Curtin Sarawak bids farewell to outgoing Deputy Pro Vice-Chancellor and appoints Professor Yudi Samyudia to the position

Miri – 10 January 2013 – Curtin University, Sarawak Malaysia (Curtin Sarawak) recently bid farewell to its outgoing Deputy Pro Vice-Chancellor, Professor Alistair Inglis, who ended his 2-year tenure on 31 December 2012 and plans to return to Australia after holidaying in Malaysia.

Management staff and deans of schools of the university gave him a fitting farewell dinner, during which Curtin Sarawak Pro Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive Professor Kerr thanked him for his outstanding work in advancing Curtin Sarawak as Curtin University’s largest international campus and one of Malaysia’s leading educational institutions.

“Not only has Alistair taken responsibility for and overseen a very broad range of portfolios but has also revived the importance of our academic board, and as chair of our campus quality enhancement committee, ensured that our policies and documents are revised and updated and many of our processes and practices improved upon,” said Professor Kerr.

He also announced the appointment of Professor Dr. Ir. Yudi Samyudia as Curtin Sarawak’s new Deputy Pro Vice-Chancellor.

Professor Samyudia, who assumed the position on 1 January, has had a distinguished career spanning over 20 years. He joined Curtin Sarawak in 2005 after spending 12 years as an academic and researcher at leading educational institutions such as McMaster University, Ontario, Canada; Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands; Purdue University, West Lafayette, USA; Murdoch University, Australia; and Institut Teknologi Bandung, Indonesia.

Prior to his appointment, Professor Samyudia, who hails from Indonesia, was the Dean of Curtin Sarawak’s School of Engineering and Science, a position he held since 2009. He was also a senior academic in the school’s Department of Chemical Engineering.

“Professor Samyudia’s appointment represents a coming of age for Curtin Sarawak in that it is the first time that someone from within the ranks of our employees has been appointed to one of the two senior positions normally filled by an Australian,” said Professor Kerr.

Professor Samyudia received his Ir. (Ingenieur) degree from Institut Teknologi Bandung, Indonesia, in 1989 and his PhD in chemical engineering from the University of Queensland, Australia, in 1996.

He has extensive experience in industrial research in the area of process systems engineering and is a recipient of the Indonesian-Toray Science Foundation (ITSF) Research Award and Young Academics Award from the Department of Higher Education, Republic of Indonesia.

His teaching and research interests lie in process control and optimisation, control structure design, multi-scale modelling, process integration, bioreactor dynamics modeling and control, and supercritical fluid extraction.

He has published more than 100 publications in reputable book series, international journals and conference proceedings, and co-authored a book on control systems. In addition, he is an associate editor of the Journal of Instrumentation, Control and Automation, and has been a reviewer for leading journals such as Journal of Process Control; Computers & Chemical Engineering; Chemical Engineering Science; Industrial Engineering and Chemical Research; Automatica; and Asia Pacific Journal of Chemical Engineering. He has also been on the technical committees for a number of international engineering conferences.

In his new role, Professor Samyudia is responsible for oversight of Curtin Sarawak’s academic programmes, and also areas such as Research and Development, Teaching and Learning, Student Services, The Library, University Life; Planning, Quality and Accreditation, and Staff and Student Affairs.

Very much a results-oriented educator and administrator, Professor Samyudia’s immediate focus is on improving the university’s academic service and support systems, strengthening the academic programmes and research, as well as the expansion of the campus library and learning spaces for students.

Professor Samyudia said he is pleased to be able to contribute to the advancement of Curtin Sarawak in his new capacity, adding that further enhancement of the university’s industry-focused learning with advanced teaching methods and state-of-the-art facilities, as well as its unique international and cross-cultural environment, will ensure it continues to be a preferred choice for students throughout the Asia-Pacific region.

Professor Ian Kerr (right) presenting Professor Inglis a parting gift. 

Professor Kerr congratulating Professor Samyudia on his appointment.