Dear new students, distinguished Fellows/lecturers and staff of IVI.

Assalamualaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh, and a very good day to all of you.

It is with great pleasure and sincere excitement that I welcome you to the Institute of Visual Informatics (IVI), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. You have made a significant and inspiring decision by choosing to join us, and I congratulate each of you for taking this important step in your academic and professional journey.

At IVI, we are more than just a research institute — we are a thriving community committed to excellence in visual informatics, artificial intelligence, computer vision, human–computer interaction, IoT, intelligent data analytics, and many other cutting-edge fields. Here, you will be immersed in a culture that strives not only for knowledge and innovation but also for impact — where your ideas, creativity, and curiosity are encouraged and supported every step of the way.

As postgraduate students, you are entering a realm of higher responsibility, deeper learning, and more challenging research. You will be pushed beyond what you thought possible. There will be late nights, experiments that don’t go according to plan, and questions that seem too big to answer. But there will also be breakthroughs, mentorships, collaborations, friendships, and satisfaction in seeing your ideas come to life. It is in these moments — the challenging and the triumphant alike — that you will grow not just as scholars, but as innovators, leaders, and contributors to society.

Here are a few thoughts as you embark on this journey:

1. Embrace curiosity & experimentation. The world of visual informatics and related technologies is evolving rapidly. Try ideas. It’s okay to fail sometimes — some of our greatest lessons come through what doesn’t work.
2. Collaborate and build networks. Make use of the labs, the faculty, your fellow students. Engage with research groups — whether in Applied A.I., Simulation & Computer Vision, Information Systems & IoT — the breadth of expertise at IVI is yours to explore.
3. Stay grounded in impact. As you work on theories, models, or systems, remember that your work has the potential to shape society, industries, and the lives of people. Let ethics, sustainability, and real-world relevance guide your research.
4. Balance and well‐being. Postgraduate life can be intense. Take care of your health, take breaks, reach out when you need support. Whether it’s academic, emotional, or logistical, you are not alone — IVI and UKM provide many resources to assist you.
5. Set goals, and revisit them often. Define both your short‐term and long‐term aims. Whether your goal is to publish, teach, translate research into industry applications, or start something new — keep them visible, track your progress, and adapt as needed.

To our faculty and staff: thank you for your tireless dedication. Your guidance, mentorship, and passion are what empower our students to excel. To our new students, I encourage you to fully immerse yourselves, to ask questions, to challenge norms, and to contribute uniquely to the IVI community.

In closing, I wish all of you an inspiring, productive, and fulfilling time at the Institute of Visual Informatics. May you find not only knowledge and success, but also purpose, connections, and growth that stay with you far beyond your years here.

A Malaysian pantun :

Selamat datang ke IVI kita,
   Tempat ilmu berkembang jaya,
Semangat belajar janganlah lupa,
   Masa depan cerah menanti kita

Prof. Ir. Dr. Riza Sulaiman
Director