Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning
Models and systems that learn from data, including generative AI, chatbots and AI decision support.
Research & Expertise
Research that turns data into decisions
BDC's 22 fellows work across artificial intelligence, big data analytics, data engineering and data governance. Much of the work is applied with government agencies and industry. Explore our research areas, flagship projects and the people behind them.
01 Research Areas
Where BDC research focuses
BDC's stated niche areas are big data, data science, artificial intelligence, machine learning, data governance and data management. The eight areas below group that work by application.
Big Data Analytics & Data Science
Statistical and computational methods for drawing insight from large, complex datasets.
Data Engineering & Platforms
Pipelines, warehouses and platforms that make data reliable and ready for analysis.
Data Governance & Management
Policy, stewardship and integrated data management, from national registries to public-sector data policy.
Digital Transformation
Helping organisations adopt big data, including through BDC's ADiBA framework.
Information Retrieval & Language Technology
Search, text analytics, sentiment analysis and Malay machine translation.
IoT, Smart Cities & Resilience
Sensor data and integrated analytics for smarter, more resilient environments, including flood preparedness.
Predictive Analytics for Key Sectors
Prediction for healthcare, finance, education, construction and public services.
Niche areas: research.utm.my/bdc/vision-mission-2026. Related experts are matched from member expertise on research.utm.my/bdc/our-people and project leads named on the BDC Facebook page.
02 Featured Research
Flagship work
Two lines of research that show how BDC moves from a research output to use in practice.
Big data adoption · Public sector
ADiBA: Accelerating Digital Transformation Through Big Data Adoption
ADiBA is a framework for planning and implementing big data adoption in organisations. It came out of a Research Excellence Consortium project led by the BDC Director. BDC reports that it is now used in implementing the Public Sector Big Data Policy (Dasar Data Raya Sektor Awam).
- ResearchFinal report of the Research Excellence Consortium project that produced ADiBA.
- PolicyPublic-sector big data guidelines with MAMPU (2023); DSRA implementation kit with JDN (2024).
- TrainingProfessional Certificate in ADiBA; UTM PPDU cohort completed December 2024.
- ScaleTVET big data programme with JPK, KESUMA: Series 1 (May 2026), Series 2 (Aug 2026) and Series 3 (Oct 2026).
AI decision support · Islamic finance
AI-Enabled Shariah Decision Support Tools for I-FIKR 3.0
BDC and ISRA Institute at INCEIF University are extending the I-FIKR 3.0 platform with three Shariah-governed decision-support tools: Shariah stock screening, Faraid (Mawarith) calculation and Zakat calculation. AI is used only for non-normative tasks such as data extraction; the rulings come from rule engines approved by qualified Shariah scholars.
- Project1 March – 31 December 2026. Principal investigator: Prof. Dr. Naomie Salim. Output: decision-support tools (system).
- Jun 2026Progress report and live system demonstration: AI models, real-time data processing and user interface.
- Jul 2026BDC team attended the I-FIKR AI chatbot demonstration (developed with Zetrix) at INCEIF University.
- PartnersINCEIF University, ISRA Institute.
03 Projects & Innovation
Funded projects and innovations
Six grants and contracts announced on BDC's Facebook page in early 2025, with a combined stated value of about RM0.84 million, plus products and spin-offs from BDC fellows.
| Project | Lead | Funder / client | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feasibility Study: Integrated Higher-Education Data Warehouse | Assoc. Prof. Ts. Dr. Mohd Shahizan Othman | Ministry of Higher Education (KPT), direct appointment | RM498,937.07 | Completed, Dec 2025 |
| Flood Resilience Framework for Data-Driven Decision and Integrated Big Data Analytics | Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mohd Adham Isa | Not stated in source | RM120,000 | Ongoing, to Oct 2026 |
| MyTranslate: Rapid Prototyping for Cloud-Based Malay Machine Translation | Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mohd Adham Isa | UTM NEXUS Translasi | RM114,400 | Ongoing, to Jan 2027 |
| AI-based hologram of Tunku Abdul Rahman | Prof. Ts. Dr. Nor Azman Ismail | Infinite Loop Media Sdn Bhd | RM50,500 | Ongoing |
| GenAI chatbot development in the CRR, under the National Construction Information & Analytics Platform | Ts. Dr. Chan Weng Howe | Ministry of Works (KKR) | RM50,000 | Completed, Aug 2025 |
| National Family Registry in Malaysia: integrated family data management | Dr. Sharin Hazlin Huspi | LPPKN | RM10,000 | Ongoing, to Dec 2026 |
Source: UTM BDC Facebook page, award announcements posted in early 2025. Values are as stated in the posts. Total: RM843,837.07. Status and end dates confirmed by BDC, October 2026.
MyJalan analytics (KKR)
A big data analytics component of the National Construction Information Platform, led by the BDC Director (2024). Earlier discussions with KKR covered 176 database systems.
Leadership succession planning system
A data-driven UTM leadership succession plan system developed under a UTMHR grant headed by the BDC Director, and reviewed by practitioners in 2023.
Spin-off: NexScholar Sdn Bhd
A UTM spin-off led by fellow Dr. Ahmad Najmi Amerhaider Nuar, building an AI and big data research platform that connects researchers, students and industry.
04 Publications
Scholarly outputs
Journal articles, conference papers and books by BDC fellows, with research events BDC has organised or contributed to.
Publications on UTMScholar
Updated by UTMEach fellow's journal articles, conference papers and books are listed on their UTMScholar profile, which draws on UTM's research information system. Open a profile from the People & Experts directory below, or search UTMScholar directly.
Browse UTMScholar
Research events & scholarly activity
2021 – 2026- Sep 2026Open Data in the Age of AI
Session by Prof. Dr. Naomie Salim on research data, open science and data sharing, with UTM Library.
Talk - Sep 20243rd Elsevier–MTUN Symposium 2024
Plenary on leveraging AI in higher-education institutions by the BDC Director.
Plenary - Jul 2024UNIMAS AI Hub launch & AI Seminar Series
Keynote: “AI in Higher Education: Transformative Opportunities and Challenges”.
Keynote - Sep 2022ADSCI 2022
International Conference on Applied Data Science & Computational Intelligence, organised by BDC with UniMAP, with Best Paper and Best Presenter awards.
Conference - 2021–22MyBiDaREC webinar series
Webinar series on data and society; Series 6 (Sep 2022) with Rebaie Analytics Group.
Webinars - Nov 2021109th UTM Professorial Inaugural Lecture
“Turning Data into Insights: Challenges and Promises of Mining Gold From Data” by Prof. Dr. Naomie Salim.
Lecture
Source: UTM BDC Facebook page (facebook.com/utmbigdatacentre), posts dated as shown.
05 People & Experts
Find the right expert
Search by name or keyword, or filter by area. The listing follows the official BDC member list.
Prof. Dr. Naomie binti Salim
Director
Information Retrieval, Databases, Data Science & Cheminformatics
View profile 
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Norma binti Alias
Associate Member
Nanotechnology, High-Performance Computing
View profile 
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Noorminshah binti A. Iahad
Associate Member
Health Informatics, Gamification
View profile 
Assoc. Prof. Ts. Dr. Nor Erne Nazira binti Bazin
Associate Member
Data Analytics & Data Engineering
View profile 
No members match. Try a broader term, or ask BDC to route your enquiry.
Source: research.utm.my/bdc/our-people, accessed 10 Oct 2026, with membership, photos and profile links confirmed by BDC in October 2026. Area filters are derived from the expertise listed.
Continue exploring
Related pages
Looking for a research partner?
Tell us your research question or grant call. BDC will connect you with fellows whose expertise fits.