Chew Zhi Ling and her award-winning research poster. [Photo/en.xmu.edu.cn]

Xiamen University Malaysia (XMUM) doctoral student Chew Zhi Ling has made history by winning the top global honor at the 2025 Institution of Chemical Engineers' (IChemE's) Young Engineers Awards for Innovation and Sustainability. She secured both the Global Award in the postgraduate category and first prize in the Responsible Production, Innovation, and Industry category, becoming the first Malaysian recipient since the competition's inception.

The awards, organized by IChemE, aim to recognize outstanding contributions by young engineers aged 18 to 30 worldwide in advancing sustainability, honoring the innovative prowess of young individuals from diverse fields. This year, applicants from 37 universities and 20 companies, including Oxford University, Cambridge University, University of Surrey, and Honeywell, participated in the competition.

Chew's project, titled "A waste-to-health and wealth (W2HW) approach: Tuning multifunctional and sustainable colloids (eutectogel and oleogel)", was conducted under the guidance of Dr Kua Yin Leng. The project focuses on developing multifunctional and sustainable colloids using waste-fed black soldier fly larvae, durian, and oil palm by-products, with applications spanning across food, cosmetics, agriculture, energy, flexible electronics, and pharmaceuticals.

"I am honored to represent XMUM on the global stage. This award highlights the increasing significance of the circular economy concept in the field of engineering. Waste is not the end but the starting point for a sustainable future. I hope to inspire more young chemical engineers to tackle sustainability challenges with bold and practical approaches and make their mark in the global engineering community", Chew said.