pensyarah universiti
pusat kajian toksikologi & risiko kesihatan (core)
vanitha.ma@ukm.edu.my
Kluster Kepakaran/ Cluster of Expertise :
Kesihatan dan Perubatan Termaju,
Biografi/ Biography :
Dr. Vanitha Mariappan is an experienced researcher with a PhD (distinction) in the field of medical microbiology (focusing on bacterial pathogenesis) from the University of Malaya, Malaysia. A recipient of the prestigious National Science Fellowship awarded by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI), Malaysia, Dr. Vanitha has received multiple accolades throughout her career. These include the Merck Young Scientist Award 2010 (First Prize – Bioscience Category), the Wellcome Trust Travel Grant for Young Investigators (2012), and the Young Woman in Science Award (2018) by the Venus Foundation, India.
She has also been awarded competitive international fellowships, such as the University of Malaya Bright Spark Fellowship, the ASEAN–Republic of Korea Academic Exchange Programme (2014), and the Australia-APEC Women in Research Fellowship (2016), reflecting her strong regional and global research engagement.
Dr. Vanitha has authored nearly 60 publications in Web of Science-indexed journals, including numerous Tier 1 and Tier 2 research articles and reviews. Her research portfolio spans intracellular gram-negative bacterial pathogenesis, immunopathogenesis, cell and molecular biology, proteomics, transcriptomics, metabolomics, epidemiology, and bioinformatics.
She currently leads and collaborates on multiple research grants as a principal investigator, co-investigator, and postgraduate mentor, with a strong focus on biofilm-associated antimicrobial resistance in intracellular gram-negative bacteria. In addition to her bench-side work, Dr. Vanitha is actively involved in social and behavioral research, particularly in areas bridging microbiology with public health awareness.
naji naseef pathoor, pitchaipillai sankar ganesh, rajesh kanna gopal, abdul r. anshad, esaki m. shankar, vanitha mariappan, siddhardha busi, simi asma salim, nachammai kathiresan, langeswaran kulanthaivel, ramatchandirane mahesh, parthiban rudrapathy, esaki muthu ponmalar, kitlangki suchiang. (2026). attenuation of biofilm-encoding genes and virulence attributes in clinical isolates of acinetobacter baumannii by essential oil derived from myroxylon balsamum. - scientific reports. 1 - 15.
preshella venni saravana, vanitha mariapan. (2026). jangkitan penyakit kelamin dan kesihatan reproduktif wanita: isu senyap yang membinggangkan. - dewan kosmik: jendela dbp. .
vanitha mariappan. (2026). fsk, ukm anjuran bengkel penulisan manuskrip pelajar sarjana sains bioperubatan. - dewan kosmik: jendela dbp. .
vanitha mariappan, kumutha malar vellasamy. (2026). from clinics to kampungs: bridging the urban – rural divide in malaysia’s fight against antimicrobial resistance. - 62nd annual scientific conference of the malaysian society of parasitology and tropical medicine 2026!. .
vanitha mariappan, nur shawanie mohamad shah, surendran rajaratnam, nor azura rosidi, ismarulyusda ishak. (2026). mind the gap: sexually transmitted diseases knowledge, and prevention among malaysian university students. - 62nd annual scientific conference of the malaysian society of parasitology and tropical medicine 2026!. .
naji naseef pathoor, pitchaipillai sankar ganesh, rajesh kanna gopal, abdul r. anshad, esaki m. shankar, vanitha mariappan, siddhardha busi, simi asma salim, nachammai kathiresan, langeswaran kulanthaivel, ramatchandirane mahesh, parthiban rudrapathy, esaki muthu ponmalar, kitlangki suchiang. (2026). attenuation of biofilm-encoding genes and virulence attributes in clinical isolates of acinetobacter baumannii by essential oil derived from myroxylon balsamum. - scientific reports. 1 - 15.
nur umairah mohd hawary, nor malia abd warif ismarulyusda ishak, arimi fitri mat ludin, barathan muttiah, navindra kumari p, kumutha malar vellasamy and vanitha mariappan. (2025). knowledge, attitude and practices associated with covid-19 among undergraduate students from malaysian public universities during the endemic phase: a cross-sectional study. - bmc public health. 1 - 12.
muhanna mohammed al-shaibani, noraziah mohamad zin, juwairiah remali, nik marzuki sidik, nabil ali al-mekhlafi, vanitha mariappan, asif sukri. (2025). anticancer compounds from streptomyces: insights from metagenomics and mechanistic perspective. - folia microbiologica. 1159 - 1172.
nur hanisah mohamed haris, shanthi krishnasamy, kok-yong chin, vanitha mariappan dan mohan arumugam. (2023). metabolic syndrome screening and nutritional status of patients with psoriasis: a scoping review. - nutrients. 1-18.
khushairy zulpa, barathan muttiah, kumutha malar vellasamy, vanitha mariappan, jamuna vadivelu. (2023). dentatin triggers ros mediated apoptosis, g0/g1 cell cycle arrest and release of th1 related cytokines in colorectal carcinoma cells. - journal of taibah university for science. 1-10.
madihah, m. a., tang, s. g. h., mariappan, v., jufri, n. f., hidayatulfathi, o., rahman, h. s.. (2025). optimization of reaction parameters for the biosynthesis of selenium nanoparticles mediated by backhousia citriodora aqueous extract. - applied ecology and environmental research. 1203 - 1221.
nurul fathiyah zaipul anuar, mohd nasir mohd desa, jamal hussaini, eng hwa wong, vanitha mariappan, kumutha malar vellasamy, navindra kumari p. (2024). role of cell surface proteins and toll-like receptors in the pathogenesis of streptococcus pneumoniae. - iranian journal of basic medical sciences. 214-222.
barathan muttiah, norhayati mohd nasir, vanitha mariappan, jamuna vadivelu, kumutha malar vellasamy, seong linyap, . (2024). targeting colon cancer and normal cells with cold plasma-activated water: exploring cytotoxic effects and cellular responses. - physics of plasmas. 1 - 14.
muttiah barathan, kumutha malar vellasamy, · vanitha mariappan, gopinath venkatraman, · jamuna vadivelu . (2024). naturally occurring phytochemicals to target breast cancer cell signaling. - applied biochemistry and biotechnology. 4644 - 4660.
zainora mohammed, qiu-ting kee, norliza mohamad fadzil, mohd harimi abd rahman, normah che din, vanitha mariappan, suzana shahar. (2023). association between vision and cognitive function among community-dwelling older adults in selangor, malaysia. - international journal of ophthalmology. 115-120.
naji naseef pathoor, pitchaipillai sankar ganesh, rajesh kanna gopal, abdul r. anshad, esaki m. shankar, vanitha mariappan, siddhardha busi, simi asma salim, nachammai kathiresan, langeswaran kulanthaivel, ramatchandirane mahesh, parthiban rudrapathy, esaki muthu ponmalar, kitlangki suchiang. (2026). attenuation of biofilm-encoding genes and virulence attributes in clinical isolates of acinetobacter baumannii by essential oil derived from myroxylon balsamum. - scientific reports. 1 - 15.
nur insyirah mohd razalan, shanthi krishnasamy, barathan muttiah, mohan arumugam, navindra kumari palanisamy, kumutha malar vellasamy, vanitha mariappan. (2025). identification of virulence genes and antimicrobial susceptibility of escherichia coli: comparison between plaque psoriasis and healthy donor faecal samples. - asia pacific journal of molecular biology and biotechnology. 31 - 39.
muhanna mohammed al-shaibani, noraziah mohamad zin, juwairiah remali, nik marzuki sidik, nabil ali al-mekhlafi, vanitha mariappan, asif sukri. (2025). anticancer compounds from streptomyces: insights from metagenomics and mechanistic perspective. - folia microbiologica. 1159 - 1172.
huey shin tan, harvinder kaur gilcharan singh, vanitha mariappan, nor aini jamil, suhaili naim mustapa, snigdha misra. (2025). short-term effect of non-nutritive sweeteners (sucralose and saccharin) consumption on glycaemic control and gut microbiota in type 2 diabetes patients: study protocol for a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled, crossover trial. - jmir research protocols. 1 - 8.
madihah, m. a., tang, s. g. h., mariappan, v., jufri, n. f., hidayatulfathi, o., rahman, h. s.. (2025). optimization of reaction parameters for the biosynthesis of selenium nanoparticles mediated by backhousia citriodora aqueous extract. - applied ecology and environmental research. 1203 - 1221.
naji naseef pathoor, pitchaipillai sankar ganesh, rajesh kanna gopal, arun prabhu govindasamy, sam jabaraj ramesh, gulshan wadhwa, esaki m. ponmalar, vanitha mariappan, and esaki m. shankar. (2025). microbiomes and biofilms: fundamentals and translational applications. - . 91 - 127.
vanitha mariappan. (2025). perspektif masa hadapan dan kehidupan semasa pandemik covid-19. - . 190 - 214.
chan kok meng, nurul farhana jufri, nur najmi mohamad anuar, vanitha mariappan. (2025). biologi sars-cov-2. - . 1 - 18.
preshella venni saravana, vanitha mariapan. (2026). jangkitan penyakit kelamin dan kesihatan reproduktif wanita: isu senyap yang membinggangkan. - dewan kosmik: jendela dbp. .
vanitha mariappan. (2026). fsk, ukm anjuran bengkel penulisan manuskrip pelajar sarjana sains bioperubatan. - dewan kosmik: jendela dbp. .
vanitha mariappan. (2025). pelajar ukm meneroka laluan kerjaya dalam seminar sains bioperubatan. - dewan kosmik: jendela dbp. .
bashobhini suresh kumar, vanitha mariappan, barathan muttiah, nantha kumar jeyaprakasam, kumutha malar vellasamy, hemabarathy bharatham. (2025). kajian awal penyediaan dan penilaian krim kosmeseutikal antioksidan berasaskan minyak pati trigonella foenum-graecum. - jurnal sains kesihatan malaysia . 80 - 93.
vanitha mariappan. (2025). pelajar sains bioperubatan ukm didedahkan kepada teknologi mikroskp elektron . - dewan kosmik: jendela dbp. .
preshella venni saravana, vanitha mariapan. (2026). jangkitan penyakit kelamin dan kesihatan reproduktif wanita: isu senyap yang membinggangkan. - dewan kosmik: jendela dbp. .
vanitha mariappan. (2026). fsk, ukm anjuran bengkel penulisan manuskrip pelajar sarjana sains bioperubatan. - dewan kosmik: jendela dbp. .
vanitha mariappan, kumutha malar vellasamy. (2026). from clinics to kampungs: bridging the urban – rural divide in malaysia’s fight against antimicrobial resistance. - 62nd annual scientific conference of the malaysian society of parasitology and tropical medicine 2026!. .
vanitha mariappan, nur shawanie mohamad shah, surendran rajaratnam, nor azura rosidi, ismarulyusda ishak. (2026). mind the gap: sexually transmitted diseases knowledge, and prevention among malaysian university students. - 62nd annual scientific conference of the malaysian society of parasitology and tropical medicine 2026!. .
theenischa mageswaran , surendran rajaratnam , ismarulyusda isyak, vanitha mariappan. (2025). the knowledge, attitude and practices towards sexually transmitted diseases among undergraduates in universiti kebangsaan malaysia. - 1st international biomedical conference 2025. .
| Geran / Grant | Kolaborator / Collaborator | Status |
|---|---|---|
| UNVEILING SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASES AMONG UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS AT UNIVERSITI KEBANGSAAN MALAYSIA: PERCEPTION, BEHAVIOUR AND AWARENESS | rb (health) malaysia sdn. bhd. | 91.9% (2024-06-15 sehingga 2026-06-14) |
MEDICAL MICROBIOLOGY :CLINICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES
Bacterial pathogenesis/ Host-pathogen interaction/ Antimicrobial
Pengalaman / Experience : 15 tahun/years(s)
MIKROBIOLOGI PERSEKITARAN :BIOLOGY
Soil pathogens
Pengalaman / Experience : 12 tahun/years(s)
MEDICAL MOLECULAR BIOLOGY :BASIC MEDICAL SCIENCES
Transcriptomics
Pengalaman / Experience : 15 tahun/years(s)