Dr Mark Kok Yew Ng
Background
I received the BEng (Hons) in Electrical and Computer Systems Engineering and the Ph.D. in Fault Diagnosis and Control Systems from Monash University in 2006 and 2009, respectively. I am currently a Reader in Mechatronics Engineering and Control at the School of Engineering, Ulster University, UK, and I am attached to the Engineering Research Institute. I also currently lead the Multi-Agent and Advanced Robotics Centre (MAvRiC) at Ulster. My research interests include fault diagnosis, mathematical modelling, digital twin, and data analytics for anomaly detection and classification. In 2014–2015, I was a postdoctoral researcher at the Division of Vehicular Systems, Linköping University, Sweden, where I worked with Volvo Car Corporation (VCC) on advanced fault diagnosis schemes in vehicular engines using model-based and data-driven methods. For this research, I was instrumental in developing a Digital Twin/Simulation Testbed on the MATLAB/Simulink platform for realistic simulation and testing of residuals generation and fault diagnosis methods. This research work was published in the IEEE Control Systems Magazine and the Digital Twin/Simulation Testbed can be downloaded via the main hosting site or its mirror at Linköping University. Throughout my career, I have secured more than £10.2 million in research grants and £23.1 million in infrastructure funding from various funders such as the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF), Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI), the British Academy, and the Northern Ireland Department for the Economy (DfE) in the UK; the Fundamental Research Grant Scheme (FRGS), Exploratory Research Grant Scheme (ERGS), and EScienceFund from the Ministry of Higher Education in Malaysia; and industries such as Volvo Car Corporation in Gothenburg, Sweden. Overall, I have successfully supervised no less than 2 postdoctorals, 8 PhDs, and 3 Master’s by Research candidates. I am also currently attached to the Digital Catapult as an awardee of the EPSRC Innovation Launchpad Network+ (ILN+) Researcher in Residence Scheme. This research project aims to develop an energy mapping Digital Twin technology that contributes towards net zero in wind turbine energy. This technology encompasses the entire energy lifecycle, from mining through storage to utilisation in Northern Ireland (NI). This project also involves collaboration with the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult. Other highlights include being a co-investigator in SAFEWATER, a £5 million project funded by UKRI-GCRF, where I led the development and the optimisation of embedded algorithms to control low-cost water disinfection technologies used in the rural areas in South America. In addition, during the COVID-19 pandemic, I led the Modelling and Forecast Task Force at Ulster where we worked with the Southern Health and Social Care Trust to provide analysis to the Government Specialist Modelling Response Expert Group (SMREG) in Northern Ireland. The main purpose of the project was to validate and inform the SMREG as well as help governing bodies in Northern Ireland to better plan for intervention measures and ultimately flatten the curve. I was also a member of the COVID-19 Task Force set up by the IEEE Region 8 community. In addition, I led a team of researchers and data scientists from Ulster and Queen’s University Belfast to work with the Incident Controller for the State Health Incident Control Centre and Deputy Chief Health Officer of the Department of Health in Western Australia to model the outbreak of COVID-19 on commercial cargo vessels. In 2026, I successfully organised and hosted the inaugural “Robots at Work and Play” event at the Northern Ireland Science Festival, which attracted more than 200 attendees. This academic-led and students-run event showcased the latest advancements in robotics and automation, highlighting their applications in various industries and everyday life. Other key event partners include Elite Electronic Systems Ltd (KTP partner), Cobots.ie, IEEE Control Systems Society (CSS) UK and Ireland Chapter (UK&I), as well as EPSRC Innovation Launchpad Network+. I am a Senior Member of the IEEE and I am currently the Vice-Chair of the IEEE Control Systems Society (CSS), UK and Ireland Chapter. I am a Moderator for the IEEE TechRxiv, Associate Editor for IEEE Access, Editor for PeerJ Computer Science, and Section Editor for Sage Science Progress. I am also an Adjunct Senior Research Fellow with Monash University Malaysia where I served as a Lecturer from 2009, and subsequently as Senior Lecturer till 2017. In addition, I am member of a few key technological committees in NI. Namely, I am Co-I and an Advisory Board Member on the Artificial Intelligence Collaboration Centre (AICC), which is a £16.3 million initiative led by Ulster in partnership with QUB and supported by Invest Northern Ireland and the Department for the Economy NI. I am also a Technology Strategy Groups Member (Digital Factory) for the Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Centre (AMIC), which is a £100 million investment under the Belfast Region City Deal. Other than that, I am a Steering Member for the Northern Ireland High Performance Computing (NI-HPC) consortium, a £2 million UK Tier-2 National HPC facility funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and jointly managed by QUB and Ulster.
Research Interests
fault diagnosis, mathematical modelling, digital twin, and data analytics for anomaly detection and classification