Strengthening Research Collaboration of ITS Surabaya in 2025 through the VISITING RESEARCHER PROGRAM at Sakon Nakhon Rajabhat University (SNRU), Thailand

On Monday, July 21, 2025, an academic seminar was held at the Research and Development Institute (RDI) meeting room in the Research Building of Sakon Nakhon Rajabhat University (SNRU), Thailand. Two faculty members from ITS were invited as speakers at this event: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Widyastuti from the Department of Materials and Metallurgical Engineering, Faculty of Industrial Technology and Systems Engineering (FTIRS), and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Melania Suweni Muntini from the Department of Physics, Faculty of Science and Data Analytics (FSAD). Prof. Dr. Tosawat Seetawan, Vice President of SNRU, officially opened the seminar. The event began with an introduction to the Center of Excellence on Alternative Energy (CEAE), the host of the program, presented by its director, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hassakorn Wattanasarn. He shared the center’s vision and mission, research achievements, ongoing activities, and an overview of laboratories operating under CEAE.Following the introduction, participants were invited to tour several affiliated laboratories, including the Thin Film Laboratory, Thermoelectric Laboratory, Biomass Energy Laboratory, Battery Laboratory, Optics Laboratory, and Electro-Mechanical Energy Laboratory. During the visit, researchers engaged in discussions on ongoing research, available instrumentation, and the potential for future research collaborations. The seminar was attended by academic staff and researchers from RDI, students from the Faculty of Science and Technology at SNRU, and undergraduate to doctoral students from the Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember (ITS)who were part of the visiting delegation.

The seminar continued with a research presentation by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Widyastuti from ITS. She began by providing an overview of ITS’s research activities and collaborative publications with various institutions in Thailand, including SNRU. Between 2020 and 2025, ITS and SNRU have co-authored eight scientific publications, making SNRU the third most frequent Thai institutional collaborator with ITS. Dr. Widyastuti also introduced ITS’s broader research ecosystem, including its research centers under the Directorate of Research and Community Service (DRPM), and highlighted her work in Advanced Materials Engineering at the Department of Materials and Metallurgical Engineering. She also mentioned the existing Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between ITS and SNRU, signed virtually on January 19, 2022, by the former ITS Rector, Prof. Dr. Ir. Mochamad Ashari, M.Eng., and SNRU President, Prof. Chakrit Chanchitpreecha. This MoU serves as a formal framework to support ongoing and future collaborations between the two institutions.

Next, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Melania Suweni Muntini from ITS presented her research on Advanced Energy Materials. Her collaboration with SNRU began in 2018, through the e-Asia joint research initiative involving ITS, SNRU, and Kanazawa University, Japan. This collaboration remains active, and to date, 21 ITS students—both undergraduate and postgraduate (Master’s and PhD)—have conducted synthesis and testing activities at SNRU. Of these, eight students focused on bulk thermoelectric materials, while thirteen students worked on thermoelectric thin film applications. Dr. Melania’s long-standing research partnership with SNRU has become a model of effective international cooperation and paves the way for other ITS researchers to initiate and expand joint research initiatives in the future.

The next presentation, on Thermoelectric Thin Films, was delivered by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Athorn Vora-ud, Head of the Department of Pure Physics. The final session was presented by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Wuttichai Roschat, focusing on Biomass Material Engineering.

After the seminar, the ITS delegation visited the Faculty of Science and Engineering at SNRU, where they were welcomed by the Dean, Assist. Prof. Dr. Prawit Suwannarong. The delegation was introduced to various academic departments, teaching facilities, laboratories, and research equipment. This visit sparked several ideas for future collaboration, including the potential for shared laboratory access, student internships, and joint research and teaching programs.