My interests are in theoretical soft matter physics, including continuum mechanics, topological physics, and active matter. I am also exploring statistical physics and stochastic thermodynamics. I completed a PhD at the University of Cambridge, working on mathematical models that capture the elastic behaviour of soft solids, covering three classes of solid: elastomers, active solids and topological metamaterials.

Professor Sr Ts. Dr. Syahrul Nizam was born in Klang, Selangor and married to a wonderful wife blessed with three children. Syahrul starts his built environment career when completing a Certificate in Building Services Engineering from Polytechnic Jitra, Kedah (POLIMAS) in 1994. Upon completing his course, he has been a practical technician at the Holiday Inn Shah Alam for 6 months. During his training, Syahrul has been exposed to hands on and management works on maintenance aspects. After completing his studies at POLIMAS, Syahrul have been employed by a Civil & Structure Consultant which company was based in Petaling Jaya. Syahrul have been in the company for 11/2 years as an Autocad-Operator (Draught Person). Due to high enthusiasm and encouragement for continuing studies, Syahrul have been offered a place at University Science of Malaysia entering BSc. (Hons) Housing, Building & Planning course majoring in Building Technology in 1997. Looking at opportunities and support given by the university, Syahrul have continued his studies to the Masters level on Building Technology soon after graduating his first degree in 2000. Upon completing his degree course, Syahrul carried out a practical training as a civil engineer at Majlis Perbandaran Klang. During his training, he has been exposed with building design, procurement and government procedures that leads him to successfully completed the process of designing and tendering for the construction of 20 Units Food Complex in Klang, Selangor.  On leaving the University Science of Malaysia in 2001, Syahrul joined Corak Petikan Sdn. Bhd, a construction company based in Kedah as a Building Coordinator. From this company, Syahrul moved to join a public listed company Negara Properties (M) Berhad in 2002 as the Management Trainee. During this period, he has applied his extensive knowledge in building design, construction materials, construction management and procurements procedures in managing and supervising a construction project located at Nilai, Negeri Sembilan. Due to Syahrul great emphasize and interest on research field, Syahrul left his working environment and sailed for United Kingdom to undergo a research on buildings. Syahrul Nizam enrol as a PhD student at UMIST which is now University of Manchester in 2003 and later graduated in 2006 in the field of Facilities & Building Performances. During his studies, he has been actively involved in sports, social activities as well as research arena serving as Housing Bureau, Vice President of Malaysian Research Group, UK to name a few. Pursuing his career as academia, Syahrul Nizam joint University of Malaya on the 27th December 2007 and currently attached to the Building Surveying Department, Faculty of Built Environment. His expertise is in the field of Facilities & Building Performance. Prof. Syahrul currently holds over 150 publications in several ISI (WoS)/Scopus indexed journal as well as in reputable international and national journal. Prof. Syahrul is also the executive editor of the Journal of Surveying, Construction and Property, regional editorial for Journal of Facilities Management, UK (Emerald) and member of the editorial board for several international and local journals. Prof. Syahrul is also a Registered Building Surveyor, RISM; Professional Technologist, MBoT; Certified Facilities Management Manager, CIDB and Qualified Professional MyCrest, CIDB. Prof. Syahrul has made his present with the industry through his appointment as expert panel, technical advisors and committee members for JKR, CIDB, ISO as well several other government agencies and private organizations. Prof. Syahrul has received several awards including Outstanding Paper Award 2011 by Emerald UK, ISM Excellence Award: Best Article 2011and 2016 and Top Building Surveying Author in The Malaysian Surveyor 2013 and 2016 to name a few. Recently, Prof. Syahrul was awarded the Order of Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, S.I.S (Darjah Kebesaran Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah) by his Royal Sultan Selangor marking him as one of the high-ranking individuals who have contributed excellence to the Sultan of Selangor and His Majesty's Government. Professor Sr Ts. Dr. Syahrul Nizam has always being up to date with the current development and actively conducting research in the field of built environment nationally as well as internationally. Apart from numerous internal/local/ministry research grants, Prof. Syahrul has been given the trust to conduct a national level research by Construction Research Institute of Malaysia (CREAM) research arm under Construction Industry Development Board of Malaysia (CIDB) in developing Facilities Management Strategies in Malaysia. Under partnership with University of Manchester, UK, Prof. Syahrul was awarded a research grant under Newton Ungku Omar Fund by the British Council to look into Sustainability through Building Information Modeling (BIM) leading to the creation of the future cities for the UK and Malaysia. Moving on, Prof. Syahrul has led a team in developing Building Information Modelling Facilities Management training modules for CIDB. Currently, Prof. Syahrul is leading a research team in developing Electronic Energy Benchmarking System (EeBS) funded by JKR Malaysia.  

I am Erma Rahayu Mohd Faizal Abdullah, currently serving as the Deputy Dean of Student Affairs (HEP) at the Faculty of Computer Science and Information Technology, Universiti Malaya. In this role, I lead initiatives related to student development, welfare, mobility, and employability, with a strong focus on nurturing well-rounded graduates who are academically strong, industry-ready, and globally engaged. Alongside my leadership responsibilities, I continue to contribute actively to academia through teaching and research in Artificial Intelligence. My academic interests lie in computer vision, machine learning, and explainable AI (XAI), with applications in healthcare, education, and manufacturing. I have led and contributed to impactful projects such as UMFit, a real-time monitoring system for cardiac patients aimed at improving healthcare accessibility and reducing clinical workload. My research also extends to dentistry using CBCT imaging and industry collaborations to enhance automation and quality systems. In teaching, I am actively involved in postgraduate education, delivering courses such as Artificial Intelligence: Principles & Techniques, Computing Mathematics, and Data Privacy and Artificial Intelligence Ethics. My teaching approach emphasizes high-order thinking, critical analysis, and the application of AI concepts to real-world challenges. Beyond the classroom, I am deeply committed to student mentorship and talent development. I actively mentor students in hackathon and innovation-based activities, guiding them in problem framing, solution design, and pitching. These engagements are aligned with my broader goal of enhancing students’ creativity, teamwork, and readiness to solve complex, real-world problems. Ethical AI remains a central pillar of my work. As an IEEE CertifAIEd™ Authorized Assessor, I focus on algorithmic fairness, transparency, and data privacy. I integrate explainability techniques into AI systems to ensure models are interpretable, accountable, and aligned with responsible AI principles. I also actively support international engagement and academia–industry collaboration, creating opportunities that strengthen both student exposure and research relevance. Driven by a commitment to impactful innovation and student empowerment, I continue to contribute to the development of responsible AI solutions while nurturing future-ready graduates equipped to address complex global challenges.