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SCIMY ADVISORY BOARD
THE SCIENTIFIC MALAYSIAN ADVISORY BOARD The Scientific Malaysian (SciMy) Advisory Board consists of experienced scientists and professionals from the academia and industry. With their experience, knowledge and skills, they will be advising the executive members of SciMy in strategic decision-making process, establishing connections for SciMy within and beyond the scientific field and aiding the growth of SciMy as an organisation.
PROF. DATIN PADUKA DR. KHATIJAH BINTI YUSOFF Professor Datin Paduka Dr. Khatijah binti Yusoff is one of the Malaysian women leaders in the area of science and technology. She received early education in Penang, her place of birth. She successfully procured a Colombo Plan Scholarship to further her studies at La Trobe University, Australia, where she graduated in 1979 with a first class Honours degree in Microbiology. Her academic achievement continued to excel when she won a La Trobe University research scholarship to complete her PhD in microbial genetics in 1983. She returned to Malaysia in the same year and served at Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) as an academic. She has also worked as a post-doctoral Research Associate at the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, where she started to develop interest in Newcastle disease virus (NDV). During her service at UPM, she was promoted to Associate Professor in 1994 and a full Professor in 2001. In 2006, she was appointed as the Dean of Faculty of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences and then later as the Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Academic and International Affairs. Based on her leadership track record in championing science and technology, Prof Khatijah was seconded to the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation as the Deputy Secretary General of Science and still takes the lead until today. She is also actively involved in several organisations at the national and international level. Her research interests include microbial genetics, the molecular biology of the NDV, particularly paramyxoviruses of which continues to this day. Her teaching and research, especially on the molecular biology of NDV have been recognised internationally (among them are the 2005 Carlos J Finlay Prize for microbiology, and National Young Scientist Award in 1990). In 2002, she was invited by the Houghton Trust to present her work, which has a contribution to the poultry industry, at the Third Houghton Lecture. It was held at the XIIth World Veterinary Poultry Association (WVPA) Congress. In 2006, an honorary title was bestowed upon her by the Selangor State Government as an award to recognise her contributions and merits in the development of academic and science in the country.
S C I E N T I F I C M A L AY S I A N
