University’s Malaysian partnership will focus on joint research into ‘crucial area of energy’
THE UNIVERSITY of Sheffield has developed a partnership with a leading Malaysian university as part of a joint strategy to research the “crucial area of energy”.
The university’s president and vice-chancellor, Professor Sir Keith Burnett, signed an agreement with Professor Dr Kamal Nasharuddin Mustapha, vicechancellor of UNITEN University in Malaysia, to build research partnerships between the two institutions.
The Yorkshire university has historically been one of the largest recruiters of Malaysian students to the UK and counts Dr Mustapha as one of its alumni.
Sir Keith said: “I am delighted that the university is developing what I am confident will be a very fruitful partnership between one of Malaysia’s leading private universities working in a very focused way on energy, a clear area of relevance to both the people of Malaysia and the United Kingdom, but also more broadly around the world.
“This is a strategically important area for both of our universities. Energy is a key focus of research and teaching in Sheffield through the partnerships which already exist with our Faculty of Engineering and Energy 2050 research, but also through our work on wind, solar and nuclear energy. We should not think either that our partnership will be restricted to engineering and science. I see real potential for collaboration with UNITEN and our university’s highly-respected work on sustainability and colleagues working in economics and management.”
Sir Keith signed the Memorandum of Understanding during a short trip to Malaysia, where he met a number of senior alumni. He also held discussions with the Malaysian deputy prime minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi about ways in which the university can further develop its educational activities in the country, with a particular focus on engineering and technical training opportunities.