Professor Chong Mei Chan, PhD, is an accomplished nursing academic and leader with over 20 years of expertise in gerontology, maternal-child health, and e-learning innovations. Currently a Professor at the University of Malaya (UM), she holds a BSc in Nursing (UM, 1995), MSc in Community Health (UPM, 2005), and PhD in Nursing (Monash University, 2014). Her research addresses critical public health issues, including Time banking for community-dwelling older adults, Chronic disease management, and nursing education adaptations during the COVID-19 pandemic. Beyond academia, she actively engages in community health promotion and has established international collaborations with institutions in Australia, China, Taiwan, Jordan, Iran, UAE, UK, Japan, Hong Kong, and Indonesia. As Head of UM’s Nursing Department (2018–2023), Prof. Chong led transformative initiatives that elevated the program into the QS World Rankings (150–200) and achieved top departmental status in research publications for two consecutive years. Her leadership extends to national policy, having served on the Malaysian Nursing Board, Nursing Council for Higher Education, and the Health White Paper Advisory Council (2022–2023). She also co-authored Malaysia’s strategic roadmap for health workforce development as a member of the Ministry of Health’s Strategic Engagement Group on Health Workforce and Governance. An internationally recognized scholar, Prof. Chong has published 100+ papers (70+ in WoS/ISI journals), authored 6 textbooks, and supervised 66+ postgraduate candidates (40 PhDs graduated). With 2,130+ citations (h-index: 25, Google Scholar), she is a frequent keynote speaker and external examiner for nursing programs across the Asia-Pacific. Her dedication to advancing nursing education is further demonstrated through her mentorship of early-career researchers and ongoing roles in interprofessional healthcare initiatives.  

Dr. Kishneth Palaniveloo received his early education in Kedah (1991–2003) before obtaining his Bachelor of Science in Marine Science (2007) from Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS). He is a trained PADI Divemaster and actively participated in teaching, recreational diving, and scientific diving activities that supported educational and research programmes. Thereafter he was briefly attached to the Kota Kinabalu Fisheries Department and Marine Research Foundation (MRF), contributing to research on marine resource management and conservation. He later completed a Master’s degree in Fermentation Biochemistry (2008–2010), followed by a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Advancement of Biodiversity with a focus on Marine Ecological Chemistry at UMS. His doctoral research centred on the isolation, characterization, and structural elucidation of secondary metabolites from marine invertebrates. His work discovered novel compounds and chemical skeletons from soft corals (Alcyonacea) and the sea hare Aplysia dactylomela. During his PhD, he isolated nearly 80 secondary metabolites from both marine and terrestrial sources. His training, which included a research attachment at Jeju National University (Korea), emphasized advanced analytical and spectroscopic techniques, linking natural products chemistry with ecological function and pharmaceutical potential. After completing his PhD, Dr. Kishneth joined a Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) project as a researcher for a research training at Kyushu University (Japan) where he investigated the structure and diversity of soil microbial communities, expanding his expertise from marine chemical ecology to terrestrial microbial ecology and strengthening his capabilities in environmental molecular biology and natural products research. In 2017, Dr. Kishneth joined the Institute of Ocean and Earth Sciences (IOES), Universiti Malaya as a Senior Lecturer. He was appointed Laboratory Coordinator in 2020 and, since 2023, as the Head of the Marine Biotechnology Unit. His research integrates biodiversity, marine chemical ecology, and biogeochemistry, focusing on: (1) soft coral species and chemical diversity; (2) algal metabolites; (3) microbial community profiling using next-generation sequencing (NGS); and (4) carbon stock assessment and mangrove adaptation under environmental and climatic changes, contributing to blue carbon and conservation initiatives. His passion for chemical diversity supports collaborations with pharmaceutical scientists and drives his interest in product development. Dr. Kishneth publishes and reviews for numerous indexed scientific journals, including Ecological Indicators, Journal of Applied Phycology, and 3Biotech, reflecting his multidisciplinary reach across marine biodiversity, chemical ecology, and sustainable bioprospecting. He has secured approximately RM5 million in total research funding as principal investigator and co-researcher. His projects cover soft coral chemotaxonomy, mangrove genetic diversity, bioactive compound discovery, and composting technology, aligning with national priorities for marine resource sustainability. He currently has 25 ISI-indexed publications and an H-index of 12 with over 540 citations. He actively supervises MSc and PhD students and teaches Marine Biotechnology annually. He is also involved in developing the Master’s curriculum for IOES. Beyond academia, Dr. Kishneth plays an active role in professional societies and scientific advocacy. He served three terms as the Honorary Secretary of the Malaysian Society of Marine Sciences (MSMS), contributing to national task forces and committees on biodiversity conservation with the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Fisheries Department, resulting to the gazettement of marine protected areas in Melaka. He is also a member of the International Association for Biological Oceanography, the Malaysian Society of Natural Products, and an associate of the Centre for Natural Products Research and Drug Discovery (CENAR), Universiti Malaya. His achievements are recognized through various local and international collaborations and awards, including the Universiti Malaya Excellence Service Award (2022), the JICA Training Award on OTEC and DSW Applications (2022), and several gold awards at research innovation competitions (2009, 2012, 2025). Dr. Kishneth Palaniveloo aims to continue advancing research and teaching in marine science, natural product chemistry, and ecosystem sustainability in line with national and university aspirations for scientific innovation and marine resource stewardship.

Dr. Elaine Yen Nee Oon is a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Accounting, Faculty of Business and Economics, Universiti Malaya. She holds a PhD and an MPhil in Management Studies from the University of Cambridge and earned her Bachelor of Commerce with First Class Honours from La Trobe University, Australia. A former World Bank scholar, her career began in the financial services industry before joining academia. She is a Chartered Accountant with the Malaysian Institute of Accountants (MIA) and CPA Australia, alongside holding dual certifications as a Certified (FPAM) and Registered Financial Planner (MFPC). Dr. Oon is the Programme Coordinator for the Master of Accounting at Universiti Malaya and serves as the Deputy Chief Editor for the Faculty’s Scopus-indexed Asian Journal of Business & Accounting. Her international standing is evidenced by her appointment as an Honorary Research Associate at the Cambridge Judge Business School, University of Cambridge, and her previously held postdoctoral fellowship at the London Business School. Leveraging on her academic training and learning experiences at these prestigious universities, she is deeply committed to academic mentorship, having successfully supervised four PhD candidates to completion with several more ongoing and over 20 Master’s students across various accounting and management disciplines. Additionally, her involvement in the development of the Universiti Malaya Strategic Plan 2026-2030 reflects her engagement in shaping institutional direction and policy. Dr. Oon’s robust research portfolio explores the dynamic intersection of corporate governance, strategic management accounting, and digital transformation. Her work addresses critical contemporary issues related to governance mechanisms, performance management, and the strategic role of accounting in supporting organizational decision-making, focusing on board effectiveness and diversity, family businesses, managerial cognition, ESG, and artificial intelligence. She has published extensively in top-tier, high-impact journals, such as Asian Review of Accounting, Corporate Governance, Management Decision, Finance Research Letters, and Managerial and Decision Economics. As a principal investigator, Dr. Oon has secured competitive national and university-level funding, including a government agency grant (Agensi Antidadah Kebangsaan) investigating the socio-economic perspectives of the black market of illicit drugs in Malaysia, demonstrating her ability to lead multidisciplinary projects. Dr. Oon’s impactful thought leadership is consistently recognized on both national and global stages. Her research on female board representation across 42 countries, conducted in collaboration with the 30% Club UK and funded by BNY Mellon, has gained international recognition through global media press, white papers at Cambridge Judge Business School, and conference proceedings at the Academy of Management. She has received numerous accolades for her work, including the Emerald-International Management Accounting Conference (IMAC) 2024 Most Provocative Research Award (Award of Excellence), Best Paper Award at IMAC 2021, back-to-back Best Reviewer Awards from the International Management Division of the prestigious Academy of Management in 2020 and 2021, and a Certificate of Excellent Service from Universiti Malaya in 2022.