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Celebrating MIMOS’ Women Tech Leaders & Researchers: Dr. Lau Phooi Yee

Dr. Lau Phooi Yee, a distinguished researcher at MIMOS Berhad, has been making waves in the artificial intelligence, computer vision, and technology fields. Her work in medical image processing has revolutionised diagnostics, enabling more accurate and timely detection of diseases, and her contributions to multimedia services and cloud computing have facilitated the development of innovative applications that benefit individuals and businesses alike.

Dr. Lau’s research at MIMOS has focused on developing innovative solutions for a variety of challenges. Her work on industrial defect detection, using deep learning and 3D point cloud analysis, has helped to improve quality control in manufacturing processes. Additionally, her research on comparing CNNs and transformers for industrial image classification has provided valuable insights into the strengths and weaknesses of these architectures.

Dr. Lau’s research has the potential to benefit society in numerous ways. Her work on defect detection in manufacturing can help to improve industrial efficiency and reduce waste; her research on cloud-based multimedia services can enhance access to educational, cultural, and entertainment resources, and her work on AI platforms can help to democratise AI technologies, making them more accessible to researchers and industries.

Dr. Lau’s future plans include expanding her work on defect detection to industries such as automotive, manufacturing, and pharmaceuticals. Recognising that many automation efforts are hindered by a lack of sufficient data, she aims to leverage generative AI for image synthesis to overcome this limitation. Currently, she is actively engaged in solving complex industry problems, and assisting companies in automating processes. A key focus is forging collaborations with industry partners to pilot and refine both her defect detection systems and generative AI methods to compensate for data scarcity.

As a highly skilled researcher with a PhD in Engineering (Image Processing) from Keio University, Japan, Dr Lau has extensive experience in medical imaging, real-time safety systems, and environmental monitoring. Dr. Lau speaks seven languages, proficient in Malay, English, Mandarin, Cantonese, Japanese, Portuguese, and basic Korean helping her to hold positions at several universities and research institutions, including Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, Malaysia; Hanyang University, Korea, and Instituto de Telecomunicações, Portugal.

Dr Lau also has significant roles including leading university committees, organising competitions, and engaging in community outreach, particularly IT education for underserved schools. Dr. Lau is a dedicated researcher who is committed to advancing technology through her work and her research has led to ground-breaking innovations, such as smart car technologies and marine biodiversity monitoring, demonstrating the practical value of her work.