22 November 2022

One of the senior technology leaders with ten years of experience in research, start-up, and corporate, Dr Afnizanfaizal Abdullah is an expert in artificial intelligence, big data analytics, and cloud computing. Dr Afnizanfaizal’s first deep-tech start-up company went through a few rounds of fundraising before being acquired by a world-leading drone service company in 2022. Dr Afnizanfaizal has contributed to the talent pool by developing 200 data science and engineering professionals; coaching and mentoring early start-up funders; and helping companies and organisations to secure more than 100 million US dollars’ worth of projects. His exceptional know-how of technology in academia and business development has provided him with vast resources and established networks in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and the US. Here is Dr Afnizanfaizal to show us how Artificial Intelligence can bolster existing systems to conserve endangered species.

Dr Nur Hazwani Abdul Bahar is a conservationist and an expert in physiology of trees and crops. This member of the Young Scientist Network of ASM consistently finds new avenues to apply her expertise in broader areas of sustainable resource management and environmental conservation. In the past few years, she has been coordinating forest conservation and restoration initiatives in partnership with local and indigenous communities and the Tropical Rainforest Conservation & Research Centre. More recently, she has been exploring green/sustainable financing mechanisms for conservation, as well as landscape-level Environmental, Social, and Governance criteria. Her high-impact research projects in the areas of plant physiology, food production, and sustainability have been published in top journals and reports.

Dr Lim Phaik Eem is a Professor and the Head of Marine Biotechnology Unit at the Institute of Ocean and Earth Sciences, Universiti Malaya. Dr Lim is one of the founders and the current secretary of the Consortium of Southeast Asian Seaweed Taxonomy (SEASTax). She has more than 20 years of research experience on seaweeds and has more than 180 publications. With her involvement in GCRF Global SeaweedSTAR programme, a problem-based multidisciplinary approach was adopted to address main issues affecting the seaweed cultivation and processing industries. With all this talk about seaweed, how does it relate to one of our favourite desserts?

Professor Dato’ Dr Mohd Tajuddin Abdullah FASc is a well-recognised mammologist with great interest in both the taxonomy and ecology of mammals, especially bats and small non-volant mammals. His specialty is combining traditional taxonomy with molecular evidence in understanding evolution and bio-geography. He has registered 300 DNA sequences of bats species into the NCBI GenBank, some of which could be described as new genetic species. Apart from research work, Professor Dr Mohd Tajuddin is also actively involved in administration and management, having held positions of authority at several universities, organisations as well as research centres and panels.