Board
PROF ABU HASSAN AHMAD
BORG Advisor and Founder
Abu Hassan Ahmad is a Professor in entomology in the School of Biological Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia and has served the university since 1980. He is one of the founders and advisors of BORG. Abu Hassan is a medical entomologist by training. He has graduated more than 40 postgraduate students in the medical entomology field. His interest in agricultural pest management started in 1998, when he led the project of developing biological control of cocoa pod borer, an important pest of cocoa in Sumatra, Indonesia. The project was fully funded by P.T.P Lonsum London-Sumatra (LONSUM) at Bahlias Sumatra, Indonesia.
ASSOC. PROF. DR HASBER SALIM
BORG Coordinator and Co-founder
Hasber Salim is a senior lecturer at School of Biological Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) and is one of the founding members and current coordinator of BORG. He was once a senior plant protectionist in FGV Research and Development group, one of the key players of the oil palm industry, before he joined academia. Hasber Salim obtained his doctorate in vertebrate pest management from Universiti Putra Malaysia in 2014. His research was on toxicity and sub-lethal effects of first and second generation anticoagulant rodenticides on barn owl in oil palm plantations. The finding of the research has improved the implementation of integrated rat management and practices by most of FELDA oil palm plantation group.
Resistance Expert
Intan Haslina received her doctorate in Medical Entomology from the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine. Her PhD research was on the insecticide resistance mechanism in Malaysian Aedes mosquitoes. Her findings showed that there were significant resistance level in Aedes mosquitoes throughout Malaysia and this was the stepping stone that led her to focus her research in Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) on the study of insecticide resistance mechanism.
ASSOC. PROF. DR MOHD GHOWS MOHD AZZAM
Molecular Biology Expert
Ghows is a senior lecturer in School of Biological Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM). He joined BORG for his expertise in molecular biology and genetics. Ghows completed his MSc in Developmental Cell Biology from University of Sussex and DPhil (PhD) from the Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics in University of Oxford. Following this, he was then appointed as a postdoctoral researcher for another two years in the Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine (WIMM), University of Oxford.
ASSOC. PROF. DR HAMDAN AHMAD
Animal Sciences Expert
Hamdan Ahmad graduated in Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) from Universiti Putra Malaysia in 1990. In 1994, he pursued his advance study in Applied Parasitology and Entomology from SEMEO-TROPMED and then his PhD in Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) on biological control program of insect pest in poultry farms in Malaysia. During his career, Hamdan joined a company on veterinary-related business and later served as a veterinarian at the Department of Veterinary Sciences, Malaysia.
DR KAMARUL ZAMAN ZARKASI
Microbiology expert
Kamarul is a senior lecturer in School of Biological Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM). He joined BORG for his expertise in microbiology, microbial ecology and genomics. Kamarul completed his MAppSc in Microbiology from University of Tasmania, Australia and PhD in Agriculture Sciences from the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture (TIA) in the University of Tasmania, Australia. Previously, he was a Research Officer in the Institute of Medical Research, Ministry of Health, Kuala Lumpur.
In 2015, he started working in USM, where his lab focuses on microbial ecology, marine microbiology and genomics. He is currently working on the impact of different diets on the the gut microbes associated with the gut health of barn owls using metagenomics and microbiology techniques. Dr Kamarul is also a lifetime member of the Malaysian Society for Microbiology. He has been awarded the ASM-BD Award from Australian Society for Microbiology (2014) and Anugerah Sanggar Sanjung from Universiti Sains Malaysia (2016 and 2018).
Contact: kamarul.zarkasi@usm.my
DR ONG SONG-QUAN
Artificial intelligence and data analytics biologist
ChM. Dr. Ong Song-Quan, a Senior Lecturer at Institute for Tropical Biology and Conservation (ITBC), Universiti Malaysia Sabah, has a passion for cross-discipline research that impacts the community. In recent years, his research has focused upon pest control and biodiversity conservation by using artificial intelligence and data analytics. He holds a Ph.D. in Medical and Veterinary Entomology, M.Sc in Molecular Entomology, and second Masters in Data Science and Analytics.
As a data scientist, licensed chemist, and medical entomologist, he comes equipped to leverage the intersection between these disciplines and make a meaningful contribution to advancing pest control and conservation. Dr. Ong’s research has been published in numerous publications including top journals such as ‘Parasites & Vectors’, ‘Scientific Report’ by Nature Research, ‘Pest Science Management’ etc.
Contact: songguan26@gmail.com