Staff Profile

Biography

Ms. J.C. Lai obtained her Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) in Chemical Engineering in 2011, Master of Philosophy in Chemical Engineering with research emphasis on compost quality improvement with addition of chitinous materials in 2016 at the Curtin University, Malaysia. She joined Swinburne University of Technology, Sarawak as an Associate Lecturer in the Faculty of Engineering, Computing, and Science in October 2015, and was subsequently appointed as Lecturer in 2016.

Her research interests include post-consumer wastes and agriculture waste treatment via intermittent composting method, improving compost quality, microbial communities’ profile in intermittent aerated composting process, and application of dominant bacterial in compost.

Research Interests

• Post-consumer wastes and agriculture waste treatment via intermittent composting method
• Compost quality improvement
• Profile of microbial communities in composting process
• Applications of dominant bacteria in compost

Professional Memberships

• Graduate Member, Board of Engineers Malaysia (BEM)
• Graduate Member, The Institution of Engineers Malaysia (IEM)
• Associate Member, The Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE)

Research Grants

External Grant: Bright Spark Research Grant by Sarawak Research Development Council (SRDC) 2020 – current. A collaboration project with St. Joseph Private School

Title of Project: Composting of Food Waste in School.

Swinburne Sarawak Research Grant (SSRG) Oct 2017 – Apr 2019.

Title of Project: Microkinetic deactivation studies on mesoporous silica supported nickel catalyst to enhance simultaneous active coke destabilization (Project member)

Awards

• IEEE Region 10 TENHUMCH Humanitarian Technology Activities Initiate Program Support Fund, “Community Empowerment: Promoting Safe and Sustainable Food Production”, 2020.
• Merit Award, “Determination of the effect of aeration rate on temperature profile of food waste composting”, Innovation Technology Expo (InTEX) 2019, Kuching, Sarawak.

Publications

Book Chapter

• C. Lai, H.B. Chua, A. Saptoro, & H.M. Ang, (2013). “Effect of Isolated Mesophilic Bacterial Consortium on the Composting Process of Pressed-Shredded Empty Oil Palm Fruit Bunch”, in Pogaku, R., Bono, A. & Chu, C. (eds.), Developments in Sustainable Chemical and Bioprocess Technology, Springer US Publisher (New York), pp. 27 – 33, ISBN: 978-1-4614-6207-1, doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6208-8_4.

Conference Proceeding

• H. Then, J.C. Lai, & Y.L. Then, (2021). “Study of forced aeration system for fruit and vegetable waste composting”, IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering 1195 (2021) 012058 doi: 10.1088/1757-899X/1195/1/012058.
• Rose, J.C. Lai, Y.L. Then, & C.K. Vithanawasam, (2021). “Effect of external heat source on temperature and moisture variation for composting of food waste”, IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering 1195 (2021) 012059 doi: 10.1088/1757-899X/1195/1/012059.
• Rose, J.C. Lai, Y.L. Then, & C.K. Vithanawasam, (2019). “Calibrated analytical model of low cost YL-69 hygrometer sensor for determining moisture content of fruit and vegetable waste”, Proceeding of the IEEE, 2019 International UNIMAS STEM 12th Engineering Conference (EnCON), 28 – 29 August, Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia. doi: 10.1109/EnCon.2019.8861253
• Y. Yi, B.M. Siddique, B.M. & J.C. Lai, (2018). “Development of biopolymer film with different ratios of gelatine to chitosan reinforced with zinc oxide nanoparticles for food covering/preservation”, IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering 429 (2018) 012039 doi: 10.1088/1757-899X/429/1/012039.