Dr Song Sze Looi is a Senior Lecturer at the Institute for Advanced Studies (IAS), Universiti Malaya. She obtained her PhD in 2013 from the Universiti Malaya in the field of Algal Biotechnology. She later received a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the Westminster International College. Currently, she is the Coordinator for the Degree Stacking and Mixed Mode programmes. Dr Song has gained expertise in genomics, bioinformatics, molecular phylogenetics, systematics and Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) such as NextSeq, MiSeq, HiSeq and Ion Torrent. Her research includes seaweeds, oysters, nematode parasites of public health importance, insects of agricultural importance and microbiomes. She has published more than 50 papers in ISI journals for example Scientific Reports, PLoS ONE, Acta Tropica, Genetica, Phycologia, Journal of Applied Phycology and Biochemical Systematics and Ecology. Her current H-index is 13 in Publons and 14 in Scopus. Dr Song has also established research collaborations with local and international researchers. Aside from academic achievement, she is also active in sports. She won second prize in the Isometrik Challenge organized by UM's Sport Centre in 2021. She has also achieved podium finish in several marathon events such as the Brooks Kuantan Run (Champion in 10 km Women's Open) and Taiping Cross Country Run (Second Runner-up in 7 km Women's Open).

Assoc. Prof. Sr Dr. Saipol Bari Abd Karim is a Consultant Quantity Surveyor (CQS), registered with the Board of Quantity Surveyors Malaysia (BQSM). Sr Dr. Saipol specialises in project, risk, and value management. He is the Deputy Dean (Student Affairs) at the Faculty of Built Environment, Universiti Malaya. Previously, he headed the Department of Quantity Surveying from May 2019 to May 2021 and was formerly the programme coordinator for the Master of Project Management for 4 years. Besides lecturing and conducting research, Sr Dr. Saipol is also a quantity surveying consultant and a risk management consultant for several building and infrastructure projects through UM Consult, a professional consultancy company under the university's umbrella. Besides that, he has also been appointed as a member of the UM's advisory committee for the MRT3 project. Other appointments at the university include Deputy Protem Head of Centre of Excellence for Future Sustainable Energy, Chairman of Student's Disciplinary Committee, Member of Student's Disciplinary Appeal Committee for UM's Board of Directors, Associate Member of Risk and Business Continuity Management Office, Variation Order and Extension of Time committees and Consultant's Evaluation Panel for projects managed by the university. Sr Dr. Saipol has also been appointed as UM's focal person for the PETRONAS-UM Collaboration with Higher Education Strategic Initiatives (CHESS) for all activities and programmes involving the university. Before joining UM in 2005, he gained industry experience involving projects related to civil engineering, building, and oil and gas sectors upon graduating from Universiti Malaya with a Bachelor of Quantity Surveying (Hons) in 1999. He joined Gamuda Berhad as a quantity surveyor and moved to MCM Associates, a professional quantity surveying consultancy firm. Later, his career progressed as a contract administrator at Dialog Group Berhad, serving the oil and gas sector. Throughout his industry career, he was responsible for managing contracts with many clients such as SPRINT Highway, Malaysia Airlines Bhd., UiTM, PWD Malaysia, DBKL, PETRONAS, Shell, ExxonMobil, BP, Malaysian Oxygen, MLNG, Halliburton, Pertamina Indonesia, and Conoco Phillips. Sr Dr. Saipol has brought significant contributions to the academic field. He developed his research interest in the area of value engineering and value management during his undergraduate years. He became one of the founding members of the Institute of Value Management Malaysia (IVMM) in 2000. His passion for value management continues in the UK, where he continued his research in the same area, integrating it with risk management. Other organisations and researchers have also referenced his risk and value management integration research article. Sr Dr. Saipol completed his PhD in Business Administration from Manchester Business School, UK, majoring in project management and researching project risk management implementation by major engineering projects in the UK. He studied various best practices in managing risks for projects in construction, railways, aviation, nuclear power, oil and gas, mining, and the defence industries. He published a book entitled Project Risk Management- Principles and Procedures through UM Press, which is one of the outputs of this research. Sr Dr. Saipol was one of the pioneering teams in setting up the generic Master of Project Management programme in 2007. The programme is now fully accredited by the Global Accreditation Center, Project Management Institute, USA. It is ranked No. 1 in Malaysia and in the top 10 in Far East Asia for the innovation and project management category by Eduniversal since 2019. Additionally, Sr Dr. Saipol has successfully introduced a new subject called value and risk management for both the Bachelor of Quantity Surveying and Master of Project Management programmes at UM since 2016. Other QS programmes in Malaysia have also referenced and implemented such an idea. His recent book on project risk management has been used as the primary reference for these programmes and is also being referred to by others. Several organisations have also invited Sr Dr. Saipol to contribute his value and risk management expertise. He was given the opportunity by the Economic Planning Unit (EPU), Prime Minister’s Department, to be part of the value management team for a government project. His MSc research findings on the integrated risk and value management (IRVM) framework have sparked the interest of the Public Works Department, Malaysia, in how it can be implemented to improve PWD’s projects. He was involved in risk management workshops for several projects and has led the project risk management consultancy team with UM Consult for a privatised highway project. He has also assisted UM’s risk management team in formulating its risk management guidelines, which the university recently introduced. The Honourable Minister of Works Malaysia has appointed Sr Dr. Saipol as the Board Member, Board of Quantity Surveyors Malaysia (BQSM) for the 2021/2023 session, where BQSM President also appointed him as the Chair of the QS Accreditation Council (QSAC) as well as a Member of the Registration and Qualification Committee. Before this appointment, he was actively serving BQSM for various committees and activities. He was also appointed by the Higher Education Director General, Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE) as a permanent representative for the Early Screening Meeting (MSA) and Higher Education Committee (JPT) with the Department of Higher Education for the 2021/2022 session. He has been actively involved with IVMM since 2001, promoting and educating VM, and was elected a Fellow of IVMM in 2017. He has served as a Council Member for many years. He contributed to developing the National VM Manual and the VM Competencies Standard published by IVMM. He was elected as one of the QS Division committee members of the Royal Institution of Surveyors Malaysia (RISM) for the 2020/2021 session and elected as a Fellow of RISM in 2022. He has served the Building Cost Information Center (BCIC), the Education and Accreditation Board (AEB), the accreditation panel for the Diploma in QS programme, and the Chief Editor of QSComm; the bulletin of QS Division. Sr Dr. Saipol is currently elected as one of the Councillors of RISM, where he is tasked to chair the Partnering Universities for the 2023/2024 session. He was appointed by the Council of Deans in Built Environment to the Committee of Heads in the Construction Management area for the 2019-2021 term and was also a former Executive Council member of the Association of Construction Project Managers Malaysia (ACPM). He was then appointed by the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) to the Construction Industry Standard for the National Housing Committee. Sr Dr. Saipol was also the programme External Examiner for BSc. Construction Management at Curtin University, Sarawak Campus, Bachelor of Quantity Surveying at Universiti Teknologi Sarawak (UTS) and Bachelor of Quantity Surveying at Universiti Malaysia Sarawak. Sr Dr. Saipol has been frequently invited to deliver talks, seminars, and training organized by CIDB, Public Works Department (PWD), Contractor's Services Center (PKK) of the Ministry of Works Malaysia, Politeknik Malaysia, Authority for Building Control and Construction Industry (ABCI) of Brunei Darussalam, SAVE International (Australia/New Zealand + 4 Chapter), Value Analysis Canada and several NGOs and private organisations.

Biography (English) Associate Professor Dr Siti Mashitoh Mahamood is currently an Associate Professor at the Syariah and Law Department, Academy of Islamic Studies, University of Malaya, Malaysia. She graduated with a Bachelor Degree in Syariah with honours class one from the Faculty of Syariah, Islamic Academy, University of Malaya in 1992. In 1996, she was awarded a Master of Syariah by the same University. She completed her doctoral studies in 2000 at the University of Birmingham, United Kingdom in which she specialized in Waqf and Islamic Law of Property. Her areas of expertise and research interests are Waqf and Islamic Law of Property (on Wasiyyah/Bequest, Hibah/Gift, Islamic Succession, Zakat and Baitulmal), Islamic Wealth Management and Estate Planning and also Law and Administration of Muslim Property. She has written many articles and books within her specialization areas. She received a number of gold and excellence awards for her research works, career development and academic services. Her scopus article in Humanomics journal entitled “Financing universities through waqf, pious endowment: is it possible?” received the Outstanding Paper Award for the Emerald Literati Network Awards for Excellence 2016 from the Emerald Group Publishing Limited, United Kingdom. Associate Professor Dr Siti Mashitoh Mahamood is the Chairman of the Syariah Advisory Board for the As-Salihin Trustee Berhad, Waqf Expert for UM-MAIWP Waqf Joint Management Committee, Zakat Expert for UM Zakat Fund Committee and a member of Cash Waqf Fund Committee of MAIWP. She is also a Task Force member For Empowerment of Muslim Property Governance of JAKIM where laws related to Muslim Properties are drafted and codified.  She has been involved in various consultation projects and activities with the government and private institutions, including Syariah and Civil law firms. She has also been involved in providing legal opinions and serving as an expert witness for Malaysian court cases as well as other institutions, including some international institutions on waqf matters. Another aspect of her work has been her active involvement on the codification and amendment of waqf laws in Malaysia including for the Federal Territories & the Wakaf (State of Selangor) Enactment 2015. She has also been involved in the codification and amendment of other Islamic law matters including the Muslim Wills (Selangor) (Amendment) Enactment 2016. Previously, she was the first and former Director of UM Awqaf of the University of Malaya. Her appointment was made for two years (January 2017-December 2018) with the remit of promoting the University and collecting waqf for it. The national and international  research findings and experiences that she gathered from her waqf university research projects involving grants LR001A-2013B, LR001B-2013B, LR001C-2013B, RP012D-13HNE and RG 284-11 HNE were used to benefit the running of UM Awqaf portfolio. The 10th of October 2018 was an important historical marker for the University of Malaya as on that date UM was finally granted the legal status of Mutawalli from the Federal Territories Islamic Religious Council (MAIWP) for the operation of waqf. She had also started the collection of University of Malaya Waqf in the same year. Associate Professor Dr Siti Mashitoh Mahamood had also served a number of portfolios of advisories and board members at the Malaysian Waqaf Foundation (YWM): as a member of the Board of Trustees (2019 - April 2023), the Chairman of the Syariah Advisory Committee (2021- April 2023), the Chairman of the Technical Committee of Supplementary Trust Deed for the Malaysian Waqaf Foundation (2020) and a member of the Syariah Advisory Committee for the foundation (2010–2015 & 2019-2021). She had also served a number of other advisories and committees including a member of the Law Committee for Islamic Religious Council of Selangor (2012-2020), a Member of the Law Committee for Islamic Religious Council of the Federal Territories (MAIWP) (11 August 2019-10 August 2023), a Corporate Advisor (Syariah Compliant Advisor) for Al-Hidayah Group of Companies (2020-2022), the Chairman of PWS-KUIS Wakaf Ilmu Joint Management Committee (2016-2019), Muamalat Expert Panel Member of JAKIM (2016-2018) and many others. She had also been involved in the codification of various waqf Manuals for the Department of Waqf, Zakat and Hajj (JAWHAR). Associate Professor Dr Siti Mashitoh Mahamood had also served as an Expert Consultant for the National Wakaf Master Plan (Legal Aspects) in empowering the Malaysian waqf laws.   Biografi (Malay) Profesor Madya Dr Siti Mashitoh Mahamood adalah seorang Profesor Madya di Jabatan Syariah dan Undang-Undang, Akademi Pengajian Islam, Universiti Malaya, Malaysia. Beliau berkelulusan Ijazah Sarjana Muda Syariah dengan Kepujian Kelas Pertama daripada Fakulti Syariah, Akademi Islam, Universiti Malaya pada tahun 1992. Pada tahun 1996, beliau dianugerahkan Sarjana Syariah oleh Universiti yang sama. Beliau menamatkan pengajian kedoktorannya pada tahun 2000 di University of Birmingham, United Kingdom dengan pengkhususan dalam bidang Wakaf dan Undang-undang Harta Islam. Bidang kepakaran beliau adalah dalam Wakaf dan Undang-Undang Harta Islam (melibatkan Hibah, Wasiat, Pusaka, Zakat dan Baitulmal), Pengurusan Harta dan Perancangan Pusaka Orang Islam dan Undang-Undang Pentadbiran Harta Orang Islam. Beliau banyak menulis artikel dan buku dalam bidang kepakarannya. Beliau telah menerima pelbagai pingat emas dan anugerah kecemerlangan untuk kerja-kerja penyelidikan, pembangunan kerjaya dan perkhidmatan akademik yang dilaksanakan. Artikel scopus beliau dalam jurnal Humanomics bertajuk “Financing universities through waqf, pious endowment: is it possible?” telah menerima anugerah Outstanding Paper Award for the Emerald Literati Network Awards for Excellence 2016 daripada Emerald Group Publishing Limited, United Kingdom. Profesor Madya Dr Siti Mashitoh Mahamood merupakan Pengerusi Lembaga Penasihat Syariah As-Salihin Trustee Berhad, Pakar Rujuk Wakaf Jawatankuasa Pengurusan Bersama Wakaf UM - MAIWP, Pakar Rujuk Jawatankuasa Tabung Zakat UM dan Ahli Jawatankuasa Tabung Wakaf Tunai MAIWP. Beliau juga terlibat sebagai Ahli Pasukan Petugas (Task force) Berhubung Dengan Pemerkasaan Governan Harta Orang Islam, JAKIM di mana undang-undang berkaitan kehartaan orang Islam dideraf serta dikodifikasikan. Beliau terlibat dalam pelbagai projek dan aktiviti perundingan dengan institusi kerajaan dan swasta, termasuk firma undang-undang Syariah dan undang-undang Sivil. Beliau juga terlibat dalam menyediakan pendapat undang-undang dan bertindak sebagai saksi pakar untuk kes-kes Mahkamah di Malaysia serta institusi lain, termasuk beberapa institusi antarabangsa mengenai perkara wakaf & kehartaan Islam lainnya. Beliau sangat aktif dalam usaha penggubalan dan pindaan Undang-undang Wakaf negara termasuk untuk Wilayah-Wilayah Persekutuan selain terlibat secara langsung dalam penggubalan Enakmen Wakaf (Negeri Selangor) 2015. Selain itu, beliau juga terlibat dalam penggubalan dan pindaan undang-undang Islam lainnya termasuk Enakmen Wasiat Orang Islam (Selangor) (Pindaan) 2016.  Beliau merupakan Mantan dan orang pertama yang dilantik sebagai Pengarah UM Awqaf. Pelantikannya dibuat untuk 2 tahun (Januari 2017-Disember 2018) bertujuan untuk memajukan Universiti Malaya melalui pengumpulan wakaf. Hasil penyelidikan dan pengalaman peringkat nasional dan antarabangsa yang diperolehinya daripada projek-projek penyelidikan universiti wakaf melibatkan geran-geran LR001A-2013B, LR001B-2013B, LR001C-2013B, RP012D-13HNE dan RG284-11 HNE telah digunakan untuk pelaksanaan wakaf Universiti Malaya. 10 Oktober 2018 merupakan tarikh bersejarah kerana pada tarikh tersebut UM telah diberikan status Mutawalli oleh MAIWP untuk tujuan pelaksanaan Wakaf UM. Beliau juga telah memulakan kutipan Wakaf Universiti Malaya pada tahun yang sama. Profesor Madya Dr Siti Mashitoh Mahamood telah juga terlibat menganggotai pelbagai portfolio sebagai Penasihat dan Ahli Lembaga Pemegang Amanah di Yayasan Waqaf Malaysia (YWM): iaitu sebagai Ahli Lembaga Pemegang Amanah Yayasan Waqaf Malaysia (2019 - April 2023), Pengerusi Jawatankuasa Penasihat Syariah (2021- April 2023), Pengerusi Mesyuarat Jawatankuasa Teknikal Surat Ikatan Amanah Tambahan (JKSIAT) (2020) dan Ahli Jawatankuasa Penasihat Syariah (2010–2015 & 2019-2021) bagi Yayasan Waqaf Malaysia.   Beliau juga telah terlibat menjadi Penasihat dan Ahli Jawatankuasa di pelbagai portfolio lainnya termasuklah sebagai  Ahli Jawatankuasa Undang-undang Majlis Agama Islam Selangor (2012-2020), Ahli Jawatankuasa Undang-undang Majlis Agama Islam Wilayah Persekutuan (MAIWP) (11 Ogos 2019-10 Ogos 2023), Corporate Advisor (Syariah Compliant Advisor) untuk Al-Hidayah Group of Companies (2020-2022), Pengerusi Jawatankuasa Bersama Wakaf Ilmu PWS-KUIS (2016-2019), Panel Pakar Muamalat JAKIM (2016-2018) dan lain-lain lagi. Beliau juga terlibat dalam penggubalan pelbagai Manual wakaf untuk Jabatan Wakaf, Zakat dan Haji (JAWHAR). Profesor Madya Dr Siti Mashitoh Mahamood telah juga terlibat sebagai Pakar Rujuk dalam Penyediaan Pelan lnduk Wakaf Nasional (Aspek Perundangan) bagi Pemerkasaan Perundangan Wakaf di Malaysia.