USM PENANG, 3 January 2023 – Professor Dato’ Ir. Dr. Abdul Rahman Mohamed has been appointed as the ninth Vice-Chancellor of Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) effective from today.

Abdul Rahman previously held the post of USM Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Industry and Community Network) from 1 May 2016 until 30 April 2018 and following that, an appointment as USM Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Innovation) from 1 May 2018.

In addition to his extensive administrative experience, he is also a well-respected researcher locally and abroad in the field of Applied Sciences and Technologies.

In a statement from the Ministry of Higher Education (KPT), as the sole higher educational institution in Malaysia to have been awarded the Accelerated Programme for Excellence (APEX) status, KPT truly believes that Abdul Rahman is the right person for the job.

The appointment was also made based on a number of criteria such as expertise, knowledge, experience and achievement, in relation to leadership as well as research capabilities at the national and international levels.

Meanwhile, the Chairman of the USM Board of Governors, Datuk Seri Dr. Awang Adek Hussin welcomed the appointment of Abdul Rahman as the new Vice-Chancellor of USM.

He urged all USM community members to offer their utmost support and cooperation to the new Vice-Chancellor as the task to ensure the continued success of USM is a collective effort.

At the same time, he also thanked Professor Dato’ Dr. Faisal Rafiq Mahamd Adikan for his service and leadership while serving as the eighth Vice-Chancellor of USM from 4 October 2019 until 3 October 2022.

Abdul Rahman at a special press conference said, USM needs to continue with the Accelerated Programme for Excellence (APEX) agenda that was accorded by KPT in 2008, by continuing to assist the community through various efforts, including research and innovation.

"USM will look into initiatives that will be implemented to spur the development process of the country and to support socio-economic change in the community, aside from other agendas already planned.

"Focus will also be given on efforts to raise the employability of graduates to its fullest potential, by providing the students with more exposure to the industry and to fulfil the requirements set by future employers.

"This include providing future training and internship opportunities for a year in industries, especially for engineering students or to implement long-term projects with the industry in order to achieve a greater impact," he said.

Text: Mazlan Hanafi Basharudin