Dr Wong Kah Hui is an Associate Professor at the Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya. She received her Bachelor of Science in Biotechnology (Honours with Distinction) in 2003, Master of Science (with distinction) in 2007 and Doctor of Philosophy in Human and Animal Physiology in 2011 from Universiti Malaya. She is currently the Academic Editor of PLOS ONE, Editorial Board Member of BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies, Coordinator of Postgraduate Research Programme (Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya) and the life member of Malaysian Anatomical Association (MAA) (appointed as MAA ambassador and former treasurer of MAA, 2015-2021). She was honoured as Outstanding Anatomist (Research)–Established Career Category by MAA on 30 Aug 2023 for her remarkable contributions to anatomical sciences research. She has published 67 articles in Web of Science (WOS)-indexed journals with an H-index of 23 and total citations of 1440; and five book chapters. Her research focuses on using alternative medicines, in particular the culinary and medicinal mushrooms cultivated in Malaysia for neuroprotection and neuroregeneration in cellular and animal models. She is also engaged with Ganofarm R&D Sdn. Bhd. and Grusonn Wellness Sdn. Bhd. through the collaborative planning on Memorandum of Understanding and Memorandum of Agreement; and Corielle Institute for Medical Research, New Jersey, USA to pursuit scientific research leading to treatments for hereditary ataxia, on Material Transfer Agreement. Alternative medicines have the advantages of non-invasive, cost-effective and no adverse reactions for patients which could eventually be a breakthrough in the treatment for hereditary ataxia. She aims to integrate Hericium erinaceus mushroom dietary supplement as a novel treatment strategy in clinical practice at the Traditional and Complementary Medicine units of Ministry of Health (MOH) hospitals and its future application in degenerative cerebellar ataxia and movement disorders. The above-mentioned areas are conducted by 8 PhD (5 former and 3 active) candidates who have always been enthusiastic about neuroscience research. A PhD thesis titled Protective Mechanisms of Hericium erinaceus (NevGro®) against Oxidative Stress in in vitro models of Friedreich’s ataxia and Depression was awarded Distinction for Thesis by the University on 27 September 2022.  As a team leader, her research group was granted with 12 awards (2 special awards, 7 golds, 2 silvers and a bronze) at various international invention and innovation exhibitions with NevGro® and its functional metabolites for spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 being the latest innovation that received a bronze medal at the recently held 24th Malaysia Technology Expo (MTE) 2025 – International Innovation Awards on 20-22 February 2025. She won gold awards at the International Invention, Innovation, Technology Competition & Exhibition (ITEX) 2023 and 2024, Malaysia Technology Expo (MTE) 2020 and 2022, Creation and Innovation, Technology & Research Exposition (CITREX) 2021, Penang International Invention, Innovation and Design (PIID) 2019; Melaka International Intellectual Exposition (MIIEx) 2019, two silver awards at the Special Edition 2022-The Inventions Geneva Evaluation Days-Virtual Event and ITEX 2024. She also received Platinum and Most Outstanding Academician awards at the PIID 2019. The achievements were featured on UM Research Bulletin (2019 and 2024) Rubrica News Bulletin (2022), The University of Hong Kong Media-Press Releases (2022), pulse@UM (2020-2022), Milestone@UM Newsletter (2019 and 2020) and The Petri Dish (2018). Apart from research, dispensing high-quality teaching and professional education is the primary goal of any university. She teaches human anatomy to the MBBS, BDS, BBiomedSc and Postgraduate Basic/Clinical Teaching Programme students. Her teaching philosophy is to be passionate, enthusiastic and engaging. She was awarded the Best Preclinical Lecturer for MBBS-UMMP Programme of Universiti Malaya in 2017 and 2019. As for the medical education research, her team comprising of fellow colleagues of Department of Anatomy, and Medical Education Research and Development Unit (MERDU) of the Faculty of Medicine won a silver award for a project titled “Bridging The Gap in The Knowledge of Anatomy as a Doctor Journeys Through The Postgraduate Medical Training” at the Learning Innovation and Teaching Enhancement Research Conference 2017 (UM-LiTeR 2017) and a bronze award for a project titled “Practical Guide to Facilitate Problem-Based Learning Among Novice Medical Students: Eight Top Tips” at the kNOVASI 2020 Teaching and Learning Congress and Innovation Competition. She represented Universiti Malaya to present a status report of Anatomy Resource Centre (ARC) of Faculty of Medicine at the Committee of Museums and Galleries for Malaysian Public Universities (MyMUSE) Conference and Exhibition in 2019 showcasing the anatomical specimens, its primary function in medical education and future development. She was appointed as the Advisor and one of the trainers by the Faculty of Medicine and Medical Society (MEDSOC) of Universiti Malaya to facilitate the selected Stage 1&2 MBBS students in the preparation for various national competitions including the Intervarsity Medical Quiz Challenge (IMQC) and Intervarsity Medical Olympiad (IVMO). In the 10th edition of IMVO held in 2021, the students secured first and second positions in the individual and group categories, defeating 16 public and private universities in Malaysia.

Dr. Aqsa Isa is a Senior Lecturer based in the Department of English Language, Faculty of Languages and Linguistics, Universiti Malaya (UM), Malaysia and Research Associate at Rabdan Academy, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE).Her teaching and scholarly interests are focused on the areas of Critical Discourse Studies, Social Semiotics and Multimodality. She is interested in multidisciplinary work and research involving (violent) extremism and (de) radicalisation, especially on social media, as well as religion and politics, among others. As a linguist, she has looked at various violent extremist and far right propaganda materials, exploring and understanding the ideologies and linguistic strategies used to garner support and attract potential followers. She is also exploring the recruitment, radicalisation as well as the reintegration processes, in which she has worked closely with former detainees, their family members and various local and international agencies. In addition, Dr. Aqsa has been invited as a speaker and resource person in various Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism (PCVE) programmes by agencies such as the Southeast Asia Regional Centre for Counter-Terrorism (SEARCCT), Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Home Affairs (Security Division), Malaysian public universities, civil society organisations, the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the SEA Women Peacebuilders Network.  Currently, she is also the Programme Coordinator for the Bachelor of English Language and Linguistics. Her tasks include overseeing accreditation processes and curriculum reviews, coordinating class schedules, and ensuring the wellbeing of students in the programme. She also engages with local and international institutions to build academic collaborations. As part of her role, she provides academic guidance and supports continuous programme improvement to align with current educational and industry needs. Recent publication:‘Dust Off the Dirt of Laziness and Break the Shackles of the Dunya’: The Language of Female Extremists in Daesh Propaganda Magazines, Journal of Gender and Language. Forthcoming publications: 1. Media Framing of Violent Extremism Cases in Malaysia: A Discursive News Values Analysis (Journal Article) 2. Psychological Impacts of News Reporting on Individuals Arrested for Violent Extremism in Malaysia and Their Families (Journal Article) 3. "As Long As Nobody’s Hurt”: A Digital Discourse on Justifying Quran Burning from an Argumentation Perspective (Journal Article) 4. From Delegitimisation to Conditional Legitimacy: Media Slant and Multimodal Framings of Quran-Burning Protests (Journal Article) 5. Stance-taking in Online Far-Right Discourse Communities: Anti-immigration and Identity Politics (Journal Article)

Aisya Abdul Rahman is a former Legal Adviser at the International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC) and Head of Law Division at Malaysia’s national human rights institution, the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (SUHAKAM). For over a decade, she has worked with diverse stakeholders at all levels to support and promote respect for the rule of law, internationally and domestically. Aisya has provided technical guidance and support to decisionmakers and policymakers in many areas of international humanitarian and human rights law. She has actively contributed to regional and national implementing law processes and projects, including in relation to the Malay translation of the Geneva Conventions, child protection, sexual harassment and gender equality. She has also facilitated high-level humanitarian dialogues; delivered humanitarian assistance to detainees; and developed dissemination tools and materials. She also assisted rule of law, human rights, transitional justice, and post-conflict development projects in/on Colombia, Ukraine, Scotland, and South Sudan. Within her first four years of practice at the Malaysian Bar, Aisya appeared as counsel in over 15 reported cases at all levels of Malaysian courts, including a landmark workplace sexual harassment case.