Currently serving as the Head of the Department of Parasitology at the Universiti Malaya (UM), Professor Dr. Lau Yee Ling has an impressive academic background. In 2008, while awaiting her PhD viva, she began her academic career as a lecturer at Monash University Sunway Campus. During her tenure at Monash University, she received two Monash University Research Grants, which allowed her to pursue her research in the field of molecular parasitology. In 2009, she returned to her alma mater, the Universiti Malaya, as a Senior Lecturer. Her dedication and contributions led to her receiving tenure in 2010, followed by promotions to Associate Professor in 2013 and Professor in 2019. She was appointed a fellow of the Academy of Sciences Malaysia in 2019. Professor Lau's scientific pursuits have primarily revolved around the comprehensive investigation of Plasmodium knowlesi, a zoonotic parasite known for its significant role in the development and transmission of malaria. Her research focuses on utilizing advanced molecular techniques to identify, detect, and characterize these parasites in both human and animal hosts. By employing state-of-the-art molecular methods, Professor Lau aims to advance our understanding of Plasmodium knowlesi and its interactions with its hosts, ultimately contributing to the development of effective control and prevention strategies. Throughout her career, Professor Lau has collaborated with local and international researchers, resulting in the publication of over 289 ISI journals. Her published work has accumulated a total WoS citation index of 5139 and an H-index of 36. Her exceptional research achievements have also enabled her to secure various international and local research grants, including the NIH R01, UKRI-MOHE, Wellcome Trust, Hubert Curien Partnership-Hibiscus (PHC-Hibiscus), ASEAN-India Collaborative R&D scheme, GCRF Global Impact Acceleration Account (GIAA) Impact Fund, High Impact Research Grant, University of Malaya Research Grant, FRGS, E-science, LRGS, among others. The cumulative research funding she has obtained exceeds RM10 million. Additionally, she has obtained multiple intellectual property rights for her work on the rapid molecular diagnosis of dengue, malaria, and COVID-19. Professor Lau’s dedication to mentoring and guiding students is demonstrated by her successful supervision of 17 master’s and 24 PhD students. She continues to shape the next generation of parasitology researchers, currently supervising 2 master’s and 11 PhD students, thereby making a significant contribution to their education and professional development. With her extensive background in grant management, she has held various administrative roles, such as Head of the Grant Management Unit in the Health and Translational Medicine Cluster and Faculty of Medicine. Additionally, she has served as a committee member for evaluating applications for FRGS, LRGR, and TRGS at both national and international levels. In 2017, she established the Science Café, which has become the primary platform for research communication between clinicians and scientists at the Faculty of Medicine. She has also been involved in multiple committees, including the University of Malaya Institutional Biosafety and Biosecurity Committee (IBBC), Animal Experimental Unit, Faculty of Medicine Risk and Quality Management, and has served as an internal auditor for the Faculty of Medicine. She served as the editor-in-chief for the Journal of Health and Translational Medicine (JUMMEC) at the University of Malaya from 2009 to 2024. Currently, she holds the position of editor-in-chief for the Asia Pacific Journal of Molecular Biology & Biotechnology and associate editor for BMC Infectious Diseases. Her contributions to the scientific field have led her to become a regular reviewer for prestigious international journals, such as Nature Scientific Reports, Lancet, PLOS One, Parasites & Vectors, Malaria Journal, International Journal of Tropical Disease & Health, and others. Due to her extensive experience and reputation in the field of molecular parasitology, Professor Lau is highly sought after as a speaker and consultant both locally and internationally. She has actively participated in professional societies, such as the Malaysian Society of Parasitology and Tropical Medicine (MSPTM), where she served as a council member in 2018-2019, and the Malaysian Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (MSBMB), where she held the position of Honorary Secretary in 2017-2019 and the President in 2019-2023. She continues to serve on the MSMBB council to this day. Professor Lau's passion for research is equaled by her dedication to teaching and education. In her classes, she not only ensures that her lectures are easy to understand but also strives to engage students by incorporating recent articles and real-life scenarios to demonstrate the practical relevance of the subject matter. Due to her enthusiasm for education, she volunteered to be the Problem-Based Learning (PBL) Phase II coordinator in 2011 and later became the PBL main coordinator in 2018. Recently, she has been actively involved in organizing PBL training workshops for the UMMP program. Professor Lau has received several prestigious awards, including the ASM Top Research Scientist Malaysia 2024; MSMBB Best Scientist Award 2023; MTSF's Science & Technology Award for Year 2020; the University of Malaya Excellent Service Award three times in 2011, 2013, and 2015; and the MSPTM Nadchadtram Medal in 2014. She has also been recognized multiple times internationally and nationally for her innovative research, including the "top 2% scientists" list for 2023, 2024 and 2025, published by Stanford in collaboration with Elsevier; Grand Prize in the National Exclusive Innovation Challenge Award 2018 and Korea Creative Invention Contest 2018. Updated on 11/18/2025

Dr. Malarvizhi Sinayah joined academic life as a senior lecturer in Faculty of Languages and Linguistics at the University of Malaya since 2016. She is the Programme Co-ordinator of Tamil Programme at Department of Malaysian Languages and Applied Linguistics since 2017. She completed her Doctoral programme in Discourse Analysis, at University Putra Malaysia; her Masters of Modern Languages Studies and her Bachelor in Languages and Linguistics (Tamil Language) at the University of Malaya, and obtained her teaching certificate (Primary School Education/Tamil Language) from Raja Melewar Teachers Training Collage. Her main research interests are Sociolinguistics and Discourse analysis in general, Tamil linguistics and Teaching Tamil Language and Literature in particular. Areas of particular interest include: Computer mediated Communication, language use in social Media, Codeswitching and Translanguaging, Teaching Language and Literature (Tamil), Language ideological debates relating to Minorities Language (Tamil), Intelligibility issues relating to the spread of Tamil Language, Attitudes towards minority language in higher education contexts around the world.

Prof. Dato’ Ir. Dr. Mohammed Rafiq bin Dato’ Abdul Kadir is a Professor of Engineering and currently serves at the Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Malaya. He has held the rank of Full Professor since 2014 and has contributed extensively to advancing engineering education, research, and innovation in Malaysia. He also serves as an EAC Council Member at the Board of Engineers Malaysia (BEM) since 2020. Prior to joining Universiti Malaya, Dato’ Rafiq was the pioneering Dean of the Faculty of Engineering at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), one of the largest engineering faculties in Asia, comprising nearly 700 academics and 10,000 students. His visionary “Business NOT as Usual” approach steered the faculty to international prominence, even during the COVID-19 pandemic. Under his leadership, initiatives such as the Distinguished Lecture Series—featuring 114 professors from 32 countries—and the Captain of Industry Programme—with CEOs from 31 major companies—solidified UTM’s global standing while achieving cost savings of almost RM2 million. In research, Dato’ Rafiq is recognized among the World’s Top 2% Scientists by Stanford University. He founded the Medical Devices & Technology Group (MEDITEG), one of Malaysia’s most successful research entities, later elevated to a Centre of Excellence (CoE). Under his leadership, the group secured 94 research projects worth RM12 million, graduated 49 PhD and 38 Master’s students by research, and produced 344 Web of Science publications with nearly 8,000 citations. Dato’ Rafiq’s individual h-index is 48, reflecting his strong international research impact. A prolific inventor, Dato’ Rafiq is Malaysia’s No. 1 Inventor (2010–2014) with 27 patents granted during that period, and now holds 38 granted patents and 18 pending inventions. He is an alumnus of both Imperial College London and the University of Cambridge, and is professionally registered as a Professional Engineer with Practising Certificate (PEPC), an ASEAN Chartered Professional Engineer (ACPE), and a Chartered Engineer (CEng) with the UK Engineering Council.