Dr. Abubakar Abubakar Usman is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of International and Strategic Studies at Universiti Malaya (UM), Malaysia, where he specializes in globalization, development, and the politics of Africa and the Middle East. With a multidisciplinary academic background spanning International Relations, Diplomacy, and Islamic Finance, Dr. Usman is a prolific scholar whose work bridges theory and policy. Academic LeadershipDr. Usman currently serves as a Guest Lecturer at the University of Nottingham Malaysia, teaching Politics and International Relations of the Middle East. He has also been invited as a Guest Speaker at institutions such as Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) and Nile University Nigeria, where he shared expertise on diplomacy, conflict resolution, and strategic studies. His teaching philosophy emphasizes critical thinking and real-world applicability, honed through roles as a Graduate Teaching Assistant at the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) and as an English instructor for Saudi Schools Kuala Lumpur. Research ContributionsA dedicated researcher, Dr. Usman has held prestigious fellowships, including as a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at IIUM’s Institute of Islamic Banking and Finance (IIiBF), where he explored the intersection of Islamic finance and global development. As a Senior Fellow and Coordinator of the Africa Studies Circle at the Asia Middle East Centre for Research and Dialogue (AMEC), he fosters cross-civilizational dialogue and evidence-based policy recommendations. His research has been published in high-impact journals such as South African Journal of International Affairs, Global Society, and Contemporary Islam, and he has contributed chapters to Routledge and Palgrave Macmillan volumes on Islamic finance, African diplomacy, and human rights. Dr. Usman actively engages in peer review for Web of Science-indexed journals, including Security Journal and SN Social Sciences, and is currently developing two book projects: The Political Economy of Africa-Asia Relations (Routledge) and Coups in 21st Century Africa (Palgrave Macmillan). His doctoral thesis on Boko Haram’s media strategies and master’s research on Islamic finance as a development tool reflect his commitment to addressing pressing global challenges. Policy and Public EngagementBeyond academia, Dr. Usman is a sought-after commentator on African geopolitics, contributing to platforms like Africa@LSE, Daily Trust, and The Conversation. His analyses on ECOWAS, military coups, and Nigeria’s foreign policy have shaped public discourse. He has also served as an interpreter and translator for Malaysian government agencies, leveraging fluency in English, Arabic, and Hausa. Education and Honors PhD in International Relations (Globalization & Development), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) Master of Diplomacy and Strategic Studies (CGPA: 4.00), UKM Master of Political Science (CGPA: 3.83), International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) BA in Arabic/Mass Communication, Bayero University Kano, Nigeria Professional Affiliations Member, International Studies Association (ISA) Associate Member, International Society for Development and Sustainability (ISDS) For a full list of publications and research projects, visit his Google Scholar or ORCID profiles. Contact:Email: abubakar.usman@um.edu.my | Phone: +60 162417993Address: Department of International and Strategic Studies, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Universiti Malaya

Dr. Mohd Talha Anees received PhD from Universiti Sains Malaysia in Environmental Remote Sensing (Land and Water). He did his M.Sc and B.Sc from Aligarh Muslim University. He did Post Doc from the University of Malaya and the University Malaysia Kelantan. He also worked as a research and development consultant in a private company. He teaches undergraduate courses in Geology. His previous research includes land use and land cover changes, flood modeling, rainfall-runoff modeling, soil erosion analysis, and water quality modeling. His current research further added geological hazards, the development of an early warning system for landslides, spatio-temporal estimation of carbon storage in urban trees, environmental impact assessment, and the use of artificial intelligence in remote sensing studies. He has authored 18 publications in Web of Science journals and received more than 320 citations with an h-index of 9. Dr. Talha and his team want to collaborate with national and international researchers to enhance research expertise in applied geology.

Dr. Ho Hui Ling is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of History at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur. She has received her Ph.D. from University of Malaya in 2003. Dr. Ho’s specialization is Malaysian History from the colonial period to modern period. She has conducted numerous studies on the history of Emergency era and communist movements in Malaya/Malaysia, socioeconomic development in Malaysia, ethnic relations and the development of plural societies in Malaysia, as well as various aspects of the history of Sarawak and Sabah. The findings of her research have been published in the form of books, chapters in books, journal articles and also contained in research reports and conference papers. Dr. Ho was also appointed as a panel of reference experts on secondary and primary school’s History curriculum and textbook by the Ministry of Education Malaysia (Kementerian Pendidikan Malaysia/KPM) since 2017. She was also involved in reviewing History textbooks for secondary and primary school published by Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP).