New First City UC v-c named
FIRST City University College has welcomed its new vice-chancellor Prof Dr Saw Sor Heoh (pic).
In welcoming Prof Saw, First City UC governor Tan Sri Teo Chiang Liang said she joins First City UC with a wealth of knowledge and experience.
“This will augur well for First City UC’s growth, moving forward,” he said.
Prof Saw said she is elated to join First City UC at this exciting phase as it journeys forward from strength to strength, transforming into a world-class university.
“The university college has a fine tradition of producing highly employable graduates and successful entrepreneurs.
“The metropolitan campus provides a vibrant and challenging learning and personal development environment and enrichment opportunities that empower students to be globally competitive,” she said.
She added that she looked forward to enhancing the provision of industry relevant programmes.
This will further enrich the learning experiences and empower success for lifelong growth and development of the graduates.
Prof Saw obtained a Bachelor of Science in Physics with first class hpnours and a PhD in Physics specialising in plasma confinement fusion energy technology from Universiti Malaya.
She also has a Master of Arts in Educational Management from the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom.
She has over 30 years of teaching, management and research experiences with private higher education institutions. She is among the pioneers in private higher education in Malaysia.
Her achievements and expertise include engineering education, academic quality assurance, ISO quality management systems, student learning enhancement, academic staff development and research capacity building.
She has successfully set-up ISO quality management systems, pedagogical skills training and developed research capacity for two new private universities in Malaysia. She is a member of the Malaysian Qualifications Agency’s Standards, Masters and Doctoral Degree by Research document task force.
Prof Saw is an accomplished researcher in fusion technology with over 150 journal publications, research projects and PhD students. She founded numerous conferences and sits in various International Advisory Committees.
Prof Saw has been a recipient of various international grants including the International Centre for Theoretical Physics, Trieste, Italy and the International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, Austria. She also led and participated in many national grants, has a patent filed for an innovative fusion energy device system and received the National Outstanding Educator Award 2015 from the Private Education Co-operative of Malaysia.
An international academic figure, Prof Saw was awarded an honorary life membership of the Turkish Science and Research Foundation, is the co-director of the Institute of Plasma Focus Studies and was a consultant visiting professor at the Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering in Kansas State University, the United States.
Prof Saw is currently the vice-president of the Asian-African Association for Plasma Training, a role she has held since 2012.
She has previously served as an academic and held various educational administrator posts including deputy vice-chancellor and pro vice-chancellor in two private universities before joining First City UC.