Dr. Lai Meng Yee graduated with Bachelor of Science degree (Microbiology) in 2006 from Universiti Sains Malaysia. She obtained her Master of Biotechnology in 2011 and Doctorate degree in 2018 from Universiti Malaya. She served as post-doc research fellow at the Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine from 2019 to 2024. She is currently serving as a senior lecturer at the same department since July 2024. Dr. Lai’s area of expertise are molecular parasitology, molecular epidemiology and diagnostic kit development. Dr. Lai carries out host parasite interaction study to investigate the relationship between parasites and its’ host cell receptors/ligands. She successful find out the potential host cell binding partner of Toxoplasma gondii during the invasion. Dr. Lai is also interested in exploring the mechanisms of malaria infections and the interactions between infected patients and malaria parasite invasion using a molecular epidemiology approach. She also interested to investigate the distribution of zoonotic malaria parasites, originally transmitted from non-human primates through mosquito bites. Other than that, Dr. Lai also works on the identification and differentiation of human malaria and zoonotic malaria parasites using various molecular techniques, such as real-time PCR analysis, recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) and Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP). By employing these molecular techniques, Dr. Lai has developed numerous diagnostic methods for malaria, SARS-CoV-2, and dengue. These methods and primers had been patented. Dr. Lai’s dedication and hard work have resulted in more than 40 ISI-Cited publications, making substantial contributions to science and technology. Dr Lai also also have been awarded a few times for the innovation in research including Gold, and Medal prizes from Korea Creative Invention Contest, CIC 2017, Cabaran Inovasi  Inklusif 2018 Zon Tengah, World Invention Innovation Contest (WiC) 2018, International Invention Innovation Competition in Canada, iCAN 2022 and Innovasi Kreativiti Teknologi Keusahawanan dan Masyarakat (organized by Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia and Universiti Malaysia Kelantan). To date, she has published more than 40 ISI-cited publications with total citations index of 470 and H-index of 13. Also, she has assisted more than 25 PGs in their research projects. 2 Master and 1 PhD students have completed their study. Recently, she is awarded a research grant from the Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia, to further her zoonotic malaria research. Overall, Dr. Lai’s steadfast dedication to scientific research and innovation has propelled significant progress in disease detection and prevention, highlighting her as an outstanding young scientist and a role model for the scientific community.

  Dr. Sajar Othman is a Professor of Family Medicine at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya.  She chairs the Violence Intervention Committee (VIC), which was established in 2012 to ensure the appropriate management of family violence and other types of interpersonal violence at the University of Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC). She was once the head of the Department of Research, Development and Innovation and the head of the Department of Primary Care Medicine at UMMC. She was the overall coordinator for the primary care services at UMMC and chaired the UMMC medical inquiry discussion. She teaches primary care medicine, family violence,  communication and self-care to both undergraduate and postgraduate students.   She currently holds the University of Malaya Interdisciplinary Impact Research Grant (IIRG) that looks into ways to support women and children who are involved in family violence.  She is the principal investigator for one of the five subprograms of the Prevent Elder Abuse Initiative (PEACE) under the University of Malaya Grand Challenge Programme, exploring the effect of intensive elder abuse training on primary care doctors’ knowledge, attitude and skills.  Other research areas include adolescent/young adult well-being (sexual assault, healthy relationships, unplanned pregnancy and adolescent violence), end-of-life (advance care planning) and strain among healthcare providers (burnout and mindfulness-based stress reduction). The Ungku Aziz Centre for Development Studies has appointed her as a research fellow to provide input on poverty, ageing and health.   She is a co-chair and a regional representative for the World Family Doctor Association (WONCA) Special Interest Group in Family Violence. She is the vice president for the Malaysian Association of Adolescent Health. Heading a team of multidisciplinary researchers, Sajar was appointed as a consultant by UNICEF to explore and report on children’s rights in Sabah. She is active in advocating against family violence. She is part of the expert panel for the preparation of the Elder Abuse and Neglect Act and clinical management for domestic violence and elder abuse in the Malaysian health system.   She enjoys hiking, photography, and artwork in her free time. 

Dr Zulkanain Abdul Rahman bertugas sebagai Profesor Madya di Jabatan Sejarah, Fakulti Sastera Dan Sains Sosial, Universiti Malaya. Berasal dari Kampung Ulu Sungai Buloh, Simpang Ampat, Alor Gajah, Melaka. Mendapat pendidikan Ijazah Sarjana Muda (Sejarah Malaysia) dari Universiti Malaya; Ijazah Sarjana (Sejarah Rusia) dari Universiti Leeds, United Kingdom; dan Ijazah Doktor Falsafah (Sejarah Eropah  Moden) dari Universiti East Anglia, Norwich, United Kingdom. Beliau mengkhusus dalam bidang sejarah Eropah Moden dan politik antarabangsa; dan terlibat secara aktif dalam melakukan penyelidikan berkaitan sejarah Malaysia; dan demokrasi dan pilihan raya di Malaysia. Pada tahun 2011, Kerajaan Negeri Melaka menganugerahkan beliau Bintang Cemerlang Melaka (BCM); dan kemudiaannya Darjah Seri Melaka (DSM) pada Oktober 2015. Pada Ogos 2023, beliau dianugerahkan pula Darjah Mulia Seri Melaka (DMSM) yang membawa gelaran Datuk. Beliau pernah dilantik sebagai Timbalan Dekan (Penyelidikan dan Pembangunan), Fakulti Sastera dan Sains Sosial dari September 2012 hingga September 2017 sebelum mengambil Cuti Sabatikal. Beliau dilantik semula sebagai  Ketua, Jabatan Sejarah, Fakulti Sastera dan Sains Sosial, Universiti Malaya mulai September 2018 hingga December 2022; dan dalam masa yang sama merangkap Ketua, Pusat Kajian Demokrasi dan Pilihan Raya (UMCEDEL). Kini, beliau merupakan Ahli Lembaga Penasihat Perpustakaan Negara Malaysia; dan Panel Pakar Rujuk (Sejarah), Kementerian Pendidikan Malaysia.