PROF. DR. MELATI BINTI SUMARI

Dr Melati Sumari, is a Professor and a Registered Counselor. She joined UM as a tutor and was later appointed as a lecturer at the Department of Educational Psychology and Counseling. Dr Sumari pursued her doctoral degree in Counselor Education and Supervision, at Western Michigan University, USA. She specializes in Marriage and Family Therapy and College Counseling. She teaches counseling courses at the undergraduate, masters and doctoral levels. Dr Sumari has also presented at national and international conferences. She has published in local and international journals. Most of her publications focus on family, adolescents, and young adults. 

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ASSOCIATE PROF. DR. TEE KOK KENG

Dr. Kok-Keng Tee obtained his PhD in molecular virology and evolutionary biology in 2009 under the mentorship of Professors Adeeba Kamarulzaman (University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur), Yutaka Takebe (National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo), and Oliver G. Pybus (Oxford University, UK). He completed his postdoctoral fellowship at Columbia University, New York with world renowned virologists Professors Thomas Briese and W. Ian Lipkin prior returning to Kuala Lumpur and established the Pathogen Genetics & Evolution Laboratory at the University of Malaya, conducting evolutionary biology research on medically important human viruses. He is presently an Associate Professor in the Department of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine in UM and an adjunct Associate Professor at the School of Medical and Life Sciences, Sunway University in Malaysia. His research interest focuses on the genetic and evolutionary characterization of blood-borne (HIV, HCV, HBV, HPgV) and respiratory viruses (RV, MPV, CoV, PIV, EV, RSV, AdV, influenza viruses). With years of experience in pathogen surveillance, genomic technology and microbial diversity, his research team has discovered more than a dozen novel virus strains (or genotypes) circulating in the region. He also developed computational tools for phylodynamic and transmission networks that allow for regular monitoring of the spread of infectious diseases, designing evidence-based strategies for effective disease management, control and prevention. He is also involved in innovating cutting-edge diagnostic assays for rapid viral detection and studying the impact of viral diversity in disease pathogenesis. To date, he has secured nineteen research grants, both internally and externally, with a total of RM7.5 million in funding. Recently, his scientific perspectives on the COVID-19 pandemic have been regularly featured in China Press, Sin Chew Jit Poh, Nanyang Press, The Economist and Astro Awani. He has been serving as a contributing member or expert panel for several regional and international societies and research networks, including the WHO-UNAIDS Network for HIV Isolation and Characterisation, Stanford Transmitted Drug Resistance (TDR) Surveillance Working Group, International Network for the Sequencing of Respiratory Viruses (INSPIRE), International AIDS Society (IAS), TREAT Asia HIV network, and the ASEAN Research Network. Dr. Tee has published over 120 research articles in peer-reviewed indexed journals, with an h-index of 30 and over 3,300 citations. He has delivered over ten plenaries and invited lectures and presented over 60 papers in local as well as international conferences. His work has also produced six patents, copyright and utility innovation. He is currently the Section/Academic/Associate Editor for various international journals including PLoS One, ASM Science Journal, Virology Journal, Current HIV Research, and Frontiers in Microbiology. His achievements have been recognized through several national and international awards, including the Top Research Scientists Malaysia (TRSM) by the Academy of Sciences Malaysia (2022), American Society for Microbiology (ASM) Country Ambassador (2022), UM Excellence Award (Outstanding Young Researcher) (2017), 10th National Academic Award (nomination) (2016), Daiwa Adrian Prize (2010), UM Excellence Award (Outstanding PhD Student) (2009), 15th CROI Young Investigator Award (2008), and the 57th Meeting of Nobel Laureates in Physiology and Medicine, Lindau (2007). He was elected as Fellow by the Royal Society of Biology (RSB), ASEAN Academy of Engineering and Technology (AAET), Malaysian Scientific Association (MSA) and the Ministry of Higher Education in the CEO Faculty Programme 2.0 with the Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB).

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ASSOCIATE PROF. DR. SANTHA A/P CHENAYAH @ RAMU

Santha Chenayah joined the Department of Economics, Faculty of Economics and Administration in 2001 as a lecturer. She completed her PhD in Economics from Graduate School of Economics, Osaka University, Japan in 2007. She is now an Associate Professor. She was the Head of Economics Department at the Faculty of Economic and Administration from 2019 to 2021. She has 22 years of experience in teaching and 17 of experience in research in the field of macroeconomics, operations research and environmental economics. Her dedication and work excellence has earned her the recognition of the University and she has been awarded the Excellent Service Award in 2016 and 2020 and Excellence Service Certificate in 2003 and 2004.  Her article entitled 'Annotated methodological review of Lean Six Sigma' published in International Journal of Lean Six Sigma has been selected by the editorial team as an Outstanding Paper in the 2019 Emerald Literati Awards. Santha Chenayah is a consummate researcher and prolific writer.  Her numerous works have seen print in both local and international journals.  Some of her publications are in journals indexed in ISI such as the Environmental Science and Policy, Environmental Science & Pollution Research, Scientia Agricola, The Singapore Economic Review, Asia Pacific Business Review and Cybernetics and Systems. Her research involvement also includes several projects funded by the University such as the High Impact Research (HIR) grant, IIRG grant, UMRG grants, government funded FRGS and TRGS grants and International Agencies, such as Malaysian Palm Oil Council (MPOC), Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) under Ministry of Environment, Japan. Her works on environmental issues, which span a large coverage – 3R, recycling solid waste, climate change-, put her in a relatively better position than her contemporaries with the same interests. Santha Chenayah also sits on the editorial board of the International Journal of Institutions and Economies (University of Malaya).  In relation to this, she is engaged frequently as an ad-hoc reviewer for journal submissions, some of which include reputable journals such as the waste Management Research (WMR), Asia Pacific Business Review (APBR) and many others. Further to her academic pursuits, Santha Chenayah has been a good team player in giving her full cooperation to organize and participate in the activities of the Faculty.  She has been involved in several organizing committees for workshops and seminars held by the Faculty.   She has supervised to completion 11 students at PhD and 30 Students at Masters level for their research paper and many final year undergraduates for their Graduation Exercise.

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