Professor Sheila Nathan is a Professor of Molecular Microbiology at the Department of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. Prof. Nathan obtained a DPhil in DNA Repair from the University of Sussex UK. Upon joining UKM, she switched her field of research to bacterial pathogenesis with specific interests in mechanisms of pathogenesis and host-bacteria interaction. Major research collaborations with Stanford University (USA), University of Sheffield (UK) and KAUST (Republic of Saudi Arabia) have contributed to significant new knowledge on bacterial virulence and pathogenic mechanisms, as well as providing clues on the failure of the infected host immune response. Prof. Nathan is a Fulbright Scholar and the recipient of the Malaysian Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology President’s Award for Research Excellence, the Microbiology Society of Malaysia’s Lifetime Achievement Award and the National Academic Award for Scientific Publications. She is an Associate Editor of BMC Genomics and is a frequent contributor to the peer-review process for national and international journals and grant-awarding bodies. As a Fellow of the Academy of Sciences Malaysia, she is the current Chair of the Dr. Ranjeet Bhagwan Singh Medical Research Trust Fund Programme Committee.