Prof. Ir. Dr. Mohd Zulkifly Abdullah
Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia
Speech Title: PWafer Warpage in Advanced Semiconductor Packaging: Thermal Profile Challenges and Future Outlook
Prof. Ir. Dr. Mohd Zulkifly bin Abdullah has his Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering from Universiti Wales, Swansea, UK. He completed both his Masters degree and PhD from University of Strathclyde, UK. Dr. Zulkifly has published more than 260 research papers in reputed International Journals. He has supervised 38 Ph.D. students and 35 Masters in the area of Electronic Cooling, Porous Media and electronic packaging. He has several research grants and industry consultancy to his credit. He is also the Editor of several reputed journals in the field of electronic cooling and packaging. He has conducted more than 10 short-term courses in the field of electronic cooling. He had a brief stint as Production Superintendent, at Malaysian Sheet Glass and later he moved to USM as a lecturer and served in various capacities such as Deputy Dean (Academics), and Dean, School of Aerospace Engineering at USM. Currently, he is working as a Professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering, at USM.
Prof. Dr. Aidy Ali
National Defence University of Malaysia (UPNM), Malaysia
Speech Title: Development and Strength Analysis of High Impact and Antiballistic of Malaysian Bamboo Hybrid Laminated Composites
Prof. Aidy Ali is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the National Defence University of Malaysia (UPNM). He obtained his Bachelor's degree from Universiti Putra Malaysia in 1999 and earned his Ph.D. from the University of Sheffield in 2003, focusing on improving the fatigue life of aircraft components through surface engineering. He began his academic career at Universiti Putra Malaysia in 2006 and was rapidly promoted through the ranks to full Professor by 2012. His research expertise includes mechanical materials for defense applications, fatigue and fracture of materials, failure assessment and prevention, reliability engineering, and crash analysis. With a Scopus H-index of 23, 163 publications in ISI and Scopus-indexed journals, and 26 secured research grants, Prof. Aidy is a recognized leader in his field. He is also an active member of various professional societies, frequently invited to speak at international conferences, and serves on editorial boards of prestigious engineering journals, contributing to the global advancement of mechanical engineering and materials science.
Assoc. Prof. Akhil Garg
Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, China
Speech Title: AI-driven design of Battery Thermal Systems
Dr. Akhil Garg is an Associate Professor at the School of Chemistry and Materials Science at XJTLU, with prior experience at the School of Mechanical Science and Engineering at Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST), China. He has also taught a course on “Battery Failures” at the China-European Union Institute of Cleaner and Renewable Energy at HUST. Dr. Garg serves as an external advisory board member for the EU-funded BatCAT Project, focusing on batteries. He earned his PhD in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, where he collaborated with Rolls-Royce (UK) on Artificial Intelligence and Robust Design optimization from 2010 to 2012. His primary research interests include machine learning for battery synthesis, genetic programming, and AI-driven topology optimization for cleaner energy. Dr. Garg has been listed in the Stanford Elsevier World's Top 2% Scientists List for the past two years. He presided over the Hubei NSFC (2023-2025) project on deep learning-driven topology optimization for battery cold plate design, the Guangdong Talent Project (2016-2019), and international academic projects with Queen Mary University of London (2022-2023) and St. Petersburg State University of Russia (2023-2024). With over 100 peer-reviewed articles published, Dr. Garg holds a Scopus H-index of 47.
Assoc. Prof. Yu Lih Jiun
UCSI University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Speech Title: Physical properties and biological properties on limonene coating on rubber film
Dr. Yu Lih Jiun is an Associate Professor at UCSI University in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, specializing in materials engineering and sustainable polymer technology. She holds a Professional membership (MIMM) from Institute of Materials, Malaysia, Professional technologist (P.Tech) from Malaysia Board of Technology Malaysia, Chartered Engineer qualification from the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE), UK.
Her research interests encompass magnetic materials, nanomaterials, biopolymers, and recycling processes. Dr. Yu has co-authored numerous publications, including studies on the extraction of nanocellulose from durian husk fibers using deep eutectic solvents and ultrasound-assisted methods . She has also contributed to research on recycling thermoplastic polymers and thermoplastic elastomers. In recognition of her innovative teaching methods, Dr. Yu received the Silver Medal at the 5th Teaching and Learning Innovation Festival in 2019 for her paper on implementing experiential learning-based assignments in engineering management courses. She also awarded a few teaching awards in innovative teaching and best lecturer awards. Dr. Yu's work bridges academia, industry and community collaboration together with her team, with her present position as Deputy Director of Praxis, Industry and Community Engagement in university, Council members of Institute of Materials, Malaysia and EXCO member of Materials Association.
Prof. Katsuyuki Kida
University of Toyama, Japan
Speech Title: Unified formulation of crack propagation threshold behavior of silicon nitride balls under varying stress conditions and discretization analysis
Professor Katsuyuki Kida was born in 1968 in Osaka, where he studied mechanical engineering at Osaka University from 1988. Apart from course work, he studied rolling contact fatigue (RCF) occurring in TiC and TiN coated steels using both X-ray diffraction and scanning acoustic microscopy. After graduation he pursued his academic career and obtained a Ph.D. in engineering mechanics in 2000, investigating RCF problems of all-Si3N4 bearings. By observing cracking and flaking failure under RCF, he succeeded in explaining the material`s features from the viewpoint of fracture mechanics. From 2000 he focused his work on investigating the contact problems of several materials used in machine elements. He has also continued fundamental research on contact problems, for which he received ‘The Best Paper Prize (FFEMS PRIZE)’ from ‘Fatigue & Fracture of Engineering Materials & Structures’ journal in 2005. The awarded papers reported establishing a crack growth mechanism under contact pressure, a problem previously unsolved for over 70 years since S. Way’s proposed theory. His research interests now include the development of three dimensional scanning Hall-probe microscope technologies, fatigue phenomena in polymer bearing, crack growth mechanism under contact stresses and refinement of high-carbon steels.
Assoc. Prof. Ahmad Zhafran Ahmad Mazlan
Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia
Speech Title: Development and Characterization of Oil Palm Fiber Micro-Perforated Panels for Noise Control Applications
Ahmad Zhafran Ahmad Mazlan is an Associate Professor at the School of Mechanical Engineering, Universiti Sains Malaysia. He obtained the B.Eng. degree in Mechanical Engineering from Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan in 2008, both M.Sc. degree in Mechanical Engineering and Ph.D. in Sound and Vibration from Universiti Sains Malaysia in 2012 and 2016, respectively. His research interests are related to the sound and vibration, active vibration and force controls, piezoelectric sensor and actuator, structural dynamic modification, system dynamic modelling and simulation, and human vibration. He has previously worked as a Design and Development Engineer in two automotive companies which is Proton Holdings Berhad and Bosch Automotive Steering Sdn. Bhd. prior to joining USM in 2016. He has published several papers in indexed journals, proceedings, international and local conferences. He also frequently engaged with the various industrial projects during his services at Universiti Sains Malaysia.
Assoc. Prof. Mahmud Iwan Solihin
UCSI University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Speech Title:Exploring Potential Applications of Machine Vision in Automation and Manufacturing SMEs
Dr. Mahmud Iwan Solihin is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Engineering, Technology and Built Environment, UCSI University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. He currently serves as the Manager at the Office of Postgraduate Studies. Graduated as a PhD in mechatronics engineering, he is now a Professional Engineer and a highly regarded academic with deep expertise in machine learning, robotics, automation, and control systems. He also plays an active role in student development, organizing workshops, and leading innovation-driven student competitions. He also holds the IBM AI Engineering Professional Certificate, demonstrating his strong commitment to practical and industry-relevant AI innovation. His research spans a wide range of interdisciplinary applications, including non-invasive medical diagnostics, smart systems, food quality inspection, and environmental monitoring. In addition to his academic pursuits, he is actively involved in industrial projects and consultancy services with AI-based systems. Through a strong blend of research, industry engagement, and postgraduate leadership, He continues to contribute significantly to the advancement of AI-driven technologies in both academic and industrial domains.
Assoc. Prof. Tze Chuen Yap
Heriot-Watt University Malaysia, Malaysia
Speech Title: Enhancing properties of material extrusion-based (MEX-TRB/P) 3D printed parts
Ir. Dr. Yap Tze Chuen is an associate professor in Mechanical Engineering. He is a Chartered Engineer with Engineering Council U.K. (ECUK), member of IMechE since 2013, professional engineer with Board of Engineers, Malaysia (BEM), and member of IEM (MIEM). He is a Senior Fellow of Higher Education Academy, UK (SFHEA). He is also a Certified Trainer by PSMB (HRDF).
His research interests are in dry friction and wear, cryogenic tribology, additive manufacturing, and non conventional manufacturing. Currently he is working on enhancement of additive manufactured partsCreate
Prof. Weidong Zhu
University of Maryland, USA
Speech Title: Continuously Scanning Laser Doppler Vibrometry for Vibration Measurement: Principles, Recent Developments, and Applications
Weidong Zhu is a Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and the founding director of its Dynamic Systems and Vibrations Laboratory and Laser Vibrometry and Optical Measurement Laboratory. He received his double major BS degree in Mechanical Engineering and Computational Science from Shanghai Jiao Tong University in 1986, and his MS and PhD degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Arizona State University and the University of California at Berkeley in 1988 and 1994, respectively. He is a recipient of the 2004 National Science Foundation CAREER Award. He has been an ASME Fellow since 2010, and has served as an Associate Editor of the ASME Journal of Vibration and Acoustics and the ASME Journal of Dynamic Systems, Measurement, and Control, and as a Subject Editor of the Journal of Sound and Vibration and Nonlinear Dynamics. His research spans the fields of dynamics, vibration, control, structural health monitoring, renewable energy, metamaterials, and involves analytical development, numerical simulation, experimental validation, and industrial application. He has published 374 refereed journal papers in these areas and has 12 issued U.S. patents. He is a recipient of the 2020 University System of Maryland Board of Regents Faculty Award for Excellence in Research and the 2024 ASME Rayleigh Lecture Award.