USM PENANG, 15 January 2026, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), through its School of Humanities, has strengthened its international and policy-oriented engagement in disaster and climate resilience research with the hosting of DIGIHAZ project members and the official launch of the PhD in Geoinformatics in Disaster Management.

The event underscored the importance of EU-ASEAN cooperation in advancing digital and geospatial solutions for disaster risk management.

DIGIHAZ: Digital Transformation in Disaster Management, funded by the European Union and managed by DAAD/NUFFIC, brings together institutions from Europe and ASEAN to strengthen capacity in geographic information systems (GIS), remote sensing, and advanced geospatial technologies.

In his welcoming remarks, the Dean of the School of Humanities, Associate Professor Dr. Jasni Sulong, emphasised USM's commitment to continuously enhancing and diversifying its academic programmes to ensure relevance to societal needs and the global market.

USM currently hosts 13,194 postgraduate students, with more than 53 percent being international students, reflecting its strong global research environment.

At the School of Humanities, there are 276 PhD candidates, comprising 184 international and 92 local students, with plans to further expand doctoral enrolment to strengthen research and development.

The school has also strengthened its academic pipeline in disaster-related geospatial studies with the launch of the Master of Science in Geomatics for Disaster Risk Reduction two years ago, which currently has 11 enrolled students.

The newly launched PhD in Geoinformatics in Disaster Management is a research-intensive, internationally oriented programme that integrates geospatial technologies with disaster risk reduction, climate adaptation, governance, and spatial planning.

The programme is aligned with key global frameworks, including the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, supporting evidence-based policy and resilience planning.

The event featured two keynote presentations by national leaders in geospatial and space-based technologies.

Dato' TPr. Gs. Rozita Hamit, Director of the State Town and Country Planning Department Penang (PlanMalaysia), delivered a keynote on the role of geospatial technologies in disaster management, highlighting their application in spatial planning, risk assessment, and resilient development.

The second keynote was delivered by Samsuddin Omar, Deputy Director (Research and Development) of the Malaysia Space Agency (MYSA), who addressed the role of MYSA in disaster management, focusing on the use of satellite data, Earth observation, and space-based technologies to support monitoring, early warning systems, and emergency response.

The programme brought together international experts from the University of West Attica (UNIWA), Greece, Xavier University, Cordilleras University, and Universiti Utara Malaysia, underscoring the strength of cross-regional academic collaboration under the DIGIHAZ initiative.

Also present was USM Deputy Vice-Chancellor Academic and International, Professor Dato' Gs. Dr. Narimah Samat.

Through this initiative, USM reaffirms its commitment to strengthening partnerships between academia, government agencies, and international organisations, positioning the University as a regional and international hub for geoinformatics-driven disaster management and climate resilience, while advancing long-term EU-ASEAN academic cooperation.

Text & Poster: Geography Section, School of Humanities, USM