Dr. NOREEN SULIANI MAT NANYAN

"The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be kindled." - Plutarch

Expertise: 

1. Microbial Genetics
2. Yeast Stress Response and Stress Tolerance Mechanisms
3. Molecular Biology

Dr. Noreen Suliani binti Mat Nanyan is a Senior Lecturer at the Bioprocess Technology Division, School of Industrial Technology, Universiti Sains Malaysia. She received her PhD in Biological Sciences from the Nara Institute of Science and Technology (NAIST), Japan, in 2020. Her research sits at the interface of microbial genetics and bioprocess technology, and centres on how microorganisms — particularly Saccharomyces cerevisiae — sense and survive environmental stress. She is interested in the genetic and physiological changes that allow cells to withstand acidity, osmotic pressure, oxidative damage and heat, and in translating that understanding into more robust strains and more reliable fermentation processes.

Her current work extends these questions to fermented food systems, with a particular focus on kombucha. This includes isolating and identifying the yeasts, acetic acid bacteria and lactic acid bacteria that make up the SCOBY consortium, characterising their stress tolerance, and evaluating the bioactivity and physicochemical properties of kombucha supplemented with underutilised plant materials such as mangosteen peel and lemongrass. She collaborates with researchers in Malaysia and Japan, is an active member of the Malaysian Society for Microbiology, and serves as one of the advisors to the USM Alternative Protein Project (USM APP). Beyond the laboratory, she is committed to science outreach and to nurturing student talent, designing hands-on microbiology and fermentation activities that bring school students and the wider community into contact with the invisible world that shapes what we eat and drink, and mentoring students as they grow into independent, confident scientists.