Professor Ir. Dr. Ching Yern Chee is a Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Universiti Malaya and a distinguished researcher in advanced and sustainable materials. She obtained her degree in Chemical Engineering from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM). She is a Chartered Engineer registered with the Engineering Council, United Kingdom, and a Professional Engineer with the Board of Engineers Malaysia.
Her research focuses on polymer nanocomposites, bionanocomposite coatings, biomaterials, and functional materials, with a strong emphasis on sustainability. She has made significant contributions to the development of biocomposites derived from agricultural residues for high-value, environmentally friendly applications. Her work integrates material innovation with sustainability, advancing high-performance and environmentally responsible solutions across biomedical, industrial, and technological sectors.
Professor Ching has demonstrated outstanding research leadership, having secured more than RM 6.5 million in research funding and completed 48 research projects as Principal Investigator. She has supervised 26 postgraduate students (18 PhD and 8 Master’s graduates). Her scholarly output includes over 173 ISI-indexed journal publications, five book chapters, and eight filed patents, with an h-index of 44 (Web of Science).
Among her notable achievements is the development of a novel composite coating with high far-infrared (FIR) effectiveness and UV-blocking properties for agricultural greenhouse films. This innovation provides multifunctional benefits at reduced processing costs and enables optimal crop growth conditions. She has also contributed to the development of biodegradable mulch films to reduce plastic waste from agricultural activities. In addition, she has developed biocomposite coatings with excellent barrier properties based on oil palm and nanocellulose sources, offering sustainable alternatives to fossil-based plastic coatings for the paper packaging industry. Her work has attracted significant interest from both local and international industries.
Professor Ching’s excellence has been recognized through numerous prestigious awards. She was awarded the Leaders in Innovation Fellowship (2017) by the Royal Academy of Engineering, United Kingdom, and named a Top Research Scientist Malaysia (2020) by the Academy of Sciences Malaysia. From 2022 to 2025, she has been listed among Universiti Malaya researchers in the World’s Top 2% Scientists by Elsevier. Her publication on bioplastics received the Web of Science Highly Cited Paper recognition (2023–2024), ranking among the top 1% in the field of chemistry. She also received the Hitachi Fellowship (2019) and served as a visiting scholar at The University of Kitakyushu, Japan, and visiting professor at Dezhou University, China. To date, she has received more than 20 awards at international exhibitions for her research and innovations.
In addition to her research achievements, Professor Ching actively contributes to the academic and professional community. She serves on the editorial boards of several high-impact SCI-Q1 journals, including the Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering, Alexandria Engineering Journal, and Frontiers in Materials. She is actively engaged as an external assessor, examiner, keynote speaker, and international evaluation panel member. She is a member of the Academy of Sciences Malaysia (ASM) WEHAB++ Environment Committee and currently serves as Chairman of the Marine Engineering & Naval Architecture Technical Division of The Institution of Engineers, Malaysia (2024–2026).
