The main focus of   Mohammad Rais’s research are in the areas of Cardiovascular Pharmacology, Natural Products and Drug Discovery. He has published several articles in international peer-reviewed journals and at the same time highlighted the pharmacological actions of  several local medicinal plants  including daun ketum (Mitragyna speciosa), cekur (Kaempferia galanga) and kacip Fatimah (Labisia Pumila).  These studies have been made possible by a series of R & D grants which he  successfully obtained under the Malaysian Development Plans and High Impact Research Grants (UM). To promote a more systematic and collaborative research in natural products in University of Malaya, Rais  helped established the Centre for Natural Products Research and Drug Discovery (CENAR) in 2003.  He has also a keen interest in basic science research, particularly in the area of Vascular Pharmacology.  His current research include investigating the role of novel angiotensin peptides, nitrates and nitrites, flavonoids and several phytochemicals in the improvement of endothelial dysfunctions in hypertension and diabetes.     Selected Publications   Autophagy through stress-activated signals: a cellular self-defence mechanism against MBIC in human breast cancer cell-lines. Mohadeseh Hasanpourghadi, Nazia Abdul Majid, Mohd Rais Mustafa. Biochemical Pharmacology. doi: 10.1016/j.bcp.2018.03.030 (ISI-Indexed) Choy KW, Lau YS, Murugan D, Mustafa MR (2017) Chronic treatment with paeonol improves endothelial function in mice through inhibition of endoplasmic reticulum stress- mediated oxidative stress. PLoS ONE 12(5): e0178365. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal. pone.0178365 (ISI-Indexed) Ling WC, Liu J, Lau CW, Murugan DD, Mustafa MR, Huang Y. (2017).Treatment with salvianolic acid B restores endothelial function in angiotensin II-induced hypertensive mice. Biochem Pharmacol. 2017 Jul 15;136:76-85. Wei Chih Ling, Mohd Rais Mustafa, Paul M Vanhoutte, Dharmani Devi Murugan. (2017). Chronic administration of sodium nitrite prevents hypertension and protects arterial endothelial function by reducing oxidative stress in angiotensin II-infused mice. Vascul Pharmacol. 2017 May 26. pii: S1537-1891(16)30268-3 Choy KW, Mustafa MR, Lau YS, Liu J, Murugan D, Lau CW, Wang L, Zhao L, Huang Y. 2016.Paeonol protects against endoplasmic reticulum stress-induced endothelial dysfunction via AMPK/PPARδ signaling pathway. Biochem Pharmacol. 2016 Sep 15;116:51-62.      

Chua Yan Piaw is a professor at the Department of Mathematics and Science Education at the University of Malaya. In 2019, he was a visiting professor at the School of Social Work and Education, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK, and in 2014, he was a visiting professor at the Department of Sociology, University of Washington, Seattle, USA. His series of books, "Research Methods and Statistics", books 1 to 5 with 62 chapters, are among McGraw Hill's Top 10 Bestselling Titles in Malaysia. In addition, his book "Mastering Research Methods, 2nd Edition" was awarded the 2018 Book Publication Award by the University of Malaya. As a result of his contributions to reviewing articles for the Elsevier's Web-of-Science journal Computers in Human Behavior, he received the 2016 “Excellent Reviewer Award”, and the 2017 to 2019 "Outstanding in Reviewing" award from Elsevier. His inventions and innovations have won six gold medals at international invention and innovation expos, as well as five gold medals at the world peace painting and calligraphy exhibitions. He has been an invited speaker for more than a hundred AMOS, SPSS, and SmartPLS workshops. In 2015 to 2017, he was invited by the Institute of Graduate Studies, University of Malaya to conduct 38 workshops (14 hours each) for postgraduate students at the university to enhance their data analysis skills under the upskill program. Between 2015 and 2016, he was invited by the National Sports Institute of Malaysia to conduct 12 statistics workshops for bio-mechanists, nutritionists, and psychologists at the institute to enhance their data analysis skills.The number of PhD students graduated under his supervision between 2008-2018 is 22.

Prof. Lim is the leading scientist in the region on Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) research. His scholarly contributions extend beyond mere publications, encompassing groundbreaking scientific discoveries, capacity building, and impactful networking through his involvement in HAB-related national and international organizations. He has published over 170 scientific papers, including 111 ISI papers. His impressive H-index of 28 (Web of Science), and >2467 total citations (WoS) reflect the influence of his work.   Prof. Lim plays an active leadership role internationally in various HAB-related bodies. He has been the Vice President of the International Society for the Study of Harmful Algae (ISSHA) for three consecutive terms (2018-Present); a Council member of ISSHA (2016-2018); the Vice-chair and Committee member of UNESCO IOC SCOR GLOBALHAB Program (2016-2019, 2020-2023); the Co-chair of the UNESCO-IOC WESTPAC Harmful Algal Blooms Program (WESTPAC-HABs) (2010-Present).   To date, he has secured and completed over 20 research projects, with research grants amounting to more than 5 million received from national and international funding agencies. His research has led to the identification of more than 15 harmful algal species that are new to science and many new records in the country. Notably, several of these species are named after him to recognize his achievements in HABs research for the past two decades, including Pseudo-nitzschia limii, Heterocapsa limii, and Alexandrium limii, a testament to his enduring impact in this field. He contributes to various national and international working groups in his area of expertise, serving as a task team member of UNESCO IOC IPHAB, an expert panel in the National Technical Working Group of Biotoxins and HABs, and the Task Force of Import/Export Seafood Product and Safety (DOF Kelantan).  He is an international advisory committee member of T-SMART Marine Station of Xiamen University (2016-Present), and an Adjunct Professor at the University of Tokyo (2019-present). Dr. Lim's expertise extends to editorial responsibilities. He serves as an associate editor to ISI journals, Elsevier’s Journal of Harmful Algae (Q1) (2018-Present), and Plankton and Benthos Research (PBR). His outstanding contributions have garnered national and international acclaim. He was awarded the ASM Top Research Scientist of Malaysia (TRSM) in 2021; and recognized as a senior scientist under the Chinese Academy of Science, President International Fellowship Initiative (CAS-PIFI) in 2024. He was awarded the Senior Visiting Fellowship of the State Key Lab in Marine Environmental Sciences (MEL), by Xiamen University for three consecutive years (2018-2019, 2020-2021). Dr Lim has delivered >150 presentations at national and international conferences, including a plenary talk at the International Conference on Harmful Algae, Hiroshima Japan in 2023. He has also been invited to deliver an ASM Fascinate Talk, and numerous seafood safety and biosecurity outreach and educational talks to relevant authorities. In his academic career over the two decades, he has been responsible for teaching and course development at undergraduate to postgraduate levels. More than 60 final-year project (FYP) students, 37 MSc students, and 12 Ph.D. candidates have completed their studies under his supervision.    Po Teen is a registered consultant under the Natural Resources and Environmental Board (NREB) and a registered subject specialist under the Department of Environment Malaysia (DOE). He is actively involved in consultancy projects whenever his expertise in marine science is needed.    Dr. Lim Po Teen began his academic career at Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) in 2000 and was promoted to Senior Lecturer (2008) and Associate Professor (2013).  He joined  UM in January 2014 to lead the newly established Bachok Marine Research Station at the Institute of Ocean and Earth Sciences, UM, and was promoted to full Professor in 2024.    updated December 2024