Researcher, method-builder, and a stickler for reproducibility

I build molecular tools for tropical agriculture and try to keep the bench work honest, documented and repeatable.

Who I am

A plant biotechnologist working where molecules meet policy

I am Nazrul Hisham Nazaruddin, a researcher at MARDI Biotechnology and Nanotechnology Research Centre in Serdang, Selangor. My days move between two benches: one for CRISPR/Cas genome editing in rice and tomato, and one for the biochemistry of bacterial β-propeller phytases.

I trained in the United States and Japan before returning to Malaysia. That path shaped a conviction that good science travels only when the methods travel with it — so I invest heavily in protocols, controls and clear documentation.

Alongside the bench, I take part in institutional biosafety review, which keeps me close to the question I find most interesting: how does regulation written for classical LMOs adapt to modern, sometimes transgene-free, gene editing?

Background

Education & training

2024

MEng, Biotechnology

Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Japan

Expression, purification and characterisation of a thermostable β-propeller phytase.
Emphasis on calcium coordination and stability under feed-pelleting conditions.

2013

BS, double major

Michigan State University, USA

Biochemistry & Molecular Biology.
Genomics & Molecular Genetics.

How I work

Principles at the bench

Controls first. A result without its controls is a hypothesis, not a finding.
Write the protocol before the pipette moves, and update it the moment reality disagrees.
Let in silico work earn the wet-lab time it saves — model, then test.
Treat biosafety as design input, not paperwork at the end.

Collaborators

People I work with

Research here is a team effort. I am grateful to work alongside colleagues across molecular biology, tissue culture and bioinformatics:

Noriha Mat-Amin Lina Rozano Amin-Asyraf Tamizi Rogayah Sekeli Azlinda-Erny Yunus Rohaiza Ahmad-Redzuan Nasyatul-Ekma Mohd-Hussin

Beyond the lab

A few other things

Languages

English & Bahasa Melayu

I write and present research in both, and enjoy making technical ideas legible across audiences.

Cooking

Malaysian & Middle Eastern

A cook's respect for measurement, timing and mise en place carries surprisingly well into a wet lab.

Open science

Protocols that travel

I share lab protocols and teaching material so methods can be reused, checked and improved.