Dr. Nuradilla Mohamad Fauzi is a senior lecturer at the Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Universiti Malaya (UM). She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Biotechnology and a Ph.D. degree in Genetics, both from University of California, Davis, USA. She seeks to understand how organisms respond to stress and adapt to the environment by using techniques in molecular biology and biotechnology, towards the goal of conservation of ecosystems and agricultural sustainability. Her ongoing projects are clustered in two main areas: 1) stress and reproduction in small ruminant livestock (agriculture), and 2) coral reef restoration and ecology of marine organisms. Working together with other livestock biotechnology researchers in UM, she is investigating the effects of temperature-humidity stress in the tropics on the physiology and reproduction of sheep, as well as the population genetics of Barbados Blackbelly sheep in Peninsular Malaysia. Within the marine context, she investigated the relationship between light availability, photosynthetic performance and photosymbiont association in sea anemones off the coast of Johor, Malaysia. She is one of the principal investigators in Project PULIH (Protecting Underwater Life through Integrated reHabilitation), in which she is examining the relationship between molecular age and regeneration of hard corals for improving coral restoration success rates, and exploring the diversity of crustose coralline algae, an important foundational organism in coral reefs, in Malaysia through molecular tools.

Dr Mohammed Rizman bin Idid is an evolutionary biologist and molecular ecologist, whose scientific research projects mainly focus in providing baseline information on biodiversity and ecology of various terrestrial and marine organisms in Malaysia. His initial research projects were focused on freshwater fishes, before expanding towards the marine and coastal environment investigating jellyfish, marine fungi, and mangroves. These studies employ molecular genetic techniques, such as DNA sequencing of biological resources, species assemblages and communities in natural ecosystems. Elements of DNA barcoding and phylogenetics are utilized for species identification, detection and monitoring that facilitate conservation and management of natural ecosystems. He also applies ‘omics’ technologies to study organismal responses and adaptations to environmental stressors in the context of climate change. He is also considered as a pioneer and authority of jellyfish biodiversity and ecology in Malaysia, thus contributing his expertise towards jellyfish studies in Southeast Asia. He is active in polar research looking into the response and adaptation of climate change on fungi and the phylogenetics of marine and polar fungi. As environmental changes may elicit chemical changes, he is also interested in the bioactivity of compounds derived from fungi and marine organisms. He is currently a senior lecturer attached to the Institute of Ocean and Earth Sciences (IOES), Universiti Malaya, where he is the Coordinator for Course Development of Academic Program and IOES Risk Coordinator. In IOES, he previously served as the Head of Marine Biodiversity and Ecosystems Studies Research Unit (2013-2018) and was the Coordinator of Bachok Marine Research Station (2012). He was also Coordinator for Bioinformatics Programme in the Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Universiti Malaya (2008-2012). At a national level, he represents the Malaysian Society of Marine Sciences as Executive Committee of the Confederation of Scientific and Technological Associations in Malaysia (2022-2024). He was also President of Malaysian Society of Marine Sciences (2012-2014). Since 2008, he has secured national and international research grants as Principal Investigator and as Co-Investigator totalling to RM 1,205,304 and RM 765,400, respectively. His expertise in the field of jellyfish taxonomy and ecology has earned regional recognition through regular invitations under ‘IOC-Westpac Harmful Jellyfish Workshops’ and as reviewer of international journals. His jellyfish photos have even been immortalised by Pos Malaysia as a postage stamp under Malaysia-Thailand joint issue ‘Marine Creatures’. Being a scuba-diver, he has led several national and internationally organized expedition surveys of marine parks and protected areas in Malaysia. Findings from the 2018 ‘Biodiversity Expedition in Melaka and Negeri Sembilan’ have led to the gazettement of three islands in Melaka as marine protected areas. As a polar fungi scientist, he has contributed towards many workshops and several ‘Malaysian International Symposium on Antarctica’ conferences. He is also a research grant recipient of the Sultan Mizan Antarctic Research Foundation (YPASM). He was Data Deputy Advisor for Ocean Hackathon Kuala Lumpur 2022, organized by the French Embassy, Malaysia.        To date, he has H-index = 10  and published over 40 peer-reviewed articles, 4 books and 6 book chapters, with over 400 citations. He has supervised 4 PhD students and 10 master students to completion and currently oversees 6 ongoing students (2 PhD and 4 MSc). 

Professor Dr Sivakumar Krishnasamy is currently a senior lecturer and Senior Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon in University Malaya Medical Centre. He graduated from University Malaya in 2002.  He was awarded the gold medal for MRCS Edinbrugh examination (2006) as the best overall candidate for the exam.In 2010 he was awarded the Al-Hadi gold medal as the overall best candidate for the Masters in General Surgery. He is the first Asian to be awarded the Gold medal and overall best performer in the esteemed European Board of Cardiothoracic Surgery in 2016 and was given the book prize for the exam as the highest overall achiever in the history of the European Cardiothoracic Surgery exam. Prof Siva did his initial training in General Surgery in Ipoh General Hospital. He joined the Masters In General Surgery in 2006 and completed it in 2010. He subsequently worked as a General Surgeon in Kota Bahru before joining University Malaya as a senior lecturer in 2011. He did his initial years of Cardiothoracic training in University Malaya and went on to IJN in 2013. He left to the UK in 2014 and completed his FRCS (Edin )CTh in 2016. During his stay in the UK, he did a 1 year formal Aortic Fellowship under the guidance of Mr Jorge Masacro and 1 year of Thoracic fellowship in Heartlands Hospital which is a regional Thoracic Referral Centre for West Midlands.  He has a keen passion for MDT and since coming back he has setup the Aortic and Endovascular MDT in UM and also is actively involved in the Thoracic and lung cancer MDT in UM. Recently in 2019 he was awarded the prestigious Francis Fontan Uniportal VATS Fellowship by the European Board of Cardiothoracic Surgery (First in the world to receive the award). His fellowship was in the World’s largest Lung Cancer Hospital, Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital, where the centre does around 20000 lung resection cases per year. Since coming back he has developed the Uniportal VATS services in University Malaya.    Since 2017 , he has organised the Annual International Aortic Symposium , which is an event that is jointly done annualy with IJN. He has also been instrumental in holding the International FRCS Cardiothoracic Examination in University Malaya since 2018 , where he is the local organiser for the exam in Malaysia. Since 2018 he has been organising the International Cardiothoracic Review Course , which is the KL Review course which has endorsement from the Birmingham Review Course UK and is attended by all regional cardiothoracic trainees. The course has been running well annualy till date. Besides that he is also the Department of Surgery Quality Manager and recently has been appointed as a member of the Subspeciality Education Committee for Cardiothoarcic Surgery by the Malaysian Medical Council. He is also a board member of the Malaysian Board of Cardiothoracic Surgery which is the national training body for cardiothoracic surgery. Recently he has also been appointed as the chair for the National Curriculum writting group for Cardiothoracic Surgery. Being the Chair of the National Curriculum for Cardiothoracic Surgery , he has succesfully launched the Curriculum with members of the Cardiothoracic Society in April 2022. This was also done in conjuction with a memorandum of understanding with Royal College of Surgeons Edinbrugh to run the Parallel Pathway Programme for Cardiothoracic Surgery with University Malaya as the local Education Provider and Assoc Prof Sivakumar as the Administrator in Charge of it.  With a busy clinical and academic portfolio, he also has been actively involved in various publications in peer reviewed cardiothoracic journals and has been an emminent national and international speaker in various local and international meetings. He is also a reviewer for the Malysian Medical Journal and is part of the editorial for Journal of Interventional Pulmonology and Thoracic Surgery. He is a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons Edinbrugh , Member of the European Society of Cardiothoracic Surgery , member of the Asian Cardiothoracic Society , Malaysian Cardiothoracic Society (MATCVS) and Southeast Asian Thoracic Society (SEATS). Prof Sivakumar is also a visiting consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon to Penang GH and IJN for complex Aortic Surgeries. Over the years he has worked togather with the team in Penang GH to developed the Aortic Arch and Complex Aortic Surgery Programme. He is a trainer for the local trainees under the Parallel Pathway Training Programme with Royal College of Surgeons Edinbrugh and also an appointed trainer for Uniportal VATS Surgery by SouthEast Asian Thoracic Society. His clinical experience cover the whole spectrum of adult cardiac surgery and the whole spectrum of Aortic Surgery ( open and endovascular). In thoracic surgery all aspects of thoracic surgery are done by him which includes minimally invasive thoracic surgery for all thoracic case like lung cancer and mediastinal tumours and complex thoracic cases which includles tracheal surgery , mesothelioma, chest wall resection and reconstruction.New clinical service in Aortic Surgery was started by Prof Sivakumar , mainly Total Arch Replacement with Frozen Elephant Trunk , Descending thoracic aorta replacement and Thoracoabdominal Aortic surgery. In Thoracic Surgery , he started the Uniportal VATS Surgery ( Single Key Hole VATS ) service and has established himself as a regional trainer for this procedure in Malaysia and Southeast Asia.   Since 2022 Prof Sivakumar has been appointed as the Main Coordinator for the Cardiothoracic Parallel Pathway training Program under Royal College of Surgeons Edinburgh in Universiti Malaya. He is also an Examiner for the Quadripartite Exam for Cardiothoracic Surgery by Royal College of Surgeons Edinburgh since 2022. Togather with the regional surgeons from Hong Kong and Singapore he also has contributed to the Exam bank of the College.   As a Professor in the University , he takes on clinical and pre clinical teaching for undergraduate students throughout the year. He also takes trainees from General Surgery for their cardiothoracic rotation posting. There have been 5 clinical masters student who has completed their research project under him and currently there are 4 ongoing Clinical Masters and 1 international PHd student. There many clinical trails and research colloborations locally and internationally that he is involved as principal investigator or co investigator.    Recent most appointment is the Head Coordinator for Masters in Cardiothoracic Surgery , Universiti Malaya which is being started as a new postgraduate progam under the Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya. Professor Dr Sivakumar is also the current Head of Cardiothoracic Surgery Universiti Malaya. Recent most award is from Royal College of Surgeons Edinbrugh where he was awarded the Fellow of the Faculty of Surgical Trainers which carries the title FFST (Edin). This was given in February 2025.