Dr. Mumtaz Aini Alivi is Senior Lecturer at the Department of Media and Communication Studies, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. She earned her Bachelor of Art (Hons) with a double major in (i) Language and Malay Linguistics and (ii) Journalism from Universiti Putra Malaysia. She earned her Master of Corporate Communication and Doctor of Philosophy (Mass Communication) from the same university.Her research interests and focuses are mainly in Journalism, Broadcasting, News, Online Media, Political Communication, and Mass Communication. Apart from her academic qualifications, Dr. Mumtaz also has broad experiences in journalism, news, broadcasting, and media industry management. She was a media practitioner for twenty-two years in a government television station, Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM). For almost twenty years, she was attached to the News and Current Affairs department, where she was involved with multitasking work in her position as Broadcast Journalist, Newscaster, News Editor, and News Producer. Her service to RTM exposed her to many challenging assignments, including following the prime minister and country leaders for international news coverage abroad, doing live news coverage and news reporting from the parliament, and other important events in the country, apart from daily news coverage. Upon completion of her PhD, Dr. Mumtaz was given a different task in RTM as Assistant Director for the Policy and Research section. Later, she held the same position in the Strategic Planning section before being transferred to the Quality Control for Creative Content Unit as Evaluation Officer. These three different sections are under the Strategic Development Department, where she spent another two more years in RTM. During her service in RTM, she also worked for a few months in Malaysian National News Agency (BERNAMA) as a journalist under the government staff exchange program between RTM and BERNAMA. She gained valuable experiences through the BERNAMA newswire service and BERNAMA TV. Prior to joining RTM, she completed her internship in a private TV station, Sistem Televisyen Malaysia (TV3). In total, she has extensive exposure and experience in the media industry, particularly in the news department, mainly in TV, some experience in radio, and in managerial and management duties. Her passion and enthusiasm for journalism finally culminated to winning the Best Broadcast Journalist award in 2001 at the national level.Being in the media industry for more than two decades and having academic qualifications in the same field, she was also appointed by few organizations for various tasks and consultancy work. Dr. Mumtaz was appointed as one of the panel of judges for the prestigious Malaysian Journalism Award organized by Malaysia Press Institute (MPI), panel for Pitching Evaluation (Private) and Panel for Screening (Syndicated) for programs in RTM, think tank member of Ciber Generation Laboratory in Institute for Social Science Studies (IPSAS), Universiti Putra Malaysia, and expert advisor for Promotion and Publicity in the University of Malaya. She is also on the editorial board of the Malaysian Journal of Media Studies.Dr. Mumtaz decided to shift from being a media practitioner to an academic staff at the University of Malaya in 2021 and begin a new career path with a bigger mission. She believes the educational field is the right platform to share all her knowledge and experience for the nation’s development and shape future leaders.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ninie Suhana Abdul Manan is a lecturer and researcher at Universiti Malaya, recognised for her expertise in electrochemistry, advanced materials, and ionic liquids. She completed her PhD at Queen's University Belfast, focusing on the electrochemical behaviours of inorganic species—such as sulfur, mercury, and rare-earth elements (Lanthanides)—in ionic liquids. Her strong foundation in electrochemistry drives her research, particularly in redox processes and ion exchange at interfaces, contributing to significant advancements in electroanalytical chemistry. Her research portfolio underscores her contributions to developing state-of-the-art electrochemical sensors for the precise detection and quantification of chemical species. With applications in environmental monitoring and medical diagnostics, Dr. Abdul Manan has excelled in creating non-enzymatic biosensors and innovative electrode surface modifications.  Dr. Abdul Manan is also at the forefront of research on ionic liquids (ILs) and deep eutectic solvents (DES), celebrated for their non-volatility, tunability, and environmental friendliness. Her work investigates these solvents for applications in electrochemistry, separation technologies, metal recovery, redox flow battery, and enhancing absorbents' efficiency in removing industrial contaminants, promoting sustainable industrial practices and green chemistry solutions. A significant milestone in her career was her 2017 collaboration with Lynas (M) Sdn. Bhd., where she was involved in developing ionic liquid-based methods for extracting heavy rare-earth elements, aiming to reduce acid consumption in the stripping process. She is a key member of the University of Malaya Centre for Ionic Liquids (UMCiL) and the Malaysia Ionic Liquid Research Society (MRILS), where she serves on the committee for 2024. Dr. Abdul Manan played a pivotal role in registering the society under ROS in 2016, where she was the first vice-chairman. Moreover, she actively engages with national and international industries through her work at the Center of Excellence for Rare Earth Elements for Analysis, Technology, and Exploration (CREATE) at Universiti Malaya focusing on midstream activities. Throughout her career, Dr. Abdul Manan has secured more than RM 2 million in research funding as a principal investigator and co-researcher for various projects to show her dedication to research activities. In her department, Dr. Abdul Manan holds various leadership roles, including Chair of the Postgraduate Bureau (2020) and Chair of the Undergraduate Bureau (2024). Her academic career is further distinguished by key responsibilities such as Program Coordinator, MQF Coordinator, Timetable Coordinator, Academic Advisor, and participation in multiple task forces, reflecting her steadfast dedication to academic and institutional development. Since 2013, Dr. Abdul Manan has been actively involved in training Malaysia’s International Chemistry Olympiad team, representing the country as a Scientific Observer (2014 and 2015) and Head Mentor (2018 and 2024). She was a key figure in establishing the Malaysian Association Science Olympiads (MASO), registering it under the Registrar of Societies (ROS), and currently serves as its first treasurer (2023-2024). Dr. Abdul Manan has received numerous awards for her work, including the UM Excellent Service Awards (2014, 2017) and the Certificate of Excellent Service (2023). The Academy of Sciences Malaysia recognized her with a prestigious award, inducting her into the Young Scientist Network (2023-2026), showcasing her leadership and commitment to scientific excellence.

Dr. Saturveithan Chandirasegaran is a Consultant Orthopaedic Spine Surgeon at Universiti Malaya with a strong academic and research portfolio in spine surgery. He completed MBBS (UM) in 2011, followed by Master of Orthopaedic Surgery (UM) in 2020, where he graduated as the Top Student of Universiti Malaya. He subsequently pursued subspecialty training through Fellowship in Spine Surgery at UMMC (Malaysia) and the National University Hospital (Singapore), gaining expertise in spinal deformity, complex spine disorders and advanced surgical techniques. He is an active contributor to the regional spine community and a committed member of several professional bodies, including AO Spine, Asia Pacific Spine Society (APSS) as a Life Member, Malaysian Spine Society (MSS), and the Malaysian Orthopaedic Association (MOA). He has received multiple international awards in recognition of his clinical research in spine surgery. His recent accolades include the English Presentation Award Gold Prize 2025 from the Japanese Society for Spine Surgery and Related Research, as well as the Presidential Best Research Award at the International Malaysian Spine Society Scientific Congress for 2 consecutive years, 2023 and 2024. He has been regularly invited as a speaker at major scientific meetings, including the AO Spine Asia Pacific International Spine Conference. As an academician, Dr. Saturveithan has authored over 23 publications in leading ISI-indexed spine journals and continues to be actively involved in clinical and translational spine research.