The IMU University Medical Biotechnology (MB) alumni are making significant contributions across various industries, excelling in their professions. To highlight their achievements and enhance engagement between MB alumni and current students, the MB programme invited three alumni from different career paths to a Zoom webinar on 6 July 2024. This webinar also aims to introduce the School of Health Sciences (SOHS) alumni chapter to MB alumni and current students, serving as a networking platform for alumni to actively participate in IMU events and activities.
A total of 29 participants attended the webinar, including 11 MB alumni, 13 current MB students from cohorts MB121, MB122, and MB123, and 5 MB faculty members. The organising chair for this webinar, Ts Dr Tan Boon Hooi, delivered a welcoming speech to all participants, while Dr Lim Wui Zhuan (Adam), a member of the SOHS Alumni Chapter, provided a brief introduction about the mission of this chapter.
Rupini Krishna: Senior Technical Sales Specialist
The alumni sharing began with Rupini Krishna, who graduated from the MB115 cohort. She is currently a Senior Technical Sales Specialist at FC-Bios Sdn Bhd, a niche life science company specialising in microbiology and temperature monitoring solutions for the industrial market.
In her talk, she discussed her journey from being an MB student and fresh graduate to her current senior position in the life sciences sales and marketing industry, offering invaluable career development tips to current students.
Dr Polly Yap Soo Xi: Post-doctoral Research Fellow
The second speaker was Dr Polly Yap Soo Xi, a post-doctoral research fellow at the Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine & Health Sciences, Monash University Malaysia. She graduated from the MB108 cohort. After graduation, she pursued postgraduate studies, obtaining an MSc in Medical & Health Sciences (By Research) from IMU and a PhD in Medical Microbiology from Universiti Malaya.
Her dedication to research and development has earned her two full bursaries from Wellcome Connecting Science to attend the Training in Antimicrobial Resistance in Bacterial Pathogens (Asia) in Bangkok, and a course on Science Policy: Improving the Uptake of Research into UK Policy in Cambridge, UK in 2023.
She also received an international grant totaling USD 89,000 from NAMRU Indo-Pacific for hybrid-capture-based nanopore sequencing in infectious disease surveillance (2022-2024).
In her talk titled “Postdoc Experience: Reality and Silver Linings,” she shared her experiences in research and development, along with useful tips for students considering this career path.
Dr Lim Wui Zhuan (Adam): Lecturer
The final speaker was Dr Lim Wui Zhuan (Adam), a lecturer at IMU University who graduated from the MB109 cohort. After obtaining his BSc in Medical Biotechnology (Hons) from IMU University, he joined UPM to pursue an MSc in Computational & Theoretical Chemistry, followed by a PhD in Life Sciences, specialising in Bioinformatics at Universiti Malaya. Throughout his studies, he won the Best Poster award at the Biological Science Congress in 2019 and the 3-Min Thesis Competition at university level in 2022. His research interests focus on infectious disease, vaccines, and bioinformatics. He shared his experience in his talk “Academic Odyssey: From Student Life to Lecturing,” discussing how the MB programme prepared him for his current role.
During the webinar, participants, especially current MB students and recent graduates, gained insights into different career paths for MB graduates. Through the Q&A sessions, they were able to better understand the nature of each profession and learn from the experiences of the alumni. The webinar received positive feedback, with participants commenting that connecting with alumni is particularly beneficial for seeking mentorship, gaining practical advice, and uncovering new career opportunities.
Written by Ts Dr Tan Boon Hooi
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