UMPSA strengthens research collaboration with Imperial College London

LONDON, 8 September 2025 - A delegation from Universiti Malaysia Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah (UMPSA), led by the Director of UMPSA Global, Associate Professor Dr. Herma Dina Setiabudi, made an official visit to the Department of Chemical Engineering, Imperial College London, to strengthen academic and research collaboration with one of the world’s leading research universities. 

Joining the session was Nur Ezzati Mohd Nasir from UMPSA Global.

The visit began with a meeting with Professor Camille Petit. Prof. Petit is Professor of Chemical Engineering and Director of Research at the Department of Chemical Engineering. Professor Petit, whose pioneering research focuses on advanced materials for clean energy applications, shared insights into the department’s research trajectory.

Her work explores nanomaterials and hybrid systems for carbon capture, energy storage, and photocatalysis. 

It reflects Imperial’s strong commitment to addressing climate change and accelerating the transition to net-zero. 

She emphasised Imperial’s commitment to sustainability and the development of cleaner, smarter technologies, noting that collaborations with UMPSA could foster both scientific solutions and meaningful global partnerships.

The delegation also toured several world-class research facilities. 

These included Professor Klaus Hellgardt’s Laboratory (facilitated by Aaron McQuade), which specialises in renewable energy and catalytic process development, the ATLAS Facility led by Dr. Lana Lee, and the DigiBAT Facility with Dr. Jingyu Feng, which focuses on digital innovation in battery technologies.

In addition, UMPSA delegates visited a pilot carbon dioxide (CO₂) capture plant led by Dr. Colin Hale. 

The plant demonstrates revolutionary methods for capturing and utilising CO₂, offering significant potential in the global effort to combat climate change through sustainable industrial practices.
 

The visit also featured a series of research presentation sessions, where UMPSA delegates engaged with post-doctoral researchers and undergraduate students from the Department of Chemical Engineering. 

Presentations highlighted ongoing projects in sustainable process engineering, nanomaterial design, renewable energy, and particle technology. 

These sessions offered UMPSA first-hand exposure to Imperial’s integrated approach of combining frontier science with student-led innovation.

Associate Professor Ts. Dr. Herma Dina said, we were impressed not only by the sophistication of Imperial’s facilities but also by the enthusiasm and dedication of its young researchers, as these interactions open opportunities for UMPSA to develop meaningful partnerships in joint supervision, student mobility, and collaborative research outcomes that directly address global challenges. 

In the afternoon, the agenda continued with a discussion with Prof. Jerry Heng, Professor in Particle Technology and Director of Undergraduate Studies. 

The meeting centred on opportunities for joint research, knowledge exchange, and the development of academic programmes such as micro-credentials (MC), global classroom (GC), and academic mobility initiatives.
 

This one-day working visit in London was strategically aligned with UMPSA’s participation in the European Association for International Education (EAIE) 2025 Conference, held in Gothenburg, Sweden, from 9–12 September 2025. 

Together, these engagements strengthened UMPSA’s global network, broadened collaborative research opportunities, and advanced its aspiration to become the ASEAN Advanced TVET Hub by 2030.

UMPSA continues to pursue global alliances that create lasting impact for students, researchers, and communities.

The collaboration with Imperial College London is seen as a driving force in strengthening UMPSA’s role as an entity for sustainable innovation and a trusted partner in international collaboration.

By: Nur Ezzati Mohd Nasir, UMPSA Global