Dr. Nur Hairani Abd Rahman has been a Senior Lecturer in Public Policy and Administration at Universiti Malaya since 2017. She holds a Ph.D. in Public Policy from Universiti Sains Malaysia, a Master of Public Administration from Universiti Malaya, and a Bachelor of Social Science (Honours) from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. Dr. Nur Hairani is highly regarded for her expertise in social policy, with particular focus on social care, governance, social inclusion and exclusion, inequality, and well-being. Beyond her teaching responsibilities, Dr. Nur Hairani plays an integral role in academic leadership. She currently serves as Associate Editor for the Journal of Public Administration and Governance and sits on the Editorial Board of the Malaysian Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities. Her membership in the Social Policy Association in the United Kingdom further amplifies her influence on an international level. In addition to her academic contributions, Dr. Nur Hairani is actively engaged in administrative roles, including coordinating both the Outbound Mobility Program and the Master of Public Administration Program. She is also a member of various faculty and university committees, where she contributes to policy development and strategic planning. Nationally, Dr. Nur Hairani serves as a Field Expert for the Malaysian Research and Development Classification System (MRDCS) under the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation (MOSTI). She has also been involved in consultancy projects aimed at poverty eradication, funded by Malaysia’s Economic Planning Unit. Her international experience includes serving as a Visiting Scholar at the University of Messina in Sicily, Italy. In 2023, she was awarded a prestigious Fulbright Scholarship, allowing her to join the University of California, Berkeley, as a Visiting Scholar. Dr. Nur Hairani’s dedication to her field has earned her numerous accolades, including the Excellent Service Award (2022) and the Certificate of Excellent Service (2021) from Universiti Malaya. She was also recognized with the Best Presenter Award at the Asian Universities Alliance & Universitas Indonesia (2021). Her research has been published in high-impact journals indexed in Web of Science and Scopus, including Public Policy and Administration and Ageing International. For more information on Dr. Nur Hairani Abd Rahman’s work, please visit her profile at UM Expert, or reach out to her directly at nurhairani@um.edu.my.

Dr Cheng Sit Foon is currently a Professor at the Department of Chemistry, Universiti Malaya. Prior to joining Universiti Malaya in 2008, she started her career as a research officer at Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) (2003 – 2007) and a lecturer at Sunway University (then Sunway University College) (2007 – 2008). Palm oil and palm oil industry is always close to her heart. Her exposure and experience in palm oil research dates back to 1999 as a MPOB scholar. Currently, she leads her research group ‘Unit of Research on Lipids (URL)’ where the main focus is laid on human nutrition and high valued oil-based through interdisciplinary research on oils and fats, more particularly on palm oil. As an educator, she is also involved in designing chemistry-related undergraduate courses. She has been appointed by other Universities as external examiner and assessors for academic programmes. Her administrative experiences in Universiti Malaya until 2020 include serving as the Programme Coordinator of Bachelor of Science (Applied Chemistry) and Head of Organic Chemistry Section, Department of Chemistry, Universiti Malaya, as well as the Faculty Mobility Coordinator of Faculty of Science, Universiti Malaya. While juggling between teaching, administrative duties, research and many more, she hopes to pursue her interest and catch up research gaps by establishing new collaboration network. 

Dr Thamil Selvi Velayutham completed her PhD in 2010 from the Department of Physics, Universiti Malaya, Malaysia. Presently, she is an Associate Professor in the same department, specializing in material physics. Her research delves into various materials including polymers, ceramics, and their composites, exploring their functional traits like dielectric, ferroelectric, pyroelectric, and piezoelectric. Dr Velayutham is deeply engaged in investigating soft matter, employing a cohesive blend of experimental and theoretical approaches to understand their phase behaviour, structure, and statistical physics. Her contributions have been acknowledged through prestigious recognitions, including the Japan-Asia Youth Exchange Program in Science year 2020, the 22nd Journal of Oleo Science Editor's Impact Award, and honorary appointments as a Research Fellow at the University of Aberdeen in 2018 and 2022. Additionally, she has held the role of Editor for the Rheology Journal since 2020.