Marlenny Deenerwan holds a PhD in Theatre Performance from Monash University, Australia (2016), a Master of Arts (2011) and a Bachelor of Performing Arts in Drama (2007) from Universiti Malaya and a Diploma in Creative Writing from the National Arts Academy, now known as ASWARA (2002).  Before entering the academic world, she was a teacher at SM Shan Tao in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, and worked as a sub-editor at Daily Express Sabah. As an academic, her research is in the field of Malaysian traditional and ritual theatre: Bobolian rituals in Sabah, the traditional theatre of Wayang Kulit, Makyong and Bangsawan, research on the Minang community in Kuala Lumpur and the Kaul event of the Melanau community in Mukah. Her most recent research focused on the development of interactive theatre as an alternative to teaching and learning in primary school. This project started in 2017 in a rural school in SK Pekan Ranau, Sabah under the UMRG grant and was further developed into a DraFDidik module. This is a teaching and learning method using drama/theatre for passive children that was tested in five primary schools in the Klang Valley in 2023, funded by a UMCares grant. In November 2023, Marlenny won Silver Award in International Education Innovation Expo 2023 through the project DraFDidik. Marlenny has been a creative writer since 1999 and has published over 20 scripts for modern stage dramas and adaptations (Nur, Dari M ke M, Rumah Lama Kampung Baru, Melati & Melur, YB Jee, Lina & Lijah, No Smoking Please, Lima Bersaudara, Anak Raja Anak Papa, Zhao Si Anak Yatim, Hikayat Si Miskin Menjadi Raja, Elyas Emas, Perempuan-Perempuan Kampong Bharu, Transit Borneo-Malaya etc.), dozens of TV dramas since 2003 (Haryati II, Dilema Wanita, Kasihnya Di Bawah Bayu, Igauan Semalam, etc.). She also writes documentaries, television commercials, newspaper articles/critiques, short stories, poems, and song lyrics. She has worked as an actress, director, and theatre producer since 1998. Her directing credits include No Smoking Please (2003), The Glass Menageries (2006), Rachel Corrie (2007), Di Sebalik Pintu (2008), Melati & Melur (2008), The Zoo Story (2009), Rumah Lama Kampung Baru (2010), Bangsawan Anak Raja Anak Papa (The Prince and The Pauper) (2015), Zhao Si Anak Yatim (2017 & 2018), Asiah Samiah (2019), Hikayat Si Miskin Menjadi Raja (2021), Bangku (2022), Saya... Dari Hujung Kota (2023), Transit Borneo-Malaya (2023), Wanita dan Senjatanya (2023), Perempuan-Perempuan Kampong Bharu (2024), Sirih Bertepuk Pinang Menari (2024), Tingginya Menyapu Awan (2025) and Muzikal Uda & Dara (2025). She co-founded the theater group Mekar Budaya in 2002 and the group Bangsawan Opera Sri Bandaraya under the patronage of Kuala Lumpur City Hall in 2008. She won the Best Actress Award at the Malaysian Theater Festival 2003, the Best Director Award at the Kuala Lumpur Theater Festival 2009, the Young Theater Artist Award by the Selangor State Government in 2010, and the Best Original Script Cameronian Boh Award 2025. Her Bangsawan script Lima Bersaudara was recorded in the Malaysia Book of Records as the first Bangsawan script for children in 2010. She was appointed by the National Ministry of Culture and Arts as the Head of Jury for the 2016 Malaysian Theater Festival. She was the Head of Jury for the Universiti Malaya (Kaviter UM) Theater Carnival from 2017 to 2024.  Apart from being an author for the Sekolah Seni Malaysia textbooks, Marlenny has published several academic books, including "Bobolian Seni Teater Etnik Dusun" (2015, JKKN), "Siri Teater Muzikal" (2024, DBP), and her latest publication, "Seni Teater Bangsawan" published by DBP in 2025. During her stint with the NGOs, Marlenny was the former President of ASWARA Alumni Association 2015-2018 and is currently the Chairperson of Persatuan Rumpun Seni Mekar Budaya Kuala Lumpur (since 2020). She has also been a member of Ikatan Penulis Sabah since 1992. In December 2024, she received the Anugerah Khas Cendekia (Seni Teater) at Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka Kuala Lumpur.

Associate Professor Dr. Mohd Norhusairi bin Mat Hussin is a faculty member at the Department of Shariah and Law, Academy of Islamic Studies, Universiti Malaya (UM). Prior to joining academia, he practiced as a Syarie lawyer in the Shariah Courts of Malaysia. He obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Shariah (Islamic Law) with Distinction from Universiti Malaya in 2006 and later completed a Fast-Track PhD in Shariah and Law from the same institution in 2014. Dr. Mohd Norhusairi has received several prestigious awards, including the National Maal Hijrah Figure (Tokoh Maal Hijrah Kebangsaan) Award (2002) from the Ministry of Education Malaysia, the Shell Special Excellent Award (2002), the Special Award from His Royal Highness the Sultan of Kelantan (2002), and the Excellent Student Award at both state and national levels (2002). His areas of expertise encompass Islamic Family Law, Moot Court and Court Procedure, Islamic Civil Procedure, and Islamic Law and Society. He has led and participated in numerous research projects in the fields of Islamic Family Law and Mal (civil) procedure, including those funded under the Fundamental Research Grant Scheme (FRGS), the Inquisitorial Procedure Development Project, and research projects supported by the Selangor Islamic Religious Council (MAIS). His leadership in these projects reflects a sustained commitment to advancing research that strengthens the administration of justice in the Shariah legal system. Recognized for his expertise in Islamic Family Law, Dr. Mohd Norhusairi has been invited as a keynote speaker by various universities, including UIN Malang, Indonesia, where he presented on “Family Resilience in the Recession Era: Empowering Women through the Practice of Harta Sepencarian in Malaysia” (ICOLESS, 6–7 September 2023) and “Islamic Family Law as Protection for Women and Family Institutions in Malaysia” (5 September 2023). He has also delivered invited lectures at UIN Sunan Ampel, UIN Raden Intan Lampung, and other institutions in Indonesia. In 2023, he represented Universiti Malaya at the ICIEF/ULIFAM Conference in Ankara, Turkey (25 September – 7 October 2023), where he presented “Development of Islamic Finance in the Family Context in Malaysia.” He also served as a keynote speaker at Karabuk University, Türkiye (29 September 2022), presenting “Zakat as Islamic Philanthropy in Malaysia: An Overview from a Legal Perspective.” From 2019 to 2025, he has contributed as a Module Enhancer and Facilitator for postgraduate programmes at Open University Malaysia (OUM). Dr. Mohd Norhusairi has actively participated in numerous national and international academic programmes and conferences. These include guest lectures at UNIMMA, Indonesia (2021), Universitas Sunan Kalijaga, Yogyakarta (2020), UIN Sunan Ampel, Surabaya (2020), the International Conference on Economics, Education, Humanities and Social Sciences, Barcelona (2023), the International Seminar on Islamic Law in Southeast Asia, UIN Sunan Kalijaga (2017), the International Journal of Arts and Sciences (IJAS) Conference, Barcelona (2015), and the International End-of-Year Multidisciplinary Conference, Bad Hofgastein, Austria (2011). He also presented at an international conference in Vienna, Austria (2024). In recognition of his academic excellence, Dr. Mohd Norhusairi was appointed as an International Research Fellow at UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta. He also serves as the Manager of the Journal of Shariah Law Research, published by the Department of Shariah and Law, Academy of Islamic Studies, Universiti Malaya, which has been successfully indexed in Scopus. Additionally, he serves as a member of the Editorial Board for the Q1 Scopus-indexed journal Al-Adalah (UIN Raden Intan Lampung, Indonesia) and as a member of the International Advisory Board of the BALA Journal, Amsya University, Turkey. Beyond academia, he has served as an advisor to the non-governmental organization Ikatan Muslim Prihatin Kebangsaan (IMPAK) since 2017. His scholarly contributions include numerous publications in national and international journals, primarily in the areas of Islamic Law, Islamic Family Law, and Law and Society. He has authored several reference books on Islamic Family Law in Malaysia as well as a Qur’anic Study Series (Quranic Group 1–5).  

DR.-ING Nurdiana Nordin received her B.Sc. (field: Pure Chemistry) under Biasiswa Khas Tenaga Akademik (BKTA) Scholarship from the Ministry of Higher Education, Malaysia in 2012 and her M.Sc. (Field: Organic and Computational Chemistry) under SLAB Scholarship in 2015 from Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. After graduation, she joined the Institute of Microstructure Technology (IMT) at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Karlsruhe, Germany, in 2016 under the supervision of Dr. Neil MacKinnon and Dr. Vlad Badilita in the group of Prof. Jan G. Korvink. At the same time, she also joined the Bio-Interfaces Graduate International School (BIF-IGS) at the Institut für Biologische Grenzflächen, IBG. She received her PhD degree in 2020 from BIF-IGS and the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, KIT. In Karlsruhe, she was trained in nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) technology and clean room fabrication of microfluidic devices. She had extensive laboratory work that included electrochemical systems, microfluidic fabrication processes, bioorganic synthesis, biopolymer surface modification, and the NMR techniques. Her research interests include NMR development, bioorganic mechanisms, biomedical microsystems (BioMEMS - sensor), organ on-a-chip, flexible electronics and metabolomic studies.