Dr. Shanina Sharatol Ahmad Shah is a senior lecturer with over 20 years of experience in the field of Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL). She holds a PhD in Education (TESL) and M.Ed (TESL) from Universiti Malaya and a B.Ed in TESOL from the University of Surrey, UK. Her academic and professional journey is grounded in advancing second language teacher education, English language teaching methodology, and English linguistics specifically in Phonetics and Phonology. Her research specialisations include reading and writing in a second language, English pronunciation instruction, language teacher cognition, and professional identity development in TESOL contexts. She has published extensively in high-impact journals, exploring themes such as writing anxiety, cognitive dissonance in academic writing, and pronunciation learning strategies among ESL learners.Dr. Shanina is also the author of the book entitled "Reading and writing pedagogies in ESL instruction", which provides practical, classroom-ready strategies tailored for both novice and experienced teachers. Grounded in current research and enriched by classroom experience, the book serves as a bridge between theory and practice, offering evidence-based approaches that support literacy development and learner engagement in ESL contexts. A key strength of Dr. Shanina’s scholarly work is her deep expertise in qualitative research, particularly the case study method, which she has applied in numerous funded projects and postgraduate supervisions. Her methodological approach is known for its rigour and clarity, especially in uncovering nuanced insights into language teacher beliefs, student learning experiences, and reflective practice. Her chapter contribution in “Research Design for Language Studies” further reflects her role in guiding qualitative inquiry in education. Dr. Shanina is the principal investigator and co-researcher in several national and internationally funded research projects, including interventions to improve reading literacy, immersive English communication programmes, and cross-cultural collaborations on teacher identity and oral communication strategies. She has also served as a consultant, external examiner, keynote speaker, and reviewer, contributing significantly to the development of TESOL practice and policy at both national and international levels.

Dr. Ng Ching Ching obtained her Ph.D. from Osaka University, Japan in 2003. After which, she joined Universiti Malaya as a lecturer. She is currently a Professor at the Microbiology and Molecular Genetics Programme, Institute of Biological Sciences. Throughout her service at Universiti Malaya, she has had the privilege of becoming a visiting researcher in RIKEN, Japan (2006, 2010) and the University of Sydney, Australia (2015). Her area of expertise includes molecular genetics, human genetics and genomic medicine. Her current research focus is on the genetic susceptibility and pathogenic mechanisms of cancers and some common complex diseases, the genetic basis of rare diseases and HLA pharmacogenetic markers of drug-induced severe cutaneous adverse reactions (SCARs). She works closely with clinicians with the aim of translating her research into practice and policy.

CHIEW Poh Shin (周宝芯, 周寶芯) is a senior lecturer in the Department of Malaysian Languages and Applied Linguistics, Faculty of Languages and Linguistics, Universiti Malaya. She earned her Bachelor's, Master's, and PhD from Nanjing Normal University, specialising in Chinese language and linguistics. Her primary research interests include phonetics and phonology, language variation, and language acquisition. Currently, she focuses on sociophonetics and prosodic studies, particularly in the varieties of Chinese like Hokkien, Cantonese, and Mandarin. She has a deep passion for human speech and wants to explore how speech sounds connect with cognition, society, and culture. Beyond academic research, she enjoys science communication work, sharing the fascinating world of linguistics with the public. Here is her first experience on a podcast.