Professor Dr Hong Ching Goh, an interdisciplinary social scientist, studies human-environment interactions. Initially focused on urban planning and nature-based tourism, her approach has evolved to encompass sustainability, relevance, inclusion, and impact of scales. Her research inquiry explores how diverse communities benefit from nature, e.g., livelihood, health and wellbeing and intangible values. She investigates the threats and constraints posed by various anthropogenic actions and governance systems on the environment, and devises strategies for its safeguarding. This focus stems from her academic training in urban planning, tourism planning, and geography. Her research, with wide-ranging applications in urbanized environments, resource-rich regions and protected areas, draws inspiration from her fieldwork in Sabah since 2005, which has then driven her interdisciplinary coastal research in Southeast Asia. Currently attached to the Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Faculty of Built Environment, Prof. Goh also leads the Humanities and Social Sciences Group of the Malaysia National Antarctic Research Centre. She's a registered town planner with the Malaysian Institute of Planners and the Board of Town Planners Malaysia.  Prof Goh serves as the country coordinator for ForUm, a DAAD-funded network for Urban Futures in Southeast Asia that connects SEA and German experts since 2018. She also continues to serve on GYA membership selection and output review committees. Her commitment to interdisciplinary research has been significantly influenced by being a recipient of the MIT-UTM Malaysian Sustainable Cities Program Fellowship and the DAAD Doctoral Scholarship Awards where she conducted her doctoral study in the Center of Development Research (ZEF), as well as her memberships in ASEAN Science Leadership Program and Global Young Academy (GYA).  Since 2009, she has secured RM6.9 million in research grants, including RM4.95 million internationally. As a co-investigator, she helped secure the GBP6.4 million Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) grant. Her contributions to interdisciplinary research, particularly in marine environments and coastal communities, have earned recognition. This recognition was highlighted by the British High Commission in Kuala Lumpur in 2021, in conjunction with International Women's Day and Commonwealth Day. In the same year, she was invited to join the UK Minister of Science, Amanda Solloway, and Professor Melanie Austen (University of Plymouth, UK) to discuss climate change impacts on marine environments and coastal communities in the Blue Communities program. In 2022, she was featured among the '100 Women Scientists in Global Polar Research. In 2024, she is appointed as the DAAD Research Ambassador in Malaysia in recognition of her outstanding contribution towards furthering the academic & scientific cooperation between Malaysia and Germany and awarded the Top Research Scientists Malaysia Award by the Academy of Sciences Malaysia.   To date, she has published more than 65 peer-reviewed articles, 30 book chapters and books, and other 40 publications. She has supervised nine PhD students and three master students to completion and oversees 10 ongoing students. 

Dr. Melasutra is a Registered Town Planner under the Town Planner Act (Act 538) and also a member of the Malaysian Association of Social Impact Assessment. She has 30 years of experience at the University Malaya as a lecturer at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences and currently in the Faculty of Built Environment. Her teaching subjects are related to urban land use planning, social planning, planning theory, and recreational planning. She has carried out collaborative research with the Nippon Foundation under the purview  of Asean University Network- Disability and Public Policy on research related to the inclusivity learning environment.  The inclusive learning environment study was further extended for the Ministry of Higher Education,Malaysia.  She has published in books, book chapters, and journals and involved in consultation works related to urban planning issues, sustainable development planning, and social impact assessment studies. She has supervised a number of Ph.D. students in the field of sustainable urban governance and planning. Professional Recognition: While serving UM, she was also involved in several state and local agencies planning related matters such as Social Impact Assessment study, Urban Redevelopment, Development Plan studies. She has been appointed as Council Member for Petaling Jaya City Council in 2008-2012 and be part of the One Stop Center committee for planning approval matters.  She has been appointed as Local Agenda 21 committee member and Panel Evaluation member for Anugerah Perdana Komuniti Petaling Jaya.  She also has been appointed as the Public Hearing Panel Committee for City Hall of Kuala Lumpur for the Structure and Local Plan - Review and Alteration process. Currently, she is a Panel Review Member of Melaka Social Impact Study- appointed by PlanMalaysia  Melaka.  In recognition of her involvement and contribution in sustainable planning-related matters at the local level i.e City Council of Petaling Jaya- she has been awarded as one of the recipients of 10 Thematic Champion of Petaling Jaya Sustainable, Smart and Resilient  2030 awards for Learning City  (2022).   

Dr. Noor Adwa research focuses on the converge of auditing, governance and reporting and using both qualitative (interviews) and quantitative (archival and survey)  research approaches and multiple theoretical lens (institutional, legitimacy, power, attribution and agency).  Her research among others relate to audit committee and other board effectiveness, internal audit, audit quality, auditor reporting, governance and sustainability.