Professor Mushtak Al-Atabi, Dean of Engineering at Taylor's University, Malaysia, was appointed Honorary Professor of the University of Birmingham, this summer.
Professor Mushtak Al-Atabi, Dean of Engineering at Taylor’s University, Malaysia, was appointed Honorary Professor of the University of Birmingham, this summer.
This appointment further strengthens the important ties between the University of Birmingham and Taylor’s University, Malaysia’s leading private educational institution.
Mushtak Al-Atabi is a Mechanical Engineer. He earned his first degree and masters from the University of Baghdad and PhD from the University of Sheffield. He is currently Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Dean at Taylor’s University as well as Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE). His research interests include: Thermofluids, renewable engineering, biomechanical engineering, engineering education, and academic leadership.
Mushtak has many academic achievements as demonstrated by his citations in refereed journals and the prizes and awards he has received for his Research and Development activities, which include the Taylor’s Chairman’s Award for Excellence. He has also led a number of educational initiatives including pioneering Project Based Learning and CDIO (Conceive, Design, Implement, Operate) framework in Malaysia. He also developed and delivered the first MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) in Malaysia in March 2013 and pioneered the use of MOOCs for corporate training and human resource development.
Mushtak said:
The appointment as an honorary professor at the University of Birmingham is a true honour. I have worked with colleagues from the University of Birmingham for the past decade on a whole range of academic projects that focused on building relationships between Taylor¹s University and the University of Birmingham. These projects included offering twinning engineering programmes in Malaysia as well as attracting joint competitive research grants.
What draws me towards the University of Birmingham is the compelling vision of gearing education towards the achievement of human potential and addressing the Grand Challenges for this century.
Professor Duc Pham, Head of the School of Mechanical Engineering, said:
Professor Al-Atabi has been a close friend of the School of Mechanical Engineering for some years, collaborating with Dr Daniel Espino and Emeritus Professor David Hukins in biomedical engineering. His appointment as an Honorary Professor at the University enhances the collaboration and helps to further strengthen the links between our institutions. We look forward to welcoming Professor Al-Atabi to the School regularly over his appointment period and to creating opportunity for University colleagues to visit Taylor’s University.
Mushtak’s appointment as Honorary Professor comes amid plans for the University of Birmingham and Taylor’s University to further strengthen their relationship, more details of which will be released in the autumn.
