Process Tomography and Instrumentation - PROTOM-i Research Group, UTM

09/03/2026

7 Kesilapan Besar Penyelidik Muda Yang Melambatkan Kerjaya Akademik”

1. Tunggu Idea “Perfect”
• Ramai menunggu idea besar atau projek sempurna
• Nasihat: mulakan dengan idea kecil dan publish awal

2. Tidak Menulis Secara Konsisten
• Menulis hanya bila deadline atau grant hampir tamat
• Nasihat: menulis setiap minggu, latihan berterusan

3. Tidak Membina Team
• Tiada kolaborator, pelajar atau rakan penyelidik
• Nasihat: kerja penyelidikan adalah kerja berpasukan

4. Tiada Research Niche
• Melompat bidang terlalu kerap → tiada kepakaran jelas
• Nasihat: fokus pada niche, bina reputasi

5. Tidak Mengurus Rekod Akademik
• CV, publication, citation tidak dikemas kini
• Nasihat: update CV setiap 3 bulan untuk track kemajuan

6. Takut Hantar Ke Jurnal Besar
• Ramai fikir Q1 susah
• Nasihat: kalau kerja berkualiti, hantar sahaja

7. Tidak Menikmati Proses Penyelidikan
• Hanya fokus KPI, kenaikan pangkat
• Nasihat: jadikan penyelidikan minat & sumbangan ilmu

Akademia bukan tentang genius, tapi:
1. Konsistensi
2. Team yang kuat
3. Fokus bidang

“Perjalanan panjang = hasil berkekalan”

RAR

NB Bersama Tomograohy Research Group, Manchester Univ UK

08/03/2026

Research Pyramid: A Strategy for Building Academic Productivity and Impact

In my academic career, I have observed that research productivity and impact do not occur by chance but are built through a clear and consistent system. I adopt the “research pyramid” approach as my primary framework for managing ideas, teams, and publications in a structured manner.

1. Research Pyramid Concept

Productive professors often build their research using a pyramid structure:

Level 1 – Core Idea
• 2–3 main research projects.

Level 2 – Sub-Projects
• Each project contains 3–4 subtopics.

Level 3 – Output
• Each subtopic can generate 1–2 research papers.

Example:
Project: Process Tomography
Sub-projects:
• Sensor design
• Signal processing
• AI reconstruction
• Industrial validation

From one project alone, it is possible to produce 6–8 papers.

2. Team Publication Model

Professors rarely publish alone.

Typical structure:
• Professor → Provides ideas and research direction
• Postdoctoral researcher → Leads research ex*****on
• PhD student → Conducts experiments
• Master’s student → Handles data processing

Publication targets are usually:
• PhD student: 3–4 papers
• Master’s student: 1–2 papers

If there are 8 active PhD students, theoretically this system can generate 20+ papers per year.

3. Parallel Writing Strategy

Productive professors often manage multiple manuscripts simultaneously:

For example:
• 3 papers under journal review
• 4 papers in the writing stage
• 5 papers in experimental development

This ensures that the research pipeline is never empty.

4. Conference → Journal Pipeline

A common strategy is:
1. Present at a conference
2. Improve and extend the work with additional experiments
3. Convert it into a high-impact journal paper (e.g., Q1 journal)

This approach saves time because the paper structure already exists.

5. PhD Students as Project Leaders

Successful professors do not manage everything directly.

Each PhD student:
• Leads one sub-project
• Supervises or guides Master’s students

This structure creates a mini research team within the broader research ecosystem.

6. Review Papers as a Citation Engine

Every 3–4 years:
• Write a review paper within your research niche.

Review papers typically receive higher citations and help improve research visibility and h-index.

7. International Collaboration

Collaboration enhances research output.

For example, collaboration with researchers from:
• University of Manchester
• Sheffield Hallam University

Each collaboration can lead to joint publications and shared research outputs.

8. Data Reuse Strategy

One experimental dataset can be used for multiple studies:

For example:
• Algorithm development paper
• AI model paper
• System validation paper

This strategy is common in fields such as sensors, instrumentation, and tomography.

9. Fixed Writing Schedule

Many productive professors maintain discipline through routine:
• Write for 1–2 hours daily
• Even on busy days with meetings

Small but consistent effort produces significant results over a year.

10. Focus on Impact, Not Quantity

Influential professors do not chase publication numbers alone. They focus on:
• Publishing in Q1 journals
• Achieving high citation impact
• Delivering industrial relevance

For example, in tomography research, scholars like Wuqiang Yang built global reputation through deep expertise and consistent high-quality output.

Conclusion

The secret behind highly productive professors is:

Research ecosystem = Idea + Team + Publication Pipeline

When this system is stable and well managed, producing 20–30 papers per year becomes a natural outcome rather than a forced target.

Through this research pyramid approach, I view an academic career as the development of a long-term, structured system. When ideas, teams, and the publication process move in parallel and in an organized manner, productivity and impact arise naturally. It is not merely about quantity, but about building a sustainable and effective research ecosystem.

RAR
7/3/2026

With distinguished Professors Yang and Green at the Research Lab, University of Manchester, UK.

25/02/2026

RESEARCH KPIs WITHOUT BURNOUT: A SMARTER WAY TO COLLABORATE

In today’s academic ecosystem, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) have become the compass that directs research productivity. Publications, grants, citations, postgraduate supervision, industry linkages—these are no longer optional milestones; they are institutional expectations. Yet, when KPIs are pursued without strategy or collaboration, they often lead to exhaustion instead of excellence.

Burnout in research does not happen overnight. It begins subtly—late-night revisions, overlapping deadlines, endless proposal resubmissions, administrative burdens, and the silent pressure to “publish more.” Over time, passion turns into pressure. Creativity becomes compliance. Performance becomes survival.

But KPIs are not the enemy. Poor systems are.

1. From Individual Burden to Collective Intelligence

One of the smartest shifts an academic community can make is moving from isolated performance to collaborative productivity. Research was never meant to be a solo sport. Even transformative breakthroughs—from the structure of DNA to artificial intelligence—were built by teams, not individuals.

Instead of asking, “How can I hit my KPI?” we should ask, “How can we design a system where everyone wins?”

Collaboration reduces duplication, distributes workload, and multiplies expertise. A senior researcher provides direction and experience. A mid-career academic drives momentum and networks. A young researcher injects fresh methods and energy. When roles are clearly structured, KPIs become shared targets rather than personal stressors.

2. Smart KPI Design: Quality Over Quantity

Burnout often stems from chasing numbers without strategic alignment. Publishing five scattered papers in unrelated journals may satisfy short-term metrics, but it weakens long-term research identity.

A smarter way is thematic concentration:
• Build a research niche.
• Develop a structured publication pipeline.
• Convert one major project into multiple outputs (journal article, conference paper, policy brief, intellectual property).

This approach ensures sustainability. One strong research grant can generate postgraduate theses, indexed publications, industrial collaboration, and student training—all aligned under a single strategic direction.

KPIs should compound, not compete.

3. Process Discipline Reduces Pressure

Many academics are overwhelmed not because of research volume, but because of poor workflow systems. Structured weekly research blocks, shared databases, writing sprints, and milestone tracking can significantly reduce mental overload.

Think of research like an engineered system: input, process, output. When the process is chaotic, the output suffers. But when workflows are optimized, performance improves without increasing stress.

Small habits matter:
• Protect uninterrupted writing time.
• Use collaborative platforms efficiently.
• Set realistic timelines.
• Learn to say no to misaligned projects.

Strategic refusal is a productivity tool.

4. Psychological Sustainability

Burnout is not only physical fatigue—it is emotional depletion. Recognition, mentorship, and trust culture play critical roles in sustaining motivation. Leaders must move beyond monitoring KPIs and start nurturing people.

A research group that celebrates small wins—proposal submission, data collection completion, journal revision acceptance—creates momentum. Progress fuels resilience.

Moreover, rest is not weakness. Recovery enhances cognition, creativity, and long-term output. Sustainable researchers outperform exhausted ones.

5. Leadership Matters

Institutional leaders must design KPIs that encourage collaboration rather than competition. Reward co-authorship. Value interdisciplinary projects. Recognize team-based grants. Provide administrative support that frees researchers to focus on high-value work.

When systems reward teamwork, burnout decreases naturally.

The Smarter Way Forward

KPIs are not meant to suffocate innovation; they are meant to guide it. The real transformation happens when we stop treating research as an individual race and start building it as a coordinated ecosystem.

High performance and well-being are not opposites. They are outcomes of good systems.

Research excellence without burnout is possible—but only when collaboration becomes strategy, process becomes discipline, and leadership becomes human-centered.

In the end, success in research is not about how much we produce in one year. It is about how consistently we can create impact over decades.

RAR
25/2/2026

31/01/2026

The Quiet Power of Mentorship in Academia

1️⃣
The role of a mentor at the early stage of an academic career is highly significant in shaping a lecturer’s professional direction and the strength of their personal values.

2️⃣
Effective guidance does not necessarily come in the form of direct instruction; rather, it is demonstrated through example, work discipline, and consistent integrity.

3️⃣
Achievement in academia is the result of a long-term process that demands perseverance, accountability, and sustained commitment.

4️⃣
The influence of a credible and respected mentor can cultivate aspirations and self-awareness that serve as a compass throughout one’s career journey.

5️⃣
The continuity of a mentorship culture is a professional trust that must be safeguarded to ensure the preservation of values, knowledge, and sincerity within higher education.

11/01/2026

Assalamualaikum and Good Day everyone,

We are seeking a motivated and talented Graduate Research Assistant (GRA) to join our research team at the Department of Control and Mechatronics Engineering, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM).

The successful candidate will contribute to a research project focused on the design and development of a low-cost Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) estimation system. The project involves integrating sensor technologies with machine learning techniques to create a cost-effective solution for water quality monitoring.

The requirements are as outlined in the attached poster. Interested candidates are invited to submit their full CV and academic transcript to [email protected] (Assoc. Prof. Ts. Dr. Herman Wahid) at their earliest convenience.

09/01/2026