Academic Staff
Professor Poh Chit Laa, Head of School
Professor Poh Chit Laa |
Professor Poh Chit Laa obtained her BSc (Hons) First Class and PhD in Science majoring in Microbiology from Monash University, Australia. I taught in University of Malaya for a year (1981) before joining the Faculty of Medicine in the National University of Singapore (NUS) for 25 years. I took up a visiting Professorship in Biomedical Science in Curtin University, Perth, in 2005 and subsequently joined Swinburne University in Melbourne in 2007. I came back to Malaysia in 2009 and accepted a Professorship in Medical Microbiology in the University of Malaya where I spent most of my time in supervising postgraduate research. In NUS, I have graduated 9 PhDs and 8 MScs and numerous BSc (Hons) students. I have published 77 ISI-cited journal papers and co-authored 3 chapters in books. I am trained both as a bacteriologist and virologist and have published work in both fields. My h-index is 16. My research interests are focused on the development of anti-bacterial agents as well as antiviral agents and novel vaccines against Enterovirus 71(EV71) which causes hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD). EV71 is known to cause mild fever in children and they often develop vesicles on the hands and feet as well as ulcers in the mouth. The illness is self-limiting in most instances but EV71 infections can sometimes result in serious neurological complications which can result in death. In 2009, large outbreaks of HFMD involving over a million children in China has resulted in 13,810 severe cases and 353 deaths. Currently, there are no antiviral or vaccines that can be clinically applied to either treat or prevent EV71 infections. The pathogenic differences between different EV71 strains still remain largely unknown. We are interested in gaining an understanding of the molecular determinants of neurovirulence which may explain the virulence of different strains. My group is committed to develop effective antiviral peptides and novel live-attenuated vaccine through micro-RNA silencing of the viral genome. Collaborations are on-going with University of Malaya and Swinburne University of Technology, Australia on the identification of an antiviral peptide derived from the VP1 region of EV71 and the development of synthetic peptides incorporating B-and T-cell epitopes as novel vaccines. References:
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Dr. Lin Mei-Hua, Head of Department of Psychology
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Dr. Lin Mei-Hua |
Dr. Lin Mei-Hua is an Industrial and Organisational Psychologist who has completed her Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology at University of Iowa; her Master of Science degree, and her Ph.D. degree in Industrial and Organisational Psychology/Human Factors Psychology at Wright State University in the United States. Dr. Lin has presented her work on topics including cross-cultural cognition, performance measures, group processes, decision-making, and multinational teamwork at the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP) Conference and the Naturalistic Decision Making (NDM) Conference. She has also published in the area of human development. Dr. Lin was involved in a cross-cultural research effort that includes seven nations from the regions of North America, South Asia, East Asia, and Southeast Asia. She has also served as a reviewer for the SIOP Conference. Research Interests
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Elaine Yong, Programme Coordinator
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Elaine Yong |
Elaine is a Developmental Psychologist who obtained her Bachelors and Masters degrees in Psychology and Human Development from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. Her clinical work has been carried out in University Malaya Medical Centre. In her professional career, she has also spent time working in a training capacity with financial institutions and also with kindergartens. She regularly contributes articles to newspapers and magazines on children’s developmental issues. Research Interests Below are some topics that she has researched in and or supervised
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Dr. Alia Azalea, Industrial and Organisational Psychologist/ Lecturer
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Dr. Alia Azalea
Industrial and |
Dr. Alia Azalea is an Industrial and Organizational Psychologist who received a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Kentucky, USA, a Master of Arts, and a Ph.D in Industrial and Organizational Psychology, respectively from Xavier University, USA, and from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. She has carried out research on job satisfaction, pay satisfaction, job characteristics, personality and cross cultural issues specifically among Indonesians and Malaysians. Dr Alia’s research has been presented at various events which include the joint seminar between Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia and University of Indonesia, International Student Conference, and at the Annual Industrial Organizational/Organizational Behavior Graduate Student Conference. She is currently a lecturer with the Department of Psychology, Sunway University. Research Interests
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Chee Kwan Foong, Counselling Psychologist/Lecturer
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Chee Kwan Foong |
Chee Kwan Foong is a lecturer from Sunway University, who received her Master in Counselling Psychology and Bachelor in Psychology from National University of Malaysia. She is a Registered Counsellor and did her clinical practice in mental health setting since 2002. She began her career as a Lecturer since 2005. Her research has focused on a variety of topics relevant to counselling psychology and mental health. In general her work reflects an interest in studying counselling related and mental health issue. Education Background:
Research Interests:
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Grace Yap, Counselling Psychologist/Lecturer
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Grace Yap |
Grace Yap is a Counselling Psychologist who has completed her Bachelors and Masters training from University of Central Oklahoma, USA, specialising in Gerontology. She did her practical placement in the areas of elderly care and hospice services. Besides elderly development, she has a special interest in counselling as well. After returning to Malaysia, she served as a professional counsellor at Care Corner Counselling Centre, involving in the areas of community counselling, volunteer development, conducting counselling courses, Emotional Quotient in children, writing and public education. Within this period, she obtained a post-graduate diploma in Satir Systemic Brief Therapy from Northwest Satir Institute, Canada, and has become a qualified family therapist. She has been a regular columnist for Sin Chew Daily and several other magazines as well as a regular guest speaker for Ai FM (aka. Radio 5). Research Interests
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Jacqueline Gun, Counselling Psychologist/Lecturer
 Jacqueline Gun Counselling Psychologist/Lecturer jacquelineg@sunway.edu.my |
Jacqueline Gun received her Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Bemidji State University, USA and continued to pursue her Masters in Counselling in HELP University College, Malaysia. Other than career counselling in college and school settings, she has had the opportunity to work with cancer patients in Hospice Klang. She has also received training in crisis incident stress management. Research Interests
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Michelle Lee, Psychologist/Lecturer
 Michelle Lee Psychologist/Lecturer michellel@sunway.edu.my |
Michelle Lee received her Bachelor of Science (Honors) in Psychology from Upper Iowa University, USA, and a Master of Science in Occupational Health and Safety Leadership from University of Nottingham, UK. She has carried out research on work-family conflict and personality. She is currently a lecturer with the Department of Psychology, Sunway University. Research Interests
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Dr. Sakineh Mofrad, Developmental Psychologist/Lecturer
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Developmental Psychologist/Lecturer sakinehm@sunway.edu.my |
Dr. Sakineh Mofrad is a lecturer from Sunway University, who received her PhD in Psychology of Child Development from Universiti Putra Malaysia. She did graduate work at Tehran Institute of Psychiatry in clinical psychology and did her undergraduate work at Shiraz University in clinical psychology. She began her career at the Health Center in Boushehr University, Iran as a psychologist since 1991. Her research has focused on a variety of topics relevant to parent-child relationships and child mental health. In general her work reflects an interest in studying what is good and healthy for families. Research Interests:
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Woo Pei Jun, Developmental Psychologist/Senior Lecturer
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Woo Pei Jun |
Woo Pei Jun is a Developmental Psychologist who has studied and worked in Malaysia and the United States. She obtained her Bachelors and Masters degrees in Psychology from Ohio State and Boston University, USA. Her work in the medical field has included attachments with Ohio State University Hospital, South Bay Mental Health Services, USA, University Malaya Medical Centre and Sunway Medical Centre, Malaysia. Her areas of research have involved eating disorders amongst Asians, children’s behavioural and emotional difficulties and infant language and face perception development. In addition, she has also been involved in rehabilitation of patients, behavioural aspects of sales personnel, developing ability test for children, early intervention programmes for children at risk, single parent support group, parenting programs for young children and outreach work for disadvantaged people. In her academic work, she has presented at several conferences and is the author of 4 books on mental health. She is currently a member of the National Institute for Youth Development Research, and a National Advisor to the National Autistic Society. She has a special interest in children's development and abilities, developmental delay, profiling and intervention programmes. Research Interests Below are some topics that she has researched in and or supervised:
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Professor Nigel Marsh, Professor / Clinical Psychologist
Professor Nigel Marsh |
Professor Nigel Marsh is a Clinical Psychologist and he completed his academic and professional training in New Zealand. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Sociology from Massey University in 1980, his Master of Social Science in Psychology and his postgraduate Diploma in Psychology (Clinical) from the University of Waikato in 1983, and his Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology from the University of Otago in 1989. He has held academic appointments in Clinical Psychology in Australia, Lebanon, New Zealand, Singapore, and the United Kingdom. Prof. Marsh has worked as a Clinical Psychologist in a variety of settings. These settings have included both psychiatric and general medical hospitals, and a university-based psychology clinic. He has continued to remain clinically active with the majority of his recent clinical work involving the neuropsychological assessment of individuals with traumatic brain injury, stroke, occupational exposure to neurotoxins, or suspected dementia. Prof. Marsh is registered as a Psychologist with the Psychology Board of Australia, with a practice endorsement in Clinical Psychology, and he is a Psychology Board of Australia Approved Supervisor. He is also a member of the Australian Psychological Society’s College of Clinical Psychologists. Prof. Marsh’s expertise within Clinical Psychology is in the areas of Psychological Assessment and Research Design. The majority of his research publications deal with the assessment of the psychosocial consequences of traumatic injuries or chronic illness, for both the individual and their familial caregivers. He has conducted research across the life span with published studies on age groups ranging from infants to older adults. He has also published studies on non-clinical groups, primarily in the area of organisational psychology. |
Polly Chen P. L., Lecturer / Neuroscientist and Neuropsychologist
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Polly Chen P. L. |
Polly Chen received her undergraduate degree in Cognitive Science (BSc with Honours) from Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) and worked as a tutor for a year at UNIMAS before she went to specialise in Cognitive Neurocience (MSc) at University of York, UK. She has experience using functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) in York for her research project, which investigated the differential brain responses that occur when human perceive valence non-speech vocalisations of human and non-human species (chimpanzees and monkeys). Upon graduation from University of York, she returned Malaysia to work as a lecturer in Cognitive Science in UNIMAS. In 2010, she went to take her second MSc in Clinical Neuropsychology in Bangor University, UK, and completed with distinction. During her study, she used a non-invasive brain stimulation technique, called transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to research about neural basis of savantism and the possibilities of savant-like abilities in healthy people. She is currently exploring more neuroscience techniques, such as Electroencephalogram (EEG), Event-related potentials (ERPS), and Neurofeedback for her research areas. Research interest: Cognitive Neuroscience, Neuropsychology, Autism and Savantism, Savant-like abilities in healthy brains, Synaesthesia, Visual Perception and Attention, Neurofeedback, Neuronal Plasticity, and Neuro-rehabilitation. |
Administrative Staff
Jeannie Lam, Administrative Assistant
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Jeannie Lam |
Ms Jeannie Lam is the psychology department administrative executive. Ms Jeannie has many working experience in the areas of administration and purchasing. On her free time, Ms Jeannie enjoys painting, arts and craft and spending time with her family. |
Others
