Dr. Fatiha Senom is a Senior Lecturer and a Teacher Educator in the Department of Language & Literacy Education, Faculty of Education, Universiti Malaya, as well as a homegrown scholar whose work bridges rigorous scholarship with real-world impact in TESOL and Second Language Teacher Education (SLTE). She earned a B.Ed TESL from Universiti Malaya with distinction and was awarded the Anugerah Pelajaran Diraja (2009), followed by a fast-track Ph.D. in Education (TESL) in 2016.

With research interests on ESL teacher identity; mentoring and professional development; translanguaging and language-learning investment; and ESL writing anxiety, her work advances TESOL and SLTE through research-informed pedagogy and curriculum reform, evidenced by excellent PhD research supervision and publications in Scopus/WoS venues, books with Routledge and Pearson, and chapters with leading presses.

As principal investigator, Dr. Fatiha has successfully led four national and two international research grants in her areas of expertise and has served as co-researcher on eighteen additional national and international projects. She also leads language recovery and enrichment projects for underserved primary and secondary learners, most recently, the WIRA EDUCARE project in Kg. Melayu Wira Damai, Gombak, under the Ministry of Higher Education's Kampung Angkat Madani initiative, embodying the university’s mission of social responsibility and educational equity.

Nationally, she serves as an expert panel member for the 2027 school curriculum reform (Kurikulum Persekolahan 2027) for Ministry of Education, chairperson of the evaluation panel for the English Textbook Package, 2027 School Curriculum for Dewan Bahasa dan Pustakaa MUET (Malaysian University English Test) item developer with Malaysian Examination Council, and a consultant to National Institute of Public Administration Malaysia (INTAN) on CEFR-aligned assessment; internationally, she has served as a consultant for Universitas Negeri Medan on Outcome-Based Education and delivered keynotes at several international conferences.

As M.Ed ESL Programme Coordinator (2018–2024), she led curriculum design, review, and sustainability initiatives, introduced flexible study plans to support timely completion, and curated a world-class learning experience that strengthened postgraduate scholarly skills.

Recognised with the Certificate of Excellent Service (2021, 2023) and the Excellence Service Award (2024), Dr. Fatiha advances UM’s academic footprint through research, teaching, policy engagement, and community partnership, shaping confident, ethically grounded English language professionals for a rapidly changing world.