Captains of knowledge
Read the stories of these extraordinary women who not only made great inroads in their respective fields but have also broken barriers to helm four of the nation’s top public universities.
Read the stories of these extraordinary women who not only made great inroads in their respective fields but have also broken barriers to helm four of the nation’s top public universities.
PROF Datin Paduka Dr Aini Ideris never imagined that she would one day head her former alma mater, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM).
She obtained her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) in 1979 when UPM was known as Universiti Pertanian Malaysia. She became the university’s first female vice-chancellor on New Year’s Day in 2016.
She has been actively involved in research, related to the control of poultry diseases and development of poultry vaccines, and has commercialised two poultry vaccines that are now sold in more than 10 countries.
She gamely took on the role of vice-chancellor when she was informed of her new post despite not knowing what was in store.
“My philosophy since I was young is to never say ‘no’ to any challenge that is given to me. Even if I don’t know how to do something.
“I will first accept the challenge and figure it out along the way,” she said.
If she doesn’t know something or isn’t sure, Prof Aini makes it a point to consult others and get their take on things.
“I always love to engage and interact with people in order to learn, guide, encourage or motivate them to get things moving with perfection.”
A typical day at the office involves attending to numerous appointments, multitudes of meetings with staff and various ministries, writing reports and attending to guests both local and international, from other universities, industries and government agencies.
Besides her heavy administrative workload, Prof Aini is involved in giving lectures, conducting practical classes and providing clinical training to undergraduate and postgraduate students in the DVM.
She has supervised the final year projects of more than 30 DVM students, graduated more than 30 Master students, and 20 PhD students.
Her current batch of postgraduate students are researching avian respiratory and immunosuppressive diseases.
Prof Aini said she has a keen interest in birds and poultry because they are important to the human race - both as food and as pets.
Not only is she kept busy at the university, she also attends to clinical cases in UPM’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital and farms.
Her day starts early but never ends early.
Prof Aini said she only leaves the office at 8pm, that is, if she doesn’t have a dinner function to attend that night.
Women play a big part in academia, she said, adding that 51.72% of her academic staff are female. At work, Prof Aini also acts as a mentor. However, she does not discriminate, whether they are men or women.
“Both men and women should be able to work together on equal capabilities, complementing each other.”
Being a woman in the workforce does not come without its challenges.