DR. NURULAINI BINTI ABU SHAMSI

Nurulaini Abu Shamsi is a senior lecturer at the Department of Science and Technology Studies. She received her BSc in Biotechnology & Health Science at the University of Adelaide, Australia and her MSc in Science and Technology Studies at the Universiti Malaya, Malaysia. Having a deep interest in media and health communication, Nurulaini pursued her PhD in health communication at the School of Population Health, The University of Auckland, New Zealand. Her thesis focuses on understanding the media's role in disseminating non-communicable disease information in a developing country, Malaysia. As Nurulaini received training in both natural science and social science, she sees the needs and opportunities to bridge these two fields. To date, she has expanded her research on science communication and public engagement in science.

She actively participates in national and international research activities in science communication. She is currently part of the Trust in Science and Science-Related Populism (TISP Project), a form of Many Lab Study that aims to analyze the factors that affect trust in science, as well as the prevalence and predictors of science-related populist attitudes across countries. This project is led by Dr. Viktoria Cologna (Harvard University) and Dr. Niels G. Mede (University of Zurich). She is also part of the Research Collaboration for Young Lecturers, UM-Universitas Diponegoro, where she leads one of the projects on social media and mental health among universities student in Malaysia and Indonesia. Nurulaini is also a member of the Public Communication of Science and Technology Network, an important international network in the realm of science communication research field.

At the local level, she is part of the SEMARAK member, a voluntary movement in nurturing science communication activities in the Faculty of Science, Universiti Malaya. Her supervision and teaching mainly encompass research in health communication, science communication and public engagement. These include the analysis of media representation and audience reception of health and science issues, the role of social media in science and health communication, the perception of scientists on science communication, and the engagement of stakeholders in the sustainability issues in agriculture.

Nurulaini has coordinated the Bachelor of Science in Science and Technology Studies undergraduate programme for two years. She is now the coordinator of the Master of Science Communication and Public Engagement, a new programme by the Department of Science and Technology Studies. She significantly contributed to the development of this programme from the beginning. She aims to make UM the landmark of science communication research and activities in the region.