Hesham is based at the Universiti Malaya, Malaysia. He is an accomplished parasitologist and public health researcher, who has made significant contributions to the molecular epidemiology and control of malaria, neglected tropical diseases, and waterborne parasites. His work spans Malaysia, Yemen, Nigeria, and Libya, focusing on improving health outcomes in vulnerable communities. He has led dynamic research teams, taught across parasitology, epidemiology, and biostatistics, and actively contributes to academic leadership, editorial boards, and global research collaborations, strengthening the fight against parasitic and infectious diseases through science and community engagement.

Stephen first began working on parasites after his PhD at La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia, where he investigated drug treatment responses of the human filarial parasite Onchocerca volvulus from Ghana and Cameroon. He is now based at the Wellcome Sanger Institute, UK, where he leads a team specialised in the use of genome sequencing to understand the biology and genetics of various human and animal parasites from around the world. 

Erwan earned his veterinary degree and MSc in Diseases and Veterinary Public Health Science from Universitas Airlangga. He has experience in research on antimicrobial resistance, zoonotic diseases, and vaccine development during his work at the Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Indonesia. Currently, he is affiliated with the Center for Tropical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Public Health, and Nursing, Universitas Gadjah Mada, where he serves as Research Manager. His work focuses on infectious diseases and One Health, including soil-transmitted helminths, arboviruses, malaria, and tuberculosis, as well as international projects related to planetary health and pandemic preparedness.

Haidee is a Senior Science Research Specialist in the Department of Parasitology of the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine in the Philippines. She has over 10 years of experience in molecular parasitology, contributing to various research projects on malaria and intestinal worms. Her work includes optimizing malaria PCR assays, monitoring drug resistance, and ensuring quality laboratory procedures and practices.

Jenny leads the Department of Parasitology of the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine in the Philippines, the country’s National Reference Laboratory for malaria and other parasites, and works closely with the WHO on malaria diagnostics. With over 20 years of experience in research and public health, she has helped improve the quality of malaria diagnosis and surveillance, led nationwide surveys on intestinal worms, and continues to work with local and international partners to develop better tools for monitoring and controlling parasites.

Elsa completed a Master’s programme in Tropical Medicine at Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), Indonesia, and joined the Department of Parasitology at the Faculty of Medicine, UGM in 1998. She earned her PhD from Monash University (Australia), focusing on malaria parasites. Currently, she is affiliated with the Center for Tropical Medicine at UGM, where she contributes to both the Malaria and the Neglected Tropical Diseases divisions. Her research in the latter focuses on soil-transmitted helminths, including strongyloidiasis, from biomedical, epidemiological, and implementation research perspectives.

Arutchelvan began his research in parasitology during his postgraduate studies at Universiti Malaya, Malaysia, focusing on the protozoan Blastocystis spp. and its associated bacterial communities. His work has spanned drug resistance, drug discovery, and metagenomic analyses relevant to Blastocystis spp. In recent years, he has broadened his research to include emerging pathogens such as free-living amoebae, Entamoeba histolytica, and diverse bacteria, with an emphasis on exploring host–microbe interactions at the genomic level.

Mark started studying parasitology as a student at Imperial College, London before doing a PhD at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, studying Strongyloides infection in people and other animals in the island of New Guinea. Since then he has continued to work on the biology and genetics of Strongyloides and parasite eco-immunology at the Universities of Edinburgh, Bristol and Liverpool, in the UK.

Rizqiani A. Kusumasari, or Riesye, enjoys research in medical parasitology. She began her career as a researcher focused on diagnosing neglected infectious diseases. She is currently affiliated with the Department of Parasitology and the Centre for Tropical Medicine at the Faculty of Medicine, Public Health, and Nursing, Universitas Gadjah Mada. She is actively involved in teaching, research, and community service, and writes articles and book chapters on parasitic diseases with national and international partners. Her current research focuses on Neglected Tropical Diseases, particularly soil-transmitted helminths and malaria, from a field (epidemiology) to laboratory (biomedicine) perspective.

Yogik is a biomedical and molecular biology professional based in the Biochemistry Department of the Faculty of Medicine, Public Health, and Nursing, Universitas Gadjah Mada. He has strong interests in genetic and molecular diagnostics, newborn screening, and diagnostic development. His work integrates molecular techniques with public health and translational perspectives to support early disease detection and prevention. He is actively involved in research, teaching, and community engagement in biomedicine and medical education, and participates in national and international collaborative projects.

Nik obtained his Master’s in Molecular Biology from UiTM Shah Alam, Malaysia. His graduate study centered on microbial genomics and antimicrobial resistance in nosocomial Acinetobacter baumannii. He also gained experience as a Research Assistant at the Institute for Medical Research's bioinformatics unit, where he conducted analysis on short-read sequencing of human cancer samples. He is currently interested in the mechanisms of resistance in higher organisms.

Muhammad is a PhD student in Medical Science with academic training in microbiology and molecular biology. He holds a Diploma, and Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Universiti Teknologi MARA, with consistent Dean’s List recognition. His research interests include parasitology, molecular epidemiology, and genomic surveillance of anthelminthic drug resistance, with a focus on Necator americanus infections among Orang Asli communities in Malaysia.

Farah is a PhD Candidate in the Department of Parasitology at Universiti Malaya. She holds a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) degree from Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) and a Master’s in Medical Parasitology and Entomology from Universiti Malaya. Having previously practiced as a medical doctor, she possesses a strong foundation in clinical practice. During her Master's studies, she gained extensive experience in molecular epidemiology research. Her current work centres on the epidemiology, genetic, and genomic diversity of soil-transmitted helminths, with a particular focus on monitoring anthelmintic drug resistance. She is skilled in conducting fieldwork and handling molecular techniques, including PCR assays, to contribute to research data and scientific publications.

Sherwin is a Supervising Science Research Specialist at the RITM Department of Parasitology. He has a Master’s degree in Medical Technology and almost 20 years’ expertise of diagnosing parasites by microscopy. He leads studies assessing drug efficacy of anti-parasitic drugs for malaria and intestinal parasites in the Philippines that can guide national treatment policies. He has been a WHO-certified Level 1 malaria microscopist for more than a decade, and an expert trainer in parasite diagnosis.

Dave is a Senior Science Research Specialist at the RITM Department of Parasitology. He has a Master’s degree in Medical Technology and almost 15 years’ expertise in diagnosing parasites by microscopy. He leads the Institute’s National External Quality Assurance Scheme (NEQAS) for Parasitology, contributes to various research projects on malaria and intestinal parasites, develops training curriculums, and trains health workers in parasite diagnosis. He also provides training on biosafety and biosecurity and on molecular diagnosis of parasites. He has been a WHO-certified Level 1 malaria microscopist for almost a decade.

Vanessa is a Science Research Specialist at the RITM Department of Parasitology with a Master’s degree in Microbiology. She has worked on research tackling malaria, lymphatic filariasis, schistosomiasis, and soil-transmitted helminths, including studies on drug efficacy, surveillance systems, and spatial risk mapping. She has co-authored publications in international journals and actively contributes to projects that generate evidence to guide better disease control and elimination programmes in the Philippines.

Cathy is a Science Research Specialist at the RITM Department of Parasitology. She has worked on several studies aimed at improving diagnosis and surveillance of parasitic infections, participated in national surveys, and assessment of drug efficacy and diagnostics.

Modupeh is a postdoctoral researcher. He began his research career at the Medical Research Council (MRC) Unit, The Gambia, where he contributed to studies on a range of infectious pathogens. He completed his PhD at University College London, focusing on the application of functional genomics approaches to the study of infectious diseases, particularly bacterial pathogens.

In the WORMS-SEA programme, Modupeh is leading the bioinformatics data analysis and playing a central role in delivering and coordinating bioinformatics training for the whole team. His work supports the development of Southeast Asia-based analytical capacity and strengthens collaborative research on parasitic and infectious diseases.