Plant Tuber and Root-Based Biocomposites

S.M. Sapuan is a Professor (Grade “A”) of composite materials in the Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, at the Universiti Putra Malaysia. He is also Head of the Advanced Engineering Materials and Composites Research Centre (AEMC) at UPM. He attained his BEng in mechanical engineering from the University of Newcastle, in Australia and then went on to receive his MSc in engineering design and PhD in materials engineering, from De Montfort University in the UK. He is a Professional Engineer and a Fellow of many professional societies, including the Society of Automotive Engineers; the Academy of Science Malaysia; the International Society for Development and Sustainability; the World Academy of Sciences; the Plastic and Rubber Institute Malaysia (PRIM); the Malaysian Scientific Association and the Institute of Materials Malaysia. He is an Honorary Member and past Vice President of the Asian Polymer Association and Founding Chairman and Honorary Member of The Society of Sugar Palm Development and Industry, Malaysia. During the course of his career, he has produced over 2500 publications, including 989 journal papers, 68 books and 246 book chapters.

Tarique Jamal, a postdoctoral researcher at the Interdisciplinary Research Center for Advanced Materials, KFUPM, Saudi Arabia, obtained his PhD in Mechanical Engineering from University Putra Malaysia, following a B. Tech degree from DR. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Technical University, India. Recognized with the Special Graduate Research Assistantship during his doctoral studies, he received the Best Presenter Award at the 5th Wood and Biofibre International Conference and the Best Paper Award at the 8th Postgraduate Seminar on Natural Fibre Reinforced Composites. Additionally, he earned the Best Presenter Award at the International Conference on Environmental Science and Green Technology and the Graduate on Time Certificate.

Contributing to over 60 publications across various platforms including JCR/Scopus indexed journals, book chapters, and conference proceedings, Tarique Jamal serves as an Editorial Team Member for Materials Today Proceedings, Elsevier. His expertise extends to being an Editor/Co-Editor of Conference/Seminar Proceedings on green materials. Actively engaged in research, he co-leads multiple national/international grants totaling RM 145,000 and holds roles as Secretary and Co-chair in various International and National Conferences. His research focuses on Composite materials and Material characterization, particularly emphasizing Polymers, biopolymers, Natural Fibres, and Polymeric composites.