THE Education Ministry has announced the appointment of Professor Datuk Dr Abdul Wahab Mohammad as the new deputy vice-chancellor in research and innovation affairs at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) effective May 27 till May 26, 2022.
Currently holding a professorial role at the Research Centre for Sustainable Process Technology (CESPRO) in the Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, Abdul Wahab, 52, succeeds Professor Datuk Dr Mohd Ekhwan Toriman, who ended his tenure on May 23.
Hailing from Sungai Seluang in Lunas, Kulim, Kedah, Abdul Wahab obtained his degree in chemical engineering at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, the United States (1989), before doing his masters in chemical engineering at Purdue University, Indiana (1991).
He studied for his PhD in chemical engineering at the University of Wales Swansea in the United Kingdom (1998).
He has held many leadership roles in UKM, among them were the director of the Advanced Engineering Centre (2005-2007), director of the Industry Liaison Office (2009-2010) and dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment (2014-2018).
He was seconded as the senior research director at Qatar Energy and Environment Research Institute in Doha, Qatar, from March 24 to July 25 last year.
He is also a professional engineer with the Board of Engineers Malaysia and registered with the Engineering Council in the UK.
Wahab has also held several professional positions outside UKM, including as a corporate member of the Institute of Engineers Malaysia, fellow of the Institute of Chemical Engineers, and fellow of the Academy Science of Malaysia.
He is an editor of the Journal of Water Process Engineering (Elsevier UK) since 2014; member of the Engineering Programe Accreditation Evaluation Panel at the Board of Engineers Malaysia since 2003, and an external evaluator in 10 universities.
His expertise is in membrane and separation technology, water and waste treatment, and nanotechnology in separation process. His research has won awards, such as the Prince Sultan International Prize for Water Study (Saudi Arabia) in 2008 and the Malaysia Toray Science Foundation Science Prize in 2015.