Malaysians really are making their mark in the world! Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) lecturer Dr Siti Khayriyyah Mohd Hanafiah, 33, was named the “World’s Best Science Communicator” at the 11th FameLab International competition at the Cheltenham Science Festival in the United Kingdom yesterday.
She beat 27 science communicators from around the globe AND is the second Malaysian to win the title!
Siti, who is with USM’s School of Life Sciences, wowed the audience and judges with her presentation on diagnosing infectious diseases using biomarkers titled “To Find a Hidden Killer”.
Created by Cheltenham Festivals and co-produced by the British Council, The Cheltenham Science Festival is a six-day celebration of science, engineering and the arts. It aims to discover up-and-coming scientists who inspire people to see the world from a new perspective.
What this competition is supposed to do is that it brings the world’s leading scientists and thinkers face-to-face with the public for debates, experiments and surprising discoveries.
Each contestant is required to deliver a three-minute presentation on their chosen topic where every presentation is judged according to its content, clarity and charisma.
Dr. Siti Khayriyyah earned her degree in Biomedical Science from the International Islamic University and then her Master of Public Health (MSPH) in Global Disease Epidemiology and Control at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health before attaining her Ph.D in Immunology from Monash University. She certainly is a brilliant mind!
Back in 2016, Dr Abhi Veerakumarasivam of Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) was declared the FameLab International champion, when he defeated national winners from more than 25 countries.
FameLab was brought to Malaysia in 2015 by the British Council in collaboration with Malaysian Industry-Government Group for High Technology.
At the dawn of a new Malaysia, let’s bring more glory to the nation just as Dr. Siti has! Congratulations doc! We’re so proud of you!
Also read: These are the Photos That Won a Malaysian His Award at a World Photography Competition
