Rate My Professor Yong Kuen

Dr. Ho Yong Kuen is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Engineering at Monash University Malaysia, specializing in chemical engineering with a focus on computational modeling of bioprocesses. He holds a Ph.D. in Bioprocess Engineering from the University of Malaya (2015), where his distinguished thesis on interlinking population balances and cybernetic models for saccharification and fermentation was examined by Professor Doraiswami Ramkrishna of Purdue University. He also earned an M.Eng.Sc. in Process Control (2012) and a B.Eng. in Chemical Engineering (2008, top student of the batch) from the University of Malaya. His career began as a tutor at the University of Malaya for three years, followed by a brief teaching stint at Taylor’s University School of Engineering. He joined Monash University Malaysia as a lecturer, served as Chemical Engineering Course Director from 2017 to 2019, and was promoted to Senior Lecturer in 2020. He directs the HD³S Laboratory and Computational Biomass & Biopolymer Engineering group.

His academic interests encompass population balances, cybernetic and metabolic modeling, cellulose degradation, and biomass conversion for sustainable energy applications. As Principal Chief Investigator, he leads projects like "Resolving the Rate Decline Bottleneck in Enzymatic Hydrolysis of Cellulose Through High-Dimensional Population Balance Modeling of Substrate Structural Heterogeneity and Enzyme Interactions" (2025–2028) and "Uncovering Spatio-Temporal Multi-Scale Enzymatic Breakdown Mechanisms of Celluloses via Population Balances Coupled with Computational Fluid Dynamics" (2020–2024). Notable publications include "Recent advances of characterization techniques for the formation, physical properties and stability of Pickering emulsion" (Advances in Colloid and Interface Science, 2020; 602 citations), "Morphological control of cellulose nanocrystals via sulfuric acid hydrolysis based on sustainability considerations" (Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering, 2022; 60 citations), "Modelling and multi-objective optimisation of sustainable solar-biomass-based hydrogen and electricity co-supply hub" (Energy Conversion and Management, 2023; 42 citations), and "Control of industrial gas phase propylene polymerization in fluidized bed reactors" (Journal of Process Control, 2012; 42 citations). With more than 1,200 citations on Google Scholar, his contributions have significantly influenced bioprocess engineering and renewable energy fields. He received the Bright Sparks Ph.D. Scholarship and his thesis distinction; recently, he secured the Fundamental Research Grant Scheme (FRGS) 2026. Additionally, he has acted as external examiner for programs at Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak.