OUR KEY RESEARCH AREAS
Diseases in the tropics
Dedicated to advancing public health in tropical regions through the convergence of natural resource innovation and cutting-edge technologies.
• Nanomaterials and organic vector applications( NOVA)
• Omics, response biology and translation( ORBiT)
• Quantitative theoretical analysis( QuanTA).
Tropical biodiversity and sustainability
Committed to advancing integrated research on species biodiversity and tropical ecosystems with environmental sustainability, conservation and climate change adaptation.
• Biodiversity discovery
• Climate change adaptation and ecosystem resilience
• Sustainability innovations.
Future and functional food
Leverages advanced food science, technology and innovation to mitigate the major food challenges of the 21st century.
• Lipids technology
• Microencapsulation and targeted delivery
• Sustainable packaging.
PhD student Harinash Rao won the 2025 Three Minute Thesis( 3MT ®) competition at Monash University, Australia, with his presentation Eczema: Patched with Sugar, Protein and Clay. This marks the first win by a student from the Malaysia campus in over a decade. He will go on to represent Monash University at the 3MT ® Asia-Pacific finals.
Harinash’ s research addresses eczema, a common skin condition causing dry, itchy skin that often worsens during sleep. He developed a water-rich skin patch that provides lasting hydration and protection against scratching. With pharmaceutical companies exploring clinical trials, his innovation shows strong potential to transform how we approach skin treatment.
The 3MT ®, developed by The University of Queensland, is an academic research communication competition that celebrates the exciting research conducted by PhD students in Australia and around the world.
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