Research is my passion. Passion is my life

Dr. Nur Afiqah's research examines institutional-related structures associated with engagement in healthcare, including HIV and Hepatitis C care for people who use drugs (PWUD). This epidemiological work is informed by sociological perspectives which frame the research questions within a wider social, economic and policy environment. Additionally, she has received training in Implementation Science at Yale University.  Being an active member of the Centre of Excellence for Research in AIDS and Infectious Diseases(CERiA), her current research activities have incorporated a community-based participiatory research (CBPR) component. Using this approach, she engages with local communities of PWUD and NGOs that serve these populations, whose collective views in the design and implementation of health programs are key in developing effective interventions. Additionally, she is actively involved in knowledge-transfer activities, promoting the use of evidence-based practices in real-life settings. She is also interested in drug policies, especially the impact of existing policies on youths and families.  Dr Nur Afiqah is a consultant for WHO, UNDP and International Drug Policy Consortium (IDPC). She currently serves as the Vice President at the Malaysian AIDS Council.   

Dr. Goh Boon Tong is a professor in the Department of Physics, Universiti Malaya, where currently serves as the Deputy Dean, Institute for Advanced Studies and the Deputy Head of the Low Dimensional Materials Research Center. He earned his PhD in 2012 with a thesis titled “Layer-by-Layer Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapour Deposition of Nanocrystalline Silicon Thin Films”. His primary research interests focus on the synthesis and characterization of nanomaterials, including one-dimensional structures (nanowires, nanotubes, and nanorods), two-dimensional materials (graphene and metal carbides), and metallic nanoparticles. Dr. Goh has obtained numerous prestigious awards, both locally and internationally. These include the MASS 2001 Awards (Best Thesis Awards for Final Year Project of Undergraduate Science) from MASS Malaysia, the Excellence Award 2012 (for PhD candidates with the highest impact publications in the sciences) from the Universiti Malaya, the Newton Advanced Fellowship 2016, the Outstanding Researcher in Materials under the Science Discipline Award from the Venus International Foundation, the 2020 Top Research Scientists Malaysia (TRSM) Award from the Academy of Sciences Malaysia, as well as several conference awards. He has secured many local and international research grants and holds 6 filed patents. Dr. Goh also has been appointed to various academic and professional roles, including adjunct professor, visiting professor, visiting scientist, session chair at international conferences, editorial members and associate editors of journals, PhD thesis examiners by universities worldwide. To date, he has published over 235 peer-reviewed papers, with a total of nearly 3, 400 citations (h-index = 30) according to Google Scholar, and more than 156 refereed papers with nearly 2, 600 citations (h-index = 26) according to Publons Web of Science.