Professor Emeritus Dr Masood Rabbani has officially taken charge as the new Vice-Chancellor of the University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (UVAS) Lahore, following his appointment by the Governor Punjab/Chancellor for a four-year term. Upon assuming office, Dr Rabbani articulated his vision for the institution, prioritising enhanced educational quality, applied research for societal benefit, and strengthening industry connections.
According to the university information today, Dr Rabbani, an internationally recognised scientist and microbiologist, is a distinguished Emeritus Professor at UVAS. His extensive career includes serving as President of the Pakistan Veterinary Medical Council (PVMC) and Convenor for both PVMC Accreditation and Equivalence and the National Curricula Revision Committee.
He also held prior leadership roles at UVAS, including caretaker Vice-Chancellor and Pro Vice-Chancellor. Academically, he holds a PhD in Microbiology from the University of Agriculture, Faisalabad. His significant contributions to academia have been recognised with prestigious accolades such as the Izaz-i-Fazeelat presidential award in 2005 for academic distinction. He also received a fellowship from the David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles USA in 2008, and the Best Teacher’s Award from the Higher Education Commission in 2013-14.
As an HEC-approved PhD supervisor, Dr Rabbani has guided over 100 doctoral and MPhil researchers. His scholarly output comprises more than 200 impact factor research publications and several books, demonstrating his prolific contribution to scientific literature.
With 40 years of professional engagement in education, research, and ISO Standards implementation, his primary areas of expertise lie in biosafety, food safety, and the diagnosis and control of prevalent livestock, poultry, and pet diseases within Punjab.
A notable administrative accomplishment during his directorship was the international accreditation of the University Diagnostic Lab to ILAC through ISO 17025 Certification by PNAC in 2010, underscoring his commitment to quality standards.
The newly appointed Vice-Chancellor outlined his key objectives, which include augmenting the quality of education and applied research to benefit end-users, boosting the university’s revenue streams, and fostering collaborations with industrial partners and national and international institutions for faculty and student capacity building. He further intends to champion entrepreneurship and innovations, alongside enhancing diagnostic and health services, ensuring food safety and quality, promoting a “One Health” approach, and advancing smart livestock farming to uplift the disadvantaged livestock farming community.