I am currently the Deputy Dean (Academic & International) in the Faculty of Science & Mathematics (FSM), at UPSI. Besides assisting the Dean with the management, my main task is the academic portfolio. I am responsible for all academic-related tasks such as developing and organising the curricula structure in the faculty. The quality and performance of the academic part is also the most significant thing.

I am also a senior lecturer, and I teach Physics subjects in the faculty. At the same time, I also supervise postgraduate students, industrial training and teaching training.

Every day (most of the time), starting with meetings. At the start of the semester, I am responsible for orientations to new students, welcoming them. I also have to give a talk/roadshow on academic new rules and regulations to the staff. I deal a lot with academic staff and the top management, and the main customer is the students.

I am really into teaching and exploring new knowledge. However, I think academia must collaborate with industry as both parties will benefit each other.

In one of my recent roles, matters always linger around. But believe me, as the saying goes, "A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor". So the more hard cases around, the more challenging they are, the more you will learn.

I'm highly devoted to the academic business as both of my parents were in this line. As I mentioned earlier, the academic world is evolving rapidly in technologies primarily because of Covid-19. People lost their jobs, movement control order (MCO) restrictions or nationwide lockdown prevented the students coming to the campus, but the lectures and syllabi had to be well timed. The challenges in the academic world have to be implemented, such as various online platforms, massive open online courses (MOOCs), which is a flexible way to learn, online microcredentials etc. I'm interested in this job because it would allow me to develop my expertise in areas of new academic knowledge.

In my opinion, hard skills and soft skills need to be balanced. Hard skills such as multilingual, programming language are as crucial as soft skills such as integrity, teamwork, open-mindedness and empathy.

The PhD which I obtained at Sheffield University is a requirement in being an academic. Nevertheless, I had the best supervisor in the world, the late Dr. Tim Richardson, who will always be my mentor and idol. He made things easier back when I was in Sheffield, assisting me in the research and guiding me there. The experience I gained whilst studying overseas at Sheffield is priceless.

After leaving Sheffield in 2010, I went back to Malaysia and built up my career as a lecturer at the university. I started at the organisation as diploma co-ordinator (2016), then head of the physics department (2017-2020), and am currently the deputy dean.

I have discovered that the most rewarding part has been when I get to be part of a teamwork session. I feel happy to assist my co-workers in learning something new and valuable, something that I also discover. So in future, I’d like to travel abroad to learn new things, such as a visiting lecturer, attachments, which I suppose will train me to be more of an expert in learning. Hopefully, in five years, I’ll be helping make decisions for my university about what kinds of programmes a business will offer and how to make sure employees benefit and grow.

Always focus on what you do. That is the primary key. Take challenges, and keep on challenging yourself, come on you can do better than this! Academic qualifications must also come with a good attitude, this will test you when you are in an administration. Need to have skills in decision making and solving problems, they are not just valuable for work but also in life! Get out of your comfort zone. Dare to try, dare to make mistakes as you’ll learn more from that as it is an opportunity to improve. View the failure as a positive side, everything will start to shine. Don’t miss a single opportunity. Your supervisor plays an essential part in your study as they are your mentor, so you can always argue with them but always respect them and have a agree to disagree decision. For me, Dr. Tim Richardson inspired me on how he supervised and treated his students as buddies. Last but not least, be kind to every soul.