Izlin is currently the Deputy Dean Research and Innovation at the Faculty of Business and Economics, Universiti Malaya. She was formerly the Head of Department of Finance and Banking, as well as the Director for the Centre of Business Excellence (CBE@UM) at the faculty. She has also served as the Deputy Director at the International Institute of Public Policy and Management (INPUMA). Prior to academia, she was a corporate analyst at a multinational corporation. Izlin graduated with a BSc in Economics from the London School of Economics and Political Science, MSc in Investment Management from Bayes Business School, City, University of London, and PhD at Nottingham University Business School. She has published in indexed journals in areas such as international finance, microfinance, financial literacy, fintech and energy finance. She has also published several books including a financial literacy handbook for primary school students, as well as research-based books on consumer financial vulnerabilities, and Fintech in Malaysia. Izlin has been appointed as consultant for several projects such as on financial literacy for primary schools, economic enhancement programmes for public infrastructure projects and the global services sector. She has also led 10 out of 20 research projects with a total grant value of more than RM2 million. Her recent projects include financial literacy workshops for vulnerable groups including pensioners, migrant workers as well as students. She is also a trainer for finance-related courses in corporate certification programmes. As for supervision, she has supervised more than 12 PhD and 50 Master students to completion.  

Prof. Dr. Subha Bhassu is currently an academician at the Institute of Biological Sciences, with 24 years of experience teaching across various programs. She has developed numerous course structures aligned with the Malaysian Qualifications Framework (MQF) for the University of Malaya (2008–2015) and INTI University College (2000–2004). Additionally, she served as a moderator for Biotechnology courses at INTI University College from 2008 to 2015, MAHSA University, International Medical University ( Biomed Programs) and other universities. Furthermore, she is a member of the International Biosafety Committee (IBC) at the University of Malaya and serves as an auditor for the Enforcement Committee for Biosafety under the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (2014–present). Her passion for research ignited during her second year of undergraduate studies when she realized the challenges and excitement research could offer, which continues to inspire her to this day. Since starting her PhD program in 1996, she has built a global network of research collaborations, mentors, and friends. Her experiences as a student instilled in her the belief that thinking outside the box is crucial in research. While knowledge and research grants are essential, she emphasizes that the two most important elements are love and selfless service, which guide her research to benefit students, universities, communities, industries, the country, and global society. To date, Prof. Subha has supervised 25 PhD students and 25 master’s students to completion and is currently mentoring eight PhD students and five master’s students. She has also guided 50 undergraduate students to completion. Her research output includes over 100 ISI publications, three book chapters,two books, three national patents, and two international patents. She serves as a reviewer for several journals, including PLOS ONE, GENE, META GENE, Aquaculture, Aquaculture Research, and Genomics. Her future research endeavours will continue to prioritize ethics and integrity as she advances her work in the aquatic sciences, employing multidisciplinary approaches. She aims to inspire the scientific community with thought-provoking ideas that align with global needs and foster harmony in the minds, hearts, and souls of humanity. As for research excellence, Professor Dr. Subha Bhassu holds a Bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Science (Honors) from UKM and a PhD in Molecular Biology from UPM, specializing in Molecular, Population, and Quantitative Genetics. Her primary research interest is in the interconnectedness of human, animal, and environmental health, a field termed Halo Genomics. This area of study emphasizes the One Health concept within biomedical, agricultural, and environmental contexts. Dr. Bhassu’s expertise spans various aspects of biology, from cellular mechanisms to phenotypic expressions, with a particular focus on aquatic animals as model organisms for exploring host-pathogen-environment interactions. In her research, genomics and molecular biology serve as tools to address challenges related to disease, nutrition, and environmental factors. She aims to deepen our understanding of genetics and its role in phenotypic expression, as well as gene-gene interactions, to provide insights into the relationships among aquatic hosts, pathogens, and their environments. Her research applies genomics, transcriptomics, and molecular biology to develop the innate potential of aquatic species. In her future research, Dr. Bhassu is focusing on the innate immune system, exploring its role in maintaining cellular ecosystem equilibrium. Her team has discovered innate immune biomolecules in shrimp that function before the adaptive immune response is activated. Through this research, she aims to demonstrate how host-pathogen interactions reveal signature immune biomolecules in certain species that have evolved to resist pathogens and coexist with them. These biomolecules' efficiency and specificity can be studied using aptamer technology, while their interactions with pathogens are visualized through spectral flow cytometry, and their abundance is analyzed via single-cell transcriptomics and mRNA expression. This research raises the question: could innate immune biomolecules be harnessed as solutions to disease, similar to gene therapy, for therapeutic applications? As an academic professional, Dr Bhassu has developed numerous course structures in alignment with the Malaysian MQF standards for UM and INTI University College, where she has also served as a course moderator in Biotechnology. She is an associate member of the CEBAR, Institute of Ocean and Earth Sciences, CRYSTAL, NANOCAT and UM’s Marketing & Recruitment Centre. Additionally, she serves on the International Biosafety Committee at UM and as an auditor for the Biosafety Enforcement Committee under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment. She is an associate member of the National Framework on Biosafety and Biosecurity Committee (IBBC) for Health under the Ministry of Public Health. Recently, she was appointed as a Research Fellow at the Malaysian Genome Vaccine Institute, part of the National Institute of Biotechnology Malaysia. Contact details: subhabhassu@um.edu.my  

ChM. Dr Muhammad Fauzi Abd Jalil holds a PhD in Pharmacy from University College London, UK. He also has a master's in engineering (Bioprocess) from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia and a Degree in Biotechnology from International Islamic University Malaysia. He started his career in Biocon Sdn Bhd as an Associate in the Quality Assurance department, and later he moved to the Drug Product department. In Biocon, he gained experience in handling the QA and cGMP-related documents, large-scale Insulin manufacturing, revised the Batch Manufacturing Records and spearheaded the Continued Process Verification Report. Later in his career, he joined Sumitomo Chemical Enviro Agro Sdn Bhd as the Deputy Manager in the Formulation department, later known as the Chemistry department. In Sumitomo, he was responsible for developing, improving and innovating new formulations or products for insecticides.  Currently, he is the Senior Lecturer in the Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, Universiti Malaya.his research interest in improving the delivery of high-potential drugs with poor absorption and permeation at the targeted area via various types of formulations and techniques. AI and 3D printing are also two of the areas that he wants to develop, especially for personalised medicine. With a diversified experience in the Pharmaceutical and insecticide industry, he welcomes any type of collaboration in future