Building bridges across borders, international collaboration brings researchers together to tackle complex challenges. Intan Diyana Munir, a Ph.D postgraduate student from the Department of Mathematical Sciences, Faculty of Science, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), has successfully completed a prestigious research internship at the Institute of Mathematics for Industry (IMI), Kyushu University (九州大学, Kyūshū Daigaku – Kyudai), Japan. As a current UTM student, her research in the field of mathematical modelling of blood flow and solute transport in artery is guided by her academic supervisor Dr. Nurul Aini Jaafar and co-supervisor Prof. Dr. Sharidan Shafie. Her internship journey extends her research capabilities under the supervision of Prof. Atsushi Tero who specializes in the area of network theory. The visit marked a significant milestone in the ongoing collaboration between UTM and Kyudai, particularly in the field of mathematical analysis in biological systems.
Initially awarded as a fully funded one-month internship by Kyudai, the programme was extended to nearly four months with the financial support provided by the Office of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Innovation), UTM through the UTM Nexus Attachment Program. This enables the research to reach impactful results while exposing the student to different research environment, academic cultures and transferable research practices.
Intan’s research applies mathematical modelling to understand the blood flow and solute dispersion in catheterized stenosed artery using the Herschel-Bulkley fluid model. Her work provides important insights on blood movement and the spread of solutes influenced by the narrowed artery under catheterization treatment. This leads to a better prediction of drug delivery that supports advancements in designing medical devices and improving treatment planning. Collaborating with Prof. Tero’s postgraduate student, Haruka Suga, they aim to determine the best treatment order for multi-stenosed artery. This creates an intersection of fluid dynamics and network optimization to propose a more targeted and time-effective strategy for cardiovascular intervention.
In this partnership, Intan focused on modelling blood flow within a catheterized stenosed artery to determine the flow rate behaviour under changing parameters. Her findings provide the essential quantitative data required to analyse the blood flow movement along narrowed vessel. From the data, the characteristic parameters are extracted to find the approximate solution that reduce the computation time for analysis.
Suga then proceeds to apply optimization-based analysis to compare different treatment sequences, aiming to minimize the time required for stenosis treatment. By evaluating cases such as treating the first stenosis before the second, and then reversing the order, they examined how each sequence affects the total time required for complete treatment. Through this joint effort, their research aims to identify the most time-efficient treatment order by integrating mathematical fluid dynamics with optimization-driven decision making.
The significant theoretical findings produced from this collaborative work are scheduled for publication in a Scopus/WoS indexed journal.
Alongside this collaborative project, Intan also actively participated in weekly lab seminars and engaged in discussions with other Japanese postgraduate students. At the same time, she fostered friendships with her lab mates through embracing the cultural exchange by experiencing Japan’s rich culture and rhythms of everyday life together.
Despite differences in language and cultural background, she treasured the memories of seasonal experiences with them such as enjoying grilled oysters (Kakigoya) in winter, witnessing the beauty of cherry blossom viewing (Ohanami) and picking fresh strawberries (Ichigogari) in spring, as well as witnessing the vibrant atmosphere of Kyudai’s graduation season.
She also strengthened her sense of belonging by connecting with the Malaysian community in Fukuoka through Ramadan iftar gatherings and Eid celebrations. Reflecting on her time in Japan, Intan shared, “These moments have shaped me not only as a researcher but as a person. I learned that research more than lab works, but also about building bridges between people, cultures and ideas.”
Her successful completion of the internship contributed to strengthening the collaboration between UTM and Kyudai researchers. This is witnessed from the subsequent month-long visit from her supervisor Prof. Tero as a visiting researcher under UTM Centre for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (UTM-CIAM) exchange program. As part of the reciprocal collaboration, Prof. Tero visited UTM to work with researchers from the Department of Mathematical Sciences and UTM-CIAM. Prior academic relationship established during Intan’s internship has helped researchers between these two institutions to engage effectively in discussing joint research projects, joint publications, student exchanges and collaborative workshops during the exchange.
Notably, the collaborative research conducted by Intan and Suga was also presented by Prof. Tero at the Malaysia–Japan Symposium on Mathematical and Statistical Modelling, jointly organized by UTM-CIAM and IMI, Kyudai. This continuous partnership was further demonstrated by his follow-up visit for a week to share research progress with UTM researchers.
Following the internship, Intan has maintained the academic relationship built with her internship supervisor through occasional online meetings to discuss research and develop publications. She also continues an academic exchange with research partner, Suga, who sometimes consults her for feedback on posters and other research-related work which marks the beginning of lasting research collaboration.
Beyond this, her academic supervisor, Dr. Nurul Aini, also maintains contact with Prof. Tero to explore future collaborative research opportunities. These ongoing interactions not only support research progress but also reflect the mutual respect formed through the internship experience. This achievement highlights UTM’s commitment to nurturing globally competent researchers who contribute to international research collaboration while fostering meaningful cross-cultural connections.
This experience demonstrates that international research collaboration does not stop at a single project. The partnership between UTM and Kyushu University continues to flourish, fostering ongoing knowledge exchange, advancing research in mathematical modelling of biological systems, and inspiring future joint initiatives. Such sustained collaboration shows how cross-border expertise can drive long-term scientific impact.
Prepared by: Dr. Nurul Aini Jaafar and Intan Diyana Munir
