THE SPEAKER

The Exciting Interface of Oral Microbiomics and New Technology

Professor Emeritus Dr. Lakshman Samaranayake

Professor Emeritus (Microbiomics)
Immediate Past Dean of Dentistry
University of Hong Kong

Professor Emeritus Lakshman "Sam" Samaranayake of the University of Hong Kong, is a renowned clinical academic with expertise in microbiology research, and senior executive-level administration. With over four decades of experience in academia, he has worked at five different universities in the UK, Canada, Hong Kong, Australia, and the UAE. Professor Samaranayake served for over 12 years as the Executive Dean of two major dental schools at the University of Hong Kong (HKU) and Queensland, Australia. Under his leadership, the Faculty of Dentistry at HKU was ranked as the top Dental School in the World from 2014-2016, according to QS/THE Rankings.

As the author of more than 450 scientific publications, cited over 31,000 occasions (H-index 97), Professor Samaranayake was recently ranked 11th among 43,737 microbiology scholars in China by Research.com. His textbooks on the Oral Microbiome have been translated into multiple languages and editions, with sales exceeding 40,000 copies; they are used by students and scholars internationally. 

For his seminal contributions to oral sciences, Professor Samaranayake has received numerous international accolades, including the coveted King James IV Professorship of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh and the Distinguished Scientist Award from the International Association for Dental Research (IADR) in Washington, USA. A much sought-after speaker on the oral microbiome, Professor Samaranayake has lectured in more than 40 countries across all five continents.

Professor Takuya Matsumoto

Department of Biomaterials, Okayama University

Prof. Matsumoto graduated from Faculty of Dentistry, Osaka University on 1997. Then he started dental biomaterials research and got PhD on 2002 from Osaka University. He is known as one of the leading designers of new dental-related biomaterials. His research approach is studying the hard tissue development with materials science perspective, and designing new materials based on the newly acquired understandings. Consequently, he has reported a three-dimensional in vitro model system that reproduce bone development from cell aggregates, developed technology for early bone regeneration/reconstruction, and has developed solid adhesives that has never existed before. Relating to these works, he has so far published more than 100 original papers (H index = 39) and submitted more than 15 patents relating to this field. He has received many important awards including Society Award and Young Investigator Award of Japanese Society for Biomaterials and Japanese Society for Dental Materials and Devices. Based on these achievements, he is currently active as a leader in Dental biomaterials, including executive director of the Japanese Society for Biomaterials and the Japanese Society for Dental Science and Technology, and director of the Japanese Association for Dental Research. 

Engineering and Computing in Surgical Preoperative Planning and Medical Research

Dato’ Prof. Ir. Dr. Mohammed Rafiq bin Dato’ Abdul Kadir

Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering
University of Malaya

Prof. Dato’ Ir. Dr. Mohammed Rafiq currently serves in the Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering at the University of Malaya, and an EAC Council Member at the Board of Engineers, Malaysia since 2020. Before this, he held the position of Professor of Biomedical Engineering at the Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) since January 2014.

He was the pioneering Dean of UTM‘s Faculty of Engineering, one of the largest engineering faculties in Asia with nearly 700 academics and 10,000 students. Through his “Business NOT as Usual” approach, he steered the faculty into greatness in times of COVID-19 pandemic by initiating the Distinguished Lecture Series and the Captain of Industry programs. The former attracted 114 distinguished professors from 32 countries, while the latter engaged CEOs from 31 major companies worldwide. These efforts resulted in extraordinary savings of close to RM2 million, establishing the newly formed faculty on solid footing in the World University Rankings.

Research-wise, Dato’ Rafiq has been recognized as one of the World’s Top 2% Scientists List by Stanford University. He founded the Medical Devices & Technology Group (MEDITEG), one of the university’s most successful research groups, which was later recognized as a Centre of Excellence (CoE). Under his leadership, the group secured 94 research projects totalling RM12 million, graduated 46 PhD students and 38 Masters students by research. With more than 250 publications listed in the Web of Science, his work garnered over 5000 citations, with his current h-index of 41. He is Malaysia’s #1 Inventor with 31 patents granted between 2010-2014, and an additional 15 other inventions approved by MyIPO from 2015-2018.

Dato’ Rafiq is an alumnus of two renowned universities - Imperial College London and the University of Cambridge. He holds several professional designations, including being registered as a Professional Engineer with Practising Certificate (PEPC), an ASEAN Chartered Professional Engineer (ACPE), and a Chartered Engineer (CEng) with the United Kingdom Engineering Council.

Natural Therapeutic Options in Sexual Dysfunctions among Men: The Evidences

Professor Dr. Shaiful Bahri Ismail

Campus Director of Health Campus,

Universiti Sains Malaysia

Dr Shaiful Bahari Ismail is a Professor of Family Medicine. He graduated in medicine from University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 1992. He completed his postgraduate training in MMED (Family Medicine) in USM in 1999 and in the same year obtained his MAFP/FRACGP qualification. In the year 2006, he completed his Fellowship training program in Male Sexual and Reproductive Health at Monash University, Melbourne, Australia. In 2018 he passed his fellowship training in Sexual Medicine under the European Union of Medical Specialist. In 2021 he completed his training in Leadership in Medicine with the Harvard University, USA. His research interests are chronic diseases especially Diabetes Mellitus and hypertension, in medical education and also research in the area of sexual and reproductive health. He has more than 50 publications at national and international levels. He is currently the senior Professor in the Department of Family Medicine, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia.

Pacific Natural Products and Their Applications in Modern Drug Discovery

Associate Professor Dr. Robert Keyzers

Associate Dean – Academic (Postgraduate), 

Wellington Faculty of Science, Victoria University of Wellington

Dr. Robert Alexander Keyzers embarked on his journey in the field of chemistry by earning a Bachelor of Science degree in 1998, followed by a Ph.D in 2004. His commitment to advancing the frontiers of science took him across the globe, where he enriched his expertise through postdoctoral fellowships in prestigious institutions in Australia, Canada, and South Africa. This diverse international exposure has contributed significantly to his broad perspective on chemical research and its applications.

Currently serving as the Acting Dean of the Faculty of Science, Victoria University, Dr. Keyzers has dedicated 19 years to exploring the intersections of Chemical Ecology and Analytical Chemistry. His cutting-edge research primarily focuses on modifying pest mammal behaviour through volatile compounds and pioneering natural product lead compound discovery alongside organic synthesis. This niche expertise reflects his ability to merge theoretical knowledge with impactful, real-world applications, cementing his reputation as a leader in his field.

Beyond his substantial research contributions, Dr. Keyzers’s academic excellence and professional dedication have been recognized through various awards and recognitions for his scientific contributions. He once held a fellowship position at the New Zealand Institute of Chemistry and currently serves as a section editor for PLOS One and PLOS, evidencing his active engagement with the academic community. His scholarly output is commendable, with 90 journal articles, one book along with book chapters, contributions to four conference proceedings, and the development of four patents. He has been on the InCites top 1% cited researchers list every year since 2019. Dr. Keyzers work not only showcases his profound knowledge and innovative spirit but also underscores his commitment to advancing science for societal benefit.