Sonar Technology and Instrumentation Research Group (STAR) was established by members who felt that the integration of various expertises and research experiences would lead to a group with strong foundation in the area of sonar system and marine instrumentation. The establishment of this group is in line with the government's aspiration to preserve and manage our marine life more efficiently and systematically. With the acquisition of submarines for military and offshore security, the group felt that there is a need for research and development in sonar system and marine technology to support and complement the government's efforts. The government had created an opening for the development expertise in this area for civil and military applications.

Main objectives of this group are to spearhead R&D in sonar communication system, generation and retention of power for marine technology, and identification and classification of Malaysian seabed for preservation and conservation of marine life. The group aspires to be the cornerstone towards the establishment of research and development in sonar system and marine technology, and be the catalyst to other related areas such as marine conservation and remote monitoring. Research expertises of this group are sonar, antenna design, communication and propagation studies, power supply, electronics/electrical instrumentations, robotics, microprocessor/microcontroller, and biosensor. This group is led by Dr Nor Hisham bin Haji Khamis, who is also currently the Head of Radar Lab, Radio Communication Engineering Department (RaCED). The main activities of this group are in the Electric Processing Lab, P04 117.