Rustam is currently an Assistant Professor at the Kulliyyah of Architecture and Environmental Design (KAED), International Islamic University Malaysia. His main interests of research include disaster management of vulnerable communities, urban governance, and sustainable housing and communities. He has also been actively involved in teaching both undergraduate and postgraduate Courses including Urban Planning Principles, Urban Management, Comparative Housing Designs, Disaster Management and Planning, as well as Planning and Sustainability. Furthermore, he participated in supervising various levels of Urban Planning studios with outputs that include city-centre, lay-out, special area, local and structure plans. In 2010, he was selected as KAED's 'Best Teacher' and subsequently nominated as one of the candidates for IIUM's 'Best Teacher Award.
He has held many administrative and academic leadership positions including director of IIUM's Development Division, Head of KAED's Department of the Urban and Regional Planning, Academic Advisor and coordinator of KAED's resource centre. In addition, he has also served as a member of Malaysian Institute of Planners' (MIP), Education and Career Development Committee, chairman of the Committee of Urban Planning Schools of Malaysian Universities and took part in Higher Education Roadshows organized by the Ministry of Education.
He has also been actively involved with the society through professional activities including as a member of technical committee in the preparation of the National Urbanisation Policy, National Physical Plan and Selangor's MurniNet. Furthermore, he has been invited to serve as an assessor in the establishment of a new postgraduate programme in the University of Malaya (Master of Sustainable Urban Management), a panel member on Klang's drafting of Urban Design Guidelines and took part in the review of IIUM's Gombak campus master plan.
Rustam is passionate about on- as well as off-campus life; he is very enthusiastic in contributing to the community through volunteering himself as a committee member and he was also the leader for the local Malaysian community while pursuing his postgraduate studies abroad. As a lecturer, he has dealt in various capacities with both the undergraduate and postgraduate students and he has consistently been rated highly by these students as evidenced in the Student Feedback Survey.

• Engineering Tech ~ Applied Sciences And Technologies ~ Architecture ~ Other Architecture n.e.c. - Concept, implementation, green housings/buildings
• Engineering Tech ~ Applied Sciences And Technologies ~ Urban Planning ~ Other Urban Environmental Planning n.e.c. - Physical planning (SAP/local/structural), urban hazards, vulnerable communities, urban management, urban renewal/rehabilitations
• Engineering Tech ~ Applied Sciences And Technologies ~ Construction and Project Management ~ Construction Processes (Including of Commercial Building Construction Processes, Housing Construction Processes, Industrial Building Construction Processes, Industrialised Building/Construction System, K-Based Construction, Seaport and Airport Construction Processes, Road and Highway Construction Processes, Standard Regulation and Legislation and Construction Waste Materials) - Comparative housing design, sustainable housing and communities

DISASTER PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT

2023/2024

Completed

2018 - 2019	Malaysia 100 Year cities (M100YC) Program
2015 - 2020	An Assessment of Solid Waste Management and Islamic Cleanliness Practices among Students of Higher Learning Institutions
2013 - 2016	Re-Modelling the Quality of Urban Life (QOUL) Index for Kuala Lumpur City, Malaysia
2013 - 2016	Modelling the Travel Implications of Stated Preference Female Employees Towards Telecommuting in Kuala Lumpur
2011 - 2012	Recent Studies in Urban and Regional Planning (KVC Project 2011)

On-Going

2012 - Present	IIUM Master Plan (Planning Soft and Hard Scape)
2011 - Present	Kajian Hala Tuju Perancangan Bandar dan Wilayah
2008 - Present	A Study on State Structure Plans Monitoring Practices by State Planning Authorities.