20 YEARS of teaching and research experience H-Index = 10 40 ++ Journal Publication, Media appearences Principal investigator for 20++ Grants including International Grant under the Intenational Labor Organization (Internal Grant: RM 859,901.83, External Grant: RM 4,026,955.01) 25 ++ Patents and Copyrights Expert consultant, trainers and partner for Government, Private sectors and International (ie: Coordinator for My STEM Ambassador Program under MOHE, Interviewer for Government Scholarship, Program accreditator, Expert consultant for Samsung Solve for Tomorrow Competition,Honeywell Design Competition,British International Education AssociatioN, International Labor Organization) Experience in Outcome Based Education and MQF documentation Evaluator for Engineering Programme under the Engineering Accreditation Council, Malaysia  Member, NSC Steering Committee, Academy Science Malaysia  Coordinator for B40 Educational Programs, National STEM Association  HRDF Certified Trainer

Dr. Zulfirdaus Zakaria is a Senior Lecturer at the Institute for Advanced Studies, Universiti Malaya (UM), specializing in Fuel Cell and Electrolyzer Technologies. He holds a PhD in Fuel Cell Engineering from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), conferred in 2018 under the supervision of Prof. Ir. Dr. Siti Kartom Kamarudin, which is the Director of the Fuel Cell Institute, UKM. His doctoral dissertation, titled “Development of Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Based on Poly (Vinyl Alcohol) and Graphene Oxide for Micro Direct Ethanol Fuel Cell Application,” laid the foundation for his pioneering research in polymer-based fuel cell membranes. During his postgraduate tenure, Dr. Zulfirdaus demonstrated exceptional academic rigor by converting his Master's program to a PhD, publishing seven scientific articles in high-impact journals as the first author—including four Q1 and two Q2 WoS indexed journals—and earning the “Graduate on Time” award from the Fuel Cell Institute, UKM. Academic and Research Appointments: Prior to his current role at UM, Dr. Zulfirdaus served as a Senior Lecturer at the School of Materials and Mineral Resources Engineering, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), for two years. His postdoctoral research experience includes a three-year tenure at the Fuel Cell Institute, UKM, and one year at Universiti Tenaga Nasional (UNITEN), where he contributed to significant advancements in fuel cell and electrolyzer technologies. Research Focus and Contributions: Dr. Zulfirdaus’s primary research interests encompass the development of polymer electrolyte membranes for both fuel cells and electrolyzers, focusing on: Proton Exchange Membranes (PEMs) and Anion Exchange Membranes (AEMs) Utilization of synthetic polymers (e.g., Polyvinyl Alcohol) and biopolymers (e.g., Sodium Alginate and Carrageenan) Applications in renewable energy generation and green hydrogen production He has been actively involved in the research, development, and optimization of various fuel cell and electrolyzer systems, including: Direct Methanol Fuel Cells (DMFCs) Direct Ethanol Fuel Cells (DEFCs) Alkaline Fuel Cells (AFCs) Intermediate Temperature Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (IT-SOFCs) Alkaline Anion Exchange Membrane (AEM) Electrolyzers His work extends to the synthesis of advanced materials, such as: Polymer Modifications for enhanced membrane performance Graphene-based Nanomaterials for conductivity improvements Catalyst Development for both fuel cells and electrolyzers Research Grants and Funding: Dr. Zulfirdaus has led and contributed to numerous high-impact research projects, including: Project Leader: The Effect of Incorporating Epoxidized Natural Rubber on the Performance of Quaternized Polyvinyl Alcohol Membrane in Direct Ethanol Fuel Cells, USM Short-term Grant (RM 39,000; 2023-2025) Researcher: Development of Alkaline AEM Electrolyzer with Novel Nanocomposite Membrane, UKM PAKARUNDING-NanoMalaysia Berhad (RM 539,125; 2022–2023) Postdoctoral Researcher: New Biodegradable Membrane Based on a Hybrid Polymer Carrageenan/Poly (Vinyl Alcohol) for Direct Alcohol Fuel Cells, DANA MODAL INSAN (UKM) (RM 100,000; 2019–2020) Postdoctoral Researcher: Fabrication and Performance Study of Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC), 1kW Stack, TNB Seeding Fund (UNITEN) (RM 1,698,100.70; 2018–2020) Intellectual Property and Publications: Dr. Zulfirdaus has registered multiple intellectual properties with MyIPO, including: Carrageenan Biopolymer Membrane for Passive DEFC Applications (LY2022P05229) – First Author Cross-Sectional Properties of 7% MN-Doped ZnO Thin Films (LY2023P00617) – Co-author Strategy on How to Write a Review Paper Module (LY2022E00215) – Co-author He has also authored the book “Membran Hijau Polivinil Alkohol: Aplikasi Sel Fuel Ethanol Langsung” published by Penerbit UKM. With 45 publications in high-impact journals—22 in Q1, 15 in Q2, and 2 in Q3 categories—Dr. Zulfirdaus has established himself as a leading scholar in his field, serving as the first author in 24 of these publications. Awards and Recognition: Top Downloaded Paper (2018-2019) – International Journal of Energy Research (Q1, IF 4.6) Top Downloaded Paper (2022-2023) – Journal of Applied Polymer Science (Q2, IF 2.7) Editorial and Peer Review Activities: Dr. Zulfirdaus actively contributes to the scholarly community as a peer reviewer for prestigious journals such as: Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews (Q1, IF 16.3) International Journal of Hydrogen Energy (Q1, IF 8.1) Applied Energy (Q1, IF 10.1) To date, he has reviewed over 80 high-impact manuscripts across various leading journals in the field of energy research. Invited Speaker and Outreach: As an expert in academic writing, Dr. Zulfirdaus has been invited to deliver talks on “How to Write a High-Impact Review Paper” at multiple Malaysian higher education institutions, including UiTM, UKM, USM, and UniKL. He is open to academic collaborations and can be contacted at zulfirdaus@um.edu.my.  

SYAZWAN NAIM IBRAHIM is a lecturer at Department of Arabic Language and Middle Eastern Languages, Faculty of Languages and Linguistics, Universiti Malaya, Malaysia. He attained his bachelor’s degree in Arabic Language and Linguistics from Cadi Ayyad University, Morocco, in 2019 and was awarded the Best Student title. Subsequently, he pursued a Master of Arts (Linguistics) at Universiti Malaya focusing on the pragmatics of implicature in the Quran. He is currently a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) candidate at Universiti Sains Malaysia, specialising in interpreting studies. His research explores how interpreters manage (im)politeness in Arabic-English simultaneous interpreting, examining shifts in (im)politeness strategies under cognitive constraints. Situated at the intersection of pragmatics, interpreting studies, cognitive linguistics, and cognitive psychology, his work sheds light on the interplay between linguistic (im)politeness, cross-cultural mediation, and the real-time cognitive demands of interpreting.   He has taught many undergraduate level courses and is always interested in developing Arabic language mastery among students, especially in writing and speaking skills. He welcomes insights most notably from language service providers and other stakeholders in the translation and interpreting industry, to conduct research projects related to translation and interpreting ethics and practices, translator and interpreter training, as well as discourse in translation and interpreting. Furthermore, he is a certified translator at the Institut Terjemahan & Buku Malaysia (ITBM; Malaysian Institute of Translation & Books) and has done a great deal of translating, editing, and proofreading of theses, books, and articles. He has served as a bureau member of research, development, and publication in the Al-Arabiyyah organization. He is currently active in contributing creative writing to The Chronicles, a biannual academic magazine published by Universiti Teknologi MARA Terengganu.