Yahya Awang holds a PhD degree from the University of Nottingham, UK (1994), Master of Science from North Carolina State University, USA (1986) and Bachelor of Agricultural Science from University of Agriculture Malaysia (1980). He is a certified arborist by the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA), USA. Prior to his service at UPM, Dr Yahya was a senior research officer at the Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI). He used to serve as a landscape consultant and contractor in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Dr Yahya has a vast experience in various field of agriculture, horticulture and landscape. Among them include:
Teaching: Teaching of the following subjects and courses: i. Principles of crop science, ii. Ornamental horticulture, iii. Pomology, iv. Commercial production of fruits, v. Crop ecology and cropping system, and vi. Introduction to landscape design. He also involves in the teaching for certification of arborist conducted by Association of Arboriculture Malaysia for the International Society of Arboriculture, USA.
Research: Dr Yahya has involved in many aspects of research in tropical agriculture. Among them are: i. Coconut-cocoa based cropping systems, ii. Pre-harvest and postharvest relationships of fruit, vegetables and ornamental crops, iii. Development of soilless media, and iv. Effects of artificial lightings on growth and quality of vegetables. Dr Yahya is a panel member in the assessment of intellectual property and research grant of Universiti Putra Malaysia
Consultancy and Professional Services: Dr Yahya experienced in executing various type of consultancy works, such as: i. Development of botanic gardens, ii. Formulation of growth media and liquid fertilizers, iii. Management of landscape plants, iv. Tree formation and flowering regulation of fruit trees, v. Preparation of master plan for agrotourism, park and landscape gardens, and vi. Assessment of urban tree. In curriculum development, he is an expert panel and advisor to Ministry of Education Malaysia in developing technical and vocational education programs in Malaysia.