Siti Fairus Abdul Sani, an Associate Professor at Universiti Malaya (UM), is a dedicated researcher and educator in the field of Radiation and Medical Physics. She has recently honored with the prestigious award Anugerah Saintis Muda Negara 2024 (National Young Scientist Award 2024), recognizing her contributions to science and her research in radiation physics. This esteemed award reflects her commitment to advancing scientific knowledge and her hope to inspire future generations of scientists in Malaysia. Siti Fairus earned her PhD from the University of Surrey, UK, in 2015, and since then, she has established an outstanding academic and research record. With 132 publications, an H-index of 20, and over 1,000 citations, she has made significant contributions span teaching, research and community engagement in radiation applications for medicine, industry, and environmental studies. She served as the Deputy Head of UM’s Radiation Protection Services Unit (2016-2017) and holds a Radiation Protection Officer (RPO) certification. Her research has advanced understanding in areas such as EMT, FDFT1, endometrial and amyloidosis metabolite characterization, passive dosimetry, radiation modifier for diagnostic and therapeutic use, natural radioactivity, radiation sterilization, optical methods for radiation damage detection, and Monte Carlo simulations for medical and nuclear reactor applications. She has supervised over 80 students, including 16 PhDs (9 graduated), 4 MScs (3 graduated), and 61 FYP undergraduates, and led the Radiation Laboratory (RLab) at Department of Physics for seven years. Since 2014, she has presented her work at international conferences, including in Prague, Crete, Bologna, Beijing, Mexico, Sydney, India and Indonesia as an invited speaker, oral and poster presentations. In recognition of her academic and research excellence, Siti Fairus was invited to participate in the 2023 Global Young Scientists Summit in Singapore and was nominated by the Academy of Sciences Malaysia for the 72nd Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting. Her interdisciplinary research is supported by multiple grants, including the Fundamental Research Grant Scheme (FRGS), and an RM400,000 research grant from a collaboration with Princess Nourah University in Saudi Arabia. Her career achievements include a range of awards, including Special Award and Gold Award at the MTE2025, Gold Award in AiNEX2025, Silver Award at the NITC2023, Gold Award at the AiNEX2021, Gold Awards at the iMTC2020 4.0, Platinum Award at the InSIDE 2019, and Gold Award at the MTE2016 and ITEX2016. Alongside her research, Siti Fairus actively fosters a love for science among students from kindergarten through high school. She supports STEM education by training teachers and parents and has developed art-integrated STEM modules for secondary schools. She has also served as a judge for science and innovation competitions organized by the Ministry of Education Malaysia. A memorable highlight was being interviewed on Selamat Pagi Malaysia (RTM TV1) in 2025 on the topic “Peranan R&D dalam Bidang STI dalam Membangunkan Malaysia MADANI: Menyoroti Inisiatif Anugerah Saintis Muda Negara di bawah MOSTI.” She was also previously featured on IKIM radio’s Inspirasiku and the Extraordinary Muslims blog in 2016, sharing her inspiring PhD journey. Siti Fairus work supports SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being by advancing safer radiation applications in medicine, while her innovative STEM-based teaching aligns with SDG 4: Quality Education, inspiring future scientists. Through research in radiation dosimetry and detector technologies, she contributes to SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure, enhancing safety in medical and industrial applications. Her focus on radiation’s environmental impact promotes SDG 13: Climate Action by advocating sustainable nuclear practices. Backed by grants and Universiti Malaya, her efforts reflect SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals, fostering interdisciplinary collaborations to address global challenges and drive innovation.

Dr Huzaina is a senior lecturer in the Department of Language and Literacy Education, Faculty of Education. Her scholastic trajectory exemplifies her unshakable dedication, as she earned her PhD in a prestigious university, Imperial College London in 2016. Dr Huzaina expertise encompasses pivotal areas in second and foreign language pedagogy, advancing academic writing and the core language skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing), as well as implementing 21st-century learning strategies to promote literacy and effective communication. Her robust foundation in critical thinking and creativity in ESL curriculum underscores her capacity as a researcher and mentor, empowering her students to engage in meaningful exploration and innovation. Dr. Huzaina interdisciplinary approach, fueled by her versatile knowledge, intellectual curiosity, and adaptability, bridges diverse academic fields, enriching the educational research landscape. She is also actively involved in theatre production with her literature students and has produced several remarkable performances.  

Dr Nishakanthi Gopalan is a Senior Lecturer at the Medical Humanities and Ethics Unit (MedHEU), a newly established unit within the Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya (UM). She is a biotechnologist by training with a PhD in research ethics and policy implication particularly looking at stem cell technology. During this time, she published her key findings in several reputable high-impact bioethics journals. Dr Nisha is the former programme coordinator of the Master of Health Research Ethics (MOHRE), a programme developed in collaboration with the Berman Institute of Bioethics, Johns Hopkins University (JHU). Besides teaching in MOHRE, she also provides ethics lectures in other programmes in the faculty. Dr Nisha also contributes as an external member of the Universiti Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC) Medical Research Ethics Committee. She is one of the instructors for the Introduction to Health Research Ethics, an online course in FutureLearn. She also facilitates the APRU Health Research Ethics course. Dr Nisha’s research interest includes different aspects of ethics such as bioethics, research and clinical ethics on diverse topics ranging from emerging technologies (such as regenerative medicine, stem cells, and genetic testing), health research, and aesthetic medicine. She is an expert in qualitative research methods such as in depth interviews, focus group discussion (FGD), inductive and deductive analysis, thematic analysis, grounded theory, as well as narrative and scoping reviews. Currently, she is working on the Fogarty International Centre (FIC), NIH bioethics training grant with Johns Hopkins University (JHU) as well as on the ethics of genetic testing among Parkinson’s patients (USMC Care Fund). She is constantly on the look out for collaboration on local /regional / international projects on the various topics involving ethics.