Taxonomy of harmful species
First records of toxic and fish-killing dinoflagellates in Malaysian waters, including Alexandrium tamiyavanichii in Kuantan Port and Margalefidinium (Cochlodinium) polykrikoides on the Peninsular coast.
About
Reading the ocean through its smallest cells
Dr. Normawaty Mohammad Noor studies the taxonomy and ecology of marine algae, with a particular focus on Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs): the microscopic species behind red tides, fish kills and paralytic shellfish poisoning.
With more than 20 years of experience, she has published widely, authored three books, and is now writing an undergraduate textbook on marine science. Her work led to the development of Malaysia's early warning system for harmful algal blooms, built with the Department of Fisheries.
She serves as a grant reviewer for the Ministry of Higher Education and has been an invited speaker and visiting researcher at institutions in Indonesia and France.
Algal taxonomyPhytoplankton ecologyDinoflagellates & diatomsParalytic shellfish toxinsHAB early warningAI-based microalgae identificationSeaweed biologyIslamic perspectives on marine science
Education
- PhD, BiologyUniversity of Copenhagen, Denmark
- MSc, Biology / Marine ScienceUniversiti Putra Malaysia
- BSc, Biology / Marine ScienceUniversiti Putra Malaysia
Invited speaker & visiting researcher
- IfremerConcarneau, France
- Universitas Gadjah MadaYogyakarta, Indonesia
- Universitas DiponegoroSemarang, Indonesia
- Universitas Borneo TarakanTarakan, Indonesia
Research
From the microscope to a national warning system
Early warning & forecasting
Malaysia's HAB early warning system with the Department of Fisheries, extended with IoT water-quality sensing, machine-learning bloom forecasting and AI-driven microalgae identification.
Bloom control & applied algae
Composite membranes and chitosan-based films for bloom mitigation, alongside seaweed cultivation and bioactive compounds from green seaweeds.
Publications
Selected journal articles
Books
Books
IIUM Press · 2024Tropical Marine: Diatoms and Dinoflagellates
Darul Tahsin · 2022Laws and Functions of the Oceans
IIUM Press · 2018Harmful Algae of Malaysia
In progress: an undergraduate textbook on marine science.
Funding
Research grants
Recent activities
In the field and at the table
2026
Fisheries Impact Assessment workshop
Took part in a Department of Fisheries workshop to strengthen fisheries impact assessment.
Invited presenter, Fisheries Climate Change Action Plan
Presented at the Fisheries Sector Climate Change Action Plan Empowerment Programme with stakeholders.
2025
2–28 November 2025 · Concarneau, France
Staff mobility at Ifremer
A month at Ifremer building technical and methodological capacity in the study of HAB cysts: taxonomy, microscopy, sediment extraction, single-cell manipulation and molecular sequencing.
Guest on the Fisheries Talks podcast
Invited by the Department of Fisheries at UGM to speak on “Teknologi AI untuk Identifikasi di Masa Hadapan” (AI technology for future identification) and the role of artificial intelligence in species identification.
IFS 2025 preparatory meeting
Joined the preparatory meeting for the 13th International Fisheries Symposium, held later that year in Semarang.
Conferences · last 5 years
Conferences attended
- Jun 2026International Applied Biology Conference 202621–23 June · The Everly Putrajaya, Malaysia
- Oct 202513th International Fisheries Symposium6–9 October · Semarang, Indonesia
- Nov12th International Fisheries Symposium19–22 November · Hakodate, Hokkaido, Japan
- Online4th Asia Pacific Regional Conference on Food Security
- 20222nd Applied Science Research International ConferenceVirtual · Ipoh International Summit on Professionalism, Research and Education
- 202119th International Conference on Harmful AlgaeLa Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico