Lucas Low VL received his bachelor’ degree in Biodiversity Management with first-class honours from the Universiti Malaysia Terengganu in 2010. He then earned his PhD with ‘distinction thesis’ from the University of Malaya (UM) in 2013, for his studies on the molecular and biochemical basis of insecticide resistance in medically important group of mosquitoes. Currently, he is the Executive Director and an associate professor at Tropical Infectious Diseases Research and Education Centre (TIDREC), a Higher Institution Centre of Excellence (HICoE) in Malaysia. His current research interests include insect vectors of medical-veterinary importance such as mosquitoes, flies, ticks, fleas, lice and mites; and their associated infectious disease agents. In his scientific career, he has been fortunate to work under the mentorship of the world-renowned black fly taxonomist, Prof. Emeritus Dr. Hiroyuki Takaoka for the discovery of new species and taxonomic classification of black flies in the Oriental region. At present, he owned taxonomic authorities for 11 new species of black flies discovered in Southeast Asia. In recognition of his research excellence in vector-borne diseases, and significant advancement in molecular phylogenetics and systematics of black flies, two new species of black flies Simulium vanluni from Malaysia, and Simulium lowi from Vietnam were named after him in 2017. In March 2020, he organized and chaired the 3rd Asian Simuliidae Symposium which was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. His expertise in the field of insecticide resistance is recognized by the Malaysian Ministry of Health. He has been appointed as a member of the Technical Working Committee for Insecticide Resistance, which aims to provide mitigation plans against insecticide resistance issue throughout the country. He was also appointed as a consultant for testing commercial mosquito repellent products in a private company. His reputation has convinced local and international funders. Notably, he is the principal investigator for the Tick Cell Biobank Asia Outpost project funded by the prestigious research foundation, Wellcome Trust (2022-2026). The Asia Outpost (the only one in Asia) provides insect cell line resources and training to fellow researchers in Asia. His role is important in increasing regional capacity in the implementation of research in tick-borne diseases. He is also the principal investigator of the black fly DNA barcode project in Southeast Asia funded by the Global Biodiversity Information Facility, Denmark (2021-2023). His role is to establish and strengthen black fly biodiversity information facilities and increase the capacity of researchers in Asia in accessing data needed for biodiversity management. He has strong research networks in both local and international institutions and has authored more than 180 articles in ISI-indexed journals. He has been a reviewer of several world-leading scientific journals. He is an Associate Editor of Tropical Biomedicine and a Section Editor of Parasitology Research, both of which are the WoS indexed journals. He is an active member of the Malaysian Society of Parasitology and Tropical Medicine (MSPTM). Currently, he serves as the President for the society.  He shows high commitment in educational activities, as well social responsibility in increasing the level of public awareness of vector-borne diseases. He is involved in various talks to raise awareness among students, Orang Asli, pet owners and the general public at disease outbreak areas. He is also a facilitator in the development of national biosafety and biosecurity policies and guidelines. Since 2018, he has successfully supervised 6 Master’s and 9 PhD students to completion. Currently, he is supervising 14 postgraduate students. He received the Certificate of Excellent Service in 2018 and the Excellence Service Award in 2019 from Universiti Malaya. In 2020, he was awarded the Nadchatram Medal in recognition of his outstanding contributions to parasitology and tropical medicine. He is also listed among the world’s top 2% scientists in the field of tropical medicine (2025).  

Mahmoud Zakaria Ibrahim is a Senior Lecturer at Universiti Malaya. He obtained his BSc and MSc in Mechanical Engineering from Ain Shams University, and his PhD from Universiti Malaya. He is currently focusing on the field of amorphous metals (metallic glasses), surface engineering, and metal additive manufacturing. He boosted his academic career through acquiring several national, industrial, and international funding, with a rigorous publishing record in peer-reviewed journals. His collaboration network includes international institutions in Taiwan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Austria, as well as local and international companies in his field.His research aims to address the current challenges and gaps to transform the research from lab to factory, impacting the community and the world.

Professor Dr. Pooi-Fong Wong is a Professor in the Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya and heads the Molecular Ageing Research Group. She obtained her PhD in Cancer Biology from Universiti Malaya and completed postdoctoral training at the Mater Research Institute, University of Queensland, Australia, with additional advanced postgraduate training in Japan. Her research is internationally recognised for contributions to molecular pharmacology, vascular and cellular senescence, and the discovery of novel drug modalities and biomarkers for ageing-related diseases. She is a recipient of prestigious international fellowships, including the Royal Academy of Engineering (UK) Leaders in Innovation Fellowship, the Australia Endeavour Research Fellowship, and the Japan International Cooperation Agency Fellowship. Prof. Wong also serves as an AAALAC International ad hoc specialist, reflecting her engagement in global research governance and standards. Her research innovation has been recognised through invention awards, alongside Universiti Malaya awards for excellence in research and teaching. She seeks to translate pharmacological research into novel therapeutic approaches.