BIOGRAPHY : Dr. Chong Pan Pan holds a Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Microbiology, a Master of Science in Biochemistry, and a Ph.D. in Tissue Engineering. Following the completion of her doctoral training, she served as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow before being appointed as a Senior Lecturer at the National Orthopaedic Centre of Excellence in Research and Learning (NOCERAL), Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya (UM), Malaysia. Dr. Chong is actively involved in translational orthopaedic and regenerative medicine research, with a particular emphasis on tissue engineering and orthobiologic therapies. She has played a key role in the development and clinical translation of platelet-derived extracellular vesicle (P-EV)–based therapies, which have been implemented as clinical services for musculoskeletal conditions such as lateral epicondylitis, plantar fasciitis, osteochondral defects, delayed union, and knee osteoarthritis at the University Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC) and University Malaya Specialist Centre (UMSC). Her research interests focus on adult mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and their application as biological therapies for poorly regenerating tissues, particularly articular cartilage. Her work investigates MSCs derived from bone marrow, peripheral blood, and adipose tissue, with an emphasis on directing chondrogenic differentiation for cartilage repair and joint regeneration in patients affected by trauma or degenerative joint diseases such as osteoarthritis. Dr. Chong has published extensively in high-impact, Q1 peer-reviewed journals and has presented her research at numerous international scientific conferences. In recognition of her contributions, she has received multiple prestigious awards, including Young Investigator Awards, Young Investigator Best Paper Award, L’Oréal Malaysia for Women in Science, as well as Best Poster and Oral Presentation awards and competitive travel fellowships. She has also actively participated in biotechnology exhibitions and innovation-driven business competitions, earning several innovation awards for her work on MSC- and P-EV-based regenerative therapies. In addition, Dr. Chong has successfully developed and secured intellectual property, with patents granted for her novel innovations in regenerative medicine and orthobiologic therapies.

Dr. Mumtaz Aini Alivi is Senior Lecturer at the Department of Media and Communication Studies, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. She earned her Bachelor of Art (Hons) with a double major in (i) Language and Malay Linguistics and (ii) Journalism from Universiti Putra Malaysia. She earned her Master of Corporate Communication and Doctor of Philosophy (Mass Communication) from the same university.Her research interests and focuses are mainly in Journalism, Broadcasting, News, Online Media, Political Communication, and Mass Communication. Apart from her academic qualifications, Dr. Mumtaz also has broad experiences in journalism, news, broadcasting, and media industry management. She was a media practitioner for twenty-two years in a government television station, Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM). For almost twenty years, she was attached to the News and Current Affairs department, where she was involved with multitasking work in her position as Broadcast Journalist, Newscaster, News Editor, and News Producer. Her service to RTM exposed her to many challenging assignments, including following the prime minister and country leaders for international news coverage abroad, doing live news coverage and news reporting from the parliament, and other important events in the country, apart from daily news coverage. Upon completion of her PhD, Dr. Mumtaz was given a different task in RTM as Assistant Director for the Policy and Research section. Later, she held the same position in the Strategic Planning section before being transferred to the Quality Control for Creative Content Unit as Evaluation Officer. These three different sections are under the Strategic Development Department, where she spent another two more years in RTM. During her service in RTM, she also worked for a few months in Malaysian National News Agency (BERNAMA) as a journalist under the government staff exchange program between RTM and BERNAMA. She gained valuable experiences through the BERNAMA newswire service and BERNAMA TV. Prior to joining RTM, she completed her internship in a private TV station, Sistem Televisyen Malaysia (TV3). In total, she has extensive exposure and experience in the media industry, particularly in the news department, mainly in TV, some experience in radio, and in managerial and management duties. Her passion and enthusiasm for journalism finally culminated to winning the Best Broadcast Journalist award in 2001 at the national level.Being in the media industry for more than two decades and having academic qualifications in the same field, she was also appointed by few organizations for various tasks and consultancy work. Dr. Mumtaz was appointed as one of the panel of judges for the prestigious Malaysian Journalism Award organized by Malaysia Press Institute (MPI), panel for Pitching Evaluation (Private) and Panel for Screening (Syndicated) for programs in RTM, think tank member of Ciber Generation Laboratory in Institute for Social Science Studies (IPSAS), Universiti Putra Malaysia, and expert advisor for Promotion and Publicity in the University of Malaya. She is also on the editorial board of the Malaysian Journal of Media Studies.Dr. Mumtaz decided to shift from being a media practitioner to an academic staff at the University of Malaya in 2021 and begin a new career path with a bigger mission. She believes the educational field is the right platform to share all her knowledge and experience for the nation’s development and shape future leaders.

Dr. Shuaibu Umar Gokaru was born and raised in Gokaru, a small town in Alkaleri Local Government Area of Bauchi State, Nigeria. He attended Iqamatissunnah Islamiyyah/Primary School and memorised the entire Qur'an by heart in 2001. Later, he went to Government Day Secondary School Kofar Wamabai. Afterwards, he studied at the then A.D.Rufa'i College for Legal and Islamic Studies, Misau, Bauchi, Nigeria, now known as A.D.Rufa'i College of Education, Legal, and General Studies, where he obtained a Diploma in Shari'a & Civil Law in 2004. Dr. Gokaru earned his B.A. Degree in Islamic Studies in 2010 from Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, Nigeria, followed by a Master of Arts Degree in Islamic and other Civilisations from the International Islamic University, Malaysia (IIUM) in 2014. He completed his Doctor of Philosophy in Islamic Civilisation at the University of Malaya in 2017. Dr. Gokaru has served as a Lecturer at Bauchi State University Gadau, Nigeria, from 2012 until January 2023, when he was appointed as a Lecturer at the Department of Islamic History and Civilisation, Academy of Islamic Studies, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. While at Bauchi State University Gadau, Dr. Gokaru taught various courses and supervised students at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. He held various positions, including Faculty Examination Officer of the then Faculty of Arts and Education (now Faculty of Arts) from 2017 to 2021, and Dean of the Students' Affairs Division, Office of the Vice-Chancellor, from 2021 to 2022. He also served as Chairman of the Committee and Member of numerous committees such as the Senate Committee, Senate Business Committee, Committee of Deans and Directors, Appointment and Promotion Committee, and University Disciplinary Committees, among others. He is a journal reviewer for publications such as Al-Habeer: Journal of Islamic Studies, Al-Tamaddun: Journal of Islamic History and Civilisation, and Al-Milal: South Asian Journal of Religion and Philosophy. He has published several papers in international peer-reviewed academic journals (WOS and Scopus), including the Indonesian Journal of Social Sciences and Al-Tamaddun: Journal of Islamic History and Civilisation, Universiti Malaya.