In 2023, one of the world’s top project management organizations, The Association for Project Management (APM) awarded Muhammad Ayat, an alumnus of Hanyang University (HYU), the Doctorate of the Year. The Hanyang Journal (HJ) interviewed the award winner.
Q. Please introduce yourself and enlighten the HJ readers about the award you received from the APM.
A. Hello, thank you very much for having me. My name is Muhammad Ayat, and I am currently working as a lecturer at University of the West of Scotland (UWS), in the United Kingdom (UK). My academic background includes a PhD in Industrial and Management Engineering from HYU. Speaking of the award I received, the APM is a Royal Chartered British professional organization founded in 1972. It provides structured approaches to project management competencies, and its qualifications are internationally recognized by a certification body of the International Project Management Association. I was awarded the Doctorate of the Year 2023 from this very organization. The award recognizes an outstanding doctoral thesis in a project management-related subject. The title of my PhD dissertation was “Machine Learning based Project Management Framework for Private Participation in Infrastructure Projects.” The focus of the study is improving the performance of private participation in infrastructure projects in developing countries, which can lead to prosperity.
Q. How was studying at HYU with the Korean Government Scholarship Program (KGSP)?
A. I have accomplished my aforementioned PhD through KGSP, which is currently renamed as the Global Korean Scholarship. It is a well- structured, refined, and fully funded program. It is a complete package including Korean language education, culture exploration, students’ network, and most importantly, a degree. Since South Korean universities are famous for their education standards in the Engineering field, an opportunity to participate was an honor. HYU has left indelible marks on my mind and heart. Despite going through the pandemic during my studies, the beautiful and spacious ERICA campus, the management support, and the professional academic environment enabled me to have the most productive and delightful time in my educational career. I would like to acknowledge my supervisor, professor Kang Chang-wook. He was a guide and an inspiration with golden principles of being passionate and impartial. I am also extremely grateful to all the HYU professors for their friendly and professional attitude. Also, my friends, such as Kim Soo-hee, Yoon Ju-hoo, and Kim Yang-hee, greatly helped me adjust to the Korean society. Lastly, the National Institute for International Education’s fully funded scholarship helped me focus on research.
Q. What are your future goals?
A. As I mentioned before, I am working as an assistant professor in Engineering and Project Management. Thanks to my experiences in South Korea, I am smoothly adjusting to UK’s academic environment. In the last few months, I achieved a Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy, submitted application for Charter Engineering and am preparing for Charter Project Professional. During this period, two of my articles were published and another impactful research article is on its way. In the future, I will keep putting in all efforts to get projects where I can involve both PhD students and post-doctorates.
