DR. THANGA GANAPATHY A/L SUPRUMANIAN

Passionate and dedicated trainee lecturer with strong teaching and administrative skills. Experienced in working across diverse social and cultural environments, using effective and engaging teaching methods. Currently specializing in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at Universiti Sains Malaysia, with a focus on combining clinical practice and academic research. Skilled in both individual and team settings, with a commitment to continuous learning and institutional goals.

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PROF. DR. CHE ZARRINA BINTI SA'ARI

Che Zarrina Sa’ari, who graduated from the University of Malaya (Bachelor's and Master's degrees) and Edinburgh University (PhD), is currently the Professor at the Academy of Islamic Studies, University of Malaya, Malaysia, working in the Department of Aqidah and Islamic Thought. She served several times as the Head of the Department of Aqidah and Islamic Thought and as the Deputy Director (Development and Research) at the same Academy, and currently she is the Deputy Director (Research) until December 2024. She was also a visiting scholar at Leiden University (2004) and Edinburgh University (2010). Dr. Che Zarrina’s broad academic and research interests involve Sufism, Islamic Psychospiritual, Islamic Psychotherapy, and Islamic Ethics. She has produced over 300 publications, including books, chapters in books, articles in journals, short articles in mass media, and conference proceedings that were presented nationally and internationally. Dr. Che Zarrina has been invited many times by national as well as international universities to deliver lectures or talks on Islamic Psychospiritual and Psychotherapy. She has also been invited to be a keynote speaker, plenary speaker, or invited speaker in seminars, conferences, and workshops nationally and internationally in her area of expertise. She has presented papers in seminars and conferences and delivered motivational talks as well as religious talks to the public from time to time, and written short articles in magazines and newspapers. Dr. Che Zarrina has produced about 50 master's students and 53 doctorate students in her field. The graduates, national and international, became her successors in the dissemination and enhancement of their expertise and have contributed to the academic world, government, and community, especially in spiritual and mental well-being. In research, she has been awarded about 105 internal and external research grants, for instance, ERGS, FRGS, MAIS Fatwa Research Grant, IIRG, MRUN, JAKIM Fatwa Research Grant, RACE, USM, JAIS Fatwa Research Grant, GP LPPKN, UMRG Project, and UMRG Programme. The outputs of the research could be seen through the graduation of graduate research assistants, publications, curriculum designs, and reviews for new courses or module improvements. In addition, those outputs have also been utilized to assist government institutions. For example, in developing modules, manuals, guidelines, policies, and fatwas. Furthermore, many of the outputs of Islamic Psychospiritual and Psychotherapy have been applied and carried out publicly by the community and non-governmental associations (NGO). To impart this knowledge to the relevant communities, Dr. Che Zarrina has been invited to facilitate the training of the trainers (ToT) workshops and intervention sessions that are usually organized by the government, such as JAKIM, Malaysian Ministry of Health, Jabatan Perpaduan Negara dan Intergrasi Nasional, state religious councils and departments, non-governmental organizations, and the public. In the professional field, based on her expertise and involvement with the stakeholders, she has gained their trust and has been appointed to one of JAKIM’s prestigious committees as an Expert Panel for Aqidah (PPA) with terms of reference to respond to current issues of `aqidah and school of thought in society and give an initial view on the issuance of a fatwa for Muzakarah Jawatankuasa Fatwa, Majlis Kebangsaan Bagi Hal Ehwal Ugama Islam Malaysia (MKI). She has been involved in various committees and has been appointed as an expert panel, among others in Expert Panel for Programme Standards: Islamic Studies by Malaysian Qualification Agency (MQA), Expert Panel of the Field of Aqidah and Sufism, Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, Top Management Committee for KSKCare Centre JAKIM, and Dini Curriculum Development for Ministry of Education Malaysia. In academic linkage, Dr. Che Zarrina has been involved as an academic advisor for several local universities, journals editor-in-Chief, advisory board member, member of journal editorial boards, postgraduate external examiner, and member of the British Society for Middle Eastern Studies (BRISMES). She is the Editor in Chief for AFKAR: Journal of Aqidah & Islamic Thought, indexed in WoS-ESCI and SCOPUS. She has also been appointed Editor in Chief for Qalbu: International Journal of Sufism published by PERTAMA, the advisory board for the Journal of Islamic Theology Pakistan and the Journal of Islamic Research Turkey, and has become a reviewer for WoS and SCOPUS journals. She also contributes to society through her involvement with several national and international non-government organizations (NGO) such as the Islamic Psychospiritual Association Malaysia (IPSA) as Deputy President, Majlis Dakwah Negara, Persatuan Kaunseling Syarie Malaysia, and the International Association of Islamic Psychology. She has obtained several certificates as a certified practitioner, such as Psychological First Aid, Mental Health Coach, and Crisis Intervention and Trauma Counseling. Among her significant contributions to the country is her involvement from the beginning in setting up the KSKCare Centre@MTMZA JAKIM which is a community referral center that provides professional and free services to the community.  Since then, she, who leads the Islamic Psychospiritual Team, has always performed training of the trainers (ToT) managed by JAKIM and others for related persons.

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DR. MOHAMMAD KHAIRI MOKTHAR

Mohammad Khairi Mokthar is currently a Senior Lecturer at the Dance Department of the Faculty of Creative Arts at Universiti Malaya. He completed his doctoral studies at Universiti Malaya, specializing in ethnography with a focus on Terinai, a traditional Malay Classical Dance of Perlis. He holds a Master of Fine Arts in Dance Performance, with a major in contemporary dance, from Korea National University of Arts, (K'ARTS) Korea, where he was awarded a scholarship by the Korea Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism. His dance journey began during his teenage years when he was exposed to Malay traditional dance. He pursued his tertiary dance education at the National Academy of Arts, Culture, and Heritage (ASWARA), Malaysia, where he received formal training in various dance forms, including Malay classical and folk dance, Chinese folk dance, ethnic dance, and Indian classical dance. He completed his Diploma in Dance in 2010 and his Bachelor of Dance (Performance) in 2013 at ASWARA. In 2013, he made his debut as an Indian classical dancer with a Bharatanatyam Arangetram. He has also worked professionally, including as a principal dancer at ASK Dance Company and in England with the Shobana Jeyasingh Dance for the Classic Cut Tour in 2012 and 2013. He has received numerous awards and recognitions for his contributions to dance, including Best Choreographer in Full-length Work at the 12th BOH Cameronian Arts Awards Malaysia in 2015, 2nd prize in the Seoul International Dance Competition in 2015 and 2016, and being named one of the Top 10 New Generation Malaysian Cultural Dancers in 2017. In addition to his performance work, Mohammad Khairi Mokthar has also served as a part-time lecturer and coach at various institutions, including Sultan Idris Education University (UPSI) and ASWARA. He received The Shining Star Awards in 2019, organized by the Uniques Arts Culture and Heritage Foundation in collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism, Arts, and Culture Malaysia. In 2019, he collaborated with choreographer Mavin Khoo and TFA Inner Space Dance Company for a performance titled "I am Ravana" at Sadler's Wells in London. He is recognized as an educator, choreographer, dancer, and scholar in the field of dance.

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