Focus on Environment

Speakers who delivered their talk in
‘National Seminar on Sustainable Environment and Health 2016’
Biography of Prof. Dr. Sudesh Kumar
Prof. Dr. Sudesh Kumar’s main research interest is in the design and
synthesis of biodegradable polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) using
microbial systems. He started research in this area in 1992 and
obtained his Masters in Biotechnology from University Malaya.
Then, he continued his research for his PhD, which was sponsored
by Japanese Government (Monbusho). The research was conducted
at RIKEN Institute, Japan under the supervision of Prof. Y. Doi. He
obtained his PhD in 1999 and then continued as a Special
Postdoctoral Researcher at RIKEN. He returned to Malaysia under
the Brain Gain program and joined the School of Biological
Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia as a lecturer in 2001 and became
a full professor in 2011. He has significantly contributed to the
research and development of biodegradable plastics in Malaysia from palm oil products. In
addition to the numerous scientific publications in both local and international journals, he has 6
granted patents, two of which has been successfully licensed.
Biography of Hj. Mohamed Zaini bin Abdul Rahman
Hj. Mohamed Zaini bin Abdul Rahman earned his B.Sc. in Chemistry
from the University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada (1985) and joined
the Department of Chemistry, Malaysia on 15 May 1985. He later
continued his studies and obtained the Certificate in Forensic Medicine
and M.Sc. in Forensic Toxicology, both from Glasgow University,
Scotland (1991). He had enjoyed servicing the nation in various fields
within the Forensic, Environmental Health and Applied Science
Divisions.
He was promoted to the Senior Chemist position leading the newly formed Pesticide Residues
Analytical Centre, Department of Chemistry Malaysia, Perak Branch on 1 April 2003. Six years
later, he was seconded to the Office of the Permanent Delegation of Malaysia to UNESCO, Paris
as Malaysia’s 1 st Science Attache to UNESCO. Having completed his term, Hj. Zaini was called
to serve the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI), Putrajaya as Deputy
Undersecretary, National Oceanography Directorate. He left MOSTI and moved back to the
Department of Chemistry as Penang Branch Director on 17 December 2013. Hj. Zaini had been
an active member of Institute Kimia Malaysia, having served the Institute as Honorary Secretary
IKM Perak Branch and is currently the Vice Chairman of IKM Northern Branch.
ISBN: 978-967-14475-0-5; eISBN: 978-967-14475-1-2 130