Tan Sri Dr Jemilah Mahmood

Executive Director

Dr. Mahmood is a Professor of Planetary Health at Sunway University. A medical professional with more than two decades of experience managing health crises in disasters and conflict settings, her previous appointments include: Under Secretary General for Partnerships at the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC); Chief of the World Humanitarian Summit secretariat at the United Nations; and Chief of the Humanitarian Response Branch at the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

In 2020, she was appointed a Senior Fellow of the Adrienne Arsht-Rockefeller Foundation Resilience Centre to help reach the goal of making one billion people more resilient to climate change, migration, and human security challenges by 2030. She was also the Special Advisor to the Prime Minister of Malaysia on Public Health, a member of the Government of Malaysia’s Economic Action Council and Climate Action Council, and most notably the founder of MERCY Malaysia, a Southern-based international humanitarian organisation.

Dr. Mahmood has received numerous international and national awards including the ASEAN Award in 2019 and the Merdeka Award in 2015 for excellent contribution to community development in Malaysia and the region. Her international awards include the prestigious Isa Award for Services to Humanity in 2013 from the Kingdom of Bahrain, often referred to as the “Nobel peace prize equivalent in the Gulf”. For her contributions in disaster risk reduction, poverty alleviation and peace advocacy, Dr Mahmood was also awarded the Gandhi, King, Ikeda Award by Morehouse College USA (Martin Luther King Chapel) in 2006.

Dr. Fatimah Ahmad 

Chief Scientist

Dr Fatimah Ahamad currently holds the position of Chief Scientist at the Sunway Centre for Planetary Health, Sunway University, Malaysia. She is also co-chairing the Programme Committee for the Planetary Health Summit happening in April 2024. She obtained her PhD in Environmental Science from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia and her primary research interest is in air quality. Her experience includes working on projects commissioned by the Department of Environment Malaysia and served as Subject Matter Expert for the concession company, Pakar Scieno Transwater Sdn. Bhd., which currently runs the national Environmental Monitoring Program for the Department of Environment Malaysia. She also runs AQ Expert Solutions, an enterprise committed to facilitating the understanding of environmental data. Dr Fatimah is also an experienced educator and had received the Outstanding Lecturer Award (Science, Engineering and Information Technology Group) in 2010 from Inti International University, Malaysia.

Maisarah Faiesall

Special Assistant to the Executive Director

Maisarah Faiesall is a First-Class graduate of International Relations with Mandarin from the University of Nottingham, Malaysia with experience in research and analysis, new media communications, and youth engagement, in both the public and private sector. Her career has largely been motivated to bridging the gap between academia and communities through close engagement of local actors and translation of evidence-based research into digestible materials. Previously, Maisarah had served as a researcher to the Prime Minister of Malaysia’s Public Health Advisor working on public health and disaster risk reduction. Prior to that, she had contributed to research and community engagement across a broad range of subjects including digital rights and data protection, sexual and gender-based violence prevention, and sustainable development, with both think tanks and civil society organisations in Malaysia.

Nazia Ahmad

Programme Manager

Nazia is a qualified professional with a strong background in social work and human rights. She completed her postgraduate studies in Social Work from Jamia Millia Islamia University in India. Additionally, she holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Human Rights and International Humanitarian and Refugee Laws, indicating her specialization in these areas. Previously, she has worked with National Commission for Women, Government of India with special focus on supporting female prisoners, female patients in psychiatric homes, and women in distress. This work likely involved providing assistance, counseling, and advocacy for these marginalized groups. Nazia has contributed significantly to gender sensitization by conducting training sessions for police personnel in India, demonstrating her commitment to promoting awareness and understanding of gender issues within law enforcement agencies. She has extensive experience working with children who are affected by substance abuse, indicating her expertise in dealing with the complexities and challenges faced by young individuals struggling with addiction. Her professional background also includes collaborations with German and Dutch organizations, where she focused on capacity building and facilitation. Her career has majorly focussed on addressing social issues, advocating for human rights, and supporting vulnerable populations.

Hamizah Norrizam 

Communications Officer

Hamizah is a skilled Social Media Manager renowned for her expertise in social media. She holds a degree in Public Communications from the University of Technology, Sydney, Australia. With a deep passion for social media and a keen interest in youth and planetary health issues, Hamizah remains dedicated to her work. Currently, she serves as a valuable member of the Sunway Centre for Planetary Health, where she contributes her talents by overseeing prominent campaigns including Planet Saving Meals, Planetary Future Fridays, and Generation Green.

Michelle Cheong Chai Lin 

Project Executive

Michelle Cheong holds a First-Class Honours degree in Communication from Sunway University, Malaysia, and Lancaster University, UK. With an upbringing and educational background spanning across four continents and six countries (amongst them, the USA, Russia, Hong Kong, Ghana and Hungary), Michelle aspires to bring back her intercultural perspectives and experience to the place that remains home to her: Malaysia. Witnessing the socioeconomic disparities around the world has driven her to engage in youth advocacy and in laying the groundwork for long-term development. She aims to continue empowering youth and underserved communities through education and bring a widespread awareness to planetary health at all levels of society.

Revan TJ Lim 

Project Executive

Revan Lim Tai Jie, better known as TJ, is a highly accomplished individual who has made significant contributions in various fields. Graduating from Monash University Malaysia with a Bachelor’s in software engineering, he took an unconventional career path, leaving the tech sector to start an education based social enterprise. He currently serves as the program officer at the Sunway Centre for Planetary Health, where he manages events and collaborations, leads the Planetary Health Alliance’s South and Southeast Asia Regional Hub, and serves on the planning committee of the upcoming PHAM2024.

Dr. Noorul Ezyan Nor Hashim 

Program Officer

Dr Noorul Ezyan Nor Hashim is an ornithologist, graduated from University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 2021. Her research specializes in ecological and behavioural studies of birds, including studies on biodiversity and conservation of tropical and urban birds. Her research works also incorporated other research fields such as endoparasites studies in birds and assessing bird’s diet using molecular approach, trained by field expertise. In future research, she would like to explore on zoonotic disease and relationship with human health especially in urban settings. She was an experienced research assistant in University Malaya during her postgraduate studies, and a tutor for undergraduate students specializing in Ecology and Biodiversity for over five years. She has experienced teaching practical courses of Vertebrates (Avian and Mammals) and Invertebrates studies, Year 1 Undergraduates Biology Practical (Animals), Population Ecology, and Structure and Functions of Plants. After over 10 years of experience in specialize research and education world, she is now expanding her interest into planetary health. She is now working as a Research Analyst for Programme, Policy, and Advocacy in Sunway Centre for Planetary Health. She is responsible for managing youth engagement programmes of the centre aimed to empowering youth in the movements towards planetary health.

Siti Hannah 

Education Officer

Hannah is a Research Analyst at the Sunway Centre for Planetary Health, specializing in education, knowledge, and learning. Her current work involves developing educational programs and resources with a focus on ensuring knowledge accessibility for a wide audience. Holding an MBBS degree from the University of Malaya, Hannah has previously contributed to the design and implementation of the University of Malaya Medical Programme. Her academic background underscores her unwavering commitment to education and health, with a strong emphasis on effective knowledge transfer. Hannah has a versatile skill set spanning diverse fields, including biological sciences, data science, advocacy, and interdisciplinary studies. Her dedication to remaining at the forefront of these disciplines is fueled by her innate curiosity and a passionate commitment to creating a more inclusive and informed global community.

Dr. Menaka Ganeson 

Research Analyst

Dr. Menaka, currently is a Research & Innovation Officer from Sunway Centre for Planetary Health (SCPH). Her main role in this newly established centre is to identify and explore innovative ideas, approaches, and research opportunities aiming to create a dynamic transformation in planetary health agendas. She manages research-related activities of the centre including proposal development and grant management. She plays a role in linking research and innovations into business model with sustainability impacts and values. She was a Postdoctoral Researcher at Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS (UTP) from 2017-2022. Her research focuses on microbiology and crop-fertilizer management. Her previous works include: (1) elucidating microbial methanogenesis process for sustainable energy (2) dealing with oil palm-basal stem rot (BSR) disease caused by fungal pathogen (Ganoderma sp) through biofertilizer applications and (3) commercialization of a nano-fertilizer which able to enhance plant growth and productivity. To date, she has completed three research projects as a capacity of team member and mentored researchers spanning from final Msc and PhD postgraduates, research officers to research scientist. Beyond academia research, her passion is to integrate research products or outcomes to solve industry-social problems. She has received award for her commercialization project under the MVP & Facilitation Support CREST Award for theme of Green Urea for Future Sustainability. She actively organizes quadruple helix collaboration- based outreach programs focusing on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education. She is appointed as a committee member for a NGO, Pertubuhan Rakan Komuniti Pendidikan Perak (PRKPP) from 2022-2024, and her role is to advocate and create awareness to school students on STEM through gamification programs. She received her Ph.D. training in Plant Pathology from the University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus (2016) and her first degree with 1st Class Honours from the Universiti Putra Malaysia (2008).

Dr. Nadia Nantheni Rajaram 

Research Analyst

Dr Nadia Rajaram is an epidemiologist with over 10 years of research experience. She began her career as a researcher for the Asian Pacific Resource and Research Centre for Women, a non-profit organization championing the sexual and reproductive rights of women in the region. In the next chapter of her career, she worked with Cancer Research Malaysia to conduct research on breast cancer prevention and outcomes for Malaysian women. Her work involved understanding the barriers to cancer diagnosis and treatment, as well as its’ impact on quality of life post-diagnosis. Most notably, she designed and conducted the first clinical trial in Asia that studied the relationship between consuming soy and the risk of breast cancer, in which she suggested that consuming soy during the menopausal transition could possibly reduce the risk of breast cancer among Malaysian women. She has actively participated in several regional and global meetings for the advancement of sustainable development and population health, including being invited as a panelist for the High-level Consultative Meeting for South-South Cooperation in Population & Development (China, 2014) and the First Ministerial Conference on Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) in Asia and the Pacific (Thailand, 2014). She has also presented her research in various international meetings, including the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting (USA, 2016), where she received the Susan G. Komen Scholar-in-Training Award. Currently, Dr Nadia Rajaram is a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at the Sunway Centre for Planetary Health. Her research is primarily focused on nutrition, food insecurity and its’ intersection with the health of the planet and its’ people.

Dr. Loo Yen Yi  

Post Doctoral Research Fellow

Dr. Loo Yen Yi is an ornithologist with research interests in animal behaviour and biodiversity conservation. Dr. Loo holds a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science from University of Nottingham (Malaysia), a Master’s degree in Bird Conservation from Manchester Metropolitan University (UK), and a Doctoral degree in Biological Sciences from University of Auckland (New Zealand). Dr. Yen Yi was a Post-doctoral Research Fellow at the Management and Ecology of Malaysian Elephants, University of Nottingham Malaysia. Her research focused on using elephant bioacoustics to promote human-elephant coexistence. Her previous research includes (1) bird diversity surveys, (2) bird migration using citizen science data, and (3) the evolution of vocal learning in birds. She has also co-supervised undergraduate final year projects relating to bioacoustics and animal behaviour. Her current appointment as a Post-doctoral Research Fellow in the Sunway Centre for Planetary Health explores the role of biodiversity conservation in planetary health. Her research is currently funded by The Habitat Foundation and The K. Lisa Yang Centre for Conservation Bioacoustics, Lab of Ornithology at Cornell University. Her research specializes on applying bioacoustics, the study of biological sounds, to a wide range of topics, including passive acoustic monitoring of soundscapes, behavioural studies of vocalizing animals, and automated detection of wildlife from sound recordings. She is also passionate about training bioacoustics to local students and conservation practitioners to build capacity. She is also developing a field course for students and the general public to experience working with multiple stakeholders of planetary health.

Mr. Oliver Lacey-Hall 

Senior Adviser – Communications and Partnerships

Oliver Lacey-Hall is the Senior Adviser on Partnerships and Communications for the Sunway Centre for Planetary Health at Sunway University. He concurrently is employed as Lead Adviser to the SIAP SIAGA Disaster Risk Management Programme, managed by the Palladium Group in Indonesia. Previously he was most recently Director of the UK’s Humanitarian and Stabilisation Operations Team (HSOT), leading provision of humanitarian and stabilisation services to the UK Government by the Palladium Group. Prior roles include service with the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) heading its regional office for Asia and the Pacific and subsequently as its Senior Liaison Officer with the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) between 2011 and 2018. He has 30 years’ experience in humanitarian work, with an initial focus on refugee issues followed by coordination and communications work, mixed with project and programme management. Previous positions include Deputy Director of OCHA’s Communications and Information Services Branch in New York, manager of the UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) Team for Asia Pacific, oversight of OCHA’s global information management team and initial development of OCHA’s surge capacity mechanisms as well as broad field experience in humanitarian coordination and response in Armenia, China, Croatia, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Indonesia, Iraq, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and Viet Nam, serving with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, the UN Development Programme, the European Union’s humanitarian office, the Government of the United Kingdom, and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe. Oliver holds a master’s degree in Gender Analysis and Development from the University of East Anglia in the United Kingdom.