speakers

Kok-Gan Chan is a Commonwealth Scholar trained in molecular microbiologist with a rare combination of expertise in law and science. He has published more than 460 articles (>85% SCI-indexed, mostly Q1 quartile) and authored several book chapters and one book. He regularly publishes in some of the world’s top journals including Nature, eLife, Nature Communications, Molecular Ecology, Evolution, just to name a few. He has given scores of keynote and plenary lectures in major conferences worldwide, both on the topics of microbiology and laws.

In a span of 16 years, his h-index is 69, with citation > 18,600. He is well known for his work on bacterial quorum quenching & genome biology making him 1st in “Multidrug Resistant Pathogens”, “Genome” and “Metagenome” categories, and 2nd highest in “Quorum Quenching” in the Google Scholar. He has been recently named as one of the World's Top 2% Scientists for publication in microbiology by Stanford University.

Prof Chan was elected as Fellow of the Academy of Sciences Malaysia in 2017, and he has been elected as fellows in several other learned academies nationally and globally. He has won many international awards including Commonwealth Scholarship, The UK Prime Minister’s Initiative II Award (UK PMI2 Award), JSPS Young Scientist Award (Japan), FAOBMB and IUBMB Young Scientist Award, and >12 French Government Fellowships for consecutive 10 years. In 2016, Prof Chan was awarded the prestigious Malaysia Toray Science Foundation Science & Technology Award.

He has also as advisory members for national and international entities and ministries. He served as the Ad hoc Technical Expert Group (AHTEG) member for the Convention on Biological Diversity, UNEP on biosafety of GMO and currently a Genetic Modification Advisor Committee (GMAC) member and National Bioethics Council member in various Malaysia government ministries. He has served as grant reviewer for grants and funding agencies including FRGS, PRGS, LRGS, Newton Grant, National Grant for European Union, Austria Government, Poland Government, Qatar National Grant, and Research Grant for Australia and USA. Prof Chan holds an honorary professorship and several adjunct professorships in both national and international universities.

Dr Lee Learn-Han is a Professor at Sunway University. He is also the Director of the prestigious Asia Pacific Microbiome and Biomedical Research Network (AMBeR). He believes that teaching and research allow him to fulfill an essential responsibility as molecular biology and medical microbiology scientist. Dr Lee was ranked among the World Top 2% Scientist in 2021 and 2022 by Stanford University (Elsevier Scopus Database), clearly demonstrating his research impact on the global stage. Furthermore, Dr Lee is certified by the Malaysia Board of Technologist as the prestigious Professional Technologist (Ts) and Graduate Technologist. His leadership and achievements in studying foodborne multidrug-resistant pathogens have led to top international recognition, evidenced by the invitation by the US-FDA as the sole Malaysian Principal Investigator to collaborate on the genetic study of foodborne pathogens from Malaysia since 2017. Collaboration with top US-FDA scientists will contribute to generating high-quality research and engagement for Malaysia.

Dr Lee’s core research focuses on studying “bad” microbes (e.g. Salmonella, Vibrios, MRSA) and how they make people sick while suggesting better detection and management options. Also, he discovers novel “good” microbes (e.g. Actinobacteria) for various drug discovery purposes. Recently he is also interested in the area of how the microbiome affects human health. Such as the investigation into the roles of the microbiome in aging, sepsis, cancer, mental health, and autoimmune diseases.

His passion, leadership, and achievements in research and education have been recognized as the best Medical Science researcher in Malaysia in 2018, as the sole recipient of Malaysia’s Research Star Award (MRSA) Winner 2018 – High Impact Paper Medical Science category. Also, he received the award of the Top Research Scientists Malaysia (TRSM) from the Academy of Sciences Malaysia (ASM) in 2022. He received the prestigious award of the Fellow of Malaysian Scientific Association, Fellow of Linnean Society of London (UK) in 2022, and Fellow of ASEAN Academy of Engineering and Technology (FAAET). He was recognized by the Professional Registers as Chartered Biologist from the Royal Society of Biology, UK, in 2017, recognizing his impactful contribution to the development of Biology globally. In 2020, Dr Lee was awarded the Excellent Contribution Award 2019 (Feb 2020) from the University of Phayao (UP), Thailand, to recognize his significant research and education contribute to the UP and regionally.

Dr. Goh Bey Hing is a Professor in biochemistry at Sunway University and leads the Biofunctional Molecule Exploratory Research Group (BMEX). His research focuses on natural product functionality from herbs, microbes, and algae. With 200+ scientific articles, books, and patents, he has over 8000 citations and an H-index of 50. Dr. Goh excels in education, receiving awards for teaching innovations. Additionally, he advises biotech, aquaculture, and wellness companies. His dedication earned him the Chartered Biologist (CBiol) status from the Royal Society of Biology, UK, and recognition as a Top 10 Outstanding Young Malaysian in 2020 for his contributions to research, education, and community.

Associate Professor Dr. Nurul Syakima Ab Mutalib is a scientist and academician in the field of medical molecular biology. With a career spanning over a decade, Dr. Syakima has made significant contributions to the understanding of cancer research, molecular diagnostics, and epigenetics.

Her expertise in molecular medicine and noncoding RNA has positioned her as a leader in the field in Malaysia. Her groundbreaking research on circulating tumor cells and single-cell transcriptomics of colorectal cancer has garnered international acclaim and has been instrumental in advancing our knowledge of cancer progression and treatment.

Dr. Syakima's research has garnered widespread recognition and has had a profound impact on the scientific community. This is evident from the impressive citation index she has achieved in renowned databases such as Scopus and Google Scholar. Her work has been cited by peers and researchers worldwide, highlighting the significance and influence of her research findings. In a remarkable trajectory, Dr. Syakima's H-index has risen from 3 to an impressive 35 in a span of just 10 years, further attesting to the significance and quality of her contributions.

In addition to her research endeavors, Dr. Syakima has held key leadership positions and received numerous awards and recognitions for her contributions. She has served as a team leader in cancer genomics and biobanking, ensuring the efficient coordination of research activities and the establishment of high-quality biobanks. Her stewardship also extends to her role as the Chief Technical Officer, where she oversaw the implementation of state-of-the-art technologies and quality assurance protocols in the institute.

Dr. Syakima's international fame and status are further exemplified by her collaborations with renowned institutions worldwide. She has been a visiting fellow at the Institute of Genomic Medicine at Newcastle University, England, and has received prestigious travel grants and awards from esteemed organizations such as the Korean Cancer Association and the Hong Kong Institute of Digestive Disease.

Dr. Jodi Law Woan-Fei is a Lecturer at Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Monash University Malaysia. She holds a PhD in Medicine (Biomedical Science), awarded by JCSMHS, Monash University in 2019. She also serves as the Leader of the Next-Generation Precision Medicine and Therapeutics Research Group (NMeT) and a Section Leader (Diagnostics & Pathogens) of the Microbiome and Bioresource Research Strength (MBRS) in the JCSMHS. She is a board-certified Graduate Technologist (MBOT), a Deputy Director of the Asia Pacific Microbiome & Biomedical Research Network (AMBeR), and a member of the Royal Society of Biology United Kingdom (MRSB). She is trained in biosystematics studies of novel Streptomyces and exploring their beneficial biological activities (e.g., anticancer, antioxidant, antibacterial, probiotic strains), which can be the sources of potential drug candidates to improve human health and wellbeing. Her research interests also include studying the relationships of the human microbiome with health and disease as well as understanding their therapeutic implications. She firmly believes that it is crucial to detect and identify bacterial pathogens from the microbiome associated with disease development and to generate potential microbiome-based treatment options. She has achieved a cumulative citation of 3021, h-index of 24, and i10-index of 48 based on Google Scholar.