Brunel University London Alumni Reception, held in Malaysia recently saw over 50 alumni members come together for an evening of connection, friendship and laughter.

The get-together event aimed to provide an opportunity for the alumni to expand their networks of professional contacts, catch up with their university friends and enhance their connection with each other through the sharing of their experiences and knowledge. Besides keeping the alumni connected with the university, the event also sought to update them on the current events at the university. 

In his welcoming speech, Vice Chancellor and President, Professor Andrew Jones said, “Brunel is always happy to celebrate an event like this with our alumni. Our graduates have widely-spread throughout the globe in search of growth, learning, knowledge and their performances have made a difference everywhere”

Brunel University London is a campus-based university situated in Uxbridge, West London, and is currently home to over 14,000 students from 150 countries. Founded back in 1966, the university's distinctive mission is to combine teaching and research excellence with technical and entrepreneurial approach.

“Among the 91 UK universities, Brunel is in the top 10 when it comes to ‘International Faculty’ – the proportion of teaching and research staff from overseas. It is also 13th for the number of international students compared with those from the UK. I want to thank everyone who helped to achieve this incredible milestone. As we develop our new strategy, I look forward to the university furthering this significant upward trajectory,” said Professor Andrew.

The Vice Chancellor was excited to announce the launch of the Vice‑Chancellor’s Excellence Award 2024: a scholarship which will give a substantial boost to so many international students who start their master’s journey at Brunel in September. Each student who meets their requirements by the end of July and who meets the criteria will get a £5,000 reduction in their first-year fees.

Dive into some of Brunel alumni and lecturer education experience

“My four years journey studying in Brunel was truly a memorable experience, as it is a place where students of all backgrounds can thrive academically, professionally, and socially”

“Brunel has many facilities that are equipped with the latest technologies to create an environment that replicates the real working world. This allows students to be equipped with the relevant skills and are market-ready to face the challenging work environment in the future,” said Muhammad Khairulnizam Jaapar, Master Degree in Electronic and Electrical graduate.

Since graduating in PhD Information Systems and Computing in 2012, Dr. Ahmi continued to share his expertise in bibliometric analysis through frequent workshops and training sessions. To date, Dr. Ahmi's academic contributions include over 100 journal articles, and he has successfully supervised eight Ph.D. graduates in diverse fields.

“The people who supported and lifted me up during my time at Brunel - lecturers and fellow students alike have contributed profoundly to my success,” said Ts. Dr. Aidi Ahmi, Associate Professor.

“In Brunel, we have many state-of-the-art facilities such as Carbon Capture Labs, Algae Labs, Battery Labs and we also do both experimental work and computational moduling. Many of our syllabus are unique as we focus on project based, peer learning as well as collaborative learning which positively contributes to Brunel’s student capacity development,” said Dr Kok Siew Ng, Lecturer in Chemical Engineering, Brunel University.

Brunel efforts in transitioning to a low carbon economy

Brunel University’s research has shifted focus on areas in which it can integrate academic rigour with the needs of governments, industry and the not-for-profit sector, delivering green industrial solutions to global challenges and bringing economic, social and cultural benefit.

“From electric vehicles and new forms of aeronautical engineering to circular metals and sustainable energy use in food chains, Brunel offers a wide variety of studies revolving on sustainability and green tech for students to venture into,” said Professor Andrew.

“To all the alumni, I believe that Brunel will have a special place in your higher education journey. Meeting people from all over the world, allows our students and lecturers to be part of a lively, vibrant and strikingly international community. We look forward to more alumni members participating in our event next year,” said Andrew Williams, Head of Development and Alumni Relations.

All in all, it was a lovely evening filled with great camaraderie – leaving old friendships strengthened and new ones formed.

Once A Brunelian, Always A Brunelian

To all the Brunel alumni, the institute welcomes you to be part of their alumni community with lifelong access to a worldwide network of fellow graduates with Brunel in common and a range of alumni perks to take advantage of.

Here's how your Alumni Relations team can help:

1. Join or start an international alumni association to connect with other Brunel graduates in your country.

2. Access their free network at brunelalumni.com or join one of their global networks to track down classmates, build industry connections, view jobs, and stay in the loop with their news and events.

3. Enjoy discounts on postgraduate courses if you continue your studies with Brunel.

4. Gain professional voluntary experience by becoming a mentor, writing a profile, or seeking a career event.

5. Recruit Brunel talent by offering placement and graduate roles with your company.

For more information, visit https://www.brunel.ac.uk/alumni! 

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.