Universitas Brawijaya students join UB STARS research attachment at Faculty of Science, UTM

Assoc. Prof. Ts. ChM Dr. Nik Ahmad Nizam Nik Malek

📝 Summary

Three postgraduate students from Universitas Brawijaya in Indonesia participated in a four-week research attachment programme at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, focusing on sustainable biomaterials for biomedical applications. The programme aimed to enhance the students’ research competencies and promote knowledge exchange between the two institutions. The students gained hands-on experience in laboratory practices and data analysis, and presented their research findings at the end of the programme.

JOHOR BAHRU, Jul 23 – Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), through the Centre for Sustainable Nanomaterials (CSNano) and the Department of Biosciences, Faculty of Science, hosted three postgraduate students from Universitas Brawijaya (UB), Indonesia, for a four-week Research Attachment Programme from 26 June to 23 July 2026.

The participating students were Ajeng Lintang Kinasih Suroso, Eysa Tsabita Qurrota A’yun and Annisa Putri Cantika Mahkota Pertiwi, who are pursuing their Master of Biomedical Sciences at the Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Brawijaya. Their research activities were conducted at the Nanomaterials Laboratories, Building T02, Faculty of Science, UTM.

The programme was jointly supervised by Assoc. Prof. Ts. ChM. Dr. Nik Ahmad Nizam Nik Malek from CSNano, UTM and Department of Biosciences, Faculty of Science, UTM, and Dr. Happy Kurnia Permatasari, MD, PhD, Head of the Master’s Programme in Biomedical Sciences at UB.

Implemented under the UB Student Academic Research Scheme (UB STARS), the programme aimed to enhance the students’ research competencies, provide international laboratory exposure and promote knowledge exchange between both institutions. It also supported the continuing academic and research collaboration between UTM and UB in nanomedicine, biomaterials and biomedical sciences.

UB postgraduate students with their supervisor and members of the UTM research team at the Faculty of Science

During the attachment, the students participated in laboratory orientation and safety training, literature reviews, research discussions, biomaterial preparation, cell culture, biological testing and data analysis. Their projects generally focused on the development and preliminary evaluation of sustainable biomaterials for potential biomedical applications.

Students undertaking biomaterial preparation and laboratory activities at the Nanomaterials Laboratory, UTM

The students gained hands-on experience in material synthesis, sample preparation, aseptic laboratory practices, cell passaging, cell counting and biological assays. They were also introduced to research data analysis using Microsoft Excel and GraphPad Prism, as well as the preparation of scientific reports and presentations.

In addition to laboratory activities, the students participated in the Workshop on Nanomaterials on 20 July and the Colloquium on Functional Materials and Nanotechnology on 23 July. These programmes provided further exposure to current developments in nanomaterials and created opportunities for the students to interact with researchers and postgraduate students from different institutions.

The attachment concluded with the preparation and presentation of the students’ research findings. Throughout the programme, they strengthened their technical competencies, scientific communication, teamwork, problem-solving and ability to work in an international and multidisciplinary research environment.

The Research Attachment Programme reflects the commitment of UTM and UB to promoting international postgraduate mobility and meaningful research experiences. It is also expected to create further opportunities for joint research, student exchanges, scientific publications and knowledge sharing between Malaysia and Indonesia.