Dr. Asmak Ab Rahman is a Professor at the Department of Shariah and Economics, Academy of Islamic Studies, Universiti Malaya (UM). She holds a PhD in Islamic Economics, as well as a Master’s and Bachelor’s degree in Shariah from UM. As an expert in Islamic economics and finance, Dr. Asmak’s research covers various areas, with particular emphasis on Islamic insurance, Islamic finance, Islamic banking, Islamic social finance, and Shariah.Throughout her career, Dr. Asmak has held several prestigious positions. She has served as the Head of the Department of Shariah and Economics at the Academy of Islamic Studies, Universiti Malaya. She currently serves as the Deputy Dean of Research and Innovation, Academy of Islamic Studies, Universiti Malaya, and is also a Committee Member of the Universiti Malaya Zakah Fund. In addition, she contributes her expertise to academic publishing as a Managing Editor and is currently the Editor-in-Chief of the faculty journal, Jurnal Syariah.Her expertise is widely recognised within the Islamic finance industry. She currently serves as a Shariah Committee Member for Affin Islamic Bank Berhad, FWD Takaful, and Permodalan Usahawan Nasional Berhad. Previously, she served on the Shariah Committees of Tabung Haji (1 May 2016 – 30 April 2025), Ambank Islamic (1 July 2011 – 30 June 2022), SME Bank (1 April 2011 – 30 June 2022), Hong Leong MSIG Takaful (1 March 2014 – 31 March 2023), BIMB Investment (1 November 2008 – 31 March 2022), and AIA AFG Takaful (1 November 2011 – 1 November 2013).Dr. Asmak is a prolific scholar with numerous publications in books, book chapters, and academic journals. Her most recent book, Higher Education Finance and Islamic Endowments, was published by Routledge. She has a Scopus H-Index of 14 and a Web of Science (WOS) H-Index of 11. She has secured multiple research grants from government and industry sources. Under her supervision, 38 PhD students have successfully completed their studies and are now serving in various institutions locally and internationally.She is a member of the Association of Shariah Advisors in Islamic Finance (ASAS) and the International Council of Islamic Finance Educators (ICIFE). Additionally, she is a registered Shariah Advisor with the Securities Commission Malaysia.

Farrah Dina Yusop is a distinguished academic and expert in instructional technology, online learning, and curriculum design. She holds a PhD in Curriculum and Instructional Technology (CIT) and Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) from Iowa State University (ISU), USA. She previously served as the Director of Universiti Malaya’s Academic Enhancement and Leadership Development Center (ADeC), overseeing online learning implementation and professional development training for UM educators. Dr. Farrah is internationally recognized for her research contributions in the instructional design and technology field, online learning, innovative curriculum, and service learning. She is best known for her Civic-Minded Instructional Designer (CMID) framework, which redefines how professionals are educated to enhance public life. Her extensive publications in top-tier international and Malaysian journals have significantly influenced the field, demonstrating her expertise.  She is a highly productive researcher with over 73 published articles, including 46 in high-impact journals. Her research has been widely recognized, as reflected in her h-index across multiple platforms—currently 15 in Scopus, 7 in Web of Science (WoS), 26 in Google Scholar, and 22 in ResearchGate. Her work has been extensively cited, demonstrating its broad academic influence and interdisciplinary impact. A testament to her scholarly impact, her 2014 BJET article received the Outstanding Journal Article Award from the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT), USA. Beyond journal publications, she has authored more than 30 book chapters and 7 academic books on topics including technology-enhanced learning, instructional design, online learning, and curriculum innovation, along with various non-academic works such as playbooks, guidelines, modules, and reference books. Her works provide practical frameworks and evidence-based strategies that enhance teaching, learning, and curriculum development.  Her outstanding achievements have earned her numerous prestigious awards, including the Outstanding Woman in Humanities and Social Sciences Award (2018) by the Venus International Foundation and the Anugerah Khas Menteri Pendidikan Malaysia: Rekabentuk Kurikulum dan Penyampaian Inovatif (AKRI, 2018). She was also the recipient of Universiti Malaya’s Excellent Lecturer (2011), Outstanding Journal Publication (2015), Outstanding Young Researcher Award, (2014), Excellent Teaching Award (2011). With extensive expertise, Dr. Farrah is a highly sought-after specialist in instructional design, technology-enhanced learning, and innovative curriculum development. She serves as an international board member for prestigious education journals, including MOJEM, a Scopus-indexed journal. She also serves as an international and national external examiner, contributing to research advancements and ensuring quality standards in higher education institutions. As an accomplished international speaker, she consistently delivers impactful workshops, seminars, and training programs worldwide, shaping best practices in education and instructional methodologies. She has also served on multiple influential committees, including the Asia University Network-Technology Enhanced Personalised Learning (AUN-TEPL), the Malaysian e-Learning IPTA Council (MEIPTA), and the Majlis Kerjasama Ketua-ketua Pusat Pengajaran dan Pembelajaran IPTA Malaysia (MAGNETIC). She currently serves as a member of the Strategic Committee for Service-Learning Malaysia (SULAM), Ministry of Education, contributing to policy development and the integration of service-learning into university curricula. Dr. Farrah is actively involved in transdisciplinary research collaborations addressing key global challenges. Her recent projects span various fields, including dentistry, digital skills, healthcare, and talent management, where she integrates her expertise in instructional design and technology to develop innovative educational solutions. One of the pretigous projects was the Erasmus+ initiative involving 11 global partners, led by Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya Barcelona Tech (Spain), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), and universities from China, Portugal, Sweden, and France. Through these projects, she applies her knowledge to bridge disciplines, drive innovation, and create meaningful educational impact, continuously advancing excellence in education and fostering interdisciplinary solutions.

Rajah Rasiah is Distinguished Professor of Economics at the Asia Europe Institute, University of Malaya. He obtained his doctorate in Economics from Cambridge University in 1992, and was a Rajawali fellow at Harvard University in 2014. He was the first holder of the Khazanah Nasional Chair of Regulatory Studies and served as Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Administration, University of Malaya in 2009-2010 and 2013-2014. He was a member of the GLOBELICS scientific board over the period 2012-2017, Professorial Fellow at UNU-MERIT from 2004 till 2024, Senior Research Associate at the Technology Management and Development Centre at Oxford University, Professorial Fellow at the Centre for Rising Powers, Cambridge University, an advisory member of the Industrial Development Research Centre, Zhejiang University over the period 2010-2015, Member of the Advisory Board of University of Cambodia over the period 2005-2015, Visiting Professor at Lahore School of Economics (2019), Visiting Professor at UNIMAS from 2018 till 2020. He has delivered public lectures, policy talks and keynote speeches at several universities, including Cambridge, Oxford, Harvard, Columbia, University of California (Berkeley), Emory, American University, George Mason University, University College London, Meijo University, Zhejiang University, National University of Singapore, Monash, Melbourne, Australian National University, University of Capetown, Witswaterand, Murdoch, Latrobe, Macquarie, Sydney, Wollongong, University of Philippines (Diliman), Jawaharlal Nehru, Culcutta, Indian Institute of Management (Bangalore), Lahore School of Economics, Mohamad Ali Jinnah, University of Malaya, University Kebangsaan Malaysia, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Chulalongkorn University, Chiengmai University, Beijing University, UNIKAMP (Sao Paolo), University of Buenos Aires, Manchester, National Taiwan University, Soeul National University, Bocconi University, University of Rome, UNU-MERIT (Maastricht), Adama, Copenhagen Business School, Aolborg, Lund, University of Indonesia, University Padjajaran, Agricultural University of Bogor, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, Sunway University, University Institute of MARA (Shah Alam), and Universiti Malaysia Sarawak. His policy-oriented work includes research in several countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America. Among the major contributions he has made for the benefit of society include the conceptualization of technology, and its link to development, and methodologies designed to capture clustering, technological capabilities and industrial policies. In recognition of his competence, the United Nations Conference for Trade and Development, United Nations Industrial Development Organization, World Bank, International Labour Organization, the World Intellectual Property Organization, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, United Nations Development Programme, the Asian Development Bank and the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia have commissioned the writing of several reports for guiding industrial policy in the developing economies. He was also one of the principal authors of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization’s (UNIDO) 2009 flagship report, and one of the editors of the 2015 UNESCO Science Report. His research and policy work has produced over 280 publications in international journals and prestigious presses. While the prime focus of his research is on technology and international development, he has also worked extensively on foreign investment, human capital, public health and environment. He was awarded the Robert McNamara Award by the World Bank in 1993. He is the 2015 recipient of the Celso Furtado prize from the World Academy of Sciences for advancing the frontiers of social science (economics) thought. In light of his outstanding impactful contributions to scholarship, Malaysia's Ministry of Higher Education conferred him the award of Distinguished Professor in the field of Economics in 2017. He was conferred the Merdeka (Independence) Award for academic excellence in 2018.