Malaysian Minister of Education, Mr Maszlee Malik, has appointed Prof. Ir. Ts. Dr. R. Badlishah Ahmad as the new Vice Chancellor of Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP), effective on 15 May 2019. The three-year appointment, putting Professor Dr. R. Badlishah Ahmad as the 3rd Vice Chancellor of the university, was made official under the provision of Section 12 (1) of Universiti Malaysia Perlis Constitution.
Professor Dr. R. Badlishah Ahmad was the Deputy Vice Chancellor of Universiti Sultan Zainal Abdin, Malaysia before the appointment. Before that, he was Dean of the School of Computer and Communication Engineering, UniMAP for a period of 12 years which saw the School carving its niche and obtaining full accreditation multiple times over for its three programmes. He obtained his MSc and PhD in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from University of Strathclyde, and his first degree in the same field from University of Glasgow.
Professor Dr. R. Badlishah replaces Dato’ Professor Dr. Zul Azhar Zahid Jamal whose appointment ended on 14 May 2019. His return to UniMAP has been well-received as he was one of the university’s pioneering staff when it started out as a university college.
Commenting on the appointment, Professor Dr. Zul Azhar congratulates Professor R. Badlishah and asks that continuous support be given by all staff and students to the new Vice Chancellor to take the university to greater heights. “As someone who was in the UniMAP big picture in the many years that it had been building its foundation, I am confident that Professor R. Badlishah will be able to successfully hold the helm of UniMAP, and gain support from everyone at the university. The university strategic plan, UniMAP 2025 will surely benefit from this appointment as much of the plan pivots on technology and computer networks”.
The sentiment is echoed by the Chairperson of UniMAP Board of Directors, Datuk Professor Emeritus Dr. Kamarudin Hussin, who believes that Professor R. Badlishah’s expansive experience will help him lead the university’s further growth. “UniMAP is certainly very proud of his appointment. At the same time, we also convey our heartiest gratitude to Professor Dr. Zul Azhar for taking UniMAP to various global level successes including obtaining 5 Stars in the QS Stars University Ratings in 2019, and putting us at top 200 in the QS Asian University Rankings, as well as top 500 in the QS World University Rankings for Engineering and Technology 2017 and 2018.