First woman to head Malaysian Higher Education Department

Prof Datuk Dr Asma Ismail is the new Director-General for Higher Education Department, making her the first woman ever to be appointed to the post.

She replaces Prof Datuk Dr Morshidi Sirat, who announced her appointment here at the Education Ministry on Thursday.

Prof Asma has been the Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia vice-chancellor for the past one and a half years and is also the current Academy of Sciences Malaysia vice-president.

She holds a Bachelor of Biology and a PhD in Cellular and Molecular Biology from the University of Nevada and a Masters in Microbiology from Indiana University, both in the United States.