Speaker

Dr. Sik Huei Shing

Sik Huei Shing is currently a research officer at Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM), and heads the Environmentally-friendly Treatment of Wood Unit, under Forest Products Division, FRIM. She joined FRIM after obtaining her bachelor degree in forestry, majoring in wood industry from Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM). She obtained her PhD from National University of Malaysia (UKM) in 2010. Her doctoral research work dealt extensively on developing the high temperature lumber treatment technology based on local innovation. This technology offers a unique solution to counter concerns on chemical treatment, particularly in the rubberwood furniture industry. It eliminates the application of standard Bethell treatment process which impregnates borates into the rubberwood prior to conventional drying. Besides, this technology is also applicable to other plantation species. She is one of the key researchers who won the Malaysian National Innovation Award in 2013, and the National Intellectual Property Award in 2014 from MyIPO. She was awarded Outstanding Doctoral Research Award by International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) in 2014, Salt Lake City, USA. Patent for the high temperature lumber treatment technology developed was granted in several countries, i.e. Malaysia and US patent in 2013, Singapore patent in 2014, China and Thailand patent in 2015, and most recently the patent was granted in Vietnam in July 2017. Her current research endeavour has generated a lot of interest from the wood-based industry. Collaborative work with local industry partners is on-going to develop commercial scale production unit based on this technology.