Started his research career in the think tank sector, Dr. Lee Chee Leong (Karl) is attracted to the rise of non-traditional diplomacy in the international order today. Such appeal has taken Dr. Lee into new research horizons that started with his Monash University's doctoral research on the Chinese sub-state diplomacy in China-ASEAN economic cooperation. With constructive supervision by Professor Helen Nesadurai and Associate Professor Kuik Cheng Chwee, Dr. Lee completed his doctoral thesis that unravels how a faraway and least developed sub-state of Guangxi managed to overcome its own hurdles, navigate the complexities within the Chinese state and become the frontline actor in China-ASEAN economic cooperation. Following his doctoral completion, Dr. Lee's research on non-traditional diplomacy has expanded into Taiwan’s quasi-state diplomacy in Southeast Asia. Such quest has led him spending at great length in comprehending the concept of soft power, a concept that finds its relevance to Taiwan, which has no official diplomatic with Southeast Asia but is heavily connected to the region and has to rely on soft power in its engagements with these Southeast Asian nations. Taking Malaysia as the first case study of Taiwan's soft power in the region, Dr. Lee is developing the third intervening variable correlating both Taiwanese soft power resources and outcomes, in his course of providing a dynamical explanation for such phenomenon. For the coming years, his research focus and publications will be on the different areas featuring Taiwan-Malaysia and Taiwan-Southeast Asia cooperation such as digital social innovation (DSI) for climate change, industry-based education/training programmes, smart cities, tourism, digital democracy, agriculture, public health and medicine, ornamental aquaculture and aquascape. To date, Dr. Lee was the recipient of several scholarships and fellowships in Malaysia and overseas: University of Malaya’s Graduate Fellowship (2010-2011); Monash University’s Merit Scholarship (2016-2019); Chinese Government Scholarship (2018-2019); and Taiwan Fellowship (2020). Prior to his appointment as Senior Lecturer at the Institute of China Studies (ICS), he was the Visiting Scholar at Guangxi University for Nationalities (GXUN) (2018-10992019), Taiwan Fellow at National Chengchi University (NCCU) (2020) and Associate Fellow at ICS UM (2016-2019).He welcomes any potential PhD candidate who would like to work on Taiwan-Southeast Asia relations, Taiwan's soft power in Southeast Asia and Taiwan-Malaysia DSI cooperation for climate change. He is also willing to discuss with potential doctoral candidates on proposals related to the Chinese sub-state (provincial) diplomacy toward ASEAN, China's soft power in ASEAN, Southeast Asian sub-state diplomacy, comparative cases of sub-state diplomacy around the world and conceptual innovation of sub-state diplomacy as well as soft power. 

Syafiq Faliq Alfan, also known as Sefa, is a performing artist, educator, and cultural researcher deeply interested in the discourse on the history of Asian Traditional Performing Arts from the perspective of Cultural Evolution Theory. He earned his Doctoral Degree from the Faculty of Integrated Arts and Science at Hiroshima University, Japan, in 2022 through his research on the methodological construction of analysis towards traditional dance of Mak Yong and Noh using motion capture technology. As an artist, Sefa has been a member of the Ipoh artist collective called Projek Rabak since 2011, where he currently serves as the director. Since 2007, he has actively participated in numerous local and international performances, focusing on the intersection of Corporeal Mime by Etienne Decroux and the improvisational techniques of Malaysian traditional performing arts. His interest in performance research centers around the body as subject and its entanglement with elements within its environment including space, audience and technology. Sefa is also a creative writer, with notable works such as 'Melankolia Bisu' (2014) and 'Novel Eksperimental' (2013), among others. Currently, his research interests revolve around the pragmatism philosophy and philosophy of history to enhance the historical narrative in Mak Yong and other Malaysian performing arts. He believes that further enriching the discourse in Malaysian traditional performing arts will lead to a better understanding of its role in shaping the identity of the local community. He is also interested in looking at Digital Humanities within the intersection of discussion in aesthetics, ecology, local wisdom, identity formation and arts biomechanics through the use of media and technology (specifically motion capture technology) to understand various experiences and cultures.  As a cultural research critical generalist, he believes the role of the performing arts extends beyond the discourse of performativity and should include discussion on the issues of sustainability, environmental impact, socio-economic, education, architecture, technology, among others.  Potential postgraduate students should be prepared to have an integrated approach in mind to provide practical and high impact solutions in research for the benefit of society.

Norafida Ab Ghafar, has started her teaching career at University of Malaya in 1996 as a lecturer inArchitecture Department. Earned Master in Urban Design from Oxford Brookes University and Ph.D inSustainable Architecture from University of Nottingham. These make her research more holistic whereshe can contribute in macro and micro context scope. She was a Head of UCTA (Urban, Conservationand Tropical Architecture Research Unit) and was the Head of Architecture School. Her researchincludes the Passive solar building, Zero Energy Building, Universal design, and livable city.