Curtin Sarawak student first from the university to receive MyBrain15 scholarship

Miri – 3 October 2012 – Curtin University, Sarawak Malaysia (Curtin Sarawak) higher degree research (HDR) student Billy Lau Pik Lik recently became the first student from the university to receive a MyBrain15 scholarship for his postgraduate study.

The prestigious MyBrain15 programme was introduced under the 10th Malaysia Plan with the aim of achieving at least 60,000 PhD holders in the country by 2023. Three scholarship schemes, namely MyMasters, MyPhD and Industrial PhD, were introduced to give financial assistance to students who wish to pursue postgraduate studies.

Lau, a Master of Philosophy (Computer Science) postgraduate student, is currently working under the supervision of Associate Professor Dr. Ashutosh Kumar Singh, Head of Curtin Sarawak’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) and Terence Tan, Head of the Department of Engineering First Year.

Lau’s current research entitled ‘Interdependence between Agents in Multi-Agent Systems’ analyses multi-agent systems that have brought traditional artificial intelligence to the next level by introducing the cooperation between autonomous intelligent agents.

Cooperation between agents has always been a problem due to factors such as incomplete knowledge agents and the production of optimal decision, and Lau’s research aims to encourage cooperation between agents in a systematic framework known as a coalition.

Commenting on the MyBrain15 scholarships, Dr. Ashutosh commended the Ministry of Higher Education for its efforts to produce highly-skilled graduates to meet the country’s needs as it progresses towards its goal of being an industrialised nation by the year 2020.

He also thanked the ministry for recognising Curtin Sarawak’s research talents, particularly those in its ECE Department, and he encourages more students of Curtin Sarawak to apply for the scholarship and pursue higher levels of study.

He added that the ECE Department has the highest number of HDR students. The department has research collaborations with several renowned universities such as University of Bristol, United Kingdom; Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong; and the Institute of Technology, Banaras Hindu University, India.

Scholarship recipient Billy Lau Pik Lik (centre) posing with Terence Tan (left) and Associate Professor Dr. Ashutosh Kumar Singh.