Dr. Lai Meng Yee obtained a Bachelor of Science (Microbiology) from Universiti Sains Malaysia (2006) and a Master of Biotechnology (2011) and PhD (2018) from Universiti Malaya. She served as a postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine (2019–2024) and has been a Senior Lecturer in the same department since July 2024. Her expertise includes molecular parasitology, malaria epidemiology, and diagnostic kit development. Her research focuses on host–parasite interactions, parasite invasion mechanisms, and host cell receptors/ligands. She identified a potential host binding partner of Toxoplasma gondii and studies malaria pathogenesis using molecular epidemiology. Her work includes the distribution of zoonotic malaria parasites and the detection and differentiation of human and zoonotic species using molecular techniques such as real-time PCR, recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA), and loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP). She has developed diagnostic assays for malaria, SARS-CoV-2, and dengue, several of which are patented. Recently, Dr. Lai has focused on lateral flow–based diagnostics for rapid detection of zoonotic and human malaria parasites. In collaboration with an industry partner, she is developing LAMP-LF and RPA-LF point-of-care kits, as well as a novel aptamer-based LAMP platform. These technologies aim to provide sensitive, portable, and affordable diagnostics for use in resource-limited settings. She has received multiple innovation awards, including Gold and medal prizes at the Korea Creative Invention Contest 2017, Cabaran Inovasi Inklusif 2018 Zon Tengah, World Invention Innovation Contest 2018, International Invention Innovation Competition in Canada 2022, and Innovasi Kreativiti Teknologi Keusahawanan dan Masyarakat. Most recently, she received the Medical Science Field Order of Merit at the Korea International Women’s Invention Exposition 2025. To date, Dr. Lai has published over 50 ISI-indexed papers, with 609 citations and an H-index of 14 (Web of Science), and 863 citations with an H-index of 15 (Google Scholar). She has supported more than 40 postgraduate research projects, with 2 Master’s and 1 PhD students successfully graduated. She currently supervises 1 PhD student, 2 Master’s students, 2 final-year project students, and 4 interns. Recently, she was awarded a research grant from the Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia to advance her zoonotic malaria research, and also serves as Co-Principal Investigator in parasitology projects involving entomology and ectoparasites. Overall, Dr. Lai’s work has advanced disease detection and prevention, establishing her as a leading young scientist and role model in the research community.