Srivardhini Veeraragavan( Award Conferred 6 August 2025)
Title of Thesis:‘ Eco-Driving of Connected Autonomous Vehicles at Railway Level Crossings.’
Eco-driving can broadly be defined as a combination of decisions that can be made to increase energy efficiency of the vehicle. This is a complex decision making process involving many considerations, including the vehicle ' s states and its dynamic environment. At railway level crossings, it becomes even more complex because drivers must stop to check for approaching trains, causing long queues and traffic delays. In this thesis, we design and develop an automated driving system that coordinates between vehicles to eliminate queueing and improve fuel economy and road capacity. We do this through mathematical optimization models built using real driving data collected at Shin-Kiryu Railway Station in Gunma, Japan. Our results show improved fuel economy, idling times, and reduced queueing. We also recommend a policy to waive the mandatory stop regulation at Japanese railway level crossings in future autonomous-dominated futures.
Keenan Yap Zhihong( Award Conferred 9 July 2025)
Title of Thesis:‘ 2D Material Integrated Two Port Surface Acoustic Wave Resonator Vapour Sensors: Design, Analysis, and Characterisation.’
This thesis explores improved gas sensors for detecting volatile organic compounds( VOCs) and humidity, crucial for air quality and health monitoring. Current sensors lack precision and efficiency, but surface acoustic wave( SAW) devices, especially two-port resonators, offer better sensitivity and compactness. Coating these with graphene oxide( GO) enhances performance, but challenges like cross-sensitivity and coating placement remain. The study found that asynchronous SAW resonators outperform synchronous ones when integrated with a sensing film. An electrophoretic deposition method succeeded in producing high performance GO-based humidity sensors in both electrode and SAW platforms. A breakthrough dual-measurement SAW sensor successfully distinguished different vapours.
Supervisor: Associate Professor Narayanan Ramakrishnan Associate Supervisor: Dr Ajay Achath Mohanan
Supervisor: Professor Chee Pin Tan Associate Supervisor: Dr Susilawati External Supervisor: Associate Professor Kamal Md Abdus Samad
Ng Wei Zhe( Award Conferred 2 April 2025)
Title of Thesis:‘ Development of enzymatic renewable hydrocarbon fuel production from triacylglycerol: Performance evaluation, process intensification and feasibility studies.’
Efforts to address the climate crisis have intensified, focusing on reducing greenhouse gas emissions by replacing fossil fuels with biofuels. Biodiesel, the most common biofuel, faces challenges like poor cold flow properties and stability issues, prompting interest in renewable hydrocarbon( HC) fuels. Conventional HC production relies on costly, harsh methods, while enzyme-based methods are limited by enzyme cost and slow reactions. This study introduces CO2-based ionic liquids( ILs) to improve enzymatic efficiency for the hydrolysis and decarboxylation reaction. Optimized conditions enhanced fatty acid conversion and HC yields, showcasing a cost-effective, eco-friendly approach to advancing renewable HC fuel production.
Supervisor: Dr Song Cher Pin Associate Supervisor: Professor Eng Seng Chan Associate Supervisor: Associate Professor Chien Wei Ooi Associate Supervisor: Professor Beng Ti Tey
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