Nik Elyna Myeda currently serves as the Director of the Academic Policy Division within the Academic Strategic Planning Department (ASPD) of Universiti Malaya (UM), where she plays a pivotal role in shaping the university's academic initiatives. She is also a senior lecturer and researcher at the Department of Building Surveying, Faculty of Built Environment, UM. Elyna holds a PhD in Facilities Management from University College London (2013) and both MSc in Building and Bachelor’s in Building Surveying from UM. Her research has been widely published in high-impact journals, and she has authored several books.  Elyna was also selected as the University Representative for the Asia Pacific Women in Leadership (APWiL) Stewardship Program (2023–2024), an initiative by the Asia Pacific Research Universities (APRU), where she enhanced her leadership skills and broadened her academic network. She is a recipient of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) - Dialogue on Innovative Higher Education Strategies (DIES) Program (2020), which has further strengthened her international academic connections. Elyna has led and collaborated on numerous research projects funded by international and national grants, including the Sumitomo Foundation (2024–2025), British Council Catalyst Grant (2022–2023), and University of Fukui Publicly Solicited Grant (2022–2023), driving advancements in Facilities Management practices. Her research outputs include publications in high-impact journals, contributions to special issues, and presentations at global conferences. She is an active member of the Royal Institution of Surveyors Malaysia (RISM) and is certified as a BIMFM Master Trainer by CIDB Malaysia. A recipient of multiple accolades, including the UM Service Excellence Awards, Best Presenter and Best Paper Awards at international conferences, Elyna has also served as an invited speaker at academic and industry events. Beyond academia, she holds editorial roles, including Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Surveying, Construction & Property (2023–2026), and contributes as a Technical Committee Member for ISO Facilities Management Standards Malaysia. Elyna is committed to advancing education and research in the built environment.  

I am currently a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Science and Technology Studies, Faculty of Science, University Malaya; currently teaching Policy and Management of Sustainable Development, Sociology of Science and Research Methodology. My current research interests revolves around: Responsible Research and Innovation: Embedding Reflexivity and Social Desirability for more sustainable outcomes in Research and Innovation; Applied Scientometrics for Decision Making: Tracking and foresighting scientific and technological trends in Sustainable Development for Research Policy and Strategy; and, Science Communication: Studying Stakeholder Engagement in Science and Technology Roadmapping for Sustainable Development. My research expertise focuses on comparative case studies as well as secondary data analysis of policies, research strategies and innovation systems at the sectoral levels for Agriculture (rice, palm oil, etc.), Herbal Medicine, and Renewable Energy (hydrogen, solar, etc.). I have been involved in consultation projects such as the National Bibliometric Report 2015, and STI Indicators Report 2016. I was also the Principal Investigator for the FRGS project on "Feasibility of Smart Agriculture in ASEAN: Investigating Social Dimensions and Policy Mechanisms to Enhance Technology Adoption and Upgrading in the Rice Sector." My previous lecturing experience was in UOW Malaysia KDU University College where I was involved in leading Postgraduate by Research programmes and Research Management. Prior to my PhD, I was in Corporate Communications and Journalism specifically in the Pharma/Biotech sector, as well as in providing Analytics and Media Monitoring services at Meltwater News.  

Dr. Azizah Mainal is an Associate Professor at the Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Universiti Malaya.  She has been teaching physical chemistry courses at the department since 2007.  Her research interest is on liquid crystals which started with the studies on field-induced liquid crystal director alignment to presently, on the stability of naturally occurring liquid crystals. Her other interest is on science communication, and she was the editor of CONNECT, the first Faculty of Science’s newsletter (2017-2019.) She is currently a member of SEMARAK, a platform formed at the Faculty of Science to inform, excite, and influence the university community and the mass via various science communication activities. She also forms Artify Science which is a gathering of literature and art enthusiasts sharing their readings, creative writings, poetry, songs, paintings and, etc.