Professor Dr. Haris Abd Wahab is a faculty member at the Department of Social Administration and Justice, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Universiti Malaya. He currently serves as the Deputy Dean (Development) and previously held the position of Deputy Dean (Student Affairs) within the same faculty. With over two decades of experience, Dr. Haris specializes in Community Development and has been instrumental in advancing teaching, learning, and research in the fields of community development and social work. He lectures on various subjects including social problems, social work, community development, social marketing, research methodology, and social theories. His research interests encompass community well-being, social care programs for at-risk children in Malaysia, children’s well-being, and social development among vulnerable groups. Before joining academia, Dr. Haris served as a Medical Social Worker at the Ministry of Health Malaysia from 1996 to 2000, where he gained valuable field experience in social work practice.

I'm a Senior Lecturer at the English Language Department, Faculty of Languages and Linguistics. After more than two decades of working in language, communication and skills development, I joined UM in 2019 to contribute to progressing the field of health(care) discourse in Malaysia and beyond. In my current role, I teach languages and linguistics courses at undergraduate and postgraduate level, while supervising and conducting research. Research Focus - Improving Health & Wellbeing by Applying a Discursive ToolkitI study matters related to language, health(care) and wellbeing, applying qualitative and discursive perspectives to address problems and inform practice in provider-patient interaction, health education and other related topics. I am particularly interested in analysis of real-life interaction, to answer questions on how people "do things" with language in health-related contexts. For example, how do doctors and patients collaboratively make decisions about treatment, manage chronic health conditions, and discuss concerns by interacting with each other in person or online? I'm also interested in communication in healthcare education, interprofessional discourse and patient education, alongside how people express and make meaning of health-related issues via their talk and stories. My current funded  projects include studies on professional socialisation of house officers (FRGS), patient experience of gum disease (IIRG, UM). Expertise -Enhancing Language and Communication in Diverse SettingsBeyond my research and academic duties, I help enhance language and communication in academic and professional settings, applying a diverse knowledge and skillset composed over 25 years of experience. Before joining academia, I was engaged in various positions mostly as a consultant/independent contractor, including as a language/content service provider for over 15 years and as a language/communication skills instructor for over 17 years. In these roles, I provided language consulting services and skills training for corporate and individual clients in Malaysia and internationally. I have a CELTA qualification and am a HRDF certified trainer. My work history is available at https://my.linkedin.com/in/ayeshah-syed-0468293 Professional Activities and LeadershipAt UM, I have been actively involved in advancement of research and academic practices. From 2022-2024, I led the research portfolio at the Faculty of Languages and Linguistics as the Deputy Dean of Research and Innovation, with other appointments including as the Protem-Deputy Head of the Medical Devices Centre of Excellence, UM and Taskforce member for UM's Programme Educational goals. Outside the university, I  am involved in professional associations related to languages and linguistics and social advancement, including Persatuan Bahasa Moden Malaysia (President, 2022-2024, Vice President-2024 - 2026, Exco member since 2013) and the citizens' movement organisation, the Association of Voices of Peace, Conscience and Reason (Exco member - since 2016, Treasurer-2025-present).Research Collaboration and Supervision Opportunities I welcome potential collaborations aligned with my expertise and also enjoy connecting with other researchers to learn about their work, gain insight into new contexts, fields and perspectives and explore how I might contribute to their research activities.  In terms of postgraduate supervision, I supervise projects that apply discursive approaches to address problems in health-related contexts, focusing on interaction. Note to potential supervisees: I have limited availability for 2025-2026 due to a heavy supervision load. 

Dr. Firdaus Sahran is currently a senior lecturer at the Department of Computer System and Technology, Faculty of Computer Science and Information Technology, Universiti Malaya. He received his PhD in Computer Science from Universiti Malaya in 2024. His research focuses on computer networking, specifically software-defined networking (SDN), security, and analytics, aiming to enhance the security and efficiency of modern network infrastructures. Passionate about talent development, he actively mentors students and leads initiatives that foster collaboration between academia and industry. Dr. Firdaus is a member of the IEEE Computer Society and IEEE Young Professionals, reflecting his commitment to advancing technology and research in academia and industry.