Dr Amal A. M. Elgharbawy, Ts.

Dr. Amal A. M. Elgharbawy

Researcher, Universitas Indo Global Mandiri, Indonesia · Former Associate Professor and Head of Research, INHART, IIUM · Open to academic appointments

Dr Amal A. M. Elgharbawy is a biotechnology engineer and Registered Professional Technologist (Ts.) whose research links green process chemistry with product development for the food, pharmaceutical, cosmetic and agricultural sectors. She is currently a Researcher in the Biology Study Program, Faculty of Computer Science and Science, Universitas Indo Global Mandiri, Palembang, Indonesia. In 2026 she was listed among the World's Top 2% Scientists (Stanford University–Elsevier, single-year citation impact; subfield Biotechnology).

From 2018 to 2026 she was a faculty member at the International Institute for Halal Research and Training (INHART), International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM). She progressed from Research Fellow to Associate Professor (2025–2026) and served as Head of Research (2021–2025), leading the institute's grant strategy, reviewing staff proposals and building transdisciplinary research clusters with other faculties and universities. She has also taught as Visiting and Adjunct Professor at Universitas Brawijaya, Indonesia.

Her research centres on ionic liquids and deep eutectic solvents, screened computationally with COSMO-RS and applied to enzyme biocatalysis, nanoemulsion formulation, antimicrobial systems and nanomaterial synthesis. She has led eight funded projects, contributed to ten more, and holds patents on ionic-liquid and deep-eutectic-solvent nanoemulsion systems.

She has taught undergraduate and postgraduate courses in Halal science, product development and research methodology, supervised four PhD and three master's graduates, and serves as an editor and reviewer for Springer Nature and MDPI journals. She is a member of the American Chemical Society (ACS) and the Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSD). She holds a PhD and an MSc in Biotechnology Engineering from IIUM and a BSc in Biochemistry from King Abdulaziz University, Saudi Arabia.

Researcher (2026 - Present)

Biology Study Program, Faculty of Computer Science and Science, Universitas Indo Global Mandiri, Palembang, Indonesia.

• Conducting research in green process technology, ionic-liquid nanoemulsions and COSMO-RS-guided formulation, and building research collaborations with Indonesian and international partners.

Associate Professor (Jan 2025 - Jul 2026)

International Institute for Halal Research and Training (INHART), IIUM, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

• Designed and delivered undergraduate and postgraduate courses with student-centred teaching, laboratory sessions and curricula aligned with programme outcomes.

• Supervised final-year, master’s and PhD students in research design, academic writing and professional development.

• Led and contributed to interdisciplinary research projects, secured competitive grants and published in peer-reviewed journals.

• Contributed to institutional development through academic leadership, committee service and quality assurance.

• Engaged in community outreach and industry collaboration to promote research translation, professional training and societal impact.

Head of Research (Jul 2021 - Jun 2025)

International Institute for Halal Research and Training (INHART), IIUM, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

• Set the institute’s strategy for ministry, industry and international grant funding, aligned with INHART’s niche research areas.

• Monitored grant progress and the timely delivery of research outputs.

• Formed transdisciplinary research clusters with other faculties and universities.

• Trained staff and students in grant writing, publication and research management.

Assistant Professor (Jul 2020 - Dec 2024)

International Institute for Halal Research and Training (INHART), IIUM, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

• Trainer in Halal entrepreneurship and Halal certification programmes for SMEs and international partners.

• Developed projects that obtained national and international grants to support postgraduate students and researchers.

• Supervised and advised postgraduate students throughout their studies.

• Built research collaborations with universities and institutes in Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, Thailand and the USA.

• Taught undergraduate and postgraduate Halal science courses.

Research Fellow (Aug 2018 - Jul 2020)

International Institute for Halal Research and Training (INHART), IIUM, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

• Facilitator and co-trainer for Halal certification programmes for SMEs, including Certified Halal Executive training (2019).

• Developed projects to obtain national and international grants to support postgraduate students and researchers.

• Co-supervised postgraduate students and mentored interns and visiting researchers.

• Built research collaborations with universities and institutes in Malaysia and abroad.

Research Associate ( Aug 2017- July 2018)

University of Malaya (UM), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

• In-depth knowledge of enzyme stability in different solvents

• Knowledge of the proper conduct of research management (research grant, research proposal, execution, data and time management).

• Skill improvement on colleagues’ assistance, teamwork, and research discussion.

Private Tutor for science subjects (A/O levels)  (Aug 2016-Jul 2018 )

Creative Language Center (CLC), Jalan Jelatek, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 

• Private tutor for mathematics, Chemistry and Biology  (O/A) level

Graduate Research Assistant (Feb 2012 – July 2013 & Feb 2014- June 2016 ) 

Department of Biotechnology Engineering, IIUM, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 

• • Knowledge of solid-state fermentation, production of microbial enzymes, waste management, and other relevant experience. 

  • Project and research management (execution & documentation).

  • Design experiments and statistical analysis of data.

  • Ionic liquids and their applications

Biotechnology Laboratory Demonstrator (Feb 2012 – June 2017)

Department of Biotechnology Engineering, IIUM, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 

• Ensuring safety procedure during laboratory sessions

• Preparation for the lab session including the chemical, microbial strains, and equipment to be used to achieve the objectives of the experiment.

Engineering Drawing Academic Tutor (Sep 2013-Dec 2013)

 Manufacturing and Materials Engineering Department, IIUM, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 

• Demonstrate during drawing sessions

• Assessment of reports and quizzes

• Solid Works basic skills

High School Teacher and Homeroom Teacher  (Sep 2009- July 2011)

Al-Andalus Private Schools, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia 

Subjects:

• Chemistry 

• Biology 

• Environmental studies 

• COSMO-RS-guided solvent design: predicting how ionic liquids and deep eutectic solvents interact with drugs, bioactives and enzymes before laboratory work.

• Ionic-liquid nanoemulsions: stable carriers for antimicrobial, nematicidal and agricultural uses, including nanofertilisers developed with IPB University.

• Preservation and wound-healing systems: amino-acid-based ionic liquids for food preservation and fish by-product nanoemulsions tested in zebrafish.

• Green nanomaterials for sensing: solvent-mediated synthesis of nanomaterials for electrochemical biosensors.

• Enzyme biocatalysis: lipase and cellulase stability and activation in green solvents and on nanocarriers.

• Halal industry and wellbeing: Halal biopharmaceuticals, Halal entrepreneurship education and Halal-Toyyib nutrition and lifestyle.

1. Arabic: native speaker

2. English: full professional proficiency (IELTS 7.5), with a PhD and eight years at an English-medium university

3. Japanese: beginner (speaking)

4. Korean: beginner (speaking)

5. Malay: beginner (speaking)

6. Indonesian: currently studying

• • Microsoft Project and Microsoft Office

  • Design of Experiments (Design-Expert, Minitab)

  • IBM SPSS, GraphPad Prism and OriginLab Origin

  • COSMO-RS (COSMOtherm) computational screening

  • ATLAS.ti and NVivo (qualitative analysis)

  • Scientific writing and bibliometric analysis

  • Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator; website design