Dr. Norhayati is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Built Environment, Universiti Malaya in Malaysia. Holding a PhD from the University of Reading, UK, awarded in 2011 under the Indoor Environment and Energy Research Group, she has cultivated a strong academic and research background. In addition to her academic pursuits, Dr. Norhayati holds the position of Registered Building Surveyor and is a member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors Malaysia (MRISM), bringing a practical and professional dimension to her research. Her leadership journey in academia encompasses her role as the Deputy Dean (Development) for the Faculty of Built Environment presently and prior roles as the Head of the Department of Building Surveying and the Head of the Research Unit for Building Science & Performance at the Faculty of Built Environment, University of Malaya, from 2014 to 2018. Currently, she holds the position of Deputy Dean (Development) for the faculty. Her research contributions extend beyond academia, with active participation in SIRIM International Organization for Standardization (ISO) as a Technical Committee of ISO/TC 146/SC2 for “IAQ and Workplace Atmospheres”. Dr. Norhayati has been actively involved in cutting-edge research in the fields of Indoor Environmental Quality and Zero Energy Buildings securing both national and international grants to support her research endeavors. Her work encompasses innovative approaches to enhancing indoor air quality, ventilation systems, and optimizing building energy and thermal performance. Her exceptional research efforts have earned her several awards, including the University of Malaya Excellence Service Award, Gold Awards at diverse International Research Innovation Competitions and the prestigious Hitachi Research Fellowship Award from The Hitachi Scholarship Foundation Japan. Demonstrating a notable research impact, she has published over 60 research articles with more than 1000 citations.

Dr. Azizah Mainal is an Associate Professor at the Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Universiti Malaya.  She has been teaching physical chemistry courses at the department since 2007.  Her research interest is on liquid crystals which started with the studies on field-induced liquid crystal director alignment to presently, on the stability of naturally occurring liquid crystals. Her other interest is on science communication, and she was the editor of CONNECT, the first Faculty of Science’s newsletter (2017-2019.) She is currently a member of SEMARAK, a platform formed at the Faculty of Science to inform, excite, and influence the university community and the mass via various science communication activities. She also forms Artify Science which is a gathering of literature and art enthusiasts sharing their readings, creative writings, poetry, songs, paintings and, etc.

BIOGRAPHY : Dr. Chong Pan Pan holds a Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Microbiology, a Master of Science in Biochemistry, and a Ph.D. in Tissue Engineering. Following the completion of her doctoral training, she served as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow before being appointed as a Senior Lecturer at the National Orthopaedic Centre of Excellence in Research and Learning (NOCERAL), Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya (UM), Malaysia. Dr. Chong is actively involved in translational orthopaedic and regenerative medicine research, with a particular emphasis on tissue engineering and orthobiologic therapies. She has played a key role in the development and clinical translation of platelet-derived extracellular vesicle (P-EV)–based therapies, which have been implemented as clinical services for musculoskeletal conditions such as lateral epicondylitis, plantar fasciitis, osteochondral defects, delayed union, and knee osteoarthritis at the University Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC) and University Malaya Specialist Centre (UMSC). Her research interests focus on adult mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and their application as biological therapies for poorly regenerating tissues, particularly articular cartilage. Her work investigates MSCs derived from bone marrow, peripheral blood, and adipose tissue, with an emphasis on directing chondrogenic differentiation for cartilage repair and joint regeneration in patients affected by trauma or degenerative joint diseases such as osteoarthritis. Dr. Chong has published extensively in high-impact, Q1 peer-reviewed journals and has presented her research at numerous international scientific conferences. In recognition of her contributions, she has received multiple prestigious awards, including Young Investigator Awards, Young Investigator Best Paper Award, L’Oréal Malaysia for Women in Science, as well as Best Poster and Oral Presentation awards and competitive travel fellowships. She has also actively participated in biotechnology exhibitions and innovation-driven business competitions, earning several innovation awards for her work on MSC- and P-EV-based regenerative therapies. In addition, Dr. Chong has successfully developed and secured intellectual property, with patents granted for her novel innovations in regenerative medicine and orthobiologic therapies.