IPB University Professors Assist and Examine Wageningen University Students

Professors of IPB University, Prof Arief Daryanto and Dr Dikky Indrawan, lecturers of the School of Business of IPB University were invited as opponents and mentors in the Public Defense of PhD Thesis at Wageningen University and Research (WUR). The event was held at Omnia Auditorium, WUR campus, (10/3).

The defended thesis was entitled 'Uptake of mitigation measures against highly pathogenic avian influenza in Western Java: the smallholder broiler farmer perspective' written by Muhammad Gumilang Pramuwidyatama. He was also mentored by Dr Diky Indrawan.

For Prof Arief Daryanto, the invitation as an examiner/opponent in the Public Defense of PhD Thesis event is an honor and appreciation, including for IPB University. "It is an honor for us, to get the experience of being one of the PhD thesis promoters at WUR, one of the world's best universities," he said.

Furthermore, Prof Arief Daryanto explained, this momentum was a process of positioning IPB University at the global level. The reason is, currently WUR is ranked 124th based on the World University Rankings 2023. WUR is ranked 1st in Agriculture and Forestry based on QS World University Rankings 2023 and 1st in Agricultural Science based on the Shanghai Ranking.

"Public PhD thesis defense at WUR has a very long tradition. This ceremony is the culmination of activities in the practice of science in a university. New ideas and concepts are developed, discussed and defended in an international public environment. Between early stage scientists and scientists who have established themselves in their field of science," said Prof. Arief.

For more information, doctoral candidates who take part in Public Defense have previously published their research in 3-4 articles in top reputable journals. The articles then become a dissertation (thesis in Dutch terminology). Although Public Defense is only a ceremony, it is still 'nerve-wracking' for doctoral candidates. 

Because it has gone through a long and 'proven' process, it is unlikely that a doctoral candidate will not pass the Public Defense. In this context, quality assurance becomes very important to be strictly maintained. (*/Rz) (IAAS/RUM)