Biography (English) Associate Professor Dr Siti Mashitoh Mahamood is currently an Associate Professor at the Syariah and Law Department, Academy of Islamic Studies, University of Malaya, Malaysia. She graduated with a Bachelor Degree in Syariah with honours class one from the Faculty of Syariah, Islamic Academy, University of Malaya in 1992. In 1996, she was awarded a Master of Syariah by the same University. She completed her doctoral studies in 2000 at the University of Birmingham, United Kingdom in which she specialized in Waqf and Islamic Law of Property. Her areas of expertise and research interests are Waqf and Islamic Law of Property (on Wasiyyah/Bequest, Hibah/Gift, Islamic Succession, Zakat and Baitulmal), Islamic Wealth Management and Estate Planning and also Law and Administration of Muslim Property. She has written many articles and books within her specialization areas. She received a number of gold and excellence awards for her research works, career development and academic services. Her scopus article in Humanomics journal entitled “Financing universities through waqf, pious endowment: is it possible?” received the Outstanding Paper Award for the Emerald Literati Network Awards for Excellence 2016 from the Emerald Group Publishing Limited, United Kingdom. Associate Professor Dr Siti Mashitoh Mahamood is the Chairman of the Syariah Advisory Board for the As-Salihin Trustee Berhad, Waqf Expert for UM-MAIWP Waqf Joint Management Committee, Zakat Expert for UM Zakat Fund Committee and a member of Cash Waqf Fund Committee of MAIWP. She is also a Task Force member For Empowerment of Muslim Property Governance of JAKIM where laws related to Muslim Properties are drafted and codified.  She has been involved in various consultation projects and activities with the government and private institutions, including Syariah and Civil law firms. She has also been involved in providing legal opinions and serving as an expert witness for Malaysian court cases as well as other institutions, including some international institutions on waqf matters. Another aspect of her work has been her active involvement on the codification and amendment of waqf laws in Malaysia including for the Federal Territories & the Wakaf (State of Selangor) Enactment 2015. She has also been involved in the codification and amendment of other Islamic law matters including the Muslim Wills (Selangor) (Amendment) Enactment 2016. Previously, she was the first and former Director of UM Awqaf of the University of Malaya. Her appointment was made for two years (January 2017-December 2018) with the remit of promoting the University and collecting waqf for it. The national and international  research findings and experiences that she gathered from her waqf university research projects involving grants LR001A-2013B, LR001B-2013B, LR001C-2013B, RP012D-13HNE and RG 284-11 HNE were used to benefit the running of UM Awqaf portfolio. The 10th of October 2018 was an important historical marker for the University of Malaya as on that date UM was finally granted the legal status of Mutawalli from the Federal Territories Islamic Religious Council (MAIWP) for the operation of waqf. She had also started the collection of University of Malaya Waqf in the same year. Associate Professor Dr Siti Mashitoh Mahamood had also served a number of portfolios of advisories and board members at the Malaysian Waqaf Foundation (YWM): as a member of the Board of Trustees (2019 - April 2023), the Chairman of the Syariah Advisory Committee (2021- April 2023), the Chairman of the Technical Committee of Supplementary Trust Deed for the Malaysian Waqaf Foundation (2020) and a member of the Syariah Advisory Committee for the foundation (2010–2015 & 2019-2021). She had also served a number of other advisories and committees including a member of the Law Committee for Islamic Religious Council of Selangor (2012-2020), a Member of the Law Committee for Islamic Religious Council of the Federal Territories (MAIWP) (11 August 2019-10 August 2023), a Corporate Advisor (Syariah Compliant Advisor) for Al-Hidayah Group of Companies (2020-2022), the Chairman of PWS-KUIS Wakaf Ilmu Joint Management Committee (2016-2019), Muamalat Expert Panel Member of JAKIM (2016-2018) and many others. She had also been involved in the codification of various waqf Manuals for the Department of Waqf, Zakat and Hajj (JAWHAR). Associate Professor Dr Siti Mashitoh Mahamood had also served as an Expert Consultant for the National Wakaf Master Plan (Legal Aspects) in empowering the Malaysian waqf laws.   Biografi (Malay) Profesor Madya Dr Siti Mashitoh Mahamood adalah seorang Profesor Madya di Jabatan Syariah dan Undang-Undang, Akademi Pengajian Islam, Universiti Malaya, Malaysia. Beliau berkelulusan Ijazah Sarjana Muda Syariah dengan Kepujian Kelas Pertama daripada Fakulti Syariah, Akademi Islam, Universiti Malaya pada tahun 1992. Pada tahun 1996, beliau dianugerahkan Sarjana Syariah oleh Universiti yang sama. Beliau menamatkan pengajian kedoktorannya pada tahun 2000 di University of Birmingham, United Kingdom dengan pengkhususan dalam bidang Wakaf dan Undang-undang Harta Islam. Bidang kepakaran beliau adalah dalam Wakaf dan Undang-Undang Harta Islam (melibatkan Hibah, Wasiat, Pusaka, Zakat dan Baitulmal), Pengurusan Harta dan Perancangan Pusaka Orang Islam dan Undang-Undang Pentadbiran Harta Orang Islam. Beliau banyak menulis artikel dan buku dalam bidang kepakarannya. Beliau telah menerima pelbagai pingat emas dan anugerah kecemerlangan untuk kerja-kerja penyelidikan, pembangunan kerjaya dan perkhidmatan akademik yang dilaksanakan. Artikel scopus beliau dalam jurnal Humanomics bertajuk “Financing universities through waqf, pious endowment: is it possible?” telah menerima anugerah Outstanding Paper Award for the Emerald Literati Network Awards for Excellence 2016 daripada Emerald Group Publishing Limited, United Kingdom. Profesor Madya Dr Siti Mashitoh Mahamood merupakan Pengerusi Lembaga Penasihat Syariah As-Salihin Trustee Berhad, Pakar Rujuk Wakaf Jawatankuasa Pengurusan Bersama Wakaf UM - MAIWP, Pakar Rujuk Jawatankuasa Tabung Zakat UM dan Ahli Jawatankuasa Tabung Wakaf Tunai MAIWP. Beliau juga terlibat sebagai Ahli Pasukan Petugas (Task force) Berhubung Dengan Pemerkasaan Governan Harta Orang Islam, JAKIM di mana undang-undang berkaitan kehartaan orang Islam dideraf serta dikodifikasikan. Beliau terlibat dalam pelbagai projek dan aktiviti perundingan dengan institusi kerajaan dan swasta, termasuk firma undang-undang Syariah dan undang-undang Sivil. Beliau juga terlibat dalam menyediakan pendapat undang-undang dan bertindak sebagai saksi pakar untuk kes-kes Mahkamah di Malaysia serta institusi lain, termasuk beberapa institusi antarabangsa mengenai perkara wakaf & kehartaan Islam lainnya. Beliau sangat aktif dalam usaha penggubalan dan pindaan Undang-undang Wakaf negara termasuk untuk Wilayah-Wilayah Persekutuan selain terlibat secara langsung dalam penggubalan Enakmen Wakaf (Negeri Selangor) 2015. Selain itu, beliau juga terlibat dalam penggubalan dan pindaan undang-undang Islam lainnya termasuk Enakmen Wasiat Orang Islam (Selangor) (Pindaan) 2016.  Beliau merupakan Mantan dan orang pertama yang dilantik sebagai Pengarah UM Awqaf. Pelantikannya dibuat untuk 2 tahun (Januari 2017-Disember 2018) bertujuan untuk memajukan Universiti Malaya melalui pengumpulan wakaf. Hasil penyelidikan dan pengalaman peringkat nasional dan antarabangsa yang diperolehinya daripada projek-projek penyelidikan universiti wakaf melibatkan geran-geran LR001A-2013B, LR001B-2013B, LR001C-2013B, RP012D-13HNE dan RG284-11 HNE telah digunakan untuk pelaksanaan wakaf Universiti Malaya. 10 Oktober 2018 merupakan tarikh bersejarah kerana pada tarikh tersebut UM telah diberikan status Mutawalli oleh MAIWP untuk tujuan pelaksanaan Wakaf UM. Beliau juga telah memulakan kutipan Wakaf Universiti Malaya pada tahun yang sama. Profesor Madya Dr Siti Mashitoh Mahamood telah juga terlibat menganggotai pelbagai portfolio sebagai Penasihat dan Ahli Lembaga Pemegang Amanah di Yayasan Waqaf Malaysia (YWM): iaitu sebagai Ahli Lembaga Pemegang Amanah Yayasan Waqaf Malaysia (2019 - April 2023), Pengerusi Jawatankuasa Penasihat Syariah (2021- April 2023), Pengerusi Mesyuarat Jawatankuasa Teknikal Surat Ikatan Amanah Tambahan (JKSIAT) (2020) dan Ahli Jawatankuasa Penasihat Syariah (2010–2015 & 2019-2021) bagi Yayasan Waqaf Malaysia.   Beliau juga telah terlibat menjadi Penasihat dan Ahli Jawatankuasa di pelbagai portfolio lainnya termasuklah sebagai  Ahli Jawatankuasa Undang-undang Majlis Agama Islam Selangor (2012-2020), Ahli Jawatankuasa Undang-undang Majlis Agama Islam Wilayah Persekutuan (MAIWP) (11 Ogos 2019-10 Ogos 2023), Corporate Advisor (Syariah Compliant Advisor) untuk Al-Hidayah Group of Companies (2020-2022), Pengerusi Jawatankuasa Bersama Wakaf Ilmu PWS-KUIS (2016-2019), Panel Pakar Muamalat JAKIM (2016-2018) dan lain-lain lagi. Beliau juga terlibat dalam penggubalan pelbagai Manual wakaf untuk Jabatan Wakaf, Zakat dan Haji (JAWHAR). Profesor Madya Dr Siti Mashitoh Mahamood telah juga terlibat sebagai Pakar Rujuk dalam Penyediaan Pelan lnduk Wakaf Nasional (Aspek Perundangan) bagi Pemerkasaan Perundangan Wakaf di Malaysia.      

Professor Dr. Liam Chong Kin, is a Professor of Medicine and Senior Consultant Respiratory Medicine Physician working in the University Malaya Medical Centre/Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya (UM), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and in the UM Specialist Centre. He was the President of the Malaysian Thoracic Society for 4 terms from 2001 to 2009 after which he remained as a council member of the Malaysian Thoracic Society till 2015. He is a council member of the Asian Pacific Society of Respirology since 2002. He is a fellow of the American College of Chest Physicians (since 1997), Royal College of Physicians (London) (since 1999) and the Asian Pacific Society of Respirology (since 2012). He is also an active member of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) and the European Respiratory Society. He was the organising chairman for the 8th Congress of the Asian Pacific Society of Respirology that was held in Petaling Jaya from 1-4 December 2003. He chaired the scientific programme committee for the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease - Asia Pacific Region Conference that was held in Kuala Lumpur from 2-5 August 2007. He was the organising chairman for the 2014 IASLC Asia Pacific Lung Cancer Conference held in Kuala Lumpur from 6-8 November 2014. He was a member of the scientific committee for the biennial Asia Pacific Lung Cancer Conferences held in various countries including Hyderabad (India), Seoul (South Korea), Fukuoka (Japan) and Chiangmai (Thailand).  He was the advisor to the local organising committee for the 20th Congress of the Asian Pacific Society of Respirology held in Kuala Lumpur from 3-6 December 2015. He headed the Lung Cancer Assembly of the Asian Pacific Society of Respirology from 2015 to 2019. His areas of clinical interest include the up-to-date treatment of lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and bronchial asthma. His research interests include molecular genotyping, novel molecular targeted therapies and immunotherapy for lung cancer, novel therapies for COPD and b2-adrenoceptor genetic polymorphisms in bronchial asthma. He has been an invited speaker for a wide range of topics in Respiratory Medicine, especially in lung cancer, COPD, asthma and pneumonia at international and regional conferences such as the World Conference on Lung Cancer and the Asian Pacific Society of Respirology annual congresses; as well as national scientific conferences and symposia.  He has published 193 scientific papers in peer-reviewed medical journals and is the author or co-author of 305 papers presented at national, regional and international scientific meetings.

Dr. Thanalachime Perumal joined academic life as a senior lecturer in Faculty Languages and Linguistics at  The University of Malaya since 15 July 2016. Currently, she is a lecturer for Tamil Program at the Department of Malaysian Languages and Applied Linguistics. She completed her Doctoral degree  (Discourse Analysis) at University Putra Malaysia; her Masters of Modern Languages at the University of Malaya,  her Diploma in Language & Culture at University Malaya and completed teaching certificate  (Tamil) at Raja Melewer Teaching College. Her main research interests are Discourse Analysis, Tamil teaching, and learning, Media discourse, and translations. Her teaching interests are broadly within Discourse Analysis (esp Media discourse), Sociolinguistic and Translation. She welcomes proposal for Ph.D. or Master research project on any aspect of Global Tamil, areas of particular interest include: Tamil language in higher education, Language ideological debates relating to global Tamil, Intelligibility issues relating to the spread of Tamil, Attitudes towards Tamil Language, Tamil language in higher education contexts around the world, Tamil Special Purpose (CSP) in Mass Media and Language structure-Tamil syntax.