Page 193 - VC Message

Home of the Bright. Land of the Brave

Di Sini Bermulanya Pintar, Tanah Tumpahnya Berani

Honorary Doctorate by University ACCEPTANCE SPEECH

of Bradford Noor Azuan Abu Osman
July 2025

1. ‘Madam Chancellor, Chair of Council, Vice-Chancellor, members of Council and
Senate, distinguished faculty, proud families, and—most importantly—today’s
graduates.
2. Thank you for the extraordinary honour of this Doctorate. I stand here bursting with
gratitude—and also with disbelief and nostalgia. When I first arrived from Malaysia
to University of Bradford as an eager engineering student, I never imagined I would
one day be back in this hall, wearing this beautiful Bradford robe.
3. Bradford did far more than teaching me thermodynamics and mechanics in
biomechanical engineering. It taught me to think holistically, and to be a useful
and aspiring human being.
4. To the Chancellor and the Vice Chancellor and the entire management team of
the university, no words can describe my profound gratitude humility, and honour.
5. I accept this honour not for myself alone, but on behalf of every individual whose
life has been touched by the work that I have been privileged to do.
6. My life’s work has always been guided by a singular mission: to serve people.
To serve those who have lost something they thought they would never regain—
mobility, dignity, hope. To serve not just humans, but all living beings, including
animals, whose pain often goes unseen and unheard. I believe with all my heart
that science and technology must exist not just to invent, but to heal—to restore, 185
to renew, and to uplift.
7. From the beginning, I have been inspired by the potential of innovation to give
people a new beginning. It brings me great joy to see that our work is no longer just
research on paper, but practical solutions that make a real difference—especially
for those most vulnerable. This is the essence of life, to do good and to contribute
to a better tomorrow for all of mankind.
8. One of the most unforgettable moments in my journey was witnessing the joy of
Palestinian children—just seven or eight years old—fitted with prosthetic limbs
we helped create. Their eyes sparkled with the light of newfound hope. Tesco
sponsored these devices, but the real sponsors were compassion and human
solidarity. Seeing their smiles—that is when I knew, this is why we do what we do.
There is no greater reward.
9. Through the support of Universiti Malaya, which has been my academic home
and life platform, I had the honour of founding BioApps Private Limited, a spin-off
company of Universiti Malaya that has, over the past seven years, generated over
RM35 million in value and now supports 16 practitioners—every one of them fully
salaried by the company itself.
10. This is a vision powered by the dedication of my 43 PhD students, 45 master
students by research, and a multi-talented global team who brought the dream to
life. I share this award with every single one of them.
11. As I reflect on this journey spanning more than 29 years as both an academic and
a university administrator, the deepest truth I have discovered is this: our purpose
is to make a positive impact on the world and humanity.
12. To all the graduates here today: I want you to know something that perhaps
no textbook has ever told you—you made it. And that alone is extraordinary. It
doesn’t matter what grades you got in your first year, or how many times you
doubted yourself along the way. It doesn’t matter if there were moments when