Lucas Low VL received his bachelor’ degree in Biodiversity Management with first-class honours from the Universiti Malaysia Terengganu in 2010. He then earned his PhD with ‘distinction thesis’ from the University of Malaya (UM) in 2013, for his studies on the molecular and biochemical basis of insecticide resistance in medically important group of mosquitoes. Currently, he is the Executive Director and an associate professor at Tropical Infectious Diseases Research and Education Centre (TIDREC), a Higher Institution Centre of Excellence (HICoE) in Malaysia. His current research interests include insect vectors of medical-veterinary importance such as mosquitoes, flies, ticks, fleas, lice and mites; and their associated infectious disease agents. In his scientific career, he has been fortunate to work under the mentorship of the world-renowned black fly taxonomist, Prof. Emeritus Dr. Hiroyuki Takaoka for the discovery of new species and taxonomic classification of black flies in the Oriental region. At present, he owned taxonomic authorities for 11 new species of black flies discovered in Southeast Asia. In recognition of his research excellence in vector-borne diseases, and significant advancement in molecular phylogenetics and systematics of black flies, two new species of black flies Simulium vanluni from Malaysia, and Simulium lowi from Vietnam were named after him in 2017. In March 2020, he organized and chaired the 3rd Asian Simuliidae Symposium which was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. His expertise in the field of insecticide resistance is recognized by the Malaysian Ministry of Health. He has been appointed as a member of the Technical Working Committee for Insecticide Resistance, which aims to provide mitigation plans against insecticide resistance issue throughout the country. He was also appointed as a consultant for testing commercial mosquito repellent products in a private company. His reputation has convinced local and international funders. Notably, he is the principal investigator for the Tick Cell Biobank Asia Outpost project funded by the prestigious research foundation, Wellcome Trust (2022-2026). The Asia Outpost (the only one in Asia) provides insect cell line resources and training to fellow researchers in Asia. His role is important in increasing regional capacity in the implementation of research in tick-borne diseases. He is also the principal investigator of the black fly DNA barcode project in Southeast Asia funded by the Global Biodiversity Information Facility, Denmark (2021-2023). His role is to establish and strengthen black fly biodiversity information facilities and increase the capacity of researchers in Asia in accessing data needed for biodiversity management. He has strong research networks in both local and international institutions and has authored more than 180 articles in ISI-indexed journals. He has been a reviewer of several world-leading scientific journals. He is an Associate Editor of Tropical Biomedicine and a Section Editor of Parasitology Research, both of which are the WoS indexed journals. He is an active member of the Malaysian Society of Parasitology and Tropical Medicine (MSPTM). Currently, he serves as the President for the society.  He shows high commitment in educational activities, as well social responsibility in increasing the level of public awareness of vector-borne diseases. He is involved in various talks to raise awareness among students, Orang Asli, pet owners and the general public at disease outbreak areas. He is also a facilitator in the development of national biosafety and biosecurity policies and guidelines. Since 2018, 3 Masters and 7 PhD students have successfully completed their studies under his supervision. A total of 3 Masters and 5 PhD students are still under his supervision. He received the Certificate of Excellent Service in 2018 and the Excellence Service Award in 2019 from Universiti Malaya. In 2020, he was awarded the Nadchatram Medal in recognition of his outstanding contributions to parasitology and tropical medicine. He is also listed among the world’s top 2% scientists in the field of tropical medicine (2025).  

Dr Sithi V Muniandy is currently a Professor of Theoretical Physics at the Department of Physics, Faculty of Science. He received his DPhil in Mathematics (Oxford, UK, 1998) for his work on wavelet multiscale theory of turbulence, MSc in Theoretical Physics (UKM) and BSc(Hons) in Physics. He is actively involved in basic research covering broad field of statistical physics and quantum dynamics, namely anomalous transport phenomena in complex fluids, fluctuation in classical and quantum systems, dusty plasmas, decoherence dynamics of noisy quantum walk and quantum entanglement in noisy environment. Having served as the Deputy Dean (Research) at the Faculty of Science, Frontier Science Research Cluster Dean and Universiti Malaya Senate Member,  Dr Sithi advocates the importance of interaction across the arts, humanities and sciences, and started to explore applications of theoretical models and analytical tools from physics to system biology and social dynamics, working with biologists to understand emergence dynamics in mycelium network, animal movement ecology, collective behaviors, thermodynamics of ecosystem and soundscape ecology. Dr Sithi founded the Learning Enrichment Committee (LearnX@2015) at the Department of Physics, Universiti Malaya, where students are empowered to explore physics outside the syllabus using artscience approaches and competition-based peer-group learning. These include Physics Theatre – Atomystics, Entropic SDG through poetry, GIS Visual Science, Robotic IoT Drone (RiOD) Competition, 'Quantum Debate in Wayang Kulit' (shadow puppet) and 'Quantum Revolutions in Wayang Kulit' in celebration of International Year of Quantum Science and Technology (IYQ2025). Dr Sithi enjoys exploring emergence dynamics in soundscape ecology and Nature/wildlife photography. He uses Nature as the sourcebook for LearnX and coursework activities, reflecting on the complexities of life and the environment, and its implications on the  anthropic universe.

Dr. Mohd Haniff Zainuldin is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Accounting, Faculty of Business & Economics, Universiti Malaya (UM), with over 15 years of experience in academia. He obtained his PhD in Accounting from the University of South Australia (UniSA) in 2015, specialising in financial reporting, Islamic banks, and ethics. He also holds a Master of Accountancy from Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), Malaysia, and a Bachelor of Commerce in Accounting and Corporate Finance from the University of Adelaide, Australia.Dr. Haniff plays a key role in professional accreditation and academic quality assurance. He has served as a Panel Assessor for the accreditation of accounting programs at Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak and Northern Kuala Lumpur International College. He is also an External Examiner for ACCA-accredited diploma programs and an External Course Reviewer for advanced diploma programs in accounting. In addition, he was the Liaison Officer for ICAEW-UM and a member of the ICAEW Strategic Credit Papers Committee, contributing to the integration of ICAEW-accredited courses into the Universiti Malaya’s accounting programs.His research focuses on environmental, social and governance (ESG), financial accounting and reporting, corporate governance, Islamic accounting, and Islamic banking and finance. Dr. Haniff has published extensively in high-impact journals such as Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, International Journal of Bank Marketing, and the Pacific-Basin Finance Journal. He has also been an active reviewer for prestigious journals, including Sustainability, Journal of Financial Reporting and Accounting, and Emerging Markets Review.Dr. Haniff has secured multiple external research grants, including funding from the Fundamental Research Grant Scheme (FRGS) for the development of ESG performance measurement models for banks in Malaysia, as well as grants from Universitas Indonesia and private funding sources, to explore ESG and sustainability issues in financial markets across Asia. His research contributions provide valuable insights into sustainable finance, ethical corporate governance, and the integration of Islamic principles in financial reporting.Beyond academia, Dr. Haniff actively contributes to the accounting profession through his advisory roles in academic accreditation and professional certification programs, ensuring high-quality education and industry relevance in accounting education.