FMIPA UGM Holds Dean Handover Ceremony, Marking New Leadership Term for 2026–2031

The Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences (FMIPA) Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) held a leadership handover ceremony on Thursday (1/10) at the Herman Johannes Auditorium of FMIPA UGM, marking the transition from Prof. Dr. Eng. Kuwat Triyana, M.Si. to Prof. Dr.-Ing. Mhd. Reza M. I. Pulungan, S.Si., M.Sc., who will lead the faculty for the 2026–2031 term.

The handover came a day after Prof. Reza was sworn in as one of the 19 newly appointed deans by UGM Rector Prof. dr. Ova Emilia, M.Med.Ed., Sp.OG(K)., Ph.D. The inauguration took place at the UGM Senate Hall on Wednesday (30/9).

Looking back on his five-year tenure, Prof. Kuwat expressed his appreciation to those who had worked alongside him in developing FMIPA UGM. He said the faculty’s achievements were built through the collective efforts of its academic community and various partners.

“The five-year journey has been very meaningful because the people around me are all great and extraordinary. Many people worked with a nothing-to-lose attitude,” Prof. Kuwat said.

Prof. Kuwat also passed on several priorities to the incoming leadership, including keeping existing programmes going, building up partnerships, and taking research outcomes further through downstream applications. He said research should have a clear path towards utilisation so that academic findings can be developed into products and innovations that create added value.

He also called for fundamental and applied sciences to grow side by side. According to him, strengthening basic scientific knowledge should go hand in hand with efforts to bring research outcomes closer to practical applications.

Taking over the faculty for the 2026–2031 term, Prof. Reza expressed his appreciation for Prof. Kuwat’s leadership and the achievements built up during the previous term. He described FMIPA UGM as a dynamic and inclusive shared home where members of the academic community can grow and contribute.

Chair of the FMIPA UGM Senate, Prof. Drs. Mudasir, M.Eng., Ph.D., also pointed to challenges that the faculty will have to take on in the years ahead. He said advances in technology and innovation need to be backed up by moral, religious, and ethical responsibility.

He also noted that higher education needs to keep up with changing times, including shifts in students’ characteristics and behaviour. Institutions, he said, need to respond by providing education that fits the needs of each generation.

Prof. Mudasir further called for FMIPA UGM to build a harmonious academic environment. As a shared home for its academic community, the faculty needs an atmosphere where its members can work together, exchange ideas, and develop collaborations.

The leadership handover ushers in Prof. Reza’s five-year term as Dean of FMIPA UGM. It also sets the stage for the faculty to build on previous achievements while taking on new challenges in education, research, innovation, and research downstreaming.

FMIPA UGM’s focus on education, research, innovation, and research downstreaming also ties in with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 4 on quality education, SDG 9 on industry, innovation, and infrastructure, and SDG 17 on partnerships for the goals. By strengthening academic capacity and building up cross-sector partnerships, FMIPA UGM aims to develop knowledge and innovation that can benefit society and contribute to sustainable development.

Writer: Inna Mutifah
Photographer: Afiandina Sukma, Khairulmayzal Dwiksanendra