Curtin Sarawak academics shortlisted for IChemE Awards 2013

Miri – 31 October 2013 – Two academics from Curtin University, Sarawak Malaysia (Curtin Sarawak) were shortlisted by The Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE) Malaysia for the IChemE Awards 2013 held in Kuala Lumpur recently.

The awards ceremony was part of a series of events organised by IChemE to celebrate excellence, innovation and achievement in the chemical and process industries across the world.

Associate Professor Dr. Michael K. Danquah and Dr. Mesfin G. Woldetensay from the Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, School of Engineering and Science, were nominated for the Innovator of the Year and the Petrochemical Processing awards, respectively.

The Innovator of the Year Award, sponsored by PETRONAS, recognises the individual who best demonstrates achievements and tangible applications of chemical, biochemical and/or process engineering skills to address important economic, environmental or social issues.

Other shortlisted candidates were Professor Dr. Ahmad Fauzi Ismail (Universiti Teknologi Malaysia), Associate Professor Dr. Ida Idayu Muhamad (Universiti Teknologi Malaysia), Professor Dr. Sivakumar Manickam (The University of Nottingham, Malaysia Campus), Associate Professor Ir. Dr. Chong Mei Fong (The University of Nottingham, Malaysia Campus) and Mohd. Fauzi bin Abidin (PETRONAS).

Meanwhile, the Petrochemical Processing Award recognises the individual who best demonstrates invention or development of a novel, cost effective and environmentally friendly petrochemical process or other similar processes.

The two shortlisted research works for this award were ‘Optimal operation of natural gas processing plant under uncertain conditions’ by Curtin Sarawak and ‘Development of Microchannel Photoreactor for Conversion of Carbon Dioxide to Solar Hydrocarbon Fuel’ by Universiti Teknologi Malaysia.

Associate Professor Dr. Danquah is a Chartered (Chemical) Engineer (CEng & MIChemE) and a Chartered Scientist (CSci). Currently the Associate Dean for Research and Development for the School of Engineering and Science, his research work has resulted in significant contributions in the field of chemical and biomolecular engineering through the application of biomolecular/cellular and polymeric interactions to develop targetting and recognition systems for diagnostic applications and for upstream/downstream biopharmaceutical manufacturing.

Dr. Danquah is a prolific writer with over 140 research publications including peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters, conference publications and technical reports. He has won significant awards which include Outstanding Young Innovator in Asia and Pacific Regions (2012); Finalist, World Technology Award in Biotechnology (2012); and IChemE Highly Commended in Bioprocessing Award (2010).

Dr. Mesfin is an associate member of IChemE and a member of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE). He completed his PhD in chemical engineering specialising in Process System Engineering from Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS (UTP).

His research areas focus on process system engineering (PSE) applications such as process synthesis, design, modelling, simulation and optimisation especially for petrochemical, oil and gas industries. He has published a number of scientific papers in his area and currently serves as a reviewer for American Chemical Society Journal.

Associate Dean for Research and Development Associate Professor Dr. Michael K. Danquah.

Lecturer of chemical engineering Dr. Mesfin G. Woldetensay.