Congratulations to Ir Academician Emeritus Prof Tan Sri Dato’ Dr Chuah Hean Teik on being conferred the IEM Distinguished Honorary Fellow award.

This is indeed a great honour for Tan Sri Dato’ Dr Chuah. The last IEM Distinguised Honorary Fellow was awarded 12 years ago in 2010. Since 2003, there are only three recipients of the IEM Distinguised Honorary Fellow award and Tan Sri Chuah is the third recipient of this honourable award in 2022.

Tan Sri Dato’ Dr Chuah’s passion for education, his commitment for progress and his immense contribution in the field of engineering and education, spanned over a period of 35 years since his graduation from University of Malaya. He has remained consistently focused and dedicated to his vision for STEM education and his aspirations for engineering in the nation and the region. 

Tan Sri Dato’ Dr Chuah is a highly talented, visionary engineer, educator and technical leader who is fully trained in Malaysia. For those who know him, Tan Sri Dato’ Dr Chuah is synonymous with dynamism, innovativeness, hardworking, and high standards. He is very reputable among academics and renowned among universities and the engineering profession in Malaysia, ASEAN, Asia and the Pacific, and the world.

Tan Sri Dato’ Dr Chuah graduated with a BEng (First Class Honours), MEngSc and PhD in electrical engineering, all from University of Malaya, Malaysia. From July 1988-April 1997, he was on the faculty of the Electrical Engineering Department of the University of Malaya. From May 1997–Jan 2008, Tan Sri Dato Dr Chuah was  a Senior Professor at the Multimedia University (MMU), during which he held various posts, such as, Vice President (R&D and Academic Development), Dean of Engineering, and Director of Research. From June 2001-Jan 2008, he also assumed the duty of the Penang State Government Professor of ICT in MMU.

He was President of Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR) from 2008-2019. He is currently a Consultant Professor to Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xian, China; and University Advisor to University Sanya, Hainan, China. He is now a UTAR Council Member and Chairman of the UTAR Hospital Board.

His research interests include microwave remote sensing and applied electromagnetics. He has authored/co-authored more than 280 papers in international journals and conferences. Tan Sri Dato’ Dr Chuah has received many awards locally and internationally for his research excellence. Among them include the inaugural Young Engineer Award by the Institution of Engineers, Malaysia in 1991; 1990 Young Scientist Award at the 23rd General Assembly of the International Union of Radio Science (URSI) at Prague, Czechoslovakia;  1993 Young Scientist Award at the 24th General Assembly of URSI at Kyoto, Japan; 1995 Young Scientist Award (Industrial Sector) by the Malaysian Ministry of Science, Technology and the Environment; 1999 Malaysian Toray Science Foundation Science and Technology Award; 2011 IET Malaysia Outstanding Achievement Award; and 2012 Rotary Research Gold Medal Award by the Rotary Club of Kuala Lumpur DiRaja.

In recognition of his scholarly achievements, Tan Sri Dato’ Dr Chuah has been admitted as a Fellow of the following Academies and Institutions: Academy of Sciences, Malaysia (youngest Fellow at the point of induction in 2002) and as Senior Fellow who carries the title of Academician (youngest Senior Fellow) in 2011; the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, USA in 2014 (first and the only FIEEE from within Malaysia as at to-date); The Remote Sensing and Photogrammetry Society, UK; The Institution of Engineering and Technology, UK; Founding Fellow and Senior Fellow of the ASEAN Academy of Engineering and Technology; The Electromagnetics Academy based in MIT, USA; Honorary Fellow of Myanmar Engineering Society and ASEAN Federation of Engineering Organisations, and Founding Fellow of The Academy of Engineering and Technology of the Developing World.

Tan Sri Dato’ Dr Chuah has contritbuted significantly in education, particularly in engineering education. He was the Founding Dean of Engineering of Multimedia University from 1997 to 2008. He introduced many new engineering degree progammes in anticipation of new emerging technologies. As President of UTAR, he initiated a structured Soft-Skill Development Certification system for all undergraduates so that they can be better trained as whole-some graduates in addition to academic studies. He also initiated the New Village Community Projects among the students in UTAR since 2009 to nurture caring and socially responsible graduates who have volunteerism in their blood. Under his leadership from 2008-2019, UTAR has now been recognized as a world reputable institution of higher learning.

Tan Sri Dato’ Dr  Chuah is also an eminent technical leader. He was Immediate Past President of ASEAN Academy of Engineering and Technology (AAET) (2016-2022), Past President of the Federation of Engineering Institutions of Asia and the Pacific (FEIAP) (2011-2015), and Past President of IEM (2009-2011). During his tenure as the FEIAP President, he promoted the FEIAP Engineering Education Guideline which was then endorsed by the UNESCO Regional Science Bureau for Asia and the Pacific Office in Jakarta in 2015. This allows international bench-marking, ensuring substantial equivalence in  standard and quality of engineering programmes throughout Asia and the Pacific region. This gives confidence for the mobility of engineers in the region.

He has been appointed as Mentor/Review for Engineering Accreditation System in Myanmar, Cambodia, Pakistan, Nigeria and Rwanda. For example, under his mentorship from 2010-2019, Myanmar Engineering Council was accepted as a provisional member of Washington Accord in 2019. He is the Chairman of FEIAP Standing Committee on Engineering Education (since 2015) and Chairman of Africa, Asia and the Pacific (AAP) Accord Engineering Education Council (since April 2021) and helps to influence the standards of engineering education and mobility of engineering team worldwide.

Due to his significant contributions in engineeirng profession, Tan Sri Dato’ Dr Chuah has been recognised not only in Malaysia but world wide. For example, he received the 2017 Outstanding Engineering Achievement Award by the ASEAN Federation of Engineering Organisations; the 2018 Distinguished Honorary Mentor Award by Myanmar Engineering Council, the IEM Engineering Hall of Fame in 2019, 2019 FEIAP Engineer of the Year, and 2019 WFEO Medal of Excellence in Engineering Education. In 2021, Tan Sri Dato’ Dr Chuah received the Chinese Government's Friendship Award, which is the People's Republic of China's highest award for foreign experts who have made outstanding contributions to China's economic and social development, as well as effort in facilitating friendly exchanges between China and other countries in culture, education, science and technology.

Due to his technical expertise, he has been appointed to various committees which include: Member, Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (2018-2024); Member of Selection Committee for Science and Technology Award and Science and Technology Research Grant, Malaysia Toray Science Foundation  (since 2012); Member, Audit Committee, Mahathir Science Award Foundation (since 2012); the Malaysian Engineering Accreditation Council (EAC), the Malaysian Engineering and Technology Accreditation Council (ETAC), Chairman, klia2 Independent Safety Committee by Ministry of Transport to review safety issues for klia2 Airport in Malaysia (2014-2015); and Member, Malaysia Education System Review Panel by the Government of Malaysia to review the Education Blueprint of Malaysia (2012).

In recognition of his valuable services and contributions, he was conferred the Darjah Setia Pangkuan Negeri, which carries the title “Dato”, by the Governor of Penang in July 2005, and conferred the Panglima Setia Mahkota Award, which carries the title “Tan Sri”, by the King of Malaysia, the Yang DiPertuan Agung, in September 2019.

On  16 April 2022, the IEM Council unanimously agreed to confer upon Tan Sri Dato’ Dr Chuah the Distinguished Honorary Fellow, which is IEM’s highest award to a distinguished person of acknowledged eminence and high standing such as Prime Minister, Head of State; a very prominent engineer or world renowned figure who has rendered very substantial and outstanding services to the engineering profession, the Institution and the nation.