I am currently a Lecturer at the Department of Arabic Language and Middle Eastern Languages, Faculty of Languages and Linguistics, Universiti Malaya (UM), Malaysia. My academic and professional trajectory has been shaped by sustained engagements with the Arabic language and linguistics, translation, interpreting, and the pragmatics of cross-cultural communication. I am now reading for a PhD in Translation and Interpreting (Interpreting Studies) at Universiti Sains Malaysia, where I explore the intricacies of (im)politeness in Arabic-English simultaneous interpreting. My research investigates how interpreters navigate shifts in (im)politeness strategies under real-time cognitive constraints. Positioned at the intersection of pragmatics, interpreting studies, cognitive linguistics, and cognitive psychology, this work aims to illuminate the interplay between linguistic (im)politeness, real-time cross-cultural mediation, and the psychological demands of interpreting in high-stakes settings. This doctoral inquiry builds upon my MA in Linguistics from UM, where I examined implicature in the Quran through a pragmatic lens, sharpening my sensitivity to inferencing, intention, and context in meaning-making. My foundational training began with a BA in Arabic Language and Linguistics from Cadi Ayyad University, Morocco, where I graduated with distinction (comparable to summa cum laude in Western academic systems) and was honoured as the university's Best Student in 2019. These academic foundations laid the critical groundwork for my current scholarly focus. Beyond academia, I am a certified translator with the Institut Terjemahan & Buku Malaysia (ITBM; Malaysian Institute of Translation & Books), with extensive experience in translating, editing, and proofreading scholarly texts, theses, and books. I welcome insights most notably from language service providers and industry stakeholders to support research on interpreter ethics, translator/interpreter training, and discourse in professional translation and interpreting contexts.

Lead UM Neuroscience Research Group (NeuroRG), a group of multi-disciplinary based researchers focusing on the Nervous System. The focus of each research with its approach specifically suited to its nature: a) laboratory based researches; eg, comparative neurobiology of non-mammalian vertebrates nervous system; animal behavioral model for memory; neurohistological characterization  b) non-laboratory based researches; eg, comparison of issues from Islamic and Neuroscience established perspectives on learning and related factors like sleep for normal and autistic children; coping strategies of Muslim parents with autistic children One of the works being conducted by NeuroRG team is on substances/food that are encouraged by Islam; eg, Prophetic substances -- food like Habbatus Sauda (Nigella sativa) and honey.  Specifically, studies are on the effects of consumption on spatial and/or non spatial memory, neurohistology of specific brain structures and neurocytology of the neurons, and their neuroprotective effects.  Also have collaborated researches on the effects of these substances on other physiological systems, e.g. reproductive physiology, wound healing to skin.  Have received grants from government bodies and the University of Malaya for related researches.  Outputs of grants include publications in journals and books, and presentations at local and international scientific meetings.  In addition, have successfully supervised students at both the undergraduate and post-graduate levels (MSc, MPhil, MBiotech, PhD). Teaching include subjects/modules such as Neurobiology, Diseases of the Central Nervous System, Histology, and Animal Use and Care Bioethics.

Sameem Abdul Kareem is an academic at the Department of Artificial Intelligence, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur. She started her career as a Lecturer in the Insititute of Preparatory Studies, ITM (now known as UiTM) in 1986 after  graduating with a B. Sc.(Hons.) in  Mathematics from the University of Malaya, in the same year. Sameem obtained her M.Sc. in Computing from the University of Wales, Cardiff (now known as the University of Cardiff) in 1992. She subsequently embarked on a career in the University of Malaya from 1993 onwards. She obtained her PhD in 2002; her current research interests include Artificial Intelligence in Medicine, Machine Learning, Data Analytics/Mining, Image Processing and Biomedical Informatics. She was the Deputy Dean (Undergraduate) at the Faculty of Computer Science and Information Technology, University of Malaya,  from 2001 to 2008 and the Deputy Dean (Postgraduate) from 2014 to 2016. Sameem has successfully supervised a number of Master and PhD candidates and acted as Internal and External Examiners both in and outside Malaysia.