Dr. Zulhadi Iskandar Radzi (ZI Radzi) is a battery scientist and Senior Lecturer at the UM Power Energy Dedicated Advanced Centre (UMPEDAC), Universiti Malaya. He earned his PhD in Energy Conversion & Management from Universiti Malaya in 2024, where his research centered on manganese based cathode nanomaterials for lithium ion batteries, synthesized through low carbon footprint methods and engineered for fast charging and high power applications. Building on this foundation, his current work advances energy storage systems, nanomaterials, and sustainable battery manufacturing, with particular focus on electrode engineering, pouch cell development, and pilot scale production. Before entering academia, he developed his career at the International Battery Center Sdn Bhd (IBC), a pioneering Malaysian start up in battery energy storage established in partnership with NanoMalaysia Berhad. Rising to the role of Chief Operating Officer, he and the leadership team guided the transition of laboratory innovations into pilot and pre commercial production, drove the development of pouch cells, designed stationary battery packs, and introduced lean manufacturing practices. They also ensured compliance with international safety standards, including IEC 62133 and UN38.3, positioning IBC as a benchmark for Malaysia’s growing battery industry. Dr. Zulhadi’s contributions include three patents in advanced battery technologies that focused on sustainable solutions for electrode manufacturing. Alongside his patents, he has built a solid record of peer reviewed publications that strengthen his academic profile. Positioned at the intersection of academia and industry, he continues to champion Malaysia’s energy transition while enhancing the nation’s presence in the global battery ecosystem.

Dr Norazlin Ab Aziz joined the Department of Finance & Banking in the Faculty of Business & Accountancy in early 2021 to share her knowledge and expertise in Islamic finance and economics. Prior to this, she was in the unit trust industry involved in legal & compliance, marketing & business development, and project management. Norazlin obtained her Bachelor of Economics (Hons) from the International Islamic University of Malaysia, Master of Economics from the University Malaya and later completed her PhD in Accounting & Finance at the University of Glasgow. In her doctoral research, she critically examined the development of Islamic finance in Malaysia, theorising it through the trio of Political Economy Theory comprising Legitimacy, Stakeholder and Institutional theories. The underlying sentiments and the styles of Malaysian policymakers’ speeches were also assessed. Norazlin draws from a broad base in Islamic finance, the components of Islamic capital market, political economy, social theories, and linguistic analysis, to understand and critically evaluate the processes therein. This indicative of her research interest in Islamic finance from a policymaking perspective, products and services in the Islamic capital market, the future direction of the Islamic finance industry as well as the usage of computer-aided text analysis in business reporting and documents.

Mohammed Taha is a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Arabic Language and Middle Eastern Languages. He holds a PhD in Linguistics (theoretical) from the National University of Malaysia (2016), an MSC in Linguistics from the University of Malaya (2012) and a Bachelor of TESL from Omdurman Islamic University (2007). His main expertise lies in linguistic structures (Syntax), how words are put together to create structures (Morphology). Syntax has connections with other fields of language, including meaning, sound structure, word structure, and language use. His research interests include Syntactic Theory, Interfaces in Syntax (with Morphology and Semantics), Ecolinguistics (the interdisciplinary field that looks into the relationship between language, culture, and the environment), Sociosyntax (the variation of syntactic structures due to social factors),  and Forensic Linguistics (the application of linguistic knowledge, methods, and insights to the forensic context of law, language, crime investigation, trial, and judicial procedure).