Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ahmad Faisal Mohamad Ayob’s current research priorities include simulation software development, autonomous underwater robotics, high-speed autonomous crafts, and Digital Twin technology.

Dr. Faisal earned his Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering from Universiti Malaya in 2006. After graduation, he served as a Vibration Engineer Consultant for several PETRONAS plants in Kerteh, Terengganu. Subsequently, he joined Panasonic HA Air-Conditioning R&D (M) Sdn Bhd, where he worked for a year.

In 2008, with sponsorship from the Ministry of Higher Education and Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, Dr. Faisal embarked on his PhD journey in High-Speed Craft Design at the University of New South Wales at the Australian Defence Force Academy, Australia. He completed his doctorate in 2011.

Upon returning to UMT, Dr. Faisal initiated an industrial partnership with CAIDMARK Sdn Bhd, serving as a representative for Maxsurf in Surabaya, Indonesia. Leveraging his expertise in design automation, he has established collaborations with distinguished researchers across several universities, securing multiple research grants including the Research Acculturation Collaborative Research Grant (RACE-2012), Exploratory Research Grant Scheme (ERGS-2012), Fundamental Research Grant Scheme (FRGS-2014), Research Intensified Grant Scheme (RIGS-2019), and Prototype Research Grant Scheme (PRGS-2020).

Over the last five years, he has secured 6 research grants, accumulating over RM 1,985,300, as project leader and co-researcher.

In 2015, Dr. Faisal was sponsored by Shizuoka University for a research attachment in Japan, where he developed new techniques in B-spline surface representation. He returned in 2017 on a similar sponsorship to expand his work on autonomous vehicle development techniques.

In 2019, Garisan Automotive Sdn Bhd recognized Dr. Faisal’s contribution to the field with an Industry Grant, supporting his research in Human-Computer Interaction for ship-handling simulators utilizing VR technologies.

In 2021, Dr. Faisal led the development of a simulator system for Ships and Underwater Vehicles. The products were proudly displayed in LIMA 2023 and LIMA 2025. The simulators were also utilized by the team at PETRONAS on the mini submarine evaluations for the offshore operations.

Dr. Faisal has actively pursued and expanded his research efforts, aligning them with the local needs and UMT’s unique areas of expertise. He maintains valuable collaborations with researchers in Indonesia and Australia and actively partners with local organizations and universities such as PETRONAS, UniKL, UTeM, UTHM, USM, and UTM.

Beyond his impactful contributions to research, Dr. Faisal has also showcased his entrepreneurial prowess by founding VSG Labs Sdn Bhd in 2021, an engineering firm affiliated with UMT, established with the Vice Chancellor’s approval. This initiative generated a substantial 80% profit in its first year. In 2025, VSG Labs Sdn. Bhd. has secured a total of RM 1.4 million revenues, crowning as an award-winning startup.