**Biografi Sedek bin Ariffin** Sedek bin Ariffin dilahirkan pada 20 Februari 1977 di Bagan Datoh, Perak, Malaysia. Beliau memulakan pendidikan awal Al-Quran dalam lingkungan keluarganya. Pada peringkat sekolah menengah, beliau menuntut di Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Agama Slim River, sebelum melanjutkan pelajaran ke peringkat Diploma Tahfiz Al-Quran dan Al-Qiraat di Darul Quran JAKIM pada tahun 1998. Di Darul Quran, beliau dianugerahkan gelaran Hafiz Al-Quran dan telah mewakili Malaysia dalam pertandingan menghafaz Al-Quran di peringkat antarabangsa yang diadakan di Mekah al-Mukarramah. Setelah itu, beliau melanjutkan pengajian dalam bidang Al-Quran dan Al-Qiraat di Ma’had Qiraat Al-Azhar, Mesir, pada tahun 2002, diikuti dengan pengajian dalam bidang bahasa Arab di Universiti Umm Al-Qura, Makkah al-Mukarramah. Pada tahun 2005, beliau kembali ke Malaysia untuk menyambung pengajian ke peringkat Sarjana pada tahun 2008 dan seterusnya ke peringkat Doktor Falsafah pada tahun 2011 di Universiti Malaya. Beliau pernah berkhidmat sebagai pensyarah sambilan di Darul Quran JAKIM sebelum memulakan kerjaya di Universiti Malaya pada tahun 2009. Kini, beliau menjawat jawatan sebagai Profesor Madya di Jabatan Al-Quran dan Al-Hadith, Akademi Pengajian Islam Universiti Malaya. Kepakaran beliau terletak dalam bidang hafazan Al-Quran dan Al-Qiraat. Di samping itu, beliau aktif dalam penulisan akademik mengenai hafazan Al-Quran, dengan banyak kertas kerja dibentangkan di pelbagai persidangan dan seminar di negara-negara seperti Indonesia, Brunei, Thailand, Vietnam, Korea, China, Turki, Iraq, Poland, dan United Kingdom. Beliau juga merupakan penulis beberapa buku, termasuk "Metodologi Hafazan Al-Quran," "Modul-modul Hafazan Al-Quran," "Ikhtiyar Dalam Ilmu Qiraat," dan "Pengantar Ilmu Qiraat," yang diterbitkan oleh Penerbit Universiti Malaya. Sejak menyertai Universiti Malaya, beliau telah menyelia lebih 50 pelajar di peringkat Sarjana dan Doktor Falsafah, serta berperanan sebagai pemeriksa dan penilai tesis di institusi pengajian tinggi awam dan swasta di seluruh Malaysia. Pada tahun 2014, beliau terpilih sebagai felo penyelidik di Universiti Warsaw, Poland, di bawah tajaan EC Erasmus. Pada tahun 2017, beliau menjadi pensyarah jemputan di Sakarya Universiti, Turki, di bawah tajaan program Mevlana. Beliau juga telah dianugerahkan cuti sabatikal oleh Universiti Malaya pada tahun 2019 dan 2024 untuk melaksanakan penyelidikan dalam bidang hafazan Al-Quran dan ilmu Qiraat. Selain itu, beliau aktif dalam bidang pentashihan Al-Quran sebagai Setiausaha Lajnah Tasheh Al-Quran, Kementerian Dalam Negeri, sejak tahun 2013 hingga kini. Beliau juga turut menyumbang kepakaran dalam bidang ibadah haji dengan berperanan sebagai Guru Pembimbing Ibadah Haji di PEKTA Tabung Haji Malaysia, serta aktif dalam menyampaikan syarahan mengenai ibadah Haji dan Umrah. **Biography of Sedek bin Ariffin** Sedek bin Ariffin was born on February 20, 1977, in Bagan Datoh, Perak, Malaysia. He began his early Quranic education within his family. During his secondary education, he attended Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Agama Slim River, before pursuing a Diploma in Tahfiz Al-Quran and Al-Qiraat at Darul Quran JAKIM in 1998. At Darul Quran, he was honored with the title of Hafiz Al-Quran and represented Malaysia in an international Quran memorization competition held in Mecca al-Mukarramah. Subsequently, he continued his studies in Quran and Qiraat at Ma’had Qiraat Al-Azhar, Egypt, in 2002, followed by studies in Arabic language at Umm Al-Qura University in Mecca al-Mukarramah. In 2005, he returned to Malaysia to pursue a Master's degree, which he completed in 2008, and later obtained his Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in 2011 from Universiti Malaya. He served as a part-time lecturer at Darul Quran JAKIM before commencing his career at Universiti Malaya in 2009. Currently, he holds the position of Associate Professor in the Department of Al-Quran and Al-Hadith at the Academy of Islamic Studies, Universiti Malaya. His expertise lies in the fields of Quran memorization and Qiraat. In addition to his teaching, he is actively involved in academic writing related to Quran memorization, having presented numerous research papers at various conferences and seminars in countries such as Indonesia, Brunei, Thailand, Vietnam, South Korea, China, Turkey, Iraq, Poland, and the United Kingdom. He is also the author of several books, including "Metodologi Hafazan Al-Quran," "Modul-modul Hafazan Al-Quran," "Ikhtiyar Dalam Ilmu Qiraat," and "Pengantar Ilmu Qiraat," published by the University of Malaya Press. Since joining Universiti Malaya, he has supervised over 50 students at the Master's and Doctoral levels and has served as an examiner and assessor for theses at public and private higher education institutions throughout Malaysia. In 2014, he was selected as a research fellow at the University of Warsaw, Poland, under the EC Erasmus sponsorship. In 2017, he served as a visiting lecturer at Sakarya University, Turkey, under the Mevlana program. He has also been awarded sabbatical leaves by Universiti Malaya in 2019 and 2024 to conduct research in the fields of Quran memorization and Qiraat. Furthermore, he is actively involved in Quranic verification as the Secretary of the Lajnah Tasheh Al-Quran at the Ministry of Home Affairs since 2013. He also contributes his expertise in the field of Hajj rituals as a Hajj Guiding Teacher at PEKTA Tabung Haji Malaysia and is actively engaged in delivering lectures on Hajj and Umrah.  **سيرة ذاتية صديق بن عارفين** وُلِد صديق بن عارفين في ۲٠ فبراير ۱٩٧٧ في باغان داتو، بيراك، ماليزيا. تلقى تعليمه القرآني المبكر في كنف أسرته، حيث بدأ في حفظ القرآن منذ نعومة أظفاره. أثناء دراسته الثانوية، التحق بمدرسة الثانوية الوطنية الدينية سليم ريفر، ثم واصل مسيرته الأكاديمية ليحصل على دبلوم في حفظ القرآن والقراءات من دار القرآن جاكيم في عام ۱٩٩٨. وفي سياق ذلك، حظي بلقب حافظ القرآن وشارك بفاعلية في مسابقة دولية لحفظ القرآن الكريم التي أُقيمت في مكة المكرمة. لاحقاً، واصل دراساته في مجال القرآن والقراءات في معهد قراءات الأزهر في مصر عام ۲٠٠۲، ثم درس اللغة العربية في جامعة أم القرى بمكة المكرمة. في عام ۲٠٠٥، عاد إلى ماليزيا لاستكمال دراسته العليا، حيث حصل على درجة الماجستير في عام ۲٠٠٨، وتبعها الحصول على درجة الدكتوراه في عام ۲٠۱۱ من جامعة مالايا. عمل كأستاذ محاضر جزئي في دار القرآن جاكيم قبل أن يبدأ مسيرته الأكاديمية في جامعة مالايا في عام ۲٠٠٩. حالياً، يشغل منصب أستاذ مشارك في قسم القرآن والحديث بأكاديمية الدراسات الإسلامية بجامعة مالايا، حيث تتركز خبرته في مجالات حفظ القرآن والقراءات. إلى جانب نشاطه التدريسي، يساهم بنشاط في الكتابة الأكاديمية المتعلقة بحفظ القرآن، حيث قدم مجموعة من الأبحاث في مؤتمرات وندوات دولية في بلدان مثل إندونيسيا، بروناي، تايلاند، فيتنام، كوريا الجنوبية، الصين، تركيا، العراق، بولندا، والمملكة المتحدة. كما أنه مؤلف لعدد من الكتب، منها "منهجية حفظ القرآن"، "وحدات حفظ القرآن"، "الاختيار في علم القراءات"، و"مدخل إلى علم القراءات"، التي صدرت عن دار جامعة مالايا. منذ انضمامه إلى جامعة مالايا، أشرف على أكثر من ٥٠ طالباً على مستوى الماجستير والدكتوراه، بالإضافة إلى عمله كممتحن ومقيم للأطروحات في مؤسسات التعليم العالي العامة والخاصة في جميع أنحاء ماليزيا. في عام ۲٠۱٤، تم اختياره كزميل بحث في جامعة وارسو، بولندا، تحت رعاية برنامج إيراسموس EC. وفي عام ۲٠۱٧، عمل كأستاذ زائر في جامعة ساكاريا، تركيا، ضمن برنامج ميفلانا. كما مُنح إجازات تفرغ علمي من جامعة مالايا في عامي ۲٠۱٩ و۲٠۲٤ لإجراء أبحاث متعمقة في مجالات حفظ القرآن والقراءات. علاوة على ذلك، يشارك بنشاط في التحقق من القرآن بوصفه أمين سر لجنة تصحيح القرآن في وزارة الداخلية منذ عام ۲٠۱٣. ويُسهم كذلك بخبرته في مجال مناسك الحج كمدرب للحج في PEKTA صندوق الحج الماليزي، حيث يُشارك بفاعلية في تقديم المحاضرات المتعلقة بالحج والعمرة.

In 2012, Shafina completed her Bachelor of Dental Surgery from the University of Otago in New Zealand. Following this, she embarked on a dedicated service as a dental officer at the Ministry of Health Malaysia until 2015. Later, she joined the Universiti Malaya, where she garnered a scholarship by the Ministry of Education Malaysia for her specialty training. Shafina pursued a Master of Science in Clinical Dentistry at the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom, a milestone she attained in 2018. During the same year, she was awarded the Membership in Periodontics examination by the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. Upon her return from the United Kingdom, Shafina assumed the role of a clinical lecturer at the Universiti Malaya until September 2022. Throughout her tenure, she dedicated herself to both undergraduate and postgraduate education, encompassing academic and clinical aspects. Her impact extended to guiding master's students in navigating project management and thesis composition. Shafina has secured multiple research grants that facilitated the exploration of her diverse interests in fields such as Periodontology, Artificial Intelligence, and the response to COVID-19. She has contributed to scholarly discourse through the authorship of book chapters and publications featured in high-impact journals, as well as through her engagement with mass media. Her remarkable achievements have been recognised with several awards. Particularly noteworthy is her receipt of the prestigious Dental Education and Clinical Experience Fellowship from the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh in 2022. Presently, Shafina is pursuing her doctorate at the UCL Eastman Dental Institute. Her research focus is centered around leveraging artificial intelligence to predict the prognosis of treatment outcomes for gingival recession around teeth.

Dr. Loh Kar Hoe (K.-H. L.) is a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Ocean and Earth Sciences (IOES), University of Malaya. He graduated with a B.Sc. majoring in aquaculture before pursuing his research in fish reproductive for his M.Sc. in NTOU, Taiwan. He obtained his Ph.D. in Fisheries Science from the NTOU in 2009 for doctoral work on taxonomy and molecular phylogeny of moray eels (Mureanidae). After his Ph.D., he spent one year at the Biodiversity Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taiwan as a postdoctoral researcher. He joined IOES July 2011 as a research fellow. He’s team have discovery eight new species eels (Gymnothorax pseudokidako 2021, Gymnothorax pseudomelanosomatus 2015, Neenchelys gracilis 2015, Pylorobranchus hoi 2012, Gymnothorax melanosomatus 2011, Uropterygius oligospondylus 2008, Gymnothorax taiwanensis 2008, Gymnothorax shaoi 2007), and a lot of new recorded fishes from Malaysia, Indonesia, China, Japan, and Taiwan. In addition to studying Malaysian fish otoliths, he is also working on the fisheries assessment work on sharks and rays. A total of 47 ISI articles have been published, and 26 technical reports of the IUCN Sciaenidae Red List assessments in 2020. He has collaborative research on the genetic diversity, population genetics of marine organisms; Reef fish diversity and abundance in Malaysian water through DNA barcoding and eDNA in Malaysia. Another study focuses on microplastics in the gill and stomach of fish. He recently secured a research grant to “Resolving systematics of Cephalopods using morphological and molecular approaches in Malaysia”, and “Environment DNA matebarcoding illuminates the diversity of sharks and rays” funded by WWF-Malaysia.