Dr. Haezreena is a Criminologist and a Senior Lecturer at the Faculty of Law, University Malaya. She was called to the Malaysian Bar in 1997 and has extensive experience in civil and criminal litigation. Her specialization includes; human trafficking, criminology, incarceration, gender, women's rights, terrorism and violent extremism, serious crimes, and criminal justice.

Dr. Haezreena Abdul Hamid has recently been appointed as an Expert by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the areas of Counter-Terrorism and Human Trafficking. She is the only Malaysian to be included in the ICC’s official List of Experts, marking a significant recognition of her expertise in international criminal justice and human rights.

Given her extensive experience in anti-trafficking and human rights initiatives, Dr Haezreena was awarded a Grant by the United States Embassy of Kuala Lumpur in 2022 to conduct capacity building training for law enforcement officials and Protection Officers. She was also accorded a recognition for her role in elevating Malaysia to Tier Level 2 in the United States Trafficking in Persons Report by the Minister of Home Affairs, Datuk Seri Saifuddion Nasution in 2024.

Dr Haezreena also received a Grant from ESIWA/EU (with the assistance of E8, Counter-Terrorism, PDRM) to interview returnees and ex-detainees from Syria and Afghanistan. Dr Haezreena was recently appointed by the Royal Malaysia Police to evaluate and assess two former Guantanamo Bay detainees who were affiliated with the Bali and Jakarta Bombings in 2002/2003. Dr Haezreena spent hundreds of hours with them and observed and evaluated their likelihood and propensity to re-offend, subsequently preparing a detailed report and recommendations for the Royal Malaysia Police (RMP) and the Ministry of Home Affairs (MOHA).

She has completed three separate projects which requires interviews and fieldwork. This includes spending thousands of hours interviewing 70 women prisoners across 6 prisons in Malaysia, 40 trafficked victims in shelters, and returnees and ex-detainees from Syria/Afghanistan who lived in conflict zones and were associated with terrorist groups. Her current achievement is her appointment as an expert for individuals charged with terrorism and terrorism related offences as well as the high profile GISBH case. 

Dr Haezreena is guided by the works of Michael Foucalt who addresses the relationship between power and knowledge, and theorists such as Sandra Walklate and Nils Christie who believes that crime, offenders and victims are socially constructed. 

Her thesis entitled 'Sex Trafficking: Victimisation and Agency: The Experiences of Migrant Women in Malaysia' received high praise from international scholars for its orginality and novelty. Her research did not only bring women’s voices and lived experience to the forefront but also revealed the women’s outlooks, vulnerabilities, and aspirations in order to improve the treatment of victims of trafficking.

Dr Haezreena describes herself as a post-colonial theorist and a socio-legal scholar who thrives to uphold human rights and justice without fear or favour. Using her legal background and her criminological knowledge as her forefront, she strives to understand the fabrics of the society and make sense of the problems and dilemma faced by individuals from all walks of life. She is currently exploring the criminological theories that can be applied to terrorism, and the oscillation of victim to perpetrator to survivor. 

Dr Haezreena has written books on trafficking in persons which are now used as a source and reference for enforcement officers and protection officers, as well as researchers. She has also written numerous articles on the continuum of harm of trafficking, victim blaming, inequality, social justice issues, and gender disparities. Her works are often cited and referred to by local and international NGOs, and government agencies. 

Dr Haezreena's won the Excellent Lecturer's Award Universiti Malaya in 2024 and was given a plaque and certificate of recognition by His Royal Highness Sultan Nazrin Shah, Perak.

She was also accorded the Sijil Perkhidmatan Cemerlang by the Faculty of Law in 2023.