Dr. Shatrah Othman graduated with Bachelor of Medical Science from the University of Nottingham, UK and obtained her PhD (Molecular Biology and Immunology) and Masters of Science (Molecular Biology) from the Universiti Malaya. She has been with the Department of Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya since 2005 and is currently an Associate Professor  of the Biochemistry courses for Medical, Dental and Biomedical programmes. Her research interest mainly covers molecular and immunologocal studies on dengue, human papillomavirus, BPA, DHODH and cancers. She is an active member of the Drug Design and Development Research Group (DDDRG) since 2006 and has been heavily engaged with projects that involve the discovery of therapeutics, including natural products, synthetic chemical compounds and novel peptides against flaviviruses. In addition, her expertise in molecular biology has also placed her in several collaborative projects with Institute for Medical Research (IMR), University Putra Malaysia, University Teknologi MARA, Malaysia Genome Institute, IPharm Malaysia and Aurigene Discovery Technologies Ltd, India. She has published in many peer-reviewed journals and has presented her research at several national and international conferences. At present, she is the Head of Internal Audit, Faculty of Medicine Quality Management, Universiti Malaya.

Dr. Wan Abd Al Qadr Imad Wan-Mohtar is an Associate Professor and fermentation technologist at the University of Malaya's Functional Omics and Bioprocess Development Laboratory, located in the Faculty of Science, Institute of Biological Sciences. Professor Brian McNeil, a fungal fermentation expert, and Professor Linda Harvey, author of Practical Fermentation Technology (John Wiley & Sons), supervised him at Glasgow's Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences. Dr. Wan-Mohtar's research focuses on extended liquid fermentation and mushroom microbiology. He holds a BSc in Microbiology (Local Basidiomycetes), an MSc in Food Biotechnology (Bioprocessing), and a PhD in Fermentation Technology (Ganoderma lucidum). He applies his mushroom liquid growing skills to extract mushroom colours, protein, polysaccharides, and oil for SDG2 Zero Hunger, SDG6 Clean Water and Sanitation, and SDG7 Affordable and Clean Energy. He represented Malaysia among nineteen international scientists on food security post-2050 at the ''Innovative, sustainable, and circular agricultural systems for the future" utilising mushrooms in Morocco in 2019 and Korea in 2023. At the age of 37, he has 102 high-quality research articles and has been appointed as a Visiting Research Fellow at Technological University of the Shannon: Midlands Midwest in Ireland through 2024. He has also been appointed to the Young Scientist Network (YSN)- Academy of Sciences Malaysia (ASM) till 2024, the Asian Federation of Biotechnology Malaysia (2023-2024), the Solar Research Institute (SRI) UiTM, and the CESPRO UKM Research Fellow (2021-2023). He recently published a chapter on Cultivation Strategies of Medicinal Mushrooms in Submerged-liquid Fermentation (SLF) (2019) and Ganoderma in Traditional Culture (2024) with Taylor & Francis. He has finished sabbatical break at United Arab Emirates University (UAEU) in 2024-2025 on hot-climate mushroom discovery (Arabian truffles). His current plan for mycology is to create Mycotechnology Research Centre Malaysia (MRCM) which covers key mycology goals such as Mycoremediation, Mycoprotein, Mycoenergy and MycoConstruction.   Current niche area:  Mycoremediation using Ganoderma                                  Future and Functional foods                                      Fungal Oils

Dr. Nur Afiqah's research examines institutional-related structures associated with engagement in healthcare, including HIV and Hepatitis C care for people who use drugs (PWUD). This epidemiological work is informed by sociological perspectives which frame the research questions within a wider social, economic and policy environment. Additionally, she has received training in Implementation Science at Yale University.  Being an active member of the Centre of Excellence for Research in AIDS and Infectious Diseases(CERiA), her current research activities have incorporated a community-based participiatory research (CBPR) component. Using this approach, she engages with local communities of PWUD and NGOs that serve these populations, whose collective views in the design and implementation of health programs are key in developing effective interventions. Additionally, she is actively involved in knowledge-transfer activities, promoting the use of evidence-based practices in real-life settings. She is also interested in drug policies, especially the impact of existing policies on youths and families.  Dr Nur Afiqah is a consultant for WHO, UNDP and International Drug Policy Consortium (IDPC). She currently serves as the Vice President at the Malaysian AIDS Council.