PhD student secures best paper award at IEEE international conference in Sabah

Bringing prestige to UTAR, Year One PhD student Tan Xin Yi from the Lee Kong Chian Faculty of Engineering and Science (LKC FES) was awarded the Best Paper Award in the category of Industry Automation, Communication Networking and Informatics at the IEEE Industrial Electronics and Applications Conference (IEACon) 2025. The conference was held from 8 to 9 September 2025 at Le Méridien Hotel, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. 

Organised by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), IEACon is a globally recognised platform that attracts leading minds in industrial electronics to present cutting-edge innovations and exchange ideas on technological advancements. Tan’s award was formally announced during the award session on 8 September 2025. 

Her winning paper, titled ORAN Resource Allocation Using Deep Reinforcement Learning, addresses a critical bottleneck in next-generation wireless networks: the efficient allocation of limited radio resources in an Open Radio Access Network (O-RAN) environment. The study proposes a novel framework that leverages Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL) algorithms, namely Proximal Policy Optimization (PPO) and Twin Delayed Deep Deterministic Policy Gradient (TD3), to optimise Physical Resource Block (PRB) allocation across multiple users. By showcasing superior adaptability over conventional heuristic-based approaches, the research underlines significant potential for real-world application in dynamic and high-demand O-RAN settings. 

The paper received an outstanding review score of over 9 out of 10, placing it in the top 20% of accepted submissions for its technical merit, originality, and applicability. Its industrial relevance was a key factor in its selection, bridging academic innovation with practical implementation and furthering discourse on intelligent systems in telecommunication infrastructures. 

Commenting on her achievement, Tan shared, “I am truly proud to have received this award. It feels like all the hard work and effort I have put into my research has finally paid off. This recognition establishes my position as an expert in a specific field and gives me a niche area of work. It is not only an honour but also a motivation to push my research further and contribute more to the community.” 

Tan also remarked that her entry into the competition occurred automatically upon submission of her paper to the conference. She had chosen IEACon for its international prestige, aiming to have her research critically evaluated on a global stage. Her selection as an award recipient reflects not only her scholarly excellence but also UTAR’s commitment to cultivating forward-thinking researchers capable of shaping the future of industrial innovation. 

This accomplishment not only marks a personal milestone for Tan but also highlights UTAR’s continuous dedication to research excellence, particularly in advancing smart technologies that support sustainable digital infrastructure. It reflects the University’s mission to empower students through rigorous academic mentorship, global exposure, and impactful research endeavours.