Fumitaka Furuoka is a Japanese economist who has lived in Malaysia since 1987. From 1991 to 1999, he worked as a senior assistant at the Consulate General of Japan in Penang. Fumitaka then moved to academia and has taught economics at three Malaysian public universities, namely, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS), Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS), and Universiti Malaya (UM) for more than 25 years. His academic expertise is in the field of applied economics, which involves applying economic and econometric theories to address real-world critical financial issues and problems. As an applied economist, he aims to provide insights from his research to inform the development of effective policies that foster sustainable development, reduce regional disparities, and move society toward achieving economic and social justice.  In his research in the field of applied economics, he focuses on economic equity between countries (i.e., the problem of inequality of economic development level in different countries), as well as economic equity within countries (i.e., the problem of inequality of income distribution in a specific country). Regarding economic equity between countries, he has conducted extensive research on diverse and pertinent global economic issues, such as poverty reduction, unemployment, economic growth/development, and renewable energy. In 2006, he published a book on Japanese foreign aid titled New Challenges for Japan’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) Policy. The book examines how Japan’s aid policy can contribute to reducing poverty and enhancing the well-being of developing countries, particularly those in Southeast Asia. As to economic equity within countries, the primary focus of Fumitaka's research is promoting “employment for all” which is closely aligned with Target 8 of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). He firmly believes that employment for all, including people with disabilities, is the basic foundation for a sustainable and more humane economy (Ekonomi Madani). This belief has led him to write a book on employment for people with disabilities entitled Disability and Employment: Towards a Humanistic Economy. The book was published by Springer in 2024. He also wrote another book, co-authored with Dr Yosuke Uchiyama, on employment for people with disabilities, entitled "Youth and Employment: Creating a Productive and Dynamic Society," which was published by the same publisher in 2025. This research direction has a strong practical orientation, and Fumitaka considers work in this area to be of ultimate importance for achieving economic equity and providing employment opportunities to people with disabilities or young people. In short, his research aims to identify barriers and initiate policies that promote and enable economic inclusion, employment, and justice for all.

Dr Norazlin Ab Aziz joined the Department of Finance & Banking in the Faculty of Business & Accountancy in early 2021 to share her knowledge and expertise in Islamic finance and economics. Prior to this, she was in the unit trust industry involved in legal & compliance, marketing & business development, and project management. Norazlin obtained her Bachelor of Economics (Hons) from the International Islamic University of Malaysia, Master of Economics from the University Malaya and later completed her PhD in Accounting & Finance at the University of Glasgow. In her doctoral research, she critically examined the development of Islamic finance in Malaysia, theorising it through the trio of Political Economy Theory comprising Legitimacy, Stakeholder and Institutional theories. The underlying sentiments and the styles of Malaysian policymakers’ speeches were also assessed. Norazlin draws from a broad base in Islamic finance, the components of Islamic capital market, political economy, social theories, and linguistic analysis, to understand and critically evaluate the processes therein. This indicative of her research interest in Islamic finance from a policymaking perspective, products and services in the Islamic capital market, the future direction of the Islamic finance industry as well as the usage of computer-aided text analysis in business reporting and documents.