Dr. Asyraf did his Bachelor’s Degree in Business, Economics and Finance in the University ofNottingham Malaysia Campus, then he undertook his MSc in Islamic Finance in INCEIF. He later joined UM as a GRA for 2 years, before becoming a SLAB fellow in the Faculty of Business and Economics in 2018 for his PhD studies. He completed his PhD in 2022 and are currently active in research and publications in the field of Islamic equity markets, more specifically, the various behaviour of Shariah compliant firms. Dr. Asyraf primarily teach quantitative subjects in the faculty, such as Econometrics and Financial Modelling & Mathematics. Although not very athletic, Dr. Asyraf enjoys badminton, (watching) football and video games.

Dr. Ooi Po Lin is a Clinical Oncologist at the University of Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC) and Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya. She graduated with a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) from the University of Malaya in 2015 and obtained her Master of Clinical Oncology in 2024, achieving distinction in core sciences. Her clinical and research interests focus on breast, gastrointestinal, and urological malignancies, with expertise in chemotherapy, radiotherapy, brachytherapy, and palliative care. Dr. Ooi has contributed to multiple international clinical trials, including PACIFIC-8, ARC-10, DESTINY-LUNG03, and KEYNOTE-B49, and co-authored publications in Annals of Oncology, Annals of General Psychiatry, and Frontiers in Psychology. Actively engaged in academic and professional development, she serves on organizing committees and as moderator for oncology education programs such as the Masterclass in Systemic Therapy, HCC Masterclass, and Navigator Masterclass. Beyond her clinical and academic commitments, she participates in community and faith-based initiatives, including volunteer teaching in Sunday School. Outside of work, Dr. Ooi enjoys staying active through Pilates and pickleball, and is currently learning Japanese as part of her personal growth and cross-cultural interests.

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).