Danial is the Deputy Executive Director of Academic & Student Affairs at the International Institute of Public Policy and Management (INPUMA) at Universiti Malaya (UM). He teaches on the Master of Public Policy (MPP) programme and previously served as an Adjunct Professor at the Asia Pacific University (2022-2024). He has also delivered several policy lectures and seminars at the Royal Malaysian Police College (MPDRM), the Public Service Department (JPA) Policy Lab series, and a Leadership Immersion course hosted by the UM Centre for Leadership and Professional Development (UM LEAD). Danial has also acted as a resource expert for the Public Service Department (JPA) Panel in developing Public Administration Circular (PKPA) No. 1 of 2026 concerning the Alternative Service Delivery Mechanism. Danial previously served as the Secretary of the Malaysian International Studies Association (2023-2024) and was a Fellow at the Research Institute for Indonesia, Thailand, and Singapore at Universiti Utara Malaysia (ITS-UUM) during the same period. He is a member of several professional organizations, including the International Political Science Association (IPSA) in Montreal, Canada, the International Studies Association (ISA) in the US, the British International Studies Association (BISA), the Royal African Studies Association (RAS), the British Institute in Eastern Africa (BIEA), and the African Studies Association (ASA) in the US. Furthermore, he is a lifetime member of the Malaysian Social Science Association (PSSM), Malaysian-Japan Studies Association (MAJAS), a Research Fellow at the Malaysia-Japan Research Centre (MJRC), and has previously been part of the Malaysian Association for American Studies (MAAS), Malaysian Scholars on Korea (MASK), and Malaysia's International Strategic and International Studies (ISIS). In addition to his peer-reviewed contributions to Third World Quarterly, Comparative Politics, African Identities, Cambridge Review of International Affairs, SAGE Open, Kajian Malaysia (USM Press), and Journal of International Studies (UUM Press), Danial currently serves on the Editorial Boards of the Pertanika Journal of Social Science and Humanities (UPM Press), the Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) Journal of Social and Political Science (JSP-FISIP), and JEBAT: Malaysian Journal of History, Politics and Strategic Studies (UKM Press), all indexed in Scopus and WOS. He has also served on the editorial boards of the Malaysian Journal of International Relations (MJIR), SINERGI: Journal of Strategic Studies & International Affairs (UKM Press), and WILAYAH: International Journal of East Asian Studies (UM Press). Alongside his internal supervision and examination duties include serving as a supervisor for the Malaysian Armed Forces Defence College-National University of Malaysia (MPAT-UKM) programme. Danial has also acted as an external examiner for PhD theses in politics, policy, and security at universities across Malaysia, Australia, Japan, India, Pakistan, and Singapore. Additionally, he has participated in various government and industry projects as a consultant, moderator, resource person, invited speaker, and public lecturer. Besides his academic publications, Danial has provided commentaries and taken part in interviews on various issues for national and international media. He has also delivered invited lectures at UUM, UNIZA, APU, and UiTM. Furthermore, he served as a founding advisor for the UM student association, Malaya Model United Nations, from 2016 to 2023. Danial earned a PhD in International Relations (Political Science) from the University of St. Andrews in the UK. During his doctoral studies, he was mentored by the late Professor Ian Taylor, a renowned expert in Africa-Asia Politics and Critical Political Economy. He received the UM Bright Spark Fellowship, supporting his PhD. Additionally, Danial has conducted extensive fieldwork and study visits in numerous African and Asian countries, including Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Sudan, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Libya, Egypt, Sierra Leone, as well as in Europe: The Former Yugoslavia, the Netherlands, Switzerland, France, Italy, Germany, Greece, and Cyprus. His travels also include Russia, Canada, Brazil, Syria, Jordan, Turkey, Japan, Singapore, Thailand, and Indonesia. Danial earned a Bachelor of Arts with Distinction Honours, majoring in International and Strategic Studies and minoring in East Asian Studies. At the 2007 UM Graduation Ceremony, he was awarded the Ghazali Shafie Book Prize and the Dato Panglima Kinta Yusuf Gold Medal. He is deeply interested in research, teaching, and supervising in areas related to Global South or Africa-Asia Relations within Comparative Public Policy, Malaysia's Public and Foreign Policy Analysis, and Peace and Conflict Studies. Danial has received numerous esteemed grants, including the INTAN 2026 Grant for the Malaysian Country Report, the European Union-Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (EU-SUHAKAM), the Fundamental Research Grant Scheme (FRGS), the National Agency for Anti-Drug Research Grant, and funding from Malaysia's Economic Planning Unit (EPU), as well as grants from the Sumito Foundation (Japan), Japan Foundation, and Korea Foundation (South Korea).

Edmund Terence Gomez Gomez is Professor of Political Economy at the Faculty of Economics & Administration, Universiti Malaya. He specializes in state-market relations and the linkages between politics, public policies, and enterprise development -- a subject on which he has published extensively, writing not only for academia but also more widely.  He has held appointments as Visiting Professor at: the School of International Relations & Pacific Studies at the University of California-San Diego, USA (2014-2015); the Department of Political Science at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, USA (2013-2014); and at Kobe University, Japan (May-August 2002). Other academic appointments include Visiting Fellowships at: the Nordic Institute of Asian Studies, Denmark (October-November 2004); the Australian National University, Canberra (February 2002); and at the Asian Studies Department, Murdoch University, Australia (January-December 1993). He was also Senior Research Fellow at the Department of East Asian Studies, Leeds University, United Kingdom from 1996-1999. From 2005-2008, Terence served as Project Manager and Research Coordinator of the programme area ‘Identities, Conflict and Cohesion’ at the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD) in Geneva, Switzerland. He has undertaken various research projects and convened numerous international conferences–among others, on political-business linkages in East Asia; the growth of national and transnational ethnic Chinese enterprise; the history of Chinese communities and their enterprises in Australia, Britain and Southeast Asia; ethnic conflict and social cohesion in Asia; equity distribution and government intervention in Malaysia –all of which have received funding from various local and global agencies, including the Sasakawa, Sumitomo and Toyota Foundations of Japan, the Department of Education and Training in Australia, the Christensen Fund (USA), the British Academy, and the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) of the United Kingdom. He serves on the editorial board and advisory committee of the following international journals: East Asia: An Internationaal Quarterly, Journal of Current Southeast Asian Affairs, Sojourn: Journal of Social Issues in Southeast Asia and Asian Journal of Comparative Politics. He is also editor of the 'Chinese Worlds' Series and the 'Malaysian Studies' Series for Routledge, London & New York.

Dr. Shafa'atussara Silahudin, born in Muar, Johor, is a distinguished Senior Lecturer and Programme Coordinator of Socio-Culture/Malay Arts at the Academy of Malay Studies, Universiti Malaya, Malaysia. She was a Guest Researcher (2021-2022) at the Faculty of Humanities, Leiden University, Netherlands. Her academic journey includes a Doctoral Degree from Leiden University, after completing her thesis titled 'Malay Singing in Pahang Villages: Identity and Practice', supervised by Prof. Dr. Bernard Arps and Dr. Suryadi at the Leiden Institute for Area Studies. She also obtained her Master of Malay Studies in Performing Arts and Bachelor of Science in Biohealth (Honors) from Universiti Malaya. Dr. Shafa's academic and community engagement roles span several years. She was an Assistant Fellow (2006-2007) and College Fellow/Secretary (2008-2013) at Kolej Kediaman Tun Syed Zahiruddin (Ninth Residential College) and held a fellowship at Universiti Malaya Community Engagement Centre (UMCares) from 2022-2023.  Dr. Shafa specializes in traditional/heritage music, Southeast Asian music history, alternative culture (including punk rock), arts community, popular media and music care. She is actively involved in interdisciplinary research, notably a project on music care for caregivers and older adults, collaborating with faculties of Medicine, Business and Economics, Creative Arts and Education under an IIRG grant (2022-2025). Her ethnographic research covers hybrid online-offline expressive cultural fields involving performers, industry professionals and audiences. As a traditional music practitioner in Malaysia, Dr. Shafa has recorded over 300 songs and has performed across Southeast Asia, China, Australia and the Netherlands. Her music performance videos are publicly accessible online. Dr. Shafa has an extensive publication record that includes: The book 'Malay Singing in Pahang Villages: Identity and Practice' published in 2023 by Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP) which was also the subject of her doctoral thesis. Co-authoring 'Wacana Pantun Melayu' in 2016, alongside Prof. Dr. Salinah Ja'afar, Associate Professor Dr. Tengku Intan Marlina Tengku Mohd Ali, and Malaysian National Laureate Datuk Dr. Zurinah Hassan, also published by DBP. Additional scholarly works from 2023 to present include topics such as music care for older adults and caregivers, Malay music in the era of Artificial Intelligence (AI), and reflections on music education and music community post-COVID-19.  Dr. Shafa has received multiple prestigious awards acknowledging her artistic and academic excellence: Darjah Paduka Mahkota Perak (P.M.P.) awarded in conjunction with Sultan of Perak Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah's 68th birthday, recognizing her distinguished contributions to arts and culture. Anugerah Cemerlang Universiti Malaya (ACUM) 2024 for Arts, Culture & Creativity (Academic Staff), highlighting her outstanding academic and creative achievements. Anugerah Penggiat Seni (Seni Berbahasa) Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur in 2023. Anugerah Biduan Syair ASEAN in 2022. Anugerah Bitara Syair Nusantara in 2021. Champion, International Dendang Syair Competition in 2019. Skim Latihan Akademik Fellowships by Universiti Malaya 2008-2011 & 2013-2016. Significance and Impact: Dr. Shafa's body of work consolidates traditional Malay music and cultural heritage with contemporary academic inquiry and community engagement. By marrying ethnographic research with artistic practice, she fosters greater understanding and preservation of Malay cultural identity. Her interdisciplinary approach, involving collaborations across various university faculties and international ties, notably with Leiden University, underlines her impact on music care, cultural sustainability and the arts both within Malaysia and beyond. Her multifaceted achievements illustrate her role as key figure who bridges academia, arts, and community outreach, advancing Southeast Asian music and Malay arts scholarship while promoting cultural care practices and supporting artists and caregivers alike.