Rosalam (right) and Vikram discussing the latest research on the production of advanced materials.
KOTA KINABALU: Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) is looking to learn from one of the top universities in the world in the former’s quest to set up its own nano research centre in the next three years.
UMS has struck a collaboration with the engineering department of Cambridge University, London in the field of material engineering and nanomaterials.
The collaboration was established through a visit led by UMS deputy vice-chancellor (research and innovation) Prof Dr Rosalam Sarbatly to the university on Wednesday (May 10).
On hand to welcome the UMS delegation was Cambridge University's professor of material engineering, Prof Dr Vikram Deshpande.
According to Rosalam, the discussion was aimed at the exchange of expertise between the two universities in line with the UMS planning plan to develop the nano research centre.
“Dr Vikram himself is excited to receive the invitation to contribute his expertise to UMS through this centre,” he said, in a statement here on Thursday (May 11).
“UMS will not only focus on research in the field of nanoengineering but this centre will be a platform for the study of nanomaterials related to applications in the field of environment, medicine and agriculture,” he added.
He said this after a meeting held at Trumpington St in Cambridge.
During the visit, Rosalam and Vikram also shared the latest research that emphasised the production of advanced materials.
Rosalam, who is also a chemical engineer, shared about the production of nanofibre materials that are used to produce advanced membranes for air and water filtration and wound healing.
“Among the techniques to produce this advanced material on a large scale includes melt-blown by embedding functional materials to produce advanced material products with certain properties,” he said.
Vikram, who specialises in materials engineering, shared his research in producing advanced materials based on carbon nanotubes.
“This research is for the purpose of space technology and military equipment so that the resulting product is stronger, more rigid, lighter and smarter.
“It is focused on micro-architectural materials which are made by changing the topography through vapour deposition,” he explained.
During the visit, members of the delegation also took the chance to reconnect with a UMS academic staff, Assoc Prof Dr A Rahman Tang Abdullah who is on a research sabbatical at the Department of History at the university.
Among those in the delegation were the deputy director (strategic) of the UMS Research Management Centre (PPP), Assoc Prof Dr Fatimah Ahmedy, and UMS’ faculty of medicine and health sciences professor, Prof Dr Kamruddin Ahmed.
