KUCHING – Ts Dr Lee Sue Han, Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus’ Head of the Information and Communication Technologies Discipline and lead researcher in artificial intelligence (AI) and digital innovation, has been named the 2025 Inspiring Women in Science Award winner in the Scientific Achievement Category, presented by Nature Awards in partnership with The Estée Lauder Companies.
Dr Lee is one of the few researchers from Malaysia to receive this prestigious international recognition, which celebrates women who are breaking barriers, advancing scientific excellence, and inspiring future generations.
The award honours Dr Lee’s groundbreaking AI-driven research in plant biodiversity and sustainable agriculture, demonstrating how cutting-edge technology can be harnessed to address global sustainability challenges. Her research integrates AI, computer vision, and pattern recognition to support biodiversity monitoring, forest ecosystem assessment, and conservation-driven decision-making.
“Being recognised as a winner is deeply meaningful to me, as it affirms the global relevance of AI-driven research in biodiversity conservation and underscores the importance of interdisciplinary approaches connecting technology, ecology, and sustainability. This recognition also provides a powerful platform to inspire more women and girls to pursue careers in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics), and to demonstrate how science and innovation together can drive meaningful environmental change,” she said.
Ts Dr Lee Sue Han with her award.
Dr Lee’s research focuses on developing innovative AI model architectures for plant species identification, tackling complex challenges including cross-domain adaptation, limited or non-existent datasets, and model generalisation across diverse ecological environments.
“This work aims to revolutionise how AI models operate in real-world, data-scarce conditions – paving the way for more scalable and sustainable biodiversity monitoring solutions,” she explained.
Building on this foundation, Dr Lee’s contributions extend to the Pl@ntNet project, an international collaboration that supports citizen science and large-scale plant biodiversity documentation.
“Within this framework, we successfully launched the Malaysia Flora Project on the Pl@ntNet platform, which has grown steadily with an increasing number of identified species and public contributions. The project now serves as a key national reference for plant recognition – empowering communities, students, and researchers to participate in biodiversity documentation through technology,” she said.
Ts Dr Lee Sue Han sharing her AI perspectives during the panel discussion “What AI Needs to Reach Its Full Potential in STEM”.
Dr Lee currently leads Swinburne Sarawak’s participation as one of the partners in the consortium for the Pl@ntAgroEco project, in collaboration with Pl@ntNet. This project focuses on integrating AI technologies for automated plant identification and sustainable agroecology monitoring. It plays an important role in advancing biodiversity-informed agriculture, where AI supports the balance between food production and ecosystem health.
In addition to these initiatives, she leads the research and development (R&D) collaboration with the Sarawak Forestry Corporation to develop an advanced AI model for plant identification, forming the foundation of an AI-driven park guiding system. This innovation enhances public engagement, promotes biodiversity education, and supports real-time ecosystem monitoring.
Dr Lee’s outstanding achievement highlights Swinburne Sarawak’s growing impact in AI innovation for environmental resilience and underscores the university’s commitment to driving research-led, real-world solutions aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Beyond her research excellence, Dr Lee has led Swinburne’s strategic collaborations with government agencies and international partners – driving initiatives in biodiversity data digitisation, AI-powered plant species identification, and inclusive education through AI solutions for the deaf community.
Her accomplishments and dedication continue to inspire the next generation of women scientists and reinforce Swinburne’s vision of “people and technology working together to build a better world”.
Ts Dr Lee Sue Han delivering her winning speech and sharing her research.
“As a woman in science, I hope this recognition encourages more young women to explore how technology and research can make a lasting difference. Innovation grows when diverse voices come together to solve real-world challenges,” she said.
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