Assoc. Prof. Dr. Yong Wai Fen from School of Energy and Chemical Engineering was selected to participate in the Networking Conference on behalf of Malaysia and XMUM, which was held in honour of the 10th anniversary of the Green Talents Competition in Berlin. 

Dr. Yong was one of the 50 outstanding Green Talents alumni from around the globe who was selected by the special jury to participate in the conference.

The “Green Talents – International Forum for High Potentials in Sustainable Development” programme has been hosted by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research for the past 10 years. Under the patronage of Minister Anja Karliczek, this award honours 25 young international researchers each year and it has successfully fostered the global exchange of innovative green ideas within the field of sustainability. Since 2009, 232 young scientists from 65 countries have been awarded for their achievements and contributions to making the society more sustainable. 

The alumni and the Green Talents 2019 meeting at Berlin.

Dr. Yong was selected as one of the 25 Green Talents in 2016 for her research in developing polymeric membranes to create a greener means of converting organic wastes into usable, value-added biomethane. Her studies in finding creative innovations for converting waste into sustainable biofuels and her initiative to take a multidisciplinary approach by engaging in the economic and policy aspects of the implementation left strong impression to the jury. 

The conference offered diversified networking opportunities to participants, which allowed Dr. Yong to meet with distinguished scientists to discuss scientific approaches to solve the urgent global environmental challenges from various aspects of sustainability research. 

Dr. Yong and her fellow Green Talents who were also awarded in the year of 2016.

Before this conference, Dr. Yong visited the chair of Inorganic Chemistry I, Prof. Stefan Kaskel and his Scientific Assistant, Dr. Irena Senkovska from Technische Universität Dresden where she did her 1.5-month research stay in 2016, and discussed the potential future collaboration in materials development.  

Dr. Yong with Prof. Stefan Kaskel (left) and Dr. Irena Senkovska (right).

Dr. Yong said she would like to thank XMUM and German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) for giving her this wonderful opportunity. She shared her thoughts about this trip: 

I had a fruitful discussion with the experts on the interdisciplinary green topics. We exchanged ideas and gained constructive inputs in guidance for the undergraduate and postgraduate students. I have strengthened my ties with Germany as a research location with Malaysia in the field of sustainability science. I will continue to research in creating a smart green planet. With Master and PhD programmes in Chemical Engineering being available next year in XMUM, I highly anticipate that more research opportunities would be available for the students.

About Associate Prof. Dr. Yong Wai Fen

Dr. Yong Wai Fen is an Associate Professor at School of Energy and Chemical Engineering, XMUM. Dr. Yong earned her PhD from National University of Singapore in 2014 under Prof. Neal Chung Tai-Shung’s group. Her research focuses on developing sustainable materials and membrane technologies for biogas separation, industrial air purification, haze removal and air quality control. She was awarded as Chartered Engineer by the Institute of Chemical Engineers (IChemE), UK in 2019. Dr. Yong has published more than 18 peer-reviewed articles in SCI journals and 3 patent applications on membrane science and technology for her groundbreaking work.

For more information about Dr. Yong’s research interests and backgrounds, please click here.