RESEARCH

My passion in research started since my undergraduate days, where I worked as Research Assistant (RA) during the mid semester break. My first research was in  polyelectrolytes batteries, which I then continue to further investigated in my final year project. At the age of 20, I got my first paper published in one of the top referred ISI journal (Journal of Power Sources) and closely followed by another journal publication in the International Journal of Electrochemical Science, which had sparked a motivation for me to explore the research world in my future career. For the sake of challenging myself to get out of my comfort zone, I then tried to venture into different field of research area in end of 2009.

For the past 9 years, my research area has been focused on Biomaterials for Biomedical Applications. I started involve in Biomaterials field during my Masters study in USM under Prof Ahmad Fauzi's supervision. Coming from a family having a career in medical background, this has in some way encouraged me to delve into Biomedical research area even more! My research at that time was  focused in developing smart scaffold materials based on Carbonated Hydroxyapatite (CHA). The work involved the synthesis and characterization of CHA nanopowders followed by fabrication of dense sintered CHA pellets. The 1.5 years of study had resulted us in a paper publication in respected journal as well as a patent and a bronze medal in ITEX 2011. This has grew my passion in Biomaterials research even more. In 2012, I challenged myself again when I decided to experience doing PhD abroad, majoring in Biomedical Engineering. Having a strong fundamental in Materials Engineering, I then eager in trying something new by going into deeper aspects in  Biomedical Engineering with the aim to look at the cell-material interactions. Prior to cell study, I first learned to fabricate my own scaffold using Rapid Prototyping technique (3D Printing), which I think really cool! Afterward, the fabricated scaffolds were tested for its biocompatibility and biofunctionality using human Mesenchymal Stem Cells (hMSCs), osteosarcoma cells and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC). We then studied on the influences of different culture condition (static and dynamic with the use of various bioreactors) and culture medium on several functional designs of 3D Printed hybrid scaffolds. On top of these studies, we also investigated the cross-talk between hMSCs and HUVECs on different scaffolds as to improve the cell-material interaction in vitro. To further inspect the function of blood vessel in enhancing new bone formation, we then used the chicken chorioallantoic membrane assay  (CAM) to test our fabricated scaffolds. The findings have been presented in local and international conferences as well as resulted in 2 ISI publications.

Till today, my passion in Biomaterials research has never fade, in fact it is getting stronger every single day. Globally, bone scaffolds have always been a critical demand as alternative treatment to the current available graft used clinically. This has driven me to further develop future materials for bone scaffold with the hope to market and make them affordable particularly for the bottom-billion. With this aim, I am currently growing my research team back in USM, working together with my former supervisor and contributing my expertise in Tissue Engineering field to the group. Biomaterial has always been my primary research area and close to my heart. 

In the year 2016, I started to explore in the potential applications of Nanotechnology on ceramic tiles, working hand-in-hand with a local ceramic company (Ceramic Research Company, CRC). We have studied in developing  new self-cleaning tiles using various materials. This newly fabricated self-cleaning tiles are targeted for huge markets particularly for the hospitals, where hygiene is always a critical issue! In Malaysia itself, we spent millions of ringgits just for keeping the building clean. Imagine how much can we save each year by using self-cleaning tiles. Huge. Besides cost spent for cleaning, the use of strong detergent has also been an alarming issue as they contains high amount of chemicals. Realizing it or not, these chemicals which drain directly to our nature had polluted our water sources. This has become a worrying issue as it can affect our health and disturb the marine ecosystem. As an Engineer, our job is not only to introduce new technology from time to time but also to apply this advancement in technology to save the world for sustainable tomorrow.