LING Tau Chuan is a Professor at the Universiti Malaya.  Tau Chuan graduated from the Universiti Putra Malaysia with a Degree in Biotechnology and stayed on to undertake Master Environmental Engineering study. He then completed a PhD at the University of Birmingham, UK with Prof Andrew Lyddiatt looking into development of cost-effective proteins downstream processing techniques. Following graduation in 2002, Tau Chuan joined the Universiti Putra Malaysia as a lecturer.    Since joining the Universiti Malaya, Tau Chuan has established an internationally recognised research activity in proteins downstream processing and bioprocess engineering, funded by Government of Malaysia and industries.  Tau Chuan is a Fellow of the Institution of Chemical Engineers and a Chartered Engineer. He is listed in the UM Researchers Top 2% Scientists by Stanford University and was awarded the Young Asian Biotechnologist Prize 2017 from The Society for Biotechnology, Japan. He has served as a visiting professor for several universities including Nanjing Agricultural University, Tsinghua University, Xiamen University, Lund University, National Cheng Kung University, Canterbury University and Kobe University. Tau Chuan’s expertise is in bioseparation technology and bioprocess intensification. He is internationally recognised for innovative work on the development of new and/or improved bioprocess separation and analytical techniques. He is especially well known for his work on primary capture technology, notably for inventing the technique known as aqueous two-phase systems and continuing the advancement of this and other separation techniques for large-scale application in the biopharmaceutical and nutriceutical sectors, and for his contributions to the advancement of adsorbent design and Fluidised Bed Adsorption technology. His current research mainly focuses on bioseparation, bioprocessing, green chemistry, and bioprospecting of microorganisms for useful biomolecules.        

Khoo Ying Hooi, PhD, is an Associate Professor of International Relations and Human Rights at Universiti Malaya (UM). Her research centres on human rights and democracy in Southeast Asia, with a particular focus on civil society, Southeast Asian politics, and the domestic politics of Malaysia and Timor-Leste. She also works extensively on human rights education, academic freedom, and the geopolitics of the region, examining how global and regional power dynamics shape rights discourses, civic spaces, and institutional contestations. She is the author of “The Bersih Movement and Democratisation in Malaysia” (SIRD/ ISEAS/ Lexington Books, 2020) and “Seeds of Dissent (Gerakbudaya, 2015). Furthermore, Ying Hooi has also co-edited several volumes, such as “Social and Political Deglobalisation: Covid-19, Conflict and Uncertainties in Malaysia (Palgrave Macmillan, 2023), “Marginalisation and Human Rights in Southeast Asia” (Routledge, 2022) and “Rethinking Human Rights and Peace in the Post-Independence Timor-Leste through Local Perspectives” (Palgrave Macmillan, 2022). Her co-author paper (with C. Leong, I. Faik, F. Tan and B. Tan, 2020), “Digital organising of a global social movement: from connective to collective action," won the 2021 Best Paper Award at the Information and Organization and was Runner-Up in the 2021 Special Interest Group-Grounded Theory Methodology (SIG-GTM).  Ying Hooi is the Editor-in-Chief of the Malaysian Journal of International Relations (MJIR) and sits on the Editorial Boards of the Journal of Current Southeast Asian Affairs, the Journal of Southeast Asian Human Rights (JSEAHR), and the Indonesian Law Review (ILREV).  Ying Hooi has been appointed to the International Advisory Council by the Timor-Leste government for Centro Nacional Chega! (CNC), a public institute tasked to institutionalise memory and promote human rights. She is also a founding member of the Southeast Asian Coalition for Academic Freedom (SEA-CAF). She received several fellowships, including the Mellon/ SAR Academic Freedom Fellowship by Scholars at Risk (SAR), the International Center on Nonviolent Conflict (ICNC) Curriculum Fellowship, and visiting fellowships at Kyushu University, Mahidol University, Humboldt University of Berlin and Beijing Foreign Studies University. She has served as a judge in several local and international human rights awards, including the Amnesty International Philippines Ignite Awards and Suara Rakyat Malaysia (SUARAM) Human Rights Awards. Between 2013 and 2016, Ying Hooi was involved in the diplomatic training course for the Institute of Diplomatic Studies (IDS), Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation in Timor-Leste. Additionally, she has contributed to consultancies for organisations like the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR), the Democracy Academy of Malaysia, and Strengthening Human Rights and Peace Research and Education in Southeast Asia (SHAPE-SEA). In addition to her academic roles, Ying Hooi has extensive experience in the field of human rights and democracy in Southeast Asia. These roles include serving as a Scientific Member in the Observatory of Political Alternatives in Southeast Asia (ALTERSEA), Vice-Chair in the Society for the Promotion of Human Rights (PROHAM), and Board Member in the Innovation of Change - East Asia Governance Circle (EAGC). Before entering academia, Ying Hooi garnered experience in corporate sectors and served as the Head of International Issues and Cooperation at the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (SUHAKAM). Her involvements include the ASEAN human rights body (now AICHR) in the ASEAN Charter, the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) on Malaysia in Geneva and the SUHAKAM Amendment Bill 2009.  

Raida is an associate professor at the Department of Management, Universiti Malaya. Her area of research interest is organizational psychology with a specific focus on work engagement, work-home interference, and employee wellbeing/happiness. She obtained her Bachelor of Science in Management from Purdue University, USA, an MBA from Universiti Malaya, Malaysia, and PhD from RMIT University, Australia. Her research has been published in International Journal of Human Resource Management, Journal of Business Strategy and Development, International Journal of Training and Development, among others. She has 20 years of experience in consultancy and research projects. She was a consultant to numerous projects i.e. Ministry of Entrepreneur and Co-operative Development, Master Builder Association of Malaysia, ANGKASA, Akademi Seni Budaya dan Warisan Kebangsaan, and many others. Raida’s current interest is in qualitative research.