Overview
This Centre (SCDHCH) was established in order to foster a media research/creation (R-C) environment at Sunway University. It is a transdisciplinary hub for creative digital media within the University with local and international partners forming collaboratories, both physical and virtual, cutting across time and space. It is aligned with (but not limited to) the School of Arts and related Departments. It has evolved rapidly to be inclusive of other faculties and departments to generate digital media content R&D across the University. SCDHCH has assembled a transdisciplinary team of media researchers and creative designers with an extensive background in industry and education, to forge the applications and content required to introduce and support creative digital media initiatives at Sunway University and across the entire Sunway Group.
SCDHCH Team Members
DR PATRICIA ANN HARDWICK
Acting Director
Patricia Ann Hardwick is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Film and Performing Arts, School of the Arts, Sunway University. Her Ph.D. is in Folklore & Ethnomusicology and Anthropology from Indiana University, Bloomington. Her research interests include performance, anthropology, ethnomusicology, ICH, and cultural resilience. Patricia has published in Folklore Forum, Midwestern Folklore, JMBRAS, Music and Medicine, and Asian Ethnology. Her research has been supported by the Institute of Sacred Music (Yale), Fulbright (MACEE, AMINEF), AIFIS, the Jacob K. Javits Fellowship Program (U.S. Department of Higher Education), the Malaysian National Heritage Department (JWN), and the Malaysian Ministry of Higher Education (KPT) .
HILMAN NORDIN
Project Manager
Hilman Nordin is a Senior Research Fellow at the School of Arts, Sunway University. With over 10 years of teaching and research experience in engineering higher education, and 6 years in the industry from managing a cultural heritage technology-based start-up, Hilman is passionate in combining technology with the arts. His current interest is in AR/VR, machine learning, app development and prototyping. He is now currently affiliated with the Centre for Research-Creation in Digital Media (CRCDM), Sunway University.
GISELLE SU HONG GICK
Assistant Project Manager
Giselle Su Hong Gick is Research Fellow at the Centre of Research-Creation in Digital Media, Sunway University. With a background in psychology, she is interested in addressing mental health and social issues through digital media such as Virtual and Augmented Reality. Her master’s degree research-creation project focused on building intergenerational understanding through the use of storytelling and virtual reality narratives. Her research interests include Virtual and Augmented Reality, XR in Learning and Education, and Augmented Narratives and Storytelling.
PROF. MAYCO SANTAELLA
Archives Unit Leader
Mayco A. Santaella is Professor and Acting Dean for the School of Arts at Sunway University. He studied at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa as an East-West Center fellow researching music and dance traditions of the extended Sulu Zone (East Malaysia, southern Philippines, and eastern Indonesia) and its links to the Nusantara region. He conducted research for his doctoral studies in the region of Central Sulawesi as a Fulbright research grant recipient. His research foci include the study of music and dance traditions as well as popular music in Southeast Asia.
AP. DR TOM PIERARD
AV Unit Leader
Tom is a performer, academic and commercial composer. Prior to working at Sunway University he taught extensively in the tertiary sector lecturing in music technology, contemporary performance and music pedagogy. His drumming and production have featured on several notable albums and multimedia collaborations, and he regularly performs in a range of styles from jazz to heavy metal. Recently, his research focus has mainly been on exploring new student centred pedagogies for music technology, exploring the impact of AI generated music on identity development, and agents of change in mainstream drumming and percussion.
DR FIONA WONG E CHIONG
Public Engagement Unit Leader
Dr Fiona Wong E Chiong is a passionate advocate for preserving Malaysia’s cultural heritage, focusing on traditional arts and crafts. She is known for her pioneering PhD research in Wayang Kulit Kelantan puppet design, while her Master’s work delves into 19th- and 20th-century Malayan Chinese shophouse façade designs. She integrates her research passion into her teaching and writing. She actively engages with the community through talks and workshops, particularly in secondary schools and tertiary institutions. Her mission is to pass down this invaluable cultural knowledge to younger generations, so they will be empowered to contribute back to the community and society.
DELAS SANTANO
Affiliate Member
Delas is the Centre’s Audio-Visual Content Producer. Delas officially joined CRCDM in November 2015 after completing his appointment term in University Malaya, as the audiovisual producer in Centre for Creative Content and Digital Innovation.
MASLISA ZAINUDDIN
Affiliate Member
Programme Leader for the BA (Hons) Design Communication programme, Lisa is a Lecturer by day and a designer and maker by night, and every other weekend. She splits her time between teaching in the Degree and Masters programmes in the School of Arts, with her role as Graphic Designer with CRCDM. Lisa has been toiling with the concept of sustainable design and heritage preservation through the art of Upcycling, Repurposing and Refashion. She strives daily for the pursuit of making and creating all things beautiful.
Contact Us
Sunway Centre for Digital Humanities and Cultural Heritage
School of Arts,
5, Jalan Universiti,
Bandar Sunway,
47500, Petaling Jaya, Selangor
+60374918622 Ext 7475
