Datin Paduka Professor Dr Dayang Hajah Zohrah binti Haji Sulaiman (Datin Professor Dr. Zohrah) began her career as a school teacher in 1988. A year later, she joined Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD). She obtained BSc Tech (Hons) in Applied Biology from the University of Wales Institute of Science and Technology, Cardiff (United Kingdom) in 1987, MSc in Food Science from the University of Reading (United Kingdom) in 1988, and PhD (Genetics) from the University of Southampton (United Kingdom) in 1994. She was Deputy Vice-Chancellor at UBD before transferring to Universiti Teknologi Brunei (UTB) in 2013 and was appointed Vice-Chancellor on 1st January 2015. She spearheaded the transformation agenda of Universiti Teknologi Brunei (UTB). Today, UTB has evolved from an unknown to a known University, ranks in the QS University Ranking in both the World and Asia, QS Sustainability, Top 10 in ASEAN, and is the nation’s only 5 Star-Plus University.

She was accorded the ASAIHL Fellow in 1996, the national nominee for the ASEAN Young Scientist and Technologist Award in 1998 and sat on various committees of ASEAN Committee on Science and Technology (ASEAN-COST in short) including as Chairman of the Advisory Board on ASEAN Plan of Action for Science and Technology (2006-2008), Chair (2011-2014) and national focal point (2002-2014) of the ASEAN-COST Sub-Committee on Biotechnology. Recognising her contribution to ASEAN-COST, she was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal of ASEAN Science and Technology in July 2008. On 30th November 2021, Datin Professor Dr. Zohrah was conferred an Honorary Fellow by the ASEAN Federation of Engineering Organisation (AFEO) for her contributions to spearheading the transformation of UTB into a world-class university. She is also a founding member of the Asian Society of Ichthyologists (2014-). She serves as a member of several national committees, including the Brunei Research Council, Authority for Info-communications Technology Industry (AITI), BDTVEC Council, National Accreditation Council and Knowledge Convention (Majlis Ilmu), and Centre for Strategic and Policy Studies (CSPS).

Her research interests are biodiversity, aquaculture, molecular phylogeny, and biogeography of fishes. In 2006, she discovered three new Gastromyzon fishes (Gastromyzon aeroides, Gastromyzon cranbrooki, and Gastromyzon venustus) in the Temburong River with her co-researchers from the National University of Singapore. In 2021, together with her fellow researchers, she discovered new freshwater species of mussels in Borneo. (https://www.nottingham.edu.my/NewsEvents/News/2021/Scientists-discover-two-new-species-and-new-genus-of-freshwater-mussels-in-Borneo.aspx).

She co-owned two patents involving biodiesel production from local paddy “Laila” with her PhD student. She taught genetics, population genetics, and molecular genetics at UBD (1994-2013) and continued teaching UBD students voluntarily from 2013-2022. She was appointed as an adjunct Professor at UBD (2020-2022), an Honorary Professor in the College of Science at Swansea University, UK (2018-2023), and currently a Professor of Biology at the School of Applied Sciences and Mathematics, UTB since 29th October 2020.

She received five state honorary medals from His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam: PIKB medal in 2001, Bintang PSB in 2006, Bintang SMB in 2011, Bintang SNB in 2017 and Bintang DPMB in 2022.

She is married to Dr Haji Kassim bin Haji Daud and blessed with a son.