Dhofar University, Institutional Quality Audit, Apr 2009
 
Prof. Ian Cumbus
 
Professor Ian Cumbus studied Biological Sciences at the University of Lancaster (UK) and subsequently in 1975 obtained his PhD in Plant Physiology at the University of Bath (UK). Postdoctoral Fellowships at the University of Bath and Oxford University were followed by appointment as Senior Lecturer at Oxford Brookes University in 1979. Secondments have included Foundation Dean of Science at the Asian University of Science and Technology in Thailand, start up and Head of Biotechnology programs at the Singapore Polytechnic, and Coordinator of Policy & Planning at Zayed University (1998-2000). Dr. Cumbus is a member of the UK’s Higher Education Academy and is a Chartered Biologist with the Institute of Biology (UK).   Over the years Professor Cumbus has received awards for Teaching Excellence and was recipient of the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust Fellowship in 1981. Most recently, in his role as Assistant Principal (Academic) at Writtle College UK, Dr. Cumbus was awarded Professorial status by the University of Essex in 2003. Dr. Cumbus has worked on contract for the Higher Education Funding Councils in England and Wales as Special Subject Quality Assessor and for other accreditation boards in the UK and internationally. Dr. Cumbus has worked as a Commissioner with the Commission for Academic Accreditation, Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, in the United Arab Emirates. He has also been a Qualifications Framework Expert at the National Qualifications Authority, United Arab Emirates. 
 
Prof. Jan Thomas
 
Professor Jan Thomas has been Vice-Chancellor of Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa Massey University in Aotearoa New Zealand since 2017. Prior to this Professor Thomas served as Vice-Chancellor and President at the University of Southern Queensland in Australia. She has held various senior executive positions at Murdoch University and the University of Notre Dame Australia. She has a PhD in Veterinary Science from Murdoch University and has taught, researched and published in Veterinary Pathology. 

Globally, Professor Thomas holds various senior positions, including: External Reviewer and Quality Auditor for the Oman Authority for Academic Accreditation and Quality Assurance for Education; Chair of the Quality Assurance Council Hong Kong; Member of the University Grants Committee Hong Kong; and Convenor of the Bachelor Veterinary Medicine Task Force for University Grants Committee Hong Kong.

She recently completed a term as Chair of Universities New Zealand, and in late 2022 became the Association for Tertiary Education Management Aotearoa New Zealand Patron. 

Professor Thomas believes strongly in building a university that is Te Tiriti-led. As part of her personal commitment to achieving that ambition, she has been learning te reo Māori since arriving in Aotearoa New Zealand, completing te reo Māori to level 5 at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa. She’s currently studying towards a Bachelor of Arts in Māori Knowledge.

 
Dr Shakir Al Musili
 
Dr. Shakir Al-Musili received a B.Sc. degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Baghdad, in 1981 and worked in the adhesives industry as a Production Engineer for several years. Joined the Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering at Loughborough University of Technology-UK, as Teaching and Research Assistant in 1986 working towards his Ph.D. degree, which was awarded in 1991, specializing in the field of Power Electronics and Machine Drives. Between 1992 and 1997 Dr. Al-Musili worked as Engineering Director establishing and managing the operations of the Bonding Pastes Industry in Amman, Jordan. In 1993 and until 2000 he also worked for the Faculty of Engineering at Al Isra Private University, Amman-Jordan, as an Assistant Professor, where he served as Head of the Electrical Engineering Department between 1994 and 1998. Dr. Al-Musili then moved to Canada and joined Schneider-Electric, Mississauga, Ontario, as a Research Engineer during 2001-2002 working on the design and development of a Programmable DC Protective Relay unit. In 2002 he joined the Ministry of Manpower, Muscat-Oman, first as Dean of Al Musanna College of Technology and, in 2010, as Dean of Nizwa College of Technology where he provided leadership for pedagogical development and delivery of various disciplines in Engineering, IT and Business programs.  Between 2011-2021 he worked as Technological Education Expert with the Directorate General for Technological Education, Ministry of Manpower, and then the University of Technology and Applied Science, Muscat-Oman supervising the design, delivery, and evaluation of effectiveness of programs and curricula, and advised in the areas of Strategic Planning, Training Needs Assessments, Leadership Training, Performance Management, Development of Legislations, Policies and Strategic Planning. Since the inception of the Oman Authority for Academic Accreditation and Quality Assurance of Education (OAAAQA), he was involved as an external reviewer and participated in auditing and institutional accreditation of many Omani higher education institutes and was involved in the development of the Oman Qualification Framework (OQF). Since August 2021 Dr. Al-Musili is still engaged with the (OAAAQA) as a freelance higher education reviewer based in Dubai-UAE.