The main role of the Expert Panel is to advise the University, specifically the School on the academic curriculum including reviewing of examination papers, based on the stakeholders and industry requirements. This is part of the Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) program for quality assurance for examinations, Outcome Based Education (OBE) implementation and Undergraduate Curriculum Review, R&D, and research collaboration and consultancy.

External Examiner: Dr Abir Al-Tabbaa

Dr Al-Tabbaa graduated from Bristol University in 1983 in Civil Engineering and obtained an MPhil and PhD degrees in Soil Mechanics in 1984 and 1987 respectively from Cambridge University working on the permeability and stress-strain response of speswhite kaolin clay both experimentally and numerically. She then worked as a geotechnical engineer with Ove Arup & Partners Consulting Engineers in their London and Nottingham Offices for just over three years and was involved in the geotechnical design and construction aspects of a number of projects including Embankment Place and Ludgate Railways Works in the centre of London and Corby and Peterborough power stations.

In 1991 she took up a lectureship at the University of Birmingham and in 1997 returned to Cambridge University as a University Lecturer, now Reader in Geotechnical Engineering. She is a fellow of Sidney Sussex College. She is a Chartered Engineer and a Member of the Institution of Civil Engineers.

She is a member of the British Geotechnical Association Executive Committee (2001-2004), a member of the Institution of Civil Engineers Geotechnical Engineering Advisory Panel (2003-2005) and the UK representative on the International Society of Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering Technical Committee TC17 on Ground Improvement. She was awarded the Institution of Civil Engineers Reed and Mallik Medal 2003 for her paper on the five-year soil mixing treatment work at the West Drayton site near Heathrow Airport. 

Program Advisor: Prof Dr Md Ghazaly Shaaban

Professor Dr Md Ghazaly Shaaban is an environmental and public health engineer. He graduated from the University of Leeds (BSc Chemical Engineering), Imperial College of Science and Technology (MSc and DIC Public Health Engineering) and University of Newcastle upon Tyne (PhD Public Health Engineering). He has worked previously for a year with ESSO (M) Bhd in the petroleum division as a process engineer.

He served in the capacity of Head of Department of Civil Engineering from September 1997 to August 1999 and from 1 April 2004 to 31 March 2006. He was also formerly Deputy Dean (Development) at the Faculty of Engineering from Sept 2006 to Sept 2007 and Dean of Faculty of Engineering from Oct 2007 to Sept 2008. He is teaching Environmental Engineering course at the Department of Civil Engineering, University of Malaya. He is active in Research in Water & Wastewater Treatment, Hazardous Waste Stabilization, Computer Applications in Environmental Engineering and Water Quality Deterioration In Distribution Pipelines.

He has been consulted by the Department of Environment (DOE) Malaysia to review reports of projects on Iron Ore Pellet Plant in Kemaman, Terengganu, Thermal Treatment Plant for Solid Waste Management, Broga in Selangor, Titanium Dioxide in Terengganu and Synthetic Rutile in Ipoh, Perak for environmental impact assessment (EIA). He was formerly serving as a member of the Technical Panel for Authorisation of Design of Wastewater Treatment Systems in the State of Negeri Sembilan. He has about 115 technical papers to his credit.

He is a member of the International Association on Water Quality (IAWQ) of United Kingdom, Environmental Management & Research Association of Malaysia (ENSEARCH), Malaysian Water Association (MWA), Electron Microscopy Society Malaysia (EMSM) and graduate member of Institute of Engineers Malaysia (IEM).

Program Consultant: Prof Hamidi Abdul Aziz

Hamidi Abdul Aziz is a Professor in environmental engineering at the School of Civil Engineering, Universiti Sains Malaysia since 2000.  He received his PhD in civil engineering (environmental engineering) from University of Strathclyde, Scotland in 1992. He has published to date over 70 refereed articles in professional journals/proceedings, 5 chapters in refereed international level books and 3 chapters in refereed national level books.  Hamidi Abdul Aziz continues to serve as peer reviewer for several international journals.  He serves as an associate editor of the International Journal of Chemistry and Environment and is a Guest Editor of the Special Issue on Landfill Leachate Management and Control of the International Journal of Environment and Waste Management (IJEWM).  He currently sits as the Editorial Board Member of IJEWM.

Hamidi Abdul Aziz has become Visiting Research Fellow to Department of Environmental Engineering, Kyoto University, Japan, under Ministry of Education, Japanese Government in year 1997, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2006.  He has won various research awards related to waste management in various exhibitions.  He is currently sitting as a technical committee member for national solid waste management in Malaysia since April 2006.

Hamidi Abdul Aziz's research has focused on alleviating the problems associated with industrial wastewater discharge and solid waste management via landfilling, especially on leachate pollution.  He has been involved in more than 35 consultancy works and industrial testing for industries in the field of water and wastewater treatment, solid waste management, leachate treatment, curriculum design, EIA and EMP, etc.  He has conducted over 30 funded research projects from 1992 to date with total cost over RM2 million.  Hamidi Abdul Aziz and his research group have developed the treatment system consists of a combination of biological and physical-chemical treatment of leachate in which the latter plays a very significant role in removing organic matter and heavy metals. 

Program Consultant: Assoc Prof Dr Mahamad Hakimi Ibrahim

Mahamad Hakimi Ibrahim graduated with a BSc (1981) and MSc (1982) in Chemical Engineering from University of Manchester - Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST), Manchester, UK and got his PhD degree in Chemical Engineering (1994) from the University Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi. Since 1982 he is lecturing at the USM making also research and consultancy services in Chemical Engineering, Air Pollution Technology, Environmental Engineering Education, Education for Sustainable Development, Environmental Political-Economy, Society and Environmental issues and also Gold Dinar Economy.

In the USM he is the Secretary to Islamic Political Economy International Network (ISNET-USM), which organises the International Islamic Political Economy Conference Series. He is a member of the editorial board of the International Journal of Alternative Political Economy and also the coordinator of the Gold Dinar Research Group at USM. The Gold Dinar is an instrument for research into environmental equivalent for global fair environmental trade exchange/transactions. (GDRG-USM - www.usm.my/dinar). Currently he is Chairman for the Environmental Technology Division of the School of Industrial Technology, USM.

Program Consultant: Muhamad Rashid Wan Chik

Hails from Seberang Perai Selatan, Pulau Pinang. He was a Senior Officer with the Department of Environment prior to his optional retirement in May 1994. He was one of the pioneers of the Department of Environment when it was established in 1974 and has served the Department for about 20 years. Upon his retirement, he joined a Penang based Environmental Consultant firm as Project Manager where he managed the firm’s regional office in Kompleks Alor Setar, Kedah Darulaman. Served the Company for 4 years and 3 months and was the Senior Project Manager before his resignation in August 1998 to establish GLISTEN Environmental Consultants Sdn Bhd, an Environmental Consultation firm where he is the General Manager/Managing Director.

His experiences with the Penang based environmental firm gave him valuable experience in handling environmental matters ranging from project assessment and evaluation to environmental pollution control. He was instrumental in securing EIA studies in Kedah for the firm and approvals for projects in the state of Kedah, Penang, Negeri Sembilan, Selangor and Pahang. He was involved in the feasibility study of Sungai Muda with the Japanese International Corporation Agency (JICA) in collaboration with the Jabatan Pengairan dan Saliran (JPS), Kedah and the study of Sungai Kedah with Bridgecon Bhd, Kuala Lumpur based Company.