Dr. Mahaletchumy Arujanan is the Executive Director of the Malaysian Biotechnology Information Centre (MABIC). She is a science communicator from Malaysia with extensive experience working across countries and scientific communities.
Maha holds a PhD in Science Communication and a Master of Biotechnology from the University of Malaya, as well as a degree in Microbiology from Universiti Putra Malaysia. She is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of The Petri Dish, Malaysia¡¯s first science newspaper and Co-founder of the Science Media Centre Malaysia. She also established the Asian Short Course on Agribiotechnology, Biosafety Regulations and Communications (ASCA).
At the international level, Maha initiated the Science Communication Advisory Board under COMSTECH (Pakistan) to strengthen science communication in OIC Member States. She serves on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Science Communication and Diplomacy (COMSTECH) and is a Council Member of the Malaysian Scientific Association.
She is also an Adjunct Lecturer at Monash University Malaysia, AIMST University, and UCSI University, sits on Industry Advisory Panels for seven universities, and has served as a Biosafety Outreach Specialist for UN FAO in Sri Lanka. She was listed among the world¡¯s 100 most influential people in biotechnology by Scientific American Worldview (2015) and included in the Women in Biotechnology Law and Regulation honorific list by Biotechnology Law Report (USA, 2015). She won the 2010 Third World Academy of Science Regional Prize for Public Understanding of Science for East, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific.
She is a Board Member of the Malaysia Board of Technologists (MBOT) and sits on the advisory boards of the Alliance for Science (USA), Farming Future Bangladesh, and the Genetic Literacy Project (USA). She also advises the Selangor (Malaysia) Bio Advisory Council on bioeconomy development.
Maha has published widely on science communication, biotechnology, and bioeconomy, contributing chapters, papers, and articles to both academic and professional platforms.