Meet the Experts
Could you please let me know more about yourself?
Hi Everyone! Well, where do you think I should start? My Name is Raimi Bin Dewan @ Abdul Rahman or in short Raimi Dewan. I am from Sarawak and come from a family of nine. I have obtained all my Bachelor’s Degrees, Master’s, and PhD from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering (FKE), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia. Although my working experience in industries is brief, it’s a priceless lifetime experience to apply my knowledge, improve my technical skills in a practical environment, and complement my learning experience with the guidance of experienced managers, engineers, technicians, and operators.
I also have the chance to work as a research engineer cum Postdoctoral Researcher at Institut d’Electronique et des Technologies du numéRique, France. Fast forwarding the years, I am now a senior lecturer with the Department of Biomedical Engineering and Health Sciences, UTM. To me, what better way to contribute back to the University? I am proud to be one of the UTM citizens: a former student, an alumnus and an educator.
What inspired you to be a researcher and contribute to the community?
Research is, without doubt, a lecturer’s routine. Teaching and learning are also another routine. Both teaching and research are my passions, and it is undoubtedly an excellent opportunity to give back to society. Through teaching, I have the chance to nurture local talents, be a part of their journey and witness their success later in life, which is an ineffable satisfaction. However, I want to continue. What better ways to impact people’s lives worldwide regardless of race, religion, region and social status? Its research! Through research, we are creating or improving new knowledge that could benefit everyone and anyone. We can serve a larger world community by enhancing people’s way of life through research discoveries and notable breakthroughs. Isn’t that great? It is an excellent contribution to humankind, and may Allah S.W.T make it easier for me in this noble endeavour.
How would you bridge the gap from your research to users?
A good quality and impactful research output should ultimately benefit humankind and not confine itself within the laboratory solely for academic purposes. Any research is developed initially as potential improvement or new knowledge from the existing reported study. Finding applications that would benefit from research promising discovery will bridge the gap between research and its users.
Please do share with us your journey as an inventor. Do share the challenges you faced and how you overcame them.
As inventors, we need to be ready if things need to be fixed according to plan and be creative in diversifying the sources of research materials without relying entirely on the materials required and borne by the research grant alone. When I was a student, I sometimes employed materials around me from everyday use to complete my prototype. The material still meets the required physical dimension with no additional cost as it is leftover; otherwise, it is thrown away in the trash as it is deemed useless. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.
What are your aspirations for the future?
I plan to develop myself well in becoming a successful lecturer, not just in academics and research, but as an excellent person in many ways. I also hope to contribute excellent knowledge and research to benefit the global community. Of course, the path that I have to take will be complete with challenges. However, I never lost; I either win or learn. I wouldn’t be where I am today without moral support from my family and guidance in my career from experienced colleagues and capable individuals. I am still learning and will never stop learning to be better.
