JOHOR BAHRU, 15th February 2013: – Prof Dr Mohd Ismail Abd Aziz (pic) has been appointed Universiti Teknologi Malaysia’s (UTM) Deputy Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Alumni, effective tomorrow for a three-year term.
Prof. Ismail, 53, currently holds the post of UTM Director of International Affairs.
According to the Vice Chancellor, Prof Dato’ Seri Dr Zaini Ujang, Prof Ismail’s appointment was recommended by a selection committee headed by the Chairman of the UTM Board of Directors, Tan Sri Abdul Halim Ali. The appointment was made by the Minister of Higher Education, Dato Seri Khaled Nordin.
He replaces Prof. Datuk Dr. Mohd. Tajudin B. Hj. Ninggal who has held the post since February, 2009.
Prof. Ismail is part of the university management team that is instrumental in intensifying international engagements of the university in line with the UTM Global 2012-2020 university plan. He is also the head of the Critical Agenda Project on Internationalisation with the Ministry of Higher Education, Malaysia.
He was born in Kuantan, Pahang. He received his first degree in applied mathematics and computer science from the University of New South Wales, Australia and a Master’s degree from Loughborough University, UK. and his PhD in control engineering from City University, London.
He has been actively involved in establishing strategic projects between UTM and globally renowned universities. One significant project launched in 2012 which he steered include the strategic alliance formed between UTM and the Oxford Centre for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (OCIAM) in building the university’s expertise in mathematical sciences and applications in industrial contexts.
Another project in which he is directly involved is the joint collaboration established between UTM and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) on Blended Learning Open Source Science or Maths Studies (BLOSSOMS), a platform to stimulate innovative and creative learning in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
One of his major accomplishments heading the UTM International Office is expediting UTM’s signature programme, the Global Outreach Programme (GOP), which was launched in 2009. This global outlook programme enables UTM students and non-academic staff to travel abroad for international exposure and experiential learning. To date, more than 8,000 students and staff have benefited from short-term mobility programmes in over 30 countries.
UTM, a graduate-focused university, now has more than 53% postgraduate student population with a record of more than 4,455 PhD enrolment in 2012, the highest among all Malaysian research universities and in the region. Currently, UTM has an international and diverse population of more than 5,000 international students from more than 63 countries, with 250 international staff serving as academics and research fellows.