Biophysical Society Bulletin | July/August 2021

Biophysicist in Profile

interdisciplinary research teams. I learn something new from clinicians, surface chemists, physicists, and engineers.” Nur Azirah Yahaya worked as an intern and then a research assistant in Ngalim’s lab. “I loved working with Dr. Ngalim as she was a caring, supportive, and flexible mentor. One of my favorite things about her was that she has a positive charac- ter and always sees good in people. She knew the potential of me and all of her students, and always wanted us to keep growing and learning new things,” she says. “Also, she was ready to help us when we needed help. I’m thankful that she gave me the opportunity to be part of her team. She is awe- some and I miss working with her all the time.” “In Malaysia, the progress of and industrial products resulting from biophysical research are negligible. Less than three per- cent of jobs in Malaysia are STEM-related, and most of those are in electrical and electronic manufacturing,” Ngalim reports. “Penang state, which is a state hub for STEM jobs in Malaysia, only recorded RM1 billion (approximately US$240 million) in the biology-based industry (as recently communicated by Penang Institute). It’s difficult to convince youngsters to take biology in college—let alone biophysics—when job prospects are limited. One hope is that we have plenty of biodiversity and resources from our tropical forests and waters that are worth studying for medical and pharmaceutical applications. At least from my part, I aim to disseminate knowledge on regenerative medicine from a biophysics perspective. My research focus will be on ‘remote’ controlling cell behavior by tuning the presentation of the extracellular matrix.”

Photo of the sea taken while on a jog.

hopefully within the next two years, I wish to focus my policy study on the biology-based economic sector and research like biophysics in Malaysia.” In 2018, Ngalim and a few colleagues founded a local bio- physical society, Pertubuhan Biofizik Malaysia. She has also been engaging with the Biophysical Society (BPS) over the last few years to bring together researchers in her area through BPS-sponsored local networking events. “I had to Google around for researchers in the country and within the region who are doing interesting biophysics research, espe- cially on the topic of mechanobiology,” she shares. The events have been fruitful, leading to research collaborations, grants, and recruitment of students. Ngalim also volunteers as a BPS Ambassador for Malaysia, which has given her new opportu- nities to share with the broader biophysics community what Malaysia’s scientific culture and challenges are. Ngalim is a co-organizer of an upcoming BPS Thematic Meet- ing, “Cell Adhesion Networks.” While the meeting was initially planned for 2021, it was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and is now being planned for 2023. Her advice to young biophysicists? “Never underestimate the influence of joining and being active in scientific societies! BPS is a great place to start.”

Student collegues meet over pizza.

Profiles in Biophysics No two biophysicists have the same story. Read about the many paths that led each of them to become a biophysicist. www.biophysics.org/profiles-in-biophysics

Ngalim is actively working to support the growth of the STEM sector in her country. “I am an affiliate of the Young Scientist Network–Academy of Sciences Malaysia (YSN-ASM) Policy and Governance Working Group. Currently, I am helping with a study on unemployment and underemployment of STEM graduates in Malaysia,” she says. “Once this problem and possible solutions have been presented to the government,

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