Meet the fellows
Deenatul Aiman binti Ros
Undergraduate student (Bachelor of Applied Science)
University Malaysia Terengganu
Ms. Deenatul was born and raised in Bentong, Pahang. She is currently pursuing her study at University Malaysia Terengganu in Bachelor of Applied Science (Biodiversity Conservation and Management). I am a pet person, i love animals. I also love to socialize with people from different backgrounds. I am a bit shy at first, but please come and say hi. Other than that, I think, I am a creative, considerate and an ambitious person while others think I am an outgoing and talkative person. I love to learn new things. I hope to learn more from this programme while having fun.
Eva Vivian Justine
Assistant Secretary cum Project Coordinator
Kudat Turtle Conservation Society (KTCS)
Eva Vivian Justine is a member of the nonprofit organization Kudat Turtle Conservation Society (KTCS) that focuses on empowering and educating the local community in Kudat district of Sabah to protect and conserve the sea turtle population. She obtained her Bachelor Degree in Marine Science from Universiti Malaysia Sabah in 2017 and has since applied her knowledge to contribute to the sea turtle conservation efforts in Kudat. Prior to joining the COASTAR Fellowship Programme, she was a research assistant in Universiti Malaya for the Blue Communities research programme, a four year project funded by UKRI Global Challenges Research Fund and has been actively engaging with the local coastal communities in Tun Mustapha marine park, Sabah especially with youths and women on capacity building projects.
Maryam Jamilah binti Mohd Hafiz
Research Assistant
Universiti Malaya
Maryam Jamilah completed her undergraduate degree in Biological Sciences from the University of Oxford, United Kingdom in August of 2021. Since graduating, she has been a part of a mangrove research team (Nexus Action for Mangroves Selangor, NexAMS, University Malaya) as a content analyst. Part of her work in the team involved producing a report containing information on the status blue carbon financing in Malaysia and participating as a field enumerator for a study on cultural ecosystem services of mangroves in Selangor. Maryam’s interest on coastal research and the intersectionality with social sciences started when she was researching for her final year assignment topic, which was on Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Marine Restoration in the Polynesian Islands. Through COASTAR, she hopes to expand her network and stay updated on the latest research trends in coastal sustainability.
Dr. Ng Chuck Chuan
Assistant Professor
China-ASEAN College of Marine Sciences, Xiamen University Malaysia
Dr. Chuck Chuan NG received his First Class Honours Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Science and Management and subsequently completed his fast-track Ph.D. in Applied Environmental Sciences both at the University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur. He is currently working as an Assistant Professor and Head of Programme (Marine Environmental Chemistry) at the China-ASEAN College of Marine Sciences, Xiamen University Malaysia (XMUM). Dr. Chuck's current teaching and research works are related to marine pollution and bioremediation technologies despite his main research forte in the field of heavy metal soil phytoremediation. Apart from that, he also has a strong interest in social environmental management for the development of green education, eco-awareness as well as environmental sustainability.
Noraini binti Mohyeddin
Postgraduate student
Institute of Ocean and Earth Sciences (IOES), Universiti Malaya
Noraini Mohyeddin went to University of Malaya completing a MPhil in Meteorology (2020) and a BEng in Chemical Engineering (2014). She has strong interest in the environments and has experience in the research related to solid waste, meteorology and air pollution. She is currently a doctoral student in Physical Science (Air-Sea Interaction) under the supervision of Prof. Dato’ Dr. Azizan Abu Samah, Dr. Wee Cheah, Prof. Hsu Huang-Hsiung and Dr. Fadzil Firdzaus. Her thesis title is “The Variabilities and Mechanisms of Ocean Heat Uptake over the Indo-Pacific Warm Pool (IPWP)”. This study is conducted to answer how the IPWP area in which its integral component is the Maritime Continent is warming using multiple sources of ocean heat content data and its attributed mechanisms. She hopes by understanding the environment from different disciplinary, she can work more proactively to the communities in the near future.
Nur Diyana binti Abdul Rahman
Undergraduate student (Bachelor of Applied Science)
University Malaysia Terengganu
My name is Diyana Rahman but I go by Didi. I am 23 years old, born and raised in Johor, Malaysia. Currently enrolled in an undergraduate program of Applied Science (Conservation and Management of Biodiversity) at Universiti Malaysia Terengganu. My current research interest involve mollusk conservation and coastal management. I have always been fascinated by animal and ecosystem science; love watching documentaries about it. Personally, I like to bond with new people especially kids. I also like to keep my work organize, simple and enjoy the work process. I consider myself creative and like to draw animal sketches in my free time. I hope to learn new things and am ready to gain many experiences from this programme.
Nur Faznee binti Ibrahim
Postgraduate student (Doctor of Philosophy - Marine Science)
University Malaysia Terengganu
Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I will learn” - Benjamin Franklin. Referring to the above quote, it deeply means that, only through the physical involvement, then someone will truly learn something by themselves. The same thing goes to me, Faz. Coming from a background of Marine Biology Course of Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, I’ve developed enough passion towards marine organisms. Knowing their presence and gives a recognition to them as well as appreciate them are what I’m doing right now. In my mind and my soul, I would like to have more and further experiences and knowledge about those marine creatures. Their names and ecological roles in their own unique habitats always hit my curiosity sense. I always amaze with the beauty of those organisms and have questions of ‘what are you doing here?’ and I would like to get the answer of it.
Nur Hannah binti Abdul Rahim
Postgraduate student (Doctor of Philosophy - Ecology)
University Malaysia Terengganu
I am a PhD student in Ecology at the Institute of Oceanography and Environment (INOS), Universiti Malaysia Terengganu who is interested in understanding the coastal ecosystem particularly mangroves. I have been studying on mangroves for more than seven years since my undergraduate years at Universiti Sains Malaysia. My current research focused on the evaluation of mangrove ecosystem from ecological and socioeconomic perspectives in relation to the shifted river mouth at Setiu Wetlands, Terengganu. My research aims to aid for a sustainable management of Setiu wetlands and generally mangroves and other coastal ecosystems. Besides being at the mangroves and the labs, my experiences in joining summer school and trainings, teaching as a tutor as well as presenting at local and international conferences were some of my best memories. Thus, I am excited to create more memories in learning new things and building valuable connections through this fellowship program!
Dr. Nurulafifah binti Yahya
Research Assistant
University Malaysia Terengganu
I graduated from Universiti Malaysia Terengganu with a Ph.D (Marine Science), Master of Science (Marine Science), and Bachelor of Science (Marine Biology). My research interests are mainly towards the understanding of benthic communities in marine and mangrove ecosystems. My current research is related to the biology and ecology of bivalves including taxonomy, population dynamics and food sources of the bivalves living in mangroves. I'm also interested in the abundance and biodiversity of other marine organisms that live in and on the sediments (macrobenthos and meiobenthos). As a research assistant, I was involved in sampling, laboratory analysis, data analysis, and report writing for a few consultant projects for environmental assessment. I also joined a few scientific cruises to collect biological data in the South China Sea. I also had experience as a lab demonstrator for the undergraduates and government agencies.
Rashid bin Ating
Postgraduate student (Doctor of Philosophy - Social Science)
Universiti Malaya
Graduated with the Master of Public Administration (MPA) from the Universiti of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur. Previously, Rashid worked as a Researcher at the Social Wellbeing Research Centre (SWRC), Faculty of Business and Economics at his alma mater. Prior to that, he worked as a Research Assistant in the same faculty. His research interests are Aging and Retirement, Financial Literacy, and Malaysia Education System (focus on Sabah). Currently, Rashid is pursuing his Ph.D. in Social Science at the Institute of Advanced Studies (IAS), Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, and working on several research projects in the areas of Malaysia public institutional architecture in relation to rural SMEs and food security, financial literacy among undergraduates students in Malaysia and Philippines, and Malaysia sister cities. He is also a member of Batch 5, Southeast Asia Research Academy (SEARA).