I hold a PhD in Politics and International Relations from the University of Aberdeen, UK. My doctoral thesis investigates the interplay between political modernisation and ecological modernisation in a developing country. It engages with modernisation theories while highlighting country-specific dynamics and offers theoretical and empirical insights into how the lack of political institutionalisation affects environmental decision-making, particularly in Malaysia. I am an Associate Fellow of the UK’s Advance HE. I worked as a teaching assistant in the School of Social Sciences at the University of Aberdeen for two academic years, during which my teaching experience spanned interdisciplinary modules in Politics, International Relations, and Sociology. Prior to entering academia, I served as Editor-in-Chief of an independent news website in Malaysia. I have authored, co-authored, edited, or co-edited four books on civil society, social movements, and environmental movements in Malaysia and Singapore. My current research areas include political modernisation, development, and institutionalisation, as well as environmental governance and misgovernance.

Dr. Sharifah Muhairah Shahabudin is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Political Science, Public Administration and Development Studies at the Faculty of Business & Economics, University of Malaya. She earned her PhD from the same university’s Faculty of Economics and Administration in 2014, following a Master of Science in Administration from Universiti Teknologi MARA (UITM) and a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Canterbury University, New Zealand. Her research focuses on socioeconomics, social stratification, gender, youth development, and entrepreneurship, with numerous publications in both local and international journals, as well as media contributions in these areas. She is also an active member of the Gender Budget Group, an initiative led by Engender Consultancy and Women’s Aid Organisation to advance gender-responsive budgeting in national policy. Before joining academia, Dr. Sharifah spent a decade in various professional roles, including as a Research Assistant with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Malaysia, where her work on the *Empowering Women Through Entrepreneurship* project sparked her interest in research, ultimately leading to her doctoral studies. Her commitment to development issues continues to drive her research and publications today.

A Senior Lecturer at the Department of Drama, Faculty of Creative Arts. An alumnus of the Cultural Centre, University of Malaya with a background in dance and drama. Specialize in Drama/Theatre (in) education, Arts-Management and Cross/inter-Disciplinary Exchange. My research at the postgraduate level concentrated on the use of drama and performance for the second (English) language classroom which identified its related set of challenges and possibilities. I further obtained a PhD in Theatre Studies from the University of Warwick in which my thesis examined the nature of MAKUM Theatre Festival as a form of university theatre modelled by the Creative Campus. One of the aims of this endeavor was to document theatre as conceptualized and fashioned by the general division of arts and non-arts students. I thus engage in arts (theatre) management and drama for education at both the undergraduate and postgraduate levels, and currently serves as Postgraduate Program Coordinator. My research interest lies in the application of drama and theatre as creative, innovative and alternative method to teaching and learning, as well as further developments in drama with technology for advancement. Central to my studies is the role of drama/theatre for human development, focusing on issues that relate to dramatic and theatrical application within and outside the field. Along this line is the significant impact of the performing arts on doers (performers) as well as observers (audience). Experienced in mixed-method research, instrumentation design, and continuously seeks opportunities for collaborative and cooperative efforts for the further expansion of drama/theatre application, both formal and informal, in and outside academia.