Associate Professor Dr. Shafinaz Shahir obtained her Ph.D. in Biochemistry at Imperial College London, UK. She is currently the Deputy Dean for Academic and Student Affairs, Faculty of Science, UTM. She is a mentor at the faculty’s SUNSHINE++ program, which nurtures research excellence in young academic staff. She is a member of the Royal Society of Biology UK and the Board Member for Nanobiotechnology, Biosensors, and Biochips Division, Asean Federation of Biotechnology (AFOB), Korea. She also currently serves as the Biology Editor for Journal of Taibah University of Science (Taylor and Francis). Her primary research interest is in the application of microbial systems for bioremediation of heavy metals and organic pollutants.