PUTRAJAYA: The Higher Education Ministry today announced the appointment of Prof Dr Mohd Shafry Mohd Rahim and Prof. Dr Yatimah Alias as the new vice-chancellor of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) and Universiti Malaysia Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah (UMPSA), respectively.
In a statement issued here today, the ministry said Mohd Shafry’s appointment is for two years effective tomorrow (Jan 9), while Yatimah’s appointment, also for two years, takes effect on Jan 13, 2025.
“The ministry is confident that their appointments will empower academic development and research based on the latest technology and produce globally minded graduates who are industry-ready, competitive, creative and innovative and have a high sense of identity,” read the statement today.
They received their appointment letters from the Minister of Higher Education, Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir at his office yesterday.
Mohd Shafry, 49, is an expert in Computer Science (Image Processing) and received his Doctor of Philosophy degree in Spatial Modeling from Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) in 2008.
He has extensive experience in university governance and has held various administrative positions including as Deputy Dean (Co-Curriculum and Service Learning) of the UTM School of Undergraduate Studies (2015) and as chairman of the UTM School of Pre-Graduate Studies (2019).
Apart from that, he was also the Chairman of the UTM Institute for Life Ready Graduates (iLeaGue) (2020) as well as a Research Fellow at Media and Game Innovation of Excellence (MaGICX), Institute of Human-Centred Engineering (iHuMeN) UTM before being appointed as UTM Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic and International) in 2023.
Meanwhile, Yatimah, 55, was appointed the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic and International) of Universiti Malaya (UM) in 2022.
She obtained her Doctor of Philosophy degree in Chemistry from the University of East Anglia, Australia in 1999 and is an expert in Electrochemistry and Ionic Liquids.
Her appointment as UMPSA Vice-Chancellor is based on her recognised academic reputation as well as her extensive experience in administrative management at UM.
She has also served as Director of the UM Curriculum Development Centre (2014): Director of the UM Academic Strategic Planning Center (2018); and President of the Malaysian Ionic Liquids Research Society (MILRS) from 2017 to 2022.
KPT also expressed its appreciation and gratitude to Datuk Prof. Ir. Ts. Dr Ahmad Fauzi lsmail and Datuk Prof. Ts. Dr Yusserrie Zainuddin, the former vice-chancellors of UTM and UMPSA, respectively, for their service and dedication. – BERNAMA
