southeast Asian honey quality and authentication.

The partnership has continued to flourish through postgraduate research collaboration. Prof. Fahrul is currently serving as a main supervisor for academic staff from UB pursuing a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) at UTM. The doctoral research focuses on mangrove conservation, investigating the ecological impacts of heavy metal contamination on mangrove ecosystems and exploring sustainable approaches for coastal ecosystem restoration and environmental management. This joint supervision between UTM-UB further strengthens research capacity building and human capital development between both institutions.

Prof. Fahrul also continues to contribute to UB through his role as Chief Editor of the Journal of Tropical Life Science (JTLS), one of the University’s internationally indexed scientific journals. In this capacity, he actively supports the journal’s internationalisation by attracting quality manuscripts from researchers worldwide, enhancing editorial standards, and expanding global academic networks. He also encourages researchers participating in conferences jointly organised by UTM and UB to disseminate their research findings through JTLS, thereby increasing the visibility, impact, and scholarly reputation of scientific outputs produced through international collaboration. Reflecting on the appointment, Prof. Fahrul described the Visiting Lecturer programme as far more than an academic exchange.

Prof. Fahrul expressed his sincere appreciation to the Rector of Universitas Brawijaya, Prof. Widodo, for the confidence and trust placed in him through the Visiting Lecturer appointment, as well as for the University’s strong support of international academic collaboration. He also extended his heartfelt gratitude to Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nurul Huda of the Graduate School, UB, for his continuous encouragement, friendship, and academic guidance, which have greatly contributed to strengthening collaboration in teaching, research, postgraduate supervision, and scholarly publications between the two institutions.

He further acknowledged the dedication of colleagues, researchers, and postgraduate students from both UTM and UB who have contributed to the success of this collaborative initiative. Their collective efforts have established a sustainable platform for future joint research projects, staff and student mobility programmes, international conferences, competitive research grants, and high-impact scientific publications.

The achievements realised through this Visiting Lecturer appointment clearly demonstrate UTM’s growing international influence in higher education and research. More importantly, they reflect UTM’s aspiration to become a globally renowned university by cultivating meaningful international partnerships that generate impactful research, produce world-class graduates, and contribute to sustainable solutions for regional and global challenges.