Dr Shamshul Bahri received his PhD from Brunel University, London, his Master of Business Administration (MBA) from University of Malaya, and his Bachelor of Business Adminstration (BBA) from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi. Before joining University of Malaya in 2000, he worked as an officer at the New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd, Jalan Riong Bangsar. There, he assisted the Central Region Circulation Manager in coordinating the Kuala Lumpur, Petaling Jaya, and Kelang circulation offices.  He lead the Department of Operations and Management Information Systems, Faculty of Business and Accountancy, University of Malaya in two stints: 2011 to 2014 and 2018-2019. His speciality is in the area of information systems (IS), especially IS implementation, payment systems, healthcare information systems, and social media. His current research interests lie in the area of finance technology (Fintech) and big data analytics. He was a Visiting Fellow at the School of Information Systems and Technology Management, University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, Australia in 2014 and a Visiting Professor at Universitas Brawijaya, Malang, Indonesia, in 2020.  As an academic, Dr Shamshul had scored many firsts. He was the first academic from Malaysia's public universities to co-chair the program committee of the Pacific Asia Conference on Information Systems (PACIS). It happened in the conference's 21st edition (2017) held in Langkawi Island, Malaysia. He was also the first from Malaysia's public universities to be selected as an associate editor (the Human Behavior and IS Track) at the premier International Conference on Information Systems (ICIS) when it was held in 2014 in Auckland, New Zealand. He was also the first from Malaysian universities to get the outputs from his joint-research with colleagues from UNSW and NUS, published in the Information Systems Journal (ISJ) and European Journal of Information Systems (EJIS). The two journals are listed in the "IS senior scholars' basket of eight" publications considered to be the most prestigious in the field of information systems. He is also currently a senior editor for the Pacific Asia Journal of Information Systems (PAJAIS) and an editorial member for the International Journal of Computer Theory and Engineering. In recognition of his contribution to the Association for the Information Systems (AIS) and to the field, especially in the Asia-Pacific region, he was recently awarded by the Association for Information Systems (AIS) the title of "Distinguished Member of the AIS", the first, and currently the only academic from Malaysian universities to receive the honour.  Although less athletic, Dr Shamshul likes to play tennis. His hobbies include reading and singing.  

Dr. Muhamad Alihanafiah bin Norasid is a senior lecturer at the Academy of Islamic Studies, University of Malaya. He was born on 22 May 1987 at Kuala Lumpur General Hospital and is the eldest of twelve siblings. Originally from Johor, he has resided in Dusun Tua, Hulu Langat, Selangor, for over 30 years. He is married and blessed with five children—two boys and three girls. Educational Background Dr. Alihanafiah began his early education at Sekolah Agama Menengah Rawang, Selangor in 2000, before continuing his secondary studies at Sekolah Menengah Agama Kerajaan Johor in Kluang from 2001 to 2004. In 2005, he pursued religious studies at Ma’ahad Johor in Johor Bahru and successfully obtained the Sijil Tinggi Agama Malaysia (STAM). He continued his academic journey at the University of Malaya, earning a Bachelor of Usuluddin (Al-Quran and Al-Hadith) from 2006 to 2009. He then pursued a PhD in the field of Thematic Quranic Interpretation and Human Capital Development at the same university from 2010 to 2016. He also attended a one-month Arabic language enhancement course at Cairo University, Egypt in 2008, and a three-month research methodology course at The World Islamic Sciences and Education University in Amman, Jordan in 2012. Academic Career Dr. Alihanafiah has been serving as a lecturer at the Academy of Islamic Studies, University of Malaya since 2017, and currently holds the position of Senior Lecturer. With over eight years of academic experience, he has demonstrated strong commitment to teaching and research, particularly in the field of Quran and Hadith studies. Leadership and Involvement Since his student days, Dr. Alihanafiah has actively engaged in various leadership and co-curricular activities. He served as Chairman of the Student Committee, Department of Quran and Hadith (2005–2006), and was a committee member of the Islamic Student Association of the University of Malaya (2004–2005). He also held the position of Advisory Committee Member of the Training and Cadre Unit at YADIM (2020–2021), and served as Chairman of the Youth Bureau (Lajnah Syubban) of the Malaysian Muslim Scholar Association (PUM) from 2017 to 2024. As of 2025, he holds the position of Chairman of the Madrasah Ulama’ Secretariat, also under PUM. Academic Publications and Scholarly Network Dr. Alihanafiah is an active academic in the field of scholarly publishing. He has authored more than 60 academic articles, which have been published in various academic journals, book chapters, and conference proceedings. Additionally, he has presented over 15 research papers at international conferences and seminars. His involvement in research includes delivering presentations as a guest speaker in countries such as Japan, Iran, and Indonesia. He has also participated in research competency courses in Turkey, Thailand, Egypt, Brunei, Japan, Jordan, Qatar, Iran, and other countries. He is recognized as a subject matter expert in the areas of Quranic thought, thematic (Mawdu‘i) interpretation, human capital development, and environmental sustainability from the perspective of the Quran. Academic and Co-Curricular Achievements Dr. Alihanafiah has received various awards and recognitions throughout his academic journey. These include the Cikgu Haji Osman Hassan Book Prize for Best Student at the Academy of Islamic Studies, University of Malaya (2009), the Active Student Award of Residential College 8 (2007), and the Academic Excellence Award of the same college (2007). He also received the University Book Prize for achieving a perfect CGPA (4.00) in three out of six semesters. In the field of debating, he represented the University of Malaya in the Royal Intervarsity Debate Championship (Arabic category) and emerged as First Runner-up in 2007. He also reached the quarterfinals of the ASEAN Debate Championship (Arabic category) in the same year. Additionally, he was the First Runner-up in the Quran Memorization Competition and Islamic Calligraphy Competition (khat) at the university level in 2007 and 2008 respectively.

Finding patterns of variation in biology fascinating, I chose to study genetics and molecular biology in Universiti Malaya, graduating in 2002 with first class honours. Subsequently, I turned to the roots of the study of patterns of variation - statistics, receiving my MSc in statistics from Universiti Malaya in 2005. I completed my PhD in statistics at the National University of Singapore in 2009. Since 2010, I have been with Universiti Malaya. Currently, I am an associate professor at the Institute of Mathematical Sciences, and a fellow of the Royal Statistical Society, UK. My research interest broadly covers the area of data science, machine learning, bioinformatics, ecology, and medical statistics. Since 2010, I have worked in over 20 projects as the principal consultant statistician, and conducted numerous workshops on statistics, bioinformatics, and R programming. Presently, I head the UM Centre for Data Analytics, which focuses on establishing collaborative research and engagement between the industry and the academia in Malaysia. I enjoy reading, travelling, nature walks, and more recently, engaging fellow scientists in Twitter space.