Banda Aceh, 08 September 2026 – Tsunami and Disaster Mitigation Research Center (TDMRC) at Universitas Syiah Kuala (USK) welcomed an international delegation of researchers, academics, and students on Tuesday, as part of the UTM–PORSEC–USK 2026 program, “Capacity Building on Ocean Remote Sensing towards Climate Resilience.”
The UTM–PORSEC–USK 2026 delegation was welcomed at TDMRC USK’s meeting room on Tuesday (9/8), followed by a discussion session with the TDMRC team to explore opportunities for cross-country disaster research collaboration.
The visit is part of a five-day onsite training and field program held on September 7–12, 2026 in Banda Aceh and Sabang City, organized by USK’s Faculty of Marine and Fisheries (FKP) in collaboration with Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) and the Pan Ocean Remote Sensing Conference (PORSEC). The program has been endorsed as an official Decade Activity under the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021–2030), and combines an online training phase with hands-on field sessions worth 10 academic credits and 450 learning hours for Indonesian participants. 
At TDMRC, the delegation was received at the center’s third-floor meeting room by Prof. Muksin, Head of TDMRC USK, together with the center’s division heads. The session opened with a profile presentation of TDMRC delivered by Prof. Muksin, followed by overviews of the center’s MIK and DIB divisions presented by Ms. Yunita and Prof. Ella, respectively, giving participants a closer look at USK’s disaster mitigation research and community-engagement work.
The delegation included Dr. Stefano Vignudelli of Italy’s National Research Council (CNR); Associate Professor Dr. Nurul Hazrina Idris, Associate Director for Global Strategy and Engagement at UTM’s International Office; and Dr. Van D. Nguyen of the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (VAST). They were joined by ten UTM undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral students, one graduate student from Thailand, and five USK marine science undergraduates. The FKP USK Dean, the Head of the Marine Science Study Program, and five to six FKP marine science lecturers also took part in the reception.
Director of TDMRC USK, Prof Muksin
The TDMRC visit is one stop in a broader institutional tour that also includes the USK Waste Bank, the Atsiri Research Center, and USK’s Master’s and Doctoral Programs in Disaster Science, before the group continues to Sabang (Weh Island) for four days of field-based training in coastal observation, radar altimetry, UAV coastal mapping, and satellite-based coastal assessment. The training is led by an international team of instructors: Dr. Yudi Haditiar and Dr. Muhammad Nanda of USK, Dr. Stefano Vignudelli of CNR Italy, Associate Professor Dr. Nurul Hazrina Idris of UTM, and Dr. Syahrul Purnawan of USK.
“Hosting researchers and students from Italy, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Thailand here at TDMRC is a chance to exchange knowledge on disaster mitigation and ocean science with partners who bring very different experiences to the table. We hope this visit strengthens future research collaboration in climate resilience,” said Prof. Muksin, Director of TDMRC USK.
TDMRC USK reaffirmed its role as a research hub open to international collaboration in disaster mitigation, ocean science, and climate resilience, and expressed hope that the exchange with UTM, PORSEC, and their partner institutions would open the door to further joint research and academic partnerships.
