First NF-IAMU GMP Faculty Fellowship Recipient joins World Maritime University

MALMO, SWEDEN – The first recipient of the Nippon Foundation – International Association of Maritime Universities (NF-IAMU) Global Maritime Professional (GMP) Faculty Fellowship started his PhD studies at the World Maritime University (WMU) in November 2023.

Jeric Bacasdoon, a faculty member of the Maritime Academy of Asia and the Pacific (MAAP) in the Philippines, bested other nominees from different member universities of the IAMU after a thorough selection of the panel composed of different international maritime stakeholders from the industry, maritime administration, academia, the Nippon Foundation and the IAMU, to become the sole awardee for the inaugural of the said Fellowship.

The NF-IAMU Fellowship Programme, established at the 20^th Commemorative Annual General Assembly in October 2019 upon the declaration of Dr. Yohei Sasakawa, the Honorary Chair of IAMU, aims to support faculty members of IAMU member universities that embody the Global Maritime Professional (GMP) Initiative and incorporate the GMP Body of Knowledge into their curricula, and who have the potential to facilitate the implementation of the GMP Initiative and to carry out research to support the goals of the initiative.

Each Fellowship fund, amounting to a maximum of 100,000 USD to cover tuition and living costs, is awarded to faculty members of IAMU member universities to carry out research in the context of the acquisition of a doctoral level degree in an IAMU member university.

 Jeric Bacasdoon, a licensed Master, and Innovations Project Officer of MAAP, chose to pursue his PhD in Maritime Affairs at WMU, and intends to investigate the GMP Initiative implementation as part of his studies. He also completed his degree in MSc in Maritime Affairs (with Distinction), specializing in Maritime Education and Training (MET) at the same university in 2021, and his Bachelor’s degree in Marine Transportation in MAAP (Cum Laude) in 2010.

WMU, per its website, is the center of excellence of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) for postgraduate maritime education that aims to be the world center of excellence in postgraduate maritime and oceans education, professional training and research, while building global capacity and promoting sustainable development.