The Multidisciplinary Research Seminar Session (MRSS) at the Institute of Business Management (IoBM) organized a guest speaker session on Saturday, June 22, 2019, at Room Number 308, CBM Building, IoBM. Invited to speak was Dr. Aamer Iqbal Bhatti (Ph.D. Leicester University, UK) who is currently serving as Professor, Dean and HoD, Offices of Research, Innovation and Commercialization (ORIC), Capital University of Science and Technology, (CUST) Islamabad. He is also the pioneering head of Control and Signal Processing Research Group (CASPR) at CUST. He is leading CASPR with a dedicated group of researchers, scholars and faculty since its inception in 2000s which has now evolved into a self-sustainable multi-disciplinary research center. CASPR has generated scores of PhDs and MS thesis related to commercial and industrial research. Its research members are spread around Pakistan and across several international universities. Its projects with national and international collaborations have yielded concrete and tangible output for Pakistan’s industries. Dr. Aamer’s achievements among others include receiving the ‘HEC Best Paper Awards’, winning the prestigious ‘National Research and Productivity Awards’ and ‘IEEE CSS Outstanding Chapter of the Year Award’.
Present at this occasion were IoBM’s Dr. Syed Irfan Hyder, Rector; Dr. Amanat Ali Jalbani, Senior Advisor to President, Dean, CBM, and HoD, ORIC and Graduate Studies (OGS); Dr. Seema Ansari, Associate Dean, College of Engineering and Sciences (CES); Dr. Tariq Rahim Soomro, Dean, College of Computer Science and Information Systems (CCSIS); Dr. Muhammad Arif, Deputy Head, QEC and Dr. Asima Faisal, Assistant Professor and HoD, Health and Hospital Management. This session was well-attended by HoDs, faculty, members of IoBM’s MRSS and the students of Ph.D., MS and MPhil program enrolled at IoBM.
During his welcome note, Dr. Syed Irfan Hyder thanked Dr. Adnan Bashir, Assistant Professor, Marketing, IoBM and the Entrepreneurship and Management Excellence Center (EMEC), IoBM for arranging this session and also expressed his gratitude to HoDs for allowing their faculty members to attend this program. He pointed out that Dr. Aamer Iqbal Bhatti’s talk would focus on research groups. He said that research groups are a lifeline for researchers in identifying and helping them solve research-based problems. He stressed that research and its topic must not die with the Ph.D. student graduating but the research groups must continue with the research on these topics from various angles and through spin-offs of these topics. Dr. Syed Irfan Hyder especially mentioned the aspects essential for Ph.D. researchers which include industry collaboration, partnership across local and international universities, researchers creating their own research goals and how research projects can provide tangible solutions for industries.
During his talk, Dr. Aamer Iqbal Bhatti emphasized that Pakistan should move towards a hi-tech economy, the youth must develop relevant hi-tech skills and that universities will play a pivotal role in this regard. He also touched upon the Global Competitive Index and its five pillars namely: Institution, Infrastructure, Macroeconomic Environment, Health and Primary Education and Higher Education and Training and how each, especially, higher education and training is playing a significant role in the Pakistani perspective.
While stating the problems faced by Ph.D. students, Dr. Aamer Iqbal Bhatti mentioned of the following: the specific post-graduate course is unavailable, research tools are unavailable and those which are available there is no one to teach them. There is no linkage with international universities and there is no depth in the field of research topics. He stated that the biggest hurdle is the finalization of the research topic. Moreover, the talk focused on how Research Groups can create worthwhile and substantial research for industries. Also discussed were topics such as the evolution of a research group, industry recognition of university research and what other disciplines and other research groups can learn from CASPR.
Published on IoBM’s website by the Public Relations Department, IoBM – 111-002-004 – EXT: 334, 290
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