PROFESSOR DR MOHD ZULKIFLEE ABU BAKAR MMC: 36394 NSR: 133761 MB BS (Mal), M Surg ORL-HNS (Mal), FRCS (Glas), AM (Mal) Fellowship in Rhinology & Skullbase Surgery Fellowship in Head & Neck OncoSurgery (Sloan-Kettering, NYC) Certified IFHNOS Board of Head and Neck Oncology Consultant Otorhinolaryngologist, Head & Neck Surgeon   Professor Dr Mohd Zulkiflee bin Abu Bakar (AB Zulkiflee) is a Senior Clinical Consultant, Otorhinolaryngologist and Head & Neck OncoSurgeon with over 19 years of professional experience in medical field. He is a former Head (Chairman) of Department from 2015-2018.   Prof Dr Zul obtained his medical degree, MB BS in 1999 who had undergone multiple clinical postings, including junior medical officer in orthopaedics surgery, senior medical officer in urology and otorhinolaryngology, Ministry of Health Malaysia before joining university as an academician. He started his career in university as a trainee lecturer, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University of Malaya in 2004 under Young Academic Training Award, Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia. After completing his postgraduate clinical training in 2008, he has been involved in various undergraduate-postgraduate teachings, research projects and paper presentations mainly in basic otology, laser phonosurgery, sleep apnoea, endoscopic rhinology and skullbase surgery, neurotology specialty and head & neck oncosurgery.  He had advanced clinical exposure in Otology, Skullbase Surgery, Head & Neck Oncology at NHS Guy’s & St Thomas’ and King’s Hospital, London, UK., modified otoplasty techniques under Prof Sven Olof Wikström, Chairman of Scandinavian Ear Reconstruction Centre, Sweden.   His presence in national and international arenas has widely been established as an invited speaker, key demonstrator, facilitator and course director in various distinguished forums, workshops and seminars, namely Laser Phonosurgery Workshop, International Asian Federation of Laryngectomee Association (AFLA) – UMMC seminar, Asian Cochlear Implant Seminar, International Bonebridge Workshop, Otoplasty & Ear Reconstruction Seminar, National Vertigo Masterclass, ASEAN Young Sinus Surgeon Forum, International Rhinology Innovative Symposium (IRIS), International Symposium on Recent Advances in Rhinosinusitis and Nasal Polyposis (ISRNP) and regular twice a year International UM Advanced Endoscopic Rhinology & Anterior Skullbase, Advanced Otology & Lateral Skullbase Workshop. He is a co-mentor for fellows in rhinology, otology & skullbase surgery from various countries.   He is a member of department cochlear implant meeting and one of Standard and Industrial Research Institute of Malaysia (SIRIM) Surgical Implant committee members in otology implants. He is also a member of national rhinology meeting, allergic clinic, head & neck oncology meeting, OT subcommittee forum, ear reconstruction, cleft lip & palate clinic, voice, snoring & swallowing clinic, surgical laser safety, UM Robotic Surgery committee and various advanced ORL-HNS subspecialty meetings.  He is also a member of Academy of Medicine, College of Surgeons Malaysia, and a life member of Malaysian Society of Oncology, Malaysian Medical Association. He is a member of National Conjoint Board of ORL-HNS since 2011 and a member for Malaysian Qualification Register (MQA) in ORL-HNS Masters programme. He is a member of the Medical Advisory Council (UMMC), Medical & Dental Advisory Council (UMSC) and Clinical Research Advisory Council (UM). He received Appreciation Award in 2006 and Distinguished Service Award in 2012 and 2016 from University of Malaya. He has appeared in several public media, forums, talk shows and prime-time news medical promotion on his areas of expertise.   He has published numerous papers in medical journals, ebooks and books from his field. He is a reviewer and member of editorial board for some high indexed otorhinolaryngology and surgical journals since 2009. Prof Zul is also a certified International Council Harmonisation Good Clinical Practice (ICH-GCP) researcher and chairman for Department Research Centre, Otorhinolaryngology and Head & Neck Research (ORCLE). He has been a Principal Investigator or Sub-Investigator in more than 15 past and on-going registry/clinical studies especially in Audiology, Laryngology and Head & Neck Oncology. He is also a clinical and non-clinical research supervisor for diploma, undergraduate, postgraduate and PhD students. He is a trained surgeon in Head & Neck Robotic Surgery.   His special areas of research and clinical interest are general/paediatrics otorhinolaryngology, endoscopic rhinology & skullbase surgery, neurotology, audiology, vertigo, tinnitus, sleep apnoea, laryngology, speech and head & neck oncology.

Dr. Zulfirdaus Zakaria is a Senior Lecturer at the Institute for Advanced Studies, Universiti Malaya (UM), specializing in Fuel Cell and Electrolyzer Technologies. He holds a PhD in Fuel Cell Engineering from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), conferred in 2018 under the supervision of Prof. Ir. Dr. Siti Kartom Kamarudin, who is the Director of the Fuel Cell Institute, UKM. His doctoral dissertation, titled “Development of Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Based on Poly (Vinyl Alcohol) and Graphene Oxide for Micro Direct Ethanol Fuel Cell Application,” laid the foundation for his pioneering research in polymer-based fuel cell membranes. During his postgraduate tenure, Dr. Zulfirdaus demonstrated exceptional academic rigor by converting his Master's program to a PhD, publishing 7 scientific articles in high-impact journals as the first author, which included 6 Q1/Q2 WoS indexed journals, and earning the “Graduate on Time” award from the Fuel Cell Institute, UKM. Academic and Research Appointments: Prior to his current role at UM, Dr. Zulfirdaus served as a Senior Lecturer at the School of Materials and Mineral Resources Engineering, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), for two years. His four-year tenure postdoctoral researcher at the Fuel Cell Institute, UKM, and at Universiti Tenaga Nasional (UNITEN), where he contributed to significant advancements in fuel cell and electrolyzer technologies. Research Focus and Contributions: Dr. Zulfirdaus’s primary research interests encompass the development of polymer electrolyte membranes for both fuel cells and electrolyzers, focusing on: Proton Exchange Membranes (PEMs) and Anion Exchange Membranes (AEMs) Utilization of synthetic polymers (e.g., Polyvinyl Alcohol) and biopolymers (e.g., Sodium Alginate and Carrageenan) Applications in renewable energy generation and green hydrogen production He has been actively involved in the research, development, and optimization of various fuel cell and electrolyzer systems, including: Direct Methanol Fuel Cells (DMFCs) Direct Ethanol Fuel Cells (DEFCs) Alkaline Fuel Cells (AFCs) Intermediate Temperature Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (IT-SOFCs) Alkaline Anion Exchange Membrane (AEM) Electrolyzers His work extends to the synthesis of advanced materials, such as: Polymer Modifications for enhanced membrane performance Graphene-based Nanomaterials for conductivity improvements Catalyst Development for both fuel cells and electrolyzers Research Grants and Funding: Dr. Zulfirdaus has led and contributed to numerous high-impact research projects, including: Project Leader: Development of Novel Polymer Electrolyte Membrane for Fuel Cells. Universiti Malaya Research Excellence Grant 2025 (RM 97,614; 2025-2027)  Project Leader: Biomass to Fuel Cells: Leave to Energy. Universiti Malaya Living Labs 2025 (RM 30,000; 2025-2026) Project Leader: The Effect of Incorporating Epoxidized Natural Rubber on the Performance of Quaternized Polyvinyl Alcohol Membrane in Direct Ethanol Fuel Cells, USM Short-term Grant (RM 39,000; 2023-2025) Researcher: Development of Alkaline AEM Electrolyzer with Novel Nanocomposite Membrane, UKM PAKARUNDING-NanoMalaysia Berhad (RM 539,125; 2022–2023) Postdoctoral Researcher: New Biodegradable Membrane Based on a Hybrid Polymer Carrageenan/Poly (Vinyl Alcohol) for Direct Alcohol Fuel Cells, DANA MODAL INSAN (UKM) (RM 100,000; 2019–2020) Postdoctoral Researcher: Fabrication and Performance Study of Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC), 1kW Stack, TNB Seeding Fund (UNITEN) (RM 1,698,100.70; 2018–2020) Intellectual Property and Publications: Dr. Zulfirdaus has registered multiple intellectual properties with MyIPO, including: Carrageenan Biopolymer Membrane for Passive DEFC Applications (LY2022P05229) – First Author Cross-Sectional Properties of 7% MN-Doped ZnO Thin Films (LY2023P00617) – Co-author Strategy on How to Write a Review Paper Module (LY2022E00215) – Co-author He has also authored the book “Membran Hijau Polivinil Alkohol: Aplikasi Sel Fuel Ethanol Langsung” published by Penerbit UKM. With 50 publications in high-impact journals—24 in Q1, 15 in Q2, and 2 in Q3 categories—Dr. Zulfirdaus has established himself as a leading scholar in his field, serving as the first author in 24 of these publications. Awards and Recognition: Top Downloaded Paper (2018-2019) – International Journal of Energy Research (Q1, IF 4.6) Top Downloaded Paper (2022-2023) – Journal of Applied Polymer Science (Q2, IF 2.7) World's Top 2% Scientists 2025 by Elsevier and Stanford University. Editorial and Peer Review Activities: Dr. Zulfirdaus actively contributes to the scholarly community as a peer reviewer for prestigious journals such as: Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews (Q1, IF 16.3) International Journal of Hydrogen Energy (Q1, IF 8.1) Applied Energy (Q1, IF 10.1) To date, he has reviewed over 80 high-impact manuscripts across various leading journals in the field of energy research. Invited Speaker and Outreach: As an expert in academic writing, Dr. Zulfirdaus has been invited to deliver talks on “How to Write a High-Impact Review Paper” at multiple Malaysian higher education institutions, including UiTM, UKM, USM, UNIMAS and UniKL. He is open to academic collaborations and can be contacted at zulfirdaus@um.edu.my.  

Dr. Hairul Hasnan is a distinguished educator and accomplished music professional, holding a doctorate degree in Music and a master's degree in Music Production from the University of York, a prestigious institution in the UK. His academic journey began with a Bachelor's degree in Physics with Electronics, before he pursued his passion for music with a subsequent Bachelor's degree in Music. With a diverse background, Dr. Hasnan embarked on a rich career path, starting as a full-time musician at Radio Televisyen Malaysia, Malaysia's national broadcasting station. During his tenure, he actively participated in numerous recording sessions in studios and delivered captivating live performances with the RTM combo. As a seasoned music producer, Dr. Hasnan boasts an impressive portfolio of studio recordings, including the recent release of a 10-song album for Reening Lau, generously funded by Cendana (Cultural Economy Development Agency, Malaysia). He has also lent his production expertise to the debut EP of TitikDinginDamai titled "Belumkata", both of which are available for streaming on various digital platforms. His proficiency lies in pop and rock music, with a specialization in drums for both recording and live performances. Presently, Dr. Hasnan is deeply involved in the Malaysian indie scene, nurturing emerging talents such as We Are Avalanche and Laras dari Rasian. Beyond his creative endeavors, Dr. Hasnan actively engages in professional development initiatives. He has conducted numerous music production workshops, including sessions at Lembaga Kebudayaan Sabah, Radio Televisyen Malaysia, and several private companies. Additionally, he serves as the Secretary for the Audio Engineering Society (AES) Malaysia. Dr. Hasnan's contributions extend to scholarly pursuits as well. He authored the first Malay-language book on music production, titled "Asas Rakaman dan Produksi Muzik", a pioneering work in the field. Furthermore, his research on Nonlinear Mixing Systems, conducted during his tenure at the University of York, was presented at prestigious events such as the AES Convention 2019 in Dublin and the Art of Recording Conference at Berklee College of Music. Currently, Dr. Hasnan serves as a Senior Lecturer, imparting his expertise in audio engineering and music production at the esteemed University Malaya.