Dr. Sonia Kumari is Senior Lecturer at Department of Development Studies, Faculty of Business and Economics, University of Malaya. She holds PhD (Financial Development and Economic Growth, UNIMAS, Malaysia), MEcon (Public Policy, UKM, Malaysia) and BEc (Management Economics, UKM, Malaysia).  Her research expertise includes, Financial Development ; Financial Integration; Financial Inclusion; Sustainable Finance; Climate Finance; and Financial management of small businesses, with main focus on multidisciplinary themes related to emerging and developing economies. Her previous work experience includes: Associate Economist at the Central Bank of Malaysia (BNM) ; Visiting Research Fellow at Bocconi University, Milan, Italy; Visiting Research Fellow at Instituto Complutense de Estudios Internacionales (ICEI), Complutense University of Madrid, Spain; Lecturer at Help University, Malaysia.  She has taught several courses at Undergraduate level including:  Microfinance and Social Enterprise, Analysis of Development Projects, SME Development, Agriculture Business Management, Agriculture Development, Development Economics and Research Methodology (at University of Malaya); Principles of Business Management, Principles of Macroeconomics and Principles of Microeconomics (at Help University). Postgraduate courses: Sustainable Finance (Universiti Malaya).  She supervised over 50 UG projects including industrial placement projects (at University of Malaya); over 15 Masters Research Projects (at University of Malaya); and 1 Doctoral completion (current PhD supervision = 8).   Produced over 30 publications, including book chapters, articles in internationally refereed journals, policy briefs and reports. She has also reviewed several papers for journals and conferences.  She has led research projects on: "Financial Inclusion and Inclusive Growth" and "Government Supports And Food Operator's Performance In Klang Valley" (University Grant). She is also a co-researcher for projects such as "Role of Social Enterprise in Poverty Alleviation and Inclusive Development in Malaysia" (University Grants); Developing Environmental Reporting Framework for the Small and Medium Enterprises in Malaysia: Using Q-Methodological Approach" (FRGS, Government of Malaysia) and "Catching-up along the Global Value Chain: models, determinants and policy implications in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution" (European Commission Grant). She has research collaborative links in several countries including South Africa, China and Bangladesh.  She is an Associate Editor for Journal of Institutions and Economies.  

* PhD with distinction in Chemical Eng. from University of Malaya. *His h-index is 31 with total citations almost 7400 according to Google Scholar. *He published more than 100 ISI journal articles and filed 12 patents with 6 granted patents. He has been awarded many medals in International Expos. Laureate of 10 International Awards. *He is recognized by SciFinder Database as one of the top 20 researchers (ranked 14) in the world in the research field of ‘deep eutectic solvents and palm oil research work’. *He participated in more than 50 International conferences in different countries. * Invited as keynote speaker in Oman, Qatar and Sudan to deliver lectures and seminars as well as to improve the research system in many universities in Sudan. *He has received many certificates and recognition from Elsevier and Thomson Reuters for his published papers. *He received many international awards from Elsevier, United Nation University- Japan, UNESCO-Paris, ICheME- Malaysia, Foundation of Alexander von Humboldt-Germany, and American Oil Chemists' Society-USA. * Laureate 2015 ProSPER.Net-Scopus Young Scientist Award in Sustainable Development for Energy Category in Asia Pacific. * Laureate MAB Young Scientist Award from UNESCO and representing Malaysia. *Publication of the first comprehensive scientific report on Malaysian Biosphere Reserves with support of NESCO. * Recognized as one of the top 100 Scientists in Asia in the 2018 edition of the Asian Scientist 100 (AS100). * Member in Editorial Advisory Committee in Al-Khwarizmi Engineering Journal (ALKEJ). * Member in Editorial Advisory Committee Inform magazine (founded 1917) published under American Oil Chemists' Society. * In 2020,2021,2022 and 2023 and according to ranking generated by Stanford University, recognized as world’s top 2% of Scientists in Eng. In Category of Chemical and Biotechnology Eng.

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.