2019-2020 MALAYSIAN FULBRIGHTERS

FULBRIGHT MALAYSIAN GRADUATE STUDY AND RESEARCH PROGRAM

Amri Bukhairi bin Bakhtiar

Home Institution: Public Service Department, Malaysia

Host Institution: Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard University

Field of Study: Public Administration

Email: abukhairi@gmail.com , abakhtiar@hks.harvard.edu

Experienced professional with a demonstrated history of working in government administration at State, Federal and international level. Fifteen years experience with the Malaysian Government working on a wide range of issues: development, governance, international security, international public health and regulatory reform. Passionate about public policy and administration with a focus on strategic planning and reform. For the past 9 months, I have been working on improving Malaysia’s governance and anti-corruption initiatives under the Prime Minister’s Department. Previous experience includes assisting Malaysia’s Chief Secretary to the Government and Cabinet Secretary on housing and development issues, diplomat at the Permanent Mission of Malaysia to the United Nations in Geneva and assisting the Special Task Force to Facilitate Business on policies and initiatives to improve Government efficiency and public service delivery. Graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from University of Malaya. In my spare time, I’m always trying to improve my marathon timing, loves football and enjoys a good movie.

Samuel Isaiah

Home Institution: Sekolah Kebangsaan Runchang, Pekan, Pahang.

Host Institution: School of Education, State University of New York (SUNY) at Albany

Field of Study: Educational Policy and Leadership (Masters)

Email: loity25@gmail.com

Samuel Isaiah has been a teacher since 2012 in SK Runchang, an Orang Asli school in Pahang. This award-winning educator fell in love with his Orang Asli students and has since poured his heart and soul whilst constantly challenging the negative perceptions that glooms the Orang Asli community. In the past 8 years, his students have shown extreme confidence when conversing in English and they performed exceptionally well in national standardized examinations. He accomplished all this by transforming physical infrastructure, cultivated an environment that promoted the use of the English Language through meaningful lessons, assessed students and launched projects that enabled them to love and embrace learning.  He feels that the 日博电竞 Graduate Study program gave him an avenue to provide continuous inspiration and sustainable success by exploring links between societies, culture, language and education. He aimed to investigate the correlation between these crucial elements through the perspective of culture and social equality, henceforth bringing it to practice. He believes that time spent with the community, combined with the knowledge and experience gained from this is an ideal combination in further transforming the lives of his Orang Asli students.

Nur ‘Ashiqin Mohd Ridzuan Nirmal

Home Institution: SIRIM Berhad, Malaysia

Host Institution: Iowa University Science and Technology

Field of Study: Environmental Toxicology (MSc)

Email: ashiqin@sirim.my , ms.shiqin@gmail.com

Nur ‘Ashiqin, a researcher at SIRIM (previously known as Standards and Industrial Research Institute of Malaysia), is currently undergoing her Master’s in Environmental Toxicology at the Iowa State University of Science and Technology as one of the grantees of 日博电竞 Malaysian Graduate Study and Research Program. Graduated with a BSc (Hons) in Bioinformatics from Universiti Selangor, she has stretched her knowledge from bioinformatics to various fields such as geographical information system, ecotoxicity, carbon and water footprint, and water management from her present profession. Through eco-innovation, she has helped the industry by revolutionizing their business model that has improved their productivity. Her recent achievements include winning Gold Award and Malaysian Innovative Product Award for the invention Water Scarcity Footprint Apps (WaSFA) at the 30th International Invention, Innovation & Technology Exhibition 2019. Currently, she is very much interested in the specialization of in silico ecotoxicology and environmental risk assessment, especially in studying the effects of nanoparticles to the environment which is a very fresh subject in Malaysia. As an individual, there are many subjects that fascinates her, social science, architecture and art. However, she is passionate about the nature and environment the most and is fortunate to have the opportunity to pursue her career and studies relating to her passion, the well-being of the society, future generations and the planet.

Lee Tur Chung

Home Institution: SM Pendidikan Khas Vokasional Shah Alam

Host Institution: Department of Theory and Practice in Teacher Education, University of Tennessee

Field of Study: PhD in Special Education

Email: turchung8@yahoo.com , turchung@gmail.com

Lee Tur Chung is a deaf person and a Special Education teacher with the Ministry of Education. He received his teacher-training diploma in Deaf Educaton at Maktab Perguruan Ilmu Khas (known now as Institut Pendidikan Guru Kampus Ilmu Khas). He graduated from National University of Malaysia with a Bachelor of Education in Special Education (Learning Difficulties) and a Master of Education in Special Education. He worked with Ministry of Education for a number of services for students with special needs. At University of Tennessee, he hopes to further develop his expertise in the analysis, research and improvement of Education of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. Tur Chung aims to develop and improve Special Education experiences, research and advocacy in Malaysia for the best education of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing in the future.

Lim Kai Shen

Home Institution: World Bank

Host Institution: Harvard University

Field of Study: Global Health and Health Systems

Email: lkaishen@worldbank.org , k41shen@gmail.com , kaishenlim@g.harvard.edu

Lim Kai Shen graduated from the University of Nottingham with a master’s degree in Economics and Econometrics. His research interests are in Health Economics, Industrial Organization and Health Systems Performance. He hopes to combine insights from these three fields in the Health Systems Design. Prior to his PhD, Kai Shen worked on urban and health projects in Malaysia, India, Indonesia and Pakistan. His previous work ranges from health expenditure projection models and evaluating the economic impact of non-communicable diseases to machine learning approaches in predicting child malnutrition.

2019-2020 FULBRIGHT MALAYSIAN SCHOLAR PROGRAM

 

Dr. Citartan Marimuthu

Home Institution: Advanced Medical and Dental Institute, Universiti Sains Malaysia

Host Institution: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, United States.

Field of Study: Aptamer Technology

Email: citartan@usm.my , citartan@gmail.com   

Dr. Citartan Marimuthu obtained his doctorate degree in 2014 from Universiti Sains Malaysia. Joining as a senior lecturer in Advanced Medical and Dental Institute, Universiti Sains Malaysia in the same year, his work focuses on developing aptamers, which are single stranded nucleic acids specific against a wide range of target molecules akin to protein-based antibodies. In 2019-2020, he had the opportunity to be a visiting researcher at the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, United States. There, he had the honour to work with Prof. Qian Lin on developing aptamers using semi-on chip-SELEX and on chip-SELEX, which are rapid strategies in isolating aptamers. He aspires to utilize these developed aptamers in diagnostic and therapeutic applications.

Nor Aishah Saidina Amin, P.E, FAsc, FIChemE

Home Institution: School of Chemical and Energy Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM)

Host Institution: Centre for Applied Energy Research (CAER), University of Kentucky

Field of Study: Computational catalysis using DFT

Email: noraishah@cheme.utm.my ,   r-naishah@utm.my

Professor Ir. Dr. Nor Aishah Saidina Amin is a Professor of Reaction Engineering, Head of the Chemical Reaction Engineering Group (CREG) in School of Chemical and Energy Engineering, Faculty of Engineering at UTM. She is a professional engineer, a fellow of Academy Science Malaysia and IChemE.  She also received the Malaysia Research Star Award under the International Research Collaboration category in 2017 and 2018 for outstanding research on global warming. She is recognized by Web of Science as a Highly Cited Researcher in 2018. She has made significant contribution to the advancement of knowledge through research leadership and scholarly pursuit in the areas of catalytic and reaction engineering with focus in decoupling high greenhouse gases (GHG) emission without affecting economic growth. Since natural resources that chemical engineers help to process into useful products and energy are mostly carbon-based materials, GHGs are more likely to be emitted along the supply and manufacturing chain. Professor Aishah has undertaken researches in achieving carbon neutrality through carbon offsetting projects or via technology to reduce and eliminate GHGs emissions. Her research at CAER, UK will be based on computer modelling to predict the structure and activity of TiO ₂ supported catalysts and catalyst systems for biomass upgrading. Her research will be using the Density Functional Theory (DFT). The ab initio DFT calculations will be performed using the Vienna Ab initio Simulation Package (VASP). She is looking forward to incorporate experimental and theoretical results in her applied catalysis research. 

Dr. See Kok Fong

Home Institution: Economics Programme, School of Distance Education, Universiti Sains Malaysia

Host Institution: Department of Operations and Information Systems, Manning School of Business, University of Massachusetts

Field of Study: Economics, Operations Research, Efficiency and Productivity Analysis, Air Transport Management

Email: kfsee@usm.my

Dr. See joined Universiti Sains Malaysia in 2011 as senior lecturer in economics. In 2017, he was a Taiwan Fellowship scholar supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from the Republic of China (Taiwan). A year later, he was awarded the prestigious Australian Awards Endeavour Research Fellowship to undertake collaborative work at the University of Queensland. During his time pursuing research in Australia, he was selected to represent Malaysia in the 2018 ASEAN-Australia Special Summit along with other 37 New Colombo Plan Alumni, Australia Awards Scholars and Endeavour Scholars. His research focuses on the analysis of efficiency and productivity, and his projects in this field have concerned areas as diverse as electricity, water supply, aviation, and health care. Over the last three years, he has been a visiting scholar at several universities, including Bremen University of Applied Sciences, University of Queensland, Inner Mongolia University, Nanjing Audit University, National Taiwan University, and Soochow University. Under the 日博电竞 Scholar program, he will travel to Massachusetts to conduct aviation operations research with the Manning School of Business, University of Massachusetts (UMASS). A new proposed framework incorporating the environmental impact of aviation in the measurement of productivity is an anticipated outcome of the study.

2019-2020 FULBRIGHT PROFESSIONAL EXCHANGE PROGRAM

 

Idzuafi Hadi bin Kamilan

Home Institution: Research Department, Parliament of Malaysia

Host Institution: New York State University at Albany, New York

Field of Study: Law

Email: idzuafi@yahoo.com

Idzuafi Hadi Kamilan graduated from Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) in 2008 with a Bachelor of Law (Hons) before he pursued his Master of Law (LL.M) at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) in 2010. Previously, he attended few fellowship programs at Parliament of India (2014), Iowa Republican Research Office, USA (2015), and Parliamentary Institute of Cambodia (2017) to study his area of research. His research interests are in constitutional law, parliamentary practise and procedure, and parliamentary research and he has been involved in this field for over eight years. Currently he is a Parliamentary Research Officer at Research Department, Parliament of Malaysia. Apart from assisting the members of Parliament, he has been invited to share his knowledge on how parliamentary democracy works in Malaysian Parliament to NGOs and be a Parliamentary Research Trainer for a few State Legislative Assemblies such as DUN Kedah, Selangor, Melaka and Negeri Sembilan. He hopes to be a parliamentary research training expert one day and is looking forward to bringing his own experiences working in the Malaysian August House to his colleagues and students at New York State University at Albany and few civil society on democracy in USA.

2019 – 2020 HUBERT H. HUMPHREY FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM

 

Dr. Subhashini Subramaniam

Home Institution: National Institutes of Health, Ministry of Health, Malaysia

Host Institution: Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta

Field of Study: Public Health Policy and Management

Email: drsubhashini@moh.gov.my , ssubha127@gmail.com

Dr. Subhashini Subramaniam is medical doctor and a health researcher who leads the Unit for Collaboration and Innovation, Division for Policy and Research Management at the National Institutes of Health in Malaysia. Previously, she served at the National Clinical Research Centre, where she worked on clinical trials and conducted research on public health impact. Working on the ground as a clinician gave Subhashini “a picture of the struggles and challenges at ground level” and inspired her to bridge the gap between health policy decisions and the clinical evaluation of implementing health policies in daily clinical practice. When her interest shifted to evidence-informed health policy, Subhashini was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Scholarship at McMaster University, Canada allowing her to study “Strengthening Health Systems through evidence-informed policies”. During the Humphrey Fellowship at Emory University at Atlanta, Subhashini plans to strengthen her knowledge and enhance her skills in policy briefs where it can contribute towards the evidence synthesis of effective health policy – making in Malaysia. Subhashini envisages the transformation of the health system in Malaysia to be empowered by evidence-informed policies through knowledge translation and training of more young minds in this field.

2019 – 2020 FULBRIGHT U.S. – ASEAN INITIATIVE PROGRAM

 

Dr. Azlan Bin Adnan                                                                                                                                                                                     

Home Institution: School of Civil Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia

Host Institution: Department of Civil Engineering, University of Kentucky, USA

Field of Study: Engineering Seismology and Earthquake Engineering

Email: azlanadnan@utm.my , azelan_fka_utm@yahoo.com

Dr. Azlan Bin Adnan is a Professor of Structural Earthquake Engineering at the Structural and Material Department, School of Civil Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) and a profesional engineer under the Board of Engineers Malaysia. He is the Head for research group, “Engineering Seismology and Earthquake Engineering Research” or e-SEER. He pursued his B.Sc in Civil Engineering at California State University, Long Beach and his M.Sc in Structural Engineering at UTM. His Ph.D. degree was obtained through a joint program between UTM and Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, USA. He is a member of several international associations such as the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI) of United States and the Seismological Society of America (SSA) and serving as Malaysian Seismic Expert for International Commission on Large Dams (ICOLD), Paris, France, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Vienna, Austria and Global Earthquake Model (GEM), Pavia, Italy. Currently, he is serving as the Vice President of Malaysian Structural Steel Association (MSSA). Dr. Azlan has received five international and many national awards. He has received the Malaysian Construction Industry Excellence Awards for the year 2005 and 2008 under the category “R&D Project of the Year Award”. His latest inventions of SEER-SAC and SEER-iBLOCK received two gold medals and “Innovation of the Year Award” at British Invention Show (BIS2013) in London. Beside publishing more than 200 technical and academic papers, he is also the earthquake engineering consultant for several mega projects on seismic hazard and risk for Pan-Borneo Sarawak Highway Project, the National Power Berhad (TNB) Thermal and Hydro Power Plants, the new expansion project of Penang bridge, the Second Penang Bridge, the KLIA1 and KLIA2 ATC towers, the new iron ore processing plant in Teluk Rubiah, Perak, the Bum-Bum Island-Semporna Bridge, Tawau Dam in Sabah and the Bakun Dam, Sarawak. He is actively involved in the National Seismic Design Code Committee of Malaysia and MESTECC Inter-Agency Committee on Earthquake and Tsunami.

 

Mohd Faridh Hafez bin Mhd Omar

Home Institution: Faculty of Leadership and Management, Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM)

Host Institution: Center for Islamc and Contemporary World (CICW), Shenandoah University, Virginia, U.S.

Field of Study: Siyasah Syar’iyyah (Governance and Leadership of Islamic NGO/Institution) (PhD)

Email: faridh_omar@yahoo.co.uk

Mohd Faridh Hafez Mhd Omar is currently a Graduate Fellow at Faculty of Leadership and Management, Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM), and a final year PhD candidate at Department of Siyasah Syar’iyyah, Academy of Islamic Studies University Malaya (APIUM). He has submitted his doctoral thesis entitled “ The Governance of Da ʿ wah Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in Malaysia: A Critical Study on the Aspect of Leadership ” and expected to defend his thesis in January 2020. He graduated first degree from Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM) in the field of Da’wah and Islamic Management.  He then pursued his M.A at International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) with a specialization in Usul Al-Din and Comparative Religion in 2015. To date, he wrote two journal articles and three chapters in book and presented 10 lectures on Islamic Movement/NGO in Malaysia, Islamic Leadership, NGO Governance and Interfaith Dialogue in Malaysia, in which his research interest. Apart of his intellectual endeavour, he has been actively in the daʿwah program, community services, volunteerism, inter-religious project via Muslim Youth Movement of Malaysia (ABIM). He believes knowledge, idealism and activism are the recipes that would inspire younger generation to contribute to a better nation and is looking forward to bringing his own experiences in US to his homeland and students at Shenandoah University.

2019 – 2020 FULBRIGHT FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHING ASSISTANT (FLTA) PROGRAM

 

Melisa Malini Raja Gopal

Home Institution: Faculty of Language and Communication, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak

Host Institution: School of Arts and Sciences (Languages, Literatures, and Cultures), University of Richmond

Field of Study: TESL

Email: mrgmelisa@unimas.my , gee_mel@yahoo.com

Melisa Malini graduated from Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) in 2008 with a bachelor’s degree in Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL). Her academic interests are in literatures, and language and culture. She has taught English subjects to both secondary school and university students in her ten years of service. She has also been involved in conducting staff training in the university and is a volunteer at a local orphanage, teaching English language. For the past three years, she was the head of English drama competition in Kuching and has been invited to conduct several scriptwriting and drama workshops. She aspires to increase motivation in using the language and reach out to more young learners in her country with countless potential teaching experiences that she will gain in the future.

2019 – 2020 GLOBAL UNDERGRADUATE EXCHANGE PROGRAM (UGRAD)

 

Alton Wong Xian Rong

Home Institution: Institute of Music, UCSI University                                                                                                                                                                   

Host Institution: University of Wisconsin-Green Bay                                                                                                                                                                     

Field of Study: Music (Jazz)                                                                                                                            

Email: altonxr@gmail.com , 1001747239@student.ucsiuniversity.edu.my

Alton Wong is currently pursuing a Bachelors in Contemporary Music (Hons) in UCSI University under the tutelage of Asst. Prof. Justin Lim. He came in first at the 3 ^rd Malaysian Jazz Piano Festival, also being the youngest to win the competition. He finds a particular interest in integrating local folk music with jazz harmony to form new arrangements of Malaysian tunes. He currently leads his quintet to play in top jazz venues in Kuala Lumpur as one of the nation’s youngest jazz ensembles. As a sideman, he has played with many singers such as Gabrielle Stravelli, a New York-based singer who did a series of performances in Sabah during the US Embassy’s “Sabah Days” program in June 2018. His music, both contemporary piano and classical violin, has gained him performance opportunities in England, Thailand, Singapore, Japan and top jazz festivals in Malaysia. He hopes to learn more about the tradition of jazz during his exchange to University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. When not arranging music for his band, his other interests include honing his linguistic skills in Japanese, hiking, and learning more about communication and conflict resolution techniques.

Alyssa Neesha Yau Swee Lynn  

Home Institution: School of Engineering, Monash University Malaysia

Host Institution: University of Missouri, Columbia

Field of Study: Chemical Engineering

Email: aly_yau@live.com.my , anyau1@student.monash.edu  

Alyssa is currently pursuing her studies in Chemical Engineering at Monash University Malaysia. She is actively involved in many clubs in her university, including Engineers Australia, Monash Women Engineers and Engineering & IT Leadership Program (EILP). She is adventurous and outspoken, often assuming the emcee role in several events. She also loves sports and enjoys playing the guitar. Hailing from a family of mixed backgrounds i.e. Chinese and Indian ethnicities, she strongly believes in social diversity and the importance of cultural exchange in order to promote peace and understanding in the world. Apart from school activities, she volunteers at the local Kiwanis Training Centre to teach basic life skills to kids with Down’s syndrome and autism. She hopes to start up her own NGO one day to help the unfortunate, especially in rural areas where they have no access to clean water or electricity. This was one of the reasons why she pursued chemical engineering. She is very excited to make new friends as well as to discover other cultures at the University of Missouri and will be glad to share her experience with future Global UGRAD participants. She is wholeheartedly grateful having given the opportunity to represent Malaysia in the global scale of cultural exchange.

Chan Wai Ling

Home Institution: University of Malaya

Host Institution: Illinois State University

Field of Study: Law

Email: chanwailing95@gmail.com

Chan Wai Ling comes from Ipoh, Perak and is currently studying law in University of Malaya (UM). She loves music and enjoys reading during her free time. She has passion in contributing to the society. She participated in several community engagement programme in national level during her undergraduate studies. Besides, she has also participated in a volunteer organization, namely Small Changes, which deal with education inequality issue for the underprivileged community in Malaysia. Moreover, her team won the champion in the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) Bootcamp 2019 in Selangor State Level. She was a committee member of the VOX (Online Law Magazine Club) in UM Faculty of Law and passed Microsoft Office Specialist Exam in Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Power Point and Microsoft Excel. She is humble and always strives to perform for the best, even in the face of difficulties. She hopes with the knowledge and experience gained through UGRAD program, she can broaden her minds, make friends with people from all around the world and bring back new ideas to serve the community in Malaysia.

Nur Fatihah binti Johari  

Home Institution: Universiti Tenaga Nasional, Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah Campus

Host Institution: Bennett College, Greensboro, North Carolina

Field of Study: Business Administration (Human Resource Management)

Email: fatihahjohari8520@gmail.com   

Nur Fatihah binti Johari is currently in the third year of business study at National Energy University. She is an excellent and active student seeking opportunities to develop herself. She holds various positions in clubs and societies from involvement in numerous extracurricular activities. Inspite being active in university, she joined a Student Volunteer Mission Green Summer Volunteer Campaign (GSVC) in Vietnam organized by Student Volunteer Foundation Malaysia. For the year of 2019, she was awarded the best female student for 2018/2019 academic session and best student for Human Resource Management. She was also awarded in the Communication and Entrepreneurship category for her outstanding academic achievement with a Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 4.00 and excellent score for extracurricular involvement. She highly believes that the Global UGRAD program is the platform that provides her with the knowledge to accomplish goals and cope with future challenges. Through the UGRAD program she gained insight on a bigger perspective and she will continue to stay connected with people all over the globe and to more gain valuable knowledge from the experiences.

Yvonne Aeruthayan      

Home Institution: Faculty of Applied Sciences, UCSI University                                                               

Host Institution: College of Health and Human Sciences, Kansas State University

Field of Study: Nutrition (Bachelor’s Degree)

Email: iamyvonneheart@gmail.com

Yvonne Aeruthayan is currently pursuing their bachelor’s degree in Nutrition with Wellness at UCSI University. Yvonne is also the president of the English Debate Club of UCSI and fervently debates about ethics, the post-apocalyptic world and sometimes, Hollywood. She is enthusiastic about food accessibility and the wellbeing of the underserved community. She believes knowledge in nutrition and food policies will revolutionize how humans view food. Aside from nutrition, Yvonne is an intersectional feminist, she fights for and with the gender and sexual minority community (#TransRights). Finally, Yvonne thinks she is funny and is proud of her sense of humour.

2019 – 2020 FULBRIGHT TEACHING EXCELLENCE AND ACHIEVEMENT (TEA) PROGRAM

 

Hazwan bin Hamdan

Home Institution: SMKA Sultan Azlan Shah, Bota, Perak

Host Institution: Watson College of Education, University of North Carolina, Wilmington

Field of Study: English

Email: hazwanhn@gmail.com

Hazwan bin Hamdan graduated from Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) Shah Alam in 2010 with a bachelor’s degree in TESL. Beginning his career as a teacher in July 2010 at SMKA Segamat, Johor, he actively participated in English language activities in his school and district. His biggest achievement as a teacher in Johor happened in 2012 when Segamat Teachers Debating Team was crowned as a champion in Parliamentary-style English Debate Competition in conjunction with Teacher’s Day Celebration. In 2015, he was transferred back to Perak and started teaching at SMKA Sultan Azlan Shah. Participated in AE E-Teacher Program from January until March 2017, he later was invited to represent Malaysia in East Asia Pacific E-Teacher Seminar in Manila, Philippines. Apart from teaching, he is also invited to schools in his district as well as neighbouring districts to conduct English Language workshop for students. He hopes to lead the transformation of education system beginning from his classroom and later disseminate the transformation to his district, state and country. His experience learning from the best professors at UNCW as well as teaching English Language at Hoggard High School, Wilmington will be shared with teachers and students in his area.

Nur Khaulah binti Mohd Ghazali                                                                                                                                                                

Home Institution: SMK Agama Wataniah, Machang, Kelantan

Host Institution: University of Northern Colorado

Field of Study: English

E-mail: khaulahnur@gmail.com

Nur Khaulah graduated with a B.Ed TESL from University Teknologi MARA (UiTM) and started working as an English Language Teacher in 2012, teaching English Language and Literature to students aged 13-19 years old. Her passion towards English Language and teaching never dies down and it is what makes Khaulah always eager in becoming a better educator and a better speaker. Coming from a rural area and working in the same district, her main objectives in joining 日博电竞 TEA are to gain hands-on experience in teaching and learning English language at the native country, and also to inspire her students to step out of their comfort zone and explore the world. She believes in taking risks and grabbing opportunities that may come only once, and she wants her students to see this and allow themselves to do just the same.

Lim Bee Ling

Home Institution: Ministry of Education Malaysia

Host Institution: Appalachian State University

Field of Study: Biology and Chemistry

 Email: meiling1202@gmail.com

Lim Bee Ling has been teaching Science since the year 2009 in secondary school. In the year 2015, she graduated from Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) with Master of Environment. She is actively involving her students and herself in science-related activities soon after that. She always prefers to step out of her comfort zone and face the new challenges out there. Her main objectives in participating 日博电竞 TEA is enhancing her teaching pedagogy and thus benefits the community.

Saharah Binti Abdullah

Home Institution: SMK Jerai Kupang, Kedah

Host Institution: Claremont Graduate University

Field of Study: English                                                                                                                                    

Email: sahara_8314@yahoo.com

Saharah Binti Abdullah appointed as a teacher in the year 2009 and she is into her 11th year of teaching. Saharah is currently teaching in SMK Jerai, Kupang, Kedah. Saharah is passionate and dedicated in teaching English and wants to make changes in the lives of the students she teaches. Saharah is delighted to teach the rural school students and proud to see them grow as well as transforming their lifestyle. Saharah holds a bachelor’s degree in Marine Science and pursued her Diploma In Education in the year 2008. Then, she earned her Master’s in Education (TESOL) from Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) in the year 2012. She enjoys teaching English and always wants to make changes in her teaching profession. Saharah loves to broaden her horizon and learn new teaching techniques to improve her pedagogical skills. Saharah holds to a principle ‘great teachers help create great students.

 

2018 – 2019  MALAYSIAN FULBRIGHTERS

FULBRIGHT MALAYSIAN GRADUATE STUDY AND RESEARCH PROGRAM

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fatin Areena Binti Azlan

Home Institution: Shell Business Operations, Cyberjaya

Host Institution: Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana

Field of Study: Master in Public Affairs (Concentration in Environmental Policy)

Email: reenazlan8@gmail.com

Fatin Areena graduated from UCSI University in 2015 with a First-Class Honors in a Bachelor’s Degree for Oil and Gas Management. Apart from being a top scorer in her class and she was also a nominee for the Valedictorian Award and held prominent leadership roles such as the President of the Student Board and Vice President of Liberal Arts Club. She was affiliated to Shell Business Operations, Cyberjaya with a role of Customer Operations Specialist – Deal Management. She handled operations for Global Lubricants Business for an international business. After 2.5 years of working, she had an epiphany to embark on a paradigm shift – to make a change for the greater good. She found her calling in expanding her knowledge in Environmental Policy which will enable multinational oil and gas companies to conduct business in a cleaner and sustainable way.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pravindharan Balakrishnan

Home Institution: SMK Tengku Mahmud 2, Besut

Host Institution: Loyola University Chicago

Field of Study: Master in Education

Email: pravindharan.balakrishnan@gmail.com

Pravin Bala is an English language teacher with the Ministry of Education. Graduating from University of Portsmouth, United Kingdom and received his teacher-training at Institut Pendidikan Guru Kampus Darulaman, Jitra, he has been teaching English at SMK Tengku Mahmud 2, Besut for the past 4 years. A firm believer of student empowerment, greater emphasis on teacher autonomy and school-driven innovation, he believes that these are the key elements in empowering education. At Loyola Chicago, Pravin hopes to further develop his expertise in the analysis, research and improvement of education policy and practice. Pravin aims to improve educational experiences in the Malaysian classroom by being an effective user of educational research, equipped with data-driven decision making skills and being able to leverage on the cultural analyses of the dynamic Malaysian culture.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hilary Kung Siew Hwei

Home Institution: University of Malaya

Host Institution: School of International Service, American University

Field of Study: MA in Global Environmental Policy

Email: hilaryksh89@gmail.com

Hilary Kung graduated from University of Malaya in 2012 with a Bachelor of Science (Environmental Science and Management). She started her career as an environmental scientist with EnvAsia Sdn Bhd, a local environmental consultancy firm for 2.5 years. This job provided her with an understanding of the natural science management and environmental protection in Malaysia. Hilary then had the opportunity to work with a global not-for-profit organization, The Forest Trust (TFT). TFT works with partners and members to transform the supply chain for people and nature.  Working with TFT has provided her with an insight of the challenging context to transform the industry on the ground and also exposed her to the global sustainability trend of responsible production of palm oil. At American University, she hopes to gain a more holistic understanding on how interdisciplinary exploration of efforts can advance environmental protection. She believes studying in the US will not only enhance her critical thinking skill but most important is enabling knowledge exchange through constructive dialogue with fellow students and practitioners from other countries. Upon completion of her study, she hopes to continue contributing to the sustainable development in Malaysia.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sharon Ling

Home Institution: Office of Dr. Ong Kian Ming, Member of Parliment for P102 Bangi

Host Institution: Georgia Institute of Technology

Field of Study: Urban Studies

Email: sharon.wh.ling@gmail.com

Sharon Ling graduated from Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts, USA in 2012 with a Bachelor’s degree in Ethnic Studies. She spent the next 6 years working with activists, lawmakers and state agencies in Selangor and Penang, and was involved in policy research and advocacy, public communications, and constituency services at all levels of government. Her favourite past projects include campaigning for the restoration of the demolished Taman Merdeka in Kuala Lumpur, mapping bus service disruptions in Serdang, and assisting the facilitation of workshops for universal design in Penang. As a lifelong pedestrian and former caretaker to relatives with physical disabilities, Sharon’s interest in inclusive cities and accessible transportation is fiercely personal. Looking forward, Sharon aspires to shape urban policy solutions for expanding public transit access, promoting walkability and designing safer streets in Malaysia. In her free time, she enjoys weightlifting and music.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yeoh Tze Ni

Home Institution: BNM

Host Institution: Harvard University – John F. Kennedy School of Government

Field of Study: Public Administration

Email: yeohtzeni@gmail.com

Tze Ni received an undergraduate degree in Economics from the London School of Economics in 2014. Upon graduation, she began her career as an economist at Bank Negara Malaysia. Her experience in the central bank was split between exchange rate and capital flows, and fiscal policy teams within the Monetary Policy Department. Here, she cemented her passion for public policy, through policy research and analysis to support key policy platforms in Malaysia, such as the Monetary Policy Committee, Fiscal Policy Committee and the National Budget. Her work spanned diverse topics, from infrastructure finance, fiscal management, and social protection. At HKS, she aims to deepen her interest in development policy and impact evaluation. She aspires to design outcome-based policies, and hopes to start her own NGO in the future. She has penchant for fitness, dancing and the outdoors. She occasionally runs ultra marathons for fun, and is always looking for her next adventure.

2018-2019 FULBRIGHT MALAYSIAN SCHOLAR PROGRAM

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vimala Balakrishnan, PhD

Home Institution: University of Malaya, Malaysia

Host Institution: University of Georgia, Georgia

Field of Research: Cyberbullying Detection Mechanisms

Email: vi mala.balakrishnan@um.edu.my

Dr. Vimala Balakrishnan is a Senior Lecturer and Researcher at the Faculty of Computer Science and Information Technology, University of Malaya, Malaysia. She obtained her PhD. in the field of Ergonomics from Multimedia University. Her research interests include Data Science and Analytics, particularly social media, sentiment analysis and natural language processing. She is an innovation gold and diamond award recipient for her work in sentiment analysis and recommender systems. In recent years, Dr. Balakrishnan’s research on cyberbullying analytics has afforded her a voice as a thought leader on cyberbullying in Malaysia. This was characterized by a series of media appearances in the Malaysian Press, Business Radio Station and TV Talk shows, bringing awareness to the issue of cyberbullying. As a scientist, her vision is to continue advocating and contributing, along with tangible research and innovation to impact society and culture. As a 日博电竞 scholar, she intends to investigate the impact of an individual’s psychological features on cyberbullying detection, and to bring more awareness to this social issue through seminars and colloquiums at the University of Georgia. Also, being a vociferous reader and traveller, Dr. Balakrishnan is looking forward to sharing her cultural experiences with her research partners and students.

 

Wong Won Fen

Home Institution: University of Malaya

Host Institution: University of Texas at San Antonio

Field of Study: Immunology

Email: wonfen@um.edu.my

Won Fen is an enthusiastic researcher who is currently running a laboratory at the University of Malaya. Her main interest is to study the complexity of the human immune system that is crucial to counteract bacterial invasion. Previously, she has spent eight years of training at the Tohoku University, Japan under Monbukagakusho:MEXT scholarship and Japanese Society for the promotion of Science (JSPS) fellowship. She has published more than 50 publications and was awarded Institut Mérieux Young Investigator Award 2017 in recognition of her research achievement. Under 日博电竞 exchange program, Won Fen is aspired to find the missing puzzle of interaction between chronic bacterial infection and host immune response and the association with the development of female infertility.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tengku Ain Fathlun binti Tengku Kamalden

Home Institution: University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur Malaysia

Host Institution: Johns Hopkins School of Medicine

Field of Study: MicroRNA in Diabetic Retinopathy

Email: t.ain.kamalden@ummc.edu.my

Tengku Ain Tengku Kamalden is a clinician-scientist and vitreoretinal surgeon at the Department of Ophthalmology, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur Malaysia. She was awarded DPhil in 2013 for her work on retinal neuroprotection from Green Templeton College, University of Oxford. She was among 20 young clinicians selected from around the world for the InterAcademy Medical Panel (IAMP) Young Physician Leader programme during the World Health Summit in Berlin, 2013. Her research work focuses on retinal diseases including diabetic retinopathy, as well as ocular trauma. In addition to that, she is undertaking the MSc In Epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine to compliment her laboratory-based research work. She is very passionate on preventable blindness as she sees many patients from severe visual impairment as a result of diabetic complications. Through her research, she hopes to work to a better solution to prevent avoidable blindness. Tengku Ain unwinds with classical music, sports and the outdoors. She has a keen interest in the history of medicine, and looks forward to learn more about the rich medical history at Baltimore’s Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.

 

2018-2019 FULBRIGHT MALAYSIAN PROFESSIONAL EXCHANGE PROGRAM

Dr. Wong Wei-Chee

Home Institution         : AAR-UNMC Biotechnology Research Centre, Advanced Agriecological Research Sdn. Bhd., Semenyih.

Host Institution           : University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN.

Field of Study              : Molecular epidemiology of Ganoderma boninense

Email                           : wongwc@aarsb.com.my

Wei-Chee Wong (PhD. Plant Biotechnology, 2008, University of Malaya, Malaysia) joined Advanced Agriecological Research Sdn. Bhd. (AARSB) as oil palm biotechnologist since 2007. Currently, she is the Head of the Biotechnology Section of AARSB based in AAR-UNMC Biotechnology Research Centre, a joint research centre between AARSB and University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus. Wong’s core research responsibility is to provide support in a form of knowledge and resources that enables plant breeders, tissue culturists and agronomists to improve the efficiency of breeding selection and sustainability of palm oil production. Her principal research focuses include: (1) genomic-assisted marker development for genotyping of oil palm planting materials, illegitimacy testing, genome-wide selection and genetic markers for epidemiological study of Ganoderma boninense ; (2) understanding the processes and genes that that regulates mineral nutrient uptake and disease resistance in oil palm; (3) developing molecular tools to facilitate the screening of oil palm tissue culture amenabilities (embryogenesis) and somaclonal variant ( KARMA mantle gene).

2018-2019 FULBRIGHT MALAYSIAN SCHOLAR PROGRAM

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Evan Quah Seng Huat

Home Institution: School of Biological Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia

Host Institution: Department of Biology, La Sierra University

Field of Study: Herpetology (Postdoc)

Email: evanquah@usm.my , evanquah@yahoo.com

Evan Quah graduated from Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) in 2016 with a Doctorate degree in Herpetology. His research interests are in taxonomy, phylogenetics and biogeography of the herpetofauna of Southeast Asia and he has been involved in this field for over ten years. In this time, he has amassed considerable amount of knowledge about the diversity of amphibians and reptiles in Peninsular Malaysia and together with his local and foreign colleagues, discovered and described over two dozen species of amphibians and reptiles new to science. Currently he is a postdoctoral fellow at USM and continuing to pursue his passion in herpetology. Apart from conducting field work in Peninsular Malaysia, he has been invited to join expeditions in other parts of Southeast Asia like Myanmar and Cambodia. He hopes to head his own lab one day and is looking forward to bringing his own experiences working in the tropics to his colleagues and students at La Sierra University

2018-2019 FULBRIGHT  U.S. – ASEAN VISITING SCHOLAR INITIATIVE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dr. Ng Chuck Chuan 

Home Institution: Quest International University Perak (QIUP)

Host Institution: Jackson State University (JSU), Jackson, MS

Field of Study: Applied Environmental Sciences

Email: chuckchuan.ng@qiup.edu.my

Dr. Chuck Chuan NG received his First Class Honours of Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Science and Management and subsequently completed his fast-track Ph.D. in Applied Environmental Sciences both at University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur. Besides, he was one of the national 2012 Duli Yang Maha Mulia Seri Paduka Baginda Yang Di-Pertuan Agong’s (DYMM SPB-YDPA Malaysian Supreme King) Ph.D. Scholarship awardees. He is currently working as a Senior Lecturer and Programme Coordinator at the School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science and Technology, Quest International University Perak (QIUP). With his ultimate interests in diverse fields, Dr. Chuck often serves as an environmental activist and other eco-social community development project coordinator cum volunteer. He is a highly motivated person with impressive enthusiasm and strong interests in global development, social welfare and environmental issues.

2018-2019 FULBRIGHT FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHING ASSISTANT 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kaussalya Verasingam

Home Institution  : INTEC Education College, UITM Shah Alam

Host Institution : Ohio University, Athens, Ohio

Field of Study : TESL, Education, Language and Linguistics

Email : kausy_12@hotmail.com

Kaussalya is an English Language Lecturer in INTEC Education College, UITM Shah Alam – the state capital of Selangor, Malaysia, since 2013. She holds a Master of Education (TESL) from University Putra Malaysia (UPM), Serdang with MyMaster Scholarship (MyBrain),National Development Program and Bachelor of Education (TESL) from Management and Science University (MSU), Shah Alam with a Nestle (Malaysia) Berhad Scholarship. She has always been passionate about language teaching and inspiring the young minds. She wrote a narrative in a Teacher’s Narrative publication titled “We are Star Dust”. She was also invited by UCSI College,KL and TAR UC, KL as a guest speaker on “Standard English at Workplace and Academia” for Industrial Training Week. Kaussalya has presented in several conferences and won Gold and Silver Medal for two of her presentations. Besides, she is actively involved in variety of civic and cultural organizations. She has organised treasure hunts, fund raising events and hosted several events as a Master of Ceremony. Outside of professional interest, she travels widely, reads, writes, hikes, runs, seeks adventure, enjoys networking with people and spending time with family and friends.

2018-2019 GLOBAL UNDERGRADUATE EXCHANGE PROGRAM

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kong Zhen Kit

Home Institution: Universiti Utara Malaysia

Host Institution: Mercyhurst University

Field of Study: Information Technology (Undergraduate)

Email: zhenkit1996@gmail.com

Kong Zhen Kit is currently undertaking a Bachelor’s degree in Science (Information Technology) specializing in Software Engineering in Universiti Utara Malaysia. Besides being a full-time student, he is also actively involved in his hometown’s community service and social events in his university. Zhen Kit also plays the role of Crew Master of Rover Scouts UUM and the Vice President of Enactus UUM, a community of student and business leaders committed to using the power of entrepreneurial action to transform lives. Through his passion in Software Engineering and Machine Learning, he aspires to be a social technopreneur to help make a difference in the community and to improve the quality of life for humankind through development of engineering solutions to societal problems. Through UGRAD, he hopes to develop his social and networking skills and to gain new perspectives and knowledge from the experience.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Adina Joseph

Home Institution: Universiti Malaysia Pahang, UMP.

Host Institution: Chatham University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Field of Study: Pharmaceutical Engineering (Hons.)

Email: adinajoseph98@hotmail.com

Adina is currently in her 2 ^nd year, of her Bachelor’s degree in Pharmaceutical Engineering (Engineering Technology) in University of Malaysia Pahang located at the east coast of Malaysia. She is the Vice President in an international non-governmental not-for-profit organization, AIESEC that organises cross-cultural exchange activities by providing a platform for diverse culture. Besides academic policy, Adina has a profound relevance in volunteering thus is currently the Project Director for Clean Our Plate (COP) Project which raises awareness on importance of food waste and cultivates responsible food consumption among youths of Malaysia. Adina is also very passionate about writing and blogs during her free time. She aspires to publish her very own novel someday and aims to become a New York Bestselling author.

 

Ahmad Haziq Bin Ahmad Rozalan

Home Institution: National Energy University, Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah Campus

Host Institution: Grand Valley State University, Grand Rapids, Michigan

Field of Study: Accounting

Email:  haziq.rozalan@yahoo.com

Ahmad Haziq is currently in the third-year of accounting study at National Energy University, Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah Campus. He is an active student; involves in numerous extracurricular activities from organizing events, charities and community services, and managing clubs to participating in public speaking competitions. He holds various management post in clubs and society such as Vice President of Debate & Public Speaking Club and Secretariat Executive of Students Representative Council 2017/2018. He was given the opportunities to lead events such as Deputy Vice Chancellor Debate Championship 2017 and appointed as Program Bureau of Accounting Students Conference 2017. Among his major accomplishments include a national champion in Open Youth Debate 2.0 and finalist in ICAEW Regional Business Challenge where he and his teammates pitched the ideas on the future of smartphone market in front of industry experts. He loves engaging with people of different cultures and backgrounds and believes that success is the fruit of hard work and determination. He hopes that Global UGRAD would provide an opportunity for him to meet other people from across the globe for exchange of valuable knowledge, opinions and experience.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nickyson Anak Nyambar

Home Institution: Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) Rembau Campus, Negeri Sembilan.

Host Institution: State University of New York, Plattsburgh, New York

Field of Study: Broadcasting

Email: nick_1603@yahoo.com

Nickyson is a broadcasting student of Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) Rembau coming from Kuching, Sarawak. He showcases his love for broadcasting and related fields since he was in high school. Previously in 2017, he graduated with a Diploma in Communication and Media at UiTM Melaka and was named as one of the recipients for the Vice Chancellor Award. He continued his studies with a major in Broadcasting as he is determined to be a journalist and a news anchor one day. He has been actively involved in a number of volunteerism, part-time jobs and co-organizing events at his university. He is also a news anchor for a university-based news club NS Digital. He enjoys volunteerism and believes that a well-rounded person is not someone who perform solely on academic but also working on other aspects such as social and spiritual aspect. Nickyson hopes to inspire the youth out there to actively involve in volunteerism, events and dare to step out of their comfort zone by travelling. He believes that experiencing other people’s culture and new environment can enhance their way of thinking and have a mature insight. Nickyson is grateful to be awarded with a 日博电竞 grant as he hopes to learn from the expertise in the United States and it is for sure a great platform for him to share his knowledge and his unique culture to the world especially to the ever-growing Global UGRAD family.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wong Wen Shu

Home Institution: University of Nottingham Malaysia

Host Institution: Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville

Field of Study: Electrical and Electronics Engineering

Email: wongws97@gmail.com

Hailed from Bintulu, Sarawak, Wong Wen Shu is currently pursuing MEng (Hons) Electrical and Electronic Engineering at University of Nottingham Malaysia under full scholarship by Sin Chew Education Fund. Before continuing her studies at Nottingham Malaysia, she used to teach refugee kids basic English and Mathematics under a project called Weekly Myanmar Refugee Kids Tuition Project. She then co-founded SoyAi Malaysia, a social entrepreneurial project impacting the marginalised communities such as refugees in Malaysia through the production and selling of soymilk. It aims to provide equal job opportunities for the less- privileged groups and at the same time, lending a helping hand to ensure equality in education for the refugee kids. Aside from that, she was also part of 10-person delegate team selected by Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia to participate in exchange program sponsored by Japanese government at promoting mutual understanding between Japanese citizens and foreign youths.

 

For 2014-2015 Malaysian 日博电竞ers, click HERE .

For 2015-2016 Malaysian 日博电竞ers, click HERE .

For 2016-2017 Malaysian 日博电竞ers, click  HERE .

For 2017-2018 Malaysian 日博电竞ers, click HERE .