Dr. Lim Siew Huah is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Malaya (UM), where she specializes in Natural Products Chemistry and Bioorganic Chemistry. She earned her Ph.D. (2013), M.Sc. (2007), and B.Sc. (Hons.) (2004) from UM, and her research focuses on isolating and studying bioactive compounds from Malaysian plants, particularly alkaloids, for potential applications in health sciences and biotechnology. Dr. Lim has extensive experience in teaching both undergraduate and postgraduate students and has been actively involved in curriculum development. She teaches courses in organic chemistry and molecular spectroscopy, incorporating contemporary research findings into her teaching. She previously served as the Undergraduate Program Coordinator for the B.Sc. Chemistry program, where she oversaw academic planning and program improvements. In addition to lecturing, she supervises final-year undergraduate research projects (FYP) and mentors MSc and PhD students in organic and natural products chemistry, guiding them in phytochemical investigations and structural elucidation of bioactive compounds. Her research focuses on natural products chemistry, particularly the isolation, structural elucidation, and spectroscopic characterization of plant-derived secondary metabolites. She specializes in the study of alkaloids, employing advanced spectroscopic techniques such as nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and mass spectrometry to determine the structures of complex natural compounds. Her work extends to the chemical modification of natural products to understand their structure-activity relationships and enhance their potential applications. Her research explores the diverse flora of Malaysia to uncover bioactive natural compounds with potential therapeutic relevance. Investigations include the structural modification of natural products to explore their chemical properties and interactions, particularly in cancer-related studies, skin brightening effects, and other health-related applications. Through her work, she contributes to the advancement of natural products chemistry and its role in biomedical research.

Dr. Melasutra is a Registered Town Planner under the Town Planner Act (Act 538) and also a member of the Malaysian Association of Social Impact Assessment. She has 30 years of experience at the University Malaya as a lecturer at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences and currently in the Faculty of Built Environment. Her teaching subjects are related to urban land use planning, social planning, planning theory, and recreational planning. She has carried out collaborative research with the Nippon Foundation under the purview  of Asean University Network- Disability and Public Policy on research related to the inclusivity learning environment.  The inclusive learning environment study was further extended for the Ministry of Higher Education,Malaysia.  She has published in books, book chapters, and journals and involved in consultation works related to urban planning issues, sustainable development planning, and social impact assessment studies. She has supervised a number of Ph.D. students in the field of sustainable urban governance and planning. Professional Recognition: While serving UM, she was also involved in several state and local agencies planning related matters such as Social Impact Assessment study, Urban Redevelopment, Development Plan studies. She has been appointed as Council Member for Petaling Jaya City Council in 2008-2012 and be part of the One Stop Center committee for planning approval matters.  She has been appointed as Local Agenda 21 committee member and Panel Evaluation member for Anugerah Perdana Komuniti Petaling Jaya.  She also has been appointed as the Public Hearing Panel Committee for City Hall of Kuala Lumpur for the Structure and Local Plan - Review and Alteration process. Currently, she is a Panel Review Member of Melaka Social Impact Study- appointed by PlanMalaysia  Melaka.  In recognition of her involvement and contribution in sustainable planning-related matters at the local level i.e City Council of Petaling Jaya- she has been awarded as one of the recipients of 10 Thematic Champion of Petaling Jaya Sustainable, Smart and Resilient  2030 awards for Learning City  (2022).   

A biophysicist by interest, Dr. Vengadesh Periasamy is based in Low Dimensional Materials Research Centre (LDMRC), Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, University of Malaya in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia as a Senior Lecturer/ Research Fellow. His field of expertise and interest mainly involves DNA electronics, Langmuir-Blodgett (LB), Biophotovoltaics (BPV) and Nanomedicine (Riboflavin, Green Synthesis of Nanoparticles for Antipathogenic and Anticancer Properties). His current research groups consist of numerous final year projects, interns, research assistants, MSc. and PhD. students comprising of various disciplines and nationality. Resulting research outputs have been published in various high impact factor journal papers, proceedings, patent, book and book chapter. Research covers a comprehensive multi-disciplinary approach whereby underlying fundamentals are thoroughly investigated to enable possible applications by constructing, characterizing and testing prototype sensors/devices. Using LB technique to fabricate pure novel DNA films, we are actively pursuing frontier research into fundamental DNA electronics, which would ultimately enable DNA genomic sequencing for rapid DNA detection and also the fabrication of DNA based environmental sensors. LB method also allows flexibility in designing different types of graphene films either as porous anodes or highly transparent conducting material. These highly customized electrodes will then be utilized to investigate bio-signals or intrinsic cellular noises from antipathogenic/anticancer reactions and other biological pathways of interest. Current research directions are therefore directed towards understanding interfacial properties by deciphering extracted bio-signals to be applied in the fields of nano-bioelectronics, nano-medicine and biomedical technology. Dr. Vengadesh’s interest in BPV is partly as a result of an MOU between University of Malaya and Centre of Research for Electrochemical Science and Technology (CREST), Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, University of Cambridge to undertake combined research efforts in algae biotechnology. He and his group is developing LB derived high porosity graphene films for application as an anodic material in BPV platforms. Initial results indicating an increased power output and open potential suggest the possibility of substituting the currently used conventional ITO anodes. The LB method utilized allows for attaining higher electrode surface area and better attachment of biofilms. Coupled with the presence of functional groups, the films fabricated enables easier and effective algae attachment onto the graphene anode surface resulting in superior biocompatibility and hence the improved power output. Dr. Vengadesh visited CREST as a Post-doc/Academic Visitor from 21 January until 20 October 2014 to facilitate the collaborative research further and to establish a roadmap in BPV research between the two research centers.