{"id":83,"date":"2012-09-25T20:37:14","date_gmt":"2012-09-25T12:37:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/people.utm.my\/azman\/?page_id=83"},"modified":"2026-10-13T19:44:14","modified_gmt":"2026-10-13T11:44:14","slug":"biography","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/murtadha\/biography\/","title":{"rendered":"Biography"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-group ni-site\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\"><a class=\"ni-skip\" href=\"#ni-main\">Skip to content<\/a><div class=\"ni-institution\" aria-label=\"Institutional affiliation\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"ni-lockup ni-lockup--colour\" src=\"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/murtadha\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/717\/2026\/09\/New-UTM-ASCEND2030-COL.png\" width=\"1474\" height=\"450\" alt=\"Universiti Teknologi Malaysia \u2014 ASCEND 2030\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"ni-lockup ni-lockup--black\" src=\"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/murtadha\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/717\/2026\/09\/UTM-ASCEND2030-BL.png\" width=\"1463\" height=\"450\" alt=\"Universiti Teknologi Malaysia \u2014 ASCEND 2030\"><\/div><header class=\"ni-header\"><a class=\"ni-brand\" href=\"\/murtadha\/\">MURTADHA<span>NETWORKED INTELLIGENCE<\/span><\/a><nav class=\"ni-desktop\" aria-label=\"Primary\"><a href=\"\/murtadha\/research-areasinterest\/\">Research<\/a><a href=\"\/murtadha\/scopus-indexed-publications\/\">Publications<\/a><a href=\"\/murtadha\/phd-students\/\">People<\/a><a href=\"\/murtadha\/teaching\/\">Teaching<\/a><a href=\"\/murtadha\/consultancy-industry-engagement\/\">Impact<\/a><a href=\"\/murtadha\/biography\/\">About<\/a><\/nav><a class=\"ni-contact-link\" href=\"mailto:murtadha@utm.my\">Contact &#x2197;<\/a><details class=\"ni-menu\"><summary>Menu<\/summary><nav aria-label=\"Mobile\"><a href=\"\/murtadha\/research-areasinterest\/\">Research<\/a><a href=\"\/murtadha\/scopus-indexed-publications\/\">Publications<\/a><a href=\"\/murtadha\/phd-students\/\">People<\/a><a href=\"\/murtadha\/teaching\/\">Teaching<\/a><a href=\"\/murtadha\/consultancy-industry-engagement\/\">Impact<\/a><a href=\"\/murtadha\/biography\/\">About<\/a><a href=\"mailto:murtadha@utm.my\">Contact &#x2197;<\/a><\/nav><\/details><\/header><div id=\"ni-main\" tabindex=\"-1\"><\/div>\n<!-- ============ BIOGRAPHY \u2014 paste as ONE Custom HTML block ============ -->\n<div class=\"mm mm-masthead\">\n  <div class=\"mm-masthead__inner\">\n    <span class=\"mm-masthead__kicker\">Academic life &middot; research &middot; supervision<\/span>\n    <h1>Twenty-five years at UTM, seen from the classroom <em>and<\/em> the server room.<\/h1>\n    <p class=\"mm-masthead__lede\">I&rsquo;ve spent most of my working life at the Faculty of Computing, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia &mdash; lecturer from 2006, Associate Professor since 2019, with a spell running the university&rsquo;s IT services in between.<\/p>\n  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"mm ni-page-module\" style=\"padding:clamp(70px,8vw,112px) clamp(20px,5vw,60px);background:#171416;color:#fff;border-bottom:1px solid #453931\">\n<div class=\"mm-inner\">\n<div style=\"display:grid;grid-template-columns:repeat(auto-fit,minmax(min(100%,320px),1fr));gap:28px;align-items:end;margin-bottom:42px\">\n<div><span class=\"mm-eyebrow\" style=\"color:#c6a15b\">Biography \u00b7 scroll trajectory<\/span><h2 style=\"margin:14px 0 0;color:#fff;font-size:clamp(34px,5vw,62px);line-height:.98\">An academic life,<br><em style=\"color:#d7c9bd;font-weight:400\">connected over time.<\/em><\/h2><\/div>\n<p style=\"margin:0;color:#c3b6a8;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7\">Scroll through the milestones that connect research, university service and postgraduate leadership.<\/p>\n<\/div><div role=\"list\" aria-label=\"Academic trajectory\" style=\"display:grid;gap:16px;max-width:920px;margin:0 auto\">\n<div role=\"listitem\" style=\"min-height:190px;padding:24px;display:flex;flex-direction:column;justify-content:space-between;background:#f7f3ef;color:#171416;border-top:4px solid #c6a15b;position:sticky;top:88px\"><span style=\"font-size:10px;letter-spacing:.14em;opacity:.7\">01 \/ 2006<\/span><div><strong style=\"display:block;font-size:25px;line-height:1.03;letter-spacing:-.03em\">Lecturer at UTM<\/strong><p style=\"margin:12px 0 0;font-size:14px;line-height:1.55;opacity:.78\">The beginning of a long academic chapter at the Faculty of Computing.<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n<div role=\"listitem\" style=\"min-height:190px;padding:24px;display:flex;flex-direction:column;justify-content:space-between;background:#d8c9bd;color:#171416;border-top:4px solid #c6a15b;position:sticky;top:104px\"><span style=\"font-size:10px;letter-spacing:.14em;opacity:.7\">02 \/ 2007<\/span><div><strong style=\"display:block;font-size:25px;line-height:1.03;letter-spacing:-.03em\">Doctoral research<\/strong><p style=\"margin:12px 0 0;font-size:14px;line-height:1.55;opacity:.78\">PhD at Heriot-Watt University, connecting bio-inspired search with articulated robot motion planning.<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n<div role=\"listitem\" style=\"min-height:190px;padding:24px;display:flex;flex-direction:column;justify-content:space-between;background:#7a1f32;color:#fff;border-top:4px solid #c6a15b;position:sticky;top:120px\"><span style=\"font-size:10px;letter-spacing:.14em;opacity:.7\">03 \/ 2012<\/span><div><strong style=\"display:block;font-size:25px;line-height:1.03;letter-spacing:-.03em\">Visiting researcher<\/strong><p style=\"margin:12px 0 0;font-size:14px;line-height:1.55;opacity:.78\">A research chapter at Eindhoven University of Technology through Erasmus Mundus IDEAS.<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n<div role=\"listitem\" style=\"min-height:190px;padding:24px;display:flex;flex-direction:column;justify-content:space-between;background:#eee8e3;color:#171416;border-top:4px solid #c6a15b;position:sticky;top:136px\"><span style=\"font-size:10px;letter-spacing:.14em;opacity:.7\">04 \/ 2019\u2014present<\/span><div><strong style=\"display:block;font-size:25px;line-height:1.03;letter-spacing:-.03em\">Associate Professor<\/strong><p style=\"margin:12px 0 0;font-size:14px;line-height:1.55;opacity:.78\">Research, supervision and academic leadership converge at the Faculty of Computing.<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"mm mm-sec\">\n  <div class=\"mm-inner\">\n    <div class=\"mm-eyebrow-row\"><span class=\"mm-eyebrow\">01 &mdash; The long view<\/span><\/div>\n    <figure class=\"mm-figure\" style=\"margin:0\">\n      <div>\n        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/717\/2026\/09\/murtadha-portrait-warm.jpg\" alt=\"Mohd Murtadha bin Mohamad\">\n        <figcaption>Faculty of Computing, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia.<\/figcaption>\n      <\/div>\n      <div class=\"mm-lead-2col\" style=\"grid-template-columns:1fr\">\n      <p>I started as a lecturer at the Faculty of Computing in 2006 and moved into the Associate Professor role in 2019. In between, I managed IT services for the university for a few years, then became Deputy Director of UTMDigital. So I&rsquo;ve seen this place from the classroom side and the server room side, which is a strange combination but a useful one.<\/p>\n      <p>My current academic responsibility is coordinating the PhD in Computer Science programme at the Faculty of Computing. I previously served as Head of the Pervasive Computing Research Group (PCRG) and as the Faculty of Computing Research Manager (November 2022 &ndash; October 2025).<\/p>\n      <\/div>\n    <\/figure>\n  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"mm mm-sec mm-sec--tint\">\n  <div class=\"mm-inner\">\n    <div class=\"mm-eyebrow-row\"><span class=\"mm-eyebrow\">02 &mdash; Doctoral research<\/span><\/div>\n    <div class=\"mm-focus\">\n      <div class=\"mm-anchor\">\n        <span class=\"mm-anchor__label\">Heriot-Watt University, 2007<\/span>\n        <h3>Foraging Ant Motion Planning for Articulated Robots<\/h3>\n        <p>My PhD looked at how the search behaviour of foraging ants can be turned into a motion-planning strategy for articulated robots. In 2012 I spent a few months at Eindhoven University of Technology as a visiting researcher, on an Erasmus Mundus IDEAS scholarship.<\/p>\n      <\/div>\n      <div class=\"mm-list\">\n        <div class=\"mm-list__row\"><span class=\"mm-list__name\">PhD, Heriot-Watt University<\/span><span class=\"mm-list__meta\">2007<\/span><\/div>\n        <div class=\"mm-list__row\"><span class=\"mm-list__name\">Visiting Researcher, TU Eindhoven<\/span><span class=\"mm-list__meta\">2012<\/span><\/div>\n        <div class=\"mm-list__row\"><span class=\"mm-list__name\">Associate Professor, Faculty of Computing<\/span><span class=\"mm-list__meta\">2019&ndash;present<\/span><\/div>\n        <div class=\"mm-list__row\"><span class=\"mm-list__name\">Coordinator, PhD in Computer Science<\/span><span class=\"mm-list__meta\">Current<\/span><\/div>\n      <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"mm mm-sec\">\n  <div class=\"mm-inner\">\n    <div class=\"mm-eyebrow-row\"><span class=\"mm-eyebrow\">03 &mdash; Current research<\/span><\/div>\n    <div class=\"mm-prose\">\n      <p>My research sits across pervasive computing, motion planning, and underwater wireless sensor networks, with an emphasis on work that has direct human use.<\/p>\n      <h3>Computing in physical places<\/h3>\n      <p>I&rsquo;m also attached to KALAM, UTM&rsquo;s centre for the study of the built environment in the Malay world, which has nothing to do with computing on paper and everything to do with it in practice. Positioning research needs a real, awkward, physical space to fail in before it works anywhere.<\/p>\n    <\/div>\n    <p style=\"margin-top:28px\"><a class=\"mm-more\" href=\"\/murtadha\/research-areasinterest\/\">Research areas and interests &rarr;<\/a><\/p>\n  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"mm mm-sec mm-sec--tint\">\n  <div class=\"mm-inner\">\n    <div class=\"mm-eyebrow-row\"><span class=\"mm-eyebrow\">04 &mdash; Supervision<\/span><\/div>\n    <div class=\"mm-sup__head\">\n      <h2>Ten PhD students and eleven Master&rsquo;s students have finished under my supervision.<\/h2>\n      <div class=\"mm-recruit\">I still post on Facebook when one of them passes their viva. It&rsquo;s a small habit. It&rsquo;s also the part of the job I&rsquo;d keep even if everything else went away.<\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    <div class=\"mm-stats mm-stats--3\">\n      <div class=\"mm-stat\"><span class=\"mm-stat__n\">21<\/span><span class=\"mm-stat__label\">Completed PhD students<\/span><\/div>\n      <div class=\"mm-stat\"><span class=\"mm-stat__n\">16<\/span><span class=\"mm-stat__label\">Completed Master&rsquo;s students<\/span><\/div>\n      <div class=\"mm-stat\"><span class=\"mm-stat__n\">9<\/span><span class=\"mm-stat__label\">PhD candidates in progress<\/span><\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    <div class=\"mm-links\">\n      <a href=\"\/murtadha\/phd-students\/\">Postgraduate students &rarr;<\/a>\n      <a href=\"\/murtadha\/cv\/\">Curriculum vitae &rarr;<\/a>\n        <a href=\"\/murtadha\/beyond-the-classroom\/\">Formation  &rarr;<\/a>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"mm mm-sec mm-contact\">\n  <div class=\"mm-inner\">\n    <h2>Let&rsquo;s talk research, supervision, or collaboration.<\/h2>\n    <a class=\"mm-contact__mail\" href=\"mailto:murtadha@utm.my\">murtadha@utm.my<\/a>\n  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<footer class=\"ni-footer\"><div class=\"ni-footer-institution\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"ni-lockup ni-lockup--white\" src=\"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/murtadha\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/717\/2026\/09\/New-UTM-ASCEND2030-WT.png\" width=\"1467\" height=\"451\" alt=\"Universiti Teknologi Malaysia \u2014 ASCEND 2030\"><\/div><div><span class=\"ni-label\">UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI MALAYSIA<\/span><h2>Mohd Murtadha Mohamad<\/h2><p>Associate Professor \u00b7 Faculty of Computing<\/p><a href=\"mailto:murtadha@utm.my\">murtadha@utm.my &#x2197;<\/a><\/div><nav aria-label=\"Footer\"><a href=\"\/murtadha\/research-areasinterest\/\">Research<\/a><a href=\"\/murtadha\/scopus-indexed-publications\/\">Publications<\/a><a href=\"\/murtadha\/phd-students\/\">People<\/a><a href=\"\/murtadha\/teaching\/\">Teaching<\/a><a href=\"\/murtadha\/consultancy-industry-engagement\/\">Impact<\/a><a href=\"\/murtadha\/biography\/\">About<\/a><a href=\"\/murtadha\/cv\/\">Curriculum vitae<\/a><a href=\"\/murtadha\/social-media\/\">Connect<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1478-0138\">ORCID &#x2197;<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scopus.com\/authid\/detail.uri?authorId=16033644000\">Scopus &#x2197;<\/a><\/nav><p class=\"ni-colophon\">Networked intelligence \u00b7 Johor Bahru, Malaysia<\/p><\/footer><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Skip to content MURTADHANETWORKED INTELLIGENCE ResearchPublicationsPeopleTeachingImpactAbout Contact &#x2197; Menu ResearchPublicationsPeopleTeachingImpactAboutContact &#x2197; Academic life &middot; research &middot; supervision Twenty-five years at UTM, seen from the classroom and the server room. I&rsquo;ve spent most of my working life at the Faculty of &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/murtadha\/biography\/\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":115,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-83","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/murtadha\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/83","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/murtadha\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/murtadha\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/murtadha\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/115"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/murtadha\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=83"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/murtadha\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/83\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7758,"href":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/murtadha\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/83\/revisions\/7758"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/murtadha\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=83"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}