BIOSPECTRUM 2024

Professor Dr. Shaharum Shamsuddin,

Director,

Health Campus, Universiti Sains Malaysia

Shaharum Shamsuddin was born in Pulai Chondong, Kelantan in 1967 and received his primary education at SK Pulai Chondong and secondary education at SMK Abdul Samad Pulai Chondong and SMS Dungun, Terengganu. He obtained B. Appl. Sc (Biotechnology) from USM (1992) and MSc (Molecular Genetics) in 1996 from UPM. He completed his Doctorate in Molecular & Cellular Biology (D. Phil) from Dept of Biochemitry, University of Oxford, United Kingdom in 2002. Shaharum started his scientific career as a research officer at the National Animal Biotechnology Institute, Jerantut, Pahang in 1992. He was awarded Seri Cakerawala Award by Malaysian Veterinary Services in 1997 for his work on techniques for embryo sex determination in ruminants. In 2003, Shaharum joined Biomedicine Programme, School of Health Sciences, USM as a junior lecturer in 2003 and established Advance Molecular Biology Lab at the School. He was appointed as the Deputy Dean for Research & Innovation in 2007 and the Deputy Dean forIndustrial & Community Network in 2010. Shaharum was one of three Malaysian scientists selected for Nanotechnology Transfer Programme from Nanobiotix SA, Paris, France to INFORMM USM Penang (2008-2009). In 2015 he was appointed as chairman for Biomedical Science Programme and the coordinator for URICAS (USM-RIKEN International Centre for Ageing Science) in 2017 – 2020. He further established USIA (USM Initiatives on Ageing) in 2021 and was promoted to the Campus Director, USM Health Campus in July 2022. He is also a Senate member of USM (2017 – 2023) and an associate member of Malaysian Health Sciences Dean’s Council.
His fields of specialization are in molecular and cellular biology (gene regulation, protein-protein interaction and nanomedicine with research interests oriented towards tumor gene regulation, molecular mechanism of disease, epigenetics of ageing and molecular characterization of RNA viruses (focusing on Influenza A and SARS-CoV-2). Until now he already produced more than 15 postgraduate students (MSc/PhD). He has to his credit thirteen research grants completed as the Principal investigator. Shaharum is also an external evaluator for the promotion exercise of Associate Professor and Professor for premier Universities Nationally. He also being appointed as the external evaluator for Biomedical & Biotechnology based academic programmes/postgraduate examiners at the national level. He has 6666has been a consultant for various local agencies, reviewer of many scientific journals and has many publications in peer reviewed journals at the national & international level.