Malaysian mathematician using AI to tackle mental health issues
Today, the senior lecturer at Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin, Malaysia, is working on developing a hybrid AI-driven mental health chatbot
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (MNTV) – When she was growing up, Dr Nurnadiah Zamri remembers liking English more than mathematics.
But when she started to realize how impactful mathematics can be when it comes to solving real-world problems, she began to develop a deeper passion for numbers, reports The Star.
Today, the senior lecturer at Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin in Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia, is working on developing a hybrid AI-driven mental health chatbot which provides early intervention, tools for self-help, emotional pattern detection and referrals to qualified therapists.
The idea is to make mental health support less intimidating and more accessible, especially for people who don’t feel ready to talk face-to-face to a therapist.
Her chatbot incorporates fuzzy mathematics – a branch of the field capable of translating subjective feelings and emotions into data that can be analysed, crucial for AI.
“Many people think that there’s no possible way to measure human emotions, but true mathematics – especially fuzzy mathematics and data analysis – can be used to help solve pressing issues like psychological well-being,” she explains.
For this project, Nurnadiah was awarded the L’Oreal-Unesco For Women in Science 2025 grant last month. She is one of three Malaysian women recognized for their contributions to science and technology.
Other recipients are Dr Noorfatimah Yahaya and Dr Tan Lling-Lling.
Nurnadiah highlights the urgent need for mental health trends in Malaysia to be examined, especially since issues like stress, burnout and anxiety are on the rise across different work sectors.
“We discovered from other research that workers across different industries are experiencing significant increase in stress levels caused by factors such as working overtime – primarily in the technology industry,” she notes. “The study also found that leave taken by workers was mostly due to stress, depression and anxiety.”
Nurnadiah says having reliable and accessible tools to tackle this issue effectively is imperative. “Based on my previous research with Hospital Sultanah Nur Zahirah in Kuala Terengganu and the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, we found out that most of those who deal with mental health problems are shy and afraid to admit what they’re going through,” she explains.
“From there, the idea of developing something that can reach these individuals came to me. Through this chatbot, they can get the help they need without fear of being judged.”
Mental health chatbots are not new, but most are built and tailored to fit users from Western countries, primarily Europe. Nurnadiah’s planned chatbot will address the need for early intervention tools in Malaysia’s setting – one that understands local languages and behavioural norms.
With enough information fed to the system over a period of time, it can detect emotional patterns, recognise early indicators of stress and flag users who may be at risk.
The system can then guide users to self-coping tools or referrals to professionals when necessary, to improve their mental well-being.
“By combining mathematics and AI, we can bring mental health support closer to the people who need it most in ways that are accessible, culturally sensitive and grounded in real data.”
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