Sarawak Infectious Disease Centre

Profile

Assoc Prof. Ivan K. S. Yap’s main research focus is in the area of precision medicine and application of phenomics in infectious disease and cardiovascular disease. After his PhD, he took up the position as Postdoctoral Research Associate at Imperial College London from 2005 – 2010 with focus on metabonomics as a molecular epidemiology tool to investigate the effect of dietary intake, physical activity and lifestyle in cardiovascular disease, and the metabolic sequelae of infectious diseases. He returned to Malaysia in 2011 and joined International Medical University (IMU) as a lecturer. He subsequently took up the position as Head of Life Science Department in 2016. In the same year, he established and headed the Centre of Translational Research in IMU. He joined Clinical Research Centre Sarawak General Hospital in 2018 as a Translational Research Scientist, and then as the Deputy General Manager at the Sarawak Research and Development Council in 2019. Assoc Prof. Yap was appointed as the Chief Executive Officer of the Sarawak Infectious Disease Centre in 2023. He worked closely with Prof. Jeremy Nicholson, Prof. Elaine Holmes and Dr Bong Sze How from Australian National Phenome Centre, Murdoch University (Australia) in phenome research, Assoc Prof Chong Chun Wie at Monash University Malaysia in gut microbiome research and with Prof Juerg Utzinger, Director of the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute in the area of infectious disease.

Academic Qualifications:

PhD in Chemistry (2005)

Diploma of Imperial College London (2007)

BSc. (Hons) 1st Class in Pharmaceutical Sciences (2001)

Diploma in Industrial Studies (2001)

External positions

Adjunct Associate Professor, Murdoch University, Perth Australia (2023 – 2024)

Adjunct Associate Professor, Monash University Malaysia (2023 – 2025)

H-index: 27

Academic qualifications

BSc (Animal Resource Science and Management)

MSc (Molecular Biology)

Professional Profile

Angelesa’s interest in public health was initially ignited by entomological investigations into bancroftian filariasis transmission within endemic areas of Sarawak. During her postgraduate studies, she expanded her expertise in molecular biology through research focusing on protein-level studies of malaria. Amid the pandemic era, she actively participated as a Covid-19 Frontliner in the laboratory, contributing to the fight against the coronavirus outbreak. Her experience in resource-limited laboratory settings improved her proficiency in clinical diagnosis, utilizing both conventional and molecular techniques. Subsequently, her exposure to natural product screening techniques broadened her understanding of the potential for traditional remedies in modern therapeutics. Her recent participation in SIDC reflects her ongoing dedication to public health and infectious disease research.

Research Interests

1. Epidemiology of infectious diseases
2. Emerging infectious diseases
3. Bioinformatics and computational biology

Currently serving as a research assistant for the Sarawak Infectious Disease Centre (SIDC), Geraldine graduated with a Bachelor of Science (Hons) Resource Biotechnology degree from Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS). Prior to graduating, she completed her internship at the Sarawak Biodiversity Centre (SBC) where she was attached to the molecular biology lab. Some of her lab works include PCR, DNA extraction, PCR product purification, agarose gel electrophoresis & ELISA-based immunoassay antiviral property screening project. With a strong interest in molecular biology and the passion for learning new technologies, with SIDC she aims to help in this fight against current and emerging diseases in strengthening the state’s health security.

Bryan is a genomics scientist passionate about understanding infectious diseases at the molecular level. He earned his PhD from the University of Queensland and has held research positions in Australia and Scotland, leading innovative pathogen genomics projects.

His research includes using genomics to investigate the epidemiology of diverse pathogens, providing valuable insights into how they spread, evolve and cause disease.

His work spans both human and animal pathogens, employing a One Health approach in both the global north and south to better understand infectious disease dynamics at the human-animal interface.

Known for his approachable nature and commitment to mentorship, Bryan actively supports emerging scientists, sharing his expertise in bioinformatics and genome analysis. His involvement in international consortiums reflects his dedication to continuous learning and contributing to the scientific community

Beyond the lab, Bryan enjoys working with interdisciplinary teams on projects across Europe, Africa, the Americas and the Asia Pacific region that connect science and public health with a commitment to improving global health outcomes.

Academic Qualifications

Doctor of Philosophy (Microbial Genomics), University of Queensland, Australia

Master of Molecular Biology, University of Queensland, Australia

Sarjanamuda Sains dengan Kepujian (Zoologi), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Malaysia

Research Interests

Microbial Pathogenesis and Evolution

Molecular evolution, pathogenomics, antimicrobial resistance dynamics across humans, animals, and the environment.

Genomics and Bioinformatics

Whole genome sequencing, genomic epidemiology, metagenomics, phylogenetics and genome-wide association studies.

Data Science and Data Structures

Infectious disease epidemiology, data science, data harmonisation and integration, interoperability and ontologies.

Emyliana’s infectious disease journey began with a dive into parasitology, malaria, and COVID-19. Complemented by proficiency in molecular epidemiology and Geographic Information Systems (GIS), she utilized spatio-temporal analysis to shed light on their complexities. But her pursuit of knowledge goes beyond specific pathogens. Driven by an unwavering commitment to public health, Emyliana’s curiosity extends to exploring new and emerging infectious diseases.  Her research findings have been published in prestigious peer-reviewed journals and shared at conferences. Each data point and map she generates brings us one step closer to understanding, preventing, and controlling infectious diseases, ultimately keeping communities safe and healthy. Join Emyliana on this exciting journey as she tackles the world’s most pressing infectious disease challenges, one data point and map at a time.

Dr. Sharon has an extensive background in the field of infectious diseases. Her research has focused on studying vector-borne viruses like Dengue and Chikungunya, as well as enteroviruses responsible for hand foot and mouth disease, and respiratory viruses that impact the pediatric populations. She has contributed to disease surveillance and outbreak management for Dengue and Chikungunya fever, and H1N1 in Singapore. Moreover, she possesses expertise in fundamental research, having investigated genes that impact stem cells and the immune system, utilizing Drosophila as a model organism. Following almost a decade of research at overseas institutions, Dr. Sharon returned to Sarawak and joined UNIMAS as a postdoctoral researcher, where she investigated the viral etiologies of severe pediatric respiratory illnesses in the Sarawakian population. She has communicated the findings from her research endeavors through publication in multiple high-impact journals and presented in various prestigious international conferences. She has also mentored and supervised several undergraduate students and junior researchers. She earned her PhD from the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine at the National University of Singapore, a master’s degree in biomedical science from King’s College London in the United Kingdom, and bachelor’s degree in biotechnology from Monash University Malaysia. She aims to apply her expertise to support infectious disease research and initiatives in Sarawak through her work at SIDC.

Her research interests include:
1. Vector-borne diseases
2. Pediatric infectious diseases
3. Respiratory illnesses
4. Disease surveillance and epidemiology

A Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, his experience started as a research assistant for a post-graduate study to being a part of a team as a field biologist collecting samples from wild macaques looking for malaria parasites. Swiftly moving from non-human primates (NHPs) he dove into the domain of neuroscience with a private contract research office working exclusively with proprietary transgenic mice used to test schizophrenia drugs and compounds.  There he worked as a behavioral scientist who eventually managed the in-house laboratory and its operation.  Looking for a change of pace, he joined a nutraceutical company with a product development team creating natural-based products for animal health as supplements for targeted disease conditions or improving quality of life and general well-being.  From the product development role, he goes back to the Laboratory Manager role with the Department of Veterinary Services of Sarawak (DVSS), managing the State Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (SVDL) day-to-day operations. With an awareness of the importance of integrating ICT into a modern diagnostic workflow, he expanded his knowledge in the ICT area by taking a Master in Information Technology Management (MITM) with UNIMAS.  With the knowledge gained, the possibility of integrating ICTs and other IT methods with laboratory settings or science-based environments could improve the level of preparedness and diagnostic prowess significantly which goes hand in hand with SIDC’s visions and mission.