Dr. Asbah Razali is a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Anthropology and Sociology, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, University of Malaya. Her academic specialization is in Developmental Psychology and Sociology with a particular focus on psychosocial issues, gender and substance abuse. Her research interests focus on social support, particularly within family system, high risk behaviour, rehabilitation and addiction recovery among individuals involved in drug abuse. Her work integrates psychological perspectives and sociological to understand how the social environment, family systems and emotional regulation influence high risk behaviour, relapse prevention and psychosocial well being.

Dr. Husaina Banu Kenayathulla is an Associate Professor at Department of Educational Management, Planning and Policy. She obtained her PhD from Indiana University, Bloomington, USA. Currently, she serves as the Deputy Dean (Postgraduate Studies). Her research interests include Education policy, Economics and Finance in education, Comparative and International education and Higher Education. She has published more than 60 peer-reviewed publications. Leadership experience includes Deputy Dean (Research and Enterprise), Head of Department, Chief Liaison Officer, Risk Manager, and Course Coordinator. Editorial experience includes positions such as Editor-in Chief, Associate Editor, Editorial Advisory Board Member, and Peer reviewer of education journals. Has co-edited a Special issue in the International Journal of Education Development. Latest book chapter is published by Springer Nature Singapore. Notable journal publications include papers in International Journal of Education Development, Asia Pacific Education Review, Heliyon and COMPARE: A Journal of Comparative and International Education. She has been invited as a speaker for panel sessions at various international conferences. She had been invited as a Panel Expert by UNESCO in projects such as Shadow Education, Micro certification, Artificial Intelligence,  Developing Subject Specific Quality Standards in the Asia Pacific region. She has been the Principal Investigator for grants at the national and international levels on School Finance, Digital Financial literacy, Financial Literacy, Employability, Internationalization, and Comparative & Higher Education projects. She is also a recipient of the SATU project in collaboration with National Chung Cheng University, Taiwan in Comparative and Sustainable Education Project. She has collaborated with Universitas Negeri Semarang, Indonesia on entrepreneurship and sustainability projects. She is also involved as a Consultant for the Organization of Islamic Countries (OIC) project on Quality Education, Malaysian Ministry of Human Resource on Employability for TVET Graduates & Malaysian Ministry of Education for Policy on Lifelong Learning, Compulsory Education, and District Education Ranking Measures.

Jillian Ooi started out as an environmental social scientist but shifted to studying marine plants because she is fascinated by the sea. For her Master’s degree in Environmental Management, she explored the effects of disturbances on seaweed communities. She later earned a PhD in Seagrass Biogeography at the University of Western Australia as an Endeavour International Postgraduate Scholarship recipient. Working under the mentorship of Professor Gary Kendrick and the late Dr Kimberly Van Niel, she studied the spatial patterns and ecology of subtidal seagrasslands in the Johor islands. There, she fell irrevocably under the spell of these overlooked yet vital ecosystems. Jillian’s research consists of 3 themes: (1) investigating ecosystem functions of seagrass, particularly their roles as habitats and feeding grounds for fish and megafauna, (2) developing spatial distribution models for seagrass species in Southeast Asia, to provide an understanding of what makes a suitable seagrass habitat, and (3) developing effective restoration methods for seagrass and coral reefs. Her work has contributed to the gazettement of the Kepulauan Lima marine park in Johor (2023), strengthened protection for the Tioman Marine Park in Pahang (2007), and supported the establishment of a dugong sanctuary in Johor (2005 and 2017). Jillian enjoys working with local communities, spearheading and nurturing community-driven seagrass conservation initiatives in the Sungai Johor and Sungai Pulai estuaries. Her efforts focus on empowering local stakeholders through capacity building in seagrass monitoring and mapping. In 2015, Jillian received the Komai Fellowship to study the satoumi approach to seagrass restoration in Japan. In 2022, she was among six global researchers awarded the Pew Marine Fellowship for her work in seagrass restoration and to raise awareness about seagrass in Malaysia through the cultural arts approach. She blended the performing arts with science to create Seruan Setu, a groundbreaking gamelan music concert dedicated to seagrass ecosystems. When she is not underwater watching grass grow, Jillian is the Artistic Director and Music Director of Rhythm in Bronze, an award-winning contemporary gamelan ensemble based in Kuala Lumpur. Founded in 1997, Rhythm in Bronze is known for its pioneering efforts in showcasing the Malay gamelan as its main medium of musical expression. Jillian’s music direction and compositions for the gamelan have won awards and/or received nominations at the BOH Cameronian Arts Awards, which celebrates outstanding performances in music, dance, theatre and musical theatre in Malaysia. She considers the Sea her main source of musical inspiration.