| Universiti Putra Malaysia

PROF. DATIN PADUKA DR. AINI IDERIS IS NEW UPM VICE-CHANCELLOR


Oleh Khairul Anuar Muhamad Noh

PUTRAJAYA - Prof. Datin Paduka Dr. Aini Ideris has been appointed as Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) Vice-Chancellor for a two-year term, effective January 1, 2016.

Formerly the Director of UPM’s Office of Corporate Strategic and Communications, she succeeds Prof. Dato’ Dr. Mohd Fauzi Ramlan whose tenure as UPM Vice-Chancellor ended on December 31 last year, after receiving an official appointment letter from Higher Education Minister, Dato’ Seri Idris Jusoh.

Prof. Datin Paduka Dr. Aini Ideris expressed her gratitude to Prof. Dato’ Dr. Mohd Fauzi Ramlan for his leadership qualities and contributions towards UPM while he was the Vice-Chancellor, saying that under the latter’s tenure, the university had succeeded to maintain its excellence as a leading university at both the national and international levels.

“I also want to express my gratitude to Dato’ Seri Idris Jusoh for the trust, opportunity and mandate given to me to continue with the legacy, and to give the best of services to the university.

“With this appointment, I will strive harder to enhance UPM’s achievements as a leading research university in order to steer and bring the image of the country to a higher level, in addition to continuing with the efforts for more successes and academic excellence amidst the challenges, particularly the need for a paradigm shift in enhancing the quality of the nation’s agriculture sector,” she said.

Prof. Datin Paduka Dr. Aini who is formerly UPM Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic and International) from December 2008 to November 2013, is instrumental in the preparation for SWA Accreditation, university autonomy, and various other initiatives in relation to improvements of curriculum, teaching and learning in UPM.

She also held several administrative positions previously, such as Deputy Dean, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine for 9 years, and Dean, School of Graduate Studies for 8 years.

She has vast experiences at both national and ministerial levels, having served as Chairman of Malaysian Deputy Vice-Chancellor’s Committee (Academic and International) from 2012 till 2013, Chair person/member of various committees at Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE), Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI) and Ministry of Agriculture and Agro-based Industries (MOA).

Prof. Datin Paduka Dr. Aini Ideris is a renowned scientist in research related to diagnosis and control of avian respiratory and immunosuppressive diseases, as well as in the commercialization of poultry vaccines, namely : Newcastle disease in 1995 and tissue culture adapted fowl pox vaccine in 1996 which have penetrated the market in nine countries, and in the process of registration in a few more countries.

In 2005, she was involved as a co-researcher in the commercialization of another important poultry vaccine for the control of infectious bursal disease. Her research team also developed several rapid diagnostic methods for avian influenza (bird flu), which is a zoonotic disease, Newcastle disease and mycoplasmosis.  The avian influenza diagnostic kit has been essential in the detection and monitoring of avian influenza outbreaks in Malaysia, in 2004 and 2005.

In 2011, she was awarded the prestigious National Academia Award 2010 (AAN), under the category of Innovation and Commercialization of Products, for her successful innovation and commercialization of the Newcastle disease vaccine (NDV4-UPM).

She was also selected as one of the Top 10 researchers for National Innovation Award 2012, received Anugerah Alumni Terbilang UPM 2012 and also chosen as one of the Top Research Scientists for Malaysia (TRSM) in 2013.

The pinnacle of her success in 2013 was when she was inducted as the Inaugural Member of the Hall of Honour, of the World Veterinary Poultry Association (WVPA) for her contributions to scientific research, poultry education and training, poultry health systems in developing countries and for her outstanding leadership qualities. This is the most prestigious recognition accorded by the Veterinary Fraternity worldwide to outstanding recipients. In 2015, she was elected as the Vice President of WVPA, the first Asian to be appointed to the position.

As a distinguished scientist, she was elected as a Fellow of Academy of Sciences Malaysia (FASc) in 2009, and Fellow of the Islamic World Academy of Sciences (FIAS), in October 2011, making her then, one of the eight female Fellows out of the 100 Fellows from more than 50 OIC countries. In addition, she is one of the Founding Fellows of the Malaysian College of Veterinary Specialists (FMCVS).

 




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