On 9 April 2026, Quest International University celebrated a milestone as eight academics received the UKCGE Recognised Supervisor Award during a ceremony on campus
The prestigious honours, bestowed by the UK Council of Graduate Education (UKCGE), were presented personally by our Vice Chancellor Prof Zita Mohd Fahmi in a ceremony that was as much about our academic culture as it was about credentials.
Those who attended heard Prof Zita speak with unmistakable pride. “This is not merely a ceremony,” she said. “It is a declaration of the standards we hold ourselves to at QIU.”
She described the awardees as supervisors who had engaged with research literature, thought carefully about best practice, and translated that thinking into the lived experience of their postgraduate students — and she made clear that this is only the beginning of QIU’s ambitions in this postgraduate space.
Dean of the Centre for Postgraduate Studies, Prof. Vijay Kumar, opened the ceremony by reflecting on what the journey actually involved. “QIU already had good supervisors,” he told the gathering. ” We invested in the people we already had, mentored them, and aligned their practice with the best in the world — and look at where they stand today.” He was quick to credit the Deans who nominated the right colleagues, noting that recognition begins with someone believing in you.
He also drew a distinction that resonated with many in the audience. In many institutions, research supervisors are never recognised at all. Where recognition exists, it often comes through student nomination — shaped by popularity or faculty size. The UKCGE programme is different. It is grounded in the pedagogy of reflection: independent international reviewers evaluate each submission against a global framework. “You earned this by thinking carefully and honestly about your own practice,” Prof. Vijay told the awardees. “International reviewers were confident you met the global standard. You can now walk into any room, any conference, any university in the world — and walk in with your head held high. That is something no one can take from you.”
The eight — Prof Dr Aznan Che Ahmad, Prof Dr Loke Siew Phaik, Prof Dr Mahibub Mahamadsa Kanakal, Prof. Dr Sandheep Sugathan, AP Dr. Chin Sook Fui, AP Dr Hema Ramachandran, AP Dr. Kamariah Hassan, and AP Dr Tilagavati Subramanian—were nominated by QIU’s faculties, each having completed a rigorous reflective portfolio evaluated by independent international reviewers. Prof Vijay himself is also a recipient of the award, putting QIU’s current total at nine.
The UKCGE Recognised Supervisor Award operates at two levels — the Associate Award for supervisors building their reflective practice, and the Full Award for those with an established doctoral supervision record demonstrating impact. Both require rigorous written evidence assessed by independent international reviewers.
The ceremony closed with a forward look. CPGS will be calling for a second cohort soon, and Prof. Vijay extended an open invitation to colleagues across the university to consider stepping forward. As he put it: “That is not a small thing. This is QIU standing tall, and saying to the world — we are here, and we are excellent.”
