Syafiq Faliq Alfan, also known as Sefa, is a performing artist, educator, and cultural researcher deeply interested in the discourse on the history of Asian Traditional Performing Arts from the perspective of Cultural Evolution Theory. He earned his Doctoral Degree from the Faculty of Integrated Arts and Science at Hiroshima University, Japan, in 2022 through his research on the methodological construction of analysis towards traditional dance of Mak Yong and Noh using motion capture technology. As an artist, Sefa has been a member of the Ipoh artist collective called Projek Rabak since 2011, where he currently serves as the director. Since 2007, he has actively participated in numerous local and international performances, focusing on the intersection of Corporeal Mime by Etienne Decroux and the improvisational techniques of Malaysian traditional performing arts. His interest in performance research centers around the body as subject and its entanglement with elements within its environment including space, audience and technology. Sefa is also a creative writer, with notable works such as 'Melankolia Bisu' (2014) and 'Novel Eksperimental' (2013), among others. Currently, his research interests revolve around the pragmatism philosophy and philosophy of history to enhance the historical narrative in Mak Yong and other Malaysian performing arts. He believes that further enriching the discourse in Malaysian traditional performing arts will lead to a better understanding of its role in shaping the identity of the local community. He is also interested in looking at Digital Humanities within the intersection of discussion in aesthetics, ecology, local wisdom, identity formation and arts biomechanics through the use of media and technology (specifically motion capture technology) to understand various experiences and cultures.  As a cultural research critical generalist, he believes the role of the performing arts extends beyond the discourse of performativity and should include discussion on the issues of sustainability, environmental impact, socio-economic, education, architecture, technology, among others.  Potential postgraduate students should be prepared to have an integrated approach in mind to provide practical and high impact solutions in research for the benefit of society.

Dr Helena Varkkey is an Associate Professor of Political Ecology at the Department of International and Strategic Studies, Universiti Malaya. Her areas of expertise include transboundary haze governance in Southeast Asia and global palm oil politics. Her monograph on “The Haze Problem in Southeast Asia: Palm Oil and Politics” was published by Routledge in 2016. Her latest book is a collection of essays on the politics of haze and the environment in Southeast Asia called “The Forests for the Palms” published by ISEAS Singapore in 2021. Dr Helena has almost two decades of experience in qualitative research, including conducting fieldwork, interviews, and focus groups among various government and non-government stakeholders, and has built up extensive research networks in countries across ASEAN. She has edited and produced reports for the Academy of Sciences Malaysia, UNICEF, and the ASEAN Secretariat.

Dr Sheena Kaur graduated with a doctoral degree in Applied Linguistics from Lancaster University, U.K. An alumnus of Universiti Malaya (U.M.), Malaysia's leading university, she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (English Literature), Diploma in Education (TESL) and Master of English as a Second Language (M.ESL).  She is an Associate Professor at the Department of English Language, Faculty of Languages and Linguistics, U.M. She was formerly Head of Strategic Global Alliances Division at the International Relations Centre (IRC), Universiti Malaya from 15 March 2023 to 15 March 2024. She has also held several other administrative positions in her career at the university, most recently as the Deputy Dean of Postgraduate Studies (1 Sept 2020 - 1st Sept 2022) at the Faculty of Languages and Linguistics, U.M., the Deputy Director of the International Relations Office, U.M. (1st August 2017-31st July 2019), the Head of the Language Unit (17 th Nov 2014-31st July 2016), Faculty of Languages and Linguistics, where she was involved in curriculum planning and design of various English courses for local and international undergraduates. From 2010-2012, she was the Head of the Multimedia Planning Unit at the faculty and was a member of the university's e-learning committee. She is also currently involved in several task force committees under the university's Transformation Plan. Sheena has taught several courses at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Her research interests include applied linguistics, sociolinguistics, corpus linguistics, and digital humanities. She is a reviewer for several journals including Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice and Policy; Pertanika (UPM); Journal of Modern Languages (UM), Gema Online Journal of Language Studies (UKM) and SEARCH (Taylor's College).  She is actively involved in community work, and was the coordinator for the faculty's Community Engagement course during its inception, as well as being a member of the university's advisory board for the course. She led the faculty's first community project for the Community Engagement course with the Semai community at Pos Pantos, Kuala Lipis, Pahang, involving first year undergraduates.  Sheena has recently been awarded the US-ASEAN Fulbright Award for 2024/2025 where she is hosted by Prof Vasti Torres, at Indiana University Bloomington, Indiana, USA. Her research project on women leadership in higher education compares the challenges of women leaders in higher academic contexts in the US and Malaysia.