UM engineering faculty is tops

Engineering dept’s No.10 position in global ranking proof of R&D quality

JAYA: Universiti Malaya ( UM) has been placed at 10th position among global universities in the field of engineering.

This was based on the US News 2018 Best Global Universities Ranking report, released recently.

UM’s Faculty of Engineering acting dean Prof Dr Abdul Aziz Abdul Raman said the recognition showed that the research and development (R&D) work in the university and its faculty specifically was of high quality and referred globally.

“This is also a clear and direct result of the High Impact Research (HIR) grant awarded to UM from 2011 to 2016.

“During the period, high-impact R&D projects, worth RM116mil, were carried out in the faculty,” he said in a statement.

Additionally, he said the research findings of the HIR projects also benefited many local communities and industries, as well as the commercialisation of various research products.

“This shows Malaysian researchers and universities can stand tall with the rest of the world.

“Three factors helped us to achieve this – determination of the students and staff, the resources invested namely the monetary support by the Government in terms of research funding, and the quality of our students, as well as the support given by all parties,” he said.

Prof Abdul Aziz said the success could be sustained and even improved with continuous support from all three components.

“Companies, including SMEs, are most welcome to invest in joint research projects for the improvement or creation of new products.

“We are also inviting students interested in pursuing their PhD or Masters to consider our faculty, as the cutting-edge research conducted here will make them technological experts and future leaders of the industries,” he said.

He said UM’s 10th position was an outstanding accomplishment, considering more than 600 top global universities in engineering were screened.

Prof Abdul Aziz said the method- ology used in evaluating the rankings took into account the research excellence of the institutions, as well as their global and regional reputation.

Other indicators were publication of research findings, impact of research in terms of citations and international collaborations.

The US News & World Report is an American media company and is best known for its annual Best Colleges ranking publication.

UM was ranked 24th in the 2018 edition of the QS University Rankings: Asia.

According to the QS World University Rankings 2018, UM has improved by 53 places since 2013 and is now ranked 114 in the world.