Alumnus Success: Dr Rahmat Shazi, Malaysia

13 May 2021

Dr Rahmat Shazi came from Malaysia to Queensland, Australia to study a PhD at The University of Queensland. 

How has your experience in Queensland helped you with your career? 

The PhD helped me recognise issues with current training, innovation management and university-industry links in my own country and how Australia dealt with the same issues.

Last year, I joined other Malaysian professionals who volunteered their time and expertise to develop medical and delivery devices amidst COVID-19.

In Malaysia, there was a desperate need for personal protective equipment (PPE) on the frontline and an urgency to find new solutions to address mounting challenges.

With Malaysians living amidst enforced restrictions, there were logistical challenges of equipping   frontline medical staff with Protective Personal Equipment (PPE).

Malaysian professionals based around the world collaborated together to find a solution amidst a world that had shut down.

The end result was COMBAT, a mobile COVID-19 testing unit that minimised the contact of frontline workers in their testing activities. It allowed up to 1200 people to be tested each day - far more than was possible in dedicated clinics. 

Why did you decide to study in Queensland? 

I wanted to study innovation management, and had the choice of either UNSW, The University of Queensland or Toyohashi University in Japan. In the end, the possibility of working in Australia and where the people are laid back, won me over. 

What career-advice would you give to give future students thinking about studying in Queensland? 

Think about where and how you want to expand your career and how studying in Queensland will add intrinsic and extrinsic value to your life.  

What's the easiest way to develop a social-life in Queensland? 

Go out and join artistic activities where the way people talk is less determined by the knowledge you have, and more by how much you want to learn. 

What are you doing now in your career? 

Running my own Trust Management Analytics Firm, ShazInnovation Solution, helping clients rearrange their innovation value chain.

Do you still have ties to Queensland? 

I am still a member of the Australian Malaysian Business Council Queensland. 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rahmat-shazi-96a91016/

Posted by: Study Queensland