Mohamad Suffian bin Mohamad Annuar is a leading researcher in bioprocess technology and advanced biomaterials, with a particular focus on medium-chain-length polyhydroxyalkanoates (mcl-PHA) derived from bacterial fermentation of local renewable resources. These mcl-PHA are prized for their biocompatibility, biodegradability, and versatile properties, making them ideal for a wide range of applications. His research group has pioneered the development of mcl-PHA-based hydrogels, which exhibit exceptional water absorption and mechanical strength, making them suitable for tissue engineering and controlled drug delivery systems. His team has also explored the use of mcl-PHA in creating bone scaffolds that support cell growth and closely mimic natural bone structures. Furthermore, they have advanced the field by developing mcl-PHA nanoparticles, which hold significant potential for targeted drug delivery and biomedical imaging applications. Additionally, their investigations into mcl-PHA-based composites and blends have shown promise for renewable energy and water purification applications. With a research approach that balances fundamental and applied aspects, his research group contributes over 120 publications in reputable scientific journals. He has successfully supervised 16 Ph.D. and 33 Master's projects to completion. His laboratory, known for its multi-disciplinary scientific approach, has secured research funding in excess of MYR 4 million through its own projects and collaborative efforts, and continues to welcome and foster multi-disciplinary scientific collaborations.

Dr. Muhamad Alihanafiah bin Norasid is a senior lecturer at the Academy of Islamic Studies, University of Malaya. He was born on 22 May 1987 at Kuala Lumpur General Hospital and is the eldest of twelve siblings. Originally from Johor, he has resided in Dusun Tua, Hulu Langat, Selangor, for over 30 years. He is married and blessed with five children—two boys and three girls. Educational Background Dr. Alihanafiah began his early education at Sekolah Agama Menengah Rawang, Selangor in 2000, before continuing his secondary studies at Sekolah Menengah Agama Kerajaan Johor in Kluang from 2001 to 2004. In 2005, he pursued religious studies at Ma’ahad Johor in Johor Bahru and successfully obtained the Sijil Tinggi Agama Malaysia (STAM). He continued his academic journey at the University of Malaya, earning a Bachelor of Usuluddin (Al-Quran and Al-Hadith) from 2006 to 2009. He then pursued a PhD in the field of Thematic Quranic Interpretation and Human Capital Development at the same university from 2010 to 2016. He also attended a one-month Arabic language enhancement course at Cairo University, Egypt in 2008, and a three-month research methodology course at The World Islamic Sciences and Education University in Amman, Jordan in 2012. Academic Career Dr. Alihanafiah has been serving as a lecturer at the Academy of Islamic Studies, University of Malaya since 2017, and currently holds the position of Senior Lecturer. With over eight years of academic experience, he has demonstrated strong commitment to teaching and research, particularly in the field of Quran and Hadith studies. Leadership and Involvement Since his student days, Dr. Alihanafiah has actively engaged in various leadership and co-curricular activities. He served as Chairman of the Student Committee, Department of Quran and Hadith (2005–2006), and was a committee member of the Islamic Student Association of the University of Malaya (2004–2005). He also held the position of Advisory Committee Member of the Training and Cadre Unit at YADIM (2020–2021), and served as Chairman of the Youth Bureau (Lajnah Syubban) of the Malaysian Muslim Scholar Association (PUM) from 2017 to 2024. As of 2025, he holds the position of Chairman of the Madrasah Ulama’ Secretariat, also under PUM. Academic Publications and Scholarly Network Dr. Alihanafiah is an active academic in the field of scholarly publishing. He has authored more than 60 academic articles, which have been published in various academic journals, book chapters, and conference proceedings. Additionally, he has presented over 15 research papers at international conferences and seminars. His involvement in research includes delivering presentations as a guest speaker in countries such as Japan, Iran, and Indonesia. He has also participated in research competency courses in Turkey, Thailand, Egypt, Brunei, Japan, Jordan, Qatar, Iran, and other countries. He is recognized as a subject matter expert in the areas of Quranic thought, thematic (Mawdu‘i) interpretation, human capital development, and environmental sustainability from the perspective of the Quran. Academic and Co-Curricular Achievements Dr. Alihanafiah has received various awards and recognitions throughout his academic journey. These include the Cikgu Haji Osman Hassan Book Prize for Best Student at the Academy of Islamic Studies, University of Malaya (2009), the Active Student Award of Residential College 8 (2007), and the Academic Excellence Award of the same college (2007). He also received the University Book Prize for achieving a perfect CGPA (4.00) in three out of six semesters. In the field of debating, he represented the University of Malaya in the Royal Intervarsity Debate Championship (Arabic category) and emerged as First Runner-up in 2007. He also reached the quarterfinals of the ASEAN Debate Championship (Arabic category) in the same year. Additionally, he was the First Runner-up in the Quran Memorization Competition and Islamic Calligraphy Competition (khat) at the university level in 2007 and 2008 respectively.

Cheong Fei Wen obtained her Bachelor Degree in Biomedical Science (with distinction) from Universiti Malaya (UM), Malaysia. She passed her PhD with distinction and is currently holding the post of senior lecturer in the Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, UM. Since PhD study, she explored into several malaria-related aspects, including protein expression of the Plasmodium knowlesi merozoite surface proteins; immunogenicity study using animal model; and epitope mapping. Her current research interests include phenotypic and genotypic measures on Plasmodium sp. resistance against anti-malarials, immunogenicity profiling of potential malarial vaccine candidates, and genome engineering in P. knowlesi using CRISPR-Cas9 system. With her deep passion in research, she has been successfully selected and awarded to attend several international workshops/courses including Ungku Omar-Newton Fund Researcher Links Workshop: Neglected Disease in SEA: Building Capacity in Epidemiological Modelling (University of Malaya, Malaysia & Imperial College London, UK) and Wellcome Genome Campus Advanced Course: Malaria Experimental Genetics (WGCAC, UK). She has also obtained and be part of 10 research grants, including UM Research Fund Assistance (BKP), UM Research Excellence Grant (UMREG), Postgraduate Research Fund (PPP), Frontier Research Grant (FRG), Fundamental Research Grant Scheme (FRGS), and Long Term Research Grant Scheme (LRGS), with total amount exceeding RM 2 million. With that, she has published about 30 articles in ISI-indexed journals.  She is currently the assistant editor of the Journal of Health and Translational Medicine (JUMMEC), associate editor of Asia Pacific Journal of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (APJMBB), and editorial board member of Tropical Biomedicine. She was the council member for Malaysian Society of Parasitology and Tropical Medicine (MSPTM) in 2019-2020.  She received excellent service certificate and excellent service award, UM in 2019 and 2024, respectively. She has been appointed as Programme Coordinator and assisted the department to develop a new Master by Coursework programme (Master of Medical Parasitology and Entomology, MMPE). She is also the course coordinator for courses in MMPE and Biomedical Science Programme. She is the committee member of Quality Assurance Programme - Quality Committee, Faculty of Medicine (FOM) from 2020. With her interest in academic curriculum, she has also been appointed as Programme Quality Assurance Expert (Pro-QAE) of FOM in 2021, and Pro-QAE of UM in 2024 to assist in programme curriculum related matters. In 2025, she has been appointed as FOM Deputy Quality Manager (ProQAE and stakeholders' feedback).