Dr. Fong Chng Saun is a senior lecturer at the Institute for Advanced Studies at Universiti Malaya. He earned his Bachelor's degree in Environmental Science and Technology from University Putra Malaysia in 2016. Recognizing his academic excellence, he was offered the opportunity to pursue a doctoral degree at Universiti Malaya, where he completed his PhD in Environmental Science, specializing in Urban Ecosystem Management, in 2021. Dr. Fong's primary research interest lies in urban ecosystem management with a significant emphasis on the urban heat island effect in tropical cities. His expertise extends to various domains including environmental science and technology, sustainable development, and atmospheric-related research such as air pollution monitoring and its health impacts. His work in these areas has garnered him recognition as a finalist for the Young Scientists Network-Academy of Sciences Malaysia (YSN-ASM) Chrysalis Award in 2020 and a place among the top 100 Scientists of Malaysia in the same year. Beyond his core research, Dr. Fong is proficient in using automated weather stations and IoT systems for continuous environmental monitoring. He has also made significant contributions to outdoor thermal comfort assessments, the study of heat stress and related illnesses, 3D urban microclimate modeling and simulation, air quality assessment, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), environmental pollution assessment, and climate resilience and adaptation. Dr. Fong has been prolific in his academic contributions, regularly publishing technical research articles, reviews, books, and book chapters in reputable journals. He serves as an invited reviewer for high-impact journals such as Science of the Total Environment, Sustainable Cities and Society, Energy & Buildings, Sustainability, and Urban Science. His notable research projects include studies on the urban heat island phenomenon in tropical cities, evaluating walkability indices to promote sustainable transportation at Universiti Malaya, and spearheading a carbon neutrality acceleration initiative centered on greenhouse gas emission analytics. Currently, he is involved in the NIHR Global Health Research Unit on Respiratory Health (RESPIRE) Air Quality Study, which explores the impact of environmental and air quality indicators on asthma health outcomes in Greater Kuala Lumpur. Dr. Fong is also deeply involved in the field of planetary health, addressing the interconnections between human health and the health of our planet. His research on future cities focuses on creating sustainable urban environments that can withstand the challenges of climate change and urbanization. This includes investigating the effects of urban design and greening on human health and the environment, developing strategies for urban heat mitigation, and promoting resilience and adaptation to extreme weather events. He is currently leading the Universiti Malaya Planetary Health as program coordinator.  In addition to his research, Dr. Fong actively collaborates with various governmental bodies, private sectors, NGOs, and researchers from local and international universities. His dedication to the field of atmospheric technology has earned him membership in the Malaysian Board of Technologists. He is also a member of the Association of Pacific Rim Universities' Sustainable Urban Design Working Group and the Landscape and Human Health Working Group. He is also appointed as the research coordinator under Universiti Malaya Sustainable Development Center and a member of the Universiti Malaya Climate Change Advisory Panel for the Ministry of Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change (NRECC). Dr. Fong welcomes all forms of collaboration, especially those closely linked to urban sustainability and well-being, aiming to foster healthier and more sustainable future cities.

Professor Dr Thong Kwai Lin is full Professor at the University of Malaya (UM). She joined UM as a lecturer in 1990, promoted to Associate Professor in 1997 and Full Professor in 2003. She obtained her PhD in 1997 from UM.  She was the Director of the Centre for Research Services, Institute of Research Management and Monitoring (IPPP), UM from 2011-2015. She teaches Public Health Microbiology, Diagnostic Microbiology, Food Microbiology, Molecular Diagnostics, Microbial Pathogenesis at the Institute of Biological Science, Faculty of Science.  Her field of specialisation is molecular microbiology of foodborne and nosocomial bacterial pathogens. Her current research is in the application of whole genome sequencing to dissect the genomes of bacterial pathogens to better understand the mechanism of drug resistance, virulence and pathogenicity of bacteria and development of biosensors  for rapid detection of bacterial pathogens. She has published over 300  papers in refereed national and international journals and proceedings and presented more than 200 papers in conferences/symposia. Her WOS H-Index is 34  and has supervised over 95 postgraduates. Prof Thong has won numerous Awards related to research and teaching activities. These include 20 Gold Medals, 12 Silver Medals, 7 Bronze Medals in various National and International Invention & Innovation Exposition since 2005. She also received the Excellent Scientist Award from the Ministry of Higher Education (2005), the Medical Association of Malaysia-Infectious Disease Fund Visiting Fellowship (2006) and the 2013 Woman Scientist Award from University of Malaya, the University’s Excellent Service Awards for the years 2000, 2003, 2004, 2008 and 2012 and the Top Research Scientist Malaysia from the Academy of Science, Malaysia in 2014 and the prestigious Malaysian Society for Microbiology Award 2015. She was the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) Ambassador to Malaysia for 7 years (2007-2014). For her excellent work and service, Prof Thong was awarded the American Society for Microbiology Ambassador of the Year (2009) Award and Certificate of Outstanding Service to the International Board of the American Society for Microbiology in 2011.

Dr. Gopinath Venkatraman is a Biotechnologist and Senior Lecturer at the Universiti Malaya Centre for Proteomics Research (UMCPR). He is also an adjunct professor of Biochemistry at Saveetha Institute of Science and Technology, India and Molecular Medicine at Sathyabama Institue of Science & Technology, India. His research focuses on biomedical (tissue engineering, antimicrobial, anticancer) and environmental applications of metal, polymeric nanomaterials, and natural compounds.