DR ZANARIAH UJANG
Vice President,
Group Strategic Planning
Experience
Dr Zanariah has vast management experiences in industrial research and technology management which include being responsible for leading and managing six SIRIM's Industrial Centers of Innovation in Nanotechnology, Biomedical Technology, Energy Management, Sensor Technology, Industrial Design and Bio Natural Gas. She has held various positions in SIRIM including Senior Director for the Energy and Environment Flagship with business focus on green technology and renewable energy; and as the Head of Marketing & Business Development for Energy, Environment and Biotechnology.
Dr Zanariah's field of technical expertise is in Chemical & Bioprocess Engineering with specialisation in the areas of:
- Enzyme Catalysis: process development & optimization, scaling up and reactor designs for production of biochemicals and biopolymers
- Bio-based Product: extraction, standardisation, bioactivity studies, product development, efficacy study for herbal and natural bio-ingredients for cosmetic and medical application
- Biomedical Technology – water soluble biopolymers for medical application
- Dermal Delivery Technology – nanostructured lipid carrier system for topical application
Her expertise was much sought-after as proven by the mega research projects that she led including as principal researcher/principal investigator in multidisciplinary team in various government and international funded projects such as Science Fund, Techno Fund, Pre-Commercialisation Fund under the then Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, and European Funding FP 7.
Dr Zanariah has published more than 50 articles and papers and presented at local and international conferences. She has filed more than 10 patents and had received awards for Best Researcher and Best Research Team under the SIRIM Quality Award, and various Innovation awards for green bio-actives for topical application, green biopolymers for medical application and natural cosmetic active ingredients.
She has also successfully commercialised several of her research projects which include 'Skin Lightening Cosmeceutical Products based on Natural Bioactives from Malaysian Ginger Species', 'Wound Management Products from Water Soluble Chitosan Derivatives and 'Phyto NLC Serum for Skin Repair utilising Nano Lipid Carrier Technology'.
Qualifications
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BSc in Chemical Engineering, University of Toledo, Ohio, USA. (1984)
- MSc in Process Engineering, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK. (1994)
- PhD in Chemical & Process Engineering, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK. (1998)