Speakers

Professor of Integrative Biodiversity Discovery, Humboldt University of Berlin; Head, Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Discovery, Museum für Naturkunde Berlin

Integrative Biodiversity Discovery and Mobilisation for Conservation: Digitally Native Approaches to Insect Diversity

Rudolf Meier is Professor of Integrative Biodiversity Discovery at Humboldt University of Berlin and Head of the Center for Integrative Biodiversity Discovery at the Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science, Museum für Naturkunde Berlin. His research focuses on accelerating species discovery and biodiversity monitoring by integrating classical taxonomy with genomics, automation, and artificial intelligence. He is particularly known for developing scalable workflows that combine DNA barcoding, robotic specimen processing, and machine learning to address the challenges posed by hyperdiverse and taxonomically neglected groups.

Director of Institute of Biodiversity and Environmental Conservation, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak

Biodiversity Conservation: What Are We Protecting?

Mohd Azlan Jayasilan bin Abdul Gulam Azad is the Director of the Institute of Biodiversity and Environmental Conservation at Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS). His research explores the ecology and conservation of wildlife in the region, with a particular interest in how species respond to forest fragmentation in Borneo. He has published widely on conservation related topics and contributes to several IUCN Species Survival Commission Specialist Groups. He also works closely with local communities, encouraging practical, on-the-ground approaches to biodiversity protection.

Director of Genomics Platform, Monash University Malaysia; Deputy Head of School (Research), School of Science, Monash University Malaysia

Sequencing for Conservation

Professor Qasim has been working in the field of genetics for the past three decades. He obtained his medical degree from the Khyber Medical College, Peshawar, Pakistan, and doctorate from the University of North Texas, United States of America. It was there that he discovered his passion for science and has since then worked in Pakistan, Italy, United Kingdom and United States of America before moving to Malaysia in 2017. His expertise is in population and evolutionary genomics, with key contributions to Y-chromosomal DNA variation in Pakistan, that identified several markers that are now routinely used in forensic DNA analysis. He received the President of Pakistan’s Medal of Excellence in Science for this work. In 2008 he moved to the world renowned Wellcome Sanger Institute and was involved in several human and primate sequencing projects. He joined Monash University Malaysia in 2017 and is currently the Deputy Head of School (Research) and Director of the Genomics Platform at Monash University Malaysia. He continues to conduct research on genomics of humans, wildlife samples and microbes. He also leads the Malaysian BioGenome Project that is generating high quality reference genomes for endemic eukaryotic species in Malaysia.

Head of Behavioural Ecology Research Group, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Monash University

Behavioural Responses to a Changing World

Bob Wong is a Professor of behavioural and evolutionary ecology in the School of Biological Sciences at Monash University, Australia. Bob received his PhD from the Australian National University and undertook postdoctoral fellowships at Boston University and the University of Helsinki before joining Monash. Research in Bob’s Group focuses on the impacts of human-induced rapid environmental change on wildlife behaviour ecology and evolution. Work undertaken in the Group encompasses a wide range of species, including insects, crustaceans, reptiles, birds, and fish.

Co-Founder and Executive Director, Turtle Conservation Society of Malaysia

From Fieldwork to Future Genomics: Laying the Groundwork for Turtle Conservation in Malaysia

Dr Pelf-Nyok Chen is a Malaysian freshwater turtle researcher and conservationist, with a particular focus on the critically endangered river terrapin (Batagur affinis), a species found only in southern Thailand, Cambodia, and Peninsular Malaysia. In 2011, she co-founded the Turtle Conservation Society of Malaysia (TCS), the country’s first and only NGO dedicated to freshwater turtle conservation. Dr Pelf leads a long-term, community-based terrapin conservation project in Kemaman, Terengganu, which combines scientific research, public education, and local engagement. She also spearheaded a women’s empowerment programme that provides livelihood opportunities through conservation-linked enterprises. For her contributions, she was honoured with the Commonwealth Points of Light award by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Dr. Pelf is an active member of the IUCN Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group and continues to advocate for inclusive, ground-up approaches to wildlife conservation in Malaysia.

Co-Founder, Local Initiative for the Environment Centre – Malaysia (LIFE-Malaysia)

Reclaiming Our Tropical Nature: A Call for Action Towards Decolonising Biodiversity

Dr Jarina Mohd Jani is dedicated to using her expertise in human ecology to make sustainable development a reality. Since 1998, her collaboration with local communities, administrators, and decision-makers on projects addressing environmental and conservation issues in Malaysia has given her invaluable industry experience and made her aware of a jarring gap between the natural and social sciences in these critical areas. In 2005, she entered academia with the hope of helping to bridge the gap. Through participatory research and project activities that involved coastal and island communities, including indigenous people, her academic work focused on the human dimensions of biodiversity conservation and natural resource management, highlighting the value of grassroots management of livelihood-supporting ecosystems in achieving sustainable development. In October 2025, she left academia to focus on making the ESG agenda a reality ‘on the ground’ as an eco-matchmaker at the Local Initiative for the Environment Centre - Malaysia (LIFE-Malaysia), which she co-founded.

On the international front, she serves on the Advisory Committee of IOSEA and served on the Steering Committee of the UN Ocean Decade Coordination OXice on Connecting People and the Ocean until 2025.