Dr. Nur Asyikin Ahmad Nazri

Universiti Teknologi MARA Cawangan Selangor, Malaysia

Speech Title: BEYOND CHEMICAL CROSSLINKING: Chitosan Functionalisation of Mill-Scale-Derived Magnetite for Sustainable Magnetic Nanocomposites

Bio: Dr. Nur Asyikin Ahmad Nazri is a Senior Lecturer in Physics at the Centre of Foundation Studies, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Cawangan Selangor, Kampus Dengkil. Her teaching includes fundamental physics, classical mechanics and medical physics. Her research interests include magnetic nanocomposites, adsorption, waste-derived functional materials, and evidence-based physics education. She is the first and corresponding author of the 2026 International Journal of Biological Macromolecules paper on chitosan-modified magnetite nanoparticles derived from mill scale waste for cadmium removal. She also coordinates the UiTM Green Centre at Kampus Dengkil and contributes to sustainability-related academic and campus initiatives.

Dr. Gunasilan Manar

National Defense University of Malaysia, Malaysia

Speech Title: Bio-Based Nanocomposite for a Sustainable Circular Economy

Bio: Dr. Gunasilan is a Senior Lecturer in Department of Aeronautical Engineering and Aviation at the National Defence University of Malaysia. He holds a Diploma and Degree in Mechanical Engineering, an MSc in Aerospace Mechanics and Avionics, an Advanced Master in Aeronautical and Aerospace Structures from ISAE-SUPAERO, France, and a PhD in Applied Mechanics and Mechanics of Materials from the University of Toulouse, France. His research expertise encompasses advanced materials, aeronautics and aerospace structures, impact mechanics, structural health monitoring, mechanical behaviour of materials, and constitutive modelling. He has led and contributed to research projects involving, high strain rate loading, cellulose nanofibers, impact-force reduction, protective structures, shock-resistant polymers, biosensors, and smart composite materials with integrated structural health monitoring for aeronautical applications. Dr. Gunasilan has also developed intellectual property relating to constitutive equations for aluminium alloys under compression and tension loading. His professional experience includes consultancy on the fabrication of Radar Warning Receiver housing for the A400M aircraft with Royal Malaysian Air Force.

Dr. Christian Laurence E. Aquino

University of the Philippines Los Baños, Philippines

Speech Title: Hematite (α-Fe₂O₃) as a Versatile and Multifunctional Material for Environmental Remediation

Bio: Asst. Prof. Christian Laurence E. Aquino is a faculty member at the Department of Engineering Science, University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), where he also holds affiliate faculty appointments in Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, and the Graduate School. His research focuses on the synthesis and characterization of advanced and multifunctional materials for environmental and energy applications, as well as device microfabrication. He currently leads a government-funded research project on the fabrication of transition metal oxide-based microsupercapacitors as energy storage for sensor microsystems. His broader research experience spans the development of MEMS-based energy harvesters for resilient sensor nodes and has implemented projects on materials-based approaches for the treatment of emerging environmental contaminants. Asst. Prof. Aquino is also a member of the Board of Trustees of the Vacuum Society of the Philippines (VSP), Inc. and an Associate Member of the National Research Council of the Philippines (NRCP), and the Institute of Materials Engineers of the Philippines (IMEP).

Dr. Karthik Kannan

National Chung Cheng University, Taiwan

Speech Title: From Interface Engineering to Green Hydrogen: MXene-Based Bifunctional Electrocatalysts for Advanced Anion Exchange Membrane Water Electrolysis

Bio: Dr. Karthik Kannan is an Assistant Research Fellow (Globally Research Assistant Professor) at the Advanced Institute of Manufacturing with High-tech Innovations (AIM-HI), Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Chung Cheng University, Taiwan. He also serves as an Honorary Research Fellow at Shinawatra University, Thailand, and Distinguished Adjunct Professor at Karpagam Academy of Higher Education, Coimbatore, TamilNadu, India. He holds the Taiwan Employment Gold Card (Science and Technology) and is a recipient of the prestigious Brain Pool Fellowship (Visiting Scientist) from the National Research Foundation of Korea. His international research experience spans Israel, Australia, Qatar, South Korea, and Taiwan. He recently secured NTD 1.15 million in competitive research funding from Taiwan's National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) for advanced electrocatalysis and green hydrogen production. He has authored over 200 peer-reviewed publications, accumulating more than 10,000 citations, with a Google Scholar h-index of 65. He serves on the editorial boards of several international journals and has edited five books published by the Royal Society of Chemistry, CRC Press (Taylor & Francis), and IGI Global. Recognized among MDPI's Top 1000 Reviewers in 2025, he has also been named among Stanford University's World's Top 2% Scientists for seven consecutive years (2020–2026), ranking 23,163 globally and 98th in Taiwan in the 2026 single-year ranking.