Awards and Honors

Year Award/Honor, Awarding Institution
Professional Honors and Lectures
2013 Malaysian Biotechnology Information Center (MABIC) Distinguished Fellow. MABIC is housed in Monash University (Australian University from Melbourne – Malaysian Branch)
2012/13 - 16/17 Program External Assessor (UM.R/PA2/614/3/ISB), for the Bachelor of Science (Microbiology, University Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
2013 Honorary Research Fellow to the High Impact Research Group, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – First one to be appointed.
2013 - 2015 International Advisory Board Member, Board of Studies in Biotechnology, Alagappa University, Karaikudi, Tamil Nadu, India.
2013 Speaker at John A. Ferguson Senior High School Women of Tomorrow Chapter, a national mentoring and scholarship program (4/23/2013).
2013 Organizing Chair, 3rd Annual International Conference on Tropical Medicine, Miami, FL.
2012 Keynote Speaker at the 1st International Conference on Tropical Medicine and Infectious Diseases: Current Trends, Challenges & Issues. 4th -7th Dec, Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia.
2012 Plenary Speaker at the 19th Scientific Meeting of The Malaysian Society for Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (MSMBB) - From Local to Global: Highlighting the Success of Malaysian Bioscientists. 31st Oct to 1st Nov, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
2012 Organizing Chair, 2nd Annual International Conference on Tropical Medicine, Miami, FL.
2012 FIU – Program in the Study of Spirituality Civic Engagement Award.
2012 Member, National Academy of Inventors (Florida Chapter)
2011 Organizing Chair, Inaugural Conference on Tropical Medicine, Miami, FL.
2011 Plenary Lecture in University of South Florida, St. Petersgburg Fall Genome Festival on Sequentia – Copresented with South Florida Artist, Xavier Cortada. http://www.xaviercortada.com/events/event_details.asp?id=176120, November
2011 FIU President’s Council Worlds Ahead Faculty Award in recognition of outstanding achievement as a student-centered professor who makes an impact and exceeds expectations http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wacRdh0ekiQ
2011 FIU – Faculty Award for Excellence in Mentorship
2010 Keynote Speaker, 3rd Annual Undergraduate Research Life Symposium, Biology Honor Socety – Tribeta Chapter. March 27th. Genes, Greens and 65 Roses – the Pseudomonas aeruginosa connection
2010 Finalist, FIU President's Council Outstanding Faculty Award in recognition of sustained excellence in Teaching, Research and Service
2010 Panel Discussion Member, "Sequentia", November 10th, Target Wednesday After Hours, The Patricia and Phillip Frost Art Museum, Florida International University. Announcing the Genetic Sequence results from the participatory installation with Xavier Cortada.
2010 - FIU Provost’s Chair’s Advisory Council
2010 - Member, Board of Advisors, International Forensic Science Research Program, College of Arts and Sciences, Florida International University
07/2010 Session Chair, 11th Asian-Pacific Conference on Transcription (ACT-11), July 1st – 5th, Okinawa, Japan
2009 Editorial Board, Journal of Medical Microbiology (a SGM Journal). Associate Editor, BMC Microbiology
2008 Session Chair, 10th Asian-Pacific Conference on Transcription (ACT-X), Jan 13th – 16th, Bangalore, India.
2007 Requested to give Faculty Invocation at the 2007 Faculty Convocation at the Florida International University, October 5th, 2007, Miami, FL.
2005 Session Chair, 9th Asian-Pacific Conference on Transcription (ACT-IX), Dec 12th – 15th, Taipei, Taiwan.
2004 FIU – Excellence in Research Award (Carries a monetary value of $3,000).
2003 Appointed as a member of American Society for Microbiology Committee on Personnel Planning for the period of 7/03 to 6/06.
2003 ZIA Symposium Scholarship to participate at their 2003 Zia Symposium on Research Careers in Bioinformatics: An Emerging Challenge for Undergraduate Education. New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, New Mexico. March 14th – 15th, 2003.
2003 Invited to become a Member of The International Advisory Committee for 2003-2005. The XI International Congress of Bacteriology and Applied Microbiology, San Francisco, USA, July 24th – 29th.
2003 Session Chair, 8th Asian Conference on Transcription (ACT-VIII), Bangkok, Thailand. Nov. 16th – 19th.
2002 I was invited to attend an exclusive meeting on “Phage therapy – Potential and Challenges” held at The Banbury Center, Cold Spring harbor Laboratory, 13-15 November 2002.
2002 Chair, Scientific Organizing Committee, 7th Asian Conference on Transcription. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. July 23rd – 27th, 2002 www.fiu.edu/~act_vii. (Check the website for comments from attendees)
2000 Ranjit Bhagwan Singh Fellowship. Invited by the Academy of Sciences Malaysia to conduct a one-week workshop on “Bacteria Cell-to-Cell Communication” under the program of The Dr. Ranjit Bhagwan Singh Medical Research Fund on 17-20th October 2000, at University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
1998 The European Cystic Fibrosis Conference Berlin, Germany. In the “Late Breaking Science” session. K. Mathee, O. Ciofu, N. Høiby, D. Ohman, S. Molin and A. Kharazmi. Mucoid conversion of Pseudomonas aeruginosa by activated polymorphonuclear leukocytes: a mechanism for virulence activation in the cystic fibrosis lung.
Media and Web Stories
2013 Spanish-English Documentary on “Self” - "Tinkering with human DNA - Are we going too far?" Coral Gables Cinema, US Premier Screening
2013 Petr Dish January Issue, Pg 5, “Tropical and infectious diseases come under the scope”
2012 University Malaya High Impact Research News – November Issue http://hir.um.edu.my/?modul=artikel&pilihan=papar&id=1655
2012 Petr Dish December Issue, Pg 4, "Kalai shares her success story" http://www.bic.org.my/images/publications/petridish/pd-2012-12.pdf
2012 Petr Dish November Issue, Pg 4, "Genes, Greens and 65 roses" http://www.bic.org.my/images/publications/petridish/pd-2012-11.pdf
2012 University Malaya High Impact Research News –Novemeber Issue
2012 Spanish Documentary on "Self" - "Tinkering with human DNA - Are we going too far?" Caracas, Venzeula (International Premier Screening)
2012 Mysore News, India twice: http://www.starofmysore.com/searchinfo.asp?search1=32796&search2=newsheadlines http://www.starofmysore.com/searchinfo.asp?search1=32822&search2=newsheadlinesp>
2012 Write-up in Science about my role in the Sequentia Exhibit. Science 331, no 6017, p548. Genome Sequencing Anniversary: painting the Genome for the public. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-NxMtujvWE&feature=youtu.be
2011 Training of Frost Museum Docents for MLK@TheFrost: http://www.sciencemag.org/content/331/6017/548.2.full
2011 Professor of the Year: YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wacRdh0ekiQ
2010 Exhibit at the Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum – Sequentia http://www.xaviercortada.com/events/event_details.asp?id=69469 http://wetheat.tv/Cortada-ThatHappened.html
2010 Worlds Ahead FIU: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cE0DfaSKbDQ
2009 Launching of Worlds Ahead: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwQo0PMi_c0
2004 Featured in "Faculty Profiles", Fall 2004 FIU Magazine.
2004 Miami Herald article about my lab and research was featured in FIU home page as a banner article.
2004 Article featured my lab and the research on Sunday Nov 14th issue of Miami Herald
2002 An interview with Semparuthi, Tamil Daily News, Malaysia (http://www.semparuthi.com/)
2009 Cyber Interview conducted by the Institution of Research Management and Consultancy, University of Malaya.
2001 "Women in Science: A Personal Reflection" – FIU Diversity Magazine
Keynote and Plenary Lectures
2012 Keynote Speaker at the 1st International Conference on Tropical Medicine and Infectious Diseases: Current Trends, Challenges & Issues. 4th -7th Dec, Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia.
2012 Plenary Speaker at th 19th Scientific Meeting of The Malaysian Society for Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (MSMBB) - From Local to Global: Highlighting the Success of Malaysian Bioscientists. 31st Oct to 1st Nov, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
2011 Plenary Lecture in University of South Florida, St. Petersgburg Fall Genome Festival on Sequentia – Copresented with South Florida Artist, Xavier Cortada. http://www.xaviercortada.com/events/event_details.asp?id=176120, November
2010 Keynote Speaker, 3rd Annual Undergraduate Research Life Symposium, Biology Honor Socety – Tribeta Chapter. March 27th. Genes, Greens and 65 Roses – the Pseudomonas aeruginosa connection
1998 The European Cystic Fibrosis Conference Berlin, Germany. In the “Late Breaking Science” session. K. Mathee, O. Ciofu, N. Høiby, D. Ohman, S. Molin and A. Kharazmi. Mucoid conversion of Pseudomonas aeruginosa by activated polymorphonuclear leukocytes: a mechanism for virulence activation in the cystic fibrosis lung. June.
Invited Lectures
2013 103rd OMICS Group Conference Sumposium, Las Vegas, CA, Septemeber 16-17th. Intricate regulatory circuit of Pseudomonas aeruginosa AmpR revealed through whole genome approach.
2013 Ganggagen, Bangalore, India, July 10th. Genes, Greens and 65 Roses – the Pseudomonas aeruginosa connection.
2013 Genotypic India, July 5th.Genes, Greens and 65 Roses – the Pseudomonas aeruginosa connection.
2013 Monash University, Australia - Malaysian Branch. July 2nd Genes, Greens and 65 Roses – the Pseudomonas aeruginosa connection.
2013 University of Tungku Abdul Rahman, Kampar, Perak, Malaysia. June 25th. Genes, Greens and 65 Roses – the Pseudomonas aeruginosa connection.
2013 Department of Biochemistry, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan. April 16th. Genes, Greens and 65 Roses – the Pseudomonas aeruginosa connection.
2013 Aravind Eye Hospital, Madurai, Tamilnadu, India, April 12th. Genes, Greens and 65 Roses – the Pseudomonas aeruginosa connection.
2013 Emminent Speaker Series, Algappa University, Karaikudi, taminadu, India, April 11th. Where science meets Art - Sequentia
2013 Visiting Faculty Lectures, Department of Biotechnology, Alagappa University, Karaikudi, Tamil Nadu, India - Microbial Metagenomics to Better Understand the Composition of Cystic Fibrosis Lung Microbiome - Beta-lactam Resistance in Pseudomonas aeruginosa - Alginate and Pseudomonas aeruginosa - In Search of Alternate Therapy – Interference with Microbial Messaging - How to Read, Critique and Write a Scientific Paper? - How to Give an Effective Presentation?
2012 Department of Microbiology, University of Mysore, Mysore, India. July 11th. Genes, Greens and 65 Roses – the Pseudomonas aeruginosa connection with emphasis on alternate therapy
2012 Mysore Medical College & Research Institute, Mysore, India. July 10th. Genes, Greens and 65 Roses – the Pseudomonas aeruginosa connection with emphasis on antibiotic resistance
2012 JSS Medical College & Research Institute, Mysore, India. July 10th. Genes, Greens and 65 Roses – the Pseudomonas aeruginosa connection with emphasis on alginate production
2012 High Impach Researh Center, University Malaya, October 2nd, Genes, Greens and 65 Roses – the Pseudomonas aeruginosa connection.
2012 College of Science and Biotechnology, Chungnam University, Daejon, South Korea. Genes, Greens and 65 Roses – the Pseudomonas aeruginosa connection. June
2012 Target Wednesday After Hours, November 10th, The Patricia and Phillip Frost Art Museum, Florida International University. Sequentia: Genetic Sequence Analysis
2012 11th Asian-Oceanic Conference on Transcription (ACT-11), July 1st – 4th, Okinawa, Japan. Pseudomonas aeruginosa AmpR, a LysR-Type regulator is essential for inducing expression of AmpC ß-lactamase
2009 Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine Distinguished Seminar Series. Nov 20th: Genes, Greens and 65 Roses – the Pseudomonas aeruginosa connection.
2009 Two lectures: Mount Sinai Hospital, Miami Beach, Florida. Oct 2nd: Mutations and Repair Systems; Oct 4th: Polymerase Chain Reaction
2009 Mount Sinai Hospital, Miami Beach, Florida. Aug 24th. DNA Replication
2009 Mount Sinai Hospital, Miami Beach, Florida. Aug 24th. The Chemical Nature of the Gene
2009 Grand Rounds at Mount Sinai Hospital, Miami Beach, Florida. June 19th. Pseudomonas aeruginosa: How do we combat chronic Infections in cystic fibrosis?
2009 Grand Rounds, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, University of Miami, FL. March 4th. Molecular genetic studies of Pseudomonas aeruginosa pathogenicity.
2008 St. Lucie – Okeechobee County Medical Society Annual Education conference. Nov 8th. Vaccination
2008 Wright Symposium. Jackson Laboratories, Oct 1st – 5th. Bangor, Maine. Pseudomonas aeruginosa and cystic fibrosis
2008 Mount Sinai Hospital, Miami Beach, Florida. May 23rd: Polymerase Chain Reaction
2008 Mount Sinai Hospital, Miami Beach, Florida. - April 4th: Chromosome Structure and The Chemical Nature of the Gene - April 18th: DNA Replication - April 25th: Mutations and Repair Systems
2008 9th Comparative Immunology Symposium. Immunodiversity: Cellular and molecular interactions. Miami, FL. Mar 6th – 7th. Dynamics of Pseudomonas aeruginosa genome evolution.
2008 10th Asian-Pacific Conference on Transcription (ACT-X), Jan 13th – 16th, Bangalore, India. Regions of genome plasticity in Pseudomonas aeruginosa revealed by comparative genomics.
2007 Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India. Potential application of microbial metagenome profiling using amplicon length heterogeneity-polymerase chain reaction (ALH-PCR) for polymicrobial diseases. December
2007 8th Biomedical and Comparative Immunology Symposium. Immunodiversity: Cellular and molecular interactions. The ability of the South Florida medicinal plants to inhibit bacterial virulence through interruption of cell-cell communication. March
2007 Pseudomonas aeruginosa amp genes and ß-lactam resistance. Lory Lab Meeting, Harvard Medical School, February
2006 1st First International Conference on Forensic Science, Costa Rica. Potential application of microbial metagenome profiling using amplicon length heterogeneity-polymerase chain reaction (ALH-PCR) for crime scene investigations. November
2006 Pseudomonas aeruginosa algO encodes a putative periplasmic protease that is a positive regulator of alginate production, Lory Lab Meeting, Harvard Medical School. September.
2006 MGH Monthly Pathogenesis Club, Department of Molecular Biology. MGH, Boston. Pseudomonas aeruginosa algO encodes a putative periplasmic protease that is a positive regulator of alginate production. September
2005 9th Asian Conference on Transcription (ACT-IX), Taipei, Taiwan. Prc(tsp), a novel protease involved in the regulation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa extracytoplasmic function sigma factor AlgT/U. December.
2005 Second Annual McNair Post Baccalaureate Achievement Program 2005 Summer Research Institute Closing Ceremony, FIU. How does one measure the success of the McNair Program? July.
2005 7th Comparative Immunology Symposium. Immunodiversity: Cellular and molecular interactions. Pseudomonas aeruginosa AmpR is a global transcriptional factor that regulates expression of AmpC and PoxB b-lactamases, proteases, quorum sensing and other virulence factors. March
2005 Annual FIU College of Science’s External Advisory Board Meeting, Colonnade Hotel, Coral Gables, Miami Florida. Biomedical and forensic research training: The role of students. February
2004 Forensic Science Symposium 2004, Ft Lauderdale, FL (2/27 to 2/28). Nonhuman DNA: Application of microbial community analysis for crime scene investigations.
2004 FIU Department of Biological Sciences Seminar Series. Nonhuman DNA: Application of microbial community analysis for crime scene investigations. March
2004 80th Annual American Chemical Society Meeting – FAME 2004. Orlando, FL. May 6th to 8th. Mathee, K., D. Mills, S. Miller, S. King, J. Entry, and G. Narasimhan. Microbial forensics: Application of microbial community metagenome analysis for crime scene investigations. Abstract #68
2002 Dietetics and Nutrition Seminar Series, FIU. Ginseng to the rescue of cystic fibrosis patients. December.
2002 Malaysia Nurses Association, Penang Branch, Malaysia. Women’s challenges in the new millennium. August
2002 Institute of Biological Sciences (Genetics), University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. August Two lectures: - Microbial cell-to-cell communication and search for interrupters. - Molecular Identification of Microbes using the 16S rRNA.
2002 Prokaryotic Interest Group, Florida International University. Molecular identification of microbes using the 16S rRNA. April
2002 Liberal Studies Colloquium, Florida International University. Plagues in medicine and myth. March
2001 Gangagen Biotechnologies PVT, Ltd., Bangalore, India. Chronic infection with Pseudomonas aeruginosa: alginate, biofilms, alternate therapy and the host immune response. December
2001 The Dean’s Seminar Series 2001, College of Health Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville. Role of polymorphonuclear leukocytes and alginate production in the Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms in the lungs of cystic fibrosis patients. November
2001 14th Evergreen International Phage Meeting, Olympia, WA. Potential alternate therapies against Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilm growth. August
2000 Rotary Club of Kuala Lumpur West at the Royal Selangor Club, Malaysia. Communication between bacteria. October
1999 University of Tennessee-Memphis, College of Medicine, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Memphis, Tennessee. Mechanism of mucoid conversion in Pseudomonas aeruginosa associated with chronic pulmonary infection in patients with cystic fibrosis. May
1999 Technical University of Denmark, Department of Microbiology, Lyngby, Denmark. Cloning and characterization of the alginate biosynthetic genes of Pseudomonas fluorescens. May
1999 Basic & Clinical Research of Chronic Pseudomonas aeruginosa Lung Infection in Cystic Fibrosis and Diffuse Panbronchiolitis - East meets West. Copenhagen, DK. Mar 17th – 19th. Induction of alginate production in vivo.
1998 K. Mathee, O. Ciofu, N. Høiby, D. Ohman, S. Molin and A. Kharazmi. Molecular mechanism responsible for the conversion of non-mucoid to the fatal mucoid form of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in the lungs of cystic fibrosis patients. Technical University of Denmark, Department of Microbiology, Lyngby, Denmark. June
1997 Centre Medical Universitaire, Departement de Biochimie Medicale, Geneve, Switzerland. Conversion of non-mucoid to the mucoid form of Pseudomonas aeruginosa is associated with chronic pulmonary infection in cystic fibrosis. November
1997 Technical University of Denmark, Department of Microbiology, Lyngby, Denmark. Conversion of non-mucoid to the fatal mucoid form of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in the lungs of cystic fibrosis patients is induced by oxygen radicals.
1997 University of Copenhagen, Rigshospitalet, Department of Clinical Microbiology, Denmark. Role of hydrogen peroxide in the conversion of non-mucoid to the fatal mucoid form of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in the lungs of cystic fibrosis patients. November
1997 Technical University of Denmark, Department of Microbiology, Lyngby, Denmark. Alginate gene regulation by alternative sigma factor in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. April
1996 1st ASM Conference on Microbial Biofilms. September. Snowbird, Utah. The role of an alternative sigma factor in alginate regulation.
1995 University of Malaya, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Medical Microbiology, Malaysia. December. Regulation of alginate production.
Oral Presentations
12th Asian Conference on Transcription (ACT-IX), Jeju Island, Korea. June 6-9th. 2012. The regulatory repertoire of Pseudomonas aeruginosa AmpC Regulator AmpR includes multiple virulence genes
Annual Meeting of the Florida Branch American Society for Microbiology, Oct 6th – 8th, 2007. St. Petersburg, FL. K. Mathee, K.F. Kong and A. Adonizio. Use of south Florida medicinal plants to inhibit quorum sensing.
9th Asian Conference on Transcription (ACT-IX), Dec 12th – 15th, 2005. Zhunan Town, Taiwan. R. T. Sautter, and K Mathee. Prc(tsp), a novel protease involved in the regulation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa extracytoplasmic function sigma factor AlgT/U.
7th Comparative Immunology Symposium. Immunodiversity: Cellular and molecular interactions. Miami, FL. Mar 4th – 5th. 2005. K. Mathee, K.F. Kong and S.R. Jayawardena. Pseudomonas aeruginosa AmpR is a global transcriptional factor that regulates expression of AmpC and PoxB b-lactamases, proteases, quorum sensing and other virulence factors.
27th European Cystic Fibrosis Conference. June 12th – 17th, 2004. Birmingham, UK. S. Miller, D. Mills, T. Pressler, C. Koch, and K. Mathee. Fingerprinting of cystic fibrosis sputum metagenome reveals unique amplicon length heterogeneity (ALH) profiles for each patient.
24th European Cystic Fibrosis Conference, June 6th –9th, 2001. Vienna, Austria. A Plata, M. Hentzer, N. Hoiby, S. Molin, A. Kharazmi, and K. Mathee. Activation of alginate genes by polymorphonuclear leukocytes.
6th Asian Conference on Transcription (ACT-VI), Oct 23rd – 27th, 2000. Beijing, China. K. Mathee, M. Hentzer, and O. Ciofu. Inverse relationship between alginate production and other extracellular virulence factors in Pseudomonas aeruginosa is mediated by quorum sensing system.
13th International Cystic Fibrosis Congress, June 4th – 8th, 2000. Stockholm, Sweden. K. Mathee, M. Hentzer, A. Heydorn, N. Høiby, D. Ohman, S. Molin, and A. Kharazmi. Microcolony formation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in cystic fibrosis lungs is influenced by infiltrating polymorphonuclear leukocytes. Abstract #332.
2nd Annual Meeting of the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory on Microbial Pathogenesis and Host Response, Sept 22nd – 26th, 1999. Cold Spring Harbor, NY. K. Mathee, M. Hentzer, A. Heydorn, M.Givskov, N. Høiby, D. Ohman, S. Molin, and A. Kharazmi. The structure of Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms in lungs of cystic fibrosis patients may be dictated by host immune response.
The Annual Meeting of the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratories on Molecular Genetics of Bacteria and Phages, Aug 25th – 30th, 1998. Cold Spring Harbor, NY. K. Mathee, O. Ciofu, C. Sternberg, P. Lindum, J. Campbell, P. Jensen, A.H. Jøhansen, D. Ohman, M. Givskov, S. Molin, N. Høiby, and A. Kharazmi. Conversion to the mucoid form of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, associated with chronic pulmonary infection in cystic fibrosis, can be induced by hydrogen peroxide or activated polymorphonuclear leucocytes. Abstract #165.
4th Asian Conference on Transcription (ACT-IV), Mar 30th – Apr 2nd, 1996. Hayama, Kanagawa, Japan. K. Mathee, and D.E. Ohman. Evidence of post-translational regulation of algT that encodes an alternative sigma factor in Pseudomonas aeruginosa involved in alginate gene regulation. Abstract #57.
The Annual meeting on the Molecular Genetics of Bacteria and Phages, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY. August 1992. K. Mathee, and M.M. Howe. Mor-dependent activation of the phage Mu middle promoter requires the E. coli s70 subunit and core polymerase. Abstract #111.
The Annual Meeting on the Molecular Genetics of Bacteria and Phages. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY. August 1990. K. Mathee, and M.M. Howe. Identification of a positive regulator for bacteriophage Mu middle operon transcription. Abstract #89.