Finding patterns of variation in biology fascinating, I chose to study genetics and molecular biology in Universiti Malaya, graduating in 2002 with first class honours. Subsequently, I turned to the roots of the study of patterns of variation - statistics, receiving my MSc in statistics from Universiti Malaya in 2005. I completed my PhD in statistics at the National University of Singapore in 2009. Since 2010, I have been with Universiti Malaya. Currently, I am an associate professor at the Institute of Mathematical Sciences, and a fellow of the Royal Statistical Society, UK. My research interest broadly covers the area of data science, machine learning, bioinformatics, ecology, and medical statistics. Since 2010, I have worked in over 20 projects as the principal consultant statistician, and conducted numerous workshops on statistics, bioinformatics, and R programming. Presently, I head the UM Centre for Data Analytics, which focuses on establishing collaborative research and engagement between the industry and the academia in Malaysia. I enjoy reading, travelling, nature walks, and more recently, engaging fellow scientists in Twitter space.

Dr Nithiah Thangiah has been working in the research field for the past 12 years. She has been involved in many projects on population health at the Centre for Population Health (CePH), Department of Social & Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University Malaya. Her research interest includes survey design, data management and data analysis. She is comfortable in using SPSS, Stata and JASP for data analysis. She has gained a Masters in Applied Statistics and PhD in Public Health (Adolescent Health). Her PhD in cluster analysis has enhanced her statistical skills while exploring adolescent health and CVD risk factors in Malaysia. She has published and co-authored several papers during her career as a researcher.

Hema Subramaniam is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Software Engineering at the Faculty of Computer Science and Information Technology, Universiti Malaya. She holds a PhD in Software Engineering from Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), awarded in 2016, after completing her Master of Computer Science (Software Engineering) in 2010 and her BSc in Information Technology in 2006, both from Universiti Selangor. Her core research interests revolve around software quality metrics, architecture, and real-time systems. She focuses on developing methodologies to improve system maintainability, performance, and scalability. Dr. Hema has actively led and contributed to various research initiatives to assess and optimise software structures through quantitative models. Her work frequently integrates advanced architectural design principles and dynamic analysis to build robust, high-dependability systems, particularly in real-time application domains. Her dedication to translating theoretical frameworks into practical solutions has made a meaningful impact on advancing intelligent and adaptive software engineering practices.