Mukhamad Ngainul Malawani (31), among the 836 postgraduate program graduates of UGM inaugurated on Wednesday (Jan. 24) at Grha Sabha Pramana, distinguished himself with the highest cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 4.00, earning him honors.
Remarkably, he also holds the title of the fastest graduate, completing his doctorate in an impressive 2 years, 8 months, and 17 days, far less than the average Ph.D. duration of 4 years and 9 months.
Dr. Malawani, when contacted by journalists on Thursday (Jan. 25), expressed his delight at achieving the highest GPA and being acknowledged as the quickest to graduate.
What’s particularly noteworthy is that Dr. Malawani didn’t confine his studies to a single campus; he pursued his education simultaneously at two distinguished institutions: the Ph.D. program in Geography at UGM and the University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne.
“I pursued my studies at two institutions. I enrolled at UGM in January 2021. In France, I completed my compulsory courses in the first year, enabling me to focus solely on research. Since 2021 was during the pandemic, all my UGM classes were conducted online, allowing me to remain in France,” he explained.
Having served as a lecturer at the UGM Faculty of Geography since 2018, Dr. Malawani revealed that he obtained his Bachelor’s in Environmental Geography from UGM in 2014, followed by his Master’s degree in Geography in 2017.
Subsequently, upon securing a teaching position at UGM, he embarked on his doctoral studies in France in November 2019.
“I enrolled in a joint supervision program, enabling me to receive guidance from professors in France and Indonesia,” he recounted.
A collaboration between UGM and Univ Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne and a partnership between the Faculty of Geography at UGM and the Ecole Doctorale Geographie de Paris facilitated a double degree program for doctoral students.
“I was fortunate to be part of this initiative, and leveraging the longstanding relationship between the two institutions, we implemented the MoU and Agreement,” he elaborated.
While juggling studies at two distinct campuses, Dr. Malawani acknowledged encountering initial challenges. Yet, under the mentorship of his two advisors, he completed his Ph.D. within the stipulated timeframe.
“Thanks to the guidance of Professor Franck Lavigne and Dr. Danang Sri Hadmoko, I swiftly concluded my research. Besides academic assistance, my mentors also provided financial support for my research conducted in Lombok,” he detailed.
Born and raised in Palbapang, Bantul, Yogyakarta, Dr. Malawani hails from a family of Islamic religious teachers. Additionally, they were involved in farming and animal husbandry.
“My parents served as Islamic religious teachers in our village, where we had a small Islamic school next to our home. Many children came to study with us in the afternoon and evening,” he reminisced.
Guided by his parents’ devout upbringing and modest lifestyle, Dr. Malawani was always driven to pursue higher education. He credits the guidance and prayers of his parents for the successful completion of his Ph.D. education.
Moreover, Dr. Malawani acknowledged the unwavering support of his small family, even though his wife and child couldn’t accompany him during his studies in France.
“I got married in 2017. My first child was born in 2019, just a month before I left for France. They couldn’t join me during my studies; they could only visit me in France during my dissertation defense,” he added.
Author: Gusti Grehenson
Photographer: Firsto