Rate My Professor Ai Chen Tay

Dr. Ai Chen Tay is a Senior Lecturer in Environmental Engineering within the Department of Civil and Construction Engineering at Curtin University Malaysia, part of the Faculty of Engineering and Science. She earned her PhD in Science specializing in Plant Ecophysiology from Nara Women’s University in Japan in 2006, Master of Science in Environmental Chemistry in 2002, and Bachelor of Science in Environment in 1999, both from Universiti Putra Malaysia. Her master’s research characterized acid deposition through soil physico-chemical properties at Pasoh Forest Reserve and Sepang fire-peat swamp, while her PhD investigated the ecophysiological roles of vines, including constriction effects on host plants, stomatal distribution, and diurnal gas exchange. Before academia, she spent eight years at Chemsain Konsultant Sdn Bhd conducting Environmental Impact Assessment and Environmental Management Plan projects.

Since joining Curtin University Malaysia around 2016, Dr. Tay has contributed to teaching environmental engineering courses and supervising higher degree research students in civil engineering. Her research specializations encompass plant ecophysiology, environmental conservation, climate change mitigation, forest ecosystems, agriculture, environmental DNA, and indoor environmental quality. She serves on faculty committees, leads student field trips to wildlife conservation sites, waste management facilities, and integrated parks, and collaborates with agencies like Sarawak Forestry, Department of Agriculture Sarawak, Sarawak Energy, and Natural Resources and Environment Board. Notable publications include 'Occupants’ perceived importance and satisfaction towards indoor environmental quality' (2025, with Shi Yee Wong et al.), 'Oil palm suitability assessment in the northern region of Sarawak, Malaysia' (2021, with Erik Ngoi et al.), 'Traffic Assessment for Completion of Road Upgrading from Secondary Road to Dual Carriageway' (2019, with Haw Fui Lee and Yayuan Zheng), 'Variations in leaf stomatal density and distribution of 53 vine species in Japan' (2008, with A. Furukawa), and 'Midday depression of photosynthesis in Enkleia malaccensis, a woody climber in a tropical rainforest' (2007, with A.M. Abdullah et al.). Dr. Tay holds Fellow status of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA) and is a Member of the Institution of Engineers Malaysia (MEI). She has authored insight articles on mitigating climate change through environmental conservation.