A warm welcome: New NAM Fellows at ZMT

19/10/2026 | In 2026, three researchers will spend three months at ZMT as part of the NAM Fellowship Programme. The fellowship by ZMT and Centre for Science and Technology of the Non-Aligned and Other Developing Countries (NAM S&T Centre) is awarded for the 18th time and supports a research stay at ZMT in Bremen.

NAM Fellows can develop their research skills in the fields of ecology, biogeochemistry, ecological modelling, social sciences and marine coastal systems in the tropics.

Since the programme was launched in 2008, the ZMT has welcomed NAM fellows from various countries of the Global South, including Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Colombia, Kenya, Mauritius, Nigeria, Gambia, and Madagascar. Some of these scholarships have developed into research collaborations.

As they arrive at ZMT we will introduce the new cohort of NAM Fellows here.

 

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Mr. R.M.N.P.K. Jayasinghe (Naleen) | Acting Director (Research) | Home Institution: Gem and Jewellery Research and Training Institute (GJRTI), Sri Lanka

We are pleased to welcome Naleen Jayasinghe, Acting Director (Research) from the Gem and Jewellery Research and Training Institute (GJRTI) in Sri Lanka, as a NAM fellow at ZMT.

With over 20 years of leadership experience in geospatial research, mineral exploration, and national policy development, Naleen brings a wealth of expertise to our institute. He holds an M.Phil in Earth Sciences and an M.Sc. in GIS and Remote Sensing from the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka. His work has focused on sustainable resource management, including pioneering research on gem potential mapping, eco-friendly mining and mercury-free gold refining.

At ZMT, Naleen will collaborate with Dr Daniel Schürholz in the Data Science and Technology working group on the project: "A Data Science Pipeline for Blue Economy Decision-Making: Machine Learning and Geospatial Modelling for Sustainable Pearl Farming Site Selection in the Gulf of Mannar, Sri Lanka." This research directly supports Sri Lanka's national initiative to re-establish a sustainable pearl industry, blending his expertise in geospatial analysis with advanced data science to support a sustainable Blue Economy.

Beyond his professional life, Naleen enjoys nature photography and exploring coastal ecosystems. We look forward to a productive and inspiring collaboration with him during his stay at ZMT.

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Syuhaida Ismail, PhD | Associate Professor | Home Institution: Malaysia-Japan International Institute of Technology (MJIIT), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), Malaysia

Dr. Syuhaida Ismail from the Malaysia-Japan International Institute of Technology (MJIIT), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), will join ZMT as a NAM S&T Centre Research Fellow from 6 October 2026 to 3 January 2027.

With a background in civil engineering and project management, Dr Syuhaida’s interdisciplinary work spans sustainable infrastructure, maritime and port development, blue economy governance, climate resilience and marine environmental sustainability. Prior to returning to UTM, she served as Director of Research at the Maritime Institute of Malaysia (MIMA), an agency under Malaysia’s Ministry of Transport, and also as Acting Director-General.

At ZMT, she will undertake the project “Mainstreaming Nature-based Solutions into Climate-Resilient Blue Economy Policy for Port-Community Tropical Coastal Ecosystems”, in the Working Group Deliberation, Valuation and Sustainability. Her research will examine tropical port-community cases and contribute to the development of a Port–Community Nature-based Solutions Framework integrating ecological resilience, port development, community interests and blue economy policy.

Her broader research interest lies in translating engineering, scientific and policy knowledge into practical strategies for governments, industries and coastal communities, particularly at the interface of ports, communities and tropical coastal ecosystems.

Beyond academia, Dr. Syuhaida enjoys travelling, discovering different cultures and exchanging ideas with people from diverse backgrounds. During her stay, she looks forward to scientific collaboration and becoming part of the ZMT community in Bremen.

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Frida Sidik is a Senior Researcher at Research Center for Ecology, National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Indonesia. With her background as mangrove ecologist, her works specifically analyzing ‘blue’ carbon dynamics, mangrove biogeomorphology and the restoration of degraded mangrove ecosystems. 

Her research contributions center on translating blue carbon science and mangrove ecology into evidence-based policy and practical ecosystem recovery. At ZMT, her fellowship project will examine the dynamics of naturally regenerated restored mangroves and their carbon potentials, in collaboration with Prof Martin Zimmer in the working group of Mangrove Ecology.