Dr Lau Su Ee has been a research officer at the Centre for Research in Biotechnology for Agriculture (CEBAR), Universiti Malaya (UM), since 2013. UM employed her as a Research Assistant for two years and tutor for two academic semesters before taking the Research Officer role. She completed her BSc in Genetics and Molecular Biology at UM, a master’s in Plant Biotechnology at UM, and a PhD in Molecular Biology and Genetic Engineering at Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM). 

My passion for scientific inquiry and my ability to contribute to life sciences are evident through my extensive research experience and achievements. My undergraduate study at UM sparked my interest in plant sciences, and my final year project allowed me to gain valuable experience in isolating crude extracts of bacterially expressed dsRNA and identifying its protection to orchid plants against cymbidium mosaic virus during transplantation from in vitro culture, providing me with fundamental knowledge of plant genetics and molecular biology.

This experience, combined with my early exposure to the field, has driven me to excel in this rapidly expanding area of life sciences. Thus, I have decided to pursue a Master of Science in plant biotechnology to enhance my knowledge further. In this project, I aimed to determine the role of R2R3-MYB transcription factor in Dendrobium hybrid.

My experience as a Research Officer at UM has sharpened my molecular techniques skills, including omics technology, functional gene studies, bioinformatics analysis, plant physiology, and biochemistry. During this time, I was awarded a government scholarship to pursue my PhD study at the Universiti Putra Malaysia, focusing on examining the impact of drought stress on bananas and determining the role of MYB transcription factor genes in regulating stress tolerance in bananas. These experiences have strengthened my passion for research and equipped me with the skills necessary to make meaningful contributions to the field. 

With over ten years of research experience, I have a strong track record of contributions to plant molecular biology, publishing several papers in reputable international journals and presenting my work at various conferences. I have also received several awards, such as the University Consortium (UC) Student Grant for Research Activities from the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) and the travel award to attend an international conference.

To remain up-to-date and relevant, I have joined various scientific communities, including the Malaysian Society for Molecular Biology & Biotechnology (MSMBB) and the Malaysia Board of Technologists (MBOT).