Professor Dr. Yvonne Lim Ai Lian is the Associate Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic and International) at Universiti Malaya and a Senior Professor in the Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine. She is also a member of the University Senate. A Fellow and former Council Member of the Academy of Sciences Malaysia (ASM). She was the co-chair of the APRU Asia Pacific Women in Leadership (APWiL) Programme and currently serves on the International Advisory Committee of the Association of Pacific Rim Universities. Throughout her distinguished career, she has held several key leadership roles at both university and national levels, including Deputy Dean (Research) at the Faculty of Medicine, Director of the International Relations Office, and Associate Vice-Chancellor of Global Engagement at Universiti Malaya. She has also served as President of the Malaysian Society of Parasitology and Tropical Medicine and as a Council Member of the Academy of Sciences Malaysia. Her research focuses on deciphering the intricate host-parasite-environment interactions that contribute to disease in indigenous and underserved communities, aiming to develop multi-targeted solutions. Additionally, she investigates the diversity of gut and skin microbiomes across populations spanning various socioeconomic and ecological landscapes, from traditional to industrialized societies. For nearly three decades, she has dedicated her work to studying infectious diseases among the Orang Asli (indigenous) communities of Peninsular Malaysia, collaborating closely with Hospital Orang Asli Gombak. Her contributions to national policy, including the Orang Asli Development Policy (DPOA), reflect her deep commitment to community welfare. Her collaboration with New York University led to a groundbreaking discovery, published in Science (2016), revealing how low levels of helminth (worm) infections promote the growth of probiotic gut microbiota. Her gut microbiome research has since expanded to studies among HIV and cancer patients. More recently, in partnership with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the USA, she has deepened investigations into parasitic infections, gut microbiome dynamics, and the relationship between skin infections and the skin microbiome. Her work is supported by numerous national and international grants, including the prestigious US NIH R01 grants. She was recently awarded another NIH R01 grant as the principal investigator. She has published over 250 peer-reviewed scientific articles, contributed to nine book chapters, and authored three books. As a dedicated mentor, she has supervised more than 40 postgraduate students to completion and hosted researchers through extensive collaborations with institutions in the US, UK, Australia, Germany, Japan, the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, and Singapore. She has also held visiting research and academic positions at leading institutions, including the Scottish Parasite Diagnostic and Reference Laboratory in Glasgow, Scotland; the Department of Veterinary Science at the University of Melbourne, Australia; the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA; and the Department of Molecular Parasitology and Tropical Diseases at Taipei Medical University, Taiwan. She has earned numerous accolades, including the MSPTM Medal (2008) for outstanding young scientists, the Universiti Malaya Excellent Lecturer Award for Science Disciplines (2015), and the Top Research Scientists of Malaysia Award (2016). In 2017, she was inducted as a Fellow of the Academy of Sciences Malaysia. She has been consistently recognized in Stanford University's list of the top 2% of scientists globally in her field. In 2021, she was awarded the Fulbright Scholar Award (2021/2022) for a fellowship at the Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases at NIAID, NIH, USA. Most recently, she received the prestigious Sandosham Gold Medal Award in 2024, the highest honour from the Malaysian Society of Parasitology and Tropical Medicine, in recognition of her outstanding contributions to parasitology and tropical medicine. Deeply passionate about her work with the Orang Asli communities, she remains committed to inspiring and empowering her colleagues and students to reach their fullest potential.  

    Sr Dr. Ainoriza is Head of the Department of Real Estate at the Faculty of Built Environment, Universiti Malaya, where she has over 20 years of experience in academia. A Registered Valuer, Estate Agent, and Property Manager with the Board of Valuers, Appraisers, Estate Agents and Property Managers (BOVAEP), Malaysia, she is also a member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), UK. She holds a PhD from Kingston University of London, specializing in sustainability and responsible property investment.  Dr. Ainoriza's research delves into the critical areas of private rental market, multigenerational housing and housing pathways for vulnerable groups, including migrants. This impactful work builds upon her extensive prior national studies on elderly housing, the influential Housing-Income Index©, and financing solutions for first-time homebuyers. She has advised both private developers and government agencies, and currently leads the vital Retirement Village Development Studies for the Ministry of Housing and Local Government, Malaysia. At Universiti Malaya, Dr. Ainoriza imparts her expertise in Corporate Real Estate, Valuation, and Property Finance & Investment to both undergraduate and postgraduate students, while also contributing to the university as an internal auditor and program assessor. She is a frequent and highly regarded plenary speaker and forum panelist at national and international conferences, and has lent her expertise as a judge for prestigious international and national real estate awards. Dr. Ainoriza's commitment to education extends to her role as an external program examiner for the University of Sri Jayawardenepura, Sri Lanka, and Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM). She contributes her insights as the editorial boards of the Journal of Project Management Practice and SN Social Sciences. Recognized for her leadership and vision, she was selected as a Youth Expert in the TN50 Circles of the Future (Living & Well-being) in 2017. Dr. Ainoriza serves as a Reference Expert for the Institute for Youth Research (IYRES), Ministry of Youth and Sports, a Board of Trustee member for the Aubrey Barker Fund (UK), and an Executive Board Member for the ASEAN Valuers Association (AVA) Malaysia. She also actively involved in BOVAEP as a Test of Professional Competence examiner and accreditation committee member.

I earned my PhD in Chemistry and a Master’s degree in Material Chemistry from Universiti Malaya, and hold a Bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Science (Honours) from the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM). My research interests center around ionic liquids synthesis and applications, biomass, and drug delivery systems, areas where I aim to explore innovative, sustainable solutions. As a member of the Chemistry Division at the Centre for Foundation in Science, Universiti Malaya, I’m particularly excited about the potential of ionic liquids in both environmental and biomedical applications. I believe these novel compounds could revolutionize various fields, from energy-efficient processes to drug delivery systems, by offering more targeted and efficient therapeutic solutions. My passion for drug delivery systems complements my broader research in ionic liquids and biomass, as it allows me to bridge chemistry with biomedical innovations that can improve healthcare outcomes. I’m deeply motivated to contribute to meaningful advancements that have a real-world impact and to collaborate with like-minded researchers in these exciting areas.