Khoo Ying Hooi, PhD, is an Associate Professor of International Relations and Human Rights at Universiti Malaya (UM). Her research centres on human rights and democracy in Southeast Asia, with a particular focus on civil society, Southeast Asian politics, and the domestic politics of Malaysia and Timor-Leste. She also examines how the geopolitics of Southeast Asia shapes domestic political developments, rights discourses, civic spaces, and institutional contestations. In addition, she works extensively on human rights education and academic freedom. She is the author of “The Bersih Movement and Democratisation in Malaysia” (SIRD/ ISEAS/ Lexington Books, 2020) and “Seeds of Dissent (Gerakbudaya, 2015). Furthermore, Ying Hooi has also co-edited several volumes, such as “Social and Political Deglobalisation: Covid-19, Conflict and Uncertainties in Malaysia (Palgrave Macmillan, 2023), “Marginalisation and Human Rights in Southeast Asia” (Routledge, 2022) and “Rethinking Human Rights and Peace in the Post-Independence Timor-Leste through Local Perspectives” (Palgrave Macmillan, 2022). Her co-author paper (with C. Leong, I. Faik, F. Tan and B. Tan, 2020), “Digital organising of a global social movement: from connective to collective action," won the 2021 Best Paper Award at the Information and Organization and was Runner-Up in the 2021 Special Interest Group-Grounded Theory Methodology (SIG-GTM).  Ying Hooi is the Editor-in-Chief of the Malaysian Journal of International Relations (MJIR) and sits on the Editorial Boards of the Journal of Current Southeast Asian Affairs, the Journal of Southeast Asian Human Rights (JSEAHR), and the Indonesian Law Review (ILREV).  Ying Hooi has been appointed to the International Advisory Council by the Timor-Leste government for Centro Nacional Chega! (CNC), a public institute tasked to institutionalise memory and promote human rights. She is also a founding member of the Southeast Asian Coalition for Academic Freedom (SEA-CAF). She received several fellowships, including the Mellon/ SAR Academic Freedom Fellowship by Scholars at Risk (SAR), the International Center on Nonviolent Conflict (ICNC) Curriculum Fellowship, and visiting fellowships at Kyushu University, Mahidol University, Humboldt University of Berlin and Beijing Foreign Studies University. She has served as a judge in several local and international human rights awards, including the Amnesty International Philippines Ignite Awards and Suara Rakyat Malaysia (SUARAM) Human Rights Awards. Between 2013 and 2016, Ying Hooi was involved in the diplomatic training course for the Institute of Diplomatic Studies (IDS), Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation in Timor-Leste. Additionally, she has contributed to consultancies for organisations like the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR), the Democracy Academy of Malaysia, and Strengthening Human Rights and Peace Research and Education in Southeast Asia (SHAPE-SEA). In addition to her academic roles, Ying Hooi has extensive experience in the field of human rights and democracy in Southeast Asia. These roles include serving as a Scientific Member in the Observatory of Political Alternatives in Southeast Asia (ALTERSEA), Vice-Chair in the Society for the Promotion of Human Rights (PROHAM), and Board Member in the Innovation of Change - East Asia Governance Circle (EAGC). Before entering academia, Ying Hooi garnered experience in corporate sectors and served as the Head of International Issues and Cooperation at the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (SUHAKAM). Her involvements include the ASEAN human rights body (now AICHR) in the ASEAN Charter, the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) on Malaysia in Geneva and the SUHAKAM Amendment Bill 2009.  

Ts. Dr. Md. Hasanuzaman is a Chartered Engineer, UK; Senior Member IEEE and working as Associate Professor at the UM Power Energy Dedicated Advanced Centre (UMPEDAC), Higher Institution Centre of Excellence (HICoE), Universiti Malaya (UM), Malaysia. He was listed among the World's Top 2% Scientists by Stanford University & Elsevier since 2020 to 2025; World’s Top 17 (2025) & 20 (2024) Highly Ranked Scholars in Energy Conservation by Scholar GPS, USA; Top 3 (2026) & 4 (2025) Scientists in Malaysia (Energy Engineering), Engineering & Technology, AD Scientific Index. He is recipient of AUA Scholars Award 2023-2024, Excellence Bangladeshi Academician Award 2024, Universiti Malaya Excellent Service Awrad 2023, Universiti Malaya Excellent Service Certificate 2021. Dr. Hasan served as the Programme Coordinator Master of Renewable Energy, Double Degree Programme with Master of Energy Science, Kyoto University, Japan from April 2012 to September 2020. He earned his PhD and an M. Eng. Sc. from the University of Malaya (UM), Malaysia and a B. Sc. in Mechanical Engineering from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), Bangladesh. He is a recipient of UM Excellence Award 2012 for his outstanding achievement in his PhD; merit Scholarship from Bangladesh Scholarship Council and Nippon Foundation, Japan in 2003-2004. Dr. Hasan’s research interests include Energy Engineering, Renewable Energy, Energy and Buildings, Energy Policy, Electric Vehicles, Hydrogen Technologies, Hydrogen Vehicles, Sustainability, Carbon Pricing, Carbon Tax and Trade. He is an Associate Editor of the Alexandria Engineering Journal, Elsevier; Guest Editor of Renewable Energy. His 3 books: (1) Advanced Renewable Energy Conversion Technologies and Power Plant Engineering, 2025 (2) Technologies for Solar Thermal Energy, 2022 and (3) Energy for Sustainable Development, 2019 published by Elsevier.

    Dr Penny Lott Pooi Wah is a consultant ophthalmologist and medical lecturer in the Department of Ophthalmology, University of Malaya. She completed her medical degree (MBBS) in 2008 and Master of Ophthalmology in 2016, both in University of Malaya. She also won the award as the best master student in her national post graduate ophthalmology examination in Malaysia. In addition, she also completed the external international ophthalmology examination, FRCOphth (UK) and was concurrently admitted as a Fellow of the Royal College of Ophthalmologist in United Kingdom in 2016.     Dr Penny Lott subsequently pursued her 3 years medical retina and uveitis fellowship training in University of Malaya, Singapore National Eye Center and St James Leeds Teaching Hospital in United Kingdom. Besides that, she also completed a fellowship attachment in the prestigious Moorfield’s Eye Hospital, London. Her fellowship training at various renowned centers had ensured her subspecialty clinical knowledge gained is at a high level.     Dr Penny Lott has a strong interest in the field of medical retina, ocular inflammatory diseases and latest multimodal imaging innovation. She has published papers in several peer reviewed journals and contributed book chapters for ophthalmology trainees. She also had international collaborative research and publication with the Singapore National Eye Centre and St James Leeds Teaching Hospital in United Kingdom. She is also a reviewer for  the International Journal of Ophthalmology. She is also frequently invited for medical talks related to her subspecialty in local national conferences as well as ASEAN ophthalmology conference.             Prior to this, she served in Sabah for 8 years since her commencement of internship back in 2008 where she was actively involved in eye screening programs in remote areas and participated in cataract camps in Sabah. After joining University of Malaya as a lecturer, she was actively involved in organizing phacoemulsification workshops for master students and she is was appointed as coordinator of phacoemulsification workshops for Master students by Malaysian Universities Conjoint Committee of Ophthalmology. (MUCCO)