Dr.-Ing Nurdiana Nordin is a passionate chemist and interdisciplinary researcher who is driven by the mission to bridge cutting-edge science with real-world solutions. She earned her B.Sc. in Pure Chemistry (2012) and M.Sc. in Organic Synthesis and Computational Chemistry (2015) from the University of Malaya, supported by the SLAB scholarship. Her scientific journey continued in Germany at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), where she completed her Ph.D. in 2020 under the Bio-Interfaces International Graduate School (BIF-IGS). There, she honed her expertise in NMR technology, microfluidic device fabrication, and bioorganic analysis under the mentorship of leading experts from the Institute of Microstructure Technology (IMT) and the Institut für Biologische Grenzflächen (IBG). Throughout her career, Dr. Nurdiana has demonstrated a unique ability to merge fundamental science with technological innovation. From developing microscale biomedical systems to exploring metabolic pathways using micro-NMR platforms, her work reflects a deep commitment to impactful research. Now serving as a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Chemistry, University of Malaya, she envisions building a dynamic research team focused on smart, sustainable solutions for societal challenges—particularly in the fields of healthcare, agriculture, and environmental monitoring. Guided by Malaysia's national development goals and sustainable technology agendas, her team aims to harness advanced materials, biosensing tools, and green chemistry to create intelligent systems that benefit both industry and community. With an eye on translational impact, Dr. Nurdiana is committed to cultivating interdisciplinary collaborations and training the next generation of researchers who are not only skilled in science, but also grounded in empathy, innovation, and service to the nation.    

Professor Dr. Yvonne Lim Ai Lian is the Associate Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic and International) at Universiti Malaya and a Senior Professor in the Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine. She is also a member of the University Senate. A Fellow and former Council Member of the Academy of Sciences Malaysia (ASM). She was the co-chair of the APRU Asia Pacific Women in Leadership (APWiL) Programme and currently serves on the International Advisory Committee of the Association of Pacific Rim Universities. Throughout her distinguished career, she has held several key leadership roles at both university and national levels, including Deputy Dean (Research) at the Faculty of Medicine, Director of the International Relations Office, and Associate Vice-Chancellor of Global Engagement at Universiti Malaya. She has also served as President of the Malaysian Society of Parasitology and Tropical Medicine and as a Council Member of the Academy of Sciences Malaysia. Her research focuses on deciphering the intricate host-parasite-environment interactions that contribute to disease in indigenous and underserved communities, aiming to develop multi-targeted solutions. Additionally, she investigates the diversity of gut and skin microbiomes across populations spanning various socioeconomic and ecological landscapes, from traditional to industrialized societies. For nearly three decades, she has dedicated her work to studying infectious diseases among the Orang Asli (indigenous) communities of Peninsular Malaysia, collaborating closely with Hospital Orang Asli Gombak. Her contributions to national policy, including the Orang Asli Development Policy (DPOA), reflect her deep commitment to community welfare. Her collaboration with New York University led to a groundbreaking discovery, published in Science (2016), revealing how low levels of helminth (worm) infections promote the growth of probiotic gut microbiota. Her gut microbiome research has since expanded to studies among HIV and cancer patients. More recently, in partnership with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the USA, she has deepened investigations into parasitic infections, gut microbiome dynamics, and the relationship between skin infections and the skin microbiome which resulted in a publication in Cell (2025). Her work is supported by numerous national and international grants, including the prestigious US NIH R01 grants. She was recently awarded another NIH R01 grant as the principal investigator. She has published over 250 peer-reviewed scientific articles, contributed to nine book chapters, and authored three books. As a dedicated mentor, she has supervised more than 40 postgraduate students to completion and hosted researchers through extensive collaborations with institutions in the US, UK, Australia, Germany, Japan, the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, and Singapore. She has also held visiting research and academic positions at leading institutions, including the Scottish Parasite Diagnostic and Reference Laboratory in Glasgow, Scotland; the Department of Veterinary Science at the University of Melbourne, Australia; the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA; and the Department of Molecular Parasitology and Tropical Diseases at Taipei Medical University, Taiwan. She has earned numerous accolades, including the MSPTM Medal for outstanding young scientists, the Universiti Malaya Excellent Lecturer Award for Science Disciplines, the Top Research Scientists of Malaysia Award and inducted as a Fellow of the Academy of Sciences Malaysia. She has been consistently recognized in Stanford University's list of the top 2% of scientists globally in her field. She was also awarded the Fulbright Scholar Award for a fellowship at the Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases at NIAID, NIH, USA. More recently, she received the prestigious Sandosham Gold Medal Award, the highest honour from the Malaysian Society of Parasitology and Tropical Medicine, in recognition of her outstanding contributions to parasitology and tropical medicine. Deeply passionate about her work with the Orang Asli communities, she remains committed to inspiring and empowering her colleagues and students to reach their fullest potential.  

ChM. Dr. Liew Sook Yee (MRSC) is a senior lecturer in Chemistry Division, Centre for Foundation Studies in Science, Universiti Malaya. She obtained a BSc from Universiti of Terengganu (UMT) in 2010 with first class honour and have been awarded “Anugerah Graduan Terbaik Keseluruhan Fakulti Sains dan Teknologi/Program Sarjana Muda Sains (Sains Kimia)”. Then, she directly pursued PhD study (fast track) with SLAI scholarship in UM and graduated in 2014. Her fields of expertise and specialization are Natural Product Chemistry, Medicinal Chemistry, Bioorganic Chemistry, Enzyme Inhibition and Kinetic studies. She has plenty of experience in isolating and purifying compounds as well as structural elucidation of compounds. She also developed her expertise in cutting-edge techniques which is 13C NMR-based dereplication in natural product studies. She is a member of Royal Chemistry of Society (UK) and Institut Kimia Malaysia as well as an associate member of CENAR (UM). Her research works are conducted in Phytolab (IFM NatProLab), Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science and she welcomes all the collaborations from academician, scientist, researcher, company and etc.