Associate Professor Dr. Santha Chenayah has demonstrated sustained excellence across academic scholarship, institutional leadership, and societal engagement for over three decades. Her intellectual contributions to the fields of environmental economics, operations research, and sustainability reflect a trajectory of deep expertise, policy relevance, and global impact. Holding a Ph.D. and Master’s in Economics from Osaka University, Japan, and a Bachelor of Economics (Hons) from Universiti Malaya, she possesses a foundation rooted in both analytical rigor and regional policy insight.Dr. Chenayah’s research output includes over 40 peer-reviewed publications, many in high-impact journals indexed by Web of Science, Scopus, and ESCI. Her body of work addresses climate change mitigation, green disposal behavior, electric vehicle adoption, and solid waste management, demonstrating her interdisciplinary approach to contemporary environmental challenges. She has served as Principal Investigator or Co-Researcher on more than 20 funded projects supported by the Ministry of Higher Education, University of Malaya, and global institutions such as the World Bank. Her scholarly excellence is recognized through prestigious accolades, including the Outstanding Paper Award by Emerald Literati (2019), multiple Excellent Service Awards from University of Malaya, and the JSPS RONPAKU Fellowship awarded by Japan (2003–2007).Dr. Chenayah has contributed extensively to academic development through course instruction, programme coordination, and postgraduate supervision. She has taught more than 15 undergraduate and postgraduate modules covering macroeconomics, environmental economics, welfare economics, Environmental Management and Planning. Between 2020 and 2025 alone, she was appointed as internal examiner for over 40 postgraduate theses. Her leadership in academic quality assurance includes contributions to curriculum redesign and assessment at faculty and national levels.In addition to her pedagogical responsibilities, Dr. Chenayah has held key administrative roles, including multiple terms as Head of the Department of Economics at Universiti Malaya. She has served on more than 70 institutional and faculty-level committees, ranging from safety and health boards to steering panels on strategic policy and curriculum development. Her editorial leadership includes current appointments as the Chief Editor and Associate Editor of Institutions and Economies, and Associate Editor of the Singapore Economic Review (2024–2026), reflecting her influence in shaping scholarly discourse in economics across the region.A defining aspect of Dr. Chenayah’s professional portfolio is her international engagement and representation. As the Honorary Secretary of the Malaysian Economic Association (MEA), she has actively represented Malaysia at Federation of ASEAN Economic Associations (FAEA) conferences across ASEAN countries. These diplomatic assignments underscore her role in promoting regional economic integration, academic exchange, and multilateral collaboration. By fostering intellectual ties and facilitating joint dialogues on policy and development, her contributions have elevated Malaysia’s visibility in regional economics while expanding her own transnational scholarly networks. Such experiences enrich her academic leadership and position her as a regional ambassador of Malaysian economic thought.Complementing her academic and regional roles, Dr. Chenayah has contributed her expertise to national policy development and consultancy initiatives. She has led and participated in advisory projects for key institutions including the World Bank, MB Inc. Perak, and Malaysia’s Ministry of Environment, addressing strategic themes such as circular economy planning, rare earth supply chain resilience, and carbon mitigation. Her consistent engagement with media outlets, webinars, and public policy forums highlights her ability to translate research into actionable insights.Through the integration of research excellence, pedagogical innovation, academic stewardship, and ASEAN-level diplomatic engagement, Dr. Santha Chenayah exemplifies the ideals of a modern scholar whose work transcends borders and disciplines. Her sustained record of contributions aligns with Universiti Malaya’s mission to foster transformative education and globally relevant scholarship.

Dr Vairavan Narayanan is the Head of Neurosurgical services in University Malaya Medical Centre and the Head of Internationalisation Unit in the Faculty of Medicine, UM. He is a Professor and Consultant Neurosurgeon in University of Malaya. He did his basic medical degree as well as Masters degree in Surgery in the National University of Malaysia (UKM). He completed his Neurosurgical training in Addenbrookes Hospital, Cambridge in 2012, acquiring the FRCS (Neurosurgery) Fellowship from the Intercollegiate Board of Surgery in UK. He spent a further 6 months in 2012 doing an Honorary Fellowship in Epilepsy in University College London. He was recognised as a Malaysian National Specialist Registry (NSR) gazetted consultant Neurosurgeon in 2013. His clinical interest lies in Neuro Oncology, Epilepsy and Traumatic Brain Injury. He works closely with the adult and paediatric Neurologists in UM and has built up a successful Epilepsy surgery Unit which screens an average of 50 patients a year, of whom about 20 undergo surgery. With his fellow neurosurgeons and neuro-oncologists, he also runs a dedicated Neuro Oncology Unit which provides the highest standards of care for brain tumour patients. His research interests include genetic polymorphisms and mutations in primary and secondary brain tumors, traumatic brain injury and its sequeala, innovations in surgery and training. He has numerous publications in these fields. He is also actively involved in academic teaching and supervision of both undergraduate and post graduate Masters and PhD students. Dr Vairavan is a member of various National and International organisations including the Malaysian Medical Association, Neurosurgical Association of Malaysia, Malaysian Society of Neurosciences, General Medical Council of UK and a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh.  

Mohd Firrdhaus Mohd Sahabuddin is a Professional Architect registered with the Board of Architects Malaysia (LAM), a member of the education committee for the Malaysian Institute of Architects (PAM) and a graduate member of the Royal Incorporation of Architects Scotland (RIAS). He is also a graduate member of the Chartered Institute of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) and the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE). He gained his Master's degree in Advanced Sustainable Design from the University of Edinburgh and was later awarded the ‘Andrew Grant Award’ for the best dissertation in the University for the year. He then pursued his study at a PhD level at the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow with the British Government Sponsorship under the Commonwealth Scholarship Tenable in the United Kingdom. He worked with the Public Works Department (PWD) of Malaysia from 2005 to 2021. His last position was as the head of the Architectural Forensic Unit in the Architectural Branch, Public Works Department of Malaysia. Currently, he is holding a position as a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Architecture, Faculty of Built Environment, University of Malaya. His research work focuses on the areas of sustainable architecture and indoor environmental quality (IEQ) such as thermal comfort, visual comfort, indoor air quality, and building ventilation.