Aileen Tan is currently the Director of Centre for Marine and Coastal Studies (CEMACS) in USM and also the
Executive Director of the Asia-Pacific University-Community Engagement Network (APUCEN). She has been
elected as the first woman president of the 56-years old UNITAS Malacologica, which is based in Belgium, from 2013-2016, where she has organised the World Congress of Malacology in Penang, Malaysia in 2016. She was also the Scientific Chair of the World Seafood Congress 2019, held in Penang, Malaysia. She has
convened over 20 international conferences, workshops and symposia, mostly in Malaysia and the ASEAN
egion. Through her involvement in international networks and her active involvement in IOC Sub-Commission
for the Western Pacific (IOC-WESTPAC), Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), World Oyster
Society and UNDP, she has an extensive network of contacts to promote attendance, especially in the ASEAN
region where the Biodiversity Hotspot is located. She has many research collaborations with scientists from
Thailand, Indonesia, Japan, Vietnam, Philippines, China, Australia, USA, UK and Denmark. She is also an
active player in Women’s Academic Leadership: Experiences of a Research University in USM and she is also involved in Regional Gender Workshop on Gender Strategies Implementation in the SEAFDEC/USAID Oceans and Fisheries Partnership in Thailand.