Professor Dr Mohd Shahrizal Sunar is an academic, technology innovator and higher education leader with more than 25 years of experience in university management, research, innovation, industry collaboration and talent development. He currently serves as the Dean of the School of Professional and Continuing Education (SPACE), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM).
He is a Professor at UTM’s Faculty of Computing and an established scholar in computer graphics, virtual environments and human-centred immersive technologies. His research expertise encompasses Extended Reality, Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, Digital Twins, Computer Vision, real-time interactive computer graphics, gamification, human–computer interaction, user experience design and creative content technology.
Professor Shahrizal began his academic career at UTM in the late 1990s. Throughout his service, he has held several significant academic and institutional leadership positions. In 2009, he was appointed Head of the Department of Graphics and Multimedia while concurrently leading the Virtual, Visualisation and Vision research group, known as UTM ViCubeLab. He subsequently served as Director of the Institute of Human-Centred Engineering (iHumEn), where he contributed to strengthening interdisciplinary research, innovation and industry engagement across human-centred technology domains.
He is the Founding Director of the Media and Game Innovation Centre of Excellence (MaGICX) in 2013, established to advance Malaysia’s digital creative and immersive technology ecosystem. Under his leadership, MaGICX evolved into a strategic Special Purpose Venture through collaboration between UTM and the Iskandar Regional Development Authority. In recognition of his leadership and contributions to its development, he was appointed Chief Executive Officer of MaGICX in 2016.
Professor Shahrizal obtained his Doctor of Philosophy in Industrial Computing from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. He holds a Master of Science in Computer Graphics and Virtual Environments from the University of Hull, United Kingdom, and a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science, specialising in Computer Graphics, from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia. His postgraduate education was supported by scholarship awards from the Sultan Iskandar Johor Foundation.
An active researcher and innovator, Professor Shahrizal has successfully led research, development and consultancy projects valued at more than RM7 million. His work has produced innovative and award-winning technologies with potential for intellectual-property protection, commercialisation and industrial application. He has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals, conference proceedings, scholarly books and technical publications, contributing to the advancement of immersive technologies, interactive simulation and human-centred computing.
Beyond academic research, he is committed to translating knowledge into solutions that create economic and societal impact. He has actively mentored technology start-ups, entrepreneurs, researchers and young innovators, particularly in the areas of immersive technology, digital media and creative content. In 2018, he was recognised by the Ministry of Education as one of Malaysia’s Top Three Outstanding Entrepreneurship Mentors.
Professor Shahrizal has also made substantial contributions to national research assessment, academic quality assurance and technology development. Since 2005, he has served as an expert, assessor and evaluation panel member for various national bodies and initiatives, including the Game Development Council of Malaysia (GDCOMM), Malaysia Research Assessment (MyRA) and the Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA) in the fields of computing and multimedia. He has also served higher education institutions as an advisory board member, visiting professor, external academic examiner and programme evaluator.
He is professionally affiliated with ACM SIGGRAPH, the IEEE Computer Society and the International Association of Engineers. He is a Fellow of the European Alliance for Innovation (EAI) and previously served as Deputy President of the Malaysian Muslim Scientists Association. He also serves as the Editor-in-Chief of Human-Centred Technology, a scholarly journal published by UTM Press.
Professor Shahrizal was selected as a Fellow of the Ministry of Higher Education’s CEO@Faculty Programme 2.0 and was attached to PETRONAS. Through the programme, he gained valuable exposure to corporate leadership, strategic management and organisational transformation under the mentorship of Tan Sri Dato’ Sri Syed Zainal Abidin Syed Mohamed Tahir, then Chief Executive Officer of PETRONAS Dagangan Berhad.
Combining academic excellence, technological expertise and executive leadership, Professor Shahrizal is committed to advancing future-ready education, lifelong learning and human-centred innovation. His leadership philosophy is grounded in the belief that universities must not only generate knowledge, but also transform knowledge into capable talent, impactful technologies and sustainable solutions for industry, society and the nation.
Prof. Dr. Mohd Shahrizal Sunar
Dean
School of Professional and Continuing Education (SPACE)
Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
81310 Skudai
Johor MALAYSIA
Lecturer @
Department of Emergent Computing
Faculty of Computing
Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
81310 Skudai
Johor MALAYSIA
e-mail: shahrizal{at}utm.my
Tel: +607-531 8000
Office:
Block T05, Level 5
Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
81310 Johor Bahru, Johor
