IN the last two years, we have had our mobility restricted for our own health and wellbeing, in cooperation with frontliners who safeguard our communities.
As Malaysia enters the endemic phase of the pandemic, borders are open to travellers, with our own international travel being made easier. It is worth considering what benefits can be gained by increasing our mobility once again.
Monash University Malaysia has been thinking about the benefits that can be gained from educational mobility and global mobility in the post-pandemic era, by asking: "How can we best capitalise on the opportunities by visiting other nations, listening and learning from the best in the world and interacting with other cultures, while experiencing sights and sounds firsthand?"
The experience of travel can be transformative, particularly for students, setting them on a new path or confirming their life's ambition.
Prof Matthew Nicholson launched one of the nation's most valuable and rewarding global mobility programmes – GEMS.
The university’s response has been twofold. First, Prof Matthew Nicholson,Vice President (Research and Development), Monash University Malaysia launched the Global Excellence and Mobility Scholarship (GEMS), one of the nation's most valuable and rewarding global mobility programmes.
It will be investing RM8mil to fund 45 scholarships that will commence in the next three years for PhD students who aspire to be outstanding in their field, who want to be part of a global research team and are compelled to solve some of the most pressing problems of our age.
The GEMS programme sets itself apart by providing students the opportunity to study in Malaysia and Australia - years one and three of their PhD in Malaysia and year two in Australia.
During their studies, these students will be supervised by staff from the Malaysian and Australian campuses. They will be rewarded with a full scholarship and travel grant.
The second response is the investment of RM3mil over the next three years to fund current PhD students in order to increase their global mobility by spending time at prestigious universities and institutes throughout the world. They will engage in discussions with the best and brightest in their respective fields.
This programme ensures students can enjoy all the benefits of a post-pandemic world, increase their mobility, move freely and connect to the rest of the world in ways that have been denied to them for the past two years.
Monash University Malaysia continues to invest in the future of Malaysia and the wider international community.
It will continue its work as a research-intensive university committed to innovation and discovery being central elements of its mission.
Learn more about the university’s postgraduate programmes by joining Monash University Malaysia’s Virtual Postgraduate Day on May 21 via this link.
