Afiq received his First-Class Honors Degree in Biotechnology from the Malaysia University of Science and Technology (MUST) in 2013. He received the MUST President's Award for academic excellence and being the most accomplished student in his class. In 2014, he decided to follow his passion for research and enrolled in an MSc program in Genetic Manipulation and Molecular Cell Biology at the University of Sussex, UK. After completing his MSc program, Afiq gained valuable research experience by working as a research assistant at the Cancer Research Center (CaRC), Institute for Medical Research (IMR) in Kuala Lumpur. In 2015, he was awarded an Academic Training Fellowship (SLAB/SLAI) by the Malaysian Ministry of Higher Education to pursue his PhD at the University of Glasgow, Scotland. His doctoral research focuses on the discovery of new antiviral HIV-1 and VSV restriction factors. His findings have been published in reputable scientific journals and have gained the interest of the global scientific community. After completing his PhD in 2019, he worked as a post-doctoral researcher at the MRC-Centre for Virus Research (CVR) at the University of Glasgow, Scotland, UK. In 2020, he returned to Malaysia to work as a senior lecturer in the microbiology program at the Institute of Biological Sciences, Universiti Malaya (UM), Kuala Lumpur. He currently teaches public health microbiology, diagnostic microbiology, microbial pathogenesis, and virology to undergraduate students. In addition to teaching, he also conducts research on various aspects of microbiology, with a particular focus on viral diseases. His research aims to understand the mechanisms of viral replication and pathogenesis as well as develop novel strategies for the prevention and treatment of viral infections. He actively collaborates with other researchers, both locally and internationally, to contribute to the global understanding of infectious diseases. In 2023, he was awarded a prestigious ASEAN-India Research & Training (A-IRTF) Fellowship from the Department of Science & Technology, Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India for 3-month research attachment at the Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology Delhi (IIIT-Delhi).

Dr. Norhasliza Yusof is a senior lecturer in the Department of Physics at the University of Malaya, specializing in computational physics, stellar evolution, and nuclear astrophysics. She earned her PhD and MSc in Theoretical Nuclear Astrophysics, as well as a BSc in Applied Physics, all from the University of Malaya. Additionally, she was awarded the prestigious Commonwealth Split-Site PhD Scholarship, which allowed her to conduct part of her doctoral research at Keele University, enhancing her expertise in astrophysics and fostering international collaboration. Her research focuses on the evolution and fate of very massive stars, the impact of rotation on stellar models, and neutrino emissions in massive stars. Notable publications include studies on the R136 star cluster, which hosts several stars exceeding the previously accepted 150 solar mass limit, and the development of grids of stellar models with rotation at various metallicities. Dr. Yusof is an active member of the International Astronomical Union, contributing to Divisions G (Stars and Stellar Physics) and H (Interstellar Matter and Local Universe). She leads the Theoretical Physics Group at the University of Malaya, mentoring students and collaborating with international researchers. Her work has been recognized with awards such as the  the Top Ten Entries in the 2016 Taylor & Francis Commonwealth Scholar Best Journal Article Prize. Through her research and dedication, Dr. Yusof continues to advance the field of astrophysics and inspire future scientists.

Azian bin Madun is a senior lecturer at the University of Malaya. He received his Phd in Finance from the University of Bath, United Kingdom in 2009. He has vast experience in the financial industry after serving the Malaysian stock exchange for ten years in the areas of finance and management research from 1993 to 2003. Since 2009 he has been teaching as well as undertaking research in the areas of finance and management as well as Islamic finance.