Projects per year
Personal profile
Biography
Professor Ir. Dr. Chong has more than 18 years of experience in academic, research, consultancy and editorial works. He began his Ph.D. research by working in an ARC Linkage project (partners: AWQC, SA Water, Uni of Adelaide, Uni of South Australia) that investigated the feasibility of solar photocatalysis as an AOP for reusing the treated sewage effluents from Bolivar WWTP in South Australia. Shortly before the submission of his Ph.D. thesis, he was employed as a Research Scientist at CSIRO and worked on a number of urban water projects in Southeast Queensland that were funded by the UWSRA. He was a key researcher in the urban water team by leading on a range of urban water research activities, and later becoming a project leader for two CSIRO capability theme projects. After CSIRO, he joined Monash University Malaysia (MUM) as Senior Lecturer and later being promoted to Associate Professor and Professor. Currently, he is the Director of Centre for Net-Zero Technology at MUM. He has attracted more than RM 20 million in competitive research funding as both PI and CI from his research career to date. His academic and research portfolio are accoladed with various prizes, awards and fellowships from national and international learned bodies and societies, such as being awarded the prestigious Royal Society of UK Newton Advanced Fellowship, Green Talents Award, Top Research Scientist Malaysia and others. In a recent ranking study by Stanford University, he is ranked among the World's Top 2% Scientists in his fields of research (i.e., Chemical Engineering & Environmental Sciences) for 4 consecutive years from 2020-2023 (i.e., both for the single-year and career-wise categories). Professor Chong is always open to new research ideas and collaborations, as he believes that these are the key drivers for the creation of new innovations in this modern era. To date, he has published more than 200 publications in high-impact journals, conference proceedings, book chapters, and client consultancy reports.
Research interests
Dwindling of carbon-derivative fuels, and the continuing search for alternative and renewable energy sources have led to our current research in the production of solar fuels from the oxidation of water molecule and reduction of carbon dioxide. Sunlight is present in abundance on Earth, and our research is developing novel nanostructured photoelectrodes that could capitalise and convert sunlight into various solar energy vectors in a photoelectrochemical cell. This production route is deemed cost-effective and sustainable, as it does not involve the need of fossil fuels and subsequent elimination on the emission of environmental deleterious greenhouse gases. However, the major technical bottlenecks of this production route are the low solar-to-chemical energy conversion efficiency and photostability of photoelectrodes. Our research group is actively designing novel nanostructured photoelectrodes using semiconductors, carbon materials, and polymers with further modifications using metal and non-metal doping, photosensitizers, and co-catalysts that could alleviate these technical bottlenecks. Whilst we also seek to understand the fundamentals of photophysics and photochemistry in the photoelectrodes that we designed through advanced characterisations using the state-of-the-art synchrotron facilities.
Monash teaching commitment
- ENG1002 - Engineering Design: Cleaner, Safer, Smarter
- CHE2162 - Material and Energy Balances
- CHE2163 - Heat and Mass Transfer
- CHE2164 - Thermodynamics 1
- CHE4161 - Engineer in Society
- CHE4170 - Design Project
- CHE4172 - Nanotechnology and Materials 2
- CHE5885 - Principles and Practices for Sustainable Development
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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Advancing Malaysia’s Green Hydrogen: Data-Driven Strategies for Circular Economy Integration and Sustainable Implementation
Wen Cai, N. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)), Chong Siang, Y. (Chief Investigator (CI)) & Meng Nan, C. (Chief Investigator (CI))
24/12/24 → 23/06/25
Project: Research
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Development of electro-catalysts for CO2 reduction study from flaring or post-combustion
Siang Piao, C. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)), Putri, L. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Lling Lling, T. (Chief Investigator (CI)) & Meng Nan, C. (Chief Investigator (CI))
15/05/24 → 14/12/25
Project: Research
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Production of Solar Hydrogen Fuel from (Photo)-Electrochemical Water Splitting: A Sustainable Hydrogen Production Route to Decarbonise the Oil and Gas Industry
Meng Nan, C. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)), Siang Piao, C. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Teoh, W. Y. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Jalil, A. A. (Chief Investigator (CI)) & Tang, J. (Chief Investigator (CI))
1/03/22 → 30/06/25
Project: Research
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Using AI to monitor microalgae-based CO2 fixation in photobioreactors
Ilankoon, S. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)), Lim, Y. A. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Meng Nan, C. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Chun Yong, C. (Chief Investigator (CI)) & Foo, S. C. (Chief Investigator (CI))
Microsoft Corporation (United States of America)
1/12/21 → 30/11/22
Project: Research
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Improving the Operationality and Water Collection Efficiency of a Rainwater Pre-Tank Filtration System
Meng Nan, C. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)), Ooi, E. H. (Chief Investigator (CI)) & Mohd Zahidi, I. (Chief Investigator (CI))
22/11/21 → 21/11/22
Project: Research
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Elucidating the dynamics and transfer pathways of photogenerated charge carriers in V2O5/BiVO4 heterojunction photoanodes: A transient absorption spectroscopy study
Yaw, C. S., Günnemann, C., Bahnemann, D. W. & Chong, M. N., 5 Jan 2025, In: Journal of Alloys and Compounds. 1010, 7 p., 177011.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open Access2 Citations (Scopus) -
n-n heterojunction CdS/FST photoanode for enhanced photoelectrochemical water splitting
Sawal, M. H., Abdul Jalil, A., Tuan Abdullah, T. A. B., Hassan, N. S., Bahari, M. B., Izzudin, N. M., Jusoh, N. W. C., Nagao, Y., Aoki, K., Chong, M. N. & Rajendran, S., 28 Feb 2025, In: International Journal of Hydrogen Energy. 104, p. 336-343 8 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
5 Citations (Scopus) -
Revolutionary bismuth vanadate nanowires: Enhanced water oxidation with exposed (0 0 1) facets
Kaur, J. P., Yaw, C. S., Chang, W. S. & Chong, M. N., 5 Feb 2025, In: Journal of Alloys and Compounds. 1014, 11 p., 178772.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open Access -
Biochemical trade-offs and opportunities of commercialized microalgae cultivation under increasing carbon dioxide
Lim, Y. A., Ilankoon, I. M. S. K., Khong, N. M. H., Priyawardana, S. D., Ooi, K. R., Chong, M. N. & Foo, S. C., Feb 2024, In: Bioresource Technology. 393, 10 p., 129898.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open Access3 Citations (Scopus) -
Charge reversal at C-S-H surface/electrolyte interfaces: A mean-field molecular theory approach
Koo, I. K., Yaw, C. S., Liu, Q., Chong, M. N. & Goh, K. B., Nov 2024, In: Cement and Concrete Research. 185, 17 p., 107617.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open Access1 Citation (Scopus)
Prizes
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Monash-Sunway Decarbonization initiative: Microalgae farming and Native Tree Planting
Foo, S. C. (Recipient), Barclay, H. (Recipient), Meng Nan, C. (Recipient), Chien Wei (Edward), O. (Recipient), Ilankoon, S. (Recipient), Watabe, M. (Recipient), Lian, T. C. (Recipient) & Rahman, S. (Recipient), 23 Aug 2018
Prize: Other distinction
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