Director
ASSOC. PROF. IR. DR. MOHD RIDHA BIN MUHAMAD @ MOHD ATA'ILLAH
Ridha is the Director at Centre for Research in Industry (CRI) 4.0 and Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Malaya. He obtained Doctor of Engineering from Utsunomiya University Japan in 2015, specialising in magnetic abrasive finishing for superfinishing of tube internal surface for clean environment applications. Prior to his doctoral study, he worked in Mazak Corporation Japan and Singapore as a Senior Mechanical Design Engineer, focusing on CNC prototype machine design and evaluation for mass production and customisation. He was involved in the design and development of several CNC machines, including Mazak's Quick Turn Nexus series and had performed more than 100 variations of cutting parameters to confirm the machine`s limits and capabilities. He is also involved in the intelligent concept of Mazak's machine development, namely intelligent crash prevention, active vibration control and intelligent thermal shield. Currently, he is collaborating with the Joining and Welding Research Institute (JWRI), Osaka University Japan to develop friction stir welding in semiconductor and aerospace applications utilising smart and adaptive algorithms. The project explores the possibilities of joining similar and dissimilar materials such as polycarbonate/aluminium, aluminium/stainless steel, magnesium/steel, and aluminium/copper for various fundamental and smart applications. He was awarded the Distinguished International Associate from the Royal Academy of Engineering UK in 2023 for his project on friction stir welding. He actively applies for research grants, and up to date, he has secured more than 30 projects from domestic and international funders. He has completed supervision of 7 PhD and 8 Master students, and is currently supervising 10 PhD and 3 Master candidates.