PhD Student Wins Global IChemE Award as Malaysia's Sole Recipient

Published on September 2, 2025

The Research and Postgraduate Centre congratulates Chew Zhi Ling, a PhD student from the School of Energy and Chemical Engineering (SECE) at Xiamen University Malaysia (XMUM), on winning Young Engineers Awards for Innovation and Sustainability (YEAIS) 2025 (postgraduate category) by Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE).

Sponsored by Elsevier, YEAIS is a global award aiming to recognize new and emerging talents across chemical and process engineering, and to celebrate the ideas and innovations of students and early career chemical engineers from a wide range of backgrounds and industries.

This year, it involved applicants from over 37 universities and 20 companies, including University of Cambridge, University of Oxford, University of New South Wales, Honeywell, and Mott MacDonald Bentley (MMB).

To date, Chew Zhi Ling is the only Malaysian recipient of this global award.

Chew Zhi Ling was invited to present at the YEAIS Showcase and Networking Celebration Event, followed by an award ceremony, held at the Royal Society, London, UK, on 16 June 2025. The travel expenses were supported by the University and the School of Engineering and Chemical Engineering. Additionally, the student received further funding support from Asst. Prof. Dr. Kua Yin Leng (her supervisor), Prof. Chen Binghui, and Prof. Wang Huiqiong. (her supervisor), Prof. Chen Binghui and Prof. Wang Huiqiong.

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Left: Chew Zhi Ling presenting at the Royal Society, London (the oldest scientific academy in continuous existence).
Right: Prof. Raffaella Ocone, the 84th President of IChemE, congratulating Chew Zhi Ling on her achievements in YEAIS.

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Group photo with YEAIS winners from different categories.

"I'm proud to represent Xiamen University Malaysia on this global stage," said Chew Zhi Ling. "This recognition reflects the growing importance of circular economy principles in engineering. I hope this achievement inspires more young chemical engineers to pursue bold, impact-driven ideas that address real-world sustainability challenges and contribute meaningfully to the global engineering community."

The winning research project focuses on a waste-to-health & wealth (W2HW) approach for developing multifunctional and sustainable colloids, specifically, eutectogel and oleogel. The project utilizes waste-fed black soldier fly larvae (BSFL), durian, and oil palm biomasses to develop multifunctional, healthier, and sustainable colloids for different applications, which would contribute significantly to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and circular economy.

The project is financially supported by the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) Malaysia, World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Education for Nature (EFN), and Xiamen University Malaysia in collaboration with Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB), Malaysian Cocoa Board (MCB), BioLoop Sdn Bhd, and Lian Feng Frozen Durian Sdn Bhd.

As a first-year PhD student, Chew Zhi Ling has published six SCIE-indexed, non-open-access journal articles under the supervision of Dr. Kua Yin Leng.