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, 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!. .
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!. .
rupini yesudasan, noor syahira nasarudin, vanitha mariappan, umikalsum mohamed bahari, radhiah kasumen, mohamad azlan masri, mohamad zulfadli kamarudin. (2026). from flower to seed: a multivariate analysis of phenotypic diversity and trait relationships in malaysian liberica coffee (coffea liberica) accessions. - genetic resources and crop evolution. 1 - 16.
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.
kalaivani kalai chelvam, cindy teh shuan ju, sasheela pnnampalavanar, jamuna vadivelu, vanitha mariappan, kumutha malar vellasamy. (2026). the emergence of ndm-1, imp-7, imp-26, imp-62, imp-76, vim-4 and vim-5 producing pseudomonas aeruginosa strains, identification of a novel sequence type (st3891) and analysis of virulence genes from a malaysian tertiary hospital. - plos one. 1 - 17.
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 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.
yue-min lim; jamuna vadivelu; vanitha mariappan; gopinath venkatraman; kumutha malar vellasamy. (2023). effective therapeutic options for melioidosis: antibiotics versus phage therapy. - pathogens. 1-22.
rupini yesudasan, noor syahira nasarudin, vanitha mariappan, umikalsum mohamed bahari, radhiah kasumen, mohamad azlan masri, mohamad zulfadli kamarudin. (2026). from flower to seed: a multivariate analysis of phenotypic diversity and trait relationships in malaysian liberica coffee (coffea liberica) accessions. - genetic resources and crop evolution. 1 - 16.
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.
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.
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.
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.
rupini yesudasan, noor syahira nasarudin, vanitha mariappan, umikalsum mohamed bahari, radhiah kasumen, mohamad azlan masri, mohamad zulfadli kamarudin. (2026). from flower to seed: a multivariate analysis of phenotypic diversity and trait relationships in malaysian liberica coffee (coffea liberica) accessions. - genetic resources and crop evolution. 1 - 16.
kalaivani kalai chelvam, cindy teh shuan ju, sasheela pnnampalavanar, jamuna vadivelu, vanitha mariappan, kumutha malar vellasamy. (2026). the emergence of ndm-1, imp-7, imp-26, imp-62, imp-76, vim-4 and vim-5 producing pseudomonas aeruginosa strains, identification of a novel sequence type (st3891) and analysis of virulence genes from a malaysian tertiary hospital. - plos one. 1 - 17.
nurul anis johari, nurul fathiyah zaipul anuar, fadzilah mohd nor, mohd nasir mohd desa, eng hwa wong, vanitha mariappan, kumutha malar vellasamy, norhayati liaqat ali khan, jamal hussaini, navindra kumari p.. (2026). from human pathogen to protector: recent advances in the immunogenic potential of pneumococcal-derived extracellular membrane vesicles (emvs) . - asia-pacific journal of molecular biology and biotechnology. 206 - 215.
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.
chan kok meng, nurul farhana jufri, nur najmi mohamad anuar, vanitha mariappan. (2025). biologi sars-cov-2. - . 1 - 18.
vanitha mariappan. (2025). perspektif masa hadapan dan kehidupan semasa pandemik covid-19. - . 190 - 214.
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.
preshella venni saravana, vanitha mariapan. (2026). jangkitan penyakit kelamin dan kesihatan reproduktif wanita: isu senyap yang membinggangkan. - dewan kosmik: jendela dbp. .
vanitha mariappan. (2026). mahsiswa ukm meneroka kualiti air di taman tasik titiwangsa. - dewan kosmik: jendela dbp. .
vanitha mariappan, nantha kumar jeyaprakasam, kumutha malar vellasamy. (2026). penulisan manuskrip saintifik bidang sains kesihatan. - . .
vanitha mariappan, nor azura rosidi. (2026). media sosial dan ancaman jangkitan seksual: literasi kesihatan dalam era. - wadah digital ukm. .
vidya lakshmi suresh kumar dan vanitha mariappan. (2026). udang mentah dan risiko escherichia coli: ancaman patogen bawaan makanan. - majalah sains . .
preshella venni saravana, vanitha mariapan. (2026). jangkitan penyakit kelamin dan kesihatan reproduktif wanita: isu senyap yang membinggangkan. - dewan kosmik: jendela dbp. .
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!. .
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. (2026). mahsiswa ukm meneroka kualiti air di taman tasik titiwangsa. - dewan kosmik: jendela dbp. .
vanitha mariappan, nur shawanie mohamad shah, kumutha malar vellasamy, surendran rajaratnam, ismarulyusda ishak . (2026). mind the gap: assessing sexually transmitted diseases knowledge and preventive practices among malaysian undergraduates. - 1st national conference on behavioural sciences in health 2026.. .
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)