Research and education are integral parts of Abdul Wafi’s life, an alumnus of the Master’s Program in Chemistry at Universitas Airlangga. He successfully completed his Master’s program at the Surabaya-based campus in 3 semesters in 2014, under the guidance of Dr. rer. nat. Ganden Supriyanto, M.Sc., and Tjitjik Srie Tjahjandarie, Ph.D. His thesis focused on the development of chloramphenicol antibiotic analysis methods.

During his studies at Airlangga, he had numerous opportunities to expand his knowledge and chemical skills through participation in various lectures, seminars, and laboratory experiments. Like many other alumni, this native of Madura emphasized that the academic and research atmosphere at Universitas Airlangga played a crucial role in helping him discover and develop the academic abilities required of a chemist.

Shortly after completing his studies at Universitas Airlangga, he began his career as a lecturer at Maulana Malik Ibrahim State Islamic University of Malang. He credits his days at Airlangga as crucial preparation for his role as an educator and researcher at his current institution.

Motivated and supported tirelessly by his thesis advisors, Dr. rer. nat. Ganden Supriyanto, M.Sc., in September 2017, he secured a scholarship from the Hungarian government (Stipendium Hungaricum) to pursue a doctoral program at the University of Pannonia. Under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Ottó Horváth and Erzsébet Szabó-Bárdos, Ph.D., his research focused on “TiO2 based photocatalyst for pharmaceutical degradation and bacterial disinfection”. During his studies in the “Heart of Europe”, he actively participated in various academic seminars and conferences across Hungary and other European countries. His research led to the publication of 2 articles in high-impact journals, and he successfully completed his doctoral studies in June 2021 with a summa cum laude distinction.

Reflecting on his journey, he notes that choosing Universitas Airlangga for his studies was the right decision due to the exceptional guidance and mentorship he received from his professors, who helped him discover and develop his potential both academically and personally. This aligns with the university’s goal of producing graduates who are excellent in both knowledge and morality.