Halimaton is the Director of Gelanggang Kencana Sdn Bhd and R&D Director of Green Tech World Pte Ltd; retired Professor of Chemistry, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia. She is also the Chairman, Board of Trustees, Yayasan My-Prihatin (Prime Minister Office) and a Senior Fellow of Akademi Sains Malaysia. She received her Ph.D in Physical Chemistry from University of Cambridge UK in 1989, M. Sc degree from Marshall University, USA (1981) and B. Sc degree from Indiana University, USA (1979) and was UTM’s first woman Professor at 40. Prof. Hali has successfully promoted her research and innovative activities globally. She pioneered the Zeolites and Nanostructured Materials Research in Malaysia in 1990. She is actively undertaking research, technology development and commercialization initiatives of Renewable Silica (RenSil) nanomaterials as clean, green and safe process for global industrial use. Silica aerogel from rice husk, which she invented, is the lightest solid and best insulator known today, was selected as the product of 2008 by International Clean Energy Circle, UK. It is patented in Malaysia and 22 other countries worldwide. In addition, she owns 14 patents on zeolites and mesoporous materials technology.
Her silica-based research has evolved into the establishment of Renewable Silica Technology (RenSil), focusing on technology licensing and manufacturing of nanocatalysts and aerogel, design of new generation hybrid, chiral, bifunctional and functionalized heterogeneous catalysts, drug delivery systems, nanostructured materials, aerogel nanofibers and functionalized silica nanosphere chain contributing to sustainable, green, renewable and waste-to-wealth technology. Her current commercial project with GTW is Second Generation Catalytic Depolymerisation of EFB Biomass to Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF).
Prof. Hali was the Director responsible for the development of Ibnu Sina Institute for Fundamental Science Studies UTM (2000-2006). She established the Nanotechnology Initiatives (2010) and NanoMalaysia Bhd. (2012) and was seconded to Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation to be the UnderSecretary of the National Nanotechnology Directorate (2010-12). She chairs the Science Outlook 2015 and 2017. She is an advocate of STEM education and was a member of National Science Research Council (2010-2013) and National Science Council (2014-2017). Her scientific work received recognitions, including Petronas Inventors Award (1993), Seoul International Invention Fair (2002), National Intellectual Property Award (2006). IFIA Cup for Woman Inventor (2008) Int. Federation of Inventors Association, Great Women of Our Time Award (GWOT 2008) and Merdeka Award for S&T and Health in 2009. She is a Fellow of IKM and MSA, TRSM, President of Malaysia Nanotechnology Association (MNA) and Chairman of International Science, Technology & Innovation Center (ISTIC) under the auspices of UNESCO (2019-2021) and Independent Member of Merdeka Award Board of Trustees (Petronas, ExxonMobil and Shell).