Research with impact
Research with impact
Monash University Malaysia boasts some notable research projects that are trying to change the world for the better. We believe that great research, when properly applied, can lead to lasting and positive change in the world.
Mathematical tools produce new COVID-19 transmission dynamics
Dr Faranak Rabiei from the School of Engineering and postgraduate student Zeeshan Ali collaborated with scientists from international institutes in applied and computational mathematics to produce a new mathematical modelling of COVID-19's transmission dynamics. With the help of fractal-fractional calculus as a powerful mathematical tool, a novel fractal-fractional model of coronavirus involving different compartments was proposed.
Gender-based biomarkers to assess ageing disorders
The "tsunami of premature ageing" could have a considerable impact on healthcare and socioeconomics. Professor Ishwar Parhar and his team aim to identify gender-based biomarkers for assessing multifactorial disorders of ageing using computer-based machine learning techniques to identify genes, proteins in clinical datasets in the ASEAN population.
Eavesdropping on cell communicationsto diagnose and treat cancer earlier
Extracellular vesicles can provide information about the originating cells and their physiological state, particularly in cancer progression. Dr Lee Wai Leng and her team demonstrated that it was possible to detect cancer-specific proteins by examining the urine of patients with prostate cancer against healthy participants. Their data suggests that this technique can be used for the early screening of cancer, and enable the accurate staging and grading of the disease.
Toolkit for improving social entrepreneurs’ wellbeing
The Doing Good/Staying Well toolkit is a collaborative effort that aims to support the development of change makers’ attitudes, skills, and practices towards wellbeing, which can ultimately lead founders to create and sustain social ventures that catalyse positive social change.
A partnership to promote women’s equality and empowerment
On 12 April 2021, Monash University Malaysia signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia (AIM) to develop a business entrepreneurship training program tailored to rural communities. The collaboration further aims to increase women micro-entrepreneurs participation in the e-commerce/marketplace by studying the major challenges they face in adopting digital technology.
Bats: Bane or blessing?
They are often referred to as creatures of the night. And though they are perceived negatively in the West, a collaborative study has proven that bats have a more positive value across the Asia-Pacific region.
Digital health support for prediabetic community
Dr Chong Chun Wie from the School of Pharmacy partners with scientists across different schools within Monash University Malaysia and experts from Monash University Australia and industrial partners, Caring Pharmacy and Bionime (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd. to address the disparity in the burden of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in Malaysia.
The potential of venom in developing life-saving drugs
As deadly and dangerous as venom is, there are many areas to be explored in terms of its values. Besides killing prey, venom holds medical benefits, so there is interest in it for drug discovery. Dr Michelle Yap Khai Khun is a lecturer at the School of Science whose research focuses on venom toxins' pharmacology and future biotherapeutics.
Let there be light: Increasing the yield in plants
Associate Professor Lim Yau Yan from the School of Science leads a research team comprising several PhD and honours students – working on the identification and bioactivity of active compounds from herbal plants, and studying the effects of processing treatment on their bioactivity. The team has recently discovered that the right combination of LED lights can increase the bioactive compound yield of rosmarinic acid by as much as 70%.
Putting SDGs in the business curriculum spotlight
According to Priya Sharma from the School of Business, there is a need to explore the integration of SDGs into an undergraduate business degree capstone unit through authentic learning and collaboration with industry stakeholders. A capstone unit is a final-year unit that serves as the culminating and integrative experience of an educational program. It's designed to provide students with skills that will help prepare them for the working world, and life in general.
The big threat: Antibiotic resistance
Like most real-world problems, it is difficult to find out all the critical causes of antibiotic resistance. A team of researchers from Monash University Malaysia is researching the types and spread of antibiotic resistance in Segamat, Johor. According to Professor Sadequr Rahman, Director of the Tropical Medicine and Biology Research Platform, the answers from Segamat could help improve people's health from all over Malaysia and people of nearby countries.
Drones as the new flying IoT
With beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) being an important feature in the drone industry, drones are able to fly beyond the normal visual range without human interference. With this in mind, Ir. Dr Joanne Lim Mun Yee from the School of Engineering and her team are focused on creating a power gating technology for Internet of Things (IoT) devices capable of tracking drones and other devices with frequency signals within a designated area.
The trailblazer of Malaysian PR
Despite their contributions, Malaysian women have historically been in the shadow of men in an ecosystem influenced by masculine hegemony. Dr Rizwanah Souket Ali, a public relations lecturer from the School of Arts and Social Sciences, documents the contributions of Paddy Bowie through a chapter titled A 'herstory' of Malaysian public relations: Paddy Schubert, Malaysian women PR pioneer in a recently published book, Women in PR History.
Skin treatment: Moving towards natural products
Natural products have been acknowledged for their nutritional and healing benefits. They are also known to be quick fixes for simple skin problems such as rashes, pimples, and dry patches on the face. Dr Goh Bey Hing from the School of Pharmacy is delving deep into these remedies to understand better why they are effective.
Is the pandemic nudging people to buy life insurances?
Despite the importance of owning life insurance as a necessary protection plan, Life Insurance Association of Malaysia reported that out of 16 million working adults, 7.8 million are uninsured. Dr Sharon Koh from the School of Business investigates if awareness concerning the pandemic can trigger the demand for life insurances.
Going stealth to preserve content quality
Data hiding was introduced to combat issues such as piracy. However, distortion in the host content is inevitable with data hiding. Associate Professor Wong Kok Sheik from the School of Information Technology, Monash University Malaysia and his team aim to ensure that a content's quality is ultimately preserved by preventing unintended or intended changes.
Solar energy! The way towards sustainable development
Electric buses do not contribute to carbon emissions on the road, but when they are charged using electricity from power plants which are fueled by fossil fuels, they indirectly impact the environment. Dr Arshad Adam Salema from the School of Engineering focuses on a sustainable solution for the electric bus transport system in Malaysia using solar energy. The project will showcase for the first time a viable solution to develop an integrated low-carbon township in Sunway City.
COVID-19 does not discriminate
Deaf and hard of hearing individuals face special challenges during the pandemic. This inspired a team of researchers from the Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine and Health Sciences' HEAlthcaRE needs of the Deaf program to collaborate with the Malaysian Federation of the Deaf and the Malaysian Sign Language and Deaf Studies Association to develop the Malaysian Sign Language (BIM) video translations of the COVID-19 Screening Questions.
Managing online forums in the age of misinformation
Social media platforms and online discussion forums have given a voice to users without holding them accountable for the accuracy of what they say. Dr Ian Lim Wern Han from the School of Information Technology is using a combination of graph algorithms with machine learning to extract valuable tacit information from platforms like Reddit, StackExchange and Quora, to apply a score that estimates the reliability of someone's post.
The Nudge Theory
Associate Professor Grace Hooi Yean Lee, Head of Economics Department at Monash University, Malaysia, and co-researchers at Monash University, Shin Ee Teo and Erte Xiao, embarked on an experiment to see the efficacy of nudging, and note when its effects start to wear off. They organised the 10,000 steps challenge where a series of surveys were conducted to identify inactive students for participation in the experiment.
Understanding the attraction between men and women
Research has long indicated that it is mostly men, who tend to misperceive friendliness as sexual interest. In her recent work, Dr Goh Pei Hwa revisited the question of gender differences in sexual perception accuracy using a face-to-face, laboratory-based interaction paradigm on a sample of university students in Malaysia.
New millennium sees biometrics bursting into the mainstream
We are currently involved in the creation of Bio-PIN, a secure set of algorithms which can be incorporated into any biometric cryptosystem. Bio-PIN is the result of a collaboration between Monash University Malaysia, the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI), and Yonsei University in South Korea.
Designing an exoskeleton to assist motion
Diseases like stroke and injuries to the spinal cord often result in reduced mobility and are reported to be among the leading causes of mobility impairments worldwide. Dr Alpha Agape Gopalai is working on an exoskeleton, called Ambulate Me, to help support the body by sending stimulation signals to the affected muscle group so that the limbs can move again.
Portable water filter for disaster relief efforts
The Sri Lanka Institute of Nanotechnology (SLINTEC), in collaboration with Monash University Malaysia, and Newcastle University, has developed Poseidon, a portable filtration device that can be fitted to a water bottle. This allows people who are deprived of access to clean water to filter what they drink.
Genomics: A shining light of hope
Published in the March 20 edition of the peer-reviewed academic journal Science was the sequencing of 929 genomes of 54 diverse populations from around the world. The 929 genomes were sequenced at the Wellcome Sanger Institute near Cambridge. Professor Qasim Ayub was part of the Human Evolution Team at this institute.
The quest to meet an effective hangover treatment
Hangover swings into action when one's blood alcohol content approaches zero. To prevent or treat hangovers, Hangaway Sdn Bhd - a Malaysian company founded by Monash alumni Marcus Chew, a registered pharmacist - has been working together with Monash Malaysia’s School of Pharmacy to develop a hangover remedy beverage.
Metabolic syndrome: Solace and solution through peer-support lifestyle intervention
Researchers at Monash University Malaysia have created "PERSUADE" (PEeR SUpport program for ADults with mEtabolic syndrome), an evidence-based and community-specific nutrition and lifestyle behaviour peer support program for individuals with metabolic syndrome.
Medical or Supernatural
Epilepsy has been viewed as a form of a mysterious supernatural trance. Researchers at Monash University Malaysia have teamed up to explore the possibility of engaging religious institutions as a means to raise awareness and provide education. The overall aim of this project is to reduce the level of discrimination against the affected individuals.
Turning e-waste trash into treasure
An expert in mining and minerals engineering, Dr Saman Ilankoon is currently exploring the extraction of copper from discarded printed circuit boards as a lot of natural materials used in electronic and electrical components are lost when products are discarded. He is also developing a Smart E-Waste Collection Box, which uses a mobile application to optimise the collection of e-waste materials.
Studying the therapeutic effects of snake venom on cancer cells
Cancer is among the leading causes of death worldwide that affects both men and women. A team of researchers from the Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine and Health Sciences are now at the centre of a study to determine the efficacy of snake venom for cancer treatment.
Researchers investigate pipes to reduce non-revenue water
A team of academics at Monash University Malaysia are researching the different materials used in piping with respect to their mechanical properties, transportability, corrosion resistance and a host of other criteria. The objective of the research is to give a systematic and comprehensive evaluation of different options to satisfy specific needs so that stakeholders can make better-informed decisions.