Duncan McCargo

President's Chair in Global Affairs, Nanyang Technological University

"Fakhrul was a wonderful member of the team I managed at the Nordic Institute of Asian Studies (NIAS), a research centre located in the Department of Political Science at the University of Copenhagen, between 2019 and 2023. We worked closely together on a daily basis, and he single-handedly oversaw the technical maintenance and operations of the AsiaPortal, a large and dynamic database of online library resources on Asian studies, for which we had over 25 paying university subscribers across the Nordic region.

Fakhrul was always cool and collected whenever we faced technical and logistical challenges - and since he was the only IT person on our staff, we were absolutely reliant on his expertise and creativity to keep the AsiaPortal online. He was also a great team player who proved extremely reliable through a series of Covid lockdowns, and was ready to jump in and assist as needed with other projects. These included two office moves that were forced upon us at short notice in 2020 and then 2022.

I would highly recommend Fakhrul for any role as an IT co-ordinator or similar. He will never let you down!"

Philip Khyl

Acting Director, NIAS

“Fakhrul played a key role in the successful creation, migration, and maintenance of the EZproxy server using SimpleSAML and Linux. His technical expertise, dedication, and ability to handle diverse responsibilities make him a valuable team player.

I highly recommend him for any role requiring a skilled and reliable professional.”

Inga-Lill M Blomkvist

Webmaster, NIAS, University of Copenhagen

“Fakhrul was a valued member of the team I managed at the Nordic Institute of Asian Studies, at the Department of Political Science at Copenhagen University. He played a key role in managing our IT infrastructure and digital presence demonstrating professionalism, technical expertise, and strong problem-solving skills.

NIAS Library provided licensed access to numerous Asian studies databases for researchers at 23 Nordic and Baltic institutions. Fakhrul ensured the smooth and secure operation of our proxy server, controlling access to around 30 subscription-based databases via AsiaPortal.info, while also analyzing traffic and generating usage reports. On several occasions, also out of office hours when needed, he played a critical role in resolving high-priority incidents that minimized downtime and kept our operations running.

Beyond the proxy server, he managed all technical aspects of the NIAS and NIAS Press websites, including CMS setup, system up-grades, SSL certificates, and web hosting licenses. As the go-to person for IT challenges his skills, attention to details and calm and supportive approach was invaluable for us.

Fakhrul’s reliability and collaborative nature were crucial to maintaining uninterrupted access to essential resources which we provided for our users. I am confident that Fakhrul will be a valuable asset to any organization and I highly recommend him to any organization seeking a skilled and dependable IT professional.”