Mr. Koguleshun Subramaniam

I am Koguleshun Subramaniam, a postgraduate research student within Engineering and Physical Sciences at the University of Southampton. I graduated with a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering (Hons.) in 2015 from University Tenaga Nasional and a Mechanical Engineering master’s degree from the same university in 2019. After working as an engineer for some time, I started my PhD research here at the University of Southampton in 2022, on microwave assisted microfluidic transesterification studies for biodiesel production. My undergraduate degree equipped me with a strong foundation in mechanical engineering, with elective subjects related to renewable energy. My master’s degree further developed my interest for liquid biofuel, predominantly biodiesel. The thesis of my master’s degree discussed on heterogeneous catalyst related research for biodiesel production involving biomass. Waste oil palm empty fruit bunch (EFB) fibres and Kenaf fibres are two biomass materials that are widely available in the Southeast Asian region, that I used as a precursor to develop heterogeneous catalysts for biodiesel production. Skills and experience from my master’s degree led me to pursue my current PhD project under the supervision of Associate Professor Dr Ng Jo Han.