Engineering and Technology

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HEAD OF RESEARCH CLUSTER

Professor Dr Narayanan Kulathuramaiyer
Director, Institute of Social Informatics and Technological Innovations (ISITI)
Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science, Graz University of Technology (2008)
Bachelor of Science in in Computational Science, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (1998)
Master of Science in Artificial Intelligence, Universiti Sains Malaysia (1989)

Phone: +6082-583632 Fax: +6082-583661
Email: nara@unimas.my

INTRODUCTION

Engineering and Technology is a vibrant and key research domain at UNIMAS. The University offers Post Graduate Research opportunities in the main disciplines of Engineering and Technology, namely: Civil Engineering, Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Chemical Engineering and Energy Sustainability, Electronics and Electrical Engineering.


Within these disciplines there is an option to choose from more than 100 research areas, such as Advanced Materials, Non-Destructive Testing, Mechanical Design, Robotics and Automation, Surfaces and Nanostructures, Thermo-fluids, Remote Monitoring and Control, Sensors and transducers, Occupational Safety and Health, Operations Research, Chemical Reaction Engineering, Transport Processes, Process Engineering, Water and Wastewater treatment, Energy Efficiency, Building Services and Management, Concrete Technology, Construction Project Management, Geotechnical Engineering, GIS Applications, Landslide and Slope Stability, Soil Engineering, Structural Engineering, Transportation Engineering, Engineering Hydrology, Computational and Mathematical Modeling, Computer-aided Engineering, Digital Systems, Evolutionary Computation and Applications, Fuzzy Sets and Systems, Microelectronics, Microstrip Antennas, Communication Networks, Neural Networks, Opto-electronics, Robotics and Automation, Signal and Image Processing, just to name a few.

The Engineering and Technology spearheads UNIMAS research culture with the highest research grants and publications. There has been a paradigm shift in the research philosophy over the recent years where Multi-disciplinary research has become focus of national and international research institutions. Engineering and Technology at UNIMAS also bears a Multi-disciplinary role in order to fulfil its responsibility as a national icon for impactful and sustainable research. Multi-disciplinary research is bringing disciplines together to talk about issues from each of their perspectives. In multidisciplinary research, researchers must understand their own research objectives as well as those related to the other project team members' objectives.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

  • To improve the research quality at UNIMAS in the field of Engineering and Technology.
  • To increase the number of Research Grants and their total value.
  • To setup collaboration with major players in Engineering and Technology and to promote culture of multi-disciplinary research.
  • To strategize and achieve more International Research grants in addition to National, State, Local and Industrial research grants
  • To set goals and plan for an improved Post Graduate program

MISSION
 
The mission of Research Cluster on Engineering and Technology is to advance knowledge, to improve research culture and to educate students in engineering and technology, so as to enable the University to achieve significant and recognizable value to its higher education programs.


PLAN FOR 2019

Through the Research Cluster on Engineering and Technology, UNIMAS plans to achieve the following during the year 2019 :
  • One International Research Grant.
  • 6 National/State Research Grants.
  • 2 MoU/ MoA with International and/or Industrial partners.
  • Increase in High Impact research publications
  • 2 Post Graduate students jointly supervised by International partners

RESEARCH GROUPS

The Research Cluster on Engineering and Technology at UNIMAS is composed of the following Research Groups:
  • Computational Thermo-fluid Dynamics and Industrial Plant System Optimization
  • Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Big Data.
  • Robotics, Automation and Healthcare Engineering
  • Smart Grid and Sustainable Energy Systems
  • Creative Problem Solving Methods in Bio Medical applications
  • Innovative Green Materials and Technologies
Computational Thermo-fluid Dynamics and Industrial Plant System Optimization
The main area in focus of this group is the optimization and analysis that relates to computational fluid dynamics and thermal characteristics of any mechanical system or rotating machineries. The team also promotes energy efficiency in plants (particularly manufacturing plants) so that the plant machineries system is at its optimal condition. The research teams within this group have successfully undertaken the following projects :

  • Diecasting parts optimization.
  • Nanosheet technology
  • Activated carbon technology
  • Fan system optimization
  • Pump system optimization
  • Compressed air system optimization
  • Steam system optimization

The group is presently active in the following projects

  • Diecasting parts optimization (collaborative work with Kyokuto Diecasting Japan, Tokai University, UNIMAS, HICOM Diecasting)
  • Nanosheet implants for friction reduction (collaborative work with MNTC and CREN)
  • Energy saving measures for Balung Palm Oil Mill, Tawau, Sabah for their steam system optimization. Now implementation of phase one is in the process of tendering evaluation

 

The teams within this group plan to reinforce international and industrial collaboration through following memoranda:

  • MoU with Tokai University Japan
  • MoU with Balung Palm Oil Mill Malaysia