Sazaly Abu BakarMalaysiaSENIOR PROFESSORTropical Infectious Diseases Research & Education Centre (TIDREC), Higher Institution Centre of Excellence (HICoE), Universiti MalayaSazaly Abu Bakar is a senior professor at Universiti Malaya. He received his PhD and training in virology at the University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, USA. He is the Founder and Executive Director of the Tropical Infectious Diseases Research and Education Center (TIDREC), a Higher Institution Centre of Excellence (HICoE)of the Ministry of Higher Education, Malaysia. He also serves as the director of the WHO Collaborating Centre For Arbovirus Reference & Research (MAA-12) and the Head of the Tick Cell Biobank Asia Outpost. He is a Fellow of the Academy of Sciences Malaysia since 2015. He was the Editor and Chairperson of the subcommittee for the drafting of the first Malaysia Biosafety and Biosecurity Policy and Guidelines. He has over thirty years of research experience in emerging infectious diseases especially in dengue and other arbovirus infections. To date, he has published over three hundred research papers in academic journals and graduated over sixty-five post-graduate students, including Masters and PhD students. He held numerous national and international grants for research, especially in emerging vector-borne infectious diseases. He espouses better health for poverty eradication. Sazaly Abu Bakar is a prominent figure in the field of virology, with significant contributions to the understanding and management of infectious diseases, particularly those caused by arboviruses. His research has been instrumental in elucidating the epidemiology, transmission dynamics, and pathogenesis of viruses such as dengue, chikungunya, and Zika. He has developed innovative diagnostic tools and strategies that have improved the detection and monitoring of these viral infections. His work in molecular virology has advanced the knowledge of virus-host interactions, revealing critical insights into viral replication and immune responses. Furthermore, his research extends to public health, where he has been involved in designing effective disease control and prevention programs. His contributions have been pivotal in addressing emerging viral threats, enhancing global health security, and shaping policies to mitigate the impact of infectious diseases.