JOHOR BAHRU, 11 August 2015 – The environment of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) as a Research University (RU) has played a vital role in the pursuit of excellence in education, as attested by the youngest Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) recipient, Dr. Munzir Abdullah, who was conferred a PhD by UTM at the age of 23 years and 5 months.
He graduated in Physics, specializing in the use of the laser techniques in the production of alloys. His study also highlighetd the advantages the technique offers in comparison to other conventional methods.
“This method proposed the use of laser as it can shorten the time of production of alloys as compared to conventional techniques which are longer and more costly,” he said.
The research bagged the Gold medal in the 24th International Invention, Innovation & Technology Exhibition (ITEX) 2013 competition held in Kuala Lumpur from 9 to 11 May 2013.
He also has a cumulative Impact Factor of 7.714 through several scientific papers published in leading journals.
Speaking on his success, he said that apart from the conducive teaching, learning, and research environment at UTM as a Research University, the expertise and open-mindedness of his supervisor, Prof. Dr. Noriah Bidin, also assisted him in expediting the completion of his PhD .
Dr. Munzir Abdullahwas was born in 25 November 1991 in Johor Bahru. The sixth from eleven siblings, Munzir obtained his tertiary education at Sekolah Rendah Kebangsaan Kangkar Pulai and Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Kangar Pulai. He later persuaded his studies at Maktab Rendah Sains MARA (MRSM) Mersing.
Obtaining excellent results in his Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination, he was offered the six-month Majlis Amanah Rakyat (MARA) Express Programme  at UTM in 2009 before immediately continuing his studies at  the Bachelor’s level.
He graduated with a Bachelor of Science (Physics) in 2012 with a First Class degree and was then offered the MyPhD scholarship to pursue his studies directly to the PhD level in the same year.