Siti Fairus Abdul Sani, an Associate Professor at Universiti Malaya (UM), is a dedicated researcher and educator in the field of Radiation and Medical Physics. She has recently honored with the prestigious award Anugerah Saintis Muda Negara 2024 (National Young Scientist Award 2024), recognizing her contributions to science and her research in radiation physics. This esteemed award reflects her commitment to advancing scientific knowledge and her hope to inspire future generations of scientists in Malaysia. Siti Fairus earned her PhD from the University of Surrey, UK, in 2015, and since then, she has established an outstanding academic and research record. With 116 publications, an H-index of 19, and over 900 citations, she has made significant contributions span teaching, research and community engagement in radiation applications for medicine, industry, and environmental studies. She served as the Deputy Head of UM’s Radiation Protection Services Unit (2016-2017) and holds a Radiation Protection Officer (RPO) certification. Her research has advanced understanding in areas such as EMT, FDFT1, endometrial and amyloidosis metabolite characterization, radiation sterilization, passive dosimetry, natural radioactivity, optical methods for radiation damage detection, and Monte Carlo simulations for medical and nuclear reactor applications. She has supervised over 70 students, including 15 PhDs (8 graduated), 8 MScs (7 graduated), and 53 FYP undergraduates, and led the Radiation Laboratory (RLab) at Department of Physics for seven years. Since 2014, she has presented her work at international conferences, including in Prague, Crete, Bologna, Beijing, Mexico, Sydney, India and Indonesia as an invited speaker, oral and poster presentations. In recognition of her academic and research excellence, Siti Fairus was invited to participate in the 2023 Global Young Scientists Summit in Singapore and was nominated by the Academy of Sciences Malaysia for the 72nd Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting. Her interdisciplinary research is supported by multiple grants, including the Fundamental Research Grant Scheme (FRGS), and an RM400,000 research grant from a collaboration with Princess Nourah University in Saudi Arabia. Her career achievements include a range of awards, including Gold Medals at the Malaysian Technology Exposition (MTE 2016) and International Invention & Innovation Exhibition (ITEX 2016), a Platinum Medal at the International Summit on Innovation and Design Exposition (InSIDE 2019), Gold Medals at the Material Technology Challenges (MTC 2020) 4.0, a Gold Medal at the Advanced Innovation & Engineering Exhibition (AiNEX 2021), and a Silver Medal at the Innovation Research Competition in the Nuclear Innovation & Technical Convention (NITC 2023) Malaysia. Alongside her research, Siti Fairus actively fosters a love for science among students from kindergarten through high school. She supports STEM education by training teachers and parents and has developed art-integrated STEM modules for secondary schools. She has also served as a judge for science and innovation competitions organized by the Ministry of Education Malaysia. A memorable moment in her journey was being invited by IKIM radio for an “Inspirasiku” interview and being featured on the Extraordinary Muslims blog, sharing her inspiring PhD journey in 2016.

Siti Fairus work supports SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being by advancing safer radiation applications in medicine, while her innovative STEM-based teaching aligns with SDG 4: Quality Education, inspiring future scientists. Through research in radiation dosimetry and detector technologies, she contributes to SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure, enhancing safety in medical and industrial applications. Her focus on radiation’s environmental impact promotes SDG 13: Climate Action by advocating sustainable nuclear practices. Backed by grants and Universiti Malaya, her efforts reflect SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals, fostering interdisciplinary collaborations to address global challenges and drive innovation.