Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tay Guan Seng is highly qualified and eminently suitable for appointment as an External Academic Advisor due to his extensive academic background, research expertise, and leadership experience in the field of Coating and Composite Materials. He holds a Ph.D. and currently serves as a University Lecturer (DS54) at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM). Dr. Tay has served in key university leadership positions, including Deputy Dean of the Institute of Postgraduate Studies at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) for three consecutive terms (20192025). He has also contributed widely as External Examiner for multiple Ph.D. and Master’s theses across leading Malaysian universities, including Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), and Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM). Moreover, Dr. Tay’s involvement in various university taskforces and committee, including MyRA assessment panels, postgraduate program learning outcomes taskforces, and performance appraisal review committees shows his consistent engagement with institutional quality enhancement and policy development