Committee

President : Dr. Fu Ju Yen (MPOB)
Email: fujuyen@gmail.com

Short bio.

Ju-Yen is a pharmacist with a PhD in pharmaceutical science from the University of Strathclyde, UK. She has 10 years’ experience working with nanoformulations as a senior research scientist at the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB). She is currently serving the product development division to deliver value addition to palm-based ingredients, bioactives and biomaterials. Her research focuses on development, scale-up, commercialization and clinical translation of delivery systems including liposomes, nanoparticles and dispersion techniques, specifically in the food and nutraceutical industries. She is currently leading the nano-tocotrienols team and Nanotechnology Pilot Plant in Nutrition Unit, MPOB. She is also a member of the technical committee on Nanotechnologies (TC229) for ISO, National Nanotechnology Coordination Committee (MOSTI), working committee of nutrition experts, health claims and advertising (Food Safety and Quality Division, MoH).

Vice President : Assoc. Prof. Dr. Goh Choon Fu (USM)
Email: choonfugoh@usm.my

Short bio.

Choon Fu holds a PhD from the School of Pharmacy, University College London (UCL). Currently, he serves as an Associate Professor in Pharmaceutical Technology in the School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia. He currently leads the ‘Goh Skin Research Group,’ specialising in mucosal and transdermal drug delivery as well as formulation design. His research interests focus on developing functional biomaterials for pharmaceutical and cosmeceutical delivery.
Choon Fu works actively with local industries for topical and transdermal formulation development. He served as the editorial board member of International Journal of Cosmetic Sciences in 2022 – 2024. Currently, he is in the editorial board for Young Scholars of Journal of Pharmaceutical Analysis and the Young Investigator Editorial Board of European Journal of Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceutics since 2023.

Secretary : Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hazrina Ab Hadi (IIUM)
Email: hazrina@iium.edu.my

Short bio.

Dr. Hazrina was awarded a BPharm (Hons) in Pharmacy from the International Islamic University of Malaysia (IIUM) in 2007. She received her MSc Drug Delivery in September 2008 and PhD in Pharmaceutics in December 2012 from The School of Pharmacy, University of London and University College London, respectively. Dr. Hazrina has received several research grants from the Ministry of Education, Malaysia to work on topical/transdermal pharmaceutical formulations as well as natural cosmetic formulations. She has successfully filed 3 patents from her research work and also won 4 silver medals for her novel ideas in the development of skin cancer treatment and innovative skin lightening product. The medals were awarded during the International Research, Invention And Innovation Exhibition 2015 at IIUM and Malaysia Technology Expo 2019. She has served the Deputy Dean of Postgraduate & Research in her faculty from January 2017 to December 2017. Currently, she is the Head of Department for Research and Development at IKOP Sdn. Bhd and leading Dermatopharmaceutics Research Group IIUM.

Assistant Secretary : –
Email: #

Short bio.

Not Available

Treasurer : Dr. Usha Sundralingam (Monash University)
Email: usha.sundralingam@monash.edu

Short bio.

Dr. Usha is a formulation scientist and cosmetic chemist with expertise in pharmaceutical and cosmeceutical product development. Her research focuses on natural product-based formulations, including nano-phytosomes, lipid-based drug delivery systems, and geroprotective skincare. She is also involved in the sustainable bioproduction of high-value bioactives, particularly urolithins, through microbial biotransformation of ellagitannin-rich fruit waste. Her work aims to harness locally sourced agricultural byproducts to generate bioactive metabolites with anti-aging and therapeutic potential, contributing to a more sustainable and cost-effective approach for pharmaceutical and cosmeceutical applications. Dr. Usha has collaborated on advanced drug delivery systems and is actively engaged in education and industry outreach. She has received multiple accolades for her contributions to teaching and community engagement in pharmaceutical sciences.

Postgraduate Representative I : Miss Nur Dini Fatini Mohammad Faizal (UKM)
Email: diniftini2234@gmail.com

Short bio.

Ms Nur Dini Fatini graduated with first class honours in Cell and Molecular Biology from Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) in 2021. Whilst working as a research assistant in Faculty of Pharmacy in Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) in the same year, she has been trained and worked on acquiring several grants and proposals (MOSTI, FRGS, Wellcome Trust Fund) under the supervision of her supervisor, Prof. Dr. Mohd Cairul Iqbal. Currently, she is now pursuing her PhD in pharmaceutical sciences in Centre for Drug Delivery Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy, UKM under a scholarship from Yang-Dipertuan Agong (BYDPA). Ms Dini’s main focus in her PhD is on dual drug delivery strategy of immunoliposomes as an antiviral treatment for SARS-CoV-2.

Postgraduate Representative II : Miss Estee Lee Jing Yi (USM)
Email: esteeljy@gmail.com

Short bio.

Jing Yi Lee (Estee) graduated with a B.Pharm. (First Class Honours) from Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) in 2022. That same year, she returned to the School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, USM to undertake a PhD in Pharmaceutical Technology. Under the mentorship of Dr. Choon Fu Goh, her research focuses on microneedle technology for dermal drug delivery. Before pursuing her PhD, Estee worked as a pharmacist assistant in a local community pharmacy and gained valuable experience as a clinical trial associate at USM. In this role, she supported clinical study teams in various aspects of trial execution, including maintaining trial-related documents, managing study-specific projects and more. Currently, she serves as a committee member of CRS Young Scientist Committee and Associate Student Representative for the Malaysia Local Chapter of the Controlled Release Society (MyCRS).

Leader – Assoc. Prof. Dr. Zuratul Ain Abdul Hamid
Email: srzuratulain@usm.my

Short bio.

Dr Zuratul Ain Abdul Hamid is a materials scientist with more than 10 years of experience in polymer engineering fields managing various research areas such as polymeric biomaterials, polymer for drug delivery systems, 3D printing, smart polymers, polymer processing, polymer characterization, and also TRIZ problem-solving. Graduated Ph.D. in the year 2010 from The University of Melbourne, Australia. Meanwhile she obtained her bachelor and master’s degree from the Universiti Sains Malaysia in the year 2001 and 2002 respectively. Her researches involved from the biomaterial’s development, in vitro cell study until the in vivo study to validate the potential of the developed biomaterials. As a materials scientist, she always opens for new challenges and like to explore new field for continuous and life-long education. Her aims are to do translational research which traditionally denoted to the transformation of basic research findings to the clinical level.

Leader – Assoc. Prof. Dr. Awis Sukarni bin Mohmad Sabere
Email: awissabere@iium.edu.my

Short bio.

Dr. Awis graduated from Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT) in 2008 with a B.Sc (Hons) in Analytical and Environmental Chemistry. He then pursued and received his Master’s degree in Chemistry from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) in 2012, thanks to the UKM Zamalah Scheme scholarship. After completing his Master’s degree, he was awarded the highly competitive SLAB/SLAI scholarship to pursue his Ph.D. at University College London’s School of Pharmacy (UCL). Dr. Awis is passionate about pharmaceutical formulation and analytical chemistry. His primary focus is on optimising drug delivery and 3D printing. He has several articles published in high-impact journals and has won several awards in innovation competitions. Dr. Awis is a registered chemist and the current Head of Pharmaceutical Chemistry Department, Kulliyyah of Pharmacy, International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), as well as the Chairman of Institut Kimia Malaysia (Pahang branch).

Leader – Assoc. Prof. Dr. Alice Chuah Lay Hong
Email: alice.chuah@monash.edu

Short bio.

Associate Professor Alice Chuah is from the School of Pharmacy, Monash University Malaysia. Throughout her career, she has secured numerous national and international grants from diverse sources, including government, industry and university. She has published in various high impact journal papers, book chapters, and filed for patents. Her research has won her several international and national invention awards. She is also the recipient of the APEC-Australia Women in Research Fellowship, MAKNA Cancer Research Award and World Federation of Scientists Scholarships. Associate Professor Chuah is a pharmacist by training, and her research expertise lies in drug delivery and formulation for various applications. Her keen interests in translational research have led to the development of formulations for various applications, including nanoparticles, wound dressing, hydrogels, and membrane for water filtration.

Leader: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ng Shiow Fern (UKM)
Email: nsfern@ukm.edu.my

Short bio.

Dr Shiow-Fern Ng received her Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences in 2007 from the University of Strathclyde (Glasgow, UK). She is currently an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Pharmacy Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (National University of Malaysia, UKM). Dr Ng current research interests focus on cutaneous drug delivery, through the exploitation of delivery of therapeutic agents to chronic wounds as well as the application of various biopolymers for the retention and delivery of active compounds for a variety of potential wound and cutaneous therapeutic applications. Research collaborators include local pharmaceutical industries and institutions as well as institutions in South East Asia – Singapore, Thailand, Philippines, and Vietnam. She hold many administrative positions in the Faculty which includes the Coordinator of e-Learning, Head of Discipline of Pharmaceutics, the Chairperson of the Centre of Drug Delivery Technology Research of the UKM (2020-present). She is a registered pharmacist and currently she serves as the President of the MyCRS, Controlled Release Society the Malaysia Local Chapter (2018-Present). Throughout her academic career, she has obtained publication award in top tier Journals Teaching Innovation Award, Outstanding industry collaboration award.

Leader – Dr. Izzat Fahimuddin Mohamed Suffian
Email: izzat_fahimuddin@iium.edu.my

Short bio.

Dr Izzat Suffian joined IIUM as a lecturer in November 2016. He is currently an Assistant Professor in Drug Delivery and Nanomedicine. Dr Izzat completed his PhD in Pharmacology, Pharmaceutical and Analytical Science from King’s College London, UK, which involves engineering targeted hepatitis B virus core particles for cancer therapy. During his PhD studies, he was awarded the prestigious Wellcome Image Awards, which recognise the creators of the most informative, striking and technically excellent images that communicate significant aspects of biomedical science in 2014 and 2016. Dr Izzat has developed extensive experience in designing and developing novel nanoscale delivery systems including virus-like particles and liposomes. His current work involves the pre-clinical translation of novel nanomaterials designed specifically for drug, siRNA, plasmid, and radionuclide delivery for therapeutic or diagnostic applications. Dr Izzat is also a passionate academic with a wealth of transferable skills gained in the academia and research sectors.
Dr Izzat also possessed experiences in the corporate sector, when he was attached to Datuk Nora A. Manaf, Chief Group Human Capital, Maybank Group Berhad, as the CEO@Faculty Programme 2.0 Fellow for 6 months. Dr Izzat is always known as a confident person in managing and working under pressure, whilst maintaining progress in line with project plans. Nevertheless, he possesses a commitment to multi-tasking in delivering customer service excellence, with a warm smile. Moreover, a coffee & tea lover, who is enthusiastic about fitness and fashion.

Leader – Assoc. Prof. Dr. Fazren Azmi
Email: fazren.azmi@ukm.edu.my

Short bio.

Dr Fazren has obtained his PhD in Pharmaceutical Nanotechnology in 2016 from The University of Queensland (Australia). He is currently a senior lecturer in Pharmaceutics and hold a management position as the Head of Industry and Community Partnership at Faculty of Pharmacy, UKM.
Dr. Fazren was awarded and managing several research projects, funded by institutional grants (e.g. Dana Impak Perdana) and MOHE (e.g. FRGS) which involves pre-clinical translation of active biomaterials designed specifically as therapeutics or as a delivery system for subunit-based vaccine antigens. Recently, he has received funding for intranasal Covid-19 vaccine development under Geran Khas Prihatin (GKP), which has served to place Faculty of Pharmacy, UKM in the forefront of research in the area of Covid-19 vaccine development. He was the recipient of the 4th National PERMATA Nobelist Mindset Award and CRS Young Scientist Travel Award 2019.

Leader –
Email: #

Short bio.

Not available.